By:
On:
In: Korean Movies
With: 0 Comments

Riding on the waves of zombie apocalypse movies, “Rampant” attempts to set itself apart by zooming into an era way before our time, set in the Joseon Dynasty 500 to 600 years ago.

Apart from the massive scale of zombies running rampage in colourful Joseon costumes across palaces, the majestic action scenes and swords play, a major draw to watch “Rampant” is definitely to see how this “fatally charismatic” duo, Jang Dong Gun & Hyun Bin, who are best friends in real life, take on confrontational roles in the movie. Their chemistry is impeccable.

Like many audiences, I have mixed reviews of this movie. If you have been a fan of zombie flicks, it would satisfy you to a certain extent with some of the most thrilling and exciting action scenes. However, if you are looking for character development and emotional engagement like “Train in Busan”, it may leave you dismayed.

If all else fails, we can always count upon JDG & Hyun Bin to save the day.

The brilliant cinematography and choreography of the action scenes, CGI effects topped with brilliant music pieces by the London Music Symphony, is what we call a “Sensory Feast”. It’s a refreshing fusion when you see western zombies mixed with Korean zombies set in the Joseon era.

From the landscape view of thousands of zombies aka “night demons” attacking their victims in the palace to the close ups was a sight to behold. We could see close ups of how the victims turned into zombies, with veins forming on their faces and limbs with white, gluey eyes as they began twisting and warping during the transformation.

The tracks by London Music Symphony are so 浩瀚澎湃 that it elevated the “Sensory gratification” it was supposed to deliver on a colossal scale at the gorgeously built Joseon sets.

Excitement kicked in full force towards the later part of the movie. Audiences can expect to be glued to their seats while hoping the leads could make it safely out of danger.

My most favourite scene was during the hoards of zombies breaking into the dungeons trying to have a bite on the “only humans” left. It was such a 惊险 and thrilling scene that it would have your hearts thumping at your throats. You would also enjoy the scenes when Lee Chung fought the so many zombies single-handed in the main hall and the swordplay sparring between the 2 opposing leads. You’d be pleased with how both actors weird their swords like a pro.

What we were curious to find out was really to see how well the chemistry between the 2 real life best friends would turn out. Both shone in their respective ways, yet not stealing the limelight from each other since they complement well with each other and all other cast members.

This movie is about duty and responsibilities, political tensions, human greed and ambitions which would lead to an impending downfall.

It is the King who serves the people, not the King who owns the empire. Without the citizens, there will not be a king.

究竟是效忠还是愚忠? 我觉得张东健在戏里无非也提出了值得思考的一点。

想要做统领并非易事。On top of being a good leader, you need someone who has the abilities and willingness to assume these heavy responsibilities.

Whether you choose to be “good” or “bad”, it all boils down to options and choices in life. There’s always a consequence and price that we have to pay for making such choices.

Minister Kim’s下场 is a good portrayal of how when you have too great ambitions, it turns into personal greed, which will eventually lead to your downfall, or ultimately self-destruction.

The 1st hour was dreadfully slow and there wasn’t much character development or emotional engagement. Most characters are pretty one-dimensional and the plot is pretty predictable.

The reason why “Train to Busan” was a huge success was because it was in a league of its own, paying much details and attention to their character and emotional development that most zombie flicks lack.

There was more screen time for Hyun Bin to have gradual character development as the story progressed, from a 吊儿郎当 Joseon prince who had no interest to ascend the throne, to the hero who saved the day. In a way, you can feel how 迫切 Minister Kim yearns to rule the empire no matter what it takes, including self-sacrifice, but you can’t feel that willingness of Prince Lee Chung to even want to fight the zombies, not to mention protecting his people.

It was a little abrupt, for the switch towards the final showdowns.

Hyun Bin could do better, but with a script that weak on character development, that’s likely the best that he could make of.

He fared well in the intricate moments during emotional scenes whereby you could feel the pain and angst Lee Chung experienced when he lost his loved ones

Hyun Bin had more notable action scenes fighting against zombies, showcasing amazing swordplay skills. It must been very strenuous and physically exhausting for him under harsh weather conditions during winter.

Jang Dong Gun is the scene stealer. Minister Kim’s vast ambition & greed was portrayed subtly initially but it intensified when JDG unleashed his power towards the ending scenes.

He brings playing a villain to another level. It isn’t just a flat one-dimensional character. He stayed true to his words about putting efforts into adding depth and layers to his villain role. He was able to showcase not just his scheming antics, immense ambitions to rule the Joseon Empire, but also the devastation when it came to his downfall. Be it playing the good or bad guy, he’s always ready to assimilate the role and we can say his acting is of “Master” level in “Rampant”.

