The Clue (aka Detectives in 40 Minutes aka 4th Period Murder Mystery) (2009)

Some people are born to be detectives; others are pushed into it.  Han Jung Hoon is in the latter category.  Upon entering his classroom to find classmate Kim Tae Gyu brutally murdered, Jung Hoon realizes he is the prime suspect.  Another fellow classmate, Lee Da Jung, is convinced Jung Hoon did not kill Tae Gyu, but she knows others will not so easily believe their story.  To prove Jung Hoon's innocence and preserve the school's image, the pair must solve the murder and catch the culprit before fourth period ends - a mere forty minutes from when they discovered the body.  The clock is ticking on Jung Hoon's freedom, his reputation, and his life.



Let me just begin this review by saying this is one awesome movie.  I can't even describe it beyond that.  You'll understand more as I get further into it, but first things first: the cast.

• Yoo Seung Ho as Han Jung Hoon
• Kang So Ra as Lee Da Jung
• Kim Dong Bum as Do Il
• Jeon Jun Hong as MBC
• Park Chul Min as Michinge (Crazy/Mad Dog)

So without further ado, let's dive right in.  First up is our main man who gets a whole lot of screen time, Han Jung Hoon, played by Yoo Seung Ho.  Before I go any further, I'm just gonna put this out there: I am a Yoo Seung Ho fangirl.  I really like him - I mean REALLY like him.  He's a fantastic actor, he's really good-looking, and he's just all around awesome.  That being said, his performance in this movie is awesome as well.  I find no faults with anything he does in this movie, beyond the little quirks and tiny stuff that is easily ignored.

Next is a character I can really relate to, surprisingly.  Lee Da Jung, played by Kang So Ra, is a mystery buff who is a social outcast because of her "creepiness".  She is known in the movie as "curtain girl" because of the way she wears her hair (it's like a curtain that covers up her face).  I say I can relate to her more because I was not the most popular person in high school - though it wasn't because I was "creepy" - and I love a good mystery (though I can't go so far as to say I would want to actually solve a real murder in my school - that's just taking it a few steps too far).  As for the acting, Kang So Ra is a pretty good actress.  There were times when her acting felt a little underdone in my opinion, but for the most part, she didn't feel overly simplified or stereotypical, as would be the temptation with a character like this.  Overall, good performance.

Even with these great actors on screen, however, a story like this would not work very well without some sort of comic relief (to break the tension - I think it's more so that no one in the audience has a heart attack during the movie from build up of suspense...and adrenaline).  This next character brings just that to the table.  Do Il, played by Kim Dong Bum, is our comic relief.  He does play a part in the conflict resolution, eventually, but he's mostly there just for kicks and giggles.  That being said, however, Kim Dong Bum does a pretty decent job.  He's goofy, but he reacts appropriately to the...erhm...circumstances...and he never backs out on his friends.  All in all, a pretty decent performance for a pretty decent character.

Okay, now to go toward the antagonists of the film (of which there are several).  The first of these I will discuss is a teacher with the nickname MBC (no, he doesn't actually have a name in the movie - he just goes by that nickname; it stands for "margarine, butter, cheese" by the way - he's supposed to be a slimy character, and therefore "greasy").  This wonderful role is filled by Jeon Jun Hong and he is excellent.  This teacher is the first character in the movie that the audience is led to assume is a bad guy, and boy does he act the part.  I can't say much because [spoilers], but just know that this guy is a picture of a nervous wreck.  Jeon Jun Hong gave a really good performance on that front.

And now for the other antagonist I will be discussing, another teacher who goes by the nickname "Michinge" (which means "crazy" or "mad dog" - I like the second one better), and he is portrayed by Park Chul Min.  This guy freaks me out.  This is one teacher I would be legitimately terrified of if he were to come teach at my school.  All the students in the movie are scared of him too, obviously (come on, he goes by "mad dog" - I think the kids are truly scared of him).  As far as the actual acting from this guy goes, I'd say there were a couple of parts that were just a bit too over the top, as in he started to feel like a character you'd only see in the movies, but there were some parts where he was really scary and quite real.  So basically, it's a mixed bag for him.

Now, on to the writing.  I have a few comments to make on that front, both good and bad.  Let's start with the good.  It's always better that way.

First off, we've got the pacing.  This movie has a ton of background to lay down before you can actually get to the murder (the kid doesn't actually die until about thirty-five minutes in), but the upside is none of it feels wasted or unnecessary.  All of it was important information that just added to the atmosphere once the murder did actually occur.  One of the major problems I usually have with murder-mystery movies that aren't building on a franchise is that they never have enough time or good enough planning to get the audience used to the characters.  This movie totally did away with that problem.

My other comment regarding what's right with this movie is the atmosphere.  Oh, boy, the atmosphere.  I was on the edge of my seat for most of this movie.  There was so much tension and so much suspense, I got completely caught up in what was going on, regardless of anything else that I may comment on in a minute.  One of the things that I think added a lot to this movie's atmosphere as well was how it incorporated the passage of time.  If you recall in the synopsis, Jung Hoon and Da Jung only have forty minutes to solve the murder.  This means that the passage of time (both how quickly it passes and how much of it has passed at any given time) is a very important part of the plot.  But instead of just doing a countdown or just showing a clock ticking, the movie goes all crazy with it and goes inside the clock, zooming all around it, and when the clock ticks it echoes and reverberates - it's awesome.

Okay, sadly now we must transition to the negative side of my comments on this movie, the first and biggest of which is this: the "science".  I mean, I can suspend my disbelief as much as the next person, but there are just some things you shouldn't do in a movie like this.  Without going into spoilers, let me give you an example: there's a scene wherein Da Jung and Jung Hoon have to break into a locked room.  To do that, Da Jung takes off her necklace, runs the chain inside the door above the lock, grabs it on the other side of the lock, and pulls.  It has the same effect that a credit card would have on a lock of that type (a standard knob lock).  After I saw that, I literally had to pause the movie and think for a minute, and you know what?  I'm sorry, but in my mind that would not work, or at least not as easily as it did for her.  The chain would be too thick, it wouldn't slide through well (or at all), etc, etc.

