Shopping King, Louie #review

Shopingwang Looi / 쇼핑왕 루이

Writer -  Oh Ji young
Network -  MBC
Episodes -  16
Released -  2016, Sept - Nov
Genre -  Romantic Comedy/Fairy Tale

CAST

PLOT

A romance takes place between Kang Ji sung (aka Louie) and Ko Bok sil. Louie is from a rich family, but he has lost his memory. Ko Bok sil is a woman with a heart like an angel. Louie learns about true love after meeting Ko Bok sil.

REVIEW

Squeaky clean childishness done in a fairy tale style with zero reality involved and even less in the way of true romance.

Louie is from Department Store wealth and at present resides in a French Château with a butler and maids.

His parents died, giving his grandmother the impression she is to blame, so the old woman does everything she can to keep her grandson far from her to avoid more tragedy.

One day Louie decides to return to Korea, and at the airport, a family member gives him the slip, letting Louie drive by himself.

Meanwhile, Bok sil, who lives up in the mountains, has lost her grandmother and younger brother.

She later finds a rare ginseng root and travels down to Seoul in the hopes of selling it for a lot of money while also attempting to search for her little brother.

She's down on her luck before meeting Cha Joong won, whom she finagles into purchasing the rare ginseng root.

Then she sees a bum asleep on a stairway and assumes it is her dongsaeng but discovers it is a stranger with amnesia instead.

Seo In guk / Nam Ji hyun

Louie can't remember anything: who he is, where he is, or where he's from.

He clings to Bok sil and insists she can trust him if she will promise not to abandon him until he's recovered his memory.

What follows is a slow-paced getting to know you and constant run-ins with the other characters.

Cha Joong won is intrigued by Bok sil but takes his time having the ginseng root appraised so he can pay her what he owes.

He's a department head at Louie's family store and runs a tight ship while also coming off as a hard-headed taskmaster and being fastidious in work and appearance.

Bok sil finds a cheap apartment to rent and takes in Louie, who behaves more like a seven-year-old boy than a grown man.

Shopping King, Louie

While he is amnesic and demanding, helpless and pushy, he also favors his former lifestyle of luxury, instant gratification, and being catered to 24/7.

Bok sil being the exact opposite finds it somewhat difficult to put up with his childish habits while also growing more fond of him as a lost but devoted puppy type guy.

Seo In guk / Nam Ji hyun

Intrigue ensues as the story closes in on the culprit behind the plot to have Louie disappear.

The love triangle thing between Louie, Bok sil, and Joong won, AND Louie, Baek Ma ri, and Joong won.

Louie's memories slowly returning.

And Bok sil's missing Dongsaeng.

This came with a decent soundtrack that neither overpowered any one scene nor forced us to have to listen to a done-to-death single.

I thought that Yoon Sang hyun did a marvelous job portraying the uppity Department Head with outlandish style and a penchant for clearing his throat in as haughty a range as he can muster.

He was convincing enough to make me want 2nd Lead to win the girl, which says a lot about his acting in this drama.

Seo In guk also did a terrific job portraying the spoiled rich kid with mommy issues, but it was also why I didn't much care for his Louie character.

Too immature for my taste and zero sex appeal to make this a true romance -- since I'm not partial to pedophilia anything -- and this bordered along the lines of older sister with a little boy.

It wasn't the greatest Drama of 2016, but it wasn't a let-down, either.

I'd recommend this to anyone with time to spare and who isn't interested in gaining much more from the watch other than some feels.

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Lucky Romance #review

운빨로맨스

Writer -  Kim Dal nim (2014  Naver webtoon), Choi Yoon kyo
Genre -  Romance
Network -  MBC
Episodes -  16
Released -  2016,  May - Jul
Ken Dolls -  yes
Cinderella -  100% but with a twist

CAST

SYNOPSIS

Shim Bo nui, a woman of blind faith in superstitions and fortune-telling, hooks up with Je Soo ho, the CEO of a Game Development Co who is a genius and adheres to scientific and logical beliefs. The two share common ground in code and development but continue to butt heads over science vs. mysticism. ~me

REVIEW

Very glad this stopped at sixteen!

It was fun, quirky, refreshing, silly, and yet also well-written.

I came across this one by accident and am happy it turned out that way, because while it might not be up there with the greats that have been (and still are being) released, it is worth the watch because of a number of things.

