You're Beautiful

This drama was very interesting. It was a good drama but it doesn't make my personal top of the list. However, it is a very well-known drama among people. Jang Geun Suk acted in this. Park Shin Hye played the main character. Other people acting in this drama are some popular Kpop stars: Hong Ki from FT Island, Yonghwa from CN BLUE, and UEE from Afterschool. I thought they were all pretty good in this drama and I thought UEE did really well as her evil role. So here is the synopsis:

             Go Mi Nyu is a young girl training to be a nun. Her twin brother (who looks exactly like her) called  Go Mi Nam, had passed auditions for the musical band A.N.JELL. However was not able to be there for the time being and so people find Go Mi Nyu and ask to take her twin brother's place for the time being. Therefore, dressed as a boy, she enters the group as Mi Nam and meets the members of A.N.JELL. There is the cold-looking Hwang Tae Kyung (Jang Geun Suk), the warm hearted Kang Shin Woo (Jung Yong Hwa), and child-like Jeremy (Lee Hong Ki). The band, at first were very cold, demanding that she sings to see if she's suitable to be in the band or not. Having no choice, she sings the only kind she knows...choir music.
            She manages to stay in the group even though the members had a really hilarious reaction to it because they were not expecting it out of their new GUY member. In this drama, they made it seem like idol stars are really rich, living in a big house together. But it was all for drama purposes. At first, Tae Kyung doesn't like Mi Nam and makes her life really hard. Shin Woo is friendly to her and Jeremy is just childish...almost like a little brother. Shin  Woo was the first to discover that she was a girl but doesn't reveal it and even starts to fall in love with her. Once when she was in her normal state (by herself) dressed as a girl, he pretended to be somewhere else while still phoning her, telling her all the cool places to go and stuff. I totally fell for this Shin Woo character because he was so nice to her.  Tae Kyung, later on, discovers that she's a girl and threatens that he will reveal it. Jeremy had no clue whatsoever until the very end when they disclose it but he was scared about the feelings he was feeling for Mi Nam as a guy member the entire time, HAHA!
           During the time, Mi Nam starts to like Tae Kyung. To make her secret harder to keep, Yoo He Yi, an actress who is totally different on and off camera, likes Tae  Kyung. She is nice in camera and is the nation's fairy but in person, she is mean, arrogant, and rude. He constantly tries to humiliate/disclose Mi Nam's identity as a girl. Then it was finally revealed that Mi Nam was a girl after He Yi forced Mi Nyu to confess that she is actually Mi Nam's twin and that was how Jeremy found out. By then, Shin Woo was already deeply in love and Tae Kyung had also started to like Mi Nam also. The three guys all promised to keep her secret. Afterwards, the real Mi Nam comes back and enters the group and Mi Nyu exits the stage. When the paparazzi, who had suspicions of Mi Nam being a girl, ripped off the shirt of Mi Nam, they only found bulging muscles of the real Mi Nam. Mi Nam ends up falling for Yoo He Yi (which I totally don't understand) and then Tae Kyung ended up being the one winning Mi  Nyu's heart.

Wild Romance

       This drama was very interesting. It has a very comedic side but also some very intense moments and suspense. I really liked the distinct characters. For example, SNSD Jessica's character shuts down whenever something traumatic/upsetting occurs. This drama didn't leave a big impact on me like some of the other dramas did. However, it was a light watch and it was interesting and I enjoyed the drama nonetheless. A lot of people say this drama wasn't that good, but I thought it was alright and I actually liked the interesting theme to it of being light-hearted and intense at the same time. Also the main character for the girl was the girl that did plastic surgery in Boys Over Flowers, only this time, she has extremely short hair.

