K Drama Review: Suits (2018) 4

And since I'm totally into Park Hyung Sik these days, it's only natural that I watch more of his shows. The most recent ones are Hwarang (some historical thing) and the Korean version of Suits. I'm still not sure if I will watch Hwarang but I might give it a try when I become really desperate. But since I still have options, I picked to watch Suits next.

I watched some episodes of the American version. I found it interesting but not enough to watch the succeeding seasons. It's a legal drama and people would assume that I would love it. But I'm not just into TV shows. Until Hyung Sik, that is. Haha.

Let's first talk about how Hyung Sik looked on Suits. I honestly found it disappointing at first. He was more oppa-ble in Strong Girl Bong-soon. I loved his long hair and bangs there. I was not quite pleased with the clean cut version in Suits. He also appeared to have gained weight. But we should not judge a book by its cover, right?

Most of the storylines in the Korean version were copied from the US one. A guy who has no license to practice law and is trying to escape arrest for planted drugs gets hired as a lawyer by a law firm partner. Our fake lawyer is a genius with photographic memory.

Hyung Sik played the role of Yeon-woo, our Korean Mike Ross. Jang Dong-gun played the role of Choi Kang-seok, our Korean Harvey. Turns out Jang Dong-gun  starred in All About Eve, a K drama aired and dubbed here several years ago. He looked dapper in his suits although it bothered me a bit that he looked like George Estregan, Jr.

I would have to say that these two main characters were perfect for their roles. I enjoyed watching their love-hate relationship/bromance. They refused to admit it but they truly cared for each other and went out of their way to help and protect each other. I loved how their relationship progressed throughout the show. From frenemies, their relationship evolved to one where Kang-seok held a funeral for Yeon-woo's grandmother and how Kang-seok defended Yeon-woo in his trial and how he was there for him when he went out of jail. I would love to have a second season if only to see how these two will continue working with each other.

I also loved Yeon-woo's relationship with his grandmother. It's amazing what people can do to provide better lives for the people they love. I felt so bad for him when his grandmother passed away because now, he had no family.

I loved how girl power was all over the show. The law firm's managing partner (Jin Hee Kyung) was a strong-willed lady who was not easily rattled or threatened. Kang-seok's secretary (Chae Jung An) was no push over either. Other lawyers in the firm knew better than to order her around. Her love and loyalty to her boss was also very admirable. Ji-na, our Korean Rachel (Ko Sung Hee), was okay although she did not make much of an impact on me. I was just glad that she was there for Yeon-woo most of the time.

What struck me most about this show is how it depicted the real struggle for lawyers to balance doing what is morally right on one hand and what is best for your clients on the other hand. It was a dilemma that troubled Yeon-woo from the start. And although Kang-seok berated him for his kindness towards the opposing parties, it was evident that it was also a problem that bothered Kang-seok. In real life, these are issues that cannot be easily balanced or solved. Perhaps it's one reason why I did not want to go to litigation. My parents raised me to always pick the morally right thing to do and I can just imagine the heartbreak I would feel everytime I have to pick what's best for my client instead.

I loved how Yeon-woo owned up to his mistakes. I wish he studied law while he was in jail so that he can finally be a real lawyer after serving his time.  

The supporting actors were also perfect. Their Louis (Choi Gwi Hwa) was really annoying. And their returning partner Mr. Ham (Kim Young Ho) really looked bad ass. I would have preferred to have the whistle blower punished as well but I guess you can only do so much with 16 episodes.  

Again, the music was wonderful. You would think that music would not be of much use to a legal drama. But they still made it work. Koreans are just so good at making music. I probably don't understand 80% of the lyrics but the melodies they make are truly beautiful.

After watching this series, I've proven that I'm not just after Hyung Sik's good looks. This show has proven that he is a versatile actor who can also rely on his talent apart from his boyish charm. I look forward to watching his movie, Juror 8, and his 50-episode drama, What Happens to My Family. I just can't get enough of him! :)

P.S. I watched this through the Viu app. :) 

P.P.S. I think I'll use blogging as a way of moving on after watching a series. :D

Noona says...it's a 4. 

