ANNOUNCEMENT: Migrating MY POSTS

Hello everyone! I'm migrating my blog entries to another Blogger account because my The Couch Banana blog is affected by XSS. When someone clicks the direct link to my blog entries here (after using Google search), it redirects to another site that's why I decided to create another Blogger account. It also has a new name: House of SOJU Hope you'd still visit there! Thank you.

Here are some of the Korean dramas that I've blogged about. =)

ATHENA
MIDAS
Baby-Faced Beauty
All About Marriage
World's Within
Chuno
Formidable Rivals
Single Dad in Love
3 Dads and 1 Mom

MIDAS

The drama, Midas, is all about the intrigues in the financial world. I gained more knowledge about Finance after watching this drama. I am an Accountancy student so some of the terms used in Midas aren't really foreign to me. I even learned new terms. =D Stocks, loans, mergers and acquisitions were talked about in the drama and how these affects the business world. I used to not pay attention with all that has been going on in the stock market but after watching Midas I was interested. =D

The story revolves around Kim Do Hyun (Jang Hyuk) a son of a fish vendor who strived hard to go into a law training institute and eventually became a lawyer -- a very good lawyer. He is also a financial genius who has foreknowledge about stock market movements. He has a girlfriend, Lee Jung Yeon (Lee Min Jung), but their relationship went rocky when Do Hyun started working for the Yu family (he resigned and worked full time at Lone Asia) and Lone Asia. He was blinded by his dreams, ambitions and eventually by his greed. Lone Asia is a hedge fund firm headed by Yu In Hye (Kim Hee Ae). Yu In Hye is an illegitimate daughter of the owner of Injin Group, Yu Pil Sang. 

Do Hyun was imprisoned for 2 years because of lobbying/bribing bank executives whom Lone Asia targeted in a M&A. Yu In Hye was part of this and discarded Do Hyun right then and there. After spending years in prison Do Hyun was thirsty for revenge against In Hye. Their battle started in the middle of the series and that made the drama more interesting. =)

Spoiler Alert.

The drama had a happy ending. James Jung died. In Hye was just like Do Hyun. She made a deal with the devil, James Jung. In Hye changed after his brother Yu Myung Jun (No Min Woo) died of pancreatic cancer. Fans of NMW were saying he should not have died but IMO he had to because if he didn't die In Hye still would not have realized that MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING.

Do Hyun started a charity foundation in Yeouido (Korea's Wall Street) and has been popular since. Do Hyun and his father rekindled their relationship. Do Hyun and Jung Yeon were as in love as ever.

I sooo love them! They were so fun to watch with their con activities. The actress who plays Jeong Ja is really pretty. =) Kim Do Chul was also a fun character. 

Kim Do Hyun and his financial gang

Don't you just love them? They are intellegent and handsome! =D 

QUOTES FROM THE DRAMA:

• "When law is dominated by money, all that's left is SORDID GREED." - Yu Inhye
• "Desire and greed have no end. A person has to look back and glance around to the sides as he lives. Racing ahead just looking forward is an ideal way to trip and fall." - Jung Yeon's dad
• "If you don't know how scary money is, you'll get badly hurt." 
• "If your greed is excessive, you will be ruined." 
• "Money is the devil's currency."

NOW THE FINANCIAL TERMS I learned from the drama:

• Non-Performing Loan (NPL)- A loan on which the borrower is not making interest payments or repaying any principal. At what point the loan is classified as non-performing by the bank, and when it becomes bad debt, depends on local regulations. Banks normally set aside money to cover potential losses on loans (loan loss provisions) and write off bad debt in their profit and loss account. In some countries, banks that have accumulated too many NPLs are able to sell them on - at a discount - to specially established asset management companies (AMCs), which attempt to recover at least some of the money owed.

• Hostile Takeover (in a Merger & Acquisition) - is a type of corporate takeover which is carried out against the wishes of the board of the target company. Hostile takeovers can be traumatic for the target company, and they can also be risky for the other side, as the acquiring company may not be able to obtain certain relevant information about the target company.

