'Start-Up' Probably Has the GOAT of Second Leads (A Very Late Review)

I was greatly looking forward to watching Start-Up ever since I learned that it was being made – which was way back in 2019, when it was still under the working title of Sandbox (in my opinion, Sandbox is a more interesting title.  They should have stuck with it).  But it wasn’t the casting and pairing of Suzy Bae (While You Were Sleeping, Vagabond) and Nam Joo-hyuk (Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo) that hyped it up for me.  It was because Park Hye-ryun – my favorite K-drama writer, by virtue of writing some of the best I’ve watched (I Hear Your Voice, Pinocchio, While You Were Sleeping) – wrote the script.

'Itaewon Class' Could Have Been Something Really Special If It Hadn't Lost Steam; Still Fun, Though

Itaewon Class centers on an ex-convict named Park Sae-ro-yi (Park Seo-joon), who vows revenge against Jang Dae-hee (Yoo Jae-myung), the proud, powerful, and ruthless CEO of Jangga, the largest food conglomerate in South Korea; and his spoiled, cruel, cowardly son Jang Geun-won (Ahn Bo-hyun).  The 16-episode series takes place in a span of around 15 years, wherein Sae-ro-yi plays the long game – starting from the bottom, and gradually working his way toward obtaining the resources and power that he would need – in order to realize his life goal.

'Crash Landing on You' Is Arguably the Ultimate K-Drama

Crash Landing on You is the most recent K-drama blockbuster.  It’s about a South Korean chaebol heiress named Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) who is blown toward the North Korean side of the border by a sudden weather disturbance while she’s paragliding.  While hanging on a tree, she’s discovered by a captain in the North Korean Army named Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin) who’s patrolling the area with his squad.  While he mulls of surrendering her to the proper authorities, he eventually takes pity on her.  He decides to shelter and protect her, while he and his squad try to figure out how to send her home.  Despite their differences, Captain Ri and Se-ri begin to fall in love with each other over time.

'Extraordinary You' Is a Delightful Existential Rom-Com

Extraordinary You is the kind of K-drama you would love to go into blind.  The first four episodes are executed in a way where the premise gradually unfolds to the viewer in a delightful series of twists-and-turns.  Going in, I already know what it was going to be about, but I still had a blast.  How much more if I knew nothing about it and had my mind constantly blown away during those first few episodes?  Thus, if you are reading this and don’t know anything about this show yet, I recommend that you stop reading and just jump right into it.  Without knowing anything, you may probably be confused of what’s going on at first.  But it really gets rewarding in the end (at least, as far as those first four episodes go).

The 32-episode series is mostly set in a prestigious private academy for rich kids, and follows Eun Dan-oh (Kim Hye-yoon), an heiress who is suffering from a heart disease.  Her character is initially set up as if she’s just another lead heroine of a typical high school drama – the kind where a collection of pretty boys have to vie for her love.  In this story’s case, these “pretty boys” are known as “A3” (Kim Young-dae, Jung Gun-joo, and Lee Jae-wook) – a trio of rich, popular, talented, athletic, smart, handsome boys who basically rule the school and whom every female student is fawning over.  Yep, they are essentially an analogue of F4, and the show seems to be a Meteor Garden/Boys Over Flowers/Hana Yori Dango derivative.  (From here onward, this article will get a bit spoiler-y.)

'Vagabond' Is Average yet Addicting

While watching the trailer for Vagabond, I thought it was a movie.  It had that cinematic quality to it.  It was only by the end of the trailer when it was made clear to me that it was a TV series.  It was a very well-presented trailer that it utterly convinced me to follow the show once it starts airing.

Vagabond centers on Cha Dal-gun (Lee Seung-gi), a stuntman who has taken upon himself the responsibility of raising his nephew Cha Hoon.  Though making ends meet is a continuous struggle, life between them is full of joy and love.  But when the plane Hoon is riding on to Morocco for a school trip crashes under shady circumstances, Dal-gun is left devastated.  Then, he finds a clue that makes him suspect foul play, leading him to become obsessed with finding the truth behind the B357 plane crash that killed its 211 passengers and bringing those responsible to justice.  This crusade eventually pits him against secret terrorist organizations, powerful corporations, deadly spooks, and corrupt government officials.  Fortunately for Dal-gun, he gains an ally in National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent Go Hae-ri (Suzy Bae).

