OMG, I seriously got misty-eyed watching this happen finally. Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Ken Zhu, and Vanness Wu arrived in Beijing over this week and headed straight to the stage for dress rehearsals prior to recording of the upcoming Jiang Su STV Lunar New Year extravaganza celebration. Their star power has only increased in the 5 years since they last … Continue reading →
Wassup Jun Ki! Actually, he’s been up to quite a lot since he wrapped the fantasy sageuk Arang and the Magistrate back in August of 2012. Lee Jun Ki is one of the few double threats in Korean entertainment – a fantastic musical performer and a legit acting heavy hitter. I didn’t love Arang as much as I thought I … Continue reading →
If Cheongdamdong Alice attempted to explore the futility of the have-nots and the luck of the haves when it comes to the pursuit of money, its follow up drama appears to take it one step further. Or perhaps its simply more straightforward in its thematic narrative – The Incarnation of Money is clearly going to be driven by money money … Continue reading →
I love this drama. I love this drama so damn much! Flower Boy Next Door is that perfect slice of cake that I just want to savor and hoard. It’s exactly what I crave right now to bring the magic back to drama watching. Yes, it could falter or even collapse in the second half, but for now I enjoy … Continue reading →
I’m loving Taiwan’s revamped mandatory military service, which used to be two years for decades on end and has now been shortened to less than a year (and will soon go to a full volunteer military force by 2014 though all males as of the age of 18 must still complete four months of military boot camp). Such a drastic … Continue reading →
I tried watching a few episodes of School 2013 and while it wasn’t bad I was strangely disengaged from it all. I wonder if I’m currently not in the mood for a nice school drama? Whatever the reason, I’ll probably marathon it at some point if the mood hits, but until then I’m not invested in its ending this week … Continue reading →
For the first six-episodes Flower Boy Next Door has been decidedly low key, and just the way I like it. It was casual and playful, with an everydayness about it that made watching it a breeze. But a good drama doesn’t just stick with one conceit and beat it to death, it builds upon its premise as the situations presented … Continue reading →
Please tell me this is the drama god’s idea of a joke, because there is some symmetry to be had but the end result might be pain for drama lovers the world over. Cheongdamdong Alice proves yet again that two good actors with an interesting concept does not equal good drama if the writing is crap. But that doesn’t mean … Continue reading →
I’m sure slick and soulless mega-producer Yu Zheng was just savoring all the slings and arrows shot his way during the filming of The Swordsman last year, when he cast actress Chen Qiao En to play the male Big Bad character of Dong Fang Bu Bai and gave the character a love line with hero Ling Hu Chong, who was … Continue reading →
Most weekend dramas are of the longish variety so when I first heard Cheongdamdong Alice would be the typical weekday drama length of 16-episodes, I worried there wasn’t enough time for the entire story to be told properly. Turns out I was right but for the wrong reasons, there was enough time, the writers just wasted most of it on … Continue reading →
It’s weird how a disappointing streak with dramas can color even upcoming releases. With Cheongdamdong Alice wrapping up this weekend, its follow up drama has been quietly preparing for its premiere next week and released two teasers recently. As a die-hard Kang Ji Hwan fan I should be all over The Incarnation of Money like cat on cream but the … Continue reading →
The penultimate episode of Cheongdamdong Alice laid bare all its limitations (and then some) while confirming for me that I’ve wasted my time with this drama that doesn’t actually have a meaningful story to tell. It’s not entertaining anymore, and I’m not getting any insightful takeaways at the end of the day? Then what is the point? I’m finishing for … Continue reading →
I’m used to the 2-episode a week format for K-dramas, and the even more painful 1-episode a week format for TW-dramas and J-doramas. But when it comes to C-dramas, I’ve been spoiled on the 5-episode a week format so much that watching 2-episodes a weekend of Drama Go Go Go has been so so so painful because the drama has … Continue reading →