Tag: Lee Sung Kyung

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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Review: Shooting Stars

Posted November 15, 2022 by Rowena in Reviews | 0 Comments

Shooting Stars

Starring: Lee Sung Kyung, Kim Young Dae, Yoon Jong Hoon, Kim Yoon Hye, Park So Jin, Lee Jung Shin
Year Released: 2022
Number of Episodes: 16
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: South Korea
Director: Lee Soo Hyun
Screenwriter: Choi Young Woo, Choi Yeon Seo

A behind-the-scenes look at the entertainment industry’s PR teams, managers, and reporters as they scramble to clean up the messes created by their stars.

Oh Han Byul leads an entertainment agency’s PR team. One of her top clients is the star Gong Tae Sung, who can do no wrong. They were in high school and college together, where he became her sworn enemy. They bicker constantly but soon develop feelings for one another.

It’s been a while since I’ve watched Lee Sung Kyung in anything and I don’t remember ever seeing Kim Young Dae in anything so when this came across my radar while browsing Viki, I pressed play on episode 1. I’m glad that I did because this was a delightfully tropey romance that I enjoyed a lot. We got to take a peek into the hustle and bustle of the Korean entertainment business both in front and behind the camera.

I may have not known who Kim Young Dae was before this drama but I know who he is now and I will definitely be supporting his dramas from now on. Lee Sung Kyung is still my girl and I adored her in this one too.

The Story

So this drama follows two characters who have known each other for the longest time. They went to college together and basically, they’re each others “the one that got away”. When the drama starts, they can’t stand each other but they work together and it is Oh Han Byul’s job as a PR assistant to make sure that Gong Tae Sung’s public image doesn’t suffer and while he’s the apple of everyone’s eyes, he’s the bane of Han Byul’s existence. It is evident from the jump that these two have history and I was super intrigued about what the history was. They’re shared hatred of each other started somewhere and seeing the story unfold was great entertainment.

There are other side stories that were interesting as well. Tae Sung’s stalker story, the secondary romance, and I enjoyed all of them. This is one of the few romances where I was much more wrapped up in the main romance than I was in anything else so as a romance lover, that made me happy. I will say that while this was an enjoyable romance, one thing that stood out to me (and not in a good way) was the way that they portrayed Sung Tae as some African hero because he helped get them some water. In this big year of 2022? I wasn’t a fan of that. Also, the big reveal of the people that had big hate boners for Tae Sung was a bit of a let down because I didn’t get what drove them since I didn’t understand how they put all of that shit at his door. I thought their reasonings were silly.

Main Male Lead

When we first meet our main male lead, Gong Tae Sung, he comes off as bratty and arrogant but he didn’t fool me. I knew that he wasn’t as bad as he made himself out to be. He’s also fine as hell so that didn’t hurt. He’s a celebrity that is used to being loved so when his PR accidently embarrasses him, he’s got a bone to pick with her. And he picks that bone every single chance he gets. Tae Sung’s character development was hard to get through at times because there were plenty of times in the beginning where I wanted to kick him in the dick but that was mostly because I wasn’t buying his bratty arrogant role so as soon as he drops that and becomes just a regular regular guy, I enjoyed his character much more. So much so that when the show finally comes to an end, I adored him.

Main Female Lead

Han Byul was probably my favorite part of the show. She was hard working and caring and I loved seeing her pick herself up time after time again and try harder. She was great at dusting herself off and getting shit done. No matter what she was going through, what she was feeling, she showed up and she worked her little ass off. No matter what Tae Sung did, how he made her feel, she stood her ground and just kept going. My heart went out to her numerous times over the course of the show and every single episode, no matter how silly I thought she acted or how childish she was, I rooted for her. I liked her. And that didn’t change in the end. In the end, I was so hot damn happy that she finally got her shot at happiness that I cheered out loud. Loved this girl.

