:: 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.

Love is a romantic story directed by Niu Chen Ze who also acted as one of the characters in the movie. Love tells a story about 8 intertwined characters and how each of them overcome their problems with Love.

A Taiwan tycoon Mark (Zhao Wen Ting 趙又廷) has a relationship with a socialite Yi Rou 柔伊 (Shu Qi 舒淇). However, due to his past and childhood, he can't commit to the relationship. This upsets Yi Rou, and she promptly hook up with her lover Lu Ping 陆平 (Niu Chen Ze 钮承泽). On the way out of the hotel where she met up with Mark, Yi Rou pumps into a butler Xiao Kuan 小宽( Ethan Ruan 阮经天) who took a photo of Yi Rou. Xiao Kuan is the brother of Yi Jia 宜珈( Ivy Chen Yi Han 陈意涵), who in a drunken stupor, had a one night stand with Ah Kai 阿凯(Peng Yu Yan 彭于晏), who happens to be her best friend's Xiao Ni 小霓( Amber Guo Cai Jie 郭采洁) boyfriend. Worse still, she got pregnant from the incident. Xiao Ye 小叶(Vicki Zhao Wei 赵薇) is a housing agent in Beijing, who happens to serve Mark as a client. However, they did not hit off well from the start and by a coincidence of events, Mark has to play the role of Dad for Xiao Ye's son. What sparks may fly between the two? Love is a story of these eight characters and the sequence of events that will test each of them.

First off, I got to say that Love definitely has some loopholes in the plot. There are several circumstances that in this modern world, I doubt thing will occur in such pace. One particular loophole was at start where there's a scene whereby Xiao Kai riding a bicycle accidentally bumped into Mark's car at a traffic junction. As Xiao Kai rides off the bicycle after the accident and Mark drove past him, Xiao Kai miraculously disappeared from the scene.

However, I do appreciate the effort by the director to try to establish the links between each character right at the start of the movie so that you roughly know the part each character will take in the movie. Also, the acting by each actor and actress is top notch, although i have a bit of reservations for Zhao Wen Ting. Just felt that he is a bit stiff in the movie.

Nonetheless, the movie is a good feel movie and you have a rough idea of why love is the reason we all exist. Not to mention that this movie has a great song sung by Yoga Lin You Jia 林宥嘉.

After catching up on a few japanese dramas/specials I thought it would be nice if I catch up on a korean drama as well. Of all the dramas still pending in my stash, I've decided to watch Padam Padam first.

Padam Padam caught my eye not because of the lead actor or actress, but because of the OST that I happen to listen randomly. I think I've mentioned before that if the OST of a drama is good, most than likely I will watch the drama. And this proves true for Padam Padam, where the OST really caught my attention. So for this time round, I thought I should introduce the OST first and I leave my reviews for the drama later.

The first song that caught my eye is the first OST from the show. The song is sung by Noel, a 4 men vocal group who recently made their comeback after a 3 year hiatus. I was introduced to their song albeit randomly as well and since then I never turned back. The title of this song is called "To Live" and the song fits the sorrow of the main character who is innocent but the whole world doesn't believe in his word.



The second song of the OST is sung by Jea from Brown Eyed Girls. The title of the song is "Fool for You" and it talks about the sweet and innocent love of a girl for a guy. For your info, Jea is a very talented artist who composes as well as produce songs for other singers as well as for her own group. I also love Jea's voice and I do feel her voice suits OST tracks very well.



The third song of the OST is a powerful track sung by Hwanhee. The song, "Don't Go", is about wishing a lover's well-being as it tells the pain of the ended relationship. I don't exactly touch Hwanhee's songs as it did attract my attention but this song definitely did. It was very well used in the drama especially for emphasizing the emotions of the male lead. Of all the tracks, I think this is the most powerful track in the OST although Noel's "To Live" is a close second.



The fourth song of the OST is a slow ballad by Kim Yeon Ji, who is formerly in the now-defunct group Seeya. Compared to Jea's "Fool for you", "Love is Right" is more mellow, but not lacking in emotions.



