Reviews

Silly title aside, Shut Up Flower Boy Band boasts a surprisingly strong script. While it hits many of the expected plot points (the boys from the wrong side of the tracks vs. the entitled rich kids, the battle-of-the-bands face off, the hit single) it moves beyond them to weigh the joys and costs of a life in music with remarkable honesty. Unfortunately, the young cast often lacks the skills to fully realize the moments the writer provides. Lee Min Ki makes the most of his limited screen time and Sung Joon does a fine job smoldering with inarticulate passion, but the rest of the band members default to bland, fresh-faced niceness. While relatively inoffensive, this undermines their credibility as ruffians and turns what should have been meaty, differentiated characters into cardboard-cut-out clones. Much of the subtext gets lost in flat line delivery and awkward timing, and scenes that should crackle with tension fizzle out.

Sweet is better than grating, though, and if you can overlook the missed acting opportunities, the show has a scruffy, heart-felt appeal that manages to be endearing without ever becoming saccharine. Like a catchy garage band rock song, the show makes up in enthusiasm what it sometimes lacks in craft.

Leia Mais

This dorama already got great reviews that I totally agree with but thought of adding my two cents as well ;) It was the drama that I was most anticipating of the summer, and maybe of the year. As an anniversary drama, it is star studded as expected. It's the first drama for Tsumabuki Satoshi in 5 years ( except he had a guest role in an episode of Higashino Keigo Mysteries in 2012) since the lead a taiga in 2009. He's reunited here with Mitsushima Hikari (Villain) and Eita (Orange Days, Dororo) rounded off with award winning Aoi Yu. With that cast alone, expectations flew through the roof.

I was certainly looking forward to the reunion of Mitsushima and Eita and seeing Tsumabuki in a drama again after so long sure is a delight. Whether the drama met my expectations or not cannot be answered with a simple Yes or No.

My main reason of watching was for the cast, so in that case I can't say I was disappointed. The characters felt real for me, the relationships authentic, and the chemistry is present. I was invested enough with the family that watching them every episode was bliss. Acting from the main characters was top notch. Asahi's character got many criticism of being over-acted, but I found it was actually well thought out. I think if he were played any other way it would've been too dramatic so I cannot imagine anyone playing it better than Tsumabuki. Other performances varied from great to okay but none felt miscast. Yoshioka Hidetaka didn't really add much to the characters so my shallow self wished it would've been a better looking actor that took the role XD He wasn't miscast but not too great either.

The story overall is heartwarming and sweet, but we had some story lines that were stronger than others, some more relatable than others, hence some episodes stronger than others. The story line revolving around the three older siblings were the most engaging. The story of the 2 youngest siblings was set-aside in the background and needed more attention from the writer. For that reason I found their resolve a bit shallow. Episodes about characters other than the siblings were less interesting. There were also a lot of cheesy dialogs running throughout the drama. It certainly isn't something new to Japanese dramas but dramas without cheesy dialogs have been done and this could've benefitted without as well

The soundtrack was used effectively here and the theme song added this timeless enchantment to the drama.

On the whole, not a perfect drama, but still touching and uplifting, with great performances and memorable roles. I will miss this drama for sure.

Leia Mais

Let me first give a little background on my undying and irreplaceable love for Ha Ji Won. Secret Garden was my second korean drama and still remains my all-time favorite. While it is undeniably Hyun Bin who stole the show in Secret Garden, I realized how much I came to love and respect Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won's character). Then I picked up King2Hearts while it was airing and 2 episodes in and I had fallen head-over-heels in love with Hang-Ah. I think she's the only female character I have ever had a girl-crush on. So, it was pretty expected of me to pick up Empress Ki eventually.

Although I don't watch 50 episodes dramas easily, I do pick one up once in a while if it catches my interest. So I started this drama just to watch Ha Ji Won in action again and also because I was in a mood for a historical drama. But honestly, all I was expecting was an overrated drama with a poor, exaggerated plot and brilliant acting. Boy, was I wrong.