           This is a very comedic meeting between the main characters Eun Jae and Moo Yul. Eun Jae is a fan of the baseball team "Blue Seagulls" but then runs into the second baseman of the baseball team "Green Dreamers" Park Moo Yul, while drunk. The two get into a fight. Afterwards, the internet had videos of their fight and this threatened both of their careers (Eun Jae's being a body guard). The only way to keep this down was to lie to the public saying that Eun Jae is Moo Yul's private bodyguard and is simply showing her giving him a self-defense demonstration. With that, everything is taken care of and Eun Jae becomes the real bodyguard of Moo Yul.
          The two start off hating each other. Then however, they slowly get closer overtime and with Moo Yul's ex-girlfriend, Jong Hee's appearance (played by Jessica), only made Eun Jae realize that she did fall in love with Moo Yul. Jong Hee and Moo Yul get together again. Jong Hee's character is very interesting, when she likes someone....she bites them. During the time together, weird things start happening. One day, she let her cat out her apartment room like she always does while she cleans the room. The cat sits on the fire extinguisher box right outside the door. But when she comes to bring her cat back in, the cat is gone. Worrying, she hurries to find her cat. However, when she walks back to the apartment room, she sees a box there. She opens it, only to find her cat...dead. She calls Moo Yul immediately who was outside with Eun Jae next to him (as a body guard). He immediately rushes to Jong Hee after hearing Jong Hee's dolphin scream.  As more weird things happen, Jong Hee's traumatized state and the fact that she's kind of bipolar, and a lot of suspense, the drama gets more intense and then unravels. It also shows Moo Yul's choice between Jong Hee and Eun Jae.

Stairway to Heaven

                                                            
                 This drama was a tragic love story. Kim Tae Hee was in this drama but she played the bad role. It was a really great drama to watch even though tragedy follows tragedy. It was a touching drama that really makes you feel all sorts of emotions. This is one of the old classics of Korean drama and you can tell it is old because this was when Park Shin Hye was still a kid when she acted in this. Here is a basic synopsis of this drama:                                          
                Jung Suh is our main character. She is childhood friends with Cha Song Joo as both of them have lost one parent. Jung Suh lost her mom due to eye cancer and Song Joo lost his father in an accident. Their friendship slowly develops into love overtime. This drama kind of has a Cinderella theme to it in a way. Jung Suh's father marries an actress named Tae Mira who brings her two children into Jung Suh's house. The actress has a daughter named Han Yoo Ri and a son named Han Tae Hwa. At first Tae Mira is extremely friendly towards Jung Suh and actually likes Jung Suh. However, Yoo Ri is jealous of Jung Suh for many things and even begins to crush on Song Joo. Whenever Jung Suh's father is aboard for work, Yoo Ri would do everything to make Jung Suh look bad in front of her mother and the mother begins to turn on Jung Suh too. Jung Suh also constantly got into fights with Yoo Ri for reading her letters from Song Joo and using her presents from Soong Joo. Yoo Ri even managed to keep Jung Suh from studying aboard with Song Joo.
           Song Joo goes to America alone and once in a while contacted Jung Suh. However, since Tae Mira started to turn on Jung Suh and was favoring her daughter, she started working with Yoori to win the affections of Song Joo with things such as playing the piano and so forth. Jung Suh, doesn't do anything, however tries to be nice to Tae Hwa as he is constantly pushed aside by his mother. They become closer with time and even falls in love with Jung Suh, constantly watching over her and comforting her when she gets slapped by Tae  Mira.
          Three years pass, the young children all grow up. Song Joo comes back from America and Jung Suh goes to greet him. Both are overjoyed but Yoo Ri is jealous. She hits Jung Suh with her car and when Jung Suh is taken to the hospital, Yoo Ri swaps  Jung Suh's ID with someone who had died in a fire, to fake her death. Jung Suh lost her memory due to the car crash and so she took Jung Suh to her biological father's home. Tae Hwa, finding out what had happened, decides to use this as an opportunity to be together with Jung Suh and goes away, even changing his name.
          Five more years pass, Yoo Ri is soon to be engaged to Song Joo and Song Joo even decides that he ought to let go of the "dead" Jung Suh. However, he just happened to see Jung Suh on a carousel (now called Kim Ji Soo working at a clothing shop and with Tae Hwa). Song Joo tells Ji Soo that she is actually Jung Suh but she doesn't believe him. As Song Joo tries to make her remember her past, they become close. She regains her memory when she is almost hit by a car by Yoo Ri again. She tells Song Joo and even forgives Tae Hwa, understanding his reason.
           Jung Suh and  Song Joo get together and are blissful until they find out that Jung Suh had what killed her mother...eye cancer. Her vision gets worse and she ends up being blind. However, the two still marry. At the wedding, Tae Hwa tells Song Joo and his family the truth about what has happened throughout the years and the accident. Upon this, Yoo  Ri is arrested and her mother goes ballistic and ended up going to a mental hospital.
           The two finish marrying. She tells Tae Hwa that her one wish was to see Song Joo's face one last time. Both Song Joo and Tae Hwa ask to give Jung Suh one of their corneas but the doctor said that it can only be taken from dead donors and that they cannot take corneas from live donors. Tae  Hwa, wanting to grant her wish at all costs, commits suicide by getting into a car accident. As he did this, he took his hand off the steering wheel but still stepped on the gas, then crying, brought his hands to eyes to protect them for Jung Suh. Then Jung Suh gets Tae Hwa's corneas and is able to see again. However both Song Joo and Jung Suh didn't know it was actually Tae Hwa's, when they find out, they are both devastated. However, Jung Suh's cancer gets worse as it spread to her brain and she would have no chance of living. Upon hearing this, Tae Mira and Yoo Ri feel remorse, especially when Jung Suh goes to them (jail/mental hospital) and even forgives them for the sake of Tae Hwa. Afterwards, Jung Suh dies from the cancer at their childhood house on the beach with Song Joo.
         The sad thing was that he was playing a piano by the ocean by that childhood house. He said that even though Tae Hwa loved Jung Suh so much that he was willing to kill himself, it didn't mean he didn't love Jung Suh any less which as very sweet. This drama was a classic, the acting was amazing, Kim Tae Hee was gorgeous as usual but kind of scary in this drama, and it was very sad.

