Goong/Princess Hours (宫: 我的野蛮王妃)

 

Starring:
- Yoon Eun Hye (尹恩惠)
- Ju Ji Hun (朱智勛)
- Kim Jeong Hoon (金楨勳)
- Song Ji Hyo (宋智孝)

Song:
PERHAPS LOVE - HowL

Synopsis:
The story revolves around the royal family of Korea. It starts of with the King being very ill, thus the royal family decides to get the Crown Prince (Lee Shin) a bride. He intially intends to marry a talented ballerina, Hye Rin. But she rejects his proposal in order to pursue her dream. Disappointed, Shin accepts the marriage between him and a common girl (Chae Kyeong) that was arranged by his late grandfather. He has no feelings for Chae Kyeong at first but love soon blossoms.
The return of Lee Yul and his mother (Lady Hwa Young), who was the Crown Princess before the her husband (former Crown Prince) died, makes the life of the royal family complicated as Lady Hwa Young plans to restore her son back to throne. Furthermore, Yul also develops feelings for Chae Kyeong. Besides that, Hyo Rin starts to regret her decision after seeing Shin married and thinks of reuniting with Shin.

PhoEnix's Comments:
Innovative in the sense that it involves modern day royal family in Asia so it seems new to many of us though it's fictional. Well, still cannot run from the typical Korean love drama: you-love-me, I-don't-love-you, I-love-him/her-but-he/she doesn't-love-me ;-P

PhoEnix's Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Watch:
http://www.dailymotion.com/playlist/x26y45_raflyt_goong/1
(Kor audio, Eng sub)

Heart of Greed (糖心风暴)

Starring:

- Ha Yu (夏雨)

- Susanna Kwan (关菊英)

- Lee Sze Kei (李司棋)

- Michelle Yim (米雪)

- Moses Chan (陈豪)

- Linda Chung (钟嘉欣)

- Bosco Wong (黄宗澤)

- Tavia Yeung (杨怡)

- Raymond Lam (林奉)

- Fala Chen (陈法拉)

- Yoyo Mung (蒙家慧)

Theme Song:Jiang Bu Chu Sheng (讲不出声) - Susanna Kwan

Synopsis:

It's about the traditional big family of a renowned abalone trader, Tong Yan Kai. He has two wives, Ling Hao (Dai Kai) and Wong Sau Kam (Sai Kai), and four children. With a fortune of HK$6 billion, it has become the target of his second wive Sai Kai as she feels that she's been treated unjustly since she came into the family. Thus, the storm begins in the once peaceful and happy family.

PhoEnix's Comments:

This should be the most talked about drama recently due to its genre. It shows that people still like the old story where members of a big and rich family fight over fortune. However, without the good acting from the characters especially from Lee Sze Kei and Susanna Wong, the show would not have been that succesful. The scene where Dai Kai (Lee Sze Kei) scolded Sai Kai (Susanna) is definitely cool.

One major flaw of this drama is the ending. The storyline is like being left hanging without giving satisfactory explanation. Very disappointing.

PhoEnix's Comments: 4 out of 5 stars

Official website: http://tvcity.tvb.com/drama/heart_of_greed/story/index.html

Which Star Are You From? (你来自哪颗星？)

 

Starring:
- Kim Rae Won (金来元)
- Jeong Ryeo Won (郑丽媛)
- Kang Jeong Hwa (姜静华)
- Park Si Hoo

Song:MIRACLE - M to M

Synopsis:
As a director, while filming in a rural area, Seung Hee meets a girl (Bok Shil) that looks exactly like his girlfriend (Hye Rin) who died in a car accident 3 years ago. Determined to get an answer, he follows her and ends up staying at her place for a few days. These few days of living under the same roof deepen their knowledge of each other.
In order to earn money for her mother's surgery, Bok Shil starts to work in Seoul. By chance, she discovers her birth mother and her real identity - she's Hye Su, the long-lost sister of Hye Rin. As her birth mother blames Hye Rin's death on Seung Hee, she strongly objects to the relationship of Bok Shil and Seung Hee. Out of guilt as well, Seung Hee begins to avoid Bok Shil. Can they be together at last?

PhoEnix's Comments:
Light-hearted though cannot escape the typical Korean love story. Needless to mention again and again, Kim Rae Won is very very cute with his sunshine smile. And so is Jeong Ryeo Won in this drama.

PhoEnix's Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Hanazakarino Kimitachihe (花样少年少女)

Starring:
- Ella from S.H.E. (陈嘉桦)
- Chun from Fahrenheit (吴尊)
- Jiro from Fahrenheit (汪东城)
- Tang Yu Zhe (唐禹哲)

Theme Song:
Zen Me Ban (怎么办) - S.H.E.

