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Starring:
Jung-woo Ha - Jae-hyun
Jin-seo Yun - Ji-won
Gye-sang Yun - Seung-woo Kim
Supporting Cast
Se-in Kwon - Ji-hoon
Ha-jun Yu - Won-tae
Shin-cheol Kang
Dong-seok Ma - Chang-woo
Seung-min Lee - Han-byul (Jae-hyun's live-in girlfriend & Seung-woo's sister)
Jin-ah Bae - Seon-joo
Il-joo Hong - Joo-hee
Choi Jae-Hwan
Bo-hun Jeong - Soon-hee
Kyeong-ho Jeong - Won-seok
Ji-won Jang - Myeong-ah
Young-hwa Seo - Seung-woo's mother
Ui-cheol Jeong - Guy sitting with Ji-won and friends at Soju Bar
Seung-woo (Yoon Kye-sang) once led an affluent life, but is now relegated to serving female customers at a host bar - a job that dangerously flirts with male prostitution. When his encounters with Ji-won (Yoon Jin-seo) develop into more than just a customer-host relationship, the realities of his job get in their way. Meanwhile, his PD - i.e. male madam - Jae-hyeon (Ha Jung-woo) falls into a life of regular drinking, gambling and cheating which causes inescapable predicaments.
This movie I thought would have been awesome. I love Yoon Kye Sang (G.O.D. rest in peace). I was just so sure. Cute guys, host club, more cute guys and romance.....right? Umm, this movie was a waste of time. The only good thing about this movie.....YKS's bare ass! That is it.
They made YKS character a decent fellow and turned him into a psycho/stalker/boyfriend. WTF? And then leave us hanging with a stabbing? Then they take Ha Jeong Woo's character, who was already a psyco/gambler/bum/boyfriend, and make him get away with barely a broken hand in Japan?
The story was written in circles. Nothing made sense to me anyway. I couldn't understand who should be mad at whom. I really think they had a good cast but just totally wiped out the whole gist of the story and left us with bone scraps. Eeeergh.
Yoon Kye Sang
Guestbook
Thursday, July 31, 2008
The Moonlight of Seoul (비스티 보이즈 -2008)
Summer Snow (2000)
Starring:
Domoto Tsuyoshi as Shinoda Natsuo
Hirosue Ryoko as Katase Yuki
Imai Tsubasa as Suetsugu Hiroto
Ikewaki Chizuru as Shinoda Chika
Oguri Shun as Shinoda Jun
Nakamura Shunsuke as Tachibana Seiji
Kuninaka Ryoko as Suzuki Misa
Kadono Takuzo as Katase Shogo
Hara Hideko as Sakurai Miyako
Fukuda Mayuko as Chiro-chan
Tamayama Tetsuji as Gang leader (ep6-7)
Tsukamoto Takashi as Gang member (ep2-3,6-7)
Abe Sadao as Chiron-chan's father (ep6)
Ito Takashi
A love story between a young man who has been forced to grow up too quickly, and a young woman with an ailment that has placed restrictions on her life. Natsuo has been looking after his younger brother and sister since the death of their parents. He has also been running the family bicycle shop. Yuki becomes the only person in the world in whom he can confide. For Yuki, Natsuo becomes the catalyst that has her trying to break out of her cocoon. -- KIKU-TV
Okay, I'm going to type this up before adding the cast, synopsis, and pics.
This drama was so wonderful! But......I will never watch this again. I will be crying the rest of the day and all eternity. I had no idea this would turn out just like Heaven's Tree. I had a feeling something was up when they kept hinting about watching out for cars and organ donors. If you don't know what I'm talking about by now.....you must be brain dead. Yeah, I just spoiled the ending. But don't let that bother you because this drama had so many popular faces in it. I was so excited that my toes curled and my blood boiled.
This drama touched on important scenarios in our everyday lives....especially organ donation and teen pregnancy.
The important factoid that was stressed entirely in this drama was to be TRUE TO YOURSELF.
Now I'm a little beefed because this was a Japanese drama and it ended like a Korean one. I was not happy at all but then I was too busy shedding enough tears that I became a human Niagara Falls. Yeah, it was that good of an ending!!!
A definite tear-jerker if your willing to spare the water weight from your body. It'll take days to get over this one. How will I sleep tonight?
Now I shall post pics of guys I haven't posted of before...........shall I?
