The Lover

Title: The Lover (더 러버)
Network: Mnet
Episodes: 12
Starring: Oh Jung-Se, Ryu Hyun-Kyung, Jung Joon-Young, Choi Yoe-jin, Park Jong-Hwan, Ha Eun-Seol, Takuya Terada, and Lee Jae-Joon
Aired: Started April 2, 2015

The Lover is a new series being broadcast by cable company MNET, which from what I can tell used to be a music television station that broadened their programing a few years ago, kinda like MTV.  The Lover is only the third drama broadcast by the company following Monstar and Persevere, Goo Hae-Ra, neither of which I have watched.  It being a cable company it seems, at least with this series, that MNET is willing to take more risks with what it is willing to broadcast.
The Lover is an omnibus series that takes place inside a rundown apartment building.  Here there live four couples none of which are married. Each of these couples are at different stages of their relationships, and for now it seems that the series is focused on how they each deal with living together outside of marriage.
The first couple have been dating for five years and living together for two.  They are the veterans of the series.  One of them is a voice actor while the other runs a blog. And, they are hilarious.

Oh Do-Si and Ryoo Doo-Ri have been together the longest.  They decided that living together was better than marriage.  They fight and make up on the daily.  Their fights are often over the most ridiculous of things like how much of the spice packet to use when making instant ramen. 
The second couple have beein living together for a year and their is a twelve year age difference between them.

Choi Jin-nyeo is twelve years older than her boyfriend, Jeong Yeong-joon.  They are very different because of this age difference.  Jin-nyeo operates her own side dish catering business out of their apartment while Yeong-joon pretends to be a rock start carrying around a guitar and composing badly written and misspelled songs.  The difference between the two can mostly clearly been seen when Yeong-joon's sister visits the couple and Jin-nyeo is completely lost when trying to follow and be part of the conversation. 
So far, two episodes in, little has been seen of the third couple who are trying out living together before they get married.

Ha Seol-un and Park Hwan-jong just recently moved in together after knowing each other for only a couple of months.  They are the only couple in the series that have their eyes set on marriage.  They seem very uncomfortable around each other.  Seol-un is trying to keep all her bad habits hidden wanting Hwan-jong to believe that she is the epitome of ladylike.  She goes so far as binging on food late at night so Hwan-jong doesn't realize how much she actually eats.  They don't communicate effectively making their relationship really awkward for both of them
The final couple is a burgeoning bromance, or is it?

Lee Joon-jae is a loner just scraping by that needs a roommate in order to be able to pay his rent.  Takuya is Japanese and traveling around the world.  He is the roommate that Joon-jae thinks would be perfect.  Short term and with the language barrier he might not have to really communicate with him, but Takuya has different ideas.  Their relationship is set to be the bromance of the series, but there is definitely tension between the two.  They have some of the best chemistry of all the couples.  One only hopes that MNet has the balls to let their relationship develop the way that the first two episodes are hinting at.

Heart to Heart

Title: Heart to Heart ( 하트 투 하트)
Network: TVN
Episodes: 16
Starring:  Choi Gang-Hee, Chun Jung-Myung, Lee Jae-Yoon
Aired: January 9 - February 28, 2015

I watched the first episode of Heart to Heart and absolutely hated it.  I hated the lead actor, I hated the second lead, I hated the lead actress and her awkwardness.  There was nothing I like about the first episode, but I watched the second one and then the third one and before I knew it I was staying up way past my bedtime to watch just one more episode.  The problem is that I can't pinpoint exactly when the transition from hating every aspect of this drama to being completely engrossed in it took place.
The thing with Heart to Heart is that fact that all the characters are so beautifully flawed and broken.  They got under my skin.  After the credits of the last episode, I wanted to start again.  Even wanted to watch that miserable first episode again.
The story revolves around Chang Hong-Do a social awkward woman with social anxiety that manifests itself with uncontrollable blushing.  It is so bad that she can only go out in public wearing a helmet or dressed as an old woman.  She was to be cured from her ailment so that she can talk to and confess to the guy she likes.

