First of all, I wish all of you a happy New Year. Let’s get through another year peacefully, with lots of love and happiness. So azndrama is also celebrating its 2nd birthday *clap* *clap*. I thank every single reader for visiting this blog. I will continue to share about dramas and transmit this addiction to all of you.

ALL DRAMAS LISTING HERE [More than 100 dramas]

ALL ARTISTS LISTING HERE

TOP DRAMAS HERE

UPCOMING DRAMAS HERE

If you want to know better about us and this site, visit this page.

Got requests or suggestions? Just leave a comment anywhere on this blog. Thank you also for the more than 300 K views.

Upcoming Posts: Iljimae, Xia Jia San Qian Jin, The Seventh Day, The Fierce Wife, Who’s The One, The Princess’ Man [Jan - Feb]

TOP 2011 Dramas

(NO PREFERENCE ORDER)

• Startling by Each Step [C]
• City Hunter [K]
• Sunny Happiness [TW]
• Office Girls [TW]
• The Greatest Love [K]

Admin + best collaborators ever <3

Cast:

• Jung Il Woo as Cha Chi Soo
• Lee Chung Ah as Yang Eun Bi
• Lee Ki Woo as Choi Kang Hyuk
• Kim Ye Won as Kang Dong Joo

Year: 2011

Episodes: 16 (45 mins)

Ratings: Unknown

Theme songs:

• Happy by Yuria from DNPD
• People Like You by Jung Il Woo
• Story by Shayne

Story/Synopsis:

Yang Eun Bi (Lee Chung Ah) is a University student preparing for her civil service exam with the dream of being a high school teacher. She accidentally encounters Cha Chi Soo (Jung Il Woo), an arrogant son of the biggest food conglomerate in Korea. Both of them end up working at a ramen shop run by the lazy Choi Kang Hyuk (Lee Ki Woo).

Essbee’s Opinion

72%

So as the end of the year approached, everybody started to make their ‘Best of 2011′. Among those, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop was one of the most common drama people enjoyed. Therefore, I thought that it must have been really good. In fact, I enjoyed watching it, but I found it too much. If it were a Taiwanese drama, I would have preferred it much more, just because Taiwan is known for extreme funny and ‘fake’ stuff. However, it seemed a little queer for a Korean drama.

Throughout the whole drama, I thought how stupid things were, how impossible things were, and how fake the characters could be. A famous Japanese chef who sleeps all over the place and calls a random women wife? Really? A teacher who would hit a student just because she feels embarrassed? The whole concept was just unrealistic.

But somehow… I still liked the drama. I had good laughs and I could ‘feel’ the characters. I found that Lee Chung Ah is really an amazing character. When she felt embarrassed, I was feeling as much, if not more uncomfortable than her. I also find that she really looks like Sandara Park in some angles. Anyways, I loved her!

Jung Il Woo is a very good actor, but I did not really enjoy his character: immature and dull… Most viewer prefer the second lead, Lee Ki Woo. But for me, I did not even like him. Maybe it was caused by him being a mean person in A Love to Kill, which I was watching at the same time. He had a very cute personality, but I just did not like him. Actually, in the main male characters, my fave was Ba Wool. Such a lovable and loving guy. He would sometimes overreact, but that is so cute when it’s for the girl he loves.

What I find okay with the drama despite the ‘too much’ was the length. Surprisingly, every episode was only 45 minutes. This shortened the whole drama and it would not make the plot redundant. I did not find the end too rushy and it did not finish in a frustrating way.

The drama was supported by a series of very enthusiastic songs. I have to say that Jung Il Woo’s singing has improved since his ‘Scarecrow’ from 49 Days. Even if it was not the best OST ever, it gave the drama a little plus.

So you guys see how this drama was an average one for me… But for a lot of people, it seemed like a hit… I guess it would depend on you own preferences. Anyways, I wish all you guys Happy New Year 2012… And let it be an awesome year for every single person and for every single drama :] Please look forward to my post on Faves of 2011!!

Trailer

Cast:

• Kim Sun Ah as Lee Yeon Jae
• Lee Dong Wook as Kang Ji Wook
• Uhm Ki Joon as Chae Eun Suk
• Seo Hyo Rim as Im Se Kyung

Year: 2011

Episodes: 16 (60mins)

Ratings: 15.7 [Nationwide], 17.9 [Seoul]

Theme Songs:

• You Are So Beautiful by Xiah Junsu
• Us Again by Kim Sun Ah and Lee Dong Wook
• Bluebird by Kim Ha Neul
• Responsive by Lee Young Hyun
• U & I by MBLAQ

Story/Synopsis:

A woman, Lee Yeon Jae, is given the grim prognosis that she only has a short time left to live. She decides to quit her job at a travel agency and live her life to the fullest.

