K-Drama: This Is My First Life (10/10)

All I can say is hats off to director Park Joon Hwa for his brilliance. I recently watched Because this is My First Life and LOVED IT SO MUCH. What a sweet, well paced, thoughtful, unique and funny drama. It made me laugh a lot, cry a little, and think profoundly about my life and life in general.

I give it a 10/10.

Summary:

A house-poor man and homeless woman become housemates in a drama that examines the institution of marriage and the problems that young people face today. Nam Se Hee is a single man in his early 30’s. He has chosen to not marry. He owns his home, but he owes a lot on his mortgage. Meanwhile, Yoon Ji Ho is a single woman in her early 30’s. She does not own a home and envies those that do. She has given up on dating due to her financial struggles. Yoon Ji Ho begins to live at Nam Se Hee’s house. They become housemates.

I have no idea how to describe this drama except to say its about the life you expected to have versus the life you actually have in your 30’s, something I identify with completely. And of course it’s about love.

The lead actors Jung So Min and Lee Min Ki are phenomenal in this. Really the whole cast is talented and in case I didn’t make this clear enough, the director is amazing.

I am not sure teenagers and some people in their twenties will like it as much as I did, since it may be harder to relate to, but maybe they will.

Aside from the major storylines, something I liked a lot was that both women who were part of a love triangle were portrayed as strong, smart and mature, which was really refreshing. And the kitty, who plays a starring role is adorable.

My petty gripe: I didn’t like the clothing Lee Min Ki’s character wore. His floodwater pants and orthopedic granny sneakers were awful. So was his haircut for half the show. Because of his wardrobe I kept forgetting that the show was not based in the 90’s. I’ll take the guys in Chinese dramas with their white shirts and perfectly fitting sweatpants over his look any day of the week. Stylists take note.

This picture doesnt come close to showing you hojw bad some of his outfits were, but its the best I could find…

Readers, I highly recommend watching this. It’s SO GOOD!

I’ll end with some fun trivia. Jung So Min and Lee Min Ki played Mi So’s parents in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? 



A Love So Beautiful (with a bonus book)

This show is so precious. The plot, which was originally a book called To: Our Pure Little Beauty written by Zhao Gan Gan is absolutely charming. I give it a 9.6/10. It showcases the sweetness, and embarrassments of a high school crush. And is, in my opinion, one of the best c-drama’s of all time.

I have a hard time believing that anyone reading this post hasn’t seen it yet and an even harder time believing that you all didn’t love it as much as I do. On the off chance you haven’t seen it, it’s about a girl who is both adorable and bumbling, who is absolutely certain about her feelings for her neighbor and shares them with him regularly. While the neighbor, who manages to be both popular and awkward has a much harder time admitting to his feelings for her. It recounts the many, often embarrassing and very hilarious, but somehow charming experiences these two and their friends have while in high school and college and how they navigate these relationships.

I think this was the major debut for actress Shen Yue (also of Meteor Garden 2018 fame) who did a phenomenal job as the female lead. I rooted for her character every single episode, and will watch anything she’s in from now to eternity.

The lead boy played by Hu Yitian also did a great job playing someone who is both awkward and popular. He was very believable. Kudos to him on his first main role.

The only criticism I have is that the love triangle loser’s character (a pro swimmer) was so like able and sympathetic that I would have been just as happy if he won the girl. That is a clear plot failure. Luckily the lead male pulled off one very, very sweet act, reading the ending of a book that was confiscated from the lead female by a teacher, over the school intercom, so she would know what happened. That warmed my heart to him forever.

FREE PRIZE:

http://https//teaquilashot.wordpress.com/2017/11/30/a-love-so-beautiful/

This is an English translation of the book this drama is based on that some ladies, who are now my heroes, ceaselessly transcribed.  It is possibly more addicting than the show and hilarious, so I highly recommend reading it. I finished it in less than a day.

You’re welcome in advance!

C-Movie: Mr. Pride vs. Miss Prejudice

Based on a manhua, this Chinese movie is not particularly deep, but it is cute, cute, cute, so I give it a 7.7 out of 10.

Plot summary is here: https://mydramalist.com/22123-mr.-pride-vs.-miss-prejudice.

The couple is endearing (I will not consider this a spoiler since we all know it will turn out this way) . It’s also pretty funny, filled with physical comedy, the kind that made my 8y/o and her friend laugh along with me.

When life is exhausting or stressful, or both, lighthearted movies are the best medicine, which is exactly what this was.

For this reason, I recommmend it 100% for that day when you are down or don’t want to focus on the hardships in the world. You won’t be sorry.

K-Drama: You Who Came From the Stars – Yay or Nay?

So, I started the Korean drama You Who came from the Stars because so many people said it was good, but after watching the first episode, I am struggling to continue.

The main female character, who is an actress is so dumb even her fans think she’s a moron. She is also entitled and mean to her assistant (sidenote: I am not ok with this since I was once the assistant to a C-list celebrity who was not always nice, and it was miserable).

The main male character is an alien whose been on earth for 400 years, but has somehow failed in FOUR CENTURIES to learn any patience for the opposite sex, or to understand them.

