I know how much this drama was loved by Robin and Yolette and lots of others too. I’ve always wanted to watch it but just never got anywhere with it,..well I just came across a site which was preparing to do a group watch and realized that this was my opportunity. I think it’s probably a drama which needs lots of input…so best watched in company..I look forward to learning the details regarding the characters and any other analysis which is sure to happen..since it’s that kind of drama…looking forward to it…now..I will have to figure out who is who quickly…lol!!!
Author Archives: chingu123
Oh Master?
I was all excited and looking forward to the latest Lee Min Ki drama…the drama itself didn’t excite me really because it sounds an awful lot like his previous one..but hey..I’ll watch him in anything really,…Silly me..I expected it to be readily available but the only place that I’ve found it is on iQIY and only with the VIP subscription.. Would you know if anyone else will be streaming it? Disappointed..after patiently waiting..
Mr Queen..I miss you already!
I have to share with you guys that I absolutely enjoyed this drama..it’s one of those dramas where you feel enveloped by the world that the characters live in and that you can just sit back and enjoy the ride…
I started watching because I’m a sucker for those back in time body swap dramas but I stayed because it was just so much fun! I was familiar with both actors..I like her but here I think she brought her best performance so far..it’s great when actors have the chance to stretch themselves and portray two characters in the same drama and here one of the characters was that she play a man with all his mannerisms in a woman’s body..not any woman..a Josean Queen to boot!! And as for him..again..I liked him well enough in Crash Landing on You but I wasn’t besotted.Here I think he portrayed the king so well and gave him a share of charm, integrity and intelligence that I will always consider it his signature performance…unless a better one comes along..I just loved these two together. They possessed great chemistry together..and he joins the other greats in that he’s got one of the sexiest voices too! Since this was played for comedy you can imagine all the hijinks that takes place as she tries to get back “home” to the future..leaving the palace totally confused at this new side of her previously meek character..loved all the side characters too..(not the usual political rivals as much of course but the court ladies and chefs were awesome)..but mainly the burning question is: where are they going with this???? Is the “queen” falling in love in spite of herself..or…himself..lol?..Who is the king actually falling in love with? Questions…questions…I was happy with the ending ..I feared that it would be worse…though I know that not everyone was… so..if you should check it out you must decide for yourself. I do understand the objections but they don’t bother me much..now I’m going to watch the two special episodes that were produced..obviously for all the fans like me who find it hard to say goodbye!
Kairos… Yes!!!
If you are a fan of Signal you will really enjoy this one. I’m up to Ep 10 and can honestly say that each episode has been amazing!!
Shin Sung Rok does it again..He plays the arrogant creep very very well but at the same time he is able to be so vulnerable and your heart goes out to him when you see him in his agony..I love the way he goes from a short tempered, mean, arrogant man to an emotional, grieving shell shocked one as he deals with the kidnapping of his daughter and subsequent tragedy. I love the way he is able to stretch himself as an actor and he makes it work so well.
I’m a great fan of time-travel dramas and whether, as in Nine (our hero goes back 20 years) or the audience is taken back a mere month, makes no difference at all. I buy into it immediately even though I honestly have an issue in following the intricacies of the plot. One thing is consistent though… if you change the past you also change the future and never more than in this drama except our hero has a partner in crime to do it for him.
There are strong performances by all supporting cast as well..including our adorable little girl. Big thumbs UP — hopefully it will hold till the end..which I expect will contain a few holes like all these types of dramas do..but it really doesn’t impact on my enjoyment at all…
Checking out iQIYI
Robin, I checked out the site that you recommended and was happy to find one drama which I couldn’t find elsewhere – the new one with Yoo Inna and Eric Mun — a pleasant surprise. Don’t know how good the actual drama is but I always enjoy watching her… I’ll think about getting the trial month, probably when I have more time to explore better. Luckily this drama is free, with the usual commercial interruptions.
There is another drama that I’d heard a lot about called The World of the Married. I was interested because someone wrote that it had a Doctor Foster-like plot and I did enjoy Doctor Foster. I was hoping to find it there…no luck. Unfortunately it only seems to be available on Netflix US and not on Netflix Canada — hopefully it will be available here soon but I’m not keeping my fingers crossed. Such a pity not all Netflix sites are created the same. I got excited for a second until I realized that fact!!
Oh well…
Happy New Year, Chingus! (And a couple of mentions)
It is with no regret that we bid goodbye to 2020 and await 2021 with hopeful patience but hopefully there were some good memories we can take away nonetheless!!
Dramas do present a nice escape from reality..even for a little while. So..just sharing some comments about a new drama that I just started.
It had been ages since I’d checked out a Taiwanese drama and I was curious about the actor Jasper Liu whom I’d heard about but never seen. I found a drama on Netflix called Before We get Married which looked interesting so I checked it out.
I’ve only seen about three episodes but so far I’m enjoying it. First of all, to my relief, there is only one annoying over the top character so that is a good thing. I really like the heroine (Puff Kuo), she’s a beautiful, classy actress and she has great chemistry with Jasper.
The storyline is pretty simple — both are in relationships..she is happy looking forward to marrying her boyfriend — they have a plan about their future, even to small details… how much to spend daily… when she can sleep over (only Saturday night), etc, etc. He is in a 10 year relationship with a girl but it looks like it’s a “duty” relationship since he promised her mom that he would take care of her. There’s pity there but definitely no romantic love.
