The Start of Something New (and by “Something New”, I mean going back to school as a supersenior)

Tags

City Hunter

Oops, I forgot to actually write something for the post. Anyhow, tomorrow is my 3rd day of school as a 5th year student, and so far it’s been okay. My classes seem to be pretty fun, and although last sem didn’t really turn out the way I wanted it to, I’m determined to succeed this time.

The only not-so-good part of the sem is that all my close friends have graduated and so I’m alone in this world. Ahem, I mean, I don’t have people to hang out with. But that’s okay. I have my computer and Lee Minho to keep me company.

Did I just say Lee Minho? Yes, I did. I’ve been watching City Hunter, a new Korean drama starring Lee Minhot (as he is often referred to by people other than me, so the term is totally not coined by me) as well as pretty Park Minyoung who starred in Sungkyunkwan Scandal last year. City Hunter is super good. It’s a super fast-paced action-romance-comedy thing that caters to all kinds of people and not only fangirls of Lee Minho. Plus, other supporting actors are Goo Hara (who is from the idol group Kara and is super adorable in this as a high school student) and Lee Kwangsoo (who is one of the main cast members of the variety show Running Man).

And that’s all. This post really is more about sharing the gloriousness of City Hunter rather than being actually about school. Sorry about that.

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho

Tags

Drama: My Girlfriend is a Gumiho

A new drama starring Lee Seunggi and Shin Minah, “My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (Nine-tailed Fox)” is a brilliant new drama from the Hong sisters, the writers of last year’s fantastic romantic-comedy drama “You’re Beautiful”. They also happen to be the writers of “My Girl” and “Delightful Girl Choon Hyang”, and that track record is certainly something to be admired.

But this drama… it is just. So. Good. Lee Seunggi plays Cha Dae Woong, a rich kid who acts all cocky in front of his friends, but is a huge wimp in front of the cute but carnivorous Gumiho, played by Shin Minah. What makes it so interesting is the unique dynamic between the leads, differing from the typical rich-guy-and-poor-girl relationship we see all the time in Korean dramas. This time, these two characters are equally strong yet equally dependent on each other, boosted by the great scriptwriting by the Hong Sisters. There’s even the wonderful Korean mythology about the Gumiho or the nine-tailed fox that is the basis for the entire plot, making the drama a wonderful modern adaptation of the fairy tale.

Watch it with English subs here: http://www.viikii.net/channels/goto/MyGirlfriend

My Girlfriend is A Gumiho is definitely not your typical angsty Korean drama, but it’s a light romantic comedy that will make you go “Awww…” with every episode. It’s currently still airing in Korea (the 8th episode came out last Thursday) but will finish soon at 16 episodes in 4 more weeks.

[J-Drama] Osen

Tags

Jdrama: Osen

Wow. I just finished the whole thing after patiently waiting for hardsubs to come out, and it is totally worth the wait.

The drama is just… beautiful. That’s the best way I can describe the whole thing. The focus of this drama is traditional Japanese culture, especially food. It is set in modern times, but is all about a traditional Japanese restaurant, Isshouan, which upholds the very foundations of Japanese culture, prioritizing experience, quality and hospitability over profits (which is a very, very rare thing indeed).

The drama stars Aoi Yu and Uchi Hiroki, who are both experienced actors and have been in several dramas already. Aoi Yu plays the bubbly, but strong-hearted and wise (if you can use that word to describe somebody so young) okami, or proprietess of Isshouan, while Uchi Hiroki plays a chef-in-training who finds himself employed at Isshouan. There are also several supporting characters who are excellently portrayed as well.

What makes the drama so special and so refreshing is the way it is able to present Japanese culture in a very engaging, understandable manner, and so beautifully as well, making you fall in love with every single thing they do. The actors are all perfect (except for Uchi Hiroki who is a bit over the top, but I guess that’s what is required of his character), especially Aoi Yu whose smile just brightens up the whole situation no matter how grave it is.

Every episode is centered around one aspect of Japanese culture, and it thoroughly and beautifully explains and demonstrates what makes Japanese culture so unique and special. It reminds us (even though you are not Japanese) what makes these traditions so precious and important to us, and what it takes to protect them now in this age where we are slowly losing our traditions.

I would like to fawn over the cinematography, scriptwriting, set, casting and so much more of the drama, but really. Just as the drama tells us, words will never be able to express the experience completely. So watch it! It will be the most wonderful 10 hours of your life.

♥♥♥♥♥ (5 out of 5!)

Random things…

Tags

Big Bang: TOP, Drama: I Am Sam, Team China

Tonight, I had dinner with Jes and Bea (TEAM CHINA!) and some of their Gracian friends at Tempura Banawe to celebrate Bea’s birthday, which is tomorrow! Happy birthday, Bea!!!

Rachelle was supposed to be there, para macomplete ung Team China (at least, yung mga nasa Pilipinas pa), pero for some reason napadpad siya sa Tempura Makati… in the end, she couldn’t come. SAAAAAAAAAAD. Rachelle, magpakita ka sa akin bago ako pumunta sa Hong Kong! Haha XD

For the past few days, I’ve been watching this Korean drama called I Am Sam(Sam means teacher in Korean) It’s actually pretty funny XD It’s about a loser teacher who teaches a class of failing students, who happens to meet the daughter of a gangster. Then the girl suddenly becomes determined to go back to school, and study under the loser teacher. Obviously, as proven by the numerous dramas that combine gangsters and school (Gokusen, My Boss My Hero, etc. etc.), lots of trouble, and of course fun, ensue from the combination. And no. I didn’t watch the drama just for T.O.P. (of Big BANG!) ♥

Bored…

Tags

Drama: Hana Yori Dango Returns, Movie: Confessions of a Shopaholid, Movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Movie: Uptown Girls

I spent the day doing nothing. AHHHHHH so much fun!

I woke up about 9 am, and watched Confessions of a Shopaholic. Such a fun movie! I actually liked it better than the books! I mean, the books were good, but Becky was so annoying in the. In the movie, she was just crazy, but you can actually understand how she feels. Before, I was disappointed with the whole them not being British thing, but Luke’s accent in the movie makes up for it. Isla Fisher’s acting was splendid and now I can’t imagine Becky Bloomwood in any other way. It was a great movie, and it was the perfect escape after the whole JTA sem depression period.

Last night, I watched the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with my JTA blockmates. It was fun! It sort of felt like a horror movie, but it was proper to make it dark and foreboding because of the themes touched in the movie. It also had funny bits with Ron and Hermione and Lavender Brown and Luna Lovegood. Some people say it was really different from the book but the book was so long ago, I forgot what was in it, so I enjoyed this movie a lot. The movie also explained the plot really clearly, and although it rushed through a few parts, it also focused on the right parts, so that you can understand what’s going on even if you haven’t read the book. Some characters were completely underused. For example, Flitwick appeared for like, 30 seconds. We were able to see more of some characters who didn’t really make much of an impact in the last movies such as Fred and George Weasley, and maybe Draco Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. (FYI I haven’t seen HP5, but I plan to really soon. )

This afternoon I watched a few episodes of Hana Yori Dango Returns. It was a little too melodramatic for me, but  I just really want to watch HYD Final so I’m forcing myself to finish season 2.

Once I got bored of HYD, I watched a movie that I downloaded a few months ago, Uptown Girls, starring Brittany Murphy and Dakota Fanning. Dakota Fanning is actually really cute. The movie was nice and inspiring and refreshing after all the senseless, meaningless chick flicks nowadays. Definitely worth watching.

And that was my day. I probably shouldn’t but I always feel this sense of accomplishment if I finish a day watching a lot of movies and dramas.