Till I Met You: A fan’s review

Before I start with the “review” let me first clarify that I am a solid Jadine fan. Being such, I think James and Nadine deserves nothing but a quality material so here I am giving my unsolicited review/opinion on their latest teleserye hoping to put into words what other fans think of the first ten episodes.

The shots were great, it makes me want to fly to Greece. The beginning of the story with Iris’ (Nadine) narration is a thumbs up. Some might ask why the flashback of Cassie’s (Carmina) love story was such a big deal but we have seen the trailers and it doesn’t really take a genius to figure out that the flashback hints on some conflict at present times. Plus, it shows how Iris’ belief was formed. Another thumbs up for this. Next, Nadine and James’ acting has improved and of course they really have that magical effect to people whenever they are seen together on screen. Kudos to JC’s acting, despite of being a newbie I think he’s doing well in portraying Ali, a guy with a hidden mystery, a guy with inner conflicts. The rest of the cast were all doing well except for those with minor roles in Greece. It is understandable that the options are limited when out of the country but the lacking is obvious when placed alongside the major ones.

Now the story, the story was fast paced at least for the first ten episodes. While I am definitely not a fan of dragging plots I think Till I Met You’s pacing is just too fast. Just take the case of Basti (James), he just realised that he’s in love with Iris, it actually seems like he’s still confused if what he feels is real and not fleeting and yet, he already confessed. Even if you try to justify that he grew up in Europe or that it’s his first time, it’s still too fast especially confessing just a day after the break up. Shouldn’t there be a bit of respect between “bros”? Same goes for Ali’s inner dilemma, they’ve shown some hints since his childhood and we all know where that leads us after having the seen the trailers but seriously? Flying in Agnes (Pokwang) just for Ali to confess? Yes, a mother’s instinct is absolutely true but don’t we all know how far Greece is and that Philippine passport holders need a visa? How can Agnes fly then and there? Maybe I’m dissecting too much.While the story is interesting and promising, there is something lacking. We all want to see Jadine get more airtime together, we want more “kilig” moments from these two but they could’ve done something else rather than pressing the fast forward button. They could have brought in the “kilig” factor using the play of “ligaw tingin”, “aso’t pusa”, the classics. They might be wanting to be show something different, something new, but this is love, we all know how it works. Furthermore, it really doesn’t seem like Basti is fond of Iris, I can’t blame Iris for thinking that Basti is in love with Ali ’cause that is what it really shows.

There are also some scenes that just don’t gel very well with the story. Iris is the obedient daughter who really cares a lot for her family but she went to Greece for internship, just internship. Should she be expected to send money back? Well, it’s more on her free will given how her character was built but the scene in the staircase where she is worried ’cause she doesn’t have enough money to send back? The scene just doesn’t gel so well, they could have done better how to bring in the part that Iris needs to find a side line. Also, Basti may be all over the place but seriously? I think having a lot of connections is just too much. He cannot be OTWOL’s Tita Jack, that one was more normal, we all know how Filipino communities are in the US. The minor scene where he tries to find job for a fellow Filipino is also an attempt to be Tita Jack which is totally irrelevant to the plot line.

Overall, there is a missing element in “Till I Met You” something that was present in OTWOL, that thing that made OTWOL stood out from the rest of the dramas.

Till I Met You’s ratings is still number one despite its flaws but percentage wise, I know the network was expecting more. I still hope that it will get better especially now that the big reveal is over. It’s just ten episodes to date, let’s wait and see next week what the drama will offer. I just hope that they will take their sweet time building up the story rather than doing it so fast. Oh well, who knows this could just be a dream sequence since we have all seen that Iris and Basti will eventually get marry.

All the best to Team TIMY. I hope for redemption as it continues.

I became a Jadine fan because of OTWOL, I didn’t watch the show at first but I saw the kiss when Lea got her green card and it got me curious. I tried watching from the beginning to see how events lead to that kiss and from then on I got hooked. Team Real 🙂

You’re Beautiful is Beautiful

You’re Beautiful stars Jang Geun Suk and Park Shin Hye, it’s currently shown here in the Philippines through ABS-CBN  under the title He’s Beautiful. Unfortunately, my work schedule won’t allow me to watch it. Thanks to the downloads of the episodes with English subs ’cause I was able to watch it in my own time. 

I just finished watching “You’re Beautiful” last  August 27. Obviously, I can’t get over this K-drama, my verdict:

“Your Beautiful is beautiful” 🙂

What makes “You’re Beautiful” beautiful?

Warning: SPOILIER ALERT!

It’ a roller coaster ride that is truly refreshing to watch, you’ll surely laugh, swoon and be touched each episode. It’s not entirely a crazy comedy neither a super mushy love story nor a melodrama, it’s a perfect mix of everything which makes it really entertaining. You’ll find yourself staring at your screen smiling even if the characters are in drama mode already. I’m not saying that you’re not going to emphatize with the characters, it’s just that it feels like I know the lead characters so well (at least for me) that I have faith in them that things will not end badly.

To further expound on this, let me go by the characters one by one to tell you how they made each episode beautiful.

