Hi Matt, I just finished watching this and really needed to share with someone and felt like you wrote exactly…
Glad you enjoyed the drama, it was one of my favourites! Jo Jung Suk is good in Oh My Ghostess - he plays a bossy chef and Park Bo Young (another favourite of mine) plays a timid part of his team who interacts with the ghost of a young girl who is desperate to hook up with a man... the end result quite funny in places and enjoyable in all the rest. What was really cool is that in a much later drama, Hi Bye Mama, the ghost girl and the Shamen who chases her feature in a small cameo as their characters from Oh My Ghostess (since the main character in HBM can see ghosts also) - I love that kind of thing :)
I completely agree. I decided to start following her after this and after watching some of her other dramas I…
First one I saw her in was Kill Me Heal Me and on the whole I thought she was somewhere between fine and good except for when she was screaming and that was just so over the top it was more annoying than anything. But, regardless, she's still someone i'll watch any drama with because she has a unique style and a unique personality - so whether it hits or misses, she will make it memorable one way or another. I definitely appreciate it when actors have a completely unique style :)
This was absolutely the perfect role for Hwang Jung Eum - if you've ever been put off by her style in other dramas don't let that stop you looking here, her style fits perfectly. Joined by an equally great cast and a rich and varied set of stories that traverse the wider arc, I really enjoyed this one.
It's a bit shorter but that kept it punchy and kept me looking forward to the next episode throughout.
Enjoy the music! Korean Drama's all have their own Original Sound Track (OST) with often some absolutely wonderful music from really talented artists. What steps it up another level is that the music will resonate with you more than normal because of how it's used in the show. There is an extremely close link in your brain between your Emotions and your Hearing. You'll find that sometimes even a year after watching a drama, you'll hear a song from it somewhere and you'll be filled with the emotions you felt while watching the drama, it's quite powerful.
It is not uncommon at all for me to be whistling and humming away the music from a drama weeks after I finished watching it!
I just got done watching Doctor John and I don't think the song "Pain or Death" by Samuel Seo is going to be leaving me for some time.
Started around a year ago now, my mum got me into it - she watches nothing but Asian dramas now - mostly Korean but also from other parts of Asia too. After Are you Human Too, Good Doctor and Strong Woman Bong Soon, which i watched with her, I was hooked and have barely watched Western TV since.
Tips...
The ones in this article are top notch, go back and read them again.
Step outside your comfort zone and watch all kinds of different genre's than you're used to - you'll get to see familiar actors doing unfamiliar roles and learn more about their talents, you'll find directors and actors you want to see more from and you'll discover new actors you hadn't appreciated as much or even been aware of before - then you go binge everything and anything by that actor / director :)
There are some characteristics in Asian dramas that can be off putting to western viewers like the so-called "wrist-grab". Learn to appreciate that it's a cultural difference, if you can't get over that, you're going to have a hard time.
As depicted in Drama's at least (I have no idea if this is realistic, I assume it is), Korean's are far less touchy-feely than westerners. Touch is a very personal thing, as is invading personal space even for something like a hug.
Korean's bow a lot. It's another thing that western viewers will find odd because we don't do it at all. In Korea it's significant, whether it's a nod of the head in acknowledgement, a 45 degree bow in respect, a 90 degree in deepest respect or apology, or if they go as far as getting on their knees you know things are bad. When a Korean gets on their knees in a public place to apologise, there's sharp intakes of breath!
Enjoy dramas that are all over Korea, don't just stick to Seoul - as marvellous as the capital is, there's an immense amount of beauty throughout the rest of Korea both with the environment and the people. Some of my favourite scenes have been out in the country living a simple life. Seoul has more like a recognisable western feel to it, I always feel more like i'm seeing a more real view of Korea when the dramas push out into the country.
Use MDL a lot! Use your plan to watch list to note all the shows that look appealing, note who the actors are that you're enjoying and then go hunting for more dramas by them and put those on your Plan to watch list as well. Use your "currently watching" to track what you're doing - i used to watch one show at a time and never watched anything currently broadcast because I didn't want to wait week after week... but now I really enjoy the fact that a show lasts 8 weeks so its story is a part of me for that much longer. Now I tend to have many shows on the go at once and tracking it would be a nightmare without MDL :) Read reviews, WRITE reviews, ask questions in the forums and enjoy the wonderful community here.