The last song of the OST is by a group called F.I.X, and the song they sung is called "Because it's you". Although the lyrics highlights the pain felt from a lover who is gone (spoiler alert!), I would say the song is applicable to any scenario, be it death or the person is going away for a period of time for work, study etc.



And if you think you still doesn't have any idea what this drama is all about, I think the clues in the OST track can somewhat point you in that direction.

Padam Padam is a french word for "to thump", and this drama exactly talks about the heartbeat of love that is so strong that it can withstand the obstacles that stood in its way. Yang Kang Chil (Jung Woo Sung) was wrongfully accused of a murder and he spend 16 years behind bars. In the prison, he met a fellow inmate Geok Soo (Kim Bum) who claimed that he is his guardian angel and told him that 3 miracles will happen to him, hence asking him do not give up on life and the world. After his release, he went back to his hometown Tong Yeong to patch things up with his mother due to his conviction. There, both of them worked as handymen and at this time he met Jung Ji Na (Han Ji Min), a vet who hired the both of them to renovate her animal hospital. Through their interactions, Kang Chil began to fall in love with Ji Na, but he doesn't know how connected Ji Na actually is to his conviction. Will their love withstand the obstacles ahead?

The last time I watched any Jung Woo Sung drama/movie was Athena, and to be frank I feel Athena wasn't a good performance from him. He was okay, but I do feel that the drama can do much more from his acting. However, Padam Padam trully tested Woo Sung's acting and I got to be mightily impressed with Woo Sung in this drama. As a thug, he was convincing enough when he terrorised his mother when they first met. As a lover, he became soft and gentle. And when he realised he had an illness, he broke down and cried. The crying scenes in particular, left a deep impression on me. Jung Woo Sung, Han Ji Min and Na Moon Hee, who acted as Kang Chil's mother gave solid performance in the drama. There were a few particular scenes that required one take and the actors and actresses had to synchronize their emotions and crying scenes in one take. 2 instances impressed me a lot: 1st was between Kang Chil and Ji Na when Kang Chil told her to visualize the scenarios where he was in pain and gave her his decisions and instructions should he leave this world. 2nd would be the scene between Mother and child where Kang Chil's mother chided him for losing all hope and trying to send everyone away from him.

Besides the crying scenes, I was also impressed with one scene in particular where Kang Chil was knocked down by Ji Na's car early in the drama. I think this is the first time where I see a scene that was shot from the victim's perspective. I do not know if there are any camera effects but if there aren't, then I'm impressed with the stuntman for that scene.

Overall, this drama is really entertaining for me although at the end I thought they dragged the drama a bit. I really give the OST in this drama 5 stars and for the plot itself I will rate it very highly. Oh did I mention Kim Bum's hot 6 packs and the Kim Tae Hee-aura Han Ji Min as well?

Do catch this drama as I think it's a very good drama.

Hello everyone and Happy New Year to all~~

I've just realised that I didn't put any Xmas greetings nor New year greetings, hence the late shout out.

Well, I thought I'd start of the new year by continuing what I did last year by reducing the back log of J-dramas. I thought I should start off with something short hence I chose Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite. Afterall, I'd consider this drama on the light side.

Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite, roughly translated as I'll Still Love You In 10 Years talks about a time travel story. Onozawa Rika (Ueto Aya) works as a editor for a book company and is in charge of an up and coming author Hidaka Koji (Gekidan Hitori) and demanding accomplished author Hamada Azusa (Watanabe Eri). One day, she suddenly meets a mysterious man Maruyama Hiroshi (Uchino Masaaki) who is stalking her. When she confronts him, Hiroshi told her that he is her husband from 10 years in the future and ask her not marry him when the current him proposes to her.

Ever since Ueto Aya broke away from her cutesy roles like the ones in Attention Please!, I have been following her dramas like Zettai Reido and Nagareboshi. I used to hate her acting in those cutesy roles, but Zettai Reido really changed my opinion of her. I do think her acting has matured as each drama goes by. We do know she can't survive on those roles when she matures, but at last I feel she is giving her performance the credit that it deserves.

