My List of Must Watch Korean Dramas
I'm guilty of being IMMERSED in what they call the hallyu wave. I'm so addicted to watching korean celebrities do their thing! I mean who doesn't love Song Joongki (oppa ~) and Jackson Wang (oppa ~) ? I even began to understand a couple of korean words just by watching and listening to their songs and dramas. As such, I AM HIGHLY RECOMMENDING you guys to check the culture of korea because it's so beautiful.
This post is all about my thoughts and comments on my all-time favorite korean dramas. I will update this if ever I add something to the list.
(Photos and summaries are from http://asianwiki.com/Main_Page)
Currently watching:
Doctors
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Synopsis:
When Hye-Jung was young, her life was difficult. She was good at fighting but also studied well. Overcoming her tough situation, she is now a doctor.
Thoughts:
I AM CURRENTLY IN LOVE WITH THIS DRAMA SO FAR. I love this simply because in just 3 episodes I'm completely hooked with the plot and characters. Can I just marvel how perfect Park Shin Hye is? So far I have been laughing and crying at this drama because of how moving the story and the characters are. Hopefully it can maintain till the end.
(The list is arranged randomly)
1. My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Synopsis: (It's pretty long and contains a little bit of spoiler scenes so you can skip this and just read my thoughts)
Cha Tae-Woong (Lee Seung-Ki) is a spoiled young man with no interest in staying in college. Instead, Cha Tae-Woong wants to become an action actor. His wealthy grandfather Cha Poong (Byun Hee-Bong) though wants Tae-Woong to take his studies seriously & change his major from acting. When Cha Poong learns that Tae-Woong spent his next semester's tuition fees on an expensive motorcycle, he calls the police and reports the motorcycle as stolen. Cha Poong then picks up Tae-Woong up from the police station and attempts to drive him to a remote boarding school in hopes that he would change his major. At a rests area along the way, Tae-Woong is able to slip away from his grandfather and hide in the back of a delivery truck. The delivery truck then drives off. Eventually Tae-Woong gets out of the delivery truck, but finds himself in the middle of nowhere on a late rainy evening. He then gets a ride from a buddhist monk, who also gives him shelter at a Buddhist Temple.Late in the evening at the Buddhist Temple, Tae-Woong wonders off hoping to catch a signal for his cellphone. Suddenly he hears a woman's voice from a woman his cellphone. The woman instructs Tae-Woong to enter the temple and draw nine tails onto a painting of a fox. Once Tae-Woong draws the nine tails on the fox, he unknowingly frees the legendary nine tailed fox known as "Gumiho" (Shin Min-A). Tae-Woong fears for his life, but Gumiho just wants to be loved (and eat lots of beef!).
Thoughts:
AHHH! This is my number 1 korean drama EVER. I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. This is like an all in one drama. Its genre is a mix of comedy, romance, fantasy and melodrama. My emotions are so abused by this drama because one minute I'm laughing like crazy and another I'm crying my heart out. I love how Shin Min Ah aced the cute and scary gumiho lady. I became a loyal fan of hers after watching this. I DOMU DOMU DOMU like her. (I don't know the spelling but Domu is really in korean I think because she always says that word in the drama and the subtitle translates really). Lee Seunggi is also great in this drama. Well, he's perfect at everything. The other casts are also fun to watch as well. They were perfect. The plot, on the other hand, is amazing but there are also a couple of loopholes. However, they were irrelevant anyway so it's not that noticeable. From start to end, this drama makes you obssessed with it so I highly recommend this.2. My Name is Kim Sam Soon
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Synopsis:
Kim Sam-Soon gained 7kg after having her heart broken. She is a 29-year-old single who has an average life. She didn’t go to college. She doesn’t have her own apartment or a car. She doesn’t have
a boyfriend. Although she has baker’s license, she got fired last Christmas Eve. She is one of us.
Thoughts:
I watched this a long time ago so I don't remember much of this. So I'll just comment on why I added this to the list. What I love about this drama is how funny __ is (the one playing kim sam soon). What I got from this drama was love is blind that no matter how you look you can still have your ideal guy. Cliche, I know. The plot is cute. If you're into romantic/ comedy dramas, you HAVE to watch this. The cast is great. Normally you get irritated with the antagonist female (a.k.a. Kim Sam Soon's love rival) but with this drama you kind of like feel sorry for her. AND CAN I JUST ADD DANIEL HENNEY IS A PART OF THE CAST? *Fan girling*
3. Lie To Me
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Synopsis:
A woman in her late 20's is always asked "when are you going to get married?" On a whim, the woman then lies that she did get married.