My 5 Most Favorite K-Drama Series

Five years ago, I picked up my very first K-drama series.  And from then on, K-drama has been part of my pop culture diet (I’ve seen 21 so far, and wrote full reviews for all of them, except for Pinocchio, which I just gave a mention in a mid-year TV rankings post).

So, in commemoration of five years of K-drama fandom, let me present my “Big 5” – i.e. my five most favorite K-drama series of the past five years – enumerated in ascending order...

While You Were Sleeping

Click here for my full review.

I Extremely ❤ 'Romance Is a Bonus Book'

Romance Is a Bonus Book tells the story of long-time best friends Kang Dan-i (Lee Na-young) and Cha Eun-ho (Lee Jong-suk).  When they were kids, the former saved the latter from being hit by a car, and was the one who got hit instead.  The injuries kept her away from school for a year, but while recuperating in the hospital, the grateful boy would constantly visit her.  From then on, the two have been like big sister and little brother.

'Queen of Mystery 2' Does Not Live Up to the Original Series

Queen of Mystery 2 is the sequel to the last year’s Queen of Mystery, a K-drama spin on the Sherlock Holmes-Dr. John Watson formula, where in this case, “Sherlock” is Seol-ok, an ajumma who loves solving mysteries, and “Watson” is Wan-seung, a rugged police detective.  This follow-up series, with 16 fresh episodes, picks up some time after the previous series.  Seol-ok is now divorced, and is aspiring of getting into the police academy.  Meanwhile, she still helps Wan-seung, who has transferred to a different station, in his cases.

'While You Were Sleeping' Settles It: Park Hye-Ryun Is My Favorite K-Drama Writer

While You Were Sleeping tells the story of a reporter named Nam Hong-joo (Bae Suzy), who has the ability to dream of future events since she was a kid.  She is frustrated that, despite foreknowing tragedies before they can happen, she is unable to stop them.   One day, a rookie prosecutor named Jung Jae-chan (Lee Jong-suk) moves into the neighborhood.  The two start off on the wrong foot, which result to them becoming irked with each other.  However, soon, Jae-chan and Nam Hong-joo become friends and begin utilizing the ability of seeing the future through dreams in order to solve cases.  And along the way, as usual from K-dramas, a romance blossoms between the two.

'Suspicious Partner' Is a Papa John's Commercial Disguised as a Cute Romantic Comedy/Legal Thriller

The very first thing that made me take notice of Suspicious Partner (also known as Love in Trouble) is the playfully adorable girls on its poster (see above).  However, though they are attractive, those two actresses – Nam Ji-jyun and Kwon Nara – don’t quite command the same charm and loveliness on the actual screen as they do in that poster.  Kudos to whoever is responsible for crafting it.  It’s stirringly eye-catching.

But the main reason that made me decide to watch Suspicious Partner is Ji Chang-wook.  Prior to this, I had previously seen two K-drama series of his: Healer and The K2.  He was good in both of them, but I didn’t find him very arresting at all.  Then I saw the film Fabricated City, and I was tremendously impressed of his brilliant acting – I became kind of a fan.  He’s mostly well-known for playing characters who do martial arts, so it was interesting to see how he would fare in a non-action role in Suspicious Partner.

'Queen of Mystery' Reimagines Sherlock Holmes as a Korean Housewife

Queen of Mystery, or Mystery Queen, is a K-drama series revolving around Yoo Seol-ok (Choi Kang-hee), a prosecutor’s wife whose lifelong dream is to become a police detective.  Hence, she likes investigative TV shows and mystery novels, and has been extensively reading and researching about anything relating to crime-solving.  All these help her in becoming a keen, intelligent lady detective.  However, she is unable to pursue her passion due to her demanding mother-in-law, who tends to underestimate her and expects her to focus on being a good housewife.  But after impressing a young police substation chief with her skills, she starts assisting him in a couple of petty cases around the neighborhood – unbeknownst to her mother-in-law, of course.  This leads her to cross paths with a rugged police detective named Ha Wan-seung (Kwon Sang-woo).  They start off as clashing rivals, but they eventually work together on solving mysteries.

