K-Drama ~♥

 

I love watching Korean dramas! Just to share a few personal favourites and opinion. I have also posted other dramas (k-drama, c-drama, etc) which you may check it out under my 'Drama List' on the right scroll bar. :)

 

Title: It’s Okay, That’s Love / It's Okay, It's Love / 괜찮아, 사랑이야
Genre: Romance, Melodrama, Medical
Episodes: 16
Broadcast Year: 2014
Country: South Korea

Synopsis

A drama about life and love of modern day people. Love can sprout from the most unexpected places and in the most crowded minds.

Jang Jae Yul (Jo In Sung) is a famous mystery writer and popular radio DJ who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Ji Hae Soo (Gong Hyo Jin, also starred in The Master's Sun) is a first-year psychiatry fellow at the hospital where he is being treated, she chose psychiatry because she does not want to perform surgeries. They help each other work through their deep-rooted emotional issues after they met. After Ji Hae Soo met Jang Jae Yul, her life goes through major changes. But how will Jo Dong Min (Sung Dong Il), Hae Soo’s senior colleague and first love, and Lee Pul Ip (Yoon Jin Yi), Jae Yul’s girlfriend, feel about their growing closeness and love?

It's Okay, That's Love (Trailer) shoot some scenes in Bundang, South Korea and Okinawa, Japan. Starring Jo In Sung, Gong Hyo Jin, Lee Kwang Soo, Sung Dong Il, Yoon Jin Yi, etc.

Title: Tomorrow Cantabile / Naeil’s Cantabile / 내일도 칸타빌레
Previously known as: Nodame Cantabile: The Final Movement) / Cantabile Romance
Genre: Romance, Musical, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Broadcast Year: 2014
Country: South Korea

Synopsis

A story of an elite meticulous musical genius, Cha Yoo Jin (Joo Won, also starring in Steal My Heart) and a messy pianist, Seol Nae Il (Shim Eun Kyung). Cha Yoo Jin is a good looking natural born musical talent who dreams of becoming a world renowned conductor, he is unable to travel to Europe due to his fear of flying which was caused by a childhood trauma. Seol Nae Il is a free spirited genius pianist who causes trouble due to her unpredictable personality. She always annoys Cha Yoo Jin but her lovely charms and unique character make her irresistible.

A hilarious comedy adapted from the popular Japanese manga ‘Nodame Cantabile' by Tomoko Ninomiya and is also a remake of the 2006 Japanese drama ‘Nodame Cantabile' starring Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi.

Joo Won and Shim Eun Kyung travelled to Vienna, Austria on September 2014 to film for some parts of the drama.

Tomorrow Cantabile (Trailer) releases on 13 October 2014.

 

Title: Discovery of Romance / 연애의 발견
Also known as: Finding True Love / Discovery of Love
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Broadcast Year: 2014

Synopsis

Han Yeo Reum (Jung Yoo Mi) has just started a new relationship with Nam Ha Jin (Sung Joon) when her ex-boyfriend, Kang Tae Ha (Eric Moon) come back to her again after realizes his fault and regret his past. A romantic comedy drama about the love triangle of three young people, with conflict between new and old love.

Eric Moon and Jung Yoo Mi reunited again after starred together in 2007 Korean drama, Que Sera Sera.

Discovering of Romance (Trailer) releases on 18 August 2014.

Title: Fated to Love You / 운명처럼 널 사랑해
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episode: 16
Broadcast Year: 2014
Country: South Korea

Synopsis:

Lee Gun (Jang Hyuk) is the president of a chemical company that produces household items. He is on a relationship with a dancer, and they are both very much in love. Kim Mi Young (Jang Na Ra) is a secretary working in a law firm. Her nickname is "Post-it" note girl. She earned his nickname because of her inability to say no to what her colleagues ask of her. It is also because of her kind personality, Kim Mi Young is often being taken advantage of and will take on tasks for others. On a particular night, both Lee Gun and Kim Mi Young are drunk and had a one night stand together. It was only then did Kim Mi Young realise that she is pregnant.

Fated to Love You is a remake of the popular 2008 Taiwanese drama, Fated to Love You (Ming Zhong Zhu Ding Wo Ai Ni).

Jang Hyuk and Jang Na Ra reunite after 12 years of their first drama together, Successful Story of a Bright Girl.

Fated to Love You (Trailer) is a remake of one of my favourite Taiwan dramas, Fated to Love You (Ming Zhong Zhu Ding Wo Ai Ni)! I absolutely love the awesome chemistry shared by Ethan Ruan and Joe Chen at that time. Hopefully Jang Hyuk and Jang Na Ra will also share the same chemistry. :)

Amazingly, Jang Na Ra still look around the same from the last time I saw her (which I can't remember that was how many donkey years ago), she is so baby face!

