Thursday 31 December 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR!


Whether you're going out to celebrate with friends and/or family or sit in a cozy sofa and watch Asian dramas etc etc, I hope you'll all have a wonderful New Year today! (or if you've already celebrated New Year, I hope you had loads of fun!)
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
I'll see you in 2016! :3                                                              
Hugs
//Mina

End of The Year: Drama Awards 2015

Omodramaland's Super Special Drama Awards



Today is the last day of 2015, and so I kind of wanted to do a little wrap up when it comes to all the dramas that aired this year. With all the award shows going on, this is probably not something super duper original, but it is something I've wanted to do ever since I started this blog (I just love award shows you guys!! I can sit and watch it all + the red carpet footage and not get bored xD) so I decided to still have you read through one last award show of the year. Overall 2015 has been an AMAZING drama year for me. Compared to 2014, it completely blew my socks off, but of course, not everything can be pitch perfect. In this post I'll go through my favorite dramas of the year (Including Korean, Chinese and Japanese dramas. I sadly haven't seen any HK and Taiwanese dramas so I can't include those :s sorry), give out a best actress and actor award, best supporting role award, best villain award, best OST....as well as some new categories that I've come up with (because why not? xD) I would also like to apologize for the biased feelings towards Korean dramas, but due to easy access to subtitles, my love for the culture and language and actors, the majority of dramas on this list will be Korean.
Also, a quick mention.
1. Keep in mind that this is all based on my personal opinion and not on any viewers rating charts
2. No, -insert sad smiley that doesn't look like a stick with two dots- Six Flying Dragons won't be in this chart, since I don't think it's fair to give out an award to a drama that is barely halfway through the episodes. Therefore, it will be included in 2016's award post instead (and it's totally going to slay, am I right or am I right? -wink wink-)

Well then, bring out the flowers, because here are the winners ~ I hope you'll enjoy :3


Tuesday 22 December 2015

[LET'S GET TO KNOW] Korean Sageuks' and In What Order You Can Watch Them (Part 2)

The continuation ~ The Goryeo Dynasty 

The famous painting by King Gongmin


Goryeo (Hangul: 고려; hanja: 高麗 (918–1392), was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by King Taejo (of Goryeo) also known as Emperor Wang Gun, and overthrown by Yi Seong Gye (who became King Taejo of Joseon) with the help of his son Yi Bang Won (later king Taejong) and scholar Jeong Do Jeon in 1392. The name "Goryeo" later gave name to the modern exonym "Korea". 

There hasn't been a lot of dramas done in this time period. I don't know why, I guess nothing major happened, expect for when the Yuan Empire took over Goryeo and the establishment of the Joseon Dynasty which is pretty much what I'll cover in this blogpost, and it'll go quickly:

Goryeo:

Emperor Wang Gun (the founder of Goryeo)

The Iron Empress (Wang Gun's granddaugther)

(and then the dramas that I think you should watch to get a good overall view on this dynasty will be marked with a *)

Empress Ki * (focuses a lot on the Yuan Empire and the struggle between Yuan and Goryeo, as well as the fall of the Yuan)

The Great Seer (If you're interested in seeing how life in Goryeo was for both the king and the citizens during Yuan's harsh rule, check out Empress Ki or Faith instead. I know Ji Sung is in it, but I personally don't recommend this drama) 

Faith * (It's a time-travel - supernatural drama, with not much historical accuracy except that you get a good introduction to who King Gongmin, Queen Nagook and General Choi Young were) It's not super important, but I watched it before Six Flying Dragons, and you got a better understanding of General Choi Young, why the government was the way it was and as well as who the old kings that are mentioned in SFD were)

A frozen Flower (It's supposed to be about King Gongmin and Queen Nagook and their relationship, but it adapted from a fictional point of view, it's involves mature content, nudity and homosexuality, just so you know. It's not accurate to history but it's still a highly enjoyable movie!

Six Flying Dragons *** (Yes three stars are needed! All biased feelings aside, this IS the most important drama to watch, after probably Empress Ki and Faith if you decide to watch those, of this dynasty! I dare say that if you skip this drama you are pretty much skipping on an essential part of korean history. Just watch it! It's epic! (Yeah, I'll leave it at that since I think unless you're a new reader, you probably already know how much I've fangirled and spammed about this particular drama xD oh and if you're feeling hesitant because of Shin Se Kyung, don't worry, I used to dislike her actinga  lot too, but in this....she blows minds! Her acting has improved so much! So yeah, if this is holding you back, mark my words, you won't face-palm whenever you see her on the screen)   

Shin Don (Set in the same time period as Faith, it follows the life of the rumoured father of King U, who was one of the last Goryeo kings. I haven't seen it myself but unless you're hardcore and want to know every detail about what went down between the Empress Ki - Six Flying Dragons time period, you can skip this one, especially since I haven't managed to find it with subs ._. it's quite an old drama). 

