Ninja's Friday Drama Round Up #93 Hot Girl (Chinese Drama, New)Ma Ke and Dili Reba's new action drama about a group of friends whose fun but aimless lives are suddenly turned upside down when a top bodyguard agency recruits them.
Boy, Dili Reba looks absolutely stunning in this one. Ma Ke is usually not the type I find attractive but I really like his style here as well. I have only checked out the first two episodes so far and while the story is extremely predicable but I find it fun enough to check back later. Doctors (Korean Drama)I pretty much gave up on this one a while ago but out of curiosity decided to check it out again last week and was pleasantly surprised that the story didn't get stuck on the heroine's revenge plan liked I feared. The whole villain story line is still not catching my interest but that is easily ignored with plenty of sweet interactions between the leads and the episodic happenings at the hospital that are actually quite engaging. The Second to Last Love (Korean Drama)Among all the K-drama young eye candies it is always refreshing to see a romance with mature actors as leads...especially if the hero is play by Ji Jin Hee!
While the plot of The Second to Last Love is not exactly refreshing but having two very seasoned leads who lights up every scene they are together goes a LONG way to make this one worth following. Last week's episode 3-4 were pretty fun (...in an adult day to day frustrating sort of way), so I am tentatively putting this one on my watch list. Remembering Lichuan (Chinese Drama) Checked out the first three episodes of this one and despite the sob inducing premise of the story the show is surprisingly a whole lot of fun...albeit I am sure there will be plenty of crying later on. W (Korean Drama)I am completely addicted to this one! I am ashamed to admit that I was blind to Lee Jong Suk's charm before BUT thanks to W I have since repented. Sigh! Kissing the comic hero you have been dreaming about since your youth... THAT has to be every girl's dream come true. 38 Task Force (Korean Drama, Finished)I was a bit sad to say goodbye to such a great drama but overall I was pretty satisfied with the ending. My only beef with this one is that I wish there were more romance but there were plenty of bromance to make me happy at least.
Oldies but Goodies: Take Care of Us, Captain (Korean Drama, 2012, 20 episodes)Synopsis: With all the bright eyed excitement for her new job as a commercial pilot, our heroine's (Ku Hye Sun) happy mood sours when a much respected veteran captain (hero, Ji Jin Hee) tells her that she will never become a good pilot. Unwilling to give up her dream no matter what anyone says, our heroine goes all out to prove that she will indeed become a great pilot one day. With 11 years difference in age between our leads (in their real life) this is show is obviously an ajusshi romance. Back in 2012 Ku Hye Sun was 28 but she has such a baby face look that I really had some difficulty seeing her in the role of a professional pilot. Fortunately, if memory serves me right, I did get over that quite quickly once the story got going.
Noble Aspiration First Impression by NinjaChinese Drama: Noble Aspirations or Legend of Chusen (???)Episodes: 55Leads: Li Yi Feng & Zhao Li Ying Synopsis: Based on a popular fantasy Wu Xia novel of the same name, Noble Aspiration follows the story of our unlikely hero: Zhang Xiao Fan. After the horrifying slaughter of his whole village, Xiao Fan and his best friend are accepted into the Qing Yun Sect with the vow that they will one day avenge the death of their families. Unfortunately, despite Xiao Fan's fervent desire to become strong enough to seek justice for his village, his lack of talent seems to make that dream impossible. Becoming the owner of a mysterious metal stick by chance, Xiao Fan is clueless of the stick's immense power but instead uses it as a simple fire stoker. Determined to do the best he can but knowing he will place dead last during a Qing Yun competition, Xiao Fan stuns everyone and himself as well when he suddenly becomes surprisingly strong enough to win his fights. Confronted by everyone's angry demand to know how and where he learned his fighting skills, Xiao Fan doesn't know how to explain his fantastical suspicion that the metal stick is helping him.
