Review: To The Beautiful You

To the Beautiful You/For You In Full Blossom/Beautiful You
Aired: 2012
Starring:
Choi Sulli as Gu Jae Hee
Choi Minho as Kang Tae Joon
Lee Hyun Woo as Cha Eun Gyeol
Plot: The fourth adaptation based on the shojo manga Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (For You In Full Blossom). It tells the story of how Gu Jae Hee sees Kang Tae Joon jump on television and idolizes him as a result. When Tae Joon has an accident and stops jumping, she heads to Korea and disguises herself as a boy to enter his school with the hopes of helping him jump again. But will she be able to hide her gender in an all boys school?

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I’ve seen every version of Hana Kimi that’s been done now, so I figure it’s probably about time I write a review on one. Eventually I’ll make my way through reviews for all of them. Starting with the most recent one, here we go!

I have to say the Korean Hana Kimi is without a doubt my favorite. I was entirely caught up in it from the start, and that’s saying something. Normally it takes quite a bit before I’m fully interested in a drama, most of the time the entire first episode. With To the Beautiful You, I was hooked within ten minutes. It had nothing to do with the fact that I love SHINee and Choi Minho. Nor did it have to do with my being a big f(x) fan. I wiped those slates clean before I sat down to start watching the show. My opinion is based entirely upon the story, music, and acting.

To start, I love how well they seemed to stick to the major points present in the Hana Kimi storyline. They added just enough to keep it interesting, and while some people have said they felt it dragged on through the sixteen episodes, I love how they organized it. I would rather have it stretch over all those episodes than end at eleven episodes. I always felt the Japanese versions needed a little more to them, though I’m still a big fan of Oguri Shun and Maki Horikita’s Hana Kimi.

Choi Minho was perfect for the role of Kang Tae Joon. Apart from being drop dead gorgeous, his acting was superb. I’ve never been able to picture Minho as a prickly, arrogant man before. Now I can, quite easily. He took the role and made it his own. Let’s not even get me started on his ability to cry. ( -rips her own heart out- “I don’t need THIS anymore!” ) I am eager to see that man in many more dramas. Let’s see what else he can tackle, shall we?

Sulli was a very pleasant surprise. I admit, while I had been excited about the Korean version from the second they announced it, when I found out that Sulli was going to play the female lead I was more or less “Meh..” about it. It wasn’t that I didn’t’ like Sulli, but I wasn’t sure how well she’d live up to her role. Now that I’ve seen the entirety of the drama, I admit I should have given her the benefit of belief right off the bat. Well done, Sulli. Really. I’ve never had anyone wrench tears out of me as easily as Sulli, especially when she and Minho are both crying. Talk about heart wrenching. I thought I was going to die.

There were a lot of comedic moments throughout the drama, and they were well balanced with the angst. I absolutely adored Lee Hyun Woo as Cha Eun Gyeol. He’s hilarious, and while I spent the better part of the first half of the drama wanting to cut his hair out of that ridiculous mushroom-like ‘do, he was endearingly bubbly and sweet. Never in all of my times of rewatching the other versions of Hana Kimi have I rooted so much for the second male lead to get the girl. It was very difficult. I was constantly torn between cheering for him and cheering for Tae Joon, and felt guilty each time I cheered for either of them.

The rest of the cast was very well chosen. I loved them all. Each character was unique, whereas in some of the versions of Hana Kimi there have been few I’d been able to actually recall by face and name.

As for the music… Let me just take a moment to fall in a puddle of happy goo on the floor right now. I love it! J-Min’s ‘Stand Up’ was perfectly matched, and when you add in ‘Butterfly’, Onew’s and Taemin’s solos… Oh yum. I have the soundtrack on repeat on my ipod even as we speak. Total love for this soundtrack.

I’d definitely recommend to anyone that watching To the Beautiful You is more than worth the time. I’ve already rewatched it four times myself. And for all you EXO fans out there, take a good look at the poster for the drama. Your boys are in it.

Review: Hanazakarino Kimitachihe (Hana Kimi Taiwan)

Hanazakarino Kimitachihe/The Tricks of Boys and Girls/Hana Kimi
Starring:
Ella Chen as Lu Rui Xi
Wu Chun as Zuo Yi Quan
Jiro Wang as Jin Xiu Yi
Aired: 2006
Plot:  Based on the Japanese shojo manga series Hanazakari no Kimitachi e (For You In Full Blossom), Hanazakarino Kimitachihe tells the story of Lu Rui Xi, a girl inspired to change her life by a high jumper from Taiwan, Zuo Yi Quan. As a result, she transfers to his school in Taiwan, disguising herself as a boy in the process only to learn that Quan has stopped jumping. Rui Xi works hard to try and convince him to start jumping again. The series tells of her struggles and triumphs with both Quan and her life at the school.

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Before I start, let me just state that I am a fan of both Ella Chen and Wu Chun. However, that does not mean I will be saying nothing but nice things about the Taiwan adaptation of Hana Kimi. If there is something I find displeasing, you can bet I’ll be saying it.

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I have to say that the Taiwanese adaptation is certainly… unique. Understand, I’ve seen this at least a dozen times because I do in fact enjoy watching it. Unfortunately it also seems to be the most over the top adaptation of the manga that I’ve seen so far.

