Boys Before Flowers (꽃보다 남자 )

This drama is the latest "rage" in K-Drama. This is an extremely popular drama that was apparently originally a comic, then a Japanese Drama, then a Chinese Drama, now the Koreans are trying to "up" everyone else, and they are doing a great job of it!

One of the main reasons for the popularity of this show is the use of Korean "Idols" or pop-stars as we would call it. 4 of the 5 main characters are all good looking pop-stars who attract a lot of females to the show. These four "Idols" comprise of a group called F4 in the drama and maybe you can see why so many females are infatuated with them:

Lee Min Ho (Goo Jun Pyo - The Leader)


Kim Hyun Joong (Yoon Ji Hoo - The Musician)


Kim Bum (So Yi Jung - The Potter)


Kim Joon (Song Woo Bin - The Mob Boss)


Then there is the main reason to watch the show. The main character Geum Jan Di, acted by Koo Hye Sun. She is not the stereo-typical gorgeous Korean star (although her profile picture isn't bad looking...lol), instead she is very much the "girl next door". She is attractive but it is refreshing and nice to see such a popular star that did not have plastic surgery to become successful. In the show, her character is very much "plain Jane". She wins the hearts of all of the fans of this show with her quirky, yet charismatic character. She has some of the greatest facial expressions I have seen! The only other person that comes to mind with this type of talent is Jim Carey, but I'd much rather watch Koo Hye Sun in action than Jim Carey any day!

Koo Hye Sun (Geum Jan Di - Poor Girl)


Whether you watch the show for the "eye candy" boys or the quirky/charismatic personna of Geum Jan Di, this show is excellent. I will have to so, that so far it is my favorite of all time!

A little background to the show (without ruining the plot). There is a ultra exclusive high school in Korea called Shinwha High School (obviously owned by the Shinhwa Corporation, the biggest in Korea and obviously ficticious). The school has a group called F4, who are the best looking, most gifted, and the future of Korea (see above).

At the same time there is a poor girl, Geum Jan Di, who's parents are struggling financially and run a dry cleaning store. Through some different events, Jan Di is invited to attend Shinhwa University. Where she catches the eyes of two of the four F4 members! The story goes into the typical love triangle (with a "square" thrown in later), of rich boys vs. poor girls theme.

Unlike most other dramas with similar plots, the writers do a good job of not "flip flopping" back and forth with the love triangle. It has just the right amount of trist to make you sit on the edge of your seat!

I hope you'll take the time to watch this drama some time. They are in 1 hour 15 minute episodes. I would highly recommend you watch the first episode, if your not totally enthralled by Koo Hye Sun's (Geum Jan Di) performance, or looking at the "eye candy", then maybe this show isnt for you (but then again I would check to see if you have a pulse!)

미우나 고우나 - "Likable or Not" or "I Hate You, But It's Fine"

I have seen this show titled both "Likable or Not" and "I Hate You, But It's Fine". For my blog, I'll be writing it as "Likable or Not" to stay consistent with www.mysoju.com. However, my Korean friends described the title to me as "I Hate you, But It's Fine"

I am so excited! I finally get to review this show!! The reason Im so excited is because I first got addicted to this show during my first trip to Korea in October 2007! This show was my first "taste" of Korean Drama, and I havent looked back. It was because of this show, that I went out on the internet and purchased several hundred dollars worth of Korean Dramas on DVD. Most notably "Kim Sam Soon", "Winter Sonata", "Full House", "Air City", and the list goes on and on. Yes, I have more Korean Dramas on TV then a Korean Ajumma in America.

Unfortunately the reason I am currently reviewing this show now is because my previous show "You Are My Destiny" has been broken at www.mysoju.com :(. Ive been waiting patiently for it, but I decided to start "Likeable or Not". Also the fact that I couldnt get "Likeable or Not" to work a couple of months ago.

Let me come out first of all and say this show is awesome. It is the best Korean Drama and frankly the best television show I have ever seen. I could tell you that even before seeing the show with English subtitles (I dont speak Korean). For the 13 weeks I was in Korea, I think I missed only a few episodes. I didnt understand what they were saying, but I could follow along most of the time, with my Korean friends updating me on any twists in the plot. What makes this show so great is the use of body language, which makes it so much fun to watch.

This drama series is really long, close to 150 episodes I believe, which makes this one of the longest. Each episode is 30 minutes each, and you'll never look at your watch. Of course it has the typical rich man poor woman relationship, and awkward relationships between opposite types of people throughout. The thing that is different is I think its a little bit more subtle in this show. Its not as "obnoxiously" obvious.

