Tag: Cha Eun Woo

The Weekly Recap (194)

Posted March 6, 2023 by Rowena in Features | 2 Comments

Happy Monday, everyone!

It’s been a pretty quiet week for me and I spent a lot of it reading, watching my shows, and streaming my faves. J-Hope dropped his last song before he goes to the military and it features J. Cole, his long-time inspiration and idol. It’s a song with a hopeful vibe that I think will do a great job of holding the fandom together while he’s in the military. I loved that the music video shows Hoseok going back to his dancing roots while his idol raps on the rooftop. We need all the YouTube streams we can get for this one so if you’re army (and even if you’re not), please stream On the Street with us!

Jungkook went live this last week and my guy had me dying. He sang for us, he reacted to On the Street with us, and then…my guy went to sleep and left us all on Live. He was slumped so much that he started snoring and they had to cut his live off remotely. Haha, he’s out here living his best life and I love that even after he deleted his IG, he goes on Weverse to make sure we know he’s still alive and well. That’s definitely going to be a huge part of army history. Haha.

Now, let’s get into all of the things that I did last week…

What I Watched

Crash Course in Romance | 3.5 out of 5

Crash Course in Romance aired the final episodes this week and while I wasn’t a big fan of the murder story during the course of the telling of it, I wasn’t a big fan of the way that whole thing played out EVEN MORE. The whole thing with the real Mom had me rolling my eyes as well but everything else? Loved. I’ll be reviewing this one soon so be on the look out for that.

Suchwita: This is my favorite show right now. I just really love listening to the different conversations that Yoongi has with all of his guests. They’ve all been different and I’ve liked how each of them has shared their experiences in the music and acting industry and seeing how flustered Yoongi gets with whatever praise they send his way makes me happy. This week, actor Lee Sung Min came through to promote his new movie, The Devil’s Deal and I enjoyed seeing him swap stories of their early days doing music and acting in their hometown of Daegu. I liked how easy their conversation was and how we learned little tidbits of both Suga and Lee Sung Min’s careers.

Our Blooming Youth: This weeks episodes were cute. I’m much more invested in what’s going on, and I wanted to spank the Crown Prince for kicking my girl out. I did love the way that she was cheering against my guy during the competition even though she only had eyes for him.

Jinny’s Kitchen: I am loving this show so much. I love seeing my k-drama bias, Park Seo Joon rock it out in the kitchen and I absolutely adore my BTS bias as he works his ass off as well. I’m also glad that Woo Shik is finally in Mexico and working with everyone. Poor guy was put immediately to work after traveling for 20 hours to get there and then had serious FOMO while washing those dishes. I haven’t watched very many Korean tv shows but I’m really liking them and this one is cute. They’re a nice break from the dramas.

Taxi Driver 2: We only got one episode this week of Taxi Driver (does anyone know what was up with that?) but I was hooked the entire episode, and that ending? Gah, I really need the next episode like now. I wish that our married couple would have acted less cheesy and more like a married couple but I’ll take whatever kind of affection I can get from them. The way that he proposed to her made my heart skip a beat though, not going to lie, haha. I see that the next episode comes out today so I’ll definitely be tuning in for that. While I haven’t loved every episode (or case, I should say), I’m still really loving having this show back.

The Heavenly Idol: I’m trying really hard to like Rembrary but no lie, he annoys the shit out of me. There’s just something about him that makes me want to kick him in the nuts. But then he saves someone using his divine powers and I forget for a little bit that I’m annoyed with him. I’m really liking Kim Dal though. My girl is just trying to power through everything life throws her way and Rembrary be putting a kink in every single one of her days. I am starting to get soft for all of the members of Wild Animal though. I’ll keep watching this, hoping that this episode will be the episode where Rembrary stops getting on my nerves. So far, it happened yet. Maybe next week though.