Empress Ki is undeniably the best drama of 2013. And this is coming from someone who has watched I Hear Your Voice, Master's Sun and Man From The Stars. The plot is so well-paced that you won't feel like stopping even for a moment and won't feel like skipping a single scene either. The plot evokes such trouble for all protagonists but yet you sit in relief knowing Nyang is there. Watching, observing, plotting, winning.

Nyang. She is the best thing about this drama. She is behind-the-scene most of the time and she defeats her opponents before they even know who they are up against. The girl can plot and fight. She is the perfect one-man army. I haven't seen a more wiser character than her. Coming Wang Yu, he is perfect too. From the beginning you know Nyang and Wang Yu aren't meant to be since she's destined to marry the king of Yuan and become Empress Ki. But even then you can't help rooting for him from time to time and falling for his charms and his sincerity towards Nyang. But the King of Yuan isn't someone you can take for granted. Even though he's a bit of a coward and a puppet played by many, he is still very cute and likeable. Honestly I think he's a naive soul stuck in the horrible politics of the palace with no one to rely on and with no option but to fight not just for his throne but his life. I really loved his devotion for Empress Ki in all circumstances. All supporting actors were simply brilliant and were nowhere beneath the main cast. My personal favorites were El Temur (because I loved seeing him go down!) and his kids (who doesn't love seeing a bitch being tortured!). I also loved the servants of Goryeo and all the eunuchs of Yuan. Tal Tal and his uncle were also amazing. Some characters I loved because they were lovable but some characters I loved for their cruelty.

The music was great and the production was simply breathtaking. From the clothes to palaces and the forests, everything they shot was so beautiful and historically rich.

Coming to the historical significance, many historians complained that the drama portrayed Empress Ki as a national hero where in fact she was a traitor who tried to make her brother sit on Goryeo's throne. The drama has been repeatedly been accused of exaggerating facts and misguiding people (especially young ones, who are not much aware of Empress Ki) into idolizing empress ki.

Although I cannot comment on the historical facts, I would ask people to watch this with an open mind, without trying to find empress ki from history in the character of Nyang. She might not be the same person but the character that has been written is truly worth a watch.

I would recommend this drama to everyone. If you've never watched a 50+ eps drama, this is a good place to start. If you've never watched a historical drama, this is a good place to start. Definitely Ha Ji won's best portrayal so far. She deserved all those Daesang awards she got for this.

Leia Mais

Love between a prince and a servant maid is a staple K-Drama trope. Predictably, like Cinderella, the forces of good triumph over evil but not before our heroes contend with and overcome insurmountable obstacles which the writers in collusion with the sponsors often pile up stratosphere-high just so the show can go on and on and the cash cow milked for all its worth.

I'm happy to inform you that Emergency Couple is the exception to the aforementioned rule; to wit, its premise: A prince and a servant maid, who are in love, defy their elders and marry but just as quickly fall out of love and divorce. Coincidentally, they meet again as fellow medical doctors in training and fall in love all over again.

At first, I was skeptical. The ads had me thinking that it would be a silly comedy with a lot of improbable situations thrown in for the sake of cheap laughs. Boy, was I wrong. There was silliness, but for the most part, human flaws and how they undermine our best intentions were the show's focal point. Funny, sad, and poignant is how I would characterize the general tone and tenor of the show.

For any show to succeed, the main leads have to shine and they did. That the supporting roles almost impressed me as much is an endorsement of the show that needs no further comment.

