Sunnyelf's blog review of Asian Dramas and Movies.
This blog is a personal labor of love in a constant flux of improvement.
Please Note:
One * = Didn't like it, Don't recommend. Two ** = Typical. Worth seeing at least once. Three *** = I enjoyed it! Worth seeing more then once. Four **** = It's great! Add it to your all-time favorites list! Five ***** = Epic! Highly Recommended. A totally memorable drama/film.
Ying Ye 3 Jia 1/ My Best Pals ** (Taiwanese)
16 episodes
Chen Qiao En as Xia Tian
Ming Dao as Yang Jia Jiang
Nice to see one of my favorite actors (He sings well also.) playing in something fun once again. This drama took a long time for me to complete, not because it was difficult to find online, but because I had computer issues and it took awhile to relocate the proper links.
4 friends, having grown up together, get into a gang brawl and are nearly expelled from the school they go to.. but for Xia Tian's dad, who is a retiring police officer. Unfortunately, dad loses his gun at the school and it needs to be found before he can retire without a booboo. while they are searching, they discover the presence of a grey-wolf 'ghost' inhabiting the old haunted house... with a connection to one of the students as well as of interest to the cops.
Then, just as Jia Jiang and Xia Tian admit to deep feelings for one another, a strong rival and past 'brother' with a hidden agenda shows up to tear them apart and the adventure really gets underway.
You can also find:
(Yang Jia Jiang) Ming Dao -in- Boy and Girl, The Magicians of Love, Prince turns to Frog, La robe de Mariee des cieux
(Xia Tian) Chen Qiao En -in- Easy Fortune Happy Life, Woody Sambo, Fated to Love You, A Game about Love, Prince turns to Frog
(Joyce) Linda Liao -in- ToGetHer
(Congressman Kong Xiao Tian) Tang Tsung Sheng -in- Woody Sambo, It Started with a Kiss
(Su Fu) Zhao Shun -in- Smiling Pasta, The Magicians of Love, Prince turns to Frog, La robe de Mariee des cieux
(Xiao Gu) Tang Jia Hao -in- La robe de Mariee des cieux
(Hui Lang/Grey Wolf) Qu Zhong Heng -in- My Queen, Fated to Love You, La robe de Mariee des cieux, Meteor Rain
My Mighty Princess/ Murim yeodaesaeng ** (Korean)
Movie 118 mins
On Joo-Wan as Il-Young
A comical martial arts-styled film, with lots of wire-work and extravagant poses and twirling. Fav scene(s): wrong classroom *grin*
A martial arts progeny, tired of her life, and the fact it seems to chase off whatever friends she might make, gives it up in favor of an average college student with a crush on a fellow student and hockey player... who happened to have a one-sided crush of his own. Her father, aware of the return of a nemesis to the clan, attempts to have one of his fellow master's son give her encouragement to return to learn her mother's technique before the nemesis had cut down the remaining clan masters.
I rather liked this one for its rather unique approach to the whole 'bad-guy vs good-guy for-friction plot base. The characters were well thought out and acted on, from the 'chef's chef' to the sister of the owner. Fav scene(s): a kitchen confession and... a bit of hope for the prez after all.
A new chef, fresh from Italy, and a horrid taskmaster with a penchant for snarling, falls in love with his tenacious youngest cook. Then, because he had already set a hard rule of no romance (or women!) in his kitchen, they are forced to keep their relationship a secret. Meanwhile, to replace the staff he'd just fired, he hires on several cooks from Italy to fill the ranks, and the local cooks are quite angry with the mix. Also, a woman, also from Italy arrives, determined to take up the chef's attention and acknowledgment... which puts 2 chefs of equal rank in the kitchen...causing a war. Then, as if that wasn't enough, the CEO snitches needed bucks and tries to pin the blame on an innocent.