The plot is so complex because there are so many characters. So I will only touch base on the main characters in this post. Maybe I'll delv into the other sub plots later.

The two main characters are Na Dan Poong (played by Han Ji Hye) and Kang Baek Ho (Kim Ji Suk). Na Dan Poong is a very ambitious young lady working at Bonjour Foods. She just receives a promotion to Team Manager and has everything going for her. Kang Baek Ho is pretty much a bum. Spends his poor mother's money, literally they are poor. So the main plot is the relationship between these two. Anyone who is familiar with Korean Dramas will see this happening from the start, however, someone new to the K-Drama scene might not see it at first. These two are total opposites and Na Dan Poong is totally "put off" by Kang Baek Ho. But as the episodes go by, you can see Na Dan Poong slowly change her opinion of Kang Baek Ho. I love seeing these things develop (I realize that sounds kind of feminine...but Im secure enough that I can admit that).

I love Kim Ji Suk in this series. When you can't understand what they are saying you really focus on facial expressions and throughout the entire series, he has some expressions that totally cracked me up!

I think Im in love with Han Ji Hye. Again, when you can't understand the dialogues you focus on the faces...and I realized I could pretty much sit and look at Han Ji Hye face all day. Similar to Kim Ji Suk, Han Ji Hye has some great facial expressions in this show.

Call me a sucker, but I always like the "good" characters in the show. Baek Ho is lazy and messes up sometimes, but he always means well. Dan Poong, well, she's pretty much perfect. Seriously, in the show, she is pretty much perfect. We'll have to keep watching if she ever makes a mistake!

Anyways, I am thrilled to be starting this drama and with 150 episodes Im sure I'll have a lot to write about!

On a side note: Episode 13 confirmed my love for this show. Midway through the episode (the last seconds of Episode 13 part 1/2 on www.mysoju.com), Dan Poong decides she has had a hard day and treats herself to dinner. Guess where she goes! Gamjatang!! MY FAVORITE Food!!! It was awesome, I was watching the show when they show the sign of the restaurant across the full screen! I jumped out of my chair and rewound the episode so I could confirm that the sign read Gamjatang! It was awesome..yes, I think too much about food...lol

커피프린스 1호점 - "The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince" (Series Recap)

I have finally finished watching this entire series and I must say, it was excellent. When you look up the information on this series you see that it was not so popular at the beginning of the series, but as the series developed it gained popularity and at the end of the series was contineously ranked 1st or 2nd in viewers. After finishing the series, I can understand this shift in popularity.

This show is good throughout the entire drama, but it gets way better at the end. I know most people get tired of Korean Dramas all having similar plots of the forbidden relationships and sappy stories, but is that not the reason we watch Korean Dramas? Its like going to Disney World, you know its going to be a tourist trap, crowded, little kids all over the place, but you still go when you get the opportunity.

The reason I say this drama gets better and better is it does a great job of the frustrating the viewer at the beginning of the show because of the conflicts between characters and the characters mix matching with the wrong people. But as the show develops and the relationships between these characters develop, the viewers become more at ease with the developing relationship between Go Eun Chan and Choi Han Kyul.

Im not going to give the plot away but it does end in the typical Korean Drama fashion. But I think that is why I liked this drama so much. By the end of the series, I was ready and wanting the characters to match up like they did. The last two episodes were awesome and gave the typical warm and fuzzy feeling in your heart.

My overall rating for the series would be a solid 8. The only reason is the series does start of a little rocky in the beginning, but the last couple episodes really make the series. I would highly recommend this show to my friens. However, I think "My Name is Kim Sam Soon" and "Full House" are still higher on the "Must Watch List".

너는 내 운명 - "You are my Destiny" (Episode 31-32!)

Oh My!!!
Another two episodes were uploaded on mysoju when I got back to my room from work!

These episodes were so good that Im up at 2:00 AM in the morning to write this so I dont forget!

We left off on Episode 30, where Jang Sae Byuk unknowingly has to deliver food to Kang Ho Se's house. She doesn't think anyone will be home during the day except the house keeper. Well Ho Se is home early to help get ready for the dinner for Soobin and her family. So Sae Byuk runs into Ho Se, while they are talking Ho Se's parents come home from the market. Ho Se hides Sae Byuk in his room throughout the dinner.

Unfortunately Ho Se's little sister ruins the plans when she sneaks into Ho Se's room and screams!

