Honey and Clover is a story about friendship and love among five art college students in Tokyo, the story itself is very refreshing and inspirational. Somehow you can relate to each character’s problem and worries, it’s simply one of the best anime of the decade. Honey & Clover is very funny as well, I literary rolled over my chair constantly when I watched it.  The only annoying thing is the unrequited love among characters and how they are unable to move on, somehow it’s a bit unreal or maybe I’m just a type who is easy to move on.

Other than its comedic situation, the strongest element of Honey and Clover is the friendship between the characters. College is the time for self-discovery and if you are lucky you will build a friendship that last for life-time. Self-discovery is an inevitable process when we are young, I honestly have been through it back in college. I remember I was very confused and insecure about everything, I was lost about my purpose and destination in life. Fortunately, I’m pretty much sure about my path in life now.

I think I was similar to Takemoto, the main character of this Anime. He is a good person and a hard-worker, but he lacks of real talent in arts unlike Hagu and Morita who are superbly talented. Takemoto somehow is a representation of ordinary people in our society, someone who works hard without real purpose. The self-discovery journey that he went through in the end of season one was a great attempt to truly understand himself and eventually encouraged him to confess his love for Hagu.

I understand why Takemoto loves Hagu, this girl is very talented yet very naive, which entice everyone to protect and cherish her. But of course, Hagu is too talented for Takemoto and only consider him as a good friend. She is in love with Morita, someone who is equally talented as her, he is also a bad boy and we all know girls tend to prefer bad boys. They have a weird relationship though, kinda like a rival to each other, but it is clear that Morita reciprocated her feelings. It’s just natural for two talented people to be attracted to each other no?

One thing that I really admire about Hagu is her strong passion in arts. When her hands got injured, she stated that if she is no longer able to draw, she may also return to her creator (means she prefer death). Her life is truly driven by her passion, she even ditched her love for Morita because of this sole reason. Despite her small and fragile appearance, I think she’s truly a strong person as Morita mentioned. Women are ruled by their emotions, that’s why most of the time love will be the main priority, but Hagu is different. She knew exactly what she want to do for the rest of her life and nothing is going to stop her.

In the end Hagu choose to be with Hanamoto-sensei, his father’s cousin. Which is something that is very surprising for me, because I thought Hanamoto is just like a father-figure for Hagu or maybe he is for her? However, Hanamoto confessed that he is indeed in love with her, a bit creepy for sure but I’m still not certain that he is in love with her romantically, perhaps it’s just a platonic love? I really hope so, although his so called ‘love’ is pretty damn serious judging by his big gestures for her by leaving everything to be by her side forever. Hagu also consider her Shuu-chan (her nickname for him) as her rain, because she loves rain so much and feel at ease just by looking at his face. They know each other for a long time, so yeah I guess they have a really strong bond and they need each other to survive.

Despite the slight incest-pedophile situation, I think Hagu made a wise decision by choosing Hanamoto to help her in the rehabilitation process, I mean among the three guys (yeah she’s apparently very popular despite her childish figure LOL) Hanamoto is the most dependable and secure choice.  And with her timid personality and injuries, she needs this type of man the most. As Mayama said, Hagu is motivated by her desire to accomplish something, love is not the purpose of her life, that’s why she choose Hanamoto-sensei over Morita. She is certain that Hanamoto can help her to accomplish her purpose of life. Hanamoto also kinda remind me of Takemoto, a good guy but not superbly talented, however he has his own capabilities. I think both guys perceive Hagu in the same way too, someone they aspire to be and admire her talent the most.

Other than Hagu and probably Morita, I think other characters in this Anime are driven by love to the extent when love can justified just everything else in their life. Mayama and Yamada are those characters whom I think too extreme regarding unrequited love. I honestly think Yamada is too pathetic, I mean why she can’t get over Mayama? She knows she can, but she doesn’t want to. And I simply hate it when people say they can’t when they just don’t want to. Yamada is a pathetic character, a hopeless-romantic in extreme version.  Moreover, Mayama being nice to her all the time doesn’t help at all. Although I can’t fully blame him because he really consider her as his precious friend. Unrequited love is just too complicated and very frustrating!

Luckily, Mayama’s boss, Nomiya takes notice of her and tries to win her heart by keep supporting her. In the end I think Yamada is able to move on with Nomiya, thank God! Her unrequited love is not even bittersweet anymore, it’s just severely bitter and heart-wrenching. And seriously that guy is better than Mayama, yeah Nomiya is similar to him in someway, but he is the superior version of that stalker-Mayama! He drives back and forth for 18 hours merely to see and comfort her!  How on earth that any normal girl can reject this guy?? When a cool and handsome guy loves you this much, you just can’t say no. Yamada deserves to be happy and be with someone who can cherish her.

About Mayama, I didn’t really pay attention to his character because he is too annoying. He is way too obsessive to his former boss, Rika-san and I hate it when he takes advantage of her disabilities (her feet are weak because of a tragic accident, where she lost her husband as well). I simply don’t like this guy, though I found his similarity with Nomiya is amusing, both guys are really determined when it comes to love. Mayama to Rika who is unable to forget her late husband and Nomiya to Ayumi who is still hoping for her unrequited love. Although Mayama is too much of stalker for Rika-san, but his obsessive way does work to keep her safe. Rika-san is suicidal and very fragile, she need someone who is persistent enough like Mayama to keep her from any suicidal attempts.

