:: Sixtwentyseven ::

The first time I saw this MV without watching the drama, I could already feel the emotion in this song. To me, this is already one of the best OST song for the year as well one of the best songs for Huh Gak.

Lyrics:

이대로 끝나버릴 것만 같아서
idaero kkeutnabeoril geotman gataseo
그대가 숨어버릴 것만 같아서
geudaega sumeo beoril geotman gataseo
자꾸만 보네요, 그대만 보네요
jakkuman boneyo geudaeman boneyo
멍한 바보처럼
meonghan babocheoreom

이렇게 커져가는 마음이 난 두려워
ireoke keojyeo ganeun maeumi nan duryeowo
오늘도 모른 척 그댈 지나치려 해도
oneuldo moreun cheog geudael jinachiryeo haedo
눈물이 흘러서 내 심장이 터질 것 같아서
nunmuri heulleoseo nae simjangi teojil geot gataseo
이젠 그대 얼굴 그대 이름 온종일 그리는데
ijen geudae eolgul geudae ireum onjongil geurineunde

사랑해요 그대
saranghaeyo geudae
그 아픔까지 함께할게요
geu apeumkkaji hamkkehalgeyo
힘든 이 세상에 날 웃게 해준 한 사람
himdeun i sesange nal utge haejun han saram
혹시나 그대 내게 오는 길 어렵다면
hogsina geudae naege oneun gil eoryeob damyeon
그냥 서 있어요 내가 그대에게 갈 테니
geunyang seo isseoyo naega geudae ege gal teni

이렇게 커져가는 마음이 난 두려워
ireoke keojyeo ganeun maeumi nan duryeowo
오늘도 모른 척 그댈 지나치려 해도
oneuldo moreun cheog geudael jinachiryeo haedo
눈물이 흘러서 내 심장이 터질 것 같아서
nunmuri heulleoseo nae simjangi teojil geot gataseo
이젠 그대 얼굴 그대 이름 온종일 그리는데
ijen geudae eolgul geudae ireum onjongil geurineunde

사랑해요 그대
saranghaeyo geudae
그 아픔까지 함께할게요
geu apeumkkaji hamkkehalgeyo
힘든 이 세상에 날 웃게 해준 한 사람
himdeun i sesange nal utge haejun han saram
혹시나 그대 내게 오는 길 어렵다면
hogsina geudae naege oneun gil eoryeob damyeon
그냥 서 있어요 내가 그대에게
geunyang seo isseoyo naega geudae ege

아파도 웃음이 나요
apado useumi nayo
그대만 생각하면
geudaeman saenggaghamyeon
견딜 수 있죠 버틸 수 있죠
gyeondil su itjyo beotil su itjyo
나는
naneun

사랑해요 그대
saranghaeyo geudae
그 아픔까지 함께할게요
geu apeumkkaji hamkkehalgeyo
힘든 이 세상에 날 웃게 해준 한 사람
himdeun i sesange nal utge haejun han saram
혹시나 그대 내게 오는 길 어렵다면
hogsina geudae naege oneun gil eoryeob damyeon
그냥 서 있어요 내가 그대에게 갈 테니
geunyang seo isseoyo naega geudae ege gal teni


Credit
Hangul :: Bugs Music
Romanization :: KyungMi at kromanized.com
English Lyrics :: pop!gasa

I guess I've gained a bit of momentum in watching dramas since I'm coming up with this review pretty quickly but workload + long holiday weekend sure does the trick since I've finished through this drama in 3 days. Big first attracted me due to the OST with a solid ballads from Huh Gak, Davichi, Noel, B2ST and Suzy from miss A. I'll tell you more of my thoughts on the OST later but first I'll give my views on the drama.

