Where Have I Been?

Hello fellow readers,
If you have noticed (or haven't been paying attention) how sparse this blog has been since oh I don't know...4 months ago well I'm about to tell you the reason. First off, I moved and transferred to a school over 4,000 miles away from home and took the time away from the blog to get settled into another school year. Because of the move, school and lack of interest in blogging, I decided to put it on hold hoping a nice break would end my writers block. Well here we are 4 months later and I still have writers block! While I have not been blogging about dramas that doesn't mean I've stopped watching any. In fact I've watched a couple that aired this year and boy were there alot of disappointments. Most of the popular dramas I skipped and only read the reviews which turned out to be a great idea judging from the majority. So I'm gonna do a quick drama review for each one that I watched. Some dramas that I watched this year were already reviewed so they won't be on here.

Doctor Stranger: 7.5/10

What a great drama that wasted its potential mid-way through the series. DS suffered from not knowing what direction or genre it wanted to be.This has to be Lee Jung Suk's worst drama and I won't even mention his leading lady.

Bride of the Century 8/10

This was a very cute drama that I wasn't expecting to be so good. It had a nice plot that was different from the usual dramas and it kept me entertained. I've been a fan of Lee Hong Ki since You're Beautiful, and he wowed me once again.  

Marriage Not Dating 8.5/10

I've never watched a drama with any of the leads and so was apprehensive about watching this but once again I was surprised by how well they did. Han Groo just earned herself a new fan. Her comedic timing is on point and she had great chemistry with both leading men.

My Secret Hotel 7/10

After watching Queen In-Hyun's Man, I was looking forward to seeing Yoo In Na take the lead role again but unfortunately this drama suffered mid-way as well. MSH was suppose to deliver suspense and romance but failed heavily in the suspense department. Instead they focused on keeping the lead couple apart most of the drama and with out spoiling anything, the ending wasn't satisfying.

Secret Love Affair 9.5/10

I avoid Yoo Ah In's dramas since he doesn't stand out to me in the acting department but I'm glad I took the chance for this drama. Secret Love Affair was amazing and unfortunately I can do it no justice talking about it. This is a must see drama. The drama is about the love affair between a genius pianist and his teacher, its not just about the affair but how music can connect two souls together in ways most people couldn't understand.

Vampire Flower 7.5/10

Vampire Flower caught my eye because it was getting fanfare on one of the sites I frequented, and since I was looking for something short and sweet it fit the bill. While it didn't have the most amazing plot, the story was cute even though some of the special effects weren't up to usual par. The main lead wasn't too bad as a idol-turned-actor and of course the ever so lovable Kim Ga Eun was such a great fit for this.

You're All Surrounded 8/10

Lee Seung Gi finally returned to dramaland and I can say his chemistry with Cha Seung Won was perfect. They play off of each other very well and so did his co-stars. YAS was a nice drama that stayed consistent throughout.

I Need Romance 3 7/10

Sung Joon!!! Seriously he has one of the best jawbones. I Need Romance 3 was a great disappointment. Again, like alot of dramas lately, it started off well-off but suffered the middle slump where everything Kim So Yeon's character did irritated me. And when the lead character starts to become annoying it messes up the entire drama. The romance was the only reason I kept watching and the other side storylines were boring, except for Park Hyo Joo's part. She needs more roles because outside of the leads, her scenes were the ones I looked forward to the most.

30 Day Asian Drama Challenge: Day 11

To say that I am wayy past the 30 Day Challenge is a understatement, things got in the way so I never got around to finishing it off. It also works better this way since I've watched tons of dramas since then. Now onto the challenge!

Name A Drama That Disappointed In The End:
Nice Guy

First Impressions~ Witch's Romance

Who would have thought that after watching two noona-based dramas in the last year, that I would enjoy watching another one. Quite frankly, I had no intention of even watching Witch's Romance but because of some really good marketing on the promoters part, I decided to forge ahead and see if it could live up to the potential seen in the trailers. The verdict? A++.

