Review: Rooftop Prince

I've been in a KDrama hiatus for some months for two reasons: I was too busy to watch anything and no dramas were "calling out" to me until Rooftop Prince came along. I mean, Yoo chun (!!!) would play the lead character and he's gonna be a Joseon prince much like his character in Sungkyunkwan Scandal (a drama which still I am still super hung up on) - so I really have been anticipating for Rooftop Prince.

The story is a time travel romantic comedy themed drama about a Joseon era (18th century Korea) crown prince named Lee Gak (Yoo Chun) and his 3-men entourage who were trying to resolve the mystery surrounding the death of his crown princess when suddenly they were transported 300 years into the future (modern day Korea) into the rooftop house of a girl named Park Ha (Han Ji Min). 

Park Ha is a (reincarnation of Lee Gak's sister in law,Bu Young) happy and strong willed girl who has amnesia due to a car accident she got involved in when she was little. She was adopted and lived in the US and she went back to Korea to search for her family to find out that her dad just died. She tried to live with her step mom and her step sister, Hong Sena but her step sister doesnt really like to see her so she lived on her own. Hong Sena is actually the one who kept the little Park Ha at the back of a truck so that the kid would be away from their home but the truck was involved in the accident that made Park Ha lose her memory. She is also the reincarnation of the crown princess, who same as her was also jealous of her sister , Bu Young (Park Ha) and accidentally burnt Bu Young's face with an iron thus leading her to be the crown princess instead of Bu Young. So you can see that both in her past and present life, Hong Sena caused harm to her sister and is pretty much talented at lying and manipulation to get what she wants. 

As you've noticed I have mentioned reincarnation several times already as this story also showcases that idea. Prince Lee Gak believes that the reason why they were sent to the future is to stop anyone who wants to kill the reincarnation of the crown princess,Hong Sena and when they do so they can uncover who murdered the crown princess and they will be sent back to Joseon. Lee Gak assumed the personality of his modern day reincarnation Yong Tae Yong (who was missing for the past two years now) to get close to Hong Sena. However, the prince develops feelings towards Park Ha and found out things about the disappearance the real Tae Yong. Yong Tae yong is a chaebol and heir to a very successful TV shopping company who disappeared and was believed to be dead for two years. Lee Gak found out that Tae Yong's cousin,Tae Moo jealous of his cousin hit him and left him to drown. Tae Moo lied to everyone and said that they didnt see each other in the US but later on he found out and because of his desperation he tried to kill Lee Gak who at that time was disguising to be Tae Yong. Tae Moo hit Park Ha instead, who would have died if not only for Hong Sena's show of conscience. In the end, Lee Gak and his retainers were sent back to Joseon and uncovered that the the crown princess tried to poison the prince urged by her family who was supporting Moo Chang (past life of Tae Moo) to be the king instead of Lee Gak but their plan failed because Bu Young found about it and she ate the poisoned pomegranates to save the prince and actually it was Bu Young in the crown princess clothes who died.   In the present time though, Park Ha was so depressed upon losing Lee Gak but met a live and well Tae Yong. 

*Joseon F4 - before and after the haircut*

So about the review..Lee Gak and his retainers, Song Man Bo (the intelligent scholar - green) , Do Chi San (intel officer - yellow) and Woo Yong-sool (prince's body guard - blue) provides us with very hilarious scenes as they were trying to blend to the modern life.  

My top 3 favorite scenes of the Joseon F4 were:

1. Elevator Scene: I almost died laughing when they thought the elevator was a changing room. They were all half naked when suddenly the elevator opened up. Their expressions were so hilarious as if they were harassed or raped and ChiSan was already close to crying! ROFL

2. HairCut scene: I understand that in the old days it was a crime to cut the hair but looking at grown men so attacted to their hair to the point that they would choose to die than cut it off was so funny. They even cried while they were having a haircut!

3. Samsung phone scene: Look at Prince Lee Gak's very "stupid" expression and look at the other 3 who were staring open mouthed to the phone and tell me if thats not funny! They thought the prince was imprisoned in a magic box! 