Leia Mais

Y'know, I really actually enjoyed this drama. The story was very unique, as unique as a kdrama can be, I suppose. It was enjoyable and I was actually surprised quite a few times. Every time they walked away, I honestly thought it would be the last time. I could have done less with the crying, but that's a kdrama cliche I've just gotten accustomed to (I mean, come on, I Miss You is one of my top 5 dramas so..). Eun Hye is one of my favorite actors, as well, and after watching this a second time (as it was one of the first kdramas I watched a couple years ago) I have been dazzled by Kang Ji Hwan. I think he's one of my favorite actors now, to be honest. The other aspect I liked about the show was there was no single evil entity, but a few different 'antagonists'. The difference between Lie to Me and other kdramas, though, is that I didn't particularly feel like any of them were just cold and evil to the bone, y'know? They pissed me off, and frustrated me, but they were understandable - I like that in a drama. It's refreshing.

The acting was pretty phenomenal. Course, with Eun Hye, it was bound to be good, but Kang Ji Hwan brought his own spark and charisma to the show. If I had been a fan of both actors before they made the show, I would have been enthralled to hear that Eun Hye and Ji Hwan were going to be in a drama together. It's kind of like how it was with Shin Hye and Min Ho before Heirs came about. I fell in love with this drama all over again.

Don't get me started on the music. I was so in love with the OST for this drama. I sang along everytime each of the songs came about, even the more melodramatic theme song. They were all beautiful and awesome, and I'm definitely going to be adding a few of them to my soundtrack. Kang Ji Hwan and Eun Hye sang my favorite song in the drama, and I'm glad they did. You can't miss Eun Hye's cute voice (thanks to her previous girl group days) and Kang Ji Hwan's adorable voice. They're both very talented, charismatic people and actors and it really shines through in this drama. I hope they can do a drama together again in the future...

I gave this a high rewatch value because I watched it again and for the most part, it's pretty comical and light-hearted. There are some deeper, more melodramatic scenes, but the cute moments (and those kisses, oh god) were enough to fill my cuteness quota for the month.

I would 100% recommend this to friends, especially ones who haven't seen many kdramas. It's a good gateway show!

Leia Mais

During what could be considered a slow drama year, Wakamono Tachi (“Young People,” international title: “All About My Siblings,”) was greatly anticipated from the first. One exciting aspect manifests itself in its status as an anniversary drama, a fact that often denotes heightened quality. Another comes in the form of Shugo Muto, who wrote the script for this remade series as well as last year’s excellent reboot of Kazoku Game and the beloved 2005 Densha Otoko. Yet for an overwhelming number of potential viewers, the prospect of another reunion between cast members Mitsushima Hikari and Eita—with the added bonus of fantastic Tsumabuki Satoshi—constituted the biggest delight. So with all these expectations riding on its back, how did well Wakamono Tachi fare?

Regrettably (how it pains me to begin with that word!) soaring expectations might cost this drama points with viewers. While Wakamono Tachi manages to score a place in the storied collection of worthy Japanese “life dramas,” it cannot be called perfect or even particularly groundbreaking. We follow the trials and tribulations of the orphaned Sato siblings, as well as those of their romantic prospects. Most story arcs focus on one sibling/issue at a time, detailing how the family pulls together so as to overcome it (or not). As might be expected from such a system, certain parts watch stronger than others. Characters Asahi, Satoru, and Hikari are front and center for the better episodes, most of which are warm and emotional. However, as focus spreads to the youngest siblings (and onward to the “girlfriends” and “boyfriend”) it becomes harder to swallow parts of the writing. Certain plots begin to touch upon the melodramatic and the tone/time frame for others ceases to reflect reality, though otherwise most events are thoughtfully placed. As strongly felt as the finale was, I could not but want for better closure. Several more episodes might have alleviated these issues, and I doubt viewers would object to extra time with the Sato family.

My favorite aspect of Wakamono Tachi must be its vibrant and quirky humor. The siblings primarily communicate in high-speed bickering around the dinner table, which often yields audacious and unbelievable dialogue. Many members of the Sato family are also wrestling fans, and so the most difficult emotional conundrums are solved over hearty talks—and outdoor brawls! What results is an unexpectedly lovable and relatable family that, despite any oddity, ends up working its way deep into the viewer’s heart. No matter the issues with the script, one begins to feel as though they will miss them when the series ends. I also believe the financial state our heroes are portrayed in (almost destitute!) helps them remain understandable. It is refreshing to meet with an every-man and his family for once, rather than a privileged member of the upper crust.