Jang Hyuk strike me as a very charismatic actor but I don't really like his hairstyle in this drama, I prefer him with shorter hair. Oh, and there is Choi Jin Hyuk, love him in The Heirs and Emergency Couple! Hope he will given more opportunity to play the lead role in future as I think he is a very good actor.

 

Title: The Master’s Sun / 주군의 태양

Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 17
Broadcast Year: 2013
Country: South Korea 

Synopsis:

The story revolves around a woman who can see ghosts and a man who tries to protect her, and is described as a drama with horror and romantic elements infused together.

Joo Joong Won (So Ji Sub) is a miserly, greedy and conceited CEO, who measures all human relationships through money. Meanwhile, Tae Gong Sil (Gong Hyo Jin) is a melancholy and tearful assistant, who is able to see ghosts after an accident and thus suffers from insomnia. She lives a very reclusive and closed-off life due to her ability.

The story is being touted as “soul healing” drama that brings together very different types of people: one who can see and hear things that no one else in the world can and another who only hears and see things he wants too. As Joo Joong Won starts to believe in Tae Gong Shil’s claim of being able to see ghosts, these two people will grow together in faith and in character. (Credit: Korean Drama.org)

A drama written by the Hong Sisters (Hong Mi Ran and Hong Jung Eun).


Comment:

I am not really a fan of horror film but decided to give 'The Master's Sun' a chance as I find the plot quite exciting. I love it after watching this interesting drama, its refreshing to have a different story every episode and even though sometimes it started out pretty scary (try to watch during daytime if you have a very weak heart >__<) however it turn out to be a meaningful and touching story behind it. It tells us there are always two sides in every situation and sometimes what you hear and see might not necessarily be the truth. The chemistry between So Ji Sub and Go Hyo Jin is splendid, both romantic and funny. I like the hand gesture of So Ji Sub when he commands Go Hyo Jin to ‘Get out’, it’s so cute! Their soundtrack is also pretty good; I absolutely love this drama!!

 

Around episode 11 to 12, Tae Gong Sil mentioned to Joo Joong Won a children's fairy tale story,

'One Stormy Night', about the relationship of a wolf and a goat. I am very curious if such a book really exist.....apparently there is a book by a Japanese author, Arashi no Yoru ni aka Stormy Night. I thought this story is really cute and it also kind of portray the relationship of Tae Gong Sil and Joo Joong Won. Arashi no Yoru ni (Stormy Night) is make into an animated film in 2005 (Oh...it brings back so many good memories...I used to love watching Japanese animated film as a kid ^^), those interested may watch it here.

 

 

Title: You Who Came From the Stars / My Love from the Stars / 별에서 온 그대
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Time travel, Melodrama, Sci-Fi
Broadcast Year: 2013/2014
Episodes: 21
Country: South Korea

A romantic Korean drama about an alien man who landed on Earth during the 17th-century Joseon Dynasty period, 400 years ago and fall in love with an actress from modern era.

Do Min Joon (Kim Soo Hyun) is an alien who possesses a perfect appearance and enhanced physical abilities in his vision, speed and hearing. He is also an university professor and He looks 20 years old. Although he holds a cynical view to human beings, but he gets involved in a sweet love story with actress Chun Song Yi (Jeon Ji Hyun).

You Who Came from The Stars (OST) is a beautiful drama with good viewership, both stars (Kim Soo Hyun and Jeon Ji Hyun ~ Come back to drama after 14 years) were previously work together in Korean movie, The Thieves.

Title: Cunning Single Lady / Sly and Single Again / 앙큼한 돌싱녀
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episode: 16
Broadcast Year: 2014
Country: South Korea

Synopsis:

A comedy romance drama about a woman, Na Ae Ra (Lee Min Jung) trying to start all over again with her ex-husband, Cha Jung Woo (Joo Sang Wook) upon learning that he becomes very rich after they divorced three years ago.

Life for Na Ae Ra has not been smooth sailing after her divorce, hence she focused on her appearance, believing that it will lead her to a better life. On the contrary, Cha Jung Woo becomes very wealthy and is a successful IT developer. Will Ae Ra be able to seduce Jung Woo to marry her again?

I have a great time watching Cunning Single Lady (Trailer), find it very entertaining and funny! I like most of the cast and the great chemistry between Lee Min Jung (I didn't know she can be so expressive ^^) and Joo Sang Wook (Like his manly smile). Some of the other characters in the drama such as Ae Ra's family, best friend, co-workers, Jung Woo's secretary (L's so cute!) are also very interesting and fun. A very happy and relax drama which I enjoyed from beginning to the end. OST; What Do I Do and Mirror Mirror, etc.

