Best Romantic Historical Korean Dramas (Pt 2 of 2)

Hope you were pleased with the recommendation in Part 1.  Here's the second half of the list.  Enjoy!

Healing Crystal Natural Rose Stone Heart

(6) Mr. Queen (2020)
A chef from modern-day Seoul falls off a hotel balcony and into a pool. When he comes out of the water, he is in the body of a queen during the Joseon Era. It seems that at that moment a few hundred years ago, she had jumped into a lake because she was trying to commit suicide. Somehow his soul entered her body. He was in shock when he looked in the mirror and in even more shock when he realized he had to sleep with the king! His first thought was how to avoid the king's bed until he noticed the king didn't seem to be interested in him … uuuhh? … her. So then he turned his focus on how to get back to his time period and back in his own body.

Meanwhile … he had to learn to live as the queen, which meant he was drawn into all of the palace scheming, conniving, corruption, and treachery. He had to learn the queen's friends and her enemies, and how to get along with her father. The fun part of this time-travel/body-swap misadventure was using his chef skills to prepare dishes and win over the king’s enemies. Even though the chef's identity and personality remain in her body, the queen’s identity and personality gradually become dominant.

The chef's memories get replaced with the queen's memories and the reason she tried to commit suicide became clear. But by that time, the romance between the king and the queen develops because the king also understands her reason. The king was mistaken about her true intention and her love for him. He believed she was part of her family's corrupt plan for power. The queen learned the tragic story of the king's childhood and that her father had knowledge of how his family died. They became closer to each other and fell in love. Their love story is beautiful and triumphant. Best time travel romantic comedy ever!! [Where to Watch]

TRAILER: Global, CJ ENM. “Mr. Queen.” YouTube, Video, 12 Dec. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1vplUsGDoI.

(7) Lovers of the Red Sky (2021)

Hong Cheong-Gi is the main female character and also the name of a real historical figure who was the only female painter accepted into the Korean Royal Academy of Painting during the Joseon era. The leading male character is Ha Ram. She is the divine painter and he is a divine astrologer. They first meet as children; she is born blind and he is a child with special power. The children get separated because Ha Ram is chosen to participate in a rain ritual. On the day he performs the ritual, he loses his eyesight and is possessed by a demon. At the same exact time, the blind girl gains her eyesight. When they grow up, they meet again, and their bond of friendship is renewed and matures into romantic love. However, their love and lives are endangered because they are caught up in two webs: the political power games in the human world AND the eternal power struggle of good versus evil in the spirit world. This Viki Original series is a delightful historical fantasy romance. [Where to Watch]

(8) Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist (2022)
A royal physician who works in the palace and is called upon to treat members of the royal family has such extraordinary medical skills, he is given the title “Divine Acupuncturist”. But others hatched a plan to murder the king and frame him. He is not aware that performing acupuncture would cause the king's death. Consequently, he is accused of murder and thrown into prison. The murderers hoped he would receive the death penalty and their crime would be hidden. But the crown prince set him free because he believed he was innocent and that he was also the only one who could prove who had murdered the king.

He went from working as a royal physician to working in a village hospital. But he was so traumatized that he could no longer perform acupuncture. He met a young woman and trained her to be an acupuncturist. When she first saw him she had to talk him out of committing suicide. When he met her again, she a trying to commit suicide. Not only did he have to treat her “heart”, he uncovered that she was a victim. Her mother-in-law was trying to convince her to commit suicide so her family would receive the Virtuous Widow Honor.

The royal physician who was no longer able to perform acupuncture started a new life and developed a new skill. The physician changed the way he treated patients by diagnosing both their physical sickness and determining how to heal their troubled minds. He became a “heart doctor” and he also fell in love. This K-drama has 2 seasons. [Where to Watch]

TRAILER: Global, CJ ENM. “Poong, the Joseon Psychiatrist.” CJ ENM - YouTube, 18 Aug. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc2Nr-1AYBc.

