뱀파이어 검사 – Vampire Prosecutor

Cast (from dwiki):
Yun Jung Hoon as Min Tae Yeon
Lee Young Ah as Yoo Jung In
Lee Won Jong as Hwang Soon Bum
Kim Joo Young as Choi Dong Man
Kim Ye Jin (김예진) as Soo Hee
Jang Hyun Sung as Jang Chul Oh
Park Jae Hoon as bartender
Kim Eung Soo as Yoo Won Kook

Genre:
Thriller, Mystery, Supernatural

Plot:
Min Tae Yeon is a cool-headed prosecutor who leads a small team of specialists to solve various murders. There is the fiery Yoo Jung In who constantly butt heads with the gangster-like Hwang Soon Bum. To fill out the team is also the capable yet meek Choi Dong Man. There is a slight catch. Min Tae Yeon is actually a vampire who can see the last moments of a victim by tasting the victim’s blood.

One by one the team solves each case successfully, but Min Tae Yeon cannot let go the death of his younger sister. As they solve different crimes, Min Tae Yeon also slowly steps closer to finding his sister’s killer. Each team member has their secrets, how will they all play out in the end. Will the others ever find out that Min Tae Yeon is a vampire? Will the team be able to solve the mystery behind a string of serial murders suspected to be done by a single killer? Will Min Tae Yeon ever find out the his sister’s murderer?

Review:
Vampire Prosecutor did not represent a genre that I was overly interested in. It’s thrilling nature and crime show likeness are not my usual cup of tea, however, one episode of the drama was able to suck me in for the long haul. The mystery, the action, and the character development intertwined nicely to create flow and movement in the entire drama. I never once felt bored while following the series.

The chemistry between Min Tae Yeon’s team was flawless and the overall acting of each element in the drama was superb. Props to the director for creating such feeling in his/her cinematography. The music kept me on the edge of my seat and seemed to pump adrenaline through me every time it came on. The script constantly kept me guessing as to what would happen next and the no end of twists kept me pining for the next episode. The use of effects was not overdone but when they were used they really added to the overall effect of the drama and strengthened important crime scenes and flashbacks.

Really the only drawback I found in this drama was that it ended much too early. The last few episodes seemed to be rushed. I don’t want to create any spoilers here but I found that there was too much information given in the last two episodes that may have been better done over four. Though most of our questions are answered, it seemed as if the film spilled out like tea all over the table after trying to pour too much into just one cup. Before I had time to grasp all the new developments and twists the drama ended. Hopefully they will find some way to create a second season.

Some of you may be interested in any possible romantic aspects of the drama. I admit they were numbered, but not without a certain sweetness. I enjoyed the small actions between Min Tae Yeon and Jung In and saw a very realistic approach to their character development. In fact, throughout the drama we learn a lot about all the main characters as they solve cases but we only get the back stories of Tae Yeon and Jung In. I think if they want to maintain a second season they will need to delve deeper into the past of the rest of the team. One character I definitely would like to learn more about would be the doctor performing autopsys on the victims bodies.

Rating:
4.7/5.0

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에덴의 동쪽 – East of Eden

Cast:
Song Seung Hun as Lee Dong Chul
Shin Dong Woo as Dong Chul (5 years old)
Kim Bum as Dong Chul (15 years old)
Yun Jung Hoon as Lee Dong Wook
Park Gun Tae as Dong Wook (10 years old)
Park Hae Jin as Shin Myung Hun
Won Duk Hyun as Myung Hun (10 years old)
Han Ji Hye as Kim Ji Hyun
Nam Ji Hyun as Ji Hyun (10 years old)
Lee Da Hae as Min Hye Rin
Lee Yeon Hee as Gook Young Ran / Grace
Dennis Oh as Mike Packard

Genre:
Drama

Plot:
It all starts in a small mining town. Because of Shin Tae Hwan’s ambition and greed, he destroys the lives of many people. One of those people was a mining leader by the name of Lee Ki Chul. It just so happened that Lee Ki Chul and Shin Tae Hwan both had children born on the same day. A heartbroken and angry nurse Yoo Mi Ae switches the babies, unable to kill Shin Tae Hwan’s child.

Lee Ki Chul’s eldest son, Lee Dong Chul, grows up with the knowledge that Shin Tae Hwan killed his father, and for the rest of his life he holds hatred in his heart but only love for his younger brother Lee Dong Wook. From childhood to adulthood, Lee Dong Chul continues to sacrifice himself for his family.

In the years to come, old faces seem to reappear and the decades long struggle between Shin Tae Hwan and Lee Ki Chul’s family continues to keep the past alive.

How will Dong Chul grow up with hatred in his heart but only love for his family and friends? Will Shin Tae Hwan ever be brought to justice? How much suffering can Dong Chul take before he breaks? What will happen when the deadly secret of the swapped babies is revealed?

Review:
I know I’ve been away for many months now, as I haven’t had much chances to watch any new Chinese dramas. I started watching East of Eden over winter break and I’m glad to say I’ve finally finished the series. I said before that I was completely engrossed in this drama, and its the truth. Even before the main plot of the story was played out, many viewers wrote negative comments on this drama. Sometimes I have to agree, but this drama really had something that just kept me watching. I admit later on in the last twenty some episodes, there were some boring parts dragged out, but all in all I felt that the entire production was solid.

Near the end of the drama Lee Dong Chul’s acting kind of got repetitive and so did Young Ran’s. While Lee Da Hae kept complaining that she couldn’t understand her character, I still thought she was one of the better actresses in the drama, one who really built up character. Probably the best actor in the drama was Yoo Dong Geun as President Gook. He was an amazing addition to this drama. He just has such a unique character that you can see how his brain works throughout the drama. Props to Lee Dong Wook in this drama as well for his great emotional scenes near the end. I could really feel his building frustration.

I know I normally only review more lesser known dramas, but since there was so much controversy about this one, I had to give it a good review. The music, the cinematography, and the overall mood I felt was really there. It was pretty easy to guess the ending and I felt that was probably one of the only major flaws. The ending was a bit abrupt, since it would have been nice to see more of the epilogue. Movies like The Lord of the Rings trilogy pretty much had a 35 minute ending for a 9 hour movie and so according to 56 episodes there should have been almost two episodes for the ending/epilogue. I feel like more closure is needed after following such a long drama since they never really tell what happens to Dong Chul’s dream for his hometown.

Just a note, I thought that there were a couple great tear-jerker episodes haha. Also, great props to all the child actors and actresses, especially Kim Bum.

Rating:
4.6/5.0

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