Mười: The Legend of a Portrait

I didn't even know this movie existed until I read about it in an article about the "5 Scariest Korean Horror Movies", where this was listed as #6. I don't like Korean horror movies since I didn't think "A Tale of Two Sisters" was all that great or scary and Mười was not an exception. I only watched this because it was a Korean and Vietnamese production but the only thing Vietnamese about it was the legend (I don't think this is even a real Vietnamese legend) and the scenery.

Rating: 2**

Boys Over Flowers

A.K.A. Boys Before Flowers. This is the third adaptation of the "Hana Yori Dango" manga. I had such high expectations for this when I heard Korea was going to remake this since it was such a huge production. Sadly to say, this is my least favorite "Hana Yori Dango" version so far. I wanted to give up on BOF so many times but it was my goal to watch all "Hana Yori Dango" adaptations at least once, no matter how bad it was. The acting was bad and the plot was draggy, repetitive, and boring. The only elements worth watching were Lee Min Ho as Doumyouji Tsukasa and the love story between Kim Bum and Kim So Eun. I hated how there were so many scenes of the actors and actresses just looking sad with nothing going on; the camera just did close-ups of their faces for ten minutes. Also, BOF's OST was good but it was overkill in here since every two minutes, a song would come up (I'm sick of hearing T-Max's Paradise!). BOF is pretty much just the Korean version of Hana Yori Dango and Hana Yori Dango II but not as great.

Koo Hye Sun: I didn't think it was possible to hate Makino Tsukushi until I watched Koo Hye Sun's portrayal. Koo Hye Sun is such a bad actress that I had to fast forward every time she was on screen by herself, with Kim Hyun Joong, with her family, or with Kim Hyun Joong's grandfather. She always looks dense and confused in every single scene. And what's worse is that she had exactly one expression for everything! She's also not that pretty (it's probably because of her bowl cut hairstyle in here but still) to make me believe that two guys will fall madly in love with. So it raises the question, couldn't they find a more talented and younger actress for this role? 1*

Lee Min Ho: The saving grace of this drama! Lee Min Ho looks a lot alike Jerry Yan but his acting is a lot better. He was able to show a different side to Doumyouji Tsukasa without being repetitive while staying true to the character. 5*****

Kim Hyun Joong: I'm sorry to say this but Kim Hyun Joong is not attractive as people make him out to be; he actually looks really weird to me. His acting was also really bad in here but he did improved as BOF progressed. 2**

Kim Bum: I loved Kim Bum ever since I saw him in "Rude Woman" so I was excited to watch him in here, especially since he's portraying Nishikado Sojiro. He didn't disappoint in here but he sometimes looked uncomfortable in some scenes. 4****

Kim Joon: He's cute so it's sad that he barely had any scenes in here. I look forward to seeing him in more dramas in the near future. 3***

Kim So Eun: She's a pleasant surprise in here since she exceeded my expectations. She made Matsuoka Yuki cute and strong to the point that she wasn't so desperate to have Kim Bum. 4****

Lee Min Jung: She was good as Okawahara Shigeru and I wouldn't have asked for anything more from her portrayal. 5*****

Han Chae Young: She made a good Todo Shizuka since I have always imagined the Korean Todo Shizuka to be like her. 5*****

Koo Hye Sun+Lee Min Ho: I felt nothing for this Tsukushi Makino and Domyoji Tsukasa pairing. However, Lee Min Ho made their scenes bearable. 2**

Koo Hye Sun+Kim Hyun Joong: A snooze fest couple since it was bad acting from both side of the parties. 1*

Kim Bum+Kim So Eun: My favorite couple in here and I like how their relationship had more development and screen time in this adaptation. They look so good together! 5*****

Kim Hyun Joong+Han Chae Young: 3***

Lee Min Ho+Lee Min Jung: They don't fit in terms of looks but their acting made up for it. 3***

Lee Min Ho+Kim Min Ji: 2**

Kim Bum+Park Soo Jin: Park Soo Jin looks older than Kim Bum so I felt she was his older sister more than a first love. 2**

OST: 4****

Rating: 2** I hope there wouldn't be a sequel and I don't think there will be one because the ending was pretty good, even if as a whole it wasn't. BOF is such an overrated "Hana Yori Dango" version and a drama by itself but then again, most Korean dramas are.