不管是穿着龙袍登基的那一幕，犀利的眼神。。还有惊警觉自己被咬到后嚎啕哀，嚎崩溃的模样。。决一死战的最后几幕，都令人为之动容。

演奸角的厉害之处，不是单方面地让观众对你咬牙切齿，恨之入骨，而是能让观众也感受到你内心深处的出发点。他的歇斯底里，已传达到观众的心里。那已经绝望到底，也要捍战到底的毅力，的确会让你为他感到稍微的心疼。这就是我们所谓的 “内心戏”。

The only thing he could have done better was the reciting of the Chinese poem. Some lines were pronounced very accurately and beautifully recited though.

Some of the notable supporting roles were Jeong Man Sik’s portrayal of Hak Soo, Lee Chung’s servant, who added much humour to the horror genre movie. Kim Eui Sung who acted in “Train to Busan” acts as King Lee Jon in “Rampant”. There was also Seo Ji Hye’s cameo as Concubine Jo whose transformation was an excruciatingly painful but impactful one. It was key to the development of the story line. Jo Woo Jin’s role as the head of rebel, Park Eul Ryoung, was one that may evoke a little of your emotions towards the ending.

It’s a pity that Lee Sun Bin’s role as Deok Hee, was nothing more than a potential love interest for Prince Lee Chung and a skilled archer, but failed to create much impact as a heroine in this male-dominated movie.

The above reasons would give you good enough gauge as to whether you would want to watch this movie at the cinema.

If you want to watch a zombie flick with a refreshing time setting back in the Joseon Dynasty, or have been either a JDG or Hyun Bin fan, or fan of both, it is definitely one blockbuster not to be missed.Read More →

By:
On:
In: Korean Fan meets
With: 0 Comments

Never had the fans of zombie apocalypses movies been more excited, than to have Korean Superstars Jang Dong Gun and Hyun Bin, gracing the red carpet at Suntec City Mall, with Singapore being the only overseas stop for their latest movie “Rampant”’s promotional activities.

The 2 hunky and gorgeous looking men made their appearance, decked in black suits, on all smiles and acceding to fans’ requests (for handshake, autograph and wefies) on the red carpet. Jang Dong Gun & Hyun Bin sent hearts fluttering with their grace, class, thoughtfulness and impeccable, oozing manliness.

No other Korean Stars have spent so much time at the red carpet just to give such great fan service. It was definitely the first, with a class on its own. They are one of the biggest stars with the most easy going & friendly personalities. 他们和蔼可亲和随和的举动，令你感觉到的不是巨星的霸气，而是暖男们的贴心。这无疑也顿时拉近他们和影迷, 媒体之间的距离。It’s not their duty, but they made it their call to reciprocate to the fans.

Some “1st” that SG achieved with this International Junket:

– The 1st time that Korean stars would spend 30 min signing autographs & taking wefies on the red carpet, there was no rush or haste but to satisfy their ardent fans’
– There was no prior screening of interview questions. The director and stars answered every single question that was directed at them.
– It’s also the 1st time when the audiences would clap and cheer after all on stage took their turns to make their speeches (even at the gala premiere)
– The 1st time that Korean stars suggested for the host to take a centre position in a group photo (according to Host Danny Yeo).

It shows how easy-going and confident they are.

Would you have felt awkward if you have to act as opponents in a movie with your longtime bestie? It didn’t feel so the case for our MANLY leads of “Rampant” though they have never collaborated in any drama or movie before. They were able to rely on each other during filming and get to know another side of their bestie as a professional actor.

Jang Dong Gun, who’s the “epitome of aging with class and grace”, topped with Hyun Bin’s attractiveness in his prime, is a “deadly” combination. This duo, who are best friends in real life, have a lot in common, including their easy-going personalities. That’s also a major draw as to why you should watch “Rampant”, to see how these besties take on confrontational roles in the movie.

The 2 stars look really suave in real life, SO MUCH more dashing than on TV. They are starkly tall at 1.8 to 1.84m. Standing so close to them with just less than 1m away, would put you to shame when you marveled at their flawless and radiant complexions.