Ninja's First Impression:First, I have to confess that I have never read the novel. Judging by some of the angry comments online I think it's safe to say that the TV show has detracted quite a bit from the original story. After skimming the novel briefly, it turns out Zhao Li Ying's character is one of the two female leads and sadly also the one that sacrificed herself to save the hero half way through the story. (This is written right in the synopsis you can find online so I don't consider it a spoiler.)
Since the show is obviously not following the novel exactly AND it seems illogical to get an A-lister such as Zhao Li Ying just to kill her half way through the show, I am hoping the writer might be kind enough to grant her character a happy ending this time around. There are TWO female leads in the novel but it's not clear yet if the TV show will stay true to that yet. Without any expectation from reading the novel before, I actually like Noble Aspiration a lot. The show is very pretty, Li Yi Feng's hero makes you want to cheer him on and while Zhao Li Ying's character has only made a few short appearances, she does light up the screen every time. I do wish the pacing was a bit faster but going from a Wu Xia genre point of view then the time they are spending on the hero's background is all part of the fun. A bit of warning though, the love connections at this point is pretty messed up and it looks like the writer will be doing a lot of switching around later on so don't get too attached to any pairing just yet.
This one is actually more than half way already (airing 51 today out 80 episodes) and I have been completely surprised by how good it is.
For those who are not familiar with this show, you can read up on the synopsis and my first impression HERE.Ninja's Half Way Review:WARNING: The review will include short blurbs about where the plot has progressed to this point, so LOTS of spoilers.Yang Zhen Wei's Story: (oldest of the three brothers)This particular couple is probably the least eventful out of the three we are following...and therefore the most boring one to me. Deeply hurt after his girlfriend's death, Zhen Wei had thought that he would live the rest of his life alone until the 22 year old Yi Xin suddenly shows up in his life and loudly declares her love for him. Worried about the 18 years difference between himself and Yi Xin, Zhen Wei rejects Yi Xin's confession repeatedly but eventually gathers enough courage to say goodbye to his past and accepts Yi Xin's feelings.Dismayed to have his precious youngest daughter bring home a boyfriend so much older than her, Daddy Wu struggled with Zhen Wei at first but ends up being won over by Zhen Wei's personality to the point that he even agrees to her daughter's engagement.While this couple is my least favorite out of the three I find them tolerable enough. My biggest beef is with Yi Xin's character. For a 22 year old grown woman, Yi Xin often acts like a 14 year old and that in turn makes this particular relationship feel more like a daddy-daughter than a romantic one.Yang Zhen Hao's (Second Oldest) Story:Zhen Hao's romance is the one the show focused most on in the beginning and while this particular plot feels a bit predicable at times but it has been entertaining to watch an extremely stoic Zhen Hao try to win over his timid love interest (Yi An).Zhen Hao's already long difficult road of pursuing Yi An was made even more complicated when Yi An's friend Yan Zhi shows up and also expresses his interest in her. After his confession was rejected by Yi An, Zhen Hao mistakenly believes that the one Yi An likes is Zhen hao and decides to help her get her happy ending. Shocked but touched once she finds out what Zhen Hao is trying to do for her, Yi An slowly realizes that the one in her heart is none other than Zhen Hao. Zhen Hao's happy ending hits a big bump when Yan Zhi reveals that he had purposefully approached Zhen Hao and his family in order to seek revenge for his mother's death. His world shaken by the thought that his father might have bribed the doctor in order to save him and indirectly caused the death of Yan Zhi's mother, Zhen Hao starts to question his own existence. Luckily, everything turns out to be a misunderstanding and Yan Zhi was able to let go of his life long resentment. Zhen Kai's (Youngest brother) Story:I really didn't find this couple's story too interesting at first but they have turned out to be my absolute favorite romance and really the main reason that keeps me watching Better Man faithfully. Fighting like cats and dogs at first, Zhen Kai and You Zhen eventually come to be good partners at work...if it wasn't for a few accidents. Unable to trust love after a traumatic failed relationship, You Zhen is ready to spend the rest of life as a single woman. Glad that her relationship with Zhen Kai has improved dramatically at work, You Zhen is dismayed when she accidentally slept with Zhen Kai while they were both drunk during a business trip. Forcing herself to react to the crisis with a calm attitude, You Zhen assures a guilt ridden Zhen Kai that they should just forget the whole incident. Despite the initial awkwardness Zhen Kai felt after the "incident", Zhen Kai comes to regard You Zhen as a life long friend...until another business trip comes around. Dismayed AND puzzled the next morning once he realize he has slept with You Zhen yet again, Zhen Kai hesitantly asks her "I was drunk yesterday...but you were sober..." Never one to avoid things, You Zhen frankly admits that Zhen Kai didn't do anything inappropriate but that she was the one that initiated things.