'The Legend of the Blue Sea' Works Wonderfully Despite Its Cheesy Romance and Problematic Writing

The Legend of the Blue Sea, the latest “big-event” K-drama, has just ended.  It got 20 episodes, and that only happens when a K-drama is getting much hype and ratings.  The assumption is that a K-drama must be pretty remarkable and immensely enjoyable for getting 20 episodes.  I personally find that’s not necessarily case. Sometimes, it is; sometimes, it’s not.  Fortunately, The Legend of the Blue Sea is justified enough to belong to the former category.

Scene Analysis Illustrating the Excellent Comedy of 'Weightlifting Fairy Kim Book-joo'

I love Weightlifting Fairy Kim Book-joo.  It’s an excellent romantic comedy that successfully brings the cuteness, the feels, the kilig, and the laughs.  Indeed, as effortlessly as it develops and tells a genuinely exhilarating and endearing love story, it also delivers its gags with perfection.

The effectiveness of this show’s comedy is noticeably hinged on its terrific direction and the brilliant acting of its cast members, who have great comedic timing, and are very talented in using facial expressions and body movements in enhancing the value of a comedic scene.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo has tons of hilarious scenes.  Every single one of these scenes work wonderfully because the director, editor, and actors involve are competent in what they do to bring this about.  One of the instances in which this is most apparent is the café scene in episode 14.

'Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju' Is Sweet, Adorable, Funny, and - Most Importantly - SWAAAG!

I started following Koreanovelas regularly because I wanted to replicate my experience with I Hear Your Voice. But never did I expect that it would finally come in the form of a K-drama about weightlifting.  Seriously, weightlifting? It’s a sport or a topic I’ve never been fascinated with.  But indeed Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju (also spelled as Bok-joo) manages to become a close second to I Hear Your Voice as my all-time favorite Koreanovela.

'The K2' Unfortunately Loses Its Way in Its Intricate Story

The K2 is a 16-episode K-drama series about an ex-Korean Special Forces, ex-private military mercenary (Ji Chang-wook) who becomes an internationally wanted fugitive after being framed for a crime he didn’t commit while stationed in Iraq.  Returning to South Korea, he attempts to live a lie-low, incognito life, but circumstance leads him to clash with a ruthless, scheming chaebol madam named Choi Yoo-jin (Sang Yoon-ah), after she deems him a threat to her plot of winning the presidency for her husband Jang Se-joon (Jo Sung-ha), a corrupt, womanizing but charismatic assemblyman.  But, in a twist of fate, he surprisingly gains the favor and admiration of Madam Choi, and he reluctantly allies himself with her since it puts him in the position of taking revenge against the man who wronged him, which happens to be one of Madam Choi’s enemies and her husband’s biggest rival for the presidency.  He begins to work as a bodyguard for Madam Choi’s security firm and is given the alias “Kim Je-ha”, codenamed “K2.”

'Beautiful Mind' Is the 'House' of K-Drama

I was deeply immersed with Luke Cage, but with a few episodes left, my watching was temporarily brought to a halt by Beautiful Mind.  It was so good that I couldn’t stop watching it, deferring my time on it instead of finishing Luke Cage.  Just like with Bring It On, Ghost, I never expected that I would like it so much.

Actually, the K-Drama I was about to get into next was W – Two Worlds.  I had already seen the first three or four episodes, and I found it promising.  However, some friends who had seen it ahead of me dissuaded me from continuing, since they said it gets real bad later on.  In addition, the reactions I read from some K-drama forums and blogs were not enthusiastic enough for me to stir my curiosity.  Thus, I dropped W.  Someone recommended that I go watch Beautiful Mind instead.  So I did... and I was blown away by how interesting it is.

'Bring It on, Ghost' Is Surprisingly a Lot of Fun

Bring It On, Ghost – alternately known as Let’s Fight, Ghost or Hey Ghost, Let’s Fight – surprised the heck out of me.  After finding Doctors a let-down, I thought I might give watching K-drama a rest (also, because the fall season of American TV shows has come; I need more time for that).  But reading about Bring It On, Ghost’s premise made me curious enough to give the first episode a try.  I immediately found the tone and the execution of the premise very enjoyable.  I also became interested on where the arcs could be going.  Hence, I was compelled to watch the entire 16-episode series.  I wasn’t expecting that I would have this much fun with it.

