I figured I'd make a nice little or long post (lol) about some of the Korean dramas I've seen or enjoyed.
So
Anyways, for anyone who hasn't ever watched Korean dramas, YOU SHOULD. They are awesome, and it sucks that they're not as available to us Americans, but we have our ways lol. Netflix has a few, so that's always good. Plus, they're subbed, so you don't have to worry about not speaking Korean. :D
If you already love Korean dramas, you should share your favorites with me, because I'm always ready to watch more.
I haven't seen that many, though. I can barely keep up with my shows over here and everywhere + anime and school, but I have no problem making room for more Korean dramas lol.
Okay, I've ranted enough. Time for the post.
1. Coffee Prince
We've all seen this, right? I mean if you've watched dramas, I feel like this is the drama we've all seen. It was the first drama I ever saw, for sure. I watched it back in 07 or 08? I was fairly young like I think this was before braces? Take into consideration I got my braces in like 8th grade. So yeah... It's basically about this girl named Go Eun-chan who's like a tomboy and is hardworking. She has all these jobs trying to get her family by. She has a not so great life, to say the least. She meets a guy named Choi Han-kyul who thinks she's a guy. He employs her and drama happens aka feelings. I don't want to give it all away if you haven't seen it, but I liked it. I recently rewatched it, and still enjoyed it. It felt relaxed and realistic in the sense where there wasn't a dramatic amnesia stunt. It's just an awkward situation that's followed by awkwardness and an oh shit I need to say I'm a girl now moment. Eun-chan is such a realatable character plus she loves food and isn't afraid to eat it all. I'd definitely say give it a watch. I feel it's RomCom done right.
2. K-Pop Extreme Survival / K-Pop - The Ultimate Audition
Ji Seung-Yeon is a classic music piano student, but she clearly hates it. She's in the UK and ultimately says screw this cause I'm going to play the music I want. Korea watch out! She goes back to Korea and essentially gets herself in an audition process by pretending to be a guy. She becomes part of this group of trainees who are potential replacements for the boy members from m2. Kang Woo Hyun is the leader of m2 and an asshole, but I adore him. He has a masculine charm to him, and he was really one of the stand outs for me. Anyways, like in most cases, they become close and feelings happen. Of course there's other drama, as well. It does have a sudden end, though. I wonder if ratings were bad or something? Anyways, I really love Yoo-Hwan, so I adored this. There's a lot of amusing characters that won me over, so I've actually rewatched this hoping it'd magically be extended lol. Even though there's no real big resolution, I still enjoyed it a lot. Tae-Kwon is also a highlight in this along with the other trainees. P.S. Song Minho is in this. Yes yes yes.
3. You're Beautiful
Okay, so there's a pattern here haha. This is another musical RomCom where the girl pretends to be a guy. I actually really love it, though. They're all slightly different but similar. I especially love that this has two of my favorites, Park Shin-hye and Jung Yong-hwa from CNBLUE. They portray the characters beautifully. The story is essentially about two orphan twins. One is a rockstar or becoming one at least and the other is on her way to become a nun. Go Mi-nyeo is sought out to pretend to be her brother, Go Mi-nam, while he recovers from surgery. It's like a high stakes Coffee Prince and KPop Extreme Survival in one. To put it simply, if people find out she's a girl, a lot of people lose their jobs and her brother loses his dream. She signs with this band and of course there's an asshole, the leader aka Hwang Tae-kyung, who finds out she's a girl and blackmails her. Then there's Jeremy who is just the most amusing little squirrel, to say the least. Then there's Kang Shin-woo who makes you fall in love with him, and you'll see why. His character was the best, and I wish the ending had been different. Either way, it's worth watching.
