#Yeon woo jin icons

[dayscapism]

K-Dramas recommendations & short reviews

Because I've watched way too many to not make a list. Warning: I like romance and fantasy a bit too much.

These shows made me cry. 10/10. Five stars. Recommend to anyone. They live in my mind rent-free:

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022) - Attorney Woo is such a wonderful person, I love her character. I can't say much about the representation, but I like that it opens up the conversation around autism & neurodivergence, discrimination and prejudice, particularly in work environments. I rarely like shows about law or lawyers but I was surprisingly engaged with the cases and the story. It deserves a second season. (The only thing I don't like about this show is they're pushing for a MinWoo and Choi Su-Yeon ship. Which huh--disrespectful.)

Hotel Del Luna (2019) - A great place to start with k-dramas if you like paranormal fantasy. This show has such a special place in my heart. I wanted a different ending but I am okay with it because it was a tight narrative. The main character is iconic (Man-Wol please step on me). The show has amazing sets, AMAZING costumes, an amazing OST, amazing and heartbreaking performance by Yeo Jin Goo. The main couple is so soft; like they're such good friends and coworkers and gentle with each other (eventually). It's enemies to reluctant friends to lovers. It's perfect for asexual viewers who want more than physicality in their romance shows. Cons: the secondary characters' goodbyes and backstories left a little to be desired. A few other nitpicks like Chang-Seong is the one to suggest the main character a new hobby instead of her just discovering it by herself.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020) - Also a good place to start with k-dramas. This show is a lesson in good narrative; this has perfect writing & storytelling. The cast is so good. The female lead is an icon. The character work I excellent. The mental health issues are so well addressed and it taught me a lot about mental health I wasn't aware of. Each small minor character plays a very important thematic role. (The villain isn't the best thing ever but she serves her role in the themes and plot.) The production and the storytelling with the children's book animations are just *heart eyes*. The OST is so good too. You need to watch this to understand how good a k-dramas can be. A must-watch.

Goblin: The Lonely and Great God (2016) - This is the most iconic fantasy/paranormal k-drama ever. A lot of current tropes were started here I think (including the weird k drama last-episode time jump separation of the main couple). This show broke me. You will cry. The bromance and comedy are amazing here too. Gong Yoo and Dong Wook Lee have great chemistry. Main female lead is so cute and her character is so heartwarming. The ending felt a bit rushed. The death, existential related stuff with the grim reapers and such is so good tho.

Business Proposal (2022) - Best rom-com ever! (Well, it could be gayer tbh.) It's my new comfort show. I already watched it twice. It's campy, hilarious, chaotic, iconic and messy in a way that feels like real life (but obviously played up for drama and comedy). Excellent character work. The love interest is definitely written by a woman. Gorgeous cast (Sejeon omg I have a crush, but also the others). It was too short! I would have loved another episode, and more of Grandpa and Ha-Ri. Warning: this has the weird kdrama last-episode time jump couple separation.

W: Two Worlds (2016) - A young resident medic accidentally finds her way inside the webcomic her father created. Like, that premise is killer. We have Lee Jong Suk at his finest here; the character fits him so well. He was born to play a lead. This show has amazing meta-commentary on writing, authorship, and existential crisis. The confrontation between the webcomic character Kang Cheol and the author is insane! The main couple is an epic pair. Would rewatch. High wump value. Cons: The second part could have been more swoony with the romance, Kang Cheol kind of became a bit cold. (A warning: this show also has the k drama weird last-episode time jump couple separation.)

Would recommend with popcorn, I rate them 8/10:

Crash Landing on You (2019) - Really good. The main couple has the best chemistry I've ever seen. It's not that much of a personal fave show, but still pretty awesome and will tug at your heart. It got a bit overly dramatic in the last episodes and again, has that k-drama last episode weird time jump couple separation, but here it actually makes sense. And sort of mirrors the separation and eventual unification of the Korean Peninsula. It was very interesting to see the contrast between North and South Korea.

Shooting Stars (2022) - Aside from the terrible, horrible, insulting Africa storyline (where the male lead goes to 'help' African kids with water scarcity, not even a country name is called, he just goes to *gestures vaguely* Africa to help goddammit he's such a beautiful soul! /s) There's a weird creepy sugar mommy wannabe side storyline and it's weird and out of nowhere. But the rest of it is good and campy and the main characters are so cute. All the couples are cute. The male lead is a cute disaster. Female lead is also a capable cutey but a disaster when it comes to romance. It's hilarious. I love all characters. It's fun. It's great. It shows a very interesting side of the entertainment industry.

While You Were Sleeping (2017) - A man and a woman who don't know each other have precognition powers and after they meet, they use them to take down a corrupt lawyer. The show isn't very heavy on the romance, tough the pair work pretty well together. I liked the main actress. Lee Jong Suk has chemistry with anyone. The male role was not exactly a good fit for Jong Suk. He's so much more naturally charming than the character. It's a fun show to pass the time. The found family is nice and all the characters work great together. The mom is great.