This episode has quite the confrontations between Jang Sae Byuk and Ho Se's mother. Ho Se's mother is supposed to be this upscale lady and in the last couple of episodes she has acted very trashy when dealing with Jang Sae Byuk. I don't know how anyone could get mad at Sae Byuk, maybe because sometimes she is too nice? It all ends with Ho Se's mother throwing wine in Sae Byuk's face!!! I was ready to jump out of my chair and start yelling at my screen!!!

Then we go onto episode 32. This is probably my favorite episode so far. The reason being is actually the cliffhanger that is left for the next episode. It has taken so long for Oh Young Sook (the mother of the family) to accept Sae Byuk, you almost wonder if she ever will. Well at the end of this episode Soobin and her mother convince the grandmother to kick Sae Byuk out of Oh Young Sook's house while no one is home. Fortunately Oh Young Sook comes back home in the nick of time to stop this nonsense!! All we see is Oh Young Sook come into the house just in time to tell them that she will not kick Sae Byuk out of her house!!!

AMAZING!!! full circle!! I mean a couple of episodes ago Oh Young Sook couldn't stand the sight of Sae Byuk. Now she is standing up to her mother-in-law (which is like a sin in Korea) to keep Sae Byuk at her house! You just want to jump up and cheer. I think I almost jumped up and yelled "AZA AZA FIGHTING!!"..lol..ok maybe I have been watching too many dramas lately.

Can't wait for the next episode so I can see the rest of this unravel!!!

커피프린스 1호점 - "The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince" (Episode 6)

I dont know how, but I dont seem to get tired of Korean Dramas. Even with their predictable and sappy stories, they still seem entertaining to me.

Episode 6: Continues the story fo G Eun Chan going to Han Yoo Joo's art show with Choi Han Sung. Go Eun Chan is hurt because Choi Han Sung has dinner with Han Yoo Joo and kind of "ditches" Eun Chan. However, I feel this is as much her fault as it is Choi Han Sung. Although Han Sung shouldnt have left her out like this, once he realized what he did was awkward he offered to stay with Eun Chan. Go Eun Chan refuses (probably trying to be nice) so Choi Han Sung has dinner with Han Yoo Joo.

This episode continues the awkwardness between Go Eun Chan and Choi Han Kyul. The way Han Kyul deals with it is to be very mean to Eun Chan. It just builds up and up.

Episode 7: Well, the crap has hit the fan. Go Eun Chan finally has had enough of the rough treatment of her by Choi Han Kyul and leaves the coffee shop! Unfortunately Choi Han Kyul gets her back (I still want Eun Chan to end up with Choi Han Sung..he is so much of a nicer guy).

In this episode you can see the strain building in the relationship between Choi Han Sung and Han Yoo Joo by the "friendship" between Han Sung and Eun Chan. Unfortunately Eun Chan is giving up on Han Sung (because she doesnt want to interfere in the relationship between Han Sung and Yoo Joo). Its too bad because Miss Y doesnt realize that Mr A likes her! (reference from the show. Miss Y = Eun Chan and Mr A = Han Sung). Eun Chan originally has a crush on Han Sung in the show, but thinks that it is hopeless because he is dating the beautiful and nice Yoo Joo. So she starts to give up hope on that relationship and looks towards Han Kyul.

너는 내 운명 - "You are my Destiny" (Episode 29-30!)

Yes!! I got to my room last night and checked out www.mysoju.com and YES!!! There it is two more episodes!! I planned on going to be immediately after work. I was really tired (see post below). How could I got to bed with 2 new episodes of "You are My Destiny" on?

After these episodes I really don't like Soobin!!!! I really hated her when she exposed Jang Sae Byuk and Kang Ho se's dating as a setup!!! OHH!! and the way she did it by surprising Sae Byuk, even though Sae Byuk was going to tell Kang Ho Se!!! That girl just makes my blood boil!! Im not sure if this is a turnoff or a turnon for me in watching these shows. To be honest, I think for me its a turn off. I guess you can call me mushy or what-not, but the reason I watch these shows is to see the right people end up with the right people, the heroin and hero to ride off in the sunset. Otherwise its too much like real life!

Anyways, in these two episodes Soobin, Tae Poong, Sae Byuk, and Ho Se all run into each other at Lohas. Soobin insists that all of them have lunch. Its quickly obvious that she did it to intend to embarass Sae Byuk and degrade her infront of Ho Se. Sae Byuk handled it incredibly well (Personally I would have splashed my water on Soobin and walked out!), anyways I think it back fires because I think Ho Se sees that Sae Byuk is really the kind girl that he was dating and also got to see how mean/coniving Soobin can be. Only time will tell! Hopefully Ho Se doesnt fall for Soobin's snake pit (and I literally mean snake pit, she is evil!)