Without a doubt, Wakamono Tachi cast well. Tsumabuki Satoshi wins viewer sympathy as the sincere, hardworking Sato Asahi, whose more cliché characteristics are eclipsed masterfully by a strange mix of immaturity and fatherly instinct. A figure inherently good, Tsumabuki-san infuses Asahi with fetching laughter, contagious tears, and a performance most memorable. I'm not afraid to admit I fell in love. The widely lauded Eita settles into another complicated role as Sato Satoru, who explodes onto the scene as a menacing figure—but might his true self be loyal and loving? Mitsushima Hikari is safely one of the best actresses of her generation, and so in Sato Hikari maintains her standard. Hers might be the most precariously balanced story in the series, caught as it is between two moral poles; however, Mitsushima-san dons the role without the barest suggestion of difficulty. As for the other parts of the cast, most performances were passable to good with an almost universal connection of chemistry (particularly within the Sato family). If there were any weak links, I’d point either to Nomura Shuhei (Sato Tadashi) or Yoshioka Hidetaka (Shinjo Masaomi) but only when compared to the “big three.”

For those who concern themselves with music, this series employs a decent enough score with a good sense for incidental pieces and silence. Perhaps the only song worth writing home about would be the beautiful theme. It is provided by sweet-voiced Moriyama Naotaro, “Wakamono Tachi (Young People)” after the title of the drama. This gentle and nostalgic vocal suits the overall feeling of the series with surprising strength, even as it accompanies the credits. These show the characters, interspersed between the candid photographs of other (perhaps real?) examples of the modern Japanese youth.

Leia Mais

One word foodporn. This show was all about food and eating from ep 1 to 16 and sometimes 3 times an episode. I liked it because it dint have the crazy ex syndrome. It was all fun and friendly with a lil bit of spookiness. Dojoon was just eye candy and though he talked fast i just could stop staring and longed to see him. He was a liar, player and straight forward guy. My favorite has always been soo kyung. Her acting has always been a hilarious character like in "soul mate and agent oh". I liked how enthusiastic she was about food and eating it, she made us want to eat. The other hilarious characters were attoney kim and oh. They dint really have to do any practice, just their movements and acting made u laugh out loud. Funny by nature.attoney oh was just oblivious to the end just thinking that everyone wanted a piece of her
I dint give it a 10 coz they took too much time focusing on eating that it got monotonous also some hanging and cliché moments.
The theme music was actually weirdly good coz the lyrics is about food. (lets eat by k jun)

Leia Mais

Wonderful family drama which captures you from the first second and do not let go until the end and when it's finished you want to see more, how they continue their lives, how they got married, had kids and all their lives until the death. That's why I gave this score. I mean if you only read the cast you instantly become scared, you become scared whether this drama is going to be some masterpiece or some drama ruined by all those famous names, which happens a lot in American movies and shows. Fortunately, it was the first case- you get to see a masterpiece drama. Why? Well, it is ordinary drama indeed, with a family members living together, fighting, loving, crying, smiling, having many issues which is something pretty usual and nothing special. Yes, it sounds like that but when you watch only a first episode you could see how you're becoming more and more interested in further development, how you're becoming suddenly addictive. At leas I was 'till the last second of a show.