4. Playful Kiss
This one is a little different. Part of me wanted to have mixed feelings about this, because I wanted a strong female lead. I realized, though, that she is strong. It's about Oh Ha-ni who is at the bottom of her class and is crushing on the almighty genius Baek Seung-jo, played by Kim Hyun-joong. He kills the role... I mean c'mon he's a fabulous actor. He's by far one of my ultimate favorites. I know he has a scandal on his hands, at the moment, but I'm talking about his talent. No one can deny that his talent exists; he's not just a handsome guy. Anyways, Oh Ha-ni's dad and Baek Seung-jo's dad are old friends, so after a disaster Oh Ha-ni and her dad move into the Baek residence. Oh Ha-ni is mortified after Baek humiliates her in front of the entire class and is then forced to live with him. Her feelings continue to grow, and she blackmails him into tutoring her. She's always following him around even as he continues to push her away. I found that annoying at times, and I didn't like that I felt the root of her love for Baek Seun-jo were misplaced. I felt she only liked him for his looks, and I think it started that way. She saw him through his cold exterior and properly fell for who he was, but I did wish she hadn't been quite the clinger at times. She definitely kept the story interesting with her antics. I was pleased with the development in Baek Seun-jo's character. It's subtle, and I wish Oh Ha-ni's character had also been a bit more subtle in some ways. I also wish he would have been a bit more obvious. If anything, I would have liked if Oh Ha-ni had a little more independence in her which is what Baek Seung-jo wanted for her all along. Btw, if you watch this pay attention to Baek Seung-jo; Kim Hyun-joong did a great job with his subtle movements and looks. This must all sound like rubbish, since you might not have seen it yet, but I do also recommend finding the Baek Seung-jo diaries, because they give more of an insight to what he was feeling and thinking. If you don't read them, he comes off as more of a jerk, but we can all accept he is quite the jerk soooo haha. Look, Baek Seung-jo is cold on the outside, but he has a truly warm and kind heart. Ultimately I enjoyed it, but it did make me frustrated at times. The characters were stubborn, and it makes you want to pull your hair here and there. I'd still recommend it, though. This drama has the type of cast that portrays with more than their words. The leading roles especially were cast perfectly. Besides, it's nice to watch the underdog grow, you know. She held a different strength than I'm used to seeing in a role, and she didn't magically change. I appreciate that she kept her authenticity even when it was a bit troubling. I wish the series had continued, because it had a lot of potential... I mean the cast really made this good.
5. Boys Over Flowers
I honestly... HONESTLY initially only even watched this for Kim Hyun-joong's acting. Netflix kept recommending it, and I was sold when I realized Hyun-joong was in it. I also found myself adoring Lee Min-ho, Kim Bum, Kim So-eun, and Kim Joon. The lead actress was good, but I found her tiring at times, but it wasn't her fault she got stuck with that script. I couldn't get past the bowl cut, and I know that's horrible. It really aged her somehow, and I was wardrobe would have given her the hair from the last episode. Her acting wasn't bad, but as the series progressed she become less endearing... more tired. Don't get me wrong, Geum Jan-di was initially endearing, but the story did get a bit tired here and there, like I said. Boys Over Flowers is essentially a twist to Cinderella with extra dramatics at every corner. It's the story of the poor girl trying to make it in the world with an evil witch that tries to destroy her chances time and time again. There's even a clique of mean boys that eventually become her friends after torturing her. She of course falls for one of them, but he's in love with someone else. Then one of the other members likes her and tries to win her over. The guy she initially liked ends up liking her back. Yeah. They throw amnesia and fatal car crashes in there as well as insane plastic surgery changes. There's a drowning scene and then even an arranged marriage. It's like the festival of struggles for these poor characters. Hey, you get a horse race out of this and stuff. It gets wild, okay. Having that said I adored ADORED Yoon Ji-hoo and rooted for him to end up with Geum Jan-di, but I also wanted to cheer for Gu Jun-pyo. To be quite frank, Yoon Ji-hoo was my favorite to the end, though. The story itself is tiring, but I liked the characters and their actors. It's not their fault they got stuck with that script. It's not bad... I would have been fine without the amnesia and kidnapping stunts, though.
These can all be on Netflix. Now, the dramas I'm hoping to seen soon are
- Exo Next Door: I mean EXO. lol Why wouldn't I be curious?
- Heirs: I mean Lee Min-ho AND Park Shin-hye? Cmon it has to be good!
- Heartstrings: Again, I love Park Shin-hye. Then, this also has Jung Yong-hwa? Their chemistry is great, so I definitely need to watch this.
- She Was Pretty: Someone said I'd like this, so I have to check it out.
- Love Rain: I forgot who, but someone else recommended this as well.
- Flower Boy Next Door: We're back to Park Shin-hye and how I'll watch anything she's in.
Well, there it is! I hope you guys check some of these out if you haven't before. Let me know what you think and/or recommend some Korean Dramas you think I'd like. (:
Xx