Synopsis:
Following the noon-romance trend of the year, comes the latest drama in the pack. The Witch’s Romance is about a strong, confident reporter who is extremely good at her job. So much that her nickname is literally “witch” because she tends to walk all over her co-workers. After getting left at the alter by her ex-fiancee, Ban Ji-Yeon has given up on true love.

Our lead man Yoon Dong Ha runs a small errand center with a friend. In this business they do anything the customer wants, including teaching a self-defense class or pretending to be Santa Clause for a day. Despite his happy-go-lucky appearance, Yoon Dong Ha hides a secret sorrow, having tragically lost his girlfriend some years back.

When the two meet, immediately sparks incur, and though their age difference might be great, their common interests and shared sorrow bring them together.

Cast:
Uhm Jung Hwa - Ban Ji Yeon
Park Seo Joon - Yoon Dong Ha
Han Jae Suk - No Shi Hoon
Jung Yeon Joo - Jung Eun Chae
Ra Mi Ran - Baek Na Rae

The cast work well together but what really draws me in (and thus has lead me to becoming a fixture on forums) is the chemistry between Uhm Jung Hwa and Park Seo Joon. Age doesn't factor in the equation at all with these two. Jung Hwa is doing a wonderful job of playing a character who from the outside is strong, confidant, successful woman that has everything together, but on the inside is a vulnerable woman. Coming into this, I had never seen any of her previous work before, but with romantic comedies, she is in her element. Park Seo Joon though relatively new to the acting world, is on fire. Literally and figuratively speaking! He has this "thing" where he never turns off, even when Seo Joon's character isn't in the frame, you can still see him in character in the background. As Dong Ha, he embodies the persona so well, with his expressions and the way he carries himself. Oh, and since this airs on tvN, we actually get REAL kisses!! I don't want to spoil it for anyone but there might/might not be a kiss scene in the first 3 episodes. Just saying!

Another plus to this drama is the momentum is has kept since the first episode. Many dramas, especially in the last year, start off on a high and then fizzle out towards the middle half. And while Witch's Romance isn't half-way yet, it still has been able to keep me glued to the screen in anticipation of the next episode. It has charm, romance, and humor that keeps the show (and audience) on it's toes.

Drama Review~Shut Up Flower Boy Band

I'm having serious drama withdrawals again...and this time I think its worse. After just finishing up Secret, I went and finished watching Shut Up Flower Boy Band and boy did that show know how to hit you in the right spots emotionally. I can honestly say that only 6 dramas have left deep impressions with me loong after I've watched them. It really says alot about the quality of the dramas. Never have I been so satisfied with an ending before. Usually korean drama endings either leave you lacking or they cram too much that it overwhelms the storyline. SUFB had the opposite affect. Instead of leaving us hanging they gave us everything we wanted. Each storyline was wrapped up and they left us wishing we could continue the journey in each of the guys lives but also all good things must come to an end.  

Shut Up Flower Boy Band was a beautifully written drama encompassing the lives of 5 young guys through their teenage angst years. It follows them going through betrayals, fights, friendships, breakups, and finally coming together again. The drama realistically portrayed the characters and the things they went through. Yes there will be times that you'll get mad at your best friend because they forgot your birthday or something, but they always make up for it in the end. Even as I write this review, I tear up thinking about the characters. To me there really weren't any secondary characters because each person was all intertwined together by a common ground, the band.

First Impressions~ I Need Romance 3

[ I am currently up to date with the show but since I was busy with RL, couldn't finish it in time which is why this is still a First Impression post.]

I adore this show. Never having seen the previous dramas in the series I had no preconceived notions about I Need Romance 3. The only thing I hoped for was that it would be a steady and consistent drama from start to end, and that Sung Joon & Kim So Yeon will get to shine like never before - that part was the fangirl in me. The cinematography and music are perfect. They picked the right music to fit the mood and I LOVE the ost that's played throughout the show. It sets the tone for the drama and is perfecto.

