Adventures in Asia

Do I have time to watch a Korean drama? No. Do I have slightly more time recently than usual? Yes. Was this one worth it? YES. I had a few reservations about “I Am Not a Robot” (2017) at the beginning. First, I wasn’t a fan of the shorter episodes (30 minutes each) and didn’t recognize the channel, and thus thought it might be a cable show – which didn’t seem promising. Second, it was clearly a rich-guy-falls-for-poor-girl story, which is a bland trope in dramaland. However, it was recommended as “cute” by a friend and ranked highly online, so I decided to give it a shot. I quickly discovered that though the episodes are shorter, there are 32 of them, which allows for 16 hours of drama, which is a normal season. Also, the acting was excellent and overall quality of the drama certainly wasn’t lacking. As for the trope, I’ll dive in to that later. The story is something like this… Kim Min Kyu is a wealthy, successful chairman of a financial company with ...

Ah, I haven’t reviewed a Korean drama in ages! It’s good to be back to watching the best genre of TV in the world. I’ve been sick recently, so I’ve had plenty of time to watch, and chose the well-reviewed “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds,” also translated “Love in the Moonlight.” “Moonlight” is a historical drama set in the Joseon era, in which a girl disguised as a man is recruited as a eunuch in the palace, the Crown Prince hopes to teach his little sister’s secret admirer a lesson, and the King is constantly manipulated by the sly nobles of the court. The Prince’s only friend is his cool, butt-kicking bodyguard, though he quickly becomes entangled with his new “eunuch.” The grandson of the most conniving noble family also finds himself attracted to the effeminate eunuch, who only has eyes for the Prince. And behind it all is a foggy back-story of a failed rebellion. This drama aired in 2016 and has eighteen episodes, plus a nineteenth behind-the-scenes-and-highlights episode....

Wow, it’s been a few months! Holiday season, finishing the term and moving to a new city put my drama-watching on hold for a while. But I’m back to blogging now! And I just finished an excellent drama! Two of the actors from my favorite drama ever, “Secret Garden,” returned to my screen (and my heart) in “I Hear Your Voice”: Oska (Yoon Sang Hyun) and that musician kid who had a crush on Oska (Lee Jong Suk). This time they play the two male leads (both straight) and deliver some amaaaaazing acting. In “I Hear Your Voice” (also called “I Can Hear Your Voice”), female lead Jang Hye Sung is a bored lawyer intent to become a Public Defender for the money. Also in the running for the position is hard working, idealistic Lawyer Cha (that is, Oska!). Meanwhile, senior in high school Park Soo Ha has the uncanny ability to hear others’ thoughts, which he’s been able to do ever since he was injured in the car “accident” that killed his father. Jang Hye Sung happened to witness that i...

When in doubt, pick a drama from 2011. “Flower Boy Ramyun Shop” is my, what, sixth – seventh – Korean show from that brilliant year of foreign TV magic. How did kdrama viewers maintain their social lives in 2011? Maybe they just all sat around watching TV together. (And yes, I know how to spell ramen. Ramyun is the Korean spelling. This poster is Drama Fever failing to spell it accurately.) “Flower Boy Ramyun Shop” (which I’m going to shorten to FBRS from here on out) is a romantic comedy about a college girl studying to be a teacher, a flirtatious heir to a conglomerate, a tall and kind ramen chef, the leader of a high school gang, and… another high school kid… I’m not really sure why he’s there. Oh, wait! He’s there because you can’t run a ramen restaurant with only four people! Especially when the Male Lead is a priss, which would make it three actual workers. So this random group of characters ends up working together at, you guessed it, a ramen shop. Commence love tri...

Oh, would you look at that, another amazing Korean drama that aired in 2011! My housemates and I just finished watching “Lie to Me,” directed by Kwon Hyuk Chan (who also directed “Secret Garden”) and starring Yoon Eun Hye (of “Coffee Prince”) and Kang Ji Hwan (of the tragic “Hong Gil Dong,” which I’ve been advised to never watch). Basic premise: a white lie hits gossip central, and after a series of ridiculous and hilarious events it becomes mutually beneficial for two strangers to pretend they’re married. The fake bride is Gong Ah Jung, hardworking yet hot mess civil servant (meaning she works for the government). The fake groom is Hyun Ki Joon, perfectionist and wealthy hotel heir/owner (I mean, what kdrama male lead isn’t?). Side characters include Hyun Ki Joon’s adorable little brother and classy former fiancé, and Gong Ah Jung’s first love and vicious frenemy. “Lie to Me” starts as a romantic comedy and develops into a full-fledged romance. Midway thr...

After a couple of moody, intense, recently-aired dramas, I decided to watch something funny from a few years ago. Thus, “Protect the Boss”! Has anyone else noticed that 2011 was a ridiculously good year for kdrama?? “City Hunter,” “Dream High,” “Secret Garden” (technically a 2010 drama, but it finished in 2011), “Heartstrings,” “Protect the Boss”… All of the dramas in my top five are from that year (except for “Heirs”). Maybe I should just watch all the dramas from 2011… What was I doing back then, anyway? Oh yeah, college – studying and not enjoying hilarious, heart-warming, Korean TV. Anyway, “Protect the Boss”: Chaebol Cha Ji Heon (I know, another heir) is an OCD slacker who avoids work and can’t keep a secretary. His cousin and rival for the company, Cha Mu Won, hires an unqualified but determined Noh Eun Seol to be Ji Heon’s new assistant. Perfect setup for a love triangle. An ex-girlfriend eventually shows up, and we’ve got an even more comical love...