You're Beautiful! Why thank you, I know I am.

Alright, enough with the depressing and the miserable.  Time for some light-hearted comedy.  And nothing says lots of laughs more than You're Beautiful.  If your an avid fan in K-drama land, you have heard of the Hong Sisters.  They are the writing duo behind a plethora of amazing comedic dramas that leave you begging for more.  I will review a few of their dramas, but I figured there is no better place to start than with the first of their dramas that I watched.

You're Beautiful tells a similar tale that seems to permeate Asian manga and fiction of a girl who dresses as a boy for some reason and the hilarity that ensues from the interaction between the girl in disguise and the males around her.  Of course, being in the close proximity to several guys, there is always the guy who falls for the girl and questions his masculinity and the over arcing question of whether he is gay, and the lead guy who the girl falls for.  You're Beautiful was no different.  In this drama, we meet Go Mi Nyeo, (Park Shin Hye) she is the twin sister of Go Mi Nam (Park Shin Hye), who's musical exploits have landed him a contract with the super popular Idol group A.N.JELL. Though Go Mi Nyeo is not involved in the musical world in any form or fashion, in fact she is a nun in training.  Due to an accident in a plastic surgery procedure her brother is unable to make his contract signing, as such his manager seeks out Go Mi Nyeo and convinces her to pose as Go Mi Nam for the sake of her brother's future.  Being the great sister that she is, she complies, after a bit of hesitation, and this leads to a series of events which conclude with Mi Nyeo becoming Mi Nam and working with the Idol group.

Question: What happens when you put a pig and a rabbit together?

A.N.JELL is the typical idol combination with the eccentric leader of Hwang Tae Kyung (Jang Geuk Suk), who is super stylish and super picky, the second in command, so to speak, Kang Shin Woo (Jung Yong Hwa) the more down to earth cool guy in the group and Jeremy (Lee Hong Ki), the lovable, friendly cuddle bear in the group.  It is with these three guys that Mi Nyeo must cohabit.  What makes You're Beautiful stand out above other dramas with a similar storyline is the way it is directed, performed and written. 

The obvious cliche tropes are twisted ever so slightly that the viewer finds oneself chuckling hysterically with laughter.  I mean the entire "Pig Rabbit" scenario is probably one of the cutest and most romantic things I have ever seen in a drama.  Yet, it is also one of the most simplistic.  I think the beauty of the entire drama lies in the simplicity of the approach to love.  There is no need for intensely crazy situations (that's not saying the situations in You're Beautiful are every day ones) but, it's the little things that tend to touch us.  The warm fuzzy feelings that bud throughout the drama just take you on a journey of joy and amusement.

I think my favourite element of the drama is watching Tae Kyung in his own eccentric way fall for Mi Nyeo.  Their journey together is so cute and funny it pulls the laughs out of you.  Of course, there are obstacles to that love, I mean it wouldn't be K-dramaland if there was smooth sailing all the way.  Uee does a good job as the romantic rival Yoo He Yi, though the romantic feelings are all her own, and Mo Hwa Ran (Kim Sung Rung) excels as the mother you never want to have.  There is an excellent acting combination here, that when combined with a good script and great directing leads to a sure fire hit.

Answer: You get a Pig Rabbit

The musical score in the drama is also amazing, and as a drama based on an idol group they did a fabulous job with song choices and performances.  The music continually rings in your ears and even if you don't speak Korean you find yourself humming along.  The best thing about You're Beautiful is that you can enjoy yourself from beginning to end without the tortuous and treacherous love story line.  It is the perfect comedy to warm the cockles of your heart.  That's not to say you won't shed a few tears, because I've found that no matter the genre most K-dramas have a knack at pulling on those emotional cords.  

My one issue with You're Beautiful has nothing to do with the storyline, directing or performance.  Believe it or not, it's all about the fashion.  I really had a hard time handling the hair styles (especially Tae Kyung's) and the clothes they forced the characters to wear.  I think that is based on a cultural difference, I just found the whole wardrobe over the top for my taste.  Yet, despite my dislike of the fashion I suppose it suited the image the idols were supposed to have, so then again it might just be appropriate.  Hmm, what was my point again?  I guess it's not important.

