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.
Codename: Jackal/ Jackals Are Coming/ 자칼이 온다 (Korean)
Movie 107 mins
Song Ji-Hyo as Killer Bong
There were a few.. umm.. rather suggestive scenes, yet I hesitate (a lot) to call it a romance. There were a number of rather ludicrous moments though so I'll just call it a comedy and let you rate for yourselves. Favorite scene(s): checking to see if he is her correct target or not, and.. rescue from a rescue.
A famed singer is abducted by a hired assassin in his own hotel room. When she would have killed him, as was her threat, the situation cascades into one thing and then another, First, the guy isn't about to willingly keel-over and swears he isn't her target, the police have arrived 'undercover' and are trying to find an infamous killer called the Jackal.. who has been said to be in the area, it seems the singer is being hunted by a crazed fan, and his manager shows up in a rather untimely fashion, as well as the wealthy married woman he was to seduce.. or was it that she was suppose to seduce him?
You can also find:
(Killer Bong/Min-Jung) Song Ji-Hyo -in- Princess Hours
(Singer Choi Hyun) Kim Jae-Joong/Han Jae-Joong/Jejung -in- Protect The Boss
(Angela) Kim Sung-Ryeong -in- He's Beautiful!, Il Ji-Mae: The Phantom Thief
(hotel housekeeper) Ra Mi-Ran -in- Hello Ghost, Cinderella Man
(hotel manager) Seo Dong-Won -in- Windstruck, My Tutor Friend, My Sassy Girl, The King of Dramas, Il Ji-Mae: The Phantom Thief
(company president) Kim Yong-Geon -in- 200 Pounds Beauty, 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant, Please Teach Me English, Arang and the Magistrate, A Man Called God, Night after Night
(Sun-Young) Shin Dong-Mi -in- Something About 1 Percent, My Love Patzzi
Reminds me vaguely of Mary Poppins, although certainly not for any magical overtones. This housekeeper's reasons for doing and being, was a bit more serious and personal, then were Mary's. Didn't mean a whole lot to me one way or another. a little boring, a little romantic, a little mystery, a little sadness. All in all, I guess it was ok... I guess.
Girl with an unbearably sad past, disguises her natural beauty, and takes on a job as a housekeeper for a high society family on the brink of collapse. She tries both to support the family as well as to expose their problems to the light of awareness. The father is having an affair, the wife might be as well. The oldest son is smoking, the youngest is 'Trouble' in the making... and somehow she quietly moves through the whole thing... even if it's having to weasel past or suddenly snarling her way through their objections and suspicions.
You can also find:
Links go to other reviewed shows the actor has been in.
Good comedic start and quickly gritting down into drama/romance. I Thought the 'innocent rich guy' was so fun-loving.. right up until he was forced out of the fun. Thought the girl was far too serious, the whole way through, even as I understood her anger. And for the matchmaker, the trophy wife, and the guy's father.. they get best growth of the drama, for their changing attitudes and eventual acceptance. Favorite scene: The soy sauce incident.
The guy, having gone through touchy mental issues, wants desperately to believe in the dream of love he never received from his folks. The girl, angry and weary of being poor and wanting desperately to believe in the dream of a better life, runs into an old school rival who tells her the secret to her success in rising out of the mire to become a trophy wife. The girl is determined to do the same.. and meeting the guy, she seizes opportunity and makes him her new white rabbit, leading into the land of the rich. (because the original rabbit, a matchmaker, quickly saw through the ruse and dropped out of the running). Unfortunately, a secret video drops into the hands of the originally intended (arranged) bride of the guy, who, angry at the thought of having gold diggers getting in the way of her and her family's future, shares it around.
"Every Single Day"
Shower
Is it a blank spot? Click to listen & then
mouseover to see player controls.
