Playful Kiss

This drama is not an addictive kind (though KHJ is ^^) ; it's just sweet that you kinda pulled into continue watching.

Am not a fan of Hyun Joong (before We Got Married), the few scenes I had seen him in Boys Before Flower, he was so blank-faced that yeah I'm not looking forward to really watching this drama. But I like the girl that's why I doggedly download it and now and then while waiting for SKSS episodes and subs, watching a few episodes.

This drama was about this adorably sweet girl but not the brightest, Oh Ha Ni (Jung So Min) who has been so long having a crush on the school's genius, Baek Seung Jo (Kim Hyun Joong). Her brand new house just crumbled to the ground after a mild earthquake that she ends up staying with her father's bestfriend who is none other than Baek Seung Jo's father.

Before this, since she always get tongue tied in front of BSJ that she decided to write a confession-love letter to him and left it in his locker. The socially inept BSJ ended up correcting her grammar and spelling, and the whole school knows about it and her unreciprocated feeling, so she swore not to receive any helps whatsoever from him. Haha... If I were in her shoes; I would ask my father's to move me to another school - well, not that it is possible for me to write a love letter and leave it in a guy's locker... but still I dont think I can endure the embarrassment of facing the whole school day by day even though it will become old gossips to them soon but still they would remember....

I think that BSJ character was really suited with the real Kim Hyun Joong in that he doesn't really came across as awkward and over the top playing the robot BSJ. The few smiles he bestow on or because of Ha Ni, really like pierced to your heart....or is it just my heart?

The other character for the love triangle; Boon Joon Gu (Lee Tae Sung), well his dedication and steadfast love was so sweet but such a pity for him to not realised earlier that even without BSJ's presence, Ha Ni has no romantic interest in him. But then, if he didn't have the drive to win Ha Ni's heart, he would not have found out what his talent in life is. Lee Si Young as the genius beautiful Yoon He Ra, was also sweet. Haha... I don't know why I never found her annoying even when she played the annoying character... She's know what she wants and she strive to get it but she also know when the time to bow out... Wonder if I'm gonna hate her if her character was the normal manipulative-always-get-what-she wants-or-no-one-else-can-get-it-either bitch

My most favourite scenes are when they were on a picnic and BSJ teases her with the sock, she ran after him and stumble, he went back to her to ask if she's okay and ran again when she get up. she stumbled again and he went back to make sure she's okay and then ran again. Ah.. there are so cute together. Then there was this scene when Ha Ni went back to live with them again and she went out to sit at the steps with Seung Jo after she done the dishes. It's so sweet how they are stealing glances at each other and look away when the other turn...

I think what I like about BSJ's character is that he wished for Ha Ni to have more self-focus, self-motivation and goal apart from him. I like how he encourage her to pursue her career (though it's kinda disappoiting that her career are somewhat related to his, but you can't expect a person to have a personality overhaul 100%) - whereas maybe other guy (or real guy) will be satisfied that being her 'sun' - 'centre of her universe'. Anyway, does his hair reflect the tumult of his mind? When he wasn't 'sure ' of his feelings for Ha Ni, his hair was like below - curly and messy, but when he made up his mind - it got straighten again.

Would I rewatch this drama again? Yeah, sure ^_^ for Kim Hyun Joong's sake. But first I need to finish watching BOF...

Bad Guy

An eye for an eye, leave the whole world blind - that what Gandhi had said. In a sense it do make sense that if everyone seeks vengeance for the wrong done to them and then the other party or the loved ones of the other party will also seeks vengeance after that, and on and on, the cycle keeps on turning and the sphere of person getting hurt becoming wider - thus the world will be full of wounded people. Unless of course they have the heart (or lack the heart) to eiminate all possible revenger in the first place; so the revenge-cycle will stop with them. But then if we let it be; let the ones who wronged us scott-free without consequences of their actions - I don't want to live in that world either.

Hmmm...nowadays I've been watching so many drama with so many potential, or maybe I've more discerning eyes these days so I can detect so many weaknesses in a drama....