For me You're Beautiful is an exceptionally well compiled artwork that I never tire of watching.  It's the perfect musical and comedy combination.  An exciting summer watch and great to spread the love with.  On the Bel scale it get a 5 star rating.  

According to Bel:  Have a laugh because you are beautiful.

Not so Sorry, I Love You

Let's leave sageuk dramas for a moment and take a look at another interesting genre- the Korean melodrama. In my opinion, it is a fact that no one does melo better than South Korea.  There is tension, angst, pain and stress.  It moves you to tears and just when you think you've given the drama all of you, it takes just a little more.  After such a harrowing experience you would think the audience would give up and leave it alone.  NEVER.  You go back yearning for more.  Because of this, today we look at what is one of the favourite K-drama melos rotating in dramaland: "I'm Sorry I Love You".  There seem to be a million reviews in K-drama land on this drama already, but I can't be left out of the mix so here is my 50 cents.

SPOILER ALERT:  THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SEVERAL SPOILERS.  AVOID IF YOU HAVE NOT YET WATCHED THE DRAMA.

Referred to by many as "MISA" because of the Korean title-Miamnida Saranghae, I'm Sorry I Love You introduces you to a doomed love relationship.  Basically, it says it all in the title, doesn't it?   We are introduced to Cha Moo Hyuk (So Ji Sub) a Korean living abroad in Australia.  He was adopted by an Australian family but was abused by them and has ended up on the streets.  He lives his life as a con and a gangster of sorts without any real ambition or focus in life.  He has learnt Korean through his girlfriend (Choi Yeo Jin), and seems happy to lead an unfocused life. 

Then we meet Song Eun Chae (Im Su Jung) a manager for the famous idol Choi Yune (Jung Kyung Ho) whom she has known all her life as her parents work as his mother's housekeeper and road manager.  She is also secretly in love with him although he just sees her as a sister.  He enlists her help in courting his co-star Kang Mi Joo (Seo Ji Young) in a MV, and of course, as the loyal friend, she complies.  While Yune is off with Mi Joo, Eun Chae meets Moo Hyuk after she is conned by his fellow gangsters.  He ends up helping her get back her luggage which was taken and the journey of a series of interactions begin from that point on.

Moo Hyuk's current girlfriend leaves him to marry a mob boss and at their wedding Moo Hyuk is shot in the head while saving her.  The bullet cannot be removed as it is a life threatening position.  The kicker is that with the bullet in or out, Moo Hyuk has a limited time left on this earth, at most a year.  His ex-girlfriend who feels sorry for him gives him a large amount of money and tells him to go back to Korea.  He complies and slowly searches for his family.   What he discovers is not at all what he expected.  His mother was not a destitute woman with no choice but to put her child up for adoption, she is a famous actress and Yune's mother, making them brothers. (Of course K-dramaland would go there wouldn't it.  I mean what love triangle isn't awkward enough without having siblings fall for the same girl). 

Moo Hyuk also learns he has a twin sister, who is mentally challenged after being injured in an accident.  Overall nothing looks bright.  Due to anger for his mother and his current situation, Moo Hyuk plots to take revenge by destroying the happy life of his mother and brother.  He becomes Yune's road manager and the two bond and become close, while Moo Hyuk slowly plots his brother's downfall.  All the while, Eun Chae and Moo Hyuk become closer and closer.  A series of miscommunications and misunderstanding exist between the two as Eun Chae finds it hard to let go of her life long obsession with Yune, though she feels an attraction to Moo Hyuk.

Through the slow and intense journey, we see a love bloom in the midst of a situation that can have no happy end.  Moo Hyuk is dying and as we watch him struggle with his impending death in solitude (he tells no one in Korea that he is dying), the audience is taken on a world wind emotionally as we see Moo Hyuk falls ill physically, collapses, and behaves erratically due to bullet in his brain.  It is heartbreaking to watch that as he suffers those around him take these changes to be his "bad" and "wild" personality, treating him without feeling or concern.  This is especially poignant in Eun Chae's treatment of Moo Hyuk.  When Yune falls seriously ill and Moo Hyuk asks Eun Chae if he should just give Yune his heart, since Yune seems to be the only person she cares for, she agrees with him out of anger and even orders him to die so that Yune can survive.  I find it is a classic example of people saying things that they don't mean, but more importantly it looks at the value of the words we say.  Sometimes we say things in anger, however, the result of that anger is never truly known.

