Since I last updated, quite a lot of events have taken place in my life. I assure you that every single one of them will have the honour of having their own blog post dedicated to them.
Some of the topics include:
NXNE Interactive
Anime North
Habitat Youth Coalition
Job cut at TPL
Grad school
Children’s Aid Society
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This blog post, however, is about my top favourite Korean dramas so far. This topic is much easier to write than the ones I have mentioned before, surprisingly or not.
I got into these back in 2010 while I was studying for my LSAT. At that time, it seemed like a great excuse to avoid studying. I know, not the brightest of the ideas but still. From June 2010 to June 2012, I must have watched quite a lot dramas, sacrificing my sleep and time for them. Only few of them are worth mentioning, in my humble opinion.
These are not in any particular order, whatever I can remember first.
1. Protect the Boss
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Image courtesy of ‘Dramawiki’
The drama is about No Eun Seol, who used to be a rebel when she was younger with a track record she cannot erase. Thus, even after graduating from College, she has a hard time landing a job. Finally, after an outburst at one of the interviews, she ends up becoming the secretary to a spoiled immature heir of a company, Cha Ji Heon.
Though, the drama does not deal with any new concept or storyline but the way the story has been presented is quite refreshing. The acting is top notch as well and the love rivals have a story of their own. It is quite cute with few glitches but nonetheless good waste of sixteen hours.
2. Dream High
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Image courtesy of ‘Dramawiki’
I prefer just the first season of this drama, though, I only watched the first episode of the second season, I didn’t like it very much. The drama is thought to bear resemblance to Glee but since I have not watched the latter, I can’t say much about it. DH is about six students at a music school who go through various ups and downs to realize their dream of becoming a well-known singer.
Most of the cast are real-life singers/idols, which might cause problems for some in terms of acting but they all do justice to their roles in my opinion. The sole serious actor out of the six, Kim Soo Hyun as Sam Dong, is the highlight of the show. He does not only act in the drama, but also dips his feet in singing and dancing. The way these characters interact, grow and ultimately succeed *spoiler I know* is quite entertaining to watch.
3. Shut Up: Flower Boy Band
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This is probably the most favourite drama of mine. I originally came across this drama through ‘L’, the dude second from right. He is a singer from the group Infinite. The name does not do any justice to the drama, which is why I think not many were tuned in. It started gaining popularity after a few episodes through word of mouth. Again, just like Dream High, it is a story about six boys who are in an underground rock band together. The only difference is that only a couple of them want to make it big. I won’t say who because it will spoil it for the ones who want to watch it.
The drama is, quite surprisingly, not as straightforward as one would think. Every episode leaves you on the edge. Maybe that’s why Sung Jong and Kwak Jung Wook took on this drama…or maybe not. The relationship between these boys is what kept me hooked to this drama. It is not a feel good friendship every step of the way. They all have their priorities and it takes them a while to realize that. The acting is not always the best due to few of them being singers and rookies but the story is well presented which allows you to overlook that.
4. My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (or ‘My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox’)
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As the name would suggest, this drama is fantasy one by the famous Hong sisters. Once you get into Korean dramas, that name will become more familiar to you. Their new drama ‘Big’ is going quite well as well, though I just have not got into it too much. Anyways, MGIG is about Cha Dae Woong who after running away from his grandfather, ends up accidentally freeing a nine-tailed fox from a painting. Been trapped for 500 years, she is a little out of tune with the real world but that is what makes her adorable.
Contrary to how she is portrayed in folk tales, Dae Woong discovers that Miho (what he ends up calling her) is quite naive and sweet. Her quest to become human is the main part of the story. If Korea’s dream boy Lee Seung Gi and Korea’s dream girl Shin Min Ah were not enough, Hong sisters bring aboard eye candy Na Min Woo as well. He used to be in Trax, a band from SM Entertainment, but left to pursue an acting career. It is a romantic comedy so there aren’t a lot of sad parts, which is good.