Essbee’s Opinion

82%

Scent of a Woman seemed to be one of the drama everybody liked. Even if the plot did not seem very interesting, I still decided to give it a try. Starting from the very beginning, there were already some stuffs that amazingly surprised me. The rich Department Head is NOT cold and arrogant… Well, he is, but not in the typical way. Even if his character was a little fake throughout the whole drama, I still loved him. The actual perfection of the drama was Kim Sun Ah. She is so pretty and such an amazing actress. If it wasn’t for her, the drama might not have been this successful.

I really loved how this drama is not only about whether Yeon Jae and Ji Wook would be together, forever. It’s all about living your life at the fullest.  Even if we’ve already seen the concept of ‘Last Six Months to Live”, I still feel that the main point was very touching. One of the characters that I loved the most was Hee Joo. She was very optimistic and really adorable. I think that her character was a little too much, but I still had to mention her

As for the supporting cast, I believe that Im Se Gyung could not be much more despicable than that. However, what I liked about her is that even he was really arrogant, she was able to recognize her mistakes… at the end. Sometimes, these girls become suddenly so nice at the end that it’s just not real. In here, at least, she stays herself. And of course, the doctor was a well developed character. He went from a subjective, strict, professional doctor to a caring men that actually think for his patients. I knew this actor from several dramas, and I have to say that he is just perfect every time.

I would not say that the drama had been overrated, since I really enjoyed it. The drama was settled really fast. Tack, tack, tack, we got in the middle of the whole event.One episode was enough for us to get to meet every character and understanding everything. Of course, in the middle, there were some episodes that were longer. However, everything got back to normal and ended in a very peaceful and wonderful tone.

I have to say that the drama is very original in many ways. There was the Bucket List concept that I loved. Everyone could do one, but we realize that death is the only thing that can make us do what we really want. Yeon Jae had written a very simple bucket list, yet realist and grand for herself. I also found the tango part very interesting. I had imagine tango a lot more intense than this, but I do understand that beginners have to learn. But it was just very beautiful to see.

I haven’t really noticed the OST while watching the drama, since the story was so much more of my interest. There was this one song that I’m sure everybody would remember from the drama. It is ‘You Are So Beautiful’ by Xiah Junsu. He made a cameo in the drama, and (since I never had been a crazy fan of DBSK or JYJ or Junsu himself) I was so surprised at how his voice is soft when he talks! There was also the duo of Kim Sun Ah and Lee Dong Wook that was very meaningful to the plot.

So here is a very short trailer, but you just get to see the main characters and the basic plot. Since the whole drama is on YouTube and English subbed, it is very practical to watch.

Cast:

• Roy Qiu as Xiang Tian Qi / Liu Xiao Yu
• Tan Yan as Liu Xiao Bei
• Xu Zheng Qi as Ji Ru Feng
• Qiu Wei as Mu Zhi Qing

Year: 2011

Episodes: 40 (45 mins)

Ratings: 1.16

Opening: Waking Up Love (爱情睡醒了) by Yuan Chang Jie

Ending: Ru Guo Ai Wang Le (如果爱忘了) by Qiu Wei

Story/Synopsis:

Essbee’s Opinion

75%

So I think that the Chinese drama industry is in a remake mood. After Rainbow Sweetheart, we got this drama which is a remake of Prince Turns to Frog. Since this is a Chinese production, all the voices had been dubbed :[. There's another drama I will be reviewing on soon: My Brilliant Life (Shining Inheritance) with Jerry Yan which is also a Chinese remake. I decided to watch the drama because I loved the original version and both the lead male actor was in my favs of Taiwan.

Anyways, so let's get in to the actual drama. First, if you have read some of my other posts, I am a great fan of Roy Qiu. Just seeing him in a drama makes the plot awesome already. But when everything is like a perfect little fairy tale, I was totally obsessed. In fact, it is a very romantic story between a poor, but optimistic and talented girl and a rich CEO (what else ehhh...? ) As the CEO had lost his memory, she would take care of him and fall in love. This is the only resemblance to Prince Tuns to Frog at this Point. Actually, I have to say that I'm really sick and tired of guys losing their memory. I mean, COME ON!! But I'll forgive this drama, since it is a (very original) remake.

At first, I loved all the characters, except that Chou manager. But actually, I really didn;t care about that jerk. As the story went on, the Eric that I liked a lot became very selfish. In fact, he became the one who blocked the relationship between Xiao Bei and Tian Qi. But at the same time, he was selfish for the girl he loves, so I thought that he was still good. However, we he became a totally other person. That became really annoying. Isn't always pretty fake when someone becomes crazy as he seeks for revenge?