In Junnen, Aya continues to produce an assured performance in the drama. I do think that the plot is as stretched out as it can be given that it's only 6 episodes. The ending is of course predictable, given that we all like nice endings, but nonetheless the drama is still worth the watch. Uchino Masaaki also gave a solid performance in the drama, especially in the various scenes where the younger and older him interacts with Rika. If you find Uchino Masaaki familiar, he appears in JIN as well.

Oh, I absolutely love the song "Time of Love" by Crystal Kay. I thought the song compliments the feelings that the drama should evoke.

You can sample the song below:

Instead of watching a full drama series, I've decided to watch one of the various one episode TV special instead. Digging through the trough of SP that I have not touched, I've decided to watch Hitsudan Hostess first since it's was aired close to 2 years ago.

Histudan Hostess is based on the real life story of Saito Rie, who became Ginza's number 1 hostess despite being deaf. Kitagawa Keiko star as Saito Rie in this adaptation. Rie became deaf at age 1 due to an illness. Despite that, her mother attempted to give Rie as normal a childhood as possible compared to normal children. She also sent her to calligraphy classes when she was young. However, as she graduated from high school, she begins to realise that people still have prejudice against the deaf. Her family wanted to protect her by asking her to stay at home but she is determined to find her own footing. A chance encounter with a host owner lead her to join her club to be a hostess. Initially, she still had obstacles in her job but gradually began to excel in her job by communicating with her clients with pen and paper. "Hitsudan" means communicating through writing in Japanese. However, her mother disapproved of her job. Determined to prove her mother wrong, she strive to be Japan's No. 1 hostess.

I have not read the original novel by Saito Rie, but I would like to believe the scriptwriter has more or less followed the novel. Hitsudan Hostess does not serves to be heavy, but I was touched by the story, especially at the ending 15 minutes which is essentially the essence of the TV special. The ending footage includes the real Saito Rie as well, and I got to say she is a real beauty in person. But what I was more impressed was the acting of Kitagawa Keiko in this drama as she almost has no lines in the whole 90 minutes, save for a few. Even so, when she speaks, she has to speak creditably like how a deaf speaks, which I feel is pretty convincing. Most of her acting require a strong display of facial expressions, which for an actor requires some skill as well. I do think that in this aspect, she has pulled it off creditably. Of course, with as a hostess, Keiko is dressed in several beautiful dresses and kimonos, which is a great plus point to watch the drama as well.

Continuing with my backlogging of Jap dramas, the next show still lying around is Nagareboshi. As compared to Boss 2, which i took pretty long to complete, the time I took to finish Nagareboshi is somewhat much lesser. I will explain why later in this post.

Takenouchi Yutaka is the main lead Okada Kengo, a diligent employee in a local aquarium. All seems well on the outside for the Okada family, but Kengo's sister Maria (Kitano Kii) is sick with liver problems and needs a transplant. Due to Japan laws, only relatives are allowed to donate their livers to Maria, but all of them shunned away from the family. It is at this time that Kengo met Makihara Risa (Ueto Aya), a sex trade worker who is forced to pay off her brother's Shuichi (Inagaki Goro) debts. Risa is also facing problems with her brother's debts and his swindling ways. With both sides in desperation, Kengo trying to find a donor for his sister and Risa trying to start a new life away from his brother, they decide to enter a "contract marriage" where Kengo will pay Risa for her "donation" of her liver while Risa acts as his wife. But as go along the plan, they discover about that their feelings for each other is true.

This drama particularly reminds me of Bara no Nai Hanaya, not because of the similarity of the story but because of the usage of certain items and the pace of the story. For Nagareboshi, they used the Moon Jellyfish that links the two main characters together, as well as the shooting star to describe if their relationship will turn out as it is. (If you didn't understand, it's because I'm trying not to reveal too much). The pace of the drama, although slow for some, is just right for me. Anything faster and I'll feel the writers are trying to rush the story. Some dramas like Bara no Nai Hanaya can't be fast, and this is also true for Nagareboshi.