And lastly, there is Morita who is pretty much a wacky character at first but turns out that he has his own problem as well. He often disappear to nowhere and return with lots of money in his pocket, later on we know that he and his brother; Kaoru are making a revenge plan to snatch their father’s company back. There is much more of this story, Kaoru as the older brother is jealous of Morita’s talent and their father often favored his younger brother than him. Morita is aware of this and he is reluctant to help his brother in the revenge plan, however he loves his brother very much and decided to just get along with it.

I kinda understand the feeling of having superior sibling, but Kaoru is undermining himself too much. He is a smart person indeed because he managed to execute his revenge plan after decades. Kaoru is simply too focused on Morita’s talent than his own abilities, or maybe his father favoritism in the past just left a deep scar in his heart, make him unable to move on and only see flaws within himself. I guess sometimes the one who you love is the one who hurt you the most.

I feel bad for Morita though, being hated because of his talent is clearly a huge burden for him. In the final episode of season 2, it’s clear that he was worn-out and wanted to throw everything away. Luckily, Hagu was able to encourage him to do otherwise. Morita is a complicated character, he is wacky and lonely for sure, but he being wacky is how I like him the best, he can be super funny and unpredictable! I also like his platonic relationship with Yamada, their friendship is mutual and sweet.

And whether a person is talented or not, I guess it doesn’t matter because I believe everyone has his own capabilities, Takemoto, Hanamoto and Kaoru may not be very talented in arts or inventing stuff, but they have their own capabilities which can be used to support people around them. Hence, envying someone because of his natural talent is futile, instead we should focus on things that we good at. I don’t really have natural talent in anything either, but I study hard and practice constantly to be good at things. Remember, Thomas Alva Edison once said “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration!”

Through Honey and Clover I learn that love comes in any kind of form, not just in romantic way. You do can love your friends without any romantic feelings involved and cherish them. The five main characters in this Anime are very protective and supportive to each other in their own way, in the end none of them get romantically involved as they move forward to different directions, but their precious memories of spending time together will remain forever in their heart.

Is there any meaning to failed love? According to Takemoto there is and he is glad that he fell in love with Hagu, there is no regret at all and it remains as bittersweet memory. I guess real life is just like that,  like a Ferris Wheel (which often appears in this Anime, more like a symbol of  the characters life) life is keep revolving no matter what. We should never look back and follow the light to do our best in life. If you haven’t watched Honey and Clover, go watch it and enjoy the ride, you will not regret it and you will definitely feel inspired.

Bonus Pictures (All funny scenes!):

PS: Let’s pray for Japan, may the country recover very soon and everyone will stay strong despite the numerous disasters.

Pictures Credit to: http://randomc.net/ and http://www.batrock.net/anime/

Secara singkat drama ini menceritakan Lee Seol yang seorang mahasiswi biasa, namun hidupnya langsung berubah total saat mengetahui kalau dia adalah seorang putri dari monarki Korea yang sudah punah sejak lama.  Presiden Korea lalu menugaskan Park Hae Young yang seorang diplomat untuk menjadi tutor sang putri. Hae Young sendiri menentang restorasi monarki di Korea karena itu artinya dia akan kehilangan warisannya.  Ini karena kakek Hae Young adalah pelopor rencana restorasi tersebut dan berniat memberikan semua hartanya ke publik setelah Lee Seol resmi menjadi putri. Seiring dengan waktu Hae Young mulai jatuh cinta pada sang putri begitu juga sebaliknya dan mereka pun harus dihadapkan pada pilihan yang sulit.

Sampai akhir cerita dinamika pasangan Hae Young dan Lee Soul membuktikan kalau mereka adalah fondasi paling kuat dari My Princess, tanpa mereka drama ini bisa babak belur karena plotnya yang lamban dan hampir bikin gua frustasi. Seperti biasa let’s talk about the good things first:

1. The Funny-Cute-Beautiful Couple

Without a doubt they are the most beautiful couple in K-drama History! Tapi selain itu mereka juga adalah pasangan dengan chemistry yang kuat, interaksi di antara mereka sangatlah dinamis dan menghibur. Hubungan mereka diawali sebagai partner in crime yang tidak tertarik pada satu sama lain. Hae Young punya Yoon Ju sedangkan Lee Seol menyukai professornya. But from their interaction and constant bickering, we can see that they are gradually drawn into each other charm. Pelan tapi pasti mereka mulai tertarik pada satu sama lain, banyak cobaan yang menerpa namun mereka akhirnya memutuskan untuk bersama dan tetap konsisten dengan karakter dan dinamika masing-masing.

Hubungan kedua karakter ini sama sekali tidak seperti cerita Cinderella. Lee Seol by blood is a princess, it’s her destiny and she’s not a poor bimbo. While Hae Young is not your ordinary prince, he’s a diplomat with high intelligence and excellent political knowledge. Mereka berdua adalah equal partners yang saling membantu satu sama lain, tidak ada ketimpangan dalam hubungan mereka dan mereka selalu terbuka sekaligus yakin dengan perasaan mereka masing-masing. Semua faktor ini adalah sesuatu yang langka untuk ditemui di dalam sebuah hubungan (baik drama ataupun real life). Lee Seol also can handle Park Hae Young cockiness very well, I love it when she tampered his pride with her cheeky reply, she’s one sassy girl!

