My Princess (2011)

It's been forever, I know! Sorry, super busy for school and life. Doesn't mean I haven't been watching dramas (nearly impossible), just that I haven't been blogging about them. So, I have a lot to catch up on!

Title: My Princess
Year: 2011
Episodes: 16
Genre: Romantic Comedy (Do I watch anything else? lol)
Starring: Song Seung Hun as Park Hae Young and Kim Tae Hee as Lee Seol

Synopsis: An ordinary college student, Lee Seol, finds out she's a princess. The grandson of Daehan Group, Park Hae Young, is put in charge of educating Seol on proper etiquette. However, Hae Young is put in a precarious situation when he finds himself drawn to Seol, the girl who will take away his inheritance if the monarchy is restored.

Romance/Plot: This was a very sweet story and pretty good. The progress of the romance was nicely done and subtle. Both the viewer and the characters weren't sure how or when the leads had fallen in love, just that they had. This princess plot is a bit different from others I've watched, which is nice. For one, the romance isn't between a commoner marrying into a royal family due to some promise (Goong), nor is it a romance between a princess and prince both fighting for the inheritance (Romantic Princess). In My Princess, Lee Seol is a typical, if slightly quirky, college student who finds out she's a princess and eventually falls in love with her tutor. There's some angst and political agendas, but most importantly a sweetly budding romance between her and her advisor.

Mood/Tone: What I like best about My Princess is that after all of the issues and problems, the relationship between Park Hae Young and Lee Seol is more playful than passionate. They tease and annoy one another, which I found totally cute!

Visual/Aesthetics: The castle was beautiful and so was Lee Seol's clothes. Hmm...nothing much as to say. This wasn't a drama relying on stunning scenes (not like Secret Garden).

Soundtrack: Oh man! Since I took so long to get around to writing a review, I don't quite recall the soundtrack and whether or not it was good. I'm assuming it was horrible, since one tends to remember very bad soundtracks, but I can't say it was amazing.

Overall: This is mostly definitely worth watching. The plot is interesting enough, but the lead couple if what makes this worth watching. They're so cute together.

Laters,
Tuma

“Chasing Fire” by Nora Roberts

 

Title: Chasing Fire

Author: Nora Roberts

Year Published: 2011

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons New York

Pages: 472

 

Synopsis/Blurb: 

Little else in life is as dangerous as fire jumping. Flying past towering pillars of smoke, parachuting down to the edge of an all-consuming blaze, shoveling and sawing for hours upon hours, days at a time, all to hold the line and push back against the raw power of Mother Nature.

But there's also little else as thrilling - at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are one of the most exclusive fire-fighting squads in the nation, and the job is in Rowan's blood: her father is a legend in the field. She's been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home - even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering in the air.

Fortunately, this year's rookie crop is among the strongest ever - and Gulliver Curry's one of the best. He's also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kid's arcade. He came to Missoula to follow in the footsteps of Lucas "Iron Man" Tripp, yet he's instantly more fascinated by his hero's daughter. Rowan, as a rule, doesn't hook up with other smoke jumpers, but Gull is convinced he can change her mind. And damn if he doesn't make a good case to be an exception to the rule.

Everything is thrown off balance, though, when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year's tragedy. Rowan knows she can't complicate things with Gull - any distractions in the air or on the ground could be lethal. But if she doesn't find someone she can lean on when the heat gets intense, her life may go down in flames

My Thoughts:

As always Nora Robert s writes a beautiful love story with awesome, interesting, lovable characters, and equally interesting plot backdrop. I really liked this one as I like all of Nora's work, but this doesn't get 5 stars because of the ending. I feel that it ended too abruptly. Almost like Nora thought "Oops, don't wanna pass the 500 page mark, let's wrap this bad boy up". The pace of the last chapter was fast forwarded 8X compared to the rest of the novel. But still, did I say that I really enjoyed it? Rowan and Gull made the best couple! I loved them together. And the supporting characters were equally fun. Guess you gotta be a lil nutty to be a Zulie!

Secret Garden (Kdrama)

Another drama review and this one’s a real treat!