The King's Affection (2021) - I'm going to be honest, I didn't finish watching this. Ups. I got bored after episode 15. It's a very slow show but what I watched was quite good. It was just not a show for me. Having a bisexual male lead was awesome, I appreciate that he falls for the main character while he thinks she's a man. (Could be gayer tho, just saying.) Pretty good discussions and reversals of gender cliches. It has complicated parent-child relationships that are very well written which gives a lot of heart and heartbreak to this story. The political stuff gets very convoluted. I really wish the queer part was bigger though, and not limited to the main couple. We could even have poly representation! I still have half a mind to finish this but I don't know There are so many other shows I'd rather watch instead. (Boy, I really need to get into the actually queer side of k-dramas because the side I'm currently on is giving me crumbs.)

Lovers of the Red Sky (2021) - The premise was so cool. This has so much lore I like and the setting is beautiful and rich, but it also has so much lost potential. The plot is very weak in the second half and could be restructured. I loved the atmosphere, costumes and the actors and their characters: the blind cursed scholar nobleman, the female genius cheeky painter and her friend trio and the prince are all great characters. Ahn Hyo Seop is pretty good in it and looks very pretty indeed in historical costume (but the design of the villain creature he's possessed/cursed with is so, so bad omg). Great premise failed execution. Good first half but it went over the rails quickly. Still entertaining if you like historical fantasy.

Romance is a Bonus Book (2019) - It's a bit slow and could have done so much more with the female lead and her child. She's a bit underwhelming and her daughter is barely in the story. The second female character played by Jeong Eu-Gene was awesome, I love this actress now. Lee Jung Suk is always looking hot and being an excellent actor with what he's given; he's very charming here. He could have chemistry with a piece of wood and yet I wasn't that fan of the romance. Maybe it's just because friends to lovers isn't my cup of tea. There's a weird out-of-nowhere backstory between the male leads. The commentary of ageism in the workplace is a bit surface level (it's not that big of a deal for the company if you're overqualified for a job, the point should be that is an issue for you and your career, who is too good for the company). You can tell the writers really care about books; it's definitely a love letter to editors and an interesting window into the world of book publishing; you can feel the love editors put into making books. Bonus: the founding members of the publishing company have very funny moments.

Do no recommend:

King: Eternal Monarch - Couldn't even finish this. I was so, so confused. The dialogue, narrative and backstory make no sense! Everything is so unnecessarily confusing. There's no chemistry between the main couple. The king and the bodyguard had more chemistry. Lee Jung-Jin (playing the villain Lee Lim) & Woo Do-Hwan (the bodyguard) carried this show and are pretty much the only thing good about it. The female lead is sidelined. It had an intriguing premise but failed execution.

What's Wrong With Secretary Kim - Skimmed most of the second half. It's a mess. The love interest CEO is such a narcissist and asshole he wouldn't be able to keep a working, healthy relationship with his partner without some serious therapy first. The female lead seems to be repulsed by him most of the time even when together and even looks scared when they get intimate. There's an unnecessarily convoluted plotline about the main lead's brother and a kidnapping in their past. It has tonal issues and it's cringy rather than funny. The secondary characters are just a lot of useless filler. The female lead sacrifices her independence and dreams to be with the main guy. Just go watch Business Proposal instead.

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo - The only pro of this show is IU. The romance went the undeveloped route. Cheap-looking production, with too many episodes, melodramatic, characters pivot in place instead of naturally developing; it's definitely a telenovela. The point that the female lead is from the future doesn't even matter for the story (should have made her a Goryeo historian instead of a random cosmetologist). Pass!

Tomorrow - Could not finish watching. Please, please don't watch it if you're dealing with depression, bullying or suicidal thoughts. Please don't. By episode 2 I was just screaming at the screen. Problematic? This show invented the word problematic. The supernatural task force that's supposed to save people with suicide risk is terrible at therapy and suicide prevention. They tell the person trying to commit suicide, literally on the edge of a building about to jump, that they should do it, that they're weak, they should just jump, go ahead! Like ... what????

Mystic Pop Up Bar - Didn't capture me by episode 2. Got bored. Some say this is better than Hotel Del Luna but I don't agree.

Abyss - It's a weird tonal mix. Would have preferred if it leaned further into the absurd (go all in with the humour or don't at all), the sci-fi or the murder mystery. Instead of just revealing by episode 3 who the murderer is, quickly changing the plot into a chase after the villain, even though he's so lame. But also he is keeps killing people and it gets dark. And then we cut to the main couple being silly and cute. It's so jarring. The leads have a great dynamic and Ahn Hyo Seop knows how to differentiate his characters really well, give them their own flavour., but in the end it's just a cool premise, failed execution. Very average.