The Cast

There’s a whole bunch of side stories, side romances included and I enjoyed them all. There were some stories that I enjoyed more than others but I didn’t feel like any of them weren’t needed. They were like little side treats for us to enjoy while we waited for more Han Byul and Tae Sung. I enjoyed the two actors romance, Han Byul’s friends romances, and I also enjoyed getting to know all of the characters. Tae Sung’s manager and assistant were great. Han Byul’s friends and her coworkers were awesome. I even enjoyed Moon Ga Young’s guest star role. It was great to see her in something else, even if it was a really small part.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a drama that dealt with heavy issues of being in the public spotlight and even though there were plenty of heavy issues, the drama itself isn’t dark and bogged down by those things. I thought both Lee Sung Kyung and Kim Young Dae did a great job bringing their characters to life. I was delightfully surprised at how much I ended up liking this one after giving it a shot. It wasn’t hard to get into the story and everyone did a great job of making you want to continue the series so if you’re looking for something cute, fun, and doesn’t take itself too seriously, go ahead and give this a shot.

Final Rating

via GIPHY

3.5 out of 5

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Review: Cheese in the Trap

Posted October 8, 2020 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments

Cheese in the Trap

Male Lead: Park Hae Jin
Female Lead: Kim Go Eun
Secondary Lead: Seo Kang Joon
Also Starring: Nam Joo Hyuk, Lee Sung Kyung, Park Min Ji
Year Released: 2016
Number of Episodes: 16
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Country: Korea
Where I Watched It: Viki
Recommended By: Kim Go Eun, Nam Joo Hyuk
Watched it For: Nam Joo Hyuk, Kim Go Eun

Are even the most unlikely of people destined to be together? Hong Seol (Kim Go Eun) is a dedicated student who has just returned to college after taking some time off to work part-time jobs and make money to pay for her tuition. Nothing has come easy for her in life, but she is determined to study hard and overcome her impoverished background. Yoo Jung (Park Hae Jin) is a handsome, athletic student who has returned to college as an upperclassman after serving his mandatory military service. Despite Seol’s best efforts, she keeps having unfortunate run-ins with Jung that irritates her while her friends, Jang Bo Ra (Park Min Ji) and Kwon Eun Taek (Nam Joo Hyuk), try to run interference. But when the broody Jung is somehow responsible for Seol being able to get one year’s free tuition, thereby eliminating her financial woes, Seol is confused by Jung’s actions. What will Seol do when she gets caught between the attentions of the mysterious Jung and his estranged friend, Baek In Ho (Seo Kang Joon)? “Cheese in the Trap” is a 2016 South Korean drama series directed by Lee Yoon Jung. It is based on a webtoon written by Soon Ggi. This series marks the television debut for film actress Kim Go Eun.

I watched this show because I’ve become a pretty big fan of both Kim Go Eun and Nam Joo Hyuk and they’re both in this show. I had really high hopes for this one since I’ve had a good running streak of really great Korean dramas set in college. I really enjoyed Weightlifting Fairy, Kim Bok Joo and so I was riding that high when I started this one.

So this show follows our main female lead, Hong Seol. She’s a struggling college student that is trying her best to stay afloat. She’s working, she’s studying, and she’s trying to figure out how she’s going to pay for next year’s tuition because she doesn’t have a lot of parental support. Plus, her family isn’t well off and whatever money they have was used to send her younger brother abroad to study in the states. So yeah, Seol’s on her own. She doesn’t have a lot of free time but the free time that she does have, she spends with her two best friends. When she meets Yoo Jung, a rich guy that all the girls love, Seol isn’t that interested. They have nothing in common and she keeps catching him doing weird things. Things that she’s not a fan of and because of that, she tries to steer clear of him…but he keeps showing up wherever she is and…he’s interested in her. Getting to know him wasn’t in her plans but because they keep bumping into each other, she gives him a chance.

This show started off really strong. The main character, Hong Seol did a great job of hooking me into what she had going on. Between her and her two best friends, I was really rooting for this show to be a huge success and it almost was. The lengths that the hero went to get shit done was low key a turn-off. He had a God complex that didn’t sit right with me throughout the entire show and even in the end, I wanted to knee him in the balls because ugh. There’s only so many times that I can forgive someone for doing some creepy shit and letting it slide. Even after understanding the way that he thought and the way that he was, I still didn’t like it. Or him for that matter. I was much more invested in Hong Seol’s relationship with Baek In Ho (the second lead) and that almost never happens. I’m usually a stickler for the main couple no matter how much I like the second lead but this is the first show where that wasn’t the case.

I wanted to like this show because of Kim Eun Go and Nam Joo Hyuk but even with that strong start, the middle and the ending didn’t do anything for me and that bummed me out. I can’t rate this one higher than a 2.75 out of 5 stars. Oh well.

Listen to the OST

Final Rating

2.75 out of 5

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