Can’t Lose has an interesting premise wherein the main couple was first seen as being madly in love with each other and during the course of the series, they fall apart. While they’re going through their divorce, the people around them are trying their best to make things better for the both of them.

Can’t Lose features a love story between two people coming from different worlds. Hyung Woo comes from a rich family who is close with his mother. On the other hand Eun Jae comes from a middle class family and hasn’t talked with her mom for a long time.

This is not the only difference that the two have. The cases they take on have also led to their constant bickering. Hyung Woo likes to take on charity cases while Eun Jae takes on the paying jobs to take care of the law firm’s bills.

Can’t Lose is a different type of drama because it started with the couple in love and got separated along the way. It ended rather predictably with both of them missing each other and reunite.

Well it’s a good thing that they didn’t have to change anything about themselves in order to make their relationship work. All it took was their desire to hold on to each other even though they still fight a lot. Yoon Sang Hyun and Choi Ji Woo had the perfect chemistry to make the story work.

Lee Soo Kyung had a brief appearance in Can’t Lose, which I thought was way too short. She played Hyung Woo’s ex-girlfriend Eun Hee Soo. Another actor who made his mark with his short cameo role in the series is Uhm Ki Joon. He played Eun Jae’s ex-boyfriend Cha Suk Hoon.

Can’t Lose is an entertaining drama. It is different from any other romantic comedies around. You’ll get to learn a thing or two about love and relationships from it. I can inspire people whether they are single, married, or going through a divorce.

Chiaki has become the resident conductor of the Roux-Marlet Orchestra and he had to move to a new place so that he could concentrate on his music. She was also struggling with her studies at the conservatory. These issues factored to the strain in their relationship. Nodame Cantabile: The Movie 2 is about how Nodame and Chiaki evaluate their priorities. Through the course of the movie, they have to choose between music and their love for each other.

The flow of Nodame Cantabile: The Movie 2 is somewhat choppy that it seemed like the director had to cut some scenes so that the movie can fit into its 2 hour long runtime. But the director made it up with a solid plot and music.

The supporting characters got the spotlight early in the movie but their subplots were quickly resolved and they were swept back into the background to make way for the main story. I didn’t even know who they were or what their relationship were with the Nodame and Chiaki.

As a standalone, Nodame Cantabile: The Movie 2 is an entertaining drama that featured great classical music. I guess I should not have skipped the first movie first. But I’m thankful for this movie because it made me discover the beauty of Nodame Cantabile. After the movie, I read the manga and watched the anime but I have yet to watch the first live action movie.

It is a character-driven story based on a novel that I haven’t read and have no intentions of reading any time soon. The only reason why I watched the movie was because it was directed by Peter Jackson. And he didn’t cease to amaze me with the visual effects he incorporated into The Lovely Bones.

In order to enjoy a character-driven movie, the viewers should feel a connection with any of the characters but I felt none from anyone in the movie. And I can’t blame the cast for it. Mark Wahlberg portrayed the devastated father well and Rachel Weisz should also be commended for her performance in The Lovely Bones.

There were no surprises as to who raped and killed Susie Salmon. This was revealed in the first few minutes of The Lovely Bones. Harvey came out too creepy that you can immediately tell that he’s the one. It managed to suspend the logical mind for 2 hours and 15 minutes but it failed to be suspenseful at all.

I got a bone to pick with one of the sequences when Harvey was about to dump Susie’s bones into the sinkhole. Ruth (Carolyn Dando) saw him and she called Ray (Reece Ritchie) because she saw Susie’s reflection. Susie goes into Ruth’s body and instead of stopping the killer from dumping her body, she asked for a kiss from Ray. I guess for a 15 year old girl, a kiss was more important than catching the killer.

Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan): These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence. The connections, sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it.

The Lovely Bones is definitely not my type of movie. It is also not a book that I would read in this lifetime. The movie had several plot holes that Peter Jackson must have spent his time developing the CGI of the movie instead of devising a good plot. I want to know from those who read the book about their thoughts of the film adaptation. Anyone?

I don’t know how Jung Woo became a NTS agent. He is too weak and he lacks the mental ability to be an agent. He risked his career and betrayed the country for a girl that he just met. I can’t imagine how a guy like him was able to qualify as a spy and be given sensitive assignments.

I was expecting to see an intelligent spy drama but what I got was a story of love and betrayal. The girl in question is Yoon Hye In (Soo Ae), a double agent. Jung Woo fell hard for her and he didn’t even suspect her of any wrongdoings even when all the evidence pointed towards her. He wholeheartedly forgave her when he learned about the truth in the end.

