My Top 5 Korean Dramas with Life Lessons

 TOP 10 KDRAMAS is a feature here @ Jiha's file where I list 10 (or less) Korean dramas/Kdrama related stuff that I like.

It's been a while since I shared one of these posts, so today I wanted to talk about five kdramas with life lessons. If you're looking for meaningful dramas then you're in the right place! So, let's begin!

5. Emergency Couple. This drama is about a divorced couple who have sworn not to see each other ever again, but then find themselves working at the same emergency room as interns. I think this drama shows (to a certain extent) a realistic portrayal of a broken marriage. It talks about second chances, love and forgiveness. I like that it touches some serious topics, but I like it also because it made me laugh. So, don't go into this drama expecting it to be all serious. There are lots of funny scenes, cliches, and there are medical scenes as well. If you want to know more read my full review HERE.

My favorite quote:

“There is no right answer in life. No one knows if they’ll be happy by getting married to someone. Don’t look for answers. Right and wrong answers co-exist in every decision. Wise people make a choice and make it the right answer. Foolish people regret the wrong decision and make it the wrong answer. There is no right answer in life. There is only the process to make it the right answer.”

4. School 2013. This one is all about teens. The class 2 is at the bottom of their school, so a new teacher is assigned to get the students to study. I really like this drama. I think it's very honest and realistic. I like how it talks about teachers who really care for their students, troubled teens who become bullies, and teenagers who are pressured into getting good marks by their parents. This is a serious drama, but my favorite thing about it is Go Nam Soon and Park Heung Soo's friendship. The bromance is just amazing! I mean, look at these:

3. King2Hearts. To be truthful, I had a hard time getting into this drama because of all the political stuff, but after 4 episodes or so things got truly interesting. So, what's it about? In this drama Jae-Ha (a South Korean prince) and Hang-Ah (a North Korean female soldier) work together to bring peace between North and South Korea. Everyone knows Jae-Ha as an irresponsible prince so his elder brother, the King, makes him join a special training session with North and South Korean soldiers. Here he meets Hang-Ah, and as the story goes on the two eventually get engaged. I like this drama, not only because it has a very touching story, but also because it involves royalty. I like how it portrays loyalty, sacrifice and honor. I highly recommend this!!!

2. Scent of A Woman. Read my full review HERE. This drama is very, very touching and it made me cry a lot. It's about a woman, Lee Yun Jae, who discovers that she has cancer. What I love the most about this is how the protagonist grows and changes throughout the drama. She used to let other people boss her around, but when she understands that she has only 6 months to live, she starts taking revenge on those who've mistreated her. This drama pushes you to live life the fullest and appreciate every single moment.

1. I Hear Your Voice. This is like my favorite drama of all time. I love this drama for many reasons, and not only because the protagonist is played by Lee Jong Suk who (if you don't know) is my favorite Korean actor. So, in this drama the protagonist is a guy who can read people's minds; he has this ability because he got involved in a "car accident" when he was a kid. Well, it wasn't actually a car accident, someone attempted to murder him, but he was saved by a girl. I've watched it so many times, and I don't get tired of it. Ah, the feels. So many feels! This is a beautiful drama. The characters, the romance, the songs, I love everything about it. It has lots of meaningful messages, so go watch it!

And that's it! I hope that you found something interesting. And if you've watched any of these dramas, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I feel like It's Okay, That's Love should have been in this list, but I haven't finished watching it yet, so I didn't add it.

SIMILAR POSTS:
My Favorite Kdrama OST 2013
My Top 10 Kdramas for first-timers
My Top 6 Rich Guy Poor Girl Kdramas
My Top 5 Swoon Worthy Korean Actors 

My Top 6 Rich Guy Poor Girl Kdramas

TOP 10 KDRAMAS is a feature here @ Jiha's file where I list 10 (or less) Korean dramas/Kdrama related stuff that I like.

There are a lot of Rich Guy Poor Girl dramas out there, but here are my favorite ones!