In order to do so she seeks the help of Ko Yi-Seok, a famous therapist who is barely keeping it together by a very frail string.  Together they help each other and in the process they fall in love.
When Hong-Do is with Yi-Seok she can communicate clearly and her social anxiety tends to disappear even without her helmet on.  And when Yi-Seok  is in the same room with Hong-Do, he can actually consult with his patients without resorting to alcohol.
Heart to Heart has become one of my favorite dramas just to the sheer fact that it is completely different than most dramas out there now.

Healer

Title: Healer (힐러)
Network:  KBS2
Episodes:  20
Starring:  Ji Chang-Wook, Park Min-Young, Yoo Ji-Tae
Aired:  December 8, 2014 through February 10, 2015

 I'm going to be the first to admit that I don't have the highest standards when it comes to television shows, especially when we are talking about Korean dramas.  I watch and really, really enjoy cheesy television, The Vampire Diaries, cough, cough.  But, I must admit that the greatness that is Healer really caught me off guard.
Everything about this drama worked.  The cast was wonderful and played off each other really well.  The action was continuous and I don't recall a single episode where I had to fast forward through awkward or boring parts.  I even liked the flashback and back story which is almost unbelievable since that seems to be the scenes when I go for a coffee break
The three leads are reporters that are trying to uncover the truth about the past.  It is an action drama with plenty of romance thrown in.  I enjoyed both aspects of this drama.  In some dramas, the action takes a back seat to the romance or vice versa, but not here.  Both parts of the story where handled very well.

I especially like the fact that the main lead isn't exactly a law-abiding good guy, but he is the good guy nonetheless.  I see this drama being compared to City Hunter, and although it might be similar Healer is far superior.

Look at that smile.

le: White Christmas (화이트 크리스마스) also known as Monster (몬스터)
Network: KBS2
Episodes: 8
Starring: Kim Sang Kyung, Baek Sung Hyung, Kim Young Kwang, Lee Soo Hyuk, Sung Joon, Kim Woo Bin, Kwak Jung Wook
Aired: - See more at: http://grimmdef.blogspot.com/2013/04/first-episode-first-impression-white.html#sthash.z6Tn7Kng.dpuf

Title: White Christmas (화이트 크리스마스) also known as Monster (몬스터)
Network: KBS2
Episodes: 8
Starring: Kim Sang Kyung, Baek Sung Hyung, Kim Young Kwang, Lee Soo Hyuk, Sung Joon, Kim Woo Bin, Kwak Jung Wook
Aired: - See more at: http://grimmdef.blogspot.com/2013/04/first-episode-first-impression-white.html#sthash.z6Tn7Kng.dpuf

Title: White Christmas (화이트 크리스마스) also known as Monster (몬스터)
Network: KBS2
Episodes: 8
Starring: Kim Sang Kyung, Baek Sung Hyung, Kim Young Kwang, Lee Soo Hyuk, Sung Joon, Kim Woo Bin, Kwak Jung Wook
Aired: - See more at: http://grimmdef.blogspot.com/2013/04/first-episode-first-impression-white.html#sthash.z6Tn7Kng.dpuf

Obsessed -- Lee Jong Suk

There are times when I become completely and totally obsessed by things, people, food, or what have you.  I’ll get obsessed by an author and have to read everything they’ve ever written.  I’ll become obsessed with planners and have to have every planner supply ever made.  And, the same thing happens when I watch dramas.  I become obsessed by the lead actor or actress or maybe the second lead or the genre and there I go trying to watch everything associated with whatever has caught my eye.  That happened when I watched Pinocchio earlier this year.  I already had a major hard on for Park Shin Hye.

But, this time the one that caught my attention was Lee Jong-Suk.  That smile, those eyes. Sure, at first I was like what the fuck is up with his hair? 

