REVIEW Two Asian Dramas You Should Watch This Valentine's Day

[WithJuyeon]

TWO ASIAN DRAMAS YOU SHOULD WATCH THIS VALENTINE'S DAY
Written by: ByulHarangBona and WithJuyeon

Unsure of how to spend this Valentine's Day? Cuddle up with your significant other or your dependable plushie and binge-watch these two shows for a comfortable, romantic day!



Fresh from a collaboration of K-Drama Recommendations: 5 K-dramas of 2019 You Should Watch, we (@ByulHarangBona and @WithJuyeon) are back with a couple more recommendations for the upcoming Valentine's Day. You can celebrate the romantic occasion by binging the lovely dramas we selected—you can even watch it together with your special ones. Let's take a stroll further into the article to check out what we have in store for you.


'Your Highness, The Class Monitor'

ByulHarangBona: Looking for a romance drama set on a school campus? Your Highness, The Class Monitor will meet your needs. The story follows Su Nian Nian (Fair Xing), who was unable to get admitted to her desired university due to an unfortunate traffic accident. However, as fate will have it, she ended up enrolling in the same university and class of Gu Zi Chen (Niu Jun Feng), the culprit of her accident. However, through several incidents, the two fall in love with one another while working together to solve their fellow classmates' problems.

Sure, it might be one of those typical romance dramas where the poor female lead falls in love with the rude but rich male lead, who then turns over a new leaf. But what I like about this drama is its slice of realism. For example, you can be very nice towards your crush but that does not necessarily mean that she will fall in love with you. And this is true in the case of Ye Xing Yu (Liu Yi Hang), the best friend of Zi Chen. He is kind-hearted, handsome, and always there for Nian Nian. One will think that she will be charmed and fall in love with him, but sadly, that is not the case at all. What I enjoyed about this drama is how Nian Nian, as the newly elected class monitor, always tried to help her fellow classmates who are in need. When a rival gang invaded the school campus and tried to threaten her schoolmate, she didn't back off even though she was scared. She stood up to them and successfully managed to drive them off with the help of Zi Chen and Xing Yu. I was also impressed with Yang Xin Ying's acting as Song Yu Xi, one of Niang Niang's best friends. Her portrayal of the character, who is silly and falls in love easily with any handsome guy, injected humor into the drama.




The song's opening title is A Little Heartbeat (一点点心动), which was sang by Liu Xin. Its sweet lyrics will make you wish that you are in love (if you are still single). Overall, I really enjoyed the drama, as the plot was developed nicely, and the actors and actresses depicted their characters well. I recommend this drama to those who want to reminisce about their romance during their school days.

__________________________________________

Story: 9/10
Acting: 9/10
Cinematography: 8.5/10
Soundtrack: 9.5/10

Final Score: 9/10
__________________________________________




'Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo'

WithJuyeon: I'm not easy to please when it comes to romantic comedies but Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo exceeded my expectations. This show was inspired by the life of South Korean Olympic weightlifter and gold-medalist, Jung Mi Ran. Centered around Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung), a weightlifter who aspires to win a gold medal, the drama depicts the ups and downs she experiences throughout her journey to achieve her dream. Accompanying her are her best friends, Lee Sun Ok (Lee Joo Young) and Jung Nan Hee (Cho Hye Jung). They make the perfect trio as they always have each others' backs and are a bunch of fun. She meets Jung Joon Hyung (Nam Joo Hyuk), a free-spirited swimmer, and naturally begins to fall in love with him. It doesn't come easy though, as focusing on her dream would jeopardize her relationship and vice versa.


This drama has a trope that I really dislike due to the overuse of it — a situation in which the two leads first met during their childhood. Seriously, I have seen this in so many dramas to the point that I roll my eyes whenever it is used in a show. However, I can forgive this drama for it as it was quite a funny scene and I thoroughly enjoyed the show. The progress of the relationship between the two leads felt natural and not forced, something I find rare in the land of K-dramas. It was greatly helped by the strong chemistry between them.

Nam Joo Hyuk is not known to be a good actor and I stand by that statement based on his other dramas that I have watched, but he pulled off his role in this show well. He embodied his character with ease and that made him (Jung Joon Hyung) feel genuine. No words are needed for Lee Sung Kyung; she's a natural. She has portrayed diverse characters, and she never disappoints me with her performances, making her one of my favorite actresses. The supporting actors and actresses held their own, with the exception of Kyung Soo Jin. She played Song Shi Ho, Joon Hyung's ex-girlfriend, who felt rather bland. I think that her character would've been more interesting if she was personified well.


The soundtrack of this drama is quite memorable. It is a perfect balance of ballads and cheerful tracks. "Dreaming" especially tugs at heartstrings with its sorrowful guitar melodies and Han Hee Jung's beautiful, soft vocals.


Closing my review with a fun fact, did you know that Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk were confirmed to be dating a little over three months after the conclusion of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo? However, they both parted ways a few months later due to personal matters.

_____________________________________

Story: 8/10
Acting: 9/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Soundtrack: 8.5/10

Final Score: 8/10
_____________________________________

​

 

[sm maid]

legends of writing

(I see that kissing booth banner, time to send ju 1,000 coins) :RMplsdont:

 

[UMJI MOODS]

Nice reviews.

 

[Polaris_Tae]

I don't usually enjoy romance dramas but I might give weightlifting fairy another shot!

 

[Chiharu]

I hear weightlifting fairy is good, need to get around to watching it

 

[GVK]

You mean singles day

Watched Kim Bok Joo when it was airing. Loved it.

 

[Lilac]

Thanks for the review!

 

[Sweetheart]

Interesting, thanks for the review ​

 

[BlueNose]

Your Highness, The Class Monitor sounds pretty good actually, and im a sap for the poor girl/rich guy story tbh as long as it's done well
i loved weightlifting fairy, it's was fun