Drama special (2010) - Pianist - Review

KBS2 Drama special is a weekly program showing short drama, usually every episode features different story. These short dramas are not very popular like the regular ones, but I have heard very good reviews for some of them, using their limited time to produce a completed story. And in deed some of these are much better than 16-episode dramas, like this little gem.

What is this about:

Directed Moon Joon Ha. Written by  Park Eun Young. Star Choi Min Ho, Han Ji Hye.
A 30-year-old piano teacher, In Sa (Han Ji Hye), meets accidently a 19-year-old boy, Je Ro (Choi Min Ho), who tunes pianos as a living and a delicate relationship between them begins.

My review:

I believe the best word to describe this little drama is delicate. There is a very delicate approach to this noona romance and how their relationship evolves, and a raw sensitivity that make it feel more like a movie.

In Sa (Han Ji Hye) is piano teacher that hasn’t practiced for a long time and has lost her ability. She used to passionate about the piano but being poor cost her the chance to become something more than a teacher for primary school students. Her boyfriend is a jerk and she breaks up with him for good reason. Her loneliness, even when she was with her boyfriend, is apparent. She has lost her passion for life and just lives day by day.

Je Ro (Choi Min Ho) is a very talented boy who learned himself to play the piano. He is sensitive and romantic and, he too, feels lonely, since he cannot connect with his surroundings. He makes a living by tuning pianos, since he is poor and cannot go to university.

There are so many things that I loved in this story. First I found interesting the irony that Je Ro has the talent but In Sa is the one that teaches piano. He has passion for it, while she has lost it years ago. From their first meeting it is evident that they are kindred spirits and their loneliness fit each other like pieces of a puzzle. 

She starts by seeing him friendly when it is apparent he likes her romantically. He doesn’t say much, she is the one who does most of the talking, but he looks at her adoringly. This could look weird very easily, but the actor plays it with sincerity and sensitivity, so you cannot help but feel your heart ache for him. She doesn’t stay unmoved by his emotions – who would? – and slowly finds her love for music again. 

But life is a bitch. The angst is real and not constructed just for the sake of the story. Both Je Ro and In Sa have their own reasons and you can understand them both. Even though the ending is somewhat open – btw I hate open endings – and I could watch these characters all day, I think this is one of the most satisfactory stories I have seen in a ling time.

But the beauty of this drama isn’t limited only to the excellent writing and charismatic performances of the two actors. The directing here is like a movie’s. The color palette, from the lighting, the make-up and the clothes, is very autumnal and sets a nostalgic mood. The soundtrack consists of classical pieces, making it relaxing and emotional, just like Je Ro and In Sa’s relationship. Finally, it has some beautiful shots of Seoul, which is a feat, considering this is just an hour-long drama.

Why you should watch:

• Excellent directing – music, lighting, cinematography.

• Performances that evoke emotions.

• Excellent writing with delicate feelings.

Why not to watch:

• I have no idea.

Final verdict:

9.5/10. I leave that 0.5 point for the masterpieces, but overall I love this to pieces. Highly recommend it.

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My tutor friend (2003) - Review

After finishing my master thesis I finally have more time to watch Asian dramas and movies. So, I am watching old classics, dramas and movies, that didn’t have the time to watch before. One of them is “My tutor friend”, a Korean movie from 2003.

What is this about:

Directed by Kim Kyeong-hyeong. Written by Park Yeon-seon. Star Kim Ha-neul, Kwon Sang-woo. 
A college student, Su Wan, is hired to teach a 21-year-old rich boy, Ji Hoon, to finally finish high school. The problem is that he doesn’t want to study, plus he is the school gangster.

My review:

This was a hit back when was first released on the cinemas and it is easy to see why. Based on internet stories of a college student teaching a high schooler of the same age, this film feels like a live-action anime. It has laugh-out-loud moments and slap stick humor.

Su Wan (Kim Ha-neul) is poor sophomore college student that works as a teacher to help her mother who works selling chicken. While she wants to act tough, she can’t always and ends up being mistreated by others. She is funny and her reactions are priceless. There is no heavy characterization, but her character is cute and the one you root for.