Then, as I continued watching I forgot about the horrendous hair, the cut and style didn't hurt, and became enamored by his smile and those sad, sad, beautiful eyes.  Which led me to watch School 2013, I Hear Your Voice, and place Doctor Stranger and Hot Young Bloods in my need to watch soon list.  I had previously already seen him in both Secret Garden and Prosecutor Princess, although he failed to make an impression then.  But, I am very much looking forward to anything else I wishes to do.

Where Have I Been? Well, Watching Dramas, Of Course.

I've spent the last three months watching dramas, and enjoying every single minute of it.  I've watched romantic comedies, and more romantic comedies, and that one action one that was both funny and romantic. In the past three months, I've started and finished a total of seventeen dramas. Yes, 17...Are those a lot of dramas??? Probably, but who's judging. Not me that's for sure.  And that is not counting the two dramas I re-watched, the two movies I watched on the few dramas I'm currently making my way through.
In the last three months I've watched the following dramas:
Healer
Pinnochio
Witch's Romance
Cunning Single Lady
Emergency Couple
Dream Knight
Good Doctor
I Need Romance
School 2013
Master's Sun
Full House(Thai re-make)
King 2 Hearts
Heart to Heart
It's Okay, That's Love
Let's Eat
Marriage Not Dating
Love Myself or You(Taiwanese)
Whew, I need to catch my breathe.  I've also re-watched Coffee Prince and Lie to Me.

I've also seen a couple of movies. Both of which I highly recommend.  Especially Greatly Secretly, although The Technicians was enjoyable as well.

And, I'm currently trying to get through:

I Need Romance 2012, It Started With a Kiss(Taiwanese), Surplus Princess, I Hear Your Voice

A Witch's Romance : A Story of Letting Go

Title: A Witch's Romance 마녀의 연애
Network: TVN
Episodes: 16
Starring: Uhm Jung-Hwa and Park Seo-Joon
Aired: April 14 - June 10, 2014

A Witch's Romance is an entertaining romantic comedy that pairs an older woman with a younger man.  Although this pairing isn't anything new in the drama world, this particular drama does a very good job of avoiding all the cliche's that comes from such a story.  The older woman isn't clingy and desperate, she isn't struggling with her career or trying to find herself and the younger man isn't power hungry or surrounded by people telling him that he should think of the age difference.  In fact, the only one who mentions the age difference is Ban Ji-Yeon, the lead female, and it isn't a subject she harps on it's just one of the obstacles that they have to overcome.
I found this to be a very entertaining and easy drama to watch.  I didn't struggle to finish it nor did I struggle to keep interested.  The characters were likable and the only character I wanted to punch in the throat wasn't in the drama but for a few episodes and for a few minutes. 
The chemistry between Ban Ji-Yeon and Yoon Dong-Ha was very natural and their relationship developed organically without anyone pushing them towards each other; they were just two people that seemed right together.  They could be themselves with each other and not pretend to be someone different like we saw when Ban Ji-Yeon was with the ex-boyfriend.
And why couldn't the ex be some conniving asshole, the former boyfriend comes back into Ban Ji-Yeon's life six years after he left her at the alter.  Easy to hate, right?  But in the end he turns out to be a pretty good guy, who's biggest fault was that he wasn't Yoon Dong-Ha.

The ending of this drama reminded me a lot of the ending of My Lovely Samsoon.  Of course the leads ended up together, but it was very open-ended. Kinda like real life.  Was their relationship really going to last for more than right now, Yoon Dong-Ha was pretty sure that they would be together till the end of time, but Ban Ji-Yeon was happy with knowing that for that frame in time she was with the person she really wanted to be and she was the person that was happy with who she was.

2014 Year in Kdrama or What Exactly Did I Miss?????

 

 

 

After not having watched a single Korean drama in more than a year, I am more than ready to catch up with everything I’ve missed and watch some new and some favorites from past years.  Currently I’m watching “A Witch’s Romance,” which I am enjoying much more than I thought I would.  So, here’s to a New Year filled with drama, romance, bro-mance, friendships, and heartaches all in Korean, of course.