Currently watching:

The Crowned Clown - Very interesting concept and gorgeous, gorgeous visuals. Plot drags a little. Has some tonal problems and oversimplification of politics. The best part is when Yeo Jin-Goo acts with himself haha. He's such a talented actor.

The Uncanny Counter - Get's a bit melodramatic sometimes but all four main actors are insanely good.

Tale of the Nine-Tailed - The main romantic relationship needs a lot more development, but the entire show is worth watching just for Dong Wook Lee and Kim Bum as brothers.

Alchemy of Souls - 6/10 so far. Currently watching season 2/part 2. Aside from the prince, I don't particularly care for any of the characters. Unpopular opinion but the main romantic pair have no chemistry. Mu-Deok has more chemistry with Yul and the prince, and the prince has more chemistry with Jang-Uk. The lore is confusing and inconsistent: it breaks its own rules. (Two souls in one body what?? when was this established as a thing?) There's not enough foreshadowing and setting up the rules of magic in this world (the Ice Stone comes up as a deux ex mahcina big plot point in the last second). It also drags; the episodes are too long. There's a lot of saying and ultimately the show doesn't deliver. The narrative structure is straight out of a fantasy Wattpad. The set and costumes are fun and cool for a fantasy world, and the first episode was great.  

[survivalistghost]

top 10 kdrama bromances to feed your empty heart

if you scroll through my page, you can already guess number 1.

#10 - our beloved summer : choi ung and kim ji ung

beautiful beautiful men choi woo shik and kim sung cheol played ung bros for life in this beautiful beautiful drama. one of the best handled love triangles ive seen. they were there for each other through thick and thin, and helped each other through sm. best. on the tenth spot because they could've expanded on it more :(

#9 - what's wrong with secretary kim? : lee young joon and park yoo sik

i could never make it through the series. i left it behind on ep9/10 i think, and primarily because i physically cannot digest how emotionless park min young is. BUT, kudos to the hilarious office best bromance by the great park seo joon and kang ki young. ps - why is kang ki young the pankaj tripathi of korean dramas?

#8 - strong girl do bong soon : ahn min hyuk and in gook du

can we ever forget the legendary wink? or the dream where min hyuk is dressed as a woman? i think not. this was more of a frenemy type bromance, united by their love for bong soon and ironically divided by it, too. i refuse to acknowledge this as a love triangle tho. bong soon was astronomical in not hurting gook du and i will not take any criticism. is it a bromance if one of them is pretending to be gay? (and no, we will not discuss any sort of iTs pRoBLeMaTiC debates here.)

#7 - tale of the nine tailed : lee yeon and koo shin ju

don't come at me with the lee rang comments. rang was his half brother, related by blood. their relationship was top tier, but the stay at home husband yeon and working husband shin ju was too cute to not be classified as a bromance. in the beginning, i saw their relationship as shin ju serving yeon, a dynamic that they both seemed to embody. but as the show progresses, yeon baby we know you love shin ju just as much :*

#6 - alchemy of souls : jang uk and seo yul

song joon ki seems to have an attachment to bromances. han seo had the best character arc of the ENTIRE kdrama universe fight me. that court scene where vincenzo pats han seo's cheek was max bro cuteness. still not over his death. he deserved better.

#5 - vincenzo : vincenzo cassano and jang han seo

even though i didn't very much like the show's first couple, bromance delivered well. hospital scene peaked, complete true beauty sameness. it was pretty hard to understand who was the superior officer in this tbh initially, since their comraderie was so cool, shi jin was kid to soldier in a split second. loved how they chose not to unnecessarily exaggerate the love triangle initially bec i was only rooting for the second couple.

#4 - descendants of the sun : yoo shi jin and seo dae young

business proposal was the first kdrama i saw. i finished it in a three day trip, and i remember thinking more about the bromance than the romance. i was NOT used to the clumsiness of kdramas in general, like wattpad fics incarnated. the bromance delivered well, made me root for the second couple, and was the only initial indicator of kang tae moo being human instead of archaeopteryx. that word was a nightmare to spell.

#3 - business proposal : kang tae moo and cha sung hoon

the most wolfstar bromance if I ever saw one. and NO, i do not ship wolfstar just like i do not ship these two. they are totally adorable, and specially since their personalities seemed to switch from when they were children. yeong turned all serious face and lee gon got fun. love their years of friendship sm, their wordless communication and yeong in general. the acting was amazing.

