Showing posts with label kdrama. Show all posts

K-Drama Review: Ranting about Dream High I & II


As I may have or may have not revealed before, the only K-Drama I have completed in my life is Dream High... Season I. I mean, I tried Season II, but I simply just couldn't. It felt more like I was forcing myself to watch the episodes than anything, and being that there were a lot of people who I gave no shit about in the season, I only watched the first episode fully. But because I kind of want to wrap my sentiments into one extremely long post that still maintains relevancy, I'm going to talk about both Dream High I and that one episode of Season II, why I didn't complete the second season and what I hated about the first for all non-DH-watching readers who's curious of one of the most famous international K-Pop dramas and all DH-watching readers to compare their own feelings seeing if they agree or not.



First Thing's First: Dream High the First

Meth is one hell of a drug
It was interesting to watch, the story-line was intriguing and good for us curious fans who want to know something about the idol life, this thing giving a small look into that life. What I didn't like already from the beginning was how Kristen Stewart-like Suzy was, the plain Jane rarely smiling or showing emotion despite her character being set up like that. 
Not only that, Taecyeon was kind of a... he was... I didn't like... This is hard to explain. 
I mean, I'm not saying his acting was extremely subpar--it wasn't. It was average--but what I am saying is that I really feel like they could have substituted him for someone else because he was odd at too many moments. 

And am I the only one who was first mad that IU aka Pilsuk had to lose weight by a certain time and take a crazy ass fuck diet just in order to get Wooyoung to like her? 
I really was hoping that the show would incorporate the theme "true love is skin deep" but instead, they totally fucked it up big time. I was pushing the Milky Couple but after I saw these couple of episodes with IU slaving to lose a ton of pounds in a limited amount of time, I started to dislike Wooyoung's character since his mind was in his penis. 


I just farted. Time to overreact.

And Eunjung overreacted like 99% of the time she was on screen. It wasn't necessarily bad since it made up for Suzy's lack of reaction but really? Could you tone it down please? Just a little?

AND WHY DID SUZY END UP WITH KIM SOO HYUN IN THE END? Everything was pointing for Suzy and Taecyeon but then, at the very very last episode I was so surprised with seeing her kissing Soo Hyun and shit. Like what? Can't that fucker end up with Eunjung or something? Was it necessary for Soo Hyun to get lucky that night? He coulda waited a little bit longer. AND WHY DID THEY SAY WOOYOUNG WAS FROM AMERICA? His English sucked so much ass, I bet Taecyeon who actually speaks it was crying out back.

The only person that I really liked was the director guy, Bae Yong Joon, probably cause his ass was barely in the show to begin with. He was calm, said the right stuff and pissed me off the least. Not to mention, his glasses were awesome. 

Dream High Season I - ★★★☆☆




One Down, One to Go - Dream High Season II

Life without Jiyeon is swell
Before I start, someone tell me who the fuck though it was a good idea to put a group of the vocal powerhouses Hyorin and Ailee then add Jiyeon to the equation? Is that supposed to fit? It was the most awkward set up I have ever seen and frankly, I was confused.
Everyone says the second seasons of shows suck compared to the first, and little did I know, everyone was right. They started Dream High II with the most random kiss scene with Jiyeon, one where she apparently couldn't cry so she overreacted and cried because she couldn't cry which made so much sense, I could've cried. 
"Yeah, I don't wanna pee"
But wait a second, she was in that scene acting and trying to cry. Isn't she in Kirin Arts to be an idol? Now why is she there to be an actress, too? Does Kirin even teach actresses? Why am I asking rhetorical questions? Is it cause this show sucks? What am I having for lunch?
This show truly makes you question its story-line often, and also makes your mind go off into space due to boredom, it not being worth your time.


Lastly, if you're looking for a drama, take Dream High I and not Dream High II, me, actually watching the full thing of Dream High I and my biggest concern the ending. DHII is as relevant as Mean Girls II and shouldn't even be looked at, secondhand embarrassment the only thing guaranteed from it.