Also along those lines, but not really to do with science, is the fact that a lot of the circumstances in this movie feel REALLY convenient (I wouldn't go so far as to say they feel contrived, because I don't think that's the right word for it - there are a fair amount of "coincidences" in this movie though).  I can't really go deeper into that because [spoilers], but just trust me, if you watch the movie you'll see what I mean.

Now we come to a problem I have that I think could be solved by watching the movie again (several times, but still, that might fix the problem): the ending.  Don't worry, I won't say anything too spoilerific, but I have to address this.  This ending...oh, boy.  Basically suffice it to say that when you come to the beginning of the ending (that's how it must be addressed...odd, I know) the movie kinda says, "Oh, this guy did it!  Oh, no, wait, THIS guy did it!  Oh, no, wait, THIS guy really did it!"  There are no less than three (count 'em, three!) red herrings for who the culprit is and at the end of the day, it was all I could do to keep up with who hated whom and who wanted revenge for what...  It's rather strenuous to watch this ending.

Now, I won't say the ending is terrible - it's not.  It's interesting, wraps things up well (if rather confusingly), and does its part to make sure you're satisfied with what happens.  So although it's not a great ending, it is definitely not a bad one.  All in all, it works decently well for what it's worth.

My final comment is more of an observation than a real negative component to this movie.  This movie, if you haven't noticed by now (really?  read the synopsis), takes place in high school.  Now, I've never been to an actual Asian high school, nor have I ever even seen an actual Asian high school, but I still think this comment has value.  The high school in this movie is rather odd - it manages to be believable and totally unbelievable at the same time.  Let me explain.  It is believable in that the kids do act like teenagers and the setting is very realistic.  I like that.  But it is also totally unbelievable.  An example: the kids don't even try to hide their cell phones most of the time when they are texting during class.  I don't know about you, but my teachers had cell phone radar.  They could tell when somebody was texting even if the kid wasn't even looking at the phone.  Another example: the teachers totally don't notice when kids very obviously fall asleep in class.  Here I'm not talking about you fall asleep with your head on your desk and it looks like you're just waiting for something or listening.  I'm talking about kids being sprawled out at the desk very obviously sound asleep and the teachers DON'T NOTICE.  Really?

But enough of my griping.  As for a warning section, here I do have a legitimate warning: this movie does contain some rather graphic violence (it's a murder mystery - what are you gonna do?).  If you don't like the sight of blood splattering all over everywhere and watching a kid get killed in cold blood, don't watch this movie (or if you do watch it, just cover your eyes - that always works for me).  Aside from that, not really anything else of note.

As far as a message goes, I don't know that there really is a message to be had in this movie.  It really focuses on the action and solving the mystery of who killed Tae Gyu.  I mean, I suppose there's a little bit about friendship in there somewhere, but that's more of a component of telling the story than an actual message to be gained from watching.

So, all in all, I really liked this movie.  It's got a lot of good suspense and heart-pumping action in it, as well as a lot of tension, which for a movie like this is a requirement.  I'd recommend this to just about anybody that likes murder mysteries and maybe some people who like stories set in a school setting, because there is a romantic subplot in this movie (it's rather well done too).  The confusing ending can tend to dampen the excitement of watching this movie and make it a little less enjoyable than it would've been, but the story leading up to the ending is one heck of a wild ride.  If you really do have problems understanding the ending (welcome to the club) I'd really recommend that you watch the movie again, as this can help with seeing where the different plot threads come together and all that.  Overall, this is a good movie and well worth a watch.  But don't take my word for it.  Find out for yourself.

Important

So basically I'm posting this cuz I realized that I skipped last Friday in posting a review.  That was an accident, but I'm going to postpone posting on this blog for a while until the school term is over for me.  I'm pushing really hard to graduate this spring and there's just too much going on for me to keep up with homework and this blog.  Thanks.  I hope everybody has a good fall season and I'll be back in about two and a half months.

Ouran High School Host Club Live Action (2012)

Fujioka Haruhi is an honor student at Ouran Academy, a very prestigious and expensive high school attended only by those with money and social status.  The middle-class Haruhi is attending the school on a full-ride scholarship and she doesn't really fit in.  One day, as she is looking for a quiet place to study, she happens upon the Third Music Room where the Ouran Academy Host Club, a group of six of the most attractive male students at the school, gathers to entertain female "clients".  During her first encounter with the club, Haruhi stumbles and knocks over a vase valued at 8 million yen.  Unable to pay back the debt, it is decided that Haruhi must work off her debt with service in the club.  In this spin off/continuation of the live action TV drama, Haruhi must learn a thing or two about how she feels about Tamaki, the overzealous leader of the Host Club, when a new face enters the school - the face of a "princess" that seems to be perfect for Tamaki.  But this princess is not all that she appears to be.  How will this affect the Host Club, Tamaki in particular?  And how will Haruhi cope with her new-found feelings?

All right, all that to get to this: I didn't expect to like this movie - AT ALL.  I went into it with the lowest of low expectations.  And I'm here to tell you, I was completely and utterly WRONG.  This movie, while it has its flaws, is SO much better than I ever expected.  But I'm totally getting ahead of myself.  First, the cast.