Stunned to realize You Zhen likes him, after a sleepless night Zhen Kai presents You Zhen with a wedding ring but also informs her he can't return her feelings. Declaring that she would never want a loveless marriage, You Zhen nonetheless asks Zhen Kai to be her fake boyfriend for the next three months. A bit reluctant to do all the embarrassing "boyfriend" things You Zhen wants him to do but determined to keep his promise to her anyway, Zhen Kai faithfully plays his part as You Zhen's boyfriend with the mutual understanding that once You Zhen goes back to work as President Yang's (Zhen Kai's father) secretary then that's when their pretend relationship will end as well. Determined to collect as many sweet memories for herself, You Zhen is all smiles in front of Zhen Kai but in private she is besieged with fear that her heart is no longer able to let Zhen Kai go. On Zhen Kai's part, I am afraid the guy is completely clueless when it comes to love and has no idea that You Zhen has already become someone he can't live without.
Astonished when he finds out from his parents that he was adopted because his biological mother had sacrificed herself to save Mama Yang, Zhen Kai is shaken to the core and wonders if all the love he has received from his family has only been out their sense of guilt. Her heart aching for Zhen Kai as he sobs in her arms, You Zhen tells Zhen Kai to trust his heart and not forget all the things he has experienced with his family. Thanks to You Zhen's words and his brothers efforts, Zhen Kai eventually realizes that his adoptive family has always loved him as their own. 
Happy Home Episode 47 Recap by NinjaMi Soon's Story: Despite the growing awareness between herself and Chul Soon, Mi Soon is nonetheless completely surprised when Chul Soon puts on a full confession event for her.Puzzled when Chul Soo tells her that the first time they met was five years ago, the forgotten memories of meeting a starved Chul Soo on a cold night finally come flooding back to Mi Soon. Losing his parents at a young age, Chul Soo had been sent to China to live with his distant relatives and missed his native land terribly. Desolate when he gets back to Korea to find his old home and friends long gone, Chul Soo is found by Mi Soon after he has been starving for two days. Amazed to see Chul Soo wolfing down the noodle she cooked for him, Mi Soon smiles with amusement as Chul Soo hands her a picture he had drawn of her and promises that he will come back one day to pay for the meal.Already flustered by Chul Soo's big confession, Mi Soon becomes even more rattled when Man Ho suddenly shows up. Not about to let Man Ho spoils his important moment, Chul Soo puts a ring on Mi Soon's hand and tells her "I love you."Daddy Bong's Story:Leaving work early because he is ill, Daddy Bong goes home just in time to see his wife walking out with a packed bag. Wanting to beg his wife to stay but instead saying all the wrong things to make her even more angry, Daddy Bong is left all by his lonesome after Mama Bong storms out.Remembering his wife's tearful rant at the lawyer's office when he sees a store selling red bean buns, Daddy Bong buys a box of it and delivers it to her. A first touched to see the buns, Mama Bong is soon fuming with anger the moment she takes a bite and realize the buns are spoiled. Puzzled when Mama Bong shoves the buns back to him and accuses him of buying rotten food for her on purpose, Daddy Bong takes a bite of the buns but could not tell anything is wrong with them.