Another aspect I really liked about the drama is that every shot is beautiful. I especially loved the shots they took in Yamanashi, where Mount Fuji served the backdrop with a lake in front. The scene, taken in autumn, showcased the beauty of the spot with everything in red hues.

As for the storyline, of course I do think certain things are a bit far fetched, but a drama is a drama, so I wouldn't take all those things into account. Nonetheless, this drama does have its pulling strength. If not, I wouldn't complete it in 2 nights. Do watch it, as I think it's a beautiful drama.

And of course, Takenouchi Yutaka is pointlessly handsome.

Phew! I thought I would never write this article for some time! It has been a loooong while since I've last completed a Japanese drama (just did a quick check and realised my last entry for a Jap drama is in Oct 2010!!). Well, I'm just glad I've finished this one as I have tons of Jap dramas to backlog and waiting for me to clear.

Boss 2 carries on the story from season 1 where most of the cast members are still the same. Takenouchi Yutaka is Nodate Shinjiro, counsellor to the Countermeasures unit in the Metropolis Police Division (MPD) headed by Osawa Eriko (Amami Yuki). As compared to season 1, Toda Erika's character Kimoto Mami has reduced screen time and only featured at the beginning and the ending of the drama. In replacement of her character, two characters are introduced: Kurohara Rika (Narumi Riko), computer expert and daughter of the division police chief and Tadokoro Sachiko (Hasegawa Kyoko), forensics experts and a direct replacement for Kimoto Mami in the drama.

Similar to the first season, there is always a major case that will be revealed at the final few episodes while the other episodes are used to develop each character's story. In this sense, there is no surprise in Boss 2. However, the production team has managed to retain the uniqueness of the comedic acts in Boss 2, although I'd say, barely. Boss 2 also seeks to shift its focus towards the relationships between the characters as season 1 focused on each member and how were they chosen to join the Countermeasures team.

I'd say Boss 2 is a decent sequel to season 1. However, the storyline and the level of entertainment did not surpass the previous edition. That said, it is still enjoyable to watch and I'd definitely recommend the drama to be the drama to catch if you're tight on time. Maybe, just maybe...

I missed Superfly's My Best of my Life too much.....

p/s: Superfly's opening and closing theme ROCKS as usual.

Now how do I categorize Lan Kwai Fong? Judging from the movie poster, this is definitely a NSFW movie. And with that judgement, if you're expecting a movie with an intense plot and superior acting, I'd suggest you watch an art film instead, because this film is definitely not.

"Lan Kwai Fong"'s plot is mainly set in a fictitious bar "Club Billion" in the popular night district Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong. Boss (Sin Lap-Man), a retired triad leader frequents the club ran by Belina (Emme Wong). Steven (Z.O) run a alcohol distribution business who unexpectedly falls in love at first sight with LKF newbie Jennifer(Shiga Lin), a flight attandant. She is accompanied by her colleague Jeana (Jeana Ho), a fellow LKF newbie. Jacky (Jason Chan), a manager at the club, has his eyes on Jeana, but is always pestered by his girlfriend (Bonnie Xian). Lawyer Sean (Gregory Wong) sets his sights on Cat (Dada Chen), but Cat is the alpha-female who is only interested in looking for stand(s). Loberto(Gary Cheng) is the final piece in the casting, who pretends to be gay in order "play around" with unsuspecting girls.

As I've mentioned earlier, if you're looking for a plot then sorry to say Lai Kwai Fong is definitely not the movie to watch. It does have a loose plot of trying to tie the characters up together, but it is as loose as you can imagine. However, if you're looking for girls who bare their cleavage, boob-grabs by the male leads, stimulated intimate scenes, then you're only the right track. This movie only serves to shorten the bond between the M18 rating and the Cat III rating. The only difference being? There's no baring of boobs in this movie.