• Kawaguchi Haruna as Fujioka Haruhi
• Yamamoto Yusuke as Suou Tamaki
• Daito Shunsuke as Ootori Kyoya (second-in-command of the host club)
• Takagi Shinpei as Hitachiin Hikaru
• Takagi Manpei as Hitachiin Kaoru
• Chiba Yudai as Haninozuka "Honey" Mitsukuni
• Nakamura Masaya as Morinozuka "Mori" Takashi
• Ryo Ryusei as Nekozawa Umehito
• Mariko Shinoda as Monaru Michelle
• Nickhun as Monaru Lawrence

Now, first off, this review is a bit different from all the others I've done previously in that I've already discussed most of the cast to a large extent.  That being said, I do have a few comments.

My first comment concerns our leading lady.  I mentioned in my review of Ouran High School Host Club the live action drama that I thought Kawaguchi Haruna did a bit of a lackluster job in her acting as Haruhi.  I still stand by that opinion - for the DRAMA.  I don't know why, but I know that as a portrayal of the character of Fujioka Haruhi, Haruna did a much better job here than in the drama.  While she still isn't totally up to par with the whole whiny thing (she still needs to up the sarcasm), she isn't the sweet little girl that she was previously, and for that I am grateful.

Now, this next thought...  I don't know how to say this, so I'll just give you an idea of what was running through my head during this movie.  It was something akin to this: Oh, my goodness, Tamaki is actually being serious.  While he had his moments in the drama when the character became more serious, he has far more of those moments in this movie, all of which are wonderfully acted by the amazing Yamamoto Yusuke (seriously, the dude can swing from being totally doofy and off-the-map hyper one minute to being serious and calm the next - and it's BELIEVABLE!).  I was very happy to see this character get more development apart from the goofy stuff.  Also, side note...  Tamaki has brown hair in the drama.  Why is he blonde?

My next comment concerns the twins.  Oh, Hikaru, Kaoru...how I love both of you.  I especially love that someone thought to give them actual serious development right alongside Tamaki.  Seriously, these guys are probably my favorite characters in the live action version of OHSHC, and I am so happy that they got a serious part of the subplots that were going on.

And finally, before I move on to discussing the characters unique to this movie, a quick note about another character that I really like.  Mori.  Mori is awesome.  I did have one problem with how he's portrayed in this movie though.  He's too talkative.  He got a total of maybe, what, seven or eight lines in all eleven episodes of the drama.  In this movie he gets about five or six.  The drama was five and a half hours total - this movie was an hour and forty-five minutes roughly.  You can see my point.  Not that it detracts from the character...much.  I still like him, but I just think he's a bit too talkative to fit the impression I got of him from the drama.

All right, new faces.  First is our lovely "princess", Monaru Michelle (I'm only putting the name Michelle second for consistency...it kinda bugs me though) and she's played by Mariko Shinoda.  The only comment I really have to make about this girl is that she's a fairly decent actress.  I wasn't too blown away by her performance, but the emotion she portrayed felt pretty believable and real.  Her character is kind of bland to begin with, so given that, I'd say she did a pretty good job with what she was given.  She does get more interesting in the second half of the movie though, so there you go.

The only other new face worth mentioning (in my opinion) is Michelle's brother, Monaru Lawrence (again, consistency...it still sounds weird to me).  Playing this character is K-pop boy band 2PM's Nickhun.  The only reason I really think this character is even worth mentioning is because he has a pretty major role in the climax and main plot resolution in this movie.  Other than that, he only has probably three or four scenes, most of which are in English, but he's a pretty good actor nonetheless.  For how small his part was, he did a good job.

All right, whew.  Writing is of course next.  Like I said before, this movie totally blew away my expectations.  I was expecting this to be rushed, not well thought out, and very choppy.  Again, like I said before, I was WRONG.  I was so wrong I don't think I've ever been this wrong...ever.  This movie takes place after the main story of the drama has concluded (that fact is kinda hard to pick up though - it took me until about halfway through the movie to figure that out).  For the most part it is what I would consider a well written continuation of the drama.  As far as I know this story is not part of the original manga (I haven't read it, so if this is in there, great - it's a good story), but the movie doesn't suffer for that.  Whoever had the reigns as far as writing goes on this project should definitely handle more of these things.

That being said, I do have one rather minor gripe with the storytelling in this movie.  In the beginning of the story, Haruhi has to have some way of telling her story of how she came to be in the Host Club in the first place.  That must've been difficult to come up with, I'm sure, but my gripe is in the fact that she's pretty much just telling the story.  She might as well have started the whole thing with the phrase, "Here's my story".  It would've been about as subtle.

As for warnings, I stand by what I said about the drama with one addition.  The homosexuality thing I discussed before is a little bit more prominent in this movie than it was in the drama (as a whole).  I do think though that if you got through the drama, you'll be fine here.

On the flipside, I still stand by the focus on family ties and the message of family being the most important thing in the history of the universe.  I jest, but seriously, the heavy focus of this movie is the same as the drama...turned up to eleven.  That's not necessarily a bad thing though.  I think it works to the movie's credit.

Once again, by way of wrapping this up, I will say that this movie far exceeded my expectations.  It has a good heart behind the story, and while it still keeps the goofy tone and silly antics of the drama, the seriousness of the character arcs and main story are wonderfully maintained as well.  The characters are well fleshed out and developed (that was the part that REALLY made me happy) and the relationship issues that some people had with the drama I think are addressed well here.  All in all, I will probably watch this movie again sometime soon, and I suggest that if you liked the drama, you should watch this too.  I will comment that you probably should watch the drama first if you haven't seen it already, but that's only because the story is explained better and you get a better sense of who the characters are by way of introduction.  Aside from that though, watch this movie.  I liked it and I think you will too.

Pi Li MIT (Mysterious Incredible Terminator) (2008)

Rumors have spread throughout Sheng Ying High School about a team of students and teachers that once secretly protected the school from evil for many years.  This team, code name Pi Li MIT, was disbanded some years ago for unknown reasons.  But now they're back.  Ousted from her hiding place by crimes involving mysterious anonymous CDs from someone called Hei Gui (Black Ghost), Teacher Cherry, the only remaining member of the original team, gathers together the smartest students in the school to combat this new evil and put the students' minds at ease.  This new generation of Pi Li MIT must solve the crimes and discover the identity of this Hei Gui to protect their friends, their school, and ultimately themselves.