Jang Dong Gun is slightly tanned, has this radiant glow on his face and is always on all smiles. His big, beautiful eyes are the most electrifying. He seems like someone who is very mild and fun-loving in real life. His voice is very soothing and pleasing to the ears. He’s also pretty composed and relaxed. 他就像红酒一样，越来越浓和有味道。

他懂得如何优雅地让后辈们 take central stage & enjoy the limelight. Just look at how he would always let Hyun Bin speak more as a Hoobae. 他从来都不会 “玄彬”夺主 (喧宾夺主) 。

虽然张东健长得帅，但他是个演员，不是偶像，凭的是实力。演技早已深入民心。眼神就有足够的磁场和霸气。即便不是第一男主角，怎样都盖不住他的光芒。为人处事低调，说话温文有理，没有巨星架子。但一旦进入角色，就像似变了个人一样，完全地融入角色。很随和，也很爱笑，似乎是一个 Happy Go Lucky 的人。

这不只是历练老成，也是有一份提拔后辈的心。实力派演员是不大需要当心自己年长之后是否会在观众们的心目中掉价，而是如何继续挑战更艰难的角色，带给观众不同的惊喜。

Hyun Bin who’s at his prime at 36 years old, had more ardent fans screaming for him. He’s one who would turn heads a few times if you see him on the streets. Photographs and videos do not do Hyun Bin justice. This guy is so NOT photogenic at all. He looks tonnes better in real life. He may not be the walk-out-of-comic type of “Handsome”, but he looks so much more dashing in real life.

He would acknowledge and gesture to the fans shouting “Hyun Bin Oppa” from both ends of the red carpet. It was a sweet yet funny sight to see that he was as if, satisfying “little kids” who were vying for attention. He’s more cool compared to JDG.

Most audiences got to know Hyun Bin during “My Lovely Samsoon”, but “Secret Garden” propelled him to Superstardom. He’s not just being loved for his acting, but also for his tenacity as a real man who enlisted into the toughest branch at Marine Corps during military service.

While his works after his military service may not have received as much love as compared to before, his recent movie attempts to take on tougher and more diverse roles seem to be working well. He has begun to take on more mature role in “Confidential Assignment” and even being a villain in “The Negotiation”. It is a good swerve for him as he approaches his mid-thirties.

Danny first mentioned that he wanted the director and stars to know that this is the longest and friendliest red carpet we ever had in Singapore.

The trio shared some of their thoughts about being in Singapore and receiving such a warm and passionate welcome. JDG was here for a holiday with his family last summer and he attempted some Chinese poems in the movie, however he is only able to make a simple greeting like “大家好, 我是张东健” now。。It sent the fans chuckling with his cute and earnest response.

The challenges for Hyun Bin were that there were many strenuous scenes in the movie and they had to put a lot of thought into safety precautions.

It was towards the end that Danny asked if the fans would like to have the 2 stars turning into zombies to attack them, that sent the stars and director laughing away. When asked what is it that they are most scared of, Jang Dong Gun replied that he seldom loses control in real life and loves zombie flicks, but he is more scared of his children as they don’t always turn out or behave as he wishes them to. Well, that’s an earnest response from a dad.

If what Jang Dong Gun mentioned that the movie theme is about losing control is true, I wonder how many ladies lost all control when they saw them, at least a few thousand at Suntec City Mall.

Hyun Bin said that he probably has nothing that he fears, not even insects, pests or beasts.

Well, that’s likely the vast difference between a married vs single man.

When you have a family of your own, you will have more things to worry or be cautious about, but when you are single, you are carefree.

It seemed that the trio’s mood had never been better, especially at the moment right before the movie “Rampant” makes its debut in Singapore at RWS. They laughed out loud when Danny asked if the fans reaching out their “claws” to the actors were scarier than the zombies in the movie. This is when Director Kim Sung Hoon jokingly expressed that he should have brought all his crew and equipment along to film a sequel to “Rampant”.

The leading actors talked a little more about the portrayal of their characters in the movie. It has always been an enjoyment to watch Jang Dong Gun act. Being the villain in this movie, he tried to add more depths and layers to make it stand out more than just a one-dimensional villain.

He focused on creating and bringing out the harmony on set, than to focus just solely on his character. This is what we call a “seasoned veteran actor”.

Hyun Bin mentioned more about his challenges filming the movie and also praised the unsung heroes, such as the zombie extras and the music that they used in the movie was performed by the London Symphony.

The dashing oppas would also hope that the audience would try to look out for the message that this movie is trying to bring across, the massive action scenes and visuals as the movie pulls towards the climax and the sheer scale of the production.

While it was a short encounter, I am grateful that we had the honour & privilege to grace the same red carpet (though not at the same time) as Korean Superstars, Jang Dong Gun Oppa & Hyun Bin.

It’s a dream come true for me to see Jang Dong Gun at least once this lifetime. Hopefully there will be more opportunities in future.

