With Americans cooped up and streaming here is a guide for those who are looking for new period dramas to watch and if subtitles don’t bother you as much.
1. Mr. Sunshine - 2018 - 24 Episodes (Netflix)
A period piece set in the late 1800s just as Japanese imperialism is creeping into Korea. A former slave who escaped to America returns as a successful US Marine but falls for a young beautiful noblewoman who is in secret also a rebel fighter. Beautiful cinematography, epic storytelling, an amazing cast ensemble this tragic love story plays out against the near end of the Joseon Dynasty.
2. The Moon Embracing the Sun - 2012 - 20 Episodes (Amazon Prime or Viki with a subscription)
The daughter of a noble family is chosen to marry the Crown Prince, but in a bid for more power her death is ordered by the Dowager Queen. She becomes cursed with an illness and thought to be dead. 8 years later now the young King meets a young shaman and he can’t help but find similarities between her and his first love so starts to investigate her death.
3. Empress Ki - 2013 - 51 Episodes (Amazon Prime)
Seungnyang is a Goryeo born woman who grows up in hiding living as a man where she attracts the attention of the deposed prince of Goryeo who she forms feelings for. Upon discovery of her identity she is sent to Yuan to be a servant in the palace of the Emperor of the Mongol Empire. Through many twists and turns in her life and lovers she ends up becoming an Empress of the Yuan Dynasty.
4. The Scholar Who Walks the Night - 2015 - 20 Episodes (Amazon Prime or Viki with a subscription)
The daughter of a nobleman accused of treason makes ends meet by dressing as a man and working as a bookseller. Through this she meets a special scholar who makes a request to find a lost memorandum of his friend, the deceased Crown Prince. Discovering she is a female he keeps her secret as he has his own, he is a vampire. Made a guardian he is given a special robe to wear in the sun but he is on a mission to find a way to kill the vampire who killed his first love long ago.
5. The Crowned Clown - 2019 - 16 Episodes (Viki with a subscription or Free with ads)
With a palace in chaos and fear of assassination, the mad king fears for his life. When a clown performer is found who looks identical to him, the clown takes his place to take the assassination attempt, but once the clown in on the throne it is realized he makes a better king and he falls for the gentle and under loved Queen.
6. The Great Queen Seondeok - 2009 - 62 Episodes - (Viki with a subscription or Free with ads)
Set during the Silla dynasty it tells the story of Queen Seondeok as she grows up in hiding over a threat to her mother. Discovering her true identity and ever growing conflict in the royal court, the princess decides to take back what was hers and successfully becomes the first female ruler of the Silla dynasty.
7. The Great Doctor (Faith) - 2012 - 24 Episodes - (Viki with a subscription)
The King of Goryeo’s wife is fatally attacked and he gives an order to his royal bodyguard to pass through a mystical portal to bring back “heaven’s doctor”. The bodyguard passes through the portal and ends up in modern day Seoul where he happens upon a doctor and kidnaps her back into the past to save the Queen’s life. Promised to be sent back, a scheming royal advisor keeps her stuck in the past but while there she falls in love with the man who dragged her into the situation.
8. Sungkyunkwang Scandal - 2010 - 20 Episodes - (Viki with a subscription or Free with ads)
Kim Yoon-Hee is making ends meet for her family by disguising as her brother and working in a bookstore, using her knowledge she becomes an illegal substitute exam taker. At the entrance to Sungkyunkwang exam she gets caught by the upright Lee Sun-Joon but he gets her to apply to the university for herself not knowing her real identity. There at school she gets the education she would have never been allowed as a girl and has her pack of close friends but as she fights to keep her secret feelings for Lee Sun-Joon grow.
Jane Austen’s unfinished novel adaptation for the screen, Sanditon, took over the period drama genre as its 8 part series concludes its run on PBS. Set in the startup seaside resort town of Sanditon, young country girl Charlotte encounters a different society, becomes a mastermind of marketing and of course meets a brutish handsome man to fall for.
Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams), a country farmer's daughter, gets an invitation to join the Parker family in the seaside town of Sanditon after rescuing them from a carriage accident. Tom Parker (Kris Marshall) is an ambitious man set on making his destiny as the grand designer of the seaside resort with his wife Mary (Kate Ashfield), who becomes fast friends with Charlotte, by his side. The grand lady of the town, Lady Denham (Anne Reid) is a major financier of Tom’s but she also has three pariahs nipping at her heels for her inheritance. Step siblings, Edward and Esther Denham (Jack Fox & Charlotte Spencer) battle it out with Lady Denham’s poor relation but Edward and Esther also hide a secret relationship. Tom’s brother Sidney (Theo James) arrives with his high society friends and his very rich ward, Miss Lambe (Crystal Clarke) who initially shocks the town and Lady Denham, being the daughter of a former slave. Charlotte and Miss Lambe become friends after battling the harsh Lady Denham but something about the handsome but brutish Mr. Sidney Parker keeps Charlotte interested in him but completely in annoyance of him. But Charlotte also has other suitors in Sanditon as the head builder on Tom’s project, young Mr. Stringer (Leo Suter) also forms a bond with her as she encourages him to follow his dreams. The struggles to keep up the finances of building this town and planning whatever grand ideas they can attract high society with, fills up the minds of the Parker family and Charlotte but we are blessed with the budding of two epic romances as well.
Turning an unfinished Jane Austen novel into an 8 part series was a risky but exciting move for the series. It was wonderful to have the added time to build out the distinct characters of others but also give more story than just the main couple and I really enjoyed that. Even though with little issues here and there I really did enjoy the whole series and cast. I loved Esther Denham getting stronger romance story as well.The gamble did not pay off in the UK where ITV struggled against the BBC’s rave hit Peaky Blinders and Austen purists complaints. The show has been canceled by ITV but it’s US distributor, PBS has the chance to work with someone else to help try and bring about a second season. Though the series ends on a cliff hanger and it is unsure if it will get resolved soon I would recommend giving this period drama a chance. If you are not an Austen purist and can enjoy that the writer is working off an unfinished manuscript but has lots of experience adapting her novels for the screen I think you should give this series a chance. You can purchase/rent the series or find on the PBS Passport app or through PBS on Prime.
Crash Landing on You tells the story of a South Korean conglomerate heiress who in a paragliding accident crash lands in North Korea. There she is rescued and helped out by a handsome North Korean officer where they learn they were fated to meet despite the extreme conditions.
Yoon Se Ri (Son Ye-Jin) is an under-loved heiress on a large conglomerate. After recovering from depression and wanting to take her own life in Switzerland, she learns to paraglide and builds up her own business and builds a top fashion, cosmetics brand in her own name. On a paragliding trip outside of Seoul she hits bad weather and in a freak accident crashes across the DMZ line in North Korea. There Captain Ri Jeong Hyeok (Hyun Bin) is on patrol and finds her. Not sure what to do but also not wanting to cause a major issue, he and his team hide her and plan escapes for her that keep failing. Meanwhile Jeong Hyeok is battling an enemy who also had killed his elder brother but is seriously falling for Se Ri. Having formerly been a concert pianist and performing in Switzerland he adapted to the soldier lifestyle after the death of his brother and has been very reserved until she fell into his life. As their feelings develop other hurdles appear as it turns out Jeong Hyeok has an arranged fiance, Seo Dan (Seo Ji Hye) who has always loved him but he never noticed. In the efforts to get Se Ri out of the country they come across a former potential fiance of hers, Gu Seung Jung (Kim Jung Hyun) who is hiding in North Korea after conning Se Ri’s older brother. Se Ri sees the hardships of the people in Jeong Hyeok’s base village but grows to love the local women and helps them while becoming an older sister figure to the younger men under his command.
From the writer of My Love From Another Star, this was bound to be an epic romance. The drama performed so well in Korea it dethroned the mega hit Goblin as tvN’s highest viewed drama. Though a romance written around a very serious subject of the separation of North and South Korea in this modern era, the show was not without its own cheesy but endearing charms. The entire cast of this show was amazing, from the crazy but powerful conglomerate (chaebol) family of Se Ri, to her desperate subordinates, the powerful political North Korean officers, Jeong Hyeoks goofy but reliable comrades Dan’s eclectic mother and the resourceful but endearing village women. Outside of the main leads romance, the second budding romance is also so powerful. Overall it's a hit you in the feels romantic drama that will make you love everyone. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for those heart string pulls. All of the episodes can be found with subtitles on Netflix.