Jeong Do Jeon (I'd dare say this is a twin of Six Flying Dragons, but only focuses on the scholar Jeong Do Jeon and his backstory. Sadly I have only been able to find the first episode subbed, but if you're fluent in korean, go ahead and check it out! 

Empire of Lust (movie) 

Non-historically accurate drama, but still set in the time-period:


So yeah, in my opinion if you just check out Empress Ki, (Faith), (A frozen Flower) and Six Flying Dragons you'll pretty much get the full picture of the important stuff in this dynasty! I hope you enjoyed :3 If you have any questions you're more than welcome to post a comment down below or contact me through my mydramalist! I'll see you in part 3 where we'll jump right ahead into the Joseon dynasty ~  

End of part 2  

Sunday 20 December 2015

Omodramaland's 'Can't Contain The Feels' Corner - Lee Min Ho: Arrogant Chaebol vs Badass Warrior Assassin?

A random Lee Min Ho-ish rant



So I suddenly fell into nostalgia-drama-mood and decided to start re-watching City Hunter. It was a brilliant idea because I actually really enjoyed that drama when I first watched it 2 years ago. And I missed it, but perhaps not the plot as much as seeing Lee Min Ho in that kind of role; and that's when it hit me. I actually missed THAT Lee Min Ho.
Lee Min Ho, to me he is a guy with potential but who is sadly trapped in the shadow of the role that brought him fame. Why do I say that? Because I feel like he mostly famous for his role in Boys Over Flowers, playing what is in my opinion, one of the most medocre-boring roles ever (the medocre-rating it got from me was purely thanks to the supporting-character Yi Sung),  It was in City Hunter that I first saw him, and I couldn't believe my eyes that a guy as talented as that got his break-through by playing a flat piece of paper, I still don't understand why he accepted that role in The Heirs. It was recycled but more clingy version of Gu Jun Pyo, only with more family drama. I couldn't understand why he went back to doing the boring recycled Gu Jun Pyo - now named Kim Tan -character when he had just finished two kickass dramas (City Hunter and Faith)? But that's when it hit me. The sad truth. It was probably because Lee Min Ho as the arrogant chaebol appealed more to the general public than the badass assassin/warrior Lee Min Ho. Why else would he instead of moving forward go back to the same role he did before?
Don't missunderstand, I did so-so enjoy BOF and Heirs, more on a guilty pleasure level though, and it was certainly not because of the characters Lee Min Ho played. And when you start to feel like the main characters are the most boring characters in that particular drama...then something is wrong. 
In City Hunter I didn't feel like that. Every character was interesting, and most of all Lee Min Ho shone with his acting from start to finish! And it saddens me so much that he kind of disappeared from drama-land, mostly because he realized that if he stayed there he'd only get cast for romance coemdy high school roles, because that's sadly what people remember him for, and that just breaks my heart. He is so much more than that. He deserves the credit he gets, but I feel like he gets it for the wrong roles. Like, according to Mydramalist, more have watched The Heirs than Faith. Why? Faith was awesome T_T (well in my opinion)
As an example, Ji Chang Wook is famous as the Healer, no one remembers much of his role as Taeyang from Bachelors Vegetable Store, But Lee Min Ho isn't remember for his acting in City Hunter or Faith as a badass, he is remembered for BOF, which led him to then accept the role for The Heirs because apparently that's what people wanted to see him do next (we want Gu Jun Pyo back...yaaay <_< Mina is not happy). I'm glad that he did Gangnam 1970 though, but it's still sad that he had to "run off" to the movie-industry in order to escape his BOF image (this is not a fact, but how I see it btw). I know there's probably other reasons for it too, like the fact that the salary as a movie actor is way higher than for a drama actor, but I'm almost positive that it was also because he was sick of being cast and getting fame for the same kind of roles, it's like a never-ending bad spiral. He is an actor who wants to try all sorts of diverse roles, so why does he always get remembered only for for playing an arrogant chaebol? 
I want my smexy warrior Lee Min Ho back in dramaland, just like how he was in Faith, or the badass assassin he was in City Hunter and this time I hope he gets more cred for it.
What do you guys think? Which Lee Min Ho do you prefer? This was just a random rant I decided I needed to do because the thought kept bouncing around in my brain like a crazy table tennis ball xD