Dream High Season II - ★☆☆

If you want to watch it, it's best to go to Dailymotion to avoid random copyrights on Youtube and if you like my rant about dramas, recommend me one on the comment section below and I'll review it as soon as possible. Looking for dramas? Click this. Satisfaction gauranteed.

K-Drama Review: Thoughts On The Heirs


The Inheritors, or He Who Wishes To Wear the Crown, Endure Its Weight, is currently airing weekly on SBS and it’s no doubt one of the most hyped drama of the year with a star-studded cast and a supposedly promising storyline. I’ve followed this drama religiously since episode 1 and here’s my take on it, right up to episode 14. There aren’t any spoilers and since this drama hasn’t ended, this is just my thoughts and feelings about the episodes up till now.

For the benefit of those who hasn’t heard about this drama yet, which probably means you’ve been living under a rock, here’s the short synopsis of it, courtesy to Wikipedia.


“The series follows a group of privileged, rich, elite high school students as they are groomed to take over their families' business empires. These wealthy students seem to have everything under control, except their love lives. Kim Tan (Lee Min Ho) is the heir to the Empire Group sent to study abroad in the U.S. In reality it's a form of exile, as his elder half-brother back home (Choi Jin-hyuk) schemes to take over the family business. While in the States, Kim Tan bumps into Cha Eun Sang (Park Shin Hye), who has arrived from Korea in search of her older sister. He feels himself falling for her, never realizing that she's the daughter of his family's housekeeper. When his fiancée, Rachel Yoo (Kim Ji Won), arrives to bring him back to Korea, his heart is torn between love and duty. Meanwhile, Rachel's stepbrother and Kim Tan's former best friend, Choi Young Do (Kim Woo-bin) develops his own feelings for Cha Eun Sang. Kim Tan then realizes that he has developed his feelings for Eun Sang, and Young Do, at the same time.”


For me, it’s one of those “empty calories” drama. All the fun, cliche and eye candies with no substance whatsoever. I mean, I will follow the whole series but there’s no way I will ever watch it again (unless someone compiles all the Kim Woobin parts for me, that is).


The reason I tuned in to this drama was because of Kim Woobin, and all the hype it has gotten long before the premiere. My friends couldn't stop talking about it. After the first episode, I was pretty much convinced that this was going to be Boys Over Flowers 2.0. I’m not expecting much from this drama, so I was not very disappointed with the first few episodes.  But can I just say, Kim Tan’s American friend and his traumatic English were pretty useless and could be been left out of the drama. And I’m not convinced by Lee Minho acting as a 18 year old again, because he clearly is way over the age to be acting as a high school student, as of most of the cast. But he seems to be most out of place after seeing him in various dramas as an adult.


Heirs continues weekly, with the slowest plot development imaginable. I can basically summarise the first ten episodes a few words: Kim Tan and Young Do fighting over our poor little Eun Sang with Love Is The Moment playing more than I’d like it to. It started to get slightly frustrating to watch a whole episode and realised nothing substantial actually happened. No plot movement, nada.


I think the problem with this drama is fundamentally the script. Most of the cast are good, solid actors who deliver convincing roles but the script is doing nothing for them. The scriptwriter, Kim Eun Sook who is a familiar name to us after Secret Garden and The Gentleman’s dignity, has underutilized the actors she has and the way the characters are written is just not my cup of tea. Young Do is a borderline sociopath with little redeeming qualities, and I don’t buy the “love will change his character” thing the drama is trying to sell. Kim Tan, the male hero is really nothing much but airy promises and Eun Sang is supposed to be independent and strong but most of the drama until now involves her being pushed and dragged harshly around by the two male leads and then she cries around 3 times in a single episode. Sometimes we get a glimpse of strong Eun Sang but for the most part, she’s just weak and indecisive. Her character is actually so contradictory it’s getting on my nerves and the feminist side of me is getting angry by the way she gets manhandled and yelled at by the male leads in almost every episode. The lead characters had so much potential to be so much more but all turned out flat and predictable. Finally, there are so many other supporting characters like Rachel and Kim Won that could be been so amazing but are simply wasted.