Thoughts:
This is my recently finished drama. So I discovered this from the book I'm reading in wattpad "It Started With A Lie", the author said that her book is inspired by Lie To Me. I checked it out and loved it. I finished this drama in just four days. The characters are great but I felt like Sang-Hi's character was not maximized well. The story focused on the main casts so much that other characters were ignored. The plot is fun and kind of unique in a way so I loved it. Although, there are also a couple of loopholes and the ending was dragging. Overall, I still loved it.
4. Gu Family Book
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Synopsis:
Choi Kang-Chi ( Lee Seung-Gi) is legendary gumiho that is half human and half animal. He struggles to live his life as a human and also falls in love.
Thoughts:
If you're into fantasy/ historical/ romance dramas, then this is the perfect show for you. The first two episodes are confusing and a bit dragging but once you finished that, it will get interesting. The plot is a little complicated because it focused on too many areas. There are too many problems to focus on. However, I loved it because of the love story between the characters of Lee Seunggi and Bae Suzy. I adore their chemistry. Overall, this drama was really interesting. I also cried a lot in this drama because of how moving it was.
5. Princess' Man
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Synopsis: (It's pretty long and contains a little bit of spoiler scenes so you can skip this and just read my thoughts)
In 1453 Prince Su-Yang kills Kim Jong-Seo to eventually become the 7th king of the Joseon Dynasty.One year before the coup, Kim Jong-Seo (Lee Soon-Jae) is the most powerful liege and the most trusted by King Moon-Jong (Jeong Dong-Hwan). King Moon-Jong becomes sick and his brother Su-Yang (Kim Yeong-Cheol) plots to take the king's throne. King Moon-Jong to ward off his brother, joins forces with Kim Jong-Seo to protect the next king, Prince Dan-Jon. Kim Seung-Yoo (Park Si-Hoo) is Kim Jong-Seo's youngest son. He is smart, good looking and the son of one of the most powerful families in the country. Seung-Yoo likes to drink alcohol with his close friends. In the palace, Kim Seung-Yoo becomes a teacher for Princess Kyung-Hye (Hong Soo-Hyun).Lee Se-Ryung (Moon Chae-Won) is the eldest daughter of Prince Su-Yang. She hears talks of an impending arranged marriage for herself with Kim Seung-Yoo and becomes curious about her possible future husband. Se-Ryung pretends to be the Princess Kyung-Hye and takes a class in her place. That is a secret between Se-Ryung and Princess Kyung-Hye. Se-Ryung's first meeting with Seung-Yoo doesn't turn out to be a good experience.By chance, Seung-Yoo watches Se-Ryung losing control of a horse she is riding. The horse runs towards the edge of a cliff. Seung-Yoo saves Se-Ryung before tragedy ensues. Because of this incident Seung-Yoo and Se-Ryung become close.Meanwhile, in order to protect Princess Kyung-Hye and Prince Dan-Jong from the king's brother Su-Yang, King Moon-Jong asks Kim Kong-Seo if Princess Kyung-Hye and Seung-Yoo can marry. Kim Jong-Seo accepts and, consequently, turns away Se-Ryung. Unaware of the arranged marriage, Seung-Yoo and Se-Ryung become even closer.Princess Kyung-Hye is astonished that she will marry Seung-Yoo and not Se-Ryung. She begins to feel jealousy over their close relationship. Su-Yang learns of the proposed arranged marriage and sends assassins to kill Seung-Yoo before the marriage takes place. Su-Yang is unaware that his own daughter Se-Ryung is with Seung-Yoo.
Thoughts:
I forgot the plot of this drama because it was complicated. There were a lot going on and I don't know much about the history of Korea or if this is based on the past. The feel of this drama is like Romeo and Juliet. There were two people who fell in love against the conflict of their families and so much more. I loved it because of the heart-warming feel of this drama. The casts were perfect. The plot was a bit confusing but G R E A T in a way. All in all this is worth watching. 6. Queen In-Hyun's Man
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Synopsis:
Kim Boong-Do (Ji Hyun-Woo) is a noble man from the Joseon Dynasty, approximately 300 years ago. He then happens to travel through time and winds up in present day Seoul, South Korea. Kim Boong-Do then crosses paths with Choi Hee-Jin (Yoo In-Na), a not so successful actress. Choi Hee-Jin is currently performing as Queen In-Hyun in the drama series "New Jang Hee-Bin". These two people fall into a romantic relationship ...