A consistently bottom of the league baseball team hires a new general manager who has a good track record of champion teams in other smaller sports but knows nothing about baseball. As he makes waves with the team during the off season, the Stove League, he battles an ownership company that wants to dismantle the team.
After a strand of managing smaller level sports teams, leading them to championships just to be dissolved after, Baek Seung Soo (Namgoong Min) is brought in to be the general manager of the worst performing professional baseball team, Dreams. Working with a dedicated operations manager, Lee Se Young (Park Eun Bin) and her assistant Han Jae Hee (Jo Byeong Gyu) they fix the broken parts of the club to be the most impressive off season, stove league, team. Battling the team ownership with the team president (Oh Jung Se) always working against them, they manage to get rid of people toxic at the club while bringing in new players, developing under looked at players and even bringing in new talent to the office staff. This drama is a very interesting look inside a professional sports team from all aspects while weaving interesting personal life details in. There is no budding romance in this drama. It is truly just a business and camaraderie built drama which was a nice breath of fresh air in a sea of epic romance dramas. Even as a non baseball lover I found the stories they were weaving to be compelling enough I was looking up information about baseball for pure enjoyment to learn. If you are looking for a break from the epic murder/action or romance dramas, this is it. All 16 episodes can be found with English subtitles, and 8 other languages on Viki.
A countryside police officer with a special skill is recruited to work with the city homicide team after she discovers and provides crucial information in a new case of a serial killer in Tell Me What You Saw (본대로 말하라).
Cha Soo Young (Sooyoung) discovers she has a special photographic memory when as a child she witnesses a car run over and kill her mother. Living in the countryside with her father, she grows up to be a police officer. One night a body is discovered and through her photographic memory she helps the city homicide team solve the murder. Leading the team is Hwang Hwa Young (Jin Seo Yeon) with her former teammate Oh Hyun Jae (Jang Hyuk) consulting with her from home. Oh Hyun Jae used to be the top profiler, until in a standoff with a notorious killer he was left severely disabled and lost his fiance. Though the notorious killer was thought to be dead, this new crop of murders replicating his leads Hyun Jae to think his suspicions about him still being alive are true. Maybe with the help of each other Hyun Jae and Soo Young can find the killers they have been looking for.
This is my first drama watching Girls Generation member Sooyoung in a drama so I wasn’t sure what to expect from her acting. Her character is very shy and innocent but determined, so far I am pleased with her as the female lead. Seeing Jang Hyuk in the cast immediately drew me to this show as he is probably one of my favorite drama actors in Korea, and I’m not disappointed either. Something about his voice and how he is able to make you feel wary but trusting of him at the same time is amazing. OCN as a network is pretty strong with its police investigation shows so I know I’m in pretty good hands for the rest of the series. If crime and serial murderers are more of your cup of tea for television then I would recommend this to your watchlist. Airing on Saturday and Sundays in South Korea, you can find subtitled episodes on Viki.
Sam Mendes beautifully brings a WWI epic film to the screen that lives up to its hype. After winning Best Picture - Drama at the Golden Globes, 1917 expanded from its limited releases to a wide theatrical for all to see.
Two young lance corporals are assigned to carry a message to call off an attack on retreated German lines after it is discovered it is a trap. Lance Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) is selected to carry out this mission with his expertise is navigating and considering his older brother is a part of the 1600s troops walking into a trap. He selects Lance Corporal Schofield (George MacKay) to assist him on this dangerous journey crossing no man's land and through presumed abandoned German territory.
Filmed and edited to look like one continuous shot, except for one very clear cut, the film is visually stunning. Director Sam Mendes teamed up with cinematographer Roger Deakins again to create this enthralling epic. With young relatively unknown leads it was gut wrenching to follow their journey. Coming across various superior officers along their way the cast includes: Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong,Benedict Cumberbatch and Richard Madden. Now that it is wide release I would recommend seeing in theaters as this will be the best way to see this film. Not the most visually gory war film but I think it could win over people who don’t normally watch war films.
I know most of my picks won’t win tonight but basically if I was apart of the voting process this is my reveal. Some of these might win and even though in some categories I know there are stronger favorites… it’s still my pick not who I think they will probably give it to.