So Tian Qi is obviously the rich CEO who only cares for money. He is actually arrogant and really hateful, but we assume that he is really nice in the deep inside. While he loses his memory, the name that was given to him was Liu Xiao Yu. During this period, he was the most caring guy, and yet still intelligent as the 'real' him. When he and Xiao Bei met the first few times, they hated each other. However, since Xiao Bei never came to know his real name, she could only keep him in her house. These two would go through a sweet relationship... until everything got turned around. He got hit on the head and gets back his memory, but at the same time, forgot his days with Xiao Bei.

In fact, if you saw the trailer, some scenes go beyond episode 20. However, the way they edited the trailer made the story seem completely different. But, if you have seen Prince Turns to Frog, you'll do expect a complicated future. I was quite surprised at the ending. I never thought that their mishaps would stay till the very end.

After I have seen so many dramas, I must admit that this drama is not getting to me that much. The plot is too common and we can expect everything that would happen. However, this also brought be back to my younger days, when I would freak out when they kiss. Also, as I mentioned, the drama is much like a fairy tale. If you have kept a child in you, you will be able to enjoy this drama. In the first 10 episodes, I found myself stuck to the sceen. As the plot goes on, I still enjoyed the story in general, but I just found there were too many useless events happening. Things took so long to happen and I started to get annoyed. What I'm trying to say is that the general story line stays VERY good, but they should stop adding so many scenes for nothing. If I was the writer, I could have cut off a good 10 episodes to make the drama shorter, and better.

The OST is... complicated. There are actually ~30 songs apart from the opening and ending. These songs were mostly from JJ Lin and By2. They were not performed for the drama because some of the songs were released many years earlier. I will list them eventually. I will just mention that the ending song is amazing. I have been listening to it on repeat for quite a while. Also, I would mention 'Protagonist' by JJ Lin. This song was played while Xiao Yu and Xiao Bei danced on the show together. It was totally unrealistic, but I loved the dance and cannot help myself thinking of that dance everytime I hear this song.

Again, Roy Qiu just made the drama a plus. Very handsome. Every time he was on screen (which is at least 90% of time), I was on a fan-girl mode. Anyways, I will complete this review after I finish the 40 episodes. Also, I am very interested into a drama called "Xiao Jia San Qian Jin" which had the same important actors as this drama. I have heard some good comments on that, so also to come. :]

Trailer 

So be careful with the spoilers that go up to more than episode 20.

Also, what’s with Roy’s hair in the promo picture? I am now very confused.

Cast:

• Jimmy Lin as Shao Feng
• Cherrie Ying as Peng Xiao Qian
• Zou Ting Wei as Xu Kai
• Hou Shu as Luo Ying Ying

Year: 2011

Episodes: 35 (45 mins)

Opening: Xing Xing Hao (行行好) by Megan Lai

Ending: Color (颜色) by Jimmy Lin

Other songs:

• You Are the One by Jimmy Lin
• If It Wasn’t You (如果不是你) by Megan Lai

Story/Synopsis:

Peng Xiao Qian is a commoner who lives in a life of running away for debtors because her father was a huge gambler. She gets small jobs, such as tour guide, to make a living and is a very good liar. One day, she gets a temporary job as a Chinese-Korean translator for the CEO of a hotel, Shao Feng. They meet several times afterwards, Shao Feng finds himself dealing with a liar and cheater. However, he offers her to become his fake cousin to help save the life of his grandfather. They will become cousins and live under the same roof. How will their relationship develop as they get closer and closer?

Essbee’s Opinion

77%

This drama is a remake of My Girl As soon as I heard about this, I wanted to watch it because I loved the Korean version so much. Moreover, Jimmy Lin was acting in it. Actually, except him, I did not know of any other actors. When I started the drama, except the plot itself, I did not know much about the drama. Even after starting it, it took me a while to realize that the story was situated in Shen Zhen, not Taiwan. In fact, I am still not sure if the drama should be labeled Taiwanese or Chinese.

So first of all, the drama is a very decent remake. There were many scenes that drew me back to the Korean version. There was especially the oranges scene, the pepper eating scene and… many more. The only detail that was different was that the birthday of the girl was on snowy days in My Girl, while here, it was when they see a rainbow.

So basically, the summary tell the beginning of the story. During the whole drama, it’s about the issue of not getting caught and our protagonists falling in love.