You can also find:
(Seo Yoo Kyung/chef) Gong Hyo Jin -in- Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, The Greatest Love, Hello My Teacher, Sang Doo, Let's Go To School
(Choi Hyun Wook/youngest cook) Lee Sun Gyun -in- My Sweet City, The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince
(Geum Suk Ho/local cook) Lee Hyung Chul -in- City Hall
(Jung Ho Nam/local cook) Jo Sang Ki -in- Once Upon a Time in Saengchori, Hello My Teacher, The Perfect Couple
(Min Seung Jae/local cook) Baek Bong Ki -in- My Princess
(Han Sang Sik/local cook) Heo Tae Hee -in- My Princess, Athena, Coffee House, Take Care of the Young Lady
(Sun Woo Duk/Italian cook) Choi Jin Hyuk/Kim Tae Ho -in- I Need Romance, It's Okay, Daddy's Girl
(Philip/Italian cook) No Min Woo -in- Full House 2, My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox
(Lee Ji Hoon/Italian cook) Hyun Woo -in- Call of the Country
(Lee Hee Joo/fem. cook) Ha Jae Sook -in- Protect the Boss
(Park Chan Hee/fem. cook) Son Sung Yoon -in- Scent of a Woman, My Princess
(Seol Joon Suk/La Sfera CEO) Lee Sung Min -in- The King 2 Hearts, Can You Hear My Heart, My Princess, Oh! Pil Seung And Bong Soon Young
(Kim Kang/Kim San's sister) Byun Jung Soo -in- Manny, Last Scandal, Bad Couple, What's Up Fox?
(Jung Eun Soo/new kitchen assistant) Choi Jae Hwan -in- Call of the Country, Gourmet, I'm Sam, Sang Doo, Let's Go To School, Baby and I
(Seo Jong Gyu/Yoo Kyung's father) Jang Yong -in- Paradise Ranch, I Really Really Like You, Oh! Pil Seung And Bong Soon Young, Full House
(Yoo Kyung's mother) Song Ok Sook -in- Rooftop Prince, Smile, You, Beethoven Virus, Don't Ask Me About the Past, Witch Amusement, Mr Goodbye, Only You, My Sassy Girl
(cameo) Ryu Seung Bum -in- The Beast and the Beauty
Kim Sun Ah as Shin Mi Rae
Cha Seung Won as Jo Gook
First or so episodes were total yawners for me. As it began to pick up though, I found appreciation for the wonderful acting by the leads.. the plucky defending courage of ma-rea, and the 2 'typhoon hit' guys. fav scene(s): caught embellishing the story.. again, the body contract, and being unwilling to give him up.. even through a seemingly 'all is already lost' moment.
A low level worker in a small city hall joins a fashion show, wins it, and is then caught up in the red-tape of political absconding of prize money. She protests at the quiet encouragement of the new deputy mayor and this broils up into a political run with the girl vying for the lead city seat. and the guy looking to reach higher yet.
200 Pounds Beauty/ 미녀는 괴로워/ Minyeo-neun goerowo ** (Korean)
Movie 120 mins
Joo Jin-Mo as Sang-jun
I liked it well enough, I suppose. Even as it was more to do with the quick-fix of plastic surgery then about Hanna's natural talents. Light comedy-romance.
A not-so-pretty and not-so-thin Hanna, desperate to gain her dreams of becoming a singer and the attention of her one-sided-love (or was it?) goes under a plastic surgeon's knife and remakes her life as Jenny. But how long before her former life becomes big news once more?
(Record Company Exec) Sung Dong-Il -in- Color of Women, The Fugitive: Plan B, My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox, Karl and Su-jung, Lovers in Paris, Can't Live With Losing, Witch Ma
(plastic surgeon) Lee Han-Wi -in- Hello Ghost, Wild Romance, Athena, Oh! My Lady, Tamra, the Island, Beethoven Virus, My Sweet Seoul, Coffee Prince, Princess Lulu, Sassy Girl Chun-hyang, Bread, Love and Dreams
(Fortune Teller) Lee Won-Jong -in- Wild Romance, Vampire Prosecutor, Scent of a Woman, Gourmet
(Hanna's Fan) Park No-Shik -in- The Relation of Face, Mind and Love, Marrying School Girl, Personal Taste, Merry Mary
Contract Lover/ Hup yeu ching yan ** (Hong Kong)
Movie
Bingbing Fan as Joe
Richie Ren as Fat
A Fellow from a traditionally-minded family tries to find a way to get his westernized open *cof* minded, girlfriend accepted by hiring another girl to seem 'worse'. Unfortunately, things go a bit awry with plans when the family takes a liking to her.
You can also find:
(Joe) Bingbing Fan -in- Sophie's Revenge
() Alfred Cheung -in- The Medallion, The Accidental Spy, Twin Dragons
() >Wah Yuen -in- Looking for Jackie, Kung Fu Hustle,
A rather good adventure with a bit of a weak scattered ending. Still it was worth the effort to watch throughout. I had hopes for the captain, he got so jealous! but there's no denying the gravitational charm of the spy. Fav quote: ..'the international spy, whose real name in Dennis Oh'.