Many similar faces from my own favourites I have to say, some exceptionally talented ladies in kdrama land.
Kim So Hyun is absolutely one of my favourites, she wins at everything she puts her mind to whether it's a main role or a tiny guest role you instantly know it's her and for the scene(s) she's present, she's a main character regardless of what anyone else had in mind.
I've recently discovered Jang Na Ra - only seen her in one drama so far (Fated to Love You) but she's blown me away and i'm definitely keen to see her work in more dramas.
Lee Da Hee kills it in everything she does as well, she's another actress with a great presence, a must-watch for me if she's in the cast list. Search WWW, Beauty Inside, I heard your Voice are ones i've seen her in so far.
Chae Soo Bin - maybe controversial, I don't know, but I adore watching her. Piece of your mind, where stars land, im not a robot (and more) - she can do the comic role (not a robot) to the mix (where stars land) to the more traditional romantic (piece of your mind) and everything between. Strongest Deliveryman she had another different character that was a strong female and again she pulled it off. She has a unique voice and style and is instantly recognisable.
Someone should put a list of the >40's Ajumma Actresses that are top of peoples lists, there are some amazing older actresses who are just as likely to bump a drama to the top of a watch list like Jin Kyung (dr romantic and many more) and Kim Mi Kyung (Healer and so many more). Kim Mi Kyung turns up in a drama i'm watching and mentally i've already rated it up :)
Thanks for the article - a few dramas there I clearly need to get on my PTW, so thank you for that :)
I literally found a new love for music through kdrama sound tracks. Ive never been that into music, i can never find something i want to listen to and if i do i play it so much that i get tired of it quickly. Since getting to know kdrama sound tracks i now have music i can easily just play and let run for hours at a time!
Two things make it stand out for me. One is that when i listen to english music lyrics my brain focuses on it and i just cant do anything else, ive tried working with music on and its hopeless. But with ost i can work away no problem, as i cant understand korean yet :)
Second one is that ost music has a second dimension to it that most dont, because having watched the drama and felt emotions, built memories while it was playing at various points, the music draws those feelings back as it plays.
Ive gone from someone who is meh on music to someone who listens carefully for it and enjoys it so much. All thanks to kdrama :)
Great article and a few more dramas to add to my ptw :) thanks!
I honestly don't mind the product placements, if anything I find it adds an amusing element even if out of context and not in keeping with the mood at the time I do look forward to my CEO's and Chairpersons busting out the Dyson for a spot of vacuuming! Sometimes it is a bit relentless but overall I still prefer it to stopping every while to watch an advert break of utterly irrelevant stuff that I definitely am not interested in. Even stuff like Makeup (of which, other than perhaps buying for my wife, is not something I am a personal user of!) - i'd rather see it in context in a drama being applied, than the usual arty nonsense that tells me precisely nothing in the average stand-alone advert.
What we need is to start the international sport of "Product Placement Bingo", make even a mediocre drama into a fun time as you try and cross off the product placements as the show airs!
Love triangles - love-hate relationship with them. I don't blanket dislike love triangles, but it depends how they're written and used. If it's PURELY to provide melodrama then it's a bit frustrating and there's obvious cases where the second is really just there to be abused by the writers. There's others though like Jealousy Incarnate where there were two good male leads and I found that I wasn't thinking "omg the second is going to disruipt things again" as much as not really minding which way things went, and enjoying the ride.
The wrist grab, yeah, no thanks. For that matter any kind of generally wierd masculine display of strength over the woman is just not doing it for me and I agree, be nice for more women in the dramas to be putting these people in their place instead of accepting it.
Speaking in English - im hit and miss on that. In Oh My venus, Henry Lau's character alternates between a broad american English accent and his Korean accent almost every other word and initially I found it hugely annoying but as I grew to appreciate the eccentricities of his character through the drama I just accepted it as part of that and actually found it more amusing than anything as time went on. But yes - one person speaking english while the other replies in Korean or vice versa is just weird.
Brilliant Article - i've not seen it yet myself but know of it and the outline story and have also wondered if this would be a good modern day/joseon mix up - and I love the cast you've chosen, some of my favourites in there and ideal for the roles you've picked.
We need to write to all the major studios and be the change we seek! :)
Thanks for taking what must have been a long time to research and write this!