Thursday 17 December 2015

Wednesday 16 December 2015

[LET'S GET TO KNOW] Korean Sageuks' and In What Order You Can Watch Them (Part 1)

Korean historical dramas: The Three Kingdoms





B.C – before Christ
A.D – After Christ (sometimes written as just numbers)


Quick historical backstory: Pre- and during the Three Kingdoms


Several tribes formed “The Gojoseon” (old Joseon) kingdom around 10th century BC. Gojoseon fell to an invasion by Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty of China in 108 BC (Emperor Wu of Han, 5th emperor of the Han dynasty). During this time various tribal states emerged and built walls. As their political powers got stronger these tribal states developed into Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla – The three kingdoms of Korea삼국시대; (refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria, North-East China, for much of the 1st millennium. The Three Kingdoms period ran from 57 BC until Silla triumphed over Goguryeo in 668, which marked the beginning of the North and South States period of Unified Silla in the South and Balhae in the North. The earlier part of this period, before the three states developed into full-fledged kingdoms, is sometimes called Proto–Three Kingdoms of Korea).


About this blog post and Sageuk dramas:


Not to long ago I got quite a few requests and questions about the topic in what order should I watch sageuks? This is a very interesting question because some of them are connected to each other, and based on real historical events while others are more fictional and can be watched whenever. So Instead of writing a super long essay in a private message on mydramalist to everyone individually, I decided to make a blog post about it. This way it won't only answer the question but it could also perhaps help everyone else who might be wondering the same thing.

I've categorized them based on kingdoms and then time period. Unless it's stated that something is a prequel or sequel to something, those dramas (which will be marked in in cursive letters) can be watched separately. But I still recommend to stick to the order for best historical accuracy. When a drama is written as "related to" another one, it means that you can either watch it right next to the other or watch them both at the same time (preferably. Because that way you'll get the full story).
If there is a link for the subbed episodes, it will be provided here as well. However not every drama will have a link. That doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, just that I'm not an all-knowing person and doesn't know of every kdrama online page in existence xD feel free to comment down below the links if you have them. It is very appreciated! :)
This list is in no way complete (first of all it's is only the first part in this blog-post series as I'll go from The three kingdoms all the way to the 1900's Korea) but I will also add dramas and movies to this list as they come out. It seems like 2016 will be full of sageuks' so when they start to air I'll add them to the list! Also, keep in mind that this is all a recommendation and doesn't serve as a MUST-DO in any way! I also have to note that I haven't seen all of these dramas. I also haven't followed this order as if it's set in stone, especially since some historical periods appeal to me more than others, but I've always tried to watch the prequel-sequel or related dramas in the order in which they are historically presented. Of couse if I can't find the subbed episodes then it can't be helped. I will also mark the recommendations with a *, it is dramas that I've seen and that I think you can watch if you don't feel like watching EVERYTHING xD. Well then, I hope this post will be useful or at least give you an overview on all the different kingdoms and historical time periods. If you've made yourself comfy on the chair and grabbed a bag of snacks ~ enjoy. Let's begin shall we?

In what order they should/can be watched:

Before anything, if you want to start from the very very beginning, I can recommend you to read the manhwa the bride of the water god. It's a fictional story based on korean history and mythology and it's about a woman who gets sacrificed by her village to the water god Habaek in order to become his bride. This is, according to an old myth the only way to calm down the angry Water God so that he'll let the rain fall again (and the villagers have been starving for 20 years or so because of drought). How is this relevant to Korean history you might ask? Well, according to legends Jumong, the founder of Goguryeo and also Korea's first king is said to be the grandson of the water god Habaek. Jumong's mom also makes an appearance in the manhwa and I have to add that besides the story, the drawing is flawless. It is one of the most gorgeously drawn manga/manhwas I've ever come across. So if you feel like that sounds like sometrhing for you, you can start by reading the bride of the water god, otherwise you can just jump right ahead into the first historical drama in this order:


Goguryeo:

