EPISODE 9 July 10, 2008

Samsoon & Cyrus' Rules of (Contract) Dating:
1. Wala akong obligasyon sayo. Wala tayong obligasyon dahil hindi kita girlfriend. (Cyrus)
2. Wag na wag mo na akong hahalikan kayaga ng ginawa mo kanina kasi kung hindi mapapatay na talaga kita. (Samsoon)
3. Pwede kitang akbayan... halikan sa oras na gusto ko. Lalong lalo na pag kailangan kong patunayan kay Mama na girlfriend kita. (Cyrus)
4. Ayoko ng tanong nang tanong lalo na tungkol sa personal kong buhay. (Cyrus)

--- all rules are from ASKSS Episode 9

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
1. I don't have an obligation to you. We don't have an obligation with each other because you are not really my girlfriend. (Cyrus)
2. Don't you ever kiss me like what you did before, else I'll kill you. (Samsoon)
3. I can wrap my arms around you... kiss you whenever I like. Especially if I need to prove to my mom that you are my girlfriend. (Cyrus)
4. I don't want you to ask intrusive questions repetitively about my personal life. (Cyrus)

Sam Soon & Jin Hun's Rules of (Contract) Dating:
1. Hyun Jin Hun and Kim Sam Soon voluntarily agree to pretend to date until December 31, 2005
2. Hyun Jin Hun won't initiate any intimacy. The same applies to Kim Sam Soon.
3. If a display of affection is necessary it'll be done under consensus.
4. Kim Sam Soon will not ask Hyun Jin Hun any intrusive questions. She won't ask again when he doesn't want to answer.
5. Hyun Jin Hun will respect Kim Sam Soon's personal rights.
6. We'll only pretend to date but we won't really date. Ever! And no two-timing allowed.

Clause 1, 2, 3, & 6 from MNIKSS Episode 3
Clause 4 & 5 were mentioned only on MNIKSS Episode 4
(Jin Hun will try to re-write the contract in MNIKSS Episode 7 & 13)

Although Samsoon reached number 10, she did not go home. She lurked around and we met Amber (Mi Joo) for the first time as Samsoon listens to the little kid's rendition of "Ikaw" ("You").






+100 overall execution of meeting Amber
Even if I love the cinematography of this scene in the original MNIKSS, I also like how they were able to capture the same mood even with the simplicity of the execution in ASKSS. Maybe it's the presence of the kid that keeps the same mood.

In MNIKSS, Sam Soon went to the restroom since she feels nauseated after she deliberately said "Saranghaeyo" (I love you) to Jin Hun, to make their pretend relationship more realistic, while Jin Hun talks with his mother about Sam Soon, their relationship and Hee Jin (Hannah). We missed the Hee Jin part in ASKSS because until now, Hee Jin hasn't appeared and wasn't even mentioned yet. While the mother and son is having a heart to heart talk our Sam Soonie lurks around the house and found the cute Mi Joo playing with her xylophone.

+100 for Amber
I like that Amber plays the piano. Isn't it so cute to see a little kid playing the piano? And speaking of cute, I find her really cute. Even though Amber's personality is more reserved than her all-smiles Korean counterpart Mi Joo, I kinda like her shy and about-to-cry face. She looks cuter in television than her photos. Too bad they did not have a close-up shot of Amber. As I've mentioned before, kids are one of my weaknesses, as long as they can act well they can melt my heart. Amber's scene is too short, thus I can't tell yet whether she's good or not. But as long as Cheska can act as good as Suh Ji Hee, she will be my new darling.



Seems that Mi Joo's personality is more cheery because she was grinning when this strange ahjumma* approached her (*ahjumma is a Korean term for older women). Well, if I were Mi Joo I must've laughed as well. When Sam Soon was about to introduce herself to Mi Joo, she retracted before she was able to say her name completely and immediately changed it to Hee Jin. And out of the blue, she asked the clueless kid if her dad's name is Sam Shikie. At that point, she was able to capture the kid's heart and they had their bonding moments in the Hyun's kitchen. And as Mi Joo enjoys the company of her new-found ahjumma friend, Sam Soon enjoys bashing the entire Hyun family through her doughs.

In ASKSS, Samsoon asked Amber to teach her how to play the piano. I just wished they had longer bonding moments in ASKSS.

+50 points for Nicole
I was surprised that I will find the characterization I'm looking for in this series through a cameo character first. Even though she was so mean and condescending on the previous episode, when she apologized to Cyrus about her behavior and explained her side, I can't help but somehow feel for her. I hope this will be more evident and hopefully consistent in Hannah's character.
I would have given a higher point for this, but Nicole suddenly went back to her usual evil self when Cyrus attempts to defend Samsoon.

+50 points for Cyrus' attempt to defend Samsoon one more time
Although I missed Jin Hun's heart-melting description of Sam Soon on the last episode, I'm glad there was another attempt from Cyrus to defend Sam Soon. "Oo nga bata ka edukada maganda, pero wala kang binatbat sa pagkatao ni Samsoon," Cyrus told Nicole (Yes, you are young, well-educated, beautiful. But you are nothing compared to Sam Soon). This time it's much better, but still not as good as Jin Hun's description of Sam Soon.



This time, Samsoon found out that Amber is not a mute through the family's maid. Instead of through the drunk Jin Hun. But I don't think it makes a big difference anyway.
I'm just thinking whether "Momo*" will be present in ASKSS. I really hope it will still be. However with Samsoon's personality it's quite unlikely. But I'm still hoping. It would break my heart if "Momo" will not be present in ASKSS.
(*Momo is a character in Michael Ende's children's book with the same title. Momo is a little girl who doesn't talk not because she is mute, but because she prefers to listen to other people's problems. Sam Soon likes to associate Mi Joo to Momo. And the book plays a part in Jin Hun and Sam Soon's love story as well. That book became famous as well after it was mentioned in MNIKSS. It took me sometime to be able to get my own copy because it's always out of stock in bookstores and internet shops.)



+500 for not letting Cyrus play the piano yet
Jin Hun picks-up Mi Joo from the kitchen, thanks Sam Soon for making Mi Joo a ring (made of dough) and deducted one month's interest on her debt. The uncle and niece went ahead and Sam Soon was left in the kitchen (I don't know up to know why they did that. She's their guest right? Maybe he was thinking that Sam Soon should clean up the mess she did in the kitchen before she can go upstairs). Sam Soon went upstairs afterwards. She heard a piano being played which prompted her to enter the music room (uninvited). We saw Jin Hun cutely playing a nursery rhyme ("Three Little Bears" from "Full House") to the equally cute little Mi Joo. Secretary Hyun Sook requested Jin Hun to play "that" song. Jin Hun obliged and plays "Can't Help Falling In Love". As he gracefully touch every keys, Sam Soon stood still, dumbfounded, blushed and all. She may not have fallen in love yet with this gentleman who plays the piano effortlessly (err... not really effortless since Hyun Bin is not comfortable in playing the piano. He had to take a crash piano lesson prior to MNIKSS, whereas it was really Kim Sun Ah who plays the piano well), but she must be thinking that "This jerk knows music?" as what our local Samsoon verbally blurted out in this episode ("Tignan mo nga naman, maski pala pusong-bato mahilig din sa music!").

I love that Amber is the one who plays the piano in ASKSS. If we have cliches, Korean dramas have theirs too. And it's the piano scene. It's quite rare (especially in MNIKSS times) to find a drama without a piano scene. Because in Korea it seems like almost every kid had to take piano lessons. We also had our share of piano lessons as kids, but not as popular as it is in Korea.
Although we missed Sam Soon being swayed in Jin Hun's music, it's fine that they did not let Cyrus play the piano yet. It may look awkward at this point. It's not very common to meet a guy who knows how to play the piano here in the Phillipines. And it's equally unlikely that if you find one, he will suddenly sit down and play the piano voluntarily. It's good enough that they establish that Cyrus knows how to play the piano by letting us, and Samsoon, know that he's the one who taught Amber how to play "Ikaw". In that way, it won't be too awkward if he will play the piano later on.




+500 "Ikaw" vs "Over The Rainbow"
Nice choice... a very nice choice indeed. "Over The Rainbow" is a beautiful song (and a beautiful 'piano song' as well). It's very popular in Korea. But it's kinda very elitist here in the Philippines. If you ask around, how many people will tell you that their favorite song is "Over The Rainbow"? But how many Filipinos consider "Ikaw" as their favorite song or their theme song? And on how many weddings was it played? I had my "Ikaw" moments as well before. It may not be my favorite song anymore, but I still like it.
I also love the short exchange of dialogues between Cyrus and Samsoon when she was trying to lure him to play "Ikaw". It was funny. I just hope he stalled a little bit more to make everyone curious why he hates the song that he taught to Amber.
I hope they will also give justice to "Ah Reum Da Oon Saram", another important song in MNIKSS.


-250 for the second kiss
They kissed again... yes, it's funny but still my point is I'm loosing the thrill of the first real kiss, the more their lips meet unnecessarily.


+300 for the rules of dating

Samsoon & Cyrus' Rules of (Contract) Dating:
1. Wala akong obligasyon sayo. Wala tayong obligasyon dahil hindi kita girlfriend. (Cyrus)
2. Wag na wag mo na akong hahalikan kayaga ng ginawa mo kanina kasi kung hindi mapapatay na talaga kita. (Samsoon)
3. Pwede kitang akbayan... halikan sa oras na gusto ko. Lalong lalo na pag kailangan kong patunayan kay Mama na girlfriend kita. (Cyrus)
4. Ayoko ng tanong nang tanong lalo na tungkol sa personal kong buhay. (Cyrus)

1. I don't have an obligation to you. We don't have an obligation with each other because you are not really my girlfriend. (Cyrus)
2. Don't you ever kiss me like what you did before, else I'll kill you. (Samsoon)
3. I can wrap my arms around you... kiss you whenever I like. Especially if I need to prove to my mom that you are my girlfriend. (Cyrus)
4. I don't want you to ask intrusive questions repetitively about my personal life. (Cyrus)

Sam Soon & Jin Hun's Rules of (Contract) Dating:
1. Hyun Jin Hun and Kim Sam Soon voluntarily agree to pretend to date until December 31, 2005
2. Hyun Jin Hun won't initiate any intimacy. The same applies to Kim Sam Soon.
3. If a display of affection is necessary it'll be done under consensus.
4. Kim Sam Soon will not ask Hyun Jin Hun any intrusive questions. She won't ask again when he doesn't want to answer.
5. Hyun Jin Hun will respect Kim Sam Soon's personal rights.
6. We'll only pretend to date but we won't really date. Ever! And no two-timing allowed.

MNIKSS' rules of dating might be more clear and detailed, but I like the casualness of ASKSS' rules of dating.
Another cliche of Korean dramas are contract dating. But here in the Philippines, it's very unlikely. A pretend girlfriend or boyfriend, yet there is, but literally a contract - I don't think so.

In MNIKSS, after leaving Jin Hun's mom's house, they went to a nice restaurant. Jin Hun was still furious that Sam Soon asked him to play "Over The Rainbow", Sam Soon, although apologetic, was already mad as well with how Jin Hun treated her. It leads to their first attempt to cancel the contract and we witness a funny discussion on how Sam Soon will be able to pay her 50 million won debt. As Sam Soon was about to walk out, Jin Hun recognized a 'detective' of Na Hyun Sook. He wrapped his arms around Sam Soon immediately and that leads to their "written rules" of dating.

In ASKSS, Samsoon was expecting Cyrus to drop her off at her house. Cyrus told her that he is not obligated to do that and that started his rambling about HIS rules.

