Uncontrollably Fond #review

함부로 애틋하게  /  Hambooro Aeteuthage

Writer -  Lee Kyoung hee
Genre -  Romance, Melodrama
Network -  KBS2
Episodes -  20
Released -  Jul - Sept, 2016

CAST

PLOT

Shin Joon young is an intelligent and attractive actor and singer. No Eul is a Documentaries PD who values money over justice and kisses up to those with more power than her.

REVIEW

The No Rating is no joke.

Finished watching last night and still don't know what to do with this drama today !

I've come this close to being at a complete loss before yet always managed to pull through, but not this time.

This time, I am torn between giving it a bad review and low rating and giving it a favorable review with a low rating.

Either way, it is likely that I don't want to low-rate this one despite its being completely deserving, and for a number of reasons.

It had no plot.

It left me so empty inside that I didn't know what to do or how to feel when it finally ended.

There was no romance.

None.

There were no happy or relieving moments in all 20 episodes.

None.

It is obvious (now) that my only interest in Uncontrollably Fond was that it starred Kim Woo bin, whom I am always anxious and happy to see grace a screen for any amount of time.

As I suffered in this confusing dilemma, I thought about getting rid of my star ratings system and using words or emotion to rate future dramas.

I'm also still working on the creation of a Vlog, but both are immaterial to this post.

So, let's do this instead.

The HEA -  

Because it didn't occur, but what turned out to be a shocker was my inability to shed a single tear throughout Episodes 19-20.

The Eye Candy - 

Because it starred Kim Woo bin.

Actually choked on my fountain Diet Coke when this scene occurred in Episode 4, and then as I had to wipe off the drool, it took awhile more to get my eyes back inside my head.

Please, towel, DO fall down!

Was it Cinderella-ish? No, because both leads stem from lowly backgrounds and then both grew to become self-sufficient; though Joon young made more of himself as a Pop Idol extraordinaire.

The Melo in Melodrama - 

Or, should it be the Drama in Melodrama?

Hard to say because this offered an abundance (overload) of both with hardly any relief effort on the part of the writer or director.

The Cast - 

Because while the story itself proved less than memorable or desirable as a 20-episode watch, the folks attempting to make it great did their best to intrigue me and make me want to root for them.

Which is the major issue, now that I think about it.

I gave up hope of seeing anyone happy after awhile because I knew NOTHING would go right or well for any of the players, which is a huge turn-off in my book.

The characters deserved something yet the writer/director gave them nothing.

The Cliché Factor - 

Brain Tumor, Car/Pedestrian Incidents, Chaebol shenanigans, Dishonesty disguised as Love, Catty Bitch vs Poor Chick, Insurmountable Debt, Orphaned, Getting Pregnant Early is the Devil Incarnate, Wide-Eyed Kissing, Selfish Parents.

Those are all I'm able to recall right now, but believe me there are dozens more.

And, as Fond began to unfold, I started to recall a Japanese drama, Beautiful Life, that starred Kimura Takuya as a carefree hair stylist who meets and falls in love with a wheelchair-bound free spirit.

If you haven't watched it, please do, compare the two, and see which you prefer.

Now for the fun stuff.

Not sure if this was deliberate, but Joon young asked a few questions that I felt compelled to answer.

Yes!

HELL Yes!

Um ...

I ask Myself that Same Thing almost Daily, Darling

He also liked talking to himself, ABOUT himself.

Affirmative

I wouldn't use the word Shabby to describe what you see in the Mirror

Which brings me to an eerie Korean Drama conundrum that occurs in most every drama or movie about a 'star'.

I just find it disturbing and creepy to be surrounded by a lot of artwork that centers solely on 'self'

Kind of like living in a house of mirrors, isn't it?

Everywhere you turn, no matter where you look, there you are, staring back at yourself.

Eating, cooking, relaxing on the sofa in front of the TV, taking a piss, and trying to get a good nights' sleep.

I don't get it and don't want to believe that the real stars of these dramas actually do surround themselves with . . . themselves.