Ji Hoon (Kwon Sang-woo) is a spoiled rich boy, son of a gangster, that doesn’t want to finish high school, he doesn’t like studying in general. Because he is afraid of his father, he accepts to take lessons with Su Wan, making Su Wan’s life miserable in the process. He is a stereotype, but the actor is charismatic enough to make him funny.

The directing is very anime-like, with cuts that feel they came right from a comic book and choreographed fight scenes. The tome of the movie is light, keeping it consistent till the end and avoiding unnecessary melodrama. The actors are very suitable for their roles and play them with enough charisma. 

The only drawback is that it tries to put as much content as possible. This is a flaw common in adaptations, where they try to every memorable scene from the source material, but in their efforts, they make the scenes feel rushed and not connected.

Why you should watch:

• Funny anime-like movie, with slapstick humor and little romance.

• Enjoyable leads.

• Nice directing, elevates the fun.

• Easy-breezy watch, nothing too serious.

• Nicely choreographed fight scenes.

Why not to watch:

• If you want more romance this might disappoint you.

• It has enough violence – it is about school gangster, after all.

• The writing feels rushed and somewhat chopped.

Final review:

7/10. A comedy that brings the laughs with a bit of romance.

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Yamato Nadeshiko (2000) - Review

“Yamato nadeshiko” or “The perfect woman” is an old Japanese drama. Frankly I don’t know where I read about this, or why I had it in my hard drive, but I was feeling a bit nostalgic and wanted to watch something older - October blues -, so I thought to watch this. It was unexpectedly good.

What is this about:

Directed by Wakamatsu Setsuro, Hirano Shin. Written by Nakazono Miho, Aizawa Tomoko. Star Matsushima Nanako, Tsutsumi Shinichi. An air stewardess, Sakurako (Matsushima Nanako), is going from one single date to another in order to find the richest man she can find. There she meets Osuke (Tsutsumi Shinichi), an owner of a fish shop, who convienced by his friends, pretends to be a doctor. By some misunderstanding, Sakurako thinks he is a very rich man and sets out to marry him.

My review:

This was an unexpected fluff romantic comedy. Surprisingly the episodes flew by quickly and watched the first two episodes back to back. Even though this isn’t a plot driven drama, it felt like in every episode there were things happening, less towards the end, but still there was progression.

Sakurako (Matsushima Nanako) is the titular character and on a first sight she is truly a perfect woman. She is not a drop dead gorgeous woman, but she has soft feminine feature which she accompanies with soft voice, cute smile and gentle manners. This is the first impression, before she starts teaching her colleagues how to catch a rich man and that money is the most important thing in a relationship. I give much credit to the wonderful actress who took a character that could be so easily annoying, and made it funny. She tried to make the character a little more three dimensional but the writing didn’t help her much. Nevertheless, she was hilarious and perhaps the only reason for watching this.

Osuke (Tsutsumi Shinichi) is the exact opposite from Sakurako. He comes from a poor family too, but he is hardworking, sensitive guy that takes care of his sick mother and don’t much aspirations about the future. However, his lack of ambition comes from his lack of confidence. He doubts himself so much and is so afraid to get hurt that never take the lead to go for what he wants. He gives up even before trying. So it is quite easy to see how these two complement each other.

This drama is so funny because it feels like a live adaptation of a manga. From my search on the web I didn’t find any such indication, but I could be wrong. Their dates and the way they meet accidentally always end up in disaster, but slowly Sakurako warms up towards Osuke while she learns a bit more about him. It is a slow progress but a satisfying one. Also, Osuke's friendship with the other guys is quite realistic, despite their manga-like behavior most of the time.

The only drawback of this drama is that it didn’t have any emotional impact on me. It was fluff, I liked it, but soon I will forget about it. It didn’t have that extra factor to put it on my favorite list.

Why you should watch:

• It is fluff romantic comedy.

• Nice performance from the lead actress.

• Feels like a manga.

• Quick plot.

Why not to watch:

• Doesn’t have much depth.

• If you don’t like romantic comedies.

• Except the lead actress, the rest of the performances are nothing to write about.

