Unforgettable / Pure Love - Kmovie

Friendship is an amazing thing. However there are not many people who are privileged enough to fully experience such things, or at least that is how they see things. Still stories about these kinds of ideal friendships make for very entertaining and heart-warming experiences that have you cheering and balling your eyes out all at the same time. It’s these types of stories that have graced my screen recently as I jumped into watching a few movies from both Korea and Japan.

The movie I’ll speak of is the definite tear-jerker movie from Korea that follows the story of a few teenage friends and their one summer experience that changed their lives and had echoing effects into their adulthood where the movie starts and slowing begins to reveal. The movie was named Unforgettable (internationally) but is also known as Pure Love and though it seemed like a romance from the poster and many hints throughout the movie, it turned out to be a movie about relationships and those people we never can forget who shape us and change us into who we are to become.

Starting in their future we see as Bum-Sil, a radio host begins his interesting show about talking on other’s lives and their memories and as he begins the most recent story, he unknowingly begins to talk about his own past. The movie then shifts focus to a few listeners who follow his retelling of the past and they just so happen to be the friends he speaks of, all who have moved on into different directions in their lives.

The moving story focuses around the group’s one friend who seems to be the anchor that keeps them together, Soo-Ok, a bright and happy girl with a limp that limits her movements greatly. We see how these friends still enjoy their youth and time together despite Soo-Ok’s disability and we experience the memories they make that summer, unaware of the ominous things to come.

It comes across as your average teen drama that even has a low-key love triangle that affects the lives of these young souls, while also showing us some carefree messing around that makes you want to join in on the group’s fun as you see their bonds form and grow. But like kdrama law demands things don’t stay all sunshine and roses as the group have a minor fallout due to misunderstanding and miscommunication and soon drift away from each other at a critical time for the innocent anchor of the group, who gets devastating news that takes her to the edge.

Before you know it reality slams into our teen’s lives and tragedy strikes, scarring the group for many years to come. Move forward many years later and we see our group crying as their friend tells the world of this friendship that suffered great loss in their youth. But low and behold closure comes in the form of a simple, old-school, tape. It’s this incident that has our group, though older, gather again as they reminisce and say their greetings in that old backwards village where they spent their summers so many years ago.

The story is very meaningful as it covers the dynamics of friendship and all the emotions that are associated with it. The experience of the group is very raw and brings home the reality that not all memories we hold consist of the sunny days and happy moments of our youth but also the sad and ugly things that just happen. But despite that we should treasure each moment and the people that are with us while we have the chance.

The acting was brilliant and the mood of the movie very subtle and real. I think it was a very good movie, especially if you love the stories about real relationships and how they pan out. I won’t lie though; it brings out your emotions as it has you crying at the unfortunate turn of events that occur to these innocent youths who just weren’t ready for what the world was to throw at them. But it’s very moving watching how they deal with it and how it changes them as it reminds you of your own life and youth.

Mr Baek - KDrama

Have you ever felt so uncomfortable yet equally satisfied with something that you just became so very confused with yourself? I have, just recently upon finishing a kdrama that I had on my backlog, all the way from 2014. It was an intriguing experience that I don’t quite know what to make of it just yet. One thing is for sure though; I have watched something good but don’t know how I feel about the realistic applications of the outcome.

The drama that has me so troubled is Mr Baek, an interesting story revolving around a grumpy old man who has the rare opportunity to turn back the biological clock and relive his life a little differently. Following Chairman Choi Go-Bong, we meet a 70 year old man who is less than pleased with the world but finds himself convinced that he is all that as he carries on his life without trusting or acknowledging anyone around him. However things begin to change once he meets the young lady, Eun Ha-Soo, whom he eventually addressed rather sweetly as the ‘the milky way’, a play on her name that makes more sense in Korean than it does in English.

Anyway, after their fateful meeting our grumpy old man finds himself standing on death’s door but like most humans he finds he still has much to do and has no desire to leave just yet. Luckily for him though it seems someone is listening up there as he gets a strange transformation where his biological clock turns back a few decades, leaving him a healthy and active 34 year old man.