Yoo He Yi

What’s a story without a villain? We hate villains, ’cause it’s like they’re born to make other people’s lives miserable but let’s face it, the plot is boring without them.

She’s a total mean girl, she shows the bad side of a celebrity, national fairy when the spotlight is on but is truly a national liar off cam. But digging deep into her character, she’s a walking testimonial that life is not all about good looks, fame and superficial things. She’s got everything every girl could wish for except the heart of the guy she likes the most. Her memorable line: “How come I wear the princess clothes but she gets the treatment?” Go Mi Nam/Go Mi Nyu may not look like a princess but all the three boys are treating her special, totally ignoring Yoo He Yi’s pretty face. Oh well, nothing beats a pure heart.

I love the scene when Hwang Tae Kyung sent a message to her dad that she’s pregnant, it’s like “the bitter taste of your own pill”, I was really laughing crazily in that scene. 

Jeremy

He’s the funny guy, the child like character in the A.N.Jell group, he’s the cutesy kitch part.  He’s really funny especially during the times when he’s denying that he’s falling for Go Mi Nam ’cause he doesn’t know that she really is a girl. He’s having an internal dilemma when in fact he really has nothing to be afraid of.

Things changed for a while when he ran off ’cause he found out that Go Mi Nam/Go Mi Nyu is in love with Hwang Tae Kyung and not him. The miracle bus scene was moving, guess it’s really “extra” hard to see someone who’s always so jolly, cry in front of you. But as I said, what I loved about this drama is that, it gives you the feeling that you really know these people, you know that they’re not going to do anything bad just because their love can’t be reciprocated. And you know, that somehow they’ll recover from the heartbreak. But despite feeling this close with the characters I was really moved when Jeremey got off his miracle bus and smiled like nothing happened. How I wish there really is such a thing as miracle bus.

Shin Woo

Even if you know what to say, what to do and when is the right time, it doesn’t guarantee that the person you love the most will love you back. He’s a guy with a kind heart, he cared for her from the very start, he proctected her, he loves her dearly, he held onto the very end but he didn’t get anything in return aside from friendship. Shin Woo is like the dream guy in this drama, he’s the opposite of Yoo He Yi since he really is a good guy but just like Yoo He Yi he still can’t win the heart of the girl he loves the most. Love truly is complicated.

Hwang Tae Kyung

He plays the idol part of the group, the cold hearted music genius that leads A.N.Jell. Tae Kyung never pretended in front of the fans, he doesn’t smile that often, he looks irritated when he really is, yet all the fans adore him so much even thinking that their idol is perfect but of course he’s not. Aside from his allergies, night blindness and being germphobic, he’s cold because of the bitter past with his mom that he’s trying to forget but thanks to the warmth of Go Mi Nam/Go Mi Nyu that melted the coldness of Tae Kyung’s heart. Truly Love can change almost everything, the always frowning Tae Kyung learned how to smile because of Go Mi Nam/ Go Mi Nyu and learned how to care. He even went to great lengths protecting her by pretending to be Yoo He Yi’s boyfriend. He’s not the typical romantic guy you could think of but he’ll make you swoon.

I love it when he sang “Fly Me to the Moon” and when he surprised Go Mi Nam/Go Mi Nyu with a kiss after they watched the movie. All his scenes that includes the pig-rabbit were really funny, it never fails to make me laugh. But my favorite is when he asked Go Mi Nam/Go Mi Nyu in the fan site how much she likes him, I was really rolling with laughter and also I think it he was at his cutest during this scene. Since then, I always laugh whenever he mentions about his score.

I don’t know why almost all the leads in Korean dramas drags the girl, shouts at them even when they are saying I love you, if you’re really going to think of it, it’s not at all romantic but the weird thing is it all appeals to us, You’re Beautiful’s Hwang Tae Kyung is no exception to this.

Amongst all three, it’s the prickly Hwang Tae Kyung that I like the most despite of his personality.

Go Mi Nam/Go Mi Nyu

She’s so pure and chaste which was taken advantage of Manager Ma and Yoo He Yi. She’s also so innocent to believe the acupuncture point piggy nose and to believe Yoo He Yi’s lies. But she’s also clumsy and accident prone leading to very sweet moments with Hwang Tae Kyung. I’ve seen other Korean dramas having a clumsy girl character, some reached the point of irritating me but not Go Mi Nam/Go Mi Nyu. Like Hwang Tae Kyung, she also has a very sad life in the past but unlike him she remained positive in life.

I like the way she smiles and she never fails to make me laugh whenever she does the piggy nose.

Park Shin Hye and Jang Geun Suk

I really love their team-up, they look so well together. I can’t imagine how Park Shin Hye transformed as a guy by the name of Go Mi Nam. At first, I don’t like Jang Geun Suk that much because his outfits and his make-up are quite exaggerated because of his character and also he looks like a girl to me but throughout the drama I began to appreciate him.

Aside, from the pretty faces that these two has, I can say that they acted out their parts really well considering that this is their first major dramas. I am actually hoping that they’ll reunite in another drama.