Kita banyak melihat banyak pasangan yang saling melengkapi satu sama lain seperti di Itazura na Kiss dimana Kotoko memiliki 1% sesuatu yang tidak Naoki miliki atau di Hana Yori Dango dimana Domyoji memerlukan Makino untuk mengontrol sifatnya yang buas. Namun Hae Young dan Lee Seol bukanlah pasangan seperti itu, they are fine without each other but they choose to be together. Mereka merepresentasikan banyak pasangan modern saat ini yang bisa bahagia tanpa satu sama lain tapi memilih untuk bersama, the reason is simply because they love each other and they want to make it works.

2. The Cocky and Handsome Diplomat: Park Hae Young

Di permukaan, Park Hae Young kelihatan dingin dan sombong, tapi sebenarnya dia hanya sangat percaya diri dengan wajah dan statusnya. Dengan kepandaian dan kemampuannya sebagai diplomat dia memutuskan untuk melindungi sang putri dan pada akhirnya memilih untuk melepaskan warisannya. Pengorbanan ini membuktikan kalau dia benar mencintai sang putri, walaupun tetap saja dia enjoy untuk terus mem-bully LS. Gua suka banget sama akting Song Seung Heon di drama ini, ekspresinya yang arogan, pede dan narsis selalu bikin gua ketawa, begitu juga saat dia memandang LS dengan intens, waaa meleleh deh. But Park Hae Young is at his best when it comes to teasing LS , and being jealous, oh yeah he can be such a kid, I love it! He’s also deliciously handsome!

PHY best line: Let me ask you just one thing. Can’t you not be the princess? Is it really something you’d rather die than give up? Can’t you just not be a princess…and live as my woman instead? (Credit to Dramabeans)

3. The Pretty and Bubbly Princess: Lee Seol

Lee Seol adalah mahasiswi biasa, tipikal pemeran utama  di rom-com, namun Kim Tae Hee memainkan karakter ini dengan sempurna. She is funny, bubbly and adorable but not annoyingly stupid and whiny, she’s so likable and you just can’t hate her. LS yang naif dan unpredictable sering membuat PHY kewalahan sekaligus terhibur, karena kepribadiannya itu jugalah PHY  jadi jatuh cinta padanya. This girl bring him enormous happiness and that’s why he loves her so much, she’s his sunshine. Walaupun begitu banyak cobaan yang menerpanya LS tidak pernah kehilangan jati dirinya yang ceria dan honest karena itulah begitu banyak orang yang mau melindungi dan mendukungnya.  And she’s really-really pretty!

LS Best line:

Hae-young: Do you like Park Hae-young, or Professor Nam? Lee Seol: I like all men (Credit to Dramabeans)

4. The kind and charming Professor Nam Jung Woo

Professor Nam adalah karakter yang charming dan netral, dia tidak terlibat cinta segitiga dengan HY dan LS sesuatu yang menurut gua sangat refreshing . Dia mendukung LS untuk menjadi putri karena kecintaannya pada sejarah monarki Korea, dia juga mencintai Oh Yun Joo, peran antagonis dalam drama ini, uggh he is too good for her! Gua suka sama professor Nam yang selalu mendukung LS dengan nasihat yang bijaksana dan juga interaksinya dengan PHY. These two guys are sizzling by being together! I love how PHY always try to compete with the professor as if he is his real love rival LOL.

5. The fashion and Soundtrack

Gua suka banget sama baju-baju Lee Seol di sini, sangat fashionable, cute dan colorful! I seriously love all of her frilly and feminine dresses! Begitu juga dengan heelsnya yang keren-keren dan sangat chic, duh andai gua bisa jalan lurus dengan heels tinggi. Oh iya bando dan jepitan rambut yang dipakai sang putri juga sangat cocok dengan imagenya yang cute and lovely. Bravo buat stylistnya Kim Tae Hee!

Untuk soundtracknya, My Princess punya lagu-lagu yang pas dengan situasi cerita. Lagu-lagunya agak mengingatkan gua sama soundtrack drama Goong, namun soundtrack My Princess agaknya lebih beragam. Semuanya dipakai dengan pas untuk mendukung scene yang ada dan juga tidak over-used seperti soundtrack BOF. I especially love the song Kasio by Taru and Sunset by Every Single Day.

And now the bad things about this drama:

1. Oh Yun Joo – The Bitter and Hateful Villain

Never before I hate an antagonist character so much!! Oh Yun Joo you are truly the ultimate bitch! Menurut gua karakter antagonis ini sangat nggak rasional, egois dan berdarah dingin. Alasannya untuk membuat Lee Seol sengsara simply karena kecemburuannya pada sang putri yang mendapatkan semua hal yang pada awalnya adalah miliknya (dalam persepsinya sendiri karena sejak awal Hae Young tidak pernah mencintai Yoon Ju). Uggh… I hate her so much and I almost feel sick just to put her pic in my blog, that icy-robotic-meanie-bitch should just go to hell!

2. Draggy Plot over simple stuff and too much angst

Kekuatan utama My Princess adalah duo Hae Young-Lee Seol, karena itu gua berharap penulis drama ini lebih fokus kepada hubungan mereka. Namun si penulis malah memasukkan plot tidak penting seperti masalah sachet kaisar, evil stepsister dan juga rencana jahat Yoon Ju yang sangat tidak make sense untuk menambah masalah di antara pasangan utama. Plot yang bertele-tele, berulang dan tanpa makna berarti ini membuat gua hampir frustasi karena gua menonton drama ini hanya untuk pasangan HY-LS. The fact is I just want to see them together! Little angst is fine to entice a big gesture such as HY ultimate question for LS to be a princess or his woman, but they don’t need to make it repetitive over 5-6 episodes. And Yun Joo got too much air time! I just hate that woman!