Thanks to all the organizers and crew for having put up such a successful event.

It was a night to remember for all present.Read More →

By:
On:
In: Korean Dramas
With: 0 Comments

Supernatural/paranormal/fantasy dramas have been receiving much love from viewers worldwide. Some examples include “My Love from the Star”, “Goblin”, “Legend of the Blue Sea”, “Korean Odyssey”.

Ever since the overwhelming success of “The Master’s Sun”, we face a shortage of Suspense-Thriller-Rom-Coms with a tinge of dark humour (that grip your hearts). There were probably a few attempts, but none really satisfied that innate desire like “Master’s Sun” did. “Lovely Horribly” is a combination of “Master’s Sun” and “W- Two Worlds”, where it has defined its unique genre.

You would be intrigued to find out more from the very 1st episode, with many mysteries & questions waiting to be unraveled. It has a mixture of ill-fated destiny, ghosts, unknown powers of the supernatural, zero-sum romance, thriller, suspense, comedy, and how eerily that tragic events in the script would eventually become reality.

The one element that makes this drama stand out is the zero-sum fate of our lead couple.

It piques your interest to want to find out if it were the supernatural forces, ill fated destiny, or humans who caused this “zero-sum” fate.

They are polar opposites – when one is enjoying all the success, luck, happiness in life, the other would be extremely down on luck and be plagued with misfortunes.

How should these 2 persons co-exist then? If only 1 between the 2 can live on, who will it be?

The initial 7 to 10 ep were fast-paced and full of suspense. However, it fails to live up to its expectations for the last few episodes. Viewers may start to get weary after the story begins to unravel and you kind of know where the plot is leading you to.

Many characters in the drama harbour dark secrets and have their own agenda. It makes you wonder, if the unknown like supernatural beings are scarier than human beings or vice versa. As you age, you would fear for the safety of your loved ones more than other things.

The great CGI and sound effects attribute to how the drama has managed to grip audience’s interest. The “tock tock” sounds of the high heels, the landslide, murder cases, errie music and dark runways were all portrayed very well. I watched 80% of this drama during wee hours and it is so SHIOK, since it was packed with mysterious and eerie elements, and many bizarre happenings left you lingering for more. You would applaud at how they could all link one seemingly small scene to big incidents.

It’s cute watching how these 2 loggerheads bicker and slowly fell in love with each other. The chemistry is there but not compelling enough to make you totally believe the “I will die for you” rationale.

I love the funny interactions whereby Eul Soon would always be Philip’s life savior, be it during the “stabbing” incident, landslide and many more, where he would clutch on to her and find ways to make her stay around till the end of the drama filming. The one scene that Philip trimmed Eul Soon’s messy hair for her would send ripples through your heart.

It seems that Park Si Hoo is a little restrained in expressing the role. I can’t feel the depth of his love for Eul Soon as compared to Eun Soon’s love and sacrifices for him. There isn’t much 发挥空间 for him, except to add some comedic elements.

Song Ji Hyo has always been a natural and versatile actress, since “Wishing Stairs”, “Princess Hours” and “Emergency Couple”. She has the good looks, intelligence, wittiness and the ability to act with her heart.

She had messy hair, no makeup on for half the drama, had the worst of luck, no true friends or family members with her. From time to time, your heart would cringe when you see how sad her life has been and some of the flash backs with her foster mother.

This drama wouldn’t have kept up to its good raves and exciting pace without the help of the supporting roles.

Jang Young Nam was the key person to link through the story. As a mum to both of them (birth mother and foster mother), we see how she sacrificed for her children and took pains to make sure both of them would be safe, whether she was alive or dead.

Lee Ki Gwang’s role as Lee Sung Joong, a PD who has a hidden ability to see ghosts is a good addition. He’s Eul Soon’s “Black Knight” – the one who will always support her and catch her back whenever things happen.

Eun Jung always has her way in making her 坏女人 roles very convincing. She does irritate the hell out of you as someone who is over possessive over the man she loves and would do anything for him. She did not feel a tinge of remorse or guilt for what she has done in the name of “love”. We feel that she has a lot of potential to unleash in future works.

You would dislike Choi Yeo Jin in this drama. All the unscrupulous things that Eun Young would do to succeed would make you cringe. I also like the last few episodes where she “sold” her soul in order to be able to write better than Eul Soon.

I like how Ji Seung hyun depicted his character as a group mate who turned jealous and sour over Philip’s success and felt that Philip was responsible for the plight he is in.

Isn’t this mentality just so true to everyday life?

