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Drama Reactions & Reviews

Cinderella, Prosecutor, Taste: First episode impressions

by javabeans | March 31, 2010 | 186 Comments

Finally! The new Wednesday-Thursday battle is off, and the results are pretty consistent with my expectations, both content- and ratings-wise. First, the numbers: Cinderella’s Sister took the lead with a 16.7%, while Personal Taste was in second with a 12.7%. Prosecutor Princess trailed with a 7.3%. (Those are TNS Media numbers; AGB Nielsen gave the... More »

Tags: Chun Jung-myung, Cinderella's Sister, Han Jung-soo, Kim Gab-soo, Kim Ji-suk, Kim So-yeon, Lee Mi-sook, Lee Min-ho, Moon Geun-young, Park Shi-hoo, Personal Taste, Prosecutor Princess, Seo Woo, Sohn Ye-jin

Drama Reactions & Reviews

Birth of the Rich’s childish plot has viewers frustrated

by javabeans | March 14, 2010 | 58 Comments

KBS’s current Monday-Tuesday offering is the drama Birth of the Rich, which has so far aired four episodes of its planned 16. Ratings-wise, it’s in last place but holding steady with 11-%12% ratings. It’s not a fantastic number, but it’s not terrible. However, reviews are starting to turn harsh; the first episode had elicited tentatively... More »

Tags: The Birth of the Rich

Drama Reactions & Reviews

Scripts and scenes from Wish Upon a Star

by javabeans | February 16, 2010 | 68 Comments

With no episodes of Wish Upon a Star airing this week (and such heated response at the unfortunate postponement), I tried to think of a way to get my fix despite the lack of new material. I tried to look for any interviews of the lead actors, but unfortunately, there are very few — the... More »

Tags: scripts, Wish Upon a Star

Drama Reactions & Reviews

Rebuttal #2: A case against My Love Patzzi and the delusions of Samsooki’s Jang Nara obsession

by Dahee_Fanel | January 19, 2010 | 86 Comments

Once upon a time there lived a wee little goldfish. From her little plastic castle inside her little glass fish bowl she often glimpsed views of a television screen that housed human beings, many of whom cried rivers of tears due to something called “cancer” and sometimes bowed down to bearded men in red robes,... More »

Tags: Jang Nara, Kim Rae-won, My Love Patzzi

Drama Reactions & Reviews

Rebuttal #1: If heroine alienates core bread-n-butter audience, drama is a dud, even if a few misguided males beg to differ

by javabeans | January 19, 2010 | 84 Comments

Gauntlet, thrown and accepted! Well, see now, I think there are a few misconceptions I’ve got to clear up right off the bat. First off, this idea that I somehow have good taste. HA! Have you seen my drama ratings? Second, that there’s such a great divide between the “elite literati” and the common folk... More »

Tags: Jang Nara, Kim Jae-won, Kim Rae-won, My Love Patzzi

Drama Reactions & Reviews

Why I like Jang Nara and My Love Patzzi: A Defense against the Tyranny of dahee fanel and javabeans, and Why Square Holes Are Problematic

by samsooki | January 19, 2010 | 125 Comments

Biting off more than one can chew is not only the proper methodology for eating saltwater taffy, but it is also a way of life for me – how else can we find our limits except by risking failure? And so, as I have been weaned on Mmes. Dahee’s and javabeans’ robust posts over the... More »

Tags: Jang Nara, Kim Jae-won, Kim Rae-won, My Love Patzzi

Drama Reactions & Reviews

The new Monday-Tuesday lineup: First impressions

by javabeans | January 4, 2010 | 80 Comments

As I’ve been saying recently (I sound like a broken record, I know), today saw the rare circumstance of four new drama series all premiering on the same night. There’s a lot of interest to see which one(s) will emerge victorious, but so far there’s no clear winner, as the numbers came out more or... More »

Tags: God of Study, Jejoongwon, Pasta, Wish Upon a Star

Drama Reactions & Reviews

2009 Editors’ Picks [Year In Review, Part 6]

by javabeans | December 31, 2009 | 112 Comments

Here we are! The last of the year-end review series. This post is something new, but I thought it would be an interesting experiment. Although each of us reviewers has our personal favorites, which we outlined in our personal reviews, it’s a different thing to move past preference and try to be objective in a... More »

Tags: Accidental Couple, Again My Love, Assorted Gems, awards, Boys Before Flowers, Brilliant Legacy, City Hall, Friend Our Legend, IRIS, Kyung Sook Kyung Sook's Father, Queen Seon-deok, Return of Iljimae, Smile, Story of a Man, year in review, You're Beautiful

Drama Reactions & Reviews

Finding Hidden Gems And Lumps of Coal in 2009 [Year In Review, Part 5]

by hjkomo | December 30, 2009 | 123 Comments

First, I’d like to start by thanking Sarah for inviting me to be a guest reviewer. I must admit that I was, at first, a bit daunted (okay, scared ****less would be more precise), but how else could I begin to pay a little back to those who have given me so much? I’m neither... More »

Tags: Assorted Gems, Don't Hesitate, Everybody Cha Cha Cha, Family Honor, Hero, I Love You Don't Cry, Queen of Housewives, Return of Iljimae, Romance Zero, The Road Home, year in review, You're Beautiful

Drama Reactions & Reviews

All Told, A Pretty Fun Year [Year In Review, Part 4]

by javabeans | December 29, 2009 | 142 Comments

After a pretty meh 2008, I was ready for the drama landscape to fire back up with 2009. And while there were a number of misses and disappointments — isn’t there always? — I was pretty satisfied with the dramas I watched in 2009. I still don’t think there were as many top offerings as,... More »