My Secret Hotel Fashion Show

 
As much as I love the mystery, suspense and messy love triangle in My Secret Hotel, I think the thing that has me hooked every week is the clothing.  Most everyone in the show has fabulous fashion.  I mean:

Haha, this show is full of quirky characters who all dress so very well, and are pretty much involved with this murder case in one way or another.  At least they all get to look good while getting bumped off or bumping people off.  Let's see some examples.

114. My Secret Hotel 마이 시크릿 호텔 (2014) Korean

Yoo In Ah, Jin Lee Han, Nam Goong Min, Lee Young Eun

Drama Rating: 5/10     Neck Score: A

Well, things went a little bit cray cray.  I admit it took a while for me to get into it... to the love story, not the murder mystery part.  I liked that part, but I felt like it didn't get enough screen time.  And it didn't.  Overall it was a likable drama, but just very sloppily put together.  Especially the love story, which they dragged out way too long, making us so frustrated and hating on the main girl because we thought it was all her fault, and then only finding things out until the last minute.  There was way not enough payoff at the end... sad day.  But one thing that this show had a good amount of was beautiful clothing.  Boy, was everyone dressed super well!  I wrote a whole post about it, I was so in love with everyone's fashion!  Especially the main dude's best friend, who wore the best suits and also happened to be the handsomest man in the show.  So really, it was just badly written, but the main writer died after only writing like 4 episodes... so it wasn't going to reach it's full potential anyways.  I still liked it, but it was frustrating as all get out with how much they withheld and made everyone so wishy washy and flip floppy, not giving us quite enough hints in some aspects.  I am proud to say that I called almost every one of the twists before it happened (even if it was only moments before with some of them... in the last episode which is way too late to reveal things... but anyways) so, ta da!  Pat myself on the back.  I did like the whole murder mystery theme.  I wish that it had been more prominent in the show.

79. The Greatest Love 최고의 사랑 (2011) Korean

Cha Seung Won, Gong Hyo Jin, Yoon Kye Sang, Yoo In Ah

Drama Rating: 8/10     Neck Score: A

At last I found the show that I really was needing while watching shows such as Prime Minister and I and I Need Romance.  Funny, uplifting, romance, etc.  This is probably the best Hong Sister's drama and my favorite one (along with Master's Sun).  However, as awesome as it is, you really need to be well versed in Korean pop culture to appreciate it.  Literally, I tried to show it to a friend who was just starting to watch dramas (I think this would have only been her second) and lizabreff and I were cackling while it all went over my friend's head.  So we decided to hold off on that one for her and made her watch Secret Garden first.  This show is so funny though.  Cha Seung Won is a genius.  Doko Jin is so hilariously perfect.  Also he looked so good with that facial hair, then when he shaved it he still looked so good!  I was like, how is this possible?!?!  The way it makes fun of the Korean entertainment industry is so perfect.  Gong Hyo Jin is an unlikeable star who fell from grace during the scandal that broke up her girl band.  Doko Jin is the industry's top actor.  Then their paths cross and it's so funny.  I guarantee you'll also get the OST stuck in your head.  It's such an iconic OST that it is used for shows like Running Man when people get crushes.  Classic, awesome show.  Also, unlike many of the Hong Sister's dramas, this one never fell apart or got super silly, but stayed golden the whole time.  Also, best cameo of all Hong Sister's dramas- Lee Seung Gi, which just makes You're All Surrounded (Starring Lee Seung Gi and Cha Seung Won) so much better because you know they already love each other.

73. My Love From the Star 별에서 온 그대 (2013-2014) Korean

Jun Ji Hyun, Kim Soo Hyun, Park Hae Jin, Yoo In Ah

Drama Rating: 6.5/10     Neck Score: B+

I hope no one gets mad when I say that Kim Soo Hyun's neck is a little short... (they totally stretched his neck in the poster to make him taller than her) and a total trunk neck... or that this show kinda wasn't my fave.  Obviously I still liked it, but the ending kinda killed it for me.  So, I might have been more interested in the creepy killer plot (and just the creepy killer who is so hot) than the love story, so after that was resolved it was sooooooo boring.  The show is way fun though, and different enough with the whole alien thing that it was good.  I loved watching it (until Shin Sung Rok was captured and it dragged out the last episode, with all it's sadness, into like 2.5 episodes) and it was definitely well done.  Super props to Jun Ji Hyun, she was amazing in the role of  Cheon Song Yi.  Also, Do Min Joon (Kim Soo Hyun) was great at the whole alien thing and pretending he didn't like her when he did, and basically being an old man in a young man's body, etc, so good.  The whole murder mystery creepy killer for me was really compelling and how it was going to get solved, etc.  I guess if I just try to remember before the slow stretched out ending, I would probably rate it way higher.  Funny how endings, because they are the last things we watch, can totally ruin shows for us.  But seriously, this wasn't the worst ending in the world.  It was just boring and stretched out.  There wasn't much else they could do.  They kinda wrote themselves in the corner.  Also, there are some hilarious parts, such as the Heirs reference that had me howling because it was unexpected, or the ET reference with her little brother (played by Ahn Jae Hyun) getting a man crush on Do Min Joon.  Good show, just a boring ending.  That's all.