Screen Rant: 10 Classics from the 2000s

Avaliable on Viki, Kocowa - Han Hyo Joo

Avaliable on Viki - Choi Ji Woo

Avaliable on Viki, Kocowa - Lee Da Hae

The best part of this drama is getting to see the two leads very early in their careers. Song Hye Kyo is enchantingly lovely and surprisingly good at romantic comedy. Rain has s definite charisma, but he is a shockingly bad actor. But somehow, together, they sort of make this drama work. The plot is completely nonsensical, but I don't think that was ever the point.

Not available on streaming services - Kim Hee Sun

Watching this old school classic mostly to see a very young Kim Tae Hee & Choi Ji Woo.  They are both gorgeous and handle their roles adequately, but the male cast around them doesn't hold up their end nearly as well. The storyline is wildly implausible--and I mean WILDLY--and the production is pretty hokey by today's standards.  The OST is dominated by an annoying version of Ave Maria sung over an EDM track. There are some bright spots here and there, but this drama is pretty dumb.

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.

Avaliable on Viki, Kocowa, Apple TV - Go Hyun Jung

Avaliable on Viki, Kocowa - Lee Young Ae

Avaliable on Viki, Kocowa, Netflix, Prime, Tubi, AsianCrush, AppleTV - Lee Min Ho

[Bonus show added by 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.

[Bonus show added by bbchops]
Tears, angst, and more tears, but it is easy to see why Choi Ji Woo was such a big star in her prime. Her pouts and side-eyes are adorably cute. The story is pretty good, but it would have been better at 12 episodes as the break-up to make-up routine gets quite repetitive towards the end. The production quality is quite good and it's fun to see the younger versions of so many stars, despite the Hallyu 1.0 plot.