KDrama Review: Modern Farmer: "Farmers Can’t Be Modern"

****SPOILERS****

River Song Doctor Who

So, some time ago, I decided to watch this Korean drama titled Modern Farmer because my friend said that it was funny and she wanted someone to talk with about the drama. I of course was all for it, like “WHOOO NEW DRAMA!!” This drama starred Lee Hong Ki the lead singer of the Korean band FT Island (Who if you haven’t heard of you should totally check them out. His voice is amazing).

FT Island 

It also starred Park Min Woo who was in the other drama Flower Boy Ramen shop, which I hated, but that’s another blog post, there was also Lee Si Eon and Kwak Dong Yeon. As well as Honey Lee (that is not her real name). Min A from AOA and Park Jin Joo who is in a lot of dramas actually. Of course that wasn’t that whole cast, just the people that I think are worth mentioning.

Anyway, let me think… the plot of this drama… Hong Ki’s character whose name is Min Ki was in a band with his friends and they were called I believe Excellent Souls or something like that. Please correct me if I am wrong. The band disbanded and they went their separate ways, some of them still talking to each other, only excluding one member. Min Ki is serious debt and owes a lot of money to some loan sharks and when his grandmother dies he inherits her land. His grandmother lived in his home town which was pretty much farm country, so he gathers the band under the false pretense that they are going to grow cabbages to make a new album when in reality it’s so he can get out of debt and pay back the loan sharks. There he is reunited with his first love.

The drama started off good, it was really weird, not like all the other drama’s I have watched so it was pretty into it. Although it seemed predictable.

They were going to be successful and make money but then poof half the money is gone because Min Ki took it to pay off his debts and the rest of them find out and boom the end, but twist in turn they forgive him and they become a band again and he falls for his first love all over again.

Well, I was half right, okay more like, ¼ right. Although the drama was funny and quirky. I feel like it sort of left the plot behind. Which was him making cabbages to PAY OFF HIS DEBT. Granted he got closer to his band mates again, but they never found out about his debt. I guess you could call that a good thing, but after his one segment in the drama it was never talked about again and the loan shark like… didn’t exist in the drama again. Which was weird to me, because I’m just saying if I was a loan shark, I would have scrambled his brains so I could get my money back. On top of that there was this girl trying to find some hidden money in the all the farmers fields, I didn’t even understand her purpose except for being the love interest for this other character who had an illness.

Each character had their own problems they were dealing with and you know that makes sense because each individual has their own issues, but it would, most of the time take priority over the entire plot. So, Min Ki is supposed to grow cabbages with his band mates to pay off his debt, and they do, but of course they run into issues like any farmer would, but that would fade into the background for a little bit. Yes you can't make the whole drama about him paying off his debt, but they never talked about it again. DID HE EVER PAY OFF HIS DEBT? On top of that, the reason this one guy in the show didn't talk, didn't make any sense at all, like yes tragedy, but... you suddenly lose the will and power to speak ever again? Even to your daughter? I didn't get it, but if you do, keep watching. 

Also, not sure this is relevant, but one of the characters, the one with the illness looked much older than the rest of the group. When I looked it up he was like 32, not saying there is anything wrong with that, but you could tell, I just wished they decided to cast someone who looked younger, or... was younger. 

It was kind of all over the place if you ask me, but it didn’t make me like it any less, well okay it did just a little. I wanted some consistency, but they kept pulling this weird background story and not explaining it well at all. They would give a half ass explanation and then would be like there you go now you have some sort of idea. THE ENDING was not good at all, not even a little bit, but it fit the dramas quirky style.

Sorry about some of the spoilers, hopefully this review doesn’t make you not want to watch it or stop watching it if you already are, because no matter what I say about it, I still enjoyed my time watching it. Honestly, I enjoyed the singing bits a lot, and it was pretty funny, but it a serious corny way, like very corny, but it kept me laughing and hooked, because obviously finished then entire drama.

This is also where I learned the term  괜찮아 [gwenchana.] If you watched this you know what I mean.

I give the drama 2.5 G-Dragon heads out of 5 

But seriously, farmers can’t be modern.

Check out Modern Farmer on DramaFever!!! >>>> Modern Farmer

KDrama Review: Blood: "Not Enough Blood"

Second kdrama review on lock! 

So... Blood. It's a vampire Korean drama. I'll be honest there was way too much dialogue when it was supposedly an action, thriller, fantasy drama. For every 1 action scene, there were like... 5 dialogue scene. However it was pretty good, had situational irony, a lot of it actually, but, YES BUT, the objective of the antagonist wasn't super clear and neither was the end for that matter. 

Let me be the first to say that American vampires are cooler than Korean ones-- excluding Twilight of course. Maybe their concept of vampires are just... not good. By their I mean the writers, and producers and directors. The drama starred Ahn Jae Hyun who played Park Ji Sang and Koo Hye Sun who was in Boys Over Flowers. I liked her in that drama, Boys Over Flowers I mean, but in this drama she was annoying as all hell. I hated her character. Well, okay hate is a strong word, I strongly disliked her character. She was selfish and self entitled, whined a lot and very arrogant. If that was their goal, bravo. 