I think my next couple of posts will be breaking down each character on this show.

커피프린스 1호점 - "The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince" (Episode 5)

I was dog tired last night when I got back to my room. A 15 hour work day will do that to you (plus I woke up at 4 AM to run. So I got to my room at 8:00 PM. Didnt think I was up for much except sleep. But I couldnt resist the temptation to check mysoju.com to see if they uploaded any more of "You are my Destiny" unfortunately they didnt, so I turned to my fall back. (Not to say that Coffee Prince is not any good, its just I am totally captured by "You are my Destiny".

In my experience with Korean Dramas is that they have similar subplots. There is usually someone who is close to 30 years old and being pressured to marry. A boy and girl who are from different socio-economic backgrounds who want to date but feel the pressure from society. Then there is usually the love triangle twist. Most importantly there is the good looking star who is arogant and you want to hate, but the main character always has a crush for! This is true in Coffee Prince.

In episode 5, they finally humanize Choi Han Kyul (The owner of the coffee shop) and start showing a little bit of a softer side of him. He makes a big mistake in the show, and all of his employees get together to help him fix his mistake. I think this makes him realize how special his employees are and how much he needs them as much as they need him. He starts to finally appreciate other people.

Also as a highlight, we finally get to see Go Eun Chan in a dress!! I'll have to say with her short hair and her awkward walk (in highheels) its quite a sight. But Choi Han Sung is really enamored by her, unfortunately I think Go Eun Chan is going to fall for Choi Han Kyul. Which brings up the question. Why do girls in Korean Dramas always overlook the nice guy who is right there waiting for them, and chase after the guy who is rude, uncaring, and dont even see them? If there is ever a complaint about Korean dramas, it seems that its always the mean guy who ends up with the main character that you love. I saw this happen in Full House. I so desparately wanted Han Ji Eun to end up with Min Hyuk! I was so disappointed that she ended up with Lee Young Jae. Throughout the entire show he was a total jerk to her and they end up together!! Yuk!! ok enough ranting.

I hope that Go Eun Chan ends up with Choi Han Sung. He is very nice (although he is dating Han Yoo Joo, but there is definitely something going on with that girl), and always kind to Go Eun Chan.

너는 내 운명 - "You are my Destiny" (Episode 27)

Lucky Me! I got home from work to find www.mysoju.com has uploaded episode 27 and 28!!

After I downloaded the episodes (being in Africa, my bandwidth doesnt allow me to stream the videos), I immediately started watching.

Episode 27 does not disappoint. Probably one of the funniest moments so far in the series happened. Soobin's mother is trying to cuddle with Soobin's father (they have a rocky marriage throughout the show), and something hilarious happens that ruins the whole mood! Extremely funny!

Meanwhile later on, perhaps the most heart touching moment so far of the series. It seems that Nayoung's mother might finally be accepting Kim Sae Byuk! Big changes in the relationships.

Meanwhile, Soobin still makes me angry. She is such a conniving twisted girl, ohh...and even worse it looks like she is luring Kang Hose away from Kim Sae Byuk!! NOO!!! The true evilness of Soobin really comes out during episode 25 and 26. Even though she is probably the best looking actress on the show, you will really despise her after watching episode 25 and 26. I know I cant stand the sight of her right now!!

I can't wait to watch more! Kim Sae Byuk better end up with Kang Hose!!! It just wouldnt be right after everything that has happened to Kim Sae Byuk, she needs something to go right in her life for once!

Anyways, Im off to watch episode 28!

커피프린스 1호점 - "The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince"

So while I wait patiently for http://www.mysoju.com/ to upload more of my current favorite show: "You are my Destiny" I have started watching another drama. This drama started off with lower ratings but rapidly grew in popularity as the show progressed. I think this has to do with the plot and Korean's uncomfortableness with the subject of homosexuality. This drama only touches base on this subject because the main character is mistaken as a guy, but is really a girl.