Thoughts:
This was my first time travel drama and I loved it. The genre of this is a mix of historical/ romantic/ comedy/ fantasy. This drama is candy sweet. The chemistry of the main casts is electrifying. More so that they were dating at the time. The plot kind of left loose strings at the end but it was worth watching because every moment is interesting. There were no dragging parts. This is really worth your time.
7. 49 Days
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Synopsis: (It's pretty long and contains a little bit of spoiler scenes so you can skip this and just read my thoughts)
Ji-Hyun's (Nam Gyu-Ri) life seems to be storybook perfect. Her parents adore her and her friends all seem to admire her. Ji-Hyun is also engaged and set to marry her fiance Min-Ho (Bae Soo-Bin) in just a few days. Meanwhile, Lee-Kyung (Lee Yo-Won) is a woman who is completely distraught over her life and frequently contemplates suicide. She works the night shift at a convenience store, while sleeping in the afternoons.On a fateful day, Lee-Kyung gets off a bus and wanders around. She then stands in front of a busy street and attempts to kill herself by walking into oncoming traffic. At that time, somebody saves her life by pulling her back. At this moment, Ji-Hyun, who is driving nearby, hits her breaks, but can't avoid the semi-trailer truck that has stopped in the middle of the road.Moments later, Ji-Hyun walks out of her car in a daze. She is shocked to see herself being carted into an ambulance. The only person who seems to notice her standing in the road is a man on a motorcycle. The man on the motorcycle is the Scheduler (Jung Il-Woo) - an angel of sorts who awaits to take souls to their final destinations.Ji-Hyun follows her body into the ambulance and watches as the paramedics attempt to revive her body. At the hospital, Ji-Hyun meets the Scheduler again. The Scheduler tells Ji-Hyun that if three people (besides her family) genuinely sheds tears over her condition within the next 49 days, her body will awake from its coma and she can live again. Ji-Hyun instantly thinks of her fiance and two best friends and is certain she will live again. For the next the 49 days, Ji-Hyun then takes over the body of the suicidal Lee-Kyung in her quest to find three such persons. Ji-Hyun gets a job at a restaurant owned by her friend (Jo Hyun-Jae).At this time, Ji-Hyun's memory starts to return to her. Before the accident, Ji-Hyun remembers going to see her best friend In-Jung (Seo Ji-Hye) to show off her bridal gown. When she arrived, Ji-Hyun saw her best friend and her fiance sitting together in a car. They looked so intimate sitting together. She was then driving to confront them when the accident occurred. Ji-Hyun now realizes that it won't be so easy to find three people who truly loves her ...
Thoughts:
This is the most heart-wrenching drama I've ever watched. I cried most of the time. The plot was unique and perfect. This even got a remake in the Philippines because of how great it was. The casts were just amazing. PLUS, Jo Hyun- Jae is just drop dead gorgeous that it makes the drama more fun to watch. I can't say more but JUST WATCH THIS.
8. Rooftop PrinceJi-Hyun's (Nam Gyu-Ri) life seems to be storybook perfect. Her parents adore her and her friends all seem to admire her. Ji-Hyun is also engaged and set to marry her fiance Min-Ho (Bae Soo-Bin) in just a few days. Meanwhile, Lee-Kyung (Lee Yo-Won) is a woman who is completely distraught over her life and frequently contemplates suicide. She works the night shift at a convenience store, while sleeping in the afternoons.On a fateful day, Lee-Kyung gets off a bus and wanders around. She then stands in front of a busy street and attempts to kill herself by walking into oncoming traffic. At that time, somebody saves her life by pulling her back. At this moment, Ji-Hyun, who is driving nearby, hits her breaks, but can't avoid the semi-trailer truck that has stopped in the middle of the road.Moments later, Ji-Hyun walks out of her car in a daze. She is shocked to see herself being carted into an ambulance. The only person who seems to notice her standing in the road is a man on a motorcycle. The man on the motorcycle is the Scheduler (Jung Il-Woo) - an angel of sorts who awaits to take souls to their final destinations.Ji-Hyun follows her body into the ambulance and watches as the paramedics attempt to revive her body. At the hospital, Ji-Hyun meets the Scheduler again. The Scheduler tells Ji-Hyun that if three people (besides her family) genuinely sheds tears over her condition within the next 49 days, her body will awake from its coma and she can live again. Ji-Hyun instantly thinks of her fiance and two best friends and is certain she will live again. For the next the 49 days, Ji-Hyun then takes over the body of the suicidal Lee-Kyung in her quest to find three such persons. Ji-Hyun gets a job at a restaurant owned by her friend (Jo Hyun-Jae).At this time, Ji-Hyun's memory starts to return to her. Before the accident, Ji-Hyun remembers going to see her best friend In-Jung (Seo Ji-Hye) to show off her bridal gown. When she arrived, Ji-Hyun saw her best friend and her fiance sitting together in a car. They looked so intimate sitting together. She was then driving to confront them when the accident occurred. Ji-Hyun now realizes that it won't be so easy to find three people who truly loves her ...
