The Boy Next Door

The Boy Next Door

7/10

The Boy Next Door

Genre:                                               Episodes: 15                                   Year: 2017

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Neighbours Park Kyu Tae and Sung Ki Jae end up living together after Kyu Tae’s apartment needs renovations. They have a mutual friend, Min Ah, who misunderstands their relationship.

Cast:

Choi Woo Shik (Park Kyu Tae)

Jang Ki Yong (Sung Ki Jae)

Jang Hee Ryong (Kim Min Ah)

Yoon Jung Il (Won Hyung)

General Thoughts:

I’m super into web-series right now. They are the perfect way to de-stress after a week at work. They’re fun and humorous, and usually lack the patch of angst that accompanies full length rom-coms.

Yup, no angst here

What I must say about this drama, is while I found it laugh-out-loud funny, I also thought it approached its humour in a sensitive way. Granted, there are people who will be offended by anything, but I personally thought that the show handled the gay misunderstandings in a way that was fun and not offensive.

I love hilarious misunderstandings- I love them a lot

No one reacted badly to the misunderstandings- they were always upset for a reason other than that they thought these two boys were gay. It was because they had walked in during an ‘intimate’ moment, or because the guy they liked wasn’t interested in them, etc. This prevented the show from seeming like it was presenting homosexuality as a bad thing. I appreciated the inclusion of an actual gay couple, and how the show maintained its middle ground. It wasn’t celebrating nor condemning homosexuality, it was simply showing it as it is- two people who like each other dating. Which I think is a pretty great accomplishment from a small, lighthearted show. Web-dramas usually use lesser known actors whose acting is still developing, so I was delighted to see Choi Woo Shik and Jang Ki Yong heading this one. I’ve loved Choi Woo Shik since seeing him in ‘Fool’s Love’, and think he’s brilliant at doing comedic with a dash of heart. Jang Ki Yong has been slowly growing on me for a while, and I actually think it was this little drama that has pushed him over from being an actor I’m aware of to an actor that I enjoy and would actively seek out his dramas.

You're both fabulous

Jang Hee Ryung was new to me, but I found her sweet and cute, and her character endearing. While I wouldn’t call the humour of the show sleek and witty, I wouldn’t call it crass either. It was almost satirical in a way.

♫ You are my destiny ♫

It went beyond simply using situations to create humour, and used lighting and sound to enhance the comedy. The show parodied common rom-com moments, and used the same moody lighting and emotional music when recreating those scenes which only made it funnier. It never felt like the show was mocking standard rom-com moments, but it had more of a teasing vibe where it showed that with the right camera angle, slow-mo and music, any scene can be construed as romantic. The humour wasn’t the only thing this show had going for it, though it was the most prominent. There was a little bit of plot sprinkled throughout each episode- just enough to separate the misunderstandings. The love-triangle was hinted at early on and developed more as the show progressed. This added an extra layer of comedy, as there’s something so funny about two guys liking the same girl while the girl thinks they like each other. It’s just a situation that is ripe with hilarious moments. Of course, the two boys actually started to become friends, which was cute to watch as well. 

Those feels when you think that your ex and your crush are dating

What Was Great:

The Boys Next Door:

Obviously the stars of this show were the two boys. Both the actors and the characters were excellent.

Pepero- bringing people together since 1983

The boys had enough character that they felt well thought-out and carefully created, rather than just making the actors do all the work. While, Choi Woo Shik and Jang Ki Yong did amazingly well at bringing the characters to life, it was clear that the characters themselves were well constructed- a perk of basing the drama off a manhwa I’m guessing. Either way, the two boys drove the show and made it something that was truly enjoyable to watch. Choi Woo Shik and Jang Ki Yong had great chemistry, and it felt like they (and the staff) really enjoyed working together and had a blast filming this fun little show. The acting felt relaxed, even though some of the scenes could have been potentially uncomfortable to shoot. It was obvious that both actors were really invested in making sure the audience had a good time watching the drama, and they did a great job at making the show fun, but not childish or ridiculous.

What Wasn’t:

Why So Short?:

I honestly could have watched this drama for many more episodes. While I question if there would have been enough story to stretch it out, I just had such a fun time that I was actually a bit bummed out when I made it to the last episode.

I really wanted this drama to keep on going

The episodes themselves were only about 5-10 minutes long, and I just felt like I wanted to watch so much more of this delightful drama. I kid you not, I could watch this for hours and hours. 

Recommend?

Yes, yes, yes. This is just the thing to watch on a lazy weekend afternoon when you’re in need of a bit of a lighthearted laugh. 