Best Television Drama: The Crown
Best Television Comedy: Fleabag
Best Limited Series: Chernobyl
Actress Limited/TV Movie: Michelle Williams - Fosse/Verdon
I know most of my picks won’t win tonight but basically if I was apart of the voting process this is my reveal. Some of these might win and even though in some categories I know there are stronger favorites... it’s still my pick not who I think they will probably give it to.
Best Picture Drama: 1917
Best Picture Comedy/Musical: JoJo Rabbit
Best Actress Drama: Renee Zellweger - Judy
Best Actor Drama: Adam Driver - Marriage Story
Best Actress Comedy/Musical: Awkwafina - The Farewell
Best Actor Comedy/Musical: Daniel Craig - Knives Out
Best Actress Supporting: Laura Dern - Marriage Story
Best Actor Supporting: Joe Pesci - The Irishman
Best Director: Bong Joon Ho - Parasite
Best Screenplay : Bong Joon Ho & Han Ji Won - Parasite
Here are my selections for the best K-Dramas of 2019. As we all are busy with lives, not all could be seen but I try my best to be at least watching 2-4 at a time.
Best Period Drama: The Crowned Clown / 왕이 된 남자 - tvN
My choice for the best historical, period drama of the year goes all the way back to the beginning of 2019. When a mad king, high on opioids thinks someone is trying to kill him, he constructs a plan to have an identical street clown sit on his throne to take the assassination. Turns out the clown makes a very fair king and falls for the Queen who has yet to have good relations with her King. Full of politics and romance, Yeo Jin-Goo gives a stellar performance as the two kings. Subtitled episodes can be found on Viki.
Best Fantasy Drama: Hotel del Luna / 호텔 델루나 - tvN
One of the highest rated dramas of the year, Hotel del Luna follows the story of Jang Man-Wol played by IU, who after committing her crimes a thousand years ago has been tied to running a hotel for ghosts before they move on to the next stage. Her destiny to finally be freed is tied to the new human general manager Koo Chan-Sung (Yeo Jin-Goo). Hesitant at first about his destiny they become a solid team helping each other in their lives and heartwarmingly helping the staff and guests of the hotel. With a killer soundtrack this drama really nailed it. Subtitled episodes can be found on Viki.
Best Medical Drama: Doctor John / 의사요한 - SBS
Doctor John was a surprising medical drama. Centered around a doctor who had previously been convicted for euthanasia. He is brought back to be the head of the pain relief department where he is seemingly able to find a cure for the most rare things. What people don’t know is that he suffers from a disease as well. Forever having excluded himself from personal relationships because of his disease he is able to grow to love and depend on one of the residents. Together they battle the debate of euthanasia and find a way to have a normal life for them. Ji Sung is stellar as Doctor John and Lee Se-Young really pulls off the caring and emotional struggles of her character. Subtitled episodes can be found on Viki.
Best/Cutest Romance: Her Private Life / 그녀의 사생활 - tvN
Every once and awhile you need something warm and fuzzy to watch and for this year Her Private Life really hit the mark. Chief art curator Sung Deok-Mi (Park Min-Young), secretly is a super fanatic fangirl of a member of a boy group. One day her new boss, Ryan (Kim Jae-Wook) comes in and is a famous former painter who is chasing down paintings his birth mother painted before he was adopted. When one of their main clients happens to be the singer she idolizes, Deok-Mi tries to keep her fangirling secret and also gets caught in a web of lies where she and her boss need to pretend to be a couple. One of the best pretend couple to real couple romance dramas I have seen, the two lead actors pull of a really natural chemistry that is adorable and sexy along with their own dramatic side stories. Subtitled episodes can be found on Viki.
When you initially read a drama will be about the battle between search engine companies… you would think this would be a total snoozefest. Centered around three powerful women working for two of the major search/news engines, this drama packs its punch with badass women getting shit done, realistic modern romances, and all the drama that comes working for powerful companies. It’s rare I clap so much being like “YESSSSS” over what is going on in a drama but the female leads of this drama, Im Soo-Jung, Lee Da-Hee, Jeon Hye-Jin I will gladly sign on to watch whatever else they are in after this. Battles over the law of privacy, conglomerate people controlling people’s lives and relationships with personal drama that feels more real than your generic “insert dramatic hill to climb” story lines. The soundtrack is also pretty addictive. Subtitled episodes can be found on Viki.
