PrettyCarEye

Thx for accepting! You seem to be a sageuk fan, given that 3 of your 5 favs are sageuks? I'm currently watching Princess' Man. I'm on ep 7, so far it's progressing well. I like the political scheming that hallmarks this genre & I hope the romance won't disappoint. Many of my friends say it's one of the best romances they've seen but knowing how picky I am about what constitutes a 'good' romance I'm curious to see if I agree with them! :)
What other genres do you like?

I see we both like Game of Thrones (although since discovering Asian dramas in late 2012 I haven't caught up on the latest seasons). Another epic series I loved was Spartacus. That show was so good! Bloody, very bloody, but one of the best technically & creatively produced shows I've ever seen. I'm sad it's no longer on the air.

Ahhh ... hehe yes you would! It's not a bad skill to have. :) These days I'm totally into checking out who the screenwriters are & what other shows they've written before committing myself to any drama. There are just some screenwriters whose writing style (the Hongs) or values (the writer of Woman who Married 3x) who don't jive well with my tastes so I try to avoid them if I can. While I don't like all of Kim Eun Sook's work, the way she writes (mature leads, not too much focus on 2nd leads etc) & the worldview (you're with someone you love it's okay to sleep with him/her) she projects in her dramas are more relatable to me. That's why I've crowned her as my favourite. For now. I love discovering screenwriters who write according to my tastes & marathoning their shows. I try to also look up Japanese screenwriters, but they're harder to find in English. That's why I'm glad to have you around! xD

It's not only romance ... it's any genre. If it's a choice between life & death, death is chosen.
While I'm able to tolerate tragic endings I prefer happy or hopeful ones. I don't like shows that are tragic just for the sake of tragedy (which I believe most Asian cinema tend to be ... that's why I say they have a very pessimistic view on life).
Like whenever I hear of tragedies occurring in South Korea I start to worry that people are going to kill themselves because it seems to be woven in their cultural & moral fabric that death is the right (& only) solution for every difficult situation.
Back to films, the other day I watched a movie called Labour Day. It stars Kate Winslet & Josh Brolin. She's a depressed housewife, he's an escaped convict. Without going into details, this movie could have taken a very tragic turn but the ending was rather bittersweet. Hopeful in that it's neither happy nor sad. I prefer these type of endings rather than those gut wrenching ones that gets you bawling or lower your mood. I really don't like to cry, but because I'm naturally an emotional person I feel other people's pain very easily. It's a burden.

Haha what has?

Fell for this guy after seeing him in Nine! He's so effortlessly sexy, I absolutely love him! :) He really can't make dramas fast enough to suit me!! haha <3

Nice review of Nine!
I don't completely agree about the acting of Lee Jin Wook. I think his character was written rather standard & dry (male, 30s, intelligent, don't believe in love etc), but he managed to infuse the character with a lot of charm & wry humour. I loved the way he navigated the world around him. I do agree about the female lead though! I wished they had cast a more versatile actress. I've see Jo Yoon Hee in a few dramas before this & her gig is always the same. A lot of Korean actors are pretty static in the way they interpret their characters, but JYH's MO literally never changes, not even a little bit. It's always the same cute, innocent, pouty mouthed persona that she projects. Drives me crazy! So much that I'm thinking about blacklisting her.

Often times the romances in dramas could be more passionate & heartfelt if the female leads weren't so hung up on this pure childlike 'image'. I mean JYH is in her 30s, she's not exactly a high schooler. I also had the same problem with HJW in Secret Garden. I just couldn't feel the chemistry between her & Hyun Bin because she was always so stiff, even after they supposedly fell in love. I wish more actresses were like Yoon Eun Hye! Not because she's a great actress but because she does try to make her on screen romances look believable. Her kiss scenes are amazing & she cultivates great chemistry with her co-stars, even when she may not be perfectly matched with the actor.

Anyway, sorry for the long post! It's just good having a balanced review of a show given all the fangirl influenced 10s that get thrown around on this site! :)

I thought the ending was dramatic, but not over dramatic if considered in the context of events that had taken this place. She wanted to traumatise them, given how callously they had treated her. The scene was harrowing, unforgettable ... but I liked that it wasn't just done for cheap shock value. It fits perfectly in with the story. I look forward to seeing LJJ in The Face Reader. The reviews are lukewarm, but if anyone can keep things interesting it's him. Have you seen him in anything else that left an indelible impression? Have you seen Il Mare? I've been wondering whether to watch that movie. I've seen the American remake, The Lake House ... and somehow I don't trust Asians to give us a satisfying ending with a story like this. They almost always choose tragedy rather than opt for more hopeful endings (which is 1 of my major complaints about their cinema). Why so pessimistic?