A traffic cop stops a foreign driver and issues him a ticket, after 'stealing' the pen out of his pocket to write it with. There is more to the pen, and the guy, then meets the awareness though... and the fellow pursues her to get the precious object back before others are alerted to its location. This touches off quite an escapade involving conspiracy, a group or three of bad guys, and organizations, a police investigation, a past cover-up, a small-time gang or two, as well as a timely file of docs able to turn the tide of world politics into a whirlpool.
You can also find:
(Han Yoo Il/investor/spy) Dennis Oh -in- Witch Amusement
(Lee Soon Ae/Officer) Nam Sang Mi -in- Gourmet, Bad Family, She's On Duty, Spy Girl, Too Beautiful To Lie
(Sgt./Hong Kyung Jang) Jung Jong Joon -in- Country Princess
(Kang Joon/captain) Lee Joo Hyun -in- Me Ri, Dae Gu's Attack and Defense Battle, When It's At Night
(Lt./Jo Jung Hae) Kim Ha Kyoon -in- Myung Wol the Spy, Daring Women, Bad Couple, Ice Girl, Snow White, My Love Patzzi, Baby and I
(Officer/Oh Na Ra) Ahn Yeon Hong -in- Me Ri, Dae Gu's Attack and Defense Battle
(commanding officer) Yoon Joo Sang -in- Baby-faced Beauty, IRIS, Smile, You, That Fool, Who Are You?, The King and the Clown
(Choi Bum Koo) Choi Bool Am -in- Smile You, Gourmet, I Really Really Like You, Goong, She's On Duty
(Wang Sa Bal/Big Bowl) Lee Ki Yeol -in- Call of the Country, Thirty Thousand Miles in Search of My Son, Me Ri, Dae Gu's Attack and Defense Battle, My Boss, My Teacher
(Kaori/Stingray) Kim Joon Ho -in- Personal Preference, When It's At Night
(Yoo Il's assistant) Ki Joo Bong -in- When It's At Night, Who Are You?, Me Ri, Dae Gu's Attack and Defense Battle, Bungee Jumping of their Own, Sweet 18
(Park Sil Jang/politician) Kim Yong Hee -in- Me Ri, Dae Gu's Attack and Defense Battle
Boku to Star no 99 Nichi ** (Japanese)
10 episodes
Taecyeon as Teson
A story about an argumentative romance between a bodyguard and an actress... and the involvement of news hyena, a manager, an actor, several twinkling stars, and a little brother.. all wrapped around a 99 day contract promise.
You can also find:
Links go to other reviewed shows the actor has been in.
A drama take on a long-running manga. Light romance. They follow fairly closely to the manga.. even if it's only covering the first little bit of it, I thought it was pretty good. Fav scene(s): An imagined kiss at the riverside.
A devoted girl, is dissed by her rising star boyfriend, and vows revenge on him. In efforts to carry out the planned vengeance, she join LME, a rival talent company to become a 'greater star' then the ex-bf. There, her persistence earns her a niche in a newly formed 'love me' section and meets her best friend, as well as a new love interest.
You can also find:
(Gong Xi) Ivy Chen -in- Smiling Pasta
(Dun He Lian) Choi Si Won -in- Athena, Oh! My Lady
(Bu Puo Shang) Lee Dong Hae -in- It's Okay, Daddy's Girl
(Jiang Nan Qin) Bianca Bai -in- P.S. Man, Fated to Love You, It Started with a Kiss
(Du Jin) Jin Qin -in- ToGetHer
(Shen De Yuan) Bu Xue Liang -in- Ying Ye 3 Jia 1, Meteor Garden
Castaway on the Moon/ Mr. Kim's Floating Story ** (Korean)
movie 110mins
Jung Jae-Young as Kim Seung-Keun
Good story, Great acting. light romance. fav scene(s): The first bottled hello and the battle of fish and bird.
Guy, trying to kill himself jumps off the Han river bridge and awakens on the trash-strewn shore of a small island. Unable to truly swim, he first runs about in a bid for help then attempts to hang himself... it doesn't work out. Finally, hungry, he takes to scrounging.
A shut-in girl, in her room for several years, is in the habit of seeking persona life online.. when not doing that, she takes pictures of the moon. One day, she sees the 'help' scrawled in the sand of the island, and takes to watching the guy there with some interest. One evening, she sneaks outside to the bridge, and throws a message in a bottle onto the little island and they begin to converse.