#2 - the king - eternal monarch : lee gon and jo yeong

#1 - guardian - the lonely and great god : kim shin aka goblin and wang yeo aka grim reaper

yes, i know I'm missing a lot of iconic ones. unfortunately, i haven't seen alot of kdramas and have left alot in bw (like true beauty bec i couldn't see second lead hurt).

spring onion slays ^

told ya, if u follow me u already knew what the first one was gonna be. being the simp i am for the goblin and grim reaper, these two achieved the max points for their bromance. that slow dynamic of goblin calling reaper's hat tacky to fighting with knives to that iconic 'saranghae' to 'HOW DARE YOU' to goblin boiling eggs with his powers while reaper chills the beer. they know each other so well. love love love them and you should too 🔪

in my heart, the trio of our boys beats nothing (except for the gookdu-minhyuk relationship of the crown prince and uk). but instead of choosing the frenemy thing, i decided to love yul and uk more. yul was such a quiet character, with incredible potential in him for me to hate him, but then...(the guy is literally too sweet and beautiful and nice i can ramble for days). and uk, man, our power baby who loves every version of our beautiful but slow girl, needed so much emotional support. uk and yul were not afraid to show their affection for each other, a trait i admired in all the three boys (jang uk, seo yul and park dang gu).

[kdramaladies]

We would like to thank everyone who participated in our 2023 Year End Poll last month! Thank you to those who voted, promoted the event, and also liked/reblogged our top 10 gifsets.

If you missed the Top 10 sets we posted during the last 10 days of 2023, or would just like to support them again, please check out our event tag #KDLYEAREND23. We will also be listing the results for the Top 20 under the cut.

Please also check out our new desktop header featuring our top 3 winners by @orangesyellow, mobile header by @natahjikio and icon by @haeyeongs featuring our #1 voted character of 2023.

We hope your 2024 is off to a good start, and looking forward to another year of our favourite kdramas and ladies!!!

1) The Glory: Moon Dong-eun (Song Hye-kyo) 46 2) Moving: Lee Mi-hyun (Han Kyo-joo) 45 3) Twinkling Watermelon: Yoon Cheong-ah (Shin Eun-soo) 44 4) Crash Course in Romance: Nam Haeng-seon (Jeon Do-yeon) 42 5) Alchemy of Souls 2: Jin Bu-yeon (Go Youn-jung) 38 6) Revenant: Gu San-young (Kim Tae-ri) 36 7) Moving: Jang Hui-soo (Go Youn-jung) 35 8) King the Land: Cheon Sa-rang (Im Yoon-ah) 34 9) My Dearest: Yoo Gil-chae (Ahn Eun-jin) 33 10) Twinkling Watermelon: Choi Se-kyung/On Eun-yu (Seol In-ah) 29

11) Daily Dose of Sunshine: Jung Da-eun (Park Bo-young) 27 12) Call It Love: Shim Woo-joo (Lee Sung-kyung) 25 12) See You in my 19th Life: Ban Ji-eum (Shin Hye-sun/Park So-yi) 25 13) The Glory: Park Yeon-jin (Im Ji-yeon) 20 14) Crash Course in Romance: Nam Hae-yi (Roh Yoon-seo) 19 15) Crash Course in Romance: Kim Young-joo (Lee Bong-ryun) 17 16) The Uncanny Counter 2: Do Ha-na (Kim Se-jeong) 15 16) Love to Hate You: Yeo Mi-ran (Kim Ok-vin) 15 17) A Time Called You: Han Jun-hee/Kwon Min-ji (Jeon Yeo-been) 13 17) Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938: Ryu Hong-joo (Kim So-yeon) 13 17) Doctor Cha: Cha Jeong-sook (Uhm Jung-hwa) 13 18) Mask Girl: Kim Mo-mi (Lee Han-byeol, Go Hyun-jung, Nana) 12 18) The Glory: Kang Hyun-nam (Yeom Hye-ran) 12 18) The Good Bad Mother: Jin Young-soon (Ra Mi-ran) 12 19) Doona!: Lee Doo-na (Bae Suzy) 11 19) The Good Bad Mother: Lee Mi-joo (Ahn Eun-jin) 11 20) Alchemy of Souls 2: Kim Do-joo (Oh Na-ra) 10 20) Heartbeat: Joo In-hae (Won Ji-an) 10 20) See You in my 19th Life: Yoon Cho-won (Ha Yoon-kyung) 10 20) Not Others: Kim Jin-hee (Choi Soo-young) 10 20) Call It Love: Shim Hye-seong (Kim Ye-won) 10 20) My Lovely Liar: Mok Sol-hee (Kim So-hyun) 10

KDRAMALADIES YEAR END POLL: Favourite Female Drama Characters of 2023

Welcome to our (hopefully!) annual year end poll! Vote for your favourite female characters from dramas in 2023, and at the end of the year we will announce and celebrate the top 10 most beloved characters with some gifs, and feature the top 3 in our blog’s desktop and mobile themes.

vote here

polls are open until December 10, 2023 at 11:59PM PST

results will be announced in the last week of December

the options are sorted alphabetically by title

only dramas set to complete by the start of the voting period has been included (dramas ending in December or January will be included in the following year's voting period)

if there are series or characters we missed, there is a write-in option at the bottom of the poll

if writing-in, please make sure to include the show title and the character or actress name

Happy voting! Please feel free to reblog this post to promote the poll to your friends and followers!

[glowdrama]

❥Like or reblog if you save

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like or reblog if you save.

