Whenever I asked someone which drama they recommended for me to watch, Coffee Prince was always somewhere in that list. And I can finally understand why. It's a lighthearted drama about gender confusion, issues on homosexuality and status, and deception. It's just so enjoyable to watch, and you can get extremely intense and involved while watching this, you could even throw tantrums and fits about fictional problems. That doesn't sound like a good thing, but that only shows how well done the drama is.

Although the story is the most lacking thing in the entire drama, it's still brilliant. The gender confusion was definitely the best part and how people eventually found out that Go Eun Chan was never a guy. It is slightly cliche that the female lead's love interest found out last, but I guess it wasn't as cliche back in 2007 as it is now. One thing about the story of Coffee Prince that I wasn't pleased with as the amount of attention that was drawn to Choi Han Seong and Han Yoo Joo. I honestly felt that they didn't need as much screen time (and didn't need to be named as the main protagonists) as Eun Chan and Choi Han Kyul. Their story was just made up of arguments and lovey-dovey stuff. I'm sure they could have still fit in a marriage and miscarriage if they were supporting characters instead. Also, with the miscarriage, I think a lot of people were confused as to what happened with that, so that could have been explained better. But despite all of that, Eun Chan and Han Kyul's relationship throughout the entire series was amazing and I absolutely loved watching it.

Now, the acting in this was superb. I couldn't have asked for a better casting job. I'll start with Han Kyul's actor (as he was my favourite character), Gong Yoo. I just want to say that he is super, amazingly hot, and people could just watch Coffee Prince for his looks. And whenever he smiles, it's the cutest thing. Anyway, Yoo's acting skills are the best and he was completely in character the entire time. Next is Eun Chan's actress: Yoon Eun Hye. Half of the time I was watching this, I would completely forget her character is a girl because she's that convincing. Give or take that her character is annoying when persistent, but still extremely lovable. Last is Lee Sun Gyun as Choi Han Seong, and Chae Jung Ahn as Han Yoo Joo. I won't say much about them because I didn't pay much attention to their time in Coffee Prince, but they were extremely good actors. The only acting choice I didn't like was Yoon Young Ah as Eun Chan's sister: Eun Sae. Not only was her character so annoying, her acting was inconsistent and she didn't show more than five facial expressions.

I can't say I enjoyed the soundtrack all that much during the series, it was never my sort of thing. But it does suit well with the theme and atmosphere of the series. My favourite song would most definitely be Polly by The Melody (I think the song is called Polly anyway). Not much else I can say about the music, but it makes sure to keep in tone with the scenes.

Oh my god, yes, I would definitely rewatch. I need to see those scenes with Han Kyul and Eun Chan again. Those are just the best scenes to watch when I need cheering up.

Overall, besides the issues previously mentioned, Coffee Prince is definitely worth anyone's time, especially those who love romcoms and extremely hot actors and actresses.

Read More

Okay, so I wrote an article based on The Village: Achiara's Secret just under six months ago, and I'm slightly ashamed to say that I have only just finished it because I put this drama on-hold after watching eight episodes. Honestly, the only reasons I watched it was because of Yook Sungjae and the fact this drama was horror based. Not many good dramas have been themed around horror (excluding The Master's Sun) and, unfortunately, this drama didn't do any better.

As with a lot of dramas I watch, the series had a good concept to it. It seemed quite original and wasn't afraid to try some risks (for example, jumping almost immediately in with the scares and tension). But it was poorly executed. The Village: Achiara's Secret tried too hard to be scary that it couldn't give the viewers a proper thrill. But that wasn't just it. There were also a lot of unnecessary scenes, some of the supporting characters had way more screen time than the actual main cast, there was barely any subtlety when needed, and finally, I absolutely loathe it when dramas use issues with transphobia and homophobia. However, I do applaud the writers for creating a good pacing for the events in the series, and for making the final three episodes really interesting. Everything else though was pretty boring. Also, I'm not sure whether I liked this or not, but the family tree based around Kim Hye Jin is seriously messed up.

At least the directors did something well done for this drama and that was picking the cast. Of course any drama that picks Yook Sungjae to be part of the main cast is bound to have a good choice of acting, even though my oppa couldn't exactly help save this drama (like Hyun Bin with Hyde, Jekyll, Me). Sungjae oppa was flawless in his acting, and he deserved to win the New Star Award from this series. Anyway, moving on. I'm not sure how I felt about Moon Geun Young's acting. At times, her character felt genuine and quite realistic, but at other times, her acting was stiff and not too great to watch. She's not the worst actress I've seen but far from the best. After watching The Village: Achiara's Secret, I take away any criticism I had for Shin Eun Gyeong because her acting went so perfectly with her character, I'm amazed at how immersed she was in acting - this also applies to Jang Hee Jin. Finally, Ohn Joo Wan. He could have done a lot better, but he did good with his character.

