Goong/Princess Hours (KDrama)

Goong/Princess Hours (KDrama)


Summary from Wikipedia:


Set in an alternate 21st-century reality where Korea possesses a royal family, since 1945 to present, this show revolves around the lives of the Crown Prince(Hwangtaeja) Yi Shin, and his new bride, Chae-kyeong. The depicted royal family in the show is modelled after the last royal family of Korea, which in reality reigned until the start of the Japanese Occupation in 1910 and was not reinstated after Japanese surrender in Second World War, 1945.

The series starts off with the news that the King, Shin's father, is very ill. With the grim outlook on the King's health, the royal family scrambles to find a wife for Shin, so as to allow him to take over the royal throne if the situation requires. Despite being in love with another girl, the ambitious and talented ballerina Hyo-rin whom Shin initially proposed to (she rejects him to pursue her ballet dreams), Shin eventually marries a commoner to whom he was betrothed by his late grandfather in an old agreement with the girl's grandfather. Shin marries the headstrong yet lovable Chae-kyeong after Hyo-rin's rejection. Despite initially feeling nothing for Chae-kyeong, love eventually blossoms between the couple.

In the meantime, however, matters are further complicated with the return of Yi Yul and his mother Lady Hwa-Young, who was once the Crown Princess (Bingoong) before the death of her husband, the late Crown Prince, older brother of the current King. Yul and his mother were chased out of the palace some time after the death of his father, and it is later revealed that this was due to the King's discovery of an affair between Yul's mother and the current King who was his father's younger brother. Yul's mother had returned with a sinister motive in mind; to restore her son back to the throne, which would have been his eventually, if his father had not died. A series of events befall the palace with the schemes Yul's mother carries out, and is further intensified by the various scandals involving the royal family, which are inclusive of the Shin's continuing relationship with his old flame Hyo-rin, and the budding love Yul develops for Chae-kyeong, his cousin's new-found bride.

***Fourth in my list. What interested me about this drama is the storyline. Who wouldn't want to be a princess, right? And have the haughty prince fall in love with you? It is every girl's dream. Also, the response to this drama was amazing!

Pros:

- Storyline's appeal
- The cinematography was amazing
- For newcomers, Joo Ji Hoon and Yoon Eun Hye, their acting was quite good (They won Best New Actor and Best New Actress, respectively)
- Great acting by the rest of the cast particularly Kim Hye-ja (the Queen Mother) and Yoon Yoo-seon (the Queen)

Cons:

- It started out great but by the second half of the drama, I was waiting for it to end already
- Some of the scenes were dragging and repetitive
- Shin Chae-kyeong (Yoon Eun Hye) was lovable and funny @ first but by the 2nd half of the drama, i thought to myself, what happened to her?

Click HERE for the OST.

Coffee Prince (KDrama)

***photo credit as tagged

Coffee Prince (KDrama)

Summary from Wikipedia:


Choi Han Kyul, played by Gong Yoo, is the cocky son of a very rich family who runs a damaged food corporation. He doesn't believe in love and certainly doesn't want to get married despite his family's requests. On the other hand, Go Eun Chan, played by Yoon Eun Hye, is a 24-year old tomboyish female who gets mistaken as a guy quite often. She takes up every job possible — waitress, food deliverer, etc — and has the responsibility of taking care of her mother and younger sister. Eun Chan accidentally meets Han Kyul twice, once on a delivery and once during a robbery. During the robbery, Eun Chan's delivery motorcycle ends up being damaged. Han Kyul, not knowing that Eun Chan is actually a girl, decides to hire Eun Chan as a false "lover" so that he can escape the blind dates arranged by his grandmother. Meanwhile, Han Kyul's cousin, Choi Han Seong, is an established music producer and his ex-girlfriend Han Yoo Joo, who Han Kyul secretly loved for nine years, is a famous artist who studied in New York. The two were lovers for about 8 years but their relationship ended when Yoo Joo broke up with Han Seong. Two years after they separated their paths cross again when Yoo Joo returns to Seoul.

After getting an ultimatum from his grandmother, Han Kyul takes over a run-down severely damaged old coffee shop, later renamed Coffee Prince, to prove his ability, both to his grandmother and Yoo Joo. In order to attract female customers, he only hires good looking male employees. In a struggle with money, Eun Chan, whom Han Kyul has already mistaken as a boy, hides her gender identity to get a job at Coffee Prince. Soon feelings start to spark between Eun Chan and Han Kyul. Because he's unaware that Eun Chan is a girl, Han Kyul starts to question his sexuality.

***Third in my list of favorite asian dramas, tied with You're Beautiful and not because of the similar story line, "girl pretending to be a boy", but because I can't decide which one i like better. I think Jang Geun Suk has a lot to do with my indecision... keke...

Pros:

- Hands down the best acting of two leads in a Kdrama, Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye particularly Gong Yoo. Great work! (both won Best Actor & Best Actress, respectively)
- Excellent acting of the supporting cast, I love their chemistry
- Excellent direction (won Best Drama of 2007)
- Excellent writing
- Great OST


Cons:

- Same old story line (thankful for the wonderful script and great director)
- Same with You're Beautiful, a question persisted in my head, "How can Han Kyul not notice Eun Chan is a girl?
- I was not satisfied with the ending. It left me hanging.
SPOILER ALERT: (for those few people who haven't watched it yet)
It seemed Eun Chan doesn't want to get married (scene inside the car when she arrived after 2 years) or were they setting it up for The 2nd Shop of Coffee Prince that didn't materialize?

Click HERE for the OST.