Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Mary Stayed Out All Night

(Also known as Marry Me, Mary!)
[Genre: Comedy, romance]
{Korean}

This is one of the best Asian dramas out there hands down. This Korean drama is a must-see for everyone! Both the story line and acting is great. It is about a woman, Wi Mae Ri, who is the daughter of an ex businessman. Her father is now being chased by loan sharks to pay back his debt. Wi Mae Ri, also known as Mary or Merry Christmas, is set up for a marriage with a very rich young man.

In rebellion Mae Ri asks Kang Moo Kyul, an indie rocker, to have a fake marriage with her. She sends the photos to her father saying she already has someone she loves. Without giving too much away (I hate spoilers), there is a constant battle throughout the drama between the controlling fathers and the two men over Wi Mae Ri.

The Cast

Jang Geun Suk as Kang Moo Kyul

Kang Moo Kyul is the lead singer and guitarist of an Indie Rock band. He comes off as a play boy, but on the inside he is loyal to those he cares about. His loyalty is first shown when he declines signing a music contract solo. He refuses to leave his bandmates and buddies behind.

I think Jang Geun Suk was the perfect actor for this role and he carried it out very well. I love his playful and Indie rocker role here. Although he did a great job with his role in Hong-Gil Dong, I don't like when he has to act serious.

Moon Geun Young as Wi Mae Ri or Mary

Wi Mae Ri, or Merry Christmas as Kang Moo Kyul sometimes calls her, is also a very loyal and kind hearted girl who is the daughter of a failed businessman. Her father is saved from loan sharks by an old and rich friend, but he is told nothing is free in this world. She is forced into a marriage with Jung In and decides to rebel against it by stating she already married Kang Moo Kyul.  Despite the many obstacles she must face, she remains optimistic, loyal, and hard working.

Kim Jae Wook as Byun Jung In

At the beginning Byun Jung In values business above all. He even views marriage as a business, so when his father (Byung Jung Suk) arranges a marriage for him as the only condition to allowing him direct a drama, he sees no big deal with the situation. Wi Mae Ri even refers to him as a polite jerk in the beginning. His personality is almost always highly professional, regardless of the circumstances. He is basically the epitome of a businessman.

Park Sang Myun as Wi Dae Han

Wi Dae Han is a failed businessman who has been fooled by others most of his life. When he reunites with an old friend, Byun Jung Suk, he enthusiastically agrees to marry off his daughter to his friend's son without her consent. As most fathers, he wants what is best for his daughter. However, in his mind he believes that marrying a rich businessman is the way to keeping her happy in the long run.

Park Joon Gyu as Byun Jung Suk

Byun Jung Suk is the strict and demanding father of Byun Jung In. He meets up with Wi Dae Han and makes an agreement for their children to get married no matter what. Naturally, he has hidden reasons for wanting Wi Mae Ri to be his son's bride.

Lee Ah Hyun as Kam So Young

Kam So Young is the highly irresponsible mother of Kang Moo Kyul who knows nothing of loyalty. She is consistently disrupting Kang Moo Kyul's life.

Kim Hyo Jin as Seo Joon

Seo Joon is one of the actresses in Jung In's drama who has an aggressive personality. She is also the ex girlfriend of Kang Moo Kyul.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

The Top Sites for Watching Asian Dramas Free

For those of us who do not have access to Asian television, we can only watch Asian dramas online. Or maybe are a person with access to Asian dramas on the TV, but either wish to re-watch your favorite ones or find an episode you missed.

Regardless of your reasons for wanting to watch Asian dramas online free and easily, there are many sites to look at that have English subtitles provided.


Aznv TV is actually one of my favorite sources from Asian dramas, because episodes come in ONE part and only take 3 seconds to download and be ready to watch. However, you must create an account with them (free) and download Winamp (also free and easy). I love Winamp and believe it's way better than Windows Live Media Player.


Viki is my second favorite source for watching Asian dramas. They tend to be the most up to date with new episodes of the newest dramas (such as Drunken to Love You and City Hunter) and have a variety to choose from. This site is also easy to navigate, free, and does not require you to sign up. For those who may be looking for subtitles that are in a language besides English, this is also a great site for you. Not every drama has additional subtitles, but many do.


MySoju is another easy to use website that provides hundreds of dramas with English subtitles. They are consistently adding new dramas and new episodes. However, it is important to note that MySoju only uses links from other sites that have uploaded the episodes. MySoju does not host the videos.


DramaCrazy is another good website for watching Asian dramas with English subtitles. If you cannot find a drama you are looking for on Aznv TV, Viki, or MySoju, DramaCrazy may have it.

In my experience I have been able to find just about any drama on these four sources. If Viki did not have it, Aznv TV has it, and vice versa. I hope these four great reliable sources will also satisfy you and provide you with what you may be looking for. Even if you cannot find something you want to watch with subs, you can put in a request on these sites.

Monday, July 4, 2011

Introduction to Asian Dramas

Almost everyone knows what anime is by now. However, Asian dramas still remain a thing that typically only people addicted to them know about, aside from those who live in Asia. Even for those of us familiar with the world of Asian dramas, we can have difficulty defining this unique genre. It's one of those things that you have to experience to truly understand.

I discovered the world of Asian dramas when I was 15 and browsing on YouTube. I honestly cannot remember how on earth I stumbled upon my very first drama, Devil Beside You, but I did. Intrigued by something I had never seen before, I started with episode one with English subtitles of course.

As I watched Devil Beside You, I had to pause a few times to keep track of the subtitles. However, after watching about 5 dramas, I no longer had to pause and could keep up with everything.

To this day, Devil Beside You remains as one of my favorite dramas. If you have not watched it yet, you should.

The dramas I tend to watch the most are Korean and Taiwanese. I have watched some Japanese ones, though. Additional types of Asian dramas that are not as popular as Korean, Taiwanese, and Japanese are Indian, Hong Kong, Vietnamese, Thai, and Filipino.

Even within the genre of Asian dramas, there are numerous genres, such as comedy, romance, action, historical, fantasy, horror, sports, mystery, medical, etc. There is something for everyone!

If you want to try watching an Asian drama, I would recommend watching Devil Beside You, You're Beautiful, Mary Stayed Out All Night, It Started With a Kiss, and My Princess. I will also cover many dramas on this blog along with feedback on each episode. If you are wondering where on earth to watch dramas with subtitles for free, watch for my new blog bost which will cover the top sites for watching dramas for free (and legally)!