Drama Thoughts: Koizora (2008) + Beautiful Gong Shim (2016)
On my old Wordpress blog, I used to write reviews for dramas and movies, but that was back when I would watch one show at a time. These days I'm juggling ten. But even while doing one at a time, it was a struggle to write at length about any of the things I watched. I'm just not very good at breaking things down and going into depth about another person's work unless it's something really complex and/or something I'm extremely passionate about. And then even when I am passionate about something, I'm terrible at expressing that passion in any way that can be called eloquent.
This image from tumblr sums it up pretty neatly, lol. It really is just a matter of whether or not a show entertained me, though there are various levels to that and that's where ratings come in to play. But sometimes I actually do have some thoughts on a show -- not enough to write a full review, but more than what can be conveyed in a number rating alone. So, rather than going back and trying to write full reviews in vain, I'm just going to write about a show when I have some thoughts on it, however brief they may be. Thus, I'll be calling this "Drama Thoughts" rather than reviews.
This series won't cover shows in great deal, so don't expect to learn much about them if you read these. This is merely a means for me to jot down my thoughts on a show after finishing it.
This first post is a double feature:
Koizora (2008)
My Rating*: 6/10
Country: Japan
Type: Drama
Episodes: 6
Cast: Mizusawa Erena, Seto Koji
I don't have much to say about this short drama. It wasn't a bad show, but it didn't really hold my interest. This happens sometimes with shows focusing on high school students; I just zone out because I'm old and bitter (LOL). No, but it was a well-made show, the cast and characters were all good, and even though I multitasked while watching it or just plain skimmed through parts, I still cried a lot. But it wasn't for me, so I lacked the patience to view it properly and therefore couldn't give it a higher rating than I did.
I did like the lead actress quite a bit. It's a pity she doesn't seem to have many other main roles since then. I'm interested in watching the movie version of this story someday too, but it will have to wait for now.
Also, because it reminded me of the 2009 film Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu, I kept hearing the theme song by Hirai Ken from that playing in my head, lol.
Beautiful Gong Shim (2016)
My Rating*: 8/10
Country: South Korea
Type: Drama
Episodes: 20
Cast: Nam Gung Min, Min Ah, Ohn Joo Wan
I'll be the first to admit that much of this drama was nothing original and that it had its fair share of cliches. However, what the story lacked in originality, the characters more than made up for in my opinion. Get this: a male lead who didn't treat the heroine like crap at any point. [audible gasp!] Shocking, I know! But it gets better: a heroine somehow deemed "ugly" who did not need to go through a "beauty" transformation in order to achieve happiness and success. Unheard of!!!
I cannot express how much I loved that Gong Shim (played by Min Ah) got to keep the wig on for the entire show. The short, black bob was actually really cute and suited the character so much, it would have been jarring, not to mention typical, for her to have taken it off halfway through the show. I really expected that, along with a change in wardrobe and addition of make-up, to take place at some point. It was really refreshing that she didn't have to change anything about her appearance, especially since K-Dramas love the makeover. Looks aside, her character was really great too. I loved her personality and I could relate to her a lot, so she was easy to root for and sympathize with. I hope to see more heroines like her in the future.
Nam Gung Min as Ahn Dan Tae was really amusing as well. I hear he typically plays villains, so this was quite the change from his usual roles, but this was also an unusual character for a male lead in a K-Drama in general. I'm not saying all male leads are jerk, but the ones that aren't are few and far between. He and Gong Shim were both so goofy and quirky, they made quite the pair. A lot of their moments had me cracking up, especially the part where they're at an amusement park and accidentally had their photo taken while Gong Shim was passed out and Dan Tae was frantically shouting her name.
Beautiful, LOL.
Another rarity this drama featured was a second lead that was loveable on his own, and not just in comparison to the jerk of a main lead. For one, the main lead wasn't a jerk, obviously. But usually when that happens, and often even when it doesn't, the second lead shows an ugly side. This was not the case with Joon Soo (played by Ohn Joo Wan). Sweet and innocent as a puppy, Joon Soo was always kind to the heroine and even had a strong bromance with Ahn Dan Tae. Their relationship in this show was actually one of my favorite parts. Though they hit some rough moments when they started suspecting each other of deception, neither turned hugely vicious towards the other. I fully expected Joon Soo to go dark side at some point and become a typical hated character, but he stayed true to his original personality of an honestly good person not spoiled by his upbringing. If Ahn Dan Tae hadn't been the awesome character that he was, I would have suffered some severe second lead syndrome.