6. My Girl.

I love the main characters in this drama! They're so cute together. ♥ The story isn't that good, though; the drama started out great, but towards the end it got all serious and not so funny. It's about a girl who accepts a job and pretends to be the long-lost cousin of a rich guy. But they end up falling for each other. Yup. So like I said, it doesn't have an amazing story, but I recommend this one because of the adorable and lovely couple.

5. Lie To Me.

Funny and cute. Everything starts with a lie.

It's about a government employee who pretends to be the wife of a hotel CEO in order to impress her former friend. But as the story goes on, they start to fall in love with each other. Hmm.. doesn't this sound familiar? Well, it's true that this drama is a cliché, but I recommend this one because of Yoon Eun-hye;  I think she's a great actress, and I have lots of fun watching her dramas!

4. Goong (Princess Hours).

Another one of Yoon Eun-hye! Yey!

It's about a poor girl who's sweet and caring, and a royal prince who's cold and secretive; the two get married to each other at really young age, because of an agreement made by their grandparents. And as we follow these two characters, we see them struggle with their newly married life, and in the process fall in love with each other. This drama touches some interesting aspects like arrange marriage, royal family, and Korean history and tradition. It's full of drama, but it also has lots of funny parts.

3. Heirs.

This one is a really cheesy drama, but it's fun and entertaining!
It's about two high school students who want to be together even though their families are against it. Chang Eun-sang is a poor girl who has to struggle with a lot of part-time jobs to help her mother, while Kim Tan is an illegitimate son of a rich family. All the fun and trouble start when Cha Eun-sang attends a high school for rich students while pretending she's one of them. This drama focuses a lot on bullying, spoiled rich brats, high school life and romance.

2. Secret Garden.

This one is a hilarious rich guy/poor girl drama with a fun twist!

She is a poor stunt woman while he is the owner of a hotel (why do rich dudes always own a hotel?). They meet due to a misunderstanding, then a strange night they suddenly exchange bodies by drinking a mysterious potion. Yes. I know. It's amazing, right? The reason why I really like this drama is because of the fabulous acting and the intriguing story. Plus, the comedy aspect was great!

1. Master's Sun.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this drama! I convinced my cousin, my sister and her friend to watch it! And guess what? They all loved it! Read my review here. 

It's about a woman who can see ghosts, and when she meets this rich guy she finds out that the ghosts disappear whenever she touches him. Isn't it cool?!? Forced skinship!!! (Sorry, I'm totally fangirling here.) It's a bit scary at first, but not so much as the story progresses. It has mystery, intrigue and there are a lot of romantic comedy elements as well. I highly recommend this drama. GO WATCH IT!

Do you guys like watching Korean dramas? Do you have any kdrama recommendations? Leave them in the comments!

SIMILAR POSTS:
My Favorite Kdrama OST 2013
My Top 10 Kdramas for first-timers
My Top 5 Swoon Worthy Korean Actors

July. Great month in dramaland!!!

I've been bad at blogging this past few days, and it's all because of the great dramas that I'm currently watching. I'm totally in kdramaland, and can't stop fangirling. ♥_♥ Thus, the lack of reading and blogging. But I thought I'd write an update, to share with you guys what I'm watching at the moment.

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(WARNING fangirling mode: ON!)

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Let's start with Hotel King. I just.. I can't even.. It's just sooo good !!! Lee Da Hae and Lee Dong Wook are now my latest favourite couple ♥. They're so adorable, and their on-screen chemistry is PERFECT (and the BTS photos & videos... SWOON. I've been spending a lot of time on Youtube and Tumblr because I can't have enough of these two).

I recently read that they've already worked together in the past; there were a lot of fans who have been enthusiastic to see them together again since the 2005 drama My Girl. It's rare to see kdrama couples working in new dramas together again, so I can totally understand all the excitement at seeing Lee Da Hae and Lee Dong Wook reunited in Hotel King. And 8 years of waiting! My gosh, that's a lot!