For conclusion, drama ini sebenarnya bisa menjadi drama yang lebih baik, namun gua cukup puas dengan endingnya dan secara keseluruhan drama ini punya banyak kelebihan terutama chemistry antara pasangan utamanya. Menurut gua chemistry mereka sangat real dan interaksi mereka juga sangat menghibur, jarang loh gua menonton drama hanya untuk pasangan utamanya, kecuali mungkin Full House, tapi plot di full house memang hanya berputar di antara pasangan utamanya. Ah coba My Princess bisa kaya full house, more eye candies and cute scenes! Why writer?? Why you waste such beautiful and lovely couple! It’s Kim Tae Hee and Song Seung-heon, Korean Top Stars! You should use them to the fullest!

Untuk drama My Princess gua kasih nilai 4 bintang dari 5, gua juga merekomendasikan drama ini, it’s not the best drama but you will have fun and you will not regret watching it, I promise! *wink* And for Song Seung Heon and Kim Tae Hee, just date for real! You guys are perfect match!

Pictures Credit to Dramabeans

To watch this drama online go to: http://www.dramacrazy.net/korean-drama/my-princess/

English Lyric:

2Ne1 – It hurts

[CL] You wear the shoes I gave you and walk along the streets with her
As if it were nothing, you kiss her
You spray the cologne I gave you and embrace her
You’ll probably repeat those promises you made to me with her

[Minzy] It seems that we’re already too late
Has our love already ended
Please at least say anything to me
We truly loved each other, can’t turn back?
[Dara] I’m the only one hurting tonight

[Bom] Have you changed?
Am I no longer in your heart now?
When I, I think about you
It hurts, hurts, hurts so much

[Minzy] You look at my tears as if it were nothing
You continue to talk calmly again
[CL] You told me cruely that you couldn’t deny
That you had absolutely no attachments or regrets

[Bom] Are we already too late? Is our love over?
Even if it’s a lie, please tell me it isn’t so
I can do better now, though we can’t meet again
[Dara] I’m the only one in pain tonight

[CL] Have you changed?
Am I no longer in your heart now?
When I, I think about you
It hurts, hurts, hurts so much

[Minzy] You’re no longer your old self
[CL] Because the you I loved
And the you now are so different
[Dara] Are you that shocked?
I just stood and cried
Watching you become further away
[Bom] No way, I can’t recognize
You’re not mine anymore

[Dara] Did you have to change?
Can’t you come back?
Did you have to change?
Can’t you come back?
Why did you have to change?
Can’t you keep loving me?

[Bom] Oh, is this the end?
Am I no longer in your heart now?
When I, I think about you
[Minzy] It hurts, hurts, hurts so much
[Minzy] It hurts, it hurts
[CL] It hurts, it hurts

CREDITS
Source: Daum
Translated & Romanized by kimchi hana @ YGLadies.com
DO NOT REMOVE/EDIT CREDITS WHEN TAKING OUT

Lirik Bahasa:

2ne1 – Sakit

[CL] Kamu menggunakan sepatu yang aku berikan dan berjalan bersama dengannya
Seperti tidak ada apa-apa, kamu menciumnya
Kamu menyemprotkan cologne yang aku berikan dan memeluknya
Kamu mungkin mengulangi janji-janji yang kamu buat padaku kepadanya

[Minzy] Sepertinya sudah terlambat
Apakah cinta kita sudah benar berakhir?
Tolong setidaknya katakan sesuatu padaku
Kita dulu benar saling mencintai, apa kita tidak bisa kembali?
[Dara] Hanya aku yang terluka malam ini

[Bom] Apakah kamu sudah berubah?
Apakah aku tidak ada lagi di hatimu?
Saat aku, aku mengingat tentang kamu
Rasanya sakit, sakit, sakit sekali

[Minzy] Kamu memandang air mataku seolah-olah itu bukan apa-apa
Kamu melanjutkan kata-katamu dengan tenang
[CL] Dengan kejamnya kamu mengatakan bahwa kamu tidak bisa menyangkal
Bahwa kamu sama sekali tidak merasa ada ikatan atau penyesalan

[Bom] Apakah sudah terlambat? Apakah cinta kita sudah berakhir?
Walaupun itu bohong, tolong katakan itu tidak benar
Aku bisa menjadi lebih baik sekarang, walaupun kita tidak bisa bertemu lagi
[Dara] Hanya aku yang terluka malam ini

[CL]Apakah kamu sudah berubah?
Apakah aku tidak ada lagi di hatimu?
Saat aku, aku mengingat tentang kamu
Rasanya sakit, sakit, sakit sekali

[Minzy] Kamu bukan lagi dirimu yang dulu
[CL] Karena dirimu yang kucintai
Dan dirimu yang sekarang sangatlah berbeda
[Dara] Apa kamu terkejut?
Aku hanya berdiri dan menangis
Memandangmu yang menjauh
[Bom] Tidak mungkin, aku tidak bisa mengakui kalau kamu bukan milikku lagi

[Dara] Apa kamu harus berubah?
Tidak bisakah kamu kembali?
Apa kamu harus berubah?
Tidak bisakah kamu kembali?
Kenapa kamu harus berubah?
Tidak bisakah kamu terus mencintaiku?

