Monday Marathon: Ma Boy

Every Monday I will share a show that is short enough to marathon in one day. Why Monday? Well, I need something to get me pumped up for the week, plus I have Mondays off from work.

Today's drama is a really short show that is super funny and adorable. Ma Boy! I watched Ma Boy, subbed, on GoodDrama.net. Here's the link: http://www.gooddrama.net/korean-drama/ma-boy

Overview: It's your standard gender bender drama however, there is a twist. Instead of the cross dresser being a girl, it's a guy! The main characters are Geu Rim played by Kim So Hyun and Irene/Hyun Woo played by Sun Woong. Geu Rim and Hyun Woo attend a performing arts high school in hopes to someday become stars. When Geu Rim enrolls in the school she is roomed with the most popular girl in school, Irene. Little does she know, Irene is actually a guy--Hyun Woo--who dresses up as a girl in order to be a star. Obviously this causes for some misunderstandings that are hilarious to watch.

Why It's Worth Marathon-ing: For starters: There are only 3 episodes. You can get through this drama and then some. Me, I watched it twice. It was that great! Since, it's so short the story line doesn't drag on, but it also doesn't feel rushed either.

Next: It's amazingly funny. I cried while laughing, it was that funny. It's also super sweet but not in an obnoxious way.

Lastly: It's perfect for non-drama watchers. If you are trying to get your friend into dramas and they like romantic comedies then this should be on the top of your suggestions list. It's length won't overwhelm them and because it is so funny it is enjoyable for anyone.

After watching this drama you'll want more episodes, but you'll know that more episodes probably would have ruined such a perfect drama.

If you have some time, say 3 hours, and are in between dramas I suggest that you watch this drama. You won't be disappointed.

TAIWAN: In a Good Way

This increasingly popular show has definitely earned its great ratings. The show is well written and the lead couple is all sorts of adorable, even if they aren't a couple yet. 

Synopsis:
In a Good Way is about Lin Jia En and her life as a college student in Taipei. Though Jia En is a smart and friendly person, at the time when she was finishing high school she wasn't very independent. She relied on her best friend Zheng Ren Wei for a lot and though she saw no problem with it, it bothered him. In order to gain some much wanted freedom not just from Jia En but also from his parents he enrolled in a university in Taipei. To his father's shock he gets in and sets his sights on freedom. Unfortunately Jia En doesn't get into any college that year and is forced to wait a year before reapplying. Ren Wei gets his freedom but little did he know, Jia En follows him to Taipei, where her parents live, to study and to be with her friend. Her plan ultimately hits a few bumps and she ends up meeting Liu Shan Feng or Liu Chuan, who becomes one of her closest friends in college. From there more interesting events and mishaps occur including Liu Chuan falling for Jia En. 

My Thoughts:
So far the show has 9 episodes out and so far it has been very enjoyable. When the release of the series was first advertised on DramaFever I didn't think much about it, but after some time, I gave it a look. The first 5 episodes were already out by the time I had decided to watch it. I instantly liked the show. It's funny, but not slapstick funny, it's the type funny life is (if that makes sense). It is the type of funny that occurs naturally when friends are together. The chemistry of the entire cast is great and it creates for a very realistic and easy going show. However, that doesn't mean the show lacks drama or tension. It has been planned well. 

The main character Jia En is noted for being very smart and inquisitive but she isn't always the sharpest tool in the shed. Sometimes she is slow to catch on to things like Ren Wei wanting to put some space between them, or the fact that Liu Chaun likes her (not that he's completely obvious about it). Though that trait can sometimes gets annoying it really just notes how innocent and sweet she is. 

Also, the friendships that have formed on the show have been enjoyable to watch. Jia En, Liu Chuan, Ren Wei and a few other characters have formed this cute group on campus and it is fun to watch them become closer friends as the series continues. 

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I would recommend this series to anyone that is thinking about trying a Taiwanese drama. Since the drama isn't trying too hard to be funny or romantic or melodramatic, I enjoy it.

If you've seen this drama and have opinions leave them in the comment section below or comment about any other Taiwanese dramas you think are worth watching.

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!