Mainly, the two leads had great chemistry.

I adored them together and they looked believable together as much as they behaved like friends/lovers together.

It worked.

The supporting cast, not so much, but they did manage to lend enough clarity, spontaneity, and stress relief to make for a valid ensemble.

Super happy to see Ryoo Joon yeol again (Answer Me, 1988) and I think that Hwang Jung eum is very pretty.

Loved her hair, her face, and her sense of style, though that style proved a tad bewildering as well.

Her outfits were awesome to say the least, but then she chose to pair them with the most god-awful shoes imaginable, and constantly added pants -- which, for the life of me, I will never understand.

I mean, he handed her a gorgeous, expensive dress that was exactly her style, and when she wore it that evening for their date, she had a pair of freaking JEANS on underneath!

ugh

I'm sure it'll become a fad with all the girly chicks, and I recall its having made an attempt a few years back, too.

No.

Just . . . no.

It just makes me wonder, does she have knobby knees? Stumps for legs? Calves too fat? Cellulite already?

I couldn't understand what she wanted to hide or even why she wanted to hide at all, and for heaven's sake, yoga pants would have done the trick with far more panache.

And, while I'm on Fashion Police patrol, she is supposed to be poor and hugely in debt, with the wispy notion of making all of her outfits by hand, yet she shows up to work in Christian Louboutin heels.

She also lived in a very cool apartment that couldn't have been cheap, and it was loaded with all of the Korean drama set designer goodies one comes to expect in a story along these lines.

None of which belong to a poor waif and none of which a poor waif could afford.

And I must mention the fact that this is the first time I've ever seen a Korean drama character use a KEY to lock an apartment door.

But, enough with the confusion and on with the story.

It's about a male prodigy who owns his own Gaming Enterprise and a superstitious female who believes all the wrong in the world is directly her fault.

He's gun-shy around people, cameras, and chaos while she avoids people for the opposite reasons.

The two do share a love of Code and are good at putting together interesting and unique gaming concepts.

He is estranged from his common parents while she lost hers in an accident, and a few years later, her younger sister is also struck by a car and ends up in a coma.

Bo nui (couldn't figure out if it was Bony or Pony) has remained in her childhood apartment with the hope of bringing her sister home one day, when along comes a national hero and recent Australian Open winner, who just happens to be a kid who grew up in the same small apartment complex.

Choi Gun wook (Lee Soo hyuk) has returned to Korea from Canada to secretly search for his father when he bumps into Sim Bo nui and falls in love.

tumblr

Bo nui gives him the brush-off since she believes she'll kill him if she gets involved, but Gun wook is as persistent in love as he is at tennis.

Meanwhile, nerdy Je Soo ho (Ryoo Joon yeol) is in trouble when his latest game release is sabotaged on Press Release day.

Ryoo Joon yeol

Bo nui's good friend happens to work at ZeZe and panic-phones Bon nui to ask for her help in solving the spyware dilemma for her dashing boss.

Bo nui ends up in an animal costume to hide herself and avoid jinx'ing an already jinxed project, but her expertise is too late when Soo ho stands on stage in front of a lot of news people and flashing cameras as things go haywire.

Bo nui happens to be close enough to Soo ho to be able to reach out and take his hand, helping him off the stage.

Now Soo ho is intrigued by the pretty yet mysterious girl, but fear not, oh silly Geek boy!

Bo nui ends up working at ZeZe on a collaboration she created and ZeZe wants to produce, so for the next three months, she's contracted to work alongside Soo ho and the romance begins.

He helps her to overcome her superstitious beliefs and she helps him overcome his fear of most everything.

Her sister eventually recovers, the two lovers eventually end up in bed together (yes, they did!), and even the tennis great ends up finding his appah.

But, that doesn't mean this could have ended at episode 14, because nothing good ever lasts, right?

More angst, suffering, and tears are endured until finally everything falls into place and THEN we have our HEA.

And it was a good one.

I do have one, last curiosity question, though.

Why does Lee Soo hyuk tend to play Second Lead that will NEVER result in his getting the girl?

He's also always in a position where viewers don't WANT him to get the girl!

As far as the syndrome goes, I think he's a great catch -- but never as a second.

As for every role I've seen him star in, it would be better if this guy takes LEAD roles from here on out so we can enjoy watching his romance take shape instead of always having to watch it fizzle and die.