You can also find:
(Han Se Kyung) Moon Geun Young -in- Mary Stayed Out All Night, Innocent Steps, My Little Bride
(Cha Seung Jo/Jean Thierry Cha) Park Shi Hoo -in- Prosecutor Princess, Iljimae, Delightful Girl Choon Hyang
(Seo Yoon Joo) So Yi Hyun -in- My Shining Girl, You've Fallen for Me
(Tommy Hong) Kim Ji Suk -in- Personal Preference, I Hate You, But It's Fine, The Vineyard Man, 200 Pounds Beauty, Love in Magic
(So In Chan/Se Kyung's ex-bf) Nam Goong Min -in- Can You Hear My Heart, Bungee Jumping of Their Own
(Han Deuk Gi/Se Kyung's dad) Jung In Ki -in- The King of Dramas, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Secret Reunion, My Dear Desperado, Jeon WooChi: The Taoist Wizard
(Jung Yoon Hee/Se Kyung's mom) Lee Jong Nam -in- My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox, Daring Women
(Han Se Jin/Se Kyung's younger sister) Hye Jung/Shin Hye Jung -in- A Gentleman's Dignity
(Choi Ah Jung) Shin So Yool -in- Answer Me 1997
(Cha Il Nam/Seung Jo's father) Han Jin Hee -in- The Greatest Love, My Little Bride, My Sassy Girl
(Heo Dong Wook) Park Kwang Hyun -in- Sweet Buns, My Shining Girl
I liked it, funny,.. if an argumentative way to live. It did bounce back and forth in time a little much. I rather enjoyed the solemn narration in life-lesson that came with each bounce though. The baaing of sheep was over the top, and yet in total time with the pitiful moments which got a lot of laughter out of me. Favorite character(s): Joon Hee
A rather rough and tumble girl grows up/goes to school with 5 best friends, One day they reunite as grown adults at a pub. This is a story of their friendship and loves, as well as the lessons learned, to get to the moment of the reunion.
You can also find:
(Mo Yoo Jung) Shin So Yool -in- Cheongdamdong Alice
(Bang Sung Jae) Lee Shi Un -in- The King 2 Hearts
(Shi Won's father) Sung Dong Il -in- Color of Woman, Can't Lose, Fugitive: Plan B, My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox, Witch Amusement, Lovers in Paris, 200 Pounds Beauty
(Shi Won's mother) Lee Il Hwa -in- You've Fallen for Me, Cinderella Man, Iljimae
(Yoon Tae Woong/Yoon Jae's brother) Song Jong Ho -in- Prince's First Love
(MC of Star Date/cameo) Kim Gook Jin -in- I Really Really Like You
Watashi to Kare to Oshaberi Kuruma/ Me, Him and the Talkative Car/ 私と彼とおしゃべりクルマ ** (Japanese)
2 episodes
Girl, bored practically to tears with her life and job, gripes her way to the beach in her car to spend a lonely birthday. Mysteriously, there is a 'bolt out of the blue' that strikes the car she was driving and before she quite realizes what happened, her car is talking! Seems he was a gift from the future set to brighten her life and make it a bit more fun for her.
You can also find:
Links go to other reviewed shows the actor has been in.
Time Traveller: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time/ 時をかける少女/ Toki o Kakeru Shojo ** (Japanese)
Movie 122 mins
Based off a manga story (and an anime by the same name - link). A show set to spark the imagination into circles of possibility. Favorite scene(s):The time travel dash, the eventual meeting with dad, and the realization of a swiftly upcoming danger to those dear.
A girl, whose mother was in an accident, takes the time experiment her mother had created, in an attempt to go back in time to meet her father and deliver a message. Problem is.. she miscalculates and arrives in a school lab 2 years after the time she was to arrive. There, she meets 2 film makers in the midst of an amateur movie who attempt to help her achieve her goals before she has to return.
Lots of well done sword-fighting! Not much in the romance genre for this movie, unless you consider the slight glows of preference. Perhaps the story will be continued in a part 2? Here is to hoping. fav scene(s): Kaoru Kamiya's first how-do-you-do with the wanderer. bokken style.
A wandering samurai, having taken a vow of no-more-killing, discovers a new home when he protects a girl and her father's dojo from thugs. After which he makes the acquaintance of a new friend, the brawler, and takes on the local drug lord.
You can also find:
Links go to other reviewed shows the actor has been in.
Cute light romantic comedy. Makes me wonder just how it was that Irene's secret had not been spotted right away.. especially once personally met. Fav scene(s): making friends with the idol of the school.