I hadn't watched My Girl before watching Hotel King, but I immediately went to marathon it when I ran out of Hotel King episodes. And My Girl was amazing! I laughed like a madwoman because it was so hilarious. And I'm actually working on a fan art because I'm so in love with Ju Yoo-rin and Seol Gong-chan.

Doctor Stranger was a total and utter disappointment. The drama started out really really good; I liked the mystery aspect, and the competition between Park Hoon and Han Jae Joon, but towards the end I felt like ehhh... what the heck is going on? Truthfully, the cute and funny moments were the only parts that I loved about this drama. And obviously Lee Jong Suk. I always love Lee Jong Suk. His acting was mind blowing! He's improved so much since School 2013 and I Hear Your Voice, and I just wish he doesn't enlist in the military soon because I will miss him.

Cute Hoon ♥

OMG. Fated To Love You! I haven't watched the Taiwanese version of this drama, but I'm so loving the Korean version. Jang Na Ra is a great actress, and she looks very young and cute, despite her age!!! The first episode wasn't that great, and to be honest after seeing the shampoo commercial scene, I was like what did I just watch?!? LOL

But episode 2 was great, and I can't wait to see what will happen next.
MY THOUGHTS IN GENERAL: The cast? Perfect. The acting? Superb. Have I ever watched any Korean drama in which the main character gets pregnant? Hmm.. I don't think so. Therefore, the story is fresh and unlike any other drama I've watched.

Sneak Peek: It's Okay, That's Love. Can't wait to watch this drama! The two main leads are talented actors who I'm so impatient to see on-screen. And after seeing the teaser photos. Me. Totally. Fangirling. Hyo Jin playfully slaps In Sung. ♥

This made my day.

It's Okay, That's Love!

Jo In Sung, the guy from That Winter, The Wind Blows and Gong Hyo Jin from The Master's Sun, together in a new drama? Yes, please!

It's Okay, That's Love is the title of their new drama, and I think it has a really intriguing plot. Jo In Sung plays the role of a mystery writer who suffers from an "obsession" (it's not really clear what kind of obsession he has, I guess we'll just have to wait for the trailer to know more). Gong Hyo Jin on the other hand, is a kind and sweet person who fears performing surgeries, so she decides to become a psychiatrist instead; I can only imagine how she'll help Jo In Sung with his issues... #cutenessoverload

So, I think this is going to be a really fun romantic comedy kdrama! It comes out this July, and I'm so excited!

I love The Master's Sun, and I've watched That Winter, The Wind Blows but I didn't finish it because I read a spoiler. -_- But I really liked these both actors in their previous roles, so I'm definitely looking forward to watch It's Okay, That's Love. Added it to my to-watch list!

My Top 5 Swoon Worthy Korean Actors

TOP 10 KDRAMAS is a feature here @ Jiha's file where I list 10 (or less) Korean dramas/Kdrama related stuff that I like.

5. So Ji Sub

I don't really know much about him, but his "get lost!" dialogue from The Master's Sun has captured my heart! Even though he's a bit older than the rest of the list, I really think he's handsome. I hope he makes more dramas!

4. Kim Hyun Joong

I love him in Playful Kiss, We Got Married and Barefooted Friends. He's handsome, funny and a nice guy. He has an angelic smile and I like that he works really hard! He's changed his style to look more manly, but I really miss his bangs!

3. Kim Soo Hyun

Who doesn't love Kim Soo Kyun? He's really adorable! I've been reblogging gifs about him since I've finished watching You Who Came from the Stars. He's drop-dead gorgeous and has a really cute smile. Kim Soo Hyun you rock!

2-1. Kim Woo Bin and Lee Jong Suk

Lee Jongsuk or Kim Woobin? Who do I like most? Well, I don't really know. I can't choose because I love them both!

Jongsuk is sooo cute and I love his personality. I've watched a lot of his interviews and have been fangirling about him since I Hear Your Voice.