Coffee Prince

A.K.A. The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince. I decided to watch this because of its popularity, rave reviews, and interesting plot. Maybe I got my hopes up since I enjoyed the first few episodes, but I then felt CP got extremely boring and draggy as it progressed. It took me forever to finish it since I didn't anticipate watching the next episodes. However, because I promised myself to finish this before starting a new drama, I skimmed the last four episodes and read the episode summaries instead to finish my "promise" of finishing CP. The biggest flaw of CP is the plot since it wasn't as funny as the episodes went by, the whole Gong Yoo not knowing Yoon Eun Hye is a girl was frustrating to watch since it took forever for Gong Yoo to find out the truth, the endless bickerings and fights between the two main couples: Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye and Lee Sun Gyun and Chae Jung Ahn, and the lack of a climax since every problem/obstacle was solved very easily. Although CP ended on a happy note, I felt that it was too simple because it felt like all of the middle episodes weren't necessary; they seem more like fillers to me since I could skip five episodes and still know what's going on in the plot. The plus side of CP is the good character developments and acting from the artists.

Yoon Eun Hye: She's a really fantastic actress since she looked and acted like a man; a complete change from "Goong"! This is definitely a breakthrough role and her best role up to date. 5*****

Gong Yoo: I find him to be kind of overrated since he's not all that hot and great in acting. He was okay though. 4****

Lee Sun Gyun: I felt sorry for his character since Chae Jung Ahn kept leaving him. 4****

Chae Jung Ahn: Her character is not really likable but you can't really hate her though. She's also really pretty. 4****

Yoon Eun Hye+Gong Yoo: Not the greatest couple but they had their cute moments. 3***

Lee Sun Gyun+Chae Jung Ahn: I like them as a couple and was more interested in their storyline than Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo's. 4****

Yoon Eun Hye+Lee Sun Gyun: I like the friendship they shared. 4****

Gong Yoo+Chae Jung Ahn: 3***

OST: 3***

Rating: 2** This is an overrated drama but it's not the worst one I have ever seen.

Rude Woman

A.K.A. Outrageous Woman. This is my favorite Korean drama so far but sadly, it's underrated because the cast is pretty much all unattractive/unknown. This drama claims to be the Korean "Desperate Housewives", which is why I was attracted to it in the first place, but it doesn't resemble "Desperate Housewives" at all besides having a housewife as the main character. This is an extremely hilarious drama and I wished there were more episodes even though it already has 18 episodes!

Yoo Ho Jung: She's so funny in here! I love all of the "evil" plots she comes up with. 5*****

Lee Ki Woo: He's so cute and adorable. 5*****

Jung Woong In: His character is a jerk but he's so funny that you can't really hate him. 5*****

Im Ji Eun: I like how there's more than just one side to her...it makes her more human-like. 5*****

Kim Bum: He's so cute and I see a lot of potential for him as an actor when he is older.

Yoo Ho Jung+Lee Ki Woo: They were cute but I don't like the whole older woman and younger man relationship. 3***

Yoo Ho Jung+Jung Woong In: They were okay; they were cute in their flashbacks. 3***

Jung Woong In+Im Ji Eun: They were okay too, nothing too special though. 3***

Rating: 4.5****

My Name is Kim Sam Soon

MNIKSS is a very realistic (most of the time) Korean drama that is extremely funny and entertaining. It is also my first Korean drama that I finished watching. I gave this a chance because everybody said how good this was and it wasn't a disappointment but some of the episodes/story lines were a little bit slow pace/draggy. Nevertheless, this is still a good drama and a must-watch.

