Posted in Korea, Reviews, Uncategorized

My ratings for Korean dramas.

Before reading this post, please read the first part of my previous post here.

This post is going to be a list of Korean dramas I have watched and that I recommend, with the rating which I give them. The list will be in order of which dramas I think are worth watching first, but not in order of the number of stars I give the drama.

  1. 49 Days/ 49일 – ★★★★★49-Days15Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
    Aired: 2011

    I cheated when rating this drama and even on my previous post I gave it more stars than the rating! But this is my favourite drama!

  2. Level 7 Civil Servant/ 7급 공무원 – ★★★☆☆Level-7-Civil-Servant-Poster-2-copyGenre: Action, Romance, Comedy
    Aired: 2013
  3. Flower Boys Next Door/ 이웃집 꽃미남 – ★★★★★flowerboy1

    Genre:
     Romance, Comedy
    Aired: 2013
  4. The Virus/ 더바이러스 – ★★★☆☆250px-The_Virus_-_Korean_Drama-p1Genre: Mystery, Action
    Aired: 2013

    You can read a review of this drama here.

  5. Fugitive: Plan B/ 도망자 Plan B – ★★★★★the-fugitive-plan-b-posterGenre: Action, Crime, Thriller, Romance, Comedy
    Aired: 2010
  6. Personal Preference  Personal Taste / 개인의 취향 – ★★★★★230310-personal-taste2Genre: Romance, Comedy
    Aired: 2010
  7. My Girlfriend is a nine tailed fox/ 내 여자친구는 구미호 – ★★★★★My_Girlfriend_is_a_Nine-Tailed_Fox_Korean_Drama_2010_4353_posterGenre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
    Aired: 2010
  8. Iris/ 아이리스 – ★★★★★irisGenre: Action, Mystery, Thriller, Romance
    Aired: 2009
  9. To The Beautiful You/ 아름다운 그대에게 – ★★★★☆To-the-Beautiful-You-Poster1Genre: Romance, Comedy, Teen
    Aired: 2012
  10. City Hunter/ 시티헌터 – ★★★★★Min-Ho-City-Hunter-lee-min-ho-34383252-507-633Genre: Action, Crime, Suspense, Romance
    Aired: 2011
  11. Secret Garden/ 시크릿 가든 – ★★★★☆Secret-Garden31Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Romance
    Aired: 2010-2011
  12. Boys over Flowers/ 꽃보다 남자 – ★★★☆☆Korean-Drama-Boys-Over-FlowersGenre: Romance, Teen, Comedy
    Aired: 2009

    Honestly, if I had watched this drama when I was 16, I would have given it full marks! But I’m just a bit too old for this drama. But Lee Min Ho is obviously perfect!

  13. Coffee Prince/ 커피프린스 1호점 – ★★★☆☆Coffee-Prince-2Genre: Romance, Comedy
    Aired: 2007
  14. Faith/ 신의 – ★★★☆☆faithGenre: Historical, Fantasy, Romance, Medical,
    Aired: 2012
  15. Dating Agency; Cyrano/ 연애조작단; 시라노 – ★★★☆☆Dating_Agency_Cyrano-0001Genre: Romance, Comdey
    Aired: 2013

So, there you go! That is the list of all Korean dramas I have watched. If you would like to read a bit about some of these please read here if you haven’t already!

If you watch any of these dramas or if you have already, please comment bellow on what mark you give it and why you liked or didn’t like it!

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Posted in Korea, Reviews, Uncategorized

My favourite Korean Dramas!

As you guys may or may not know, I love Korean Dramas. This time last year I had never watched a Korean drama because I was more of a Korean film fan, until one day, I found out that one of my favourite people, Rain, was the lead in a drama which aired in 2010. After watching Fugitive Plan B, I became addicted to watching Korean dramas!

I am at the stage where I believe I have watched enough dramas to create a list of my favourites. So here it is! It’s a bit hard for me to do a Top 10 list so I will list and write about the dramas I have watched. I only completed dramas which I liked so I recommend all of these. The are no spoilers! Don’t worry!

Originally I thought that I hadn’t watched that many dramas and thought I would write a little bit about all the dramas I have watched, but once I started writing this post I realised I have watched a lot! So this is a post with all the dramas which I think may not have been watched or that I truly love. Not to worry! I have also made another list here of all the dramas I have watched with the rating I give them! Enjoy!

The Virus/ 더바이러스.

250px-The_Virus_-_Korean_Drama-p1

Genre: Mystery, Action
Aired: 2013

I have written a review of this drama here so I won’t give a synopsis on this post. Please read my review as this is a great and unique drama.

