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
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| Meth is one hell of a drug |
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.
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| 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
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| Life without Jiyeon is swell |
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.
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| "Yeah, I don't wanna pee" |
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.
Episode 2 Recap - Reveal to the World
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 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.
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.
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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.
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