Not sure what to make of his situation he tries to get back into his old life in order to fix the many misunderstanding that had been left as he ‘died’. Thus we see him successfully presenting himself as his own son, Choi Shin-Hyung, a revelation that takes many of those around him by surprise, especially his one and only true son, Choi Dae-Han.

However, things don’t go as he plans as things keep forcing him out of the business he thought he was still busy with and instead he finds himself constantly coming across the cute and naïve Eun Ha-Soo who he slowly starts falling in love with. Of course Eun Ha-Soo also finds herself attracted to the strange and rather rude Choi Shin-Hyung, while having not the slightest clue who he really is.

Along with the sweet romance that blossoms between the two leads, we see Choi Shin-Hyung also begin to develop a relationship with his estranged son, the only other family member who actually seems to be missing him, while the rest of his family fight over the business he started and grew. Their relationship grows stronger as they face the evil Jung Yi-Gun, who Choi Go-Bong had always favored without knowing his true colors.

The story is very interesting and can get you pretty engrossed. But I must admit the relationship between Eun Ha-Soo and Choi Shin-Hyung had me just a little disturbed when I thought of the little details of who he was and how old he really was. I know age is but a number, but that number was just a bit high for my comfort levels. It was especially weird when they introduced the classical love triangle and his son, Choi Dae-Han, was the other competitor. I felt awkward rooting for the main couple when this happened. This kind of theme seems to suggest many disturbing things about our society, especially where old men are concerned, for example should it be okay for a 70 year old to be dating such a young woman? I mean its love right? Even still my brain was having some difficulties justifying why I got so excited for their romance.

Of course my troubles could only have been so great because the acting in this was amazing, especially where the actor who played Choi Shin-Hyung was concerned. The way Shin Ha-Kun portrayed being an old man, while also learning the things he was so surprisingly inexperienced with was adorable and worth watching. The relationships between the actors felt so real too so that has to be acknowledged too. Indeed the actors and actresses did a brilliant job portraying their characters.

All in all it was a good drama and I’m glad I spent 16 hours of my life watching it. I also admit that I will be looking for more works with these actors in. I’m very interested in seeing Lee Joon (aka Choi Dae-Han) in a lead role where he actually gets the girl. This drama definitely left me with many memories and feelings, along with a possible change in perspective when it comes to love and the limits of what can be considered an ‘okay’ age gap between couples.

Vampire Detective - KDrama

Sometimes watching something simply because it happens to be in the genre you enjoy isn’t such a great idea. Because as perfectly as it is supposed to cater to your appetite it can also happen that the overall storyline isn’t up to scratch. This is unfortunately what I have recently experienced in one of my favorite genre kdramas that sadly failed to live up to the many expectations that were set out before it. Of course that’s just my opinion.

The drama I speak of is Vampire Detective and I must admit that I am sorely disappointed in the way it was executed given the fact that it had so much potential. The story revolves around an ex-police officer who gets infected with a new strain of the ‘vampire virus’ turning him into a special type vampire, not bothered by the sun and if hints are to be believed, not bothered too much by the hunger too. Using these new abilities he works in a private detective agency with an older friend from the force and they go off solving strange and difficult cases that even the police turn away from.

Of course in true kdrama tradition it turns out that most of these cases are connected, in that they lead our fledgling vampire into an underground world where vampires are the norm and that his friends from the force, thought to be dead during a mission, might actually still be lingering around. The main story is admittedly a bit flimsy and the way it is presented is hap hazardous and inconsistent.

While the show does hold some interesting aspects, most of the surprises and action is brief and predictable. Not to mention the whole fact that our lead is a new-type vampire is barely even addressed or fully explored as the show focuses on how amazing his talents as a detective are. Though this isn’t exactly a bad thing it falls short from the promises this genre is supposed to deliver on. The other members of the agency also had much potential, but they basically got thrown to the side as characters just there for some dramatic effect and possible hostages for whenever the baddies needed to make a point.