(9) The Secret Romantic Guesthouse (2023)

The daughter of a nobleman owns a guesthouse left to her by her father. In addition to being a guesthouse, there are also secrets and romance. There are three flower scholars are her guests.

• One is already paying for a room before the other two guests arrive. He hopes to win the heart of the owner.

• The second guest came to town to take the civil service exam for martial arts and hopes to become a member of the king's royal guard.

• The third guest has no money but he did try to help a damsel in distress. Since the damsel is the owner of the guesthouse, he arrives there and tells her she should repay the debt by allowing him to stay there.

Two of the scholars have a secret identity and are on a secret mission. The owner also has a secret and tells all of the guests they are not allowed to go near the guestroom located at the back. It's haunted.

When the owner was a young girl, she protected a young boy who ran into her yard and hid in the dog house. That boy was the crown prince but he did not tell her his true identity. Thirteen years passed and one of the guests is that prince and he' gong to fall in love with him. This is a Viki Original series. [Where to Watch]

(10) Missing Crown Prince (2024)

A royal physician was told that if his daughter married the crown prince, he would die young and she would become a widow. His plan is for his daughter to become the future crown princess so he kidnaps the crown prince. They are both drugged and spend the night together, lying side by side, technically making them a married couple. He further plans to eliminate that crown prince and replace him with another crown prince and get him to marry his daughter.

Before he was kidnapped the crown prince was investigating her father. He had information that proved he was having a secret affair with the Queen Dowager and might be responsible for the death of a court maid assigned to the queen dowager's palace.

The best laid plan usually doesn't work out. The daughter wakes up and helps the prince escape not knowing who he is. He also does not know that she is the daughter of the royal physician he was investigating. The other prince the father had hoped his daughter would marry was very close to the crown prince. They grew up together and had a strong bond. But that strong bond might be broken because both of them fell in love with the royal physician's daughter. This K-drama series is a spin-off of “Bossam: Steal the Fate”, another Viki Original which was released in 2021. This is a Viki Original series. [Where to Watch]

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Best Romantic Historical Korean Dramas (Pt 1 of 2)

Need some recommendations for binge-watching historical romantic Korean drama?  Here is a 2-part list.

Heart Sticky Notes

(1) Dong Yi (2010)
A true story: a real-life love story between Dong Yi and King Sukjong. A concubine with a heart of gold, who suggested to the king that there be a law preventing a concubine from becoming queen (according to the TV series). She saw and experienced the cruelty of the “palace flowers” toward each other and the lengths they went to trying to eliminate their “competition”. In the actual history of Joseon, the strict Confucian social hierarchy and the established court protocols did make it difficult for concubines to rise to the status of queen consort. Dong Yi, who was the king's favorite concubine, was elevated to the status of Royal Noble Consort Suk-bin and became the mother of King Yeongjo. [Where to Watch]

(2) Shine or Go Crazy (2015)

Set during the period BEFORE the Joseon Era when the country was called Goryeo. Wang So is the Prince of Goryeo who is kicked out of the palace because they believed he is cursed. When his future was read, it was determined that he was born with both a light and fire, meaning he will either shine bright like a star OR he'll be a crazy man. Shin Yool is a princess from Balhae who survived her country's destruction and is included in a prophecy concerning Wang So. The prophecy said she would help a prince of Goryeo ascend to the throne and become king. They met each other in a most unusual way. They were both in a foreign country and she was trying to escape an arranged marriage.

Wang So was a random man she saw on the street and she persuaded him to participate in a fake marriage. When they met she was living as a successful businesswoman. She didn't know he was a prince and he didn't know she was a princess. Separately, he returned to Goryeo and she came to Goryeo later to do business. She recognizes him when she sees him but he didn't recognize her. This time, not only did he not know she was a princess; he didn't even know she was a woman. Shin Yool disguised herself as a man because her gender would prevent her from doing business in Goryeo. They met again and would fall in love, neither realizing that their relationship a part of a prophecy. “Shine or Go Crazy” is based on a novel of the same name. [Where to Watch]

(3) 100 Days My Prince (2018)
Yul is a young prince befriends Yi Seo, a nobleman's daughter and told her that he would marry her when they grew up. Unfortunately, his weak-minded and wicked father authorized the slaughter of her family because they were preventing him from ascending to the throne. He bravely helped her and her brother escape. His father became king and he became the crown prince who forced into a loveless marriage because his father-in-law wanted more power. His father-in-law even tried to assassinate him because the crown prince was simply getting in the way of his power plays. The assassination attempt failed but in the process Yul lost his memories.