Re: Lovers, I think I need to re-watch that show with more objective eyes at some point because at my first viewing I thought it was flawless! hahaha

I didn't notice any of the complaints some viewers had with the show nor can I remember the sloppy camera work you mentioned. That said I must admit I watched Lovers somewhat under duress. I was about to abandon Asian dramas all together because I was fed up with all the juvenile behaviour & silly plot lines that characterized most dramas I had seen. I wanted to see characters & stories I could relate to as an adult who isn't some sheltered, wide-eyed virgin. You know what I mean?

Then I watched Lovers ... with adult characters dealing with adult problems & it was like I'd struck a goldmine! lol

Now that I have things more in perspective perhaps my 10 rating might get reduced to a 9 after a second viewing, who knows?

I love witty banter! Actually that's one of the reasons why I loved Lovers. The chemistry that practically bounced of the screen because of KJ & MJ's banter & fleeting sexually charged interactions. City Hall & AGD were also good at this, but I personally felt Lovers had a lot more & was better. Do you remember the scene when Mi Joo wanted to give KJ his shot & he's like 'I'm starting to think you have a fascination with my butt'. LOL, LOVED that! haha

Cha Seung Won (male lead of City Hall) is generally a very crazy, witty guy. He tends to play all his roles with the same comedic flair but he doesn't annoy me as much as other actors simply because he's just so darn GOOD at what he does. He & Kim Sun Ah were just a perfect couple in CH!

OMG, I love Yoon Eun Hye!!! Why? Not because she's this great actress but because the girl can KISS! Uhm-hmm...she really gets into her romantic liaisons & she makes an effort to meet the male lead half way instead of standing there like a big log. If she had played Gil Ra Im I'm sure I would've liked SG a lot better bcuz I definitely have a problem with HJW & how she interprets her roles.

In fact I've never seen her in a role where she didn't annoy me. Maybe in Closer to Heaven, a movie about a man suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease. And that's probably bcuz it's a very sad movie. I was so caught up in the sheer emotion of the film that I didn't have the energy to focus on her.

Ah I see.
Still I can't imagine I'd like it. Red herrings in this genre don't work for me. If they lead you to believe there's a viable romance they should deliver on it & not tease their audience. I hate when writers dangle romantic overtures & never really allow it to develop. I'd rather they just leave it out all together. Anyway, there are so many dramas on my lists to watch that taking Coffee House off is actually a relief! :) Btw, I didn't know the writing duo of Nine & QIHM were behind this show. Thx for the info. Seems like you're the 'guess the screenwriter' goddess here on MDL! :)

I took it off my list because I read that it doesn't have a happy ending. For me if romance is the central theme of the drama then it must have a happy ending. I see no point investing all my emotions in characters only to see them break up or die at the end.

I hear Coffee House was a disappointment though. Do you agree?

In that case, how about trying Golden Empire? It's a political business drama & one of THE best I've ever seen. The acting is phenomenal, the story is cohesive throughout. Very little contrivances that I could detect. Watching this drama is like watching a twisted game of human chest. From around ep 12 - 13 it keeps you absolutely riveted! And the female lead here is a smart, sharp woman. I would've loved her if my loyalties weren't so divided. If you watch the show you'll know what I mean.

There's also another show that I've heard is similar to GE, Hanzawa Naoki. I haven't gotten around to seeing it myself but it got a lot of good buzz when it was airing. Apparently like GE you can look forward to intelligent characters and an engaging well developed plot.

As for Nine, you should finish it! It's not without fault, but I personally think it's better than Queen In-Hyun's Man. The time travel is better developed & I really like Sun Woo, the male lead, because he's smart with a bit of a sarcastic/ironic sense of humour. I didn't care as much for the female lead, but that's probably because I don't really like the actress herself.

Well, I watched AGD in early 2013, I think it was like my 3rd or 4th drama. At the time I wasn't completely aware of KHN as an actress. I had seen her before, in a couple movies, and I didn't care for her, but not to the point where I didn't want to watch her shows. So I decided to give AGD a go. Let me tell you, it sealed her fate as far as I'm concerned. I found her to be extremely annoying, as she is in EVERY role I've seen her in. That's why I can't stand her.

Makjang??? Then Lovers in Paris is definitely not for me! I hate makjang. I have King of Dramas on the list to watch. I've heard good things about it & I'm looking forward. But right now I've committed to watching The Princess' Man. Have you see it? What do you think?