No way I wanted her to choose him over cutey-pie Soo ho.

Ryoo Joon yeol

IMAGES

kiss-u

great together

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Goodbye Mr. Black, a #review

굿바이 미스터 블랙

Writer -  Hwang Mi na (comic), Moon Hee jung
Network -  MBC
Genre -  Intrigue, Melodrama
Episodes -  20
Released -  2016, Mar - May
Cinderella -  Yes

CAST

SYNOPSIS

Cha Ji won is a Navy Special Operations UDT officer with a positive outlook and personal charm. Then a friend's betrayal throws him into numerous life or death situations. To hide his identity, Black enters into a fake marriage with Swan.   (DramaWiki w/edits)

REVIEW

It wasn't all bad.

Somewhat reminiscent of Cain & Abel in its dark, sinister plot by a jealous rival to destroy the man who has it all.

Filled with underworld dealings in weapons and drug smuggling, and power-hungry men -- the Chaebol way by Korean melodrama standards.

As for his being in Spec Ops . . . well, in the beginning, yes.

He's on assignment in Thailand and bumps into Swan, a mousy chick selling Mango juice to survive (even if she lives with a man who has amassed a small fortune).

As a child, she lived with her parents when the 2004 Tsunami killed her family and gave her amnesia, though bits and pieces of her past continue to haunt her.

While Ji won is on assignment, his best friend has made a deal with the devil to overthrow Ji won's father and take over the family business.

Things go bad in Thailand, leaving Ji won and Swan on the run from peril.

Ji won is accused of murder and goes into hiding, but a few years later he returns as Mr. Black.

In a dramatic turn of events, he startles everyone with this return while setting in motion the wheels of far more sinister dealings and plots to have him destroyed.

Swan becomes a news reporter (though it was never explained how if she wasn't properly schooled) and works alongside her handsome boss, Seo Woo jin, whose father happens to work in the upper ranks of the Family Business that Min Sun jae now runs.

Sun jae comes from humble beginnings and was always ashamed of his no-account father, wanting the opulence and prestige of the Cha chaebol way of living instead.

As he grows older, his resentment turns to bitterness and then (of course) madness.

He has taken from the Cha's, destroyed his ex-friend Ji won's life, and married Ji won's sweetheart, Yoon Ma ri.

We've seen it all before, but that doesn't mean Goodbye Mr. Black wasn't worth the 20 episodes because it wasn't as bad as it sounds.

Well, yes it was.

16 would have sufficed, and as 'smart' as Black was pointed out to be, it never quite seemed that way much of the time.

Kim Swan was hardly a femme fatale who would garner the attention of not one but two hot guys -- one a Chaebol heir and the other a self-made man.

Which brings up the Cinderella plot thingy and why I liken this to Cain & Abel.

Moon Chae won is far more appealing in reality than she was as Swan, and I didn't understand the premise behind such a flip-this-gal decision.

And while Cain (the bad guy) suffered from the brain tumor, it was Black who suffered from one in Goodbye.

And, again, Black had plenty of warning and even more chances to undergo an operation but no. He'll suffer, suffer some more, grow weaker and suffer partial paralysis because . . .

Lots and lots of aside characters with their own issues.

Too many hands in the cookie jar.

The implausible occurred at almost every turn.

And then there was this . . .

Black finally succumbs to his brain tumor and is rushed to the hospital after being whacked over the head with a 2 X 4.

And, here's what the same situation looks like over here, at a Navy hospital.

Which is why I go a little crazy every time the emergency room scene appears in a K-drama.

There is an HEA, and it is a nice one.

No chemistry between the two leads, though.

The intrigue and subsequent downfall of the bad guys was what made this a decent watch and nothing more.

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Beethoven Virus

베토벤 바이러스

Romanization -  Betoben Bayireoseu
Writer -  Hong Jin ah, Hong Ja ram
Network -  MBC
Episodes -  18
Released -  Sept - Nov, 2008
Genre -  Music, Romance, Melodrama
Cinderella Plot -  Nope

CAST

SYNOPSIS

Kang Gun woo is a world-renowned orchestra maestro who is also a perfectionist, making him difficult to work with and feared by all musicians. By chance, he comes across Du Ru mi, a violinist, and Kang Geon woo, a young cop who has the same name. Maestro soon discovers that even without formal training, young Kang is a music genius. They end up in a love triangle. ~DramaWiki (w/edits)

REVIEW

The reason it's taken me this long to review is two-fold.