Kim Sun Ah: She's really funny and vulgar! A lot of people find her annoying since she can be kind of mean but she is the star of this drama! 5*****

Hyun Bin: He's so mean but cute that you can't hate him. He did the whole "I'm an arrogant, rich boy" role well. 5*****

Jung Ryu Won: I sometimes found her annoying but her character was pitiful and sad so I couldn't hate her for being in the love triangle (I don't really consider her the third wheel). 5*****

Daniel Henney: He's really hot but his character was kind of useless. It seem that he was casted only because they wanted a hot actor who could speak English (lol!). 3***

Kim Sun Ah+Hyun Bin: They were cute but I still don't really like the whole older woman and younger man relationship. 4****

Hyun Bin+Jung Ryu Won: They fitted better in terms of looks but there weren't really any chemistry. 3***

Jung Ryu Won+Daniel Henney: They look great together but there weren't really any chemistry either. 3***

OST: I didn't really like any of the songs. 2**

Rating: 3.5*** Maybe I got some of my hopes up since I consider this a better drama than "My Girl" and "Goong".

Witch Yoo Hee

A.K.A. Witch Amusement. The synopsis and the cast looked really good so I decided to give this a try. Seeing Kim Jeong Hoon's name in the cast list was more than enough reason for me to give this a chance; I actually saw this before "Goong" so I primarily watched this because I thought Kim Jeong Hoon looked cute and Jae Hee and Dennis Oh weren't too bad looking either. I love this drama in the first eight episodes or so; however, this drama became a disaster and a huge disappointment after that. I had to force myself to finish this; I rarely fast forward when I watch dramas but I couldn't watch this anymore. I absolutely hated the main characters and couldn't care less if they ended up together or died... The plot was creative (in the beginning only!) but was developed so poorly that it became a stereotypical awful Korean drama.

Han Ga In: I actually liked her character in the beginning but I hated her so much near the end. She was so selfish and mean that I don't understand how three hot guys can fall in love with her. Acting wise, she was mediocre since she had one facial expression throughout the whole drama. She's kind of pretty but not all that beautiful. 3***

Jae Hee: He's really cute but he's too skinny! Like Han Ga In, I only liked him in the beginning. I was extremely angry that he chose Han Ga In over Jun Hye Bin. His character was bad but his acting was not. He shouldn't wear scarves though since they made him look so small and girly. Hopefully, I'll like him better in "Delightful Girl Choon Hyang". 4****

Kim Jeong Hoon: It's sad that he's always casted as the third wheel and evil but he was a lot cuter in "Goong" that I couldn't hate him in there. His acting was also better in "Goong" since he looked so uncomfortable in here. He looked really good though. 3***

Dennis Oh: I like his character; he actually somewhat saved this drama (along with Jun Hye Bin). A very lovable and cute role. I thought his acting wasn't too bad but a lot of people didn't like it. 4****

Jun Hye Bin: I also like her character; she was really pitiful. If I was Jae Hee, I would have chosen her over Han Ga In. She's also really cute! 4****

Han Ga In+Jae Hee: They were somewhat cute in the beginning but I hated this couple so much at the end. 1*

Han Ga In+Kim Jeong Hoon: Another bad couple, no chemistry whatsoever. 1*

Jae Hee+Jun Hye Bin: They were the better couple but Jae Hee was such a jerk. 3***

Han Ga In+Dennis Oh: They are better as friends since Han Ga In didn't even like him. 2**

Dennis Oh+Jun Hye Bin: I actually wanted them to end up together but sadly, they didn't. They had a nice friendship. 3***

OST: I pretty much like all of the songs (the only good thing about this drama!). 5*****

Rating: 1* I regretted watching this so stay extremely far away...even if the plot sounds interesting!

Goong

A.K.A. Princess Hours/Palace. After watching "My Girl", I decided to give "Goong" a chance since everybody loves it and I was in the mood to watch more romantic comedies. I'm happy to say that "Goong" is another Korean drama I like since it's cute (the bears are so cute!) and touching. However, the first four episodes were really slow and boring but it gets better after Yoon Eun Hye and Joo Ji Hoon are married. I wished it wasn't extended to 24 episodes though since it kind got of dragging near the end. The ending wasn't rushed but it kind of ended with a cliffhanger but I can live with it since it reminded me of the ending to TVB's "Road for the Heroes" starring Roger Kwok, Alvina Kong, and Michael Tao. I would like to see a sequel but it's probably better that way since it's a happy ending and the plot would have dragged with more relationship problems for Yoon Eun Hye and Joo Ji Hoon in the sequel, which were sad enough in the first one.

