My Favorite Dramas of 2013

There was so much to watch in 2013! Just when I thought I was caught up, a whole new crop of dramas came my way. Needless to say I missed a few shows, but I also managed to watch some pretty great shows from this year.

This is the entire list of Dramas that I completed from 2013 (Alphabetically):
1. A Clinic on the Sea
2. Answer Me 1994
3. Dating Agency: Cyrano
4. Flower Boy Next Door
5. Good Doctor
6. Heirs
7. Her Legend
8. I Hear Your Voice
9. Infinite Power
10. Marry Him if You Dare
11. Monstar
12. Nail Shop Paris
13. Two Weeks
14. Unemployed Romance
15. Who are You
16. You're the Best Lee Soon Shin

Out of those 16 there are 5 that I will recommend to anyone who hasn't already seen them.

5. Who Are You: This show was about a detective who could see the dead and solved crimes through and for the dead she saw. I was so excited to watch this show because of Taec Yeon. I've adopted him and really wanted to follow his acting career as much as possible (which is why I watch Cinderella's Sister). The concept for the show wasn't new, but it didn't matter because the cast and acting were pretty great. I like the overall theme of the show and although I could see some things coming, for the most part I was kept on my toes and I appreciate that.

4. I Hear Your Voice: One of the most raved about dramas from this year. It's about a teenage boy who could read people's minds. Unfortunately this talent gets him trapped inside an epic battle between he, the man who murdered his father, and his first love. It featured a strong female lead, Oska as Attorney Cha (Yoon Sang-hyun), and one of Korea's many heartthrobs (Lee Jung Suk). One of my favorite things about the show was definitely the female lead of Jang Hye Sung played by Lee Bo Young. She was a tough, take-no-prisoners kind of gal; someone I could actually tolerate watching even after half the show was over. 

3. Good Doctor: This was an amazing drama. It is about a young doctor with autism who becomes a resident at one of the best hospitals in Korea. Though he was able to overcome many traumas and obstacles he still has to fight his way to acceptance.  Joo Won's acting was so great, I totally believed him the entire time. The show did a great job of showing how people with disabilities can do great things and achieve more then people imagine for them. However, they didn't hold back on the prejudices he encountered which made the show seem more realistic. The best part, for me, was that nothing seemed forced. All of the relationships came about organically and people didn't just change because Dr. Park was proving them wrong. The dad stayed bitter and nasty the entire time, which sucked, but also spoke about human nature.

2. Two Weeks: If you're looking for action to check out from this year then this is one to check out. It is about a man who finds out that he has a daughter that has cancer. In order to save his daughter he must donate his bone marrow, but before that can happen he is framed for murder. One of the things that I liked about this show is the lack of romance. I notice that in dramas once you give the audience a little hint at romance that's all they focus on. However, that wasn't the point of this drama and I liked that though it was integrated into the plot at times it wasn't as much of a focal point. The lack of romance made you focus on the main character and his fight for the survival of him and his child. Also, the little girl who played Soo Jin melted my heart every single time.

1. Answer Me 1994: The much anticipated prequel to Answer Me 1997! Like Answer Me 1997 it's about a group of kids (college kids) living life in the 90's. It was fun playing the "Who's the Husband" game with the other viewers. I was strictly #TeamChilbong, but toward the end I was just hoping that Na Jung would end up happy. Thankfully the writers managed to give us that. I also appreciated the other characters and couples of the show. I have to say that the Sung Kyun-Yoon Jin pairing was amazingly adorable and every moment they were on screen, after becoming a couple, was gold. I definitely enjoyed watching the show from beginning to end.

I hope I didn't spoil any of the shows for those who haven't watched them yet.

Overall it was a pretty great year filled with great shows. I can only hope that 2014 is half as entertaining. 

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday!

Late Bloomers: December Dramas I'm Enjoying

Prime Minister and I
This drama started on December 9. I am only familiar with the acting of Yoon Si Yoon (Flower Boy Next Door), Chae Jung An (Coffee Prince), and Lee Min Ho (Rooftop Prince). Though I have not seen a drama with Lee Bum Soo or Yoona in it yet after watching this show I am looking forward to seeing more of them. The show is about a tabloid reporter and the Prime Minister of Korea faking a marriage to get out of some sticky rumors. I am pretty sure that we can assume that as time goes on they'll have real feelings for each other. Though the premise isn't one of the most original, I am enjoying seeing their romance take form. The show is already 6 episodes in and I am excited about the next 5 weeks.

Miss Korea
It started on December 18. I am excited for this show for a few reasons. The return of Lee Sun Kyun (Coffee Prince) and his amazing voice, and the return of Lee Ki Woo (Flower Boy Ramen Shop) and his amazing height. And once I started watching the show I saw even more familiar faces like Lee Mi Sook and Oh Jung Se. I must say, I am excited about this drama because of the cast but after watching the first 2 episodes I don't know what to do with the show. I am thoroughly intrigued, but it is definitely in a category by itself. I can't predict anything about the show and it just puts me in a weird place. However, I look forward to watching it for the next 8 weeks.