It’s not like I don’t enjoy watching this drama, because I do look forward to it every week, but every week I watch it with the feeling hoping for the show to get going, for something to happen and gets hopelessly disappointed by the end of an hour. And the cycle repeats.


There are, however, parts of the drama worth watching. Madame Han and Eun Sang’s mother keep me entertained every episode and Chan Young and Bona are simply pure fluff that no one can resist. These two couples are pure, pure gold. And of course, Kim Woobin makes Young Do so much more loveable despite his terrible actions and personality. I’m so biased it hurts.



Heirs is slowly, but surely picking up its pace now that we’re almost at the last 5 episodes. Backstories are being told, actual conflicts are happening and character growth is becoming more prominent.


As far as I am unimpressed with the plot, Heirs is still worth a watch. It’s your usual Korean drama with a pinch of Gossip Girl and one of those dramas that are so bad that it’s good. Nothing spectacular, occasionally frustrating but still an easy watch. And the wonderful cast should keep you interested till the very end.

Are you watching Heirs? What are your thoughts about it? Let us know in the comments below!

(credits: Wikipedia, Google images)

Road to Victory: YG "WIN" Episodes 1-3


There has been much hullabaloo surrounding YG's survival competition WIN: Who is Next since forever. It comes as no surprise though, given its extremely harsh do-or-die nature. One team debuts at the end of 3 months, the other team waits for another 4 years or disbands. What ever happened to YG being a family? Yet, this cruel show has been raking in pretty high viewer ratings for a show broadcast on cable TV. Given that this is YG's first boy group debut in 8 years, it is no wonder that there is much public interest and anticipation. What makes this all the more appealing is how the stakes in this survival competition is much higher than all other singing competitions. Competition will definitely be immensely intense - it's all or nothing.

I was pretty apprehensive about watching this, perhaps fearful of not being able to handle what I would see. Surprisingly, I'm finding myself being increasingly drawn to it. It is true that this whole show is set in a bubble screaming cruelty. Yet as I watched more of it, and became increasingly emotionally invested into it, there's really many heartwarming moments to witness and amaze you. Time and again, I am taken aback by how mature they are, and by how fiery their passion really burns - to pursue their simple desire to stand on stage; to bask in that single moment of fame, glory and pure bliss. Yet all in all, there's always the need for me to push the thought that one team has to go, right out of my mind. Sigh to the harsh but real cruelty of entertainment.

I'll be doing recaps for YG Win's episodes 3 at a time. Though new episodes have already been released, those recaps will be up in the next edition!

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Episode 1 Recap - Announcement of Doom

CEO Yang Hyun Suk announces about the survival competition between both teams and of course receives the mixed reactions from all 11 trainees - stunned, shocked - as well as from Stars that featured on the show including JYP, PSY, 2NE1 and Big Bang members. We are introduced to both teams, where Team A consists of 5 members - Song Min Ho (Rapper, Leader), Kang Seungyoon (Vocal), Lee Seunghoon (Rapper), Kim Jinwoo (Vocal) and Nam Taehyun - with an average age of 20 while Team B consists of 6 members - B.I. (Rapper, Leader), Kim Jinhwan (Vocal), Bobby (Rapper), Gu Joonhye (Vocal), Kim Donghyuk (Vocal) and Soon Yoonhyung (Vocal) - with an average age of 17. 