The Liebster Award

Wow. Was the first word that came mind when I found out that Love Bug's Obsession was nominated for the Liebster Award from Jamie of The Drama Noona blog!! This is such a tremendous honor and I feel very privileged to be selected along with some of my all-time favorite bloggers. I'm still very much a newbie at this, and hope that I will continue to improve as a writer in the future. Thank you so very much Jamie for the award!

For those who do not know, the Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers as a form of encouragement while also exploring the bloggersphere world.

Now here are the rules of the Liebster Award:

1. Each nominee link back the person who nominated them.
2. Answer 10 questions which are given to you by the nominator.
3. Nominate 10 other bloggers for this award who have less than 200 followers.
4. Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer.
5. Let the nominees know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them.

Let's begin!

1. Why did you start blogging?
I started blogging because I came to the realization, that I could only talk with my family about K-Dramas or K-Pop for so long before they tired of me. That's when I first started thinking of outlets to "purge" myself of the constant thoughts and comments I had over the latest drama watched - which at the time was Gaksital. This is  how I discovered the wonderful world of blogging and haven't looked back since. :)

2. How did you come up with the name of your blog?
Ooh good question. It took me weeks (yes weeks) to figure out what I wanted to name my blog and if it would be catchy enough. Eventually, my dad suggested I use a family nickname of mine for it to be more personal. Love is part of my last name, Bug is a part of one of my many nicknames, and obsession since well K-Dramas are my obsession! ;)

3. Who is your favorite author?
I love Jane Austen. I've watched all the television adaptions/movies and Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite reads of all time.

4. What type of show/movie is your guilty pleasure?
Vampire Diaries. I swore that I wouldn't get caught up in the vampire phase that was going on for awhile but I fell hard after watching Youtube clip of Klaus and Caroline, who happen to be one of my favorite characters on the show. For movies I'm not sure really. I adore chick flicks, even the kinda cheesy/corny ones like Princess Bride.

I can't really consider K-Dramas my guilty pleasure since most of my friends and family know how much I adore them.

5. Do you have someone to watch dramas with?
Sometimes my mother and I watch them together but usually its just me, myself, and I.

6. What is your favorite drama genre?
Definitely the rom-com and action/revenge ones. You can never go wrong with those.

7. Do you watch dramas from multiple countries?
Yes! My mother was actually the one to first start watching dramas from different countries like Filipino, Indian, and Tawianese dramas. I recently started watching Japanese dramas also.

8. If you could meet any actor, from any country, who would you meet?
This is a toughie. Um.... Joo Won. Because I would like to know what place did he have to go in order to pull off one of the most intense grief scenes I've ever seen. Ha Ji Won, because she's such a versatile actress and seems really sweet, then my favorite Jo Jung Suk because he's just awesome nuff said. Lastly is Shahrukh Khan, the man's a legend in Bollywood and magically doesn't seem to age, like ever!

9. Who is your current drama crush?
Kim Woo Bin. He actually caught me by surprise - I figured it was those devilish eyebrows that just jump out at you - and while I still haven't finished School 2013, I can see that he has alot of potential to really make it big.

10. Have you ever been nominated for a blogging award before?
No I haven't this is my first one. :)

Ok, now for the nominees:

http://crazyforkdrama.blogspot.sg/

http://newkdramaaddict.blogspot.com/

http://shinealightrose.blogspot.com/

http://haeppimemoli.wordpress.com/

http://countingoutheartbeats.blogspot.com/

http://chrissmile.wordpress.com/

http://givememykdrama.wordpress.com/

http://creatingvolumes.com/

http://sulovesdrama.wordpress.com/

http://saryre.blogspot.com/


And the questions are:

1) What inspired you to first start your blog?

2) What would you say is the hardest part about blogging?

3) Have you ever encountered bloggers slump and if so how did you overcome it?

4) Is there a drama character that has the same personality traits as you?

5) Which actor or actress do you feel is underrated or less well known?

6) If you could change the ending of any drama, what would it be and why?

7) What is your favorite post that you have written?

8) Which is harder to write, drama recaps or reviews?

9) Do comments and viewers really matter to you as a blogger?