I'm Sorry I Love You is an intense drama and not suitable for everyone.  It is heart-wrenching and tear jerking from beginning to end, because you cannot escape the fact that Moo Hyuk is living with a death sentence hanging over his head.  No matter what progress this lead couple makes, we know the story will not end happily ever after, and I find that is what makes the drama stand out more for me.  Also, by the time Eun Chae realises that Moo Hyuk is dying and wants to be with him, he is content to push her away.  The time spent between the couple as Moo Hyuk slowly worsens is the descent of the drama into the valley of despair.  Eun Chae wants to make memories with Moo Hyuk to recall him after death, and he is determined that she forgets him.  As such, when she takes pictures of him while he sleeps, she awakens to find the pictures erased from her camera.  Representing Moo Hyuk's attempts to erase himself from her life.

Even though the heartbreaking romance is a powerful part of the drama, the realisation made by Moo Hyuk that his mother did not intentionally abandon him or his sister is a damaging blow.  It is as if the effort he has been putting into his last moments of life have been wasted, causing the viewer's heart to ache even more for him.  Also, when he informs his sister and his young nephew that he is going to buy them a shop, but will have to leave them forever, the realisation made here by his family that he is going for good and the tears shed as they beg him not to leave them, cuts me to the core.  It is through the eyes of these two childlike minds that the pain of loosing someone close to you becomes the most intense and hurtful.

In terms of the tempo and speed of the drama, it is a lot slower than your typical K-drama, in fact, I found it took a while to build up the pace, however, I think that pacing and timing were chosen for a reason, because for Moo Hyuk time seemed to stretch on, or he tried to make it stretch on for as long as possible.  I think what also makes I'm Sorry I Love You so immensely popular is the ending of the drama.  It is one of those stories that stay with you, hurting you to the core every time you recall it.  I haven't re-watched it since the first time I viewed it, but that is not because it was a bad drama, it is simply that I cannot take the journey more than once in a short space of time.  

So Ji Sub is known in K-drama fandom as a man stuck in treacherous and tortured love and  I believe I'm Sorry I Love You was the start of all of that.  His role is so simply played that you feel the pain and torture of the character.  The character is seemingly already dead, but just existing and it is that portrayal that So Ji Sub has captured exquisitely.  Im Su Jung's character for me as the naive girl obsessed with the friend is not my favourite kind of K-drama heroine, but she was the kind of personality needed for this drama, as such she played her role well.  My issues with the character cannot negate a stellar performance by the actress. 

On the Bel scale of drama I'm Sorry I Love You receives 3.5 out of 5..  Since I am unable to re-watch it easily points have to be deducted, since for most K-dramas no matter how harrowing, if I enjoy it I can return to it.   I'm Sorry I Love You does not allow me to do that because I cannot handle it. If you haven't see it yet, prepare for an emotional journey that you might not recover from.  Hold on to your box of tissues and call a friend over for moral support, because you will need it to get through the journey together,

According to Bel: It's a heartbreaker.  Prepare to be moved. 

King Gwanggaeto- The Great Bore

YAWN!!!  Yeah that's about as good as it gets for King Gwanggaeto- The Great Conqueror from me.  I am sorry KBS, but I always find your historical dramas more drawn out than MBC.  Just my preference though I guess.  This drama was way too long for the storyline that it was telling and I think that was it's biggest flaw.  It started out so rushed and confused, which I found extremely disappointing considering it had 92 episodes in total.

We begin with an aging King narrating his youthful exploits as he struggled to protect his people and his nation, he then in turn takes a huge calligraphy brush and proceeds to etch some huge Chinese characters which I assume read the country's name.   We then head to the past and meet Dam Deok as a regular prince and the Ghost General for the Gorguryeo empire.  Now I love a good tale on Gorguryeo, based on my tracking of Jumong and Daemushin and of course the Hodong tortured love from Ja Myung Go.  He fights to protect his country and family with his excellent military skills and we begin in an already conflict filled war between the nations on the plain trying to obtain their own power. 