 

Palace

I've done a review on a drama called Bubujingxin before. I said that it was better than Palace as it was more realistic with history and had great cast of actors and actresses.  This drama is interesting and is more suitable for those who like a very light-hearted and comedic watch. It isn't as good and the make up in this drama seem a little modern. However, I liked how the character of the girl who time travels doesn't change and although she adapts, she still has her crazy, fun-loving character. This drama is called Palace or also Palace Lock Heart. It is also known as (Gong).

Here is a synopsis:

          Our main character is called Luo Qing Chuan. She is a very kind, modern, and simple young girl from the 21st century. One day, she travels through time and ends up in the Qing dynasty in the Forbidden City. She meets the crown prince first. She managed to get away from him by lying that she is actually a fairy by using her knowledge of history. She managed to find a way to help him get out of trouble from the emperor making the crown prince believe that she is a fairy.
       Throughout the drama, she is a palace maid. She forms a hate-hate relationship with the eighth prince at first. This caused her to be tortured by other palace maids and bullied. However she also made friends with a palace maid that actually liked the fourth prince. Qing Chuan, though bullied, never takes it to heart and never tries to find revenge at the people who always bully her. As the drama goes on, she falls in love with her favorite historical figure, the fourth prince, who is the future emperor. However, she learned that history books aren't specific about the full details of life in the Qing dynasty and leaves the fourth prince. She begins to form a closer relationship with the eighth prince as the eighth prince falls in love with her and takes care of her from harm.
       This drama has a lot of women such as the emperor's concubines and also the fourth prince's wife. So there was a lot of jealousy between those women. Unlike "Bubujingxin," Qing Chuan does not affect history in any way or alter it. Her wit and knowledge makes her the person caught in the competiton for the throne and between the fourth and eighth prince. There was even a weird twist in the drama at one point. As for what happens next, I hope that you will watch it and just enjoy the humor of this drama. However, if you want something more realistic and easier to connect in many levels, I still recommend the drama Bubujingxin.