Season 2? Please?

Rooftop Prince

Rooftop Prince

6.5/10

Rooftop Prince

Genre:                           Episodes: 20                          Year: 2012

Historical

Romance

Comedy

Fantasy

Synopsis:

After the death and assumed murder of his wife, Crown Prince Lee Gak and his three companions are transported 300 years into the future while searching for the culprit. In the year 2012, the men arrive at a woman named Park Ha’s rooftop apartment. Crown Prince finds a woman that looks exactly like his deceased wife and realises they must only be able to return to Joseon once they have solved the Crown Princess’ murder.

Cast:

Park Yoo Chun (Lee Gak/Yong Tae Yong)

Han Ji Min (Park Ha/Boo Young)

Lee Tae Sung (Yong Tae Moo)

Jung Yoo Mi (Hone Se Na/Hwa Yong)

Lee Min Ho (Song Man Bo)

Choi Woo Shik (Do Chi San)

Jung Suk Won (Woo Yong Sool)

General Thoughts:

Generally a likeable drama, but some major flaws defiantly dragged it down. The series starts splendidly with a Joseon era whodunit murder mystery, followed by hilarious comedy that was a result of four Joseon men skipping 300 years into the future. 

Squad goals

The fish-out-of-water comedy was executed brilliantly and acted out perfectly by our four actors. Here, the over-exaggerated reactions and silly facial expressions fit in well. Because it’s a bunch of guys encountering futuristic ideas that they could never have dreamed of. However, when our heroine starts getting in on the over-the-top performance thing…it doesn’t work so well. 

That's pretty much how I felt about her too, Yoochun

Or at all. I just plain couldn’t stand Han Ji Min in this drama, and neither could those I watched the drama with. Han Ji Min did little to compensate for her less than exciting character (who was generally either being irritatingly stroppy or  bursting into tears), and left me caring very little for either our heroine or the main love pairing. Though I will admit that she is a pretty great crier. Going in knowing that it’s a time-skippy drama, you know it’s unlikely that these exact people will end up together anyway (there’s definitely going to be a reincarnation cop-out at the end), so you’re kind of primed to not get super invested in the main love-line- even if it is kind of the whole point of the drama. Granted, part of this disengagement is my own fault for so readily preparing myself for the end disappointment (that may or may not come), but our leading actress did nothing in the way of earning my attention or getting me to cheer for her romance. I was pretty unfazed whatever way it turned out.

I suppose I could care less

 It probably didn’t help that we had such a strong actress as our second female lead. Jung Yoo Mi slayed it as our evil step (or is it) sister. She gave enough to her role that it was easy to dislike her character, but was able to express enough hesitation and guilt that her character’s half-redemption arc at the end didn’t come as a completely unbelievable surprise. 

There's someone for everyone

Similarly, Lee Tae Sung gave an excellent performance as our primary villain. He showed the slow descent from accident-prone almost-murderer into calmly thought-through would-be-murderer (Tae Moo wasn’t that great at actually knocking anyone off) perfectly. Both Jung Yoo Mi and Lee Tae Sung gave strong villain performances and were able to make their characters understandable and comprehensible. And then there’s our main male lead Yoochun. Yoochun is built for comedy, so it’s no surprise that he did well in scenes that required a dash of ridiculousness. He also did a great job in the more emotional scenes in the Joseon era. While the character of the Crown Prince was quite prickly and a bit of an ass, Yoochun was able to present Lee Gak in a way that his softer, more loving side was always evident. The three boys backing up Yoochun all did excellent jobs in the comedic scenes- which is just as well as they didn’t really get any other kind of scene. 

All kinds of hilarity

The plot was a little bit of a disaster, but managed to pick itself up for a fantastic, zooming race to the finish line. All aspects of the Joseon story were deeply engaging- so it was a shame that we barely spent two episodes in this setting. The jump to the future was very amusing, but after several episodes that capitalised on that comedy, the plot started to lose steam. Because chaebol. And company. And inheritance. And who gives a damn. Although our villains were entertaining to watch for the most part, the company plot-line was kinda really boring. We’ve seen it all before, and the addition of a Joseon Prince impersonating a chaebol son wasn’t quite spicy enough to heat up the bland situation. 

Another inheritance fight? Bo-ring.

Birth secrets were abundant (if not fairly predictable), and there were lots of scenes focusing heavily on company-related matters. Yawn. Once we entered the drama’s end-game the story reinvigorated and gave us a wonderfully satisfying story about how our main baddies basically bring about their own downfall. During the dramatic demise of our villainous pair, I think our main characters were prancing about trying to decide whether to love each other or not. And our three back-up boys were nowhere to be found. 

