Drama Review!

The Three Musketeers (2014)

Episodes 1&2

삼총사 – Samchongsa

I was really excited to start this drama! I’ve always been a fan of Yonghwa as an actor so hearing about him staring in the new drama made me very happy. As a bonus I have an undying love and possible slight obsession with historical dramas. Essentially, the characters and plot are derived from the Alexandre Dumas novel; the Three Musketeers. Over the years this story has had many adaptations and I’ve seen more than my fair share of them, some better than others.

The first two episodes haven’t disappointed me at all, we’ve had heartbreak, laughter, fight scenes and the grounds for some very intriguing back story and political upset which make historical dramas just that more addicting.

We start off with Park Dal Hyang (Yonghwa) leaving his home in the mountains to travel to Hanyang (Current day Seoul) to take the army entrance exams. Along the way, he has to deal with an old, worn out house which is equal parts adorable equal parts funny. Taking longer than expected his finds himself in Hanyang and instantly gets caught up with the drama political storm that is surrounding King In Jo (Kim Myung Soo) and Crown Prince Sohyeon (Lee Jin Wook). Along the way he finds out that the love he had isn’t as straight forward as he was hoping for.

After meeting with the Three Musketeers life for Dal Hyang gets complicated as he is dragged into helping Sohyeon and his two guards Heo Seung Po (Yang Dong Geun) and Ah Min Seo (Jung Hae-In) in keeping the country of Joseon safe.

The second episode follows on quite well, explaining the backstory between Dal Hyang and his first love Yoon Seo (Seo Hyun Jin). Trouble doesn’t stop following him and he finds himself blade against blade with a mysterious, one-eyed warrior and a lady in red whom seems to be a long lost acquaintance of the Crowned Prince. The episode ends with Dal Hyang in seemingly terrifying peril and the Crowned Prince injured.

I am utterly intrigued by this drama and I cannot wait to see what happens from here on out! Keep your eyes open as I review the rest of the series!

Erika Signing Off!

Stay Tuned Folks! :D

Song of the Day: CN Blue – Can’t Stop

Lotte World!

As you may or not know Erika and I are planning a trip to South Korea in October, and we are both so excited. To plan for this trip, we have done a lot of research on what we can do there (apart from stalk celebrities of course). There is actually so much to do, we have even extended our stay just to fit everything in. For every Wednesday I thought I would show you some of the places we plan on visiting, just in case any of you want to go to South Korea in the future - Of course when we do go, you will all know what we think of it! 

Going to Lotte World is probably one of the things we are most excited for! It’s pretty much the Disneyland of South Korea. It’s a huge theme park filled with rides, an ice rink, and a museum. It’s been featured on lots of different variety shows in Korea, and even on Trot Lovers (you guys know how much I must love that show by now). There is also a peaceful walk that many tourists go on once in the park, since it’s nice to have a wind down time and enjoy the sights and eat all the yummy food you can get there. Not only is there the theme park, but then you have the folk museum (think of small small world from Disneyland), and then you have the usual big, thrill seeking roller coasters, and then the children’s mini-mine train. All of the rides I am excited for, except for the loop-the-loop ones. 

Since we are going in October, we are hoping it won’t be too busy as in the Summer Lotte World can get very packed. I would advise to set off very early so you’re there when the doors open, and as they are opened from 09:30-22:00 everyday, it makes thing easier knowing you can actually spend the entire day there. It’s situated in Songpa-Gu, Seoul (which is in the heart of Korea). The easiest way to get there is probably taking the subway if you don’t have a car, and thats how we will be travelling around most places, the subway line is 2&8, then exit 4. Apparently there are lots of signs to get there, so hopefully this is true! 

The prices varies depending on what kind of ticket you get, the cheapest is probably getting a day-pass ticket, which means you can go anywhere and do everything, and once you’ve paid once you don’t have to pay for anything else. It’s  46,000 won for an adult, and this is around 28 pounds - So for a theme park this is really cheap! 