Big is a fantasy story whereby 2 persons swapped souls with each other after an accident. Seo Yoon Jae(Gong Woo) is a doctor who met Gil Da Ran (Lee Min Jung) through an accident at their friend's wedding. They gotten together after the accident and was on the way to marriage. However, doubts began to show in Da Ran after Yun Jae seemed hesitant. Kang Kyun Joon (Shin Won Ho) is a transfer student in the school Da Ran is teaching and they met through an incident that Da Ran has accidentally taken his umbrella while alighting the bus. On the day Da Ran wanted to confirm Yoon Jae's feeling towards her, Kyun Joon drove her to the suburbs to clear her head. On his way back however, he met with an accident which includes Yoon Jae and by miracle, their souls swapped bodies.

My view of Big is somewhat mixed after watching the whole drama. In the beginning, I thought Big started with promise. But as the drama go by, I did have this feeling that the scriptwriter was beginning to lose the direction it wanted to take. I guessed by feeling was summarized by the last episode which does not closes the story but instead sought to confuse the viewer further. As much as I want to voice out my opinion of the ending, I guess it's best to leave it offline so that I do not leave any spoilers in this post.

Another incident which irk me a bit was the lapse in the scenes in the drama. For example in episode 2, where Ma Ri (Suzy) was carrying her luggage and speaking to Da Ran first and later to Yoon Jae, she walked away without her luggage after they have finished speaking. Another is in the last episode where both teachers Ae Kyung and Na Hyo Sang were announcing their marriage and hints of pregnancy, the next scene showed the incident one year later with Ae Kyung still heavily pregnant. Err hello?

As mentioned in the beginning, the OST of Big is of top quality with songs from Huh Gak, Davichi, Noel, B2ST and Suzy from miss A. However, i was disappointed with the usage of the songs in the drama save for the a couple. In my last review, Queen In Hyun's Man technically speaking has 3 main songs that the drama uses the songs very well to invoke the emotions of the viewer. However, comparing with Big, I do think Big has come out short in this area. Davichi's Because of you is used frequently in the drama and appropriately as well, same goes for Huh Gak's One Person. However, I do find B2ST's Hateful Person as the ending theme as a odd choice given the fact that the drama does not always end on a "cheerful" mode and the song by B2ST is generally upbeat. The song "If it's Love" by Noel is an excellent song by itself but surprisingly is used sparsely in the drama. Maybe having just a few solid songs in the drama will do the trick but when you have 5 quality tracks in your OST, maybe the sound director lost its direction as well.

Nonetheless, I need to comment on the quality of the soundtrack. Huh Gak really nailed this track "One Person" that the track was the song I start on my playlist for more than a few days. I think this song touches the heart really deeply and you can feel the emotions of the song.



The other song in the OST that impressed me a lot is Suzy's "I still love you". The song impressed me not with the rhythm nor the lyrics, but the vocal range that tested Suzy. Her previous OST tracks did not exactly impress me but I do think this is her track to date. But if you want to compare about emotions, then I do feel Suzy is somewhat lacking a bit in here.



Speaking about emotions, Davichi is clearly not lacking in this area. Besides Huh Gak's "One Person", this is the only song that I feel they used it to effect in the drama. In the latter of the drama, they released the male version of the song with Gong Yoo as the singer. They used the song as well for one particular episode, but I didn't feel the effect as much as Davichi's version.



Noel's "If it's love" is one song I do feel they used it too sparingly in the drama. No doubt Davichi's and Huh Gak's songs are more appropriate in the drama, "If it's love" is still suitable in some of the scenes.



Lastly, the song that I feel did not really fit into any part of the drama. "Hateful person" is a nice, cheery feeling track but hey, I think I've seen more tears than laughter in this drama. Oh well, it's still used as the ending track for most episodes.



Overall, if you'd ask me should I watch the drama, I'd still say yes. Or at least listen to this OST, because it's really filled with excellent tracks. And oh, should I mention, I absolutely love Lee Min Jung in this drama, for some reason. Maybe like what she said in the latter episodes, she must be crazy.

Yoo In Na at last stars in her first drama as a lead! Or I'm more excited because I'm looking forward to the chemistry between Ji Hyun Woo and Yoo In Na ever since both of the declared their love for each other after the drama ended its production. The rumours of their relationship really started when Hyun Woo suddenly made a confession of liking Yoo In Na during a fan meet.