*look at those childlike expressions*

And of course, the rest of my favorite scenes in the show was the comical, and loving moments between Lee Gak and Park Ha. It was really an amazing love story because Lee Gak came from the past and he was first attracted to Hong Sena (such a loyal guy to be attracted to the reincarnation of his wife) but the feelings Park Ha was stirring within him, confused but delighted him. When I saw the real Tae Yong,though in comma,returned in episode 15 I already knew what the ending would be and seeing the final episode was really hard, itI did make me emotional. The best scenes I have for Lee Gak and Park Ha are actually some of the most heart wrenching parts of the drama. One of which is when the two were dating when suddenly Park Ha noticed Lee Gak was disappearing and the other scenes was that they made a small wedding for the both of them and just as when ended saying their vows Lee Gak returned to Joseon. 

*cried buckets in this scene*

But the greatest part of the whole drama for me was the end, when Lee Gak wrote a letter for Park Ha (as inspired by the final letter Bu Young wrote for Lee Gak before she died) that even after 300 years and even after several life times that they would still love each other. Of course,in the end you would see that came true when Park Ha met Tae Yong in the park. 

*dont know if this is truly a happy ending*

Prince Lee Gak letter to Park Ha after he returned to Joseon: "I can only imagine how you are doing, unable to touch you. I miss you like crazy. I want to hear your voice, and touch you. If I could die and meet you, I would die right now.Even after three hundred years pass, I will love you.”

It's a bit sad because though Tae Yong is the reincarnation of Lee Gak, of course its just not the same.I do think its for the best because Lee Gak really belonged in the past and that originally,if there had been no interference's Park Ha would have met and dated Tae Yong first but there's still this small part of me that hurts. I think the director understood the feeling since the last shot you would see in this drama is Park Ha meeting Tae Yong but Tae Yong was in a king's robe. I loved loved the story (more than Sungkyunkwan Scandal) but I think I would have to give it time before I can watch another time travel drama because it seems like no matter how much the story is great my heart wont be ready for it yet. 

Over all, Rooftop Prince is a feel good drama full of cute characters/actors, funny bogs gags and puns and its has a lovable plot. Its something that I highly recommended because its definitely a drama that can make you feel cheerful and giddy for the whole 20 hours. True, the ending is a bit sad but dont let that ruin your impression of the show since all in all it is truly entertaining. 

For those in the Philippines though,be ready for this drama because for sure its gonna be another craze when it hits the primetime.

Thanks to DramaBeans, SBS, and OHKpop.

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Review: City Hunter

City Hunter is originally based on a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Hojo Tsukasa. The manga has several volumes and even had an anime version but this show is its first live drama adaptation. But the manga is actually a lot different  from the drama seeing that, in the manga, the lead character is actually a private detective who hunts down criminals while in the Korean drama adaptation, the lead character is a vigilante seeking vengeance and hunting down a specific group of people.

I finished watching this last year (2011) but it is getting a rerun now in ABSCBN and   it  made me remember that I really liked the show. It really is one of the best action dramas and korean dramas that I've seen in a while. But enough about me fawning over Lee Minho's picture and let's review the drama.

In the year 1983 North Koreans (NK) blew up a place in Burma that killed high ranking South Korean (SK) officials. Five South Korean officials, "group of five", decided that SK should retaliate to show their strength and sent 21 specialized soldiers in a covert operation (called Sweep Mission) to kill some of NK's high officials. The mission was a success but just as the soldiers were about to board the submarine to get back SK, they were gunned down. One of the soldiers, Park Moo-yul (Lee Yoon Sung's father) took the bullet for his friend Lee Jin-pyo and sank below the waters of Nampo River. Lee Jin Pyo survived and found out the the "group of five" decided to assassinate them to make sure what they did would stay a secret (which was stupid because the guys who killed the soldiers would still know about it). Jin Pyo promised to avenge the death of his comrades, especially his best friend and saviour Moo yul. He kidnapped Moo yul's "son", Yoon Sung, and raised him as his own while teaching him to shoot and to fight . 

After attaining a doctorate degree in MIT, Yoon Sung (played by Lee Min Ho) finally returned to Korea to fulfill JinPyo's revenge plan. He worked as an IT expert in the Blue House (official residence and principal workplace of the President of the South Korea - the White House/Malacañang of Korea) and it was there where he saw Kim Nana again. Kim Nana (played by Park Min Young) is a presidential security detail that excels in martial arts,she fends of herself and is taking care of her father, who was in a comatose due to a car accident. She is the female lead character in the drama, whom our hero falls in love with.

