Happy Marriage Episode 1-2 First Impression

Happy Marriage Episode 1-2 First Impression by Ninja

Japanese Drama: Happy Marriage (????)
Airs: Wednesdays 
Leads: Dean Fujioka (live-action Dame na Watashi ni Koishite Kudasai) and Nana Seino (Tokyo Mukokuseki Shojo)

Synopsis: 

Heroine: A retailer employee during the day and a hostess by night, the ordinary 23 year old Chiwa Takanishi (Nana Seino) has no choice but to work herself to the bone to pay off her father's gambling addiction. Dreaming only that one day she would have enough money to not worry about her next meal, Chiwa 
is stunned when a very successful AND handsome man offers her a contract marriage. Holding onto her humble hope to one day marry someone she loves, Chiwa refuses the tempting proposal at first but eventually relents when her father's gambling debt forces her to accept the marriage deal. 

Hero: Born as an illegitimate child, Hokuto Mamiya (Dean Fujioka) has never been admitted as a member of the wealthy Mamiya family. Quite successful with his own company, Hokuto is nonetheless determined to become the next heir to the Mamiya empire. Promised by Chariman Mamiya (grandfather) that if he would be willing to marry the granddaughter of the woman he loved long ago then he would become an official member of the family, Hokuto is not about to miss this perfect opportunity to realize his dream.  

The hero obviously only look cold and calculating on the surface so don't get put off by the my intro. 

Ninja's First Impression:

Count me in!!! I am really forgiving when it comes to romantic J-manga live action dramas, so this one would have to be pretty awful to disappoint me. Fortunately, judging by the first two episode I think we are in luck since the story looks pretty solid. Plus...it has Dean Fujioka so really, you got to give the show a lot of bonus points on that alone. 

The first episode was fairly predicable and looked liked your typical Cinderella story. By second episode the show REALLY looked like a Cinderella set up but boy, the emotional pulls are already starting and I am already swooning. 

Long story short, predicable? Yes. 
Beautiful cast? YES! 
Good chemistry between two leads? Yes! 
Good character development? Yes. 
Am I planning to follow it? Heck yes! 

Happy Home Episode 35-36 Recap

Happy Home Episode 35-36 Recap by Ninja
Mi Soon's Story:
We finally find out this week how Mi Soon was able to open her restaurant when a tearful Mi Soon thank Mama Bong for transferring a large amount of money to her account and apologizes for using it to wage battles against Mama Bong's husband and son. Smiling, Mama Bong admit that while she was indeed shocked by the manner Mi Soon reappeared, she is nonetheless glad to have her near. 

Knowing full well how displeased Se Ri would be, Man Ho still buckles under his fear of having his video published for all to see and agrees to Mi Soon's demand to not only push his wedding back but to also help her see her daughters more. Getting more and more disillusioned with Man Ho, Se Ri sneaks out late one night to go clubbing and almost got caught early next morning by Man Ho. 

According to the previews for next week it looks like maybe the baby might not be Man Ho's ...things are going to get rowdy... 
Not about to stand by and watch Mi Soon working hard by herself to save the restaurant, Chul Soo surprises Mi Soon with a ready to go contract with a supermarket to start selling prepackaged Chinese meals. Immensely grateful for what Chul Soo has done, Mi Soon once again expresses the sentiment that Chul Soo is her lucky star. Staring at Mi Soon, Chul Soo replies cryptically "You need to make money quickly. Only then can I do my own things with a peace of mind." Puzzled, Mi Soon asks "What do you need to to do?" but Chul Soo avoids the question and quickly changes the topic. 
Thanks to Chul Soo's hard work things are starting to go smoothly again for Mi Soon's restaurant but as always, new trouble shows up at Mi Soon's door again. Seething once he found out that Mama Bong had emptied a saving account that he had put under her name, Daddy Bong becomes even more infuriated once he figures out that money was given to his ex-daughter-in-law. Feeling severely betrayed by...well, everyone, Daddy Bong storms into Mi Soon's restaurant to demand an explanation of how she managed to open a restaurant when she left his house empty handed. 