Yi Seo had been adopted and raised by a loyal servant from her father; household. There was a royal command that all of the spinsters in the villages had to be married. Since her father knew that Yul had amnesia, he told him that he a his daughter's fiancé and they were to be married. Yi Seo was about to be flogged for disobeying the royal command. Just like that! Yul had inadvertently married his first love, the young girl he had promised to marry. Only they did not recognize each other. This series is based on a webtoon. [Where to Watch]

TRAILER: TV, Viki Global. “100 DAYS MY PRINCE - OFFICIAL TRAILER.” YouTube, Video, 26 Nov. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LxsJGR7DgU.

(4) Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung (2019)
During the Joseon era, women were very limited in activities they could engage in freely. Goo Hae-ryung's older brother who raised her had decided that it was time for her to marry. He had out it off long enough. At the same time, the king decided to authorize the hiring of female historians. It was a first! There had never been female historians but there was a critical need. It was not to ensure that history was properly recorded. It was a way for the king and his corrupt officials to be able to gain access to the areas in the palace where only women could go.

The king and one of his corrupt court officials wanted to snoop on the queen, the queen dowager, the crown princess, the concubines, and any and all women in the palace. They wanted a record of people who met with the “flowers in the palace” and what they discussed. Hiring female historians was the perfect solution to “their problem”. Goo Hae-ryung believed being hired as a female historian was the perfect solution to “her problem”, i.e. avoiding an arranged marriage and remaining independent free-spirited woman. She passed the test and became a part of the group of the first female historians in Joseon. Once inside the palace she met and fell in love with a prince. Their romantic relationship hit a few roadblocks. There was no way to avoid the palace intrigue and treacherous schemes. They had to find a way to overcome them. [Where to Watch]

TRAILER: K-Content, Netflix. “Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung.” YouTube, Video, 8 July 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqaGhUJ9Vgs.  

(5) The Tale of Nok Du (2019)

Nok Du is a prince who thought he was a commoner because his adopted father kept his true identity a secret from him. Why? Because his own father, the king, tried to kill him to thwart a shaman's prediction of his future. Nok Du was content to be a commoner. He had a happy home with his father and brother on a beautiful island with friendly villagers. But one day female assassins showed up at his house. He overpowered them so they tried to escape. Nok Du chased after them and he was relentless in his pursuit. He followed the assassin into a widows' village and … they beat him up and kicked him out!

Nok Du needed to know why assassins showed up at his home and he knew the assassin was in that village. There was only one way to get inside that village. He dressed up like a woman and pretended to be a widow. In the village, he met a young woman, Dong Dong Ju, who dressed up like a man whenever she left the community. Dong Dong Ju was not a widow, but the head of the village allowed her to stay there. It was a safe haven for her because members of her noble family had been killed. Dong Dong Ju was on a mission of revenge. She planned to kill the man responsible for the death of her family members, i.e. king, Nok Du's father. They end up sharing a room together in the village, and she learns he is a man. They fall in love but it's gets complicated. [Where to Watch]

Original source

Streaming Services for Korean Dramas: Netflix versus Viki

In the USA, the most popular streaming sites for Korean dramas are Netflix and Viki. Maybe I shouldd say, the most popular streaming sites that I know of.  I have been a long-time Netflix subscriber and even though I give Netflix credit for introducing me to the wonderful world of Korean drama, I am a loyal Viki viewer. I became a loyal Viki viewer because Netflix didn't have enough TV series and movies to satisfy my appetite.  Especially not enough sageuk or historical period K-dramas.