As for the storyline it remained, in my opinion, inconsistent and sometimes incomprehensible as it rushed through certain things and threw in some random cases just to keep the detective side relevant and maybe show pieces of what a vampire detective could be capable of but not fully of course. It didn’t help that the lead also had a broody personality that didn’t match his actions and motivations, but I have to wonder it that might have been an actor-problem. Whether the acting was good is hard to tell as the story didn’t grip me enough to show that, or maybe even the actors themselves felt there was just something off about the show and didn’t give it exactly their best. Either way I barely paid enough attention to that as I soon grew to just watch the show out of obligation for starting it.

Overall, this was a show with much potential but filled with great disappointment. Hopefully the hint for another season shows a possibility for growth with new storyline and better acting, but if the ratings weren’t as good as I assume, then I doubt even that will come to pass. It really saddens me though that such a show somewhat flopped, but it just goes to show that expectation isn’t something one should give too much energy to when jumping into a new series.

Entertainer - KDrama

The one thing you always get used when watching kdramas is the romance element between the lead couple. It becomes quite refreshing when this element is overlooked for a change and a different approach is made when addressing the storyline. This is the case with a recent kdrama that has finished and I must say I am happily impressed with what I have watched and experienced.

Entertainer strays from the usual romance plotline we see in so many kdramas and instead it focuses on the importance of the people around you and the relationships you have that can both make or break you. Yes sure, there is still a little bit of romance implanted here and there but what I love about the drama is that it doesn’t focus on it and in doing so gives us quite a refreshing story about life and consequence.

The drama follows a music director, Shin Suk-Ho, who leaves his company in order to start his own. However, things don’t go smoothly for our lead as his former employer holds a slight grudge at his leaving as well as his intent to take one of their famous groups with him. Things go pear-shaped and poor Suk-Ho ends up landing in prison for a brief while as well as having his barely started venture going under.

Luckily however fortune smiles on him as he comes across a new talent while in search of funds. Enter Jo Ha-Neul an aspiring singer with a sad past and complicated situation that could break the fragile hope that Suk-Ho has. Here we have a good singer who has been falsely framed for sexual harassment by his best friend, who just so happens to have recently been taken in by Suk-Ho’s old company as a new talent.

Believing in Ha-Neul, Suk-Ho makes it his mission to clear the young singer’s name in order to make him a star and thus he begins forming a band. Joining the band are quite a few interesting characters, each with their own interesting and sad past. First we have the ex-student from Julliard, Kyle, who makes his living playing as a stand-in for others. Then we meet Na Yeon-Soo who works at night in karaoke bars in order to support his son Chan-Hee and last but not least we have studious Seo Jae-Hoon who is somewhat pushed harder than most to study and make something of himself that his mother approves.

Taking this bunch of interesting and mismatched group of boys, Suk-Ho goes on to create the ‘Ddanddara Band’, meaning entertainer in Korean. However things don’t go easily as Suk-Ho soon discovers that clearing Ha-Nuel’s name will come at a cost. It also makes things more complicated that the incident is connected to his previous company and the workings of the devious CEO that has various reasons for which to block the band’s success.

Another interesting thing is that Suk-Ho and Ha-Nuel actually have a past connection through Ha-Nuel’s deceased brother, something that also brings a bit of complication into their lives as there turns out to be some undiscovered sadness in their connected past.

Honestly this drama brings so much to the table in terms of storyline it’s hard to outline it all here. It kind of makes sense that the romance plotline would take a backseat as all the other stuff happens. But we still can’t deny the drama’s love triangle between Suk-Ho, Ha-Nuel and Jung Gue-Rin that occupies a good chunk of the drama, but not enough to overshadow the overall beautiful story that follows the lives of a few entertainers trying to overcome their struggles and make it on their own.