Please put these glorious muppets back in the drama

The soundtrack was a sweet mix of Joseon instrumental and modern music and fit the vibe of the drama perfectly. While most scenes flowed smoothly there were defiantly a few choppy scene transitions that hinted at a rushed production.

What Was Great:

Murder Mystery:

The idea that initially grabs attention is the question of who murdered the Crown Princess. It’s a great mystery that could have several possible answers. It gives our hero a great reason to skip to the future (even if he doesn’t grasp that reason right away).

Dun dun duuuuunnn

Lee Gak needs to find out who murdered his Princess, and in order to do that he needs to find out that his Princess is actually a giant toss-bucket. And he would never have found that out without his little time-travelling adventure. Hints are slowly doled out throughout the series, and the ending in Joseon comes as a very satisfying conclusion. While many viewers (myself included) picked up early on that it was Sister-in-Law and not Princess that died, the who and the why were still great big question marks throughout the whole drama. The final revelation was a great answer to our biggest question, and added to the concept of Lee Gak and Park Ha’s thwarted fate and their destiny together that had gotten terribly twisted. 

Prince’s Love Swap:

Drama’s always go in with a risk when they start the series with one main lead being madly in love with someone who isn’t their end-game romance. And in this case, Lee Gak really loved his wife. A lot. So much so that he’s willing to brave the frightening world of 2012 Korea to find out who is responsible for her death. The audience is made privy to Se Na’s true nature pretty early on, but it comes as a slow reveal to our beloved Prince. Thankfully, the writers don’t waste much time on Lee Gak’s discovery and he catches on pretty quick once she starts to slip up.

One of the few cutesy, romantic scenes we were given

Late night discussions and drinks with Park Ha had already been going on at this point, and our Prince had already developed a close friendship with our heroine by the time he finds out what a lying nutbag his Princess really is. So at this point, it’s no stretch of the imagination that Lee Gak would end up falling for Park Ha. Both the writers and Yoochun handled the transition beautifully, and it never felt ridiculous that the Prince made the switch from Se Na to Park Ha so quickly.

Interesting Villains:

Se Na and Tae Moo were probably the most interesting and developed of all the characters. Being villains they are given a much wider range of emotions than our hero and heroine (who obviously cannot go past feelings of love, happiness, sadness, and maybe mild jealousy).

Kinda an evil b*tch- but also kinda addictive to watch

It’s fascinating to watch these two people sink further into the lies they’ve created and struggle to maintain their positions. What is most interesting about our villains is that they aren’t inherently bad people. Se Na has always showed signs of reluctance and confusion, but always made the wrong choice when it came down to it. As for Tae Moo, it was more about how one accident lead to the next, and his misguided view on how to fix his situation that lead him down the road of villainy. He’s much darker than Se Na, in that by the end he was ready to flat-out murder his cousin, but always held on to a shred of humanity through his deep and unending love of Se Na. The story was defiantly about how these two individuals got far too greedy and eventually orchestrated their own downfall- which was super satisfying to watch. The only downside of having such engaging villains, is that our main leads seemed a bit bleak and boring in comparison. And as the story revolved a lot around what Se Na and Tae Moo were doing, it dramatically reduced screen time for Lee Gak and Park Ha. Which isn’t great.

What Wasn’t:

Lack of Leads’ Chemistry:

I just wasn’t feeling it between Lee Gak and Park Ha. The plot lay all the groundwork for the love-line, but when it came to actual execution it fell short. Logically the two together makes sense- but it just wasn’t what I was seeing on my screen.

Adequate depiction of how much fire were was between our leads

Han Ji Min presented Park Ha as a rather bolshy, abrasive girl, so scenes of Park Ha trying to be cute felt kind of awkward. All in all, there just wasn’t that addictive spark between the main leads that you get in a really good romance.

Sort of the End:

The actual end to the drama was pretty perfect when you consider how many ways this drama could have gone wrong. And there were so many ways it could have gone wrong. But the drama happily managed to avoid most of them.

Was not a fan of this, but oh well

While personally I found the wedding was a little awkward and somewhat uncomfortable, I know a lot of viewers actually enjoyed the emotional punch it was giving to the main love-line. As it wasn’t a huge point in the plot, and we did need some way to say farewell to Lee Gak before he goes back to Joseon, the wedding can be given a pass. It’s literally the last 3-5 seconds that put a damper on the ending for me.

