Drama Queen

 City hunter is one of my favorite Lee Min Ho dramas and so there will be a lot of fan girl comments all over this post – I am sorry about that. Today we saw the end of the love and boring KDrama West Palace and so now it’s time for some action. This drama I have to point out is very different from any of Lee Min Ho’s other dramas (BOF, The Heirs, P.C). It doesn’t have a young school boy struggling with his emotions. However this drama does have a struggling father and son trope and it is usually available in all Lee Min Ho dramas. So let’s get to the basics of this drama.

The drama was shown on SBS way back in 2011. It got very famous and is one of those dramas which gave 5 awards to Lee Min Ho. You guys all remember that we all fell in love with Lee Min Ho when he first appeared on our TV screens at Gu Jun Pyo on TV Derana. Then he reappeared as Kim Tan and all his characters were dubbed by Isuru. I do hope ITN chooses Isuru to dub Lee Min Ho this time too because I cannot imagine him with any other voice. We will also be meeting Kim Yong Hee from Asaliya Mal again as Lee Min Ho’s girlfriends.

Let’s get to the details of this drama now.

So the story starts with The Rangoon bombing in Burma where many high officials South Korea. It was all planned out by North Korean fighters and now it’s time for revenge. So South Korea sends 21 elite fighters to North Korea for the revenge mission. These 21 elite fighters also include Lee Jin Pyo and Park Moo yul who are best friends. The story revolves around these two friends and their social relationships. In this attack on North Korea most of the elite fighters are killed. While trying to save Lee Park is also killed and Lee is left helpless. When Lee comes again to South Korea he learns that the officials withdrew from the mission in the last moment because it will bring a bad image to South Korea and make America angry. Lee also learns that all their personal details and their data bases have been erased. To avenge this Lee kidnaps his friend Park’s little son and names him Lee Yoon Sung, 

He raises little Yoon Sung to take revenge from the 5 officials who abandoned the 21 elite fighters. So Yung Sung (Lee Min Ho) grows up as a revenge machine. He gets a degree from MIT and has two egos. The first Yung Sung is a playboy who loves to have fun. His second ego is a masked fighter who under covers corruption. The citizens call him the City Hunter.

Although he is warned against love he does fall in love with Kim Na-Na. She is played by Kim Yung Hee from Asaliya Mal. She is a body guard of the president who was involved in the killing of the 21 members.

This drama also stars one of the worst KDrama dads I have seen in a while. I don’t know why Lee Min Ho oppa always get the worst dads ever. This time it’s his adoptive dad who pretty much doesn’t like Yung Sung’s views. While Lee wants to kill every official involved Yung Sung wants to show the world who they really are.

 

Remember Semmi in Melody of Love ? :)

So this is the latest KDrama on Sirasa TV and I have to say that it is one of the best KDrama’s I have watched ever. It is this awesome but yet kickass drama which captured many hearts in Korea and I know it’s going to do the same in Sri Lanka. Let’s just say that My love from another Star was cute and awesome but I Hear Your Voice is just top notch. I loved this drama and so of course I am going to watch it a second time on Sirasa TV. I have to warn you guys first however. Get ready for warm and coziness. These are the only words with which I can describe this drama. It’s warm, cozy, cuddly, adorable, cute, heartwarming, beautiful etc… etc. Anyways let’s get to the review of this drama.

So let’s first get to the basic details of this drama. This drama was shown on SBS for 18 episodes from June 5^th to August 1^st 2013. So that would amount to about 50 episodes in Sri Lanka. The drama stars Lee Bo – Young and Lee Jong – suk (Pinocchio main actor). It also has Jung Woong- In as the villain. He is Mishil’s brother in Janahithakami Rajiniya.

Now let’s get to the main plot and characters:

The main character is Park Soo –Ha and he is this cute, bubbly, adorable and handsome young man who is my age (18) and going to school. Everything about this guy (did I mention he is cute?) is perfectly normal except his supernatural power to read minds. He got this ability after he went through this horrible experience when he was just 8 years old. When he was a very young child this little kid saw his father being killed by a murderer who happened to be Mishil’s brother. The dangerous part was when the murderer turned to kill the young boy as well. However there was a young teenage girl who agrees to testify against the murderer.

From that day on he makes a promise to her that he will protect her at all costs. He is one cute guy and this older woman younger man love story is just heartwarming to watch. He even goes to Judo classes so that he could protect himself and the older girl.

His ability to read mind helps him a lot and he helps others too. He helps a friend of his who tries to commit suicide and another who he saves from bullies. He is a very kind hearted and loving guy who however is very lonely. His father was killed while his mother too was murdered and so he is pretty much a loner. There are many scenes where he is all alone and it kind of broke my heart to see this. However it was so sweet to watch that when he meets the all grown up teenage girl again he feels that at last there is someone who loves him and will make sure he is safe all the time.