Woobin on the other hand, plays really manly and tough roles in his dramas, and I'd like to see him in a drama where he plays the first lead.

I like their friendship and loved watching them in School 2013. I'm anxiously waiting for their next drama together which unfortunately, won't be coming anytime soon -_-

I love this fan-made video!

Actors that didn't make it to my top 5:

Lee Min Ho

I know a lot of you might be wondering why I didn't mention Lee Min Ho in my top 5 list. Well, I didn't add Lee Min Ho because even though he is one of the most famous actors in Korea and has swept many girls off their feet, he just wasn't able to get me under his spell. I think he's a great actor, but I don't really find him attractive? (no offence to fans of Lee Min Ho, I'm just stating my opinion). I've seen 2 of his dramas so far, Personal Taste and Heirs, but you never know, maybe if I watch his other dramas I might change my opinion ^_^

Jang Geun Suk

Jang Geun Suk was one of my favorite actors. I'd been fangirling about him since I saw You're Beautiful. I even watched his movie Baby and I, and I never watch Korean movies. That says how much I adored him! But my fangirling died off when I noticed that he doesn't really take different roles. Eventually I got tired of him and didn't even watch his latest drama, Pretty Man. But I still listen to his songs, I love his songs!

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Just finished watching ☎ Emergency Couple

Emergency Couple 
응급남녀 (Kdrama)
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★☆

Genres: Medical, Romantic comedy

Episodes: 21

Original run: 24 January 2014 – 5 April 2014

Starring: Song Ji-hyo, Choi Jin-hyuk

Synopsis from Viki

Why do we get married? ...Because we lack judgment. Why do we get divorced? ...Because we lack understanding. Why do we get remarried then? ...Because we have bad memories?? A man and a woman, with totally different personalities, style of speaking, and taste, get married because they are attracted to these differences. However, they get divorced because of those differences. After a while, these two people meet again as interns at the same hospital, where life and death intersect. They take second looks at each other. Will they relearn the joy of the differences or will they again clash?

My Thoughts:
Emergency couple is a really fun and addicting drama! I would've never imagined I would enjoy it as much as I did. I've never liked medical tv-series, so when I first heard about this drama I had no intention on watching it. But because I was bored and was scrolling trough tumblr, I read a post that convinced me to watch it. 

Kim Tan's brother from Heirs and Running Man's Ace together in the same drama? 
I just couldn't say no. 

I believe 15 or 16 episodes were already out by the time I started this drama and I kid you not, I raced through the whole thing and watched it all in two days! Yep, I just couldn't control myself.

So basically this is about a divorced couple, who meets again after 6 years and ends up working in the same Emergency room as interns. 
As they work hard and save people's lives, they try to leave their past behind them and awkwardly hide their divorced relationship to their collegues.

Oh Chan Min (Choi Jin Hyuk) and Oh Jin Hee (Song Ji Hyo) were really young and immature when they got married, and if they were a bit more responsable, they would have had less misunderstandings and would have been able to save their marriage. However, they were completely caught up with their own feelings that they ignored how the other one felt.
I really loved watching their reactions when they meet again; they keep saying that now that they're divorced, they have nothing to do with each other, but it's obvious that their relationship isn't over yet. 
I like the love triangle  and the other characters, they add lots of fun to this drama. When Gary made a cameo, I just couldn't stop from laughing, that was totally unexpected.

This drama deals with several issues like family, marriage and divorce. It studies the choices that people make in their lives, the real meaning of love and how hard it is to give second chances. It's full of depth and meaning but even though it approaches serious topics, every episode is well balanced with lots of funny and awkward moments. 

Although I really had fun watching this drama, I thought they dragged out the story a little bit, so I didn't really like the ending.

Favorite Quotes:

“The one who loves more is the weak one. But in love, the weak one is happier.”

“I smell a flower.Where is it coming from?There are no flowers here.There’s only you.”