And, yes, I am fully aware of the fact that a majority of the artwork comes from their adoring fans -- but not all of it, and certainly not the photography!

Second Lead Syndrome - 

String bean wasn't a bad second and he wasn't the greatest, either.

Im Ju hwan

It never worried me that No Eul would want him more than she would want Joon young.

But, he did play an interesting character with just as many flaws as anyone beneath his station in life.

Which brings me to the 'running theme' that I failed to capture on screen but need to mention in this post.

"Someone Like You"

Great Van Morrison tune, btw




But, for the purpose of the drama, it was meant to imply status, and that just made me laugh.

Anymore, it runs along the same lines as racism to include racist remarks like "Those People" and "Minorities"

The Star-Crossed Lovers - 

Pretty sure all but the last two are large enough to use as background wallpaper (at your disposal).

I liked them together.

I just didn't like the situation(s) the writer/director forced on them to make this such a dry, lifeless story and a major let-down.

And, maybe I'm wrong to want to watch a story that unfolds naturally and with a tad more realism than I'm always forced to have to endure instead.

Does anyone else yearn for a 'true' romance story to occur between their two favorite stars?

Boy meets girl, sparks fly (or not), they slowly get to know one another better when a few life curve balls come their way to liven up the plot (true romance), they work through the issues and end up in bed together.

The End.

And by romance, I mean bells & whistles, hearts & flowers, chivalry on his part, honest (soulful) affection on hers, LOTS of touchy-feely to cement their inner emotions, and mature resolve in the face of adversity in order for us, the viewer, to feel good (and justified) about rooting for them to survive.

If this had been written by me, I'd have had No Eul get pregnant as a legacy token of her TRUE LOVE for Joon young.

Loved this guy's hair!

Jung Soo kyo

And the pretty baby boy wasn't all bad, just way too baby boy for my taste.

Lee Seo won

So, that about sums up my opinion of  Uncontrollably Fond.

Better Luck Next Time, sir Kim Woo bin!

Here are a few more images (which, too, are likely to be large enough to use as a BG).

Read More

Ouroboros 2015 J-Dorama #review

Uroborosu / ウロボロス

Drama -  Ouroboros
Writer -  Yuya Kanzaki (manga), Kazunao Furuya
Genre -  Suspense, mystery
Network -  TBS
Theme song -  Sakura by Arashi
Viewer Ratings -  10.42%
Episodes -  10
Released -  2015,  Jan - Mar

CAST

SYNOPSIS

When their favorite teacher, Yuiko, is murdered, and a policeman wearing a gold watch covers up the incident. Ikuo and Tatsuya promise to avenge their teacher. Twenty years later, Ikuo is a Shinjuku detective investigating various cases with elite detective Mizuki, and smart and handsome Tatsuya has become a top member of a Yakuza group. -- TBS

REVIEW

Just finished this one and STILL need a moment to collect myself, my thoughts, and my tears.

Wow.

Amazing story, terrific acting, and a thrilling nail-biter start to finish.

Even if it isn't original (based on Manga) this was a winner and worth every second of the ten episodes it took to tell the suspenseful tale of two orphans who fall in love with their pretty caregiver only to see her die.

Twenty years later, the two young men are ready to uncover the truth behind that murder and exact their form of revenge.

There are as many plot twists as there are breathers, and like most other Japanese mysteries, when you are pretty certain you know who it is, you soon discover you're wrong.

The two leads happen to be two of my very favorite actors.  BONUS!

Oguri Shun and Ikuta Toma

But, it didn't take long at all for that and them to fade into the background as the story itself took hold and ran its course w/out distraction.

And, surprise-surprise! The subs were incredibly flawless.

Yeah, imagine that. A J-Dorama with flawless subs!

I'd given up on Japanese dramas because of the horrible, wicked, awful, inexcusably deplorable subbing of everything offered us Americans.

Then I got sick of Korean dramas and decided to seek out something from Japan that would keep my interest despite the subs -- so I made sure to do an Ikuta search and found Ouroboros.

Win-win.

