Kdrama Review ✿ Scent of a Woman

Scent of a Woman 
여인의 향기 (Kdrama)
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Genres: Romance, Drama
Episodes: 16
Original run: 23 July 2011 – 11 September 2011
Starring: Kim Sun-ah, Lee Dong-wook, Uhm Ki-joon and Seo Hyo-rim

Synopsis from Viki

What would you do if you were told you only had six months to live? Yeon Jae has spent her entire life catering to others, both at work and at home. When she is diagnosed with terminal cancer and told she has only six months to live, Yeon Jae is determined to finally live for herself. She quits her job and decides to travel the world. On her travels, she meets Ji Wook, her former boss’s son. As they go through her bucket list, will Yeon Jae be able to experience love in her last months of life?

My Thoughts:

I came across Scent of a Woman while I was scrolling through the dramas on my Viki app. And I'm really glad I decided to watch it! I won't lie, though. At first I did had some anxieties. It's about a woman who is diagnosed with terminal cancer, so I was a bit afraid that it would be a really sad story, and that I would get all emotional and cry my eyes out (reminds me of how I felt with The Fault in Our Stars). And I was right. I did cry, but not because it was depressing. I cried because it was so touching. I also feared that it would end like A Walk to Remember, but thankfully it wasn't a tragic story.

Lee Yun Jae is a woman in her 30s who's worked in the same travel company for years. She's always let her boss and everyone at work walk over her, but when she learns that she has only 6 months to live, she quits her job and finally stands for herself. She writes a list of things she wants to do before she dies, and while she lives life to the fullest she eventually finds true love.

I like how Yun Jae grew throughout the drama. At first she always bowed her head to everyone and let them mistreat her, it was a bit annoying that she never fought back and stood her ground. But the revelation of her near death opened her eyes, and she realized how pathetically she lived her life. Although it may sound stupid, I think that somehow cancer saved her, if she hadn't known that she was going to die she would've never changed. I believe cancer made her feel alive, if that's even possible! It made her passionate, bold and strong. It's what made her go for what she wants because she knows she has nothing to lose. I think she's a really great character, and you learn a lot from her. I also really liked her bucket list. Everything she wanted to do before she died are not memorable things; on the contrary, they are really ordinary, like make her mom smile everyday, go cycling along the coastline etc. And I really admire her for finding happiness in those simple things, and not in doing something that's extraordinary.

After learning that she had cancer, Yun Jae treats herself on a much-deserved vacation where she meets Kang Ji Wook, the head of the huge travel company she worked for. He's super rich, but unlike the rich characters from other kdramas I've watched, Ji Wook isn't arrogant and doesn't look down on poor people. The romance between these two characters developed slowly. Initially Yun Jae just wanted to try dating him once before for she died, which I think was really selfish, while Ji Wook was instantly attracted by her sunny personality. And as they learn more about each other, and spend more time together, they eventually fall in love. Aside from Yun Jae and Ji Wook, the side characters were notable and have really interesting personalities. Particularly Yun Jae's doctor, who was also her former classmate and childhood friend. He's really reserved, and indifferent towards his patients which makes you wonder why he decided to become a doctor in the first place. 

Although this drama focuses a lot on romance, there are also other aspects that I enjoyed like the mother-daugther relationship, true frendship and learning tango. I also liked how there are so many life lessons that changed my perspective in living. It's a great bittersweet drama that will take you on an emotional roller coaster. I highly recommend it!

SIMILAR POSTS:
The Master's Sun ♥
You Who Came From The Stars ★
Emergency Couple ☎
It's Okay, That's Love!

It's Okay, That's Love!

Jo In Sung, the guy from That Winter, The Wind Blows and Gong Hyo Jin from The Master's Sun, together in a new drama? Yes, please!

It's Okay, That's Love is the title of their new drama, and I think it has a really intriguing plot. Jo In Sung plays the role of a mystery writer who suffers from an "obsession" (it's not really clear what kind of obsession he has, I guess we'll just have to wait for the trailer to know more). Gong Hyo Jin on the other hand, is a kind and sweet person who fears performing surgeries, so she decides to become a psychiatrist instead; I can only imagine how she'll help Jo In Sung with his issues... #cutenessoverload

So, I think this is going to be a really fun romantic comedy kdrama! It comes out this July, and I'm so excited!

I love The Master's Sun, and I've watched That Winter, The Wind Blows but I didn't finish it because I read a spoiler. -_- But I really liked these both actors in their previous roles, so I'm definitely looking forward to watch It's Okay, That's Love. Added it to my to-watch list!

Just finished watching ☎ Emergency Couple

Emergency Couple 
응급남녀 (Kdrama)
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★☆

Genres: Medical, Romantic comedy

Episodes: 21

Original run: 24 January 2014 – 5 April 2014

Starring: Song Ji-hyo, Choi Jin-hyuk

Synopsis from Viki

Why do we get married? ...Because we lack judgment. Why do we get divorced? ...Because we lack understanding. Why do we get remarried then? ...Because we have bad memories?? A man and a woman, with totally different personalities, style of speaking, and taste, get married because they are attracted to these differences. However, they get divorced because of those differences. After a while, these two people meet again as interns at the same hospital, where life and death intersect. They take second looks at each other. Will they relearn the joy of the differences or will they again clash?