Ahn Jae Hyun's character was also a bit arrogant, not as self entitled and not as whiny. I felt like both of their characters were pretty three dimensional. Their background story, although it could have been explained more, it gave them a good amount of depth. For a vampire drama there weren't a lot of vampires. I mean there were, but there was a lot lacking. They were more human than vampire, yeah they had the super human strength, and the quick agility, but they didn't really drink blood. It was pretty darn rare, and isn't that like the one thing that vampires are known for, their love of the red drink? 

Blood is about Park Ji Sang who was born a vampire. For a while he grew up with his mother and even though when he's around blood he changes, he decides to be a surgeon and help people instead of killing them, so he gets a job at a hospital. Ji Sang is quickly accepted by the other doctors excluding Yoo Ri Ta( Koo Hye Sun). A new director is employed at the hospital and with the "help" of him Ji Sang starts to uncover truths and secrets about his past. 

So overall it was good, there were plenty of deaths, and you know it was satisfying. I just wish the antagonist had a better reason for doing what he did. He personally didn't have a good story line. Or maybe I just didn't understand, but I doubt it. He seemed one dimensional even though I knew he really wasn't supposed to be. On top of that the things he did to get his way didn't really add up. Perhaps if they did more flashbacks for him or something. The ending was also pretty confusing in itself. Like, is there going to be a second season? The ending (***no spoilers***) was way too simple when obviously, it didn't make sense! If there is going to be another season then it makes sense, but with an ending like that if they don't have a second season it just set people up for disappointment. Especially if they really liked this drama. 

The drama had a few characters that, if anything, weren't needed. They were probably like "Oh shit, we hired too many people. Let's kill 'em off." Kim Yu Seok, that played Doctor Jung Ji Tae; his character was lacking so much. He had what seemed like an interesting childhood, but because he wasn't the focus, they didn't talk about him much. All the humans that found out Ji Sang was a vampire were way too cool about it. WAY TOO COOL. 

Some parts of this drama were too slow and others too fast, but if you've watched Vampire Prosecutor and want move vampire dramas watch Blood because it wasn't horrible. No matter the faults, I really liked it. I'm giving it 3.5 G-Dragon heads out of 5.  

Seriously though, there was not enough blood. 

Check out Blood on DramaFever!! >>>>> Blood on DramaFever

Do You Even Watch Korean Dramas?

Wait a minute, hold up! Do you not know what a Korean Drama is? 

Oh you do? 

Never mind. I was worried for a second. In all seriousness, if you don't know what a Korean drama is, it's a basically a soap opera in Korean. Except they are way better than American soap operas, and tv novelas. Of course this statement will differ depending on who you're talking to, but right now you're talking to me and I'm telling you, they are amazing. 

All of my last post were talking about kpop and this blog is "My Korean Drama Life" and not once have I talked about a drama. 

I'll be honest, my Korean addiction didn't officially start until freshman year of college and I'm a junior right now, so it hasn't been long like some others. (Sorry if use the term addiction too loosely) 

My first Korean drama was also freshman year of college, it was called "Bel Ami" also known as the 

"Pretty Man." Let me sum up this drama for you. It was about this man, who had was given the task to "conquer" women, it was really just learning certain skills from them and climb the corporate and social ladder in life. Making a name for himself, he soon finds himself tangled up with a poor dorky girl he met years ago who is in love with him, he now finds himself also starting to fall for her and thus, climbing the ladder becomes more of a game of chutes and ladders. I think I summed it up quite nicely. From there I watched other dramas like "Coffee Prince," "To The Beautiful You," "The Flower Boy Next Door," "Secret Garden," and my personal favorite "Mary Stayed Out All Night." The list goes on and on but I think I'll just stop here. 

If you're thinking about watching a Korean drama and you're on the fence I'm here to push you off the fence and onto the side of the drama. You're going to thank me later, and then you're going to hate me and then you're going to wish you never listened to me, because now you're addicted. It's the truth.

  So far I haven't really said what makes a kdrama so good. Well, one day for my Japanese pop culture class I talked about Japanese Cool vs. The Korean Wave and the differences in the drama. I stated that a Korean drama has great quality and the acting, although the writing is corny sometimes, the acting is pretty on par. Although it's not often easy to relate to, compared to a Japanese drama, they are a little more grown up and have a wider rage of audience, but that was based on other things. I like them, because they aren't your average drama, they aren't SUPER dramatic and they open one up to a new culture, because you know certain aspects of dramas, just like anime have real things about them, like food, and customs ect. I like them also because they are freaking hilarious, and they always hit you right in the god damned feels. You get second lead syndrome almost every time and kills you when the female lead doesn't realize she should be with guy #2 not #1.
Kdramas are everything man. That's all I'm saying. Do you even watch Korean dramas?

Watch it here! >>>> Pretty Man on DramaFever