1)  This is actually my 3rd viewing, but not when it released back in the autumn of 2008

2)  I simply adored Nodame Cantabile too much to want to make a comparison

Now, when I finally decided to give this one a chance, it blew me away about as easily and with about as much gusto as it had the Korean audience back in 2008.

courtesy AsiaWiki

I get the sneaking suspicion that Descendants of the Sun will look similar in a few months, huh?

In all honesty, there is no comparison between Nodame and Beethoven since the premise remains relatively the same while the story itself is completely different from the original Japanese version.

I still prefer the Japanese' Nodame Cantabile to Beethoven Virus, because for whatever reason, the music took center stage and that is a huge reason for my love and interest in this adaptation.

The love triangle is involved, and like most every Korean drama with an uppity theme, the point falls flat along with the 'romance' so the writers can concentrate on the guts of the struggling artists plot instead.

I don't get it; I don't see why a romance is needed if the writers aren't going to follow through, but it's water under the bridge at this point.

Beethoven Virus is about a young violinist working for the city on plans to create a Culture District that consists of performing arts, with the ultimate goal being to create a city symphony.

Of course, this being Korea, one of the women involved embezzles the 3m Won and the plans fall through -- later, the violinist will be responsible for that money and the reason for the symphony's downfall.

She meets a young cop on a subway train, and when they disembark, she chases him down and asks him to play his trumpet for her.

Not long afterwards, the two meet again when a rag-tag bunch of wonna-be musicians audition for the city symphony.

Meanwhile, Maestro Kang is invited to conduct this fledgling symphony, and he immediately leaves a bad impression with his sociopathic personality.

The violinist and trumpeter are forming a bit of a romance when the violinist starts to turn in Maestro's direction.

Jang Geun suk did a lot of weeping.

Jang Geun suk

A lot.

He's playing the part of a soft-hearted fella who happens to be musically gifted; able to play by ear and differentiate note/tone by ear as well.

Not long into this unlikely formation of the symphony, he discovers his real talent lies in conducting and wants desperately to become Maestro's student.

Maestro remains aloof, cold, and distances himself at every turn, but eventually, the folks in this town get to him and he ends up 'liking' people.

Then the Korean plot twist involving government officials crops up, ruining another chance for these musician hopefuls.

Then the violinist loses her hearing and the oboist lapses into dementia.

Surprisingly, there is a happy ending (which needed 18 instead of 16 to arrive at -- but I'll bet that had more to do with ratings than the writers inability to figure out how to end it).

WHY FOUR AND NOT FIVE

As with Nodame Cantabile, Beethoven Virus had as many annoying instances and unnecessary recaps, making them both undeserving of a solid five even if both proved well worth the time it takes to watch.

The violinist being struck with a tumor that will eventually leave her deaf was bad enough, but when she pulled the Korean attitude of NOT opting for surgery that would correct the problem -- sorry, it'll never make sense to me -- I lost complete interest in and positive vibes for her and her plight.

So what if she goes deaf and can't play her violin anymore.

Her beloved violin which she's played all her life and had aspirations of being in a symphony orchestra, yet when push comes to shove she decides to go against all those issues for the sake of . . . um . . . I don't know . . . being an ass?

Tough sh*t, chicky.

The floutist.

Annoying little sh*t start to finish, and I am overly pleased to note that this character has made a swift exit, stage left in recent years.

You know who I'm talking about, right?

That hard-ass b*tch with a mouth, bad attitude, and zero manners who bull-in-a-china-shop's her way through every scene.

She had no right nor deserved to be with this symphony even if they were shunned, not paid, and basically outcast start to finish.

Then she ruined their last opportunity to perform by being selfish.

Couldn't stand her character and hope to never see the likes of which ever again, thank you very much.

The lack of real music moments -- or the inability to listen to at least one piece clean through.

I can recall jumping out of my seat to conduct when watching Nodame Cantabile, but that wasn't possible with Beethoven Virus, because no matter what the circumstance, cue music -- the piece plays approx :30 sec-1 min -- cut music! Scene change.

Bummer.

Still, it wasn't enough to make me turn away, and it is highly likely I'll be watching this one again, and again, and when the mood strikes, yet again.