I initially thought, they would take us further back to childhood to see how they got to this point, after all with a 92 episode count there is plenty of time for that, however, that never materialised.  We continue to watch as Dam Deok goes from being a regular, prince, to crown prince, to king.  He goes through a series of difficult situations including internal conflict within the court, after all it wouldn't be a sageuk drama without those elements of people working for the royal court trying to control the royal family in order to get more power for themselves. There is even the issue of Dam Deok's marriage as a means of gaining power and control over him, an fascinating military coup, and a power struggle for Dam Deok to assert himself.  At times I also shed a tear when certain characters passed away. 

However, I find that after Dam Deok became king the drama took a turn towards the monotonous and boring.  It was all war, war, war, war.  Whether with the Houang, the Khitan, the Mughals, Baekjae, or Silla, it was constant war.  Dam Deok would do something, the other countries would retaliate, and then another country would form and alliance and it was a process that repeated continually.  There was no intrigue to mystery, no more character development, no love story, no heartache, just plain and simple war.  20 episodes straight with no real plot development, only Dam Deok giving inspiration words about the protection of his people being paramount, and then his followers realising how "wise" he is.  It lost me along the way.  It got the point where I skipped ahead a few episodes to see if it would make a difference, and it felt like if there was no change.  I missed one war and was then in the mist of another.

For me, I enjoy sageuk's to tell a tale.  It is the development of the characters and their growth  from weak individual to strong one.  A leader that is faced with turmoil and overcomes this to lead his people confidently.  While King Gwanggaeto does have this, it looses its focus along the way.  What I find most interesting was that the drama was slated for longer broadcasting.  This is one time I have no idea why.  Perhaps it is due to my lack of deep knowledge of Korean history that I could not relate to this drama, however, that was not the case for Jumong: Prince of Legend.  Though that too began with Jumong as an adolescent, I found the tale to be coherent.  I could watch Song Il Gook transform from a playboy weakling, to the powerful first king of Gorguryeo, and support him as I watched.  In the case of DamDeok, I didn't really care.  There was no fascination or connection to the character.

For me it was not worth my time and effort to watch it.  I finished it by simply skipping through the later episodes.  So on the Bel scale it gets 1 out of 5.

According to Bel: It's not worth 92 hours of your life.

Jumong: The Prince of Legend and so much more

Have I mentioned that I love sageuk dramas?  Jumong: The Prince of Legend is globally renowned and I know exactly why.  It contains everything.  It is a well told tale of one man's growth from errant fool to omnipresent king.  It will make you laugh, cry, cheer and dream.  

I found my way to watching Jumong, simply based on its popularity globally.  At 81 episodes, I thought, nah not for me, but then I figured it was the equivalent of four seasons of Bones so why not.  I am glad that I made time to watch it.  After watching this drama I did some research into the real Jumong, and found out that his birth was giving a mystical feel as he was hatched from an egg.  He is seen as the person who paved the way for modern Korea's birth.  In this particular drama, he is humanised quite a bit, which I prefer.  He is the son of a General of Buyeo Hae Mo Su and Lady Yoo Hwa.  His father is "killed" after the king of Buyeo fears his strength and sees his as a threat to his son's future as crown prince.  The Crown Prince Geum Wa, however, loves and respects Hae Mo Su, and they are great friends.  

Upon Hae Mo Su's death, Yoo Wa learns she is pregnant and Geum Wa , who is also in love with her, decides to take her in as his second wife claiming her son Jumong as his own.  We jump ahead to decades later, when Jumong is the weak third child of now King Geum Wa, overshadowed by the power and strength of his older brother Prince Dae So.  Jumong is happy to lead his life without a care in the world and without much seriousness.  However, things begin to change, when the three brothers, (Prince Young Po- Geum Wa's second son) are giving an assignment to go on the pilgrimage to the country's sacred treasure.  The elder brothers plot to kill Jumong and almost succeed, however he is saved by the beautiful and tough So Suh No, who is the daughter of a travelling merchant.  The whole idea of fate is again established here, since we saw in the past that Jumong's father, Hae Mo Su, had saved So Suh No's family on the night of So Suh No's birth.  

