First Episode Recap: Cheese in the Trap

There must be a hidden meaning behind the title but I'm a cheese lover anyway so I'll take it for what it is. Cheese in the Trap is a 16 episode TvN drama based on a much-loved webtoon. Even though I haven't seen the former, I think this might be one where the TV adaptation manages to live up to the hype.

Netizens initially had strong opinions over the casting of Kim Go Eun who is relatively unknown in k-drama land despite snagging multiple awards for her acting skills. Now that the first few episodes are out, I think everyone is in agreement that she deserves the crown. On the other hand, Park Hae Jin, the lovable second lead in You From Another Star, plays her leading man as the enigmatic college senior. I doubt anyone objected to that.

Cheese in the Trap had me grinning from the first few seconds. Hong Seol's drunken shenanigans peaked my interest and I wanted to know why she was pointing an accusatory finger at the seemingly-innocent Yoo Jung. 

Episode 1 revolves around the madness that comes with registering for classes on the first day of school. Hong Seol (Kim Go Eun) is your average university student and she has systematically planned the perfect class schedule and secured a seat in Professor Han's class as a surefire way to keep her scholarship. 

Yet on the first day of school, Hong Seol is appalled to learn that someone maliciously used her student account to drop Prof. Han's class. The biggest suspect turns out to be none other than Yoo Jung (Park Hae Jin) who has done nothing but smile sweetly at Seol. Nonetheless, the Sherlock in Seol tells her that there is something amiss behind that friendly facade.

First Impressions: I like how Seol's character can be so plain awkward yet adorable at the same time. I look forward to seeing the budding romance between the two leads especially since Yoo Jung is clearly making an effort to pursue Seol. The episode flew by in the sense that I didn't feel any minute was wasted, even Seol's friends Eun Taek and Bo Ra were hilarious (ahem, the classroom scene).

But then again, I confess to getting occasionally swayed by Seol's conspiracy theories. What if her often unfounded cynicism towards Yoo Jung turns out to be true? The appearance of siblings Baek In Ho and Baek In ha already foreshadows a backstory behind the mysterious Yoo Jung. Is this actually a thriller and not a rom-com? Is Park Hae Jin the cheese and Kim Go Eun the mouse to be trapped?


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Drama Review: Dream High

Dream High 드림하이 is the answer to k-pop and k-drama lovers out there since it combines both genres to make k-drama gold. 

Plot Summary: Go Hye Mi (Suzy Bae) aspires to be an opera singer but due to financial troubles, she sets out to audition for a spot at Kirin Art High School instead. She meets a group of students with similar goals and we are taken through their journey towards reaching their dreams.

Rating: Must Watch (5/5)

If you want to watch a feel-good rom-com that is thoroughly entertaining, I highly recommend Dream High. There was a time when I was oblivious to k-pop but Dream High changed it all, introducing a selection of k-pop hits as well as renditions of popular songs that had me humming for days. It is pretty much Glee meets k-pop and I love it.

The premise calls for an all-idol cast which includes 2PMs Taecyeon and Wooyoung, Miss A's Suzy, T-ara's Eunjung and solo artist IU. The only actor from the bunch is Kim Soo Hyun, which is a winning decision in hindsight because his heartfelt acting grounded the show and made it so much more real.

Dream High is a short 16-episode k-drama that's simple as it tackles more mundane plots in a manner that is so sweet and endearing. The actors or rather singers truly carry the torch on this one because I rooted for each and everyone of them and rallied behind their motivations and aspirations. Besides, how does one not love an entire series devoted to the underdogs?

It was also one of those rarer moments where I wasn't sure who would end up with who and I'm glad that it ended the way it did.

Dream High OST:

A Part of This Dream - San E
Maybe - Sunye (Wonder Girls)
Dream High - Taecyeon (2PM), Wooyoung (2PM), Suzy (Miss A), Kim Soo Hyun and IU
Someday - IU
Winter Child - Suzy Bae (Miss A)
My Valentine - Taecyeon (2PM)
Dreaming - Kim Soo Hyun

Goose Dream cover by Suzy (Miss A)
Only Hope cover by Suzy (Miss A)
Genie cover by Suzy, IU, Kim Soo Hyun and Taecyeon

Boys Over Flowers, Meteor Garden and Hana Yori Dango over the years

If there is a holy grail of idol dramas, then it has to be Meteor Garden (流星花園) because it is the kind of show that you can't help but fall in love with time and again, and I'm not exaggerating because it's been remade numerous times and it's a bona fide hit every single time. 

When the drama first aired in Taiwan, Jerry Yan, Vic Chou, Ken Chu and Vanness Wu were so popular that they actually turned their drama personas into reality to form a band as F4, releasing a few albums under their name. Perhaps an even more telling sign that we're on to a phenomenon is the Korean drama Boys Over Flowers which turned Lee Min Ho into an A-lister, placed Kim Bum pretty high up as well and probably Kim Hyun Joong too had he not fallen from grace over personal scandals. 

It's the same tried and tested formula of four insanely good looking guys and a feisty lady, and it's quite amazing to see that one story can be culturally distinct but still fit all given that it has versions in Taiwan, China, Japan and Korea. Apparently, a remake is also due in 2018.

2009 Boys Over Flowers (Korea)

2008 Meteor Shower (China) 

2005, 2007 and 2008 Hana Yori Dango (Japan)

2001, 2002 Meteor Garden (Taiwan)

For those who don't know, the story is originally based on the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango (花より男子). It follows a very typical premise of a rich guy meeting a poor girl. He is an immature arrogant brat who eventually falls for the girl that he torments. As if to play into more cliches, there is an overbearing mother who will stop at nothing to keep them apart. 

The thing is, I can't pinpoint exactly what makes this work but it just does and it doesn't even matter that the actors hired for the role are usually not the best actors as long as they fit the bill. Even the supporting roles are a winner, when you consider that it was played by the likes of Rainie Yang and Kim So Eun. 

This may seem out of the blue but all this talk reminded me of Bull Fighting (Dou Niu Yao Bu Yao), another Taiwanese drama starring Mike He and Hebe Tian in 2008. It was such a good drama back that brought back feelings of Meteor Garden. 

The story begins with Yi Sheng Xue, a high school girl, who is an avid basketball fan. She meets high school basketball star Shen Ruo He whose group of friends are good-looking, sporty, adept at fighting and of course extremely well-to-do. They started out at odds with each other but eventually fall in love. Do you spot the similarities?

Source: Rainie Yang, Kim So Eun