When I first started, I didn’t find the Xiao Qian very pretty. However, as the story went on, I found her very charismatic. Even though she was a liar, she still has a very good heart. We could clearly see that see cared for a lot of people, including her gambling father who was quite despicable. In contrast, I found Ying Ying, the pianist, very child like. Things are sometimes unfair for her, but her reactions were very annoying. Also, she went through a dramatic change in personality twice in the drama, which is not very realistic, but I did like her acting.

Shao Feng is actually the typical cold, arrogant CEO. However, we realise very early that he really cares for his family. As soon as Xiao Qian entered his family, he took good care of her. Even if he seems very serious, he is so innocent sometimes. And of course, I have to mention his best friend Xu Kai. This guy was a playboy and flirts with any girl he could. He had girlfriends from everywhere around the world. However, as soon as he meets Xiao Qian, he develops feeling for her. It is kind of sad to know that they would never end up together. He really was there for her all the time. This was not even one moment where he thought of himself first. Actually, the actor is quite handsome and has this little ‘Lee Jun Ki’ (the actor for this character in My Girl) feel in him.

So apart from this four main characters, we got a whole set of frustrating parents. First of all, the father is just stupid and irresponsible. I cannot even hate him, it just seems as if he was meant to be ignorant. The grandfather is very nice. However, he is so willful. He would get angry for nothing, but have everyone protect him because he is old and sick. A lot of old people are like this, but it’s just hard to show respect for them.

Then, we have Xu Kai’s mother. She would be the usual ‘evil’ mother from other dramas. However, since she didn’t have much to object, her ‘evilness’ did not come out. The person I hated the most was Ying Ying’s mother. Since the first time I’ve seen her, I realized that I would despise her, ’till the end. I could not believe how much ego she had. She basically destroyed her daughter’s life…. and her own. And I couldn’t belief that even after she realizes she was wrong, she did not change.

I also have to mention how I liked the couple in Shao family. They were a little too cheesy, but it was just so sweet. And of course, Xiao Qian’s friend and Shao Feng’s secretary relationship is quite funny too.

I general, the whole drama was not too redundant even if at certain points, things were getting a little repetitive. The part I had the most hard time to bear was in the late 20 episodes… It was just so unrealistic how everything was happening at the same time. There was too much coincidence and things were just getting so complicated. [spoiler]Then, around episode 30, we got the usual car accident and loss of memory. I expected it to happen, but that was just a total lack of originality. [/spoiler] But in general, I really enjoyed it. I was surprised of how good the remake was. The feeling was good, but I did not find this drama outstanding.

I have to say that the four songs were all amazing. I especially loved Megan Lai’s ‘If it’s Wasn’t You’. It is the one we always hear during those heartbreaking moments.

PS. The drama is ‘related’ to Hi My Sweetheart because the production team is the same, with Lin He Long as director. They are now planning the third drama of the same series of ‘Sweethearts’. I’ll looking forward to the third of the trilogy.

Trailer 

Cast:

• Ariel Lin as Cheng You Qing 程又青
• Bo-Lin Chen as Li Da Ren 李大仁
• Jassie Chen as Maggie
• Sunny Wang as Ding Li Wei 丁立威

Year: 2011

Episodes: 13 (75 mins)

Ratings: 2.58 [As of December 4th]

Opening:  Hai Shi Hui (還是會) by William Wei

Ending: Wings (翅膀) by Ariel Lin

Story/Synopsis:

On her 30th birthday, Cheng You Qing received an email on “the symptoms of premature aging” from Li Da Ren, her best friend of 14 years. Unable to accept that Li Da Ren is like a fine wine that will get better with age and she is like a grape that will dry into a raisin as years go by, she made a bet with Li to see who will get married first before they turn 35. As she looked around for a potential husband, she discovered that she was surrounded by unacceptable candidates, like gay assistant or cheating ex-boyfriend. The only man who could love her despite her ill temper and stubbornness is her best friend. The only problem was that they both swore that they were not or will ever be romantically attracted to each other.

Essbee’s Opinion

83%

I heard that this drama would be the last for Ariel Lin. I remember I used to hate her when I first saw her in It Started With A Kiss, but throughout the years, I enjoyed watching her acting more and more. Even if I did not know much about this drama, I still felt that I had to watch it.

When I understood the concept of best friends for 14 years and develop a new type of relationship, I was quite impressed. I have never seen a this type of plot in a Taiwan drama. I also actually figured out that the ‘good guy’ actually could end up with the girl. That’s quite a big change.

So this drama’s protagonists are You Qing and Da Ren. You Qing is this 30 years old woman who is still searching for love. However, she is a very intelligent woman who understands everyone. Her advice are always full of philosophical thinking. I really love her character, mature and yet, very youthful. She’s not superficial at all. I feel that her character could not get more realistic than this. Da Ren is very similar to her. He is a very gentle person who really care for people around him. He actually had been in love with You Qing since high school, but he never confessed.