It was not just Jung Woo who has a golden heart in Athena. Everyone in the NTS seemed to forget that Hye In is a traitor and she managed to escape any jail time. She even helped them go after Cha Seung Won (Son Hyuk), the Athena leader.

SM Entertainment must have invested a lot in Athena because the series featured some of its artists. BoA was featured in Episodes 7 and 8. She didn’t have any troubles with her role because she got to play herself. While I’m a BoA fan and enjoyed seeing her in the small screen for a cameo, I didn’t get the relevance of that Japan sortie to the story. All it showed was that Jung Woo is a player.

Another SM Entertainment artist in Athena is Choi Si Won of Super Junior. Now his character is a good one. He plays Agent Kim Joon Ho, a data analyst at the NTS who is reluctant to return to the field after a traumatic incident.

Then lastly, there’s Max Changmin of DB5K. He appeared starting from Episode 16 until the end. He played Agent Choi Tae Hyun, who seemed to be close with Agent Kim Joon Ho. While I still don’t like his lips, he did well with the action scenes. Si Won and Changmin were featured in an action sequence where they showed why they deserved to be in this action-packed drama.

Speaking of action, I don’t have any complaints about the action sequences. Each action scene was different and I enjoyed all of them. This was one factor why I stuck with the series until the end, even if I found the plot to be weak and unbelievable.

Another reason why I watched Athena until the end was Lee Ji Ah, who played NTS Agent Han Jae Hee. She’s not Kim Tae Hee but she’s close. Jae Hee used to date Jung Woo but then he already had his sights set on another. It’s a pity that the writer killed her character off instead of Hye In. That could have made the ending better for me.

Athena is said to be an Iris spin-off and there are some recurring characters from the previous series. Kim Seung Woo returned as Park Chul Young, the North Korean liaison to the south. Kim So Yun also returned as Kim Sun Hwa but this time around she has a family and living peacefully in the south but the higher-ups in North Korea ordered a crackdown on defected agent and Chul Young’s warning came a little late. Her family was killed and she vowed revenge against North Korea. Will her story be the feature of the next season? I just hope that it wouldn’t be a love story again.

I thought Athena’s ending would be as tragic as that of Iris. Hye In managed to kill Seung Won but she shot herself as well. Then a minor miracle occurred and we see Jung Woo and Hye In together in the end.

Athena would have been better if it stuck with being an action drama and got rid of the cheesy romantic story of boundless love. The main plot was interesting except for some holes in the plot. This is not a must watch but if you got the time then check it out.

Tree with Deep Roots is about the series of murders before the announcement of the Korean script. Kang Chae Yoon (Chae Sang Woo) and So Yi (Kim Hyun Soo) were kids of slaves. They were orphaned during the reign of King Sejong’s father but Chae Yoon thought that Lee Do (Song Joong Ki) was responsible for their deaths.

Then Lee Do becomes King Sejong (Han Suk Kyu) and he is obsessed in developing Korea’s modern script. He is also busy mapping out the human anatomy. Grown up So Yi (Shin Se Kyung) is now one of King Sejong’s court maidens. Grown up Chae Yoon (Jang Hyuk) is one of the king’s guards. He still wants to kill the king and King Sejong knows it.

King Sejong wants to introduce his letters but he is opposed by the Milbon, nobles who fear that they would lose their place in society once the king replaces the Chinese alphabet with his own letters. They say that that the new alphabet would erode society.

Watching Tree with Deep Roots feels like you’re taking a lesson in Korean history. You learn a lot about their culture and past. I don’t know whether it is accurate or not but the drama series gives me an idea of how it was during King Sejong’s reign.

The cast members of Tree with Deep Roots are so great. It’s not a surprise that they won all the major awards at the SBS Drama Awards. Special mention goes to Han Suk Kyu, the king. He made the character believable that I wanted to kill the king at one point.

Jang Hyuk and Shin Se Kyung also did a good job as the series’ couple. They showed that love teams in dramas don’t need to be cheesy to make it work. You wouldn’t hear them say saranghae to each other but through their action the viewers could see that their love is not just skin deep. And death is the only thing that can separate them.

Tree with Deep Roots is an excellent Korean drama series. Acting, storyline, directing and the settings are on a class of their own. If you’re looking for a drama to marathon, this is the one you should choose. And if you’re a Super Junior fan, then you’ll be glad to see Kim Ki Bum here as one of the scholars.

Cha Gong Chan (Lee Min Ho) is the school’s black sheep. He used to be part of the football team but was kicked out after scoring an own goal at an important match. Then he met Min Yoo Seo (Moon Chae Won), a transfer student. It was love at first sight for Gong Chan. He was on the verge of dropping out of school but because of Yoo Seo, he tried his best to avoid being expelled.