The premise of this show is the main character Go Eun Chan (Yoon Eun Hye) is often mistaken as a boy. In particular by the other main character Choi Han Kyul (Gong Yoo). Go Eun Chan is from a poor family and lives with her mother and sister. She does any odd jobs she can for money to help the family out. However, throughout the whole show she is constantly mistaken for a boy (quite funny actually). Choi Han Kyul is the opposite, he comes from a very wealthy family is supposed to inherit the family business. He is very lazy and the grandmother wants to fix him of this laziness. She takes away everything from him and forces him to fix up a run down coffee shop with expecting returns of 300%. If he can do this he will be given the family inheritance. So Go Eun Chan and Choi Han Kyul team up to fix up the coffee shop and try to get it to be profitable. However, Choi Han Kyul thinks Go Eun Chan is a guy, and soon realizes he likes Go Eun Chan. This makes him very confused and he starts to wonder if he is gay. This is all I know so far as I have only watched 4 episodes!

As I do with all my reviews here are the characters I like in particular:

Go Eun Chan - Energetic main character. I dont know how people could mistake her for a guy. In the show she has short hair and "flat" (as described in the movie), however I think she is very attractive and obviously a girl. What I like about her is her energy and attitude. Even though her life sucks and things keep her down, she is constantly trying to improve it.

Choi Han Sung (Lee Sun Gyun) - Is the cousin of Choi Han Kyul. He is one cool dude. He is a music producer and has an awesome house. Even better he has a cool dog. Anyways, Go Eun Chan really likes him and likes Choi Han Kyul. Throughout the show he is very nice and supportive of Go Eun Chan. What I like about him is his voice. He has a very calm deep voice, very relaxing.

Soulija - Is Choi han Sung's dog. Ironic to name a dog as one of the favorite characters, I know. However he's a very cool looking dog. Plus he plays a very important role as the character that ties Go Eun Chan and Choi Han Sung together. I think those two will have something later in the show.

In conclusion this drama is very entertaining. It has some really good music. However, its not enough to pull me away from "You are my Destiny". Im not sure if this is because I started watching "You are my Destiny" first? But it is not better then "You are my Destiny". It is good enough though to pull me away from my video games (which if you knew me this is quite a feat). I am a video game addict, so anything that can pull me away from those things must be decent! I would give this a solid 7.5 out of 10 rating. I will post more on the show as I watch more episodes!

너는 내 운명 - "You are my Destiny"

This is one of the newest dramas in Korea right now. It has been rated as 1st or 2nd every day since its start on May 5th. Lucky for us, http://www.mysoju.com/ has been very active uploading streaming espisodes complete with English subtitles!

I started watching this when it first aired during my trip to Korea in May. It is on KBS1 at 8:25 PM, Monday - Friday. It replaced my favorite show "I Hate You, But It's Fine" (미우나 고우나 aka Likeable or Not)

To save time I'm going to write the synopsis written at: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/You_Are_My_Destiny

"Jang Sae Byuk is a a girl who tries to find a new meaning in life after she receives an eye cornea transplant from the doctor that took care of her after her accident. That doctor, Kim Na Young, died in a car accident on her way back from Africa. Sae Byuk becomes close with the Na Young's family after finding them. The family slowly accepts her as part of the family. Kang Ho Se and Kim Tae Poong, Na Young's twin brother, have disliked each other since they were young kids. This is mostly Tae Poong hates Ho Se because Ho Se's family was rich and because Tae Poong's father was Ho Se's father's driver and his mother was the maid. "

As most Korean dramas are the plot is confusing to read because of so many twists and turns. However watchign the drama from the start helps smooth out the confusion. I have thoroughly enjoyed this drama from the start. You feel sorry for the main character Jang Sae Byuk, but there are also times you yell at the screen because she is so naive sometimes.

Since I usually watch dramas in Korea first with no subtitles, I am usually forced to follow body language to try and figure anything out in the dramas. As such I usually have a couple characters on each show that I like best.

They are:

Jang Sae Byuk (Im Yoon Ah) - Naive main character. She is cute, optimistic, and will always put a smile on your face

Kim Tae Young (Lee Pil Mo) - Quirky supporting actor. That is the best way I can describe him. Tae Young is very genuine and honest character, there is nothing to not like about him. Sometimes though you feel sorry for him because you can't figure out why he is not married yet. His story line is probably the most focused on sub-plot in the drama. I almost enjoy this sub-plot as much as the main plot of the drama.

I will post more on a episode basis as I watch them. So far I have watched all the way through episode 26 and eagerly waiting for mysoju to have more uploaded!

What a great idea!

I was reading the blog at http://www.seouleats.com/. This blog is how I found out about this site. Interesting, I think a Korean adoptee (like myself) teaching English in Korea! Anyways he blogs mostly on food but on a mix of everything else. He mentioned the Kdrama "The Coffee Prince".

That gave me a great idea for something to blog on! I will blog on Korean Dramas, Music, and Movies that I see!