These days, Netflix has added lots more K-dramas to their database; and their Netflix Original Series are very entertaining.  The Viki Original Series are equally entertaining.

• If you want to watch a Netflix Original Series, I highly recommend: Mr. Sunshine (2018); My Country: The New Age (2019); and The King's Affection (2021).  

• If you want to watch a Viki Original Series, I highly recommend:  Lovers of the Red Sky (2021); and The King Loves (2017).  Viki has lots more original series that I could suggest but I prefer to finish them and write reviews first, before telling others to dd to their watch list.

Rakuten Viki ~ The Heart of Asian Entertainment

𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐊𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬?

Who knows what else I might find if I check different streaming sites. Thanks!!

My Sageuk Addiction – Medium

Tomorrow With You ~ Can a Time Traveler Change the Future?

“Tomorrow With You” is a 2017 drama series, with 16 episodes, and can be categorized as Time Travel, Romance, Comedy (Rom-Com) and Fantasy or Supernatural.

• SUMMARY: Suppose you meet someone on one day and that chance meeting saved your life. Then on another day you see your lifeless body being a carried away and the lifeless body of the woman who saved your life is also being carried away. Since you have the ability to time travel, maybe you can go back and sever the relationship you have with her. That should be fix everything. Right? That might work IF ... the ability to travel through time also gives you the ability to change the future. But if it doesn't ...

Image credit

♦ Life is Shorter Than You Think

Yoo So-joon is a handsome, young and wealthy CEO. You could say he has it all. What more could he ask for? Love? Well, that's obvious. But what else? How about the ability to travel through time? That wasn't exactly something that Yoo So-joon had on his wish list. But one day while riding the subway train, he felt a terrible pain in his head. The next thing he knew he was in a different time period. As soon as he got off the train he met another time traveler. The time traveler told him he'll have to get used to going back and forth between past, present, and future. But the most important rule is to never be in the same time period with yourself. He can't be with his present self and his future self at the same time. That's bad!

OK! Important safety tip! But guess what happened? Yoo So-joon saw his dead body being carried away on a stretcher. There was also a woman who had died and her name was Song Ma-Rin. Yoo So-joon wondered if it was possible to change the outcome of this tragic event. He time traveled again and it turns out he and Song Ma-Rin were married. In another time period, he and Song Ma-Rin were both on the same train. They got into an argument with each other and got off the train. While they were still arguing, the train blew up! Yoo So-joon had intended to stay on the train that day. If he had, he would have died.

Somehow the timelines of their lives were intertwined. In one period, she saved his life. In another, they both died together.

Song Ma-Rin is unaware that Yoo So-joon has already seen her future. She is barely managing to live in the present because her past keeps getting in the way. Song Ma-Rin used to be a child star but when she grew up she did not pursue an acting career. The problem is reporters keep writing articles about how she has not accomplished anything since her fame as a child actress and this gets in the way of her moving forward. When she met Yoo So-Joon he gave her this advice: "Life is shorter than you think. You shouldn't be hung up on the past.” He could say that, since Yoo So-joon already knew her future.

Yoo So-joon decided to traveled back in time to see if he could break their connection. If he could somehow sever their relationship, they wouldn't be together, they wouldn't fall in love and get married, and they probably would not die in a terrible accident. But does having the ability to time-travel also give you the ability to change your future?

Main Characters:

• Song Ma-Rin (played by Shin Min-A**)

• Yoo So-Joon (played by Lee Je-Hoon, “Chief Inspector 1958”, “Taxi Driver 1 and 2”, “Move to Heaven”, “My Paparotti”, “Time to Hunt”)

** Shin Min-A is a Korean actress who popped up on my radar in “Arang and the Magistrate ”. She stars in several Korean dramas that are still on my watch list: “Diva”, “Chief of Staff 1 and 2”, “Oh My Venus” (award-winning), and “Hometown Cha Cha Cha”. Have you watched any of these?