Best 19/20 Drama: Crash Landing On You / 사랑의 불시착 - tvN
Every year we get dramas that start in late November/December that carry over into the next year. So as my year straddling drama choice, I am picking the currently airing Crash Landing on You. Starring Hyun Bin and Son Ye-Jin, a beautiful conglomerate heiress gets caught in a natural disaster as she is paragliding and ends up crash landing in North Korea. Found by a North Korean officer, he brings her to his home to try and protect her and help her get back to her home. Chaos ensues and they need to pretend to be engaged, any many other excuses but as they each battle their own problems love grows. Currently subtitled episodes can be watched weekly on Netflix.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXMjTXL2Vks
Honorable Mentions:
He is Psychometric: compelling fantasy/crime story with a shining Idol/actor performance from tvN with subtitled episodes on Viki.
Kingdom (Season1): The first Netflix original K-Drama is a zombie/period drama with a stellar cast including Ju Ji-Hoon and Bae Doo-Na.
Melting Me Softly: For a light hearted romance drama from tvN about two people that are frozen in capsules and accidentally stuck for 20 years, how they get about in the modern world and handle the side effects and growing love.
Extraordinary You: Characters in a romantic comic start to become self aware of themselves and try to fight their predetermined story lines from the author. From MBC, subtitled episodes on Viki.
Philip Pullman’s beloved young adult fantasy trilogy gets a big screen adaptation brought to us from the powers of the BBC and HBO. In a world where humans souls, daemons, exist outside of their bodies in the form of an animal, a young girl goes on a journey of discovery and a battle against the controlling powers of her world.
Lyra (Dafne Keen) is a young orphan raised at Jordan College in Oxford under academic sanctuary from the Magisterium with her daemon Pantalaimon. Growing up running and playing around campus, she desperately waits for news and visits from her uncle, Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) who visits finally after an expedition in the north. Looking for funds for his further exploration of the substance called Dust, he leaves Lyra again on the run from the Magisterium who he says is controlling society and blocking the truth about the world. Meanwhile outside of Jordan College, the Gyptians, nomads who live on canal boats, have been having their children kidnapped by the “Gobblers” which Lyra passes off as a fairy tale until her close friend Roger disappears too. After being dejected by her uncle, Lyra finds escape from the college in the form of a female explorer Mrs. Coulter (Ruth Wilson) who promises to take her to London and the North. Unknown to Lyra is how special she is and why her uncle has had her protected at the college or why Mrs. Coulter is paying special attention to her. The head of the college gives her a special compass, an alethiometer, that Lord Asriel left for her, that helps tell her the truth and guide her on her journey.
I won’t deny I have been waiting for this show for a long time. As a fan of the books, just being left with the film that came out in 2007 wasn’t enough. Putting my faith in the production company Bad Wolf, having seen their adaptation of A Discovery of Witches, I knew we would have a good show with some adaptations for the screen. I was not disappointed. Pullman’s books deserved a deeper dive than one film could give so this series is giving book fans and new fans a wider scope at Lyra’s world. So far casting wise I am very happy and intrigued to see how the actors handle their characters. The cast also includes Lin-Manuel Miranda, Anne-Marie Duff, with Helen McCrory and David Suchet joining the voice cast. For fans of fantasy series I would recommend but I also think the themes of the story can be attractive to non fantasy fans. Can’t wait to see what more they give us this season. In the US new episodes air at 9pm on Mondays on HBO (UK on Sundays on BBC).
A young island boy follows a female assassin to the capital after his family was attacked. To discover why he disguises himself as a woman to enter the widow village the assassin came from.
Kept away from people, one day on his island Jeon Nok-Du (Jang Dong-Yoon) witnessed a group of female assassins attacking his family. He follows one to the capital city and to a widow village she hides in. To find out why they were attacked Nok-Du disguises himself as a woman to enter. In the capital his paths become crossed with Dong Dong-Ju (Kim So-Hyun) who dresses as a man when she leaves the widow village to try and carry out a personal mission of her own. Something about his attack and her mission, connect them to the ruthless King.