You can also find:
(Kim Jung-Yeon) Jung Ryeo-Won -in- My Boyfriend Is Type-B, My Name Is Kim Sam-soon
(delivery man) Park Young-Seo -in- Operation Proposal
(Kim Seung-Keun's girlfriend) Jang So-Yeon -in- Seducing Mr. Perfect
Vampire Cop Ricky/ 흡혈형사 나도열/ Heubhyeol hyeongsa na do-yeol ** (Korean)
movie 110mins
Oh Gwang-Rok as Vampire Hunter
A rather ..suggestive scene in this movie.. but well within context, I suppose. Had funny moments as well. fav scene(s): falling off the ceiling.
Dracula gets bitten by a mosquito, the little bug then get a free airplane ride to south Korea, where it came into contact with a dirty cop called Ricky, who ended its carrier life. After his partner/friend winds up in the hospital though, Ricky resolves to find evidence against the man who had 'employed' him. Unfortunately, He gets caught by the bad guys and dropped off the edge of a roof. Fortunately though, his new friend, a vampire hunter, saved his new-found undead life. Rising once more with the evening light, Ricky is off to put the smackdown on the badguys with supernatural talent at his disposal.
You can also find:
(Ricky) Kim Su-Ro -in- Vampire Cop Ricky 2
(Yeong-hee) Jo Yeo-Jeong -in- Vampire Cop Ricky 2, I Need Romance
Yeon Jeong-Hun as Woo Ji-hoon
Park Jin-Hee as Koo Hee-won
A successful magician with a roving eye manages a one-night with a school teacher. A bit later, someone publishes a video of the bed rustle on the net. This causes some concern over reputation, and sends tho two of them searching for the forgotten room, in an attempt at revenge. Question is, will they find the bad guys before or after the damaging news gets out?
You can also find:
(?) Choi Eun-Ju -in- Marrying the Mafia II
(Han Joon-seok) Choi Sung-Guk -in- Mischievous Kiss
(?) Choi Yeo-Jin -in- Art of Fighting, Dream High 2, Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy
(Park Dong-Sun) Ha Dong-Hoon -in- My Boss, My Teacher
(Kim Hyun-joo) Oh Yoon-Ah -in- Athena, Mr. Good-Bye, Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy
Spellbound/ Eerie Romance/ Ossakhan Yeonae ** (Korean)
movie 114mins
Lee Min-Ki as Ma Jo-Goo
A bit of a fun ghost story. fav scene(s): hand retreat due to a sparkly card flip and turn.
A lonely girl, haunted by ghosts, takes on a job as a ghostly magician's assistant. The magician, after an evening of being in the company of a needful child spirit, endeavors to help her find a courageous guy, able to withstand the ghost's attacks when anyone gets close to her... only to have his best efforts thwarted.. and then gains ghostly ire to himself by becoming closer to her.
You can also find:
(Kang Yeo-Ri) Son Ye-Jin -in- Art of Seduction, Personal Taste
(Ma Jo-Goo) Lee Min-Ki -in- Shut Up Flower Boy Band, Dalja's Spring
(Pil-Dong) Park Cheol-Min -in- Babyfaced Beauty, Athena, Beethoven Virus, Princess LuLu
(Yoo-Jin) Lee Mi-Do -in- Woochi, A Millionaire's First Love, Marrying the Mafia II
Interesting tale. As I understand it, It's based on a true story written about a famed south Korean vegetable seller. Favorite scene(s): buddy-bonding over a night of drink, the sudden defending power of a new family member, and little sister's counter to the mother's nasty threat, no matter the terror she had undergone.
A story about a poor but enterprising vegetable salesman's struggle and eventual rise to success as well as the tragedy and secrets of his past shared with the love of his life and that of her lying new 'mom'.
You can also find:
(younger Tae Yang) Oh Jae Moo -in- King of Baking, Kim Tak Goo
(Jin Jin Shim/Mok Ga On) Wang Ji Hye -in- Protect the Boss, Personal Preference, One Percent of Anything, Le Grand Chef 2
(Lee Seul Woo) Kim Young Kwang -in- Take Care of the Young Lady
(Jung Dan Bi) Park Soo Jin -in- My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox, The Art of Seduction, Boys Before Flowers, Get Karl! Oh Soo Jung
(Han Tae In) Lee Se Young -in- Country Princess, My Love Patzzi
(Hwang Soo Ja) Park Won Sook -in- Can't Lose, The Greatest Love, The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince
(Jung Goo Kwang) Jang Hang Sun -in- King of Baking, Kim Tak Goo, Lovers, The King and the Clown
(Nam Yoo Bong) Lee Kwang Soo -in- City Hunter
(Park Geum Soon) Sa Mi Ja -in- Thirty Thousand Miles in Search of My Son