I have so many fond memories of watching this drama, mostly because my best friend loves it...a lot.  She even wrote a fan fiction about it (actually it's a prequel to the series itself...it's pretty good; here's the link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6254488/1/Before-Shen-Yin-and-Pi-Li-MIT).  But before I get too far ahead of myself in my blabbering, let's take a look at the cast.

• Yan Ya Lun as Zhan Shi De/007
• Gui Gui as Li Xiao Xing/Tian Mo Xing
• Huang Hong Shen as Huang Hui Hong/747
• Lu Ting Wei as Qian Fu Hao/187
• Christine Fan as Tao Mei Ren/Teacher Cherry
• Tian Li as Lu Ya Qi/Teacher Angel
• Zhang Shan Jie as Lu Ke Ying/Game King

There are a good number of people on the cast list this time (that's a good thing...I don't like making up stuff to fill the page).  You may notice, however, that each character has a second name - a nickname - that they are known by in the show.  From here on out, once I introduce a character, I will be referring to the characters by their nicknames.  It's just easier that way.  Firstly, we have Yan Ya Lun as Zhan Shi De or 007 (Ling Ling Chi is how they say it).  Some of you may recognize him as Aaron Yan (or Arron, depending on who you ask) from the boy band Fahrenheit.  007 is a very interesting character.  He's definitely a young Sherlock Holmes type figure, and I don't think I need to point out how well Aaron does that.  Aaron is and has been good at moody or silent type characters for a long time.  This one fits right into that category.  Just one in a long line of performances I love from Aaron.

Next is someone I personally find kind of annoying (don't kill me for saying that...the only reason I don't particularly care for her is that she's really hyper and I'm just not that kind of person...though some people I know would beg to differ).  Gui Gui is playing Li Xiao Xing or Tian Mo Xing (which means Lucifer, by the way...I think), the token female character around whom the love triangle will inevitably form.  This girl really drives me up a wall (I'm referring to the character, not the person).  Sure, she's cute, and Gui Gui is a good actress (for some things), but...  I don't know.  She just always kind of struck me as that one girl in school everybody knows, but nobody talks to.  I'm not saying the performance wasn't good.  Don't get me wrong on that.  The moments in the latter half of the drama when Tian Mo Xing gets more serious and she becomes more of a fully developed character are played really well.  And I suppose for something like this, that's all that really counts.

Next is a celebrity that I honestly wish I could meet.  Huang Hong Shen, or Xiao Gui to anyone who watches Yu Le Bai Fen Bai (100% Entertainment), is playing Huang Hui Hong (man, that name is fun to say) or 747 (Chi Si Chi).  This is one of my favorite characters in the entire drama.  He's the courageous idiot type character who's always looking to be a hero, no matter what the circumstance.  He's so funny and goofy, but when it comes down to the heart of the character (because, you know, idiots have feelings too) Xiao Gui is an amazingly good actor.  He does a great job with the nuances (what few there are) to the character and he's good with making sure the character never gets boring...like he would anyways.  Thumbs up for his performance.

Lu Ting Wei is up next, playing Qian Fu Hao or 187 (Yi Ba Chi).  This is the ladies' man character.  He always has a girlfriend of some sort throughout the show, and when he's between ladies, he's always smooth talking another girl into his grasp.  I was kind of indifferent to this character because as far as crime drama shows go, I'm more interested in the actual crimes than the characters solving them.  But as the series goes on he gets more interesting.  His character becomes more fleshed out and developed, which obviously helps...a lot.  The acting was closer to the average line than it could've been, but it wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination.  He did a decent job and that's that.

Now we move to the more supporting characters.  Christine Fan plays Teacher Cherry in the show.  I don't remember much of this character, except that she's a great team leader and she has a bit of a sense of humor.  She's also the one that comes up with the nicknames for all the characters (the ones involving numbers, that is).  As far as acting ability, I'd say Christine is good, but not terribly wonderful.  She does a good job with the whole cheery thing, as well as being a strong leader (which you don't see too many female strong leaders in...any type of media really).  Her character development is also played well, which makes for a good all-around performance from her.

Teacher Angel is next, played by Tian Li.  She's known as the teacher of death throughout the series for good reason.  She always wears black, has long straight black hair (think the Munsters or Wednesday Morning), and she's freaking creepy!  She's always sneaking around doing things (or just being creepy...who knows what she's doing).  As far as the acting goes, oh man, she's good at being creepy.  This character seriously gave me the shivers a couple of times in the series (okay, I may be exaggerating, but she is REALLY creepy!)  I think this character is not nearly as scary as she could've been, but that fits the tone of the show just right.  Good performance from her.

Last but definitely not least (that's kind of a spoiler and you don't know it yet!) is a character that just hangs out on the sidelines...or does he?  You'll have to watch the show to find out.  Zhang Shan Jie plays the character I speak of called Lu Ke Ying or the Game King (Quan Wang!).  He is the son of Teacher Angel and he's also pretty creepy, though he's not nearly as bad as his mother.  I won't say I think this guy was the best actor ever (in fact he's pretty average), but he gives a good performance in the last third of the drama (SPOILERS!).  This is a character that definitely gets better with age, and I definitely say Shan Jie did a good job with that element of it.

So, onto the writing.  This show is very episodic in nature.  I mentioned before that 007 is like a young Sherlock Holmes, and that's exactly how this drama is written.  Each episode has its own crime to be solved, and that crime is almost always solved before the end of the episode.  But of course, with this style of writing comes a very many characters that are only around for one episode or so.  There are some recurring characters, like the principal of the school, but these are few and far between.