A romantic comedy is incomplete without a third wheel. In Mackerel Run, we have Baek Hyun (Kwon Se In). He’s the only person who knew about Yoo Seo’s past and family background, which is shrouded in mystery. I don’t get why her mom, the principal, had to hide the fact that Yoo Seo was her daughter. Maybe it was because the drama was shortened that we didn’t get to know the full story of their relationship.

As a matter of fact, Mackerel Run felt like it was abruptly stopped. I don’t know why but I read somewhere that it was supposed to have a total of 16 episodes. But nevertheless, I enjoyed it. I had to thank Moon Chae Won for that. She’s perfect as the mysterious Yoo Seo. It’s as if the role was tailor-made for her. Plus, it also has a very cute Park Bo Young, who played their klutzy classmate and provided lots of funny moments in the series.

Actually this is not the first time that I saw Lee Min Ho, Moon Chae Won and Park Bo young together. Our School E.T. is a movie released a year after Mackerel Run that featured the three as classmates once again. But its story is nothing like Mackerel Run.

Mackerel Run is a light high school drama that could help you forget about your problems. Or it could bring back your problems with regards to your first love, friends and growing up in general. It is not as grand as Boys Over Flowers in terms of settings and plot but it is entertaining in its own simple way.

Man of Honor started with a baseball scene and I thought that this would be a sports drama. But it turns out to be just another run-of-the-mill drama. Kim Young Kwang (Chun Jung Myung) is a second stringer for the Dragons while Yoon Jae In (Park Min Young) is aspiring to be a nurse.

They used to be friends when they were kids. You know the drill already. One is rich and the other is poor. Jae In’s father was the president of GeoDae Corporation. Young Kwang’s dad (Lee Ki Young) was their family driver. But due to unforeseen circumstances, her father died and her mother (Jang Young Nam) was left comatose. Seo Jae Myung (Son Chang Min), father of In Woo (Lee Jang Woo), took this opportunity to claim the company. He instructed the driver to abandon Jae In but instead he left her in a foster home ran by nuns.

Years later, Young Kwang, In Woo and Jae In met again in a hospital. Both players were injured in separate games at the same time while Jae In was on duty when they were arrived at the hospital. This began the series of events that were predictable at times, save for the inconsistent actions of Seo In Chul (Park Sung Woong), the dastardly nephew of President Seo.

Lee Min Ho is one lucky SOB. He’s the only guy right now who can say that Park Min Young belongs to him. She’s the reason why I watched Man of Honor. Her chemistry with Chun Kung Myung was cute that the most enjoyable part of the series was when they thought they were half-siblings and they tried to convince his mom (Choi Myung Gil) to accept her in the house. This was the fun part of the drama before it got too melodramatic for my liking. At first I was irritated with Young Kwang’s youngest sister Jin Joo (Nam Bo Ra) but she grew on me like a noisy puppy.

I only know Lee Jang Woo as Eun Jung’s hubby in We Got Married and this is the first time I saw him act. And did he act. He gave an impressive performance as a chaebol heir who is mistreated by his father. He had better chemistry with Min Young even though his character is just the third wheel.

And Man of Honor ended with baseball with Young Kwang hitting a grand slam. Not only did he manage to hit the winning homerun, he also got Jae In’s heart. Everything fell into place. The villains got what they deserve and the good guys reaped all the rewards.

Man of Honor might not have the best story found in a Korean drama but it provided some memorable moment. Plus, it starred Park Min Young and that’s reason enough for me to watch it again.

Spy Myung Wol started on a good note. It had a good mix of action and romantic comedy. But as the series progressed, Han Ye Seul and Eric didn’t have the right chemistry to keep me interested with the series. The love team of Lee Jin Wook and Jang Hee Jin, who played an actress and granddaughter of the bad guy in the series, had better chemistry than them.

Eric didn’t have to try hard enough to play Kang Woo, who is a Hallyu star. Ye Seul was good in showing the emotions of her character but I just can’t sympathize with her. Plus the story is just too preposterous to start with. Instead of focusing on the spy stuff, it was more of a typical rich boy/poor girl romance drama.

Then tragedy struck the production when Han Ye Seul suddenly fled to New York, which caused the delay of the filming. Whether she had a good excuse or not, the damage has been done. The direction of the story changed and the plot became too messy and unbelievable. It took me a while to finish the entire.

Spy Myung Wol ended with a wedding. Talk about a cliché ending. I gave it a chance because it had good action scenes but that’s all it had to offer. If only it was more of a spy drama than the romance then it would have been a better series. It is an inconsistent story that you should avoid at all costs.

