Happy Birthday January Week 2!

08

B-Joo (Topp Dogg)
Jung Jae Gon
Lee Chan Ho
Lee Yi Kyung
Yongseok (Cross Gene)

09

Jo Sang Gun
Jung Dong Hyun
Kim Jin Hoon
Park Sung Woong

10

Aoora (AA)
Brian Joo (Fly to the Sky)
Choi Won Young
Han Joo Wan
Kim Hee Won
Kim Hyun Sung
Lee Jo oSuk
Lee Ki Chan
Park Sang Hoon (Melo Breeze)
Song Seung Hwan
Yoon Sung Hyun

11

Baek Chan Ki
Kim Young Kwang
Seo Woo Jin
Seunghoon (Winner)

12

Baek Min Hyun
D.O. (EXO-K)
Shim Hyung Tak

13

Duhwan (CHAOS)
Jinhwan (Sweet Sorrow)
Jung Moon Sung
Lee Seung Ki
Park Jin Young (JYP)
Park Young Rok

14

Hwang Hyun Joon
Jung Woo
Kai (EXO-K)
Kim Hye Sung
Kim Hyung Kyu
Kwak Min Suk
Shim Yang Hong
Park Yoon Jae
Yun (Lunafly)

Review:// Oh My Venus

Kim Min Ho (So Ji Sub) is a rich chaebol son who has been moonlighting as a physical trainer in the United States. He meets Kang Joo Eun (Shin Min Ah) on the way back to Korea, and his life becomes entangled with the overweight, former beauty. Though she has physical problems, and Min Ho has emotional scars from a traumatic childhood, they each have strengths that the other needs to heal.

The Good:  This drama contained a veritable laundry list of every cute thing a drama should have. The leads gave amazing performances, watching So Ji Sub be shocked and cute and frustrated was the ultimate fangirl dream, there was a trademark kiss, sexy workouts, an adorable three-way bromance, a cute chubby kid, the stern but caring assistant, the stereotypical date full of cute activities, warmth and fuzziness, and a handmade gift (of course). Even the soundtrack is cute and upbeat.

Though the plot basically revolved around a fat girl getting skinny and reclaiming a happy life, it was nice that health over appearance was stressed. More important than Min Ah looking better, were the results of her blood test and physical examination. Min Ho repeatedly tells her that good health is pretty and sexy. The drama also conveys that becoming thin and beautiful doesn't automatically bring happiness.

Jang Joon Sung (Sung Hoon) and Kim Ji Woong (Henry) gave endearing bromantical performances as the MMA fighter and manager working with Min Ho. They were such a pleasure to watch, I want them to have their own spin-off drama. Though Joon Sung did have a sub-plot, more time could have been spent on it, in addition to further developing Ji Woong's character. Though they weren't cultivated to their fullest potential, the fact that they were so lovable as to make me want more of them is still a good thing.

Oh My Venus was captivating enough to be marathon worthy up to episode 14, with anticipation for the problems that would arise in the home stretch. Although they dropped the ball in the last three episodes, in my opinion, the final scene was so perfect, it made up for it.

The Bad:  Some might like a feel-good drama from start to finish. I prefer to have a decent amount of pain and strife to maximize the impact of the sweet scenes. There was lots of potential for conflict to be developed, but it was all diluted, and negative situations were quickly cleared up. The biggest obstacles they faced were themselves, and because it was all their own choice, there was no question that everything would be resolved . 

Im Woo Shik (Jung Gyeo Woon) and Oh Soo Jin (Yoo In Young) represented one of the main sources of conflict in the drama, but their relationship with each other was portrayed as a bit depressing to the point where you have to wonder if there was ever any spark between them. It was sorely underdeveloped to begin with, which made them difficult to relate to as the drama progressed.

The last three episodes started to drag with continued happiness and lots of flashbacks. Where the story could have had more tension and meaning (and attention to the side characters) all the way to the end, it was filled with slow paced feel good moments. There were about a dozen scenes that could have been the happy ending. Despite my love for all the characters, I was ready to rate this drama a seven, until that final perfect scene bumped it back up to an eight. With better writing, it could have been a ten.

Oh My Venus received an average Neilsen rating of 8.7% nationwide, and 9.5% in Seoul. Yoo In Young received a Popularity Award at the 2015 APAN Star Awards. So Ji Sub won for Best Actor at the 2015 KBS Drama Awards, where Shin Min Ah won for Excellent Actress in a mini-series, and together they received the Best Couple award.

Happy Birthday January Week 1!

01

Choi Min
Jean Paul (BTL)
Kang Sung Jin
Kim Da Hyun
Kim Suk
Lee Doo Il
Lee Suk
Lee Won Jong
Park Doo Shik
Sung Min (Super Junior)
Yoon Gun (Brown Eyes)

02

Jeongmin (Boyfriend)
JinHong (AA)
Jung Sung Hwa
Kim Shi Hoo
Kim Sung Won

03

Dong Hyuk (iKON)
Jo Hwi Joon
Lee Bum Soo
Lee Wan
Sungwoo (F.I.X.)
Yang Seung Pil
Yoo Hyo Joon (Every Single Day)

04

Yoo Hae Jin

05

Huh Gak
Hwang Dong Joo
Jang Kwang
Kim Sa Kwon
Lee Do Young
Yoseob (B2ST)

06

JB (JJ Project, GOT7)
Kwang Hoon
Mithra (Epik High)
Park In Hwan
Kim Kyu Jin

07

Hong Jong Hyun
Howon (HITT)
Lee Hyo Jung

Review:// Scholar Who Walks the Night

Kim Sung Yeol (Lee Jun Ki) is a vampire who has been searching 120 years for the secret method for defeating the tyrannical vampire Gwi who controls the palace. Jo Yang Sun (Lee Yoo Bi) is a bookseller who was raised as a boy and continues to disguise herself to earn a living for her family. Fate brings them together in a bloody quest to save the country.