It’s always easier to blame others for the “plight” that you are in, than to really seek inner answers, which you already have.

There was one scene in Ep 6 which had very meaningful quotes and life philosophies.

“偶然不存在的。都是选择。偶然以及命运，都不存在什么无可奈何，因为一切都是我们的选择。所以，选择改变了，结局也会跟着改变。”

Human beings often ttribute whatever that has happened (that’s beyond our logical thinking) to a coincidence or destiny.

It is like a “butterfly effect” in life. When you make a conscious decision, it will affect how things will eventually fold out. If you chose to do something differently, the end result would have been different as well.

Love comes in all forms and magnitudes. It’s natural that we feel unfair if we love someone more than they love us, because we would end up the ones making more sacrifices in the end. This would lead you into doubting the other party’s love for you.

Such is love. It cannot be seen, can never be balanced at a 50:50 ratio, and may change any time. Too much possessiveness not just brings about destruction to others, but also to you.We need to learn to let go at times, when we feel that we couldn’t take it anymore.

It’s just that we never realised how strong we all are, till being strong is the only way.

To sum it up, if you enjoy some thrills and even chills along the way when chasing a drama, loves to also laugh out loud at rom-coms and have an investigative desire to solve mysteries, this is certainly one drama worth watching.

It still remains exciting till the very end, just that you would have satisfied most, if not all of your curiosity by then.Read More →

By:
On:
In: Chinese Fan Meets, Fan Meets
With: 0 Comments

大家所熟悉的金曲歌王陈奕迅，在台上是个用歌声征服观众的实力派唱将。只要是不唱歌的时候，他会瞬间变成个”过动儿”，也能用他独特的方式散发 Happy Virus， 来征服你。和Eason接触过的人, 可能会觉得他有点”癫”，但你却无法不爱他。

若”金曲歌王”是个较为沉重的称呼，那”音乐顽童”应该还满适合他。

Eason 是个个性开朗活泼，真性情，超鬼马，搞笑和完全不受控制，不按牌理出牌的阳光派。他很随和，也很随性，时不时会笑到久久不能自己。但他同时也是个很有想法，对音乐热爱的一名歌手和音乐人。与其说这是场粉丝见面会, 倒不如说是场音乐创作分享会。

这是个很有朝气，正能量和欢笑的分享会。

这场 “E 起 Chan 谈 L.O.V.E”音乐分享会的特别之处, 就是纯粹让 Eason 分享创作理念和概念，让出席者试听新专辑还未曝光的3首歌曲，并没有任何演唱新歌的部分。不过 Eason 的即兴哼唱或演唱几句，都让观众听出耳油。

专辑筹备了6年之久，原本就自嘲可以”Talk forever”的 Eason， 更是滔滔不绝地， 侃侃而谈。那兴奋之情再也按捺不住，就像瀑布般狂涌。

这是个很好的宣传手法。除了有少数 (exclusivity) 的大众可以把未曝光的作品先听为快，让大家更清楚地知道每一首歌曲背后的创作来源，有趣故事，也会引起大家的密切关注。加上 word of mouth + the power of social media, 这比只主打几首歌曲更有效应。

希望众多歌手日后也可以考虑多用这种形式和粉丝/大众们分享创作心得。这样不只可以激起大家会更想购买专辑听每首歌曲的欲望，也会更 Appreciate 这些难能可贵的甘苦谈。

很庆幸这次的主持人是杨君伟。君伟是个资深的主持人，见过各个大大小小的场面，也会事前做足功课。况且这次是遇见自己很欣赏的歌手，更会好好地掌握资讯，跟多些互动。原本这类型的 Auditorium 就只能容纳500人，规模也有点像是 giving a talk 的感觉。若主持人和来宾都很严肃的话，会让观众觉得枯燥乏味。幸好两人之间”抛球和接球” + 搞笑功力，也令人由始至终捧腹大笑，拍案叫绝。

董姿彦曾在后台喊了”Eason老师”。Eason 转过头给她个诚恳的微笑。。这小小的举动对于董姿彦来说，是非常窝心的。因为 Eason 不只没耍大牌，还给她作为一个人的认可。Eason 只耸了耸肩说 “But we are only Human”。可见 Eason从来也没觉得自己是什么巨星，待人处事还是那么真诚， 应该是再也踏实不过的体现。

令人很 impressed 的是，君伟居然还提醒 Eason，其实他和王双骏已认识了20年。他还能哼出王双骏为草蜢写的”好戏在后头”。这也让 Eason 很佩服君伟。两人也在台上拥抱握手了好几次。我想是”遇到真正的知音”和”我没欣赏错歌手”的体现。