This was one of my favourite dramas too - I watched it early on in my history of watching KDrama. I enjoy watching Lee Jong Suk (who doesnt?) but one of the most interesting things for me was this was the first drama I saw with an older woman in it and it made me see that Kdrama wasn't going to be all about barely-out-of-teens all the time, which I loved (as an older person myself).
Loved your article, very nice friendship you have going there and I hope it continues for a long time, along with both of your loves for KDrama and MDL :)
I'm loving this drama, I like that occasionally metal health is addressed in dramas and we get to see the professionals in this field at work, but even beyond that, this show highlights that even the doctors need help, "we're all sick", as they say in the show.
Without going into any details, I recognise many of the traits exhibited by Han Woo Joo and it's equal parts good and difficult to watch having someone close with her own issues (though not BPD). The rapid mood swings, the soaring highs, the cavernous lows, self blame, over confidence, lack of confidence, every extreme there is and some times seconds apart from each other. It just all rings true.
If anything, this drama is helping me understand her more, although she's been treated for many years now and worlds apart from how she was I should add.
Thanks again, I do hope you continue to enjoy the story :)
Really enjoying this - Jung So Min is absolutely nailing her character perfectly, seeing her go from bouncing with joy to the depths of anger and frustration in almost literally seconds, super highs with super lows - living with someone who is similarly (but not exactly) afflicted, it's all too familiar.
Yeah, I really loved Chae Soo Bin in that. It was like she was made to play that role. I feel like this was the…
I'm going to put it on my "currently watching" just to make sure it's the next one I watch :) And no - the moment I saw a title I didn't recognise I skipped it to avoid any spoilers - if you say it's good, that's good enough for me, don't need the detail! :)
Really good list - 4/5 of these i've seen and agree - I think I missed something about how Something in the Rain concluded because it felt wrong to me - but at least one commenter on my review has highlighted it and i'm going to re-watch to see what I missed because otherwise it was probably one of my all time favourites too.
I'm also REALLY glad to see another person rating A Piece of your Mind highly, I really enjoyed this one, it was different, original, as you say it tackled things we've not seen done well before like unrequited love. Gutted it was cut short. As far as the device is concerned... sometimes you just have to give it the benefit of the doubt and enjoy the story built up around it, and as much as I could pick it apart technically for hours (I studied AI at uni, and have worked in software and hardware engineering for 25 years) - that's just irrelevant nonsense, there's be no such thing as science fiction without a "yeah, but what if it COULD be done" device. I found it easy to ignore the detail, and relax and enjoy what the story. It was also really good to see Chae Soo Bin in a bit of a different role to her normal more light hearted roles.
One on your list i've not seen, Secret Love Affair, and it'll be going on my ever-increasing watch list right after I press "Post" on this comment :)
There are some really nice touches in this drama and i'm really enjoying it. One from one of the more recent episodes (not a spoiler don't worry) is where in the 90's they are somewhere that has a platform and railway tracks. In modern day, they return, and this time it's a road and the railway is long gone - but it's still clearly the same place. Nothing marks a change in time than major changes like this.
I'm really enjoying the "two stories" element to this, it's not just the usual romance story about the young couple, but what happens much later in their lives.
Great article - and yes, it's a definite watch for me and recommended so far to anyone else to take a look too :)
"I Hope it's Me" from Black Knight - something about the moment the base line comes in triggers me and it's lump in throat time, brings back all the emotions from when I watched the show.
The Crash Landing on You title - this one isn't so much about the sadness of any moment in the show, but more a general sadness that I miss when it was on and the excitement of each new episode, when this one comes on I just miss the show even more! Actually, when "Flower" comes on from the same soundtrack, same response.
"Can you see my heart" from Hotel Del Luna - possibly same as with Crash Landing, just a general soft and sad tone to it makes me recall the show and how much I enjoyed it, and miss the characters. So many good tracks on this OST.
Flipped on the other side though - Jess Penners "Sweeter" from Angels Last Mission, All About from the Masters Sun OST, and A Much Better Tomorrow from About Time - they'll all flip my mood to happy extremely quickly when they come on, such upbeat music!
It's a bit shorter but that kept it punchy and kept me looking forward to the next episode throughout.