I am really excited to go here as it looks so cute, and I am a big fan of rides, and cute attractions like this, and I know Erika is very excited as well. If you have gone here please tell us what it’s like and what tips you may have. 

Happy Reading! 

Emily :D 

K-Drama - The Top 5 on the TV!

A new feature on this blog is going to a K-Drama recap of all the current dramas on TV! It’s a new year which means there are plenty of dramas coming up, all of which I can’t wait for. They’re all going to be amazing, and usually it means you have to buy lots and lots of tissues. For the first post of this feature I thought I would go through dramas that are currently/are upcoming on the TV, see if you watch any or are excited for any of them! 

#1 Pinocchio: 

It is a real tear jerker, and the plots of Pinocchio is something I haven’t seen before in South Korea Dramas. It’s about Ki Ha-Myung (Lee Jong-Suk) and his family who are very supporting and loving of each other. One night however, his father (Ki Ho-Sang) dies along with his firefighting crew. Because the body is missing, media outlets blames the deaths of the other firefighters on him, and believes he’s really in hiding and not dead. This causes the rest of the Ki family to be outcasted from the neighbourhood, and Ki’s mother and older brother attempt to commit suicide (Ki believes they have died). It resolves around Ki coming to terms with all of this, and trying to get his revenge on the media. It is on episode 17 at the moment, with two more episodes due out next week… and then it’s the final. It’s such an addicting sure that you will be able to catch up in no time, and be prepared - the final will be a shocker. 

#2 Hyde, Jekyll and I: 

Although this isn’t out yet, it will be coming out in the next coming weeks! It’s due to be realised in January 2015, and fans all over are very excited for this adaptation of Hyde and Jekyll, I know I can’t wait! With a modern twist on the story, it’s about a man (Hyun Bin) who seems to have everything, the looks, the money and the brains. However nobody knows about his split personality - one can make him into a horrible, ruthless man… and the other is the complete opposite. However when he meets a girl (Yoon Tae-joo) he is very cold and distant with her, but she can see past this personality. I will be tuning into this once it starts, and believe me… I will write a big review! 

#3 Kill Me, Heal Me: 

I will be honest when I say I have never heard about this show until I started looking into it more properly, and now I want everyone to find out about it! It’s such a gripping tale and you will love all of the characters. The storyline isn’t that different to a normal K- drama (a man loses his memory after a traumatic childhood experience) but it’s what happens after this incident which is really amazing. The man’s (Ji Sung) personality fractures into seven different identities, and he can not escape this. He is treated for this by a woman, and as you may have guessed… They fall in love. Every week I am so excited for the next episode, bring more of it on! 

#4 Legendary Witches: 

This was a big hit with this years awards, and was pretty much nominated in all it’s categories! It’s still on going, and the episodes just keep getting better and better. It’s very addicting, something which I have had a slight obsession about… Legendary Witches is about four women who are all in prison for crimes they haven’t committed. They all share a special bond, and the lead, Moon Soo-In (Han Ji-hye) introduces them all to her love of baking. After they are all released they open up a bakery together, but things aren’t that simple when they get stiff competition, and some faces from the past show up. I have really been enjoying this nice, feminist show. Something you don’t see often! 

#5 Rosy Lovers: 

This is a different drama to what I have posted before as it’s quite a laid back, romantic comedy. It’s still running at the moment and I have fallen in love with it. It even has an idol, something which everyone has opinions over if they should be allowed in dramas or not. It’s about a boy, Park Cha-Dol (Lee Jang-woo) and a girl (Secret’s Han Sunhwa) who are from very different backgrounds. Park wants to graduate from college and get a career, whilst the girl wants to just rebel from her family, who are very uptight. When she falls pregnant however, they must begin to raise the baby whilst still in college, and change all of their future plans. I love this show, and can’t wait to see what happens next! 

These are the top 5 K-Dramas at the moment, but I am sure there are lots more out there. Next week I plan to write about something I touched upon in this feature, if idols should be allowed in Dramas, or are they in it for the ratings? If you have any Dramas you want me to touch upon, let me know. 