Pairing the two leads is genius in my book.

The two are brilliant and both sunk so effortlessly into their roles, it was darn near impossible to remember who they really are, which I adore, so thank you Ikuta AND Oguri.

The ending was difficult to watch, and I'm still choked up about it, but I have to tell you that it is worth it (even if you end up like me, sobbing like an upset child).

There were two running tracks throughout the ten episodes, and the one I've included below is both hauntingly beautiful and part of the reason for my tears.

Love it!

And, I know you'll love Ouroboros if you haven't watched it yet.

I'll probably watch it again -- and again.

Read More

Beautiful Gong Shim

미녀 공심이 , Minyeo Gongsimi

Aka -  Pretty Ugly, Beast's Beauty, Dear Fair Lady Kong Shim
Genre -  Romance, Comedy
Cinderella -  Oh, yeah
Writer - Lee Hee myung
Channel -  SBS
Episodes -  20
Released -  2016, May to July

CAST

Namgung Min                              Minah                                On Joo wan                           Seo Hyo rim

PLOT

Love story of a mouse and two overly eligible men. The older sister has everything including a beautiful appearance, and the younger mouse has a warm heart. One of the men rents her rooftop apartment. The other man is from Chaebol. ~AsianWiki.com (w/edits)

REVIEW

Because this is about as feel good as it gets, I offered a half-star.

To an Asian Drama newcomer, this would be the stuff of got-me-hooked legend, but for a sixteen-year vet like me, it has the opposite effect.

And, twenty episodes seriously pushed the is-it-necessary boundaries to an annoyance level that ruined it for me.

No one in the writing/editing/producing departments bothered to spare an ounce of discretion here.

Every Trope you can think of is used in this drama.

ALL of them.

Intrigue to include a kidnapping that we figured out a lot quicker than 20 episodes.

A Cinderella plot with that edgy, she's pathetic but still able to make it on her own formulaic twist most writers have figured out and latched onto within the past few years.

The lovely older sister with an ugly personality.

A former beauty queen eomeoni married to a troll because he used to be wealthy, but then bankruptcy threw him a curve ball, so now she hates his guts and treats him like dirt.

A suspect chaebol family, complete with the stuck-up wife of a clueless husband, their martyred Prince Charming son, and a bitchy halmeoni whose only care is her kidnapped grandson.

Another Prince Charming, the one who is more deserving because he's the oldest.

And last but not least, we have three ... count them ... THREE hit n runs.

Brain tumor.

Memory Loss.

Alcohol-induced confessions.

Secrets meant to spare but that only make matters worse.

Tons more.

And on top of all this madness, we are forced to endure the Product Placement inclusion and outright intrusive plugging of at least two consumer goods.

Subway plug

Gotta wonder if Subway sales went through the roof as a result.

I'm not stupid and understand that advertising is a huge part of a studio's revenue.

I get that the constant and sometimes even unlikely product placement throughout a show is what helps pay the bills (if not the actor's salary).

However, this is a first for me ...

Nivea plug

... and just about the most embarrassing thing I've ever seen.

But let's stick to the story.

A mouse lives in abject isolation with a Queen Mother, Princess Sister, and the Dolt Male, so she occupies the rooftop apartment above their house, which is above a 7/11 turned 25-Mart.

She's artistic and brooding, ugly but sweet, and itching to set off on her own by saving up money to go to Italy and study art (even though she's pretty good self-taught but hardly what you would call a Michelangelo or Botticelli).

She's dumb, too.

Her poor parents made it impossible for Gong shim to attend college even though her older sister did and went on to pass the Bar to become an attorney.

Along comes a slob named Ahn Dan tae who is interested in renting the Rooftop because it's so cheap.

He and Gong shim don't hit it off and the episodes start with them as unwanted lessor/lessee who forever bump into one another until their feelings begin to mellow and change.

In between this, we have Prince Charming, who just happens to be the grandson of a prestigious chaebol Industry, where Gong shim lands her latest job as secretary to his father.

