Hello Stranger Korea Grand Sale review

Drama name: Hello Stranger Feat. Chance Encounter/ Korea Grand Sale 
Country: South Korea
Year: Nov 2018

I stumbled across this short drama while surfing TVN Asia channel. I saw it was only about 40 minutes and decided to watch it. Glad that I did! :D 

So, what's this drama about?

This is actually a global advertisement to promote South Korea for tourism. It is a collaboration between the Visit Korea Committee and CJ ENM. Produced by TVN it features Hye-Rim from the Wonder Girls.

Ahn Hyun-Jun is part of the Korea Grand Sale committee and one of the proposals include inviting foreigners to South Korea and getting them to review their experiences during their time there. 

This is where the three girls come in, they were invited by the committee and the moment they landed, Seo-Rae (Hye-Rim) got a text message from her boyfriend asking for a break-up. I know right?! What a douche bag, breaking up over a text... smh... (-_-")  The other girls told her to enjoy herself since they have arrived in South Korea. 

Mr. Ahn was their tour guide, however...His first encounter with the girls was not a good one. Haha! K-drama style of course... ;D Seo-Rae mistakes him for being a pervert and slaps him. Ouch! XD

The drama goes on with the girls enjoying themselves visiting some of the famous places in Seoul and a blossoming romance between Seo-Rae and Mr Ahn. 

Overall thoughts

I didn't know what to expect from the title of the drama at first, but it is a short fluffy drama with a cute romance. :D 

Best parts of the drama

You get to visit the places which you have heard of (or seen in K-dramas!) Not visit in detail but just enough to get an overall feel of it... 

Mr. Ahn is hottt... Yes, you get to see his body... *ahem* XD It was nice to see him again after Temperature of Love, he is handsome! 

The cute romance... you get the full K-drama works in this short drama! The usual fall- catch, eye glance chemistry, hands touching electricity... Haha!! And of course, the kiss... Yes unlike Seven First Kisses there wasn't any kiss... meh... > . > 

Conclusion

It seemed like it was going to be a sad ending at first, because Mr. Ahn didn't manage to give the ring to Seo-Rae during the kiss at the bench. She got a call from her ex- boyfriend... dayum can someone kill that douche bag already?! > . < !! Mr. Ahn sends the girls off at the airport and looks so sad... Nuuu! :'( 

Okay, don't cry just yet... It's a happy ending... Yay! Three months on, Seo-Rae goes back to Seoul and she meets Mr. Ahn at the same place where they first met. The story ends with them smiling at each other... Aww. What a cute fluffy drama! 

I enjoyed this short drama or advertisement... It was done with global audience in mind, so you get all the usual cliche K-drama scenes in just 40 minutes! Fantastic... and now you wonder why normal K-dramas have 16- 20 episodes... :D Alright, I'll leave you here with the cute couple! 

My secret Terrius review

Drama name: My secret Terrius/ Terius behind me (literal title)
Country: South Korea
Year: Sept- Nov 2018

Came across this drama through the Disqus kdrama channels that I am following. The plot seemed interesting with a secret agent and of course, So Ji Sub as the male lead! Was looking forward to his latest drama after completing Oh My Venus recently. 

So, what's this drama about?

Kim Bon was a NIS (National Intelligence Service) agent on a mission 3 years ago in Poland involving nuclear technology from North Korea. His informant (his girlfriend) was killed on the final day of the mission. The last piece of information that she handed to him was missing and Kim Bon had been blamed for betraying the NIS for it. He had been on the run ever since then. 

Present day, Kim Bon was living a quiet life but he was still on the case to figure out who killed his girlfriend and to find the mole within the NIS agency. He lived opposite a normal family when one day, the husband of that household passed away. 

He befriended the wife of that family, Ko Ae-Rin as he realised that her husband's death was somehow connected to the mission that he was investigating all these years. 

The story goes on with Kim Bon and Ko Ae-Rin finding out the truth behind her husband's death as well as a bigger underground group named Cornerstone that is involved in international affairs. 

Overall thoughts

I expected more action and suspense from this drama but it ended being more comedic with many funny scenes. I did enjoy the show and followed it each week with much enthusiasm and excitement. However, there were times where you have to leave your brain behind and just take the drama as it is. :D 

Best parts of the drama

Kim Bon's blue sports car....so much eye candy! I like cars too, Mr Kim Bon! ;D

The aww moments where Kim Bon spent with the twins... 

KIS ladies! (Kingcastle Information System) ;D It consists of the residents in the Kingcastle apartment complex who act as an internal security as well as information central for all the gossips XD... They actually function even better than NIS, they managed to catch the illusive Magician killer! :O 

Lots of bromance, between Kim Bon and the KIS guy as well as the somewhat bad guy, Jin Young Tae... But that nose kiss was just too much... I cannot... XD

The JJ International office, the two cafes as well as Kim Bon's apartment interior was quite nice as well... 

Special mention

The second lead couple in the drama was sweet... I enjoyed the scenes with them... 

