Secret Garden

Secret Garden (시크릿 가든) is a 2010-2011 Korean romantic/fantasy drama that has the basic framework of any other Korean romantic drama, but adds things that makes it different and just that much more refreshing. It stars Hyun Bin, Ha Ji Won, Yoon Sang Hyun, Kim Sa Rang, Lee Philip, Lee Jong Suk, Yoo In Na, and Kim Sung Oh. The summary is as follows:

The drama tells the story of Kim Joo Won, an arrogant and eccentric CEO who maintains the image of seeming perfection, and Gil Ra Im, a poor and humble stuntwoman whose beauty and body are the object of envy amongst top actresses. Their accidental meeting, when Joo Won mistakes Ra Im for actress Park Chae Rin, marks the beginning of a tense, bickering relationship, through which Joo Won tries to hide a growing attraction to Ra Im that both confuses and disturbs him. To complicate matters further, a strange sequence of events results in them swapping bodies.

You know what bothers me? Even though summaries give you a hint of what goes on, it's really not that accurate. I don't know why I started this drama, but I do remember that I began it approximately two weeks before my arrival date in Korea (yes, I'm in Korea now and have been for the past two weeks). No wait, I was stuck on hulu.com for dramas because of the good quality of the videos; the commercials I could ignore and if I could see the pores on the actors' and actress' faces, all the better. Anyway, the summary didn't really pull me in though it did intrigue me. What? Romance and some fantastical idea all in one? O_o So I decided to try it out.

First off, the acting's superb. The switching of the bodies showed their talent and when Joo Won reverted back to his 21-year-old self, that was a testament as well. The plot was great as well, even though it seems a bit generic at first. I mean, it's a poor, orphan girl who gets noticed by some privileged guy. Then you learned a bit more: it's a stunt woman (who's pretty kick-butt if I may say so) who has a firefighter for a dad with a CEO for a lover and to-be husband. There are plot twists and I love how the roles are reversed where you see the guy going against the very fabric of his being and chasing after the girl. It's so romantic. Personally, the 17th and 18th episodes are my absolute favorites and you know what? The ending isn't all happiness and butterflies in a meadow full of blooming flowers. They're together (which is what's important - it seems like the main theme was how love could surpass all in the end solely by itself) and it shows a bit of life after marriage, but - well, you'll see. ^^

Anyway, I highly recommend it. One more thing: the body-swapping seems completely random at the beginning, but it all makes sense towards the end (sort of). :) It also links in references to fairy tales via Disney princesses which is sweet.You can watch it on hulu (but as hulu doesn't stream outside of the US, I finished it here).

My Lovely Sam-Soon

My Lovely Sam-Soon (Nae I-reum-eun Kim Sam-soon/내 이름은 김삼순), or My Name is Kim Sam Soon, is a 2005 Korean romance/comedy drama. It stars Kim Sun Ah, Hyun Bin, Jung Ryu Won, and Daniel Henney. The synopsis is as follows [episode-by-episode synopsis here]:

Kim Sam Soon is a baker who has a talent in making pastries and cakes. On Christmas Eve, she caught her boyfriend, Min Hyun Woo, cheating on her and breaks up on the same night. On that same night, she accidentally went into the men's restroom and met Hyun Jin Hun, a somewhat callous fellow but sometimes considerate guy. By sheer coincidence, Jin Hun needs a baker for his restaurant Bon Appetit and Sam Soon is unemployed. Sam Soon is hired as the restaurant's chief baker and the two fights like cat and dog. Nevertheless, they started to have feeling for each other and Sam Soon agreed to post as Jin Hun's girlfriend so his mother would leave him alone. Things got complicated when Jin Hun's ex-girlfriend Yoo Hee Jin came back from the States intending to win him back.

This drama has been on my list of dramas-to-watch for quite a while and I finally got to it. :) Since today's the last day of my summer break (school starts again tomorrow!), I decided to just relax because once school starts, school is life. It's a pretty cute movie but with some stereotypical characteristics (i.e. a guy and girl who get together because they'll "never" be together, an illness, love triangles and squares) but on the other side, it's tweaked a bit.

For instance, the main female lead isn't one of those obviously pretty and slim females who turn heads wherever she goes. She's slightly plump and 30 years-old and she has an attitude to go alone with it. Of course, she's also pretty as well and it's not like she has rolls or anything, just a little squish. Then there's the 27 year-old male lead who's just great to look at and owns a high-class restaurant, where all of the female staff have a crush on him. Honestly, Jin Hun's ex looks more like the stereotypical "other half" but anyway, I like this inconsistency. :) The romance grows gradually and it's really cute and funny and there are several funny constants throughout the drama like the men's restroom, a certain blind date that is always interupted by Jin Hun... Ah yes, and English is also spoken in the drama, and it's not the Korean-accented English either and it's not only one small conversation but entire scenes were filled with it.

Anyway, even though it's a drama with all the usual things in it, it hooked me in it and I ended up finishing it in two days. I highly enjoyed it and I thought the acting and the chemistry was there.

You can watch it here.
Picture taken from here.

A Millionaire's First Love

A Millionaire's First Love (백만장자의 첫사랑), wiki and review, is a Korean movie released in 2006 about a spoiled, rich kid who is sent to a small town to finish school and graduate in order to get his inheritance. Along the way, he meets this girl and that's where it continues. It stars Hyun Bin and Lee Yeon Hee. The summary is as follows:

Kang Jae-kyung is a typical spoiled rich kid; he’s arrogant, drives sporty cars, attends the big clubs, and rides through school corridors on his motorcycle. As his 18th birthday approaches, he’s set to inherit his grandfather’s fortune, including a five star hotel. However, Jae-kyung must earn his fortune. His grandfather lays down an ultimatum: Jae-kyung is required to transfer to a new school in Gangwondo and graduate. Until then all access to his penthouse, cottage and credit cards is denied. Should he fail to graduate or drop out, then he loses everything. With little choice he heads out to the countryside and a small town in which daily life is far removed from what he’s used to.

Shortly after settling into his new home he meets 19 year-old Choi Eun-whan, who just happened to run into him back in Seoul. They don’t exactly hit it off; he’s far too stubborn and cool for school, while she sees hope for him and sets out to make him see it for himself. As they eventually draw closer, thanks to a set of coincidences and school projects they learn more about one another, but soon a shattering revelation will change these people forever.

It's a sweet movie where there's a nice girl who eventually changes the arrogant, rather frustrating boy for the better. There's a little more to that - but that's the gist. Even so, it's more on the tragic romance side of things as we find out certain things. I have to say that there is a high possibility of the shedding of tears while watching this movie. :) All in all, it's sweet and though there are scenes that are funny, it's not a comedy.

You can watch it here.