10) If you weren't a blogger, what would you be doing instead?

I hope you guys will have as much fun as I did! Thank you again Jamie for the nomination that was really sweet of you. :)) And lastly congratulations to all the nominees, you all deserved it!
 

Drama Watchlist 2014

The New Year has barely just started and we already have a great crop of new dramas to look forward to. This is my year to watch more dramas. That was one of the many things on my Goal List, since I felt making resolutions would be easier to break. I had been pretty lax during last years shows mainly because I felt the dramas weren't as great as the previous years. Except for a select few, many lacked the pizzazz of such greats like Gaksital and King 2 Hearts. I can only hope that the next batch of dramas will be great.

First off...............Lee Bo Young is coming back to dramaland!!

I Need Romance 3 Premieres January 13th!!

 Who else is uber excited to see Kim So Yeon and Sung Joon back on their television screens. THIS GIRL!! I literally squealed out loud when I found two of my favorite actors were going to be coupled together in a drama. Blessed news just weeks after finishing Shut Up Flower Boy Band where I feel hopelessly in love with Sung Joon and his smexy self. Kim So Yeon can no wrong in my book and I'm super happy to see her back once again. I have very high expectations for this drama and looking at the previous dramas in the series I could potentially be disappointed but that won't stop me from watching Sung Joon sizzle on my screen again. :))

30 Day Asian Drama Challenge: Day 10

                               Day 10:

     An Asian Drama Character Who Is Most Like You?

Source

 I don't really have one character per say that I'm most like, except maybe Lee Soon-Shin. She's super kind and loving towards her family and always puts others before her own self. Another aspect of her character that parallels my own is how she isn't confident in herself. She doesn't see how pretty, smart, or funny she really is. Sure it took Shin Joo-Ho for her to see the potential she possessed but I liked how LSS eventually started to stand on her own two feet and accomplish things without the help of SJH. What I love most about her is that innocent quality she possess. It's not an act or show, its just part of her personality. Another thing we have in common is our drive to do our best. Whenever I go after something I want to achieve or have, I go full-force. Nothing can stop me or get in my way. I will work as hard as I can in order to succeed. LSS is the exact same way when she was going after the various television roles and assignments. She knew the only way to get to the top was to start at the very bottom.
 

Drama Review~ Secret/Secret Love

 Finally finished my review for Secret though I am sorry I didn't have it earlier, finals were the most important thing on my to-do list.  This particular review took me away to format and get all my thoughts done because it was such a great drama and there were lots of material I potentially needed to use. There is soo much to say that I could write for days about Secret but unfortunately we cannot do that. Beware there will be spoilers in this review.

Crack Drama of The Year~Secret/Secret Love

 Secret. There are not enough adjectives to describe what a roller coaster ride this drama was. Unfortunately I didn't wait for it to end so I couldn't marathon it all the way through because now I'm having serious withdrawals. Withdrawals are common in the Kdrama world and I am having the worst of the symptoms. Constantly on YouTube watching either clips or music videos starring the leads...its a big problem. I just can't let go of Secret and one part of me wishes there could have been an extension *gasp*. Yes I know, this drama was too good to be possibly ruined if there was an extension but that's how bad I miss it. Now I have no Wed-Thur show to look forward to. Thankfully it wasn't *SPOILER*  a sad ending so I wasn't teary-eyed and exhausted from crying after it ended - shakes fist at writers of King 2 Hearts! In-depth review coming soon.

30 Day Asian Drama Challenge: Day 9

     Your Least Favorite Male Character In An Asian Drama

Man oh man do I have things to say about this man but I'm choosing to go easy for this challenge as I will be doing a review for this drama later on.

30 Day Asian Drama Challenge: Day 8

Day 8:

Favorite Male Character in an Asian Drama

Source

30 Day Asian Drama Challenge: Day 7

Day 7:

Do You Watch Asian Dramas for Their Storyline, Genre or Actors/Actresses?

