manicmuse: K-Drama 10s

Seo Hyun Jin plays a 30-something wallflower's whose happiness is foiled by her old high school nemesis and namesake (Jeon Hye Bin). Well done all around. Interesting reverse déjà vu plot device has the male lead (Eric Mun) able to see into the future in a way that seemed almost plausible. (Almost!) Nemesis is drop dead gorgeous and surprisingly more interesting than she first seems. Very good story. Very good cast. Loved it!

Author, a vet, and a ghost, a typewriter and a gold watch, a lot of time travel, and pretty good story. It gets off to a VERY slow start, but picks up steam as it rolls along. The girl (Lim Soo Jung) and the ghost (Go Kyung Pyo) are perfect. The author (Yoo Ah In) is such a stinker that you want to smack him. Still worth a watch.

A gender/bender only for those who are interested in that sub-genre. I'm not particularly a fan but while I felt that the story could have been so much better, the leads kept me engaged as it rolled along. Not great, but well better than average.

Available on Viki:
https://www.viki.com/tv/37211c-empress-ki

Ha Ji Won, Ji Chang Wook

Pretty darn cute. 

Three broken lives find healing in one another in a kind of Tim Burton meets K Drama story. IMHO, this is the gold standard of K Dramas. The part of Ko Moon Young is delightfully written, and Seo Ye Ji absolutely kills it. She is so perfect for the part it is impossible to imagine anyone else doing it. Months later, I still laugh just thinking about her antics. What a great cast! What a fun story! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

Stellar cast and great script make for a very enjoyable drama. It could've been shortened to 20 episodes without hurting anything as it drags a bit and gets a tiny bit repetitive around episode 20. This is Gong Hyo Jin at her finest in a plucky, girl next door role.

Wild spin on Beauty and the Beast. Lots of tropes in this one--amnesia, fated love via childhood link, chaebol guy/poor girl, etc--but nothing feels too forced. (Tropes well done, I guess.) The cast is quite good and the three leads have great chemistry. The production value is a little old school, but don't let that put you off. Highly recommend!

I almost dropped this one after two episodes. The very idea that the fiercest marshal artist in the North Korean army (Ha Ji Won) could act like a schoolgirl when it comes to love was simply too much. But I stuck with it for a couple of more episodes and got hooked. This is a cartoon fantasy brought to life. The palace guard (Jo Jung Suk) is dressed in nutcracker uniforms and the James Bond-like villain is completely over the top. Nothing makes much sense if you dig too deep, but it is a heartwarming story, well told.

Sweet story with enough plot inconsistencies to make it frustrating.  Hang Jung Eum is adorable, quirky and vulnerable as Bo Nui, who puts her life on hold to take care of her bed-ridden sister.  Ryu Joon Yeol plays the wooden, seemingly autistic (or aspergers-stricken) male lead who is brought to life by Bo Nui. (Not really a fan of this trope.) Despite its issues, this one was pleasant enough to be worth a watch.

Riveting chaebol revenge drama with so many twists and turns it will make your head swim. But despite its complexity, the story holds together quite well. Nevertheless, it is ultimately exhausting to watch. I went into the drama cold and at the end of episode 16 things looked to be wrapping up like every other 16 episode drama, but no! I HAD 8 MORE EPISODES TO GO! I didn't think my heart could take any more so skipped ahead to the last episode to see who lived, who died, and how things ultimately resolved. Unfortunately, it was like licking the icing of a good chocolate cake. I got a taste of it, but without watching the final 8 episodes I had missed all the best parts. EESH! So I buckled down and watched the final eight episodes, and I'm glad I did. And I ended up watching the final episode two more times before deciding it ended the only way it could. Kudos to the writer for that. I'm not a huge fan of chaebols, revenge, intrigue, mindless violence, etc--It's just not my cup of tea--but it is a great example of the genre. I was going to rate it a bit lower, but I must confess the characters have stuck with me much longer than most dramas I've watched. (FOOTNOTE: I wonder what Lee Mi Sook is like in real life, because her character is scary as hell in this one. It tickles me to imagine she might be a lot of fun at parties.)

Not currently available on streaming services in the US
Lee Bo Young, Go Bo Gyeol 

bbchops:
The production values (lighting, sound, costumes) of the this 2005 K-drama aren't quite up to today's standards, and it was a bit off-putting at first. I almost back-burnered show after the first episode or two, but there was something about it that dragged me in and I'm glad. Kim Sun Ah plays the chubby, lovelorn Kim Sam Soon and is absolutely brilliant. A *very* young (22 or 23?) Hyun Bin plays her love interest, Hyun Jin Heon. His acting chops aren't up to Kim Sun Ah's, but he carries his part well enough and I found his round, baby-face and wild hair somewhat amusing to see in light of how strikingly handsome a man he has grown up to be. The supporting actors are mostly terrific too. I especially loved the hilarious interactions between the Chef Lee Hyun Moo (Kwon Hae Hyo) and Sam Soon's sister Yi Young (Lee Ah Hyun). This is a great story, well told. The dialog is sharp and witty, often laugh-out-loud funny. For fans of K-drama, this should definitely be on your "must see" list.

Very good, not great. The plot gets a bit far-fetched in places, but Park Shin Hye and Lee Jung Suk have good chemistry and carry their loads quite well.  Jin Kyung and Kim Hae Sook are wonderful foils for the young idealists.

Available on Viki here:
https://www.viki.com/tv/35042c-queen-for-seven-days

Park Min Young, Go Bo Gyeol

With Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won in the lead, expectations run very high for this K-drama. Fortunately, our expectations are met in spades. What a great show! Great performances all around! Great fun! This is an absolute must see. (Look for Son Ye Jin's cameo in episode 20!)

Available on Netflix:
https://www.netflix.com/title/81040344

Available on Viki here:
https://www.viki.com/tv/38551c-the-nokdu-flower

There is a lot to like about this drama, but it feels a bit dated. The overall production feels like a late 60s American western, but with spectacularly crisp video, vibrant colors, and an absurdly good-looking cast. The story strains belief in a lot of places, but it is enjoyable enough if you roll with it. Moon Chae Won has all the best lines in the beginning, and she does a great job portraying the feisty Lee Se Ryung. However, the feistiness gives way to a disappointingly duller, doe-eyed helplessness towards the end, and MCW's acting fades with the character.  Fun tip: Look for the gorgeous Lee El playing the villain's favorite courtesan.

Easily one of the best kdramas I've ever seen. I found it riveting, shocking, moving. Jung So Min and Seo In Guk as Yoo Jin Kang and Kim Moo Young have a fabulous chemistry that rips the heart right out of you. Park Sung Woong is also terrific as Yoo Jin Kang's brother, Yoo Jin Gook. In most kdramas you can see the ending almost before it gets underway. Not so here. Don't read anything about this one before you see it. Let it roll over you episode by episode and enjoy kdrama at its absolute finest.

Seriously fun, ridiculously guilty pleasure. This is not a true historical drama. It is a complete work of fiction in a Joseon historical setting. The gender swap is completely unbelievable, but the leads are so likeable that it is impossible not to go along with it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, despite its flaws.

Campy fun. Production value is over the top. Mostly A List cast. Song Joong Ki is perfect as Vincenzo. Relative newcomer Jeon Yeo Been handles the FL quite well, and their chemistry is quite good.  The story is a little all over the place, and cartoonish in many places. Is Thriller/Romantic Comedy a genre? If so, then this is it.