Through her help, Jumong makes his way to the sacred treasure on his own, after his brothers have been and gone.  The mission was simply to pay homage to the bow, but each of the brothers attempted to string the bow as well.  Both Dae So and Young Po were unable to string the bow, however, Jumong does it with ease.  He then proceeds to break the bow.  This is the start of the issue of destiny.  Jumong returns to Buyeo with the knowledge that he has destroyed a national treasure and his brothers have tried to kill him.  He now knows he must be weary.

The journey begins from this point as Jumong slowly transforms from the weakling to a man with a purpose- survival.  He is banished from the palace for a mistake on his part, and "abandoned" by his mother so that he can grow up.  In the outside world, he meets a group of loyal supporters and slowly builds up his abilities.  Perhaps, one the most poignant parts of the storyline is that Jumong is then in turn trained by a mysterious blind man, who aids him in becoming an exceptional swordsman and fighter.  The knowledge gained from these experiences open Jumong's eyes and he becomes the man that he is destined to be.

The epicness of Jumong is expanded through the fact that all avenues and paths that he takes on his journey lead him to the path of becoming a great King.  From the time he was born, when a soldier attempted to kill him, that soldier was mysteriously struck dead by lightning, or as he made his journey, little parts of his heritage assist him in reaching his goal.  The audience admires and supports Jumong along his way as he takes the honorable and righteous approach, while other characters namely, Dae So take the darker path.

Of course, Jumong follows the typical sageuk drama issues of political conspiracies with alliances and allegiances shifting and changing.  However, for me what makes Jumong stand out are the interactions between characters.  Jumong's men are loyal to him and with good reason.  There is camaraderie in the ranks that lasts a lifetime, and it is a friendship born through trust and experiences together.  Perhaps one of my favourite scenes is when Jumong punches his three most loyal followers for running off to rescue his captured wife.  His reason for being angry with them is shown when he says:

"How am I supposed to go on and achieve my great mission if I sacrifice my three brothers in the process?"  

EPIC!!!!!!  That is the kind of stuff that sets Jumong apart.

The love story between Jumong and So Suh-No is also one of the best parts of the drama.  Although, it is not entirely historically correct, it doesn't matter.  It makes the story more personal.  Jumong and So Suh-No's love and trust of each other is such a balanced one.  She is a woman who can fight for what she wants and support him along the way.  Even when they are separated by "fate" (I hate that word) so I will use circumstances beyond their control, they both continue to support each other.  Though the love evolves and changes with time, it still remains a mutual respect and admiration between the two.  The saying behind every great man is a greater woman, is clearly proven in the relationship between Jumong and So Suh-No.  

My one issue with Jumong, as a drama, was the use of his first wife Ye So-Ya.  I know that she had to be included to be historically accurate, but the way she was presented in the drama is a sore point for me.  Their entire marriage and pairing to me was one of pity and nothing more.  Jumong always had a sense of duty towards her and nothing more.  Also a woman of such a weak character should not be around a man with such great strength.  Perhaps, they made her character that way so that she was the polar opposite of someone like So Suh No's character, but I found that her role in the drama simply irritated me.  

On the casting side of the drama, I think all the actors and actresses selected played their parts extremely well.  Villains were good enough to hate and Heroes stood out like pinnacles of shining hope.  I mean Song Il Gook was just made for the role of Jumong.  I cannot even imagine any other actor portraying him.  His presence and aura was so commanding and domineering, that it impressed me.  He oozed the regal and proud stance of a leader who established a nation.  Han Hye Jin gave a phenomenal performance as the beautiful but strong So Suh No and Kim Seung Soo was the perfect villainous Dae So.  It was great cast selection.  Also, cinematically, there was beautiful scenery and surroundings.  The archery within the drama is probably the highlight of my entire drama experience.  The epic background music whenever Jumong was about to achieve something major helped to build the moment to the perfect crescendo, and the excitement it created was phenomenal. The directing on this drama was also amazing, especially with the choreography of the fighting scenes. 

It was well worth the time and effort to watch this drama, for a tale and experience that was well crafted and told.  It was a pleasure to watch.  For that it gets a 5 out of 5 on the Bel Scale.

According to Bel:  It's a must watch.