Seeing that Kim So-Hyun was in this drama is what drew me to watch. She has grown up into a really great actress since the days of Rooftop Prince and The Moon Embracing the Sun. Though unfamiliar with the lead actor I think the two of them act cute and silly enough together for this to be a funny young romance that is entangled with some dark royal secret. For fans of period dramas and especially the two dramas mentioned previously I would recommend this one to. The Tale of Nokdu (조선로코 녹두전) airs Monday and Tuesdays on KBS2 in Korea, subtitled episodes can be found on Viki.
In tvN’s latest drama, Melting Me Softly (날 녹여주오), a man and woman take part in a body freezing experiment that was supposed to only be 24hours… they wake up 20 years later to a changed world.
Daring show producer, Ma Dong-Chan (Ji Chang-Wook) decides that his next wild show will be an experiment of freezing the body to see the effects. He gets his most daring show participant Ko Mi-Ran (Won Jin-Ah) to join him. She works hard at these shows to make money for her family and looks after her little brother who gets bullied because of his disability. After real world problems occur during their experiment the two are stuck frozen for 20 years. After waking up still looking like they did in 1999, the two navigate the changes in the world and their families. The one problem they face together is that their bodies must stay at 33 degrees Celsius. Their struggles bring them together and form a romantic relationship.
So far this is a very interesting drama. With the time jump even though 1999 doesn’t feel that long ago to see the changes that have happened through the two characters in intriguing. There’s a dark mystery about the scientist doing the experiment that will be shocking for the male lead to learn especially since he was pushing for this experiment to happen so badly. Jin-Ah and Chang-Wok seem to have a good chemistry together so when the relationship portion of the drama unfolds it should be very juicy. I would add this to a recommend to watch list for fans of romantic dramas. Airing Saturday and Sundays in Korea, subtitled episodes can be found on Viki.
tvN brings us a new Monday/Tuesday dramedy, The Great Show (위대한 쇼), about a former assemblyman who in his efforts to get re-elected uses his new found family to help him get back his position.
Wie Dae-han (Song Seung-heon) is a former assemblyman who lost his election after a horrible PR incident following his father’s death. Three years later he is working as a designated driver for hire trying to regain favor with the people. Newscaster, Jung Soo-hyun (Lee Sun-bin) moves into the building next door, realizing that she is now close to her first love Dae-han from school. One day Dae-han is surprised with meeting a teenage daughter, Han Da-jung (Roh Jeong-eui) who he never knew he had who came looking for him with her little siblings after her mother died. After the initial shock of finding this out, he plans to use his new family to help us image with the public and get his position back.
This drama seems to be a nice family dramedy to start off your week. Song Seung-heon will attract me to watch anything he is in. Though this show will be dangerous to my feels watching him be a dad like character. So excited to watch the budding romance between him and Lee Sun-bin who I have been enjoying her past dramas so can’t wait to see her character development as well. Overall I’m sure this will be a delightful drama to add into anyone’s watchlist. Airing on Mondays and Tuesdays in South Korea on tvN, English subtitled episodes can be found weekly on Viki.
A quirky and successful lawyer is given and is given a high school murder case that ends up ruining his career. Discovering there is something more to this case at the school he sneaks in as a temporary teacher in OCN’s Mr. Temporary (미스터 기간제).
Ki Moo-hyeok (Yoon Gyun-sang) is a creative lawyer with many tricks up his sleeve. After being assigned to defend a high school murderer the case goes off the rails and his career takes the blow. Not working, he hears of more intriguing details in the case and decides to go undercover as a temporary teacher in the privileged school. At the school he connects with gym teacher Ha So-hyun (Keum Sae-rok) who loves her students and defends the murderer saying it couldn’t have been him.
So far this drama has me very intrigued. Besides some of the students having appeared in small parts in other dramas I have seen, most of this cast is new to me. Gyun-sang is good at what he does but he’s a bit too creative at it that he doesn’t put much of his own caring into it. Balancing him with a dedicated teacher like So-hyun creates a good dynamic as they deal with the craziness of the teens that attend this privileged school. I don’t get to watch too many OCN dramas because I’m usually bogged down with so many other shows but after the first week of this series I’m in it for the long run. If undercover mysteries intrigue you I would give this one a try. Episodes air Wednesdays and Thursdays in Korea on OCN, subtitled episodes can be found on Viki streaming services.