• Paper Company - A company with no operations that exists exclusively for a financial reason. In the drama, these companies were establish for illegal reasons.

• White Knight - A company that comes to the rescue of another listed company when it is under siege from an unwelcome bidder (sometimes called a black knight), often at the request of the targets management. The white knight may make an improved offer, or it may just be a more acceptable predator than the first bidder, as far as the management is concerned.

This drama is really good for business students. =) Watching this drama is a good break from all the romantic-comedy dramas that has been in the Korean drama industry for like --- forever! =D 

Lesson: MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING.  If one isn't firm with their principles, it's scary how money changes a person.

Tell me your thoughts about the drama too! Post a comment. =)

BABY-FACED BEAUTY / YOUTHFUL BEAUTY =)

The colors are sooo cute. =D

Just watched episode 1. Well, I'm really not hard to please when it comes to dramas so I give this a thumbs up. One reason I'm watching this is because of Choi Daniel. I love his funny character in the drama, World's Within. 

Lee Soo Young (Jang Nara) is a 34-year old woman who looks like a 25 year old university student. She is also  a struggling fashion designer who only graduated up until high school. She worked at a company for 14 years but recently was fired. She's the bread winner in her family so she has to find a job ASAP to support her mother and younger sister. 

Choi Jin Wook (Choi Daniel) is man who looks older for his age. He is the heir of a multi-million dollar company but is not in good terms with his father and decided to take his fate in his own hands. He worked at a fashion company as a managing director. That scene where he thought he had to walk on the runway was funny. =D

I just finished watching episode 1-4. The first few episodes started slow but after episode 4, I couldn't wait to watch the next one! Daniel Choi really portrays his role well in this drama same with Jang Nara. Sometimes I'm kinda annoyed of Nara's character, Soo Young, because of her low self confidence. I hope for a better character development of Soo Young as the drama progresses.

I guess basing on the posters Soo Young and Jin Wook will end up together huh. IMO, Ryu Jin and Nara have more chemistry! =D The scene where Seung Il gave the -- (was that a 10 won coin? Sorry I'm not familiar with Korean currencies,) was so funny and the way Soo Young received the coin. =DD Either way it'll be okay for me since I also like Daniel Choi. Haha! Can't wait to watch episode 5! And ohh, Soo Jin ---- the real one, really gets into my nerves!! >.<

That's all for now. =) I will be updating this post as the drama progresses. =) Hope you'd be coming back here.

ALL ABOUT MARRIAGE / PLEASE MARRY ME

All About Marriage is a drama about couples and.....uhmm...marriage. I wasn't able to finish watching the whole series because the DVD I bought was until at episode 28 only (there are 54 episodes in this drama). As far as episode 28 is concerned, the series depicts the cons of marriage. Husband and wife always fights, betrayal, cheating, selfishness and all those things that make a marriage feel like hell. How some couples in this series are so dysfunctional? The father even said that their children are useless!

If not for Lee Jong Hyuk ( he's sooo damn HOT in this drama.☺Wearing suits really suits him WELL! ♥Though his character was a jerk!), I think I wouldn't be able to continue watching this drama. It's depressing to watch married couples fight almost every episode! It gives me a heavy heart after watching. They also pointed out how ones social status can affect when both persons want to get married. I mean..is it really like this in Korea? I hope not. It is really sick.

Kim Taeho (Lee Jong Hyuk) and Nam Jeongim (Kim Jiyeong):

• Taeho is a selfish man and doesn't respect his wife. He's even a bigger jerk when he starts to cheat on his wife. All he could think of was himself especially when he rose to stardom as a host in a TV talk show that deals with marriage problems. I even can't figure out in the middle part in the series where they separated if Taeho was constantly chasing Jeongim because of love, loyalty or just for his reputation as a perfect husband but I do think (as far as epi 28 is concerned) it's for his reputation. To be fair, there were scenes where Taeho looked back on their happy memories with Jeongim but that's not good enough for me. He's really a jerk. Taeho was unemployed when he married Jeongim. Jeongim worked hard to support his husband's graduate school and it sucks seeing them in the series where they always fought. They live their separate lives (not divorced). 