Both teams perform for their monthly evaluation too - a tradition in YGE which allows CEO Yang to monitor their progress. Team A performed first with a shaky start as Seunghoon made a mistake and requested for a second chance. But even so, Team A seemed more divided and disorientated while Team B had more togetherness, unity and energy - even from the way they greeted at the start. CEO Yang commented that Team A was dull in relative to Team B, while criticizing Seunghoon (A) for still not being able to pronounce words right (he has a Busan dialect) and Jinwoo (A) for having over-the-top expressions. 
It seems like every episode they will some introduce members to us individually through videos / interviews of them or interviews with other people about them. In this episode, we are introduced to B.I. (B), Seungyoon (A), Seunghoon (A) and Jinwoo (A). B.I. is a rapper who was identified by YG during his shared stage with MC Mong when he was young. Because he too started activities at a young age and is a leader, Big Bang's G-Dragon finds many similarities between B.I. and himself and, hence, supports him personally. He is a great leader and helps Team B a lot with the monthly evaluations.

Jinwoo headed out to a small island out at sea to visit his Dad, a fisherman. He hasn't seen his dad in a long time and is moved to tears. His Dad gives him encouragement to win. 

Seunghoon was complimented for his choreography skills and ability to best use the stage. He is very hardworking, and thus has shown improvement in his pronunciation. 

Seungyoon is the only one out of the 11 trainees to have already debuted as a solo artist. He was a contestant on Superstar K2 before he signed with YG. I find that there is an overly confident air about him, though, perhaps because he has already secured his debut. Still, it is heartwarming how Team A members are so supportive of his solo career, and even visiting him at his performance stage to cheer him on. Cute. 


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Episode 2 Recap - Reveal to the World
The 11 trainees are finally officially introduced as Team A and Team B to the public during a press conference by CEO Yang Hyun Suk and YG actress labelmate Yoo In Ah

Both teams are also preparing for their next monthly evaluation and both teams have their fair share of challenges. Team B encounters difficulty as main vocals Taehyun confessed that the song was hard to sing. He previously brought this up during practice but the others members took him lightly and kind of criticized him for not being a good main vocal. This made him feel like he has no presence in the team. For Team A, Donghyuk could not follow the beat. But all this also really proved that both teams are incredibly talented. Monthly evaluations are self-choreographed, and the songs are self-arranged too, with some guidance by a vocal trainer. Truly amazing. 
 CEO Yang complimented Team A for their ability to adapt to each other. The last 3 members that entered the team are considered beginners but after they entered the group, they received help from the 3 members that entered earlier and had immense improvement. 

Other than monthly evaluations, there are video evaluations that each team has to film to update CEO on their progress in preparing for the monthly evaluations - if the videos are not good, they'll have to change their performances for the monthly evaluations. 


CEO Yang felt that Team B needed to better their internal communication before they can have togetherness during performance. He sent Team B to go water rafting, where leader Minho was allowed to take charge of steering the boat while the members rowed on both sides. Epik High also visited both Teams to show support for the trainees. Team A is complimented to be better in singing while Team B in dance. 

CEO Yang popped by during their practice to see how preparations for monthly evaluations were coming along. He commented that it was Team B's worst performance and criticized main vocal & maknae Taehyun's (A) vocals, which caused him to eventually cry. Honestly, the comforting of the other members felt insincere here. But what Taehyun (A) said during an individual interview really moved me. With tears streaming down his eyes, he said this:
Taehyun: To tell you the truth there were times where i really wanted to give up. I started it because I like it. But as the days passed, there were times when I felt really tired. However, every time I thought about it, I would think of my mom and my family who have always believed in me, and I would continue on. I want to continue on and then in front of my parents and my friends, have her proudly tell everyone that I'm her son.
Member Introduction: Bobby (B). As CEO says, 'Bobby's skills surpass our imaginations'. He makes a videocall to his family in USA and was moved to tears. Again, another one with maturity beyond his years. 
Bobby: I miss them, a lot. I just hope that I won't make them worry about me. I want them to see the side of me that tries my very best.
3 members from Team B went to Jinhwan's (B) hometown Jeju Island. 