精通中，英，和粤语的Eason, 说他的 emotional style language is English, working style (工作时用的语言) 是中文, 但最直接表达的必定是粤语。

从2010年”DUO陈奕迅世界巡回演”会过后，就开始断断续续地从2012年筹备这张以”Love”为概念的专辑。和 Duo Band 团队有很深厚的感情和在演唱会后觉得很失落，于是想和大家一起来记录他们之间的感情，所以才花费很多年来完成这项 Project。大多数的歌曲都是以”Live Recording”的方式，同步录制。主唱，合声，乐器都在不同的房间一并录制。这就等于是像我们平时在演唱会听到的”Live”版本，会和原版有些出入，和更多惊喜。团队也录制了”Documentary”, 希望可以在年底出专辑之前，提前让大众更了解制作背后的趣事。

这张新专辑会有7首粤语，2首中文和1首英语歌曲。

新专辑之前先曝光的3首歌曲有”与你常在、渐渐 和可一可再”。试听会上的3首歌曲包括Funky 曲风的 “破坏王”，虐心的抒情歌曲 (暂不透露歌名) 和几前年和 Duo Band的队友们所经历疯狂事迹的”疯狂的朋友”。3首都很有自己的特色。而且听 Eason分享背后的故事，都令大家笑到久久无法自拔。

这句由 Chris Paulanco 诠释的”空调，可不可以开一下”, 不只令大家会心一笑，也深深地烙印在我们的脑海里。”疯狂的朋友”应该会成为一首盛行的”友谊之歌”。虽然歌词当中的趣事有掺杂”fiction” & “non-fiction” 的 Inside Jokes，但整体显现出朋友们之间的爱。

Eason 说接下来可以尝试 APAC 类型的歌曲，如印度歌曲，越南语歌曲和泰语歌曲。Eason 说他和草蜢都曾听说新加坡的歌迷都很文静。但草蜢在新加坡开演唱会后发现歌迷们都很疯狂，也很热情。所以 Eason 从来不觉得自己的粉丝很文静，觉得他们是”痴神”的。可能因为自己也是”疯”的，还数度叫大家不要理会他。之后他还补充说，”人来疯 疯癫，神经, insane, crazy, 不都一样?”

分享会其实已经”OT”了好一阵子，而 Eason 也不想让在后头苦等的媒体朋友们等地太久，于是只好结束分享会。但在结束之前，和大家有个大合照。君伟要求大家比个”Love”，但 Eason 觉得用最原始的 Universal Love hand sign， 最为贴切。

原以为分享会就此结束，但突然蹦出个小惊喜。所有到场的观众，都能上台向 Eason 领取一份特别的小礼物。Eason在活动前的晚上帮大家在小卡片上，亲笔签名。幸运的粉丝还会个”Love”型号。卡片上有个特别的小别针,刻着”Eason & the Duo Band” & “L.O.V.E”。

“E神”偶尔也会蹦出一些令人爆笑的举动或话语。不难发现，听 Eason歌曲的群众，来自各个年龄层。可见他的魅力是老少通杀。这暖心的举动+之前的 entertaining + engaging session, 早就让大家把之前排队排了很久的事情，远远的抛在脑后。

我也希望， Eason 继续可以做他热爱的音乐，唱自己引以为傲的作品。

There’s nothing we would like you to change, stay the same!

Stay so ever Crazy, Sincere and Funny!Read More →

By:
On:
In: Dramas, Korean Dramas
With: 0 Comments

No matter how time passes, a romantic comedy (“rom-com”) remains as one of the long-withstanding favourite drama genres. There is a little girl who lives in many women’s hearts. She still believes in fairytales, and is secretly hoping that a prince charming would take her away someday.

Even when the drama has the most clichéd (almost predictable) story line about a narcissistic chaebol falling for his capable, beautiful secretary (with the loveliest smile), it would still become an instant hit. “Rich Guy vs Ordinary Girl” may be an extremely old-fashioned plot, but as long as it resonates well with the general public, who cares?

What makes this web-toon turned drama so swoon-worthy and being able to acclaim 5 to 10% viewership ratings on average?

The fundamental requirements include not only having good looking & popular leads, endearing moments, kiss scenes, funny elements, the most important would be chemistry between the leads and how supporting roles would add on to the FUN on set.

Other than an almost perfect chaebol (who’s rich, intelligent, successful, good-looking, except being dense), the gorgeous and capable secretary, there is a considerable amount of effort put into creating the latest office fashion trend.

