Korean and Taiwanese Drama Suggestions and recommendations!

image source: fanpop.com

So, if you follow me on Tumblr, you may have noticed that I recently posted my updated Asian Drama List (click here to view on blog) (click here to view on tumblr). I got a great response from it, and a lot of suggestions. I thought I would share them with you all because you might also be looking for suggestions, or you might have even more to add to the list. Disclaimer: As I stated above, these are suggestions that I received from my awesome tumblr chingus, and, while I trust them with my heart, I cannot vouch for the quality of all these dramas because I haven't watched them, hence the reason they were recommended to me. If you want to see my recommendations and VVIP dramas please look here or read my reviews here.

These suggestions are compiled from recommendations made by: withoutaffection, sarangdrama, daezelochan, r3cklessbeauuutyy, ultrakdramamama, ifil-ifellinlove, ocat25, ocddee, bitinglightning, xiao-lulu, annemarcus, wanna-wonder-about-fandoms, officialbootyhunter, d-x2, shineestofuleader14, tattooednoona, Salve Grace Losbanes (via twitter). I received a few anon tips, so I can't tag you, but thanks! Also, if I managed to miss you but you recommended something (tumblr doesn't make it easy to keep track of messages or replies), please let me know so I can tag you.

Currently Airing Dramas:

1.   Secret Love Affair
2.   Emergency Couple (I'm totes caught up now)
3.   Bride of the Century
4.   God's Gift/ 14 Days
5.   Sly and Single Again/ Cunning and Single Again

Off-Air Dramas:

6.   I Hear Your Voice (I watched most of this last summer, I need it sometime)
7.   Let's Eat
8.   Nine

9.   Two Weeks
10.  Witch Yoo Hee

11.  Take Care of Us Captain

12.  Painter of the Wind

13.  Dalja’s spring

14.  9th end 2 outs 

15.  Tree of heaven/summer scent 

16.  World’s within 

17.  Wish upon a star 

18.  Last scandal in life

19.  When night comes

20.  One mum three dads

21.  Monstar

22.  Can we get married

23.  Snow Queen

24.  Lovers in Paris

Taiwanese, Chinese, and other Asian Dramas:

25.  In time with you

26.  Love You (Taiwanese)

27.  Love at the Corner (Taiwanese)

28.  Romantic Princess (Taiwanese)

29.  Down with Love (Taiwanese)

30.  Why Why Love (Taiwanese)

31.  Devil Beside You (Taiwanese)

32.  Frog Prince (Taiwanese

33.  Meteor Garden 1&2 (Taiwanese)

34.  Princess Returning Pearl (Chinese)

35.  Prince who became a frog (Taiwanese)

36.  100% Nanny daddy (Singapore drama)

37.  再生緣 (Hong Kong drama)

Keep 'em coming and Saranghae!

30 Day Kdrama Challenge: Day 18

Day 18: The Worst Kdrama You've Watched Until the End

Moon Chae Won and Choi Jin Hyuk in It's Okay Daddy's Girl

Oh Boy, this is a tough one. I will choose It's Okay Daddy's Girl as the worst Korean drama I've watched all the way through. Honestly, I kept waiting for it get good, so I continued to watch episode after episode. When the final episode came, I felt pretty dumb for wasting my time on this one. I think the worst part about it is that it has some great Korean actors including Moon Chae Won, Choi Jin Hyuk, and Super Junior's Lee Dong Hae. And when I first started it, I thought, "wow, Moon Chae Won and Choi Jin Hyuk would make a hot couple." Sadly, though, their relationship development was severely lacking. Also, I was really grossed out when we found out the Kang Sung's character was the father of the girl who had lived her whole life thinking she was his little sister. I just can't with this drama, I really can't. Watch it, if you dare, free and subtitled on DramaFever

Gu Family Book OST

Gu Family Book is a fusion of many different drama genres. It's a combination of Saguek, romantic comedy, action and adventure, supernatural, girl mistaken as boy (for a few episodes), and melodrama. I plan on discussing this drama more in depth for my final review next week, but for now, I present you with the beautiful OST. The songs features in this drama capture its epicness quite well, and they add sweet romance to already emotional scenes. This OST is separated into 8 parts with 2 special albums as well. Click on the links below to download the music. Enjoy!

Album info

Artist: Various
Language: Korean
Genre: OST
Release Date: April 8th - June 18th 2013

Miss Panda and Hedgehog Final Review

I want to talk about, what I believe, are the two most important aspects of Miss Panda and Hedgehog.

 

Panda cookies made by Hedgehog :)

1. Delicious-looking cakes and cookies.
I don't really buy the whole Donghae went to prison and learned how to make the most amazing desserts in South Korea thing, but I will get over that. Every time I watched this show it made me hungry. Just look at those cookies!

Lee Donghae and Choi Jinhyuk

2. Ko Seung Ji and Choi Won Il's romance.
I think the relationship between these two was the cutest one of the whole drama. In a highly Kdramatic fashion, they started off hating each other (heck, they were even involved in a love triangle together), but ended up joining forces. I thought the love triangle between Seung Ji, Panda, and Won Il was pretty pointless to the story, though. Panda never seemed to have any intention of liking anyone besides Seung Ji, and Won Il just acted like a whiny baby over the whole thing, which turned a very attractive man into an irritating baby. I was extremely relieved that Won Il readily accepted their relationship and didn't become a useless emo kid like Jung Il Woo's character in The Moon That Embraces the Sun because once he relinquished that stupid crush, Won Il became more likeable and a lot more attractive.
 In the end when we learn that Seung Ji is actually the long-lost Min Woo that rounded out the childhood threesome with Panda and Won Il, the part that was the most emotional happened, for me, when Won Il had a flashback of young Min Woo crying in an ally asking him not to tell Panda that his dad beats him every day. That's when I realized how sad Seung Ji's life had really been. His own father had basically left him for dead, and then tried to do the same thing again as an adult. Luckily, Seung Ji was surrounded by enough love from the Panda Cafe team that he came out as the victor in the end.

Won Il, Panda, and the Hedgehog

Overall, I thought Panda and Hedgehog was a sweet confection of a drama, but I definitely had some issues with the story. I find it hard to imagine that no one would have recognized the grown up Min Woo in Seung Ji (his mother, best friends, or grandfather). I guess he just looked SO much different from when he was a kid, unlike a lot of people that I know. Also, it was strange how the grandpa started freaking out when Min Woo's mom buttoned her shirt starting with the third button. Wouldn't you either not notice it or just think it's a weird coincidence? And as for Panda and Seung Ji's relationship, I was happy to see a Korean drama that didn't separate the main couple because of some nonsensical conflict onver money, family, politics or what-have-you, but I just wasn't completely feeling it. Like I mentioned, though, overall I have a positive impression after watching it, and now I leave you with this clip of Donghae with Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Sungmin from Super Junior on SNL Korea just because I can!