No one likes her because she's ugly, and the model-like employees gang up on her at regular intervals to act like middle school idiots.

Ahn Dan tae also happens to get a job there as the secretary to the Chief CEO, halmeoni.

He's already an attorney with his own practice, but because he keeps helping the homeless, desolate, and underachievers of the world, he's pretty much broke and doesn't live the upscale lifestyle his career could afford him.

Now, I'll admit that Namgung min did an impressive job of convincing me that he can pull off a comedy and a romance.

Especially since this is his first male lead role.

And while I found myself laughing most of the time, there remained that underlying suspicion about him as a person, or as a believable actor portraying someone else.

Always at some point I expected this guy to pick up a chainsaw and . . .

Namgung min as Ahn Dan tae

Not sure about anyone else, but I kept seeing his Kwon Jae hee (The Girl who Sees Smells) crop up to creep me out and make me wary.

Love the man's manly voice, though, and he's got a terrific bod even if he is on the short
side.

Still, he makes me nervous so I'll have to dig into his profile and watch his earlier work to see if there is something I can use to counter his current negative, disturbing, and psychopath-ish vibe.

I thought these two did really well as a team and a convincing couple, but as for chemistry, no.

She was too sheepish, childish, frumpy, and unlikeable for me to gain anything by her becoming romantically involved with anyone let alone two potential stud muffins of the wealthy Prince variety.

What was more weird, though, was how different she looked in that stupid wig.

The wig reminded me of the porcelain dolls produced in a by-gone era.

Without the wig, Minah is rather stunning in a young, mod kind of way.

She's also kind of top-heavy, too, eh?

And while I can't say the chemistry was there or that Gong shim needed or deserved a romance, it did serve its purpose for this kind of tale.

Personally, if she had hooked up with the dude working at the 7-11 turned Mart-25, it would have been credible and more worth the watch.

So, that brings me to 2nd Lead Syndrome, which didn't occur for me, either.

Nice guy with the cute smile was okay.

On Joo Wan

Love his Ju on name, btw ;-)

His acting is on par with a lot of other 2nd Lead males, so there's that, and he's nice and tall, too.

Unfortunately for cool-name guy, I thought that Shin Soo ho beat him to the punch in every scene he appeared in.

Ahn Dan tae wins

The connection here is that the writer for Beautiful Gong shim is also the writer for Sensory Couple.

Same quirky attitude, and with a few of the same cast, but if you're going to compare the two, this one is a total miss.

The Soundtrack is unmemorable and not invasive, either.

The Hospital Scene Korean Drama Style

Gong shim ends up needing an appendectomy, and following the surgery, she's able to do a host of things anyone else in the same situation wouldn't want or be able to do unless they enjoy pain and suffering.

lies on stomach where sutures are supposedly at

lies on side where sutures are supposedly at

She also sits up as soon as Dan tae enters the room (hiss), is dressed in elastic-waist pants (ouch), and slips out of bed to don a pair of Crocs (ugh).

She sits up in bed with her legs crossed (I'm dying here), and leans forward a few times (Dang! Am I making my stomach hurt).

She's also able to walk at a normal pace and without the need of a wall or railing or a body to cling to while fighting against the agony that is freaking post-op pain!

Which occurs a lot in Korean Drama hospital scenes.

I guess because it is listed as 'minor' surgery, that means it is so minor that the invasion of ones body by incision and resulting flesh probing that is stitches aren't supposed to affect the human body in any way.

And of course, she's there for a few days after being rushed to the hospital via ambulance, but her parents and sister never phone to find out why she's not coming home nor visit once they learn what happened.

Finally, we have the nurse who mosey's on in at random holding her clip board to touch the IV and then ask Gong shim if she's farted yet.

See, until you fart in an Asian drama, you're not allowed to leave the hospital.

Over here, it's taking a dump, and then expressed/written permission from your attending.

Over there, the surgeon never shows up to check on their patient's progress.

Never.

I heard you Fart, Gong shim

wid -- it's gotta mean something, I just don't know what

Dearest Fair Lady

Read More