Personally, in this drama, I liked the eighth prince more than the fourth prince because the fourth prince kept on trying to kill her. Also, the eighth prince had a great connection with her in this drama. I loved the chemistry.

In Bubujingxin, I thought all the princes were brilliant in their own ways. So therefore, I felt Bubujingxin was better in many ways.

Koizora (THE MOVIE)

               I really liked the Japanese movie Koizora. They also have a drama of this but I felt that the movie was better since I liked the people acting in the movie and I also felt like the drama just dragged out the scenes while telling the same exact story. Also, the movie came out first. Therefore, I strongly suggest you watch the movie first and then watch the drama. This story is said to be based on real life events of the author who wrote a manga book on her life event which makes it even more sweeter. For those who don't like sad movies, this may not be the one for you...but it was extremely adorable in the beginning.

Here is a basic synopsis:
       The main character is Mika. She had just started the freshman year of high school and wants to fall in love like her best friends do. Her best friend is a minor role but she helps keep the story going as she liked a boy named Nozomu. When they go to see Nozomu outside their classroom, they find him he with his blond-haired friend Hiro. Mika even asks, "Which one is it? The blond one or the black haired one?"
          Her friend said, "Obviously, the black haired one." However, when they walk closer to the girls, Nozomu asks for Mika's cell phone number but doesn't get it because Mika's friend wanted it. As Mika was trying to back away as her friend was exchanging numbers, she bumped into Hiro. The two met eyes, she apologized and hurried away, and he watched her run away. Later on in the movie, she can't find her cell phone anywhere and says, "I must have it for spring break." As her friend keeps on calling Mika with her cell phone, she goes into the library to find her cell phone. She finds it but all her contacts are erased except for one unknown person on it.

        Throughout spring break, Mika and the unknown person keep a conversation. She does not know who is on the other line but the two become friends. They agreed to meet when school starts again. However, when they do meet. She finds out it was the kid that she saw with Nozoru and was afraid of, Hiro. She, at first, rejects him. However, afterwards he realizes how gentle and kind he is. They begin to fall in love but there were a lot of things that threaten their relationship such as Hiro's ex-girlfriend Saki who would do anything to get at Mika. Hiro vows to protect her and the two even had an unexpected pregnancy. He still stays by her side and even wants to start a family together. However, a miscarriage, caused mainly by Saki, brought tragedy to both of them.
        Afterwards, Hiro discovers that his health is fading due to cancer. He decides to break up with Mika and hide away from her, avoiding her. He even does things like kiss other girls to push her away. However, he continues to follow her around watching over her as she moves on and meets a new boyfriend and so forth. However, when Mika finds out the truth behind the story. She leaves her boyfriend to return to Hiro and taking care of him in the hospital.

        The two rebuild their connection and relationship. Hiro works hard to fight his disease wanting desperately to live and be with Mika. He even says that if he dies, he wants to be come the sky. They compare it, saying that when its raining, it will mean  Hiro is sad, if its bright and sunny, it means Hiro is happy, and at night it means Hiro is next to her hugging her. However, one day, his conditions makes a turn for the worse. Mika was not even there during his last moments and only saw him through face time through her phone. As he was dying, watching Mika run towards the hospital, he tells her to smile. And she does. After that Hiro passes away.
          Afterwards, she is given Hiro's diary. Inside, every page was filled with her, even when they broke up, he still wrote about how she came to school with red eyes and so forth. Realizing how much Hiro loved her, she attempts suicide by jumping off a bridge. However, two white doves flew into the air, startling her and fails to jump off. As she moves away because the birds scared her, she drops Hiro's diary and sees that it has flipped to a page where he drew a picture of the two of them and a little stick figure (their baby) holding hands in the middle. She decides to move on with her life for herself and  Hiro and she continues to live her life, thanking Hiro for giving her a lot of good memories also.