Title: 시크릿 가든 / Sikeurit Gadeun / Secret Garden
Chinese Title : 秘密花園
Genre: Melodrama, fantasy, romance
Episodes: 20
Broadcast network: SBS
Broadcast period: 2010-Nov-13 to 2011-Jan-16
Air time: Saturday & Sunday 21:45
Synopsis: The drama tells the story of Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin), a seemingly perfect man yet with certain arrogance and childishness in him, and Gil Ra Im (Ha Ji Won), a stuntwoman whose beauty and body are the object of envy of top actresses. One day they went deep into the mountains and entered a strange house. A strange grandmother offered them chocolate to eat. The next day they found themselves changing bodies.
My Review: “Secret Garden” takes the typical 'poor girl and rich guy fall in love despite opposition of the guy’s family’ plot and gives it a fun, magical twist! What if, in addition to dealing with all of the usual issues that arise with any new relationship—getting to know one another, admitting feelings, fighting, making up etc etc, you also had to deal with the occasional soul-swap whenever it rained? That’s what the love story of Gil Ra Im and Kim Joo Won is about.
It gets even better. Joo Woo is a the young president of a huge chain of department stores. He’s arrogant, eccentric, immature (at least with Ra Im) and claustrophobic. Ra Im is—get this—a stuntwoman. How cool is that?! Ra Im and Joo Won’s sweet love blooms each time she kicks him in the shin, or flips him over her shoulder. And kinky Joo Won thinks she’s pretty when angry, so it works for them both.
There are also the supporting characters: Joo Won’s cousin Oska, whose a Hallyu star and his first love, turned enemy, turned love again Yoon Seul. You cannot help, but love Oska, cause he’s just so damn full of himself, but in a totally playful, adorable way! And though at first you hate Yoon Seul, you begin to like her quite a lot towards the end.
Throughout the story, Joon Woo and Ra Im come against many obstacles in their love—Joon Woo’s evil mother, the two love birds themselves and a secret that’s been linking the two of them for 13 years.
“Secret Garden” is a drama that’s sometimes funny, sometimes silly, sometimes hot and heavy, sometimes sad and touching, but always full of a ton of ton between the characters.
Now, to make this a fair and “objective” review, I’d have to mention one not-so-awesome aspect of the series. *drum roll* And, the winner is…the soundtrack. Don’t get me wrong, the songs were pretty good and put quite nicely where they were put it. I just think a bigger selection was needed for a drama of this length (20 eps), to avoid sounding repetitious. I sometimes found myself fast forwarding or muting, especially in the last few episodes.
Overall, “Secret Garden” is a definite must watch. It’s a new Looney Express favorite!
So, go watch it, or I’ll “turn your vertebrae number five to number 6”!
Download here!
Watch here!

"White Heat" by Fatuma Hydara (me)

A silk strap falls off a supple shoulder.

A soft, silky hand lingers.

A breathless whisper, a gasping moan, a stifled cry

Passion glazed eyes

Touches here…

there…

everywhere…

Heated skin, burning hotly just beneath the surface

a coming together, hearts synced, beating a love-filled rhythm

Spirits and senses soar

higher and higher…

and higher

Then,

slowly float back down to earth on a cloud,

returning to a sated vessel,

a sigh, a wink, a soft smile… eyes gently close,

in time for rose colored dreams.

Book Review: “The House on Fortune Street” by Margot Livesey

Blurb:

It seems like mutual good luck for Abigail Taylor and Dara MacLeod when they meet at St. Andrews University and, despite their differences, become fast friends. Years later they remain an unlikely pair. Abigail, an actress who confidently uses her charms both on- and offstage, believes herself immune to love. Dara, a counselor, is convinced that everyone is inescapably marked by childhood; she throws herself into romantic relationships with frightening intensity. Yet now each seems to have found "true love"—another stroke of luck?—Abigail with her academic boyfriend, Sean, and Dara with a tall, dark violinist named Edward, who literally falls at her feet. But soon after Dara moves into Abigail's downstairs apartment, trouble threatens both relationships, and their friendship.
For Abigail it comes in the form of an anonymous letter to Sean claiming that she's been unfaithful; for Dara, a reconciliation with her distant father, Cameron, who left the family when Dara was ten, reawakens complicated feelings. Through four ingeniously interlocking narratives—Sean's, Cameron's, Dara's, and Abigail's—we gradually understand how these characters' lives are shaped by both chance and determination. Whatever the source, there is no mistaking the tragedy that strikes the house on Fortune Street.
"Everyone," claims Abigail, "has a book or a writer who's the key to their life." As this statement reverberates through each of the narratives, Margot Livesey skillfully reveals how luck—good and bad—plays a vital role in our lives, and how the search for truth can prove a dangerous undertaking. Written with her characteristic elegance and wit, The House on Fortune Street offers a surprisingly provocative detective story of the heart.
 