[Bom] Oh, apakah ini akhirnya?
Apakah aku tidak ada lagi di hatimu?
Saat aku mengingat tentang kamu
[Minzy] Rasanya sakit, sakit, sakit sekali
[Minzy] Sakit, sakit
[CL] Sakit, Sakit

Credits: elvasnow @ tehsusupanas.wordpress.com
DO NOT REMOVE/EDIT CREDITS WHEN TAKING OUT

This is my first time to talk about K-pop group and I choose MBLAQ because they deserve more popularity. MBLAQ is a group created by Rain, the famous pop-star who also starred in my favorite drama; Full House. They debuted around 2009 and honestly I just know about this group recently. I was bored and found their Idol Army Show in youtube, decided to watch it with no expectation because I thought no one can beat 2pm wackiness in this show.

I was wrong though, they were really funny and adorable in idol army. They showed a total different side from their chic image, the show was all fun and entertaining thanks to them. Afterward I watched their MVs and other shows, gradually I start to like them as a group and I must admit that their songs are all good along with unique and energetic dance. But I am aware how they are not famous enough, kinda underrated I must say.

In terms of popularity 2pm is much more popular thanks to Again&Again and their leader controversy. And there is also this group called Beast with growing popularity, hence MBLAQ is kinda the underdog between the three. But in the future I think they will become more popular, they just need to find the right song because they have all the materials to be on the top. And 2pm songs kinda suck lately, I’ll be back is so generic and what’s with the drag-queen make up? Bring back the edgy beastly song like Again&Again and Heartbeat!

Being underrated is suck that’s why I don’t write about 2pm, I love 2pm but they’re already super-famous, so they don’t need any kind of endorsement from me. I also love Arashi, they have been around for more than 10-years and I’m really glad that they are on the top of the world right now. Arashi boys deserve that, they have strong bonds, hard workers and very entertaining. And I see the similarity between Arashi and MBLAQ, hence I have the feeling that this group will gain enormous popularity in the future.

MBLAQ consists of 5 members, Seungho (leader), GO (main vocal), Lee Joon (vocal), Thunder (dance), Mir (Rap). Among these five boys I think Lee Joon is the most popular because he has been cast as the young Rain in Ninja Assassin. But after you watch all of them together, I think you will like each of them equally because everyone has their own charm. The leader has this yakuza stomach and deep dark eye circles, GO has a poker face but delivers the most funniest line, Lee Joon is a very sensitive person with yummy 6-packs LOL, Thunder is the octopus prince with super small face (he’s also the brother of 2ne1 Sandara Park), and Mir is the ex-farmer maknae with puppy eyes.

My favorite songs from MBLAQ is Oh yeah! and Y, Cry and Stay are their newest singles, I prefer Cry because it’s a beautiful song with awesome choreography. Rain had done a good job in his training because MBLAQ are all around talented and entertaining, not to mention their super good looks. You can see that all MBLAQ boys are chic and tall, I think Rain had selected them carefully and it’s also funny to know that 5 of them have the same A-blood type! I mean what a chance to gather five people with the same blood-type right? It’s like a fate or something. Although I doubt GO is really  A-type, he is too much of B-type in my opinion LOL.

Below is my favorite MBLAQ videos:

To watch MBLAQ in Idol army go to this channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/abmsubs (This channel also have various shows which MBLAQ participated in)

MBLAQ is still a newbie in the competitive world of K-pop industry. But they are young and talented, I’m sure they will be more famous this year because of their comeback and new album. They just need a mega hit song to breakthrough or perhaps join more variety show to showcase their talent. How about joining WGM, MBLAQ boys?? LOL I’m so obsessed with WGM right now, I should find a cure. Anyway, I hope you guys can support this funny boys and become their fan, they are worth to watch, trust me.

Di situ rambut Yonghwa berwarna hitam dan menjadi lebih pendek, I have a strong feeling that it’s a sign of something (because I remember Seohyun said she likes her Yong-oppa with longer hair), maybe the end of Yongseo’s contract? Mudah-mudahan feeling gua salah karena hubungan Yongseo akhir-akhir ini makin akrab saja, tapi tentu saja all good things must end soon or later. Untungnya masih ada Khuntoria, si pasangan super romantis yang gua harap masih akan bertahan lama. I love these three couples so much and I swear I will have a withdrawal syndrome after all of them left the show

Anyway enough about WGM, sekarang mari kita bicara tentang obsesi gua yang terbaru yaitu drama My Princess. Pemainnya pasti sudah banyak yang kenal yaitu Song Seung Heon yang bermain di Endless Love (Damn, inget judul dramanya aja udah bikin gua sedih! Kalian semua pasti familiar dengan karakternya yang menjadi kakak Song Hye Gyo saat itu) dan Kim Tae Hee, si cewek cantik yang menjadi pemeran utama di Love Story in Harvard (cewek ini menurut gua cantiik banget dan katanya sih natural loh wajahnya, no-oplas!)