[alttimebomb]

all of us are dead icons

bisexual edition

[kirukatoka]

"I smoke." 🚬

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[lifeondramas]

Circle: Two Connected Worlds (2017)

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don't repost :)

[akkaiito]

icons the sweet blood

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🍰┊ high and crush icons  — ˇᵋ ˇ ☁️🏹 ⋈◞♡°

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Introverted Boss pack!

credits to seozkjin (tweet) or like/reblog this post please c:

[team-redveluv]

Kdrama Recommendations❤️

Here are some of my recommendations. The list is in no particular order. Let me know if you want more recommendations!

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

Synopsis

A coming-of-age story about a group of college athletes who are fighting for their dreams, experiencing and finding love in the process, and growing every step of the way.

My Thoughts:

Weightlifting Fairy is truly a gem. The overall lighthearted tone of this drama makes it easy to follow and fun to watch. I find that a lot of dramas are often too dramatic and have unnecessary plot twists that just makes the story a lot to handle so it was nice having a story that feels refreshing. The plot is nothing crazy; it’s a bunch of college kids trying to figure life out. It’s simple and relatable but that’s what make it so charming. The titular character, Kim Bok Joo, is an icon. It was really interesting to watch her grow as a person and athlete. This drama is definitely one of my favourites of all time. I would gladly rewatch it a thousand times and even a little more after that. If you’re going to watch only one thing from my list, it HAS to be this.

P.S Don’t watch this on an empty stomach. The eating scenes are mouthwatering

Angel’s Last Mission: Love

Synopsis

Dan is an optimistic, carefree angel who is always getting into trouble. In order to return to heaven he is tasked with a mission to find true love for the talented but emotionally distant ballerina Lee Yeon-seo, but ends up falling for her himself.

My Thoughts:

Saying that I love this drama would be an understatement. I have not loved a show this much since Weightlifting Fairy, and that’s saying something. It’s the perfect combination of funny and dramatic. There is no denying the chemistry between Dan and Yeon-Seo. Shin Hye-Sun really outdid herself in this one. I laughed when she laughed and cried when she cried. The way she portrays her emotions is outstanding and I’ll definitely be checking out more of her work. There’s typically one or two episodes in every drama that I don’t really care about or is forgettable but I didn’t feel that way in this one. Every episode had me on the edge of my seat and every time it ended, I kept wanting more. I highly recommend this drama. Also, I never say this but I LOVE the soundtrack. It’s all I’ve been playing recently and there isn’t a single song on the track that I don’t like.

W: Two Worlds

Synopsis

A romance takes place between Kang Chul, a multimillionaire who exists in the webtoon “W,” and Oh Yeon-Joo who is a surgeon in the real world. The two must work together to solve a mystery.

My Thoughts:

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve seen this but I remember really liking it. The whole concept of a fictional character coming to life is really interesting and it gave the story some pretty good plot points. I’m not gonna lie, towards the end, it felt like it was beginning to drag on a little but with that said I would say that I enjoyed the overall experience. It felt refreshing because it was a premise that I haven’t seen in any other drama so it was fun to watch it unfold. The two leads had good chemistry and there were moments where my jaw actually dropped from shock. This is a good watch if you like modern fantasy type genres.

While You Were Sleeping

Synopsis

Nam Hong-joo is able to see the future through her dreams. She, rookie prosecutor Jung Jae-chan, and police officer Han Woo-tak work together to solve multiple crimes and prevent her ominous dreams from becoming reality.

My Thoughts:

Oh wow another Lee Jong-Suk drama. I really love this actor and honestly I would recommend anything he is in. As for this drama, I love that every character adds a new dimension to the storyline and when I say every character, I mean EVERY character. Supporting roles are typically forgotten about and don’t get much development in many dramas but here, they’re just as loveable and quirky as leading trio. From work life to home life, everyone adds something that just makes the story a lot richer. You feel more connected to these characters thus raising the stakes when something bad could (and does) happen to them. There was a certain character reveal towards the end that blew my mind and I’m still not over it. Overall, it’s a good watch and you should put it on your drama bucket list.

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

Synopsis

During an eclipse, Go Ha-jin travels back in time to the Goryeo era. She wakes up in the body of Hae-Soo, a 16 year old aristocrat who lives in the royal palace. She finds herself caught in between the rivalry among the princes over the throne.

My Thoughts:

I remember first hearing about this drama because my friends were talking about how sad it was and boy were they right. I cried so hard so many different times throughout the drama. While it does get sad, it makes the happy moments feel even better  because they’re so rare. Hae-Soo’s relationship with each of the different princes felt unique and it was interesting to see how she impacted them in different ways. I enjoyed it but WARNING! If you don’t like sad endings then this drama might not be for you. I’m still hoping for a season 2 though.

Itazura na Kiss

Synopsis

Aihara Kotoko, who isn’t that smart, is in love with the school’s most intelligent student, Irie Naoki. An incident causes her house to be severely damaged and until it is rebuilt, she and her father are are invited to live with his friend and his family. It turns out that she will be living with Irie Naoki’s family.