“There is no right answer in life. No one knows if they’ll be happy by getting married to someone. Don’t look for answers. Right and wrong answers co-exist in every decision. Wise people make a choice and make it the right answer. Foolish people regret the wrong decision and make it the wrong answer. There is no right answer in life. There is only the process to make it the right answer.”

My rating: 4/5 stars 

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The Master's Sun ♥ 

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You Who Came From The Stars ★

You Who Came From The Stars 별에서 온 그대
My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★☆ 
Genres: Sci-fi, Romantic comedy
Episodes: 21
Original run: 18 December 2013 - 27 February 2014
Starring: Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Soo-hyun, Park Hae-jin and Yoo In-na

Synopsis from Viki

Can an alien understand a modern Korean woman? Do Min Joon (Kim Soo Hyun) is an alien in the form of a perfect human specimen who arrived on Earth 400 years ago during the Chosun Dynasty. While living among the inferior human species, Min Do has always been cynical toward his human neighbors. But in modern-day Korea, Min Do meets top actress Cheon Song Yi (Gianna Jun) and falls in love with her. Can the cross-species couple possibly have a future together? “You Who Came From the Stars,” also known as “Man From the Stars,” is a 2013 South Korean drama series directed by Jang Tae Yoo.

My Thoughts:

I was really excited and impatient for this drama to come out. As soon as I saw the promo, I was completely intrigued. Neadless to say, I watched this drama weekly instead of marathoning the whole thing once it finished airing (which is what I usually do).

I really like the idea that was used for You Who Came From The Stars even though it isn't original, this is still the first korean alien drama I've ever watched.

Do Min-Joon is an alien who's lived in our planet for over 400 years and is eagerly awaiting to go back to where he came from. Now, only 3 months are left and he has done a great job on being aloof, not getting involved with other people's lives. But when he meets Cheon Song-Yi an A-list actress, he can't help but be curious about her, as he discovers that she looks exactly like someone he's met back in the Joseon era.

Do Min-Joon has some pretty awesome abilities that I wouldn't mind having for myself. He can freeze time, move things with his will and he can also teleport to anywhere he wants within a blink of an eye (Yeah. I know. Just like Goku :P). However, he never uses these abilities to save or help people as you'd expect him to. He believes that a person's destiny is already written; if something's supposed to happen, it will. Though it's amusing to watch him use his powers whenever Cheon Song-Yi's in danger (the poor guy just can't help it).
On the other hand we have Cheon Song-Yi who's a funny and silly character. She's a top celebrity that keeps bragging about how "everyone" loves her when really no one does. In fact when she gets into a difficult situation only a few stayed by her side. 

There are a few unrequited love going on in this drama that I didn't really like. Lee Whi-Kyung and Yoo Se-Mi's one-sided love didn't seem believable. I think that when you've loved someone for so long and that person still doesn't love you back, you just have to let him/her go. You can always find someone else to love if you truly want to.
Aside from that, I think the side characters and the villain were pretty enjoyable to watch. What I really love though, was the romance between Do Min-Joon and Cheon Song-Yi. They are so cute and good together.

Even though it lacked of originality, this drama did an amazing job on mixing lots of different aspects that I like (the ET reference, the Twilight 'he moved at lighting speed and saved my life' thing and the teleporting like Goku).

Overall this is a good and enjoyable rom-com drama.

My rating: 4/5 stars

SIMILAR POSTS:

The Master's Sun ♥ 

Emergency Couple☎

It's Okay, That's Love!

My Top 10 Kdramas for first-timers

TOP 10 KDRAMAS is a feature here @ Jiha's file where I list 10 (or less) Korean dramas/Kdrama related stuff that I like.

The kdramas I've listed here are mostly Romance comedy dramas; they are light, sweet and really fun to watch. I think that you shouldn't start watching the intense, deep and complex dramas first, because those will absolutely ruin these light-hearted ones for you.