Yoon Sung has his own plans on how to execute his revenge and he starts of by checking out his opponent and seeing what way can he bring them down. His enemies are corrupt officials and he gets evidence in all their misdeeds so that he can have them persecuted. He did all of this inconspicuously that he was known to the public as the City Hunter. For the public, the City Hunter is a vigilante who brings justice and fights the corrupt heads of the nation and corrects the transgressions those officials are doing.

The other characters in the drama are Lee Young Joo (played by Lee Yoon Juk), a local prosecutor who has a clear and strong sense of justice and law. He understands what the City Hunter is good because the Ciuty Hunter is unveiling corrupt officials and catching in them in a way that the police can't. However, the City Hunter being a vigilante is still against the law. Jin Soo-Hee (played by Hwang Sun Hee) is the ex wife of Young Joo who helped the City Hunter when he got injured in one of his fights as a return of favor when the City Hunter helped her once.

And of course, I think one of most popular member in the cast is Goo Hara who plays Choi Da-hye, the president's bratty but lovable only daughter. Hara is a Hallyu idol from a girl group named Kara, one of my fave KPOP acts. 

..and introducing the group of Five. The number beside their picture represents the order of which they are caught. 

The first one was Senator Lee Kyung-wan, whom the City Hunter got a video confession that he pocketed children's welfare funds and is using it for his reelection. He was put in a box and sent to the prosecutor's office (Justice!!! it was a funny scene). 

The second one was Seo Yong-hak, a former defense minister and a current presidential candidate. He pocketed the government budget for military equipment and just bought cheap second hand and faulty military equipment which lead to injuring the soldiers. He was caught while trying to buy a second hand military helicopter and asking a commission for his part of the sale which is illegal. The third one who got caught is Kim Jong-shik, an education minister. He was rather complicated since he is Prosecuter Kim's father and he was the one who caused the car accident that killed Nana's mother and made her father an invalid. It was also during this time that Nana found out that Young Soo is the the City Hunter. Nana and Young Soo worked in this case together and they found that Yong Shik was embezzling the government education budget and hiding $200 million KRW in his house to hide the money trail. They got the money and sent it to the student scholars accordingly and the City Hunter was trying to pursue Jong shik but accidentally he fell from an overpass which resulted in him being in a comatose state. 

The fourth one is Chun Jae-man, a rich and very cunning businessman who runs a chemical company that seems to have some disposal and quality problems because several of its employees gets sick. He is one tough cookie and I loved this part of the show because even if the City Hunter exposed the problems Mr. Chun's chemical company, Chun Jae Man has this "who's more cunning" contest - mind chess and verbal battle with  Lee Jin Pyo. Of course, Jin Pyo is smarter and made Jae Man lose his money and company.  I think amongst the five Jin pyo's own plan of revenge succeed in Jae Man because he  was able to kill Jae Man before the City hunter can stop him. 

The final man was Choi Eung-chan, the current President of South Korea. Amongst the five, he was the one who voted to keep soldiers in the Clean Sweep mission alive and he lived in guilt for all those years because he was not able to stand by his decision. Later, it was found that he was the biological father of Yoong Soo/City Hunter, and Jin Pyo's main plan was to have the son kill the father as his main revenge. However, Young soo saved the President and in the end Jin Pyo declared that he was the City Hunter to save Young Soo. 

*sob* *he really did love Young soo as his own*

Thoughts on the Drama : 

Lee Min Ho was chosen to play the protagonist Lee Yoon Sung and like most people who heard of the announcement, at first, I was skeptical if he can portray the character well. I loved him in Boys Over Flowers (one of my fave dramas), and I was entertained with him in Mackarel Run and Personal Preference,but those dramas are centered on love and romance, mostly the usual rich guy falls in love with a poor guy type of drama. City Hunter was waaaaay different from what he is used to portraying but, after seeing the drama, I can say he has grown to be a great actor In a short period of time he has shown a great depth and range in acting. Overall, he was a very good choice for this drama. 