One thing I noticed was again the hint of weakness in our local Samsoon. Both contracts were dominated by Cyrus / Jin Hun's rules. In ASKSS, Samsoon simply input "Don't kiss me again, or else I'll kill you". But in MNIKSS Sam Soon managed to add "Hyun Jin Hun will respect Kim Sam Soon's personal rights" which is more powerful (and she'll use it against Jin Hun in a future argument).



+25 points for Samsoon's retraction
I was about to hate Samsoon again when she said that she liked Cyrus' kiss, but before I can managed to react, she retracted immediately and insulted Cyrus in a very Sam Soon-ish way.

+15000 kilig* points for Cyrus Oppa*
(*kilig - a jittery feeling normally expressed when you are thrilled with something /someone *Oppa is a Korean term used by females to address their older brother, an older male or their boyfriends)
Although I can't understand why he needs to smile like that at that point in the story, I can't help but be thrilled with his sweet smile while looking at the very unladylike Samsoon calling a taxicab. Is our Cyrus falling in love as early as now? Or he just can't stop himself from smiling at the thought of this weird girl who knows nothing but bicker with him?
Samsoon, I wish you saw him smiling like that.


-5 for Maureen's dialogue
I just have to say this (although it got nothing to do with the storyline), when Maureen told Samsoon, "Oh, you're wearing make-up today", I can't help but laugh sarcastically. Isn't Samsoon wearing make-up everyday even if she was sleeping? Go figure!


+50 points for the funny Sonia
Sonia got me laughing once again when she was getting paranoid about her children's whereabouts. It was just funny seeing her behaving like that, while being clueless that her youngest is just upstairs sleeping and her eldest is paying off their debt. And who can forgot her punchline to Samsoon, "Sosyal ka na pala ngayon!?" ("So you're an elite now?")?


Following the plot up until MNIKSS' 4th episode, I was surprised that it made a big leap to MNIKSS's 9th episode. But I'm not too sure, because from this point forward, it was really difficult to determine which MNIKSS episode / scene they are trying to interpret. So I just made some assumptions based on context clues, dialogues and reactions. I might be wrong though, so I would like to apologize as early as now.

I associated Mrs. Ruiz and Marcus' conversation to Na Hyun Sook and Yoon Hyun Sook's conversation in MNIKSS episode 9.
In ASKSS Mrs. Ruiz and Marcus was talking about a strategy to get rid of Samsoon in Cyrus' life.
In MNIKSS Na Hyun Sook and Yoon Hyun Sook was talking of a scheme on how to use Sam Soon to get rid of Hee Jin in Jin Hun's life (and Na Hyun Sook said she will deal with how to get rid of Sam Soon afterwards).



-500 for the money offer cliche
I was actually enjoying this episode until I reached this part. Two Claras* offering 2 million pesos for Mara* to stay away from Cyrus. I feel like I was watching another afternoon melodrama. (*Clara is a character in a long-lived soap opera "Mara Clara" in the 90s that displays the stereotypical villainess in Philippine Drama history; *Mara, the heroine of the said soap opera depicts the stereotypical martyr female heroine)
I am unsure whether they seriously included this sequence as it is or they have the intentions of showing this as a parody. Again it they are, it is still not working.
The best parody for me in this situation was the one that was presented in Dal Ja's Spring. The rich mother of Dal Ja's boyfriend was against her. She meets with Dal Ja and handed an envelope full of money (checks). Dal Ja thought that she was trying to bribe her to stay away from her son, so she started her litany about her self, her pride, her stand, her love - and was just embarrassed at the end because the money is actually meant to be her boyfriend's allowance.
If ASKSS will try to do cliches with the intentions of doing parodies, I hope they will have the same clear approach.

-10 points for the Money-Rain scene
Nothing's wrong with the scene from Samsoon's imagination but it just reminds me so much of "My Girl", So, for a second, I was a bit confused whether I was watching MNIKSS remake or My Girl remake.



The closest scenes I can think of from MNIKSS was the temple scenes in Episode 9. Na Hyun Sook may not have offered Sam Soon money to stay away from her son, but she used her to get rid of Hee Jin. She called her to join the Hyun family as they show respect to their deceased family (Jin Hun's older brother, sister-in-law and father) in a temple. It was at the time when Jin Hun and Sam Soon already terminated their contract, thus they are no longer a "couple" and Hee Jin already returned. Sam Soon despised the fact the she was being used by both Na Hyun Sook and Jin Hun. She don't want to meddle with their family affairs any longer, thus resulting to her filing her resignation from Bon Appetit (though, of course the main reason for her resignation was the incident from Episode 8 - SPOILER: when she lovingly cooks congee and bakes a cake for Jin Hun only to find out that he and Hee Jin are back in each others arms).

I like Regine's acting. I like that she answered back. But I hate it that she was crying. Seems like our Samsoon loves to cry often. Well anyway, if I were in Samsoon's place I would have cried as well. How evil can Mrs. Ruiz get? Directly insulting Samsoon right on her face. It is still making me feel uneasy seeing a character as evil as Mrs. Ruiz in ASKSS.

+100 points for Eugene's one-liner
But thanks to Eugene's one-liner, I was able to recover. "Layas ba o balik? Paano ba?" ("Go away, or go back? Which is which?")
(Mrs. Ruiz went out of the kitchen, saw the employees eavesdropping, shouted "Go away! Go back to work!", then Eugene blurted out, "Go away or go back? Which is which?")

Samsoon handed her resignation a bit too early than in MNIKSS. With a reaction a bit dramatic. And Jin Hun a bit too furious. I cannot gauge this scene yet because I'm not sure whether they were trying to do an interpretation of Sam Soon's first resignation attempt or they simply added this as an independent scene. But one thing is for sure, I hate Samsoon's dream.





-1000 for Samsoon's dream
I hate the simplicity of Samsoon's dreams. Another indication of her weak personality. I'm not saying her dream is worthless, it was indeed a good one - yet too lousy and overused. She was simply dreaming of having a simple quiet life with her family which was almost the opposite of the distinct and clear dreams of her Korean counterpart. In MNIKSS Sam Soon said that she don't want to live a simple life - like her dad. She wants to be "someone". She wants to be able to open a bakeshop that will be the most famous bakeshop in Korea. And of course to be able to get married to a guy that won't cause her any pain. And, let us add her ultimate goal of changing her name.
I still want to give our Samsoon the benefit of the doubt. In MNIKSS, Sam Soon's dreams were mentioned all throughout different episodes. Although Kim Samsoon Buot's dream was mentioned in general, I hope she is just telling this to make it clear to Cyrus that she don't want him and his mom to mess with her anymore. I hope there will be another venue for her on the next episodes to redeem herself and be the strong and determined Sam Soon that I used to know.

RATINGS: 30.9% vs My Girl 19.7%
(ratings courtesy of: aria_Productions of RVMM)

EPISODE 8 July 09, 2008

Na Hyun Sook: I wonder how much you love my son. You don't want to answer me Sam Soon?
Kim Sam Soon: Mother, there's this female writer. She'd write all night, and leave the manuscript on her husband's desk. Then he would wake up in the morning and read it before he goes to work. He'd be his first reader every day. I want Jin Hun to be the person to have my first cake every day. I want to give him the first and best cake I made. That's how much... I love Jin Hun.

Mrs. Roccio Ruiz: Gaano mo siya (Cyrus) kamahal?
Kim Samsoon Buot: (cellphone rings) Excuse me ho.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Mrs. Roccio Ruiz: How much do you love him (Cyrus)?
Kim Samsoon Buot: (cellphone rings) Excuse me ma'am.

------

Hyun Jin Hun (explaining to his mother why he likes Sam Soon): She's better than the ones you set me up with. She works hard for her dream. She's not like the idiots who wear designer clothes with their parent's money. She has a realistic perception of herself. She knows what she has to do, and how to live in the future. She has healthy values and principles. She's a great woman.

Cyrus Ruiz (explaining to his mother why he likes Sam Soon): Mabait si Samsoon Ma. Saka maasahan kaya nagustuhan ko siya.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Cyrus Ruiz (explaining to his mother why he likes Sam Soon): Samsoon is kind mom. And she's dependable that's why I like her.

It's kinda obvious with the script comparison what would be my overall verdict for this episode. But let's do this one by one.

-150 for the boring first part
A combination of Eliza's school scenes and Mrs. Ruiz and Marcus' evil tandem equals b-o-r-i-n-g.
At this point, even Jennica's screen presence is not enough for me to bear with her school scenes that are totally not related to Kim Samsoon. Yes, Yi Young have her own moments in MNIKSS but it was very minimal and not intercutting with Sam Soon's scenes.
Also, the Roccio-Marcus tandem is starting to get into my nerves. They are so evil in this episode, making their characterization as flat as a cardboard. I hope their characterization will develop real soon. I'm thinking if they are trying to do a parody or satire out of their evil-ish scenes together. However, if they are, it's not working for me. Both Carmi and John are good, but it makes me uneasy seeing a complete evil villain in Kim Sam Soon.

Pretty-woman scene
+50 for being funny
-25 enough of the old-school allusion
-75 what's the point?
-10 Maybe It's You - again?

Before, I've always wondered why MNIKSS doesn't have the common scene among Korean dramas wherein the very unladylike girl will have to wear something formal and feminine, then the girl will go out of the dressing room / fitting room / hallway, the guy looks at the girl - stunned, then the scene will turn into slow motion and the girl's background getting blurry while the guy stares dreamily.


My answer... because Sam Soon will never be pretty. She was not made to be pretty. She was made to represent the ordinary girl.



So in MNIKSS, in preparation for meeting Jin Hun's mother, Jin Hun simply picked up a decent outfit for Sam Soon. Done.
ASKSS on the other hand exerted an extra effort for this scene. They created the "newest" allusion - Pretty Woman.


But what's the point of the pretty-woman scene? Isn't it that in Pretty Woman and in it's hundreds of allusion in different forms of media (movies, dramas, programs, etc), she finally picked up the right dress that made her look pretty? Samsoon may have picked up the dress that looks decent on her, but not enough to make her stunning.
And I think there's so much of this Pretty Woman allusions already over the years (Kim Sun Ah had her share of this in her 1998 drama, Regine had hers in one of her movies in the 90s). I can't believe they are still doing it these days.
I don't see anything wrong with it, but I was actually half expecting that they will surprise me at the end. Maybe they will treat the scene as a parody, or at least they will show something new or different. But guess what? "Maybe It's You" was played once again as Samsoon goes out of the fitting room with her decent dress. The more I wasn't able to get the point of the scene.

But if we are talking about being funny. Yes, it's funny. With Regine's funny antics and Cyrus endless complain about Samsoon, it was indeed funny. And tell me about girdles and faces turning blue plus the wordplay between swan and suman* (*suman is a type of rice cake from the Philippines often steamed and wrapped tightly in banana leaves; it is often said that if a fat person wears tight clothes he/she looks like 'suman').

Meeting Mrs. Ruiz
+40 points promising
-400 points disappointing

The first scenes were actually promising.
I like it when Samsoon said that she's uneasy because it's the first time that she'd be introduced by her boyfriend to his parents. That was one of the traits of the ideal guy of the original Sam Soon. Although our local Samsoon did not include that in her ideal guy list on episode 4, I'm glad she mentioned it here. Meaning Harvey never introduced her to anyone as his girl (so... Samsoon agreed to marry him even without meeting his parents?)

I also like that Samsoon's weird imagination is at work again when she was being paranoid that Mrs. Ruiz might hurt her.


And when I heard the classic question "Samsoon, how old are you?" I prepared myself to witness a battle of wits between Samsoon and Mrs. Ruiz - but I was disappointed.
My expectations were a bit high because this is one of the unforgettable scenes in MNIKSS. Plus it is Carmi Martin and Regine, with Mark and Sweet in a long sequence together, so I was hoping for a good exchange of dialogues.


