Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul played two young police cadets in this action comedy and I've to say aside from their cuteness overload, it's also a story of their friendship, their dreams and passion as well as to right the wrong despite their inexperience and various bureaucracy obstacles.

The story opens with the two of them admitting into Korean National Police University where they learn to be a cop and master various martial arts. However, most of the things they've learned are mostly textbook theories and in spite of their two years training, they still find themselves at a loss and just when they're having doubts about being a cop as their career, they witness a kidnapping when they're out partying one night. They manage to track down the location and the kidnappers eventually but they're faced with several obstacles - lack of evidence, inexperienced and such cases have to be dealt with the appropriate departments and bureaucracy. They decided it'd be too late by then and the only option they could come up with is to take matters into their own hands.

(L: Kang Ha-neul, R: Park Seo-joon)

I've been a fan of Park Seo-joon (Fight for My Way and Hwarang are some of his works this year) so naturally this movie captured my attention. While Kang Ha-neul is no stranger to me, I've to admit I'm not really familiar with his works since I can be selective when dramas/movies are concerned and this explains why I may have missed him while choosing a new drama to watch. That said, I was quite impressed with his acting here as a quiet, nerdy cop as I understand he is actually an easy-going guy and one who smile a lot. I totally loved the rapport and the guy bonding moments they've for each other. But of course what moved me most is their passion and their enthusiasm in pursuing justice (human trafficking and selling of young women's eggs to illegal fertility and surrogacy agency are the cases they're investigating here and I think these topics will further raise the awareness considering the seriousness and a problem the world still face today.) Overall I enjoyed the movie and I'll definitely keep an eye on Kang Ha-neul's future works. 

Based on true events, Haemoo tells a gripping story of a voyage of survival and humanity. 

Set in South Korea in 1998, a fishing vessel sets sail for their catch. The crew isn't in luck, for their catch isn't what they have hoped for. Captain Kang (starring Kim Yun-Seok) is desperate, for the times are bad and if they fail to bring in anything it'd mean the whole crew would be in trouble. 

With nowhere to go, he agrees to transport some Chinese-Koreans stowaways from China on his vessel. When the crew knew that they would be smuggling immigrants, they are worried but they have no choice. Moreover they trust and respect Captain Kang; they knew that whatever he does he always have their best interest. 

Unfortunately, the deal is a doom from the start. Apart from the large group of immigrants that leave them stunned, they are not prepared of consequences should any happens. Captain Kang has to resort to violence, and his action shakes the cores of his crew members. And that's only the beginning of the nightmares... 

Haemoo is a sad, dark and thought-provoking movie that evolves around the subject of humanity, and what drives a man to do under desperate measures. Greed is another factor, as well as lust. There is a little romance to this movie, but it is all sad and a tragedy. Dong-Sik (starring Park Yu-Chun) is the youngest crew in the vessel who falls in love with Hong-Mae (starring Han Ye-Ri), a young woman immigrant who wanted to look for her brother in Korea. Their scene also plays a major part to this film when Dong-Sik tries to protect Hong-Mae from his crazed captain and fellow mates. 

The cast did a wonderful job in their respective role. Two characters really left an impression on me and they are Captain Kang and of course, Dong-Sik. Captain Kang is a man who cares a lot for his crew (You could tell this when he still gives advance money to them even if he has to loan it.) He is simply a simple fisherman who wants to bring home money despite the bad times. He is simply down with miscalculations and bad luck. 

Dong-Sik is another simple-minded soul with a big heart. His falling for Hong-Mae has given him the courage to act devilishly. From the point of love I have to applaud him for the things he has done for Hong-Mae, but from another view it's so sad to see the crew crumbles and became the enemies instead. 

Overall I felt the direction was great, until it came to the ending part. It was a let down and I felt terribly disappointed. Walking out of the theatre I could hear some discussions and sighs from a few audiences. Truth be told, I didn't really get the ending. That said, I suppose it gives viewers a melancholy feel over what all happened to that unfortunate event. 

Director: Kim Dae-Woo
Genre: Erotic Romance

(R21) 

I had watched two Korean dramas lately and they had left me a deep impression. Aside from the intense plots, what has really made the dramas stand out is the leading actresses who portrayed as bad women who would do anything to climb to the top.

