Reply 1994 (2013)

I have already professed my love for TvN's Answer Me 1994 (응답하라 1994), but it doesn't hurt to write a longer and more emotional post about it. The drama faltered a bit in the end, I admit. However, it's still the one drama that stayed with me the longest last year. Trust the team behind the series to churn a heart-warming story of family and friendship that can span decades. The love story may have taken the backseat, but we're still given a drama that's much loved by many of its viewers.

Answer Me 1994 tells the story of the college students renting space in Shinchon Boarding House. These country bumpkins learn to thrive and fail in the big city as they struggle to get through college. They represent what it feels to be confused in their early 20s, as they experience first love, heartbreaks, rejection, unfulfilled dreams, and goodbyes. Once again, the Reply franchise created a series that has the best semblance of reality than any Korean dramas. It's really more of a slice of life drama than anything else.

I cannot count the number of times I clutched my heart and while watching, because I could relate with the characters. Because I felt their pain. Because I felt their confusion. Because I perfectly understood what they're going through.

The series comes out slow but strong in the beginning. The characters are introduced one by one, and I knew from the get-go that I will love each one of them. The strength of the drama lies on how the characters are given their own arcs, how their stories are all fleshed out. It's easy to say that NaJung (Go Ara) is the main character, but this series made it seem like every character is the main one in their own corresponding narratives.

It's difficult for me to write about Reply 1994 without sounding more biased than I actually am. When I love a drama so much, it's easy for me to overlook its flaws. Yes, this series is too long that it comprised quality and coherence. Yes, this series has way too many filler scenes, but I don't mind one bit. Yes, I hate how they waited till the last episode for the husband reveal. Yes, there are way too many similar characteristics with Reply 1997, but I believe the script for 1994 was written first. Yes, my ship sunk but my love for this show didn't.

[SPOILERS ALERT!]

Thursday Readings: 2013 Movies, DBSK's Tense, Heirs, Abs, Abs, Abs, Etc.

Hey everyone! I hope you're having a ~daebak~ 2014 so far! Mine is going well, even though it started in quite a depressing note. But life goes on, so I must continue blogging. Because what else can a fangirl like me do with my time?

It's been a while since the last Thursday Readings so I'm back for more! I've been bookmarking some interesting pieces I've read for the past few weeks. And thankfully this time, I've included articles outside Korean pop culture. (But not a lot! T_T) I guess I need to spend more time reading. Hehehe.

• Tit For Tat's Top Local Movies of 2013 - A list of favorite Filipino movies last year! It's a pretty comprehensive list that includes mainstream and indie movies. I am amazed with the amount of movies he manages to watch every year!
• Pop Reviews Now's DBSK - "Tense" - A pretty good review of DBSK's 7th album. Nicole has her biases, but she always gives objective reviews. This one is thorough in discussing each song, making the listening to the album a lot more meaningful.
• Dramafever's The Heirs Problem - A comics written by the wonderful Nichola from Mykoreanhusband.com. I can totally relate! Hahaha. Check out her blog, too. It's one of the most entertaining blogs I've come across in a long time.
• Beyond Hallyu's Motherly Love: The exploration of Motherhood in Reply 1994 - TvN's Reply 1994 boasts complex character explorations, and this article shows one example of how the drama breathes life to the cast. This reminds me that I have to write my own commentary on the series!
• A Splash of Inspiration's 2013 Women in K-Drama Awards Poll - An ode to all the wonderful women in Kdramaland. They definitely deserve more attention for being kickasses. :)
• Wordsofconfession's Horimiya - An in-depth review of the manga Horimiya! Last year, I got enamored with a handful of mangas, and Horimiya is one of them. It's wonderfully drawn and written. And I'm just so in love with Miyamura, okay.
• Dramafever's The 25 hottest photos from Men's Health's "Cool Guy Contest" - YOU'RE WELCOME.

That's it! I hope you find something that's worthy of reading. I'd love to discover more blogs! Feel free to leave links on articles you also find enjoyable. I'll make sure to drop by and read them.

Have a lovely week, everyone~ (❁´▽`❁)*✲ﾟ*

Love,
Janey

Pagpag, Siyam na Buhay (2013)

Pagpag, Siyam na Buhay

[DISCLAIMER: I am a scaredy-cat, and I rarely watch horror movies. With this said, let it be known that most of what I'll say is based on very thin experience of watching horror flicks. Heehee.]

Pagpag, Siyam na Buhay is one the entries for this year's Metro Manila Film Festival. It's the only horror entry, and I'm quite glad that they offered us something that can terrify the lights out of our lives.

Leni (Kathryn Bernardo) runs a mortuary with her uncle (Janus del Prado). One day, they're tasked to organize the funeral for Roman (Paulo Avelino), who has a shady past involving satanism and death. During the funeral, Leni comes across Cedric (Daniel Padilla) and his friends who had an accident near the house of Roman and his wife. One by one, Leni and the rest fail to follow superstitions and take a step closer to their own graves.

The movie revolves a well-known superstition or pamahiin. Pagpag is the term used to mean going someplace else before heading home after visiting a funeral. It's said that the soul of the departed can follow you home if you won't do the said pamahiin. But it's not the only pamahiin tackled in the movie. With so many superstitions there is, there's enough for each character to break one and to be cursed.