Although I appreciate the funny punchline of calendars and lotteries as the answer to Mrs. Ruiz question, I don't understand why Samsoon won't tell her age. She may not be proud of her age, but it's disrespectful not answering the question asked by your "boyfriend"'s mother.

I also don't like Samsoon's habit of looking down (I think Regine is trying to show her double chin to make her look fat) as compared to the Korean Sam Soon whose always in chin-up. It makes our local Samsoon appears weaker. It's very evident if we are going to watch this sequence side by side.




And of course, I missed Sam Soon's witty answer when she was asked how much she loves Jin Hun:
"Mother, there's this female writer. She'd write all night, and leave the manuscript on her husband's desk. Then he would wake up in the morning and read it before he goes to work. He'd be his first reader every day. I want Jin Hun to be the person to have my first cake every day. I want to give him the first and best cake I made. That's how much... I love Jin Hun."

I was not expecting the local Samsoon to answer with the same level of profundity since it was not established in her characterization - yet (something that was already evident with the Korean Sam Soon as early as MNIKSS' first episode). But I was expecting an equally witty answer... okay... witty or not, I was expecting AN ANSWER at least.



On top of that, I missed Jin Hun's description of Sam Soon:
"She's better than the ones you set me up with. She works hard for her dream. She's not like the idiots who wear designer clothes with their parent's money. She has a realistic perception of herself. She knows what she has to do, and how to live in the future. She has healthy values and principles. She's a great woman."
Hearing it coming from Jin Hun's lips makes my heart melt. He may be telling this to her mother to prove to her that he really likes Sam Soon, but if you listen carefully and made a reference on MNIKSS's previous episodes, what Jin Hun was saying is really how he can best describe Sam Soon.

Cyrus' explanation to his mother why he likes Samsoon did not melt my heart, and unfortunately that's the best way he can describe Samsoon based on her characterization in the previous episodes - as simple as being kind and dependable. But I like his attempt to defend her in front of Nicole by telling her that Samsoon is not a mere cook but a pastry chef.

Samsoon defends herself
+40 for the script
-20 for the execution
Finally I saw a hint of strength in Samsoon. I thought she will just keep quiet while Nicole bash her. I'm glad she finaly speaks-up. Yet, just a little softspoken. It could be better if her voice was a bit strong too. It's just ironic that when it comes to her shameless behaviors she talks relentlessly, but when it comes to defending her self she tends to be reticent.

Counting 1-10 with Samsoon +100 points
I simply love this scene after Samsoon walked out. She can't decide if she'll stay or go home. So she told herself she'll count 1-10, and if she reached 10 and Cyrus won't be there to take her back inside, she'll leave.

isa... dalawa... tatlo... (one... two... three...)
Although this scene was non-existent in the original MNIKSS, it gave me the same feeling of sadness for Sam Soon and disappointment in Jin Hun as I did in MNIKSS' Episode 7's Jeju Island sequence (SPOILER: when Jin Hun left Sam Soon in the middle of a highway) and Episode 15's ending (SPOILER: when Jin Hun did not return).

pito... walo... siyam... sampu... (seven... eight... nine... ten...)
The episode ended with Samsoon reaching number 10... without a glimpse of Cyrus.

RATINGS: 31.3% vs My Girl 21.3%
(ratings courtesy of: aria_Productions of RVMM)

EPISODE 7 July 08, 2008

"Saan mo ba gagamitin ang pera. Ah alam ko na, let me guess. Mag-papabanat ka ng mukha para magmukha kang lalong mas bata o magpapasaksak ka ng isang daanglipo para matanggal ang taba mo dyan. Para ano nga? Para magpaganda? Para may pumatol sayong lalaki? Para ano? Bumili ka ng lalaki?"

--- Cyrus Ruiz

"Hindi mo kilala ang pagkatao ko kaya wag mo akong husgahan!"

--- Kim Samsoon Buot

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
"Where are you going to use the money? Oh, I know. Let me guess. You will undergo botox treatment so that you will look young. Or you will undergo a hundred liposuction sessions to get rid of all your fats. For what? To make yourself beautiful? So that you can lure a guy? For what? To buy a guy?"

--- Cyrus Ruiz

"Don't you dare judge me! You don't know me well enough."

--- Kim Samsoon Buot

+10 Cyrus caught off guard
I find it funny that Cyrus always has his share of embarrassing moments every now and then. On the early part of this episode, Samsoon caught him off guard while trying to act pitiful for his mother. In MNIKSS Jin Hun can always get away with his embarrassing moments. At Sam Soon's second attempt to borrow money from him, he was actually online, researching about Mijiwang / Lunatic Prince (the movie that I've mentioned in episode 5), but he was fast enough to close his browser, before Sam Soon got the chance to see him.

The whole sequence of Samsoon agreeing to Cyrus proposal and borrowing money was almost the same as the original scene, but as always, executed differently.

In the original MNIKSS, at Sam Soon's first attempt to approach Jin Hun, she backed off. But when she got home, she found her mom and her sister still faced with their family's predicament. She must have felt that it was time for her to do her part. Though she almost backed out again on her second attempt, she swallowed all her pride and she finally approached Jin Hun.



In ASKSS, being the eldest daughter in their family, Samsoon shouldered all the responsibility. She don't have the time to think about her pride, so she immediately approached Cyrus. Although I always complain about Samsoon being weak, at least for a short period of time, she showed her strength. I also like how direct she was in borrowing just a "small" amount of money - 1 million pesos ($22,740.00 USD / ￦22,906,196.00 KRW). It seems like she was just asking for 100 pesos from Cyrus. +100 points for Samsoon

(TRIVIA: In the original MNIKSS Sam Soon borrowed 50 million Korean Won. That's equivalent to 2.5 million pesos or 49,840 US Dollars in the year 2005. In our Tagalog dubbed version last 2006, they used 50,000 pesos only.)

In MNIKSS, Jin Hun spared Sam Soon the difficulty of directly asking him for money and surprised her a bit by immediately asking "How much?". And with no questions asked, he transfered 50 million won into Sam Soon's bank account right there and then.



In ASKSS, Cyrus was apprehensive about the 1 million pesos. And I can understand his reaction more than Jin Hun's reaction. Even though he is rich, 1 million is still 1 million. I'm not sure if there are really rich people who behaves like Jin Hun in Korea, but for sure there are a lot of rich people here who behaves like Cyrus. +100 points for making Cyrus' reaction more realistic. But I'm not saying that I don't like Jin Hun's reaction. It fits his characterization - the carefree, rich and arrogant guy who could care less about his money (and also connected to a later part of MNIKSS). Cyrus reaction was just perfect for his characterization so far, although he is as arrogant as he can be, he is not as easygoing as Jin Hun regarding the things and people around him.

And how arrogant can Cyrus get? Just look at how mean he is when he insulted Samsoon. It was him who needed her in the first place. Though I understand he was surprised by her "asking price", he doesn't have the right to say those things to her. +50 for Mark's effective acting. I pity Samsoon and I almost wanted to kick Cyrus' shin.

And I'm glad that it was Samsoon's reaction as well. She may not have kicked Cyrus' shin but she beat him up with her bag and told Cryus that he doesn't have the right to treat her like that just because he is rich. Which was the same dialogue that Sam Soon said in an earlier episode in MNIKSS (during the time that she was drinking right after Jin Hun ruined her blindate). +100 points for that scene


In MNIKSS, Sam Soon still tried to save a bit of her pride by promising Jin Hun that she'll pay him as soon as her sister would be able to sell the apartment. She also offered to pay it with interest. And she even stalled a little and asked Jin Hun how come he didn't ask her the reason why she need that big amount of money. Jin Hun simply asked her back if there is a reason why he needs to know. She said no and that ended their converstation.

In ASKSS it's the other way around. Samsoon walked out after being insulted by Cyrus. Apparently, among the things that fell off her bag was the document (notice of final eviction) indicating that their house was foreclosed. Thus Cyrus already know the reason why she needed such a big amount of money.

-50 points short from Over The Rainbow
While feeling depressed because her plan didn't work, Samsoon accidentally glanced at the wristwatch given to her by her father before he died. Memories flooded her thoughts and we went back to the time when his father was in his death bed, making Samsoon promise that, being the eldest, she will take care of her mom and Eliza.


In MNIKSS, Sam Soon is on her way out of the house when she accidentally glanced at their yard. Along with "Over The Rainbow" background music, we joined her journey back to her childhood days when her dad was still alive. This flashback deals with her name as well. Her dad named their flowerbed, a tree and a new swing as Sam Soonie's flowerbed, Sam Soonie's tree and Sam Soonie's swing respectively, while the young Sam Soon is crying her little heart out desperately asking her dad to change her name to Hee Jin.




Though both scenes were different from each other because of the different priorities of the local Samsoon and the Korean Sam Soon, it was excellently executed in MNIKSS - the combination of the script, the lighting, the music, the mood, the camera shot and the simple transition to the present time in the swing was simply perfect for me, marking this scene as one of the most unforgettable ones in MNIKSS.
I don't see anything wrong with the local version of this scene but it doesn't stand out for me. Maybe it's too dramatic. Maybe if they used a kid and a music at par with Over The Rainbow it might work. But I like to commend the great acting shown by both Regine and Dido. +10 points each


+50 as Samsoon returned to reality
We went back to present time with Sam Soon on the swing nostalgic about their house - her flowerbed, her tree and her swing.
In ASKSS we went back with Samsoon crying her heart out, asking her deceased father for help.
Although I find the entire flashback scene better in the original MNIKSS, I felt the same feeling I had when the scene returned to Samsoon. Maybe it's how Regine said her lines, "Tay, tulungan mo naman ako" (Dad, please help me!) that gave me the same sentimental mood.

But -200 for Samsoon's admission of defeat
With her over-the-rainbow-flashback in MNIKSS, Sam Soon was prompted to find a way to look for money (thus resulting to her first attempt to approach Jin Hun).
But our local Samsoon's flashback resulted to - nothing. And she simply said, she'll just pray instead. Yes I know she went to Cyrus already before the flashback, but still, she shouldn't have given up. It's another manifestation of Samsoon's weakness. At the same time it shows the stereotypical Filipino trait reflected in our dramas and movies for many decades now. Our reliance to prayers. Not that I have anything against prayers, but merely depending on prayers alone without actions or at least plans for the next action is so cliche and can go back as far as our movies in the 50s. I thought we already moved on, but to bad it's still here in ASKSS.

Samsoon was lucky that her prayers were answered immediately by the being-sensitive-again Cyrus.




+20 for Cyrus' "golden heart and check"
At first, I was like - why does Samsoon have to hug Cyrus? In MNIKSS even if Jin Hun lend Sam Soon 50 million won, she still sees him as an arrogant jerk. In fact she did not even thanked him (because she was surprised with his reaction and she did not have the time because he pulled her out of his office immediately).
But I must admit, I was moved when Cyrus went down and gave the check to Samsoon. If I were Samsoon, as hopeless and as helpless as she is at that moment, I would have hugged Cyrus too.
I also like it when he did not admit why he suddenly changed his mind and let her have 1 million, giving us a little sense of mystery.

I like it when Samsoon made it clear that she is just borrowing the money from Cyrus and she will pay it as soon as possible. Because earlier she asked for the money directly, then she said she'll borrow instead when Cyrus did not bite her bait. I was a bit confused with their set-up about the money (because it has something to do with later episodes), but again, it's good that Samsoon made it clear. Although, at the moment, no one knows when and how she can pay it (unlike in the original MNIKSS they are just waiting for Yi Young's apartment to be sold).