Acting was...BRILLIANT, MIND BLOWING AND INCREDIBLE. As expected from all those actors. 10 points to Eita, 10 to Hikari, 10 to Satoshi, 10 to Aoi, even 10 to Masami (the girl just proved in this drama how good she can be). I don't have to write about their acting, every true Japanese fan knows about them and how genius they are. I'm only going to say that the chemistry they had was so amazing, all of them, between every single family member, how they loved one each other, how they fought, how they protected one another, whatever problems they had, and they had a lot of them through the whole drama, they stayed together because they're family. There is a sentence which Asahi said at the end:" Anywhere we go, we are family. A family that is inseparable. That needs no reason.' And that's exactly the point of a drama. FAMILY.
I think I was the most touched by the eldest son who was honestly suffered the most to achieve all that and keeps of all them together in a place to live, food to eat and proper education to have. And the second son who was played by my dearest Eita, two of them were so fantastic, I've enjoyed in their scenes, and scenes with their only sister who was such a sweet, delightful creature, with every brother she showed different relationship, she was like a soul of their family. All scenes between them, funny, sad, angry, crazy, all the emotions that exist in this world I think that they delivered us all of them in only 11 hours. Simply magnificent.

Music was ok, nothing much but quietly in the background fitted good to the atmosphere.
This drama is a story about human emotions, about family gathered together and their stories and lives, each character was so well written, even the side characters were perfect.
At the end, this sentence really hit me and got deep in the heart. "What's wrong with crying when I want to cry? That's what a human being is supposed to do."
Definitely a drama with so many messages and lessons about life and humans which all of us should listen and be aware of. I'm truly thankful for having a opportunity to see this amazing piece.

Leia Mais

I loved it! The romance, comedy and drama all had their right moments at some times fast paced, loud and sad but the ending was quite plain and sweet.
I love Lee Gun. His retarded laugh might annoy some people but it made me laugh and it also gives his character an original charm. I'm also not bothered by it cause he seems to laugh so awkwardly most of the times when he is hiding his true feelings. Jang Hyuk voice or way of talking reminded me of Yu Oh-Seong in 'Faith' which is not a bad thing cause I like his voice. Thankfully Jang Hyuk is much cuter to look at lol. I found the story and subject heart warming.
Besides 'Fated to Love you' I've never seen another movie or drama with Jang Na-Ra and I must say she played Kim Mi-Young very well I'd like to believe she is just as sweet and charming as the character she was playing. A character like her can become annoying fast but you end up loving her cause she's just too cute. Also you end up falling in love with the family and friends of both Lee Gun & Kim Mi-Young as all the tears and joys are shared on different levels but all seem to make full circle.
This is one of my favorite romantic Kdrama's and I think it fits in the same charm level as 'Master's Sun' & 'Secret Garden'. But if I'm fair I loved 'Secret Garden' & 'Master's Sun' a wee bit more cause it had that supernatural thang. Also if you have a fear for snails even the animated ones with eyeballs...you'll be fine..I am scared to death when it comes to snails so I know lol.
Also I love the music..every time Ailee came up my eyes got all teary at some point that song almost kept me awake all night =_=. Kya this drama made me laugh and cry so much again. Every time I watch kdrama my hubby is eyeballing me cause he can't tell if I'm having a bad day or if I'm watching kdrama lol.

Leia Mais

I think this is one of those dramas where you sit back and say "Wow, so this is also a way a Korean Drama can be made". I mean, don't get me wrong, there were some kdrama cliches in Marriage Not Dating but nothing was overbearing. In fact, I loved those cliches too. And it was an extremely refreshing romantic-comedy.

The plot was very interesting throughout. A guy wants to stay single while his family (mostly his mom) threatens to get him married. So he decides to make Jang Mi his fake girlfriend as he knows his family would never approve of her as their daughter-in-law. The funniest ride starts right there at their first meeting. I loved how they started every episode with some fast-forwarded scene that made you go, "did I miss an episode or something?". lol.