Then slightly over a week later, a reporter managed to spot Hyun Woo and In Na dating with their hands held together. After which, In Na decides to announce their relationship during her regular radio show.



Even though I'm already interested in watching this drama due to the fact that it's In Na's first starting role, after these real life events unfold, I seriously want to watch the chemistry between Hyun Woo and In Na in the drama.

In summary, Ji Hyun Woo stars as Kim Boong Do, an official who is close to the kind and loyal to the disposed Queen In Hyun. In trying to uncover the atrocities of the evil ministers, he is being hunted by the enemies and was almost killed, if not for an talisman that his servant has gave him. Amazingly, the talisman acted as a time machine and transported him 300 years into the future to the modern world and the first person he encountered is Choi Hee Jin (Yoo In Na). Hee Jin is a down and out actress who had just managed to snag a big role in a historical drama. Coincidentally, she is assigned the role of Queen In Hyun. Is this just a coincidence or are they just fated to meet, even though they are 300 years apart?

After knowing the relationship between Hyun Woo and In Na in real life, I must say watching this drama is akin to watching their own love story unfold. If the scenes are acted based on the exact timeline of the production, you could really see the camaraderie developing between the 2 leads until it becomes not just teamwork but the natural connection they have between them. And the outcome is a performance that is highly connectable due to their real life connections.

However, the show is not about the love story between the two leads but also the excellent OST that accompanies the drama. Just like Padam Padam earlier where the OST alone attracted me to watch the drama, Queen In Hyun's Man does the same effect as well.

Another Time, The Same Sky is sung by 8ight's Joo Hee and she gives a highly polished effort in this song. This song is used frequently in the drama to describe the pains the female lead felt when pinning for the person she loved who existed 300 years ago.



Just Once, sung by 4men's Young Jae, is more about the guy's feeling. Just like the title, just one more time, I want to see you again and the song is used in the drama to convey the feelings of the male lead.



I'm coming to see you, sung by Deok Hwan, tells the story between the two leads and their desire to see each other all the time. Personally, Deok Hwan is rather unknown to me. However, the first song in the drama that caught my attention was actually this song, and I especially love the effects the song has on the scenes where both the male and female lead meet each other.



Overall, this drama by its own is already a good production and i especially love Yoo In Na's cutesy image in the drama. Okay, I got to admit she is my bias in terms of the actress I like but her crying scenes in the drama are really top class and some of the scenes she really cried hard, which is not easy at all. Coupled with the real life incidents unfolding after the drama ended its production, this makes Queen In Hyun's Man a drama that should not be missed.

Enomoto Kei (Ohno Satoshi) is a security "otaku" working for a security firm, devoted to improving the securities system on a daily basis. He is not an easy person to familiarize oneself with, always collected and calm, unapproachable, a maniac in Physics, Science, Architecture and profound in other basic theoretical foundation. He is certain and proud of the fact that there is no key which he cannot unlock.

One day, Kei is asked to help reveal a mystery behind a locked room murderer. While he lacks any interest in solving the mystery, he is inevitably intrigued by the term, "Closed Doors" and decides to take on the position. He works side by side with Aoto Junko (Toda Erika) and Serizawa Gou (Sato Koichi), who are lawyers working at a major law firm. Junko is pure and forward, acting upon her instincts while Serizawa is a prideful elitist who sees time as money, and therefore, will not take on any job that is unprofitable.

Possessing a vast amount of knowledge and acute insightfulness, Kei is able to unlock the closed doors and unravel the secrets leading to the solution. (Credits: Dramawiki)

I have actually started this recent drama (Spring 2012) based on my friend's recommendation that this drama has really got him hooked (well, part of the fact is that my friend is crazy about Toda Erika). But nonetheless, once I've started on the drama I am hooked as well (not by Erika though).

Kagi no Kakatta Heya is different from other Japanese detective dramas as it purely focus on locked room cases. Locked room cases are cases whereby a crime has occurred and on the front there seems to be no way to enter or exit the crime scene. And it is this mystery theme that got me hooked to this drama. Each episode will conclude one case (with the exception of the last case of course to end the drama with a climax) and that's the plus point for Japanese dramas in general as it is short and sweet to the point.