The Innocent Man (aka Nice Guy), the first drama I watched, is a story of a young man taking revenge on a woman who had betrayed him after leaving him in jail for a crime he didn't commit. The woman, Jae-Hee, is a television reporter and while trying to unravel a case she has accidentally killed a man while trying to defend herself. Kang Ma-ru, who is Jae-Hee's boyfriend then, attempts to counsel her to turn herself in to the police but Jae-Hee appears to be too shaken to do anything. It is then that Ma-ru decides to take the blame and turn himself in to the police, despite he is a promising medical student and he has a bright future ahead of him. He believes that Jae-Hee will appreciate what he has done for her and that she will wait for him until the day he is released from jail.

Yawang (aka Queen of Ambition), is another South Korean drama which featured a love betrayed man, Ha Ryu, and what he would do to bring his childhood love down no matter at what price he has to pay.

Ha Ryu and Da Hae are both orphans and they came from the same orphanage, however Da Hae is adopted by a family but she is unhappy as her stepfather often harassed her. She still fears for her stepfather even she is now a grown woman and has left the family, but that doesn't stop him from pursuing her. When her stepfather manages to find her one day, she kills him with a sharp tool out of fear and desperation. Ha Ryu decides to take the blame and buries the dead man after they have decided not to report to the police.

Life seems to be back to normal to Ha Ryu and Da Hae and it is at this time that Da Hae wants to further her studies in an University. Ha Ryu becomes a gigolo to pay for Da Hae's studies but he keeps this from her, thinking that this is best for everyone. Da Hae manages to get her degree in the end, and they had a lovely daughter thereafter although they haven't married. Da Hae later got a job in Baekhak Group, one of the leading companies in Korea and acquainted with the heir of Baekhak Group. She becomes distant with Ha Ryu, and though he tries to understand her ambitiousness, he eventually snaps when he loses their daughter to a car accident due to her negligence. Da Hae by then has decided to ditch Ha Ryu for good and this is when they began their games of conspiracy as each wants to bring the other down. 

While there is a slight similarity between The Innocent Man and Yawang as both dramas have the same plot of the good men taking revenge on their women, I felt the highlights of the dramas are not only their intense plots but how the leading actresses portrayed their roles seamlessly. You couldn't help but to swear and grit your teeth while watching them performing their bad deeds over and over again, and despite this you couldn't tear your eyes away from them. They may be the villains, but these intelligent and evil women stand out from the rest and usually score more coverage as compared to other kind and innocent female roles. They always put themselves first and most of the times, they make use of men and woman power to change their past life and to get what they want. They are the 'new' women villains who have their good reasons to be bad, and we being the audience can do nothing but to keep watching and hope for their crumble. 

First of all, I'd like to apologise to all my readers and friends for not posting a book review lately. As you can tell, I've been watching too many Korean dramas and though I still read, my progress is slow. I'm currently reading Keigo Higashino's Salvation of a Saint; he is the author of the phenomenon The Devotion of Suspect X and I really enjoyed that book. I can't wait to find out what is in store for Salvation of a Saint.

Anyways, back to this Korean drama I Miss You. This is a highly emotional drama about the love and life journey between a couple, Soo Yeon and Jung Woo. 15-year-old Soo Yeon often gets bullied in school because everyone thinks her father was a murderer. Everyone has been avoiding her like a plague, except Jung Woo who thinks she is special after she has shared her umbrella with him on a rainy day. 

Jung Woo comes from a wealthy family and he doesn't really get along well with his father. All his father thinks about is money and how to make more of them; and he has committed a few bad deeds that made him an enemy to a few people. Jung Woo became the target and is kidnapped one day, Soo Yeon saw what happened and wanted to help him, but ended up being a victim herself. Eventually, Jung Woo managed to escape but not Soo Yeon. This tragic incident has forced them apart and fourteen years passed then. 

Jung Woo is now a homicide detective and that kidnapping incident which happened so many years ago still remains in his mind but what most matters is, he is still in love with Soo Yeon and he is hoping to find her one day. Soo Yeon, on the other end, is a fashion designer and she has found her new love with a charismatic fund manager, Hyung Joon. Although Soo Yeon appears to be happy with her life, but deep in her heart she is bleeding in pain for the suffering she had endured and Jung Woo's betrayal for leaving her. Alas, fate decreed that they would meet again and this time around, Jung Woo vows to protect Soo Yeon no matter the circumstances after knowing that Hyung Joon would take revenge due to his past relationship with his family. 