Yun Seoyeong (Lee Taeim)

• She's Taeho's co-host. You are right. She's one of the reasons why TH and JI marriage has gone mad. You guys know what annoys me? She acts all innocent and sweet! Grrr! I just want to strangle her. She even asked Taeho what their relationship is to hiim!!! Is this girl stupid??!! That man is married! F!

Kim Jongdae( Baek Ilseop) and Oh Soonok (Ko Doo Sim)  

• Jongdae is Taeho's dad. Taeho really takes after his dad in being a jerk and I HATE THIS CHARACTER! I feel sorry for his wife, Soonok  because he doesn't treat her with respect. He treats her like a housemaid giving out errands left and right even preparing for his food (even if his wife was not feeling well) he leaves it to his wife. Jongdae is obsessed with social status. He doesn't want his children to marry someone from a poor family when he himself isn't rich. I mean really...if you love that person it really doesn't matter. He also isn't over his first love. One breath of fresh air in this series is Soonok and Jeongim's mother-daughter-in-law relationship. She's not the mother-in-law from hell. Both of them confined with each other whenever one of them feels sad. They also understand each other because of their husbands' similar attitudes.

Han Gyeonghan (Han Sangjin) and Kim Yunho (Oh Yoona) & Kim Gangho (Seong Hyuk) and Yu Dahye (Lee Dain)

• I have nothing much to say about these couples. Their love is like me-against-the-world type of thing. For the latter, their storyline is also a breath of fresh air. You know being young, cute and in love. 

I hope I will be able to finish this series before school starts. ☺ As for Lee Jong Hyuk, he's really a great actor. haha! I know I'm a bit biased but he really plays the jerk character really well. He's known for his roles as an antagonist. He also played as an assassin in Chuno. In Formidable Rivals, he played a very stiff man but hides his soft side. In Green Rose, I haven't watched that series but I think he was the main antagonist in that drama. I really hope he'll be given the leading role (the good one and the one who gets the girl in the end) someday.

♥ =D

Hot professor. =D

"Trust is the foundation of all human relationships." - Yun Seoyeong (How ironic for her to say that. Ugh I just hate her character! =D But I love the quote that's why I'm posting it here. =D)

WORLDS WITHIN/THE WORLD THEY LIVE IN

Stay tuned. =) This is KBS World's new encore drama replacing Formidable Rivals. =)

I'm watching it now...=) Still at episode 3 though. I love Hyun Bin's character here. Jiho and Jun Yung are so cute.

For the mean time, here are some quotes from the show.

"Stop saying the word "what". Once you say that, the mind goes blank. You should ask "why". " =D

"A new relationship can start only after the old one has been settled well." - Ju Jun Young

CHUNO / THE SLAVE HUNTERS

I just finished watching Chuno/The Slave Hunters ---- not really because the link was DEAD! Of all the episodes why does it have to be the last! I'm so sad. =( Talking about being so anti-climactic. Sigh.

EDIT: I already bought a DVD of this drama! Hurrah! =) I watched it all over again! I will edit this entry as soon as I'm finished watching it. Round 2. =D

Chuno is a drama about slavery, love and betrayal. Daegil comes from a noble family and is in love of their family slave, Hyewon/Eunyeon. His life was ruined when Hyewon's brother set their house ablaze and left him there to die but he survived. He became a slave hunter together with General Choi and Wang Son ( I love the "Daegil" family!) in the hopes of finding Eunyeon. Ohh Daegil's undying love for Eunyeon. Jang Hyuk was really great in this drama. I'm so glad he won the Daesang (grand prize) in the 2010 KBS Drama Awards. I guess he also won in the 2010 Seoul Drama Awards. I really felt his pain searching Eunyeon for 10 years and what made it so unbearable was he found out that she married the man he was supposed to catch/kill. I can also feel his........CHOCO ABS. =D

Episode 21 (at the feast):

Daegil to Gen. Choi: "Not being able to see her was driving me crazy but now seeing her everyday (esp. with Song Tae Ha), it's just killing me." =(

Lee Daegil

Song Taeha is a former military commander and spent 8 years serving the crown prince in China after Joseon lost the war in the Qing dynasty. He was falsely accused of appropriating state crops and was sentenced to slavery.  He married Hyewon in the end which I disapprove of because I wanted Oh Jiho all by myself. Bwahahahah!