Hae Won's Story: 
Shamed and frustrated after accepting the "break up" money from Madam Lee, Hae Won shows Kang Min the check in order to convince him that she has "sold" her baby's father off. Immensely offended as he stares at the paltry amount on the check, Kang Min hilariously complains "This is crazy! Do you know how much my family is worth?! I am the sole heir so why would I only be worth this much?!" 
Smiling at Hae Won's incredulous expression, Kang Min assures her that he has been around enough money hungry women to know that Hae Won is not one of them and that she simply did the wisest thing to get rid of his mother. Putting his hands around Hae Won's shoulders, Kang Min says to their baby "Your mother is so smart!" 
Moved by Kang Min's trust in her, Hae Won tells him that while she still doesn't have any confidence in marrying him yet but she is willing to take the first step by dating. Overjoyed, Kang Min promptly plants a kiss on Hae Won. 
One of my favorite scene this week is when Hae Won takes a little revenge on Madam Lee by suggesting in front of reporters that she should donate a large amount of money to a worthy cause. Eager to show off, President Lee doesn't notice his wife's stiff smile and promptly agrees.  Feeling rather proud of Hae Won for one upping his own mother, Kang Min smiles at her with approval. 
How hilarious is that Kang Min is impressed by the fact that Hae Won can go head to head with his mother since he himself can't. 
Hae Ryung's Story:
Surprised to be confronted by Hae Ryung about his illness, Hyun Ki admits that he is indeed dying and wants to use his last remaining days with people he cares about. Shocked by Hyun Ki's admittance and angry at herself for crying over the news, Hae Ryung firmly tells Hyun Ki to stay away from her and her family. 

Coming out of the house just in time to see Hae Ryung turning to leave, a furious Madam Jang attacks Hae Ryung while accusing her of ruining her son. Too angry to notice or care that Hae Ryung is not fighting back at all, Madam Jang is eventually stunned out of her haze of fury when her son tearfully begs her to stop. 
Arriving in time to see Madam Jang's hands still grabbing Hae Ryung's hair, Ji Gun loses his temper and warns Madam Jang "This woman is no longer your daughter in law. She is the woman I am going to marry so don't think you can treat her according to your will anymore." 

Frustrated with Hae Ryung as well for not fighting back, a still angry Ji Gun yells at Hae Ryung "I thought you have gotten better so why did you still stand there like a dummy?!" Equally angry at Ji Gun for hiding Hyun Ki's illness from her, Hae Ryung yells back that she would've loved to fight back as well...but she of all people knows the pain of losing a child so how could she not feel sympathy towards another woman who is about to lose her only son. 
His frustration melting into heartache at Hae Ryung's angry outburst, Ji Gun stands by hopelessly as he follows Hae Ryung into the house and can do nothing but watch her sob in anguish. 

His heart still aching for all the pain Hae Ryung is going through, Ji Gun sits by Hae Ryung's bedside and tells her sleeping figure "This won't do anymore. I am going to have to be the bad guy. If I am going to be punished then I will accept it all. From now on, I am not going to feel sorry towards you nor am I going to pity that person (Hyun Ki). I am not going to think of anything else. I will only look at you, only think of protecting you." 

Apparently no one to dally around once he makes a decision, Ji Gun soon surprises Hae Ryung by opening his medical practice right in her family's neighborhood. 
Ignoring Ji Gun's repeated warning that he should just accept his impending death and leave Hae Ryung alone, Hyun Ki freely admits to a crying Hae Ryung that he is not above to use their past happy memories to get her to come to him..which was why he sang their son's favorite song that night. Near breaking point to be forced to relive the painful memories of their past, Hae Ryung yells "What do you want from me?! What do you want from me?!" 