Traveler: Because we only got one episode of Taxi Driver this week, I started this show to get more of a Lee Je Hoon fix and I’m glad that I did because I watched three episodes of this one and learned a lot of things. I learned that Ryu Jun Yeol’s English name is Anthony and I loved seeing him maneuver his way around Cuba and then once Je Hoon got there, I freaking adored seeing them together. I haven’t watched very many shows like this but I’m thoroughly enjoying this one.

What I Reviewed

Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area, Pt. 2 | 4 out of 5
He is Psychometric | 4 out of 5

What I Posted

The Weekly Recap (193)
The Wednesday Five: Dramas I’m Looking Forward to in March 2023
The SVT Listen: Second Wind by BSS
Eye Candy Friday: Priest Yohan from Island

Eye Candy Friday

Priest Yohan

Island

What Made Me Laugh

There you have it, my week in review. How was your week?

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Eye Candy Friday: Priest Yohan from Island

Posted March 3, 2023 by Rowena in Features | 0 Comments

Eye Candy Friday is something that I’ve been doing since I first started my personal blog way back in 2003. That first personal blog is long gone but I’ve never really grown out of the eye candy phase. I’m always up for some eye candy. Whether it’s a character from a book (male or female, I don’t discriminate), a character from a movie or TV Show, if I loved them and want to gush about how much I loved them, you’ll find them here. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

This week, I’m featuring Priest Yohan from Island. I think this one is self-explanatory. He fine as hell.

Until next week…enjoy!

Watch Island

Island

Where to Watch: Prime Video
Starring: Kim Nam Gil, Lee Da Hee, Cha Eun Woo
Year Released: 2022
Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Horror

Won Mi Ho is the only daughter of her father who runs Daehan Group. Her arrogant and selfish attitude causes her to make a big mistake that eventually angers her father into banishing her to Jeju island. There, she is assigned to work as a high school ethics teacher. Unbeknownst to her, the island is where evil roams free. She meets other individuals on the island and together, the characters join forces to live.

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The Wednesday Five: Dramas I’m Excited for in February

Posted February 8, 2023 by Rowena in Features | 0 Comments

I’m a list person. I have a list for every single thing in my life from a to-do list, a list of books that I want to read, a running shopping list, and in the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing different k-entertainment lists that I’ve been keeping track of. You’ll be seeing my top 5 lists of stuff like my current celebrity crushes, my favorite k-drama female protagonists, my favorite k-drama male protagonists, my to-be-watched k-dramas, and you know, stuff like that.

This week’s Wednesday Five will feature the Dramas I’m Looking Forward to watching in February. Of all the dramas releasing this month, these are the dramas that I’m looking forward to watching the most.

1. Our Blooming Youth

Where to Watch: Viki
Starring: Park Hyung Shik, Jeon So Nee, Pyo Ye Jin

Park Hyung Shik is back with another drama and it’s a historical this time. His last drama was a zombie show that I enjoyed a bunch so I’m looking forward to seeing what he’ll bring to this historical drama. I haven’t seen the female lead in anything, at least she doesn’t look familiar to me so I’m looking forward to see her work in this one.

2. The Heavenly Idol

Where to Watch: Viki
Starring: Kim Min Gue, Go Bo Gyeol, Lee Jang Woo

I loved me some Kim Min Gue in Business Proposal so when I saw that he was coming out with another one, I don’t really care what it’s about…I’m in. This is the new drama so yeah, I’m in.

3. Taxi Driver 2

Where to Watch: Viki
Starring: Lee Je Hoon, Pyo Ye Jin, Kim Eui Sung

I have been waiting for the second season of this show because my gang is back together again! I loved the first season of this show and I’m hoping that the second season will be another fun ride. I’m so ready for some weekly Kim Do Gi eye candy again.

4. Call it Love

Where to Watch: Disney Plus
Starring: Kim Young Kwang, Lee Sung Kyung, Sung Joon

Another revenge drama and while I’m a little over the revenge plot, I still want to watch this one. This one looks interesting and I’m curious to see how this one pans out. She falls in love with the guy she’s using to exact her revenge??? I’m in!

