Japanese Drama - Hana Yori Dango

Hana Yori Dango 花より男子

Also known as: Boys Before Flowers / Boys Over Flowers

Rating: 9.0/10

CAST:

Inoue Mao as Makino Tsukushi
Matsumoto Jun as Domyoji Tsukasa
Oguri Shun as Hanazawa Rui
Matsuda Shota as Nishikado Sojiro

About the Drama:

Makino Tsukushi is the only poor girl at a an upper-class high school full of rich kids and dominated by four of the wealthiest, a group of four guys known as the F4, or Flower 4. All that Makino wants to do is escape the attention of her shallow classmates and stay under the F4′s radar until graduating, but when the F4 go after a friend of hers, she can’t take it any more, and fate steps in to throw her and the leader of the F4, Domyoji, together

Comments:

So far I have watched both the Taiwanese and also the Korean version of this show on top of the Japanese version. I guess I am still a fan of the Korean version most, followed by the Japanese version.

I watched this with English sub titles. The lead actor even though is not as handsome as the korean lead actor in Boys over Flowers, has done so well in bringing out the character of Domyoji, his aggressive and rash character is strongly shown in his acting. I keep mistaking him as the same actor for "My Handsome Butler" (Shinonono Mei Mei), but they are actually 2 different person.

The feelings that I felt when watching the Japanese version is not as strong, I think it might be due to the fact that the Japanese version was done in very short series with only 9 episodes.

Hanazawa Rui is not as cool in Hana Yori Dango, but nevertheless, his feelings for Makino is very obvious. I find the story of the apple very ridiculas. How can Rui actually believe Domyoji??

Korean Drama - You’ve Fallen for Me

Rating: 9.3/10

CAST:

Jung Yong Hwa as Lee Shin
Park Shin Hye as Lee Kyu Won
Song Chang Ui as Kim Suk Hyun
So Yi Hyun as Jung Yoon Soo
Woo Ri as Han Hee Joo
Kang Min Hyuk as Yeo Joon Hee
Lee Hyun Jin as Hyun Ki Young
Im Se Mi as Cha Bo Woon

About the Drama:

You've Fallen for me

;

Lee Shin is a university student majoring in modern music. He is also the vocalist and guitarist of the band "The Stupid". Shin is known for his good looks and strong passion for music, but in reality he is cold, lacks interest in anything unrelated to music and has neither dreams nor plans for the future. He initially likes Jung Yoon Soo, a dance professor at university, but this all changes when he meets Lee Kyu Won.

Lee Kyu Won is a bright and outgoing student who was born into a prestigious family and is majoring in traditional Korean instruments, especially the gayageum. Kyu Won's grandfather, Lee Dong Gun, is one of the top 3 traditional musicians of his age and his biggest wish is to see his granddaughter become a traditional music prodigy. Trying to live up to her grandfather's expectations, Kyu Won immerses herself in training and becomes a university student who knows nothing outside of her studies. As her friends are fans of "The Stupid", she was forced to go to the band's concert with them. There she saw Lee Shin performing live, and is immediately captivated by him.

Comments:

Spolier....please don't read if you have not watched the show....

What a silly name to give the band, "The Stupid". OMG....LOL...anyway I love the fact that the 2 groups or rather the band and the traditional musicians played together. Even though throughout the whole show they only had one song, it never fail to amaze me when the mordern and traditional instrument combines together. Wonderful! I just hope that they have more music as such...so beautiful. I always thought that the sound of "gayageum" is too low as compared to the chinese "Qin" (similar looking instrument but the sound made are higher pitched)....but in this show, it definately sounds great!

Both the lead actor and actress, Jung Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye acted in "You're Beautiful". They were not couples there but I was hoping they were....So I am really happy to see them as a couple in this drama...Like their singing so so so much!!! Beautiful! Totally beautiful!!!



When Kyu Won sing behind the scene and only Lee Shin pays attention to her during their "100 aniversary musical" (which they did not really have a 100 aniversay musical, thats why I called it "their"), that scene while the director makes it feels like they are singing to each other is simply amazing...totally love the look when Lee Shin keeps looking back at Kyu Won. I find it most touching after they finish singing and everyone's clapping for them...He went and comfort her....soooo sweet....

I found the last 2 episode a but ridiculas...since I can't understand why a fall can caused such a big injury to Lee Shin and as a guitarist, your hand is very important...how can he delay his surgery to wait for Kyu Won to leave the country....I know its out of love....its just not a logical decision...but come to think of it...when did anyone ever made logical decision when it comes to love...

Korean Drama - Lovers in Prague

Lovers in Prague

Rating: 8.9/10

The Cast:

Jun Do Yun as Yoon Jae-hee
Kim Joo Hyuk as Choi Sang-hyun
Kim Min Joon as Ji Young-woo
Yoon Se Ah as Kim Hye-joo
Lee Jung Gil as Yoon Jung-han
Jung Dong Hwan as Ji Kyung-hwan (Young-woo's father)
Yoon Young Joon as Suh Yoon-kyu
Kim Seung Wook as Hwang Dal-ho (Sang-hyun's partner)
Kim Na Woon as Shin Kwang-ja
Andy (Lee Sun Ho) as Ji Seung-woo (Young-woo's younger half brother)
Jang Geun Suk as Yoon Gun-hee
Kwak Ji Min as Jung Yeon-soo
Ha Jung Woo as Ahn Dong-nam (Jae-hee's bodyguard)
Park Jae Min as Mrs. Young
Won Duk Hyun

About the Drama:

The president's daughter, Yoon Jae-hee (Jun Do-yeon) is a Korean diplomat in Prague. She has only recently recovered from a devastating break up five years earlier with Ji Young-woo (Kim Min-joon), the son of a prominent Korean businessman. Choi Sang-hyun (Kim Joo-hyuk) is a detective who goes to Prague searching for his ex-girlfriend Hye-joo (Yoon Se-ah). Hye-joo broke up with Sang-hyun over the phone from Prague and Sang-hyun cannot accept it.

Sang-hyun meets Jae-hee in Prague and misunderstandings abound. Eventually the two help each other and become friends. When they return to Korea, love blossoms, but their respective ex’s and very different social status put it to the test.

Comments:

Typical love triangle again....Both the lead actor and actress are not super pretty or handsome...which makes it quite nice since I can still remember it after watching for such a long time....I can not understand why Jae-hee is in such dilemma when she knows that she loves Sang-hyun and he too loves her...May be because of status and culture. I still could not understand why she can not just be with Sang-hyun instead of going through such a long process and end up with him....

Anyway I love it when the guy, Sang-hyun, learns to say "I love you" which is "Mirujite" in Prague (as spelt in the DVD translation I bought, even though it does not seems to be pronounced that way) and sadly when he said it to her the first time...it was not useful enough...LOL...

On the whole its a reasonably nice show....I bought the show cos the I heard from the sales at the shop saying that this is one of the 3 love themed story that the director/producer had purposely made...the other 2 is..."Lover in Paris" and "Lovers" but I found out that the chief producer for this drama is not the producer for "Lovers in Paris" but the producer is the producer of "Lovers in Paris", anyway its not true what ever the sales staff said...sigh....