Cast was great but my favorite was Kim Sang-joong who played Jin Pyo because its a very interesting yet difficult character to play but he did an awesome job with it. Difficult, in the sense, that he is a strong willed man who became hard due to tragedy and thirst for revenge. JinPyo is cunning and has this charisma pulls you and won't make you pity him nor hate him which is really rare if we're talking about antagonists. 

Though I didnt really note on it earlier but this story also has a great love story. Yong Soo knew that he wasn't supposed to fall in love because he has a keep his real identity a secret and he has a mission to do. He also is aware that he'll just make his life and his loved one difficult but he can't help it because of Kim Nana. He fell in love with her when he saw a picture of her which was a few years before he actually got to know her personally. They have an on and off relationship in this drama but their interactions are fun, giddy and cute.

There's a lot of twists and turns in the story and the things I loved the most about this drama is that the storyline is very elaborate, its not derivative and you can say that the story wasn't rushed unlike with some dramas that during the latter part of the drama things tend to get dragged on and be more complicated. The action scenes came naturally to the plot and the tension is high but its not forsaking the love and comical scenes. Some action dramas I've seen sometimes leaves you that heavy feeling but this drama leaves you that asking for more. At the end of every episode, there is a cliffhanger that makes you shout "NOOOOOOOOO".  So if you haven't seen it yet, please do so especially if your a Lee Min Ho fan because I believe its his best work yet.

Thanks to DramaBeans, SBS and Wikipedia. 

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Review: Secret Garden

 

I think I wont get any disagreements if I say that Secret Garden is by far, *hands down* the best Korean drama ever.

I've watched countless Korean movies and dramas, heck, I've seen this drama since 2010, but my number one favorite drama is still, Secret Garden.  I decided to write about it because I'm watching the show again and I need a place to gush out how that drama makes me feel. ~kekeke

Secret Garden has everything you would want for a drama - it has a great storyline, cinematography and effects are nice, the music/soundtrack is amazing and paired with an A-list cast of actors and actress (lead by Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won) playing roles in a drama that has a huge dose of comedy, a pinch of action, gut wrenching emo scenes and of course, its bridled with a heart warming love story that I am sure every girl wishes for.

 

The story is about Gil Ra Im (played by Ha Ji Won), a poor but beautiful stuntwoman and Kim Joo Won (played by Hyun Bin), an eccentric and arrogant CEO, who mistook Gil Ra Im for someone else and thus starting their encounter. Joo Won immediately fell in love with Gil Ra Im when he saw her practicing her stunts and after that he can't take her off his mind. At first, he never accepted that he was in love or even attracted to Gil Ra Im because she was a girl that would never passed his (high) standards for an ideal match (told you he's eccentric). He treated it as if he was ill of some unknown disease or its just a passing trend and that he needs to see Gil Ra Im for a few times cure it or for the feeling to fade away. I really love (super giddy) on how he sees her image everywhere and he tries to deny it but his actions really show what he feels. 
                         

The other main characters, Oska (played by Yoon Sang Hyun) and Yoon Seul (played by Kim Sa Rang) adds more colour to the story. Oska is an "ahjussi" Hallyu idol -- (an internationally well known singer/artist) who is actually related to Joo Won. They're cousins who were very close before but as they grew up their relationship also grew far apart. Oska thought his first and only love Yoon Seul cheated on him and Yoon Seul also thought that Oska lied to her thus, it broke their relationship and made them turn cold to  each other and to other people. Yoon Seul is trying to get Joo won as her fiancee as a sort of revenge to Oska while Gil Ra Im idolizes Oska a lot which pisses Joo Won. 

The bickering relationship between these four characters: Joo won's "you're not my type but I want you here" against Gil Ra Im's "I'm an independent girl, leave me alone" and Oska "I'm famous, I dont care about you anymore" against Yoon Seul's "I despise you but you'll fall for me again" attitude is so entertaining, that I actually thought that "body swap" theme for the show isn't necessary to make the story beautiful. 

One thing that I find amazing but a bit frustrating about Joo woon, is that he is honest and straight forward in saying what he feels. Honest is nice but I think he was a bit of a jerk when he told Gil Ra Im, he still had some reservations about them because he believes that the emotion would just fade away and that he won't really end up getting married to her but for now she should be with her and like him too - until he gets tired off her. Its like saying I like you but I am not serious so I'll just keep you for now until you bore me.. of course, that made Gil Ra Im (and any girl for that matter) to storm off. Good thing, the we can see he really loves her but because what he said, Gil Ra Im left him and then comes the body swap.