Drama ini belum selesai masa tayangnya dan baru ada 8 episode, rencananya drama ini akan tamat dalam 16 episode.  Review yang gua tulis sekarang hanya berdasar 8 episode yang sudah gua tonton. Dan karena drama Korea itu unpredictable (usually it becomes very draggy after 10 episodes) jadi gua tidak terlalu menaruh harapan tinggi, but I still hope it’s going to be better and better unlike Boys over Flowers (I still refuse to watch Playful Kiss because of my traumatic experience with Kim Hyun Joong awful acting!)

My Princess bercerita tentang Lee Seol (Kim Tae Hee) seorang mahasiswi biasa yang hidupnya berubah saat tahu dia adalah putri Korea yang hilang, Park Hae Young (Song Seung Heon) adalah seorang diplomat yang ditugaskan untuk menjadi tutor bagi sang putri, walaupun begitu dia tidak setuju dengan keputusan Lee Seol untuk menjadi putri. Alasannya karena dia akan kehilangan semua warisan yang seharusnya menjadi haknya, soalnya Kakek Hae Young (yg menjadi pelopor restorasi keluarga kerajaan) secara sepihak memutuskan untuk menyumbangkan semua hartanya bila Lee Seoul resmi menjadi putri.

Daya tarik utama drama ini tentu saja adalah pemain utamanya (I know I’m shallow but who will watch a drama with ugly leads? So please spare me) Kedua pemain utamanya bisa dibilang top star di Korea dan percaya ga sih kalau Song Seung Heon sudah berumur 34 tahun?? Mukanya masih sama persis seperti saat main Endless Love, malah gua bilang sekarang lebih ganteng dan hot LOL. Kim Tae Hee sendiri juga sudah berumur 30 tahun tapi mukanya masih imut2 dan fresh. God, what kind of food that they eat in Korea?? I want to look that good in my thirties!

Selain pemain utamanya, yang paling menarik dari drama ini adalah interaksi Lee Seol dan Park Hae Young. Kedua orang ini selalu saja bertengkar kalau bertemu, namun jelas terlihat kalau mereka berdua saling tertarik pada satu sama lain. Alasan utama gua nonton drama ini hanya untuk melihat interaksi mereka, I don’t care about the whole monarchy restoration thing at all. Gua juga nggak menyangka kalau SSH dan KTH bisa memainkan peran komedi dengan sangat baik karena mereka biasanya memainkan karakter yang serius.

Karakter Park Hae Young yang kelihatan kalem dan beribawa ternyata bermuka dua, he actually loves to bully Lee Seol, bad-tempered, cocky and get jealous easily (But  I promise he’s a fun character! SSH must do more character like this, he’s so charming). Lee Seol sendiri adalah cewek ceria yang selalu optimis dan agak naif, but she’s not that irritatingly cute, she is just adorable and likable.

Drama komedi romantis ini juga dilengkapi dengan rival cinta bagi kedua pemain utama, ya tentu saja drama Korea tidak pernah lengkap tanpa pemeran antagonis (yang biasanya cewek dan sangat menyebalkan) dan second supportive lead (yang biasanya cowok dan lebih baik daripada pemeran utama cowok). PHY sudah bertunangan dengan Yoon Ju  anak dari sekretaris kakeknya sedangkan Lee Seol menyukai professor Nam Jung Woo yang mengajar di kampusnya. Ironisnya, Yoon Ju dan Professor Nam juga pernah menjalin hubungan cinta, jadi dimulailah cerita cinta segiempat yang rumit di antara mereka.

Sampai episode kedelapan PHY tampak sudah menyadari kalau dia menyukai LS (that’s why you don’t bully pretty girl, silly boy! You will fall for her!) yang membuatnya sangat bingung dan frustasi, karena dia belum bersedia melepaskan warisannya begitu saja. Sedangkan LS sendiri sudah bertekad untuk menjalani peran putrinya dengan serius dan belum menyadari perasaannya pada PHY. Jadi sampai saat ini belum ada titik temu dalam hubungan mereka, kita lihat saja siapa yang akan berkorban untuk siapa nantinya.

Hubungan PHY dan LS memang sangat unik, mereka saling menyukai namun juga musuh satu sama lain (this is what I called a hot forbidden love!) Dan tampaknya masih akan banyak orang yang menentang hubungan mereka. Karakter PHY masih sulit ditebak sekarang, dia terjebak dalam dua pilihan yang sulit dan gua masih penasaran bagaimana dia akhirnya membuat keputusan tentang yang mana lebih penting baginya, because well you just can’t have it all right? Just choose one, the pretty girl or the money (Go for the girl okay?? You guys will make super beautiful babies!)

Walaupun serial ini belum tamat, gua sangat merekomendasikannya terutama bagi para penggemar drama Korea, this drama is fun, fun and fun. Gua harap drama ini bisa konsisten dengan alur dan penulisannya, gua akan melanjutkan review ini kalau dramanya sudah tamat. For now I must pray hard… My Princess don’t turn to be a bad cheesy melodrama okay?? I swear I will be a raging bitch if this drama end in bad notes. For Park Hae Young and Lee Seol, fighting! Be together, get married and have a beautiful family

Picture Credits go to Dramabeans

You can watch My Princess with eng sub here

Pertama-tama gua itu suka banget nonton film-film Disney. Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Aladin, you named it. Gua tumbuh dengan menonton film Disney dan walaupun sekarang gua sudah berumur 23 tahun, I still love Disney Animation movies. Film terakhir Disney yang gua tonton itu Wall-E and it’s such an inspiring and touching movie. Menurut gua film-film Disney itu timeless dan cocok untuk ditonton semua orang. Selain animasinya yang dibuat seapik mungkin, selalu ada pesan moral di balik semua ceritanya tanpa terkesan sok mengajari.