Ohno Satoshi is a member of Arashi, who has also provided the ending theme for the drama but he is unfamiliar to me as I did not manage to catch any of the dramas he starred in. However, as Endomoto Kei, Ohno Satoshi did a pretty decent job by keeping a straight face throughout the drama, no easy feat mind you. Toda Erika and Sato Koichi provided the laughter in this drama with in some witty moments, making this drama not as serious as it can be.

Throughout the drama, they have also invited well known actors to act as the main lead for the story. Tamaki Hiroshi, Shida Mirai, Aibu Saki are just some the well known names that acted in this drama, bring it additional star power.

Overall, this drama is really enjoyable and it has been some time since I've watched a drama and wanting to straightaway go on to the next episode. 16% rating during its run? Justifiable.

Continuing with my never ending list of dramas to catch up, I've decided to choose a more recent and light hearted drama to watch. Boku to Star no 99 Nichi is Kim Tae Hee's first japanese drama. Although Kim Tae Hee was introduced to the japanese public through IRIS, that was essentially an imported drama. This drama is her first japan feature.

Boku to Star no 99 Nichi is a light hearted drama comedy about a bodyguard and the star he is supposed to protect. Namiki Kohei (Nishijima Hidetoshi) is a 40 year old part time bodyguard who seems to have no dreams of the future and is easily bossed around by his family and boss. Han Yuna (Kim Tae Hee) a top korean star invited to act in a drama. Their fate crossed when Namiki is assigned to protect Yuna for 99 days. As Kohei and Yuna come closer and closer to each other, they begin to fall for each other. What will happen after 99 days? Will they go their separate ways?

For the start, Kim Tae Hee looks absolutely fabulous in here. I'm also very impressed with her command of Japanese as usually foreign artists will be struggling with the command of the language, especially with the amount of lines a main lead will have. However, Kim Tae Hee, together with Taecyeon of Korean boy group 2PM, perform admirably for their grasp of the language.

Nishijima Nidetoshi is not unfamiliar to me as I've watched another drama that he starred in. The only difference is that the former drama has a more serious tone while this is the first time I've seen him in a comedy drama. I thought his performance was good, but probably not spectacular enough. On the other hand, the 2nd male lead, Sasaki Kuranosuke, who acted as a top japan superstar Takanabe Yamato in the drama, stole the scenes in the drama with his larger than life comedic acting. However, this is what I expected from Sasaki Kuranosuke because he is a very versatile actor who is really good with his facial and body expressions. And he clearly deliver in the show because all the comedic moments are created by him.

I wouldn't say the drama is exciting nor unexpected. However, the quality of the production is still high and the overall story holds, with few loopholes here and there. If you're looking for something unexpected, this is clearly not the one for you. After all, you do not do something unexpected in romantic comedy dramas.

I would say people would definitely be drawn to this drama due to the Kim Tae Hee factor. I'd say this because besides looking absolutely radiant in the drama, Kim Tae Hee offers something different from the japanese actresses. In a way, because she's a foreign actress, it was refreshing in a way. Do catch the drama if you have not done so!

Recently I chanced upon this song and I thought the lyrics to this song is really beautiful. If you are the recipient for this song, I believe you'll shed tears of joy.



Better Me

主唱：薛凱琪
作曲：江海迦
填詞：小寒

遠處海港傳來陣陣船笛
我一直飄零到被你揀起
如今望著反映窗戶玻璃
有個我陌生又熟悉

I can Smile a little more
Sing a little more
Feel a little more
全因為你

說好了要為幸福　一天天地練習
練習 Laugh a little more
Love myself a little more
要學會更加善待我自己
為你我變成了　Better me

甚麼距離都不算是真的分離
想念和默契能代替一切言語
有一天生命會老去　還好謝謝有你

在你眼中　I see the better in me
Coz I can Smile a little more
Sing a little more
Feel a little more　全因為你

