Korean Dramas

Review – You’re Beautiful (aka, You’re Beautiful, Jang Keun-Suk)

/ Lady Divine / 3 Comments

Review – You’re Beautiful (aka, You’re Beautiful, Jang Keun-Suk)

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You’re Beautiful was one of the first Korean Dramas I watched, many moons ago.  Around 2010, to be exact.  It was on Netflix and I had just finished watching Queen Seon Duk…. which actually shared two of the famous K-drama tropes, “cross-dressing” and “male harem.”  In other words, in both dramas there were women disguised as men surrounded by lots and lots of beautiful men.  I was still deeply, madly in love with the character Bidam (who remains one of my all time favorite characters in any show, worldwide – read about him in this review) and not sure anyone could distract me from daydreaming… and then Hwang Tae-Kyeong showed up with two ponytails and I was lost again.

The Plot, Short Version:  Young lady disguises herself as her twin brother and joins a famous rock band full of adorable, handsome boys.

You’re Beautiful – Overall Rating 9/10.  Being Jealous of Jang Keun-Suk’s Hair for Sixteen Hours.

Seriously, this show is all about Hwang Tae-Keyong’s gorgeous hair and awesome hair styles… that hairdresser deserves an Emmy.

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READ MORE….

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Review – Pinocchio

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Review – Pinocchio

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Every once in a while a finely tuned drama like this comes along and grabs you unaware.  The premise seemed simple, almost silly.  I thought it was going to be another cheesy romance with some silly work comedy thrown in.  Oh how wrong I was.

This is one of those rare shows that just does everything right.  Every character is well developed.  They give you enough time to explore the world – the family and friends and dynamics of relationships.  No one feels plastic or cliche.  By the end of episode five, you have a deep commitment to all the players on the stage.  It isn’t just about a cute couple falling in love.  This is a drama about lots of people and how interpersonal relationships shape your life, for better and worse.

The Plot, Short Version:  After inaccurate news coverage leads to tragedy, a young man grows up and tackles the enemy from the inside by becoming a reporter.

Overall Rating – 10/10.  Do Reporters Go To Heaven or Hell?

SPOILERS AHEAD!

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Review – She Was Pretty

/ Lady Divine / 1 Comment

Review – She Was Pretty

This show had one of the best first episodes I have ever seen.  I was immediately drawn in by the story and quirky characters, the tight friendships, the lost loves, the struggle to find gainful employment, the insecurities and the humor.  And all these things stayed pretty steady on throughout the duration of the show.  Yet somehow I failed to love it.  I was definitely entertained.  But I just left it feeling so-so.

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And from this poster, I thought the male lead was going to be more silly and fun.  That role went to the second male lead though… so… yet another poster fail.

The Plot, Short Version:  An unattractive girl gets her pretty friend to pose as her when meeting her childhood sweetheart.  Basically its Cyrano de Bergerac.

Mild spoilers follow… but not really… just musings on the obvious.

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Review – Sensory Couple

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Review – Sensory Couple

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First of all… very misleading title image!  This is not a fairy tale romance and neither character runs around in beautiful clothes throughout the show.  This picture is more accurate of what to expect:

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The show about a girl who sees smells (by the seashore) and a guy who feels no pain.  Throw in a serial killer and you’ve got an unusual, yet surprisingly cute drama.

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Review – Mask

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Review – Mask

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A delicious melodrama full of betrayal, secrets, and pain!  I loved it.  Soo-Ae looks beautiful when she cries.  Ju Ji-Hoon is marvelous as the mentally unstable heir.  And Yeon Jeong-Hun has NEVER LOOKED BETTER.  Oh my gosh, no one plays devious quite like this guy… and no one has ever looked so hot when they’re being so evil.

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The story is relatively simple.  There are two women who have the same face, doppelgangers.  One is wealthy and the other lives in poverty and debt.  When the wealthy woman drowns, a sinister man sees an opportunity and puts the poor woman in her place.  The poor woman goes along with it because Mr. Sinister says he will settle her families debts.  Suddenly the poor woman finds herself getting married to a stranger and caught in a web of lies.

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I loved it!  This is pure melodrama.  If you’re feeling rational, don’t watch it.  If you’re one of those people who screams at the television “Why doesn’t she just tell him!?” or “Why does she keep trusting him?!” then don’t watch it.  These people are going to make the same mistakes several times before seeing the error of their ways.  There are lies on top of lies on top of lies.  People are out for blood.  There is distrust and suspicion everywhere.  No one has the common sense to plant an audio recorder somewhere or actually accumulate evidence of any kind.  Oh no.  These are fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, emotional decision making types.  And it’s 20 long episodes of this… so if you’re not in the mood to soak in some moody, irrational stew, then do yourself a favor and steer clear.

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If, however, you are in the mood for deception and dark desire and, honestly, ridiculousness… then get comfortable on the couch and clear your calendar.  There will be tears!  There will gnashing of teeth!  There will be anguish and blood and fear and chaos!  There will be desperate kisses followed by mistrust and confusion!  There will be backflashes to something that happened only ten minutes ago!  The house is on fire and no one can see the exits through the smoke… we’re all going down in flames together.  And it’s so much fun!