Finally alerted to the fact that something is terribly wrong, Daddy Bong is devastated when the doctor confirms that he has indeed lost his sense of taste.Hae Won's Story:Now that his wife has fallen in love with her unborn grandchild, President Lee decides to formally accepts Hae Won as well and tells her to quit her job ASAP so she can learn her role as a rich family's daughter-in-law. Not about to let anyone tell her to drop the career she has worked so hard on, Hae Won firmly refuses to obey President Lee's order despite Kang Min's attempt to get her to soften her attitude.
Going back to work with a heavy heart, Hae Won is stunned to find out from her co-worker that President Lee had demoted her team leader in order to give her a promotion. Not surprised when Hae Won calls to accuse him of trying to use the promotion to force her to quit, President Lee simply replies "I don't think you realize what it means to marry into the Lee family."Hae Ryung:Notwithstanding the VERY misleading preview from last week, Hyun Ki doesn't die on the operating table. However, the operation wasn't a complete success either. Stumbling in shock when Ji Gun admits to her that Hyun Ki only has one more month to live, Hae Ryung asks Ji Gun to let her be the one to tell Hyun Ki the bad news.Afraid that Hyun Ki would try to commit suicide again if he knew the operation only extended his life for a short time, Hae Ryung allows Hyun Ki to believe that he is completely cured.
Keeping his promise to Hae Ryung to not tell Hyun Ki the truth, Ji Gun can only accept his torturous foreseeable future of watching our heroine fawning all over Hyun Ki. Believing that he has avoided death, Hyun Ki confesses to a sleeping Hae Ryung that even though he knows full well who is in her heart he still wants to ask her to give him a second chance. Opening her eyes slowly once Hyun Ki falls asleep, Hae Ryung cries silently. Running to the hospital's rooftop to meet with Hae Ryung, Ji Gun arrives to find her staring at their wedding picture. Not looking up from the picture, Hae Ryung whispers "I can't keep my promise to only be angry for a short time. I can't keep my promise to not wonder far. Nor can I keep my promise to love you more and more each day. My promises to you...I can't keep any of them."
Admitting that despite her effort to only show her resentment towards Ji Gun, her heart still skips a beat at the sight of him and she still loves him, Hae Ryung continues "But what I want to tell you now is that I am going to go to that person (Hyun Ki). That person who is so happy without any clue that he is dying...I can't let go of that person's hand."
As expected, our hero has no angry rants for Hae Ryung who has just declared her intention to abandon him for another man but merely remarks that if she wasn't so soft hearted then he would not have fallen in love with her. Frantic when he wakes up to find Hae Ryung gone, Hyun Ki rushes out of his room only to see Hae Ryung on her way back. Peaceful now that she has made her decision, a smiling Hae Ryung reaches out her hand to take Hyun Ki's.
Ninja's Thoughts: Apparently MBC decided to broadcast a volleyball match between Korea and Japan so that's why we only had one episode this week... sob! Well, color me completely surprised by Chul Soo's proposal. Putting aside the nagging suspicion that Mi Soon will probably turn Chul Soo's proposal down, I am really glad that Mi Soon is able to have the experience of not only being treated like an attractive woman for once in her life but also to have the knowledge that a man had worked so hard for the last five years just to be worthy of her.
If I have to take a guess, I think Mi Soon will instinctively rejects Chul Soo's feeling out of fear since her marriage to Man Ho has given her the false belief that no one would find her attractive as a woman. This of course is also why I REALLY hope Mi Soon will not go back to Man Ho because even up to this point, Chul Soo has been the only man in Mi Soon's life that allows her to shed her superwoman mask. Sigh...so painful all around for our three leads. Hyun Ki is usually such a sharp observer that I am starting to wonder if he guessed the truth already and is once again using his illness to keep Hae Ryung by his side. The fact that Hae Ryung has chosen to stay probably should be one important clue for Hyun Ki since he of all people knows that Ji Gun is the one Hae Ryung loves. 