Thoughts:
This is the most heart-wrenching drama I've ever watched. I cried most of the time. The plot was unique and perfect. This even got a remake in the Philippines because of how great it was. The casts were just amazing. PLUS, Jo Hyun- Jae is just drop dead gorgeous that it makes the drama more fun to watch. I can't say more but JUST WATCH THIS.
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Thoughts:
I L O V E this. I don't care if you don't like historical dramas whatsoever. This is just a must watch korean drama. This has a mix of comedy/ romance/ historical/ time travel. The plot focused on reincarnation which is very interesting. It did not dissappoint AT ALL. Your emotions will change from LMAO to crying your heart out from time to time. The cast were just perfect. Even the antagonists were so great that you'll hate them while watching the drama. Please watch this, if you don't you'll miss out on a lot big time.
9. Descendants of the Sun
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Shi-Jin (Song Joong-Ki) is the captain of the special forces. He catches a motorcycle thief with Sergeant Major Dae-Young (Jin Goo). The thief is injured during his capture and is sent to the hospital. Dae-Young realises his cellphone was stolen by the thief and goes to the hospital to retrieve his cellphone.In the emergency room, Shi-Jin meets Dr. Mo-Yeon (Song Hye-Kyo) for the first time. He falls in love with her immediately. Mo-Yeon mistakenly assumes Shi-Jin is part of thief's criminal gang. He proves to her that he is a soldier with the help of army doctor Myeong-Joo (Kim Ji-Won).Shi-Jin and Mo-Yeon begin to date, but due to their jobs their dates don't go well. Shi-Jin takes an order to lead his soldiers on a peacekeeping mission to the country of Uruk. Meanwhile, Mo-Yeon becomes upset that she fails to become a professor due to a colleague's privileged background. When Shi-Jin and Mo-Yeon meet again, they talk about their views on life and realise how different they are. Shi-Jin, as a soldier, kills to protect lives and Mo-Yeon, as a doctor, tries to save all lives. They say their goodbyes. Eight months later, Mo-Yeon rebuffs the sexual advances of hospital chairman Suk-Won (Tae In-Ho) and as retribution is assigned to lead a medical team in Uruk. There, Shi-Jin and Mo-Yeon meet again.
Thoughts:Ahh, the current hype in korean dramas. This was not over rated. It is what it is, a great military/ medical korean drama. The plot was perfect although I find the antagonists not maximized well. This was funny, cheesy and sad at the same time and I love it. AND SONG JOONGKI IS SO CUTE. Overall, This is really a must watch show.
10. Pinocchio
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Thoughts:
Another Park Shin Hye drama. This is also a heart-wrenching drama. I don't know why every time Park Shin Hye stars in a show, it always ends up with me crying my eyes out. The plot has a lot of twists and turns. It was so interesting and obsessing to watch because the plot was so perfect you'll want to finish the whole show in a day to get to the ending. I just hated the antagonists because they acted so well. Overall, thumbs up for this drama.
11. City Hunter
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Lee Yoon-Sung (Lee Min-Ho) works at the Blue House for the National Communication Network Team. He graduated from M.I.T. in the U.S. and possesses elite skills as an I.T. engineer. At the Blue House, Yoon-Sung meets Kim Na-Na (Park Min-Young), who works as a bodyguard there. The two people fall for each other even though Yoon-Sung was warned not to fall in love. An elaborate plan for revenge is his ultimate mission ....