Synopsis:
Rui Xi is deeply attracted to Zuo Yi Quan after watching him jumped during a high jump competition that is aired on TV in US. So deep is her crush that she decides to transfer back to an all-male school (Ying Kai) in Taiwan just to get near him. In order to get accepted, she's willing to disguise herself as a boy. There, she meets Xiu Yi and they become good friends. In the meantime, she is arranged to share room with Quan. After some time, Quan discovers her real identity but keeps it from her as he slowly falls for her charm. Coincidentally, Xiu Yi also falls for Rui Xi, not knowing that he/she is indeed a female thus creating a lot of jokes since he thinks he's a homosexual.

PhoEnix's Comments:
In short - not that bad. Chun is really good-looking and Jiro is definitely cute. As for Ella, her acting skill has improved since her first series The Rose.

PhoEnix's Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_lZ_w_9s0NPcaYwqvOFOy3kDELohFDru
http://www.mysoju.com/hana-kimi-taiwan-version/
(Mandarin audio, English subtitle)

Sassy Girl Chun-Hyang (豪杰春香)

Starring:

- Han Chae Young (韩彩英)

- Jae Hee (在熙)

- Eom Tae Woong (严泰雄)

- Park Si Eun

Song:

JA YOO RO WA II - Jiny

Synopsis:

This is a modern interpretation of The Legend of Chun-Hyang, a Korean folklore about the love of Chun-Hyang and Mong-Ryong. This story starts with the misunderstanding of the mischievious Lee Mong-Ryong who always gets into trouble and top student Seong Chun-Hyang. They constantly quarrel with each other especially when Mong-Ryong is tranferred to Chun-Hyang's school. Mong-Ryong's father, believing that Chun-Hyang is capable of turning his son into a mature and responsible man, requests Chun-Hyang to marry his son with the condition that he'll pay for her education. Chun-Hyang agrees as she also has feelings for Mong-Ryong though she needs the financial aid badly. Unfortunately, being a naive guy, Mong-Ryong does not realise her affections for him and continues to pursue his first love, Chae-Rin. Meanwhile, Chun-Hyang attracts the attention of the CEO of an entertainment company, Byeon Hak-Do.

PhoEnix's Comments:

Very funny and warm. Both Han Chae-Young and Jae Hee makes a wonderful couple. Honestly, I don't know anything about the folklore when I first watched it but it didn't impact my enjoyment for this drama. It is like finding a breath of fresh air after being choked with the soppy Korean love dramas.

PhoEnix's Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 

Watch:

http://www.mysoju.com/hana-kimi-taiwan-version/

(Korean audio, Engish subtitle)

The Devil Beside You (恶魔在身边)

 

Starring:
- Rainie Yang (杨丞琳)
- Mike He (贺军翔)
- Kingone (王傳一)
- Cai Pei Lin (蔡裴琳)

Theme Song:
Chou Nan Ren (臭男人) - Yida (黄义达)

Synopsis:
Qi Yue is a carefree and happy college student who has a crush on the basketball captain, Yuan Yi. With the encouragement from her best friend Qing Zhi, she decides to confess her feelings by passing him the love letter. Unfortunately, the letter falls into the hand of Jiang Meng, the notorious student in the campus. Meng uses the letter to threaten Qi Yue to be his slave. Later, they find out that Qi Yue's mother is going to marry Meng's father making them siblings. Though Qi Yue hates Meng at first, she slowly discover the kindness of Meng's heart and develop feelings for him. Meng has affections for her as well. Nevertheless, the complication of their relationship (step siblings) becomes a barrier to their love.

PhoEnix's Comments:
Don't quite like the drama but I love the ending song - Ai Mei (暧昧) by Rainie Yang. To me, it's a typical Taiwanese idol drama where there are a lot of bad actings and nonsense scenes as well as sometimes long-winded pace. No offense.

PhoEnix's Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD83973EE8ACC8722
(Mandarin audio, English subtitle)
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgsZOZxdicFgHybo-vJ7fQ4bna3cNIhLv
(Mand audio, Chi sub)

Mars (战神)

Starring:
- Vic Zhou (周渝民/仔仔)
- Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛/大S)
- Megan Lai (赖雅研)

Theme Song:
Ling (零) - Alan Kuo (柯有伦)

Synopsis:
Both Ling and Qi Luo have their own dark secrets. Ling used to have a twin brother (Sheng) with a totally different personality than his. Ling is reckless and enjoys racing while Sheng is quiet and reserved. They became very close since the death of their mother. However, the arrival of a girl (Sha Zhi) threatened their relationship as both developed feelings for the same girl. Unable to accept the fact that Sha Zhi likes Ling instead, Sheng committed suicide in front of Ling. Since then, Ling had to undergo therapy in a mental institution.
After he is released, he meets Qi Luo, an anti-social girl who was raped by her stepfather when she was sixteen. They find solace in each other, believing that each can help one another overcome their troubled pasts.

PhoEnix's Comments:
This drama is quite dark as it explores morbid issues such as mental illness, sexual harrassment and suicide. But it also indicates that hope exists indeed. It was adapted from the Japanese manga, Mars.

