Sunday, March 25, 2007

Legend of Star Apple 星蘋果樂園

After Goong, I went through a stage where there was nothing I could find that was good to watch. Episode 1 after episode 1. I went through a lot of older dramas, until I came to this one, which had just ended, so I thought why not, let’s watch it.

This series was quite good at first; it started off fresh and original. After the arc where that kid showed up, everything started to look very familiar. Like a lot of dramas Ming Dao does, there’s a serious love square. Like in It Started with a Kiss, the love square wasn’t very serious, you knew Shiang Ching and Ah Jin weren’t for real and same with Zhe Shu and that other girl. But for these dramas, Magicians of Love, Prince turned to Frog, the four are dead serious. I really don’t like it when that happens, and it’s happened repeatedly so many times.
The relationship between ReRe’s friend and Tian Chi’s brother was just a filler kind of thing. In my mind, to give that guy from 183club (I don’t know his name) a role. No matter if he turned good or not, I still despise him.

The end was pretty sad. And OK, not what I thought it would end. I was waiting for a Magician’s of Love kind of ending. However, despite the originality, I hate to see ReRe turn very different. She turned in to an old lady, blind or not! But, unlike Love Contract, I did like the ending, because for one, they’re not dead, and two, there’s a whole future ahead of them. Yay!

The person who plays ReRe’s character is a new person in the circle. She sang both opening and ending songs. I think she has a lot of potential. I haven’t seen her around recently though. She used to go to Guess Show, but that was to promote her album. I hope I see her around again. Ming Dao did a pretty good job for his role. But 183 is kind of getting old. Their last drama together was Magician’s of Love, then Angel Lover had three of them. I really doubt they’re gonna continue on. Haha. Fahrenheit’s taking their place. Wang Shao Wei is weird though. What’s he planning -_-? He’s doing another drama with Chiao Chiao from Sweety. But, hm… 5566 and 183club? Back, back to Ming Dao, what’s he planning for 2007? Angel Lover was is last drama. On Kangxicome, it was funny how Joe Cheng made a comment that Ethan looks like Ming Dao. Haha! That was hilarious. I thought that too, when I first saw Ethan in Green Forest, My Home. Well, that’s about it. Spring break is over. >m<>

Goong 宮




For this drama, it was like drop everything and watch. This drama was the reason I stopped watching Tokyo Juliet and Love Contract for a while. This is also the first KDrama I’ve watched, and like with everything else, I watched it subbed because there is no way I could’ve withstood the dub. I don’t think there even is a dub…yet.


This drama, like a lot of my other favourite ones had a strong theme. It was interesting to see modern and olden combined. Much like a lot of western films about Prince William and the such. Except Korea isn’t a constitutional monarchy so it took a while to happen.

What I also like about this drama is the relationship between Shin and Chae-Gyung. They know they have to work together, but also they know they might have lived an easier life without each other. This was in part because of Yul and Hyo-rin. Hyo-rin was a little better near the end, but god, it was her fault in the first place. I forgive her though, she sacrificed a lot. Yul, on the other hand, is not forgivable at all. Only Shin was through that innocent face. Hyo-rin maybe knew too, but she wasn’t about to gain anything if she did anything about it. Chae-Gyung was a little dumb and too kind to realize what Yul was doing. But one thing’s for sure, Chae-Gyung did not like Yul. Which is a relief, because if she did, I would’ve stopped watching the drama, like Green Forest, My Home. Back to topic, Yul just went too far. His mother half-died for their sins. But for some reason after the car accident, everyone else didn’t feel sorry for them, didn’t even mention them…


After awhile, Shin started to like Chae-Gyung. This is when Hyo-rin gave up. But dumb Chae-Gyung didn’t get it. Tisuku, tisuku. And Shin wasn’t smart enough to know what to do. Tisuku, tisuku. At least he tried his hardest. There was a part in the series when they totally could not talk to each other. It was very heart-breaking. Like, hurry up and realize! At the end of course, it was happily ever after, like all dramas should be. I guess the fact that the sister became the queen is a good thing. Chae-Gyung would not have been happy doing that. It was funny at the end, when Shin was all disappointed about the ring thing. Then the thing in the car and how she was just sitting there when he got in was hilarious. The ending was good, I guess, kind of a hanging open.