My Review:
I wish I could give this a 2/5 because I'm completely stuck on the fence on this one. I didn't hate it enough to give it 1 or 2 stars, but I also didn't like it enough to give it 4 and certainly not 5 stars. The story was a bit bland. The writing wasn't horrible. The characters, however were! Okay, I exaggerate just a bit, but I found them so irritating! It was mostly the females that annoyed me. The story is suppose to be about how four people tell their own story of certain events in their pasts that influence how they live in the future. I found it so asinine, though because none of them had any devastating issues. Basically, the whole story reminded me of someone going to the ER for a paper-cut.

Keizoku 2: SPEC (Jdrama)

Time for another drama review!!!
Today’s drama is a really good one. It’s intriguing, exciting and quite different from the dramas I usually watch!

Title (romaji): Keizoku 2: SPEC

Genre: Mystery

Episodes: 10 

 

Synopsis: Touma Saya is a woman with an IQ of 201 and an inability to "read the atmosphere" in social situations. Due to a previous case, her left arm is in a sling. Her partner Sebumi Takeru used to be the star performer of the Metropolitan Police. After some incident however, he was transferred to Mishou. Those two track down offenders with special abilities(SPEC) who managed to get away with their crimes.

My Review: I really really enjoyed this one. This was very different from my usual slew of romantic comedies, but I decided to give this a try after reading a funny review of it. What I love about this drama now that I’ve finished it?

1. The Characters. Toma and Sebumi have so many facets to them that you can’t help but feel some sort of connection to them as you watch. Toma comes across as an eccentric, socially inept, but extremely intelligent detective. Sebumi is a stiff, follows-the-rules kind of guy. But together they still make quite a team. The side characters also play vital roles and are just as intriguing, especially those with SPEC, or special abilities. I mean, you have a physic, a mind reader, changed memories, stopped time, clairvoyance, psychometry and more!

2. The Story. The plot was VERY interesting. Toma and Sebumi are apart of 3-man division that solves special cases involving humans with special abilities or SPECS. At first you may think that this will end up being an episodic series with them simply solving a case each episode, but that’s hardly the case. Each episode lays down the basis for the next, revealing clues and new secrets. The VERY best thing about this drama is that it absolutely keeps you on your seat. Just as you think you know who did and why, you’re hit with something else, something you didn’t even realize, This happens throughout the series, even at the very end, where the biggest secret of all is revealed!

Give it a watch, people! It’s short and sweet and definitely worth spending 10+ hours of your life watching!!!

Until next time! PEACE!

Sweet 18 (KDrama)

Sweet 18

Also known as: Sweet 18 / Little Bride / 18 Year Old Bride
Episodes: 16 

Synopsis: Kwon Hyuk-Joon's grandfather, the head of the traditional Kwon family agrees to an arranged marriage between his grandson (Lee Dong Gun) and Yoon Jung-Sook (Han Ji Hye) when Yoon Jung-Sook is born. 18 years later, the two families lose contact because soon after the contract is signed, Jung-Sook's family encounters financial issues and is forced to run away.
Meanwhile, Jung-Sook has grown up to be a rebellious and strong-willed girl who just wants to live her life as she sees fit. With little aspirations, she is the direct foil of her achievement-bound counterpart, Hyuk-Joon. When the two meet each other, they clash horribly; Jung-Sook thinks her fiancee is nothing but boring, and Hyuk-Joon believes Jung-Sook to be nothing but an immature child. Despite all this they do marry. The rest of the series follows their life living together as a couple, and the obstacles they are faced with.