Imai Tsubasa
Stars Echo (별의 소리 / Byeolui Sori-Korean, あなたに逢いたくて / Anata ni Aitakute-Japanese -2004)
Starring:
Jo Hyun Jae as Sung-jae
Nakagoshi Noriko as Misaki
Lee Da Hae as Ji-young
Tanihara Shosuke as Suji
Kurotani Tomoka as Tomoko
Lee Joon Ki as Chan-gyu
Kim Yong Hee (김용희) as Min-suk
The Story is centered on the love between a musically gifted South Korean man, Sung-jae Jo Hyun Jae, and a Japanese woman, Misaki Nakagoshi Noriko. Misaki, who feels guilty over her boyfriend's death, is transferred to Korean and meets Seong-jae who helps her cure her wounds of the past memories with love.
Wow! For a Korean romance, this one was really good. I'm not a fan of Korean romances because the endings either have someone in the main couple split, die of illness, or they end up with someone other than their main love. So I was a little frightened watching this.
I'm glad I did. The flow was fast but corners weren't cut. The love triangle wasn't drug out to where you want to beat someone up or kill yourself. LOL! And it was a happy ending. Okay, I cried when her boyfriend died at the beginning. He was such a sweet guy. (I'd like to find out this person's name because I can't read Japanese/Korean in the credits and he's not credited in the review pages. Errrgh.)
This movie had me laughing at the subtitlers. Poor guys. The Korean and Japanese was switched off sooooo much that I'm sure it just made their heads spin.
Lee Jun Ki
Jo Hyun Jae
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Returner (Ritana / リターナー -2002)
Starring:
Takeshi Kaneshiro - Miyamoto
Anne Suzuki - Milly
Kirin Kiki - Xie
Goro Kishitani - Mizoguchi
Yukiko Okamoto - Dr. Yagi
Mitsuru Murata - Mizoguchi's Henchman
Kisuke Iida - Karasawa, Mizoguchi's Henchman
Kazuya Shimizu - Murakami, Mizoguchi's Henchman
Chiharu Kawai - Liu's Interpreter
Dean Harrington - Dr. Brown
Xiaoqun Zhao - Slave Merchant
Masaya Takahashi - Liu Laoban, Chinese Godfather
RETURNER stars Ann Suzuki as Milly (or Miri in some import versions), a young woman who has traveled back in time from the year 2084 to the year 2002. Her mission is to stop an alien invasion before it can begin. This invasion will eventually lead to all-out war between the aliens and the humans if Milly isn't successful. She meets a hitman named Miyamoto (Takeshi Kaneshiro), and convinces him to help her. Unfortunately, Milly's arrival in the past was slightly off and the aliens have already landed, and the evidence has been confiscated by the government. To make matters worse, a gangster named Mizoguchi (Goro Kishitani) is determined to claim the alien artifacts for himself and harness their awesome power. It's now a race against time for Milly and Miyamoto to obtain the aliens and save the future.
Sharp Guns ( 險角 / Him gok -2001)
Starring:
Alex Fong - Tricky On
Ken Chang - Wood
Anya - Rain
Tin-chiu Wan - Lon
Danny Summer - Kangaroo
Lap Sam Lam - Ban
Ken Wong - Coke
Dat Wai Lok - Seargeant
Wai-sheung Lee - Ban's Henchman
Serena Po - Seargant's daughter
Moses Chan
On has been living in Amsterdam for many years. He is famous for being exceptionally street-smart. Years ago, On joined force with Macau crime boss Ban in a big business deal. They both appreciated the other's charisma and unique character. After a series of life-and-death incidents, their friendship was firmly established. On is suddenly invited by Ban to Macau to help solve a pressing matter. Upon arrival, On is told that Ban's daughter Hei has been kidnapped by an unknown group of culprits. Ban's assistant Leo, who was there when the kidnapping took place, says that Hei was snatched away by several men riding on motorcycles. To repay the debt of Ban, who once saved his life in Europe, On agrees to offer a helping hand without any hesitation. However, there is a big challenge that On can ever expect.
This was a pretty darn good movie. I will say it seemed to move way toooooo fast, so some things didn't make sense or were rushed. But then again that could be blamed on the sub-team because it seemed they said alot but the subtitles were short. It still made sense but then.....I don't know.
It had some pretty good action and funny moments. The sexual tension between Rain and Wood was hilarious. I thought I was looking to much into it...but then at the very end while credits were showing....you'll see what I mean. LOL! That right there made the whole movie for me. LOL!
