30 Day Asian Drama Challenge: Day 8

Day 8:

Favorite Male Character in an Asian Drama

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30 Day Asian Drama Challenge: Day 5

                                                                                    Day 5:                        
                            WHICH ASIAN DRAMA MADE YOU CRY?

This one was a tough one to write about. I'm not the type who usually gets weepy over anyone or anything - except animals and other cute things- but this particular dramas sapped the life out of me.  Alot of dramas that have a sad essence to them won't make me cry, it usually takes a special kind of drama/character to make it happen for me.

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30 Day Asian Drama Challenge: Day 4

                                                                  Day 4: 
                       Your Favorite Couples In An Asian Drama?

Ooh and I thought the last one was hard. Since it would be impossible to just pick one, bear with me here. There might be a brief SPOILER about one or more characters, so beware.  

                                                            Secret Garden
                                                        Gil Ra Im &  Joo Won
Truly how could this not be on my list. They had such sizzling chemistry, its a wonder they didn't date in real life! They were the perfect example of a couple that were complete opposites of each other but were able to work out their differences in order to be together. The switching bodies part was hilarious because Joo Won was able to understand Gil Ra Im a little better because he was in her body. Sure their minds were the same and only the bodies were switched, but the seemingly little differences between the two became quite obvious overtime.I believe Joo Won was able to appreciate her a little more after experiencing what it would be like in her shoes. The same goes for Gil Ra Im.


                                                             King 2 Hearts 
                                               Eun Shi Kyung & Jae Shin
The drama that made me cry for days all because of one man...Eun Shi Kyung. At first I just thought I was being too emotional but reading comments from many fans of the show, they cried buckets of tears also, so now I don't feel so much like a ninny. This was the almost-perfect couple, only if he had lived. Jae Shin was fearless, brassy woman while Eun Shi kyung was the loyal, awkward bodyguard. Together they helped each other with their strength and weaknesses. The quintessential couple in dramaland.
                                                                      What's Up?
                                        Oh Doo Ri & Sun
While this was a great example of a one-sided crush on your high school teacher, I couldn't help but wish they would actually become a couple. I mean, sure he was much older and wiser than her but she was no naive girl going through life with her head stuck in clouds, Doo Ri was smart and sarcastic quite the opposite of the reserved but loving teacher. For this nontraditional couple, it was her relentless pursuit of trying to make them a couple and Sun trying (but not succeeding) of pushing her away from him. She was the one constantly by his bedside the sicker he became, and also the one he made sure wasn't there to see him die. One of the saddest part of his death was during the funereal when Oh Doo Ri was reading the eulogy and she couldn't finish the rest, right then the tears started to come. Because whether you were a fan of the teacher-crush, I believe she really did fall for him which is why his death hit her the hardest.

                                      I Hear Your Voice
                                  So Ha & Jang Hye Sung
I had almost forgotten why I loved this couple so much, it took going down memory lane reading another bloggers post to remember why I loved IHYV so much. I could just say I watched this drama only because of Lee Jong Suk -and while initially that was true- I genuinely came to love Lee Bo Young's portrayal of Jang Hye Sung. She was wonderful in bringing to life such a flawed character. And the best part about this couple and their relationship, is how realistic it was. It never felt forced or rushed just perfect.


 Photo Credit~Dramabeans

My Top 3 Dramas of 2012 Part 2

My Top 3 Dramas of 2012 Part 2

Ok, after my last post I honestly didn't think it would be that detailed but hey can't help it....so there's going to be 3 parts now as I find I cannot talk about my dramas without getting into the particulars of them. Hehe.

Drama # 2 goes to..........King 2 Hearts!!

Starring Yoon Je-Moon, Ha Ji-Won, Lee Sung-Gi, Lee Yoon-Ji,  and Jo Jung-Suk

If Gaksital had me on an emotional roller coaster King 2 Hearts had me by the heartstrings. To put it bluntly it broke my heart. This was a beautifully put together drama that had everything right, the chemistry, acting plot, and overall feel of the drama. The only thing I disliked was the American actors- or non-Americans, they did an awful job and at times it was laughable but since they were a minor role it didn't ruin the show for me. Thank God!

Starring the pompous prince/future king played by the lovable Lee Sung Gi.