My Love From Another Star
This show also started on December 18. Originally I wasn't going to watch it because I'm not a big fan of Sci-Fi television shows, but my urge to see Kim Soo Hyun (Dream High) in something else overrode my original opinion. So far I have nothing against the show and plan to keep watching it, but it isn't a show that I am freaking out over either. I am enjoying it and am having fun trying to guess what events will come about as the show progresses.

Bonus: I am loving this song which also was released in December: 

Super Junior Donghae & Eunhyuk_아직도 난 (Still You)

There are plenty of other shows that were released in December that I would like to see but I am trying to pace myself. 

Thanks for reading!

RANT: Ending to Marry Him if You Dare

So many comments have been made about the ending to Marry Him if You Dare. I am not understanding why people dislike the ending. Take into consideration the events that made up that ending. Just think about it!

Right before the show ended Mi Rae had finally given Se Joo a chance and she left the window wide open for him to come back to her. Plus she didn't close the window with Kim Shin either. When that happens I think it is to be expected that the ending be left wide open.

Many complained that there was no closure, but there was nothing but closure. We saw Mi Rae become a more well rounded person with a career she could be proud of, Se Joo finally got over himself and from under his grandmother's thumb, Kim Shin was able to cut his puppet strings, Yoo Kyung finally has her own show, and Mi Rae's brother finally had a family. We also know that little Gun was able to grow up, and that future Mi Rae was able to make it back to future Kim Shin. All that we can consider as closure.

I honestly think people were hoping for too much. I know for sure had there been a definitive answer about who she would pick at the beginning of the last episode then there could have been a definitive ending. It would have been impossible and made the writers seem dumb if out of nowhere she would have just ended up with one of them. I know what some people were thinking: "A time jump must mean we're going to see her meet up or holding hands with one of them." However, that would have been pushing it after she kind of kicked both of them to the curb. We would have missed the whole back story to their reunion. And then where would that have left us? With even more questions!

I personally think the ending was perfect for what happened. I had some reservations about how it would end especially since the show seemed to be taking some strange turns, but I was pleased. I actually left feeling very satisfied.

Thanks for reading!

REVIEW: Heirs or The Inheritors

So, I came for Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye, but stayed for everyone else. I must say that I was a little disappointed in Heirs as a series. It was hyped up so much that I expected a lot from it, especially considering the cast, however it didn't always deliver. It had some really great moments but overall I wasn't too thrilled or satisfied. 

Things I liked: 
I loved the side characters: Young Do, Myung Soo, Chan Young, Bo Na, Hyo Shin, Secretary Yoon, Hee Nam (Eun Sang's mom), and Ki Ae (Kim Tan's mom). They became more and more entertaining as the series went on, and by the end I was watching purely to see what would happen to them. Like I said earlier, the cast was made up of some great actors and actresses and I was really excited to see so many powerhouses in one series. They all definitely delivered in the acting department, even if the story line wasn't always a hit.

I also loved Kim Woo Bin's performance as Choi Young Do. Pretty much every review I've read concerning Heirs praises Kim Woo Bin. He is definitely someone to keep watching. He was like magic in this show; every time the story line was lagging a bit he would sweep in and add that spark that made me keep watching. 

The other couples. No one can deny the awesomeness and cuteness that is Lee Bo Na and Yoon Chan Young. They were the foil to Kim Tan and Eun Sang; a nice, normal couple that could just date without the fear of one of them disappearing or losing everything that they were planning to inherit. However, they weren't our only lovable couple. What about Hyo Shin and Kim Tan, Hyo Shin and Rachel, Hee Nam and Ki Ae, or Myung Soo and Young Do? The pairings outside of the main couple were so entertaining and definitely balanced out all the drama with just the right amount of comedy. Some spin offs would be much appreciated. 

There are so many scenes that I loved. 

The paint ball scene has to be one of the best moments of this entire drama. It was too funny! I loved how seriously some of them took it. I would watch the show again just to get to that one scene. 

Courtesy of DramaFever's Drama Club

Young Do dropping Eun Sang in the pool is probably number one on the list. I was rooting for Young Do to win the girl the whole time despite his bad boy behavior and the fact that it was pretty obvious that she'd end up with Kim Tan. In this scene when he grabbed her I gasped really hard hoping that he wouldn't do what I thought he was about to do, then SPLASH. I laughed so hard. I knew it was coming but I couldn't help but exclaim at the devious deed. 

