big_bang_theory

Ohh yes… I have a new obsession :)
Big Bang Theory is one of the funniest comedy series that I’ve watched in a while. Just discovered it recently and they’re already on their third season. And as usual, I’ve been doing a viewing marathon with my hubby and SIL. We’ve just finished the second season and I’m on a hunt for the 3rd season. It’s so addictive!

The series is about 4 nerdy friends and their one hot girl-next-door friend. Never realized that there can be many different type of nerds. There’s Raj – the girl-shy nerd; Howard – the ladies-man (in his head) nerd; Leonard – the self-aware nerd; and my fave… Sheldon – the OC nerd. :) These four + Penny (the cute neighbor) have so much chemistry and comedic timing, I can’t count how many lols I have per episode.

Check it out and be hooked.

Category: tv  One Comment

It is the week of the secondary characters. I felt so sad for Shin-woo with his fantasy love for Go Mi-nyeo. And the actor playing Shin-woo managed to convey his heartache without going over the top.
And Jeremy.. our adorable Jeremy. I felt so bad for him that his love cannot be reciprocated. He is so straightforward with everything, even his pain he’s not able to hide it. When he was in the magic bus and he sang that supposedly happy song, I wanted to cry along with him. Hongki did so well in this scene, I think I’ll be an FT Island fan soon :)

And lastly, a glimpse of the real Go Mi-nam! He looks like a naughty little guy with that smirk. I wish we’d seen him sooner. He looks interesting.

Well now.. this is something new to look forward to :)
A new CW series featuring Shiri Appleby. I’ve always been a Roswell fan so a new series from her is one I’ll definitely watch. And the story seems interesting, and the trailer raised my anticipation even higher.

I haven’t watched yet, but since I’m addicted, I’ve already read the wonderful recap of my YB crack supplier, javabeans. Thanks, JB!

I just have to say, the last line of this epi makes me sooo happy, I can’t stop grinning.

Mi-nyeo: “Please act as though you don’t know. I won’t look anymore.”
Tae-kyung: “Don’t stop looking. You can’t quit of your own accord. Keep looking at me! Like you are now, keep looking only at me!”

I got goosebumps with this line.. what a way for Tae-kyung to finally admit his feelings. That’s the sweetest way of saying, “will you be my girlfriend?”

Finally! After several failed attempts, Shin-woo got the perfect timing! :)
He got to be the white knight to save the damsel in distress. And in such a grand way!

And I’m so glad Jeremy is now in on the secret. I felt so bad for him for being so confused of his feelings for Go Mi-nam. And it’s nice that he’s accepted he likes her even before knowing that she’s a girl.

Tae-kyung.. what can I say? You are my new TV boyfriend (hee). No matter how abrasive your exterior is, it cannot hide your softie insides :)

And for the Tae-kyung and Mi-nam pair.. these two are the densest people I’ve seen (but in an adorable way). The past episodes are so full of love confessions from each other but they can’t clue in on the signs! But it’s still very sweet and squee-worthy.

Next epi.. pls-pls come soon. I can’t wait! This is my new kdrama-crack :D

Whooo! So much angst!
A hurting Mi-nam..
A jealous Tae-kyung..
A martyred Shin-woo..
And the sweet Jeremy..
I am soo in love with this series <3

I wonder how long before Tae-kyung admits to himself the he's in lurve :D
Of course before the HEA, there will be the requisite happy and lovey-dovey moments between Shin-woo and Mi-nam.. Just to force Tae-kyung to take action.
Will Jeremy ever get his chance?
And how on earth will they be able to pass Mi-nam as a boy with that voice??

But I’m willing to let it slide. I love her voice. And I’m totally in love with this drama :D

Edited to add:
Oh-oh-oh.. how could I forget.. “No matter how many other stars there are, all I can see is the moon.” (with him referring to Mi-nam as the moon) Kyaaa!!!

The story is getting better and better! And as expected, I’m so addicted to it, I can’t wait for wed-thursday to get the new epis.
I think I’m soo enamored by Tae-kyung! Sour on the outside by sweet and squishy on the inside :) No matter how hard he tries to be mean, he still ends up being the nice guy.
Shin-woo is also sweet, but I feel so sorry for him. He’s trying to court a very clueless girl. Haha!
And Mi-nam/Mi-nyeo.. she looks so much like Eun-hye on Coffee Prince, but I think I’m liking her more. She got the innocent look to a tee.
Oohh.. I can’t wait for the love triangle to get even more intense. AND I can’t wait for next week :(

Category: kdrama  4 Comments
13
Oct

Dunno why I never posted this before.  This is one Arashi video that is on repeat mode on my iPod.
The song is catchy and the choreography is kick-ass :)
I cannot count how many times I’ve watched it already but I am still not getting tired of it.