I must say I did enjoy the way this drama was laid out though.  The overarching plot is still very much present, even within the episodic nature of the individual crimes.  Every crime is linked in some way to every other crime, and to me that is fascinating.  The way this style of writing is used is also very good.  The way the characters get developed through facets of every crime they solve is really interesting.  Also, there are little goofy things thrown in there, like the episode when 187 loses his girlfriend and he threatens to eat himself into despair...it's a lot funnier than it sounds.  Trust me.

As far as warnings go, this show is not really intended for young audiences.  Yes, the scary stuff is not that scary and the suspense is minimal (sometimes), but I still think younger kids wouldn't like it so much - especially not the later episodes (oh, my gosh, the panda voice still creeps me out).  Aside from that, don't watch this right before you go to bed.  Seriously.  Not because it's scary so much (other than what I just said...PANDA), but because you will want to watch the next episode...and the next episode...and the next episode...and before you know it...it's five in the morning and you have to be up in an hour (it's happened to me).

On the other hand, I don't know about an overarching message so much as each episode has its own independent theme and message to deliver.  There is a focus on friendship throughout the drama, as the group comes closer together and they're forced to work with each other whether they want to or not.  But besides that, it would take too long to explain every message the show talks about.

In closing, I just want to say you need to watch this drama.  I don't care who you are, I don't care what your tastes are in media...  You need to watch this drama.  It's awesome.  The cases are fascinating, the characters are goofy and deep at the same time, and the ending was so good I wanted to start all over as soon as I was done.  One warning about the final couple of episodes though - you will never look at someone in a panda suit the same way again...creepy panda voice...creepy panda voice...AHHHHH!  Sorry, I had a quick flashback there.  Anyway, like I said, watch this drama.  Just please don't watch it before you go to bed.  You won't sleep until you're done.  Trust me on that one.

Snow White (aka Taste Sweet Love) (2004)

Ma Young Hee has a problem - a BIG problem.  She's been in love with her best friend Han Jin Woo since high school (8 years) and he doesn't have a clue.  He treats her like his little sister, carelessly going out with other women right in front of her.  Motivated by this problem, Young Hee decides to do something about it and takes off to Japan.  Of course, everything goes horribly wrong.  She ends up getting drunk and going home with a man she doesn't even know.  But upon returning to South Korea, she discovers the man she went home with that night in a drunken stupor is Jin Woo's little brother, Han Sun Woo.  Knowing that Sun Woo is trying to lay low and avoid their father, Jin Woo asks Young Hee to take Sun Woo in.  Throw in a conniving two-faced she-fox of a coworker/former schoolmate of Jin Woo's, and let the shenanigans begin!

I really don't know what to say going into this.  This drama is quite...hmm...special.  I don't mean that in a bad way necessarily, but...  We'll get there when we get there.  First, the cast.

• Kim Jung Hwa as Ma Young Hee
• Lee Wan as Han Sun Woo
• Yeon Jung Hoon as Han Jin Woo
• Oh Seung Hyun as Jang Hee Won
• Jo Yoon Hee as Tsukihara Minako

As I said before, I really don't know what to say.  So let's cut to the chase.  Kim Jung Hwa plays our leading lady, Ma Young Hee.  This character is a good example of what I might call "extreme makeover - drama edition".  By that, of course, I mean over the course of the drama she gets sort of "beautified" for various reasons (spoilers).  But this character has to be one that I think frustrates me more than any other leading lady I've ever encountered (okay, maybe there's one other that frustrated me more...but we don't speak of her).  This is no fault of the actress however.  Jung Hwa did a great job in my opinion.  She played the transitions (of which there are many) quite smoothly, making me feel like this character could be a real person - which is, of course, the point.  On top of all that though, she is a very beautiful actress who can also pull off being dorky and goofy.  Thumbs up to her.

Next is the "irresponsible" character, one Han Sun Woo, played by Lee Wan.  This character also really frustrates me because he seems to be easily thrown off balance, so to speak, when it comes to situations involving Young Hee and his brother.  Other than that though, I like this character.  He's interesting, and interesting characters are the bread and butter of good dramas.  The acting was pretty good.  Not super amazing, but good nonetheless.

Next...  Oh, dear.  Han Jin Woo.  This character, played by Yeon Jung Hoon, is...well, it's hard to describe.  He's almost a goody two-shoes type character, as he almost never gets angry, never does anything wrong, and he's always really upbeat and happy.  That in itself starts to get a little irritating after a while.  That plus the fact that for most of the drama he is SO dense.  As for the acting, well, he's not bad, but he's not particularly all that great either.  Granted, there are some twist-your-heart-out moments that have to do with him (*cough* spoilers), but aside from that, his acting is decently good.  He's sweet.  I'll give him that.

Jang Hee Won.  Never have I wanted to punch a girl so much in my life.  This...oh, how did I phrase it..."conniving two-faced she-fox"...yah, that's about right.  This oh so slippery character is played by Oh Seung Hyun, and my goodness, she's good with this kind of character.  She makes you want to reach through the screen and slap her...in the face...multiple times...with a chair.  This character wins second place for my most hated character in a drama (again, we don't speak of the only character I hate more than Jang Hee Won...bad things happen when we bring that up).  I think the fact that I hate her so much really speaks to how well Seung Hyun did her job though.  She's a character everybody loves to hate.

Now for another character that I don't exactly like, but I don't really hate her either.  Tsukihara Minako, played by Jo Yoon Hee.  This character is more just really annoying than actually worth disliking.  You do feel sorry for her as the story progresses though.  What with her past and various spoiler reasons, there are things that make you come over to her side a little - if only a very little.  Regarding the actress herself, I'd say she did a pretty good job.  At the very least it was believable and that's at least somewhat satisfactory for me.

