I’m genuinely impressed and happy for the much deserved success of Kill Me Heal Me. The drama has flaws aplenty but overall is so entertaining and interesting to watch. Most of the success lays with Ji Sung convincingly playing 7 different characters, getting some writing help with the comedic and comic book presentation of the DID medical condition with underlying … Continue reading →
I feel like I’ve earned the right to snark as much as I want on the promotional materials for upcoming medical vampire drama Blood. I not only recapped Dr. Stranger, I poured 100% into that sucker with how much I tried to intellectually dissect a story with a nebulous blob for a center. Seeing the first stills of Ahn Jae Hyun … Continue reading →
The late spring and early summer K-drama line up is slowly taking shape. First came confirmation that KBS was slotting in the bipolar medical drama Dr. Frankenstein for June, coming late to the split personality bandwagon but who knows if the audience has room for one more after a short break. Now MBC is doing a big one-two punch for … Continue reading →
SETTV trotted out a splashy round up of leading men for its second half 2014 TW-drama line up and no one had a clue which drama would end up the ratings or quality winner. Months later and the verdict is a resounding win for George Hu and I couldn’t agree more. He had the arguably less prestigious daily drama slot … Continue reading →
The first stills are out for the upcoming jTBC drama Falling for Soon Jung (Falling for Innocence) and I would have honestly forgotten about this drama if I hadn’t run across these stills. Goes to show dramas really need to keep pace with promotional material. It’s a bit early yet for this drama to be gearing up since it’s scheduled … Continue reading →
As of January 2015, the news-making discussion of how many times a K-drama has been viewed in a Chinese online streaming site or how much the licensed airing rights per episode sold for has come to a foreseeable end. Thanks to the new SARFT regulations that all overseas shows shown on Chinese streaming sites must (1) be completed airing, (2) … Continue reading →
Are audiences all Bu Bu Jing Xin-ed out? That’s the question that will be answered later this year when the big-budget C-movie version of the popular story hits the big screens. As a refresher – Bu Bu Jing Xin (Startling with Each Step) started off as a web novel by writer Tong Hua and was later published to popular but … Continue reading →
Those bemoaning that the K-drama landscape is a wasteland of no good roles and stories for women might have be seeing a shining beacon of hope soon. Filming is underway for the upcoming Wed-Thurs KBS drama called Unkind Women which takes over for the forgettable sageuk The King’s Face. KBS still hasn’t had a real hit drama in the weekday … Continue reading →
I’m feeling pretty optimistic now that the first four episodes of Hyde, Jekyll, Me are done and I’ve vented my disappointment. The preview for episode 5 is the first time I’ve gotten excited about what’s to come, it genuinely looks fun and interesting now that Seo Jin and Ha Na are going to be living together. I’m glad I like … Continue reading →
I’ve noticed that over the years I’ve been writing about C-dramas, and C-entertainment more and more due to the rise of both the quality as well as the increase in cross-border collaborations. Some folks new to C-dramas, or haven’t even dipped a toe in, sometimes enjoy my posts without a clue of who’s popular and why certain stars seem to … Continue reading →
I confess it’s invariably awkward writing about physical changes in entertainers. It’s basically the pink elephant in the room – mostly unrelated to talent but impossible to ignore. That’s why I try to keep my commentary on such matters lighthearted because whether by choice or not, it’s still a personal thing with respect to weight (loss or gain), plastic surgery, … Continue reading →
The Chinese-Korean collaborations continue unabated, which feels even more up my alley since I was watching and writing about Korean and Chinese entertainment starting way back when rarely the twain shall meet. Not sure how I actually feel about it in terms of output quality but even the worst starting efforts have the potential to improve. Up next is a … Continue reading →
Now that the January K-drama premieres are done it’s fully onwards to February and the splashiest (flashiest?) on the plate to be served is indisputably Blood. Will it be all style with no substance? Teasers and promos might look that way but there remains the possibility that the production of Good Doctor knows what it’s doing and picked the ideal leads … Continue reading →