The school scenes of Eliza that are not related to the story of Samsoon is starting to get into my nerves especially if I am so engrossed with the Cyrus-Samsoon scenes and they have to intercut it with those scenes.

-50 for the announcement
+100 for the Cynthia-Dina tandem




The announcement made by Jin Hun in Bon Appetit that he and Sam Soon were dating for about two months already was so funny. Top if off with Sam Soon's funny-surprised reaction.
ASKSS' version is so simple. And I hate Cyrus' dialogue, "Simula ngayon gusto ko na respetuhin nyo si Hannah kasi girlfriend ko na siya" (From now on I want everyone to respect Hannah because she is now my girlfriend). Does it mean that it's okay not to respect Samsoon before? Does it mean that they must give special treatment to her now because she is the boss' girlfriend? Or is Cyrus just trying to defend Samsoon because he overheard that Cynthia is reprimanding her? I don't get what they are trying to say. It made me a bit confused. Poor word choice I guess.
But Cynthia and Chef Dina's extreme reactions were the saving grace of this scene for me. I simply love the chemistry of Sheena and Eugene. It's fun to see them together.

RATINGS: 33.5% vs My Girl 19.8%
(ratings courtesy of: aria_Productions of RVMM)

EPISODE 6 July 07, 2008

"Ate... ate... umalis na tayo dito. Nagmumukha na tayong kawawa. Bumalik na tayo sa bahay natin. Ate ayoko na dito"

--- Eliza Buot

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
"Unnie*... unnie... let's go home. We look so pitiful here. Let's go back home. I don't want to stay here any longer."
(*Unnie is the Korean term used by girls to call their older sister / an older female)

--- Eliza Buot

As episode 6 opens, picking up from last week's cliffhanger when Cyrus asked Samsoon to be his girlfriend, I hear "Maybe It's You". Again? Seems like they don't have any other songs. I love "Maybe It's You" almost as much as "Inside My Heart" but I hope they will only use that song in appropriate scenes.
And then we are once again lured into Samsoon's imagination. She and Cyrus were strolling in a park and when they were about to kiss, he turned into a demon. I don't like the execution very much. It's very cartoonish / caricature-ish for me. It's not the same as the "suicide methods" dream sequence. -20 for the opening dream sequence

+300 for Bitoy's Funniest Video
But I suddenly burst out laughing when Samsoon assumes that they were in "Bitoy's Funniest Video - Yari Ka" (a local show which is a combination of America's Funniest Home Video and Candid Camera). Especially when she waves and smiles while holding a picture frame (that she thought was where the hidden camera was located). A nice replacement for the rice in Jin Hun's face.




Although I miss the its-difficult-to-cross-the-Pacific-Ocean-alone explanation of Sam Soon (and the Mijiwang / Lunatic Prince discussion I've mentioned in Episode 5), Samsoon was still able to explain well why she don't want to be Cyrus' pretend girlfriend. That's good enough for me.

-400 Samsoon is still not over Harvey?
I almost fell off my seat when Samsoon said, "Di bale sana kung siya si Harvey" (It would have been better if he is Harvey.) while she was walking and thinking about the childish proposal of Cyrus to her. So our heroine is not yet over with that jerk? Well, this is the result of having a short-lived romance with Harvey. Although in both MNIKSS and ASKSS, Harvey/Hyun Woo is the first boyfriend of Sam Soon, in MNIKSS Sam Soon and Hyun Woo's romance lasted for three years. So over the years Sam Soon was able to realize Hyun Woo's real personality. She matured and her view towards love changed.

However there was a leap of time in MNIKSS. It was Christmas eve when Hyun Woo dumped Sam Soon, and it was Springtime when we see Sam Soon again as she starts looking for a job (probably around late February to early March). In ASKSS we are watching Samsoon in realtime. After Harvey dumped her, they immediately went back home to witness their family bakery burning into ashes which prompted her to look for a job the soonest possible time. In MNIKSS, it was mentioned once by Bong Sook (Sam Soon's mother) that Sam Soon was crying non-stop last Christmas. ASKSS might be showing us this part in Samsoon's life. But still, opting to show this side of Samsoon gave the audience solid hints of her weakness (and foolishness).

Or... they may be interpreting the scene when Sam Soon cried in the bus after talking to Harvey.
I didn't realized this until I moved the episodes forward. I thought that the entire sequence of Samsoon trying to follow the existing-only-in-her-imagination Harvey along the night streets is an independent sequence of ASKSS and non-existent in MNIKSS. But it was prior to the scene when Eliza was waiting for her at home.



-200 crying over Harvey vs crying over the empty promises of love
ASKSS jumped a bit. In MNIKSS Sam Soon and Hyun Woo crossed paths unexpectedly in Bon Appetit. They pretended they don't know each other (well it was Hyun Woo who acted as if he don't know Sam Soon and Sam Soon just acted along with it). Hyun Woo, later on, called Sam Soon and asked her out so they can talk. He thank her for pretending not to know him (in front of his fiance Chae Ri). They had a very good conversation and I'm hoping that it will still be present in ASKSS in the upcoming episodes.

On her way home, Sam Soon cried in the bus. She cried over Hyun Woo's empty promises. Hated herself for believing those promises. And hated herself more for crying over those things just like what she was doing at that moment.

Our pathetic Samsoon was crying over Haaarrvveeeyyyy, while her stronger counterpart was deeply crying for lost promises that unfortunately she believed when she was still young and intoxicated with the feeling of being in love.

Again, I'm not saying they should do the same thing and say the same dialogues. But the few seconds Samsoon spent crying out for Harvey while sitting in the park could have been used to just quickly tell herself that she should not be behaving like that anymore. At least it could give the viewers a clue, that although she might not be over Harvey yet at that moment, she is smart enough to know that she should move on and not cry over a worthless bastard.

+100 for the homage of driver's quarrel
I simply laughed when Samsoon was having an argument with the taxi driver because at that time I haven't realized yet on what scene from MNIKSS it came from because it was not obvious. But when I found the bus scene, I remembered that Sam Soon had an little argument with the bus driver as well. Both scenes were funny in their own way.




+500 for the pitiful and funny Buot family
In MNIKSS they didn't reach the point that they have to move out of their home. Sam Soon was able to patch it up right on time, so the Kim family wasn't given much "moments".
I like the time given by ASKSS to the Buot family and let us witness their emotions and the problems they are facing. It gives a more solid foundation for Samsoon's decision later on.



A big part of the points was actually for the entire Buot family thinking hard where to spend the night while carrying their things (and the how-can-i-not-notice-the-oh-so-precious rice cooker!) in the middle of the streets. I don't know whether I'll cry because of their misfortune or I'll laugh with their antics. And tell me about migrating!

+500 for the Samsoon-Eliza sister tandem



I'm really loving their sister-tandem. I like their short bickering moment while they were on the streets. The way they talk to each other feels like they were really sisters in real-life. It's something that I love with Sam Soon and Yi Young. I'm glad they were able to achieve that in ASKSS even if Eliza is the younger sister. I hope this will continue.

+5000 for Jennica
Although the ending may be a bit overly dramatic and bit cliche that I almost felt like I was watching an afternoon soap opera, I can't help but feel for the Buots. And as soon as Eliza started her dialogue I broke into tears. Just right after she bickered with her sister in an earlier scene, she transformed into a scared loving-little-sister to Samsoon. And she ended the episode with flying colors.

RATINGS: 25.7% vs My Girl 23.4%
(ratings courtesy of: aria_Productions of RVMM)

WEEK 1 Viewing Experience

I really don't have the heart to watch this series, but I told myself I would give "Ako Si Kim Samsoon" a week to show me what it got. I told myself that if after a week and I will not be pleased, I would not waste my time to watch it anymore - no matter how I love "My Name Is Kim Sam Soon"

I never expected that I would be impressed as early as now.

Although I'm still missing the "magic" I felt when I first watch the original, it is not bad at all. I appreciate how they were able to deviate from the original yet maintain the same mood and feelings. So instead of being bored to death in following a story I already know by heart, I still have a what's-going-to-happen-next feeling - something I never actually expected. In that way they were able to cater to both MNIKSS viewers and non-MNKISS viewers (though I know that some of MNIKSS fans may not like ASKSS yet).

It also makes my blogging more exciting and extremely challenging at the same time. I first thought that doing the comparison will be as easy as copy-paste-ing each scene - and bashing the local version. I didn't realize that it is more difficult than what I thought. I ended up going through my MNIKSS screencaps and scrubbing (rewinding and forwarding) through my MNIKSS' episodes just to look for the scene they were interpreting, jumping from one episode to the next. Plus it lets me keep an open-mind, changing perspectives, doing mental analysis and considering cultural differences every now and then. It is also fun because it test how well I know "My Name Is Kim Sam Soon". It gives me the motivation to keep on blogging until the final episode.

Even though it was good, there's still a lot of room for improvement. I hope that they will move one step back from sitcoms, avoiding the use slapsticks cliche and gestures for their comedy scenes. And I think it would be better if they linger a bit for important scenes. Their fast pacing is good in killing the humdrum, but there are just scenes of utmost important and I hope they can give the viewers ample time to absorb the feelings manifested, before rushing to the next one. And hopefully they can keep up with the same mood even with the appearance of the other characters anytime soon. I'm just a little scared that the mood will be ruined with the appearance of other cast - especially the extended cast not present in the original.

And most importantly, I'm still looking for the Sam Soon that I know. Seems like Kim Samsoon Buot is still too nice. She still lacks the stubbornness and wittiness of the original. I hope they will develop her character really soon.

Overall, it was a job well-done for Week 1. I can say that my first week's watching experience was enjoyable. And since my expectations in this series were really low to begin with, I was really impressed with what they have presented. But now that I have seen what they are capable of doing, it makes my expectations higher this time. So they have to, not just keep up with what they are doing now, but also improve further.

They have very good story to tell and I'm glad that they are not close to ruining it (but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed).

I am hoping that GMA-7 won't be complacent with the mostly good reviews given on their first few episodes.

WEEK 1 Synopsis from iGMAtv
June 30 to July 4, 2008: An Unusual Romance

EPISODE 5 July 04, 2008

"Hindi mo ba ako gustong maging boyfriend? Pwes ikaw gusto kitang maging girlfriend. Oo Samsoon. Kaya magmula ngayon, girlfriend na kita"

--- Cyrus Ruiz

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
"Don't you want me to be your boyfriend? I want you to be my girlfriend. Yes Samsoon. From now on you'll be my girlfriend."

--- Cyrus Ruiz

+75 points for the first meeting of Samsoon and Mrs. Ruiz
The original scene was funny but it was on the slapstick side. Na Sajang together with Hyun Sook barges in Jin Hun's apartment, beats Jin Hun for ruining his own blind date yesterday, and almost had a heart attack when she finally noticed an almost naked chubby woman inside his son's apartment. She shoved Jin Hun inside the bathroom. As she beats him continuously off-screen we were left laughing with Sam Soon and Hyun Sook's sign language. When everyone calmed down, Na Sajang found out that the woman was Sam Soon. And the sequence ended with Na Sajang misunderstanding everything.


Our version was a lot calmer and I like it. It wouldn't look good seeing Carmi Martin beating Mark Anthony Fernandez.
At the onset of the scene, Samsoon introduced herself to Mrs. Ruiz, thus creating the misunderstanding part earlier in the sequence. I find it funny when Samsoon said, "Good morning po*. Mommy mo?" ("Good morning. Is she your mother?" "안녕하십니까. 혹시 너의 어머니예요?") (*po is a level of formality used in the Philippines, somehow similar to the korean endings -yo and -imnida). I also like how they remedied the impossible-to-be-almost-naked-Samsoon-thanks-to-the-fat-suit by letting her wear the top of Cyrus' pajamas.


