the Moon that embraces the Sun rambling

i've been watching some korean dramas lately, but so far nothing impresses me.


The Moon that Embraces the Sun

Starring (main cast):
Kim soo hyun as Lee Hwon- the King

Kim Soo Hyun did a good job here. He looks a lot better here than in Dream High. In fact, back in Dream High, i thought he looked a little too ordinary to be up as main cast. But in this drama, wow! He manages to punch an impressive marking as the King. His crying scenes are really good too. Good job soo hyun.

~~side note: i think his face and head is reaaaaaaaaallllllllly small. But surprisingly, it does not look out of proportion on his body! With that small head and face, Han Ga In looks surprisingly round like a little steamed bun next to him! haha.



Han Ga In as Heo Yeon Woo

Hmmmm, she's a pretty thing alright. But somehow i can't pinpoint on what is missing. Her acting seems a bit out as if she can't blend into the character. Nope, i think they should've cast someone else.



Jung Il Woo as Yang Myung

Jung Il Woo did a pretty good job. However, Soo Hyun was so much more impressive! Il Woo looked so much larger and even his face, looked a little like a steam bun next to Soo Hyun's small head!



I must say, the story and plot was captivating at first and had my eyes swollen from all that crying. The first 1-7 episodes were the stars of the show! Well, that's where the young cast came in and left. Once the adults played in, i am not sure why, but the appeal did not follow and i had a hesitant time trying to get through to the end.

 I love the younger cast where in they played the main cast's younger days. I could watch a whole drama with just the young cast as they played and portrayed the roles soooo well, so very well. Here are the absolute stars i'm talking about:

as young Lee Hwon, Yeo Jin Ku:

He played the young Lee Hwon so well , so well. His crying scenes were absolutely perfect!!! they'll get your bawling your soul out in no time. On the other hand, he makes you laugh and teases with much humour. And the romance he has with the young Yeon Woo is amazing, it gets your heart melting.


as young Yeon Woo, Kim Yoo Jung;

Kim Yoo Jung plays the smart, highly learned bookworm very well. And gosh, she has such good chemistry with Yeo Jin Ku, it's simply amazing!


as young Heo Yeom, ZeA's  Im Si Wan

This young actor is an absolute sight to behold! Really, another Go Mi Nam, a cute flower boy. He shines so much brighter than the adult Heo Yeom and overpowers him. Once the adult Heo Yeom appeared, the character Heo Yeom diminishes into the shadows. No more stand outs. Heo Yeom becomes a forgotten character.
Si Wan is really cute. Seems that its his first debut in acting, so his performance was somewhat stiff. Yet it delivers and amuses at the same time.


I'd give the moon that embraces the sun credit for directorship. Although the storyline and plot is not out of this world, but the directorship was pretty good. It can get a little boring at times, but still, i'm sure many out there has enjoyed given the high high ratings achieved. Seemed like this drama has been a great success drawing much attention.

I didn't enjoy it very much, only the beginning with the younger cast impressed upon me. This is one where i would not keep nor re-watch.

My personal opinion: 6/10

Flower Boy Ramyun Shop: Jung Il Woo's nose

Flower boy Ramyun Shop, zeroing in on Il Woo's nose!

EEEEEYAAAA! I'm thoroughly enjoying this series ! so much! It's been a while since i've gotten so hooked onto a kdrama. I think the last one was secret Garden.
I'm done up to ep 12 now and waiting for the subs to be released for ep 13-14.
Next week will be the finale of the drama, ep 15-16. Oh! i'm already starting to feel the pangs of missing it.

The story and plot is rather cheesy but i must say, the script and directorship are well presented , enough to captivate its targeted audience. Of course, Jung Il Woo is the main captivating ingredient in this "ramyun", melting in your mouth with each scene he is in.