Final verdict:

6/10. This is a nice drama to spend your weekend if you are bored and want something to relax and have fun.

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Karn La Krang Neung Nai Hua Jai (2016) - Review

“Karn La Krang Neung Nai Hua Jai” or “Once upon a time in my heart” is my newest addition to thai lakorns. I got interested in it by reading the recaps at Lovefia, which made me addicted into it even before watching the lakorn. When the subtitles were released for all the episodes, big thanks to the neko meow meow for subbing this, I got into it as soon as possible.

What is this about:

Directed by Tietawan. Star Mick Tongraya, Pimmy Pimprapa Tangprabhaporn, Boom Piyaphun. Fahsai (Pimmy Tangprabhaporn) is heartbroken when her boyfriend leaves her for another woman, so she decides to accompany her friend to Japan. There she meets Daniel (Mick Tongraya), a Hong Kong mafia leader who confuses her with his dead girlfriend. And so, their story begins.

My review:

It could have been the perfect lakorn but fell short in the end. The broadcast channel cut it short by two episodes and it’s one of those rare cases where it would benefit more with those extra episodes. Things fell rushed in the end and we didn’t get all the answers we wanted. But, I think, it was best that I knew that, thanks to Lovefia’s recaps, so I adjusted my expectations to like it for what it was and not for what it could have been.

Fahsai (Pimmy Tangprabhaporn) is your typical heroine, cute, sweet, loyal daughter and forgives easily. What I like about her and what makes her stand out is that, even though she can’t fight back using her fists, when the need arises she will use her mind and put the other person into his/her place with clever words. Also, just because she is weak physically, doesn’t mean she is a weak person. She has perseverance, patience, forgiveness and is willing to do anything to help her parents and her close friends. We can see why Daniel likes and admires her.

Daniel (Mick Tongraya) is your dream guy, at least until the two last episodes where the director decided to change his personality and make him a noble idiot. He was calm, collected, a gentleman but used his hands when he had to, he follows his heart but in the meantime he uses his head to do the right thing. Even though he is a mafia leader, he wants to break free from the illegal activities of the past and live a normal life. If you don’t count the last two episodes, Daniel was a lead man that every lakorn writer should take an example.

Chen Ming (Boom Piyaphun) is the third wheel and walks the line between first and second lead. He was best friends with Daniel, but some tragic events made them enemies. Unlike Daniel, Chen Ming is emotional, he is carried away by his emotions, can’t think clearly and, most of the times, takes the wrong decision. It is apparent early on that he didn’t want to be a gang leader, instead he wanted to be an artist, so he puts his trust to people he thinks are better than him. He starts as the least likable of the three but his progress to become a more matured version of himself is satisfying. 

What I loved and enjoyed the most about this particular lakorn are the strong friendships. On one hand, we have Fahsai with her two friends, Puifai and Nuch, who are best friend material. In many cases they were expressing my thoughts about the situation. Especially Puifai who gets her own love story with Daniel’s bodyguard, Chen Biao, is the exact opposite of Fahsai. When Fahsai tries to use reason or doesn’t respond to other’s mean words, Puifai will use her fists. She is loud and outspoken and wants to live her life to the fullest.

On the other hand, Daniel has two different bromances, one with his former best friend-now enemy,Chen Ming, and one with his bodyguard/right hand, Chen Biao. On the first bromance, it is sad to see their friendship being ruined and Daniel getting accused for things he didn’t do, while he still tries to protect Chen Ming. But it is also satisfying to see their relationship getting slowly back to what it used to be, when the truth gets unveiled. On the second romance, Chen Biao is always there to protect Daniel and help him, feeling gratitude for Daniel saving his life when his family was murdered. He is a no-nonsense and sharp guy that doesn’t waste his time in unnecessary things. And his romance with Puifai is so charming in its own way because she teaches him to enjoy life again.

Even though this is an action lakorn, do not expect Daredevil level of awesomeness. It takes an episode or two to get used to them trying to look cool and mucho, but I have definitely seen worse. For lakorn standards, the action scenes are quite decent, with one or two short scenes being very good.