She loses her purse which contains her diary, he finds it and (of course) reads it and sees how planned out her life is and he challenges her on it and that’s the beginning of a rocky relationship, but it’s also the beginning of great tension filled scenes. It’s also the beginning of self exploration on her part..is the plan she’s following HER life plan or HIS life plan which she has no say in..he is the perfect representation of temptation as he pursues her but he graciously accepts her denial and refusal..telling her that they just met each other too late..but of course that doesn’t mean that emotions go away does it? Her boyfriend is the usual sweet but boring guy…though lately they’ve made him really dumb which is an obvious ploy to give her reason to become disatisifed with her life..I don’t know what’s ahead and I hope it doesn’t falter too much but so far I’ve been enchanted with Jasper and his ridiculously cute dimples..lol..and..though I really dislike bangs I have to admit that she really is the exception to my rule…a cautious thumbs up.
Merry Christmas Chingus!!
For all of us Christmas this year is so different from any other but the spirit of Christmas remains the same and now more than ever we are in sore need of kindness, patience and generosity… not for presents but for contact. We can’t hug each other..we can’t even see ourselves smiling at each other but let us smile with our eyes instead and give with our words and time. We look forward to next year with more hope than we did a mere few months ago and that’s a good thing.
Lastly, I’m so pleased to pass on my review of the kdrama that I just finished. 100 Days My Prince which was an unexpected but delightful surprise. I confess that the only reason that I checked it out was because I wanted to see more of Kim Seon Ho whom I’d just discovered in Strongest Deliveryman but I discovered the charm of the main couple and loved them to death. Though it’s historical and it had a bit of politics it was not heavy which I really appreciated. And the possibilities of shenanigans that arose when you have a haughty prince who has lost his memory but not his arrogance is a hoot. For various reasons he finds himself foisted with the wrong identity and a new wife and he struggles in all ways — of course he does!! He had great chemistry with her — the boy has amazingly piercing eyes…the side characters weren’t too annoying and I still go to see the charming Kim Seon Ho dressed in all his finery… thumbs up from me. It’s not perfect really..there are lots of little things..one of which is the inconsistent use of the “face blindness” issue which irked me but nothing major at all!
Down memory lane..
So exciting to see that they just had a reunion of our beloved Coffee Prince gang and I was all set to watch it but then I thought…wait..it’s time to see it again before I do that..so I started up again and am enjoying it just as much..love these guys..it’s a bit sad to know that one young man is gone but honestly..seeing these future leading men at the beginning is so interesting..seeing a younger version of My Mister with his sexy voice..btw..the man has one of the sexiest walks as well..just saying..and of course Gong Yoo and Kim Jae Wook…sigh…how can anyone doubt that these guys were going to be around for a long time?? And..looking not much older??
These kinds of dramas are the ones responsible for our kdrama obsession…that’s for sure!!
Oh My Baby
I can never pass up a Jang Nara drama of course!
As you might know this is a familiar story of a 40 something woman who is fighting the biological clock and decides that she really wants a child.
I did enjoy it at the end of the day. I thought it was quite balanced in that it touched upon various issues relating to..not only this specific issue..but also to related issues. It was almost as if the writer said..ok..we will have one character representing a working mother..one character representing a divorced mother..one character representing a single mother..etc..this enabled us to get different points of view and also served as a lesson to say that NOTHING is perfect..that choices have to be made..that we must all live by our choices. THe three men did a great job I thought..one a childhood friend..one an irritating one and the last a young, purehearted guy who honestly seems much too good to be true.
Probably one of the strongest relationship in the drama was between Jang Nara and her mom..lovely moments between them. I was also super excited to see that Go Joon was one of the potential fathers. I had never even heard of him before until I saw him as a very minor secondary character in Save Me – noticed him right away..but had no idea he was in this drama!! Let me just say that Mr. Voice has a very serious contender..lol..his low voice is awesome..as is the rest of him of course….
Thumbs up!!
Save me….Please!!
I was really charmed by Woo Do-Hwan and I wanted to see more of him. Many people have mentioned Save Me as one of his earlier dramas so when I accidentally came across it I decided to check it out. My heart sank when I saw that the lead was Taecyon..as you know he is not one of my favourites..though he might be a sweet boy he’s a terrible actor in my view and I just can’t understand why he keeps getting such plum roles..but nevermind..I decided to overlook it. One other thing that made me hesitate was that I saw that it was about a cult and all it’s activities in the small town..didn’t relish watching such obvious manipulation but I do really like the actor who plays the cult leader. First thing to stand out was that they gave him totally white hair and it just visually shocks the eyes and gives you warning that this isn’t an ordinary villain. He says and does all the “right” things but you can just see (unless you have already joined his cult) that there is something dark behind those eyes…
Back to our main characters..the group of highschool friends who like to hang out..who obviously care about each other but who carry different baggage as well.. Do-Hwan’s father being the town drunk..Taecyon’s father being the governor..each with their own pressures but basically good guys..
Then we meet the main family…consisting of the parents and a teenage son and daughter.down on their luck..scammed out of their savings and left without even a home or job..they come under the radar of the cult and little by little..in the most innocent of ways..especially after the suicide of the son who is bullied..the family falls apart and are at their most vulnerable..perfect victims to unscrupulous villains.
But..it’s not only about the obvious villains..it’s about others who aren’t above putting ambition and their own well being above justice and aren’t afraid to corrupt anyone who will help them do it.
I’ve only watched three episodes but I’m not sure I will continue..it’s toooooo creepy for me right now..and it’s unbearably sad and I know there is more to come before..hopefully..things get better…It’s not the first time of course that we see the rich man getting away with murder but it’s especially hard to see it here!!
We Talk Dramas All Day 