5. Island, Season 2

Where to Watch: Netflix
Starring: Kim Nam Gil, Lee Da Hee, Cha Eun Woo

I’m a little annoyed that Netflix split this short ass drama into two seasons but I’m going to watch this anyway cause I’m curious about how this is going to end. I’m also curious to see how things end up for both Van and Priest Yohan. They’re both fine as hell so are you surprised? LOL.

What are some dramas that you’re looking forward to diving into this month?

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The Monthly Recap: January 2023

Posted February 7, 2023 by Rowena in Features | 2 Comments

The Monthly Recap posts are a way for me to take a look back and reflect on my previous month in Korean dramas. I always lose track of what I want to watch and I need these posts to keep me honest with my damn self because I be forgetting shit. So let’s start this recap, shall we?

I wasn’t expecting to be as busy as I was in the month of January. I was in Utah and then flew into L.A. for some family stuff and by the time that I got home, I was too exhausted mentally to focus on any drama watching so February started off really slow…but even with how busy I was in January, I watched hella dramas.

Here’s a rundown of what my month looked like. Check it out…

Monthly Stats

Dramas Watched: 12 | Dramas Dropped: 0 | Dramas Still Watching: 1
Dramas Reviewed: 1 | Boyfriend of the Month: Jang Uk
Favorite Drama: Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow | Least Favorite Drama: Singles Inferno 2

Dramas I Completed

The Glory | 4 out of 5
Summer Strike | 3.5 out of 5
Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow | 4.5 out of 5
Unlock My Boss | 3.5 out of 5
The Forbidden Marriage | 3.5 out of 5

Island, Season 1 | 4 out of 5
Would You Like Some Coffee? | 3.5 out of 5
Singles Inferno 2 | 3 out of 5
Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economics Area – Part 2 | 3.5 out of 5
He is Psychometric | 4 out of 5
Alice in Borderland, Season 1 | 4 out of 5

Dramas I’m Still Watching

The Interest of Love

Dramas I Reviewed

Fan Letter, Please | 4 out of 5

Actors that Stood Out

Jung Sung Il from The Glory: This guy was a pretty big highlight for me while watching The Glory. I watched the show for Lee Do Hyun and was pleasantly surprised at the introduction of Ha Do Young. He was fine as hell and I’m going to need him to not be a bad guy. Please, please, please don’t be a bad guy.

Cha Eun Woo from Island: Cha Eun Woo as Priest Yohan was such a vibe. He was such a delightful part of the first season. The show, for the most part was on the dark side and Yohan provided a little sunlight that went a long way and I just really liked his character.

Park Jin Young from He is Psychometric: I watched this show randomly with Therese and we were both so smitten with Park Jin Young in it. He was so handsome and just kept getting more handsome and more handsome with each passing episode. Even after the show ended we were still smitten with him. He fine as hell.

How was your month, in all the things? Did you read or watch anything good (or bad)? Share in the comments, I’d love to catch up!

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Review: True Beauty

Posted March 23, 2021 by Rowena in Reviews | 4 Comments

Review: True BeautyTrue Beauty
Starring: Cha Eun Woo, Moon Ga Young, Hwang In Yeop
Year Released: 2020
Number of Episodes: 16
Recommended By: Cha Eun Woo
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Format: Online Stream
Source: Viki
four-half-stars

Im Joo Kyung (Moon Ga Young) is a high schooler who is upbeat and positive about most things – except for her appearance!

She hates the idea of being seen in public without makeup, but fortunately has become a self-taught makeup expert, with a little help from a plethora of internet video tutorials.

What she has learned online has transformed her life. At school, she is known as one of the prettiest girls in class – although she secretly lives in fear of her schoolmates discovering what she looks like behind the makeup!

In fact, there is only one person from school who has ever seen her minus her “mask” – Lee Su Ho (Cha Eun Woo).

He is a top-grade student with impressive basketball skills. He is also dashingly handsome, and many of his female classmates have a crush on him.