The latest Korean drama from Netflix’s partnership with broadcasters is Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung (신입사관 구해령). A noble woman fights gender stereotypes as she becomes a historian during the early 19th century Joseon dynasty.
Goo Hae-ryung (Shin Se-kyung) is a rebellious noble woman. A bit older to be unmarried for the time she enjoys spending her time learning and working as a storyteller for other noble ladies. Prince Yi Rim (Cha Eun-woo) lives in the space but is secretly a popular romance novel writer under the name of Maehwa. Had-ryung not a fan of his novels strikes a chord in Yi Rim because he’s not used to criticism. She becomes a historian and has more connection to the Prince who has yet to learn what real romance is like.
I’m intrigued to see how Cha Eun-woo performs in this drama. He seems to be much more lively of a character in the Prince than his debut role which was a stiff character. Still waiting to be impressed by Shin Se-kyung as with most of her dramas her performances start to get annoying halfway through so though I’m excited by the plot, always love a good Korean period drama, I’m not sure how I will feel about this relationship yet. I’ll keep track of this drama though to see if my reservations change. Episodes air on Wednesdays and Thursdays in Korea on MBC and will also appear on Netflix the same days each week.
SBS brings us the long awaited Korean adaptation of My Absolute Boyfriend (절대 그이). A young woman down on love receives by accident a life-like “love robot”. Trapped in a love triangle between this robot and her ex she learns what love can really be.
Da-Da (Bang Min-Ah) is a special effects makeup artist who has been secretly dating now star actor Wang-Joon (Hong Jong-Hyun) for seven years since before his debut. Now successful he wishes to leave Da-Da and breaks her heart. Meanwhile robot trainer Bo-Won (Choi Sung-Wan) kidnaps his trainee from the love robot company when he finds out he will go to an abusive owner who damages them (Hong Seo-Young). He secretly swaps him with a package meant for Da-Da who is expecting a special effects dummy. Da-Da opens the package and the extremely handsome robot (Yeo Jin-Goo) falls on her and they end up kissing which wakes him and programs him to be her perfect boyfriend. Working a deal with Bo-Won, she agrees to look after him even though she is not interested in a love robot but as he grows on her and issues with her ex arise will her feelings change?
After watching the original Japanese version as well as the Taiwanese one a few years ago I was so excited when they announced they’d be making a Korean version. Yeo Jin-Goo was a perfect choice for the robot Young-Goo. As an actor he pulls of the sweet innocence of being fresh into the real world very well as well as the sometimes corny romantic moments his programming tells him works with women. I am enjoying the storyline about how our main lead was secretly dating this famous actor so she herself couldn’t ever express her love publicly leaving an opening for her heart to explore with the robot. Overall this is a story I’ve already been in love with and it seems the Korean version will not disappoint. Airing on Wednesdays and Thursdays in Korea, subtitled episodes can be found on Viki.
Viki brings us the latest SBS romantic comedy, The Secret Life of My Secretary (초면에 사랑합니다), about a media company director who after an accident can now only see the face of his assistant.
Do Min Ik (Kim Young Kwan) is the Director of a media company who is quite demanding to his assistant Jung Gal Hee (Jin Ki Joo). She tries to prove herself to him because he has a trend to get rid of assistants after a year. When her year is up he still fires her but she ends up saving him from someone attempting to kill him. Walking away with just a head injury, Min Ik is having trouble with facial recognition as faces change or become blurry but the only face he sees is Gal Hee’s. He has to re hire her to be able to work and figure out who wants him dead. Out of their now even closer working environment romance blooms between the sweet and rough.
Though not having seen either lead in a drama besides small roles years ago I was pleasantly surprised how much I loved the two of them together. Ki Joo is adorable with her frizzy curls and big glasses trying to live a patient life putting up with everyone else. Trying to take care of her family after her mother’s death she wants to prove her worth with this job. Young Kwan I was a bit skeptical about at first but he is able to go from powerful and sexy to sweet and vulnerable very well in this role. Adding this drama to my summer watch list. Airing on Mondays and Tuesdays in Korea, subtitled episodes can be found on Viki.