Song Taeha

Hyewon/Eunyeon is a house slave of Daegil's family. After the incident, she and her brother lived as nobles and acquired a new name, Kim Hyewon. I didn't like how Lee Dahae portrayed her role in this drama. For starters, she's too beautiful to be a slave and even for a noblewoman her face doesn't suit her because she's too beautiful.

The sole reason why I watched this drama is because of Lee Jong Hyuk. =D As you have read in my previous entry, I became his fangirl after watching Formidable Rivals. =D I'm so glad I was able to watch because THIS DRAMA IS AWESOME! Lee Jong Hyuk plays Hwang Chul Woong. He was Taeha's colleague when both of them were still on the same side. He was enslaved by his ambition and the desire to beat Song Taeha. He became a cold hearted assassin.

Hwang Chul Woong

General Choi, Wang Son and Seol Hwa really gives this drama hilarity amidst of all the betrayal and slavery that has been going on in the drama. I thought General Choi and Wang Son died but they didn't. After that episode (where they were supposed to die), any comedic attempts by other characters didn't have an effect on me. A couple of episodes had pass they re-appeared and I was so happy watching the four (Daegil, Choi, Wang Son and Seolhwa) of them again with Seol Hwa and Wang Son going at with each other's throats.

Wang Son: Cook and laundry man of the group. =D

General Choi and Daegil

Seol Hwa with her dance troupe with Wang Son as her customer

Favorite parts of the drama:

• Awesome scene where Chul Woong, Daegil, General Choi and Tae Ha were fighting in episode 6. Hyewon had to cut it off. Grrr. Just watch the episode. Hahah!

• I forgot what episode was this but I really cracked up when Cheon Jiho (slave hunter) tried to catch that bamboo thrown by Chul Woong and didn't catch it. LOL. I repeated it around 5 times. =)))

• Scenes of the "Daegil" family. ♥

I love this scene. Daegil rescuing Seolhwa from her dance troupe (she ran away before) posing as a customer.

• In a crammed shack, a very heart-warming scene among slaves in episode 20 wherein they talked about what they were going to do after they successfully carry out a rebellion against those who oppressed them and finally achieved to live as a free person. They were like children talking about their dreams and ambitions. There is indeed nothing worse than slavery. How did such thing existed in the ancient times? Unfortunately, they were tricked by a man sent by the evil Minister Lee. =( I feel so sorry for them.

• Actually I love all the fight sequences in this drama. I LOVE THE DRAMA ITSELF. Hahaha.

• I really loved the scenes where Daegil and Taeha were tag teams towards the last part of the series. =)

Daegil and Taeha fighting Hwang Chul Woong's troops

Smiling at each other after they kicked the butts of Hwang Chul Woong and his men

EDIT #2: I finally watched the last episode. I was left speechless. JANG HYUK's acting was just AMAZING. He really deserved all those Daesang awards last year. Lee Jong Hyuk was an AMAZING antagonist too. Ironic as it sounds I love the way the drama ended. Almost all the characters had closure. When I think about Chuno/The Slave Hunters, there is only one name that first pops out of my mind and that is LEE DAEGIL. Daegil deserved the "epic hero" ending. He gave up his life saving his only beloved, Eunyeon, and telling her to live with happiness with Song Taeha (super duper ouch!). I really cried watching the scene of Seolhwa and Daegil in the last part where Daegil was dying. I was really a Daegil/Seolhwa shipper at first but realized no one can replace Eunyeon in Daegil's heart. Daegil's treatment to Seolhwa was like a little sister. This line from Daegil made me cry even more.