Thoughts:
Lee Min Ho. THE BAE. He's so handsome in this drama that I just needed to add this to the list. This is an action packed romantic/comedy drama. The plot is a little exaggerated but great at the same time. The main casts were strong in their own way. There were no weak protagonists so you'll really love this.
12. My Love From Another Star
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Do Min-Joon is an alien who landed on Earth 400 years ago during the Joseon Dynasty period. Do Min-Joon possesses a near perfect appearance and enhanced physical abilities involving his vision, hearing and speed. Do Min-Joon holds a cynical view to human beings, but he falls in love with actress Cheon Song-Yi.
Thoughts:
I adore the main casts simply because they were so F U N N Y. There are no boring parts in this drama. Every scene makes you want to get to the ending as soon as possible because the plot was perfect. Honestly, I don't remember much but how funny this drama was and how cute DO MIN JOON is. I just want to get my own alien.
13. Marriage Not DatingThoughts:
I adore the main casts simply because they were so F U N N Y. There are no boring parts in this drama. Every scene makes you want to get to the ending as soon as possible because the plot was perfect. Honestly, I don't remember much but how funny this drama was and how cute DO MIN JOON is. I just want to get my own alien.
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
Thoughts:
This drama is chill. It has a breezy romantic comedy feel throughout. If you just want to relax and watch a simple romatic/ comedy show, then this is perfect for you. But you will not appreciate this if you want a drama with an excellent plot because it lacks depth. I added this on the list because it's a mood lifter for its funny scenes.
14. I Can Hear Your Voice
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| Image from: Asianwiki.com |
9-year-old Soo-Ha (later played by Lee Jong-Suk) and his father are riding together in a car when they are suddenly struck by a truck driven by Min Joon-Kook (Jung Woong-In). Min Joon-Kook then gets out of his truck and jumps on the hood of their car. Soo-Ha and Min Joon-Kook's eyes meet through the windshield of his father's car. Suddenly, Soo-Ha is able to hear the man's violent thoughts .. "I need to finish this."Min Joon-Kook goes to his truck and gets out a baseball bat. He fatally strikes Soo-Ha's father dead with the bat. Soo-Ha is in complete shock. When Min Joon-Kook turns to strike Soo-Ho, the sound of a camera flash goes off and Min Joon-Kook goes after whoever is taking the pictures. This saves Soo-Ha's life.The person with the camera is a young girl named Hye-Sung (later played by Lee Bo-Young). Later, Hye-Sung testifies against Min Joon-Kook in court. Min Joon-Kook claims that Soo-Ha's father died in the car accident. Through the court proceedings, Soo-Ha falls in love with Hye-Sung. Soo-Ha promises to protect Hye-Sung from Min Joon-Kook, when he threatens to get revenge on her.10 years later, Soo-Ha is now an exemplary high student. Nobody is aware that Soo-Ha possesses telepathic abilities.Meanwhile, Hye-Sung now works as an attorney, but she doesn't uphold the virtues of her profession very well. She is also not very successful and barely makes $1,000 a month. Her mother then pushes her to apply for a public defender position due to its higher pay.In the waiting room, prior to taking her interview, Kwan-Woo (Yoon Sang-Hyun) strikes up a conversation with Hye-Sung, but she ignores him. Kwan-Woo is applying for the same position. He originally worked as a police officer, but went back to law school to become a public defender. During her interview, Hye-Sung talks about the events that occurred 10 years ago and this helps her land the public defender position.After Hye-Sung gets the job, her picture is posted in the newspaper. Soo-Ha sees her photo and becomes elated that he can finally see her. At the same time, Min Joon-Kook sees her photo while in prison. He is soon set to be released.
Thoughts:
This is another heart-wrenching drama. I cried my heart out throughout the drama. The plot was amazing. It was perfect. The casts performed really well. Even though the man in the main couple was younger than the woman, it did not affect the flow of the drama. It was not weird in a cougar type of way.
AND that's it! Don't be shy to comment what you think about my list below! If you also have suggestions, inform me about it!
I'll constantly update this post if I finished another must watched korean drama.
Thoughts:
This is another heart-wrenching drama. I cried my heart out throughout the drama. The plot was amazing. It was perfect. The casts performed really well. Even though the man in the main couple was younger than the woman, it did not affect the flow of the drama. It was not weird in a cougar type of way.
AND that's it! Don't be shy to comment what you think about my list below! If you also have suggestions, inform me about it!
I'll constantly update this post if I finished another must watched korean drama.
Love,