My Review: ^___^ This drama was so damn sweet, it made my tooth ache!!! It's such a cute story  about true love that has everything a gal can want in a series! Lovable characters: You not only find yourself falling in love with the lead couple, Jung-Sook and Hyuk-Joon, but also with the supporting characters who all have such unique personalities that makes the drama even more endearing! What I liked most about this drama, other than how adorable the lead couple were with one another, is how REAL the characters were. Unlike alot of dramas out there, the actors/characters weren't these perfect mannequins, that had it all: looks, smarts, money, that makes you want to hate them. Jung-Sook is spunky and childish and doesn't give a damn. Hyuk-Joon is mature and very serious and that's what makes it so much fun for him to be teased by both Jung-Sook and his friend Jung-Chan! You even end up liking Hyuk-Joon's manipulative sister and ex, because they're just so interesting and I ended finding his sister Sun-ah cute as she found her own love interest. This is a sweet, simple story of true love, the very best kind, with none of the angst and psychotic exes and other love interests!!! Give it a try!

What's up Fox? (KDrama)

What's up Fox?

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16 

Synopsis: Single 33 year-old Go Byeong Hee works as a reporter for a sex magazine. She wants more romance and a more respectable life but isn't sure how to get it. 24-year-old Park Chul Su, mechanic and world traveler, is the younger brother of Byeong Hee's best friend. He's a free spirit and not concerned with what the world thinks. One night the two old family friends get drunk and wake up in bed together. Go Byeong Hee wants to forget it ever happened, especially since a good marriage prospect has just made an appearance. Unfortunately for her, Chul Su has other ideas.... 

My Review: *smile* I was expecting to like this as much as I did. At first the idea of a woman being with someone 9 years younger than her didn't really appeal to me, but I decided to give it a try because I saw good reviews of it. This is the first drama I've watched where I began rooting for a couple other than the lead. I was totally rooting for Byeong Hee and Dr. Hee Myung to get together. I couldn't help liking him and the way he teased her. However, when Byeong Hee's feelings for Chul Su began to change, so did who I was supporting! haha I started cheering for her and Chul Su, cause he's so adorable in his own way. What I liked best about this drama was the characters and how unusual they are were! Byeong Hee is essentially a 33-year-old-virgin, but instead of finding that weird, I found really cute. She acts just like a young girl in love for the first time and it's adorable to watch! Also, Joon Hee & Byung Gak's unusual relationship was so entertaining to watch. This one is a really cute, funny and romantic. A great series to watch with lovable unusual couple pairings--Give it a try!

Download here: What's Up Fox? Episode Downloads 

Stream here: Watch What's Up Fox? online

Buzzer Beat (JDrama)

Buzzer Beat

Genre: Romance, sports
Episodes: 11

Synopsis: Kamiya Naoki is a young player from a professional basketball team. But due to his relatively smaller size and his tendency to crack under pressure, he is unable to show his true skills on the court. Meanwhile, Shirakawa Riko is a cheerful, strong-spirited music college graduate aiming to become a professional violinist. One day, Riko finds Naoki's lost cell phone on a bus, and their meeting begins a friendship that eventually turns into love. However, Naoki was already considering marriage with his current girlfriend. And it doesn't help matters that Naoki's coach has fallen in love at first sight with Riko!

My Review: This a pretty cute drama, though nothing spectacular. The lead couple, Riko and Naoki were pretty cute, but Naoki was too damn gentle for me. I liked the supporting couple - Mai and Shuji muuuch better. They were so cute and quirky! lol It's a short and sweet without too much angst. Some of the characters are more interesting than others. I liked Mai and found Shuji adorable. Yoyogi was also an interesting character, with his gangster, badass cheating ways! lmao Utsunomiya was also fun because everyone thought he was gay, since he's "awkward" with girls. Buzzer Beat is an okay watch if you currently don't have something delicious on your menu at the moment. It's quick and to the point.

Screenshots:

LMAO! Episode 3: That's Shuji-kun buried under that sand!! 

Episode 4: BEST FRIEND HUG!!! Part 1

 Episode 4: BEST FRIEND HUG!!! Part 2

Episode 4: Uh-Oh! Caught a- cheating!!!