Enjoy the music! Korean Drama's all have their own Original Sound Track (OST) with often some absolutely wonderful music from really talented artists. What steps it up another level is that the music will resonate with you more than normal because of how it's used in the show. There is an extremely close link in your brain between your Emotions and your Hearing. You'll find that sometimes even a year after watching a drama, you'll hear a song from it somewhere and you'll be filled with the emotions you felt while watching the drama, it's quite powerful.
It is not uncommon at all for me to be whistling and humming away the music from a drama weeks after I finished watching it!
I just got done watching Doctor John and I don't think the song "Pain or Death" by Samuel Seo is going to be leaving me for some time.
Tips...
The ones in this article are top notch, go back and read them again.
Step outside your comfort zone and watch all kinds of different genre's than you're used to - you'll get to see familiar actors doing unfamiliar roles and learn more about their talents, you'll find directors and actors you want to see more from and you'll discover new actors you hadn't appreciated as much or even been aware of before - then you go binge everything and anything by that actor / director :)
There are some characteristics in Asian dramas that can be off putting to western viewers like the so-called "wrist-grab". Learn to appreciate that it's a cultural difference, if you can't get over that, you're going to have a hard time.
As depicted in Drama's at least (I have no idea if this is realistic, I assume it is), Korean's are far less touchy-feely than westerners. Touch is a very personal thing, as is invading personal space even for something like a hug.
Korean's bow a lot. It's another thing that western viewers will find odd because we don't do it at all. In Korea it's significant, whether it's a nod of the head in acknowledgement, a 45 degree bow in respect, a 90 degree in deepest respect or apology, or if they go as far as getting on their knees you know things are bad. When a Korean gets on their knees in a public place to apologise, there's sharp intakes of breath!
Enjoy dramas that are all over Korea, don't just stick to Seoul - as marvellous as the capital is, there's an immense amount of beauty throughout the rest of Korea both with the environment and the people. Some of my favourite scenes have been out in the country living a simple life. Seoul has more like a recognisable western feel to it, I always feel more like i'm seeing a more real view of Korea when the dramas push out into the country.
Use MDL a lot! Use your plan to watch list to note all the shows that look appealing, note who the actors are that you're enjoying and then go hunting for more dramas by them and put those on your Plan to watch list as well. Use your "currently watching" to track what you're doing - i used to watch one show at a time and never watched anything currently broadcast because I didn't want to wait week after week... but now I really enjoy the fact that a show lasts 8 weeks so its story is a part of me for that much longer. Now I tend to have many shows on the go at once and tracking it would be a nightmare without MDL :) Read reviews, WRITE reviews, ask questions in the forums and enjoy the wonderful community here.
That's my thoughts anyway :)
Enjoy Korean Drama!!
Kim So Hyun is absolutely one of my favourites, she wins at everything she puts her mind to whether it's a main role or a tiny guest role you instantly know it's her and for the scene(s) she's present, she's a main character regardless of what anyone else had in mind.
I've recently discovered Jang Na Ra - only seen her in one drama so far (Fated to Love You) but she's blown me away and i'm definitely keen to see her work in more dramas.
Lee Da Hee kills it in everything she does as well, she's another actress with a great presence, a must-watch for me if she's in the cast list. Search WWW, Beauty Inside, I heard your Voice are ones i've seen her in so far.
Chae Soo Bin - maybe controversial, I don't know, but I adore watching her. Piece of your mind, where stars land, im not a robot (and more) - she can do the comic role (not a robot) to the mix (where stars land) to the more traditional romantic (piece of your mind) and everything between. Strongest Deliveryman she had another different character that was a strong female and again she pulled it off. She has a unique voice and style and is instantly recognisable.
Someone should put a list of the >40's Ajumma Actresses that are top of peoples lists, there are some amazing older actresses who are just as likely to bump a drama to the top of a watch list like Jin Kyung (dr romantic and many more) and Kim Mi Kyung (Healer and so many more). Kim Mi Kyung turns up in a drama i'm watching and mentally i've already rated it up :)
Thanks for the article - a few dramas there I clearly need to get on my PTW, so thank you for that :)
Two things make it stand out for me. One is that when i listen to english music lyrics my brain focuses on it and i just cant do anything else, ive tried working with music on and its hopeless. But with ost i can work away no problem, as i cant understand korean yet :)
Second one is that ost music has a second dimension to it that most dont, because having watched the drama and felt emotions, built memories while it was playing at various points, the music draws those feelings back as it plays.