My Thoughts:

This is technically not a Kdrama but I prefer the Japanese version over the Korean one. I remember having so much fun watching this show and it got some good laughs out of me. What I love about this drama is that you get to see the development of the couple’s relationship over a long period of time. I’ve noticed that a lot of dramas just end after the couple gets together and they never show the aftermath. With Itazura, you get to watch their relationship grow throughout high school, college, and adulthood. You see them deal with and work their way through issues that some couples have to face in real life, such as unrequited love, jealousy and having to go long distance. Another great thing about this drama is that it has a second season which wraps up everyone’s story really nicely. There aren’t really any loose ends and it leaves me feeling satisfied as a viewer. I would highly recommend if you like romantic comedies.

[nclkafilms]

A furious and mesmerising cinematic achievement

(Review of ‘Parasite’. Seen in Biffen Art Cinema, Aalborg on the 2nd of January 2020.)

Ever since south korean film ‘Parasite’ took home the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in the Spring of 2019 it has been on everyone’s lips. It’s been deemed one of the most important films ever and an unreal film experience that was a must see for any lover of cinema. Luckily it has also been enrolled in a thick fog of m#ystery, because what was this film actually about? Director Bong Joon Ho was adamant about the necessity of keeping the film unspoiled and having seen it, I know exactly why. Because if you go in to this film knowing as little as possible you are in fact treated to an amazing film experience unlike anything else. SO this is where I stop you. If you have even the slightest desire to watch this film do not read any further; make sure to book a seat in your nearest cinema in stead!

With ‘Parasite’ Bong not only delivers an impeccably entertaining film that will cater to wide audiences, but also an awe-inspiring mash-up of cinematic genres that seamlessly woven together to form a sophisticated net of surprises, laughs and suspense. At one time hysterically funny and poignantly satirical, Bong suddenly takes a sharp u-turn and turns the film on its head a spine-tingling and furious thriller with well functioning horror elements. To make this mix of genres work on its own is worth quite the attention, but to make it work while telling an important and nuanced story of the modern, capitalistic society that not only makes you want to applaud the film afterwards but also makes you think and reflect on your own “role” in this society, is nothing short of a cinematic magic trick performed to perfection by Bong and everyone involved.

At the centre of the film are two families from very different parts of society. The Kim family who lives in a basement apartment where they desperately tries to catch wi-fi from nearby cafés or neighbours (because of course they still have smart phones), and the Park family, who lives on top of society (literally) in an architect’s dream of a house. Two families of mother, father, daughter and son. But whereas the Kim family stands together in every aspect of life, the Park family rarely spends time together: the father is busy at work all over the world, the mother is sitting at home in charge of all the service people, the introvert daughter is mostly in her room and the son, haunted by a mysterious incident early in his life, feels like the most human when he disturbs the perfect silence of the house with his US-imported Indian gear.  The two families lives are intertwined in a way that you never fully realise until it is too late and Bong has you caught in his web of disasters.

As the patriarch of the Kim family, Kang-ho Sang delivers a standout performance filled with wit, pride and a desire to do what’s best for his family no matter the cost. In a fascinating scene he talks to his children about the importance of not having a plan - because then nothing can go wrong. One of many iconic scenes that I still remember vividly. Woo-sik Choi as his son and So-dam Park as his daughter are full of mischief and youthful ingenuity that brings the Kim family to places they had never dreamed of. It is a joy to watch them - especially in the first hour - as they charm their way through each and every obstacle that meets them. Finally, Hye-jin Jang gives a strong performance as the hard-headed matriarch of the Kim family. She gets to deliver one of the most poignant one-liners of the film when she says that, “money is like an iron. It straightens all issues away.”.

In the Park family, Yeo-jeong Jo deserved to be highlighted for her performance as the blue-eyed and easily impressed mother, Park Yeon-kyo, who still possess a chilling and unpredictable side to her. In the Park residence, it is, however, Jeong-eun Lee as their maid, Moon-gwang, who takes the main attention in a transformative and mysterious role in which she gets to show both sinister and hilarious aspects of her acting throughout the film.

The characters are driven so much by the story and their increasingly connected relations, that it is difficult to talk too much about them without giving too much away, but it is acting of the highest quality from the entire cast. Performances filled with subtle mimics, comments and gestures that I cannot wait to see again to discover even more than what I caught in round one.

These characters are mainly found in one of two locations masterfully constructed by production designer Ha-jun Lee. As simple and “ugly” the reality of the Kim residence is, as lavish and over-the-top is the Park residence. This physical contrast between these locations play a central part in the story and especially one specific scene featuring a flood is so cinematically beautiful in its slow reveal of its devastating consequences, that it will stay with me for a very long time. That scene is the perfect co-operation between Lee’s production design, Kyung-pyo Hong’s cinematography and Bong’s screenplay, in which the different layers of society are strikingly summed up in their reaction to the rain showers causing the flood. One subtle comment from Park Yeon-kyo says everything here.