I loved this show and the relationship between Suk-Ho and Ha-Nuel, maybe a bit more than the romance story even. This drama had good writing and the pacing was on point. I can’t even deny that some scene’s brought a bucket of tears to my eyes while the little victories that the band had made me cheer like a crazy person. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in storyline over the love-love aspect.

One must also acknowledge the amazing songs that were churned out of this drama as they moved your feels into all kinds of frenzy. From the band’s first song ‘I see you’ to the heart aching duet between Jo Ha-Nuel and the deceased Jo Sung-Hyun. These are all memorable songs that you just have to love as they bring more life to the drama.

Healer - KDrama

Sometimes when you have nothing to watch you find yourself digging into the backlogged list of things to watch and low and behold you find pieces of gold that have been sitting unwatched waiting for your eyeballs to grace its glory upon. Such is the case with the recent drama I finished and I must say, save for the ending, it was an enjoyable ride I wouldn’t mind repeating. And one should mention that such rides are not so often found, especially in these times where people cater more to the quick fix for the short attention spans instead of catering to the long and in-depth and well-crafted storylines that we all secretly crave.

The drama I speak of is Healer and you wouldn’t have to stray very far in the kdrama world to find a few fans praising its awesome. Of course it should be expected when you deliver such an intriguing story with so many intertwining parts that draws your attention and tugs at your heartstrings while also giving you some truly interesting characters to both drool and hate on. The cast is diverse and the episodes leave you breathless and wanting more as it takes you on a rollercoaster ride of action and conspiracy while slipping in some romance and drama.

The plot follows a night courier who has made a name for himself in the business as he runs his latest errand for his customer but it turns out he’s taken on the wrong kind of client as things get messy and he’s framed for murder. But that doesn’t stop him from doing his job and taking on another errand from a famous reporter in the meantime, one that has him tailing another, lessor known, reporter. Things get even more interesting as he discovers that the two jobs might just be connected and he investigates things further opening up a whole can of worms that has not only the dirty secrets of a politician coming out but that of his own parents whom he knew little to nothing about.

Following the epic stunts pulled off by our lead, Seo Jung-Hoo is really a treat for any action loving fan and the troubles faced by the one who calls on our action hero, Kim Moon-Ho, makes for some heart rendering scenes as you sympathize with the troubled man who has kept so many secrets locked away for too many years and has one hell of a story to tell. 

Of course you can’t forget our female lead that brings out the soft side to our supposedly cold and isolated night courier and makes him more human as the drama progresses. Chae Young-Shin does a good job of running the story along as she connects a few plot points while being herself oblivious for most of the drama. You can’t help but fall for the chemistry that the two leads bring to the table, making it all the more worth it to watch.

But there is one more character that must be mentioned, the ahjumma that makes things interesting and honestly worthwhile watching for a lot of reasons other than romance as she brings in the tech and gadgetry. Jo Min-Ja, the recluse ex-detective who has decided that her hacking skills are best left to the night world makes things enjoyable and brings in the comedy and epic banter.

There are more characters I could mention but that would take too much time and create too much spoilers, instead let me say that this drama brings to the table some lovable and utterly despicable characters you will either enjoy or pass over. Obviously the impact of their performances must be thanks to the actors and actresses who played them and made the roles their own as they brought their A+ game. I have nothing but respect for them. The same goes for the writers who created these characters and the story.

One thing I will say though is that ending….that ending could have been different. For so many reasons that ending could have been different, but I guess perfection would have been too much for one drama to go for. And that is all I’ll say about that.

Goodbye Mr Black - KDrama

If there’s one thing any drama should strive to get right it’s the story line, you know the plot that gets you gripped and keeps you hooked for the whole series. But it occurs to me that sometimes, even when the plot has many enjoyable and gripping points to offer, it happens that the story can unravel as the drama progresses and there’s unfortunately nothing, not even the acting that can fully save it, though the attempt is pretty interesting to observe.