After they made the bet of getting married before 35, Da Ren meets Maggie. He tries to get into a stable relationship with her. However, he realizes that he actually really likes You Qing. I think that this Maggie is quite annoying. She has to get over this “need to find the perfect boyfriend” issue. Her character was just very out of the ordinary.

As soon as Da Ren decides to confess, You Qing’s ex-boyfriend comes back. They go back together and refreshes a new period of love. These usual, bad guy who seduces nice girl type of story. I found this really thrilling, since that was the type of story I actually loved. He was really masculine and seductive. However, I soon realized that… he was not for her. I preferred the best friend, much much better.

I really liked the whole plot and all the characters in it. However, I really liked the philosophies in this drama much better. Turning 30 is a big change for anyone and I loved the perspectives from this drama. We see friendship, of course, family issues, collegues at work and a lot of ‘battle against time’. Even if at some point, I found the story to be a little dull, I never lost interest. The overall feeling was very refreshing. There was no crazy up and downs that complicated the whole thing.

On the down side, I would say that the OST was not very amazing. I enjoyed listening to Ariel Lin’s Wings, but the rest were very… so-so. But I loved the camera effects that the production team did. You know, when You Qing and Da Ren call each other or when they think of each other, even if they are really far from each other, it was as if they were in the same room. Or even when she looks at herself in the mirror, and can face herself and her true feelings.

So I really enjoyed watching the drama. 13 episodes made the whole. If there were more, I would think it’s too much. I loved how the produced concluded the story. With a touch of humor, the protagonists showed quite an extreme level of mutual understanding for each other. This could make the viewer quite jealous…

TRAILER with English Subs

Cast:

• Song Seung Hun as Yun Joon Suh
• Song Hye Kyo as Yun/Choi Eun Suh
• Won Bin as Han Tae Suhk
• Han Na Na as Shin Yu Mi
• Han Chae Young as Choi/Yun Shin Ae

Year: 2000

Episodes: 16 (60 minutes)

Ratings: 38.6%

Theme Song: Reason by Jung Il Young

Story/Synopsis:

Yoon Joon-suh and Yoon Eun-suh grew up as siblings but Eun-suh was in fact from a different family as there was a mixed up at the hospital where she was borned.The switch came to light when Eun-suh was involved in a car accident and it was discovered that her blood type was different from her parents. Eun-suh’s life took a complete turn when the 2 girls were returned to their respective families. Soon after, the Yoon family left for the States and Eun-suh was left living in sordid condition with her real family in Korea. Years after, Joon-suh returned to Korea and by chance the two former siblings were reunited.

Essbee’s Opinion - Sorry about the post ‘leak’ for my subscribers.

75%

So basically, I heard so many good things about this drama in the past. I never got the chance of watching it, since I was really not in the mood of a melodrama. I always felt like I needed happy endings. However, I recently watched Fall In Love, which is the Chinese remake of this drama. After I finished it, I really wanted to compare these two versions.

My first impression was that the drama is soo old. The childhood part must have been in the early 90s and the story itself was set in 2000. The phones were so ugly and the dressing style was so outdated. I mean, it was only a decade ago, how can things have changed so much! And also, I think that the dark lipstick was the top fashion thing back then. The songs are also old-styled. There is none that really got to me, but I’m sure that I would have loved them if I watched this drama in 2000.

As for the actors, I feel like it had been the debut of many actors and actresses. I clearly noticed the presence of Moon Geun Young as the young Eun-Suh. Then, of course Song Hye Kyo who looks not much more different than her today. There was the super handsome Song Seung Hun and Won Bin. Actually, 10 years have passed and they do not seem much older neither. I would also mention Han Chae Young, the gorgeous “barbie doll” of Korea. I feel like her eyes were different back then from today. Plastic surgery?

Except the fact the everything was so old, even the filming techniques, I found the drama much better than Fall In Love. The childhood part was not too long and we fell straight into the whole brother/sister romance. At every moment of the story, I could feel the sadness and despair of every character. Even if I would be one of those who would be against their relationship, I still enjoyed watching this drama. I feel like the characters are much more down-to-earth than many characters from nowadays drama.