What kind of dramas do you like? I mean like genre preferences & such. I saw your forum post about smart leads ... I'm sure you're already seen Nine?

'So if I understood you right you like Kim Eun Sook but hate Hongs?'

Yes, though 'hate' is a strong word. I dislike them. I can think of only a few Korean personalities that I 'hate'. They shall remain unnamed.

'And reading my article you learned that all the dramas that you dislike are made by the sisters Hong?'

No, there are dramas by both writers that I dislike. Your article simply gave these writers a name & helped me determine whether I agreed with your analysis of their craft.

I haven't seen Master's Sun or Heirs. I'm debating whether I should see Heirs or not. Not because everyone says it's horrible - if I really want to watch something I don't care what others say. I'm hesitant bcuz it's not the type of story & setting I like. School & flower boys aren't my thing. Plus PSH provokes me. On the other hand I want to watch for myself & see if it's as bad as everyone says. Somehow I can't reconcile the thought that KES would write something so unbearable.

But even if it IS bad, I'll still like KES more than the Hongs simply because I've enjoyed more KES dramas than Hong dramas. The Hongs make me laugh, but I never become 100% invested in their characters or stories. KES on the other hand can make me laugh AND fall in love with her characters. KES's characters also act their age while the Hongs tend to infantilize their characters. However, I disliked Lovers in Prague (5) & Secret Garden (6) and I refuse to watch Lovers in Paris (because I'm thinking if Prague was so bad, Paris might be worse) & On Air (because I hate Kim Ha Neul).

Why would you hope you wouldn't turn me on to another screenwriter? Isn't that the purpose of your articles? I look forward to that article about Nojima Shinji. I absolutely loved Pride & I quite liked Love Shuffle.

//edited

So it was you (or your articles rather) that turned me on to the Hongs - I call them the horrible Hongs - & Eun Sook unnie.
I've come to love many of Kim's dramas. Lovers, City Hall & AGD are favs. But while the Hongs are great comedic writers I don't think they know too much about proper story & character development. The first 10 eps of their dramas are always great, but becomes draggy soon after that & their female leads act in the most illogical ways. I've pretty much disliked all their dramas that I've seen.

Omona! Are you back? Long time no chat. What you been up to? Are you finally finished with your thesis? Nice seeing you around! What's on your watchlist these days?
I want to watch The Princess' Man before Easter is over.

I see.
I haven't seen a lot of pure action dramas. There are a few on my list I haven't gotten around to seeing yet. Mostly the ones I've seen are hybrids so they're a mixture of several genres, usually action/drama/crime/romance:

Lovers (a fav of mine)
Cruel City
Time between Dog & Wolf

Romance/Drama

Aishiteru to Ittekure - really really good & sweet romance, but the ending is kinda effed up. Still worth the watch though.

Pride
Buzzer Beat
Orange Days

These are all Japanese, you don't mind do you? Or are exclusively a k-drama watcher?

For movies:

3-Iron
Spring Summer Autumn Winter ... Spring

How did you get into dramas? I can't remember reading about your journey on your page ... or wait, you started out watching anime & reading manga, am I right?

Yeah what happened with Secret Garden is that ... well, it's kinda hard to put into words, esp these days when I'm struggling to remember English at a level above kindergarten!

Anyway, I've come to associate KES with creating more mature characters & worlds which feel decidedly more adult than your average romcom. If I compare Secret Garden to City Hall (another romcom written by KES) just the entire quality of CH felt more authentic and relatable to me.

The interaction between Hyun Bin & Ha Ji Won was rather juvenile & silly compared to the sexually charged, yet comedic, one between Kim Sun Ah & Cha Seung Won. Also while KES sticks to a lot of drama cliches she tends to package them in a way that isn't totally contrived & stupid, at least most of the time. Secret Garden, in my opinion, was not one of these instances.

Last but not least it doesn't help that I dislike HJW as an actress with a passion. She doesn't act well, imo. She's entirely overrated & she gets a lot attention more deserving actresses don't get. More importantly I couldn't feel the chemistry between her & Hyun Bin. They came across more as brother & sister to me. Even those supposedly 'hot' kisses at the end seemed very rehearsed & lacked the passion that I've come to associate with KES dramas after seeing Lovers, City Hall & A Gentleman's Dignity.

One thing you should be aware of with KES is that her romances take quite a bit of time to build. Usually it isn't until the last 5 or so eps that the leads finally come together as a loving couple. But in the mean time she compensates for that(usually) with great chemistry & quite comedic moments. I hope you'll stick with Lovers even if you think things are progressing slowly. Funny you don't like the fight scenes, I loved seeing KJ in action! :)