• Where to Watch: The Roku Channel and Tubi TV

Viewership and Ratings:

• IMDb Rating: 7.4 out of 10 stars

• My Drama List: 8 out of 10 stars

• Dramabeans: 8.3 out of 10 stars

• Letterboxd: 3.6 out of 5 stars

• Google users public rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars

My personal rating is the same as My Drama List.

This Kdrama series had mixed reviews. Some did not give high marks for the acting or the script. Others said it was underrated and thought the chemistry between the couple was great.

I am always interested in how a scriptwriter will spin a time travel fantasy / love story. In “Tomorrow With You”:

• The female lead had a difficult time trying to get away from her past, so that she could live productively in the present.

• The male lead was trying to get away from his grim future that had her in it.

He felt should she could easily fix her problem if she just wasn't hung up on her past. Whereas the best way to fix his problem was to get her out of his life, because she is the problem!

I had to see how this was going to work out.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

Tomorrow With You | Korean Drama Review (“A beautiful, languidly romantic time traveling story,...”)

Twelve (12) of the Best Time Travel K Dramas And Where To Watch Them | TODAY

Lee Je Hoon: An Actor Review | Drama Homebody

Tomorrow With You ~ Can a Time Traveler Change the Future? https://t.co/qMhn9txwm3 #kdramas #Koreandrama #allthingshallyu #entertainment #popcornworthy #fantasy

— Treathyl Fox (aka cmoneyspinner) ~ #Freelancer (@cmoneyspinner) August 10, 2024

WATCH TRAILER:

Ani-Hongo. “TOMORROW, with YOU (2017) - TRAILER.” YouTube Video. YouTube, March 28, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=824cd8uXz8Y.

‌

Watch and Learn: Learn a Foreign Language While Watching a Foreign Drama

I love foreign films and television shows, as long as they have English subtitles.  But what if?  What if there was a tool to combine my education with my entertainment?

I got hooked on Korean dramas several years back. I especially liked the historical dramas during the Joseon or Chosun time period.

Because Netflix did not have enough K-dramas to satisfy me, Viki became my GO-TO site for Asian TV. One thing that used to frustrate me though was having to wait for a series to be translated with English subtitles. My first K-drama television series was “Tamra the Island”. The young British noble William seemed to have a gift for learning languages. But the one thing I noticed when I started watching K-dramas was that the language was not that difficult to learn. I am not gifted like William however I found it easy to pick out conversational phrases like “Have you eaten?” However, the idea of adding a feature to the video that helps you learn the language? That's absolutely fabulous! Way to go Viki! And the tool will teach Chinese also?? SCORE!

• Learn more about how to Learn languages while watching dramas! ~ Viki Blog

Watch Tamra the Island on Viki 



Follow Viki on Twitter:
Tweets by Viki

Watch Asian Dramas ~ Free Online Streaming

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Spotlight on South Korean Actor Lee Dong-Wook

Lee Dong-wook appears on many lists of “most handsome” South Korean male actors. But he is not just a pretty face. He is popular for a variety of reasons. He is very talented, has a versatile acting range, is known to have a charming persona, and he is “best buds” with Gong Yoo.

• Lee Dong Wook shares the secret to his long and successful career without any controversies | Times of India

Lee Dong-wook is an award-winning actor. Since he has been appearing in Korean dramas since 2005, you might not know where to begin. Check out this list:

1. A Shop For Killers (2024)
2. Bad and Crazy (2021)
3. Tale of the Nine Tailed (2020)
4. Strangers from Hell (2019)
5. Life (2018)
6. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016)
7. Hotel King (2014)
8. The Fugitive of Joseon (2013)

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Chief of Staff 1 and 2 (2019); Political; Drama

“Chief of Staff”, Season 1, introduces Jang Tae-joon, an ambitious political aide with a troubled past, but a charismatic personality. The dark cutthroat world of Korean politics is an intricate web of power and corruption. Nevertheless, Tae-joon rises through the ranks to become the Chief of Staff. Even though he faces constant moral dilemmas and ethical challenges, he is determined in the pursuit of justice and bringing about meaningful change. His personal relationships may or may not be sacrificed.