The lead girl in this drama is Jung Hye - Sung who is a lawyer. She is the girl who helped the then little Soo- Ha. However she is not the girl So Ha expected to meet. This is because he expected her to be kind and loving hearted but when he actually meets her he sees that she is rude, hard hearted and cruel. So of course I did not like her at the beginning.

 However as time passes we see that she is a really nice and kind person. This cruel outward shell she shows the world is just what she really is not. When Soo Ha enters her life you see that she is drastically changing and it’s not only this but she also learns what love is. She too has her dark secrets. She was accused of a crime she never committed. This lie told by Do Yeon costs Hye Sung her high school life, their house and her mother’s job.

Do Yeon is the cruel girl who kind of destroyed Hye Sung’s life. She blamed Hye Sung for partly blinding her when in reality Hye Sung was not involved in the accident at all. She does all this so that she will be able to live up to the expectations of her father a famous judge (just like Heom in Melody of Love). However in the end she is a good friend to Hye Sung and Soo Ha. Even though she shows she doesn’t care but in those last episodes we see that she does care.

 

Do Yeon

The second lead of this drama is Gwan Woo who is also in the legal field. He has a crush on Hye Sung but in reality he is not quite the second lead. He is this geeky nerd with specs and all but he is an awesome character. He is funny and awesome (again). He has this problem of social awkwardness at times where he acts quite awkwardly which made me feel so embarrassed for him (you know the moment when you change the channel because it is embarrassing).

Overall in this drama we see grey characters and none of them are black or white. Every character of this drama has their own back story and reasons for why they act the way they do. Even the murderer who is the villain has his reasons for killing and causing all those murders. He is not quite a villain in that sense but rather a human. His life story just reminds me of Cassius form Julius Caesar (Shakespeare).

Something I like about this drama is that it’s so bright and cheerful and even the scenes have this bright and cheerful look. Every time I watch this I feel so happy, cheerful and high. I also have to point out that the theme song Korean and Sinhalese song is just epic. I have to say that Sirasa had done a great job with the song let’s hope they do the same with the dubbing. So hope you guys watch this drama at 7.30 pm on Sirasa TV on weekdays.

So this was the last week of My Love from another Star. This is the last week we see Song Yi and Do Min Jo’s love story. This week we saw the happily ever after ending we always wanted for Song Yi and Do Min Jo. So let’s get to see what happened this week in one of the most loved KDrama’s of 2015 in Sri Lanka.

The week starts off with Do Mi Jo and Song Yi magically appearing in front of Song Yi’s family. They are pretty shocked but adoration shines in Song Yi’s brother’s eyes.  So the rumor is around that they are married and Song Yi’s dad doesn’t mind it.

Semmi moves away from HwKyung and they are now just friends. He is anyhow struggling with the fact that his brother actually killed his older brother and it seems to me that he cannot handle it. The scene where he takes wine to his dad is just so emotional that I was on the verge of crying. Throughout the drama he was this rich playful and adorable boy but all this trouble has actually made him grow up. I also liked that fact that he trusts Do Min Jo and wants him to help out with his family problems. The dad however is one of the most annoying dad’s I have seen and he comes straight after Kim Tan’s dad in The Heirs for the most hated KDrama dads.

Do Min Jo on the other hand is having huge problems. It all starts with the blood coming from his nose and his knowledge that he will die very soon. He wants to stay with Song Yi but times running out and his powers are disappearing. I feel really sorry for this guy as he is going to lose the one true love he found after 400 years. The fact that he disappeared just as Song Yi is making her wish was just heartbreaking to watch. Anyhow when he started to reappear here and there I thought everyone was just imagining things.

Song Yi has grown up throughout this drama and it has been quite hilarious to watch. From being a top end actress to a passionate lover she has had quite a journey. I felt quite heart broken when she opened her eyes and saw Do Min Jo has actually gone. The way she fell down and started to cry was just so sad. The fact that her husband is going to leave her just like her father did makes things really sad for her. The half madness with which she ran around after Do Min Jo’s departure was just so understandable. We actually could cry along with her when she asked all her friends for “Do Min Jo” stories and it was quite heartbreaking. Overall in the last few episodes we could safely say that it was Song Yi and HwKyung who got the hardest blows.

The Ending:

Do Min Jo was sighted 3 times if I am not mistaken by 3 different people and that quite made me suspicious. I mean I was just like could it be? I was hoping that it was actually Do Min Jo all the time. When he finally appeared out of the blue I was just like crying from happiness. Throughout this drama I so hoped that the screen writers would not give us a Roof Top Prince ending and when Do Min Jo reappeared I was just relieved.  The ending was just one of the best I have seen in a KDrama. The kiss and the last episode were just heartwarming. In the end My Love from another Star  I believe will join the ranks of best KDramas shown in Sri Lanka. It will be up there with Dae Jang Guem, Dong Yi, BOF etc. I also have to point out that Sirasa did a good job in the dubbing unit. Of course there were a few slips here and there when compared with the Korean version but hats off to you guys. My favorite voice of this drama was HwKyung’s of course. Isuru’s voice matched the actor’s face so well and his voice and behavior reminded me so much of Gu Jun Pyo.