I also freaked out when Eun Sang slapped Rachel. This is my exact reaction: *Eun Sang slaps Rachel* Me: Loud Gasp, followed by a really loud scream that I had to muffle because it was 2 in the morning and everyone in my house was sleeping. After that I paused the show so that I could laugh at my reaction. It was a great moment and I was so happy to see it. Rachel definitely got what she deserved. It wasn't Eun Sang's fault that Kim Tan didn't like Rachel. It was Kim Tan's fault. If anyone should have received abuse from her it was him.

Some of my favorite moments were when Kim Tan complemented himself. The first time he did he said that he came from a fairy tale. I laughed really hard at Eun Sang's lackluster reaction. Those moments were some of his greatest and sometimes made him a bit more likable.

I could go on forever about my favorite moments, but I highly doubt you'd want to read all that so I'll leave you with one final moment from episode 19. I almost choked to death while laughing at Chan Young's interaction with Bo Na's older brother. Chan Young must have taken a few jealousy lessons from Kim Tan because he freaked out really hard without even knowing the whole story. It was a side we hadn't really seen of Chan Young and I must say it was perfect.

Things I didn't like:
The first thing that really irritated me was the "Love is the Moment" OST. It's a high school drama! To me, that song was a little too mature sounding. It is a beautiful song, but the sound didn't really fit the show to me.

If you've seen the show then you know that one thing that was really grating was the English speaking actors who really sucked at acting. I don't know if it was because they had to speak slowly or if they just couldn't act, but they were horrible. Getting through their scenes was painful. Speaking of painful, some of the English spoken by the Korean actors, particularly Lee Min Ho, was really bad. It's not like I expect them to speak English perfectly, but without subtitles I wouldn't have known what he was saying. I've known foreigners who have lived in America for only a year and I can understand them better. He should be a bit better seeing as how he's been living there for 3 years and not really interacting with many Korean people.

The Chairman and Young Do's Dad: They're psychotic! It was interesting to see them against their sons, but why? What kind of parent puts that much effort into abusing their child. It was so unnecessary for them to be that way, but it explained so much about their children. After seeing the dads we could kind of figure out why Kim Tan, Kim Won, and Young Do were the way they were. They didn't really know any better, but still... Anyway, thank goodness we had a normal father figure in Secretary Yoon. His relationship with Chan Young was sweet and it again was one of the few normal relationships the show had to offer.

The kissing was also horrible. I've seen both Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye kiss others perfectly fine, but for some reason their kisses always looked really painful for Cha Eun Sang. She never had a pleasant expression on her face, and the one time she did it was so weird. I don't  know why they couldn't get it together.

I hated that Kim Won had to sacrifice himself and his happiness with Hyun Joo for Kim Tan. Why did they make it so that the only way he could redeem himself is to end up like his father. Thankfully Hyun Joo is smart and knew the deal, even though she was still hurt by it.

The ending was not my favorite. From Kim Tan's premonition of the future, to the the 2 minute montage of stares, to the very end of the show, I was left unsatisfied. It just ended so haphazardly. I know every show can't end cleanly and it's not like I expected people to just forget the events over the past few months but still, there were so many people left unhappy or left out in the cold. I just didn't feel quite right after the last episode.

Well, the show is over and I must say I don't regret watching. There are an entire crop of actors I now love and there were so many moments that will forever be etched in my mind. However, I'm not sure if I'd suggest this drama to K-drama newbies or non K-drama watchers. If they don't know or care about the members of the cast they may get lost.

Thanks for reading!

KPOP: SHINee's New Mini Album

I LOVE THIS ALBUM! Just thought I'd put that out there. As one of the most popular K-Pop groups, Shinee was bound to deliver, but they surpassed my expectations. I have listened to a few singles but never an entire album or mini album from Shinee, so I was pleasantly surprised when I fell in love with the entire album almost immediately. Well let's get straight into the tracklist. 

1. "Everybody": A very infectious title song. The word "everybody" will be permanently etched into your mind, but you won't mind because the song is good. It is your typical electro-pop song, with a futuristic tone. It's a great way to introduce the album because it's all about coming to life.

2. "Symptoms": Our first ballad and first taste of R&B in the album. The song sounds really amazing when it's playing on full volume. Each member's voice really shines and their harmonies were really tight during the chorus.

3. "Queen of New York": If you don't learn to love this song, then something's wrong with you. It is a fun and upbeat song about love at first sight and the EDM/disco mix works perfectly.

4. "One Minute Back": At first this song wasn't a favorite of mine. It was so choppy and weird, but the more I listened to it, the more I liked it. The lyrics are also worth noting. The song is basically about a cheating lover and them wanting to turn back the clock to before they found out. So I can kind of interpret the choppiness of the song as their expression of disbelief at the situation. Or am I reaching?

5. "Destination": Though it is a good song, it's not the most memorable. It fits in well with the other songs, but it's not one that I feel the need to listen to over and over again.