5. Boys Over Flowers
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Next up, we have the drama which brought in a lot of new Korean hallyu fans, including me. Now, this drama is not the best and the acting is quite questionable, more so than other dramas I have mentioned. It is based on a manga, which is known to be over the top, which is why I have overlooked all its flaws. Though, if you ever get a chance to watch the Japanese version, I am not quite sure if this version will appeal to you. I didn’t really like the Taiwanese version of this drama, or the Chinese version. There is a Thai version too which I have not gotten around to watching.
Anyways, why is this drama on my must-watch list when I am not all that fond of all the flaws in it. Well, because despite the flaws, I find myself going back to it. It is so bad that it is so good. The boys are definitely eye candies, and through this drama, I discovered my love for the group SS501. The leader from the group, Kim Hyun Joong, is one of the main guys in this drama. I hated his acting (he has gotten a little better in his next drama) but he is really good to look at and the group (who cameoed in the drama) have good vocals. Also, one of the other guys, Kim Joon’s (whose real name, Kim Hyung Joon, is similar to Kim Hyun Joong and totally the same as the youngest singer in SS501) group T-Max have really good vocals as well.
Yes, the music is the best of the drama. T-Max, SS501, SHINee and now disbanded A’ST1, along with other solo singers, provide really good music to the show.
6. City Hunter
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This drama is also based on a manga but the series is quite serious and not the typical shoju manga type. Though, I am not sure if this is even a shoju genre or maybe it’s shoujen. Anyways, it is about Lee Yoon Sung, played by Lee Min Ho, who is on a mission to kill five ministers in the Korean government. The reason being that his father was wrongly killed due these ministers actions. He is trained and manipulated by his adoptive father who was best friends with his blood father.
It would have been quite boring if this was simply a revenge drama. There is a lot more to it. Yoon Sung starts off with a revenge mission in his mind but slowly he realizes the real reason why these ministers should be removed from their position though not killed. It also deals with father-son issue as well as good vs. evil. In other words, despite being a hero, Yoon Sung is essentially an evil being. The way I say it does not do enough justice to the story but you’ll see once you watch it.
The way Lee Min Young is portrayed in this drama is quite good as well. It would have been quite dreadful if she was your typical heroine in an action flick. She is much more than that.
7. Smile, you
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I just finished this series. Truthfully, I didn’t watch every single episode since this series is 45 episodes long and I don’t have much patience. Though, I did end up watching most of it so I am proud of myself. It is a family drama with loveable leads. It is about Seo Jung who is the youngest child in a rich family, whose family suddenly ends up bankrupt. She is, thus, dumped by her husband after their wedding ceremony due to everyone finding out. Having no where to go and being quite angry at her family, she ends up at her family’s longtime chauffeur’s house. She is not the one who likes being pitied upon and learns to adjust herself in the new situation. Also, her family ends up losing their house and they arrive at the house as well.
The main lead actor, Jung Kyung Ho, who is in the army in real life right now, is extremely adorable. His character Kang Hyun Su, a well-educated individual, is the grandson of the chauffeur. Despite his education, he is a beta male. Seo Jung always have an upper hand in their relationship. Which is quite different to see. Though, the parents could be quite annoying, I really enjoyed this drama.
8. Holy Land
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Image courtesy of ‘Dramawiki’
If anyone knows me in real life or even in the online world, they know that I love the Korean group, U-Kiss. They and along with SS501 are what brought me to the Korean music world. So, it should come to no surprise that I ended up watching a drama which featured two of U-Kiss members. Dongho, the youngest member of the group, is the main character of this drama as seen in the poster, while Hoon is also an important part of it.
Again, this is also based on a manga and like other teenage dramas, it is also deals with coming of age. ‘Kang Yoo, a young boy who can’t get along with people at home or school. He starts learning the basics of boxing from a book, and one day he runs into some thugs and defends himself with his new boxing skills and since then he is called the “Hunter of Thugs”. He runs into Sang Ho by chance and Sang Ho becomes his mentor. All the while Kang Yoo pushes himself to find out who he really is.’ – Dramawiki
I think the way Dramawiki describes this drama is much more apt than how I would have. Unfortunately only, the first episode of this drama is subbed in English which is an hinderance but nonetheless even without subs it is quite good. It is not quite long either, just four episodes. The acting is quite good which is surprising since Dongho is a singer/idol. Though, to his credit, he does have a lot of acting experience so this is not a surprise.