In the end I have to say it is a sad farewell and I already miss our Min Jo couple. However we will meet them next week Saturday at 2.30 for the last week episodes. It was quite bad of Sirasa to drag it to next week than show it today but at least it will make us meet our favorite characters all over again. I know it is a sad farewell but the next KDrama on Sirasa TV is very nice and very popular. More news on it will be put up later today or tomorrow night at the latest. J J J J J J

Week: 16^th November 2015 – 27^th November 2015

Well what a flop Wassane Premaya turned out to be. The draggy and endlessly melancholy of this drama is making me sick of even thinking of writing a WP review. Dear screen writers let me put this straight; your drama is just horrible! The drama is getting disgusting by the second. We watch dramas to forget our daily problems but this drama just increases our daily troubles. This drama is just giving us too much problems and no happiness. The Jayasekaras, the Danthanarayanas, and every single god damn character are sad, sad and sadder. They are never happy and we find no happiness in watching the drama. Anyhow screen writers you guys better change the track of this drama because otherwise we will be changing our channels to TV Derana’s latest sensation Dedunnai Adarai. Anyway let’s get to week 15 & 16 review now.

Akila is at his games again and Shakya took him in as his son in law. Sonali is disgusted and so decides to run away. Her partner in crime on this harebrain scheme is Astha who reluctantly agrees. The plan is that Sonali will stay at a friend’s house and later get into a boat sailing to Aussie land (talk about dumbness). Astha has to hide this from Aditya and she secretly wants to do the same thing Sonali does. Anyways a midnight call informs Astha to come downstairs and the plan “Sonali’s getaway” is underway. Anyhow the devil himself (Aditya) comes downstairs and drags the two women away from their “liberation”. Sonali is sent away to her room (where Akila is sleeping) while Aditya drags Astha to their room and as usual shouts at her. If I was her I will just tell Aditya “efff you and your family!” and runaway with my parents to some distant land like Aussie land. Anyhow as Sonali gets to the room Akila has woken up and he gets on his knees telling her to trust him and that Astha is doing all this to drift them apart (Ya of course!).

Astha’s dad is not dead. He is “saved” by the police. Things are not good at Jayasekara home and things are falling apart. Actually I really don’t give a shit about all this. As far as I am concerned I don’t care if Mr. J or Astha die because this drama is boring and annoying. I just want some real action and not this fluffy draggy melodrama shown now on Wassane Premaya. I told you guys before that the “I hate” drama is a bit draggy and should be changed. Right now we want love to bloom between Astha and Aditya and not this hatred. In other dramas even if the main couple is no in love the sub characters are and that makes the drama interesting. However in Wassane Premaya nobody is in love and it is quite annoying and boring. The dad and his increasing troubles are also just annoying to watch. I mean he gets kicked out of his job and cannot we stop it there? No way! The screenwriters wanted to drag the drama and because of this Astha’s dad is suffering. Anyhow this week both Astha’s dad and grandmother are having heart problems with grandmother having the biggest blow.

Akila on the other hand is having his own problems. A dark shadow from his past is back on him. She is another girl Akila has cheated on. He continues to fake that they could be together and all that. I personally think Aditya will get to know about all this and they might kick Akila out of their “mansion”. Then again the income tax officers jump on the “mansion” and the files from Astha’s room are taken in. Aditya and Astha are at war again!

Viraj is going to get away to their “private getaway” (Yeah ride it – Jay Sean) with Asha. However Pramitha wants to come with him to Singapore and he is pissed off. See what I mean? The D family has no happiness and as the audience we are pissed off.  Malini is also annoyingly trying to put all the faults on Astha and Mr. D is quite pissed off.

I hope the screenwriters put in some romance on our A & A couple and make them fall in love with each other. When they were in love with each other the show was such a gem to watch but now with there being no “love” on the show it is quite boring. Let’s hope that everything goes well and that in the end WP will get back to its old glory. Screen writers this is all up to you guys and if you guys don’t start writing a better story with a better story arch then people will move away from WP. Let’s meet again in another WP review (hopefully better one). J J J J J J

Hiru TV’s latest Indian drama imported straight out of Colors Tv. This is the same Indian channel which shows King Asoka’s story shown in Sri Lanka by TV Derana. I have to say I am very critical about these imported melodramas (no pun intended J ) being shown on Hiru TV. I personally believe Indian dramas are too melodramatic and unrealistic. Anyhow as I have elaborated on that on my Kumkum Bhagya post, let’s just get down to business.