-5 points for the too nice Cyrus
Seems like Cyrus is being too nice in this episode. Nothing wrong with that but I kinda miss the overly-arrogant Jin Hun, in this episode at least. Hopefully he'll go back to a more arrogant Cyrus on the next episodes.

-100 points for taking Piggy home
I wonder why they let Samsoon take Piggy home? I was almost yelling "Put that down! Put that down!" to Samsoon while watching. In the original, Sam Sook has quite a big role in Sam Soon and Jin Hun's life. And it's funny that no matter how many times Jin Hun attempts to get rid of the piggy stuffed toy (or return it to Sam Soon), Sam Sook never lands in Sam Soon's house. I wonder what are their plans for our local Piggy.

+500 points for the wonderful twist of the return to the restaurant scene
At first I was not happy that Samsoon and Cyrus did not go to work together. Why did Samsoon have to go home first? I thought they will completely ignore the funny moment when they finally return to work. I was wrong.
Although I missed a few more bickering and a little discussion about Mijiwang* (*Mijiwang is a Korean movie about an arrogant guy who thinks of himself as a Prince. Mijiwang can be roughly translated as 'Lunatic Prince'. And Sam Soon likes to associate Jin Hun with Mijiwang) and Jin Hun taking Sam Soon's seat in the bus while going to work together, I was still given the funny moment of their return to the restaurant.


In the original, Sam Soon asked Jin Hun to come in 5 minutes after her, so as not to create any speculations among the employees. When she came in, she was reprimanded by Chef Hyun Moo for being late. Jin Hun, who obviously did not comply with Sam Soon's request, entered the restaurant. In a voice audible enough for everyone to hear, he told Hyun Moo not to be too harsh on Sam Soon since she was only late because they spent the night together. And right there and then, Sam Soon became the female employees' Public Enemy No. 1.



I love how they created a new approach to this sequence. It made me laugh.
After Samsoon was reprimanded for being late, Cyrus entered the picture. Since Samsoon asked Cynthia, "Boss Cyrus is already here?", he answered her back with a question, "Yes, I'm here. Why are you asking? Don't tell me you missed me already?". He then returned Samsoon's earring, that apparently, she left at his place. After hearing what Cyrus said, all the female employees became furious to our Samsoon.
The funniest part for me were the non-existent scenes in the original. Samsoon tried explaining her side to her co-workers but she ended up making the situation looks/sounds worst, thanks to her poor word choices.
And when Cynthia directly told Cyrus, "You don't have a taste!", I feel kinda off. Why are they showing disrespect to their boss? But before I can organize my thoughts on this part, Samsoon cluelessly blurted out, "You don't have a taste!" too. I ended up laughing so hard.

+150 for the entire welcome party scene
Before I can pull myself together, I was greeted by another familiar funny moment, "Hee Jin's" welcome party.




There's one thing that I really hate though, Samsoon's manners when she was introduced by Chef Dina. She went "on-stage" with strips of food hanging from her mouth. Isn't showing her devouring on food every now and then not yet enough? If you'll be introduced to your new co-workers, you wouldn't behave this way, right? I hope they will stop doing this to Samsoon. -50 points deducted!
Anyway, the dream dance sequence was executed well, eliciting as much laughter as the original's, but then again, it's something that could look better without the fat suit - and less lipstick.
Back to reality, we were entertained with a familiar funny dance step that we see on every gap. Seems like the local Samsoon dances better than her stiff-as-stone Korean counterpart. Both of them were funny though.

+10 points for the Halla Mountain clue
I just have to say this. I was so happy when they gave an early clue (through Cyrus' picture) about the presence of Halla Mountain sequence in ASKSS. I'll be looking forward to this episode.

-5 points for mentioning Harvey
When Cryus ask Samsoon if she still have contact with her ex-boyfriend, she answered, "Harvey? Not anymore." I hope she did not mention the name anymore and just gave an answer right away. Given that our Cyrus is more sensitive than Jin Hun, he could have made an association with Harvey easier on latter episodes. But of course it's too early to tell. I'll just wait, i guess.

+15 points for keeping the mood
I like how Mark, once again, captured Jin Hun's casual and blunt proposal to be Sam Soon's boyfriend. This time, minus the rice on his face.



"Hindi mo ba ako gustong maging boyfriend? Pwes ikaw gusto kitang maging girlfriend. Oo Samsoon. Kaya magmula ngayon, girlfriend na kita" ("Don't you want me to be your boyfriend? I want you to be my girlfriend. Yes Samsoon. From now on you'll be my girlfriend.")

And that question leaves Samsoon and us hanging... and that concludes ASKSS' first week.

RATINGS: 35.5% vs My Girl 20.3%
(ratings courtesy of: Les Samsoon of RVMM)

EPISODE 4 July 03, 2008

"Gusto ko, syempre yung mabait, mapagbigay, pasensyoso. At saka yung kapag kasama ko siya alam kong hindi niya ako pababayaan. Tapos yung mapagmahal. Kahit na ano pang itsura ko. Tapos para sa kanya ako ang pinaka-maganda at pinaka-seksing babae. Higit sa lahat yung handang talikuran ang lahat para sa akin. Ayoko yung mga mayabang at matataas ang pride na akala mo kung sino. 'di ko type yung mga yun. Yung bang mga parang ano. Parang tipo mo ba."

--- Kim Samsoon Buot

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Of course I want someone who's nice, generous, patient. And someone who'll take care of me whenever we're together. Someone who'll love me for who I am. Someone who'll see me as the sexiest and most beautiful woman in the world. And most of all, someone who's ready to give up everything for me. I don't like someone who's boastful and full of pride. Someone who's full of himself. Someone like you.

--- Kim Samsoon Buot

"My type of guy is... someone who has a stable job who can put food on the table... A good kisser... And... someone I can proudly introduce to my sisters and parents saying, 'He's my man...'. That kind of guy. And someone who'd proudly introduce me to his parents and friends saying, 'She's my girl...'. That kind of guy."

--- Kim Sam Soon

+500 for Regine's acting - one more time
The continuation of the blind date scene was as good as how it was executed on last episode's ending. However, at first, I almost hate Samsoon's funny reaction when she was hitting Cyrus until her reaction when Nicole slapped him. Maybe a bit sitcom-ish for me.




And just when I was on the verge of getting annoyed, she started crying. And I was engrossed once again to the scene. Regine was able to capture Sam Soon's pain for a hope lost, thanks to the childish behavior of the bored Cyrus. And again, GMA was able to retain the same i-was-just-laughing-now-i-am-suddenly-crying feeling.

+200 for the whole Cyrus-following-Samsoon sequence





I enjoyed watching the whole sequence. And I appreciate the bits of changes given to make it more Philippinized. Like our very own jeepney for the cable car.
I just find the pedestrian lane shot funny. I don't know why but every time I re-watch that particular scene, I can't help but laugh. Seems a bit trying hard. Or maybe I feel uneasy with the grandness of the pedestrian lane leading to the famous NamSan stairs versus the pedestrian lane leading to a - jeepney terminal. But I won't take it against ASKSS, it's just my personal reaction.

+20 points for Cyrus in the ladies' room scene
Good for him! That jerk! How I wish that Jin Hun also had his share of a teeny bit of embarrassing moment like this. Serves him right!

+10 points for nicer Cyrus
I also find Cyrus two notches nicer than Jin Hun. Both were following Samsoon because they felt sorry for their childish actions earlier. Cyrus is more sensitive and man enough to directly ask for Samsoon's forgiveness, Jin Hun on the other hand was trying his best to stop Sam Soon from quitting as his patissier rather than being clear with his intentions to ask for forgiveness. You have to be observant with his actions to know that he was sorry as well.
I'm actually giving the points, not because I want a nicer Cyrus, but for their way of dwelling more on the emotions than continuous bickering and negotiating among severance pay, salary increase and regularization that may not be appreciated by the local audience.

-500 for the ugly Piggy
I feel sorry for Sam Sook. Of all the characters in MNIKSS, so far he's the first one that was mis-casted.


The original was so cute that merchandisers must have gained so much profit for producing Sam Sook clones to cater to MNIKSS fans all over the world. Every MNIKSS fans dreams of owning a Sam Sook. I wonder if ASKSS fans would dream of owning a Piggy.

+500 points for the drinking Samsoon
It is very common in Korean Dramas that girls would drink soju (most of the time if they are heartbroken). Koreans are fond of drinking because their country is cold. So Sam Soon drinking is not new to them (it's her manner of drinking and getting very drunk that's new to Korean Dramas at that time). I love that they maintained this scene and let the local Samsoon drink beer.




Correct me if I'm wrong (because I haven't really followed a Philippine drama for ages), but it's very rare to find a Filipino drama heroine drinking beer and being unglamorously drunk. Samsoon gave way to a different presentation of our usual Philippine heroine.

+100 for the videoke scene
-10 for "Fallin'" vs "It's Raining Men"
I always find it funny and cute every time Regine tries singing out of tune. I once heard her doing that during a rehearsal for her weekly musical variety show SOP a few years back and I can't help but laugh.
Kim Sun Ah may not be Korea's Singing Sensation, but she sings good because of her musical background (she majored in Piano at Ball State University in Indiana). And she was supposed to be the lead singer for the all-boys group singer "G.O.D.".


I just felt that they could have chosen a better song than "Fallin'". I can't think of any, but I wish they used something that could better depict Samsoon's feelings at that particular moment. In the original, Sam Soon, after loosing hope because of her blind date failure, belted out the Korean version of "It's Raining Men". Most probably to convince herself that there are still a lot of men for her somewhere out there.
I know singing "It's Raining Men" now seems a bit off in our local version, but I'm looking for something closer to that mood. But it's not very important anyway. Just my two cents.

-10 for Samsoon's dream guy
Though I appreciate Samsoon telling Cyrus straight in his face that she doesn't like someone who's boastful and full of pride like him, her entire description for her ideal guys falls 10 points behind Sam Soon's description of her ideal guy.


Sam Soon's ideal guy is someone with a stable job and can put food on the table (practical). And when Jin Hun told her it's too general, she said, a good kisser (funny). And someone she can proudly introduce to her parents, and likewise, someone who would introduce her proudly to his parents and friends.
Samsoon's ideal guy on the other hand is someone who's nice, generous and patient (too cliche), someone who'll take care of her whenever they are together (it gives me hints of weakness), someone who'll see her as the sexiest and most beautiful woman (it gives me hints of a low self-esteem), someone who's ready to give up everything for her (seems a bit selfish). The only strong point is when she said, someone who'll love her as she is.
I guess a problem on this part is that we weren't fully introduced yet to the real personality of Harvey (Hyun Woo) which was primarily the basis of the original Sam Soon's ideal guy.

+100 for the "after drinking" scenes
I don't have much to say with these sequences aside from the fact that it was executed well. Though I miss the funny ATM sequence, the piggyback ride until the time Cyrus left Samsoon on the streets were retained and executed well.



One difference (aside from the absence of the ATM sequence and the street crossing scene) is that while on piggyback, Samsoon hits Cyrus because of what he did earlier. In the original, Sam Soon hits Jin Hun because she thought he is Hyun Woo (Harvey).


The last scene from this sequence also gave the same impression of viewer's resentment towards Cyrus (Jin Hun), when he left the helpless, drunk Samsoon lying on the streets (though of course, I already know that he will go back and bring her home).

+200 points for Mrs. Ruiz and Secretary Marcus - the power of two
I like the Mrs. Ruiz-Marcus tandem. John 'Sweet' Lapuz' portrayal of Mrs. Ruiz secretary was excellent. Although very different from the no-reaction secretary Yoon Hyun Sook (Secretary Celine), there's something in him that gives me the same level of fun Hyun Sook was able to give me - their mere presence is enough to elicit laughter.