Well the plot may sound old and cliché to some, but what I liked about this drama is the characterisations and the intense feeling of love between Jung Woo and Soo Yeon, no matter if they are teenagers or adults. I have to say the two actors and two actresses in portraying the teen-aged and adult Jung Woo and Soo Yeon had all done a great job, because they made me believe that their love is inseparable and oh so moving. The dialogues, and the little movements they shared especially just captured that precious feeling and you couldn't help but to be entranced by their emotions too. These days it is hard to find such love like Jung Woo and Soo Yeon and that is why I find this drama especially romantic. I have to confess I like Park Yoo Chun (the adult Jung Woo) after watching a few other dramas like Rooftop Prince, Sungkyunkwan Scandal (his debut) and Miss Ripley, which I reviewed on 5th February. He simply has the charisma no matter if he is a lovestruck hotelier in Miss Ripley, the shy and quiet student in Sungkyunkwan Scandal or the devoted and determined detective in his latest I Miss You. I really look forward to his upcoming dramas, and I hope the wait won't be too long.     

I have been watching a few Korean drama series lately; and I have to admit I am addicted to watching them. 

Miss Ripley (미스 리플리), the latest drama I watched, is a story of a young woman, Jang Mi Ri, who lies to get her way and how her greedy ambition has lead to the downfall of two men who has fallen in love with her. 

Mi Ri was abandoned by her mother when she was nine. Her mother had chosen to leave the family and to marry a rich man. After the death of her father, Mi Ri was sent to an orphanage where she befriended Moon Hee Joo. 

One day a Japanese family wanted to adopt Hee Joo, but Hee Joo had a stomach ache and the orphanage decided to send Mi Ri in her place instead. Mi Ri was then sent to Japan and she had a miserable childhood living with her adopted parents. They treated her badly and worst of all, the father had a huge gambling debts to pay and Mi Ri was forced to work in a bar when she was nineteen. She worked there for a few years under a man who called himself Hirayama. Hirayama had made her as one of the top bar girls but Mi Ri had been plotting ways to leave him once she has gotten back her passport and the contract she had with him. After much efforts, she managed to leave him and returned to South Korea. 

Staying in a run down residential motel, she encountered a young man Song Yoo Hyun. Yoo Hyun also arrived from Japan recently and though he came from an affluent family, he always believed that one has to be independent and learn/earn things on his own. Yoo Hyun liked Mi Ri but the latter wasn't interested. She has bigger dreams to follow and most importantly, she needed to find a permanent job before she is deported to Japan. Unfortunately, finding a permanent job was a challenge due to Mi Ri's educational background as she only had a high school degree. 

Meanwhile, Jang Myung Hoon, a hotelier needed someone who was able to speak the Japanese Hataka dialect to serve an important customer at the hotel. There was no one to fill up the position as the spoken dialect was extremely rare in South Korea. It was during a chance encounter with Mi Ri that Myung Hoon decided that she was the best person to fill that position. He offered Mi Ri the job on a temporarily basis but time was running out for her. Mi Ri had to decline the offer and muttered that even if she was graduated from Tokyo University, it would't change much of a thing for her. Myung Hoon misunderstood her remark and then told her that there was no reason for them not to hire her based on her qualification and that was where all her lies began. 

In a nutshell, Miss Ripley is a romance story with a hint of crime. The characterisations and the plot development are great and there are several intense moments that made me watch with both anxiety and anticipation. Lee Da Hae, the actress who played Mi Ri, is magnificent for her acting skills in portraying the greedy young woman and you couldn't imagine how many times I cursed while watching her meddling between Myung Hoon and Yoo Hyun. As you can tell, Mi Ri isn't a likeable character but from another perspective, I couldn't help but to pity her too. From her point, I began to understand why she lied although what she did is absolutely wrong. 

Myung Hoon and Yoo Hyun are two men whom I feel many women will fall in love with as they are both kind-hearted people and are so selfless, despite the prestigious positions they held. 

I wouldn't say I liked the ending, though there is a twinge of bittersweet to it.  In my opinion, bittersweet can be beautiful because one can always hope; and because it is not perfect, this what makes the memories more cherishable and unforgettable.