Jumong * (First saeguk to watch. Founder of Goguryeo and therefore also the "father" of Korea)
The kingdom of the winds * (Sequel to Jumong and is about Jumong's grandson King Daemusin)
Ja Myung Go (Main character Prince Hodong is the son of King Daemusin. Sequel to The kingdom of the winds)

The Legend (Watch after Kim Soo Ro)


Yeon Gae Somun (Takes places before, during and after Sword of Flower)

Sword and flower Related to the drama Yeon Gae Somun as a fictional sequel. The main characters fathers' are King Yeongnyu and General Yeon Gaesomun - who were enemies)  

Silla:

Queen Seon Duk * (related to the dramas: Yeon Gaesomun and Ballad of Seo Dong).
The great King’s dream (Sequel to Queen Seon Duk)
Emperor of the Sea

Baekje:

Ballad of Seo Dong (A love story between a princess of Silla and a prince of Baekje. Based on a folktale)


Gaya:

Kim Soo Ro (Watch before the drama The Legend)

Balhae:

Dae Jo Yeong


Non-historically accurate dramas, but still set in this time-period:

Battlefield heroes



End of part 1 

Tuesday 15 December 2015

[Drama Recap and Analysis] D-Day Episode 4

D-day (2015, South Korea) 






[SPOILERS BELOW!] This is a recap and analysis of episode 4


Wednesday 9 December 2015

[NEWS] Park Seo Joon, Go Ara and Park Hyung Shik Are Offered Roles In New Historical Drama! (UPDATED!)

New historical drama Hwarang in the making!



CHECK ALL THE WAY DOWN FOR UPDATED INFORMATION! 
Earlier today it was revealed that Park Seo Joon, Go Ara and Park Hyung Shik have gotten offers to starr in a new sageuk drama named Hwarang which will be a drama about the young and beautiful Hwarang warriors of the Silla dynasty (57 BC – 935 AD).
Park Hyung Shik has been offered the role of King Jinheung, who ruled Silla from 540 to 576 during the Three Kingdoms period. He took the throne at 15 and became one of Silla’s greatest kings, responsible for vastly expanding its territory and establishing the basis for the later unification of the kingdoms.

This drama seems to have some connection to Kdrama Queen Seon Duk, as Lady Mishil (from Queen Seon Duk) was one of King Jinheung's consorts, and the king himself was the greatgrandfather of queen Seon Duk. Although nothing else has been confirmed so we'll have to wait and see how much the two dramas will touch story-wise. Nothing on Go Ara's and Park Seo Joon's characters have been revealed either.
The production will be the in hands of the Oh Boy Pictures, the people who were behind tvN's Flower Boy dramas (Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Shut Up: Flower Boy Band and Flower Boy Next Door).

The new drama comes from Oh Boy Pictures, the production company behind the Flower Boy dramas on tvN (Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Shut Up: Flower Boy Band, Flower Boy Next Door). This time it seems that the production team will do something in the flower-boy theme again, but in a historical setting as the Hwarang were an elite group of highly educated young aristocratic warriors founded in the 6th century who were known for their beauty. Their name translates to: hwa = flower, rang = boy. Which basically makes them the original flower boys.

Not much else has been revealed, the airing time is still up in the air as well, but according to rumours the drama is set to start filming in december for an perhaps early janaury premier.
More information will come later on when I find out more about the plot and who has/hasn't accepted the role.

Are you guys exicted for a new "Flower Boy" series? :D I think it sounds very fresh and interesting and I hope all three of the actors will accept the roles >_< it'd be awesome! On a sidenote, woah, Park Seo Joon sure is on a roll ~ he's getting offers left and right. Go, go Park Seo Joon! xD

Source: Dramabeans

UPDATE: Park Hyung Shik has accepted the role while Park Seo Joon and Go Ara are still considering! 

Saturday 5 December 2015

[REVIEW] Cheer Up!

Cheer Up! (2015, South Korea)



Title: 발칙하게 고고
Also known as: Sassy Go Go 
Genre: romance, comedy, sports, youth, (mature)
Episodes: 12
Broadcast network:  Oct 5, 2015 to Nov 10, 2015
Broadcast period: KBS2

Set in a highly competitive school that emphasizes achievement and scores above all else, the drama will lay bare the absurdities and hypocrisies of the education system while also featuring the growth stories of the students who struggle to move forward, one step at a time. - MDL

Overall Score: 10/10
Character Development: 10/10
Plot Development: 10/10
Acting: 10/10
Soundtrack: 9.5/10 (because nothing in the world is perfect right? Unless it actually is xD haha)