6. "Close the Door": My favorite song of the album and 2013. It honestly makes me swoon every time I hear it. My favorite part is Minho's rap. Usually I don't go for a rap in the middle of a soft song, but this one is perfect.

7. "Colorful": This song is so happy sounding. I definitely think it would fit in a High School Musical drama.

So, that is my run down of the Everybody mini album. Hope you give it a listen. If you've listened to the album tell me which song is your favorite in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

My KPOP Playlist of 2013

I haven't been a K-Pop fan long. I think it's been a little over a year since I heard my first Korean Pop song, but I have already developed a taste. I'm not one for latching on to the most popular idols, instead I choose who to like and what to like purely based on the songs. If I like a song then I will venture to hear more, and if I don't like a song I venture to hear more. I never count anyone out. Anyway, here are 10 of my favorite songs from 2013.

10. Who You? by G Dragon
I wasn't initially a G Dragon fan. I know he's a big deal, but I didn't really like the few songs I heard from him. Then I heard this song. I'm a sucker for a good melody and this song definitely has it. I also like the lyrics because it's a simple song about trying to get over someone and not really being able to.There are many other songs with the same message but the upbeat delivery is what sold me.

9. Rum Pum Pum by f(x)
I didn't like this song the first time I heard it. I'm not a big fan of girl groups so when I heard the chorus in that high pitch I gave up. However, a friend convinced me to give it another try so I did. And shockingly I fell in love with the song. I still can't explain my change of heart, but I'm pretty happy that I did. It's a great party song.

8. Gotta Talk to You by Seungri
I fell for this song the moment it started. It's slow and smooth but it still has a great beat that makes you want to move. Also, the fact the he says he's "hustlin" in English during the chorus really trips me out.

7. Ringa Linga by Taeyang
I don't usually go for rap songs, and Korean Rap songs confuse me more than English ones, but this song is really cool. A great beat, and the instrumental is a good mix between actual instruments and synthesizers so I appreciate it. Also, the way Taeyang raps is hypnotizing.

6. Gentleman by Psy
Had to throw one in there. I don't know why I like this song but I do. I like the way it sounds and the video is hilarious. Psy is one of the few Korean artists that is known to mainstream America so it's pretty obvious that I would know who he is, but I don't like the song because of his popularity. I like it because it's fun to sing and dance along to. Is that so wrong?

5. Gloomy Clock by IU ft. Jonghyun
I notice that a lot of K-Pop is upbeat and fast, even the sad songs sometimes trick you. However, this song is not like that at all: it's soft and slow to fit the lyrics of the song. When you want to listen to some really pretty voices, this song is the one to go to. IU has an amazing voice and it was nice to hear Jonghyun (SHINee) sing softly.

4. Falling in Love by 2NE1
I love the reggae tone to this song. It's awesome!

3. A.D.T.O.Y. by 2PM

They are most certainly grown now and this song makes it known to everyone. It's not a ballad, but it's not not a ballad--if that makes sense. Either way, the R&B vibe in this song fits perfectly with the lyrics and their voices.

2. Growl by E.X.O.
I LOVE THIS SONG!!!! This was my first exposure to E.X.O. and it was purely accidental but magical. I fell for them as soon as I heard the opening. Now I can't get enough of the kids. They sing well, look good, and their songs are a great mix of different sounds. This particular song's groove is what got me. It almost doesn't get any smoother than this song.

1. Close the Door by SHINee
Ballad! This song honestly makes me melt. Even if I didn't know what they were talking about, their voices and the instrumental alone would be enough. However, I love the lyrics too.

Do any of you have a favorite song from this year? Let me know in the comments. 

Thanks for reading!

KPOP: Miss A's Comeback Single--HUSH

After a very long wait, Miss A has finally returned. YAY!

Since their youngest member, Suzy, is now of age the group can go with a more mature look and they indeed did. The video that was released on YouTube on November 5, 2013 has already reached over 3 million views and seems to be promising. The video is super sexy but is also mysterious and minimalistic. The ladies are featured dancing provocatively in many dark and dingy sets. The choreography is much more grown up and fits in well with the sound of the song.

The song itself is quite different from some of Miss A's past songs. It has a bit of a softer sound and is definitely more mature. The group's voices shine, however I wasn't all that impressed with the instrumental. It is missing something, a little umph that would have made more intense. Eventually the song got a little bit more exciting but for some reason I was expecting something different. Not sure what, but...

Although I wouldn't say it is a bad song I wouldn't say it is a great song. Once you listen to it though it will probably get stuck in your head. The simplicity of it makes it easy to follow and pick up on, especially the chorus.

If you haven't listened to it yet or watched the video you can below. I'm definitely anxious to see what else will come from the group. Miss A is one of the few K-Pop female groups I like so I'm really hoping for some winning songs and music videos.

Tell me what you think of their new look and new song in the comments below. Thanks for reading!