Waiting for Hae Ryung to finish with her restaurant's employee dinner, Ji Gun stares at the ring box in his hand with nervous excitement while he stand in his um...interesting? creative? spook alley? proposal ready office. 

Unfortunately, Ji Gun's grandiose proposal plan was for naught because while Hae Ryung did eventually show up she also brought an unconscious Hyun Ki with her. Obviously worried about Hyun Ki's well being but trying hard to harden her heart, Hae Ryung stiffens in surprise when Hyun Ki grabs her hand and asks her to spend the next three months with him. 
Walking in at the perfect moment to hear Hyun Ki's request, Ji Gun is speechless once Hyun Ki dryly reminds him that not so long ago Ji Gun was the one who was brazenly declaring his love for Hae Ryung while she was still his wife. 
Back to munching on ice as she sits in the darkness at home, Hae Ryung suddenly remembers Ji Gun's comforting words "Just leave everything to me now." Desperately in need of Ji Gun's reassuring presence, Hae Ryung rushes over to Ji Gun's house but ends up missing Ji Gun because he is also on the way to her house. 

Missing each other terribly as they each wait for the other person, fate finally took pity on our two leads again and Hae Ryung looks up to see Ji Gun standing in front of her. Taking out the ring that has been burning a hole in his pocket, Ji Gun admits to Hae Ryung that he had been planning to propose to her that night. Opening the ring box, Ji Gun drops the ring by accident but luckily Hae Ryung catches it in time and promptly puts it on herself.  

A kiss to seal a successful proposal. 

Pleasantly surprised to realize that Ji Gun is the doctor at their neighborhood's brand new practice, Mama Bong eagerly invites Ji Gun over for dinner but doesn't bother to tell her husband. Feeling no qualms that she has called over every member of the family except Daddy Bong to meet Ji Gun, Mama Bong officially accepts Ji Gun as her future son-in-law. 
Still reeling from his new discovery that Mama Bong has taken "his" money and given it to Mi Soon, a drunk Daddy Bong becomes even more furious when he sees Ji Gun walking out of his house with all of the Bong family members already referring to him as a son-in-law. Interrupting his family's happy mood, Daddy Bong grabs Hyun Ki's hand and loudly declares that Hyun Ki is the only son-in-law he will admit. 

FINALLY picking up the obvious clues that something is wrong with her son after she eavesdrops on Hyun Ki's conversation with his doctor friend, a still doubting Madam Jang is forced to admit the shocking truth when she confirms with her own eyes at the columbarium that Hyun Ki had reserved the space right next to her grandson's. 

Walking aimlessly in the rain as she thinks back to the simple things Hyun Ki had asked of her as a son...and how she had failed him every single time, the always proud Madam Jang collapses to the ground and screams in angish. 

Ninja's Thoughts

Sigh...I really thought I would be happy to see the great Madam Jang stripped all of her pride but I ended up crying when it finally happened. As much as Madam Jang has been an easy character to despise, but like Hae Ryung pointed out to Ji Gun, it is impossible to not feel pity for a woman who has just been pushed into hell. What makes Madam Jang's situation even more tragic of course is that her son has repeatedly tried to reach out to her but instead of giving him the love he desperately wants she has been the source of his misery. 