Overall Rating – 9/10.  Mr. Sinister Serves Up Some Moody, Broody Blackmail to a Doppelganger.

SPOILERS AND UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

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There’s Something About Mary… Review – Mary Stayed Out All Night

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There’s Something About Mary… Review – Mary Stayed Out All Night

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This drama has a lot going for it.  Two incredibly attractive men vying for the affection of one ridiculous girl.  Check!  Indie rock music.  Check!  Behind the scenes of the business end of making dramas.  Check!  A hysterical disaster-inducing father.  Check! Funny friends.  Check, Check!  Lots of piggy back rides and wrist grabbing… just tick off every box for “YES.”  It has all the basics.

And basic is what you get.

A mildly enjoyable romantic drama.

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Review – Goblin / Guardian – The Lonely & Great God

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Review – Goblin – The Lonely & Great God

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Quite possibly one of the most mysteriously addicting shows I have ever watched.  Despite it’s problems, and we’ll get into that later, it absolutely stunned with witty banter, romance, bromance, mystery, and the supernatural.  And the music!  What originally seemed like a mish-mash of supernatural mythology worked perfectly in this Korean drama.  Gods, goblins, grim reapers, cursed children, and ghosts all wandered the streets together.

If you haven’t seen this show – open another tab and watch it immediately.  Without delay.  Count up how many candles were lit during the making of this drama…(seriously, they went overboard with the open flames in this show) and that’s how many feels you’ll get.

Overall Rating – 10/10.  Everyone Is Okay With Gong Yoo Living Forever.

If you have watched it (probably more than once already, am I right?) then you’re probably itching to talk about it.

So let’s discuss…

SPOILERS FOLLOW

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Review – Scholar Who Walks The Night

/ Lady Divine / 6 Comments

Review – Scholar Who Walks the Night

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Supernatural historical dramas are some of my favorites.  Even though I have yet to see one with a really solid plot, I always enjoy them.  You would think that a drama about trying to overthrow an ancient vampire who lives in an underground lair beneath the royal palace and secretly controls the Joseon monarch would be fantastic.  Eh.

Okay, maybe the plot was a little boring sometimes.  I mean, how many secret diaries does it take to kill a vampire, am I right?  But did that spoil my enjoyment of this show?  Nope.  Still loved it.  Why?  Cause vampires, that’s why!  Who doesn’t love a good vampire story?  Throw in a pretty girl disguised as a boy (love that trope!) and some romance and I’m hooked.  Add an incredibly sexy evil vampire as the bad guy… and I’ll pop my popcorn and settle in for a long binge watch.

Overall Rating – 8/10.  Dark Shadows of the Joseon Era.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

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Review – Heart to Heart

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Review- Heart to Heart

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The adorably unethical story of a shrink who falls for his patient and proceeds to chase her around for an entire show.  This is one of those perfect dramas where six hours passes in what feels like an hour.  Your face muscles get a little tired from smiling so often.  You genuinely laugh out loud.  The pacing is perfect – there is not even a moment of wasted time or character interaction.  It’s expert writing paired with expert direction.  Not to mention actors that both charm you, amuse you, and feel comfortable walking around your television.  It’s easy to believe they really exist so you grow very close to them very quickly.

The last few episodes turn melodramatic, but otherwise it’s a feel great romantic comedy worth checking out. This drama also made it to my Best Kisses of All Time list.

Overall Rating 9/10 – Don’t Fall In Love With Your Shrink Unless You Are In A K-Drama.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

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Review – Healer

/ Lady Divine / 1 Comment

Review – Healer

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The definition of awesome sauce.

Our main male lead is an independent contractor who lives alone in a massive warehouse (massively cool warehouse) and dreams of one day escaping to an island paradise.  He is known by the codename HEALER.  And he looks very good in black.  Ji Chang-Wook is a star for a reason.  He shines in everything.

Our main female lead is a young street reporter who works for an online news source and dreams of being a more successful reporter.  Her father is a coffee shop owner/criminal lawyer.  Many of the criminals he helped in his long career have now become his employees and act as an extended family for our young heroine.  Needless to say, it can be pretty cushy to have the support of such a clan.  And it’s ripe for comedy gold.

Our second male lead is a seasoned reporter, well established and celebrated for his work.  He has been looking for the whereabouts of a “child” for many years, who was adopted.  She’d be about the same age as our lead female… coincidence?  Cough, cough.

Outstanding Supporting Cast all around, without exception.  Everyone is great in this.

There is action, there is intrigue, there are complicated but exciting plotlines with many twists and turns.  We’ve got people under cover and double agents and secret identities and mysteries of the past mixing up with mysteries in the present.  There’s breaking and entering, there’s cyber crime, there’s lots of insanely good choreographed fights.  Did I mention murder?  Revenge?  Childhood ninja training?

The production value is top notch.  The music is great.  It’s a fun, fun, funnnnnnnn show.  There’s also a nice romance and plenty of satisfying flirtations and longing stares to keep your heart racing with the action.

Every single episode is quality.  Too good for a major review with spoilers – just watch it.  Watch it.  Watch it, watch it, watch it!

Overall Rating – 10/10.  Awesome In Every Way.