The Matchmakers (2023): Viki Original Historical KDrama Series

The Matchmakers is a 2023 Viki Original Korean drama series, with 16 episodes. It is categorized as historical, romance, crime, and mystery, with light moments of comedy. 

The two main characters are a widow, disguised as a matchmaker, and a widower who is a prince working as a matchmaker according to a royal decree.

♦ The Widow and the Not So Merry Widower

Jung Soon-deok is a widow who becomes a matchmaker by personal choice. She is a widow, the daughter-in-law of a powerful political party leader. But she truly believes she is the “goddess of matchmaking”, i.e. Ssangyeonsulsa. It is not the kind of lowly work that a noble woman should do, so Jung Soon-deok keeps her true identity a secret by using the name “Yeo Joo Daek”. She didn't learn until later that the name she had taken as a disguise, was the name of a woman who was wanted for murder.

Shim Jung-woo is a Confucian scholar who scored the highest on the civil service exams. The king would been pleased if he could put this young man's intellect and skills to good use. But the leader of a corrupt political party, arranged for him to be married to the princess. On the day of the wedding, the princess dropped dead. He became a widower before he could even consummate the marriage. So now he's a prince who can not participate in political affairs or serve in any way other than being a prince, a member of the royal family.

♦ The King Makes a Promise

The king is furious and frustrated because he wants his son, the crown prince to marry and have an heir. But corrupt officials keep finding ways to prevent the marriage. He tells Shim Jung-woo to can come up with a way to thwart the efforts of the politicians so that the crown prince can marry. If he is successful, the king will have his marriage to the princess annulled.

Shim Jung-woo tells the king, to get a matchmaker to arrange marriages for the daughters of his close friend, who had passed away. But the plan was not so simple. Even if the politicians were not resorting to their treacherous tricks, the daughters themselves are all refusing to get married.

♦ The Widower and the Widow Become a Team

Shim Jung-woo needs to work with an experienced matchmaker since he knows nothing about the process. He meets Jung Soon-deok aka “Yeo Joo Daek” who agrees to assist him as long as he cooperates with her and follows her directions. He agrees, so now they are The Matchmakers.

The process of matchmaking is complex, but it gets even more complicated when they begin to uncover murders connected to political power schemes to overthrow the king and the crown prince.

On top of all this, the matchmakers ~ Shim Jung-woo and Jung Soon-deok ~ fall in love with each other. Theirs is a “match” that would break all of the rules.

Main Characters:

• Widower Shim Jung-woo (played by Ro Woon, )

• Widow Jung Soon-deok (played by Cho Yi-hyun)

This is a Viki Original series and Viki viewers rate this series 9.4 out of 10 stars. I agree. There was the main plot of forbidden love between a widow and a widower; a relationship that went against Joseon rules, customs, and traditions.

Then there were various subplots:

• Corrupt nobles, their wives, and the king's concubine, plotting against the king and the crown prince;

• True crime stories published as erotica novels;

• Old maidens (virgin women in their 20s) who need to get married ~ hence the need for matchmakers; and

• a slingshot!

The intricate plot-weaving kept me eagerly looking forward to the next episode.

LINKS OF INTEREST:

• The Matchmakers: Why You Should Watch This New K-Drama | Movie Web

• The Matchmakers: Viki Original Historical KDrama Series | PopGeeks

Content first published via Quora

Under the Queen's Umbrella: Korean Drama TV Series on Netfilx Released in 2022

Under the Queen's Umbrella is a Korean historical period drama series, released in 2022, that is currently streaming on Netflix. 

16 intense episodes. Viewers gave this series 4.9 out of 5 stars. I totally agree.  Kim Hye-Soo's performance as Queen Im Hwa-Ryeong is award-worthy. But giving credit where credit is due, quite frankly, all of the actors and actresses in this series gave exemplary performances. They played their roles as if they were real historical figures in the Joseon Era.

The worth of the flowers in the palace, i.e. the king's women, is judged by how many sons they bare the king. 

 Queen Im Hwa-Ryeong (played by Kim Hye-Soo) has been very fortunate. She bore five (5) sons for the king. Her oldest son is the crown prince, but he is suffering from a life-threatening illness. He could die any day! If he were to die, who would take his place? The crown prince already has a son of his own, so according to the line of succession, his son, her grandson, should be heir to the throne. Then as alternatives, one of his brothers, her four other sons who are grand princes, could be chosen. But her sons are perfectly content to never be king. She would have been content to allow them not to pursue the throne EXCEPT … the deposed queen (i.e. the queen before her) also had many sons.  When she realized the lives of her sons were in jeopardy, she immediately made up her mind that her sons would not suffer the same fate as Queen Yoon and her sons.

Queen Im Hwa-Ryeong now understands that THIS IS WAR!

Read full review at My Sageuk Addiction on Medium.com.

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

Korean Drama TV Series: Live Up to Your Name (2017)

Hello to all my K-Drama fans out there!

I watched “Live Up to Your Name”, a series is on Netflix, but it is NOT a Netflix Original. So you might be able to find it at other streaming sites. 