With the Park residence, Lee has created an intricately designed dollhouse in which every neatly detailed room has its own secrets that are masterfully unravelled one at a time throughout the film with an Hitchcockian sense of suspense by Bong. Finally, it all comes together through a score from Jung Jae Il that is as playful as the film’s mix of genres. It features everything from haunting strings and rumbling percussions to fine and simple compositions.

‘Parasite’ reminded me of ‘Get Out’ in the way it uncovers some of the deep issues in modern society through a surprising and striking mix of genres to present the absurdity of its topic. However, I feel like Bong’s film succeeds better with its mission. This is mainly due to the fact that even though Bong is furious and very clear in his allegory and use of symbols and metaphors, he never loses sight of one important thing: his characters need to be fundamentally human in order for his story to have the biggest impact possible. Here are no absurd heroes or villains and the character you root for in one scene turns on a table in the next one and vice versa. Bong highlights that this is something deeper. The rotten smell does not come from a certain person or a certain group of people, it comes from deeper within. It comes from the very basement of modern day society.

In that, ‘Parasite’ becomes a parable of how the modern, technological society muddles the differences between the different layers of society by making information widely accessible all the while the capitalism that drives said technological development forms a deeper and more drastic distance between the very same layers of society. As such, ‘Parasite’ seems like the perfect film to sum up the last decade and introduce the new one and it leaves us, the viewers, with a fascinating question: who or what is the parasitical presence in this society?

5/5

[insphoeration]

KDRAMA RECS

(In no particular order)

Have watched multiple times with no shame: 

A Korean Odessey (Also known as, Hwayugi)

So Mi (played by Oh Yeon Seo) has the ability to see ghosts which causes her to get wrapped up with Devil King Woo (played by Cha Seung Won) and mischievous god, Son Oh Gong (played by Lee Seung Gi). As a child So Mi is tricked by Son Oh Gong into making a deal which would only benefit him. 25 years later, So Mi is the only one who can stop the apocalypse, but she can’t do it alone.

Basically one of the best drama’s I have ever watched. A really interesting plot based on the Chinese novel Journey to the West. Really interesting and complex characters as well as decent special effects. While being a romance, this drama follows the stories of the other major players involved, making you fall in love with all of them. This story is a modern spin, so it takes place in modern times while also bringing history and legends into the mix, really entertaining, especially if you’re not a fan of historical drama’s like me. 

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Comedy, Horror

Where I Watched: Netflix 

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Bong Soon (played by Park Bo Young) is born with super human strength, which can only be used for good. An Min Hyuk (played by Park Hyung Sik) is the CEO of a gaming company with a target on his back. Min Hyuk finds out about Bong Soon’s strength and hires her to be his body guard, despite her finding her strength a burden. Together they are able to keep Min Hyuk safe as well as Bong Soon’s community which is being terrorised by a murderer/kidnapper. 

Fair warning: because of the mature themes of kidnapping and murder thrown in throughout by the main antagonist, this Drama may be triggering to some people. However if you skip past those parts, this drama is really cute. The thing that made me fall in love with the two main characters was not their romance but the friendship that came before it. A lot of people will tell you this drama is the poster child for second lead syndrome but I really liked it regardless. 

Genre: Fantasy, Thriller, Action, Romantic comedy

Where I Watched: Netflix

My ID is Gangnam Beauty (Or just Gangnam Beauty)

Based of the webtoon of the same name, Gangnam Beauty centres around chemistry major, Kang Mi Rae (played by Im Soo- Hyang) who underwent plastic surgery, tired of being bullied for her looks. Fellow classmate Hyun Soo A (played by Jo Woo Ri) continuously fights Mi Rae for a position she already has. Only Do Kyung Seok (played by Astro’s Cha Eun Woo) see’s Soo A for who she really is. 

This one is also one of my favourites that I always find myself coming back to. Mi Rae starts off pretty insecure but as the drama progresses she starts seeing people for more that her looks as well as grows to stop being ashamed about the fact that she got surgery. And Eun Woo’s acting phenomenal because he doesn’t even resemble Eun Woo with how smiley he is in real life compared to his tsundere character. 

Genre: Coming of Age, Romantic Comedy

Where I Watched: Viki.com

School 2015 (Also known as Who Are You?: School 2015)

Another potential trigger warning: the main character gets bullied so bad she attempts suicide which is the thing that really throws the whole story into gear.

Go Eun Byeol and Lee Eun Bi (played by Kim So Hyun) are identical twin sisters separated at birth, while Eun Byeol is cold in nature she is popular and well liked by her peers. Eun Bi however, is like a mother figure to the other kids living at the orphanage, and often stands up for others, she is bullied at school to the point of attempting suicide, which coincides with her sisters disappearance. Eun Bi, with no memory is mistaken for Eun Byeol and is taken to live life as her sister. 