 

 

 

Title: Cheongdamdong Alice /청담동 앨리스
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: 2012/2013

Summary:

Han Se-kyung's (Moon Geun-young) personal motto is "L'effort est ma force (Hard work is my strength)" and she battles all sorts of hardships with an optimistic attitude. She enters every design contest she can apply to and finally gets hired at her dream job at an apparel company, only to find that she's the glorified errand girl for the president's wife. To make things worse, the boss's wife was once her high school classmate and rival, who was a worse student than Se-kyung, and now determined to make her life miserable.

So Se-kyung makes up her mind to marry a rich man and embarks on the project to become a "Cheongdam-dong daughter-in-law," an upscale, fashionable young lady who marries into the social upper crust in Cheongdam-dong (a small, insular, and particularly posh neighborhood in Seoul's Gangnam district).

The title is a word play on Alice in Wonderland, and refers to the heroine's fish-out-of-water status in said neighborhood, as she navigates the strange new world of designer clothes, gossip and consumerism. Se-kyung agrees to enter into a marriage, but what ensues is a "warm and cheerful story of finding real happiness.” (Credit: Wikipedia)

Comment:

"Killer Smile"

I was drawn to watch Cheongdamdong Alice by Park Shi Hoo because I have always liked him since watching him in Family’s Honour few years back. He is a very charismatic actor and I seriously like him more after watching him as Cha Seung Jo in Cheongdamdong Alice (he is cute when wearing spectacles, hee..) He successfully portray the delightful character of Cha Seung Jo in this drama and it really cracks me up a lot of times while watching his childish behaviour; such as switching to Korean dialect accent whenever he gets too agitated, enjoys going through the short lamp post in his office and gets revenge, the way he dances, etc.

"Emotion Bunnies"

I love how he will put on a cool front when he is in fact very smug or thrilled over something and talking to himself while analysing the possible outcome of a situation comically. The way he is trying to hide his true identity as Chairman from Han Se Kyung (Moon Geun Young) and his encounter with Secretary Moon and his doctor friend is also extremely hilarious!

Speaking of Moon Geun Young, she is really everlasting baby face; gosh, she looks just about the same when I first saw her in Autumn Tale more than a decade ago. The sentence I like most in Cheongdamdong Alice is the word Han Se Kyung said in the first episode, ‘L'effort est ma force’ ‘Hard work is my strength’. I find Seo Yoon Joo’s (So Yi Hyun) ‘strategy’ to hook a ‘big fish’ and source for a white rabbit rather interesting too. And not to mention the adorable emotion bunnies Han Se Kyung made for Cha Seung Jo, they were cute!

"Alice in the Wonderland"

Cha Seung Jo is such a dear that I cannot help feeling touched when he confess to Han Se Kyung all the petty stuff he done in order to revenge his ex-wife and dad. I was thinking how anyone can bear to deceive such a sincere and innocent guy? Of course, my heart broke for him when he discovered the deception. *sob* 

I liked the soundtrack from this drama, especially the two songs; It’s Okay by Luna and Every Single Day by Shower. The latter has a very happy tune, hmm...sounded a little like the thrilling sensation when hit a jackpot? LOL! Overall I am so glad the drama ended happily and it is a good closure for Cheongdamdong Alice!

 

Title: That Winter, The Wind Blows / 그 겨울, 바람이 분다
Genre: Melodrama, Romance
Board Cast Year: 2013
Episodes: 16

Summary:

A melodrama about a man and a blind woman who don’t believe in love.

Oh Young (Song Hye Kyo) lost her parents in an accident together with her sight and is a blind and lonely heiress to a large corporation.

Oh Soo (Jo In Sung) is a playboy gambler who lead in a meaningless life after being abandoned by his parents at an early age and his first love. In order to repay the huge debt, Oh Soo approach Oh Young for money but ends up falling in love with her….

 

  

Title: Heartless City / Cruel City / 무정도시

Genre: Thriller, Romance

Broadcast Year: 2013
Episodes: 20
Country: South Korea

Summary:

Heartless City is a drama about a police officer joining a gang as a spy to investigate a drug case.

Yoon Soo Min (Nam Gyu Ri) decided to find out who is her friend’s killer by being a undercover cop.

However, she end up falling in love with the drug lord, Jung Shi Hyun (Jung Kyung Ho) who might have something to do with her friend’s death.
 

Title: 7 Grade Civil Servant / 7급 공무원
Genre: Action, Romance, Comedy
Broadcast Year: 2013
Episodes: 20

Summary:

7 Grade Civil Servant is a romantic comedy about a spy couple who hides their true identity from each other. A drama about the love, friendship and internal department conflicts between national intelligence agents. The couple fall in love with each other while hiding their true identities.