Totally called it, but still totally worth it

Our Prince has gone back to Joseon and solved the murder mystery (which was awesome), Park Ha is slowly getting on with her life in the absence of Lee Gak, and then she coincidentally meets the real Tae Yong who acts exactly as he did when they met in episode 1. Which is awesome and adorable. Then the two meet up like they weren’t able to in the past. Which is also awesome and adorable. And lastly, they do a fade to Park Ha standing there with Tae Yong in Joseon dress. Yeah, what? Has our Prince somehow time skipped back? Unlikely. Does Tae Yong somehow remember his past life? Doubtful. It’s just the writers making a connection to the whole same-soul bullsh*t. While lots of people enjoyed the connection, to me it just felt like Park Ha was looking for a ghost of Lee Gak in Tae Yong. Because while they may technically be the same soul or whatever- they’re also completely different people. So yeah, by all means make the connection to Lee Gak- but just know that you’ve now killed my imaginings of Park Ha and the real Tae Yong ever being in an honest, loving relationship.

3 seconds too long

It’s always hard when the couple you’ve spent all series watching be together aren’t the couple in the end- you’re hardly ever going to satisfy all your viewers in this situation.

Re-watch?

Most likely not. Cute couple moments were few and far between, and I also now know whodunnit.

At least the boys were always all kinds of fabulous

Fool's Love

Fool’s Love

8/10

Fool's Love 

Genre:                                   Episodes: 16                                   Year: 2015

Romance

Comedy
Family

Synopsis:

Kang Ho Gu always has his sweet, generous nature taken advantage of by girls who get close to him, but never end up dating him. His friends and relationship expert twin sister, Kang Ho Kyung, are constantly mocking him. Do Do Hee is a swimmer on the Korean national team, but always wins silver medals and never gold. She is well known for not only being pretty, but also her cursing and aggression. Ho Gu and Do Hee went to the same high school, where Kang Ho Gu had a crush on the popular, beautiful swimmer. Ho Gu goes to his high school reunion, seeing it as a chance to meet Do Hee again. After reuniting with his dream-girl, Ho Gu soon discovers that she is hiding a secret. Do Do Hee is pregnant, possibly by Byun Kang Chul- their high school class president, and Kang Ho Kyung’s long time crush.

Cast: 

Choi Woo Shik (Kang Ho Gu)

Uee (Do Do Hee) 

Lim Seulong (Byun Kang Chul)

Lee Soo Kyung (Kang Ho Kyung)

General Thoughts:

A surprisingly good drama. It started out very comedic, with lots of editing and slapstick humour, which actually set the mood very well. Amazingly, the drama was able to explore some highly controversial material (such as abortion, single mothers, abuse, and homosexuality) without becoming uncomfortable, heavy, or losing any of its comedic value. I was very impressed at how the drama was able to constantly continue its manhwa-like style even as it tackled these huge issues.

Don't be a fool, cover your tool

Originally, I wasn’t too keen on either of our main characters. Kang Ho Go was weak, naive and easily taken for a ride. Do Do Hee was mean and rude. HOWEVER, as the drama unfolds, we see that these traits and shortcomings give our characters so much room to grow and develop as people- which was fantastic. While some faults are never overcome (which is super realistic), it’s touching to see how the two care for each other regardless, and use their individual strengths to cover each other’s weaknesses.

Not exactly a face that breeds confidence

The perfect romance we all dream of. And yet, this perfect romance was never presented in a way that it seemed unattainable or fantasy. What was so brilliant about this drama was that is gave us a snapshot into real love- sticking together through the sh*t, loving someone when you don’t like them in the moment, and constant support.

Best comedic couple

Another highlight of the drama was the slow reveal of the characters’ history. As each flashback gave us a little bit more information, it was a gradual process in finding out how our characters’ relationships got to where they are now. And yet this process somehow never touched on boring or dragged out- it was extremely well written. Kang Ho Kyung and Byun Kang Chul were delightful support characters, their own storylines were cute and funny, but never took too much screen-time away from our main couple. This series was exactly what it promised to be: a humorous, light-hearted drama about an unexpected pregnancy.

What Was Great:

Lee Soo Kyung as Kang Ho Kyung:

Oh my goodness, this girl was perfect. I think she has to top the list of my favourite female support characters. Lee Soo Kyung did an excellent job of portraying both sides of Ho Kyung- refined, elegant intellectual, and sloppy, lazy sister. Kang Ho Kyung as a character was just so perfect. What an accurate representation of girls. The sad truth is, girls don’t look fantastic all the time. We don’t (often) wake up gorgeous, and it takes some effort for girls to be as presentable as the world expects them to be. It was hilarious to watch these two sides of Ho Kyung, and see which people she presented each appearance too. It never felt like either persona was horrendously fake- they were both equally true to herself, and she simply chose which self she would portray at what time.