Now, on to the writing.  This drama is definitely a good example of what the Korean version of an American soap opera would look like (minus the gratuitous sex and really bad acting).  Lots of crying, lots of difficult decisions, and a BOATLOAD of drama.  I have only a few comments to make on the writing.

First off, it was realistic - at least as much as can be expected for this type of show.  In this story one thing that stands out is that Sun Woo is six years younger than Young Hee.  Being that they are the main couple (of sorts), this in itself creates problems (I personally don't understand this though - if the girl was the one that was younger it wouldn't be a problem...or at least not as much of a problem).  This drama does, to the best of its ability, deal with those problems realistically.  It also deals with the problems associated with what happens when one partner wants to go off to another country to do what he (in this case) wants to do.  This drama deals with questions like: What happens to the other partner?  Is completely uprooting and reestablishing yourself for your lover really the right thing to do?  And so on and so forth.

My second comment is not so positive.  This might be a bit nit-picky, but I can't ignore it.  I can't help but feel that this drama is a bit...haphazard in its way of thinking.  The characters don't seem to know what they want most of the time, and while that could come off as part of the story, I think it just makes it feel a bit double-minded and indecisive.  Also, the ending few episodes were kinda rushed and the flow got a bit sticky.

As for warnings, the only thing I think warrants a warning is the excessive amounts of drama in this drama.  I know, that's kinda ridiculous to point that out, but seriously, I've seen dozens of dramas, and this is one of the most dramatic I've ever encountered.  I would only say in warning, be prepared to feel sorry for a couple of the characters...A LOT.

On the upside, however, as I mentioned before, this drama deals with some real issues that I think are well worth tackling.  The other huge focus along the way is the issue of dealing with unrequited love (does the word "friend-zoned" mean anything to you?).  This show looks at questions like: How long should you wait for someone you love to come around before you move on with your life?  How do you go about moving on once you've decided to do so?  Things like that.  These are questions I've never seen tackled in a drama like this before, and I highly commend the writers for handling it so well.

On a final note, I will say I have mixed feelings for this drama.  I liked it, but at the same time, I probably won't watch it again.  The characters were good, but a lot of times they frustrated me to no end with the choices they made.  The story was somewhat realistic in the issues it dealt with, and although the ending wasn't what I think people wanted (or what I wanted) it still worked.  Granted, this drama is a little bit older, but I think it's still worth watching (it is a little funny seeing all the characters with flip phones instead of iPhones and Smartphones though).  This show also has the character in it that wins my vote for best incidental character ever (you go, cake shop ahjussi!).  So I recommend this to any hardcore drama fans out there as well as fans of certain soap operas.  I think the rest can speak for itself.

The Quiz Show (2008)

People will do anything for easy money.  But does that include going on a game show where they are forced to reveal their deepest darkest secrets to the entire world?  Apparently it does.  Welcome to the Quiz Show, a game show where a series of seven questions and only seven will win you 10 million yen - if you answer correctly.  The catch is that each of these questions becomes more and more personal and uncomfortable to answer as the show goes on.  Yet it seems contestants keep lining up to participate - or do they?  As the series progresses it is revealed that each contestant seems to have a strange roundabout connection to the host and producer of the show.  It seems that the contestants being selected are there for a reason much darker and more sinister than just a chance at a life-changing amount of money.

Okay, before I go any further - oh, my gosh, this show is amazing.  Once again, I know I say something to that effect every week, but who cares?  I love this show.  I've already seen it twice and I'm planning to watch it again very soon.  But anywho.  Let's take a look at the cast, shall we?

• Katagiri Jin as Tazaki Toru (host)
• Totsugi Shigeyuki as Yamanobe Kengo (producer)
• Yamamoto Koji as Murase Ryuichiro (contestant ep 1)
• Takahashi Mai as Nitta Hitomi (contestant ep 2)
• Sato Jiro as Smiley Kitajima (contestant ep 3-4)
• Sato Eriko as Uchida Kiyomi (contestant ep 5-6)
• Okada Yoshinori as Manaka Noboru (contestant ep 7-8)
• Horiuchi Keiko as Makikura Ryoko (contestant ep 9-10)

So for this review I'm going to be doing things a little differently since the cast is a bit different from anything else I've ever reviewed.  I'm only going to talk about most of the contestants in passing, as I don't think some of them had quite as much impact on the plot as the others.  I mention the names of all of them, however, so that if I refer to one of them, the list is there to look at to see what I'm talking about (sort of).  Anywho, on with the show.

The first person to talk about that really (and I do mean REALLY) deserves every accolade he gets is Katagiri Jin playing the host of our game show, Tazaki Toru.  This character is fascinating.  He is something of a tortured soul with no memory of what happened to make his life fall apart two years prior to when the series begins.  Let me just cut to the chase: Jin is fantastic.  There were times during this show that I had to stop and remind myself that it wasn't real (this is the first time I've ever had to do that, mind you; I don't usually get so wrapped up in things) and that HE wasn't a real person.  The way this character was written and performed is awesome, and I give everyone props for that.  But I especially applaud Jin.

Next is our main antagonist Yamanobe Kengo, played by Totsugi Shigeyuki.  This is the character everybody loves to hate, and for good reason.  He's wicked, conniving, and just plain evil.  From the get-go he knows exactly what he wants (or so he thinks) and he knows how to go about getting it.  Amazingly, this performance was also very good, but there were a few moments when the over-the-top tone and attitude that was actually making the whole thing work, STOPPED making the whole thing work (if that makes any sense).  In other words, the performance was a little bit too over-the-top.  Aside from that, though...  This is one of the best "villains" I've ever seen in a drama (or anything for that matter).

Now comes the interesting part.  I do have a few things to say about the contestants and their performances, but for the most part I will be speaking in generalities.  I really liked the people that were cast as the contestants.  They all did amazing jobs at conveying what was supposed to be happening.  One of the biggest commonalities for all the contestants is the presence of a deep dark secret that they are all running away from or trying to hide from.  Hence as the questions get more and more uncomfortable, the contestants need to get more and more uncomfortable.  That was achieved very well here, I think.