Loved the start where only Jun is moving to the beat..
Loved Nino’s slide-in move.. I think he’s got all the best dance moves here.
Love-love Ohno’s voice (as usual).

Category: arashi  One Comment

I’m obsessed.. and it’s only 2 episodes in!

I never watch a drama until all episodes are done.  I don’t like the cliffhangers and waiting for a week to see the next epi.  I like the option of going with minimal sleep for days just to finish the whole drama :)

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 But this one is different.  The first two episodes are just addicting.  The story is something similar to Coffee Prince.  A girl pretending to be a boy and joins a boyband.  For such a cliche storyline, it has a unique feel to it.  And the characters are adorable.  From the main (Mi Nam, and the rest of the boybanders), to the agent and stylist, down to the anti-fans.

I hope.. I hope it won’t lose it’s steam.  I hope the writers can keep it interesting.  And I hope I don’t go crazy waiting a week for the next epi.

Category: kdrama, tv  Leave a Comment

Just a day after finishing the drama, I’m already missing Gang Taebong.

I really can’t tell what makes a drama good for me but this one is.

Dal Ja’s Spring is a story of a 33-year old single lady (of course considered almost a spinster in any drama).  She’s successful in her career and satisfied with her life, except that, by some antiquated standard.. she’s not supposed to feel complete ‘coz she’s not married.  She’s a romantic at heart and dreams of the perfect loves and prince charmings.

On the other end is Taebong. 26-year old and world-wise, esp. when it comes to women and romancing them.  The two met, and as per typical drama, they have an arrangement of Taebong being the pretend boyfriend in exchange for a fee.  Of course, the two fell in love eventually, but have hurdles to overcome — yadda, yadda, yadda… Don’t want to go into the details of the story itself.  I think the plot is predictable, but again, the execution and, I think, the rapport and delivery of the main characters is what made this drama engaging.

I love Gang Taebong.  I love that eventhough Dal Ja is 6-yrs older, he’s the more mature one in the relationship.  But  what puzzles me about Taebong is no matter how great a smooth-talker he is and how often he coaches Dal Ja on how a girl should react to a certain love situation, when it comes to applying it himself, he doesn’t seem to get it.  He knows what goes on inside a woman’s head but the simplest things, he overlooks.  Like, him and Dal Ja reaching a certain level of seriousness in their relationship, but he still hasn’t said “I love you to her”.  He shows it in his actions, but he should know that a girl needs to hear the words.

And when he hasn’t told Dal Ja that when he went back to his law firm, he’ll be working with his ex-gf that Dal Ja’s insecure about.  And that the case he’s working on is related to her company.  It’s not like she’ll never find out.  He just let Dal Ja find out about it with the rest of her office collegues.  1 simple rule I think in a relationship is if it involves an ex, tell your girl ASAP.  And don’t let her find out by accident or along with others.  It just raises the insecurity factor.

Well.. at least his flaws made the drama more interesting :)

Now, on to the aesthetics part :)   Lee Min-Ki as Taebong is such an eye candy.  Hee!  And for an aspiring artist (that can’t draw) like myself, the illustrations on every episode is a feast to my eye.  I simply love it.

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Oh, and just to add.. the antagonists here are irritating and freaky.

Another Matsumoto gem.

I’ve watched some of it on youtube (I know, bad of me, but I can’t find the DVD anywhere). Anyway, I plan on reviewing it in detail after I find a DVD of it and re-watched again.

Quick comment that I’d have to say though. I find that I like him better here than HYD. He’s acting more spontaneous and he’s got a chance to show more range here. Actually, it took me a long time before I gave this series a chance. I initially thought the storyline is quite weird and I thought the role wouldn’t suit him. Basically, in Kimi Wa Petto, he got adopted as a pet by an older lady and their relationship developed from there. Can you imagine Tsukasa (or Matsujun) acting submissive and lovable as a puppy? But he actually sold the character. I love him here. Hmmm.. short comment right? =)

Anyway, as I’ve said, I’ll review again when I get the DVD. Can’t wait to watch it again!