Park Min Young is a trendsetter and a fashion icon among young ladies. Whatever she donned in the drama garnered much attention, ranging from office shirts (Common Unique, avouavou, Sezwick, Jill Stuart), knee length skirts, handbags from Sandro, Jimmy Choo, Joy Gryson, Chloe, Mulberry, Fendi, Valextra &Loewe, to her dangling earrings. My favourites were her off shoulder dress and cold-shoulder floral dress from “Not Your Rose”.

Much as I love romantic comedies, “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” failed to make me fall head over heels, because it lacked depth in the following ways:
– Not enough depth to the respective love lines or family relationships
– Weak character build-up for supporting roles, especially disappointed in how they portrayed Lee Tae Hwan as Sung Yeon
– There wasn’t much takeaway from the love triangle

It may not be Park Seo Joon’s 1st time assuming the role of a Chaebol, but it’s definitely one that you cannot help but applaud and shake head (at the same time) at his hilarious narcissistic behaviour.

他的 “自我感觉”异于常人的良好。He thinks he is a gift from heaven, being so intelligent, rich and handsome that he seems more like some superhuman existence.

There is this saying which goes “you need to love yourself before you can love another person”. For Young Joon’s case, he needs to learn how to allocate some of his precious self-love to the people around him. He only shows his gentler demeanour towards Mi So.

While he may be the most difficult boss, you would chuckle at how Mi So can just handle him so well, on many different levels, be it at work, personal or social events. You can see from his little actions like slowing down his strides so that Mi So can catch up and walk alongside him. It’s a manifestation of how he sees her as his equal half, evolving from their long-time superior-employee relationship.

Even when he really didn’t want Mi So to leave her job, he hoped that she would look for what truly makes her happy in life. He’s the overzealous boyfriend, who would freak out at the thought of Mi So adjusting neck tie for other men. He would take care of her when she was drunk but also angry that she did not control her limit.

Perhaps it’s due to age; such “far from reality” dramas are not as heart-gripping for me. I prefer “Fight for My Way” because it not only shows the cute interactions, but also how real the obstacles that the characters meet in life are.

Much as the “Park-Park” couple looking so compatible and cute together, Park Min Young seems to have the best chemistry with Ji Chang Wook in “Healer”. As for Park Seo Joon, he’s got such oozing chemistry with Kim Ji Won and Hwang Jung Eum, that Park Min Young pales in comparison.

Park Min Young’s acting is average but since it is a rom-com, you do see her giving some cute expressions such as an evil sneer. More often than not, you would see her with big, doe eyes looking lovingly or angrily at Young Joon. Both leads manage to act on a level of understanding that complements each other. It is very important to have a 好对手。

Mi So can consider publishing a book or giving a talk on “How to Handle your Boss cum Boyfriend”. It may seem that Young Joon had the upper hand at the beginning since he is her boss. However, when the relationship changed, you could see how Mi So had him twirling round her fingers.

Do not be fooled by her appearance. Mi So is the new age competent woman who doesn’t compromise if she is being treated badly and she will say NO even to her most difficult boss. It’s plausible Young Joon finds this alluring and challenging about her.

While Mi So can 察言观色 very well, she has seemingly overlooked the fact that it is not just Young Joon in a one-sided relationship. She has disregarded Young Joon’s feelings time and again while they were making wedding preparations. It is usually the ladies who lament that their other halves do not seem to bother much. In this drama, this role takes a reversal turn. It shows that it takes 2 hands to clap in a relationship.

“女人心海底针”。 Since prehistoric days, it is tough for men to ever fully understand women, especially so for a narcissistic chaebol like Young Joon.

He may be witty and can solve the most appalling or difficult business situation, but he lacks the basic understanding to women’s hearts. He never knew Mi So is allergic to pollen till his brother told him before their wedding.

That is something I couldn’t fathom. How could someone be dense till this extent?

It is rather confusing that Young Joon didn’t seem to realize he likes Mi So all along till she made known her decision to resign. Yet at the later part, he knew he has been in love with her since Day 1.

That’s where the story buildup is weak in terms of how the love line develops. From someone who knows close to nothing about the intricacies of human relationships, Young Joon made a 360 degree transformation to a Sensitive New Age Guy (SNAG).

Young Joon let his emotions took the better of him after hiding them for 9 years. We could understand how eager he wanted to announce their newfound relationship to everyone else. However from Mi So’s perspective, she has long considered all possible consequences of dating her superior (who’s a “Golden” bachelor). She needs to withstand all accusations thrown at her on how she managed to win Young Joon’s heart.