 Lee Jung-Jae plays Jang Tae-joon.

Season 2 carries on with the political intrigue and power struggles. Tae-joon faces new adversaries, discovers secrets, and forms unexpected alliances. There are new characters and relationships evolve. Conspiracies play out that threaten not only their careers but their lives. The scriptwriters for this K-drama series skillfully weave together personal and political storylines. This intense political drama is very thought-provoking. Where to Watch

RATINGS:

• IMDb: 7.8 out of 10 stars
• MyDramaList: 8 out of 10 stars

Netflix K-Content. “Chief of Staff | Official Trailer | Netflix [ENG SUB].” YouTube Video. YouTube, June 21, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl8YMGaQRKI.‌ VIEW TRAILER/TEASER.

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Korean Drama: TV Series: Shine or Go Crazy (2015)

"Shine or Go Crazy" (alternate title:  "Shine or Be Mad") was released in 2015 and it is a "gem".  If you have not already watched, then add this Korean drama series to your watch list. It has 24 episodes and is available on Viki.com. 

Image credit: https://asianwiki.com/File:Shine_or_Go_Crazy-p1.jpg

Talk about palace intrigue. It's loaded with murder by poison, spies who spy on the spies, and warriors on different sides. The good guy warriors or the "Righteous" wear BLACK. The bad guy warriors wear RED. It is set during the period BEFORE the Joseon era when the country was called Goryeo. The main character is Wang So (played by Jang Hyuk) and he is the cursed Prince of Goryeo who is destined to become the emperor. But!  Will he be a good emperor or a bad emperor?

The reason the series is called “Shine or Go Crazy” is because when his future or fate was read, it was determined that he was born with both a light and fire. That means he will either shine bright like a star OR he'll be a madman. We won't know until the last episode. LOL. 

Is there a love triangle? Of course! It's a Korean drama! There is more than one love triangle and some interesting family ties. I love all of those complicated relationships.

I have a silly complaint though. I don't really like the costumes from the Goryeo Dynasty (AD 918-1392). I like the clothes they wore during the Joseon historical period. But hey! It's history. If that was the fashion back then, I'll just have to accept it.

Boys Over Flowers (2009 Korean TV series)

K-drama television series are addictive. Why? Because of their special ingredient called “adorable cuteness”.

Example and Recommendation:

Boys Over Flowers (2009 Korean TV series)

Image credit: viki.com

It’s official! My kids have decided that their mother has lost all the marbles in her head. Why? K-drama television series. Very pleased with the business decision by Netflix to add such programs into their database. Even more pleased that many of the programs are available for viewing online free at various websites.


Can’t explain my reactions. Grew up on American television. My husband got me started watching foreign films. Once my kids began subscribing to Netflix and other similar video streaming services noticed that some of them were into binge-watching. One particularly boring day at home decided to binge-watch a BBC mystery because BBC television mysteries are my favorite. From that point, binge-watching became my way of treating myself to a healthy dose of doing … The Nothing! You know. Those days when you just decide you have earned your “Goof Off All Day” reward and no serious work will be done on that day!



However, even when indulging myself in binge-watching, never lost sleep over a TV show; and certainly never really thought any series was worth watching more than once. Might watch a few particular episodes a few times more. But never the whole series!

Did I say BBC mysteries “are” my favorite? Sorry. Meant to say “were”.

• Netflix Junkie (Especially BBC Mystery)

Huh?? Duh??!!
That was how my children reacted.
– (???) What could possibly make mom choose an alternative for the BBC?

Answer. Those silly cute adorable Korean drama television series that have incredibly simple yet intricate, seemingly never-ending storylines with each episode, that leave with the thought”: ‘Gotta find out how this ends!!’

My first taste of K-drama was a movie called “Commitment”. It was intense!!

Then my husband found a more light-hearted TV series called “Tamra the Island” It’s a romantic dramedy (drama and comedy blend) that was “Inspired by the real story of a Dutch explorer, a young Englishman discovers Kdrama in the 17th century Joseon Era”. (Quote source: dramafever)


One of the main characters was played by this tall handsome guy with the “skinny little body” whose name in the series was Park Gue, whose real name is Im Ju Hwan. I was impressed with him so search for more programs where he was playing a character.

