풀하우스 (Full House)

Title: Full House
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Episodes: 16
Broadcast network: KBS2
Completed Airing?: Yes

Han Ji Eun (played by Song Hye Gyo) is an aspiring writer who has become famous online because of her romance stories. One day, she is tricked into going to China as the winner of a supposedly free trip by her best friends, and they sell her house and her possessions to pay off their debts. On the plane, she has her first run-in with Lee Young Jae (played by Rain), who is a famous actor. The two have quite a meeting - not only does she pester him throughout the plane ride, she then pukes on him (actually, puking on that shirt is doing the world a favor... too bad she didn't get the pants, too). Han Ji Eun returns from China to find all of her belongings gone and her house empty. Surprise surprise, the one who buys Han Ji Eun's house is none other than Lee Young Jae, who tries to kick her out. Eventually, the two settle on arranging a contract for a fake marriage for the sake of the media, and things snowball from there.

This is one of my favorite dramas. Not only does it have Rain in it (I'll get to him in a minute), this drama is just great. Unlike many other romance dramas, which get bogged down in angst, this one doesn't... at least until the last few episodes. It does get a little bit tedious there, but overall, this drama is certainly worth the watch. It's fun to watch the two lead characters argue, and even if the premise of friends selling Han Ji Eun's house is a little strange and impossible, the drama works well overall. There are numerous funny points, whether it's Han Ji Eun chasing after her two friends (though that's almost as painful to watch as it is funny, because they act way too dramatic) or her doing the infamous "bear dance" for Lee Young Jae's parents.

Of course, what would a drama be without a love triangle? More of a love square, actually, as two other characters come into play and everyone's in love with everyone else in traditional drama style. But Full House manages to make all the drama and angst not so bad, and the comedic parts shine through. It drags on and gets repetitive near the end, but don't let that deter you. Though it's quite a bit longer than most Japanese dramas, spend an hour a night for a couple of weeks watching it. Full House is one of the most popular Korean dramas (the final episode got 40.2% ratings in Seoul) for good reason.

Now, on to Bi (Rain). Picture Usher in your mind, make him Asian, and you have Rain. He is an international pop star with masses of fans all across Asia, and he has even performed in Madison Square Garden. He sings in multiple languages, and he is a large part of the Korean Wave sweeping across Asia and brushing up against the shores of America - he was named as one of Time's "100 Most Influential People" in 2006 and People's "Most Beautiful People." He also beat out Stephen Colbert on Time's online poll of influential people in 2007, and Colbert proceeded to mock and parody him on air.

I can't seem to find the original video of Colbert yelling at Rain for beating him when Colbert made his own Korean pop video, but here's the second time Rain was mentioned on his show (and obviously, this is Stephen Colbert and should be taken with a grain of salt):

たったひとつの恋 (Just One Love)

Title: Tatta Hitotsu no Koi
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 10
Broadcast network: NTV
Completed Airing?: Yes
Tatta Hitotsu no Koi is a Romeo and Juliet-style romance story set in the port city of Yokohama. Kanzaki Hiroto (played by Kamenashi Kazuya of KAT-TUN) is the poor boy, struggling to support his ailing mother and brother by running a failing ship repair shop he has inherited from his father. One day he meets Tsukioka Nao (played by Ayase Haruka), who is the daughter of a rich jewelry maker. Slowly they fall in love, and the young couple faces multiple obstacles in their relationship, including Tsukioka Nao's family trying to tear them apart.

This drama may not be the worst of the bunch, but it is certainly nowhere near good. It's a typical romance story, the kind that we've all seen millions of times before, and the plot is so predictable it gets annoying waiting for what you know is coming. The acting is not that great, but passable enough for a soap opera. If anything, compared to a lot of dramas where the acting is overblown and overly dramatic, the acting in this drama is the opposite - very low key, lots of soulful looks, etc.

If you're in the mood for a love story like this, it's a good enough way to pass the time. I am oddly partial to the music, and I like some of the side actors (this includes Toda Erika and Hiraoka Yuta). Another member of KAT-TUN, Tanaka Koki, is also in this drama. It's a story in the great tradition of love stories, and like I said, if that's your thing, then you'll probably enjoy it. But don't go into it expecting it to be the most original, wonderfully-acted drama out there.