Bad Guy is such a drama. I was hooked at first with Kim Nam Gil's wounded look but as his past reveal themselves slowly, I was like hmmm... I was okay with him seeking revenge on the parents, but why seek to hurt the children also. Like him then, there were merely children - just watching what the adults were doing without the power to do anything to change the course of events.

He was at first Choi Tae Seong, living happily with his adoptive(?) parents when suddenly he was ripped away from them to live in gilded house and was told that President Hong was his real biological father. President Hong had a wife with a son and 2 daughters already. Then, suddenly when he was celebrating his 10th (?) birthday comes the news that they had made a mistake and he was not the son and as if he was merely a lost puppy he was put outside the door for his former set of parents to pick him up while President Hong went to pick up his true son. What a heartless bunch of people, couldnt they just tolerate him a bit more and let him wait INSIDE the house rather than out in the rain? Anyway, his former parents didnt have the chance to pick him up because they died in an accident on the way. That leave the little boy to roam the streets, until Seo Yeong save him from other bullies kids and take him to the orphanage with her.

Now, he's all grown up and become Shim Gun Wook (Kim Nam Gil) and Seo Yeong died either from suicide or murder after she was dumped by Hong Tae Seong (Kim JAe Wook) the kid who replace him in the Hong's family. Gun Wook used his flair as the stuntman for a movie to attract the attention of Hong Me Ne (Jung So Min), President Hong's youngest daughter and get Hong Tae Ra (Oh Yun So) hot and bothered in the bargain.

Another character is Moon Jae In (Han Ga In) who works for Madam Shin (President Hong's wife) and who just got dumped by her boyfriend because his mother thinks her social status is not good enough for her son. This puts ambition and greed in her head, so she went to pursue Hong Tae Seong. At first she mistakenly believe Gun Wook was Hong Tae Seong and Gun Wook meanly didn't correct her.

I think the middle episodes I kinda lost interest cause I see no sense in Gun Wook's actions, snorted that all available and of age female characters fall for Gun Wook, and I started to sympathize with Hong Tae Seong and lil' bit of hatred of Jae In (come on make up your mind! or is it your heart?) then the last episodes start to get interesting again with the evil character was reveal and this is not merely just a misunderstanding-goes-big-awry. But then again maybe because of the rushed production, they are so many scenes that makes you go what???? And I always find Korean court scene (either in sugeuk drama or modern ones) that doesn't make any rational sense, based on what evidence? just heresay would be concrete proofs beyond reasonable doubts? Arghhh!!!! And the cops here is just waiting to be spoonfeds that it makes you want to strangle them. Okay, maybe they were just 'props' for the storyline, but couldnt the writer(s) makes them not so dumb....???

[Spoiler Alert!!!!]

I do think that Gun Wook death is a reasonable ending because I can't be satisfied if he's left alive and chosen neither Tae Ra nor Jae In nor if he chose one of them, so he's better off dead. What I don't like is how the remaing characters had in some level nothing changes in their lives. Madam Shin was let out on a bail just after a brief moments in prison and she get what she wanted, Tae Ra as the president of the company. Mo Ne continues with her pampered lifestyles. Tae Ra and Jae In not knowing of his deaths continue with their lives although mooning for him and wishing he was happy. I think the only change is Hong Tae Seong who left travelling to be indepent, be what he can be with his own merits.

Oh yeah, much as I'm trying to get use to the pairing with Noonas?Ahjummas in korean dramas, couldn't just the writer just slip in that Tae Ra was a bit uncomfortable with the age gap between her and Gun Wook? Her only concerns about Gun Wook was she's married already and Gun Wook is her sister's boyfriend...

I'm looking forward to Mischievous Kiss because of Jung So Min, she's so adorable with happy-go-lucky attitude but not so much as hell-hath-no-fury-like-a-woman-scorned. Shim Eun Kyung would probably wish that she had gone for that oversea study rather than waste time acting in this drama, also she's cute here too - but totally forgetable character.