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Episode 3 Recap - Horrors of Monthly Evaluation
Monthly evaulations are coming up. CEO predicts that they will give their all because he foresees that whichever group that does better in the evaluations will win the first round of votes. But of course, members are feeling the pressure. Seunghoon (A) is experiencing recurring back pains due to intense movement and goes for acupuncture while Seungyoon (A) is pretty much exhausted from both solo and team activities.

Team B on the other hand is having unsettling arguments too from the dongsaengs which make the hyungs feel kind of disorientated. It turned out to be a hidden camera to cheer up their hyung Jinhwan, who is praised by the members to be the nicest hyung. CEO likens him to Taeyang and compliments him in that the more he sees him the more sincere he appears to be. I completely agree.


Team A goes out to get clothes for monthly evaluations. Coincidentally, they receive advertisement flyers with the words winner on them and say 'we are the winners' happily. How cute. While Team B prepares for vacation, Team A really seems to be improving in terms of camaraderie and synchrony of ideas and minds within the team. Seungyoon (A) truly thinks they might have a shot of winning.


Monthly evaluations time - winning team gets to go to the beach while losing team goes back to their dorm. There is an audience of 30 members including Tablo and Lee Ha Yi, and they are given a placard to vote for either team at the end of both performances. There is marked improvement with Team A in terms of their team dynamics, though Team B is still better in terms of energy. Extremely nerve-wrecking, but Team B eventually won. And so Team B goes camping while Team A feels the pressure of having lost twice consecutively to Team B and continues to train hard. Team B had a lot of fun at the beach. Honestly, it was so rewarding to see those 6 kids play so happily and freely after being confined to the pressurizing training room. On the other hand, YG gives Team A a surprise meal and a banner in their room reading 'Be Strong'. Wow to their encouraging CEO. 

Both teams were treated to a meal at the company's cafeteria on another day. It should be considered a luxury for them, seeing how excited they are at the mere sight of pork. Jinhwan (B) said something really quite surprising and unbelievable here.
Jinhwan: If you eat too much of the company's food, you'll forget what it means to be grateful.
YG announces to them the tradition of JYP and YG trainees going head to head against each other in a battle. 11 trainees are evidently shaken. There's so much of company pride for them to protect.

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Comments
Just into the first 3 episodes and I am really humbled by the attitude of all 11 trainees, who really give the phrase 'fighting for our dreams' a meaning. We all know that trainee life is tough, yet it kind of feels surreal to see trainee life up this close and personal. Seriously, how strong must their desire to debut be for them to be willing to let go of everything they are used to all their lives and train? There's so much sacrifice involved and yet blatantly speaking, its all just a risk their taking. Debuting is not a certainty guaranteed to them and they could be dropped anytime. Even they confess that each day they come to train, they have no idea what's in store for them. But to them, this risk is definitely one worth taking; it is about going all out for fame. It is marvelous how they are being driven forward by the power of their dream to debut and make it big. All I can say is that they are really admirable. Looking at how they train, its a great time for viewers to do some self-reflection and soul-searching.

Of course, there are all those challenges along the way. Already, many of the members are beginning to crack under the pressure. And it is kind of hurting at times to see how they have to go up against each other like that. Right now, the odds are in favor of Team B, but that can turn around quickly; Team A is catching up. Honestly, given how talented and passionate about music both teams are, I believe that the losing team would easily be able to make it in the music industry beyond YGE. But only time will be able to tell. 