This was definitely worth watching and it was a beautiful love story.

Heartstrings

          I really liked this drama because of their differing personalities between the main leads and yet how they managed to come together. I also really liked the relationship CN Blue Min Hyuk had with his crush. This drama was really interesting and there were a lot of sweet moments within the drama.
So I'll give a synopsis of what this drama is about.

              The main character is played by Park Shin Hye and is called Lee Gyu Won. She is a very outgoing student who was born into a prestigious family. She plays the gayageum and majors in traditional music under her grandfather's watch. Her grandfather wanted his granddaughter to be like him and become a traditional music prodigy. Lee Shin, on the other hand (played by Jung Yong Hwa), attends the same university as Gyu  Won but in Wesstern music. He is the guitarist and vocalist of the band "The Stupid." He is very arrogant, looks good, and loves music very much. He started off liking the dance professor at the university but after being rejected a few times, everything changes when he meets  Gyu Won.

               He starts off ordering her around, making her get coffee and everything. She was also quite annoyed with him also at the start because he kept ordering her around. Then they got to know each other and both of them shared the passion for music and connected. They even played songs using both traditional music and Western music combined together (which was pretty cool). The two were a very cute couple together, but there were a few times when they got injured and once it even resulted Lee Shin having trouble playing the guitar to get a record deal. I really liked their relationship with one another and enjoyed this drama greatly. It has been a while since I've seen it, but I still remembered how much I loved CN Blue's Min Hyuk's character and love relationship.

               CN Blue Min Hyuk played the role of Yeo Joon Hee who is the drummer of the same band as Lee Shin. He is extremely cool when playing the drum at night but in the morning he is a shaggy, childish little kid who is always hungry and is extremely innocent and cute. One day, he came across the chairman's daughter Han Hee Joo and falls in love with her.  He calls her Natasha and likes her a lot, buying her food when she was hungry, and always smiling when he sees her. Hee Joo has a lot of stress on her as her mother continues to press for her to do well. She causes a lot of problems in the drama because she wants to do well and her mother is always on the lookout in fear that others might outshine her daughter which also causes a lot of the problems in this drama.
         However, this drama was very cute. Hee Joo also manages to stand away from her mother's watchful guidance and living a more care-free life with Hee Joo.  Lee Shin and Gyu Won stay together and are in love. This drama was a very sweet one and definitely a good watch.

Mary Stayed Out All Night

                                                        

           This drama was alright for me. It didn't leave a strong impression but it was enjoyable to watch. However, to be honest, I didn't like the way Jang Geun Suk's hair looked like in this drama. I felt that this drama was a bit too corny for me at times and very irrational at times. 

           Mary is a cheerful, young girl who has grown used to being constantly on the move to escape debtors and also used to the constant pounding on the doors by people demanding them to pay rent. She gets to know a singer named Moo Kyul in the drama, after running into him in a car. While she gets to know Moo Kyul, problems begin to rise. Mary's father was saved from debtors by an old friend named Jung Suk. He was successful in the Japanese entertainment industry. He had a secret crush on Mary's deceased mother (who looks exactly like Mary) and decides to make a deal with Mary's father. He wanted Mary to marry his son Jung In.

          Jung In came to like Mary. However, Mary not wanting to marry Jung In begged Moo Kyul to pretend to be her husband. Her father gets extremely furious upon hearing this news but then decides for Mary to spend 100 days in which she has to divide her time equally between the two suitors. Then she, herself, would have to decide who she wants to marry. In this process, Moo  Kyul and Mary began to fall in love with one another. Jung In also came to love Mary but it was a one-way love. Afterwards, Jung In decided to give up on Mary and to give her the happiness she wanted with Moo Kyul. When he did this, he was sent out by his father and afterwards ended up living with Mary and Moo Kyul for a while. This love story was very interesting as she finds herself between two suitors both good in their own ways.  Throughout the drama, there were also other conflicts between the couples including jealousy and so forth. It was a fun drama to watch and was very entertaining.