This is where “Boys Over Flowers” comes in.

My research indicated that Hwan (Park Gue) had made an appearance in this show. Started watching the program only looking for him. Got stuck on it!! Got so stuck one night and didn’t go to sleep until about 4:30 in the morning!! Hwan did make an extremely brief appearance, after about 20 episodes. Talk about an Easter egg hunt! Anyway … glad someone realized this young man’s acting abilities and gave him the lead role in “Tamra the Island”.

Disappointed at only catching a tiny glimpse of Hwan in this TV show. However, my decision to view the entire series was filed under “Happy R&R Time Well Spent”.   Took me a few days to finish all the episodes. Will say no more because people hate spoilers. But if you like romantic dramedy, you’ll like “Boys Over Flowers”. Wonderful love story. It’s so cute!! 

Content previously published at BlogJob.com

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Korean Drama Series Review: Miraculous Brothers (2023)

In "Miraculous Brothers", the two main characters ~ Yook Dong-Joo and Lee Kang San ~ meet each other by accident. But perhaps the accident that brought them together was actually a miracle. This Korean drama series was released in 2023 and has 16 episodes.

Some people are chasing after a young man and he is running for his life. The night is dark, it's raining, and just as lightning strikes he runs into the street and gets hit by a car. The driver of the car takes him to a hospital where he is pronounced dead. While in the hospital's Emergency Room, the driver hears someone calling “Brother! Brother!” Not sure where the voice is coming from, he approaches the bed where the young man is lying dead from his injuries. When he leans in closely, without realizing it, his breath goes into the young man's nostrils and his eyes open. HE'S ALIVE!! It's a MIRACLE!

Lee Kang San is alive but he is suffering from amnesia and doesn't even know who is. Except he does remember having a backpack, although he can't remember what was inside the backpack. Yook Dong-Joo is keeping something a secret and kind of hopes Kang San won't remember. If Kang San regains his memory, Dong-Joo will want to be there so he can explain his actions and beg for forgiveness. Since Yook Dong-Joo was the driver, he accepts responsibility by allowing Kang San to come and live with him.

Lee Kang San has no memory but discovers that he has superpowers. He hears voices, can feel the pain of others, and can disappear and reappear. Dong-Joo advises him to keep his special abilities a secret.

At first, Dong-Joo is worried that Kang San would find out he stole the manuscript that was in his backpack. But he becomes even more anxious because:.

• An anonymous phone caller tells him that the manuscript should have never been published. He realizes someone else must know he stole the manuscript. If they know, then what are they after? Is he in danger?

• A police detective tells him that the murders written about in the manuscript are actually happening. Not only that but the present-day murders are linked to a 27-year-old murder case.

Dong-Joo begins to do research on his own about the murders and makes a shocking discovery. It appears that Lee Kang San is a TIME TRAVELER!

Things just keep getting more and more complicated. 

Main Characters:

• Yook Dong-Ju (played by Jung Woo)

• Lee Kang San (played by Bae Hyun-Sung)

"Miraculous Brothers" is streaming on Viki and Netflix. 

K-Drama Review: 100 Days My Prince (2018) ~ Season 2 Confirmed for 2024

100 Days My Prince (2018) is a historical period K-drama, with 16 episodes, currently available on popular streaming sites such as Netflix, Viki, and Amazon Prime.  

"100 Days My Prince Series season 2nd not a secret now. We're expecting it to land on Saturday, May 11, 2024 almost same time as previous. Here's all we know about the upcoming part of the history."  (Source)

For those who have not watched Season 1, below is a recap.

Plot Summary

In the beginning episode, we meet the young boy who will become the prince and the young girl that he falls in love with and promises to marry.  Like typical historical Korean dramas, it is loaded with political power struggles between ruthless court officials and of course, there's a touching love story. 