Music probably had the worst execution I've ever seen in watching anything. Okay, I'll admit that it was good for a few scenes (especially the cliffhanger endings to each episode), but besides that, it was all over the place. There would be extremely dramatic music in scenes where they are only talking about what happened to Hye Jin, it was so poorly done.

The only reason I would watch this again is if I was doing a Yook Sungjae binge watch of all his dramas, but I don't see that happening any time soon.

Overall, probably the worst horror themed media I've ever watched. The story needed a LOT of work, the music director needs to get his act together and some acting choices may need to improve. I would only recommend for the actors I praised.

Read More

I started watching Flower Boy Next Door because a friend recommended it as it is one of her favourite dramas, and feels it's too underrated. Also, I quite like Park Shin Hye as an actress. I'm quite grateful for that friend for recommending me this, but I don't see why she finds it all that amazing. It has its good points, which are outweigh the negatives, but it's not "My Love From The Stars worthy" as she put it.

If you are friends with me on MDL and regularly check your feed, you'll know how my feelings have changed as I watched through the drama. After watching the first two episodes, I was addicted. It had such an amazing start, and it felt very refreshing and lighthearted. My revision for exams was even at risk because I wanted to continue watching. And not long after that, I had soon found my main ship (with my editor-roommate couple in close second). When I reached the half way point, I still wanted more, but the episodes started to lack luster - it wasn't as inviting as it began. Even later, I got bored during most of the episodes. Sure, it had it's emotional moments, but it started repeating itself and the cliche started rolling in. Unfortunately, Flower Boy Next Door is one of those dramas which has a brilliant start but a disappointing ending (I loved who she ended up with though).

Okay, so the acting was generally pretty okay. Yoon Shi Yoon was definitely the best actor there, he was so brilliant to watch. He was able to pull off every single scene, he did not disappoint. I am planning on watching Mirror of the Witch because of him. Kim Ji Hoon was also quite decent, but his emotions while acting wasn't very varied and he didn't show his best potential. And with Park Shin Hye, I can slightly understand why some people don't like her acting. She didn't show much expression, but I'm hoping that was because she was playing the role of an extreme introvert. I don't dislike Shin Hye though, because I loved her acting in Pinocchio.

Usually I have a favourite track from each drama, but I don't with Flower Boy Next Door. Don't get me wrong, a lot of the tracks are quite good, but none of them had any real impact on me.

I doubt I would watch this again because I would rather just watch all the scenes with Enrique and the editor-roommate couple. However, it is a good drama to rewatch if I want something cute.

Overall, the story gradually got worse as more episodes rolled out, the acting could have improved but wasn't the worst I've seen and the music needs more impact. But I would recommend to anyone who wants a cute romcom to watch in their own time.

Read More

It's hard to find dramas that can be so mind blowing and amazing that it keeps you on the edge of your seat during every single episode. Although White Christmas was short, it was absolutely amazing. I was going into this drama hoping for a lot of death, but when the first actual "death" happened, I was really upset over it. They were one of my favourite characters of White Christmas, and it was awful thinking he was no longer around. Anyway, these sorts of psychological dramas are very hard to find, and you'll never be able to find anything like it.

The story of this drama was epic. 7 (actually 8, including Kang Mi Reu) students remaining behind at school during the winter holidays because of letters that were sent to them, because of the sins they had all committed going towards the death of a student. That itself is just an amazing synopsis and was enough to pull me into the amazing world of White Christmas. It's full of thrills, laughter and anxiety, which is all the elements needed to make a great psychological drama.

Everyone in this drama was amazing. Previously, when I watched Hyde, Jekyll, Me and High Society, I didn't have much respect for Sung Joon as an actor, but now, I have a lot. He played his character of Choi Chi Hoon exceptionally and he definitely was one of my favourite characters of the series. I don't know what happened to his acting over time, but at least I know he's done one well done character. But, of course, Kim Woo Bin (who played Kang Mi Reu) was, by far, my most favourite character. From what I've seen, this is Woo Bin's first drama and he did a superb job. His popularity is definitely understood. I also want to give my hand to the actors who played Yang Kang Mo and Lee Jae Kyu, because their acting was so great to watch. The only actor I had a problem with acting was Lee El, who acted out the character of Oh Jung Hye. I liked her at first when she was messing around with Mi Reu, but her acting dropped rapidly when she came across Kim Yo Han. I don't want to see that happening when a character suddenly changes. If the character changes, the acting still shouldn't.