A drama that has followed this unfortunate road of break down is Goodbye Mr. Black. This drama starts off very interesting and for a few episodes there in the beginning it keeps this momentum. However, somewhere in the middle it seems to all go to crap as the story takes a turn and things become possibly too complex for the writers of the show to keep realistic intrigue and good story flow. Granted the characters are interesting, it seems that the writers try to overcomplicate some of their back stories all for the sake of a ‘happy ending’ for the lead couple.

In any case, the story follows your average revenge story where our lead male, Cha Ji-won, is framed for murder while his father gets murdered and his situation covered up, all because our villains want to control the family’s business. What is really sad is that one of the bad guys turns out to be Cha Ji-won’s best friend who has always envied the seemingly perfect life of the Cha household. Min Seon-jae falls from grace very quickly as he tries to do things, through the wrong way, and gets caught by one shady old man, Baek Eun-do, our second greedy villain.

Left for dead we see Cha Ji-won come across our lead female, Kim Swan, who at the time is a nameless woman is just drifting around Thailand trying to survive. The two run into each other and through a misunderstanding become acquainted. Of course they continue to run into each other and Kim Swan even saves a fatally wounded Cha Ji-won. While in hiding the two become very close but it isn’t long before they part ways in order for Cha Ji-won to start his revenge plan.

Move forward a few years we see that Cha Ji-won returns to Korea where he finds Kim Swan who has been waiting for him and so begins his revenge on Min Seon-ja and Beak Eun-do. Of course things have changed and the road to victory is tough and full of difficulties, but that doesn’t stop the little team Cha Ji-won has assembled from powering through and bringing down the bad guys.

Throw in a few little drama cliché plot drivers and you have quite a complex story where we see both the bad guys and good guys winning alternatively as the story progresses. Though the story does slow down there in the middle as things become, in my opinion, too complex while the focus is moved to the awkward development of our lead couple’s romance.

The drama has a lot of potential and despite the slight unravelling that occurs there near the end, it still proves to be an interesting watch, though I won’t say it couldn’t have been done better. The acting is also something that could have been worked on just a little bit more. Though they play their respective characters very well, it can’t be denied that the characters themselves can sometimes come across as a little forced in doing what they do. Whether this was an acting problem or a writing problem can be debated though.

Overall this drama started out strong and gradually began to break down. This was a shame really, however, I wouldn’t say it is a show to put aside, simply because of the potential one could see within the intended story. Though honestly this could just be my fangirl opinion where all things with even slight interest should be viewed. Oh well…

Dramaworld - Webseries

I have to say in the recent drama/web series that I finished watching I have come to appreciate the clichés and adorable corn that comes with being a fan of Korean dramas. No matter how predictable and cheesy kdramas are it still baffles me how so much enjoyment can be had when immersing one’s self into these worlds of make believe. It truly is an interesting experience, one that has been highlighted in this web series that is in effect catered to those of us who would love to be fully immersed in the worlds we watch weekly.

The web series I’m referring to is Dramaworld, a title that gives you an idea of what’s to come, in my opinion. An original series backed by the popular drama streaming sight Viki, this show proves to be almost everything a hungry fan of kdramas would like. It offers romance and action with a little of fantasy mixed in to ensure just the right cocktail of enjoyable viewing. Of course the only drawback, I think, is that the episodes are way too short.

The story follows an American girl who is obsessed with Korean dramas, so much so that it constantly affects her daily life. However, this self-conscious girl who doesn’t view her life as much of anything gets an interesting chance that many would no doubt sell their liver for as she magically gets transported into her current drama obsession. There, in a world that has filled her days and dreams, she comes across the characters of the show and learns that things aren’t always coincidence.

But she is not alone from the real world as she runs into another man who explains to her that the roles of those not from around there are to ‘facilitate’ the drama and ensure that happy endings always play out. Of course our new ‘facilitator’ isn’t as smooth as can be and while being star struck with all the characters she’s obsessed over, she finds herself screwing with the story more than she is supposed to.