Perhaps, and ironically, the saving grace of this movie is actually the OST of the movie. Shiga Lin lends her voice to sing a nice little number called "I'm still loving you" which will totally throws you off. Shiga has a sweet voice and she pens the lyrics for the song as well. The other song from the OST is "Wonderland", sung by 24herbs featuring Janice Vidal. It's a song that fits the movie more with the dance-infused rhythm, cantonese rap and auto-tuning.

In summary, watch the movie for the intimate scenes but enjoy the songs more.

I think this is the first time I have ever shared an un-boxing of an album in here but I've recently gotten my hands on Brown Eyed Girls' repackaged album "Cleansing Cream". And I got to say, this album has to be THE album of the year based on both the quality of the songs as well as the physical appearance of the album. This repackaged album consists of a CD, a DVD, a desktop calender, 4 pictorial cards with each member's signature, a pictorial book and poster. Let me start with the physical album first.


One the first look of this album, you'll notice that the exterior texture of the album is in velvet cloth. I don't know if you've bought much physical albums, but for an album box to be covered in velvet, this has seriously impressed me. Previously, I have bought the Secret Garden's OST soundtrack box and that has already impressed me. But BEG's repackaged album has definitely up the ante.


The first thing when you open the box is poster. Although it is folded, the uniqueness of this poster is that both sides contain something. The picture above shows all four members in it, while the back list down BEG's album concept:

"Resistance For Freedom of Expression Through Music via Sixth Sense"



Next up are the autographed cards. These cards are placed in a nice little brown square envelope. When you open it up you can see the individual card of each member. Their photo is on one side while their personalised message with their signature is at the back. Unfortunately, i do not understand korean hence I cannot tell you what message did each member wrote.


I absolutely love this calender as this calender is packaged in such a way that it can be folded and kept like a normal book. In the calender there are 12 different cards which represent each month. Behind the calender are random shots of each member.



This, for me has to be the favourite part of the whole deal because it is the picture book! But before I give a sample of the picture, I shall show how the exterior of the picture book looks like.


The white booklet on the left is the pictorial book while the black book partially covered by the ribbon is where it contain the CD and the DVD, which is shown below.


Now back to the pictorial book. This pictorial book is of the highest quality and each page of the book is glossed with a layer of wax, hence making the pictures last longer. In the last few shots of the book contain actual performance shots as well as a picture which showed a group photo with their fans. A preview one of the pages of the pictorial book is shown below.


Overall, I'm absolutely amazed with the packaging of this repackaged album. The quality of the album is top notch and I definitely can say this album is definitely worth the money that I've paid for it. If you haven't heard the albums' songs, you can sample a few below.

Due to my recent craze with Apple of my Eye and taiwan cinema in general, I've decided to catch a few movies based on the nominations at the recent 48th Golden Horse Awards. One of the movies that caught my eye was Jump Ashin!, where Eddie Peng (彭于晏) was nominated for best actor and the movie's theme song was nominated for best soundtrack.

Jump Ashin! is based on a true story of a gymnast called Lin Yu-hsin (林育信). Coming from a single parent family with his dad dying young, Yu-hsin or Ah Shin as he's commonly known, lives with his brother and mother. Born with a natural agile body, Ah Shin chanced upon the school gym one day and decides he wants to join the gymnastics team. He soon turned out to be a natural and Ah Shin loves gymnastics as well. However as he grew older, his mother disapproves him continuing gymnastics and wants him to help her with her fruit business. To rebel against his mother, Ah Shin became a street punk. Due to an incident with his good friend Pickle (Lawrence Ko, 柯宇綸) and his drug addiction, Ah Shin was forced to flee his hometown and flee to Taipei. To survive, both Ah Shin and Pickle joined a street gang. However, all that changed when Pickle was killed in a gang fight. Devastated with the loss of his friend, Ah Shin decided to head back to his hometown and resume his training in gymnastics.