Enough with my rambling about my undying love for Disney movies, sekarang gua akan membahas tentang film terbaru Disney yang berjudul Rapunzel/Tangled. Rapunzel adalah seorang putri yang diculik karena rambutnya memiliki kekuatan ajaib, dia kemudian dikurung di sebuah menara tinggi oleh Mother Gothel, seorang penyihir yang mengaku sebagai ibunya Rapunzel, padahal sebenarnya dialah yang menculik Rapunzel untuk kepentingannya sendiri.

Mother Gothel menggunakan kekuatan dari rambut Rapunzel untuk membuatnya terus awet muda. Dia juga melarang Rapunzel untuk meninggalkan menara dan mengurungnya selama 18 tahun. Saat hari ulang tahunnya sudah dekat, Rapunzel mengungkapkan keinginannya untuk pergi ke luar dan menyaksikan hamparan bintang di langit yang selalu ada di hari ulang tahunnya. Mother Gothel menolak mentah-mentah permintaan itu,  namun Rapunzel tidak menyerah  begitu saja. Dia lalu meminta bantuan Flynn Rider, seorang pencuri yang nyasar masuk ke menaranya untuk berlindung dari tentara kerajaan. Walaupun setengah hati Flynn akhirnya bersedia membantu Rapunzel dan memulai petualangan mereka.

Menurut gua Rapunzel is really sweet, voiced by Mandy Moore and I love Mandy, she’s very under-rated though. Flynn Rider juga sangat kocak dan antithesis of the usual prince charming, he’s a thief, playful and flirty. Tapi karakter favorit gua adalah si kuda kerajaan, Maximus yang sumpah lucu bangeet, apalagi pas ngejer-ngejer Flynn Rider. Bunglonnya Rapunzel, Pascal juga cute banget, warnanya berubah sesuai situasi gitu (coba ada bunglon beneran yang selucu Pascal). The two side-kicks really steal the show in my opinion

Gua suka banget film Rapunzel ini, selain menghibur, the 3D animation is really amazing! Nggak nyesel bayar mahal, soalnya gua cuma bisa nonton pas weekend dimana harga tiket selalu super mahal . Petualangan Rapunzel dkk sangat menarik untuk diikuti, kadar romance-nya pas diselingi dengan humor-humor segar tanpa terlalu bergantung pada pop culture references seperti yang ada di trilogi Shrek. Untuk rating gua kasih 4 dari 5 bintang, so go watch it! It’s definitely worth the price!

And my favorite quote is definitely when Flynn said Rapunzel is his new dream, it’s such a great line. Percakapan berikut ini juga sangat memorable:

Rapunzel: I’ve been looking out of a window for eighteen years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it’s not everything I dreamed it would be?
Flynn Rider: It will be.
Rapunzel: And what if it is? What do I do then?
Flynn Rider: Well,that’s the good part I guess. You get to go find a new dream.

After we accomplished one dream, we get to find a new dream, there is no limit! And don’t get tangled for so long

Type A:

Orang dengan golongan darah A mempunyai kekuatan untuk tetap tenang di masa-masa krisis di mana semua orang sedang panik. Namun, mereka tidak suka konfrontasi dan tidak merasa nyaman berada di antara banyak orang. Tipe A biasanya pemalu dan suka menyendiri. Mereka mencari keharmonisan dan sangat sopan, tapi mereka juga merasa tidak pernah benar-benar cocok dengan orang lain. Tipe A sangat bertanggung-jawab, bila ada pekerjaan yang harus diselesaikan mereka lebih suka menanganinya sendiri. Orang-orang dengan golongan darah ini haus kesuksesan dan perfeksionis. Mereka juga sangat kreatif dan paling artisik di antara golongan darah lainnya, kemungkinan besar karena kepekaan mereka. Orang dengan golongan darah A juga sering dijuluki klasik “type A”: mudah stress dan sangat teliti.

Comment: Golongan darah gua A, tapi gua nggak perfeksionis ataupun haus kesuksesan, lebih go with the flow aja. Kayanya gua merasa lebih cocok jadi golongan darah B, tapi ada juga beberapa faktor dari tipe A yang cocok sama gua. Jadi gua blasteran sama A dan B kali ya, secara bokap golongannya AB, kali kena ciprat dikit kepribadian AB-nya

Type B:

Orang dengan golongan darah B adalah yang paling praktis di antara golongan darah lainnya. Mereka adalah spesialis di bidangnya. Saat mereka memulai proyek, mereka akan menghabiskan banyak waktu untuk belajar dan mengikuti instruksi yang diberikan lebih dari orang lain. Saat mereka mengerjakan sesuatu, mereka juga hanya akan fokus pada satu hal itu. Mereka biasanya punya satu tujuan dan berusaha mewujudkannya sampai akhir walaupun kelihatannya mustahil. Mereka cenderung untuk lebih tidak koperatif, karena mereka lebih suka mengikuti cara dan ide mereka sendiri. Mereka individualis. Tipe B lebih mempertimbangkan pikiran daripada perasaan mereka, karena itu mereka terkadang terlihat dingin dan serius. Tipe B juga sering dianggap lebih santai, bebas dan tidak konvensional seperti tipe lainnya.