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Man, this is one serious movie.  And I never expected it when I bought this DVD.  I thought it’s a light and fluffy about friends bonding together and pursuing their dreams.

Yes, it is a story about 4 friends, all aspiring artists and have dreams of succeeding in their craft.  The four are  Eisuke (the manga artist), Ryuzo (the novelist), Shoichi (the singer/songwriter), and Kei (the oil painter).  This group believes that if only they can really focus on their art without worrying about other aspects of life (i.e. money, food, rent), they’ll achieve their goal and gain the freedom in “doing what you please, as you please”.  Thus, starts their summer journey where they learn the facts of life.

What made this movie special is the message it wants to impart is so real and true.  I may be a cynic speaking but, although you may have dreams of what you want your life to be, life may have different plans for you.  You may want to live life doing what you want and not take day jobs, but reality is, you’d have to eat, pay rent.. survive.

The movie is actually not a deep drama where you cry.  It doesn’t have any complex themes.  It’s like a subdued narration of life.   So somehow, it makes you think about your own life story after watching it.

Acting-wise, again, the characters are played by all 5 of the arashi members.  Eisuke is played by Ninomiya.  He’s starting to get my attention with his acting.  He’s good at portraying Eisuke, the idealistic manga artist, with a dying mother and 3 tag-alongs to care for.  Sakurai Sho’s delivery is a vast improvement from the Yamada Taro series and he’s actually quite believable as a bum novelist.  Actually, the other two are quite good as well (Ohno – the painter, Aiba – the singer).  Jun Matsumoto is more of just an extra in the movie, and I found his delivery more on the over-eager side (or it could be, that was how the character is supposed to be).  Overall, I’m quite impressed.

The atmosphere set by the film is also something to take notice of.  Some may find it dull, with the lack of flashy scenes and complicated sets, but it blends well with the story.  It’s a simple, quiet film.  And in it’s silence, it somehow makes the sadness of story resonate more.

This movie is also a goldmine of quotable quotes.  I’d have to jot a few of them down here.

“freedom is doing what you please, as you please” – Kei.  Straight for the mouth of the naive, I would say. =)

“starving is part of being an artist.  It adds to the experience.” – Ryuzo.  Words of a bum.

“no point in being lonely together.  Isn’t it easier to be lonely alone?” – Tokei.  Hmm.. Come to think of it, yes, she’s got a point there.

“how ironic that our season of doing what we please has caused us to abandon just that.” – Kei.  That reflection is kinda bittersweet.  The end of the summer is like a coming of age to them.  Reality has set in.

“In the face of my life, all I can do is panic
such is my useless and pathetic youth
Now, what we acquire along with our first wrinkle, is our trust in life
this consent and this smile, which says,
‘Friend, I know all about you.’
Looking back we will learn,
Life never deceives man. Life… has never deceived man” – Kei, quoting a French poet, Ryuzo.  It’s quite deep.  No matter how many times I read these lines, I come up with new reflection on it.  Yep, life has never deceived man.


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I’ve just finished this Japanese drama starring two of the Arashi members – Nino and Sho.

Hmmm.. actually, it’s been in my to-be-watched pile for a long time now, but I haven’t gotten around to watching it.  It’s not that the premise doesn’t sound interesting but  somehow, I didn’t want to watch it coz it means after that, no more new arashi for me to watch.  Hehehe.. yeah.. skewed logic.

We’ll.. I love it!  It’s a super feel good movie that has lots of heart.  It’s a comedy that somehow brings tears to your eyes at the end of every episode.  It’s neither tears of sadness nor laughter.  It’ s just so touching that you’d end up with moist eyes after each eppie.

Plot summary:  The story is about the life of Yamada Taro.  He’s a scholarship student in one private high school.  He’s intelligent, nice and good-looking.  He seems perfect and is a heartthrob in his school but none of his follower knows that he’s actually extremely poor.