Happy Reading! 

Emily :D 

Special Post!

Erika and Emily’s Bias List

After a painstaking two hours, Emily and I finally managed to get our bias list together. There was sweat, blood and tears but we managed to figure it all out. And here it is:

Erika’s Bias List  

                                                                             

1. Kyuhyun (Super Junior)                                                    
2. Gongchan (B1A4)                                                                
3. Ji Hyun Woo (Actor)                                                           
4. Lee Min Ho (Actor)                                                             
5. Yonghwa (CN Blue)                                                           
6. Taemin (SHINee)                                                                
7. Woohyun (Infinite)                                                             
8. Taeyang (Big Bang)                                                            
9. Suho (Exo)                                                                            
10. Donghae (Super Junior)                                                     
11. Leo (Vixx)                                                                             
12. Nickhun (2PM)                                                                    
13. Hyun Bin (Actor)                                                                 
14. Baekhyun (Exo)                                                                   
15. Lee Seung Gi (Actor)                                                          
16. Donghyun (Boyfriend)                                                       
17. Song Joong Ki (Actor)                                                         
18. Taecyeon (2PM)                                                                  
19. Kim Woo Bin (Actor)                                                          
20. Jonghyun (SHINee)   

                                                          

Emily’s Bias List

1. Lay (Exo)
2. Baekhyun (Exo)
3. Kris (Former Exo)
4. Gongchan (B1A4)
5. Taeyang (Big Bang)
6. Taemin (SHINee)
7. Chanyeol (Exo)
8. Sehun (Exo)
9. Suho (Exo)
10. Niel (Teen Top)
11. Ji Hyun Woo (Actor)
12. Jaehyo (Block B)
13. Jinyoung (B1A4)
14. Sungjong (Infinite)
15. Key (SHINee)
16. Chunji (Teen Top)
17. Leo (Vixx)
18. Joon (MBLAQ)
19. Ken (Vixx)
20. Heechul (Super Junior)

And there we have it!

Erika Signing Off!
Stay Tuned Folks! :D

Song of the Day: BTS - Danger

2014: A Review

Part 3

2014 has seen the debut of some fantastic artists, we’ve had record breakers, groups with fantastic vocals and even a debut from Jackie Chan’s own group! Some of the most notable are:

Winner:

Winner is a five member group from YG entertainment made up of the members Seungyoon, Mino, Taehyun, Jinwoo, Seunghoon. They were first seen on the television show Who is Next: WIN as team A. They officially debuted on the 15^th August. They released Empty and Colour Ring which are different sounding Kpop songs that caught my attention easily. I had been wary considering how much they were publizied before their debut but I was very surprised by how good they actually are. They are also known to be the fastest male group to win on a music show breaking CN Blue’s record. I really hope to see more of them this year.

Laboum

Laboum debuted in 2014 with Pit-A-Pat, it was a refreshing change from seeing most other girl groups going for a sexy concept where these were going for cute and happy. They released a second song What About You a few months later. I love the concept of What About You, it has a doll like feel to it. They also have really good vocals throughout with voices with different tones which blend well together. The six members of Laboum are: Yujeong, ZN, Yulhee, Solbin, Haein and Soyeon.

Legend

I have to admit that my faveourite debut of 2014 was Legend. I was so in love with their debut song Left Out that I just kept replaying it over and over. After their first release they came back with Lost and I Wanna Know to which I couldn’t stop listening to both. They have got some serious vocal talent that is impressive and I hope that 2015 helps them grow in popularity. Legend is a five member boy group made up of: Listen, Roi, Jaehyuk, Lito and Changsun.

Got7

Another debut of 2014 was Got7, a JYP seven member group who cross hip-hop with adorableness. Their first song Girls, Girls, Girls had me booping away to it. It was catch and had an unforgettable chorus line. Since then they have released two more songs, A and Stop It, both of which I love. Got7 consist of: Bambam, JB, JR, Jackson, Mark, Youngjae and Yugyeom.