Way back to near the front, both Shin and Chae-Gyung’s friends were a good addition to the drama. Comic relief and also to create the scene. Haha, Yul had no friends. He was too busy colluding to have a friend other than his ma.
The adults in this drama were, to me, just another complication to entertain the audience. I don’t think it was that important. Well, maybe the Shin vs. Yul thing in Pae-Ha’s eyes. And the fact that Yul’s mom and Shin’s Dad had a past made Yul decide to end this and run away. The story would have gone on without it playing such a big part.
I think I despise Yul’s mom more than Yul. She was the base of all the evilness. And Hwang Hu Tae Hu mama was all clueless trying to make peace. Che, che.

It all worked out in the end anyways, so whatever… I hope there is a Goong 2. But how would it go on? I hope she doesn’t really have a child. All those foreshadowing pictures were just too much… But at the rate they’re going, I don’t think there’s going to be a Goong 2. It turned out the website DramaWiki was getting their info from was a fake, so there really is no progress. But, I did hear that Goong S is a failure, and everyone hates it. So they might make Goong 2 because their original idea was stupid. However, they might think nobody likes the Goong theme so they’ll give up on it all together. Which is bad. Anyhow, we’ll just have to be on the look out for more news on it. Heeh… this was such a good drama that I think no other Kdrama would be better than it. So I don’t think I’ll watch any other KDramas, just let the good reputation stay there.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Tokyo Juliet 東方茱麗葉



I watched this drama on and off. I started sometime in the fall and have just recently finished. The reason, one, is that my sister hates this drama so I have to watch it in my spare time, and two, because it drags, on and on and on.

It’s good how they kept to the genre/theme, fashion design. This made the series much more appealing, unlike Magicians of Love which, in the middle, lost all traces of the topic hairstyling. I loved the clothing, one of the reasons I kept watching it. But that’s expected, because, after all the drama is on fashion design. The characters were very likable too. All their friends show up at the end. I didn’t like how they started liking each other way earlier in the series; this took out the suspense of the relationship. But I guess that’s how the manga went.

Again, in the drama, Ariel Lin’s character is way different from any of her other characters, this shows how competent Ariel is. >w<


Oh, Oh! And I forgot to mention, Tokyo Juliet has the best OST ever! Best one I’ve listened to so far. Care to compete?

Love Contract 愛情合約



This drama is quite hard to decide on. For one, its ending was horrid, but how the ending was different and special made it quite appealing. Also, I hate when dramas feel very lonely and desolate at the end. I hate how at the denouement, it seemed as if everything dropped and turned and everything was turned around. You can see how conservative I am, about how a story should be traditionally written. But, on another note, they did live happily ever after at the end, even though nothing was really solved. But you could also say that they reached understanding through love and forgiveness. Yes, this drama confused me quite a lot.
On to acting, this is the second drama I’ve seen that stars Ariel Lin. Again, her acting is flawless. Her portrayal of a tomboy is perfect yet, because of her nature, a bit of her girliness shows. After I found out that Love Contract was Mike He’s first big role in a drama, I forgave him for his acting. Very well done, for a model, but you have to admit, Ah Mong and Ah ken are exactly the same. Yes, Ah Ken is a little more gentle and artisty, but nevertheless, there is no difference.


This drama scared me a lot. I got the feeling of two lovers trapped in a world of misfortune and misunderstanding. The loneliness they felt scared me. –_- Like, at first there was so much people around, then the dad person ran away, Ah Ken’s mom died, Shiao Fong’s sister went away, photographer guy left. Then at the denouement, dun dun dun, Shiao Bai dies and Shiao Fong’s half dead. And for the rest of the last two episodes, it’s Ah Ken wandering around with Shiao Fong recalling all these events and it’s so sad. T-T That’s when you feel that sad loneliness down in the pit of your heart slowly rising… well, yeah, you get the point…
I’m falling behind on all these reviews. Gotta get writing…