This drama was crazy and kept driving me crazy, first of all the antagonist is only a high school student and yet one of the most sinister characters ever written. And while most people think Strong Woman has second lead syndrome, School 2015 almost killed me with second lead syndrome and I’m still not over it. But I still love this drama and I think it’s worth the watch.

Genre: Teen, Mystery, Coming of Age 

Where I watched: Youtube 

W: Two Worlds 

Surgical resident, Oh Yeon Joo (played by Han Hyo Joo) is sucked into the webtoon; W, written by her father. This complicates the storyline of the webtoon’s main character Kyung Chul (played by Lee Jong Suk) as the two get involved. 

Wow. Another one of my favourites and the drama to kick start my love affair with Lee Jong Suk. The series as a whole is so original and interesting but every episode leaves you wanting more, Lee Jong Suk’s charcter is so insanely complex my heart really felt for him. And Han Hyo Joo’s acting is marvellous, you coulod truly see the pain her character felt at certain times Fun fact: this drama about a webtoon is based on the webtoon of the same name. (Inception?)

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Suspense, Thriller 

Where I watched: viki.com 

While You Were Sleeping

Nam Hong Joo (played by Bae Suzy) has the ability to see visions, usually bad, in her sleep. She teams up with prosecutor Jung Jae Chan (Played be Lee Jong Suk), and later police officer Han Woo Tak (played by Jung Hae In), to help the people plagued in her dreams. 

The first episode had me in all types of confusion but looking back on it, it was actually done really well, introducing characters and the overall plot. What I really likes about this drama was that it had me on the edge of my seat nearly the whole time, and every episode amounted to something bigger. Unfortunately this series does come with a decent about onf second lead syndrome, but not like School: 2015 or Cheese in the Trap where you’re kind of mad at the main character for choosing the wrong person but like Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and Sassy Go Go, you fall in love with both leads and you just want the second lead to also have a happy ending. 

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Thriller, Legal Drama

Where I watched: Viki.com 

Descendants of the Sun

Brought together by unfortunate circumstance, Korean special forces Captian Yoo Shi Jin (played by Song Jong Ki), and Surgeon Kang Mi Yeon (played by Song Hye Kyo) have to work together to protect the people they love. Set in the fictional country of Uruk, Yoo’s Alpha team and Kang’s medical team learn a lot about themselves and what life is like on another side of the world. 

I’m not going to lie, I put this off for so long because I thought I wasn’t going to like it but I actually ended up loving it. This is in most part due to Song Jong Ki’s charter, when I heard he was in the military I was like ugh it’s going to be one of those tough guy gets softened up by the girl drama’s but on a much larger scale, but boy was I wrong. Yoo Shi Jin is a responsible and hardworking Captain that cares about the people around him, almost to a fault, but he’s hilarious and light hearted at the same time. And at some point the bromance got me more than the main romance. There is a reason this drama is so popular and often referred to as iconic. Go watch it! Another fun fact: Song Jong Ki and Song Hye Kyo got married in October of 2017. 

Genre: Romance, Melodrama, Action

Where I Watched: Viki.com

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Jo 

A coming-of-age story about a group of college athletes who are fighting for their dreams, experiencing and finding love in the process.

Sorry I couldn’t come up with a good summary, the overall story is a bit hard to explain. I liked this drama although I didn’t love it. It’s cute and funny and it also deals with important topics like mental health on top of physical health. The one this that rubbed me the wrong way with this drama is the ‘thing’ between Bok Jo and the second male lead, simply because their age gap was far too large to ignore. But skipping through damn near all of his scenes, I enjoyed it. 

Genre: Coming of Age, Sports, Romantic Comedy 

Where I watched: Viki.com

Honourable Mentions:

Reply 1997

Coming of Age story that deals with a lot of important topics like friendship, sex, relationships, family and honestly just growing up.

Cute but another one where the second lead rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it’s because he played the evil guy in Hwayugi and I can’t see him as anything else but his whole thing was weird. I don’t want to spoil it but I genuinely cannot believe people thought his character was sane not to mention a good match for the main. 

He is Psychometric

Lee Ahn has the ability to see the past of whatever he touches, he uses his ability to help a police officer and prosecutor solve the mystery of the fire that killed his parents 

I honestly only watched this for Jinyoung okay, and while I was impressed with the acting by all the actors, the story would slow down right before it hit you in the face, so overall kind of all over the place.

EUN JI SOO DESERVED BETTER 

The Heirs 

Typical poor girl falls for a rich guy drama (kind of a classic)

One of my first Drama’s, you could really feel the chemistry between the two main leads, and the character of Kim Tan was so passionate it was captivating

Doctors

Medical drama based on a former delinquent who ends up being a surgeon and her mentor 

Another drama with a weird age gap 

Park Shin Hye is a badass. 

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