 Fugitive: Plan B/ 도망자 Plan B

the-fugitive-plan-b-poster

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller, Romance, Comedy
Aired: 2010

This drama comes under many genres because it is a truly amazing drama. I finished this drama in just a couple of days because the end of each episode was a cliff hanger. Rain is an amazing actor and this drama, as mentioned before this drama was the beginning of my small obsession with Korean dramas!

I give it 5 stars! ★★★★★

My Girlfriend is a nine tailed fox/ 내 여자친구는 구미호

My_Girlfriend_is_a_Nine-Tailed_Fox_Korean_Drama_2010_4353_poster

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
Aired: 2010

I can’t remember if somebody recommended this drama to me or if I stumbled across it, but I am thankful that I watched it! The stunning Shin Min Ah (신민아) is the main actress in this fantasy drama, along side Lee Seung Ki (이승기). Although this drama is romantic, it is original in it’s story line and kept me wanting to watch more! Shin Min Ah is really cute and this drama has the cutest scenes I have ever seen! It also has a cute soundtrack! It’s a must see!

I give this drama five stars out of five! ★★★★★

49 Days/ 49일49-Days15

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
Aired: 2011

I can honestly say this is a drama which I have already watched twice and could re-watch right now. Possibly my favourite K-drama ever. This is a super unique story line which I thought would be cheesy at first, but this drama really tugged at my heart strings. I cried many times and laughed many times. Perfect cast which were all incredible actors. Betrayal from a best friend and a fiancé. But there is more than one love story in this drama. Outstanding.

I give this drama six stars out of five! ★★★★★

Flower Boys Next Door/ 이웃집 꽃미남

flowerboy1

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Aired: 2013

There have been many ‘Flower Boy’ dramas but this is by far my favourite! It is cute, has a great sound track, flower boys (handsome guys) and helps young women get over fears and another female character to relate to (apart from knowing that it’s impossible to be surround by so many handsome guys unless you are super pretty). This drama is great for its comedy and sweetness. It is the ultimate romantic drama for me! My favourite drama of 2013! I made the mistake of watching it while it was airing so I had to wait a week to watch two episodes which sucked! But it also added joy to waiting for the drama all week. I was devastated when it finished because I didn’t want it to end!

Five stars from me! ★★★★★

Level 7 Civil Servant/ 7급 공무원

Level-7-Civil-Servant-Poster-2-copy

Genre: Action, Romance, Comedy
Aired: 2013

This is another drama which I watched while it was airing. This is a really cool drama! I love it when families are involved in dramas because it makes me imagine how my mum would act it I introduced her to a guy, or in this case, if she found a guy in my room! A cute drama with action! I recommend it because, again, it was different from other dramas I have watched or heard of! Really cute but does make you sad and excited. I really love this drama and recommend it highly but it is slightly forgetful. Even though my ex-boyfriend is training to be a civil servant, I managed to forget about it. I remembered this drama last while making this list. Considering its forgetfulness, I will give this drama a rating of…

Three out of Five. ★★★☆☆
=[ Sorry Joo Won (주원). I still love you! If it wasn’t for me forgetting this drama it would have gotten a Five out of Five.

City Hunter/ 시티헌터

Min-Ho-City-Hunter-lee-min-ho-34383252-507-633

Genre: Action, Crime, Suspense, Romance
Aired: 2011

This, along with Fugitive Plan B, is a drama which I could not recommend enough. Believe it or not, I don’t really like soppy romantic dramas. I love action. I mentioned in a previous post (read here) that when I was in Korea I met somebody who worked behind the scenes of City Hunter. I had no idea what City Hunter was about as I hadn’t watched any Korean dramas yet. But when I watched this drama, I was dumbfounded. This drama had me on the edge of my seat and similarly to Fugitive Plan B, I finished this drama in a couple of days. By far one of my favourite dramas and not just because Lee Min Ho (이민호) is the star. A must see drama.

Five out of five from me! ★★★★★

Another film staring the love of my life:

Personal Preference  Personal Taste / 개인의 취향

230310-personal-taste2

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Aired: 2010

This drama also stars the tall, dark and handsome Lee Min Ho! The difference here is this isn’t an action drama. This drama is funny but still serious. I would recommend this drama to anyone who likes to laugh. Although Lee Min Ho acts arrogant in this drama, I still can’t help but fall in love with him! This was the 4th Lee Min Ho drama I watched and I recommend it to those who like romance and who like to laugh! Son Ye Jin (손예진) never fails to make me laugh!

Five out of Five! ★★★★★

To The Beautiful You/ 아름다운 그대에게

To-the-Beautiful-You-Poster1

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Teen
Aired: 2012

I’ve heard of many dramas where a girl disguises herself as a boy. However To The Beautiful You & Coffee Prince are the only two which I have finished. To The Beautiful You is a great drama for girls, as the cast consists of too many hot guys *cough cough* Seo Joon Young (서준영)! Although I am not a big fan of dramas where a girl disguises herself as a boy, this drama was fun and cute. What interested me about this drama is there is a white guy! This isn’t the first K-drama I have seen with a white guy but this is the first where the guy speaks Korean! So of course I researched and Julien Kang, is actually half Korean! Regardless, this is a good drama for its typical story line.