There were a few things which I felt could have used a little more planning or just plain effort. For instance, the cheap outfit and wig that made their appearances during episode 8 did not do Ella any justice. She’s a beautiful girl, and while yes I understand that the premise of the show is to have her disguised as a boy, the other adaptations did much better with the shock factor of the heroine breaking her cover long enough to dress as a girl for the school’s beauty pageant. The reason their shock factor was so successful compared to Taiwan’s is that they all made their heroine really look like she could pass for a girl. The clothing and wig was always flattering and there was tasteful makeup. With Ella it seemed more like child’s play. Maybe that was their point, but I still did not enjoy it at all. It annoys me every time I watch the drama.

I’m not a fan of the over-acting with Ella. I think if they had dialed things down with her portrayal of Rui Xi just a little bit, it might have been a little more comfortable for me to watch. As it is I found myself cringing during scenes with the overacting,  and I love Ella Chen’s acting so that really bothered me.

Jiro Wang‘s performance was impressive. Perhaps a little over the top at times, but still within the realm of acceptability. His character is supposed to be a little over the top, so I cut him a lot more slack because he was doing very well with playing his part. I’ve seen him in several other dramas so I’m also very accustomed to his over the top antics, and it works for him.

Wu Chun. What on earth could I possibly have to say in complaint here? The answer is nothing. Really. I have no complaints. He performed superbly. No over acting, no under acting either. The man is just an acting god to me, okay? I wish I could come up with something to complain about. But… I can’t. Really.

On to my irritation with the ending. I would have liked to see her leave the school and return home, and just how they handle that. It felt like something was missing, and I’m fairly certain that is it. To this day, every time I re-watch this drama, I am always bothered by the ending. At the same time, I kind of like how they did it. I have no doubt that I’m not the only one who, in every adaptation, has wished that it would end with her being able to stay in the school and remain by his side. And yet…

The music was enjoyable. Very poppy and moving when it needed to be. So it was well matched with the drama. I absolutely adore the song used in the opening credits. Very poppy and and happy.

Master’s Sun – First Impressions

Master’s Sun / The Sun of My Master
Currently Airing (Fall 2013)
Starring: Gong Hyo Jin as Tae Gong-Shil
So Ji Sub as Joo Joong Won
Seo In Guk as Kang Woo
Plot:  Joo Joong Won is the stingy and greedy CEO of major department store Kingdom. He meets the gloomy Tae Gong Shil, who started seeing ghosts after an accident. Their lives take a new turn as they work together to deal with the terror and sadness brought about by the spirits.

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So, going into this drama I was – and still am – a little skeptical. I generally don’t do a lot of ghost plots, whether they’re scary or not. I find it difficult to imagine a sustainable plotline when the corporeal are involved. Usually the drama will end up campy, at which point my interest has flown the coop. I’m all for a good scary movie, make no mistake, but if you suggest a drama that basically draws out a plot for twenty episodes revolving around ghosts with no side story to help support the overall storyline… Yeah, I’ll more or less laugh you out of my presence.
So far I must say I’m pleasantly surprised by Master’s Sun. It’s not campy yet – keyword being ‘yet’. I refuse to let my hopes get any higher than half a foot from the ground after only watching one episode. That being said…
The acting…

To start, Joong Won (So Ji Sub). After seeing the first episode first twenty minutes, I wanted to slap him. Of course I then realized that a slap is trivial to such a hard-hearted individual and would do no more than slightly annoy him. After that came the realization that this was a fictional character I was intending bodily harm upon, and I still needed something to put out my anger flames. Never before have I found myself already hating a lead character so quickly. Joong Won is cold, extremely rude, and cruelly steps on the hopes of those who often have little else left. I can live with his complete disbelief in anything supernatural. To each their own, really. But does the man have to be such a complete ass?

On a side note – What the devil is with his eyes? When he reads the text is always swimming or multiplying. As much as I dislike this character, I have to say I’m almost desperate to find out what kind of voodoo is going on there.

Gong Shil (Gong Hyo Jin) is easy for me to like already. I don’t know what it is that makes me drawn to her right off the bat, but I’d bet anything that the writers intended that when they wrote it. Gong Shil is extremely odd, to put it simply. There’s a strangely off-kilter balance about her personality that absolutely fascinates me. When absolutely necessary, she is assertive, but the remainder of the time she is very timid. Very kind and almost childlike at times, Gong Shil strikes as a very sad woman who truly doesn’t enjoy her ‘gift’ – who would? The social hell this woman goes through to deliver messages for the ghosts who come to her is an admirable thing, but it certainly takes a toll on her in her lack of sleep and those she can call ‘friend’. She also seems to me to be the worst possible person such a gift could have happened to, with how easily frightened she is. I feel sorry for her already, and Joong Won’s treatment of her is certainly making her more endearing (and cementing his status as King of the Douches).

As for Kang Woo (Seo In Guk)…
He’s had very little screen time so far, but what I can make of him is that apart from being gorgeous (you had to know that one was coming) and kind to Gong Shil, there is something very suspicious about him. The only idea I can come up with is that he’s some sort of spy, which seems odd. Maybe it’s because every time I see Seo In Guk he looks like a lost puppy. Then again, prior to this my only experience with him has been in K.Will’s music video for ‘Please Don’t’.

At any rate, if the acting continues to impress and the storyline doesn’t suddenly turn campy, I think I’ll keep watching the show. I’m actually quite curious to see if they can pull it off, and so far it seems pretty damn interesting.

Blog moved

Well, after too many issues with blog.com’s server status, I moved my blog from there to here. From now on, everything will be posted to asiandramacloud on wordpress.com.