In this episode I am sensing a true-blooded villainess in Mrs. Ruiz. But I still cannot gauge her character this early. I hope she won't be too much of a stereotypical Filipino villainess. That's one thing I hate most in Philippine dramas.
In comparisson, Na Hyun Sook / President Na, can be as difficult as she can get. But since she's old, her advantage is her motherly aura tones down her feistiness. Since Mrs. Ruiz is younger looking, there's a tendency to be more associated in being a villainess.

+100 points to Tessie Tomas
I just need to say this: Hats off to Aling Teysi's dramatic moments.

-5 points for the bad impression for Samuel Buot
In the original, Sam Soon's ahbuji* (*ahbuji means father, I'd prefer to call Sam Soon's dad as ahbuji because she calls her dad as ahbuji a number of times) was a guarantor or a co-maker for his brother's loan a few years before he died. Since Sam Soon's uncle went bankrupt, he ran away and hide. The creditors are now after Sam Soon's family's house and lot since it was the collateral for the loan.
I'm not very familiar with the lending procedures in Korea. But it seems they are very strict when it comes to money-lending matters. In the local version they made Samuel as the main debtor, and not merely a co-maker because it's kinda unrealistic in Philippine setting to force a co-maker to foreclose his property.
Unfortunately, it just gave me a bad first impression on Samuel. For borrowing a large sum of money without letting his family (at least his wife) know. I'm just deducting 5 points because I know they don't have much choices for this element.

waking up in Jin Hun's place
I personally prefer the original morning scene. There's just a certain mood given in the original that may be too difficult to capture. The combination of the loud-mouth Sam Soon and the not-so-nice Jin Hun gave that scene a different feeling. The whole scene was filled with non-stop curses from Sam Soon and of all sorts of sarcasm and mockery from Jin Hun.
But that level of bickering may be too much for the local version, hence it was presented in a more subtle way. Anyway, it was executed well enough, so I'll leave it as it is.





And at the same time it was already establish that Cyrus is nicer, yet still exuding arrogance through his one-liners. This time it's, "Oo, nakita ko nga yung taba mo eh. Sa tingin mo yang katawan mong yan pagnanasaan kita." ("Yes. In fact I saw all your body fats. Do you think I'd desire someone with a body like yours?") Plus +20 points for that line.
However Samsoon, once again, noticed Cyrus' nice body (this time). In the original, Sam Soon is still full of rage with this jerk to notice his body. -5 points for that. I don't why they are giving away such clues as early as now.


Overall
So far this episode was the most difficult episode for me to compare and contrast. There's so many points of reference from the original and bits and pieces of deviation were everywhere. I have to change my perspective from time to time and consider previous and future episodes of both MNIKSS and ASKSS. Makes me wanting for more episodes.

RATINGS: 33.5% vs My Girl 21.9%
(ratings courtesy of: Les Samsoon of RVMM)

EPISODE 3 July 02, 2008

"Ikinagagalak kong maging parte ng grupo ninyo at pinapangako ko na pag-iigihan ko ang aking trabaho para naman mapatunayan ko sa inyong lahat na hindi kayo nagkamali sa pagpili sa akin. Maraming salamat. Mabuhay! Mabuhay tayong lahat!"

--- Kim Samsoon Buot

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
"I'm glad to be a part of this group and I promise that I will work hard to prove to everybody that you made the right decision in choosing me. Thank you very much. Long live! Long live everyone!"

--- Kim Samsoon Buot

Just like how Samsoon made a pledge to her co-workers in La Dolce Vita, Episode 3 seems to make a pledge as well that they will continue to prove to everyone that doing a remake for MNIKSS was the right decision.

+50 points for the opening scene
Although I miss the taxi-bickering-about-the-age-and-please-read-my-name-card scene, as always they were able to capture the mood of that scene.



-1000 points for the food props
Everytime I watched the original MNIKSS I always end up craving for cakes. One strength of Korean dramas (as noticed in MNIKSS, Jewel In The Palace, Love Truly, Only You, and recently Gourmet) is making sure all the food props and food shots are good and inviting to the viewers. Too bad this is one aspect that the local version wasn't able to perfect yet.




I actually don't feel like eating Samsoon's cake - yet. And I am not impressed with her cooking skills either (when she was preparing for the job interview). But there's still a lot of room for improvement, hopefully they will recognize this soon. Before the scene wherein Samsoon will bake something for Cyrus.

+10 for Samsoon-Eliza relationship
I was wishing they stick to the original storyline where Sam Soon is the youngest daughter and having Yi Young (Eliza) as an older liberated sister. There were just a lot of priceless moments between Sam Soon and Yi Young on the later episodes of MNIKSS that I felt wouldn't be possible with a younger sister.


But Jennica continues to amuse me every episode. And I'm loving their sister-tandem. I cannot say yet if that is enough to take care of Yi Young's original role in Sam Soon's life. But it's enough for me at the moment to accept Eliza as a younger sister to Samsoon.

-500 points: Why is Cyrus handsome in the eyes of Samsoon?
I don't know why Samsoon seems a bit confused about Cyrus' looks while talking to Eliza as early as now. Ok, ok. Cyrus is indeed good-looking. But not in the eyes of Samsoon - not yet at least. In the original Sam Soon first said that Cyrus was good-looking while talking to her assistant In Hae (Lani / James) but just not to embarrass her. She hates him so much, that she cannot find him good-looking even though he, obviously, is.


I can't remember exactly on what episode Sam Soon said Cyrus is good-looking but it was only after he attempted to kiss her when she started being confused.
But on the second half of the episode, Samsoon told James that she's an exemption. All female employees have a crush on Cyrus, but she said, not her.
I think I have to wait for the next episodes to fully understand Samsoon's feelings.
But stiil, -500 points for making me confused on this part.

-100 points, Cyrus laughed at her name
I don't know why they changed it. In the original, Sam Soon was a bit surprised why Jin Hun didn't laugh after reading her name. It makes Jin Hun different from the rest. I just feel bad that Cyrus laughed at Kim Samsoon's name.


-100 points, call me Hannah
Sorry, I know this scene is well executed, but I can't help but compare it with the original scene. And the original scene was really good.

I love the excution of this scene in the original MNIKSS when Sam Soon was telling Jin Hun that she'll only work in his restaurant if he'd introduce her as Hee Jin (Hannah) to everyone. Jin Hun declined (and that's where the equally famous "Sam Shik" nickname originated - too bad it's something that we cannot incorporate in our local version). Eventually Jin Hun agreed that she can change her name to any name but Hee Jin. Jin Hun was as persistent as Sam Soon, making us all (including Sam Soon) curious why he dreaded the name Hee Jin. They stalled and tried measuring each others' patience. Until Sam Soon won.

I am not saying that the scene should be executed exactly. I just felt that that scene was too fast. It could have been better if they stalled a little especially at the moment when Cyrus was refusing Samsoon to use Hannah, giving us a clue that there must be something wrong between him and that name.

But I'd like to give +10 points for making me laugh with Cyrus' dialogue: "Ayoko! Gusto ko yung tunay mong pangalan. Maganda yun!" ("No! Don't! I want you to use your real name. It's beautiful"). Our arrogant prince is not only arrogant, but also a liar. Who is he fooling? Kim Samsoon - a beautiful name?





+100 for another well-executed classic scene
This was as fun as the original. I just feel bad that Samsoon noticed Cyrus first. It's just very minimal but it would have been better if Samsoon will be more off-guard and surprised when Cyrus suddenly approached her.


But nonetheless, it was well executed. Mark was able to handle this scene so well, as if he was being possessed by Jin Hun again.




And I must say, I love the "Marimar" spoof. Though we miss the "pillar" dialogue (Sam Soon was telling her blind date about a place in France that is made of chocolates and her goal when she was there was too taste all the chocolates. When the blind date asked her if she was able to do that, she said except for one - the pillar. It was not funny at all but Sun Ah's gestures were so cute), we were given a very good replacement. It feels like a follow-up of the "suicide methods" sequence.




-500 for the kiss
And what a cliffhanger?! I never really expected that he'd end the episode with a kiss. Seems like Cyrus was more daring than Jin Hun. I honestly love the kiss and finds it funny as well and an excellent cliffhanger at that.


However, it looses all the excitement and meaning of the first kiss shared by Sam Soon and Jin Hun beside the piano on a latter episode. Plus the fact that it's not Sam Soon who kissed Cyrus first anymore.

Overall
Episode 3 keeps up with the promises given by episode 2, although I didn't feel anything special in this episode. But I can feel that it's a good way to build up the next episode.

RATINGS: 32.6% vs My Girl 23.9%
(ratings courtesy of: Les Samsoon of RVMM)

EPISODE 2 July 01, 2008

I never expected that I would feel the same feeling that I felt while watching MNIKSS here in ASKSS as early as Episode 2. I was surprised to find myself laughing and crying at the same time.
For me, this is a confirmation that ASKSS was able to capture MNIKSS' heart. As a MNIKSS fan, that's my biggest fear about this remake. But I guess I don't have any worries anymore. I just hope that I am not speaking too soon.

+5000 pogi (handsome) points for Mark Anthony as Cyrus


Mirror mirror on the wall, whose the fairest of them all?
Maybe I'm more open seeing another Jin Hun aside from Hyun Bin than seeing another Sam Soon aside from Kim Sun Ah. Or maybe it's as simple as 'Mark Anthony fits the Cyrus role perfectly'.
Episode 2 was Cyrus' episode. This is the episode where we were able to get to know him. Although based on the teasers many already concluded that Mark is perfect for Cyrus, I was only able to confirm it on this episode.

I love his arrogance when he was telling his bestfriend about the incident in the hotel, when he witnessed the Samsoon-Harvey break-up.


I also liked it when they also used the same music: Mozart's 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' as the background music when Cyrus was going through his morning routines. It gives MNIKSS fans a nostalgic moment. And the more it makes me feel weird watching Cyrus. It seems like he was possessed with Jin Hun's spirit. How can he be so perfectly-arrogantly handsome?

+1000 for Sheena


I've heard so much about her good performance in Marimar, but I haven't witnessed it. I have rooted for Sheena to be Cherry, but she is just perfect as Cynthia (Jang Young Ja). I can't believe she was able to make me laugh. So, this girl really has talent huh!

-10 points for Cynthia's name
However, we weren't able to incorporate issues about Cynthia's name. It was actually lost already during the Tagalog Dubbed version. Cynthia's Korean name is Jang Young Ja and it's not a very good name as well, though not as bad as Sam Soon. There was a Young Ja who was a relative of a former president of Korea who has acquired his power through military coup in 80s. She gained her notoriousity for financial fraud and embezzlement she has committed. Thus Jang Young Ja is not very proud of her name. She prefers to be called Captain Jang. She is always bullying Sam Soon because of her age and later on her name, when her age and name issues are almost as bad as Sam Soon's. But of course this is just very minimal, however we will miss the witty answers of Sam Soon to Young Ja every time she tried bullying her.

+1000000 points for THE GREAT Eugene Domingo
Need I say more? Just look at her. Period.


This comedic legend seems to have comedic blood flowing through her equally comedic veins.
I LOVE Eugene. She never fails to surprise me with her one-liners as well. A very witty comedienne indeed! Chef Dina is a combination of Chef Dino (Lee Hyun Moo) and Manager Oh (Ms. Oh).