Though I suspect this was more of an abandoned storyline than something the writers did on purpose, I also appreciate how things played out with the second lead lady -- and that being that she hardly played out at all. One of the most frustrating parts of dramas is when the second lead lady gets really vicious and continually tries to sabotage the heroine. But, perhaps because she was the heroine's sister, this one didn't really do much throughout the show, so much screentime was saved from watching her plot and scheme and commit heinous acts. There was enough going on with the actual villains in the show that any extra time focused on her would have just upset the pleasant balance of light-heartedness and melodrama that this show carried.
In addition to the characters, this drama also had a really great soundtrack. A few of the songs were really fun and quirky, which fit perfectly with the characters and atmosphere. Even some of the instrumental tracks were really good. But my favorite song from the OST was "Found" by Coffee Boy:
I had a lot of fun watching this drama the past ten weeks. The humor and light-hearted atmosphere made it really easy to follow from week to week. I actually fell into a K-Drama slump around the halfway point in this show and ended up dropping or putting on hold every other show I was watching, but this show somehow survived the cut. That's pretty impressive to me since I know how impossible it can feel to watch a K-Drama when I hit a bad slump like that. So that just tells me how much I enjoyed watching this one. :)
There's more that I could probably cover about this show, but I've already written more than I thought I would, lol, so I'll wrap things up here!
*My ratings are based on a combination of "quality" (story, characters, pacing, originality, etc.) and my own personal enjoyment. Dramas lacking in one area of "quality" may therefore be rated higher simply because I had fun watching them. I also tend to change my scores over time, as some dramas leave a lasting impression while others become completely forgettable. (Note that ratings here on Livejournal may not match those on MyDramaList as I don't come back to change them, so the ratings here reflect my original impressions.) Generally, anything with a score of 7 or higher had some "quality" to it and was enjoyable for me. Scores below that were lacking in too many areas and had little to no enjoyment factor to make up for it. Even so, I try not to rate too harshly unless I have been really disappointed. Otherwise, I think I am a fairly easy-to-please viewer.
This image from tumblr sums it up pretty neatly, lol. It really is just a matter of whether or not a show entertained me, though there are various levels to that and that's where ratings come in to play. But sometimes I actually do have some thoughts on a show -- not enough to write a full review, but more than what can be conveyed in a number rating alone. So, rather than going back and trying to write full reviews in vain, I'm just going to write about a show when I have some thoughts on it, however brief they may be. Thus, I'll be calling this "Drama Thoughts" rather than reviews.
This series won't cover shows in great deal, so don't expect to learn much about them if you read these. This is merely a means for me to jot down my thoughts on a show after finishing it.
This first post is a double feature:
Koizora (2008)
My Rating*: 6/10
Country: Japan
Type: Drama
Episodes: 6
Cast: Mizusawa Erena, Seto Koji
I don't have much to say about this short drama. It wasn't a bad show, but it didn't really hold my interest. This happens sometimes with shows focusing on high school students; I just zone out because I'm old and bitter (LOL). No, but it was a well-made show, the cast and characters were all good, and even though I multitasked while watching it or just plain skimmed through parts, I still cried a lot. But it wasn't for me, so I lacked the patience to view it properly and therefore couldn't give it a higher rating than I did.
I did like the lead actress quite a bit. It's a pity she doesn't seem to have many other main roles since then. I'm interested in watching the movie version of this story someday too, but it will have to wait for now.
Also, because it reminded me of the 2009 film Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu, I kept hearing the theme song by Hirai Ken from that playing in my head, lol.
Beautiful Gong Shim (2016)
My Rating*: 8/10
Country: South Korea
Type: Drama
Episodes: 20
Cast: Nam Gung Min, Min Ah, Ohn Joo Wan
I'll be the first to admit that much of this drama was nothing original and that it had its fair share of cliches. However, what the story lacked in originality, the characters more than made up for in my opinion. Get this: a male lead who didn't treat the heroine like crap at any point. [audible gasp!] Shocking, I know! But it gets better: a heroine somehow deemed "ugly" who did not need to go through a "beauty" transformation in order to achieve happiness and success. Unheard of!!!