Image Credits: www.allkpop.com

The Struggle of Being an Idol Actor


Sooyoung in Dating Agency: Cyrano, Goo Hara in City Hunter, a shit load of idols in Dream High like Taecyeon, Suzy, Wooyoung, IU and Eunjung... it's hard to find a drama nowadays that doesn't have an idol even making a small guest appearance like T-ara's Dani who barely made a difference with her lack of lines in School 2013. Let's face it: As the days go on, more and more idols are trying to cross over from the music industry to the acting industry, some being decent level actors like A Pink's Eunji and arguably Big Bang's TOP, while others proving they should seriously just stay in music like Girls' Generation's Taeyeon and KARA's Seungyeon. But with all the buzz and the talk towards the topic of idols' increasing obtained roles in acting where most Korean netizens are against it and most international fans are for it, it can somewhat just make you shake your head and wonder which side is right: should idols be in dramas or not?
Don’t hate on me idol/SNSD fans, but [Yoona's] acting is mediocre at best. An intense melodrama opposite Jang does not instill confidence in me. (comments of a Dramabeans article about Yoona casting with Jang Geun Suk)

Not only are idols generalized or seen as incomprehensible buffoons who barely can barely stand up on their own two feet due to stupidity, but also, it's common for many idols, with little to no training in acting, to receive roles in shows automatically simply because their fame is great and the television show casting team sees it as a great opportunity to gain fans of the show. Because they push rookie actors to the side and they have to crawl their way to the top while idols who are already at the top basically get things handed to them, it's actually pretty understandable as to why many Korean netizens are PO'ed with the issue, many idol actors being extremely mediocre in acting and them already not liking idols that much, anyway.
Though, I can understand why (when being a regular international K-Pop fan) you'd find a bit of discomfort in your idol getting hated so much when they want to try something new, however, as someone who can see on both sides and understand how both sides feel about it, I really have to say that I'm actually leaning more on the 'idols really shouldn't act' side. Think about it from a typical Korean perspective: Idols are basically everywhere--in songs (obviously), in television commercials, in sporting events, in musicals, in OSTs, on billboards... and now they're appearing in a drama alongside your all-time favorite actor or actress, causing it to fall in quality with their B-class acting skills. Can we get a bit less of this idol craze? Idols already have their careers built up, rookie actors should get a chance!!1
In my opinion, the aversion is a bit reasonable, people wanting to see shows for the actual well, show, and not being as caught up and obsessed with K-Pop as the usual fans who tend to push for idol-acting. Not to mention, more than half of idol actors truly can't act and should stay in the music industry but simply get the part, anyway and of course, making it unfair for others who actually aspire to be actors and dream of that being their only career choice... idols being able to be MCs, singers, models and now actors.

However, I'm not going to totally disregard all actors, people like Sooyoung, as mentioned above, actually being somewhat decent in acting as well as Eunji, those two deserving chances in pursuing acting especially with the duration of their careers coming to a end.

Another thing I want to pinpoint is how many idols either never wanted to be idols (like Wonder Girls' Sohee who wanted to be an actress) or ones who simply use the idol life to get a kick-start at their acting career, in my opinion, those ones should be getting a get-off-scot-free card because they actually aspired to be actors in the first place but couldn't or tried a clever and different route.

To conclude, though I'm not completely against the idol acting route, I do believe that it's a bit unfair to have idols casted in roles simply because of their fame (and it's funny because a lot of the time, their fame doesn't save dramas--Love Rain with Yoona, Yuri with Fashion King, Changmin in Paradise Ranch, etc.) and it's redundant to have idols appear almost everywhere in your life. Though, I'm not exactly the avid drama viewer, I do watch some time to time and sometimes, I see some idols that I wish that idols took acting classes and other idols who nail it, being an idol not a great representation of acting ability. Likewise, mediocre acting idols or idols who have never even acted once really shouldn't be giving lead casting roles so quickly and they should be tossed down to rookie actors and such who actually have some well, experience.



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The Road to Victory: "WIN" Preview - Spoiler Alert!