If my heart ached for the unlikely candidate of Madam Jang this week then it was severely disappointed by how Daddy Bong acted towards Mi Soon and his wife. I have been a staunch supporter up to this point that as flawed as Daddy Bong is, his shortcomings are made insignificant by his ability to love those around him. However, I was pretty disappointed by Daddy Bong's "woe is me" attitude this week. From his stubborn wish that Mama Bong would magically go back to being the mousy obedient wife to his ridiculous sense of betrayal that the slave like daughter-in-law who he threw out without a cent would dare to take his money to wage a battle against him. What seem even more absurd is Daddy Bong's willingness to hurt his own daughter out of consideration for Hyun Ki. I can understand Daddy Bong's affection for Hyun Ki but no father worth his salt would put another man's mental welfare in front of his own daughter's well being. 
Onto the difficult and very tangled relationship between our three leads. I find Hae Ryung's inner struggle towards Hyun Ki's impending death quite realistic and understandable. As much as Hae Ryung logically knows that she should not care a wit about what happens to her ex, but as we have already established, our heroine is a very soft hearted person so it would be out of character for her to be emotionally unmoved by Hyun Ki. He is after all a man she once loved... might still love to some extent and the father of her child. Moreover, this is a guess but I am assuming his illness had freed Hyun Ki from his perpetual mask and this newly released Hyun Ki is probably the person Hae Ryung fell in love with. So, all things considered I think it would be nigh impossible fore Hae Ryung's heart to not be thrown into chaos right now. 

I am not too worried about Hae Ryung falling back in love with Hyun Ki though. As much as Hae Ryung is Hyun Ki's saving grace all along but Hyun Ki has become Hae Ryung's nightmare...to the point I don't think even their once sweet memories could salvage. While the writer has shown us that our heroine obviously still care about her ex but we also get plenty of hints that when Hyun Ki is around Hae Ryung is in danger of turning back into that desperate damsel Ji Gun had worked so hard to rescue. To Hae Ryung, Hyun Ki has always been a taker and that hasn't changed one bit since he is STILL asking her to save him. 
This whole messy dynamic was shown quite skillfully by the writer in the scene of Hae Ryung reverting back to crunching on ice chips after Hyun Ki asks her to spend the next three months with him. Feeling that familiar sense of desperation, Hae Ryung had grabbed onto a beacon of hope when she suddenly remembers Ji Gun's words of "Just leave everything to me." Romantic love aside (which I do believe exists between the two leads), Ji Gun is Hae Ryung saving grace and THAT is someone Hyun Ki has never been for her. 

All text copyright @ www.NinjaReflection.com

ps. I will be on vacation for the next two weeks. I have no clue how reliable my internet access will be so while I will still try to stick to my recap schedule the posts will be a lot more concise...which judging by how verbose I was in this particular one that might be a good thing all around. 

Refresh Man Episode 17(End) Recap

Refresh Man Episode 17(End) Recap by Ninja

Despite her resolution to only show her smiling face to Wen Kai during their date, Yu Tang couldn't help but becomes teary as she thinks about their eminent parting.

His heart breaking to see Yu Tang so teary, Wen Kai gently kisses her and promises to tell her a story that will take a long time to finish so they could prolong their date.
The next morning, Wen Kai wakes up to find Yu Tang already long gone. Looking at the potted plant Yu Tang had left for him to take care of, Wen Kai thinks back to all the sweet moments that have shared since their reunion.

Angered by the fact that Yu Tang refuses to come to him even if she had chosen to sacrifice herself by leaving Wen Kai's side, Zhi Yu bitterly tells Elsa that his promise to Yu Tang of going easy on Wen Kai is not in affect since Yu Tang didn't come to work for him.

Wen Kai's situation at the company continues to worsen as more of his people resign and the rumors of his embezzlement abound. Showing up triumphantly on the day that he will officially sign the contract to take over the company, Zhi Yu allows Manager Jia (the one that used to be over Department 1) to order the security staffs to make sure Wen Kai doesn't take anything that doesn't belong to him once the contract is signed and Zhi Yu fires him.  
Strutting around in his full glory acting like he is the owner already, Zhi Yu confidently gets ready to sign the contract...and gets the surprise of his life when Yu Tang walks in with the Russian VIP that everyone has been trying to work with and skillfully converses with the man in Russian. Standing up in disbelief Zhi Yu slowly process the shocking truth that he has always been the fool in an elaborate play Wen Kai has created just for him. Too focused on his lovely dream of a grand takeover, Zhi Yu had given Wen Kai time to secretly partner up with the Russian VIP to buy large amount of stocks to Zhi Yu company. So, in summary, instead of taking over Wen Kai's company Zhi Yu had instead lost control over his own.
Staring at Elsa intently when she slowly explains that Wen Kai's boss was aware all along that Wen Kai had used the so called missing funds to buy all the stocks, Zhi Yu demands "You knew all along? Why didn't you tell me?!" Smiling, Elsa replies "That's because I have always bee Wen Kai's secretary."

