Creating Destiny

Creating Destiny Synopsis: (from DramaWiki)
Han Sang Eun emigrated to Australia with her family at a young age. Years later, she has completed her law studies in the United States and plans to marry her American boyfriend. Her dad, however, is strongly opposed to their union and has set his heart on her marrying Kim Yeo Joon, the son of his best friend. Sang Eun finds herself exiled to Korea, where she reluctantly teams up with the equally uninterested Yeo Joon to devise a plan that will allow them to avoid their impending marriage.

Cast:
Eugene as Han Sang Eun
Ki Tae Young as Kim Yeo Joon
Kim Jung Nan as Kim Yoon Hee
Byun Woo Min as Kang Hae Sung
Jung Suk Won as Jung Kyu Han
Ryu Sang Wook as Kang Hae Won
Lee Sung Min as Shim Hye Rim


My comments:
If I didn’t want to see how Eugene and Ki Tae Young became a real-life couple (who got married this summer, btw) through Creating Destiny (MBC, 31 episodes), I wouldn’t pick this drama. It’s a weekend family drama so that means it has a lot of people and a lot of stories that might not necessarily involve the main couple. Surprisingly, I didn’t find this drama that unbearable. It was overall enjoyable, except that some characters annoy me to no end.

Yeo Joon and Sang Eun are quite your usual K-drama couple who started as a bickering pair, then having a contract relationship and finally end up falling in love while facing many obstacles. Speaking of obstacles, there were a lot: opposing parents and grandparents, third and fourth parties, Sang Eun and Yeo Joon’s respective first love. They were a steady couple by 20 something episodes but the writers have to add the adoption bomb to create more drama. Although I root for Yeo Joon and Sang Eun but it gets tiring and repetitive that their families keep on interfering their relationship. Luckily, there was Hyo Eun and Dr. Min’s little love storyline to make up for it; I found them so cute together. I’m disappointed that they didn’t give us a proper wedding for any of the couples.

The parents are mostly annoying in this drama as they are meddling, nosy, controlling and pushy. Hae Won and Hye Rim as the third parties are bleh as they are clingy and don’t understand what ‘No, I don’t love you’ means. I find it odd how they started their supposed romance but I think they are a perfect match in every way. I didn’t really care about Hae Sung and Yoon Hee’s story as they spend most of the time repeating the same thing. While everyone has its own happy ending but poor Kyu Han who didn’t have anyone at the end and he’ll always get nagged by her nosy mother. Sigh…

Acting wise, everyone was doing their job although that I did laugh a few times for bad acting coming from the guy who played Alex, Sang Eun’s Caucasian boyfriend and the actor who played Hae Sung and Hae Won’s dad. Therefore, Creating Destiny is not a horrible drama to kill time but it could be shorten a few episodes and it wouldn’t hurt.

Recent purchases

Before the closing of Metro Video, I managed to snatch this last available set of To Catch The Uncatchable, which is one of my favorite post-millenium TVB drama. I even love its unconventional ending for such a comedic series.

Next is the boxset of K-drama Secret Garden, the one drama that gave me serious withdrawal symptoms earlier this year. I bought this set from Amazon and it was actually affordable, at least it cost me less than any True Blood boxset…:p

Scent of a Woman

Scent of a Woman Synopsis: (from DramaWiki)
A woman, Lee Yeon Jae, is given the grim prognosis that she only has a short time left to live. She decides to quit her job at a travel agency and live her life to the fullest.

Cast:
Kim Sun Ah as Lee Yeon Jae
Lee Dong Wook as Kang Ji Wook
Uhm Ki Joon as Chae Eun Suk
Seo Hyo Rim as Im Se Kyung


My comments:
After reading the summary of Scent of a Woman (SBS, 16 episodes), it is not hard to predict the ending. I’m even emotionally prepared for a sob fest and had a box of tissues nearby. Surprisingly, the ending wasn’t that weepy but overall, I think I’m in the minority who wasn’t that crazy over this drama. I didn’t especially like it or dislike it. I can count how many times I cried and it wasn't a lot. At first, I felt and cried for Yeon Jae when she compiled her to do list before she dies but around halfway through the drama, I don’t know how and why, I just don’t care about her anymore. It was dreadful for me to watch the later episodes because I thought that it got draggy when everyone was in mopey mode.

One thing that bugged me was that Yeon Jae knows that she doesn’t have too many days left but still wants to date the unattainable Ji Wook but when he loves her deeply, she dumps him to cut him some misery. Isn’t that act a bit selfish? Does having a teminal illness gives you a carte blanche to do whatever you want, with the motto 'live your life the fullest'? It is debatable. Lee Dong Wook and Kim Sun Ah surprisingly have sizzling chemistry, although I don’t really buy theme as a couple. While the main couple have some sweet and intense moments and Jin Wook is overall a great boyfriend, I find myself rooting for Eun Suk more. I think that Se Kyung is character that could be more prominent then what was offered but I’m disappointed that her role got more and more insignificant towards the end while the fathers are the annoying antagonists.

The acting is great from everyone. Kim Sun Ah can do no wrong although I don’t like her character. I love Lee Dong Wook and all but there are times that I found him awkward and he looks really exhausted in this drama that is a bit distracting. I was hoping to see a little reunion of Eom Ki Joon and Seo Hye Rim since that I kinda liked them from the little I saw of Worlds Within. No such luck as there were practically no scenes of them together.The drama have nice cinematography, especially the scenes in Okinawa.