However, Lee Su Ho harbors a few dark secrets from his past, and shuns attention in class.

Slowly, these two individuals become drawn together – and learn more about one another’s secrets!

This drama was based on a long-running web-based cartoon of the same name, penned by Yaongyi.

“True Beauty” is a 2020 South Korean drama series that was directed by Kim Sang Hyub.

I heard about this show before it came out so I was looking forward to watching it once it started airing and I didn’t waste any time once it started up. I will admit that I didn’t read the webtoon so I went into this drama without any knowledge of the storyline. Cha Eun Woo is an actor that I like and I was looking forward to seeing his fine ass in another drama.

True Beauty was an engaging and entertaining k-drama and I really enjoyed it. There were some parts of the show that I didn’t care for but overall, it was good. Let’s break down my thoughts about the bigger parts of the show, shall we?

Male Lead: Lee Su Ho

Actor: Cha Eun Woo

Like I mentioned before, I was interested in this drama because I wanted to see Cha Eun Woo in another show and this was up. His character in this show was a lot similar to the character that he played in the last drama of his that I watched (My I.D. is Gangnam Beauty). While he plays the reserved hottie very well, I was hoping that Lee Su Ho would be a lot different from Do Kyung Suk. Oh well.

As far as Su Ho goes, I liked his character. I liked that to him, Lim Joo Kyung was perfect just the way that she was. He liked her and because he liked her, she was beautiful to him. I liked that he never forgot who Joo Kyung was and that getting to know her now made him softer than the hard shell he carried around him at school. What I didn’t care for was the abrupt manner in which he cut Joo Kyung out when things got a little rough. I did feel for him when he wanted to come forward with their relationship and she wouldn’t let him and I even liked that he was understanding and let Joo Kyung call the shots where their relationship was concerned. It was more important that they were together than it was that people knew.

My heart hurt for him and everything that he went through in his short life. He carried around a lot of heavy burdens that made me hope for better days for him. I think that was why I was such a huge fan of his and for him getting the girl.

I didn’t understand why he took on so much responsibility for things that were out of his hands but I didn’t exactly hate him for all of that. It frustrated me that he took so long to explain his side of things with Seo Joon but on that end, I was more pissed off at Seo Joon and the way that he handled their whole estrangement than Su Ho. Overall, Su Ho was a great character that I was rooting for from beginning to end. Never did I not want him to get the girl, no matter how much I came to like Seo Joon, for me, I was always Team Su Ho.

Female Lead: Lim Joo Kyung

Actress: Moon Ga Young

I haven’t watched Moon Ga Young in anything that I can remember finishing though I did see her in Tempted and I didn’t care for her character in that show. I was a really big fan of her character in this show though.

Lim Joo Kyung has never been a beauty, at least in the eyes of her schoolmates. For as long as she can remember, she’s been made fun of and when she gets a little older, the bullying starts and it gets so bad that she wishes to transfer schools. She gets her wish when her socially awkward but very good-looking father gets their family into a bit of money trouble and they have to move back to their old house where she grew up.

The move brings about a transfer in schools and Lim Joo Kyung takes this as chance for her to start fresh and not be the school gofer anymore. I really enjoyed Joo Kyung’s character. She had such a bright personality that was only dimmed by her bullies. I liked seeing her really grow into herself. I did think that there were times when she was super extra about keeping her bare face a secret. There were plenty of times that I rolled my eyes down the street because she was super extra about a lot of things but I also understood where she was coming from. Her bullying at her old school affected her and we saw it so when she finally grew a spine and started speaking up for herself, I was so damned happy that I cheered.

I really liked her character, really cheered for her to come into her own and I just really enjoyed her being part of the show. She was my absolute favorite thing about this show.

Second Lead: Han Seo Joon

Actor: Hwang In Yeop

This is the first show that I’ve ever seen Hwang In Yeop in and I am super happy about that. I thought he was a fantastic second lead and though I never really cheered for him to get the girl, I did come to really like his character.