In a flash back we see on the night Zhi Yu had paid Elsa a visit at her home, Wen Kai had shown up after Zhi Yu left and thanked Elsa for being willing to be a double agent.
In another flash back we see that on the night of Wen Kai's date with Yu Tang he had promised to tell her a long fantastical story and that was when he revealed the whole thing to Yu Tang. Puzzled when Yu Tang looks at him with the "I already guessed" expression, Wen Kai is pleasantly surprised once Yu Tang explains that since she already guessed Wen Kai's plan she has already prepared her passport so she could leave immediately to be his liaison with the Russian VIP.

Clues that helped Yu Tang guessed the truth:
1. Wen Kai asking for three more days during the Mei Mei copycat crisis. (The stocks of both his and Zhi Yu's company had plunged so that was when he was buying large amount of stocks of Zhi Yu's company.)
2. Elsa's repeated hints to Yu Tang to think what she could do to help Wen Kai.
3. Jia Ying had revealed to Yu Tang that Wen Kai had set up a new business overseas. (That was the new company Wen Kai formed with the Russian VIP in order to buy Zhi Yu's company's stock.)
4. Yu Tang had seen documents that showed President Chen's (Wen Kai's boss) signature on the funds Wen Kai supposedly embezzled. Since the big boss approved the use of the funds then there were obviously no truth to the embezzlement rumor.
Finally coming to the full realization that Wen Kai was always steps ahead of him, Zhi Yu has no choice but to sign the contract Wen Kai lays in front of him.
A gracious winner through and through, Wen Kai doesn't flaunt his victory but instead sincerely thank Zhi Yu for his willingness to sign a contract with his company. Putting away his lingering bitterness, Zhi Yu admits that Wen Kai's contract was extremely fair and is actually a great opportunity for his company so he genuinely had no problem singing it. 
Taking Wen Kai's extended hand, Zhi Yu admits that Wen Kai is a formidable businessman but promises that he will prove himself in the future. Smiling brightly, Wen Kai replies "I am looking forward to it."
Quite forthcoming as the whole Department Three gathers in his office to figure out the exciting twist and turns of the day's event, Wen Kai smiles patiently as his two secretaries take turn explaining the spy like corporate intrigue.

Officially back as Wen Kai's secretary, Elsa hands Wen Kai her wooden piece and reminds him it's time to put her back on the right team. How hilarious is that the white piece was covered by a the black plastic to represent Elsa's undercover assignment!

Putting "Elsa" right next to the figures that represent himself and Yu Tang, Wen Kai turns around and declares to his duly impressed Department Three that as a reward for their hard work they will all get three days of vacation.  

Waiting impatiently for Wen Kai to show up for their long overdue date at the amusement park, Yu Tang smiles happily when a familiar lion stops in front of her. Accepting a voice recorder from the silent lion, Yu Tang listens with astonishment as she finally realizes that the person Wen Kai wanted to confess to 10 years ago was none other than herself. Looking at the lion head tenderly, Yu Tang thank Wen Kai for always being there for her, always protecting her and taking care of her. Slowly taking the lion head off, Yu Tang is prepared to gaze into the loving gaze of Wen Kai...
and ends up yelping in surprise when she sees Wen Kai's best friend instead.

This part was pretty hilarious just because up til the last moment I was so sure the person in the lion costume must be Wen Kai as well. 