+1000 points for Tessie Tomas
I grew up watching 'Teysi ng Tahanan' and 'Abangan Ang Susunod Na Kabanata' and I loved her since then until her most recent stint in 'Bahay Mo Ba 'to'. I'm giving Aling Teysi points not because of her acting and comedic skills since we all know what she is capable with (yet sometimes she is doing slapsticks, maybe because of sitcom influences). I'm giving her points for being a very good Mommy Letty (Park Bong Sook). I love her chemistry with Regine (and Jennica). The three of them look so good together whether it's a dramatic or a comedic scene. I wasn't able to notice her much on Episode 1, but how can I miss the bus scene on this episode?
How I wish Sam Soon and Bong Sook had more scenes together in the original. I bet it will be as funny as Samsoon and Sonia's scenes in ASKSS.

+100 points for the bakery's backstory
In the original, Sam Soon's dad is a miller and they have a millery. I'm not sure how a millery looks in Korea, but it was mentioned that her dad is very good in cooking rice cakes. Maybe if you have a millery, you also cook and sell rice cakes since you have all the flour and rice available.
Anyway, in the Philippines milleries operate differently, so they opted to have a low-class bread bun bakery for the Buot family.
Actually, I'm giving the majority of the points to the entire Buot family, crying in front of the burned bakery. I didn't realized I was crying with them already. At that moment, I already felt that GMA was able to capture MNIKSS heart.

Carmi Martin, a younger and sexier Na Sajang


I have to see more of Carmi Martin before I can make a comment, but it seems she's good anyway. I'm just thinking that Na Moon Hee (the veteran actress who played Na Hyun Sook / Na Sajang / President Na) must be glad to know she have a younger and sexier counterpart in ASKSS. And I think that is just logical. We have a younger guy here, so her mom can be younger than Samsoon's mom right?

+100 points for the adaptation of Samsoon's career
Here's another deviation from the original. From the bakery until the time she was looking for a job.
The original Sam Soon is a professional patessier who studied in France. She was working in a very good restaurant. She was fired because she did not show up on Christmas day because she was spying her boyfriend Hyun Woo (Harvey). She applied as a patissier in Jin Hun's mom's (Cyrus' mom's) hotel and got rejected because she was over qualified. She accidentally encountered Jin Hun. Out of rage (because he cut her hair), she threw a cake on his face. Jin Hun knew that he found what he was looking for through Sam Soon and he offered her a job in Bon Appetit.


Here Samsoon doesn't work in a nice restaurant. They have a meager bakery that caught fire. So she needs to look for a job. She applied immediately at La Dolce Vita (Bon Appetit), and not in Cyrus' mom's hotel, and got rejected because of her lack of experience in professional baking.

I like it that they changed Samsoon's career history. The original's career history would land her a job in a 5-star hotel in the Philippines. This may be another cultural difference. I know that not showing up for work on a critical working day can merit you termination, but still she bakes well and studied in France. It's also good that Samsoon only took up a crash course in Baguio. How can they afford schooling abroad? In Korea, even if a family is not well-off, most of the time they let their kids study abroad, wherein in the Philippines, only those who belongs to the upper class family can send their kids abroad to study.

+1000 points for the well executed men's restroom scene
Out of depression, Samsoon cried her heart out in the men's restroom, giving way to a classic scene from the original.





This time Samsoon was crying because of all the things that happened to her lately.

I was waiting for the heart of this scene, but I failed to see it. I feel more for the original Sam Soon crying over lost love than the Pinay Samsoon crying over every bad thing that happened to her entire life. I simply can't focus my emotions. But I think that's just fine, since they were able to incorporate this scene anyway in Episode 1 already.

Then the classic knock was heard...



... and it swayed me back to the familiar mood of the original MNIKSS.


And Cyrus, how arrogant can you get? I liked how they changed Jin Hun's dialogue, "Are you breastfeeding inside the men's restroom?" to Cyrus' dialogue, "At pwede bago ka umalis dito, isarado mo muna yang blouse mo, kitang-kita yang bilbil mo!" ("And for God's sake, before you leave, please button your blouse up, your belly fat is showing."). Maybe it's the new dialogue. Or maybe it's Mark's delivery. Whatever it is, it was damn good!

but two things I hate
-10 points for the intercut
Just when you are so engrossed in a very good scene, they have to intercut it with Eliza and Kokoy's scenes. Good thing it was Jennica. It's forgivable this time because I like Jennica's screen presence. So fresh! But if this intercut thing will go on forever, I will definitely get annoyed.

-50 points that Cyrus blurted out that he recognized Samsoon
I got a bit disappointed though when Cryus blurted out that he remembers Samsoon right there and then. We are now going to loose a few funny scenes of Samsoon trying to guess if Jin Hun recognizes her or not, and the embarrassingly funny moment when Jin Hun accidentally revealed that he remembers every detail of their first meeting (which was the Hotel lobby and the men's restroom scene in the original).

+500 points for keeping up the original's mood until the ending


Still, out of rage (because of the fateful encounter in the men's restroom), Samsoon threw the cake on Cyrus' face and the story went back to the tracks of the original storyline - now sparkled with hilarious punchlines from Cynthia and Chef Dina.






I love how they twisted the story to make it more Philippinized, then at the same time they still incorporated classic scenes from the original without being awkward.

+2000 points for the chemistry I never expected
Whoever said that Mark and Regine doesn't have an on-screen chemistry should die now (Help! I'm dying!).
As short as the men's restroom scene as it is, I can already sense overflowing chemistry in our local Samsoon-Samshik.
I remember I once said that it' one of the factors GMA must work hard on. Kim Sun Ah and Hyun Bin's chemistry was a major element for the show's popularity. I didn't expected that it would be effortless for Mark and Regine to archive the same chemistry.
Seems like there's a magic between Sam Soon and Sam Shik characters. As long as they will be portrayed by good actors, the chemistry, the laughter, the sweetness will simply be awesome.
Looking forward to more Samsoon-Cyrus moments from now on.

Overall
I enjoyed this episode more than Episode 1. It's not boring anymore and it makes me excited to meet the other characters on the next episodes.

RATINGS: 31.5% vs My Girl 22%
(ratings courtesy of: Les Samsoon of RVMM)

OTHER REVIEWS FOR EPISODE 2
Second Episode Keeps the Promise
by: Ophelia_Kills of PinoyExchange.com

EPISODE 1 June 30, 2008

"May nakilala na ba kayong babae na buong buhay nya kinutya at pinagtawanan? Isang babae na may simpleng pangarap? Isang babae na nagmahal ng lubos-lubos? Isang babae na umasa na sa wakas mababago na rin ang takbo ng kanyang kapalaran ngunit nabigo? Isang babae na napagod lumaban at gusto nang sumuko? Isang babae na gusto nang magpakamatay dahil sa pag-ibig? Ako ang babaeng yun at ito ang malungkot kong buhay."

--- Kim Sam Soon Buot

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
"Have you ever met a woman who was ridiculed and laughed at her entire life? A woman with a simple dream? A woman who loved with all her heart? A woman who faithfully believed that her fate will be better, but got disappointed? A woman who got tired of fighting and wants to quit instead? A woman who wants to die because of love? I am that woman and this is the story of my sad existence."

--- Kim Sam Soon Buot

+500 points for the opening scene
Woaah! Ako Si Kim Samsoon's opening scene got me!
I told myself I would wait for the first week before I can decide if I have the heart to follow this series. I had no idea that I would like it on it's first 20 seconds! I LOVE Samsoon's narration as the opening scene. First-person narration had always been my weakness. That's one of the (many) factors why I was able to easily relate to MNIKSS because Sam Soon always have heart-warming narrations, though not in the opening scene. I'm glad that they retained this particular element from the original and even used it to their advantage and created a good opening scene out of it.

+500 points for the adaptation efforts
Most of the things that happened in ASKSS's pilot episode was non-existent in MNIKSS. And I believe that they are heading towards this direction as the series goes along. I cannot judge the effectiveness of these changes as early as now, but plus points for the effort of going over and beyond viewer's initial expectations.

+20 points for Samsoon's name
I have always wondered how they are going to work this out in Philippine setting. In the original series, the reason why she was named Kim Sam Soon was not explained until latter episodes. But even if it was not explained yet, in Korea, if they hear Sam Soon they would know immediately that it's a funny and an old-fashioned name (Just like how a normal Filipino would react to Matutina, Aruray or Procopia in today's time without the need for an explanation). On the other hand, if you meet a Filipino named Kim Samsoon, you'll simply consider it as a unique name and your initial reaction is wonder why was she named like that.
I bet they don't have a choice but to spend a short boring moment to let Kim Samsoon explain why she was named as such. But I like what they came up with. She said it is a combination of 3 names: Her gradmother's - Kimberly, her father's - Samuel, and her mother's - Sonia. Thus giving us Kim Samsoon (well, it should be Kim Samson then, BUT the midwife who attended to her mother while she's giving birth is a Bisaya, thus, with her strong accent, instead of -son, it became -soon). I don't find this realistic enough, but it was indeed creative. How many Filipinos suffered from weird sounding names given by their parents who loves combining the names of their entire clan?

Samsoon and Harvey's backstory
I can't put a point for this part because I don't know how this backstory will affect the next episodes. This was only presented in the original as a quick flashback and through dialogue/conversation clues in some episodes.
I honestly find this a bit boring because more than half of the pilot episode was used to tell their "lovestory". And I don't feel anything while watching it because I already know that Harvey is a jerk. So I just kept on watching, hoping the story will move forward faster.
But I think, in a way, it was good to establish Samsoon's youthful and innocent view towards love. I like how they let us see Samsoon's feet being swept away by Harvey and let us witness how she was made to believe that she was someone special to him. Thus creating a foundation for future rage, heartbreaks and fears of our dear Samsoon.


There's one thing I hate though. Samsoon staying a virgin. Seems like Philippine television is still not daring enough to discuss sex and sexuality on primetime television. In the original series, Samsoon lost her virginity to Harvey. MNIKSS was brave enough to be direct about issues on sexuality, setting it apart from their contemporary Korean Drama Series. Too bad, one needs to fully understand Korean language to be able to appreciate these little discussions in MNIKSS since the Tagalog dubbed and the English fansubs were both, should I say, "censored" in a way. I guess Philippine television is not yet ready for this. I wonder when we'll be ready. It's the reality, isn't it? Too bad this means we may have to loose some good scenes from the original.

-100 for the slapsticks comedy
I know MNIKSS have the tendency to be slapsticks as well, but they were able to pull it off with their good actors and it's not annoying because it's very minimal. ASKSS's pilot episode seems to have too many slapsticks. Good thing though, the actors are all talented and funny in their own way as well, so even if it has a tendency of being slapsticks and I'm on the verge of getting annoyed, I can still laugh along.
I hope they will be more careful with their comedy scenes in the future. They have good comedians and I know they can be funny even without doing slapsticks.

+50 points for Jennica Garcia.
Young stars don't amuse me - ever! I can easily fall for either a child actor or a tenured and mature veteran actor, but not teen stars. I just don't feel the sincerity in their acting. I am easily distracted by their tendency to make an effort to look cute. Or if I saw someone with acting potentials, I always feel that something is lacking somehow. I just have to say this. This girl is a revelation for me. She is different. I am not expecting she'll have this strong chemistry with the Buot family right from the start. Oh, by simply looking at her, one can easily sense that she has innate talents, thanks to her talented mom Jean Garcia.

+100 points for the suicide methods execution
It was short yet it was effective. It still makes me laugh every time I remember that scene. And this is something fresh in Philippine drama series. I was not expecting something like this as early as now. It also gave me a sort of an assurance that Sam Soon's creative and weird imagination will still be present in ASKSS. I will be expecting for more then.

Cyrus Driving?
Ok. So, why was Cryus driving? I'm concerned because major emotional scenes were intertwined with Cyrus' refusal to drive at the first half of the series. Though my reaction is on the negative side, I don't want to speak too soon. I'll just wait and see how the story will turn to in the future.