Childhood Trauma

A young prince witnesses horrific bloodshed and commands that it be stopped. Since he is a small child, his command is disregarded and he is returned to his father; only to learn that it was his father who ordered the bloodshed. To add insult to injury, his mother is “accidentally” killed (really she was murdered). 

From that day forward, he not only hates his father, HE HATES EVERYBODY!

Everybody except his close friend from childhood.  Everybody should have at least one true friend in this world. 

Two Marriages of Convenience?

The prince is forced into a marriage of convenience.  His wife, the princess, becomes pregnant by another man. In an effort to cover up her infidelity, the father-in-law (the father of the princess) attempts to kill the prince. The assassination attempt fails. However, while trying to escape his assassins, the prince falls down a slope and hits his head. A poor man finds him and takes care of him as best he can while he is unconscious. 

When he regains his consciousness, he does not remember who he is. When he was the prince he had given an order that all spinsters get married.  The poor man's daughter has not yet obeyed this command and time is running out.  The poor man is desperate to save his daughter from being punished for disobeying the law.  She is in peril and could be flogged to dearth.  So he the prince that he is his daughter's husband-to-be and that they must marry immediately.  Another marriage of convenience? 

What Happened During 100 Days

For 100 days, he lives the simple life of a commoner and falls in love. He is found by his father-in-law and brought back to the palace. His memory has not returned. But slowly bits and pieces of incidents from his past, like puzzle pieces, begin to fit together. His story begins … AGAIN! 

Gradually he realizes who he is and what he needs to do, i.e. fight against those who want him dead.  But he also knows what he wants to do, i.e. marry the woman he fell in love with as a commoner.  Eventually, he'll discover that she is the little girl he met when he was a child and had promised he would marry anyway.  Sadly, along the timeline from their childhood to young adults, many many unhappy and tragic events have occurred.

Will the prince overcome his opponents and will he and the woman he loves be able to live happily ever after?

• Do Kyung Soo stars as Prince Yul; and
• Nam Ji Hyun plays Yi Seo, the woman he truly loves.

RATING

Most viewers gave this series 4.8 out of 5 stars or 9.5. out of stars.  I agree.  To date, 100 Days My Prince stands as "the 11th highest-rated drama in Korea" (Source); and fans are super excited for Season 2.

Original source

If you are a Do Kyung-Soo (D.O.) fan, while you're waiting for 2024 to arrive, check out these:

• Swing Kids (2018)

• Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018); AND Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds | Singwa Hamgge- Joewa Beol (2017)

• Bad Prosecutor (2022)

Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018)

Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days (2018) is the second film based on the webtoon series by Joo Ho-Min. Tibetan Buddhists believe that there is an in-between stage known as the bardo which can take up to 49 days.

The first film was Along With the Gods: The Two Worlds. In the previous film, Su Hong was a vengeful spirit roaming the earth.  In this sequel film, Su Hong (played by Kim Dong Wook), the vengeful spirit has now been taken into the afterlife. He must pass the series of heavenly court trials and prove that he has lived a virtuous life (not counting the time when he was misbehaving as a vengeful spirit).

If he is judged not guilty, he can be reincarnated.

Only ... he does not want to be reincarnated.

But? What will happen if he does not get reincarnated?

That causes a problem for the trio of guardians. Assisting souls and helping them get reincarnated are acts, “good deeds”, that are credited on their records. If they can help a certain number of souls get reincarnated they will also be allowed to reincarnate. They were once human and evidently, because of what they did in their past life, they were unable to prove their worth. So the gods in charge promised they could return to earth as mortals IF …

Su Hong's insistence that he does not want to be reincarnated is complicating matters for them.

But what did they do in their past life? 

Their memories were wiped. So they don't exactly know. In this sequel film, the life story of each guardian is revealed. It turns out there are some differences they need to resolve with each other. Su Hong's heavenly trials and the reconciliation of the relationships between guardians all take place in 49 days.

“Along With The Gods” Director Talks About Series + EXO’s D.O. Confirmed For Third Film | Soompi

• Where to Watch “The Last 49 Days”

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