Gil Ro (Joo Won) is a rich man's son who inspire to become a spy and works very hard towards his goal. Kim Seo Won (Choi Kang Hee) is a girl from poor background who works hard to support her family.

 

Title : Innocent Man / Nice Guy / 착한남자

Genre: Melodrama, Romance

Episodes: 20
Country: Korea

Broadcast Period: Year 2012

Summary:

A classic melodrama involving betrayal, revenge, and romance. The story is about Kang Ma Roo (Song Joong Ki), who gave up everything for the woman (Park Si Yeon) he loves only to be betrayed by her. To get revenge on his ex-girlfriend, he uses her step-daughter and successor to Taesang Group, Seo Eun Gi (Moon Chae Won). Unfortunately, she suffers brain damage and loss of memory after a car accident, and now Kang Ma Roo works to fix everything that went awry because of his blind sighted revenge and ends up fally in love with Seo Eun Gi. (Credit: Dramawiki)

Comment:

If you have not watch Korean drama Innocent Man, you should give it a shot! At least for me, I really like watching this drama. The leads are brilliant with strong characteristics and the storyline is spectacular! I have liked Song Joong Ki ever since I saw him in Will it Snow at Christmas in year 2009, at that time his role is quite minor as Han Ye Seul’s brother. Luckily they gave him better roles such as Sungkyunkwan Scandal and Innocent Man after that. Song Joong Ki’s character as Kang Ma Roo truly melted me with his flawless acting. I am quite surprised because his looks are endearing and more to pretty boy type especially when he is playing Running Man, hahaa...But he played the role of cold Kang Ma Roo who wants to seek revenge and injustice very well, you can really feel for him. I am impressed with his performance and glad that the series ended with a good note. From this drama I also realised Song Joong Ki is such a good kisser as well, LOL!

Moon Chae Won is also quite a good actress and I think they compliment each other in the series. The other thing I would like to comment is the song of the drama, I have no idea Song Joong Ki can sang so well, he is not only good in acting but also in singing! He sang the song ‘Really’ in Innocent Man and his voice is so soothing and clear. I am happy for Song Joong Ki as his performance is recognized with the awards he got from Innocent Man such as Top Excellence Award, Best Actor Award, Best Couple and Netizen’s Award for both him and Moon Chae Won. In my opinion, Innocent Man is one of the best Korean dramas I have watched and definitely look forward to Song Joong Ki’s upcoming shows in near future!

 

Title: Queen In Hyun’s Man

Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Total Episodes: 16
Country: Korea
Broadcast Year: 2012

Brief Summary:

Kim Boong Do (Ji Hyun Woo) is a scholar who had supported the reinstatement of Queen In Hyun when Jang heebin's schemes resulted in her being deposed and replaced as King Sukjong's queen consort. With the help of a spell when he is in going to be killed in a fight he travels 300 years into the future of modern Seoul and meets Choi Hee Jin (Yoo In Na), a no-name actress who is expecting a career renaissance through her role as Queen In Hyun in a TV drama. She helps him to know about the history of his time and change some events. After that they start to develop feelings for each other, but is it possible for them to have a successful relationship? (Credit: Dramawiki)

Comment: 

I recently saw in Korean entertainment news that Korean artist Ji Hyun Woo and Yoo In Na become a couple in real life after acting in the drama "Queen In Hyun's Man". That sparks my curiosity and I started watching the drama, it is really a very wonderful drama with excellent chemistry between the cute couple! 

There are recently quite a number of time travelling Korean dramas and Queen In Hyun’s Man is one of my personal favourites. I like the fact that this drama is not only all about romance but also tells us a little on the Korean history during the Joseon period, Queen In Hyun whom was the second Queen consort of King Sukjong of Joseon. The queen is one of the best known Queens of the Joseon Dynasty and her life has been portrayed in Korean historical dramas.

I enjoyed the chemistry between Ji Hyun Woo and Yoo In Na, it was fun when In Na’s character, Hee Jin teased Boong Do that kissing is a form of “goodbye gesture” in modern times and the feet stepping kiss. Not to mention Kim Boong Do's "10 steps of driving" while he memorised driving just to give Choi Hee Jin the car as a gift as he commented driving is easier than riding a horse!

I liked Yoo In Na's wardrobe in the drama, the dresses Yoo In Na wore is so pretty and feminine! ^_^

Their acting were so captivating and I feel like crying in the last few episodes when Boong Do had difficulty going back to modern times and both he and Hee Jin were helpless about it as they were 300 years apart! After watching this drama I feel that both Ji Hyun Woo and Yoo In Na will make a cute couple!

The couple eating spagatti at a restaurant, episode 15 (One of my favourite scenes from Queen In Hyun's Man.)