Comment: Type B is definitely more like me. Cowok dengan golongan darah B juga sering dianggap bad boy dan bukan tipe suami ideal. Makanya  hal ini sampai dijadikan tema di film Korea yang berjudul My Boyfriend is Type B. Katanya juga banyak cowok di Korea yang diputusin gara-gara golongan darah mereka, sesuatu yang menurut gua konyol banget dan terlalu ekstrem.

Type O:

Orang dengan golongan darah O terkenal ramah, energetik dan suka bersosialisasi. Mereka adalah yang paling fleksibel di antara golongan darah lainnya. Mereka biasanya mudah memulai proyek baru tapi kesulitan untuk menyelesaikannya karena mereka mudah menyerah. Mereka angin-anginan dan tidak terlalu bisa diandalkan. Tipe O selalu mengatakan apa yang ada di pikiran mereka. Mereka menghargai pendapat orang lain dan suka menjadi pusat perhatian. Orang dengan golongan darah O juga sangat percaya diri.

Comment: I know some people with this blood type quite well, and yeah they have some of these ‘Type O’ qualities, most of them are outgoing and flexible. Orang dengan golongan O juga biasanya mudah bergaul dan populer di antara teman-temannya.

Type AB:

Orang dengan golongan darah AB sulit untuk dikategorisasikan. Tipe AB dapat memiliki karakteristik dari dua golongan darah yang berlainan, sebagai contoh mereka sama-sama pemalu dan ramah. Mereka dengan mudahnya bisa berganti dari karakter satu ke karakter lainnya. Tipe AB bisa dipercaya dan bertanggung-jawab tapi mereka tidak bisa menangani suatu hal yang menuntut terlalu banyak dari mereka. Mereka tidak keberatan untuk membantu orang lain bila hal itu memang dari keinginan mereka sendiri. Tipe AB juga  mempunyai ketertarikan dalam bidang seni dan metafisika.

Comment: Tipe AB adalah tipe yang paling unik dan juga paling jarang katanya. I think their unpredictability is fun, they can have the best of both  A and B

Jadi begitulah penjelasan dari golongan darah kita masing-masing, mau percaya silahkan, nggak percaya juga nggak masalah. Tapi yang pasti jangan pernah cuma mengandalkan satu hal untuk menentukan kepribadian seseorang, banyak sekali faktor yang harus dipertimbangkan untuk  mengenal kepribadian seseorang. Jangan sampai kita menghakimi seseorang hanya karena golongan darah, zodiak, shio, dsb. This kind of thing is just for fun, don’t it take it too seriously, every individual is unique with their own personality.

Bonus Komik

500 Days of Summer is excellent! It’s very different from any other movies with similar genre. It feels refreshing, unique and realistic. We all have similar experiences of the upside-down part in a relationship, we also don’t remember everything in the linear way and sometimes we only want to remember the good things (or the bad things).

I think we all have our own version of ‘Summer’ in life, the person that we thought is the one but he is actually just another addition for our failed love story collection. But so what? Life goes on, when it’s not meant to be, it’s just not meant to be, no matter how great it was. This movie is not your typical Hollywood movie, no wonder the trailer said it’s not a love story. It’s a bittersweet story and real life is just like that.

The characters have this genuine soulful quality within them. Zooey Deschanel is beautiful, quirky and charming. She has a great chemistry with the actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who looks like Heath Ledger somehow, bless him), his character is dorky, sensitive and charming. JGL played a kick-ass character in Inception too, I guess he will be the new generation of leading man. Hope to see him in another great movie, along with Ms. Deschanel of course.

Oh yeah one more thing, I remember this one character explained about the ideal girl of his dreams, but eventually he said that his current girlfriend is better because she is real. I think this is an excellent punchline for anyone who has an unbelievable standard for his partner, don’t you think it’s just enough because she is real? They may not be perfect but they are here for us, the real deal.

Ratings: 4 out of 5 stars

Rocker Princess

Saat menghadiri New Moon Premiere, Kristen meninggalkan her signature mini dress dan tampil bagai Rocker Princess dengan memakai gaun strapless Oscar de la Renta, rambutnya pun tidak lupa ditata ala Joan Jett, salah satu karakter yang diperankannya di film berjudul The Runaways. Malam itu Kristen tampil mempesona dan mendapat banyak pujian tentang gaunnya. She simply rocked the dress! Kristen juga pernah memakai gaun mini yang dipenuhi dengan metal-spikes di bagian bawahnya seperti rock star, gadis ini memang tidak pernah takut untuk tampil beda.

How to be effortlessly stylish like Kristen

Kristen Stewart tahu gaya apa yang cocok dengan kepribadian dan umurnya. Dia tidak pernah tampil sok tua dan berlebihan. Minimal make-up adalah salah satu ciri Kristen, smokey eyes dan nude-color lipstick, tonjolkan daerah mata dan tulang pipi. Pilih gaun bermodel unik dengan warna cerah dan jangan lupa memakai high heels untuk menonjolkan kaki anda yang jenjang. Dan yang paling penting just be yourself and be original, Kristen terkenal dengan kepribadiannya yang down-to-earth dan canggung, tapi dia terlihat real karena itu. Generic is boring, jadi jangan takut untuk menjadi diri anda sendiri dan be effortlessly stylish like Kristen, siapa tahu anda juga akan mendapatkan pria seganteng Robert Pattinson, lawan main dan pacar Kristen saat ini, awww!