Aside from the characters, I love this drama because of the “paraphernalias” like the use of stars, I really love stars from the necklace in Endless Love-Autumn in my heart to Jan Di’s necklace in Boys Over Flowers and now to another necklace. I also love the piggy rabbit, I am not a fan of stuffed toys but I love this one, ’cause it’s so unique. And of course, I also love the 100,000 KRW hairpin.

Lastly, the songs used in this drama are really nice, I know I can’t understand anything aside from the very few english words that they used but thanks to the translations, I was able to grasp the song’s meaning. I’ve actually downloaded the OST and surprisingly, it makes me happy by just listening to it.

I really enjoyed this drama, it’s truly refreshing to watch, so to those who haven’t watched it yet, this one is highly recommended and sorry for some of the spoilers.

Lee Min Ho’s Perfect Match

 

Lee Min Ho will soon be back in our TV screens, thanks to ABS CBN. This year, LMH’s Personal Taste/Personal Preference/ Kae In’s Taste will be shown in Philippine TV under the title Perfect match. It’s about a guy who pretended to be a gay….I’ll cut it down from here, I don’t want to spoil the excitement of those who are waiting for this Koreanovela ’cause I watched it already. Yup, I already did. Thanks to mysoju.com but I’ll still watch it on Philippine TV, it’s better to watch without having to read subtitles and waiting to finish the download.

Boys Over Flowers is better (for me) but this show offers a different story since we all know the storyline of BOF, ’cause it’s adapted from Hana Yori Dango. Opposite LMH is Son Ye Jin of Endless Love 3, she played the part well but it’s quite obvious that she’s older than LMH but acting wise, she’s good. One of the moments I love on this drama was when their surprise guest came out in the middle of the story. Princess Hours’ Eun Yoon Hye or Princess Janelle as popularized in the Philippine TV played the role as LMH’s old flame and they really look so well together. To KBS or SBS (am I right?), hope you’re listening please come up with a project for these two, it’ll surely be a hit.

One More Time- Boys Over Flowers Tidbits (Part9)

One More Time

One More Time!

ABS-CBN will re-run my favorite Koreanovela of all time, Boys Over Flowers as a gift to its fans for Christmas. No timeslot announcements have been made until now but it will be a part of the Primetime Bida, I’m just hoping that it will shown anytime from 8:30PM onwards, so that I may be able to watch it, but I think the likelihood is remote, so I guess BOF will retain it’s timeslot the first time it was shown. But I’m still hoping that my dear, Jun Pyo’s schedule will match mine 🙂

BOF Tagalized- Boys Over Flowers Tidbits (Part 6)

Boys Over Flowers, my favorite Korean Drama is aired here in the Philippines by ABS-CBN everyday at around 5:30 PM in its tagalized version. But since I work from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, I don’t get to watch the show. Thanks to youtube because I get to download the episodes and watch them later on. It’s easier to watch since I don’t have to read the subtitles, I can just listen to Jan Di and Jun Pyo and understand them. ABS-CBN’s dubbing is good, the voices used to dub Jan Di and Jun Pyo fits their characters. However, there are some lines which I think weren’t translated well. Right now, I think they are currently airing episode 18 but I’ve already noticed a few translations which are quite different from what I read on the english subtitles. Let me share with you the scenes which I found to have a slight difference in terms of translation.

1. When F3 met Jan Di at the bridge in Macau after talking to Jun Pyo, Jan Di told them that she already knows that he doesn’t want to talk to her. In the subtitles it reads something like “I came here to hear it from him no matter how painful it is” but in the tagalized version it was something like “‘wag na kayong masyadong magalala dahil kung ano man yun, narining ko na yun mismo kay Gu Jun Pyo”, “don’t worry, whatever it might be I already heard it from Gu Jun Pyo himself”, it’s quite different right? I prefer the one I read from the english subs, it’s more fitting to Geum Jan Di’s character and besides it’s more consistent ’cause ‘though she and Jun Pyo already saw each other there at Macau, they haven’t talked to each other yet.

2. I’m not convinced with how they translated Ji Hoo’s sentiments when he was asking Jan Di about her plans now that Jun Pyo refuses to meet up with them because of his too tight schedule. I’m not also sure if they edited the rewind part when it was shown that Jan Di went to Ji Hoo first before going to the airport to fly to Macau.

3. The part where Jan Di and Ji Hoo went to the temple after their double date with Jae Kyung and Jun Pyo, the old man told Ji Hoo “Magiging pamilya kayo”, “you’ll be a family” referring to Jan Di. In the english subs, it goes something like, “She will bring you family”. Of course, I prefer the english sub since it opens two possible events, one the old man could mean that they are meant for each other or it could also be that it will be Jan Di who will bring back Ji Hoo’s grandfather, as we all know he is the only family that Ji Hoo has.

As of now, I only noticed three to enumerate, I don’t know if there are still others that escaped my scrutiny or if there will be others to come. Hopefully, this list will end here.

But still, I love ABS-CBN, their dubbing is still better, they are also good in promoting their shows, they have a good taste in choosing what asianovelas to export and they are good in stirring up the hype. 🙂