Am I pretty?

She also delivered one of the most insightful, and accurate suggestions of what true love was to a girl. True love is someone a girl can comfortably show her bare face to without fear of rejection or disappointment. Amen.

Character Growth:

A main point of this drama was the relationship between Do Do Hee and Kang Ho Gu. I was a little taken aback when we met our two leads, because they were so obviously flawed. So rarely in K-Drama do we have two regular, imperfect people in our main couple. Usually, at least one of them has God-like perfection. But it’s refreshing to see two normal people as the stars of our drama. Granted, Do Do Hee is a national athlete with alarmingly good looks- BUT her temper, restrictions, and defensiveness keep her from becoming an unrealistic presence, even if Kang Ho Gu sees her as flawless.

Not your average wallflower

With Kang Ho Gu, he’s really presented like a nobody. Only later in the drama do we see his characteristics that have been overlooked, ignored, and even taken advantage of, really start to shine. It’s the very same characteristics that made him a nobody (his shyness and selflessness) that also make him such a strong presence and sense of support for Do Hee. Through the whole drama we see our characters realising what aspects of their personality are interfering with their relationships, and how they must change certain parts of themselves to coexist with another person.

We all love K-Drama girls that make the first move...even if she is drunk as a skunk

Deep Issues:

I adore dramas that are able to comment on heavy social issues without becoming overly dark. In regards to these issues, this drama was executed perfectly. I mean, sexual assault is a frigging huge deal. It was a wise choice not to make the assault itself, but the reactions and responses, the main focus. This choice is a huge reason why the drama was able to maintain its comedic feel, even when discussing such distressing topics. The way victim-blaming was addressed was also spot-on. It was so smart to bring in the victim-blaming after Do Hee had gained so much support and addressed a lot of the issue on her own. If the blame had been introduced right at the beginning, it would have all been too depressing, and Do Hee’s strength and choices would have been a little unrealistic, in a drama that is so solidly based in reality.

Who sues for money when their boyfriend is this loaded?

As it is, Do Hee’s decision to stop blaming herself and move forwards is a major turning point in the drama. Seeing her flaws and weaknesses earlier on in the drama also made the impact of this moment so much more intense. There were also beautifully subtle lines, and scenes in the drama that just totally completed

Her two favorite boys

it. Such a moment is when Do Hee admits to Ho Gu that she won’t always be able to love Geum Dong, because he is a reminder of what happened. In this one, tiny moment, we are given such insight into where Do Hee is mentally, and in relation to Ho Gu. It says so much that she is accepting that Ho Gu will be there to love her baby during times when she can’t, and that this simultaneously wonderful (birth of baby) and horrific (sexual assault) period of her life will be a part of her forever. It was the cherry on the top of an excellent drama that they didn’t rose-tint the ending. Despite gaining a wonderful family and having tremendous support, something horrendous happened to Do Hee, and she will have to live with that forever. It made the end so much more satisfactory, because we saw Do Hee and Ho Gu accept that something awful had occurred, but also decide to live the best they could and move forwards. Well done drama, well done.

Want a cute drama? Put a baby in it

What Wasn’t:

Gay Cop-Out:

I'm supposed to believe this man is straight? Please.

Kang Ho Kyung and Byun Kang Chul had a hilariously delicious love-line. I was so conflicted when it was resolved. Ho Kyung is superb and it was fantastic to see her happy, and it felt like the whole drama I’d been waiting for that glorious moment when Kang Chul realises it had been her all along. And yet, this moment was marred by the sudden ‘it’s okay guys, he’s not actually gay’ kind of vibe. They’d done SUCH a convincing job of making this man gay. He’d even admitted it and was facing the consequences- parents’ anger, prejudice, isolation in his workplace. It was in no way surprising that he wasn’t gay. From the second we knew the kiss was Ho Kyung and not Ho Gu, we all knew where this was going. Even though I was so thoroughly on board the Kang Chul- Ho Kyung train, it still felt a little like all that work the drama had done questioning responses to homosexuality in South Korea was undone in the last moment, when they made Byun Kang Chul straight.

Though it was nice to see our girl get the guy

Re-watch?

Potentially worth a second go. A lot of the joy from this drama comes from the slow reveal of past relationships, so it may drag if you already have this information. Would definitely be keen to watch the hilarity and sweet moments for a second time though.

Hard won happily (most of the time) ever after