Ive gone from someone who is meh on music to someone who listens carefully for it and enjoys it so much. All thanks to kdrama :)
Great article and a few more dramas to add to my ptw :) thanks!
What we need is to start the international sport of "Product Placement Bingo", make even a mediocre drama into a fun time as you try and cross off the product placements as the show airs!
Love triangles - love-hate relationship with them. I don't blanket dislike love triangles, but it depends how they're written and used. If it's PURELY to provide melodrama then it's a bit frustrating and there's obvious cases where the second is really just there to be abused by the writers. There's others though like Jealousy Incarnate where there were two good male leads and I found that I wasn't thinking "omg the second is going to disruipt things again" as much as not really minding which way things went, and enjoying the ride.
The wrist grab, yeah, no thanks. For that matter any kind of generally wierd masculine display of strength over the woman is just not doing it for me and I agree, be nice for more women in the dramas to be putting these people in their place instead of accepting it.
Speaking in English - im hit and miss on that. In Oh My venus, Henry Lau's character alternates between a broad american English accent and his Korean accent almost every other word and initially I found it hugely annoying but as I grew to appreciate the eccentricities of his character through the drama I just accepted it as part of that and actually found it more amusing than anything as time went on. But yes - one person speaking english while the other replies in Korean or vice versa is just weird.
Totally agree, this is my favourite drama easily of 2020 possibly more and I thought Crash Landing would be a tough act to beat.
Thanks for the article!
We need to write to all the major studios and be the change we seek! :)
Thanks for taking what must have been a long time to research and write this!
I take that to mean I'm a noble, stoic and unhappy idiot, but that's ok, because i'm optimistic. Actually not a million miles off hahah :)
Good fun though :) thanks!
Loved your article, very nice friendship you have going there and I hope it continues for a long time, along with both of your loves for KDrama and MDL :)
I'm loving this drama, I like that occasionally metal health is addressed in dramas and we get to see the professionals in this field at work, but even beyond that, this show highlights that even the doctors need help, "we're all sick", as they say in the show.
Without going into any details, I recognise many of the traits exhibited by Han Woo Joo and it's equal parts good and difficult to watch having someone close with her own issues (though not BPD). The rapid mood swings, the soaring highs, the cavernous lows, self blame, over confidence, lack of confidence, every extreme there is and some times seconds apart from each other. It just all rings true.
If anything, this drama is helping me understand her more, although she's been treated for many years now and worlds apart from how she was I should add.
Thanks again, I do hope you continue to enjoy the story :)
I'm also REALLY glad to see another person rating A Piece of your Mind highly, I really enjoyed this one, it was different, original, as you say it tackled things we've not seen done well before like unrequited love. Gutted it was cut short. As far as the device is concerned... sometimes you just have to give it the benefit of the doubt and enjoy the story built up around it, and as much as I could pick it apart technically for hours (I studied AI at uni, and have worked in software and hardware engineering for 25 years) - that's just irrelevant nonsense, there's be no such thing as science fiction without a "yeah, but what if it COULD be done" device. I found it easy to ignore the detail, and relax and enjoy what the story. It was also really good to see Chae Soo Bin in a bit of a different role to her normal more light hearted roles.
One on your list i've not seen, Secret Love Affair, and it'll be going on my ever-increasing watch list right after I press "Post" on this comment :)
Thank you for the article, very nice to read!
I'm really enjoying the "two stories" element to this, it's not just the usual romance story about the young couple, but what happens much later in their lives.
Great article - and yes, it's a definite watch for me and recommended so far to anyone else to take a look too :)
The Crash Landing on You title - this one isn't so much about the sadness of any moment in the show, but more a general sadness that I miss when it was on and the excitement of each new episode, when this one comes on I just miss the show even more! Actually, when "Flower" comes on from the same soundtrack, same response.
"Can you see my heart" from Hotel Del Luna - possibly same as with Crash Landing, just a general soft and sad tone to it makes me recall the show and how much I enjoyed it, and miss the characters. So many good tracks on this OST.
Flipped on the other side though - Jess Penners "Sweeter" from Angels Last Mission, All About from the Masters Sun OST, and A Much Better Tomorrow from About Time - they'll all flip my mood to happy extremely quickly when they come on, such upbeat music!