While rekindling memories of the childhood kidnap scene was an attempt to beef up their relationship, it may have taken a notch too far. Audience may be skewed towards thinking that the 2 of them are just holding on to a childhood promise, instead of genuinely falling for each other.

We could tell in the earlier episodes that the 2 of them do feel something for each other. Even when Sung Yeon was mistaken as the “Oppa” who saved Mi So back then, Mi So also made it clear to him that she was just being grateful and it isn’t love.

Here are my favourite top 3 kiss scenes:
1) Wardrobe Kiss
2) A First kiss attempt but to have Mi So pushed far, far away
3) When Young Joon started kissing Mi in his home, Director Park barged in to the “crime scene”

I find Secretary Yang’s way of confession so refreshing! Imagine writing your confession in black marker on a bottle of coke. The lady would not realise till she starts sipping coke. In no time, she would have gulped the entire coke to see what you have written. That was SWAG. She would be too overloaded with sweetness to even think about rejecting you.

My Favourite Relationship Goals Quotes:

1) “There’s nothing better than being honest” – Mi So
2) “I want to be in the kind of relationship where I feel the tiredness of my day getting washed off just by hugging you once, even if you don’t make my heart flutter” – Young Joon.
3) “你是我的世界，也是我的所有瞬间。而我的所有瞬间，都是你。” – Young Joon

Marriage is not just about making sky-high promises. It is about making and realising attainable lifelong promises. This is what we call “细水长流，平凡的幸福”.

There are 3 distinct office romances that we see in this drama. “The Underground Love”, “The Boyfriend who can’t wait to flaunt his beautiful girlfriend”, and one whereby it started from Loggerheads to Lovers.

It’s best to keep mum about your office romance, for it not just affects how people may perceive of you, but it would also affect your work performance and your “impartiality”. We are all human beings, and we do get carried away with our feelings.

It seems that societal perceptions about being successful = being rich and dressing well, have not changed. This is particularly so in a more conventional society like Korea. While we are sad that Chansung had only 1 set of “office suit”, we agree that sometimes we wish we have just that 1 set of “office uniform”, so we would not need to fret over what to wear the next day.

Never a day had Young Joon forgotten about that dreadful past, but he acted nonchalant and as if he had lost his memories, so that everyone could carry on with their lives. He did not wish to revive Mi So’s painful memories although this would mean she would not remember him. He was truly considerate and sensitive towards Mi So’s feelings. It seems he is in a more suffering state. He remembers all the hurt and pain, but also the love for her, yet he could tell no one.

We also love Kang Ki Young’s role as Director Park Yoo Sik, who’s Young Joon’s long-time friend but subordinate at the same time. Yoo Sik is more like his Life and Love adviser, who rendered much earnest and valuable help to Young Joon’s personal life.

One useful advice was when Mi So called Young Joon a “bulldozer”, he asked Young Joon to control his speed because “more haste, less speed” applies in all love relationships. It would be wise that he slows down since it will pressurise Mi So to try to catch up with him all the time. Over time, she would just get sick of even trying.

I probably had my expectations set a tad too high regarding the sibling rivalry between Sung Yeon and Young Joon. We can sense hatred, angst and resentment between the 2 of them. The situation worsened as Mi So came into the picture, with both brothers trying to pursue her. We thought the clichéd “Rich parents would oppose” scenes would appear, but luckily there was no soap drama in this aspect.

I thought Lee Tae Hwan’s break would come as the 2nd male lead in “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim”, but all I could ask was “what’s wrong with the script”?
They did not just waste such a good looking contender to Young Joon, but made him seem as if he’s a weak opponent right from the very beginning.

While I agree Lee Tae Hwan has quite a fair bit to learn in horning his acting skills, the character lacked all the attributes he could leverage on to alleviate his attractiveness. His saving grace was at the last episode when he finally 冰释前嫌 with Young Joon and said that “I’m sorry. At that time, I couldn’t let it be me.” Perhaps the scriptwriter didn’t want the storyline to be too 煽情, it is more of like 点到为止 even when Sung Yeong expressed his remorse and regret.

I also like the part where Young Joon spent a lot of effort crafting a proposal plan for Mi Soo.

A marriage proposal is not about copying what others do, but more of customising what is suitable for that individual. Just think intently on what is it that she wants and you would come up with something that’s unique for her.

While this drama is ideal for a light-hearted laugh after a tiring day (with many swoon-worthy elements), the storyline is pretty forgettable in my opinion.

Nonetheless, it is still worth watching once if you are a fan of Rom-Coms or any of the leads.Read More →