Episode 5: Riko & Naoki! Cutest Scene! 

Episode 5: Riko & Naoki

Episode 7: YUP!! A J-drama with REAL KISSING!!!

Episode 8: After a sleep-over...totally not the way you're thinking! :)

Epsiode 10: I like their easy companionship in the drama best. 

You don't alot of that in J-dramas!

Episode 10: More cuddling!

Episode 10: Cuddles!

Mary Stayed Out All Night (KDrama)

Another Drama Review!!

Mary Stayed Out All Night

Genre: Romance, comedy
Episodes: 16 

Synopsis: Wi Mae Ri is the cheerful, pragmatic daughter of a failed businessman who had grown used to being constantly on the move to escape from debtors. She becomes fast friends with the free-spirited indie singer Kang Moo Kyul when she nearly ran him over in a car. Meanwhile, her father Wi Dae Han is saved from his debtors by his old friend, Jung Suk, who had just returned from considerable success in the Japanese entertainment industry. Jung Suk, who had harboured a secret love for Mae Ri's mother, sets up a deal with Dae Han to have Mae Ri marry his son, Jung In. In her desperate to escape this predicament, Mae Ri begs Moo Kyul to pose as her husband, and finds herself in even more trouble than before when her father proposes a 100-day period in which she has to divide her time equally between Moo Kyul and Jung In, after which she has to decide who to marry.(from drama-wiki)

My Review: Sigh....I realllllly really enjoyed this one. I should've known as soon as I saw that my honey-baby Jang Geum Seuk was a lead that it'll be a good one--and it was! It had everything that I love in a drama. Excellent characters who are real and lovable, an intriguing plot that has you riveted from the first episode to the last, strong emotion, and tons of humor. The characters of Moo Kyul and Mae Ri were so damn adorable together!!! And even though they had their ups and downs they stayed true to one another. There wasn't too much of the angst that I hate in alot of drama. Myoo Kyul and Mae Ri admitted their feelings for one another fairly early on, which I love. The other love interests Jung In and Seo Joon weren't manipulative and/or vindictive, so you were able to love them too. This is a most DEFINITE must-watch and I know there are TONS of other reviews saying the same! So, go give it a try, already! 

Below are a few screenshots, mostly from earlier eps...cause I got too damn engrossed to stop and take screenshots of the later episodes!! It was that good!!

 Ep. 3: Myoo Kyul says: "Ah..You totally look like the cat from Shrek". LMAO! That line was too damn funny!

 Ep. 5- Mae Ri's drunk daddy held up by his two son-in-laws! lol Husband Jung and Husband Kang!

 Ep 1: Drunk Myoo Kyul! Giving "flowers" to an equally drunk Mae Ri! lol How cute is he? DAMN CUTE!

[ANIME] Natsume Yuujinchou - Season 1

Anime Review!

Natsume Yuujinchou- Season 1

Summary: Natsume Takashi has the ability to see spirits, which he has long kept secret. However, once he inherits a strange book that belonged to his deceased grandmother, Reiko, he discovers the reason why spirits surround him. Containing the names of these spirits, a binding contract was formed between the spirits and the owner of the book. Now, Natsume is determined to free the spirits and dissolve the contracts. With the help of a spirit cat, his days are filled trying to return the names to these spirits.
(credit: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=9419)

My Review: I first heard of this anime when an LJ friend recommended, but after reading the summary, I put it off. Boy, do I regret doing so. This anime is different from my usual choices, but it had something that kept me engaged for all 13 episodes. Natsume, the main lead, is a quiet, boring guy, with a fiery temper, who's a bit of a loner and able to see ghosts. However, for some reason, you find yourself liking him, cause he's such a nice guy and very likable whenever he gets angry or embarrased enough to let go of his usual reserve around people. I said earlier that this anime had a certain something that made me continue watching, well that something is Master Nyan Nyan (LOL), whose the powerful demon Madara in fat cat form, as well as the other demons. What makes this series so interesting is the characterization- the different demons (or spirits) that Natsume encounters, each with their distinct personalities and the few friends he makes in his small town. This is a slow paced anime that is very enjoyable. Give it a try!