Of course, the obstacles the protagonists had to overcome were very cruel. However, the worst is of course at the end. [Spoiler] Whenever someone dies, I start crying nonstop. Now, it is the female lead who suffers and her acting is so good that I felt the pain. [/Spoiler]

Cast:

• Alice Ke as as Shen Xing Ren
• Roy Qiu as Qin Zi Qi
• Tia Li as Zheng Kai Er
• Wen Sheng Hao as Xu Cheng Feng
• Janel Tsai as Wei Min Na

Year: 2011

Episodes: 23 [Unconfirmed]

Ratings: 4.52 [as of December 4th]

Opening:Bu Yao Bu Yao (不要不要) by Genie Chuo

Ending: Wei Jia Xing Fu (微加幸福) by Yisa Yu

Story/Synopsis:

Qin Zi Qi is a MBA graduate who has everything handed to him because he is the future successor of Jingshi Department Store. However, his father worries he will not make a good manager and decides to train him by having him work as an entry-level employee for a year. During the year he has to live on his own salary and never reveal his true identity, or he will have to renounce his succession right. Zi Qi could not have survived the year has it not been for Shen Xing Reng‘s office survival guide. Shen is a Jingshi marketing specialist who has just saved her first $100,000 for the down payment on a house. She works very hard to achieve her goal. Together, Xing Ren and Zi Qi  accomplish the impossible, which is to shine on the bottom of the office pyramid.

Essbee’s Opinion

After 13 episodes ->80%

When I first saw the title and the poster, I was thinking that this drama must really suck. It seems really cheesy. But then, I went to check the ratings and they’ve reached 5 and I got a giant interest in this drama. I read the plot and started the drama right away. BANG! I fell in love with Roy once again. Moreover, his character was so cute and childish that we cannot not like him. That’s how I got hooked up on this drama.

Even if this is a very predictable drama, I still have this bond to the drama. Is it because of the plot or Roy, I do not know. When I say predictable, I am literally meaning that I know every single action they characters will make or every sentence they were going to say.They had been not many surprises. What should happen happens. This drama also brings me back to the golden days, where there were sound effects that were added to add a comedy side. These effects actually do make the watching more enjoyable.

This drama is soo typical and I can even predict what type of characters and situations would appear. Usually, it would be a down side, but somehow, I like it even more. I almost feel like I have the control over the script (haha). So anyways, let’s move on to the main characters. Zi Qi is the usual rich second generation young master, but he cannot reveal his background and has to live as a commoner. It is very difficult to adapt for him, but he will eventually change his character with the help of Xing Ren. She’s an usual worker, and a determined money saver to buy her dream house. When these two meet, at first, it is war. Eventually, their relationship gets better and ends up falling in love with each other.

The antagonists in this drama are Zheng Kai Er, Yu Cheng Feng and Wei Mi Na. At the moment, we only know how Zheng Kai Er is a woman who probably loves money. She somehow found out about Zi Qi’s background and tries to seduce him. In contrast, Yu Cheng Feng does not show himself as a rival, but maybe he will become one eventually. Wei Mi Na is actually the girlfriend of Yu Cheng Feng, but she causes some trouble when she enters the picture.

The story is spiced up with the presence of Le Le, Xing Ren’s best friend and Shi Te Long, a team leader. This guy is the most hilarious dude in the whole drama, espcially when he starts using English and Korean terms. Xing Ren’s mommy is also very hilarious, but I do expect something tragic with her in the future episodes.

In general, I do not find the plot that amazing, but I still like it. I feel like when I have just started watching dramas, those small things that makes everything soo exciting. Moreover, (I know, I have to mention it again) Roy is so handsome. Every single expression he makes totally gets me. Imagine, I liked him even with that ugly haircut and a revengeful heart in The Girl In Blue, how could I not like him as a young, rich, adorable and masculine guy? And Just that movement he does to his hair… I think I’ll remember it forever.

Sadly, I do not know how many episodes are remaining. I’d have to wait for the future episodes on a weekly basis. It is going to be painful, but that will actually save my life. I can study instead of watching all the episodes in one shot. Anyways, the review will be updated after the last episode airs.

*UPDATED AS OF EPISODE 19.

I just wanted to write in a short short update. The drama was supposed to be 18 episodes long, but they had extended it of 2 episodes at first. Then, they’ve decided to add another 3 episodes. Starting from episode 16, I felt that the story started to get draggy. If it was concluding, I thought it would be perfect. With all these extensions, I fear that I will lose interest. The story now is pretty much going round and round. I really hope that new exciting stuff will happen. Really, I’m afraid that even the hotness of Roy cannot help the drama now.

The songs from the drama are all very good. It’s been awhile that a Taiwan drama had so many songs, and that they are all enjoyable. I really love ‘Friends Are Only Friends’ and ‘Wanting to Free Fall’, both by Genie Chuo. The opening and ending were not appealing at first, but I’ve heard them so many times, that I just ended up liking them, a lot.

Anyways, when the drama ends, I will complete this review. Hopefully, I will be enjoying a beautiful ending.