9. White Christmas
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Just like Holy Land, this drama is a mini-series as well. Only eight episodes long, this series goes where rarely any Korean dramas like to go to. It is a psychological thriller where it initially starts off with the typical who did it story line but as it progresses, it develops into much more. It deals with the idea of is a monster born or bred, which is quite interesting, at least to me.
The drama is about an elite school attended top 1% of the students in Korea. During the annual Christmas break, their only time off in the whole year, couple of students stay behind along with a teacher. Joining them is a psychologist, who was involved in a car accident near the school and is seeking shelter. Sung Joon and Kwak Jung Wook, both of whom I mentioned above in Shut Up: Flower Boy Band are two of the main characters in this drama.
I am quite interested in psychology and I wish, if I didn’t have parental opposition, to have pursued a career in it. Murders, especially in a school setting, serial killers and other individuals who act out of behaviour are fascinating to me. I know to ‘normal’ people this may seem scary or uncommon but I am interested in finding out why they do what they do. Which is why I have ended up reading quite a few books on this topic and given myself numerous nightmares.
A side story to all this. In first year Sociology, we were in the midst of listening to our Professor in Con Hall, when suddenly all the doors on the first floor burst open and in came a couple of guys in underwear with face mask, yelling. Now, needless to say, every single student in that room was quite sure that we were all under attack. A friend of mine tried to pull all of us under the seat. That’s how scary it was. Turns out that Engineering students had nothing better to do so they decided to scare the living crap out of us. Ahh totally not something I would appreciate witnessing again…ever!
10. Love Rain
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Image courtesy of ‘Dramawiki’
Next up, we have got a love story. Well…most of the dramas I have mentioned are love stories but still. Truthfully, I didn’t start watching this drama till episode 10, so in reality, I have only seen six episodes. I will, one day, watch the rest but for now I have no time to do so. It is about a couple in 1970s who are in love but unfortunately have to separate. Thirty years later, they meet again only to realize that their kids are madly in love with each other. Not a unique story since I have seen this story in not only Korean dramas but also from other countries.
What attracted me to this drama wasn’t the love story between the parents but the kids. Maybe because I hadn’t watched the parents’ love story, I wasn’t too invested in their outcome. All I really cared about was if the two youngsters would end up together and how will they deal with this twist. I think the director and the writer did a good job with carrying out this story till the end and giving everyone an ending which was satisfactory. There are many times where the drama starts off really good but the ending is terrible. I have seen this happen in Korean dramas, Pakistani dramas, Taiwanese, Japanese, Indian, you name it. The ending matters a lot to me, which is why I always end up reading the last chapter of the book before I read everything else. I don’t care if not everyone ends up happy but the author or the writer needs to justify the ending properly.
11. Playful Kiss
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Last but not the least is another drama based on a manga. Notice how Asian dramas love to use manga stories. I guess it is just easier that way. This drama starred Kim Hyun Joong, who I mentioned above in Boys over Flowers. As I said above, he did improve his acting in this drama which is great but again he needs to work a little bit more on it.
The drama is about this high school girl who is madly in love with another student, while he does not care if she exists or not. They both end up living together because of some living arrangements determined by their parents. The changes in their characters overtime are very subtle, I think more than the Taiwanese version (which I absolutely love), the changes were more prominent in the drama. As in, that’s a good thing. Despite loving the T version, there were quite a few times where I was seriously mad at the lead characters. I still prefer the T version over this one but that does not mean I don’t like this drama. It is extremely cute and loveable. There is also a mini youtube series of it as well.
So what do you all think about these dramas? If you have never watched a Korean drama before, would you give one of these a try? Have you seen any of them before and what did you think of them?
I know that I don’t go too much in detail about these dramas but I hope this post provided an overview of them. As you may have figured out from, Korean dramas don’t really have a new story to present but there are quite a few dramas who bring about a different way of telling the story. This is what I love about them or rather what I love about any good drama from any country.
Do you have any drama you would like to recommend to me? It does not have to be from Korea or any of the Asian countries. I can watch any language, most of the time, I am quite okay without subs as well. All the Tamil movies I have watched were not subbed at all but I still loved them nonetheless.
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