Right from the start of the movie to the end, you could see why Eddie Peng was being nominated for best actor. Make no mistakes, Eddie was very dedicated in this movie with his body trained to be as strong and agile as a professional gymnast. Also, his facial expressions in various scenes makes the character believable, which is a marked improvement since I last saw him in Hear Me (聽說). Lawrence Ko, as his good friend Pickle, chips in with the good acting as well. I was especially impressed with the scenes where his addiction kicks in as well as silently feeling sorry to Ah Shin because of the trouble that he has created.

With all the acting kudos given, the only part i was disappointed in was the later parts that showed the determination of Ah Shin trying to become the best gymnast again. This is especially so when the director tried to tease the crowd at the beginning and seriously shortchanged the viewers when he replayed that scene later in the movie. I was waiting for something more and yet he just skipped to the next scene. I do not know if I call this bad editing or a serious lapse in the storyline.

As for the nod for best soundtrack, I do have to say the lyrics of the song is very apt for the movie, in the sense that it sang about the struggles of Ah Shin. Okay, this may be due to my bias in "Apple of my Eye" but I wonder is that enough to win the award. Probably the judges heard something that I missed out.

I would give a good to very good ratings for this movie, since I did shed a few tears, but I still feel I was seriously shortchanged at the back for its rushed ending. It could have been better and I do think an additional 15 minutes worth of footage would not kill the movie.

雖然這首歌不是在<那一年,我們一起追的女孩>, 但是,我覺得看過電影的人, 都會有這個可望, 希望在平行時空, 他們是再一起的.

而這首歌,也一直在我耳邊, 因為在心底, 我也希望我有這股勇氣,說出我當初沒有說出來的話.

有個承諾, 也許你已經忘了一乾二淨, 但我帶現在,還是記得清清楚楚.

主唱：柯震東,陳妍希

作曲：李煊樂
填詞：李煊樂

你會在哪裡　現在你叫什麼名
密封了勇氣　落空決心
我摀著自己　外面世界不安靜（我摀著自己　不安靜）
而心很確定　想聽你呼吸（我確定　呼吸）

Love　把心扔到海裡（Love　嗚嗚～）
刻上愛的字跡　時光帶我去有你的地方

漂流著一千年都過了我在海裡頭（在海裡頭）
有一種見不到你就不回去的念頭（的念頭）
旋渦中聽見耳邊的風微微顫抖
滄海桑田　黑夜白晝（滄海桑田　黑夜白晝）

我隨著時間的方向一圈圈打著轉（一圈圈打著轉）
你會不會找到我將要在哪裡靠岸（靠岸）
如果有一天　撞上一個小缺口
我怕　沉入海底

我摀著自己　外面世界不安靜（我摀著自己　不安靜）
而心很確定　想聽你呼吸（我確定　呼吸）

Love　把心扔到海裡（Love　嗚嗚～）
刻上愛的字跡　時光帶我去有你的地方

漂流著一千年都過了我在海裡頭
有一種見不到你就不回去的念頭
旋渦中聽見耳邊的風微微顫抖
滄海桑田　黑夜白晝（滄海桑田　黑夜白晝）

我隨著時間的方向一圈圈打著轉
你會不會找到我將要在哪裡靠岸
如果有一天　撞上一個小缺口
我怕　沉入海底

漂流著一千年都過了我在海裡頭
（漂流著一千年都過了　在海裡頭）
有一種見不到你就不回去的念頭（的念頭）
旋渦中聽見耳邊的風微微顫抖
滄海桑田　黑夜白晝（滄海桑田　黑夜白晝）

我隨著時間的方向一圈圈打著轉
（我隨著時間的方向　一圈圈打轉了）
你會不會找到我將要在哪裡靠岸（靠岸）
如果有一天　撞上一個小缺口
我怕　沉入海底
如果愛有錯　也等的起

cr: giddens.tw

雖然,以上的照片是陳妍希,但是在"那一年"裡頭, 她的形象已經變成很多男生心目中的"沈佳儀"了.我其實是可以放其他女生的照片,但是我是因為這部電影導致我有這麼多的感想."那一年"真的觸動了我的心.我真的能與這部電影殘生共鳴.我明白為什麼九把刀真的這麼執著這部電影要用那個方向拍攝.