*Ra Im in Joowon's body and seeing Oska naked rofl*

The earlier episodes are really great and it was based on reality, so later when they added fantasy to the show by "swapping" the bodies of Gil Ra Im and Joo Won (Gil Ra Im's soul would bein Joo Won's body and vice versa) I thought it would ruin the show but because of the great ensemble of cast they actually managed to pull it off and made the story even better.

I can't help to crack up when I see Hyun Bin acting and screaming like a girl.. Omo! *rofl* Because of this body swap, Gil Ra Im has no choice but to be closer with Joo won and just about when they were already honest about how they felt their families come into the view. Gil Ra Im was just a poor but simple girl, no thoughts of getting rich while Joo Won has really high standards and expensive tastes so naturally, Joo Won's family, who knew about the relationship wished for it to stop. They tried to scare, humiliate and even bribe Gil Ra Im to break off with Joo Won. Rich families bullying poor girls/guys that their  children loves is a very common ingredient in most dramas and what sets this drama apart is that, while other poor lead characters in other dramas would walk away (at times with a tear in their eye) with a very offended but proud expression in their faces, that makes the viewers pity them, Gil Ra Im (who has Joo Won's soul at that time in her body) was asking for more money from "Joowon's mother" and used up all the money to buy things, its soooooo hilarious! I can see even imaginary smoke coming out of the nose and ears of Joo won's mom. 

Joo-won (reply when he was asked who Ra Im is to him): 

She drives like a car racer. If she witnesses someone’s purse being snatched, someone she’s never met in her life, she’ll throw fists. She has no money and her body is covered in scars, but she doesn’t want to spend even one second of one minute with people like us. She’s that kind of woman. I’ve never seen a woman as cool as her. That…is my answer.

Joo won finally accepted that he can't be without Gil Ra Im and Gil Ra Im felt the same way so after all the funny, heart wrenching and of course, loving twist and turns they finally ended up with each other. But the story doesn't end, there because the body swap was still happening to them every time it rains. Gil Ra Im had a collision accident while doing a car stunt which put her into a comma. Joo Won who cant bear to see his wife  that way decided to swap their souls so that Gil Ra Im can live within his body. 

The episode where Joo Won was writing his farewell letter for Gil Ra Im to read when she wakes up in his body was such a heart wrenching scene.Some people would just use heart wrenching to describe sad event but my heart really felt heavy when I saw Joo Won crying while writing that letter. Hyun Bin Saranghae! I never cried like that for a show after Zettai Kareshi.~sob sob

Joo-won: “If we could be together even in that way… then that’s enough — let’s think of it as being together. That’s enough for us to consider ourselves as happy as other lovers.”

But for this show to be the best, the ending should be a happy one right?? So, Gil Ra Im was cured and they were back in their rightful bodies, the body swap finally ending (though there was still Joo won and his amnesia problems but you get the gist) and they did live happily . Oska and Yoon Seul are finally getting married after all their fights and dramas. Its such an amazing show wherein things and scenes that are already too derivative were changed for the better.  So if you havent watched it, please do so.

3 Best Scenes in the Show (actually there's a lot but these are my fave)

1. The Sit Up Scene
---episode 3: Joo Won was doing sit ups while Gil Ra Im was holding his legs.. LOL when Joo Won tried to kick the other stunt man who asked Gil Ra Im to be his exercise partner! This is one of the best drama scenes I've seen. Simple but cute and sweet!

2. Foam Kiss

---: Joowon was wiping off the coffee foam on Gil Ra Im's lips by using his own lips! This scene made me buy several cappuccinos after watching this scene then I stopped when I finally realized Joowon wasn't there to wipe off the foam.. ~kekekekeke 

3. Elevator Scene
---Joo won has claustrophobia and it was during one of their body swaps that he found himself in an elevator. HyunBin is such a great actor. It was as if he really had a panic attack while filming that scene. Kudos!

                                                       

Thanks to Dramabeans and HanCinema for the screencaps.

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