Captain kick-butt Ha Ji Won

 the lovable earnest bot Jo Jung Suk

 best hyung/father figure Lee Sung Min

 Bubbly princess Lee Yoon Ji

and evil/creepy villain Yoon Je Moon

This drama has been on my radar since hearing about from recap blogs like Dramabeans.com What made me watch it in the beginning was Ha Ji Won, yes I am huge fan of her. I haven't watched all her dramas yet but everything so far has been great! So I thought why not, after the disappointing "Nice Guy" drama I was ready to be psyched to watch something again. Glad I did because this drama will have you laughing your guts out one moment and crying buckets of tears the next. As I said before the chemistry is on par, everyone from the lead actors to the supporting ones really had great harmony with each other and it really showed on the screen.

Usually in dramas I tend to be drawn to only the lead couple as they are the most interesting but for the first time I cared a bit more for Jo Jung-Suk & Lee Yoon-Ji's relationship then the leads. Their love was such a poignant, pure kind of love. It was heartbreaking because of what could have been, if not for his death (more on that later) they could have sung their love song together. Their time together was cut to short. I could sit here and blog all night about their relationship but what I do want to say, is that if I could find a love like theirs (and/or Darcy & Elizabeth's) I would snatch it up quickly. They fit like yin-yang where she was the outgoing, bubbly type versus his quiet, stern personality and they made it work...or started to.

When the Princess is watching the video Shi Kyung made for her he said "From the moment we first met I liked you." and then he goes on to say that when he comes back he'll be a better man...at that point I was already balling tears. I HATED that he died, still to this day I don't understand why they killed the most endearing person and all for what..?? Nothing that's what! Earnest bot was a one in a million kind of guy, you got what you saw. He was so honest and wore his heart on his sleeves, making everyone fall in love with the character. Shi Kyung loved and respected his king standing by him til the end. ..
I want to share what he said to the (newly) appointed King Jae Ha, "You don’t need to be swayed by the words of others. Believe in yourself. You are already strong. The king that I’ve seen is very sensitive, and hates sincerity. But he knows the real world only too well, and has deep scars, which keeps him from leaping out ahead. So he wears a mask of laughter. I’m asking you to take off that mask now. Though you have complexes and people perceive you as weak, your highness is, to me, the most powerful king in the world. Please be fearless, your majesty." Beautiful words from a beautiful soul and that's what Lee Shi Kyung was.

Next up is the partnership between King Jae-Ha and Hang-Ah.

Melted like a schoolgirl at this scene..

It wasn't only a romantic relationship but also one based on mutual trust and partnership. They were each others companions first then lovers. Their union from the beginning was always who would have the last line to say, or who could be the most stubborn. You could tell how comfortable the actors were together no doubt about it, theirs was a chemistry that rivaled Ha Ji Won's and Hyun Bin's in Secret Garden.

The process that Jae Ha went through to transition from the conceited playboy to the King that became even greater then his own brother, was such a moving example of what happens when you suddenly have to grow up and be an adult.

But what helped Jae Ha along the way were the people surrounding him that shaped him into the man he became.  He was an arrogant, conceited person and I think he put up that front to hide his fears from everyone. His fear I believe was having to become King, there's a scene after everyone learns of Jae Kang's death where Jae Ha is standing on the bridge shaking and trying to hold back his tears. And then he seems to shake himself and gather all the strength he has to step into the role and that is just the start to his changing and growing as a person.

I cannot forget the character of Hang Ah as she is the most important person in Jae Ha's development.

She was a woman yearning to be seen as not just a fierce warrior but a lady. And with Jae Ha she found love for the first time. What I loved so much about this character is she always put the King first doing what was best for him, anything to protect him and show him how she felt. When she went in front of the public hearing to proclaim her loyalty to the South you couldn't help but applaud her courage. It takes a lot of gumption to go in front of a crowd of a country that hates you because of what you represent and for her especially because of the things they've said about her. Hang Ah is probably one of the most fierce women in drama history and the writers did a great job writing out her character.

King 2 Hearts was a well written all around wonderful drama. I can't say enough of how awesome the roles were from Shi Kyung's loyalty to Kim Bong Gu's evil villainy. The relationships and turn of events were portrayed realistically as with the North/South disputes. So go and check out this drama you won't regret it!

.....I forgot to mention that I watch most Korean dramas on a this site Dramafever.com

* Photo credits from Dramabeans*