Thinking about a vacation...

Hotelier jdrama episode 1! This is the Japanese remake of the Korean kdrama of the same name. And since it's got crossovers, I had to watch at least one episode. This is about a hotel in Tokyo whose management and business is deteriorating. A takeover is looming, but an optimistic, pure-hearted female staff member will charm the pants off all the guys and save the day. Bae Yong Jun from the original Korean version makes a guest appearance as the same character he played from that first version. Even though the Japanese story mimics the original, Bae plays a good guy this time around; older, wiser & reformed...complete with a stylin' new ponytail...yes, a hip & cool ponytail. Oikawa Mitsuhiro and Takenaka Naoto from Nodame Cantabile are also in this. They are part of the takeover ploy, but sadly this is not a comedy. Ueno Aya plays the lead female...not a big fan, but she seems to be popular and sings the ho-hum ending theme. If you liked the original, you'll like the Japanese version. It seems to have the exact same conflicts, flowery background music and...and...Bae...whom every woman over 50 lusts over. Other than the presence of some popular actors/tresses, the drama isn't very thrilling.