K Drama Review: Strong Girl Bong-soon / Strong Woman Do Bong-soon (2017) 4

While watching Angry Mom, I liked how Ji Soo played the role of Bok Dong. Although I was not actively searching for his other dramas, I chanced upon his show, Strong Girl Bong-soon (SGBS), while I was scanning K dramas on Netflix.

I read the summary for SGBS and I was initially doubtful if I'll like it. It was about a girl who had super strength. I thought it was one of those K dramas that my siblings were pestering me to watch (something to do with weightlifting, etc.). But the show had Ji Soo on it so I decided to give it a try. And boy, it changed my life! :D

The story revolves around Bong-soon (Park Bo Young) who was born with super strength. It's a gift that's passed on to all the women in their family. The first episode shows Bong-soon saving a school bus driver and it was witnessed by a chaebol, Min-Hyuk (Park Hyung Sik), who owns a gaming software company. Min-Hyuk fell in love with Bong-soon and hired her as his bodyguard because he's been receiving threats.

Ji Soo plays the role of Guk-doo, a police officer and childhood friend of Bong-soon. Bong-soon has this huge crush on Guk-doo, who unfortunately has a girlfriend.

A serial kidnapper has been abducting women in Bong-soon's neighborhood. This keeps Guk-doo busy. Bong-soon becomes involved when her friend's kidnapped. She vows to save her friend and capture the kidnapper by herself.

There were some silly side stories like a scammer zen master and weakling gangsters. The show could have done away with these story lines to give more time to the essentials.

As the story develops, we find out that Guk-doo actually likes Bong-soon too. But by then, Bong-soon has already fallen in love with Min-Hyuk. I was quite confused at how this angle was not pursued early on in the show. I thought maybe Guk-doo's character was just painted as an unfeeling one that he didn't mind at all that the love of his life was taken away from him by another guy. But I'm glad that this was addressed at the last episode. I'm glad how the two characters got the closure they needed and how they vowed to remain friends. Indeed, when it comes to love, sometimes it all boils down to the right timing.

My most favorite part of the show was the love story between Bong-soon (Bong-Bong) and Min-Hyuk (Min-Min). I have not watched enough K dramas to conclude if this kind of story line is a staple in K dramas but I loved it nonetheless. Min-Hyuk, played by Park Hyung Sik, really grew on me. I've never been this crazy over an actor since maybe my college days when I went gaga over a basketball player. I loved how Min-Min was all serious and cocky and bossy but when it came to Bong-Bong, he just went so weak. I liked how he understood that although Bong-Bong had super strength, she was actually weak and frail inside and he vowed to protect her at all costs.

Min-Min's cuteness melted my heart. He had this stare that just makes you weak all over. His eyes hold so much power in them. Fans were actually shipping Park Hyung Sik and Park Bo-young (Bong-Bong). And Bo-young's interview regarding this is very telling. She said she would have fallen in love with Hyung Sik with the way he looked at her but he looks at everyone that way, including their director. So I guess it's a no go for them.

The absurd side stories were fortunately overshadowed by how adorable Min-Min and Bong-Bong were. They just make you want to fall in love that way again.

And the music did not disappoint again! I was on LSS on the song that said I love you, love you, love you, saranghae, that even my son wanted to include it in the list of songs he listens to during bedtime. :D The music just made me fall in love with Min-Min and Bong-Bong even more.

And now I'm a certified Hyung Sik fan. I'm quite late in the game though because he's now on military service. So I won't be hearing anything significant about him until January 2021. Until then, I would have to make do with his past shows and movies. I loved how he's transformed from a K-pop band member to a serious actor. I could not even recognize him in the K-pop group pictures. He's really changed a lot and for the better. Some say he underwent plastic surgery, but who cares. All I know is that I'm waiting for this oppa to come back into the real world to give me new shows to gush about. :)

Noona says...it's a 4. There were weird storylines but Bong-Bong and Min-Min make up for that.