The show that's all the craze around the interweb, YG's survival program, WIN, is definitely going to be a show that I tune into weekly and watch adamantly, wanting to get to know YG's newest trainees and actually get to see Who Is Next on YG's debut roster. Releasing a preview prior to the official release of the show, YG Entertainment showed the two competing teams Team A and Team B as well as special guests 2NE1, Big Bang, Park Jinyoung of JYP Entertainment, PSY, Yoon Jong Shin and of course, Yang Hyun Suk, all revealing many feelings and thoughts towards the show. YG Entertainment also showed the already "celebrity" members who are featured in each of the groups, and as mentioned in a previous post, are Kang Seung Yoon (vocalist) and Lee Seung Hoon (rapper) on Team A while B.I (rapper) and Goo Joon Hee (vocalist) are on Team B. The rest of the members (non-celebrity) are as follows: Team A has Jin Woo (vocalist), a guy who has been training in YG Entertainment for such a long time that this program is revealed to be his last chance if they lose, Taehyun (vocalist) and Mino (rapper) while the revealed members on Team B are Jinhwan (vocalist), Bobby (rapper), Donghyeok (vocalist) and Yoonhyeong (vocalist).


Warning: Spoilers start here


The introduction

It finally started to kick off during the 7 minute 50 second mark, all eleven hopefuls going into YG Entertainment's sacred practice room then Yang Hyun Suk walking in and causing suspense like he usually does. He then issued for Team A to step forward and they began their first vocal performance to Trey Songz's Heart Attack, an unknown song then followed with a dance to Vybz Kartel's Double Down. Without even a single commentary or even... sign of emotion from the CEO, Team B appeared and performed in the same layout--English vocals, Korean vocals then dancing--Rihanna's Hard being first on the list for a vocal cover then some a Korean song, finished by Drake's The Motto dance cover. Respectfully, when both teams were performing, the other team seemed as if they were enjoying the performances, nodding to the beat when really, I could sense their nervousness.
Finally finishing the performances, all eleven members stood tall and still next to each other as Yang Hyun Suk gave a big bad lecture, explaining the 'tell-me-something-I-don't-know' details by giving an entrance for the show and explaining to the audience and the men that only one team was set for debut. For an odd reason, I saw sympathy in their expressions close-ups in their faces at this point, wishing they could all just debut together in an SM Entertainment-like fashion however, knowing that life wasn't always so fair. 


Settling into the Show

The boys left in vans, somewhat venting their frustrations towards the unknown future however, going along with it anyway, the next scene slipping to Team B's practice room shot, past videos of the Team B's G-Dragon 2.0, B.I as well as G-Dragon himself giving insightful commentary towards the kid. Giving sympathy and a reason to vote for both teams, YG put some sad scenes of already mentioned member Jinwoo, saying it's his last chance if WIN Team A doesn't debut (right in the heart, YG. I'm actually sympathizing this dude while he had tears in his eyes as well as B.I who's on Team B... the fuck?) as well as giving a short acoustic then studio-sounding cover of As Long As You Love Me. This dude's random boat sympathy really got to me, his dad appearing and him sheepishly crying and saying I won't cry really giving me a reason to stab YG in the throat for doing this to the poor kid... the show ending with small comments from members of both Team A and Team B and leaving me speechless.


To Sum it Up

All-in-all, despite the previous suspicions that this was an unfair grouping--Kang Seung Yoon and Lee Seung Hoon both on one team, giving the A team an advantage, after watching and feeling sympathy for both teams at different points, I feel as if they're coming on an equal playing field--this being more of a game of 'Who's sob story is the saddest' rather than 'Who'll be the best artist' and actually leaving me, the emotionless and most evil person ever in tears. I'm actually anticipating the show, their talent being pretty apparent and for me, their visuals not lacking that much either, this looking like a pleasing experience and an emotion-filled roller-coaster .. mostly because I, as well as others, want to see what happens at the end and who is crowned the Winner.



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K-Drama Review: Heartstrings

Heartstrings - 넌 내게 반했어



What did I like about it?

Good music, eye-candy, well-known actors, sweet (yet stereotype) storyline. What I liked the most was and will always be the music. The OST 'you've fallen for me', which by the way is also the actual translation for the Korean name of the drama, is sweet and catchy. The other songs they played and sung throughout the drama found their way in my heart too. 'The Stupid' the band the main actor is the vocalist of, is portrait by CNBlue (my favorite Korean band ;D). 