Pouting a bit even after the pleasant surprise of seeing her BFF with Wen Kai's best friend, Yu Tang chides Wen Kai for putting her in such an embarrassing situation but forgives him once he apologizes with a bouquet of roses.
Showing Yu Tang the amusement ticket stub from 10 years ago, Wen Kai explains that he was too ashamed to meet her back then because knowing that his family was going to move overseas he never took the university entrance exam and therefore was unable to fulfill her requirement of having a date together AFTER he did well on the test.

Hiding behind a pole while watching Yu Tang getting increasingly despondent with each hour he doesn't show up, Wen Kai finally steps out in an lion costume so he could at least take one picture with Yu Tang.

Turning to the audience, Wen Kai explains that it took him ten years to finally confess his feeling to the girl he likes because he was a Refresh Man when it comes to love.
In another set of flash backs we see that Wen Kai had liked Yu Tang from the very start and had actually purposefully created opportunities for Yu Tang to get use to having him around.
Dang, so the whole bad student facade was all a way to allow him to get close to Yu Tang? I guess that would actually make a lot of sense since our hero is obviously a genius in planning ahead so there is no reason he wouldn't have that talent 10 years ago. 

Ninja's Thoughts
Ahh...I am such a sap for happy endings. By the way, apparently this particular kissing scene was extremely difficult for our two leads since the carousel was constantly moving up and down so it took a lot of takes. 

Refresh Man really had a fairly straight forward premise and it didn't try to be more than a simple story. The simpleness sometimes became the show's major flaw such as the secondary characters being one dimensional and all the support casts underused but overall I still enjoyed this one a lot. 

As far as the ending goes I was about 90% satisfied with it. I liked that we had tolerable amount of flashbacks in it. The retelling of the high school flashbacks from the hero's point of view was creative and fun. The set up of Yu Tang figuring out Wen Kai's big plan by herself and how she had learned Russian while doing the puzzle were cleaver. 

My only complaint about the finale was how the villains got off scot free. I can understand Wen Kai's explanation that there was no need to make an enemy out of Zhi Yu since he would be much more useful as a friend but what's up with Manager Jia?? As the pompous jerk from the very beginning that tried to do real harm to the company he worked for, it seem completely unrealistic Wen Kai would offer Manager Jia a job again. Granted, Wen Kai did warn the guy that if he comes back he would have to work under Manager Meng so maybe he is sure the guy wouldn't be able to swallow his pride and come back. 
Oh, one thing I liked about the ending is that the show made sure to tell us what happened to all our characters.

Yu Tang: After having a very intense year of dealing with numerous crisis, Yu Tang is back to Department Three as a seasoned sales person who can handle any crisis confidently.  

Manager Meng gets a promotion and so did the rest of Department Three. 

More than a promotion though, Manager Meng's love life also blossoms. Puzzled when the fortune teller informs her that she will be kissed by a "handsome man" that very night in front of their neighborhood recycling station, Manager Meng asks "I thought you said I was fated to be alone?" A bit sheepish, the fortune teller replies "Yap, I was right. You are fated to be alone because I wasn't ready to confess my feelings to you yet." Ha!  

Not about to leave our perfect female second lead lonely, the fortune teller also tells Elsa that her true love is someone she already knows and within the month this particular friend will be confessing to her. 

Department Three's prince charming You Rui is finding success in his second job as a male model but not so much in love. Still harboring a crush on Jia Yin, You Rui is trying hard to become a man worthy of her... 

However, it looks like You Rui is destined to be disappointed because Jia Yin has decided to get back with her ex and is again going to work overseas. 

Hui Xin and Liang Yu has gained quite a bit of fame in the literary circle once they teamed up to write novels. (Liang Yu writes while Hui Xin illustrate them.) One of their most popular novel is the story based on Yu Tang and Wen Kai's romance. 

As for our two leads? We end with a sweet and hilarious scene of Wen Kai cleaning the house while Yu Tang complains about her toast!