I struggled with his character in the beginning. The way that he treated Su Ho, the way that he felt justified in treating Su Ho the way that he did, pissed me off. Sure, I didn’t understand their history but I’ve never been a fan of lashing out to hurt others because you’re hurting too. I did feel for him once I started to get to know him. He lost his best friend and then he helped his sick Mom so I felt bad once started liking Joo Kyung because it was more than a little evident where her feelings were.

There were points in the show where my loyalty to Su Ho were tested. There were plenty of times when Seo Joon showed that his feelings for Joo Kyung were true and that I lingered over maybe thinking it was okay if the second lead won the girl in the end but those times never lasted because in my heart of hearts, I was a true Team Su Ho member. I did feel for Seo Joon but I was much more interested in him making things right with Su Ho. I longed more for the two of them to come to terms with their past so that they could both move on to more peaceful futures with each other.

Hwang In Yeop is a great actor and I felt every emotion he poured into his character in this show and I’m looking forward to more dramas with him in it.

The Romance

The romance between Lee Su Ho and Lim Joo Kyung was a super cute one. I really enjoyed seeing both the past Su Ho and Joo Kyung and the current Su Ho and Joo Kyung. Su Ho was such a loner and needed someone like Joo Kyung in his life. Especially considering his home life and everything he went through on that front. Joo Kyung needed someone like Su Ho in her life as well. He was completely loyal to her and didn’t care what she looked like. He was so emotionally invested in her happiness that it made me happy.

The love triangle never really felt like a love triangle to me because Lim Joo Kyung loved who she loved and never once did she waver in that. Not even when Su Ho was being an ass for years. She was faithful to him and to their relationship, even when he didn’t deserve it…she was Team Su Ho. I completely understood it and rooted for the two of them to figure themselves out. She never had the chance to hide her true self from him and I loved that she never forgot it. He loved her no matter what her face looked like and even though Seo Joon did as well after a while, I always rooted for Su Ho and Joo Kyung.

The Supporting Cast

The supporting cast was a memorable one for sure. I think of all of the groups of friends covered in this show, my favorite was probably Su Ho’s friend group after he fell out with Seo Joon. I liked all of the boys but my favorite was Su Ho’s group because they were so freaking funny with how jealous they got of Seo Joon. Su Ho was theirs and they didn’t let anyone (even Su Ho) forget it.

Seo Joon’s squad was a loyal squad as well and though I did like them, I liked the nerds a smidge more. Joo Kyung’s new school squad wasn’t my favorite for obvious reasons and there were times when I wanted to smack some sense into Joo Kyung herself but every single time I thought that, Joo Kyung came to her senses. I loved that her personality never really changed throughout the show. She was just as kindhearted in the end as she was in the beginning and though she lost her way a time or two, she always came through and her friends benefitted from her forgiving nature.

Aside from the school friends, I also really enjoyed getting to know Joo Kyung’s family and the secondary romance between her sister and their teacher was a fun addition to this show. The teacher reminded me of how extra Joo Kyung was but they were both such charming characters that it worked in their favor because I was a fan of theirs throughout the entire show. I loved seeing Joo Kyung’s younger brother and Seo Joon’s younger sister bicker their way to becoming close and I really enjoyed seeing Su Ho and his father work on rebuilding their relationship as well. Lots of great characters for sure.

The Story

There was a lot to offer with this show and for me, personally, I never once got bored with what was happening. There are plenty of shows with slow beginnings or middles that drag but I didn’t find that to be the case with True Beauty. Each of the main characters shined in their own way and brought something different to the table that made tuning in every week a delight. I’m very happy that I gave this show a try and I’m looking forward to more acting goodness from this cast. I definitely recommend this show if you’re looking for a fun high school romance with charming characters and some deep plotlines that will keep you glued to your screen. This was a delightful k-drama and you won’t be sorry, I don’t think.

Final Grade

4.25 out of 5
four-half-stars

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