Paolo Contis and LJ Reyes share honest reviews of Korean dramas

Celebrity couple Paolo Contis and LJ Reyes shared their honest reviews of Korean dramas 'Descendants of the Sun,' 'Crash Landing on You,' and 'Itaewon Class.'

Before giving their opinions, Paolo Contis shared when he first appreciated Korean dramas and songs.

“Natatandaan mo noong New Year na nasa New York tayo tapos nanonood tayo ng countdown sa New York, tapos BTS?” Paolo asked LJ.

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“Sabi ko, 'Bakit sila ang [main act]? Sa New York, BTS? Ang opening nila, bago sila, Post Malone. Tapos BTS? Anong kalokohan to?'

“Tapos noong napanood ko, alam nila kung ano 'yung ginagawa nila, blockings. They don't just sing, they perform.

“So doon, medyo na-appreciate ko, pero hindi pa ako ready tanggapin.

“Hindi pa ako ready mag-ganyan,” Paolo added while doing the finger heart.

He continued, “So nitong quarantine, fine, let's watch K-Drama, and I can't wait for my next.”

Descendants of the Sun

Paolo started the ball rolling. “Ang Descendants of the Sun, maganda 'yung shoots. Parang binusisi, pinaghirapan.”

Since Paolo is not familiar with the names of the characters of the original Korean version, he used the characters in Descendants of the Sun (The Philippine Adaptation) starring Dingdong Dantes, Jennylyn Mercado, Rocco Nacino, and Jasmine Curtis-Smith as basis.

“Mas na-hook ako sa character ni Rocco, si Wolf, at 'yung character ni Jasmine, more than si Doc at si Dingdong, si Big Boss,” Paolo revealed.

Rocco plays the character of Diego Ramos or Wolf, originally portrayed by Jin Goo in the Korean version as Seo Dae-young, while Jasmine portrays Moira Defensor, originally played by Kim Ji-won as Yoon Myung-ju.

Dingdong is Lucas Manalo or Big Boss, originally played by Song Joong-ki as Yoo Si-jin. Jennylyn, meanwhile, plays Maxine Dela Cruz or Beauty, originally played by Song Hye Kyo as Kang Mo-yeon.

“Mas na-hook ako kasi mas painful, it was very well acted, 'yun.”

LJ agreed with Paolo's observation about the love story of the second lead but she loved the portrayal of Song Hye Kyo as Dr. Kang.

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“I agree with you na maganda talaga 'yung story nung second lead, 'di ba?” LJ explained.

“Pero kasi nga, dahil sobrang charming talaga ni Song Hye Kyo, si Dr. Kang, sobrang natuwa ako sa kanya.

“Kasi very charming talaga 'yung mukha niya, magaling siya umarte, tapos kinikilig ako sa kanila ni Song Joong-ki.”

In the end, LJ gave Descendants of the Sun 8 stars out of 10 while Paolo gave the series a decent 7 stars.

Crash Landing on You

In the series Crash Landing on You, LJ shared her preference in terms of K-Dramas and compared the series to Descendants of the Sun.

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“Ako kasi, ang point ko, gusto ko kasi 'yung malalalim 'yung story,” LJ said.

“Siguro dahil nauna nga 'yung Descendants, tapos ito, North Korea and South Korea 'yung tension, doon nanggagaling 'yung conflict, so parang medyo nag-expect ako na magiging malalim na malalim 'yung magiging kuwento.

“Pero for me, hindi masyadong na-justify 'yung conflict ng North and South Korea.”

LJ added that the love story between Captain Ri Jeong-hyeon and Yoon Se-ri was okay.

“Pero 'yung love story okay naman, cute naman,” LJ added.

“Tsaka parang hindi ako masyadong attracted doon sa dalawang bida.”

Meanwhile, Paolo rebutted LJ's reservation about the setting of the series.

“'Yung North and South Korea na conflict is basically just the setting, for me, it is the setting of the love story,” Paolo explained.

“Pero, siyempre, the fact na mabigat na nga 'yung North and South Korea, siyempre kailangan nilang pagaanin 'yon.

“And na-achieve nila 'yon because of the rich characters na nakakatawa.”

Paolo, who is a comedian and a mainstay in GMA's gag show Bubble Gang, admitted that he found the soldiers of Captain Ri funny.

“Ako mahirap ako patawanin in terms of comedy. The fact na hindi ko sila maintindihan magsalita at tawang-tawa ako doon sa mga sundalo ni Captain Ri tapos 'yung mga babae sa labas,” Paolo explained.

“The only thing I don't like is it's too long per episode. Parang nanonood ka ng isang pelikula per episode.”

Paolo gave Crash Landing on You a solid 9.5 stars while LJ rated the series 7 stars.

Itaewon Class

Lastly, in Itaewon Class, Paolo applauded the storyline of the characters and the protagonist of the show, Park Seo-joon.

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“Ito naman, 'yung latag ng kuwento for every character, even doon sa mga naging waiters niya sa mga naging staff niya, lahat may back story, lahat may kuwento,” Paolo explained.

“You will get to love them.”

Paolo also pointed out the episode length of Itaewon Class, comparing it to Crash Landing on You.

“Ang comment ko dyan, 'yang show nila, is about what 59 minutes to an hour and two minutes, 'yan 'yung perfect length na bawat putol noong episode, tama, sakto lang,” he explained.

For LJ, while 'Itaewon Class' is a love story, it is also a revenge story.

“Kahit na sabihin natin na kasama pa rin sa genre na love story itong Itaewon Class, ang pagiging unique niya is it's a story of revenge at saka 'yung paninidigan niya sa sarili kung panoo ka mag-i-stick doon sa tama,” LJ said.

Paolo and LJ both gave 'Itaewon Class' a decent 8 stars.

Comparison

Before ending their vlog, Paolo gave his summary and compared the three Korean dramas.

Watch and decide if you agree with Paolo's review :