Needless to say things start going pear-shaped and Dramaworld is in danger of vanishing as the main story goes off script and our poor little fangirl struggles to get things back on track and what she thought was a sweet little romance story turns to a much more interesting mix of events.

The story is fun to watch, especially if you’re a kdrama fan and can pick out all the clichés and adorable jokes that poke fun at how ridiculous Korean dramas can actually be. Despite being a show that highlights the overdone clichés and rehashed plot points that most Korean dramas follow, Dramaworld does still have its own little twists and surprises as it goes on to keep you hooked.

Overall I think it was quite a worthwhile experience and time well spent and I would recommend it to any fan out there who has always wanted to be part of their favorite show. The acting was pretty good, even the exaggerated parts fit well with what you’d expect in a kdrama and I must admit I loved the cameo appearances of legitimate kpop stars just doing their drama thing while the show goes on. This is definitely a show I might just re-watch just for the heck of it.

Marriage Contract - Kdrama

If there’s one thing you pick up after watching enough kdrama it’s that every drama has a formula. Whether it is a medical drama, a romance drama or even an action drama no matter which it is, there are always a few ingredients that go into making it. It could even be argued that these ingredients used over and over and twisted this way and that, are the key reasons fans love it so much. Different but always the same, that’s what one could argue Korean drama, is and as a fan I see nothing wrong with it. Still who knew I’d fall into watching a drama that took one recipe and mixed it to the extreme?

The drama I’m referring to is Marriage Contract and my word this was just a tear-fest waiting to happen. Why you ask, well if you think about it, obviously when one adds not one but two terminally ill patients in a drama there’s bound to be a heavy requirement for some tissues and comfort hugs. Still, despite the salty experience you can’t help but appreciate the ride it takes you one as it conveys the important message of cherishing every moment while you have it because you never know what lies around the corner.

The story follows a single mother struggling to live as she has to raise her seven year old daughter and still pay off the debts her husband left before dying. Because of this sad and troublesome existence we see Kang Hye-Soo doing everything she can as she works hard to just get by. However, life isn’t done messing with our poor Hye-Soo as she soon discovers that she has an inoperable brain tumor as well. Down on her luck and at a point where she couldn’t be any more desperate we see Han Ji-Hoon enter our heroine’s life by pure accident. But things aren’t going so well for our hero either as he is faced with a dire situation. We see the indifferent player Han Ji-Hoon running around to find a way to save his mother who is in desperate need of a liver transplant.

There we have two desperate individuals searching for any solution, one looking to find a way to support her child, Cha Eun-Sung and the other looking to marry someone who would be willing to undergo a liver transplant for his mother. Drawn together by their own situations we have Han Ji-Hoon drawing up a marriage contract with Hang Hye-Soo who has thrown caution to the wind and decided to risk her life in order to ensure her daughter’s future. So the fake marriage begins as the two pretend to be as close as possible in order to fool the hospital and hopefully not land up in jail. Of course this draws them into each other’s lives and as time goes by our two leads slowly begin to actually fall in love.

The story is interesting, despite the many clichés that can be found within it and the actors do a wonderful job of portraying their characters, so much so you can’t help but be overly moved by their performance as it brings tears, and on occasion smiles, to your face. Admittedly the plot drags a few times there in the middle but eventually it grabs your attention and keeps you hooked into the lives of star-crossed lovers. It also should be mentioned that the kid, Eun-Sung’s performance was well played as she went from being the little brat that couldn’t stand the troublesome Han Ji-hoon to the sweet little angel that would eventually call him dad as she softened his heart and made the viewers hearts melt as they portrayed the cutest father-daughter combo.

All in all the drama was very good in my opinion, though I have to say it worked hard to bring those emotions out of its audience and that ending…well that ending almost makes it hard to let this show go as you might find yourself sitting and waiting for some closure, or maybe that’s just me? In any case it was time well spent and anyone looking for a good cry and life lesson should look into it if they have the stamina to do so.