PhoEnix's Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/user/minervaajane2/videos?view=0&flow=grid
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL66442BE02554DC79
(Chi audio, Eng sub)

Hotelier (情定大饭店)

 

Starring:
- Kim Seung Woo (金承佑)
- Song Yun A (宋允儿)
- Song Hye Kyo (宋慧乔)
- Bae Yong Jun (裴勇俊)

Theme Song:
GEU DAE NAEGAE OH NEUN NAL - Kang Chul

Synopsis:
The president of Seoul Hotel suddenly died from heart attack, leaving behind the hotel in the hands of his wife and a son. However, his wife is inexperience in hotel business and his only son, Young Jae is still young and uninterested. Furthermore, his old friend is planning to take over the hotel and hires the talented Frank Shin Dong-Hyuk to help him. Thus, one of the hotel managers (Suh Jin Young) is sent to US to seek assistance from former General Manager, Han Tae-Jun who resigned after a scandal.
While in US, Frank encounters Jin Young and is attracted to her charming personality. He decides to come back to Korea to get near her. Nevertheless, the hotel he's planning to purchase is the beloved hotel where Jin Young works. At first, she does not know his real identity but just when she starts to open her heart to him, she finds out he's the culprit that is trying to ruin her hotel.

PhoEnix's Comments:
My first and most loved Korean drama. There are many scenes involving Frank and Jin Young that I like such as he hold her hands at the staircase, he kisses her somewhere near the employee's entrance, he dance with her in Diamond Villa etc. Who can resists its appeal? Wonderful casts, great story, romantic scenes, nice song...just love it! ^^

PhoEnix's Rating: *5 out of 5 stars*

The Strange Tales of Liao Zhai (聊斋志异)

1)《陆判》
Casts: Bryan Huang (黄晓明), Hu Ke (胡可)
Synopsis: It all started when four judges in the realm of dead decided to place a bet on whether a fool can be evil if given intelligence...

2)《痴心灵雀 / 阿宝》Casts: Rainie Yang (杨丞琳)
Synopsis: There's a beautiful girl named A Bao who's cursed by a man she rejected...

3)《画皮》
Casts: Kwong Wa (江华), Zeng Li (曾黎)
Synopsis: Wang An Xu encounters a woman that resembles his deceased wife. From then on, he hides her in his den and often sees her without the knowledge of his exsiting wife. However, one night, he decides to give her a surprise but is shocked instead when he sees the woman painting her disfigured face...

4)《小倩》
Casts: Hu Ge (胡歌), Yang Mi (杨幂)
Synopsis: Ning Cai Chen meets a beautiful girl on his way for a delivery. Unknown to him, the girl (Xiao Qian) is a fox demon that steals the soul of young man. He is nearly killed by her but that does not stop him from falling in love with her...

5)《小翠》Casts: Li Bing Bing (李冰冰), Jimmy Lin (林志颖)
Synopsis: A woman from the fox clan was injured and saved by a man many years ago. In order to pay back his kindness, she sends her daughter to help the man's son who is mentally retarded...

6)《小谢和秋容》
Casts: Leila Tong (唐寧), Tae, Huo Si Yan (霍思燕)
Synopsis: The tale of love and betrayal...

Watch:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHOhrQ1JiwOd3W8YS9Nry51qmmsbCn0pM
(Chi audio, Eng sub) 

Dragon Love (人龍傳說)

Starring:
- Fennie Yuen (袁潔瑩)
- Benny Chan (陈浩民)
- Nicola Cheung (张桑悦)
- Chin Ka Lok (钱家乐)

Theme Song:
Ren Long Chuan Shuo (人龍傳說) - Benny Chan

Synopsis:
18 years ago, the Emperor's advisor saved the pregnant Dragon Queen from injuries caused by General Chao, who determines to kill the dragon clan. In order to pay back his help, Dragon King made a pact with the advisor's wife, who was also pregnant then, to let their children get married when they grew up. She agreed, not knowing that they were dragons. General Chao found out Dragon King and Queen's whereabouts in the advisor's house and decided to kill them. It angered them and resulted in a huge fight where many people were killed including the advisor. Before he died, he told his wife that the unity of dragon and human will result in punishment by God. The advisor's wife finally realised she made a mistake and went into hiding to avoid the Dragon King.
18 years later, her son (Yip Hei) becomes a kind doctor. She also has one adopted son (Yip Qu) and one adopted daughter (Yip Chui). One day, while trying to save a child, Hei meets one girl (Long Lui), who's actually the daughter of the Dragon King and Queen but she lies to Hei that her name is Siu Yu. However, not wanting to hurt Hei, she later reveals that she's indeed a dragon. Hei does not mind it as he really loves her. Soon, they plans to get married but Hei's mother discovers her real identity and strongly opposes it. Meanwhile, the appearance of General Chao creates more complications to their relationship. Can they be together at last?

PhoEnix's Comments:
There are a bit of flaws here and there but overall, it's enjoyable. I don't know why some people voted it as the worst drama but I believe there are people who love it. I am one, at the least.

PhoEnix's Rating: 4 out of 5 stars