I can’t exactly pinpoint what I liked about this drama but I really like Yamada’s (Nino)  character. We see him as a very loving son and brother to his 6 siblings.  We see his everyday struggle to care and provide for his family.  I actually didn’t want to call it a “struggle” ‘coz he never seems to mind or notice his hardships.  I think he doesn’t mind as long as at the end of the day, his brothers and sisters are happy.  I know, I know.. in real life.. no such person..  but, this is a drama.  We watch it to escape reality =)

You’d think that when watching Yamada take part-time works, not eat, do housework, etc, you’d hate his family for putting his through hardships.  But no, his little brothers and sisters are just as adorable.  They know how much effort their big brother is doing and they love him just as much as he loves them.  They are like the non-irritating Brady Bunch family.

Other points to love:

-  I love that their family have their own commandments they live by.  No borrowing of money, ‘coz they can’t pay it back (hee..)  I’d have to get that list sometime.  It’s something we all should follow.

-  Yamada, though very poor doesn’t seem to feel anything lacking in his life.  As long as his family is happy, that is enough.

-  He’s not ashamed of being poor.  Typical drama is at school, they pretend to be rich and so on.  For Yamada, everybody just assumed that he is rich.  And when he’s situation is about to get exposed, his close friend correctly deduced that Yamada really wouldn’t mind.  He doesn’t even know he has a secret.

-  I also like that there are no evil plots or bad guys in this story.  I guess his daily life is complicated enough and adding villains on top of that would have been an overkill for the story.

-  Although his mother is incompetent and his father is a useless bum, I couldn’t really bring myself hate them.  I don’t know, don’t want to over-analyze.

-  The friendship between Taro and Mimura Takuya is something to love as well.

I guess one major factor why I loved this story so much is because of how Ninomiya Kazunari portrayed Yamada Taro.  It seems to suit him so well.   Sho Sakurai’s on the other hand is.. hmmm.. it seems too “acted” in a way.  But still, it’s Sho.. so I can’t really say anything bad about him, good or bad acting, he’s still the adorable chipmunk for me.  =)

Category: arashi  Leave a Comment

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New TW drama for me.  I actually haven’t finished it yet, but better to write my thoughts now before I forget them.

Premise is good.  Different from usual scenario where the villain/s are all vying for money and power.  In this case, the four dukes are all refusing to be the successor of a very large empire.

The heroine is not a cry-baby.  Not really having a lot of problems with people really.  Her obstacles are more of situations…

They had their happy ending in the middle of the series, so you know there is still something to come.

I really liked it until it has reached the latter part.  The grandpa and his loyal butler has suddenly become a caricature.   The scenes became so silly, I started fast-forwarding through them.  I think they meant it to be over-the-top silly.. but really, I felt like I was watching a very bad comedy.

Of course, the person that catches my eye is the secondary character.  I’m always a sucker for guys that are charming and attentive, which is what Cui is.  =)

Yes I know. I’m guilty of posting only online test results and so on. Whatever happened to the tv drama reviews. We’ll, I’ve been so busy watching Arashi TV shows, concerts and just plainly being obsessed with the group that I haven’t touched any of my drama. My to-be-watched list have been piling up =(

Anyway, I’ll be watching “Romantic Princess” soon. It’s a taiwanese drama with Wu Chun as lead. Hmm, why is this on my priority list? Primarily because my copy was just borrowed from a friend. Don’t want it to look like I’m never gonna return it, so might as well watch it already.

Ahh… yes, I watched a drama. It was so forgettable I forgot all about it. “The Prince Turned into a Frog”. A taiwanese drama also. It’s not really bad. I actually liked the initial parts. Problem is, I just found the main guy to be too baby-faced. And he’s supposed to be a CEO or something of a very big company. And he’s supposed to be a meanie. But he looks like a high school kid. A pretty boy, mama’s boy -looking high school kid. So, yes, didn’t enjoy it much.

What more, I got disoriented with the story I think 1 or 2 episodes prior to the finale. Throughout the story, this guy, a recovered amnesiac cannot recall anything about this girl he supposedly loves. He hates her actually. Then suddenly, he’s proposing and asking for another chance, etc. An I was like, “huh?! did I miss an episode?”

O well.. until next time

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03
Jun

I am.

I’m a Jun-bait. (definition: a phenomenon where a person gets hooked on Arashi through one of MatsuJun’s dramas)

He’s fascinating.  He’s cool.   He’s talented.  What!?!

And I’ll forever be grateful to him for introducing me to the world of Arashi =)

 

That was just so freaking HOT!!! “nande? nande?” *eep*  I think my heart stopped for a second there =D