I give this drama four stars out of five. Mostly because of casting ★★★★☆

Dating Agency; Cyrano/ 연애조작단; 시라노

Dating_Agency_Cyrano-0001

Genre: Romance, Comdey
Aired: 2013

Dating Agency: Cyrano is a funny drama. Not my favourite but I finished it which means it must be a bit good! Of course the reason might be Hong Jong Hyeon (홍종현)! There were a few episodes which really grabbed my attention and I really enjoyed. However, there were also some episodes which I was bored with. I also watched this drama at the same time it was airing, but never really looked forward to watching the next episode. Overall, it is an okay drama. 

I give it 3 stars out of 5. ★★★☆☆

Faith/ 신의

faith

Genre: Historical, Fantasy, Romance, Medical,
Aired: 2012

Another one starring Lee Min Ho! This drama is different from the others I have seen. It is a historical film and I kinda liked it. It was a bit boring at times and dragged on for a while. But it has a really sweet ending and of course, Lee Min Ho! I like the action in this drama and also the clothing! Acting skills form actors apart form Lee Min Ho are really good. Unfortunately, I don’t know how this drama stands next to others which share a similar story as it’s the first historical drama I have watched. But it is worth watching at the least, one or two episodes to see if it is a drama made for you.

I give this drama three out of five. ★★★☆☆

Another serious drama:

Iris/ 아이리스

iris

Genre: Action, Mystery, Thriller, Romance
Aired: 2009

The reason why I started to watch Iris was because of Choi Seung Hyun (최승현), more commonly known as T.O.P (탑) & Lee Byung Hun (이병헌). I know I am bad, always watching dramas because the cast is hot. But then I discovered that the story line is better than the cast & I get sucked into the drama and forget that it isn’t reality. Iris reminds me of Fugitive Plan B & City Hunter because the story line isn’t about a stupid girl & a rich guy. Iris kept me on the edge of my seat and Lee Byung Hun is a very very talented actor.

You guessed it, five out of five! ★★★★★

Lastly, but definitely not least,

Secret Garden/ 시크릿 가든

Secret-Garden31

Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Romance
Aired: 2010-2011

I left this drama until the end of this post because I am sure many of you have already watched this drama. Secret Garden is a Korean version of Freaky Friday but with a twist! It is so funny and cute! I cried a lot at this drama, but I love how it showed the lead character as being a strong woman! Brilliant drama!

Four out of Five ★★★★☆

Well, that’s my list with brief descriptions of my favourite dramas! Don’t forget to read my extended list here.

Posted in Korea, Portfolio, Reviews

Review: The Virus

250px-The_Virus_-_Korean_Drama-p1

As mentioned in my comeback post, I have been watching dramas since I handed in my dissertation. Although this isn’t the first drama I have watched in May, I have the urge to write about it as I have just finished the series.

The Virus (더 바이러스) is a drama which aired in April & May 2013 and consisted of 10 episodes, making it the shortest Korean drama I have ever watched. I am critical about this drama because, although the story and ending of the drama was amazing, there was something missing for me.

The lighting and acting for the drama was perfect as it corresponds with the dark and cold story. However, I felt like these 10 episodes dragged on and did not grab my attention, apart from of course the extremely handsome Lee Ki-Woo (이기우)! Also more importantly, Uhm Ki-Joon (엄기준) shows amazing acting skills in this drama. Although I found it hard to connect with any of the characters, his acting was outstanding in a few scenes!

For such a smart and unique story, I feel this drama could have been slightly longer and focused more on the characters personalities or development of things (I don’t want to give the story line away!!). However, having said that, as mentioned before the drama dragged on, but I think allowing the viewers to connect with the characters would have added more of a kick to the story line.

I found it interesting that this drama had a lot of English in it! And not from Koreans but from non-Korean actors. However, one flaw was that the non-Korea characters all understood Korean 100% but were unable to talk in Korean…

Of course, the final episode was a bit rushed, but the writer, Lee Myung-Sook (이명숙) came up with a story line that really made me think! Of course the show is about viruses but the way in which Lee Myung-Sook connected the spread of virus with the competitive world and economy was truly amazing!

Although this drama isn’t as exciting as I would have liked, I would recommend watching The Virus for it’s story line. It is a short drama anyway so my fellow Korean drama lovers could finish it in a few days!

I give this drama a 3 out of 5, but the story deserves a 4.5 out of 5.