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Marriage Contract

Gyeolheun Gyeya / 결혼계약

Writer -  Jung Yoo-Gyung
Network -   MBC
Episodes -   16
Release Date -  Mar - Apr, 2016
Genre -  Melodrama, Romance
Cinderella Plot -  Yes
Ken dolls -  inconsequential

CAST

PLOT

Ji Hoon is the illegitimate son of a rich family. His mother needs a liver transplant, so he needs a family member for the surgery and  as a last resort decides to get one through a contract marriage. Hye Soo is buried under debt left by her dead husband and lives life on the run with her daughter. When she finds out she has a brain tumor, she throws away her reservations and enters the contract with Ji Hoon. ~~DramaWiki (w/edits)

REVIEW

If the synopsis sounds bad to you, trust me, this sixteen-episode melodrama is worse.

The ratings for this were surprisingly high, and I fail to see why, but there you have it.

Still can't believe I actually watched this one, and am kicking myself as a result because I knew going in that it would be bad, and it was.

Perhaps some of you out there still like this kind of thing and don't get embarrassed by all of the "Aw, shucks!" stuff they toss in with the hope of its being labeled a 'tear-jerker' and 'stock up on the tissues' type watch.

Not me.

Selfless Love is the theme, and sentimental hogwash abounds at every turn, too.

lots and LOTS of this

But, the thought behind this story is false, misleading, and so filled with holes it isn't funny.

Regardless of it being Korea or Budapest or Wisconsin, you do not get a GO pass for organ transplant by simply being married.

Does the writer actually believe that when two strangers get married that they now magically share the same blood? Are people really this stupid?

A liver transplant means the donor is already DEAD. One cannot simply offer another their liver and expect to live -- yet, the mom would die without a new liver, and UEEs character would be donating hers -- even though she's alive (for now) and not related to the patient.

A liver transplant is surgery to replace a diseased liver with a healthy liver from another person. A whole liver may be transplanted, or just part of one. In most cases the healthy liver will come from an organ donor who has just died. Sometimes a healthy living person will donate part of their liver. ~~Johns Hopkins

Blood tests. These tests are done to help find a good donor match and assess your priority on the waiting list. They can also help improve the chances that your body won’t reject the donor liver. ~~Johns Hopkins

How magically delicious is it that Hye soo ju-ust  happens to have the right blood type for Ji hoon's omanee?

Speaking of UEE, not sure if she likes this kind of thing or if she's being type-cast, but this is the second time I've watched her in a similar situation and with similar plot and outcome.

Han Ji hoon was cute for all the right reasons, trying to be a hardass work-a-holic with zero tolerance for anything but deep down inside he's really a panda bear with a huge heart who loves his omanee enough to sacrifice himself again and again.

Then, when he meets a woman willing to enter into an illegal marriage with the sole intention of performing an illegal organ donation in order to save his omanee, Ji hoon ends up falling hard and fast for Kang Hye soo.

Only, Hye soo soon discovers she's got an inoperable brain tumor and hasn't much longer to live.

They used Beauty and the Beast in the drama, but this is still as Cinderella Plot as it gets.

The daughter was cute, and I thought that the two leads fit well together, making for a great couple despite UEE's inability to come off as anything other than stiff, unaffected, and robotic.

There were a lot of aside characters and the to-be-expected female nemesis, but none of them really mattered or added much essence to the story line.

Here's the thing . . .

I get that people have problems, and that life sucks, that some people are douchebags, and that a lot of people die early, making it seem unfair.

Trouble is, when you try and fit them all together to create a story that is labeled 'romance', I personally fail to see the romantic aspects even if the guy is over-the-top romantic in deed, gesture, and word.

This is silly, repetitious, predictable nonsense and the last time I watch anything of this caliber, too.

The only good thing about Marriage Contract was the soundtrack, which was actually pretty in some instances, never overpowering, and fit each scene nicely so the drawn out pregnant pauses and recaps and five-minute dwelling scenes weren't overly obnoxious to sit through.

The subs, however, were deplorable at all three viewing sites -- Aznv.tv, Dramanice, and Viki (which I'm presuming to be the culprit).

I'll leave you with a host of the issues in that regard, along with some of the Yeppeun.

STUPID SUBS

The 'a' conundrum

but, I DO like that woman from the 'second' place

and all this time I thought it was a liver

THE YEPPEUN

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