I cannot express how much I loved that Gong Shim (played by Min Ah) got to keep the wig on for the entire show. The short, black bob was actually really cute and suited the character so much, it would have been jarring, not to mention typical, for her to have taken it off halfway through the show. I really expected that, along with a change in wardrobe and addition of make-up, to take place at some point. It was really refreshing that she didn't have to change anything about her appearance, especially since K-Dramas love the makeover. Looks aside, her character was really great too. I loved her personality and I could relate to her a lot, so she was easy to root for and sympathize with. I hope to see more heroines like her in the future.
Nam Gung Min as Ahn Dan Tae was really amusing as well. I hear he typically plays villains, so this was quite the change from his usual roles, but this was also an unusual character for a male lead in a K-Drama in general. I'm not saying all male leads are jerk, but the ones that aren't are few and far between. He and Gong Shim were both so goofy and quirky, they made quite the pair. A lot of their moments had me cracking up, especially the part where they're at an amusement park and accidentally had their photo taken while Gong Shim was passed out and Dan Tae was frantically shouting her name.
Beautiful, LOL.
Another rarity this drama featured was a second lead that was loveable on his own, and not just in comparison to the jerk of a main lead. For one, the main lead wasn't a jerk, obviously. But usually when that happens, and often even when it doesn't, the second lead shows an ugly side. This was not the case with Joon Soo (played by Ohn Joo Wan). Sweet and innocent as a puppy, Joon Soo was always kind to the heroine and even had a strong bromance with Ahn Dan Tae. Their relationship in this show was actually one of my favorite parts. Though they hit some rough moments when they started suspecting each other of deception, neither turned hugely vicious towards the other. I fully expected Joon Soo to go dark side at some point and become a typical hated character, but he stayed true to his original personality of an honestly good person not spoiled by his upbringing. If Ahn Dan Tae hadn't been the awesome character that he was, I would have suffered some severe second lead syndrome.
Though I suspect this was more of an abandoned storyline than something the writers did on purpose, I also appreciate how things played out with the second lead lady -- and that being that she hardly played out at all. One of the most frustrating parts of dramas is when the second lead lady gets really vicious and continually tries to sabotage the heroine. But, perhaps because she was the heroine's sister, this one didn't really do much throughout the show, so much screentime was saved from watching her plot and scheme and commit heinous acts. There was enough going on with the actual villains in the show that any extra time focused on her would have just upset the pleasant balance of light-heartedness and melodrama that this show carried.
In addition to the characters, this drama also had a really great soundtrack. A few of the songs were really fun and quirky, which fit perfectly with the characters and atmosphere. Even some of the instrumental tracks were really good. But my favorite song from the OST was "Found" by Coffee Boy:
Click to viewI had a lot of fun watching this drama the past ten weeks. The humor and light-hearted atmosphere made it really easy to follow from week to week. I actually fell into a K-Drama slump around the halfway point in this show and ended up dropping or putting on hold every other show I was watching, but this show somehow survived the cut. That's pretty impressive to me since I know how impossible it can feel to watch a K-Drama when I hit a bad slump like that. So that just tells me how much I enjoyed watching this one. :)
There's more that I could probably cover about this show, but I've already written more than I thought I would, lol, so I'll wrap things up here!
*My ratings are based on a combination of "quality" (story, characters, pacing, originality, etc.) and my own personal enjoyment. Dramas lacking in one area of "quality" may therefore be rated higher simply because I had fun watching them. I also tend to change my scores over time, as some dramas leave a lasting impression while others become completely forgettable. (Note that ratings here on Livejournal may not match those on MyDramaList as I don't come back to change them, so the ratings here reflect my original impressions.) Generally, anything with a score of 7 or higher had some "quality" to it and was enjoyable for me. Scores below that were lacking in too many areas and had little to no enjoyment factor to make up for it. Even so, I try not to rate too harshly unless I have been really disappointed. Otherwise, I think I am a fairly easy-to-please viewer.