It is also revealed in the first episode that the characters are fated (as they are in pretty much every k-drama). It turns out that the guy saved the girl’s life after she dangerously, stupidly and inexplicably ran away from her rich, attractive childhood suitor. She was almost hit by a truck, but the alien used his magic, alien powers to save her. When the suitor (now an adult) proposes, she turns him down because she says she has to meet the guy who saved her. I really don’t understand this logic. Or the fact that her and the alien already met and even though he can move objects with his mind,and see the future, he has no idea it’s her.

I just don’t know how this is going to get better and I worry that I could invest hours of my life I can’t get back in something I don’t even like (see Innocent Man post for the last time I did that).

What to do, what to do…

K-Drama: What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim? (Not much)

I was looking forward to this drama, despite it initially having mixed reviews. Why? Park Seo Joon, which you probably already guessed. Although he is not my type in real life (i.e. if I saw him on the subway I probably wouldnt give him a second glance — unless he was shirtless because those abs are everything 😉 I adore him as an actor. It’s a mix of the fact that he goes all in on his roles and that he has some of the best comedic timing.

My rating 8.8/10, close to the My Drama List rating, which was 8.6, last I checked. This drama is pretty fluffy so even the serious stuff ended up seeming less serious. What makes it great is how funny it is. I actually giggled. So my compliments to screenwriters Baek Sun Woo and Choi Bo Rim for writing something so funny. Plus the actors worked really well together.

The plot was slightly different from others I’ve seen although most of the formula stayed the same, especially the rich man/poor woman theme which seems to make up the majority of Korean dramas. And it wouldnt even be a drama if one of the leads didnt accidentally fall on top of the other one causing them to stare breathlessly into each others eyes.

There are cutesy graphics that I didnt think were necessary since they made it even less serious, but they didnt ruin the show, so I give them a pass. I did not like one of the supporting characters because she was beyond irritating and I hated the hair on the workaholic guy (note to guys: Do not middle part your hair. Ever!)

Lastly, I would like to thank Park Joon Hwa and Park Seo Joon’s other directors who add completely unnecessary shower scenes to their movies just so we viewers can swoon over his muscles. Thanks much lol.

K-Drama: The Secret Garden (9/10)

This is a Korean classic. And I can see why. My rating: 9/10. This film is the best of kdrama, romance plus freaky friday rolled into one. I was interested from the first episode and it had the kind of depth I like in a show. And one of the lead characters makes the most romantic gesture I’ve seen yet. Plus how cool that the female lead character is a stuntwoman.

I still can’t decide if I find the male lead Hyun Bin is attractive or not, but he has a nice build.

Also, the side stories aren’t half bad, which I can’t say for every show. The main supporting actress Kim Sa Rang looks like a Korean Jennifer Lawrence.

My Drama List information here: https://mydramalist.com/8-secret-garden-2010.

K-Drama: The Innocent Man (5/10)

I will start with a review of the Innocent Man, which is Korean. See the My Dramalist info here: https://mydramalist.com/4295-the-innocent-man.

My rating: 5 out of 10.

Why so low? One reason really. The main female character “Seo Eun Gi” could not have been more ridiculous. I couldn’t root for her. 1. She was mean to her adorable little brother – on purpose 2. She was an idiot, supposedly a business shark, but couldn’t tell if someone was conning her from a mile away. 3. She wasn’t cute at all for the first half of the movie. unless you think pale aliens are cute 4. The other female character, the one I guess I wasn’t supposed to cheer for was amazing and stole the show.

The pros. 1. It was hard to tell exactly where the plot would go so it kept me fairly interested. 2. Actress Park Shi Yeon was fantastic (see above). 3. The lead actor Song Joong Ki is really cute.

The Cons. 1. That vapid girl character. 2. Lead actor Song Joong Ki looked about 15 years old on the show, so even saying he was cute makes me feel like a cradle robber. And it’s hard to take a character seriously as a playboy/businessman/etc when he looks like he isn’t old enough for a drivers license yet. Oh, and the end is awful.

Watch if you like revenge plots and you dare.

MY FIRST POST- ABOUT ME

I am pretty sure my New Years Eve’s are cursed, and have been since one special, slightly crazy one that changed my life a while back. It was like the end of a k-drama, all fireworks, and hand holding and happiness, which sadly changed from that to war of the roses in the blink of an eye, and created the New Years Eve curse that just won’t go away.

This curse is how I found myself spending a News Years Eve at home, refusing to acknowledge it, and watching my first C-drama.

Of course, I was hooked because they are like crack (note: I’ve never done crack, but I am assuming crack and Asian dramas are equally addicting). I watched 30 episodes in one sitting, and wanted more when it was over. So in between work, my social life and child rearing (I have one amazing daughter who is my life, my bff and my frenemy rolled into one, since it’s just the two of us navigating this crazy life) I have managed to watch more, way more, and thought I should share my thoughts on them with anyone as addicted to Asian dramas as I am who cares to read them.

I am:

·        An American

·        A thirty something California girl (that doesnt
live in Cali anymore)

·       A f/t parent (as mentioned above)

·        A professional at well-known American organization
(somehow)

·        With a love of architecture, art, fashion,
politics, flowers and food

·        And a serious case of Peter Pan syndrome

All my insights are based on this, and the fact that I have never been to an Asian country, despite my daughters dad living in one for years now + my Instagram travels, so they may be slightly ethnocentric (sorry in advance!)

Hopefully I can help other addicts navigate the many shows that are out there in an entertaining way.