I loved the soundtrack to White Christmas, it was such a lovely listen. My favourites were the Opening Sequence, and the one track I don't know the name of but happened during most intense scenes. Although I do wish the staff of White Christmas made its own soundtrack for the drama, but I still loved most songs in it, so I don't mind all that much. Not much else to say, but listening to the entire soundtrack without the drama is such a great thing to do.

I would love to watch this again, but this drama wouldn't be as thrilling to watch when you know what is going to happen. That's the problem with most thriller-psychological dramas. Once you've watched it once, you'll never be able to return to a state of ignorance towards the series, and enjoy it as much as you did the first time.

Besides Lee El's sudden acting change, White Christmas was a great ride to watch and I would most definitely recommend this drama to anyone. Anyway, I enjoyed watching White Christmas and it's the most compelling drama I've seen. Also, Kim Woo Bin with red hair is extremely sexy.

Read More

I absolutely loved this drama to bits. It kept me interested throughout and this is the first drama I've watched that I don't regret having second-lead syndrome with. Although Gong Tae Kwang (School 2015) will always be the best second-lead, my heart still hurts for him to this day. With Baek In Ho, I was happy with how things ended with him. He became truly happy with being able to play the piano again and no longer has to handle his sister's struggles. His relationship with Seol will always have more chemistry than with hers with Yoo Jung (in my opinion), but I knew that he would still find a way to be happy without her. I would have rated it 10/10, but the way it ended just didn't give the drama a well-ended wrap up. The ending could have been improved and created a weakness for the series.

The story for Cheese in the Trap was extremely interesting and brought so many unique spins, turns and ideas, even though it did diverge from the manhwa. However, I did have some problems with the story-line. First of all, like I mentioned in the previous paragraph, Yoo Jung's relationship with Hong Seol didn't feel as strong as hers with Baek In Ho - it felt awkward and forced, and that's not how relationships should be like. Maybe to start with, but it should have gotten better after a few weeks. And no couple have that many arguments and disagreements in that short space of time. Secondly, all the issues with Son Min Soo, Oh Young Gon and Baek In Ha were dragged out too much in my opinion and should be dealt with better. More screen time should have been left for the main characters.

The acting was absolutely superb, I would not exchange a single actor for someone else. I was skeptical of Seo Kang Joon after hearing some complaints from other users, but I absolutely loved him and his acting - In Ho was my favourite character of the series. He's definitely on my list of actors to watch out for. I now also love Kim Go Eun and Nam Joo Hyuk so much.

The music is great to listen to. If you put the entire soundtrack on a playlist and listen through it, you'll most likely not skip any of the tracks. I absolutely love all of Part 4 from the OST, since acoustic tunes just serenade with me so well. The only problem I have with the soundtrack is that since the plot is the main standout of the series, the music is faded into the background.

I would definitely rewatch Cheese in the Trap any time.

Overall, despite my issues with the story, this drama is a definite watch for lovers of drama and psychological series'. It's perfect even.

Read More

I only watched Adolescence Medley because one of my chingus recommended it to me since I wanted to watch a short drama before I did lots of revision for exams. Initially, I was hesitant because it didn't look very original and I wasn't familiar with any of the cast (besides Lee Jong Hyun, who played as Ah Yeong's brother). But it was surprising pleasant and cute. I quite enjoyed it, and although it wasn't the best short drama I've ever seen, it was worth the watch.

The plot of the story wasn't very original, like I already stated, but it's not completely cliche either. Bringing boxing into the story instead of using only fists for fights is an interesting touch, and I liked the concept. It brought the drama together a lot nicer as well. I'm not sure if I was the only one who experienced this while watching it, but I kinda like the idea of Ah Yeong ending up with Yeok Ho instead of Jeong Woo, but I still liked her with him as well. I don't know, their relationship seemed more pure and less awkward. But oh well. I can't escape the second-lead syndrome.

The acting in Adolescence Medley was also better decent. Like many people have also complained, I don't like how they changed actors for Jeong Woo's older self, while they didn't do that for anyone else, but both actors did a great job of their role. I have to say that the best acting definitely goes to Choi Tae Joon, who played Yeok Ho. He was so believable and lovable, I'm not surprised he's gotten bigger roles since then as well.

The soundtracks, however, could definitely do with improving. Although there was only about 4 tracks to listen to, the only good one was Running in the Sky by Huh Gak (also the song the band played at the competition). Every other track was very boring and didn't match the rhyme of the drama.

I probably won't rewatch Adolescence Medley because it's more of a one-time thing.

Overall, this short drama could do with a lot of work (especially in the music department), but it was quite well done for a 4-episode drama. I would recommend to anyone who likes cute romances in a school setting.

Read More