Daegil (dying): "Seolhwa, I'm sorry. Darkness surrounded me, that's why I couldn't see your heart was beating for me."

Daegil died in the arms of Seolhwa. *sob sob sob* =(

Currently, Chuno is my most favorite drama and it is one of the best indeed. I will never get tired watching this drama over and over again.

Quote from the drama:

‎"A life of simplicity is a wise man's greatest virtue." - Lee Daegil

"You know what last resorts are? Something you never use as last resort because when things go astray, there's never going to be a way out." - Lee Daegil 

"It doesn't take a crown to change the world." - Song Taeha

 

The OST is still in my head. ♪♫ gaseumeul dein geotcheoreom  nunmure paein geotcheoreom jiwojiji annneun sangcheodeuri goeropda ♫♪

FORMIDABLE RIVALS/POWERFUL OPPONENTS

This was KBS World's latest encore drama and I just finished watching it. I am not so much of a critic that's why I was all praise after watching this drama. The whole plot was about two bodyguards, Yu Gwan Pil (Lee Jong Hyuk) and Cha Young Jin (Chae Rim), who were rivals when they were still training and constantly competing to beat one another. Little did they know fate was playing along with them and the two were assigned as partners to guard the president's rebellious son, Kang Suho. Yu Gwan Pil and Kang Suho (Lee Jin Wook) had an unfortunate past. It made me very curious as the drama progresses and it is one of the reasons why I was so eager to watch.

Young Jin

Ggot Nim and Suho

It was an interesting twist that Gwan Pil's daughter, Ggot Nim, was really Suho's. How did that happen? Watch the drama now! And spazz with me. Hahaha!

There were lots of moral lessons in this drama too.

• It teaches us to accept the person you love. No matter what happens when all else fails, you will and always go back to the arms of your family. Young Jin was ashamed of her dad's profession as a dancer (dance sport) because in Korea dancers aren't really socially accepted. 
• Holding your feelings back doesn't make you strong, it makes you weaker because when you let them out you don't have the courage to face it. It doesn't hurt to let it out sometimes. Gwan Pil is an uptight man. He is scared to let everybody know who the true Gwan Pil is. In the end, Young Jin was able to break that wall and that made me cry. Hahaha! 
• No matter what storm that comes into our life, never give up. 
• Trust the person you love.
• Perseverance. Suho was sick of all those bad reports about him. He asked Young Jin's dad to teach him how to dance. He wanted to show his family that he can do something and make them proud. He also wanted to prove to Young Jin that he was serious about her.

This drama made me cry a lot. Even if the scene was so happy like for instance when they were at the beach. It made me cry because at last Gwan Pil and Suho sort out their misunderstanding and happily enjoyed each others' company. Ggot Nim was so happy to be with the three of them (Gwan Pil, Suho and Young Jin). It was such a happy scene. =) Scenes with Young Jin and her family was touching too.

The ending was open-ended though. It was a bit disappointing. I just want to leave it as is in the drama but if you'd ask me, I wanted Young Jin to end up with Gwan Pil. Hahaha!

Lee Jong Hyuk (Gwan Pil) was born to wear a suit. Soo hot. Yeah, I'm his biggest fan right now! I just love him in this drama. =D

Follow Lee Jong Hyuk's Twitter account! https://twitter.com/actorjonghyuk

Follow this fan account too! https://twitter.com/LeeJongHyuk_fan

Blog dedicated to Lee Jong Hyuk ALL ABOUT LEE JONG HYUK

Kyaaaaa~~!!! *heart beats* Dug..Dug..Dug =D

You can watch the drama at http://www.dramafans.org/

My fave quotes from the drama:

• ‎"The turning point comes when people GIVE UP, not when they fail." - 
• ‎"It is not real trust if you have to see to believe." - Yu Gwan Pil
• ‎"Whether you are at the top or bottom, a person who really cares about you won't care about those things." -Yu Gwan Pil