Samsoon's weird attitude?
This is also something that is too early to determine. What I was able to see only was the nice, childish, gluttonous, silly and lunatic Samsoon. I'm still looking for the strong willed, feisty, sensible, powerful woman I know Samsoon to be.
But, yes, this is just the first episode. And consists mostly of flashback. There's still a lot of episodes to show the Samsoon that I am looking for.

-700 points for Samsoon's looks.
I'd be brutally frank. She looks ridiculous!
At least on the opening scene and wedding sequences.


Whose girl want would like to get married to the first and only guy that made her feel special in an "Ukay-ukay" (thrift/second-hand) dress and wearing a make-up fit only for clowns? Definitely not the Sam Soon I know. She, whose only wish is to find the guy who will love her and who wouldn't hurt her.
If this is their way of making it funny, I'm sorry but it's in the borderline of being scary.
I think they are trying to match Sam Soon's look on the first episode. And they went OVERBOARD. Sam Soon's teary-eyed-mascara-stained-face may look ridiculous, but NOT SCARY!
I hope this will be the first and last time they will be doing this to Samsoon. Too bad it was on the pilot episode and THE opening scene for that matter.

fat suit vs gaining 18lbs
I was never happy about this fat suit thing. Korean actress Kim Sun Ah gained a lot of respect and admiration for her bravery of gaining an extra 18lbs just to be able to give justice to the role given to her (mind you she was a model and most of the time doing sexy roles before MNIKSS).
I was not really expecting Regine Velasquez to do the same thing. It could have been better if she did, but thinking about the differences between Korean and Philippine entertainment industry it's quite unseemly.
In Korea, if an actor is doing a Drama, most likely he/she won't be doing anything else. No movies, no other tv shows (aside from limited guest appearances to promote the drama) and no commercials even. Commercials will come once the drama ends. But here, Regine is expected to be seen on two weekly musical/variety shows, promote a movie, held a concert/show (in Manila, provinces or abroad) and have guest appearances everywhere.
So, why don't we just leave the fat suit behind and just be herself? She's on the chubby side anyway and almost near Kim Sun Ah's size when she was doing MNIKSS.
And that's where cultural differences enter the picture. It was mentioned that here in the Philippines, we consider Sam Soon as "just fine". Not thin nor sexy, not too fat either. Just fine. But in Korea, she looks really fat and unacceptable. I don't want to fully believe it until I read somewhere a comment about ABS-CBN's "My Girl" remake in a Korean website. A Korean visitor posted "The actress (referring to Kim Chiu) in My Girl looks fat". What? Whose fat? Kim Chiu? Well, maybe because of the shape of her face. But I will never ever describe Kim Chiu as fat. And at that moment, I think I understood the cultural differences they are talking about. I'm not generalizing, but most probably majority of Koreans feel that way towards physical appearances. Sam Soon then, must be really a fat woman.
I'm just thankful that the fatsuit they used is not so big. Just a bit sad because there are some scenes that can be executed better without the fatsuit.

and the wig...
I know she don't know yet that she'll be doing ASKSS before she cut her hair, but I hated the fact that she did. It would have been better if she is not using any wig.
Kim Sun Ah's hair is long and straight. They had it curled during the first 11 episodes and had it straightened on the last 5 episodes.
I just wish that Regine's hair will grow fast, in time for the moment Samsoon will have her hair rebonded so we can say goodbye to the wig.

oh, and one more thing... eye-make-up
I'm just a little disturbed about Regine's eye make-up. I always hate it if actors are wearing eye make-up for scenes at home, while washing the dishes, doing the laundry and most of all - sleeping (including 'going to sleep', 'can't sleep' and 'just woke-up' scenes). One of the things that made me fall in love with Kim Sun Ah is her confidence to be seen on television with no make-up at all. I think there were just 3-4 scenes she was wearing LIGHT make-up in MNIKSS, of course with the exception of Episode 1.
Unfortunately Regine was not as blessed as Sun Ah in terms of physical appearance (Regine looks fine, but I know she wouldn't look good without eye make-up). Kim Sun Ah may not be your Ms. Korea beauty, yet she have this certain charm that she can get away without make-up and still manages to look cute and lovely.

I'm sad that with all those things that need to be considered, this series already lost the biggest factor of the MNIKSS's success. A sincere and realistic portrayal of the main character Kim Sam Soon. Kim Sun Ah radiates on-screen and moves and talks and breathes as if you can almost touch Kim Sam Soon through your television screen.

I just like to make myself clear. I don't have any intentions of criticizing Regine Velasquez' looks. I'm not that type of person (since I am not so blessed in that department either). I don't have any intentions of comparing the 2 actresses as well since I know that they are 2 different individuals. I'm simply making a comparison regarding their advantages and disadvantages for bringing out the best in the most endearing character Sam Soon.

+1000 points for Regine's acting
But you can disregard everything I said above about Samsoon's looks - thanks to Regine's excellent acting.


She was able to let me get over the clown face and focus on her twinging heart. I believe in Regine's acting talents but I never expected her to be this good in both comedy and drama scenes. Although I will never consider any other actress as Sam Soon aside from Kim Sun Ah, episode 1 of ASKSS makes me more convinced that Regine fits the role of the Pinay Samsoon. She just needs to be a bit careful in her comedy scenes, since sometimes she's in the borderline of being over acting.

Sun Ah and Regine were both lucky to be able to portray Sam Soon. She's one heck of a character and they have the opportunity to showcase both comedic and dramatic talents.

Kim Sun Ah is a natural comedienne, but it was never noticed by Korea until MNIKSS. Although she always say that Sam Soon is very different from her own personality, you can see traces of Sam Soon in Sun Ah (and vice versa) the more you watch her (and having a difficulty lately to detach Sam Soon from her new role in her new drama).

I have seen Regine through the years, and by following the promo of ASKSS lately, I've noticed that she is a natural comedienne as well. But still I've never imagined her doing the things she's doing in this series. It's totally a different Regine here, without the glamour and elegance of the Asia's Songbird.




+100 points for Samsoon-Harvey break-up scene
Although the premise and story of the break-up is a bit different from the original, I love how they were able to capture the feeling of Samsoon in the Samsoon-Harvey break-up scene. It's a combination of the hotel lobby scene and Sam Soon's crying scene inside the men's restroom. Even if she looks funny (and ridiculously scary) with her smudging make-up you can still feel her pain.
I'm still unsure about Harvey's character. He seemed to be a nicer guy than the original jerk who knows nothing but womanizing. Again, I still have to wait for more episodes to see Harvey's characterization.


Ending
+10 points for the cuteness
-10 points for 'Maybe It's You'
Yes, the ending was cute and thrilling. It was definitely nice seeing our Samsoon and Cyrus meet for the first time. What I do not like was the use of 'Maybe It's You' as the background music for this fateful meeting. Yes, it is sweet and I love the song so much. But it seems very giveaway to the audience that there will be a love story between Cyrus and Samsoon. Given that 100% of the viewers know that its a love story between them, our characters don't know that yet. And definitely they don't have feelings for each other at this particular time. In the original, love themes were only introduced and used when they started to feel something special (or strange, I must say) about each other.
Maybe for ASKSS they executed it this way for the sake of a good cliffhanger for the pilot episode - and they were successful in doing that, but it doesn't amuse me that much.


Overall
Episode 1 is JUST OKAY for me. Not bad, but it's not a blast either- not yet.
But that's just fine. Maybe, it's just me. Maybe my expectations were just too high (thanks to the well-made teasers and music video).
And also, when I first watched the original MNIKSS, I did not fell in love immediately on it's first episode.
And I'm still in the process of re-learning how to watch Tagalog drama series. This is the first time I'm going to really follow a Tagalog series in years. I've been so used watching Korean dramas - their episodes are one hour long and no commercial gaps. So I find watching ASKSS a bit awkward. And I find it really short (given that the pilot episode is about 45 minutes already minus the commercials), makes me want to see more.
So, I am looking forward on the next episodes. Episode 2's preview looks promising.

RATINGS: 33.8% vs My Girl 22.6%
(ratings courtesy of: Les Samsoon of RVMM)

OTHER REVIEWS FOR EPISODE 1
AKO SI KIM SAM SOON- Don't let the first few minutes fool ya, we have a winner
by: Ophelia_Kills of PinoyExchange.com

About the Show (synopsis)

SOURCE: iGMAtv
http://www.igma.tv/shows/kim-samsoon/about

As part of the network’s 58th anniversary celebration, GMA proudly presents the network’s first-ever Pinoy adaptation of a Koreanovela with Ako si Kim Samsoon. The show that is set to tickle the hearts of the Kapuso viewers everywhere.

Ako si Kim Samsoon is the adaptation of the award-winning Koreanovela My Name is Kim Sam Soon, a show that became a hit here and around the world in 2006, though it was originally produced by MBC and Telesuccess Productions, Inc. in 2005.

Ako si Kim Samsoon will make the viewers roll with laughter as it shows an unusual way of telling a story about love, family and the importance of beauty, spiced up with a star-studded cast that certainly fits the taste of Filipinos.

Playing the title role is no less than the Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez. She has proven, through her numerous blockbuster romantic-comedy films, that she is perfect to play the coveted role of the huggable and lovable Kim Samsoon Buot, the baker-turned-pastry chef in her late 30’s who is about to discover that loves knows no age, shape nor size.

Joining Regine in this hilarious primetime series are Mark Anthony Fernandez as Cyrus, the handsome but snooty owner of the five-star restaurant; and Wendell Ramos as Harvey, the weak-willed ex-fiancé of Samsoon.

Also in the cast are Nadine Samonte as Hannah, the beautiful ex-fiancée and first love of Cyrus; Eugene Domingo as Chef Dina, the restaurant’s head chef; Carmi Martin as Mrs. Ruiz, the haughty mother of Cyrus; John Lapus as Marcus, the secretary of Mrs. Ruiz; and Ms. Tessie Tomas as Sonia, Samsoon’s volatile but loving mother.

Completing the bitter-sweet and sometimes spicy life of Samsoon are Jennica Garcia, Mart Escudero, Pauleen Luna, Maureen Larrazabal, Sheena Halili, Doc Hayden Kho, Mel Kimura, Marcus Madrigal, Dido dela Paz, Marky Lopez, Arthur Solinap, Stef Prescott and Cheska Eugenio with directors Dominic Zapata and Khryss Adalla at the helm.

The story begins with Samsoon dealing with two devastating news— her fiancé stood her up at their wedding, and their family’s bakery was gutted by a fire. Samsoon then decides to apply as a pastry chef in a five-star restaurant where she crosses paths with the rich and arrogant Cyrus in a very unusual spot—the male comfort room where he gives her a piece of advice about love and men. Not long after, Cyrus will discover Samsoon’s outstanding talent in baking and hires her to work in his restaurant.

Cyrus has his share of problems too. His domineering mother insists that he marries soon. To be free of his mother’s consistent prodding, Cyrus offers Samsoon a love contract—in which she must act as his girlfriend in exchange for a huge amount of money. He offers Samsoon the contract because he knows he will never fall for a girl like her. Although hesitant and furious about Cyrus’s overconfidence, Samsoon takes the opportunity to pay her family’s debts.

Are they both brave enough to face the consequences of the love contract? Will their plan still work even if their former paramours—Hannah and Harvey—re-enters the picture? Can a gorgeous guy like Cyrus fall for a plump, boisterous girl like Samsoon?

The plot is made more memorable with Regine’s version of ‘Maybe It’s You’, the same song used as the theme of My Name is Kim Sam Soon that became a hit in 2006.

Catch primetime’s most gigantic romantic-comedy series every weeknight after Mars Ravelo’s Dyesebel only on GMA Telebabad.