I really could not find any trailer, so I`m just posting the opening and ending… Which are quite deceiving because the scenes are not in the dramas because they had a separate shoot for it. However, I guess that at least, you can see the faces of the important actors.

Cast:

• Lynn Hung as Lin Chu Man 林楚曼
• Van Ness Wu as Cai Jia Hao 蔡家豪
• Daniel Chan as Yan Kai Ming 嚴凱銘
• Jessie Chiang as Lu Yi Xian 路伊嫻

Year: 2011

Episodes: 22 (75 mins)

Ratings: 0.80

Opening: Is This All by Van Ness Wu and Ryan Tedder

Ending: A Million Types of Kisses by Rachel Liang

Other songs: Knockin’ by Van Ness Wu

Story/Synopsis:

Lin Chu Man is a fashion model who does not prejudice against a man for being short, fat, ugly and old, as long as he is rich. So when she discovers that her pefect man is only a hired body double for the real billionaire “Mr. Norman,” and his true identity is a penniless music student in Paris named Cai Jia Hao, she immediately dumps him. As karma would have it, she loses her job to a younger model, her rich lover kicks her to the curb and she finds out Cai Jia Hao will be her new roommate. Lin and Cai’s unexpected living arrangement forces them to reconcile and to really get to know each other. As Lin becomes closer to Cai, her goal of nabbing the real estate tycoon Yan Kai Ming becomes less of a priority. She starts to question whether being rich is what she truly desires.

Essbee’s Opinion

72%

This drama was recommended by a friend of mine. Even if the story did not seem that appealing, I felt like watching a Taiwanese drama ’cause it has been awhile. Moreover, Autumn’s Concerto made Van Ness one of the stars I praise. When I started watching, I did not know what to expect at all. It actually took me 3-4 episodes before actually enjoying the story. The whole fairy tale at the beginning in French did not impress me at all… But Van Ness speaking French did impress me.

At first, I felt like Chu Man was acting more of a second lead character. A person who only wants money and is a bitch to everyone. I would say that her life in this drama is split in three parts: Being with Wang director & meeting with Jia Hao; being with Yan director & difficult breakup with Jia Hao; and being with Gen director & restoring love with Jia Hao. Each part of these experiences will change Chu Man. She goes from a selfish woman to a caring girlfriend. Of course, we also see her struggle with her job and her mother who abandoned her. Even if I did not know the actress, I liked her a lot and she totally has the figure of a gorgeous model.

Jia Hao, on the other side, is not leading an easier life. He got kicked out of the prestigious school of music of Paris and goes back to his little town where he sales vegetables with her sister. With no job and education certification, he lives through a tough time, especially when the woman he hates lives in the same house. However, feelings will develop. However, he would be betrayed and go to his childhood best friend Yi Xian. Then, he becomes an obnoxious violinist and takes revenge on Chu Man. As I mentioned earlier, I was very impressed by his French. And well, I guess he was not playing violin himself, but he seemed good….

Even if the drama did not get me at first, I found myself getting more and more interested in the story. It seems that the same things happened again and again, but under completely different circumstances, which made the whole thing much more exciting, I will not describe the drama as awesome, but I really enjoyed it.

Even if in every Taiwanese drama, there is a crazy family who always speaks Taiwanese are are the nicest people on Earth, I still love watching their loving relationships and loyalty to each other. I’d also mention that I was greatly surprised by the appearance of Danson Tang. It has been awhile I did not see him acting and moreover, I was not expecting to see him in this drama at all. His character is not that important, even if he influenced the plot quite a lot near the end. I also loved Na Wei Xun’s character: the gay manager, Peter Pan. This actor is one of my favorites. He is hilarious and acts sooo well! I will also mention Harry acting Kai Long, the friend of Jia Hao. He only makes me reflex on how a friend is important.

In contrast, the story with Chu Man’s mom was really not interesting. All the parts with her left me completely indifferent, [spoiler] even when she was about to die. [/spoiler] I also hated the relationship of Chu Man with the old man. After two same scenarios, I thought that the producers were going to make a little twist with the old Gen director (whose name, by the way sounds like KFC). However, the same happens and I lost a little interest in the last episodes. [spoiler] The twist of events on the last episode was so predictable. I knew that he director Gen not a bad person. [/spoiler]

In general, I have a good memory about this drama. I enjoyed watching the overall drama, even if the first episodes took quite a while to settle and the last episodes seemed never-ending. I think that the two extra episodes ruined a little the atmosphere, but I still enjoyed the finale. The OST is to be mentioned. I absolutely love ‘Knockin’ by Van Ness Wu. I’ve been listening this song on repeat for a week. The other songs were very likable too.