My Thoughts:
Emergency couple is a really fun and addicting drama! I would've never imagined I would enjoy it as much as I did. I've never liked medical tv-series, so when I first heard about this drama I had no intention on watching it. But because I was bored and was scrolling trough tumblr, I read a post that convinced me to watch it. 

Kim Tan's brother from Heirs and Running Man's Ace together in the same drama? 
I just couldn't say no. 

I believe 15 or 16 episodes were already out by the time I started this drama and I kid you not, I raced through the whole thing and watched it all in two days! Yep, I just couldn't control myself.

So basically this is about a divorced couple, who meets again after 6 years and ends up working in the same Emergency room as interns. 
As they work hard and save people's lives, they try to leave their past behind them and awkwardly hide their divorced relationship to their collegues.

Oh Chan Min (Choi Jin Hyuk) and Oh Jin Hee (Song Ji Hyo) were really young and immature when they got married, and if they were a bit more responsable, they would have had less misunderstandings and would have been able to save their marriage. However, they were completely caught up with their own feelings that they ignored how the other one felt.
I really loved watching their reactions when they meet again; they keep saying that now that they're divorced, they have nothing to do with each other, but it's obvious that their relationship isn't over yet. 
I like the love triangle  and the other characters, they add lots of fun to this drama. When Gary made a cameo, I just couldn't stop from laughing, that was totally unexpected.

This drama deals with several issues like family, marriage and divorce. It studies the choices that people make in their lives, the real meaning of love and how hard it is to give second chances. It's full of depth and meaning but even though it approaches serious topics, every episode is well balanced with lots of funny and awkward moments. 

Although I really had fun watching this drama, I thought they dragged out the story a little bit, so I didn't really like the ending.

Favorite Quotes:

“The one who loves more is the weak one. But in love, the weak one is happier.”

“I smell a flower.Where is it coming from?There are no flowers here.There’s only you.”

“There is no right answer in life. No one knows if they’ll be happy by getting married to someone. Don’t look for answers. Right and wrong answers co-exist in every decision. Wise people make a choice and make it the right answer. Foolish people regret the wrong decision and make it the wrong answer. There is no right answer in life. There is only the process to make it the right answer.”

My rating: 4/5 stars 

SIMILAR POSTS:

The Master's Sun ♥ 

You Who Came From The Stars ★

It's Okay, That's Love!

You Who Came From The Stars ★

You Who Came From The Stars 별에서 온 그대
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★☆ 
Genres: Sci-fi, Romantic comedy
Episodes: 21
Original run: 18 December 2013 - 27 February 2014
Starring: Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Soo-hyun, Park Hae-jin and Yoo In-na

Synopsis from Viki

Can an alien understand a modern Korean woman? Do Min Joon (Kim Soo Hyun) is an alien in the form of a perfect human specimen who arrived on Earth 400 years ago during the Chosun Dynasty. While living among the inferior human species, Min Do has always been cynical toward his human neighbors. But in modern-day Korea, Min Do meets top actress Cheon Song Yi (Gianna Jun) and falls in love with her. Can the cross-species couple possibly have a future together? “You Who Came From the Stars,” also known as “Man From the Stars,” is a 2013 South Korean drama series directed by Jang Tae Yoo.

My Thoughts:

I was really excited and impatient for this drama to come out. As soon as I saw the promo, I was completely intrigued. Neadless to say, I watched this drama weekly instead of marathoning the whole thing once it finished airing (which is what I usually do).

I really like the idea that was used for You Who Came From The Stars even though it isn't original, this is still the first korean alien drama I've ever watched.

Do Min-Joon is an alien who's lived in our planet for over 400 years and is eagerly awaiting to go back to where he came from. Now, only 3 months are left and he has done a great job on being aloof, not getting involved with other people's lives. But when he meets Cheon Song-Yi an A-list actress, he can't help but be curious about her, as he discovers that she looks exactly like someone he's met back in the Joseon era.

Do Min-Joon has some pretty awesome abilities that I wouldn't mind having for myself. He can freeze time, move things with his will and he can also teleport to anywhere he wants within a blink of an eye (Yeah. I know. Just like Goku :P). However, he never uses these abilities to save or help people as you'd expect him to. He believes that a person's destiny is already written; if something's supposed to happen, it will. Though it's amusing to watch him use his powers whenever Cheon Song-Yi's in danger (the poor guy just can't help it).
On the other hand we have Cheon Song-Yi who's a funny and silly character. She's a top celebrity that keeps bragging about how "everyone" loves her when really no one does. In fact when she gets into a difficult situation only a few stayed by her side. 

There are a few unrequited love going on in this drama that I didn't really like. Lee Whi-Kyung and Yoo Se-Mi's one-sided love didn't seem believable. I think that when you've loved someone for so long and that person still doesn't love you back, you just have to let him/her go. You can always find someone else to love if you truly want to.
Aside from that, I think the side characters and the villain were pretty enjoyable to watch. What I really love though, was the romance between Do Min-Joon and Cheon Song-Yi. They are so cute and good together.