Udaan is a 2014 TV series based on a little girl named Chakor. She is a child labourer for a rich family. When she was still in her mommy’s tummy her father died. The mother didn’t have money to do all the funeral rituals so she asked a rich family to give a donation.

The wife of this rich family asks the unborn child as a payment in return for the “donation”. So the when the child is born the mother gets to take her away for 7 years. After the end of 7 years the little girl is to return and work under the rich family. So according to plan she does go to work.

The overall story therefore revolves around this girl and her want for education and freedom. This drama itself is made to address the increasing child labor problem in India. I have to point out that this does not apply to Sri Lanka as after 2005 the Child Protection rights are up and running. Yes there might be child labour to some extent but our literacy rate is at almost 99% with gender equality which is one of the highest in South Asia. 

There may be something in this drama to learn however the time wasted for this kind of draggy and melodramatic dramas is just wasteful. You guys would be better off if you watch Jehanr videos on YouTube. That guy at least teaches the “Colombo Kalu Suddhas” how to be Sri Lankan and is worth a watch. So let’s meet again in another review (hopefully not an Indian one) J J J J J J .

So this is the latest Indian drama to enter into Sri Lanka shores and I am going to be critical. I personally think we as Sri Lankans should promote our own things than bring stuff down. How the hell is our culture to be promoted if we just bring down stuff and dish it out? Hiru Tv the all new sensation who boasts of being different is no different from Sirasa Tv. Two new Indian dramas are to be shown on Hiru and I think it has the highest number of Indian shows that are shown together in one channel at one go. Dear Hiru TV if you are reading thins please note that this is not good media. If you cannot afford to show new Sri Lankan dramas then don’t dish out rubbish to Sri Lankan audiences.

What is there to be shown on these Indian dramas? We all saw what happened on Yhm or Me Adarayai. It was just rubbish. These dramas are usually the same and have similar plotlines – hate, love, marriage, rape, sex, and break up, fights, divorce and crap like these. They are plot less and directionless with nothing much in it. I would advice all my viewers to keep away from these kinds of Indian dramas.

So let’s get to what this new drama is about.

Kumkum Bhagya is a Ekta Kapoor drama (she also does YHM) and is shown currently on Zee Tv. I have watched this drama and personally thing is just a waste of time. As all Indian dramas (or should I say Ekta dramas) this drama also is just completely melodramatic and a waste of time. The beginning of the drama was very promising and just like Me Adarayai it was a fun ride but then the plot became increasingly dumb. By dumb I mean draggy, directionless and unrealistic. I have to point out that some of the romance scenes were also unrealistic and perfectly dumb (let alone cute). This drama has a rape, pregnancy, jealousy and all the stereotypical “Indian drama stuff”.

The main character in this drama is Pragya. She is a modern woman and sweet and talented or in other words the dream daughter in law for a typical Indian mother in law. She is the one to be married off in the first episode of the drama. She comes from a middle class family and her mother owns a wedding hall and her sister is way prettier than her.

Abhi is a famous rock star and he pretty much has everything in his life other than love. Pragya’s sister Bulbul is love with him. He is a cute guy and he can get very romantic at times.

The first episode is the marriage of Pragya and a man whom she thinks she is in love with. However the to be mother in law wants the wedding hall as a dowry (rings a bell?). Anyhow Pragya does not like this idea and also she is disturbed by the fact that the groom’s family likes Bulbul more than her. So the wedding is off.

There is also this professor like guy who really loves Pragya but is unable to tell her so (still doesn’t ring a bell?) Overall what happened in YHM aka Me Adarayai will happen in Kumkum Bhagya. It will start off well but end up being horrible and worthless.

Yes, this is the drama which Dedunnai Adare stole their plot from. So these two dramas have very similar plots but guys I think it will not be a perfect copy. I think in our story these will be less melodrama, less crap and less worthless draggy scenes. In Kumkum Bhagya its Pragya who marries Abhi but I think in our drama Ishi will marry Danush (I feel it in my bonesJ )

So my overall warning is get ready for a whole lot of crap. If you want a better drama which is better structured then I think all of you guys should watch Dedunnai Adare. However I have to warn Hiru Tv that if they are going to ignore what the audience really want (good, well spent Sri Lankan dramas) then we can easily choose the channels which cater our needs. Not every day can you throw money around and bring in popularity (If you watch Hiru you are given money). Audiences will obviously turn to channels which show good Sri Lankan dramas which are well grounded in our proud 2500+ years of culture.

This drama will most probably be shown on the weekday’s 7.30 pm time slot as a new historical drama is to be shown on the weekday 9.00 pm time slot.