Cast:

• Jung Yong Hwa as Lee Shin
• Park Shin Hye as Lee Kyu Won
• Woo Ri as Han Hee Joo
• Song Chang Ui as Kim Suk Hyun
• So Yi Hyun as Jung Yoon Soo

Year: 2011

Episodes: 15 (60 mins)

Ratings: 5.7%

Themes Songs:

• You’ve Fallen for Me by Jung Yong Hwa
• The Day We Fall in Love by Park Shin Hye
• Star by Kang Min Hyuk
• So Give Me a Smile by M Signal
• I Don’t Know by M Signal
• Because I Miss You by Jung Yong Hwa
• Not Just Friends by Oh Won Bin
• 꼭은 아니더라도 by FT Island

Story/Synopsis:

Lee Shin is a university student majoring in modern music. He is also the vocalist and guitarist of the band “The Stupid.” Shin is known for his good looks and strong passion for music, but in reality he is cold, lacks interest in anything unrelated to music and has neither dreams nor plans for the future. He initially likes Jung Yoon Soo, a dance professor at university, but this all changes when he meets Lee Kyu Won.

Lee Kyu Won is a bright and outgoing student who was born into a prestigious family and is majoring in traditional Korean instruments, especially the gayageum. Kyu Won’s grandfather, Lee Dong Gun, is one of the top 3 traditional musicians of his age and his biggest wish is to see his granddaughter become a traditional music prodigy. Trying to live up to her grandfather’s expectations, Kyu Won immerses herself in training and becomes a university student who knows nothing outside of her studies. As her friends are fans of “The Stupid”, she was forced to go to the band’s concert with them. There she saw Lee Shin performing live, and is immediately captivated by him.

Essbee’s Opinion

73%

I saw the low ratings and I did not care at all. As soon as I saw the trailers, I knew I would fall for this drama. I did expect a drama full of cliches and epic scenes. Some people would find it cheesy or fake, but those adorable moments can melt my heart. The central idea is the same as any other drama: a cold, arrogant guy and an optimistic girl who hate each other at first. Somehow, they fall in love and overcome obstacles together. I’ve seen it nth times, yet I still adored it.

First, I’d like to mention that I love school dramas. Maybe because I can relate more to it, or maybe the characters are just more innocent. The whole story revolves around university students from an art school who are preparing for a big musical. The scenes of practice are super interesting and I love to see how there are talented people everywhere. I could say that this concept resembles a little Dream High.

Second,the story line, as I said, was very cliche. I would say that the first two episodes were a little slow. It took awhile to grasp me. However, as soon as the protagonists started to have feelings for each other, events kicked in, one after another. The middle part was soo good that I was unstoppable. I literally finished the whole drama in 3 days. The ending is not wonderful because of a dramatic twist near the end. So even in this lighthearted drama, we got the usual “I love you, but I will leave you so you can live a better life”. This was a downside of the drama, but I was also expecting it to happen, so I can forgive it.

Third, we got a whole bunch of characters and each was amazing. There are the protagonists, Lee Shin, the popular guitarist and Lee Kyu Won, a talented artist studying traditional music. Then, there are the friends: Bo Eun, an adorable girl and Joon Hee, a child-like hottie. There are the antis: Sa Rang and Hee Joo, who are the usual school bitches. There are also the fantastic director, Suk Hyun and his girlfriend, Yoon Soo who are both very important characters. The families were also very important, especially Kyu Won’s grandfather and Shin’s sister. So I basically listed the whole important cast, and there are so many more characters that I’ll remember.

Fourth, the acting was good. I don’t need much to be satisfied, no need for perfect acting. I only want to be convinced, that the story could almost be true. Even if many says that Jung Yong Hwa’s acting is so-so, I think that it was okay. I mean, he’s charming and he’s a good singer, isn’t that enough? Then, Park Shin Hye was just perfect, as usual. I would name her crying prodigy, she’s very convincing and she just matches the character so well. Finally, I have to mention Song Chang Ui as the director. He was one of my favorite character, a person full of responsibility, sense of justice and talent.

And of  course, the music in this drama is beautiful. Since both characters (and actors) are singers, they often have the chance to show off their ability, especially our C.N Blue leader. My two favorite songs are Park Shin Hye’s The Day We Fall in Love and Jung Yong Hwa’s Because I Love You. Maybe it’s because these are the most often played song in the drama, but whenever I hear these melodies, waves of feeling invade me.

I couldn’t find an official trailer (weird…), but this video shows the hating part between Shin and Kyu Won. Still, pretty interesting. And I do have to tell you, I really love this Lee Hyun Jin, playing Ki Young the boy who feared the stage. He is soo cute and who wouldn’t notice his abs….