Ken Chang
Waiting Alone (Du zi deng dai / 独自等待 -2005)
Starring:
Yu Xia - Chen Wen
Bingbing Li - Liu Rong
Beibi Gong - Li Jing
Qi Gao - Haitao
Chao Wu - San
Yalin Gao - Li Liang
Songyan Tu - Sun Zi
Dayyan Eng - Ian
Lihong Li - Zhang Lin
Xiaopei Song - Liu Na
He Huang - Da Ming
Qing Zhao - Library Guard
Xiaolong Guo - San's Friend
Ting Sun - Leonardo
Xiaoge Feng - Wen's Brother
Set in Beijing, the film is a window into modern Chinese youth culture. Waiting Alone is a coming-of-age tale which tells the first-person-narrative story of Wen (Xia Yu), an antique shop co-owner and an aspiring author who feels that he's met the perfect girl (Li Bingbing). But no matter how close he and the girl become, he just doesn't understand why she won't fall for him. Aided by his best friends and the one girl he completely trusts (Gong Beibi), he tries different ways to woo her, playing along within the “rules of the game”...
I'm not a fan of Chinese movies. Maybe it's the language. It's hard for me to catch onto. I'm not sure. Taiwanese is pretty close too. But this movie was really good. Really, really, really good. I giggled throughout the movie. Oh, when Chen stripped down to his underwear thinking he was gonna get some from Liu Rong and instead it was a surprise birthday party. Oh, that was just too funny!!!
Hey, Chen's rocker friend was darn cute!!!! Oh, oh, oh! I was realy impressed with the soundtrack. OMG! It was my first time to hear Chinese rock! And it was good! I would really like to get the OST. Usually we hear the boyband phenomena on most OST in the East. I like a good boyband but sometimes it gets dribble.
This movie wasn't too slow at all. The pace kept you interested and the story alone was wonderful.
Okay the ending sucked.....by my standards. It was a good ending but it didn't end the way I wanted it to. I hate that. I truly do. When can I watch a drama or movie that ends the way I want it to. I will say that it left it open for a sequel but I don't see that happening since it's the year 2008 and this movie was made in 2005. Ugh! Ahhh well.
Like I said before, I don't really prefer Chinese movie but this one was really, truly a good one.
Shopping Hero (ツーハンマン / Two Hand Man -2002)
Starring:
Nakamura Shunsuke as Yamada Makoto
Kawahara Ayako as Yuka
Tamaki Hiroshi
Maya Miki
Kohashi Kenji
Taguchi Hiromasa
Kusakari Masao
Suzuki Sawa
Becky
A story of a shy and quite office worker who by chance became a “masked demonstrator” in a TV shopping program. What happens when his longing lady fell in love with not the real him but the disguised self?
Yamada Makoto (Nakamura) works for TV shopping company as a troubleshooter. Although being a quite, shy, and extremely ordinary guy, he one day by chance performs as a “masked demonstrator” in a popular TV shopping program by wearing a superman-like costume. His enthusiastic speech and persuasive demonstration touches the heart of the audience, and not only he becomes a TV hero, he cheers up the people in need of help! A unique comedy love story is here! -- TV Asahi
This drama started out stupid but I didn't give up because the synopsis sounded cool. It actually got better. I didn't want to stop watching. I loved the fact that our "Shopping Hero" solved personal problems while selling a product at the same time. A few times I actually teared up.
I will say I wasn't too thrilled that they tried to make a romance between "Jimmy" and Yuka. First she was too ditzy and she had a fling with the president of the company who by the way is already married. Complicated? Yeah. I was actually routing for the girl that worked in the complaints department with "Jimmy".
Well, as the series progressed, the stories got boring. The last episode I fast forwarded to the end.....and the ending sucked. This drama became a dissappointment quick.
I really liked the character of "Jimmy" aka...Shopping Hero. He was sweet and kind but how could someone like him choose a woman who slept with a married man and she wasn't all that pretty anyway. Ehhh. So yeah, this drama sucked in my own personal opinion.