Conclusion

As I have mentioned earlier, you would need to leave your logic behind while watching this drama at some point... Kim Bon finally realised who the mole was in the NIS agency. It was the chief whom he had trusted and respected. He was the mysterious person who shot him back in Poland three years ago and stole the last piece of information needed to end that mission. 

No worries drama fans, it is a happy ending for Kim Bon and Ko Ae-Rin! They meet again after one year at Seoul Tower where they had promised to have mojito together... The story ends with another mission, to disguise as husband and wife and fly to New York together. Yay! Does this mean they are going to do a part two? Nah, I hope not... 

This is a light hearted drama with an equal balance of action, suspense, comedy and romance. I would recommend this show to anyone solely for the badass blue sports car... Hahah!! I will leave you now with cool walking poses from the drama... Until we meet again... ;D Thanks for stopping by...

Photo credits: Dramabeans, Google, my own screenshots

Suspicious Partner review

Drama name: Suspicious Partner
Country: South Korea
Year: May- July 2017

Wow, this drama has taken me more than a year to write its review! ^_^V Haha, I was chasing this series when it was aired each week and it took me a long time to recover from it... :D I came to know about this drama as it was Ji Chang Wook's last drama before he enrolled for military service. I liked him from The K2, so I decided to watch it. Was fortunate that it was aired on my local cable TV so I didn't have to watch it online. 

So, what's this drama about?

Eun Bong Hee is training to be a prosecutor when she met Noh Ji Wook, a prosecutor on the subway train. She thought that he had molested her and accused him of it. She made a huge fuss and blocked him from getting off at his stop.

She thought she had done good by getting her revenge but then she discovers that her boyfriend was cheating on her. She caught him at the hotel lobby and in her anger, she blurted that the next guy she bumps into she will sleep with him.

Now, Noh Ji Wook was at the hotel as well and he saw everything. He heard what Bong Hee said and he decided to help her. He got up and bumped into her. Shocked, she realised it was the guy from the subway earlier but because of her dare she went off with Ji Wook in front of her boyfriend.

She had a couple of drinks and she passed out. She woke up the next morning in Ji Wook's house. Thinking it was just a one night stand, she went on with her life.

To her horror, three months on she was assigned to Noh Ji Wook's prosecutor office. She realised it was him but then pretended that nothing happened. She worked hard but then tragedy strikes...She told her ex-boyfriend (the one she caught cheating at the hotel) to take his things back from her apartment.

There was a blackout that night, Bong Hee went down to buy something at the convenience store. Her ex came and then he was murdered at her apartment. She was accused of killing him and Noh Ji Wook was the prosecutor for the case.

However, Ji Wook helped her and he lost his job as a prosecutor. Bong Hee was set free but the stigma stuck with her. Her ex boyfriend's father is the head prosecutor and he was so dead set that Bong Hee had killed his son.

The rest of the story goes on with Bong Hee trying to find the killer of her ex while facing much opposition from the head prosecutor and her relationship with Noh Ji Wook.

Overall thoughts

I thought it was going to be a fluffy rom-com but after the first episode, it was like whoa! It got serious so fast and intriguing as well. You would want to continue watching to find out who is the killer and why.

Best parts of the drama

Noh Ji Wook's house, before and after he transformed it to be a home office...

Ji Chang Wook of course... ;D He looks extra hot with glasses on...

The bromance between Ji Wook and his best friend, Eun Hyuk...

The chemistry between Ji Wook's team... Lots of laughter...

Special mention

I contemplated putting Chief Bang here but then I felt this frenemy deserves a special mention. She is Bong Hee's classmate and also the girl whom the boyfriend cheated with. She also blamed Bong Hee for his death. For most part of the drama she was really the b* you want to hate, but at the end her character warmed up.

Conclusion

Bong Hee managed to find the killer in the end, the part where the killer actually came and befriended them was just so heart stopping. Fantastic job by Dong Ha portraying this character, he really gave me the chills with his smirk and insane look... :D So different from his role in Chief Kim drama.

The reason he killed the ex boyfriend was that he thought that the boyfriend was Bong Hee. He had killed an earlier person and was on the rooftop at that blackout night. However, he did not know that Bong Hee is near sighted so she couldn't have recognised him from across the building. Basically, the ex boyfriend was at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Meanwhile, why the killer was on the spree of killing others was that he was avenging the death of his high school sweetheart. Apparently he suffers from a shock and he could not remember that actually he was part of the gang who sexually assaulted that girl. The girl took her own life after that. He only remembered that the perpetrators got away scot-free and that's why he decided to become Judge Dredd bringing them to justice... Well, in this case, death. :O

As for the main couple, there is a happy ending despite their struggles. The last episode is basically how couples behave when they are together for some time while being in love, bickering and also juggling their careers in between. I was cringing because I was kinda let down by the ending of the case.

I felt there wasn't much of a closure for the killer and the writer just ended the script abruptly to cater to the romance of the last episode. Overall, it's an okay drama. I enjoyed it and I have seen many good comments saying that it is the best drama and all that...