Yoon Eun Hye: She's not really pretty especially in the first few episodes but her looks grow on you (her mouth is not that attractive). I love some of the outfits she wore in this drama. Overall, I like her role but she can get annoying when she misunderstood Joo Ji Hoon near the end. Yoon Eun Hye was really good in her first starring role and she's a pretty good crier. 5*****

Joo Ji Hoon: Same with Yoon Eun Hye, I don't consider him drop-dead gorgeous but he looks really cute when he smiles. His character is extremely cold but it's understandable and pitiful. I also thought he did a good job. 5*****

Kim Jeong Hoon: He's so cute, such eye candy! Thank goodness, he didn't have dyed hair after a couple of episodes since he looks so much better when he's a brunette (his natural color)! I felt really bad for his character; he's so pitiful so I couldn't hate him when he tried to break up Yoon Eun Hye and Joo Ji Hoon. He was kind of stiff in some scenes but he did a good job too. 4****

Song Ji Hyo: I think she looks a lot prettier in pictures. I was kind of annoyed with her character but she's also pitiful so I couldn't hate her. 3***

Yoon Eun Hye+Joo Ji Hoon: I can see why everybody loves them as a couple since they had a lot of chemistry together. Their intimate scenes were really cute! 5*****

Yoon Eun Hye+Kim Jeong Hoon: I really like the friendship they had together. It was heartbreaking to watch how much Kim Jeong Hoon loves Yoon Eun Hye. 4****

Joo Ji Hoon+Song Ji Hyo: They kind of look good together but there wasn't really any chemistry. 3***

OST: I only like one or two songs, especially "Perhaps Love" by HowL & J. 3***

Rating: 3.5*** Not the greatest drama that everybody claims it to be (kind of overrated) but still good so I would watch it again.

My Girl

I'm not a fan of Korean dramas since I find them overrated but I do watch the really popular ones to see what the rave is all about and I only watch/enjoy the ones that are romantic comedies. MG is a funny and sweet drama and it's one of the few Korean dramas that I like. The beginning was kind of slow but it starts to get interesting when Lee Da Hae pretends to be Lee Dong Wook's cousin. However, since this is a Korean drama, it gets pretty depressing the last few episodes. The ending was also kind of rushed but at least it was a happy ending.

Lee Da Hae: I love her in here! She's really funny and also an excellent crier. She can be annoying in the beginning since she kind of over exaggerated but her character was really lovable. I wished she could've let her hair down more often since she looked a lot prettier with her hair down. She kind of reminded me of Kim Sun Ah (My Name is Kim Sam Soon) but the cuter and younger version. 5*****

Lee Dong Wook: He's so charming and handsome! I like his role since he was rich but not mean and rude like Bi (Rain) in "Full House" or Hyun Bin in "My Name is Kim Sam Soon" were. I want a boyfriend/husband like him! In a lot of angles, he reminded me of Kingone Wang in "Why Why Love" (maybe because they were in charged of hotels and wore suits all the time) but the more mature and handsome version. 5*****

Lee Joon Ki: He really looks like a girl, lol. I think he looks good in some scenes and then in others, he looked weird...I think it has something to do with his eyes. His character was pitiful, but never once did I root for him to end up with Lee Da Hae. His role was kind of useless but I'm glad that he wasn't evil. 4****

Park Si Yeon: Like Lee Joon Ki, she looks pretty in some scenes and not so pretty in others. Her character was also pitiful and at the same time, kind of useless because she wasn't really evil although she did tried to break Lee Da Hae and Lee Dong Wook up. 3***

Lee Da Hae+Lee Dong Wook: They are so prefect together and I hope they hook up in real life! I can't get enough of them; I wished they had more "loving" scenes though. 5*****

Lee Da Hae+Lee Joon Ki: They looked cute together but Lee Da Hae never loved him back and I think Lee Joon Ki loved her because he couldn't have her... 3***

Lee Dong Wook+Park Si Yeon: They looked good together but there weren't really any chemistry. 3***

OST: The songs are really catching/good especially "Never Say Goodbye" by Mario & Nesty and "Happy Happy" by Song Bo Ram. 4****

Rating: 3*** Not the greatest drama that everybody claims it to be (kind of overrated) but still good so I would watch it again.