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