Korean dramas-films, TV series
Full meal story deals. Eclectic Menu. Entirely Subjective ratings based on personal "enjoyment/appreciation" factors. Forewarning-often there's food and lots of eating, so have ramyeon, kimchi, soju and rice ready. Or beer & fried chicken if you prefer.Seriously. If you're not hooked on instant noodles by The Host then try watching the butcher shop scenes of Beyond Evil and see what those do for your appetite. Oh there's Grandma's Noodles Shop thanks to Divorce Attorney Shin and Attorney Woo loves gimbap so prepare accordingly. Our Blues' fish market might drive you crazy. There's also health food as medicine via Recipe for Farewell. Hmmm.. Note, these are listed in no particular order so there is no ranking. Plus, all have been viewed/being viewed as aired with current series. Enjoy.
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- StarsMin Nam-koongAhn Eun-jinKim Tae-hoonA love-story between a noble woman and a mysterious man set in Joseon during the Qing invasionBeautifully filmed. Great performances across the board. Min Namkoong is brilliant. Ahn Eun-jin is delightful as the spirited sly fox Lady Yoo. The supporting cast shines. The script is wonderful. Visually beautiful. Spot on musical score. Romance. Comedy. Tragedy. Action. Adventure. it's all here. Don't miss the fox among the dead and dying scenes. Am currently not aware of that employed elsewhere to such effect--but that could be just my ignorance. Note: In an award acceptance speech, Min Namkoong said that Jin Young Hwang spent five years writing the script/story of My Dearest. He thanked her for creating such a wonderful drama. Impressive. View on KOCOWA tv.
- StarsLee Bo-youngLee Moo-saengLee Chung-AhThe story of a woman who, after her husband disappears one day, tracks down the secret behind his disappearance and encounters a large truth that is too much to handle.
- StarsPark Hyung-sikPark Shin-hyeYoon ParkOnce rivals in school, two brilliant doctors reunite by chance - each facing life's worst slump and unexpectedly finding solace in each other.Two doctors having a very rough ride. The support role relationship dynamics could take this in good directions. Note that depression, burnout, psychological abuse, PTSD, family pressures and social stigma and connected mental health issues are highlighted. There's an effort to strike a balance between the serious personal issues and the positive elements of life which can get lost in the struggle. Eight episodes in and the waters are getting deeper. Definitely continuing viewing to see how things develop/unfold in this mirror of pressures of living well in current mainstream society. Plus, there's plenty of food and drink, because people do need meals. Also, best movie theater seats ever seen!
- StarsKim Hyun-jooHao FengAria SongA story in which ominous things continue and the secrets of the family are revealed as they suddenly inherit the family mountain from their uncle, whom they had forgotten.Horror genre creepy at times. Watch at night with the lights off for full effect. Suspect there's an homage to Edgar Allan Poe's stories in the final episodes.
- StarsLee Dong-wookKim Hye-junJo Han-sunAn action drama in which a niece who lost her parents and grew up in the hands of an uncle who runs a shopping mall, faces a new truth after her uncle's sudden death.More than just great action here-like how to raise a girl to survive in a violent hostile world. Works for me. Heads up, the focus on guns/weapons to this extreme degree is "new" for kdramas. It's been a relief to NOT see guns constantly. But here they're an integral part of the story.
- CreatorGgomabiStarsChoi Woo-sikSon Suk-kuLee Hee-joonWhen one accidental killing leads to another, an ordinary young man finds himself stuck in an endless cat-and-mouse chase with a shrewd detective.Shhhh... are there really any accidents or it is all fate unraveling? There's a hell of a lot to seriously think about here. It's not a get your thrill fill drama. A very fine scrip with excellent performances.
- StarsChae Jong-hyeopSong Ji-hyoNam Ji-hyunThis series tells the stories of desperate people who come by to eat a magical dish with the hopes of having their personal wishes granted, even at the expense of their own souls.Meals, wishes, and heart burns....mmmm... Did a T-bone steak ever look so sinfully delicious?
- DirectorPark Shin-wooStarsHan Suk-kyuSon Ye-jinGo SooA pawnbroker is found murdered in a remote town. Police suspect that he was murdered by an acquaintance, as even the most experienced investigator on the case could identify no signs of resistance. Three people come under suspicion but all of them have perfect alibis and the investigation comes to a standstill. One year later, one of them is found dead and the original murder case becomes even more mysterious. Almost fifteen years pass and the lead inspector, now approaching retirement, reflects on the only case he could not solve in an otherwise successful career. Haunted by a sense of responsibility and guilt that he caused suffering by letting the murder case go unsolved, he decides to re-investigate. His persistent search brings attention to the long forgotten case and reveals a hidden relationship between the victim's son and the neighborhood woman's daughter. As their love grows, more crimes happen. As their sin grows, the inspector's chase comes closer to them.
- StarsJung Woo-sungShin Hyeon-binPark Jin-jooA healing melodrama about the fate of Cha Jin-woo, a deaf person who is used to express emotions through pictures instead of words, and Jeong Moo-eun, who expresses her heart with her voice.Communication is at the heart of this drama--how, why, what, when-- and I think that's what's really hooked me six episodes in. We don't usually have to be patient and wait for others to work out how to communicate effectively and how to listen/hear/comprehend, but here it plays out again and again. Update forthcoming as episodes air. Update-- art plus love plus obstacles of deaf/hearing couple moving thru the mainstream flow. Quiet depths.
- StarsJu Ji-hoonJun Ji-hyunOh Jung-seSet against the backdrop of towering views of Mount Jiri, it depicts the story of rangers and other employees of the Jirisan National Park who climb through the mysterious and unexplored regions of the mountain.This has everything--including why you never want to get caught in floods and fires. Lots of flashbacks for back stories. Excellent female lead--what a role for any actress. Demon Seo is just all out great.