What did I NOT like about it?
Yong-Hwa's character.. He was a jerk, and not even the sort of jerk who has a reason to be one. He had no oh so sad background story which could bring him some sympathy, oh no, he was just the poor guy who had so many fan-girls that even the 'ugly' ones wanted to talk to him..and he doesn't like ugly girls.. 
The ending. To be honest, until now I only found one ending (white christmas) I liked and loved, but that's it. What is it with Korean dramas and their sucky endings? It's so obvious and cliche, boring and sappy and just not enjoyable.

Conclusion?
Even though Park Shin Hye, one of Korea's best actresses played the lead, my favorite Korean band and my favorite female model Woo Ri took part in it, it wasn't all that good. It had it's cute moments and quite the High School Musical feel to it, but there wasn't much more. I've seen better and was quite disappointing.


2 out of 5 stars for 'Heartstrings'



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K-Movie Monday: 71: Into the Fire

71: Into the Fire - 포화 속으로
My absolute favorite movie of all time! (I love it more than Titanic, and I watch that almost every week..)

What  did I like love about it?Well, the reason why I watched it in the first place was non other than Choi Seunghyun, better known as T.O.P! I didn't want to watch it at first, cause to be honest, I’m just not a fan of war movies /: why I watched it nevertheless, I’ll state in the next paragraph.. All the emotions.. all the actors did amazing jobs at portraying their characters! And the last thing I can say I loved about the movie, you can watch it in Korean with subtitles, English or (my native language) German (: To be quite honest, I love the German version ._. Of course, the voice actor for TOP wasn’t perfect, though I really liked it^^ 

What did I NOT like about it?Pretty simple, that it’s based on true events. But then again, that’s the reason why I watched it, even though I hate war movies.. You see, I only ever hears about war and what happens there, and it urged me to actually see what’s going on. And let me tell you one thing, I’m so disappointed at all human beings. Why start a war? I watched that movie almost for the 20th time now, still I don’t want to understand why north Korea started that war. I don’t want to spoil anything, but like the title already says, 71 people had to give their lives, if they hadn't done that, south Korea wold now be in the hands of the north! Writing about this fills my eyes with tears, yet again ):

Conclusion?
Watch this movie! Even if you don’t like movies about war like I do, it’s worth it’s time, believe me. It’ll open your eyes, and makes you proud of the south. I never gave war any seconds thoughts, but this movie made me realize how big of a deal it really is, and how many people it affects ):

6 out of 5 stars because I can :p

CLICK HERE and be proud of south Korea!



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K-Movie Monday: Roomates


Roommates - 디데이

4 Horror Tales.
I wanted to watch all 4, but after I saw this one (which is the 3rd by the way), I couldn't bring myself to watch the other 3.
The movie takes place in a school (woah.. so unexpected.. -.-) and the students there study day in and day out to for their college entrance exam. The main characters are four girls and they are as different as night and day. The most rebellious of the four starts to have visions about things that happened quite some time ago in this school and in the end everything replays itself. 
To be honest, since almost every Korean horror movie is about some students being in school and all that jazz, I got bored easily. It’s not that the movie itself is bad, but the scenes are sometimes far too confusing and the ending was just... and to top that, nothing scared me--I mean, even Scary Movie scares the sh*t out of me! 
I don’t even remember anymore why I watched this in the first place, but I kinda regret to have wasted almost 2 hours of my precious time.. But to say at least one thing positive about the movie, the acting was pretty good. I liked the innocent girl with the glasses and the rebellious girl; they did a good job with their characters. 
A friend of mine watched the movie a few months back too, and she liked it. I guess, I wanted to tell you this because you should try and watch it, even if I didn't like it. Everyone’s taste is different and experiences things differently^^ 

1.5 out of 5 stars 
CLICK HERE for the trailer




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