JJCC

The biggest shock, rookie wise of 2014 was the announcement that Jackie Chan was going to be debuting his own boy group. I really wasn’t sure how this was going to go down but I was pleasantly surprised by their debut song At First, it was really good and I found myself listening to it a lot. There follow up song One Way showcased not only their vocal talents but their dance talents as well. JJCC is made up of five members called E.Co, Eddy, Prince Mak, Sancheong and SimBa.

Mamamoo

This debut was by far my favourite girl group debut of 2014, they have some serious power house vocals, their harmonies and bang on point and their raps are fast and consistant. These are certainly one group that I am eager to watch in the future. Their first song Mr Ambiguous had cameos in from Wheesung and K.Will. Their second release Piano Man took my breath away, it was catchy and those vocals could not be faulted! Mamamoo is made up of four members, Hwasa, Moonbyul, Wheein and Solar.

With groups like these debuting in 2014 I am more than excited to see how they progress in the Kpop world and what their new releases will hold. It also gives me hope of future groups debuting to such a high standard as their predecessors.

Erika Signing Off!

Stay Tuned Folks! :D

Song of the Day: 2PM – Go Crazy!

2014: 

What dramas are worth watching

2014 wasn’t just a time for great music, it was a time for the dramas! If you aren’t aware of K-Dramas as international fans call it, you are in for a treat! They have amazing actors and actresses in them, and are usually 20 or so episodes long. They have a range of different dramas, and are very popular in South Korea! At the end of the year there are award shows, which are highly anticipated. I have watched a lot of dramas this year, so I thought i would tell you lovely readers what are worth watching. 

#1 You Who Came From the Stars: This drama swept the board at all the award shows this year (and will probably continue to do that in the next couple of months), so of course it had to be my first pick. It’s about an alien (Kim Soo-Hyun) who came to earth 400 years ago, and has lived until the present day. Although throughout his time he has gotten a cynical view on humans, he starts to fall in love with an actress (Gianna Jun). Due to it’s high demand, it was even extended past it’s original 20 episode limit! 

#2 Doctor Stranger: Another big winner at this year award shows! I thought i wouldn’t like this show when it first came out, but then I just fell in love with the characters. They are so rich in detail, and you just want them all to have their happy endings. It’s about a man called Park Hoon (Lee Jong-Suk) who has been sent to North Korea, whilst there he meets a woman (Jin Se-yeon) and falls for her, sadly it is short lived as they get separated whilst trying to flee to South Korea, and he desperately tries to find her again. Warning: This drama needs all the tissues you can find. 

#3 Trot Lovers: Although this wasn’t a winner with award shows, it was a big hit with viewers, making it the second highest drama viewing of the year. I personally loved it, and it was my favourite drama that I watched from 2014. It made me laugh, cry and cry some more. It was the most adorable show I had ever seen, more people need to watch it! It’s about a young girl (Jung Eun-Ji) who lives alone with her sister after her father disappears. She successfully gets into a training club for singers, and surprises everyone with her love for old fashion trot songs. She enlists the help of a music producer (Ji Hyun-woo) to help her train and perform on stage, and along their journey they start to have feelings for one another. 

#4 Empress Ki: My first Historical drama of the blog post! It was a very powerful show, and the actors made you feel alive when you watched it - Almost like you was in the show yourself. It involves Ki Seung-Nyang (Ha Ji-Won) who ascends to power despite the class system at that time, making the themes of this show very political. She falls in love with an Emperor (Ji Chang-Wook), and despite her feelings to her first love Wang Yoo (Joo-Jim-Mo), she can’t hide her feelings, making the way she works more difficult. 

#5 My Spring Days: This is my final drama of this post. It came out during the end of 2014, but was highly popular among viewers. It was a beautiful series, and Sooyoung even won an award for best actress due to her performance. The story focuses on Lee Bom-yi (Sooyoung) who was once terminally ill, but is given a second chance after a successful heart transplant. After meeting a man (Kam Woo-Sung) the two fall in love and she soon discovers he is a widower with two children. They are both unaware however that the donor who gave her the heart transplant is his wife. This was a touching story, and tissues are needed! 