- StarsLee HaneeLee Jong-WonLee Ki-wooA noblewoman marries into the left state minister's family, only for her new husband to die the same day. She lives as a widow by day, and escapes her reclusive life by night helping those in need using her martial arts skills.Lady Ninja time!!!
- StarsKim Soo-hyunSeo Ye-jiOh Jung-seAn extraordinary road to emotional healing opens up for an selfish antisocial children's-book writer and a selfless psych-ward caretaker when they cross paths.Ahh, the power of truth telling insightful fairy tales....
- StarsYoon Shi-YoonKyung Soo-jinLee Hang-naA sci-fi melodrama about a man who tries to protect his beloved from a serial killer in a parallel universe.Get your ticket punched for an unexpected destination point. See if you can guess where this is going. Great for a betting pool with pals.
- StarsBang MinahMin Nam-koongOn Joo-WanGong Shim rents out her rooftop room to a pro-bono lawyer in order to fund her art study abroad, consequently turning her life upside down.Like most Korean dramas this one mixes comedy with a strong dose of human corruption, mystery and romance.Comic highlight of seeing Min Namkoong's very happy face via the inside of a microwave oven. Kudos to whoever came up with that camera play. View on KOCOWA tv.
- StarsEllAlexandra Bokyun ChunRen HanamiAn accomplished fixer for a powerful business conglomerate jumps into politics to make a headstrong civil rights lawyer the next mayor of Seoul.Serious political drama with moral corruption overflow. Can "good" ever get the upper hand? Multiple strong female roles.
- DirectorKwang-bin KimStarsHa Jung-wooYool HeoKim Nam-gilAfter Sang-Won's daughter Yi-Na goes missing in their new home, a mysterious man approaches him and tells him to look for her in the closet.Horror sans buckets of blood. O gee, who knew this was possible. And a back story too.
- StarsTaecyeonWon Ji-anPark Kang-hyunA romance drama about a semi-human vampire named Seon Woo-hyeol, who failed to become a human by a day out of 100 years, and a woman Joo In-hae, who doesn't have a single human decency, starting to live together and finding true warmth.How often do vampire stories make you laugh?
- DirectorJason YuStarsKim Gook HeeYoon Kyung-hoLee Sun-kyunA young, expectant wife must figure out how to stop her husband's nightmarish sleepwalking habits before he harms himself or his family.A horror film that gets inside your head and sets up housekeeping for a long time after the credits roll. Respect.
- DirectorPark Hoon-jungStarsKim Seon-hoKang Tae-JuKim Kang-woo"The Childe" focuses on a man born to a Korean father and a Filipino mother who aspires to be a boxer. He travels back to Korea in the hopes of tracking down his father, and in the process, he gets mixed up with some bad people.Nothing is quite what it seems from the get go. Keep watching after the credits seem to start. Not for the faint of heart. Some serious violence erupts again and again and again. With considerable dark humor running amok.
- DirectorRyoo Seung-wanStarsKim Hye-suYum Jung-ahZo In-sungAn action crime film set in the 1970s in a small, peaceful village by the sea where two women get unexpectedly caught up in a high-stakes smuggling scheme.Let's start with: Winner of Blue Dragon Award for Best Picture 2023. Visually wonderful--especially under water scenes. Excellent recreation of 70s culture via clothes, cars, goods. Personally I consider this boiling down to a literal war between the sexes. Not sure which fight scene I appreciate more--the one underwater or the one in the hotel. Take your pick.Great female leads. Oh the mix and match red suits!!!!!
- StarsKim Byeong-cheolMin Nam-koongNaraDoctor Prisoner centers around an ace doctor in a university hospital's emergency care center, a skilled professional who treats his patients with full devotion and without discrimination.The synopsis doesn't do justice to all that's happening in this series. View on KOCOWA tv.
- DirectorKim Seong-hunStarsBurn GormanMarcin DorocinskiJu Ji-hoonA young diplomat is assigned the task of carrying the ransom money to rescue an abducted diplomat in Lebanon, and a local taxi driver accidently gets involved in the mission.If you're looking for action you've found it--along with some unexpected humor, creative problem solving, and loyalty among those often unseen and silent. It's a very fast two hours.
- StarsJung Taek-hyunKim Mi-kyungKim Mu-yeolA sudden tragedy brings the wife of an assemblyman out of her private life and forces her to confront family secrets and her own troubling past.O this is far more devilish than it appears at the start. Serious treatment of how people deal with sexual assault--and the consequences thereof. That's just part of the drama.
- StarsKong Hyo-jinLee Sun-kyunLee Hanee"Pasta" is an unconventional love story that revolves around the kitchen of an Italian restaurant, La Sfera.Second episode had me in the kitchen playing with angel hair pasta--sigh. Damn Chef Lee Sun-kyun! Do yourself a favor and have your favorite pasta dish made for eating while watching. Seriously--food often takes center stage in this comic romance between two quirky individuals--it's love at goldfish rescue--and the excellent cooking closeups are bound to activate taste buds.
- StarsAhn Eun-jinKim Kyung-NamPark Soo-youngA human melodrama in which a woman who is terminally ill and a man whose life is in the gutters are entangled in a murder case and become someone precious in each other's life.If you could take one person "with" you when you're on your way out who might that be? Oh yeah that nasty fellow down the street abusing his daughter needs to go asap and someone ought to do something about him. Gee, your hospice room-mates agree so let the 'bonding' begin. Among other story lines. Uncomfortable ethical queries. Shhh, there's also a love story here.