It tells the story of a college student named Park Bong-pal (Ok Taec-yeon) who grew up with the ability to see ghosts.  He works part-time as an exorcist, beating up and banishing ghosts for a fee, and hopes to save enough money so he can pay to have his ability removed.  One night, he encounters a feisty, amnesiac high school ghost named Kim Hyun-ji (Kim So-hyun).  They scuffle, which result to an accidental kiss that triggers Hyun-ji to remember some vague memories when she was still alive.  Realizing that Bong-pal might be the key for her to remember her past and “move on”, she badgers him for his help.  Bong-pal agrees.  But in exchange, Hyun-ji has to help him fight ghosts.  As their ghost fighting partnership progresses and flourishes, they begin to develop feelings for each other as well as learn the secrets that connect their pasts.

'Doctors' Is a Middling Medical Drama

My expectation for Doctors was that it was going to be a remarkable medical thriller.  But though some interesting medical cases were touched upon, Doctors is no thriller at all.  It’s primarily a romantic drama which happens to have doctor characters and set in a hospital.  The medical aspect felt incidental.

The series is about two neurosurgeons who first met when the girl (Park Shin-hye) was still a high school student with a gangster personality and the man (Kim Rae-won), a freshly minted doctor taking a sabbatical, was her Biology and homeroom teacher.  The teacher influenced and inspired her to redirect the path of her life to a meaningful direction.  However, circumstances led them to have somewhat of a falling out.  Thirteen years later, they reunite as co-workers in the neurology department of a hospital, reconnect, and start a love affair.

'Signal' Is an Impactful Crime Drama

Signal’s premise reminds me a lot of the 2000 American movie Frequency.  I haven’t confirmed it yet, but I can almost guarantee that the creator of this series was inspired or influenced some way by that movie.  Regardless if that hypothesis is correct or not, the striking premise was what intrigued me to watch it in the first place.  And it turned out being the best K-drama series I’ve seen this year so far.  It’s in a completely different level from the rest.

The series centers on two detectives, Park Hae-young (Lee Je-hoon) and Lee Jae-han (Cho Jin-woong), who communicate through time via a mysterious walkie talkie.  Hae-young is a police lieutenant/criminal profiler in 2015 whose bad experiences with the police as a kid made him bitter and contemptuous with them despite becoming one himself.  One night, he gets hold of a strange walkie talkie that allows him to do the impossible: communicate with a cop from the past named Lee Jae-han.  Due to their first exchange, Hae-young is able to assist veteran detective Cha Soo-hyun (Kim Hye-soo) in bringing closure to a fifteen-year-old kidnap-murder case, which prompted the immediate creation of a cold cases squad with Soo-hyung as leader and Hae-young as profiler.  From then on, Hae-young and Jae-han make use of the uncanny means of communication that fate has given to them to solve cold cases or stop the crimes from being committed.

'Descendants of the Sun' Could Have Been Awesome If the Rest of the Series Mirrored Its One Great Arc

Descendants of the Sun – also alternately known as The Sun’s Descendants and Descended from the Sun – is the biggest K-drama in years.  It’s a massive hit, not only in Korea, but internationally as well. In fact, due to its popularity, it has been projected by the Export-Import Bank of Korea that it’ll generate around one trillion KRW increase in revenue from its licensing (there are currently 32 countries – including the Philippines, of course – that have imported the show) as well as its indirect impact on the economy like surge in tourism, consumption of drama-related goods, and ads.

The 16-episode series centers on Captain Yoo Si-jin a.k.a. “Big Boss” (Song Joong-ki), leader of “Team Alpha”, an elite South Korean Special Forces unit often sent to conduct covert missions on foreign soil.  One day, during a furlough, he meets a doctor named Kang Mo-yeon (Song Hye-kyo) and they start dating.  However, they realize that their professions make it difficult for a relationship to blossom, and they broke up.

Sometime later, Dr. Kang is sent by her hospital to lead a medical mission to Uruk (a fictional country, but shot in Greece in real life).  There, she is reunited with Captain Yoo, whose “Team Alpha” has been recently attached to a regular South Korean army battalion serving as UN peacekeepers in the area.  In that foreign land, the two get the chance to rekindle their love.