These are my top 5, and I kid you not once you start any of these you won’t be able to stop! They are all amazing in their own ways, and viewership/lack of awards shouldn’t mean anything when watching a drama, as long as you enjoy the show, thats the main thing! There were too many to talk about from 2014, so if you are ever stuck on what to watch, I will be happy to recommend some on twitter as well! 

Happy Reading! 

Emily :D 

2014: A Review

Part 2

2014 was a year for news and drama within the Kpop world, idols were revealed to be dating, others arrested and tragically in early September two members of Ladies Code, EunB and RiSe were killed in a car crash. 2014 won’t be forgotten anytime soon and neither will all the scandals that occurred.

So let’s take a look back at what 2014 had in store for us:

Dating Scandals

In my personal opinion, using the term scandal for two people, whether idols or not is a bit strong but I understand why it is used in such a way. Idols are people who are looked upon as role-models and people of all ages aspire to be like them. In this case it make sense, to a point, some fans wouldn’t want the perfect image of their idols to be marred by dating rumours and messy break-ups that would no doubt make the front page. Neither would the entertainment companies who would have to do damage control depending on the scandal and who the idol is dating. Either way, we’ve had some pretty big news dating wise this year.

Girl’s Generations Yoona and Lee Seung Gi.

I must admit, when I found out about this, I was very excited. I’ve seen them both on Strong Heart before and knew that Yoona was Seung Gi’s ideal type and it was just so adorable.

Girl’s Generations Tiffany and 2PM’s Nichkhun.

Wow, this I didn’t expect but after watching videos of them together it was easy to see that there was something between them and Nickhun’s sweet cryptic tweets about her.

Girl’s Generations Taeyeon and Exo’s Baekhyun

This totally caught me off guard, this was one dating scandal that I never thought I would see. Normally you get rumours hinting first but with this it was “BAM” pictures of them on a date and confirmation of the couple. I must admit though, they are utterly adorable together.

F(x)’s Sulli and Dynamic Duo’s Choiza.

Rumours of this pair were rife for months before there was confirmation from either side. There was a lot of disturbance with how this was handled with Sulli putting her activities on hold for the time being.

Super Junior’s Sungmin and Kim Sa Eun.

Now this is just adorable, the pair who met while working on a musical together recently got married as well! In all honesty, I didn’t expect Sungmin to be the first Super Junior member to marry, I would have thought it would have been Leeteuk or Heechul but all the more I am happy for the couple.

Other Scandals

Kim Hyun Joong’s Assault Case.

It was reported that Kim Hyun Joong’s ex-girlfriend had filed a lawsuit against him for assault. This caught me off guard. I’ve been his fan and a fan of SS501 after I first watched Boys over Flowers and I just couldn’t quite process this. It was later revealed that he admitted the assault and apologized to his ex-girlfriend.

Bumkey’s Arrest for Suspected Drug Dealing.

In early December it was made public that Bumkey had been arrested for suspected drug dealing and would be under investigation. Currently, the investigation is still on-going.

Tragedy

Ladies’ Code’s Car Crash.

Early September on the way back from filming the five members of Ladies Code and their manager were driving back to their dorm when they got into a car crash. EunB died at the scene and four days later RiSe died without ever regaining consciousness, the other three members sustained various injuries as well. It hit the Kpop world hard as both girls were in their early twenties and Ladies Code was growing in popularity. Car crashes are, unfortunately, a common occurrence in Kpop and I hope that the loss of these young lives will make a change in safety and to make wearing seatbelts a legal requirement.

2014 was an eventful year and all we can do and wait and see what happens this year! Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post discussing the best rookies of 2014!

Erika Signing Off!

Stay Tuned Folks! :D

Song of the Day: Boyfriend - Witch