The characters were all amazing. I haven't loved a female lead in a long time the way I loved Jang Mi. She was hilarious and had a kind heart. I mean, sure, she got a little clingy at times but that was funny too. Ki Tae was great. Out of all their friends, Hoon Dong was the best! I didn't care much for second leads, which was pretty much a bonus because I hate having second lead syndrome. Both the families were great. I think Ki Tae's mom's character was the most interesting. Sometimes I loved her and there were times I really hated her (can't believe Jang Mi never disliked her). But there were also times I pitied her. By the end of the drama I realized she was the character I became most emotionally invested in. I loved her and loved how she grew as a person. In fact I loved the growth of every character in this drama. I think when it comes to creating beautiful characters, TVN is the best. Whether it's the characters from Reply 1997/1994 or shut up flower boy band, they all impressed us and it had nothing to do with fancy celebrities but rather with the script.

The music is great. "Love Lane" and "Stop The Love Now" have been a part of my daily jam for a while now. It's a cute, cheerful OST overall. Moreover I loved the funny background music (people who have watched this would know what I'm talking about). I think I haven't loved any bgm this much since the "meh" for Sam Chun Po in Reply 1994. Hahaha.

Overall I would recommend this drama for the slightly-different but cute love story and the hilarious family situations. Definitely worth a watch and a rewatch!

Leia Mais

I so LOOOOVE this drama! I gave a try to watch this because of Yoona ^_^

This is very very funny.. It gets thrilling episode by episode. I love JGS and Yoona's chemistry :)

The OST too are very good: Love Rain, Because It's You (Tiffany of SNSD), Again and Again and Shy Confession Song are my favorites! :)

But I have to admit that the first few episodes maybe (1-3?) were kinda serious and slow.. it got me to the point that I stopped watching it. Then I read a lot in my news feed about how great this drama is. And I again gave it a try but this time I skipped to the 6th or 7th episode, the new generation episodes. That is were I started loving this drama..

The supporting characters are also very good! I love Seo In Gook and Shi Hoo.

Leia Mais

Naomi
In all my years of watching Korean dramas, This is the "WORSE" drama I have ever seen!! What a cold, cruel, and destructive drama toward the sanctity of marriage! How did MBC and those who were in charge allow such an offensive and disastrous drama as Temptaion escape out of Korea?! I will never again watch anything with the names choi ji woo and kwon sang woo attached to it! Both their names will only remind me of how bad and ugly this sunami called Temptaion really was. If this is what the writer (han ji hoon) calls real Love between two arrogant cruel adulterers, then the writer is very confused and does not know what love is. I can't believe how the writer made the devastated abandoned wife the villain and making the greedy scumbag husband and his rich whore the innocent couple that the writer tried convincing everyone to feel sorry for. THIS IS NOT LOVE JI HOON!! Romance? There was none! Does the writer, director (park young soo), and producer(s) hate to see two people who are so happily married that they found it necessary to viciously destroy the faithful wife who really loved her husband? This was not good drama--This was a sinking titanic! This writer was part of a team who wrote Dr. Jin which was also disconnected. Couldn't finish that one either. I will have to be careful of the script writer and not allow myself to be punished by watching "HEARTLESS JUNK" like Temptation ever again--especially if Han ji hoon is listed as the writer. I quit watching at ep 7. I just couldn't take it anymore! I wished I'd been able to give Temptaion a "0" rating.

Leia Mais

This drama was definitely different from the common plots k-drama usually depicts in their shows. In the beginning I loved how the show was going at such a such a slow and comfortable pace, even though others had made up their mind that the show was going to be boring. Boy, they were wrong!

This show made me laugh so much that my stomach hurt. As much as it made me laugh, I also cried my eyes out. I didn't cry my eyes out for petty reasons, like boy hurts girl and girl leaves boy, but because the psychological genre was properly executed in this drama. Also the actors had played their role so well that there was never a dull moment. Also the soundtrack was one of the best I have heard that I can't wait to download it all. Just because it has melodrama incorporated don't expect a tragedy, it had a beautiful ending. I truly recommend this drama for all to watch because it is a incredibly meaningful and beautiful drama to watch.

Leia Mais