KDRAMA.
My Top 5 Korean-Drama Recommendations:
1. Chicago Typewriter
2. Remember: War of the Son
3. Tunnel
4. D-Day
5. Class of Lies
Disclaimer: I am NOT A FAN of romantic comedies, so most of my kdrama recommendations are all under the genre of crime, mystery and thriller.
5. Class of Lies (2019)
Network: OCN
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Episodes: 16
Plot (by AsianWiki):
Ki Moo-Hyeok (Yoon Kyun Sang) is a lawyer with a high winning rate. He only cares about money. Due to a murder case at a high school which he deals with, his reputation as a lawyer hits rock bottom. In order to regain his good name as a lawyer, he sneaks into the high school and begins to work as a temporary teacher. He tries to reveal a secret which the students have. In so doing, Ki Moo-Hyeok gets involved with Teacher Ha So-Hyun (Keum Sae Rok). She is P.E. teacher who loves her students. Ki Moo-Hyeok and Ha So-Hyun then face the students' secret.
Thoughts/Conclusion:
As I am writing this, this is the latest kdrama I have watched. This was recommended by my friend and I remembered myself including this in my list of kdramas ‘to watch’ way before, but hasn’t been able to, yet. Hahaha!
In all of the dramas I’ve watched (with the same plot as this one), this one stands out the most because of its ending ㅡ open-ended. Yes, there were still some unanswered questions, but that is what made this drama intriguing. I love how realistic the approach of the drama is in interpreting the story. That not everything gets resolved, and in this drama too, the ending with Yu Beom Jin left us with many unanswered questions.
4. D-Day (2015)
Network: JTBC
Genre: Medical Drama, Disaster, Romance
Episodes: 20
Plot (by Wikipedia):
Lee Hae-sung is a surgeon who is transferred from one of the best hospitals in Seoul to a rundown hospital with no ER. After disobeying his previous hospital director, Park Geon, he then meets Jung Ddol-mi, an orthopedic resident from Busan who came to Seoul to transfer a patient. Ddol-mi tries to meet professor Han Woo-jin, a cold robotics surgeon who works in Hae-sung's old hospital who saved her life when she was younger before going back to Busan. However, she is stuck in Seoul after trying to save a patient. Meanwhile, a sinkhole appears in Seoul followed by a big earthquake that blocks all access to the city, causing phones, electricity, and water to not function. Hae-sung teams up with Ddol-mi to treat people, but soon medicine starts to run out.
Thoughts/Conclusion:
If I will recall, I think this is the first medical kdrama I have watched? I watched this because of Lee Sungyeol of INFINITE is casted in this drama and also because of the plot. But as I go on, I found myself so absorbed in the series.
What I liked about this series aside from the plot are the actors and actresses. They all did well in portraying each character, but I have to say, Kim Young Kwang really stands out for me. He has put a lot of effort in expressing his emotions into his character and it felt so real.
3. Tunnel (2017)
Network: OCN
Genre: Police Procedural, Crime, Thriller
Episodes: 16
Plot (by AsianWiki):
In 1986, Detective Park Gwang-Ho (Choi Jin Hyuk) desperately tries to catch a serial killer. He chases after the serial killer and goes through a tunnel. On the other side of the tunnel, Detective Park Gwang-Ho finds himself in the year 2017. The serial killer has resumed the killings that began 30 years ago. Detective Park Gwang-Ho works with Detective Kim Sun-Jae (Yoon Hyun Min) and Professor of Criminal Psychology Shin Jae-Yi (Lee Yoo Young) to catch the killer.
Thoughts/Conclusion:
I was actually torn between Tunnel and Signal, but I decided to include Tunnel in my Top 5 kdrama recommendations because it tackles criminal psychology as well as criminal profiling and I have been very interested in those things lately. What makes this series intriguing is that, it shows how psychopaths and sociopaths are developing in the society.
2. Remember: War of the Son (2015)
Network: SBS
Genre: Legal Drama, Crime, Thriller, Mystery
Episodes: 20
Plot (by Wikipedia):
Seo Jin-woo has a special condition called hyperthymesia which allows him to remember almost every day in perfect detail. While his father, Seo Jae-hyuk on the other hand, developed an Alzheimer's disease, making him lose his memories. When Seo Jae-hyuk was wrongfully convicted of murder, Jin-woo vows to prove innocence of his father. Four years later, Jin-woo becomes a lawyer to put the real criminal behind bars but bribery, corruption, and betrayals would not give him an easy road to justice.
Thoughts/Conclusion:
This series has been my top 1 kdrama ever since I have watched it, but Chicago Typewriter happened (well, I’ll be talking about this later). I came across a clip from the first episode of the series in Facebook. It was the scene on Jinwoo and Inha on the bus while identifying the culprit who stole something from Inha. I was intrigued about it and how Jinwoo has sharp memory and remembers everything.
What I love about this drama is the refreshing new plot and the characters, oh, let’s not forget how good Nam Goong Min portrayed his character as Nam Gyu Man. He really showed excellent acting skills to the point that even the viewers will hate him SO MUCH. Hahaha.
1. Chicago Typewriter (2017)
Network: TVN
Genre: Historical, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance
Episodes: 16
Plot (by Wikipedia):
The series depicts three resistance fighters who lived during the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea, and are reincarnated into the present as a best-selling writer in a slump, a fan, and a ghostwriter.
It is an epic story of comradeship, friendship, love and betrayal that lasts 80 years. As the trio of writer, ghostwriter and fan race against time to find the truth of the past that haunts them, will their discovery affect their present?
Thoughts/Conclusion:
This is actually one of the recent kdramas I’ve watched during this enhanced community quarantine and I just have to say that this is actually one of my regrets in life (ok this is exaggerated lol but anyways). I regret not being able to watch this during the release which was last 2017. But it was actually on my ‘to watch’ list at that time. I’ve seen the plot and it made me curious, so I waited for it to finish before actually starting it, but I wasn’t really able to watch it because I got busy with school.
THIS. IS. SO. SO. SO. SO. GOOD.
As I’ve said above, Remember: War of the Son used to be my top 1 kdrama of all time, but after watching Chicago Typewriter, I changed my mind. Okay hear me out, I’ve seen A LOT of kdramas with new and interesting plot, but they haven’t topped Remember yet, but Chicago Typewriter just did, and I really mean it.
For the story, there were times where I felt that the story-line was moving slow. I mean, I wasn’t expecting it to be fast-paced but there were really scenes that I think have been dragged too long and not that important. But aside that, everything was SO GOOD. YES. IT WAS SO GOOD.
I love how series unfold the genuine friendship between the three main characters during the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea – Seo Hwiyoung, Ryu Soohyun and Shin Yul. The storytelling throughout the drama is also good, even though they were constantly shifting timelines between 1930s and the present.
The OSTs in the series were also GOOD. I tried listening to it after I watched the drama and I swear, listening to Satellite by SALTNPAPER and Writing Our Stories by SG Wannabe brings back all those emotions you’ve felt while watching it.