Guy unable to quite make the grade as a dancer.. gone undercover as a cover girl, and a country girl with a pop star dream, end up as roomies at an art/entertainment school.
You can also find:
(Jang Geu-Rim) Kim So Hyun(1987) -in- Rooftop Prince, King of Baking, Kim Tak Goo, Loving You a Thousand Times
(Lee Eok-Man) Kang Hyun-Joong -in- Hello Ghost, The City Hall
The King of Dramas/ Drama King/ The Lord of the Drama/ 드라마의 제왕 / Deuramaui Jewang **\ (Korean)
Choi Si Won as Kang Hyun Min
Good story. The shrewd seriousness of the representative, the idealistic feelings of the writer, and comic arrogance of the lead male of 'Kyungsung Morning' make for quite a team-up. Ohmygosh, Hyun Min's laughter had me in stiches every-time I heard it! So funny! Thankyou btw, to the translation team of the videos I watched for this drama. Very well done! :D Fav character(s): Talented writer Go Eun and Hyun Min -actor extraordinaire!
The straight-laced 'King of Dramas' falls mightily from production grace when a motorcycle accident becomes big news. In an attempt to regain what he lost so abruptly, he relies on an untried writer, an alcoholic director, and two somewhat problematic stars.. and starts pushing against odds for the success of a new drama.
(Deputy Director Kim) Song Min Hyung -in- Full House Take 2, Faith, Baby and I
(Deputy Director Park) Jung Han Hun -in- My Girl, Sweet Buns
(Yoon Kwang Jae) Lee Dong Hoon -in- The Relation of Face, Mind and Love
(Moon Sang Il) Yoon Joo Sang -in- I Do, I Do, The Marriage Plot, Baby-faced Beauty, IRIS, Smile, You, That Fool, Who Are You?, Sweet Spy, The King and the Clown
(Joo Dong Suk) Suh Dong Won -in- Iljimae, Thirty Thousand Miles in Search of My Son, Windstruck, My Tutor Friend, My Sassy Girl
(Han Kang Wook) Heo Joon Suk -in- Oh! My Lady
(Park Suk Hyun) Park Sang Hoon -in- Panda and Hedgehog, It's Okay, Daddy's Girl
(Director Hong/PD) Jang Won Young -in- Personal Preference, You're Beautiful
(President Director) Park Geun Hyung -in- Panda and Hedgehog, Color of Woman, The Musical, It's Okay, Daddy's Girl, Exhibition of Fireworks, Delicious Proposal, Marrying the Mafia
(Yoon Bit Na) Choi Soo Eun -in- You're Beautiful
(Park Kang Ja) Sung Byung Sook -in- Secret Garden, Prosecutor Princess, Le Grand Chef
(Akiko) Fujii Mina -in- Panda and Hedgehog, Shikaotoko Aoniyoshi
(Watanabe Kenji) Jang Hyun Sung -in- Big, Vampire Prosecutor, Great Inheritance, The Perfect Couple
(Jo Young Eun) Kim Bo Yun -in- Hateful But Once Again, Smile Again, He Was Cool
(Kang Hyun Min's mother/cameo) Park Joon Geum -in- Rooftop Prince, Secret Garden, Smile, You
('The Elegant Revenge' lead actress/cameo) Park Shin Hye -in- You've Fallen for Me, My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox, You're Beautiful, Goong S
Zenkai Girl/ 全開ガール/ full throttle girl **\ (Japanese)
11 episodes
Aragaki Yui as Ayukawa Wakaba
I liked this one, rather in spite of the bull-headed girl. Hat's off to the shop owner, well supported. fav character(s): little Emitaro for being the ray of light at his dad's feet.
A thickheaded woman wanna-be-famous lawyer, struggling for a job, gains employment babysitting for the president of the company. And through that little girl, meets a poor single dad and his son. One drunk evening, she tries to prove that a single kiss ment nothing, and ends up smooching the guy. Unfortunately, it was just the start of her heart's trouble... and his as well. This love hardly went in-line with her planned future!
You can also find:
Links go to other reviewed shows the actor has been in.