The Good:  The storyline and characters were interesting, and even though it didn't reach its full potential, the drama was enjoyable to watch. It offered political intrigue, romance, mystery, horror, and the very beautiful Lee Soo Hyuk as Gwi.

The Bad:  The leads did quite a bit of over-acting. It may have been the director pushing them to open their eyes wider and deepen their expressions; a bit distracting, but forgivable. However, with the exception of Gwi, the vampires made such exaggerated grimaces and rolling of their eyes that it looked comical. Director Lee Sung Joon of The Moon Embracing the Sun fame, does not have experience with supernatural or horror productions and it shows.

Jin Se Yun was originally offered the role of Jo Yang Sun, and I think she would have done a better job. Yang Sun is an earnest woman with a child-like sense of wonder. Lee Yoo Bi portrayed her as not just child-like, but as if she were a child. Despite that, there was some chemistry between the leads, however, I kept wondering how in the world a grown man could fall in love with someone who seemed 10 years old.

The ending was lukewarm, evoking no real emotion after all that build up. The last scene seemed to be thrown in as an afterthought that had no explanation. I was expecting more from writer Jang Hyun Joo who previously worked on Coffee Prince and Paradise Ranch.

Though there were a lot of negatives, the drama was visually beautiful, the cast of side characters was lovable, and the story was interesting enough to carry me through to the end.

Scholar Who Walks the Night is based on the manhwa Bameul Geotneun Sunbi written by Jo Joo Hee, and wonderfully drawn by Han Seung Hee. Unfortunately it is not licensed in English and there are no scanlations available. I would love to be able to read it and compare the storyline with the drama.

Happy Birthday December Week 4!

22

Danny Ahn (formerly of G.O.D)
Park Joon Hyung
Sungyong (TOUCH)

23

Jaehyo (Block B)
Kang Sung
No Young Kook
Sanghoon (100%)
Yeo Wook Hwan

24

Aiba Masaki (Arashi)
Park Sang Jo
QL (BTL)

25

Ahn Nae Sang
Choi Kwon
Kim Dong Hyun
Kim Joon Ho

26

Ahn Jung Hoon
Chaejin (MYNAME)
Haru (M.Pire)
Ji Sang Ryul
Jo Jung Suk
Lee Jae Hwang
Oguri Shun

27

Choi Seung Kyeong
Jung Seung Ho
Jung Yoo Suk
Ok Taek Yeon (2PM)

28

Choi Soo Jong
Choi Woong
He Mike (He Jun Xiang)
Kim Hyung Il

29

Lee Hwi Jae
Lee Young Joon

30

Han Ki Won
Han Ki Woong
Jisoo (Seventeen)
K. Will
V (BTS)
Yoon Da Hoon

31

Im Hyun Shik
Nam Sung Jin

Happy Birthday December Week 3!

15

Choi Jae Won
Go In Bum
Jo Young Jin
Kim Hak Joon
Lee Jae Yoon
Park Kwi Soon
Steve Yoo
Xiah Junsu (JYJ)
Yun Joon Suk

16

Baek Bong Ki
Kidoh (Topp Dogg)
Oh Tae Kyung
Park Seo Joon

17

Hyun Jung (TYKEYS)
Jang Ji Woo
Kil Yong Woo
Kim Bo Kang
Lee Jae Jin (F.T. Island)
Park Young Tae
Sooyoon (Royal Pirates)
Sungjoon (Boy's Republic)

18

Jo Kyung Hoon
Jo Sang Goo

19

Kim Jong Jin
Kim Kwang Gyu
Kwon Byung Gil
Lee Un
Yong Joon Hyung (B2ST)

20

Hwang In Deok
Hyukjin (100%)
Jang Hyuk
T.K. (C-Clown)
Yoon Kye Sang

21

Bobby (iKON)
Han Seung Hyun
Hyungtae (Busker Busker)
Kim Hyuk

Review:// Masked Prosecutor

Ha Dae Chul (Joo Sang Wook) is a prosecutor in a corrupt justice system where criminals use the law to escape punishment. By night we wears a mask to right the wrongs that would otherwise go unresolved.  Yoo Min Hee (Kim Sun Ah) is the crime division chief at the Gangham Police Station who finds herself bumping heads with the seemingly shallow prosecutor. Consequently, she also happens to be his first love; a one-sided love, for the most part.

The Good:  This drama boasts an excellent cast, each actor perfectly suited for their role. Joo Sang Wook and Kim Sun Ah have good chemistry together, delivering a satisfying sense of push and pull. There is intrigue, as our leads both have family issues that are tied into the main plot. The bad guys are unconscionably bad, and powerful as well. This is balanced with comedy and an adorable bromance.

The Bad:  The writing could use a lot of improvement. The police work was sloppy, making everyone look incompetent enough that it was a distraction. Although the threads of the story came together neatly, it was presented in a very straightforward, one-dimensional way. There wasn't a sense of multi-layered storytelling or emotional development. As for the culmination of the romance, it was anti-climactic to be sure. At the end (pardon me for being sexist) I thought to myself: a man wrote this. So I checked, and yes, Choi Jin Won was responsible for the flat writing and lack of romantic satisfaction. He is also the writer for another big disappointment of mine, Big Man.

I was going to rate Masked Prosecutor a six, but gave it an extra half point just because the actors really pulled through and made their characters shine despite the script. Not just the leads, but the entire cast performed well.