我星期六約了幾位朋友去看"那一年", 然後因為得知九把刀將出席書展, 所以迫不及待去書展聽他分享"那一年"感言.
如果你想知道內容,其實跟他這個部落post有點相似:

http://www.giddens.tw/blog/post/35928751

老實講, 看完"那一年"的時候,我的感動尺度還處於微感動而已.但我聽到九把刀的故事,他的思想,他辛苦的旅程,他為什麼要這麼鑑定的做這部電影時,我真的感動了.他的愛,我突然能理解.畢竟,雖然這種感覺跟他對沈佳儀的感覺有小小不同,但是感覺的元素還是是一樣的.那些年前,我也曾經有過類似的經驗.那女孩雖然不是我女友,但是我也曾經為她心動過.有緣,無分.

我買了九把刀"那一年"的書,也很慶幸在書展得到九把刀的親筆簽名. 更慶幸,我還得到電影"那一年"的宣傳海報.知道我回到家上網才知道只有首100位得到九把刀的親筆簽名才有海報.



已經決定了,我不會以平常的速度把"那一年"讀完;相反的,我決定慢慢閱讀,因為我相信我會在一次被九把刀感動.

謝謝你九把刀.

謝謝你寫"那一年, 我們一起追的女孩"

謝謝你決定勇敢拍"那一年, 我們一起追的女孩".

I realised through my reviews on the movies/dramas that I've watched, I've seldom review movies that are currently showing in cinemas. The last entry I could think of was Air Doll, and that is not even considered to be a current movie as it was aired in Singapore roughly a year after it was shown in Japan. But for this movie, You are the Apple of my Eye, something inside me was stirred, and I thought I should do an entry before it disappear.

You are the Apple of my Eye is a 2011 Taiwan movie based on the true story of the same name of a popular taiwanese writer, Giddens Ko(九把刀). In the movie, newcomer Ko Chen-Tung plays the lead Ko Ching-Teng, who is a prankster and does not like to study. Michelle Chen Yan Xi is Shen Chia-yi, an honor student who is very popular amongst the boys in her class. Due to an incident in class, Shen Chia-Yi is forced to monitor Ko Chen-Tung on the teacher's behalf and to tutor him on his studies. Initially, they cannot see eye to eye, but as time and events go by, their feelings for each other begins to grow. Upon graduation from high school, Ko wanted to follow Shen to the univeristy of her choice, but Shen fell sick on the examination day and did not do well for the exams. Hence they went to different universities. Even with the distance, they still kept in contact with each other. One day, Ko decides to organise a fighting competition within his campus to display his manliness in front of Shen, but Shen instead thinks that he is childish. Due to this, they had an argument and broke off. The next time Ko made contact with Shen was the Taiwan 9/21 earthquake, but by then the circumstances has changed. Nonetheless, the feelings have not.

As I try not to disclose too much of the details of the story, there will be spoilers within this post. So I hope I won't disclose too much and ruin your own experience in watching this movie.

If I thought Cape No. 7 is good, then I do have to put this movie slightly above Cape No. 7. Mind you, Cape No. 7 is the movie that transformed the Taiwan movie industry, proving to the chinese industry minimum that they can produce quality movies. The reason because I rate "You are the Apple of my Eye" highly is because it really connects on a personal level. Anyone who watched the show will know how the story is going to go and what the ending will be like. However, because the feeling is so personal, you will just feel it is as if the movie is answering the feelings you've hidden so long somewhere at the bottom of your heart. Personally, it did connect with me and some memories came back. If it didn't, I wouldn't have blogged this entry this early as well.

rating? 5/5 definitely.

p/s: do go to giddens' website http://www.giddens.tw for his views on the movie