Jung Il Woo also starred in "the return of Iljimae" but that one could not capture my attention even with his oh-so-dashing good looks. I gave up in ep 8 or 10. I think it's because "the return of iljimae"s plot/story is not well written and poorly presented. The directorship and scenery were great, but somehow, the story and progress of the plot was boring. Even with such yummy to-die-for eye candy as Jung Il Woo, "the return of iljimae" is a failure for me.

So with the above paragraph as evidence, it is not just because of Jung Il Woo's presence that makes "flower boy ramyun shop" a pure winner. The presentation of the albeit-weak-storyline, is the winner! Bravo to the director and script writer for bringing it out in such lively fashion.


Back to the main topic, Jung Il Woo's nose:

Ah, when it comes to celebrity snoop out, i keep picking on their appearance. Jung Il Woo, in my opinion, touched up his nose!!!!!!!! The first episode of Flower Boy Ramyun Shop had me staring and re-staring at him, not just because of his boyish looks, but because there seemed to be something off, something different, something slightly "strange" about him,.............. after much hesitation, i zeroed in on his nose. And yep, it's his nose alright.


In the his past dramas, "unstoppable high kick season 1", "Lady Castle", "the return on Iljimae" and even "49 days", his nose was super prominent. It's big, but i must say, sits so well on his pretty face. His nose is the highlight of his face. The fact that his nose is so ruler straight and high, the "bigness" of it brought the nose out. It stood out to me the minute i laid eyes on him. And for his role as Scheduler in "49 Days", he lost plenty of weight and that made his nose even more prominent and bigger. I really really like his nose and thinks it is just perfect with a capital "P".

In Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, there is a very minor difference and may even go unnoticed to the naked eye. But it bothered me.His tall and straight and prominent big nose has been reduced in size and the bridge is also narrower. The Nose is now smaller, less prominent and no longer can be classified as "big".

Alas, i much prefer the big nose, and the prominence of it. It's indeed a very subtle change and perhaps my eyes are playing tricks on me, but Jung Il Woo's nose is smaller now and less protruding. It's quite obvious to me as i played back some episodes of "49 days" and compared it with "flower boy ramyun shop".





Here's a pic of him in Aug 2011, and it may look like his nose is recovering from surgery perhaps??

Hehehe, maybe i'm just being picky that's all.

Jung Il Woo's still good looking , hopefully he won't do anything to his pretty face and become "feminine".

Korean drama ramble: 49 days

I just finished 49 days and would like to pen down my thoughts.........
Here are the posters:

Taken from http://www.koreandrama.org:
Synopsis
Shin Ji Hyun was enjoying absolute bliss as she was about to marry her fiancé, Kang Min Ho, but her perfect life is shattered when she gets into a car accident that leaves her in a coma. She is given a second chance at life by a reaper, but it comes with a condition: she has to find three people outside of her family who would cry genuine tears for her. In order to do this, she borrows the body of Yi Kyung, a part-time employee at a convenience store for 49 days.

Starring:

Lee Yo Won as Song Yi Kyung (Female on the right)

 I must say i'm highly impressed with this actress. In the beginning, i was reluctant to even begin to watch this drama. All because the story line and the female lead, Lee Yo Won, didn't really get to me. I watched the preview/teaser and i saw Lee Yo Won for the first time. Oh my, what a drab lookin' thing. And she's the lead?? Gosh! How terrible. Her features don't stand out and all in all she looks downright drab.

I'm glad i took the challenge and stepped out of my square thinking. As i watched, i thoroughly enjoyed Lee Yo Won's acting from drab queen to cheery lil' bird! Ah and she switches back and forth, back and forth  between these two characters effortlessly. What a wonder. Love her! I'm even impressed that she can look so young to be paired up with Jung Il Woo (1980 female vs 1987 male). She's married with a child too! Impressive. Look at the pic below and judge:

Nam Gyu Ri as Shin Ji Hyun

Nam gyu ri ............ sorry to her fans out there, but i think she's rather a spoiler for the whole drama. Her acting is a little out. I didn't really enjoy her. She doesn't seem to have chemistry with her own character as Ji Hyun. A little too childish and sometimes even overly trying-hard-to-be-sweet.