I'm not sure if it's because I'm so easily scared, but I spent more than half of the movie hiding behind my hands. The scare tactics used in the movie are top-notch. It definitely doesn't look cheap anyway. They employ old school methods to derive tension and suspense throughout the movie. There certainly isn't anything new here. But I guess the thought of working and living above a funeral parlor can always give the much needed goosebumps.

Clarence Delgado as Mac-Mac the cutest

It's curious how the entire movie is incredibly well-lit, with some amazing cinematography in between scenes. The tone of the entire movie is actually a bit upbeat, but it still delivers the necessary scare. There's comic relief delivered expertly by Janus Del Prado in between jumpy scenes, but it maintains the tension throughout the movie. It's never anti-climatic.

Speaking of Janus, he's a hidden gem in the Philippine cinematic landscape. He's one of my favorite actors despite always playing small roles, but making them standout even in dreary scenes. I often wonder if he writes his own lines, because it seems to natural to him. Or maybe he's just a great actor that he can own any material given to him. Another gem in this movie is Clarence Delgado who plays Mac-mac, Leni's younger brother. I usually see him in comedic roles but in this one, he makes me believe that he's the quiet, ominous little brother. All his scenes are precious, okay.

But I think the selling point of this movie is how it combines horror with the hottest love team in the country right now. Horror flicks are always a blockbuster during MMFF, and it smartly uses the Kathniel tandem to gather more viewers. They may be lacking in acting prowess, but they definitely attracted more attention to the film than lesser known stars could. It's marketing, and we can do nothing about it. (Though I must say I'm a closet Kathniel fan, so.)

What makes Pagpag a terrifying watch is how it takes ordinary situations and make it horrifying. It also focuses on Filipino superstitions (there are tons!) so it's something that the audience can relate to. We're not given monsters nor does it really have to take place in a far-flung area. Funerals can take place anywhere, and any viewer has attended one. It's nowhere perfect, but it leaves a lasting fear to someone who failed to follow a superstition and also doomed to be haunted by Roman.

Monday Cutie: Yoo YeonSeok (유연석)

Yoo YeonSeok (유연석)

DOB: April 11, 1984

Height: 183cm

Known for: Old Boy, Gu Family Book

Wolf Boy, Answer Me 1994

For such a kind face, it's weird how Yoo YeonSeok seemed to attract antagonistic roles. From playing the young Yoo JiTae in Old Boy, to the annoying fiance in Wolf Boy, and even the godforsaken sunbae in Architecture 101, Yoo YeonSeok seemed to be cursed with roles that's begging for hate mails.

Then 2013 happened, and Yoo YeonSeok skyrocketed to fame with his role as Chilbong in Answer Me 1994. He stole the hearts of females everywhere (those that aren't stolen by Trash Oppa, anyway). He's no longer the character you hate. He's now the character that your heart hurts for. He's probably my number one favorite character this year, because he made an impossibly perfect character realistic and lovable. I usually don't like golden boys, but his portrayal of Chilbong made my heart ache and smile for all the good reasons.

I finished Answer Me 1994 earlier last week, and from start to finish I was rooting for him. Before Answer Me 1994, he didn't really stand out for me. Besides, he's too pale for my usual preference lol. But after Chilbong happened, wow, he deserves a spot on my Monday Cutie! As you probably know by now, I only write about actors/stars I passionately like. I've only liked Yoo YeonSeok for a couple of months, but he's such a versatile actor that I just ended up loving him to death.

The girl's lucky she didn't show her face. SERIOUSLY .\_/.
Yoo YeonSeok for Elle.

TVXQ's Something MV

EEEH! EXCUSE ME I'M INCOHERENT RIGHT NOW!

SO SO SO SO GOOOOD. I LOVE IT!!!!!!

I am not a music expert so I won't even give a review of the technical aspect of the song, but I've been humming the chorus since the trailer came out about a  week ago. I love it, and I can't even put my finger on what makes it soooo good. It's catchy, and it sounds different from what they've released in the past. But it's still so TVXQ!

I am totally blown away by YunHo's voice in this song OMG. I know he can sing, but in this song he really shines! The voices of these two blend so beautifully I just want to cry. My favorite boys are back and they're going to slay everyone okay. (Maybe, I don't know. Haha.) ChangMin looks so awkward around the girls but he just killllllls the song. And in the process, killing me. ILOVEYOU.

It's a very apt title song for their 7th album (or 10th year album! whichever works I guess), because it shows all their strengths as a duo. They take one genre and make it their own. That's what they've been good at these past ten years, and they continue to prove it. I can't wait to hear the whole album. I'll probably cry buckets once it drops in the market but I don't care.

What a great way to start the new year. Thank you SM for giving us a music video that exceeds our expectations. The costumes are so loud but I don't mind. I just can't wait to see the live performances of this song!

THE CHOREOGRAPHY! THE OUTFITS! THE HAIRSTYLE! THEIR VOICEEEEEES! EVERYTHINGGGG!

I'll probably die but who cares about that right now.

Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS! Let's watch this music video on repeat, shall we? :)