Medical dramas seems to be gaining popularity. Time-travel dramas have already become popular. Romantic comedy has always been popular. This TV series is a romantic comedy time-travel medical drama. It's clear that the purpose is to show both Eastern and Western medical practices are good, but combining techniques used in Eastern and Western medicine could be even better. Well! That's my takeaway. Although … I'm still scared of needles. So if someone were to perform acupuncture on me, I would have to be totally passed out or in such a state where my body was paralyzed and I couldn't move. There's no way I would see a needle coming towards me and stay still. To this day, when I have to get shots, I always close my eyes.

OK. Back to the show! The two main characters are Heo Im (played by Kim Nam-Gil) and Choi Yeon-Kyung (played by Kim A-Joong). Even though this series is historical fiction, Heo Im is a real life historical figure. Heo Im is an acupuncturist from Joseon who fell off of a bridge into the water, and when he comes up from the water to breathe, he finds himself in modern day Seoul, South Korea. The first person he crosses paths with is a female doctor who is a skilled surgeon and her speciality is heart surgery. Both medical practictioners are “the best” in their fields. Although when they first meet, Choi Yeon-Kyung thinks Heo Im is a crazy quack pretending to be a doctor of oriental medicine, and Heo Im is shocked to learn that females can actually become doctors.

What makes this series different from other shows that I have watched is that they cross the time barriers several times. First, Heo Im comes to the modern-day Republic of Korea. Then Heo Im and Choi Yeon-Kyung pass through the time portal and they both end up in Joseon. Then they pass through again and end back up in Seoul. This happens a number of times.

During the course of their time-travel adventures together, they fall in love. However, because they are from different time periods, the questions that must be answered are:

~ Are these lovers destined to be together OR must they choose to live separate lives because they are from different time periods?

~ If they choose to be together, will they live in Joseon, 400 years in the past OR in modern-day Seoul South Korea?

The main characters and the supporting cast worked well together and created a very believable unbelievable story.

Additionally, I learned an interesting tidbit about the history of Korea. Usually when I watch historical period dramas, I latch on to an interesting person or place and do a little research to find out more. “More” meaning “did this person really exist” or “is this place for real”? In a few of the episodes, a character was introduced name Sayaka.

For contrast: nobody disputed that Heo Im is a real historical figure. However, regard the man named Sayaka, some say that there is no historical proof that such a man ever existed. There is a story or maybe you would call it a “legend” or “tradition” or “myth” that during the Japanese invasions of Joseon that occurred from 1592 to 1598, there was a Japanese general named Sayaka who defected and served in the Joseon army. It is said that he helped defeat the Japanese forces and was given the name Kim Chung-seon. He continued his miltary service and even fought against the Qing troops during the Manchu invasion of Korea.

One of the reasons given as to why there is a dispute over the existence of this general because they claim there is no name for such a commander in the Japanese historical materials.

To me, there is an easy explanation for that. The Japanese got pissed, considered him a traitor, and erased him from their records. Please! Erasing records happens a lot in various countries. There is no record in Egyptian history that a Jewish man named Joseph served as second in command to Pharoah either! Just sayin'.

As far as Korean historical records, if I were a Korean historian, and I was going to create a hero of the people who fought against foreign invaders, why would I make up a story about the country's military victories and give the credit to one of the foreigners who betrayed his own countrymen and helped us defeat the enemy invaders? If I were going to create mythical hero, I wouldn't write the “history” that way. I'm just thinking, this dude must be real! Why make that story up? That's all I'm sayin'.

Anyway! I give Live Up to Your Name (2017), 5 out of 5 stars.

Star 1: All the characters played their parts well.

Star 2: Heo Im (played by Kim Nam-Gil) and Choi Yeon-Kyung (played by Kim A-Joong) made a perfect couple.

Star 3: The scenery in both Joseon and Seoul was beautiful.

Star 4: Watching acupuncture being performed was very educational.

Star 5: If that guy named Sayaka was not real, you sure wanted him to be! 

Here are a couple of related links to reviews by others of this TV series:

** K-Drama Review: 'Live Up to Your Name' A Medical Melodrama Combine with Romantic Presence by Kim Nam-gil | Channel-K

** K-Drama Review: Live Up To Your Name, Dr. Heo (2017) by Kim Eun-hee

Original Source: Medium.com

Korean Drama TV Series: Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010)

Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010) is a Korean drama television series which has 20 episodes. I watched and enjoyed every episode but I still can't pronounce the name. ☺  Korean is not my native language.

I really enjoyed the main characters. Four young adults in a type of college are studying to become professionals who will work for the government. These young scholars were being educated in the teachings of Confucius and their goal was to become dedicated and just public servants who stood up for what was right. Just like most young people in every generation, they were bursting with ideas and ideals. They were so adorable.

There was just one problem. One of the aspiring scholars was a girl! NOT ALLOWED!

Sungkyunkwan Scandal is a historical period drama based on Jung Eun-gwol's bestselling 2007 novel “The Lives of Sungkyunkwan Confucian Scholars”. It stars Park Min-young, Park Yoo-chun, Yoo Ah-in and Song Joong-ki.

A one-word description for this TV series? Delightful!

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