Even though it lacked of originality, this drama did an amazing job on mixing lots of different aspects that I like (the ET reference, the Twilight 'he moved at lighting speed and saved my life' thing and the teleporting like Goku).

Overall this is a good and enjoyable rom-com drama.

My rating: 4/5 stars

SIMILAR POSTS:

The Master's Sun ♥ 

Emergency Couple☎

It's Okay, That's Love!

Just can't get enough ♥ The Master's Sun

The Master’s Sun 주군의 태양 (Kdrama)
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Genres: Horror, Romantic comedy
Episodes: 17
Original run: 7 Aug 2013 - 3 Oct 2013
Starring: Gong Hyo Jin, So Ji Sub

Synopsis from Viki

What can a woman do when she develops a scary ability? In this part horror, part romantic comedy, Tae Gong Sil (Gong Hyo Jin) is a sweet woman who develops the ability to see ghosts after getting into a bad accident and coming out of a three-year coma. Her boss is the ambitious and cool CEO, Joo Joong Won (So Ji Sub), who loves money more than anything else in the world. But as the haughty executive learns to trust his quirky employee and falls in love with her, can he help save her from her scary world of ghosts? “Master’s Sun” is a 2013 South Korean drama series written by Hong Mi Ran and Hong Jung Eun and directed by Jin Hyuk. The Hong sisters also wrote the recent successful dramas “Big” (2012) “My Girlfriend Is a Nine-Tailed Fox,” (2010), and “The Greatest Love” (2011), which garnered them the Writer of the Year Award at the 2011 MBC Drama Awards.

My Thoughts:

I've been procrastinating on watching The Master's Sun for a long time. Even though I've read so many good things about it all over the internet, the premise of this drama just didn't catch my interest. I'm not really a fan of ghost stories and I also didn't quite like the cover art that was used to promote this drama. But I must confess that the thing that kept me from watching The Master's Sun, sooner than I should have, was the cast. I've always been used to "Kkot MiNam" (aka flower boy) actors that I didn't find So Ji Sub very attractive. Later on I felt guilty for judging him based on the only picture I've seen of him (which, by the way, is the drama cover on the top of this post). Not attractive enough? I TAKE IT ALL BACK because So Ji Sub is oh super attractive and he just makes me swoon. 

Same thing goes for the female lead, Gong Hyo Jin; she just wasn't as pretty as the other korean actresses I've seen so far and after watching this drama I've concluded that the Korean Drama industry is actually not only formed by pretty and good looking actors. Surprisingly, there are actresses that are considered for their acting skills, rather than for their good looks.

This drama did a really great job on combining Horror, Romance and Comedy aspects, creating a perfect and heartwarming mix that makes viewers keep wanting for more.

So basically due to a major accident our protagonist, Tae Yang, starts seeing ghosts. Because of her ability she behaves in a bizzarre way and for that, people consider her to be weird and crazy. She later on discovers that by touching Joo Jong Won (CEO of a grand shopping mall) the ghosts that torment her disappear, so then she decides to go after him.

The chemistry between the two leads is lovely and outstanding. Tae Yang is the nice and sweet girl and Joo Jong Won is the typical arrogant rich man but because of Tae Yang, he begins to change and we see that he does have a warm and generous heart. These two have totally different personality that they balance each other so nicely and I really loved watching how their relationship grew and developed. They are, by far, my favorite kdrama couple! I liked the side characters as well and the different ghosts, who appeared in every episode, have a story of their own which was interesting to watch.

The producers promoted The Master's Sun more as a horror drama, rather than a rom-com, making viewers expect lots of dark scary moments. But to be honest there isn't much "horror" in this drama. Apart from a couple of spooky scenes this drama is all comedy and romance.

After I finished watching this drama I couldn't stop myself from watching it once again with my sister. Now that even You Who Came From The Stars ended, (Review coming soon) I'm at a complete and utter loss. I've been reblogging The Master's Sun gifs on tumblr, reading So Ji Sub articles wondering if he's starring in new rom-com drama but no he isn't.  -__-

If you're a fan of Romance comedy drama I recommend to watch The Master's Sun. But if you're new to kdramaland, you should watch other kdramas before watching this one to completely enjoy and realize how truly amazing this drama is.

If you still aren't convinced to check out The Master's Sun then this will make you want to watch it right away: Forced skinship

Favorite Quotes:

Joo Jong Won's "Kojo!" aka Get Lost!

“Why should I be afraid of a dead person? The living are scarier.” 

 “When your heart doesn’t tell you the truth, the pain will tell you the answer.”

My rating: 5/5 stars

Watch The Master's Sun Trailer 1 with ENG subs

Watch The Master's Sun Trailer 2 with ENG subs

SIMILAR POSTS:

Emergency Couple☎

You Who Came From The Stars ★

It's Okay, That's Love!
Scent of a Woman ✿