I hate saying that only because it had my first love Tamaki Hiroshi in it. I will say his character was sweet also. He loved an older women who has a small child. What endeared me the most was the fact that he loved the little boy as his own. *sigh*
Tamaki Hiroshi
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Searchin' For My Polestar (天体観測 （てんたいかんそく）,Tentai Kansoku -2002)
Starring:
Ito Hideaki as Sayama Kyouichi
Sakaguchi Kenji as Kawamura Tomoya
Odagiri Joe as Kisaki Takeshi
Koyuki as Sawamura Mifuyu
Tabata Tomoko as Miyabe/Yamase Satomi
Konishi Manami as Ida Yuri
Yamazaki Shigenori as Yamazaki Kenta
Hasegawa Kyoko as Arisaka Nanae
Uehara Misa as Matsumoto Arisu
Matsushige Yutaka as Matsubara
Otani Naoko as Mama Terumi
Tanaka Tetsushi as Yamase, Satomi's husband
Jinbo Satoshi as Section Chief Yoshida
Koike Teppei
Asami Reina
Yasui Kenichiro
Asano Kazuyuki
Yashima Norito
Akimoto Naomi
Okada Megumi
Ogi Shigemitsu
The main characters of "Searchin' for My Polestar" are 7 friends that met at college while in the astronomic observation club "Sagittarius." Being in the club was just an excuse for them to go to the beach in summer, and skiing in winter. Actually, the only time they ever observed any stars was at summer camp during their senior year.
Dreaming of a bright future, the seven exchange vows for eternal friendship. However, over the next several years, their busy schedules cause them to begin drifting apart.
It's been 3 years since that summer when they laughed together gazing at the stars. Will their friendship continue to drift farther and farther apart? Or will they manage to strengthen their friendship again? --Fuji TV
Okay, okay. I'm totally balling like a baby. Episodes 8-12....killer! I was not expecting this drama to catch me, hook, line and sinker. First of all, I started watching this because of my Joe-san. He's so kawaii! Well, I have to be upset with the wardrobe department....why do they dress him off like he is a hustler from the 70's? Drives me CRAZY!
This was an awesome drama. Actually, I really think the Japanese drama, Friends, is a knock-off of this drama. Okay, there is no wife beater in this drama but the husband of one of the main characters is distant and treats her like a servant. Totally a jerk. Then you have the friends all go through some rough patch in their lives and someone always trying to fix the others problems. Then the interlove triangle/quadrangle that never really was a love thing in the first place. That was totally confusing.
The end...well, suffice it to say.....just tore me to shreds. I'm still in tears. It was wonderful. My only beef was the very, very, very, very last scene.....when the main three characters walked in different directions. That just tore me up because they are ALL best friends....they should all be together to the very end. At that point, I wanted a best friend like all seven of them were. I want that sort of relationship. Something that is not gender bound and that special person in the group would always be there for me. *Okay the tears are really flowing again. My throat hurts from holding back the sobs. And the snot won't stop running out of my nose.......*
God, I really LOVED this drama.
Ito Hideaki
Koike Teppei
Ummmm? He has abs....OMG!!! Too bad he's too young for my taste......So I know some other girls will likey this pic. LOL!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Vacation (베케이션 -2006)
Starring:
Episode 1
U-know / Yun Ho as Himself
Go Eun Ah as Soo Yun
Woo Kyung Ah as Jung Ah
Episode 2
Xiah / Jun Su as Himself
Max / Chang Min as Himself
Park Hee Bon as Young Shim
Episode 3
Jae Joong / Hero as Himself & Chan Shik
Kim Hyun Chul as Mang Chi
Jun Ka Young as Mina
Episode 4
Micky / Yoo Chun as Himself
Shin Tae Hoon as Little Yoo Chun
Choi Sul Lee as Little Jin Joo
The popular Kgroup TVXQ was preparing for a concert...It's been already 4 years since they debuted... During that time the members had stress piled up as well as disharmony between them. So the president delays their concert and gives each member 2 weeks of vacation. Each member leaves for their own vacation while dreaming about their daily escape. The strange and funny things that happen during their vacation... An omnibus TV drama with 4 episodes and 4 different colors...
Episode 1 - Starring U-know
Episode 1
(Cassiopeia)
U-know has been getting letters from a fan, Soo Yun, who has leukemia. Her dying wish is to meet him one day so he goes to visit her at the hospital during his vacation. Then a final note came and said Soo Yun died. Too make sure he went to the hospital but,he lost his words after seeing Soo Yun playing with the other kids at the hospital. Soo Yun says she lied for Jung Ah unnie who is hospitalized at the same hospital. She starts asking U-know to hold a concert for Jung Ah's birthday who got bedridden due to a car accident... After the concert U know goes outside to have a rest with Soo yun. During that time Jung Ah falls out of her wheel chair and gets better. After the Vacation at the hospital U know goes back to his company but soon he gets a phone call saying that Sooyun is dying! He later finds out she has LEukimia!
This was such a beautiful story. I just wish this wasn't so short because they had to rush the friendship and inevitable love that U-know and Soo Yun were forming. Even though it was only a 20 minutes show, the end had me in tears.