說好了要為幸福　一天天地練習
練習 Laugh a little more
Love myself a little more
要學會更加善待我自己
為你我變成了　Better me

就是那麼神奇
從前的錯都有意義
教我拋開所有猜疑　也許
我也美麗　值得一個奇蹟

我的眼淚會墜落
絕不是因為懦弱
而是感謝天讓我遇見你
不然今天就不能　如此地有勇氣

Now I promise to you
And I can swear to you
為你我　一定加倍　珍惜*我自己
做一個值得你　驕傲的　Better me
一個值得你　愛的Better me

Recently I was chatting with my friend regarding J-dramas and K-dramas and we talked about the dramas he has yet to watch / catch up. I was telling him about my backlog and he basically rolled his eyes and told me to get on with it.

Well, I had to start somewhere and so I've decided to watch the shortest drama in my backlog list. Killer K is a 3 part series by CGV and it stars rookie actress Han Groo as the main lead Cha Yeonjin. Killer K talks about a girl where one incident one night changed her life from being an high school girl to become an assassin bent on avenging her mother's death after personally witnessing her death. However, the agency that she works for more than meets the eye and eventually she will be the one who will stop all this.

Firstly, I'll need to give a special praise for the production team for creating a high production 3 parter series where the action for each episode is evenly spread out. Of course, for a 3 part drama series there're bound to have certain areas that they have to rush through but I'm not complaining about it as the fighting and gun scenes more than make up for it.

I'm also surprised with some content within the drama where as a drama serial and Korean TV in general that they actually allow full topless scenes and simulated sex scenes in the drama. Given that this is a midnight drama, but given the knowledge I have regarding Korean content on TV, this is really surprising. Not only that, the blood squirting from wounds really reminds me of the movie Ahjussi, but of course on a tamer nature. Nonetheless, these details actually helps to increase the realism of the drama.

A special mention has to be given to Han Groo who's more well known to be a singer than an actress. My first contact with Han Groo was in music shows, where she is debuting as a rookie singer. But after finishing this drama, I can safely say she can find her path in acting as well as her performing as the main lead is thoroughly convincing. She can also branch out to be an action star as her fighting skills within the drama is convincing and there are not that many female action stars within the Korean industry.

In summary, this drama is really kickass and worth a watch. Do catch it while you can! And now to my other dramas......

Looks like I have really procrastinated on my backlog as I haven't been watching the movies and dramas still lying around in my inventory. But I did have a chance to catch a jap movie today and decided to choose Bayside Shakedown 3, as I've almost forgotten I have this movie lying in wait.

Shunsaku Aoshima (Yuji Oda) is promoted to section chief and is also in charge of supervising the shifting of the Bayside precinct police station to a new state of the art building. On the shifting day itself however, the station first received a call of a bank being broken into and later, a public bus being hijacked. What is strange about the 2 cases however is that in both instances, nothing is stolen from the bank and passengers on the bus respectively. Aoshima and his team, already busy with the shifting of the new office, has to take on these 2 cases. Things, however become complicated when the police chief, while inspecting the new building, discovers 3 police guns went missing while the shifting was carried out.

What I love about Bayside Shakedown series is that they have managed to retain the whole original cast from the first time when the drama serial was aired in 1997 till now in 2010 where the 3rd movie was produced. Furthermore, a drama special and the 4th and final movie are being planned to conclude the movie. As such, if you watched Bayside Showdown before, you wouldn't feel lost with a change in cast members.

However, with this 3rd edition, I do have a few grouses with the movie. Although the movie was paced in a appropriate manner throughout, I thought the starting hour of the movie was a bit slow for my liking. Thankfully, things starts to pick up thereafter. As usual, Yuji Oda and Eri Fukatsu put in creditable performances in this movie and the huge supporting cast makes this movie an enjoyable movie to watch. The director also follow previous editions but giving the slow parts a lighter touch with a tinge of comedy in it. However, the slow first half pace really got to me by the time I crawl to 59 minutes into the movie.

Overall, the movie is still an enjoyable watch, but I do feel previous editions were done better.