Watching the contestants squirm is something that I think most people will find interesting, but one thing you will note as you watch is this: none of the acting feels fake or hokey (thank God).  This could have been a terrible ordeal to go through if the actors that had been cast had been bad or even slightly below average.  A lot of the contestants do seem to go through real traumatic breakdowns as they answer the questions, which was, of course, the whole point.

Now, on to the writing.  One thing that is really quite interesting about this show is that it is, in its own way, a murder mystery.  The whole premise is based around the host of the Quiz Show trying to regain his memory and understand why his life fell apart, along with making peace with the past and some nasty demons that want to follow him throughout the future.  As the story progresses, the audience is shown flashes that don't seem to bode well for the host, as he realizes he might be guilty of the worst crime he could've ever committed (in his mind): killing his girlfriend.  I won't say anymore for fear of spoilers.

But really, there is almost nothing wrong with the pacing or storytelling or writing in general here.  I say almost because no story is perfect.  There are little tweaks that could've been made to maybe make it flow better (that's a big MAYBE though).  But aside from that, this show is wonderfully well written beyond what I would've ever expected.

As for warnings, all you need to be warned about is an extreme amount of suspense.  Side effects of this may include: pacing back and forth uncontrollably; biting your fingernails; constantly sitting on the edge of your seat wherever you are; and not being able to sleep well.  You have been duly warned.

On the flipside, there is (as you may have guessed) a heavy emphasis on running away from the past and what that will do to a person.  Also there is a focus on bringing your secrets out into the open to be dealt with.  The ending will leave you pondering about your own secrets (seriously).

On the whole, I'd say this show is a must-see for any fan of suspense, mystery, drama, thriller...  The list goes on and on.  The story is incredibly well done, the characters are well cast, and overall this is one of my favorite non-romantic dramas I've ever seen.  I said before I've seen this show twice and I will see it again very soon, and I mean that.  I really enjoyed watching this, and by the way, even if you've seen it all the way through and know the end to the mystery, that doesn't matter.  The show still rocks.  So go watch it.  Right now.  Go.

Smiling Pasta (2006)

Cheng Xiao Shi is an ordinary girl - at least in most respects.  She's a bit ditsy, rather clumsy, and is quite average looking.  Her family owns and operates a small Italian pasta restaurant called Smiling Pasta and she is quite contented with her life at present.  There is one thing, however, that sets Xiao Shi apart from all the other third year students at Ding Feng University: her lack of ability to keep a boyfriend beyond three months.  Afflicted by a curse put on her in her first year of university, Xiao Shi struggles to find the man to help her break the spell that has been the end of seventeen relationships in the past two years.  After one such relationship ends tragically with her current boyfriend dumping her in the middle of the street, Xiao Shi is depressed enough to make it literally rain on her parade.  But alas, there is still hope.  Not far away a famous musician named He Qun is facing his own heartache, and is about to encounter the girl that will change his life - for better or for worse.

Ladies and gentlemen, drumroll please!  Today I present to you the very first drama I ever watched!  This holds a lot of nostalgia for me, and understandably so, as I first saw this four years ago when my best friend suggested that I watch it, just for kicks.  Well, four years and MANY dramas later, I think I've had my share of kicks.  But enough of my blathering.  On to the cast.  And it's quite a doozy.

• Cyndi Wang as Cheng Xiao Shi
• Nicholas Teo as He Qun
• Gino Tsai as He Rui Zhe (Ah Zhe) (He Qun's brother)
• Joyce Chao as Rita (He Qun's ex-girlfriend)
• Zhao Shun as Cheng Jin (Xiao Shi's grandfather)
• Jian Chang as Cheng Gang (Xiao Shi's father)
• Wang Juan as Cheng Lin Ma Li (Xiao Shi's mother)
• Hu Kang Xing as Cheng Ming (Xiao Shi's brother)
• Song Zhi Ai as Huang Qian Hui (Xiao Shi's sister-in-law)
• Di Zhi Jie as Vincent (He Qun's agent)

Whew, boy.  This is the longest cast list I think I've ever had in a review.  This review is going to take a while.  But let's get started.  First off is our leading lady, Cheng Xiao Shi, played by Cyndi Wang.  As this was the first drama I ever saw, you already know what I'm going to say.  At the time of my first viewing I had not heard of Cyndi Wang (or any of these people - and understandably so).  However, as I have expanded my repertoire of dramas that I have seen, I have seen Cyndi in a couple of other things.  Nothing comes close thus far to my favorite performance by her in this drama though.  She plays a very good clumsy girl who in someone else's hands might have been very annoying (as it is there are still sometimes when she's annoying as heck).  She's also very good at making the emotion that she's portraying feel real, which is not an easy task.  There are moments in this show when I genuinely felt sorry for Xiao Shi as a character that her life was going so badly.  That right there, I believe, is an earmark of great acting.

Next is the other side of the coin, our main male lead, He Qun (teehee...I love saying his name, because if you say it fast enough and with the right inflection, it sounds like you're sneezing).  He is played by Nicholas Teo, who was a fitting choice for this role, as he is playing a solo artist and he is a solo artist himself.  I can't say he was the PERFECT choice for this role, but it works.  This was the member of the lead couple that I frequently wanted to slap up the side of his head.  He is SO whiny and so spineless for part of the story (I won't say which part - SPOILERS!!).  He gets really annoying during those parts, but aside from that, it's a decent performance.  I won't say it's the best I've ever seen, but it was good.