Regarding the rest of the production, the songs used are nice, easy on the ear, although none of them stood out for me. The direction was very good, with the first two episodes being the best shot, especially the scenes in Japan. I suppose in the beginning of the filming they had more time to prepare.

The only drawback is the direction of the story in the last two episodes. Suddenly, Daniel became an noble idiot and took not very clever decisions, resulting to Fahsai crying and me shaking my head with frustration. If only it had one more episode and didn’t rush things, this would have been my favorite lakorn.

Why you should watch:

• Nice characters, each with his/her own faults and charms.

• Two different love stories, both interesting and with great chemistry between the leads.

• Strong friendships that are just as important as the romance.

• Nice direction.

• Pleasant music.

• Decent action scenes.

Why not to watch:

• If you don’t like romance.

• The action scenes are decent by lakorn standards. By different standars, not so much.

• The songs are repeated more often than not.

• The bad guys are bland at best.

• The ending was rushed.

Final verdict:

7/10. I am being harsh, only because it started so well and didn’t hold the level of addictiveness until the end. But knowing what to expect you can enjoy it much more. So I certainly recommend it to those who like romance with action.

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Kid Teung Wittaya (2014) - Review

“Kid Teung Wittaya” a.k.a. “The teacher’s diary” is my first Thai movie. I read that this was the official Thai entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, but was not selected as a nominee, and the story sounded heartwarming. Not only it did not disappoint, it was a very pleasant surprise indeed.

What is this about:

Directed by Nithiwat Tharathom. Star Sukrit Wisetkaew, Chermarn Boonyasak. This movie follows two teachers, Ann and Song, who are assigned to a rural floating school, but with a year apart. Ann writes down her thoughts on a diary, her experiences with her students and her loneliness. When Song comes to the school finds that diary and it becomes his only friend during his hardships in his new position.

My review:

This movie made my heart warm and aching in the best way. It reminded me why romantic comedies are such a popular genre, because when done right they are great.

Ann (Chermarn Boonyasak) is not your usual teacher, she has more progressive thoughts about how one should teach children and doesn’t want to conform into the standard rules. One could say she is a romantic and an idealist. The actress was amazing conveying all her emotions and thoughts with so much subtlety and sensitivity. I haven’t seen her before, but I will definitely look for her other works.

Song (Sukrit Wisetkaew) is a former athlete who wants to take the job in order to save money. He starts as not so good teacher without patience, but with the company of Ann’s diary he transforms into an inspiring teacher, not in skills and knowledge, but in his will to help his pupils. The only time I had seen the actor before was in a lakorn “Dok Ruk Rim Tang”, a lakorn I refuse to even think about because I wasted my time to see it, where he seemed so talentless to me – truth be told, everyone seemed talentless to me in that lakorn. So here, he was a revelation to me. He never overacted; he was a good guy trying the best he could with what he got. He convinced me so much, I might even try a second lakorn with him.

The floating school is far from ideal

The direction of this film was wonderful. The director, who was also the writer, showed the parallels of Ann’s and Song’s lives and created a bond between Song and Ann’s diary, and as a result with Ann herself, that was not weird, but touching and real. What I especially loved was a line in the movie saying that Song during his time in the floating school learned that he had to be not only their teacher, but also their parent. My parents were both teachers and I remember them saying how proud they felt when their students learned to read and write, so this was even more touching for me.

The scenery surrounding the floating school was stunning. You can feel the isolation the characters feel and the growing affection they start to develop as they bond with the children. The music score was always present throughout the movie, making every emotion clearer and deeper. The director used it wisely, creating scenes where no one says a word, yet all their feelings, all their thoughts, all their motives are crystal clear.

There are not any big dramatic scenes, but the focus is on the small scenes, the trivial things, making them important, because at that moment they are. Like the heartbreak of a kid not passing its exams.

Why you should watch:

• It is romantic comedy at its best.

• Excellent direction and cimematography.

• Excellent acting from the leads and the children.

• Beautiful music score.

Why not to watch:

• Frankly I cannot see any reason.

Final verdict:

10/10. This movie goes to my top favourite movies list.

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