You could watch this solely for the thrill and mystery of the killer for most part of this series. If you are those who absolutely love romance, this drama will appeal to you for sure. The chemistry between Ji Wook and Bong Hee is good, there are rumours too that they are dating in real life... ;D

That's about it. For those wondering if Bong Hee and Ji Wook slept together or not, it was revealed during the epilogues after each episode... I watched it on TV so I didn't miss any, but I read that those who watched it online did not know what happened because the epilogues were not included. 

The answer is no. Both the first and second time also they did not sleep with each other. Bong Hee was on top of Ji Wook and then she passed out. Second time, Ji Wook on top of her and he too passed out. There, you can thank me now. XD 

Thanks for reading. I'll leave you with the cute bunnies from this drama... ;D

I Can Speak movie review

Movie name: I Can Speak

Country: South Korea

Year: Sept 2017

This movie was featured on the Disqus kdrama channel some time ago... It caught my eye because of the actor Lee Je Hoon, and I was curious to know what was the story about. I seldom watch Korean movies mainly because I am not very aware of their titles but it is always nice to watch something new... :D 

So, what's the movie about?

Rookie civil servant, Park Min Jae was just transfered to Seoul in the municipal council like office. His job was to file complaints from the public regarding facilities, amenities and etc. As all new brooms sweeps clean, Park was stickler for rules. He meets a halmoeni (grandma) on the first day of his job. 

This grandma named Na Ok-Boom is a resident "complainer"... Haha... Yes, she would be at that office almost every day to report on things so much until everyone there is scared of her. XD Her first encounter with Park was quite memorable... Hahah scary man, don't mess with this old lady!! 

She made sure to take numbers for the following occasions and Park could say nothing but to process her complaints. Aigoo! Told you don't mess with ladies... esp grandmas... XD 

So, the daily meetings between Park and the grandma wasn't as pleasant as you can already guess! ;D It was not until one day at a language centre that changed everything. Grandma Na was taking English classes there but it was not friendly towards older folks... :( All seemed hopeless until she bumped into Park downstairs. She was so excited to find out that he could speak English fluently and decided to ask him to teach her. 

Park asked her why she wanted to learn English but Grandma Na never said the reason. He refused her offer and she continued to harrass him... even finding his mobile number! Hahah!! This grandma is daebak! :D 

Park finally relented after one evening at Grandma Na's place. Park has a younger bro, but he has no time to take care of him so the bro would always eat ramyeon sometimes even uncooked ones. Grandma Na found the bro one day eating uncooked ramyeon and offered food to him. She didn't know that it was Park's younger bro. 

The rest of the story goes on with Grandma Na learning English and Park finds out the reason why she wanted to learn it. 

Overall thoughts

It is a heart warming story with the relationship between Park and Grandma Na. It was really neat to hear Lee Je Hoon speak English! Ooh my hearteu... XD I actually watched this movie with two online friends on Rabbit and I found myself crying so much at the end! Huhu!! ;D 

Best parts of the movie

Definitely the interaction between Grandma Na and Park... Very touching, I found it refreshing from the usual kdramas of the usual romance... For once they featured a family love kind of bonding... 

The part where Park challenged Grandma Na to speak to foreigners in a bar for 5 minutes... Haha, that was so cool she killed it! ;D 

Even neighbourhood gangsters are no match for Grandma Na! :D

Conclusion

By now you must be dying to know why Grandma Na wants to learn English... ;D Well, it is because of her friend. Her friend was a witness for an international lawsuit in United Nations. Grandma Na and her friend were one of the many "comfort women" during the Japanese occupation in Korea. These women were only young girls about 12- 13 years old back then. They were captured, tortured and sexually abused. Her friend was sick and started to have dementia so it was her last request to Grandma Na to tell the world about the wrong doings of that era.

It was shameful to many as the stigma was that these women voluntarily became comfort women but in actual fact they were captured and forced to do it. This part really made me so angry, serious s* people use your brains who would volunteer to be that? Stupid.

When Park found out, he went all out to help Grandma Na. Even to the very last moment during the hearing... He came and Grandma Na could give her testimony without fear. It was a really brave moment for an old lady. Salute.

This part is actually based on a true story. I remember some news back then that there was such a case and the Japanese refuse to apologise. It was like admitting their fault so they never said sorry. Dayum.

The story ends on a good note, the resolution was passed but as said earlier no apology was ever given by the Japanese government. Grandma Na reunites with her long lost brother in US, for all these years she tried to contact him but he refused to see her because of that stigma. Park had helped her contact the bro... aww that was really so sweet... Lots of onions here.. yes... ;D

Now Grandma Na is travelling around the world, giving her testimony to different levels of authority. The ending scene was funny, when the immigration officer in San Francisco airport asked her if she could speak English....

This movie definitely is a heart warming one. It touches on the human side of the atrocities of war and it serves as a grim reminder to everyone. :( I did feel disturbed after watching this movie but am glad that such shows are made to tell some parts of history. Hope you enjoyed this review, see you in the next one soon...

*Image credits: Google and my own screenshots*