I have to say I wasn't expecting much. I really didn't know much about DBSK or the guys in the group. I've heard of them but never showed much interest. I was pleasantly surprised to come across this mini drama. They did an excellent job. U-know is such a cutie. I loved the fly-away hair. LOL!
Starring Xiah and Max
Episode 2
(Beautiful Life)
Xiah and Max goes to the countryside, highest point in the country and where there is only 23 people to avoid people in the city. As soon as they arrive Xiah bumps into a old elderly man who was an mailman. Due to Xiah 's accident Max becomes an mailman and delivers mail all day in the countryside. While delivering mail Max runs into a old elderly woman. While Max was working Xiah was going bathroom on a Nondulyung and got caught by a countryside girl, Young Shim. What will happen in that small countryside village?
Out of the four episodes this one was such a funny one. Poor Max ended up getting groped by three old ladies. I guess living in a village where there aren't any young men around, those old grannies got their fill. LOL! If only I could have been the granny to touch his butt. LOL! Totally hilarious.
But on a serious note, the old mail man had been writing letters to an old lady whose grandson had left long ago. Too make her happy, he had been writing ghost letters for the no-show grandson. Eventually, Max and the old mail man want to help the old lady so they convince Xiah to dress up as her grandson on her 80th birthday. The results, Xiah eventually becomes attached and starts to act really as the grandson. The was a touching story with lots of comedy to lighten the mood.
Again I was pleasantly surprised by this boyband whose music I have never listened to...but will give it a try now.
Starring Jae Joong aka Hero
Episode 3
(The Way U Are )
Jae Joong was buying a ticket to go on a trip when suddenly he got dragged by some gangsters and got beat up. Jae Joong had no idea why he was getting beat up and the only thing he heard was the name Chang Shik. With the help of Mang Chi he avoids the dangerous situation. Mang Chi shows a picture of Chang Shik to Jae Joong, who looked exactly like him. Chang Shik was working as a waiter at a nightclub and ran away with the owner's money. In order to get out of the nightclub Jae Joong pretends to be Chang shik and meets Chang Shik's girlfriend, Mina, who is a nightclub dancer. Jae Joong hears shocking information about Chang Shik from Mang Chi...
Will Jae Joong be able to return as TVXQ's lead vocalist Jae Joong / Hero?
This episode was quite interesting. How would you feel if you were wrongly identified as another person but other person looked EXACTLY like you? I wasn't sure how this was going to play out. But in the end, it was a touching story. The only thing I didn't like was the very end. Hero got the crap beat out of him for Chang Sik. There wasn't a Thank You, apology, nothing. Geez, and he had to get back to the band for their concert looking like someong through him under the train. In all, the episode was really good. Another lesson learned.......
Starring Micky
Episode 4
(Eternal)
Micky who hurt his shoulder during the concert rehearsal, visits a beach village where he lived for a while when he was a child. Coincidentally he meets a boy with the same name as his, Yoo Chun, and a girl named Jin Joo, whom Yoo Chun likes. Micky tries to help little Yoo Chun to get closer to Jin Joo but it's no use. While taking a walk on the beach Micky discovers a MokGak doll that little Yoo Chun hung on Jin Joo's neck. All of the memories he had forgotten from April 1994 had all come back. For a moment he lost his words due to the shock. What happened in April of 1994?
Okay, the guys can act. Like the first episode, this one was about lost love. Exception.....Micky had to go in the past to save the girl who died. Was it to right a wrong? As he goes about the neighborhood, he comes to realize the boy he was helping was he/himself as a young boy. Year....1994. After the realization, he starts to get memories of that time and realizes that the girl that the young Micky was wooing was the girl he loved but had died because of him.
Everything was perfect. He makes it in time to save her...but did he? He then wakes up and realizes that he is now back to the year 2006. Did Jin Joo survive? Did he make it in time? Micky will never know...as he had to get back to Seoul for the concert. Cut back.....a young woman stands outside looking at the ocean holding what looks like a wooden carving that the young Micky had carved. The end.
I cried like a freak. Okay. Yeah, you heard me. That he might have been with her. And to top it all off...she died while wishing for Micky to become a famous singer. Allah......DBSK! Yeah, tears are forming again........
Damn those guys....and they had to be cute too?
DBSK
Yes, yes...they are called Tohoshinki in Japan. Got it? Good.
"Micky" Yu Chun
"Max" Chang Min
"Xiah" Jun Su
"Hero" Jae Joong
"U-Know" Yun Ho