Jung Ryul heads the Investigation 9 group of the Coast Guard, whose members include Oh Min Hyuk (Han Jung Soo), Lee Choong Shik (Jung Woon Taek) and Oh Yong Gap (Kil Yong Woo). Sun Woo decides to take on Jung Ryul’s offer to be part of the group so that he can capture the man responsible for the death of his colleague two years ago.

Also part of the team is Lee Soo Yoon (Lee Si Young), the only rose among the thorns. She also has a history with Choi Hui Gon. Her father was a captain of the Coast Guard when he disappeared and was said to be part of Choi Hui Gon’s organization. This was proven to be false in the end.

Part of Poseidon’s charms is the chemistry between Si Won and Si Young. The two have a love-hate relationship in the series that progressed nicely for the both of them. You find yourself loving the two characters.

Team Leader Kang Ju Min (Jang Dong Jik) is a guy that you’ll want to hate. As the leader of SSAT, he is efficient but you would find something about him that’s not right. The opposite could be said about Oh Yong Gap (Kil Yong Woo), who is the superintendent of Investigation 9. He is the head investigator of the group and is seen as the father figure for the younger members.

DB5K’s U-Know Yunho had an extended cameo role in Poseidon as Kang Eun Chul, a squad leader at the SSAT. You can feel the tension between Eun Chul and Sun Woo whenever both of them are together in the scene. The SM connection lasted from Episode 1 to Episode 4. In last episode, I expected him to show up when Keep Your Head Down played but he didn’t.

What made Poseidon good in my books is the unpredictable twists in the story. Although I was correct with regards to the identity of Choi Hui Gon, I didn’t expect the surprise punches that the writer had in store. The person I suspected to be the traitor was not a traitor but was working as a double agent for Poseidon. I didn’t expect the other guy to be the rat inside Investigation 9.

Poseidon ended it like no other Korean drama I’ve seen. Instead of a wedding, it gave the viewers a funeral. But it was not a downer. It was to celebrate the life of a comrade. Plus it hinted of a season 2. I wouldn’t mind watching another season as long as Si Won and Si young are still part of it.

Jo Min Joo (Song Ji Hyo) is a reporter for Shocking.com, a small gossip web site. She manages to get the scoop on the cases, which leads to the advancement of her career. Other reporters speculate that she gets her information from one of the detectives, specifically Se Hyuk.

Crime Squad starts as any other detective drama. The Homicide Division is tasked to solve crimes given to them. The cases are not related with one another but each one showcases a facet of a character. They develop with each episode and the viewers get to know them better.

It has a main plot that connects the main characters. Se Hyuk’s daughter was killed in an accident that was indirectly caused by Jung Il Do. The death led to the end of his marriage and depression. After he got out of his slump, he decided to be a detective. He is just one of the several fathers featured in Crime Squad.

Se Hyuk’s ex-wife Heo Eun Young (Park Sun Young) is the daughter of a congressman while section chief Il Do’s dad is a police commissioner. The two dads are involved in a scheme that launders dirty money from corruption through a foundation that Eun Young is managing. Min Joo’s father is a saint compared to the two corrupt officials. Jo Sang Tae (Kim Gyu Chul) is a master thief who has something that belongs to the two public officials, which can harm their reputations if the contents are made public.

There are some details in Crime Squad that I find sketchy. Section chief Il Do doesn’t know the background of his team members. He knows that Se Hyuk’s daughter was killed during the freak accident but he didn’t know that he was dating Se Hyuk’s ex-wife.

Crime Squad is about hypocrisy and lies. With all the twists and turns, you don’t know who the bad guy is. But one thing is evident from start to finish, officer Nam Tae Shik (Sung Ji Roo) is a great cop. He is the only constant in the series.

While Song Il Gook and Lee Jong Hyuk are two capable actors, Song Ji Hyo is the reason why I got hooked with Crime Squad. I enjoy watching her in Running Man and her role as reporter Min Joo is not much different from her usual self. Woo Ri is another eye-candy in the series but she appears in just two episodes, 7 and 8. Girls get Kim Joon, who plays detective Shin Dong Jin. The character is similar to Woo Bin, his role in Boys Over Flower, complete with a yellow sports car that is too flashy for a police detective.

I thought Crime Squad will have a predictable ending but it surprised me with a twist that I didn’t expect. It never came across my mind that the asshole could turn out to be a good guy in the end. I did want the divorced couple to get together again. Plus, all the loose ends are tied up, especially the ones surrounding the daughter’s death.

Crime Squad is an interesting detective series. It has a gripping main plot that’s full of mystery and a villain that you want to kill yourself. This is a must-see for those searching for a good mystery series.