When I first got into Asian dramas I would just stick to dramas that included the actors/actresses that were familiar to me. Then based on preferences from my mom or just reading recaps from other bloggers I would chose what to watch. Now I mainly watch for the story lines only. Genres alot of the times can be hit or miss so I never watch anything because its a romantic drama/comedy - which are my faves.  I usually find the sageuks long and boring, but some were really interesting like Rooftop Prince which started during the Joseon period but was fused with modern time or even Princess Man which completely changed my view on sageuks indefinitely. 

I like to think after almost 2 years of watching Asian dramas, though I am nowhere near the record of many other bloggers, I know what types of dramas to watch and what to stay away from. Luckily enough, I haven't watched any truly horrible dramas, some might have started out great and ended on a bad note- Protect the Boss is one that comes to mind- but otherwise they were good.

30 Day Asian Drama Challenge: Day 6

                                                           Day 6:
                      Favorite Asian Drama OST

Yayy for the return of easier posts. I'm extremely sorry it is taking me soo long to do all of these but real life is getting in the way. Now, I'm taking this to mean whole soundtrack of dramas or single songs right? Idk but I feel that I've broken alot of rules already, whats one more. :)

                                                             Hearstrings OST
This has got to be one of my favorite albums to listen from a drama. I had most if not all the songs on my ipod playing on repeat constantly. Heartstrings might not have lived up to all its hype but the music made up for it.

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.

Source

Mini Review~I Hear Your Voice

With the list of dramas previously watched there are plenty I would have loved to write full reviews on but that would take too much time. So I decided to start a segment on those dramas that didn't quite make the cute for full review. Enjoy.

 I Hear Your Voice

 Every time I think of this drama I get those warm fuzzies. How could it be possible for a drama to entertain us and at the same time speak to our hearts? Every moment was poignant and I give credit to the writer(s) in making these characters so realistic because that is what really made this drama. Also the other strength of this drama relied on the relationships between each character.

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

30 Day Asian Drama Challenge: Day 3

                                                                 Day 3:
               What Is The Worst Asian Drama You've Seen?


The absolute worst question so far...aghh challenge why!? I actually did the eenie meenie miney mo game to pick this one. Its sad I'm so indecisive, but in my repertoire of dramas watched, there has not been any that were truly awful. Some dumb, others the story was great but towards the end the plot cliches started coming out and ruined it for me.

 
                                                         You're Beautiful
 
Don't hate me but this has to be one of the most overrated dramas I've seen to date. Now before you throw pitchforks and knives at me, let me explain. My mother is to blame for getting me to watch this crack-addiction. So hurl them at her....just kidding! I didn't know how popular this show was until wayy after. I can do cheesy movies/dramas but halfway through this, I came to the realization that I can't endure everything. First, the story of a crossing girl piqued my interest as a big fan of the American film She's The Man and the manga Hana Kimi, the thought of a girl actually crossing the invisible line between sexes and uncovering the mysteriousness that is men was enough to get my attention. Around the middle of the drama is where my mood went south. It tended to veer toward the makjang territory in some places. Like how come it took them forever to figure out that Park Shin Hye's character was a girl. I get that some males can look feminine or act effeminate but that was just too outrageous. Thank God Hwang Tae kyung figured it out early enough or that would have been really crazy. On the other hand I can't quite call it horrible because its not suppose to take itself too seriously but there's a point where the stupid story lines ruin what could have been a funny rom-com.

My favorite character and the reason I kept watching was Jeremy. The way Hongki so naturally played him made me believe he was playing his real self. Jeremy was so adorable and that smile gah I lived for it everytime. Him and PSH had wonderful chemistry actually she had good chemistry with all 3 guys. I was in love with this character so much I cried buckets of tears during the bus scene. I probably watched that scene multiple times, so much that its saved on my search engine on YouTube! It shows how awesome of an actor Hongki is to be able to evoke such emotion from the viewers. This would be my first drama where I wanted the second, er third lead to get the girl in the end. So after that touching scene, I was turned off but I did finish it, begrudgingly. All in all, it wasn't a bad drama but it wasn't a great one either.











Photo Credit~Dramabeans