1. Playful Kiss (High school drama) 
Ok, so this is actually my first kdrama (my sister recommended it to me :P). It's about a high school girl who is at the bottom of her class and has a major crush on the most popular and genius guy in school. She writes him a letter to confess her feelings but gets rejected. He tells her that he hates girls that are stupid and gave the letter back after correcting all her grammatical mistakes... little did they know that they would end up living under the same roof. 

Tip: The first 2 episodes are not that great so wait till you watch a bit longer before judging it.

2. Lie To Me (Rich Guy/Poor Girl drama)

This one is about a government employee who pretends to be the wife of a hotel CEO in order to impress her former friend but as the story goes on, the two leads start to fall in love with each other...

This drama's a funny one because it stars Yoon Eun Hye who's really great at interpreting clumsy and gawky characters. I read a couple of comments from people who watched this as their first kdrama and they weren't disappointed. 

3. Flower Boy Ramyun Shop (Noona Romance and Rich Guy/Poor Girl drama)

A university student who is majoring in teaching keeps running into a guy. These unusual encounters leads her to believe that he's the right man for her but then discovers that he's a high school student and several years younger than her. This cute and warm drama has enough good looking flower boys to make you swoon. I mean, 4 guys and a girl working in the same ramen shop? I wouldn't ask for more :)

4. You're Beautiful (Kpop idol/Cross dressing drama)
Mi Nam is joining A.N.JELL (a famous boy band) but had to go to the States to repair a bothched eye job. So Mi Nam's twin sister, Min Yu who is training to become a nun, pretends to be her brother while he's in the States. 
This drama is ridiculously funny and entertaining with really great music.

5. Sungkyunkwan Scandal (Historical/Cross dressing drama)
This is a drama that takes place in the past during the Joseon era when education was forbidden to women... Kim Yoon Hee pretends to be her ill brother and enrolls in Sungkyunkwan University where she becomes friends with her school mates.

6. 1st Shop Coffee Prince (Cross dressing drama)
It's about Han Kyul, a son of a huge food corporation and Eun Chan, a poor and tomboyish woman. Eun Chan pretends to be a man to be able to work at Han Kyul's "all-male employee" coffee shop and provide for her family. On the other hand Han Kyul pretends to be gay because he doesn't want to be forced to marry and hires Eun Chan as his lover unaware that she's actually a woman.

7. To The Beautiful You (another Cross dressing drama, last one I promise)
A high school girl will do anything to meet and get close to a boy she idolizes. Jae Hee is in love with Tae Joon, a pole-jumping gold medalist. She discovers that he attends high school at an all-boys’ school, so she cuts her hair and pretends to be a boy to be admitted to the school. But she soon learns that trying to blend in with the boys and keep her true identity a secret are no easy tasks. (description from Viki)

8. My Girlfriend is a Gumiho/My Girlfriend is a Nine-tailed Fox (Fantasy drama)
This one is about a guy who falls in love with a girl who's actually a gumiho (Nine-tailed fox) that eats the livers of humans...
I haven't finished this drama yet, but I've been enjoying it :)

9. Princess Hours/Goong (Arranged marriage drama)
Due to her grandfather's will, a high school student marries the cold-hearted Crown Prince who attends her same school. As she she struggles to adapt herself to the proper manners and royal duties of palace life, her husband's cousin, second-in-line to the throne, steps into her life.

10. We Got Married: Ssanghu Couple (Reality/Variety show)

Even though this one isn't a drama, I still fully recommend to watch it because it's so entertaining. We Got Married is a well known variety show in Korea that paired up korean celebrities into couples and showed how their life would be like if they got married. The Ssangchu/Lettuce couple is my favorite so definitely check them out. 

I believe that these dramas are great for first-timers because the majority of them are based on mangas and others are related to kpop and most of the people I know who are interested in watching kdramas are either manga/anime lovers or kpop fans. 

If there are any dramas you would recommened to first-timers please leave them in the comments down below :)

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