Gino Tsai is next up playing He Rui Zhe (that is one of the hardest names to pronounce that I've ever come across) also known as Ah Zhe.  As mentioned above, Ah Zhe is the younger, very bitter brother of He Qun.  I can't say that I liked this character when he first appeared, or even that I liked him for most of the series.  But he is the character that I pinpoint as having one of the most developed and wide-ranging character arcs that I have ever seen.  He goes from being totally nasty and bitter to being NOT totally nasty and bitter (SPOILERS!!).  I can't say much more for obvious reasons.  Suffice it to say that Gino's acting is amazing.  He is really good at his job.  For being a character that people are supposed to dislike (not hate...he's not that bad) throughout the show, Ah Zhe is one of my favorites.  Great performance for a great character.

Okay, now comes the girl that I've wanted to reach through the screen and strangle on numerous occasions (she's not NEARLY as bad as Hui Fan...but she's annoying as heck).  Rita, played by Joyce Chao.  I don't have much to say about this character, other than that for reasons I cannot go into (spoilers) pretty much everybody comes to hate her by about episode ten.  I know I did.  It gets better in about episode fourteen-ish, but until then, oh, boy.  Anyway, the acting.  That's what I'm here for.  Once again, I can't say this is the best acting I've ever seen, especially for the part, but aside from the fact that one key plot point revolving around Rita is rather poorly written, Joyce is not too terribly bad.  She's pretty average, but she's rather memorable.  That has to count for something.

All right, now we can speed up a bit with the character analysis.  This next bunch of characters is mostly comprised of Xiao Shi's family, immediate and extended.  First is her grandfather, whom I didn't even know the name of until I saw it on the cast list (Cheng Jin).  Zhao Shun has got to be one of my favorite older actors ever.  Cheng Jin is probably my favorite old man character in any drama that I've seen, ever.  He's so goofy, but yet kind and supportive of Xiao Shi, just like he should be.  As for the acting, it's pretty great.  He does a good job of making the character feel like a real person, which is important, especially for the situations involved here.

Next are Xiao Shi's parents, Cheng Gang and Cheng Lin Ma Li, played by Jian Chang and Wang Juan respectively.  These two are quite interesting characters.  It is rather evident in this show that Xiao Shi's parents are in fact polar opposites in most ways.  Her father is more conservative and traditional, especially on the subject of premarital...anything.  Her mother, on the other hand, is way at the other end of the spectrum, even going so far as to get excited when rumors are going around that Xiao Shi is pregnant.  This dynamic makes for some of the best humor in the show, as well as some of the major conflicts in the middle of the story.  The acting from these two is not great, but it's real, and that's what's more important in this situation.  They feel like they could be a real married couple at certain points in the show, even at sometimes making it seem as though Xiao Shi is really their daughter.  And THAT I like.

Another married couple is up next, but this time it's Xiao Shi's brother and sister-in-law.  Cheng Ming and Huang Qian Hui, played by Hu Kang Xing and Song Zhi Ai respectively.  These are two characters that definitely mostly around for comic relief (ESPECIALLY Qian Hui).  These two are a little closer to the average line in terms of acting than previously mentioned, as the acting is more cartoony and goofy than the others, but it still works given the context of the show.  And Qian Hui is one of the most memorable parts about this drama.  You learn how to say her name pretty early on (it's complicated).

And last (FINALLY) but most certainly not least, a character that I really love no matter how many times I've seen this show (I'm up to about four now).  That character is Vincent, played by Di Zhi Jie.  This guy is one actor that I'm sorry I haven't seen in more things.  He's really good, at least in my opinion.  Vincent is a character that I think a lot of people get attached to because he's not the heartless Hollywood backstabber that we've come to expect from people in "the industry".  He's a genuinely nice guy who really cares about He Qun and making sure that the press don't tear him to shreds.  The acting here is great, as I said.  But I can't go on without mentioning one thing: Vincent's clothes.  He has some of the brightest and most colorful shirts that I've ever seen, and I thought he looked really good in them too.

Whew.  Let me take a breath real quick.  Okay, back to the grind.  Next up, the writing.  Now, from my perspective, this show encapsulates a lot of what a Taiwanese drama is and should be.  Where this is most obvious and clear is, I believe, in the writing.  The tone of this drama is very much goofy and a bit soap opera-ish (not really in a bad way, just kind of like, yes, this is important, but only for those that choose to buy into it).  It tries to never take itself too seriously, which I liked.  Just when there's a bit of actual drama going on or something bad has just happened, something goofy will happen to lighten up the tone a little.  Granted, sometimes it takes a few episodes for that to happen, but it always does happen.

This was also one of the first instances I'd ever seen of adding cartoon images on top of live action footage.  I don't mean integrating it either.  I mean adding it to make a point or to do something like they might do in an anime (particularly the crow coming across the screen whenever a majorly awkward moment was happening...as they often did).  I really liked this use of animation as well as the jokes that it brought along with it.

About warnings, I don't think there's really anything worth mentioning.  There is a little innuendo in episode seventeen, but it's mostly played for laughs and thus is not really a problem.  There's also some gang-related violence that some people may notice, but it's only in the first few episodes and it's not really that intense compared to some *other* shows.

On the flipside, this drama definitely has heart.  The key themes in this show range from how you treat your family to how your family should treat you to how you should treat someone you're involved with romantically...on and on and on.  The strongest focus is definitely on family though, and I think that was the best theme of the bunch to really focus in on.  A secondary theme that I think is worth mentioning, however, is the theme of accepting the past and moving on with your life.  This, along with the others, was woven quite well into the overall grand scheme of things.

So, by way of wrapping up this tremendously long review, I shall say this and only this: I liked this drama.  I thought it was rather well done, had compelling characters and interesting situations, and made for some really good inside jokes.  Overall, I'd recommend this to just about anybody that likes slice-of-life drama pieces that are full of goofy humor and a lot of heart.  Also, fans of certain soap operas may enjoy this just as well...I don't know what that says about the drama or those particular people, but let's leave it at that, shall we?