Jo Hyun Jae as Han Kang

This guy is ok, pretty funny overall. He gets especially funny when he realises who Song Yi Kyung is but cannot out-rightly acknowledge this fact.




Bae Soo Bin as Kang Min Ho

 I only remember this guy as the guy who always falls hard for Han Hyo Joo but never gets the girl. He would be the one doing all sorts of sweet things to protect and help Han Hyo Joo, but he will end up without her. So he gives me the impression of a rather pathetic one-sided lover (watched Dong Yi and Shining Inheritance).

 However, in this drama, he is the bad bad villain. Quite successful i would say. You'll feel like slapping him!


Jung Il Woo as scheduler / Song Yi Soo

Jung Il Woo is definitely the brilliant star in 49 days! If it weren't for him, i may have given up on the drama. I can't imagine another "scheduler" as brilliant as this hottie! Major cuteness!! The minute he appears.......... swoon!
 My oh my, and paired with the fun-loving, colourful character of "Scheduler", you won't be able to stop watching. His attire whilst as the "scheduler" is totally whacky!! Hah, really whacky!


Seo Ji Hye as Shin In Jung

 I only remembered her from Legend of Hyang Dan and she's got totally deer-like eyes in there!



I thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy melodrama! It's great!
I'm sure everyone who watches this will have the same thoughts as i do, Jung Il Woo is the main shining brilliant attraction!! Bravo!Get a load of his outrageously colourful and whacky attire  in 49 days:

First off, the electric blue coat! and look at his electrocuted hair! hahaha, i couldn't believe my eyes when he appeared on screen.

Fur balled black coat! I thought only those grandmum singers would pull those out on stage!

Gypsy hippie wannabe!

Gosh, brightest yellow zipper jacket i've ever seen! and check out those flamin' sneakers!!

 Bright bright and i mean bright red trench coat with silken black scarf!

Aqua blue trench coat! Geez, you won't lose sight of him anywhere.

My gosh, 3/4 pants with those neon coloured sneakers..............


Ha, i'm at a lost of words to describe the Scheduler's eccentric fashion sense. Good one , he pulled through with flying colours.



I'm also much taken by Song Yi Kyung's fashion sense. Mind you, not the original Song Yi Kyung in drab, but the one possessed by Ji Hyun. It's totally my kind of style! And only 170cm long bean poles like Lee Yo Won can dress like that and look good. Uber comfy style and totally casual!

An almost knee-length floral waistless dress with an oversized fuchsia colored cardigan paired with ankle socks and flats. That spells total disaster!! Imagine how you'd look in that ensemble described. But not for Lee Yo Won. Only bean poles can pull this style through.

Vintage print floral chiffon knee length dress with jacket. Nice.

Dot print comfy cotton dress with casual denim jacket thrown over ........ and flats! i love it!

Comfy no-tight fit cotton print dress with knitted jacket.

Chiffon floral tunic with long knitted cardigan, ankle socks and flats......

 Fuchsia knee length dress with white jacket........ and flats! It's flats all the way for her.

This is one of fave styles! Chiffon floral skirt, comfy oversized tee and oversized mint knitted cardigan. Oh it's totally chic and looks really really comfy. I love her flats-wearing too.

This one is about colours. Bright red dress splashed with bright blue flats! To wash down the brightness the almond-coloured wind jacket was added. Nice!

 This is lovely style too. Green dotted cotton dress and scalloped edged knitted cardigan. Very nice.

Oversized printed tee with chiffon skirt. I really really like this one.

If only i could pull of bean pole styles like these. I really like loose fit clothing. This is how to wear loose fit dresses and Tees with style!


And finally, after a long long post, Jung Il Woo's OST for 49 days: