K-Dramas: 아이구!

[STFUFrank]

I think 2020 has put out some really quality Kdramas.

Crash Landing on You (though that started late 2019)

Itaewon Class

Its Okay to Not Be Okay.

Viki has Cdrama's, Japanese and Taiwanese dramas as well as Kdramas. My only fault with the Chinese dramas are the dubbing. (They use voice actors to dub over the actual screen actors). That really pulls me out of a scene. 

[OoogleEyes]

I'm relatively new to KDrama, having started a couple of months ago with Stranger ( which I loved). Now watching The Uncanny Counter weekly. I absolutely adore that one. Keep the tissues handy!!

In the meantime, I'm watching It's Okay To Not Be Okay. I'm on episode three. Holy cow, does Ko Mun-Yeong *ever* become likable? I'm having a hard time with that one, but everyone seems to love it, so I'll muddle on through for now. 

 

Edited January 4, 2021 by OoogleEyes

[Maelstrom]

Welcome to the land of Kdramas, OogleEyes. They're highly addictive, that's for sure. I've yet to watch one live since I don't think I could wait from week to week, so I commend your patience. And I'm still burned from Memories of the Alhambra, which I started watching before the final episode had aired - I won't be doing that again (nothing like investing 16 hours of your life only to be majorly disappointed with a crummy ending).

Right now I'm watching Bride of the Water God (aka Bride of Habaek), which is fun. I've been curious about It's OK Not to Be OK since I enjoyed the lead actor in My Love From the Star, but haven't watched it yet. You'll have to let us know what you think!

Edited January 5, 2021 by Maelstrom

[OoogleEyes]

I finished IOTNBO. I ended up loving it. It was difficult to get through those first few episodes, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Mental illness is not pretty or easy. 

Shout out to Oh Jeong-Se (The Good Detective) for his excellent work as Moon Sang-Tae

[OoogleEyes]

I just finished Crash Landing on You. 

Holy cow that was a good one 

[Maelstrom]

4 hours ago, OoogleEyes said:

I just finished Crash Landing on You. 

Holy cow that was a good one 

Wasn’t it?! I watched almost a dozen Kdramas last year and that one was truly a standout. I really loved everything about it - the characters and their emotional growth, the cast, the juxtaposition of two very different worlds, the mix of the humorous and the heartfelt, the maturity of the romance... I could go on and on. Man-bok the wiretapper was a standout for me just as much as the leads. Great show. Glad you enjoyed it too!

Edited January 22, 2021 by Maelstrom

[OoogleEyes]

While watching Prison Playbook I'm finally recognizing actors from other shows

Also...

I'm sad that this forum doesn't get more traction.  YINZ GUYS I'm addicted  

Edited January 31, 2021 by OoogleEyes
Revealing my addiction

[Maelstrom]

Ah, I've heard of Prison Playbook but never watched it. How are you liking it? I've reached the point of recognizing certain locations from various shows (I'm starting to think that all dramatic confrontations are required to happen on the same rooftop with a panoramic view of Seoul, lol).

Right now I'm watching Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung. It's the first full-on historical/sageuk I've watched so I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get into it, but I'm really liking it. The lead actress starred in Bride of the Water God as well, but now she has some really good material to work with. Definitely worth a look if you're OK with a historical.

I know, I'm always happy when someone posts on this thread. Have you found Dramabeans yet? It's a whole global community of addicts :D They have recaps of many shows and lots of opportunities for discussion. I don't post there very often but I lurk quite a bit. I've also found it helpful for understanding cultural differences, etc, too. And, I admit, I use their recaps to check the ending of a show to make sure it's worth watching (no tragic or unsatisfying endings for me, thank you very much!)

[STFUFrank]

Ones I've watched with in the last few months:

Start Up (this was probably one of my favorites for the latter half of 2020)

Love Struck in the City

Run On

True Beauty

The Penthouse (a multi season drama, S2 is on Viki now with episodes uploaded on Fri/Sat)

Ones I'm watching currently:

Hello, Me

Vincenzo

The Penthouse S2

Go Go Squid 2 (a Chinese drama)

 

[OoogleEyes]

I'm finding that I'm enjoying the dramas that are being aired weekly.

I really like Vincenzo, so far. And even though it has a lot of flaws, Sisyphus:The Myth is entertaining to me.

I just finished Mr. Sunshine. Whew, what a journey THAT was. 😢 I loved it. 

[OoogleEyes]

Holy cow, Is anyone watching VINCENZO? 

Also NIGHT IN PARADISE   

Great film

[STFUFrank]

On 4/17/2021 at 11:39 PM, OoogleEyes said:

Holy cow, Is anyone watching VINCENZO? 

Also NIGHT IN PARADISE   

Great film

I loved Vincenzo. I loved Ok Taecyeon's character (he was Vincenzo's nemesis) usually Taecyeon (who is a KPop idol in the group 2PM) plays more happy go lucky characters is this was a nice change. 
 

I finished Youth of May last week. It's takes place during the Gwangju uprising in 1980. I absolutely loved it and recommend it to anyone. It's a heavy drama but the acting and story is top notch. One of the best shows thus far in 2021. 

[Maelstrom]

Currently watching When the Camellia Blooms, a small town slice-of-life/thriller mix-up that’s really, really good. It has a different feel to it than a lot of dramas - no overly glammed up leads, and a hero who’s not actually a petty, immature jerk to start with - which has made for a refreshing watch. Definitely worth a look!

[NotChristine]

I recommend Her Private Life, which came to Netflix recently. I watched it last year on a different service and loved it. It's a mature romance without much cliche.

On 6/16/2021 at 5:30 PM, Maelstrom said:

Currently watching When the Camellia Blooms, a small town slice-of-life/thriller mix-up that’s really, really good. It has a different feel to it than a lot of dramas - no overly glammed up leads, and a hero who’s not actually a petty, immature jerk to start with - which has made for a refreshing watch. Definitely worth a look!

I tried watch that when it first came out but couldn't get into it, and I like the lead actors in other projects.

Edited July 23, 2021 by NotChristine

[Maelstrom]

When the Camellia Blooms started strong but honestly it fizzled out for me at the end. Apparently the show was extended by 4 episodes due to its popularity, and boy you can tell. In the final stretch there was so much filler and unnecessary drawing out of every bit of tension (real or imagined) that it kind of killed my interest pretty good. Finishing the last few eps was a chore. I really liked the male lead - his character was a joy to watch from start to finish - as well as some of the seasoned actors playing the supporting characters. But overall... meh. Too bad.

Argon is a short, fantastic show about tv journalists fighting to tell the truth in an age of corruption and endless spin. Highly recommend. Sadly, the lead actor died IRL not long after the show originally aired in a freak car accident, but this show is a very strong tribute to his talent.

Currently watching Run On, and really enjoying it. The lead actress impressed me in Rookie Historian, and is excellent once again. And though I've never watched the male lead in anything (I've heard only good things about his starring role in Misaeng, which I will watch, someday) he's turning in a wonderful performance here.

I'll have to check out Her Private Life! I love finding a drama good enough to rewatch.

Edited July 24, 2021 by Maelstrom

[OoogleEyes]

Is anyone watching Squid Game? It's pretty great, but I find myself only able to watch one or two episodes at a time. It's brutal!

I just finished Stove League. That was a good one, if you like KDramas about sports. Namkoong Min was excellent in it. Now, I'm watching his new one, The Veil.

Edited September 24, 2021 by OoogleEyes

[khyber]

I've never watched a Korean show.  I like light mysteries. Is there anything like that?

[Rilla-my-Rilla]

On 9/26/2021 at 9:44 AM, khyber said:

I've never watched a Korean show.  I like light mysteries. Is there anything like that?

There are Kdramas in every genre, so many variations. I don't watch a lot of mystery ones myself, but one I would recommend that I've seen is Healer.

[Maelstrom]

Seconding the recommendation for Healer, it's one of my all-time favorite Kdramas. Excellent story, excellent acting, just excellent all around.

While You Were Sleeping has a few mystery elements to it. It's a fantasy legal drama where the main characters have prophetic dreams, usually relating to current cases, and they have to figure out the truth of what really happens. Argon is another one you may want to consider, about investigative journalists. Oh My Ghostess has a pretty good mystery going throughout the series - the titular ghost character doesn't remember how she died, and the mystery of what happened to her is a pretty good one.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Its not my first experience with Kdramas, but just finished watching Signal.

It is a really good series overall, but the ending was the kind I dislike very much - especially when you know there's no more (further episodes or seasons) coming.  I detest investing nearly 1200 minutes of my limited free time just to find out that its a 'CYOE', from a viewers standpoint.

For a series like this one, I appreciate that romance wasn't a main theme. 

I will say this for Kdramas though, they do not skimp on the emotional front one little bit.  Even though I think they overdo it some with all the tears, you have to have to some faulty wiring in your brain or have to be a complete sociopath to not feel even just a tiny bit of anything while watching a good Korean drama.

I watched Bad Guys before this, and I liked that one quite a bit as well.  Same for Rugal, about a year ago.  If you can't tell, I prefer action & mystery vs mainly romance, but I did mostly enjoy Hotel Del Luna.  It helped that HDL had a heavy sci-fi/fantasy lean, though.  I can handle a kinda sappy romance if its mixed in with an interesting plot and/or subplots.

As a comparison between good and bad Kdramas, I tried watching the Korean version of Criminal Minds and could only barely stomach 3 episodes.  Maybe my view was too heavily colored by having already watched and known the original US version, but the Korean version is well, its bad.  Bordering on pretty terrible.  Some could say I should not be allowed to rate a season I didn't even watch a quarter of, and maybe it gets better as it goes on, but of what I did see left me very underwhelmed.

None of the characters, with maybe the lone exception of the 'Prentiss'-based character, none of the other actors/actresses were anything much like the counterparts they were based off of.

Edited November 4, 2021 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Just finished I (Can) Hear Your Voice.  Turned out to be quite a bit better than first couple of episodes' impressions left me with.  Overall fluffier than I usually prefer, but just enough plot and other drama to keep going.

Only question I have is why was it shot like a US soap opera?  It looked like 'live action' instead of filmed.  The PQ was great, it was just weird and took a few episodes to get used to.

[OoogleEyes]

On 10/14/2021 at 6:13 PM, Maelstrom said:

 

While You Were Sleeping has a few mystery elements to it. It's a fantasy legal drama where the main characters have prophetic dreams, usually relating to current cases, and they have to figure out the truth of what really happens. Argon is another one you may want to consider, about investigative journalists. 

I just finished While You Were Sleeping.  That was a great one.  Lovely family dynamics and relationships. 

I've been watching Dali and the Prince. It is so funny and really well written. Great chemistry between the leads.

[Maelstrom]

On 11/10/2021 at 11:42 AM, iRarelyWatchTV36 said:

Just finished I (Can) Hear Your Voice.  Turned out to be quite a bit better than first couple of episodes' impressions left me with.  Overall fluffier than I usually prefer, but just enough plot and other drama to keep going.

Only question I have is why was it shot like a US soap opera?  It looked like 'live action' instead of filmed.  The PQ was great, it was just weird and took a few episodes to get used to.

I Can Hear Your Voice is one of my favorites, mostly because I really love the leads (Lee Jong-Suk is one of my must-watches). It's been a few years though, so I don't recall the filming style being odd...? Strange.

23 hours ago, OoogleEyes said:

I just finished While You Were Sleeping.  That was a great one.  Lovely family dynamics and relationships. 

So glad you enjoyed While You Were Sleeping! I really loved that one too, and have rewatched it a couple of times already. Such a great cast, and one of my favorite things about it is the little touches of ordinary life - like someone hogging the bathroom, eating breakfast one-handed while trying to get dressed for the day, etc, just little things that make the characters feel like real people, rather than glossy magazine photos that move as in so many Kdramas (and western dramas, to be honest).

Currently watching Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, about a big city dentist that moves to a sleepy seaside village and opens a practice. Definitely Hallmark channel territory, lol, but a lot of fluffy fun with a great supporting cast  for the townspeople. I got a bit of When the Camellia Blooms vibes at first, but hopefully HCCC won't have the (very frustrating) flaws that Camellia did. Fingers crossed. Gorgeous setting, too - it's fun to see some non-Seoul locations for a change.

Also want to mention the Hello, Me! is an excellent show about discovering (and rediscovering) your self, with fun quirky humor and some nice themes. Also, the squid dance cracks me up every time. I'd highly recommend a watch!

Edited November 12, 2021 by Maelstrom

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Has anyone watched the Voice series, or at least the first season?  Finished Voice last night and will be starting Voice 2 shortly.

I liked it, a lot.  But then again I'm usually a sucker for the action+mystery+thriller genre combination.  A good series like this one keeps one engaged in the whole story.  Very much liked the lack of tears, compared to most other Kdramas.   I really appreciate the talent of all the actors in these Kdrama series, as they make it very easy to side with the protagonists because the antagonists are quite easy to dislike.

Maybe it was decided beforehand, but

Spoiler

can't help wondering if making other seasons without Jang Hyuk (Moo Jin-hyuk) and Officer Oh (Yesung) was because the actors themselves didn't want to come back or if it was the choice of the creation/production team to continue on without them and instead going with another ML & main MSC.  Expected both to be killed off in the end, seeing as they aren't in any further seasons, but both were alive and well at the end of the first season.  (I checked ahead on the synopsis and character lists for the next 3 seasons)

 

[SVNBob]

Some of the upcoming dramas for 2022:

https://www.allkpop.com/article/2021/11/the-incredible-k-drama-line-up-for-2022

[TrininisaScorp]

I was off work for a week, and my husband and I binged Her Private Life. It's super good, the leads are really well suited and have great chemistry, and the story is interesting.  It's about an art curator who has a secret life as a dedicated owner of a fanpage for a kpop star.  As a kpop (and boybands in general) fan, I loved the gentle trolling, but how beautifully they equate fangirling with love. There is a deeper story with her love interest and her family that I was surprised by, but truly enjoyed.  Probably one of my favorites.

I was pulled in by the concept of The King's Affection...Joseon period...twins are born to the Crown Prince and Princess, but one is a girl and that is considered bad luck, so the girl is ordered to be murdered.  Her mom couldn't do it, so they faked the baby girl's death and send her to an orphanage. When they are kids, the girl is working as a palace maid and her and her brother, the new Crown Prince, meet.  They figure something out, and he takes advantage of the situation to be able to get out in the world dressed as her.  Well, it all comes to a head (this is first episode stuff), and being mistaken for the girl, the Prince is killed.  Our girl, Da-Mi, is asked to take over pretending to be the Prince. Our main story takes place ~15 yrs later when the younger cast are now adults.  Da-Mi and a man are drawn to one another, yet the obstacles are super obvious, and it goes from there.  This is a 2 episode drop every week, and today is going to be episode 15 of 20.  I love the cast and story.  The actress playing Da-Mi is amazing and her main lead is SF9 (if you are a kpop fan) Rowoon, who is very good and beautiful in the role; the supporting players are also excellent.  I'm going to be so sad when this is done b/c I enjoy the high drama every week. 

[OoogleEyes]

I watch a  lot of these dramas on VIKI.

Right now, I am watching a spectacular saga The Rebel. 30 episodes...from childhood to the end? I'm on E26, so let's see

[Maelstrom]

So I watched 14 dramas in 2021 (life? who needs a life) and, happily, found more winners than losers. If anyone's on the lookout for a good show, I'd highly recommend any of the following.

• Rookie Historian Goo Hae-Ryung - historical series following the first (entirely made up) female historians in the royal court. Excellent cast, excellent acting, excellent story. 
• My Holo Love - a character-driven sci-fi romance with strong leads and a refreshingly unique take on the possibilities of AI tech
• Diary of a Prosecutor - a fun, short slice-of-life legal drama with a great cast. Starring one of my very favorite actors, The Voice Lee Sun-Kyun ♥️♥️ (also, the two main characters gave me serious B99 Holt/Wuntch vibes 😄)
• Argon - another short ensemble series, focusing on investigative reporters. Though a few years old, it's almost painfully relevant to the current state of journalism
• Run On - an outstanding romcom that's another fantastic character study with talented leads and insightful storytelling
• Mad For Each Other - underappreciated romcom that features a different type of characters than most Kdramas
• Hello, Me - an oddball of a show that's like a hug in tv form. Wonderful story about growth and change, with a lot of humor and a good cast

 

[killer.noona]

I'm currently watching a sageuk, Moonshine, on Viki. It takes place during a prohibition period and the female lead turns to moonshining to pay off her brother's debt (those brothers never change, do they?) and takes in a lodger who turns out to be one of the King's prohibition enforcers. She also runs afoul of the local bootleggers and gangsters in the process. I'm really enjoying it!

[Silje]

I started watching K-dramas over Christmas thanks to some random Korean multifandom videos I came over on Youtube, and I'm so glad because basically all the series I've seen till now have been great or fun in one way or another!

I'll add to the recommendation of Her Private Life - it was such a fun series with adorable leads that had great chemistry. And they talked with each other when things happened! I was afraid in one episode that they would drag things out but then we got a great payoff at the end of it. Also, Kim Jae-Wook is one gorgeous man that can work a suit with no shirt or socks! 

 

I've also seen Squid Game, The Girl Who Sees Smells, The K2, Vincenzo, Snowdrop, and The Veil... and no spoilers, but one of them destroyed me completely! I've also started watching Goblin/Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (seen the first 8 episodes), and I am loving it so much that I don't want it to end. So I need to pick up some more series so I don't end up watching the last 8 episodes in one sitting which is kind of what I want at this point. 

I've compiled a Korean 'to watch'-list which now includes 77(!) series and movies, so I need some help with narrowing it down to the next 2-4 series I'll start. Feel free to recommend other series as well, especially some in the thriller/action genre! The ones I'm thinking of starting watching now are:

A Korean Odyssey
Awaken
Chief Kim/Good Manager
Crash Landing on You
Descendants of the Sun
Doctor Prisoner
Healer
Hot Stove League
Lovestruck in the City
Suspicious Partner
What's Wrong with Secretary Kim

You can probably guess that I really enjoy Namkoong Min and Ji Chang-Wook from that list! The plan is to start one series with each of them, but I can't decide which ones..   

Edited March 1, 2022 by Silje

[OoogleEyes]

15 hours ago, Silje said:

The plan is to start one series with each of them, but I can't decide which ones..   

Congratulations! Welcome to this addicting rabbit hole!

You have a pretty good list there. You can never go wrong with Namkoong Min, IMO. Stove League is fantastic, but I think that Chief Kim/The Good Manager is my favorite of his.

If you're interested in mysteries and police procedurals, try Stranger or Tunnel.   There are so many good ones out there.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

Edited March 1, 2022 by OoogleEyes

[Maelstrom]

I haven't seen many on your list, but I would highly recommend Healer and Crash Landing. Both are excellent shows that are among my very favorite Kdramas. Healer has a strong mystery element, and Crash Landing has some political maneuvering going on, and of course both are heavy on the romance, family issues, and general Kdrama goodness. Both feature truly talented casts, too, and stayed with me long after I finished watching.

ETA - thanks for the rec for Her Private Life, since I've read mixed reviews for it.

Edited March 3, 2022 by Maelstrom

[OoogleEyes]

I'm re-watching Taxi Driver on VIKI. Revenge dramas are my favorite. Lee Je Hoon delivers. He is like Steve McQueen levels of cool. Love him.

Healer is great. So is Her Private Life and CLOY. it's an addiction, I tell ya.

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by OoogleEyes
Who can forget Steve McQueen

[ouinason]

Definitely watch A Korean Odyssey.  it's awesome.  

[OoogleEyes]

I just finished A Business Proposal. Light, fun and romantic. I smiled all the way through. Excellent!

[Maelstrom]

Mr. Queen is hilarious, exciting and all-around lots of fun! If you're in the mood for something just a little bit different check it out. The lead actress turns in a fantastic performance.

[OoogleEyes]

1 hour ago, Maelstrom said:

Mr. Queen is hilarious, exciting and all-around lots of fun! If you're in the mood for something just a little bit different check it out. The lead actress turns in a fantastic performance.

I have watched that! I loved it! She's a great actor. I loved her in Stranger. 

[Maelstrom]

OogleEyes, it's really such a great show, isn't it? I've seen the lead Shin Hye-Sun in other shows in a supporting role (Oh My Ghostess, School 2013, and I think Legend of the Blue Sea?) but she really was a standout in Mr. Queen. I can't imagine the show working without her in the role.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Maelstrom

[OoogleEyes]

I've been re-watching Healer

Re-watching some of my favorite KDramas are better than the first time around, now that I know what the heck is going on 

This is truly a classic 

[Maelstrom]

I agree, Healer is absolutely a classic and one of my all-time favorite Kdramas as well. The well-drawn and fantastically well-acted characters really drew me in, and the complexity and nuance of the story impressed me so much. I haven't seen it since I first watched it about five years ago (! where has the time gone) but someday when a I get Viki sub once again I would rewatch Healer in a heartbeat. Just an excellent, top-notch drama. It is fun to rewatch your faves, since you can appreciate the story better knowing where everything is headed.

[aghst]

Finished watching Crash Landing on You, the first K-drama I've seen.  I've watched a couple of Korean movies but this was 16 90-minute episodes so it was a lot of exposure to Korean customs and mores.

Noticed that other K-dramas also have 16 episodes so maybe it's a requirement to have enough hours of content per show, even though this was partially financed by Netflix.

I did like most of the secondary characters and it seems to be an attempt to depict life in North Korea, how they view the South, capitalism and the world.  Don't know if it's accurate but no doubt there are elites who don't have problems with food and other shortages.

The supporting characters provide comic relief and it shows how loyal they are, how they bond over things common to the human experience.  But maybe they overdid it and that's why you have so many long episodes.

The two main actresses are very good at crying.  The actress who plays Se Ri is very expressive, able to pour out the waterworks or just have her eyes well up but she's very convincing.  I wonder if it's common, to have such emotional characters.

The love of the main couple is very seductive, how they fortuitously meet years ago in Switzerland and then meet again in North Korea because of some freak tornado.  They both see it as fate, or some greater forces bringing them together, making the notion of each of them being with others unbearable, even though there is no way they can be together long term -- maybe if and when his parents pass away, he might defect.

The series does show how little by little, despite themselves, they bond, become completely vulnerable to each other.  That is also a seductively Western idea.

The other North Korean characters also bond with Se Ri, maybe the writer or show runner is pro unification, or believes human connections can overcome ideological differences.

But in other ways, this show is foreign to American and modern values.  For instance, Se Ri was probably going to pine for the rest of her life for Ri Jeong Hyeok.  Can't imagine a Western and modern female character doing that.  Se Ri would be constantly approached and even though she went through some intense experiences with Jeong Hyeok, her yearning would lessen over time.

It doesn't help that he leaves a year's worth of instant messages for her and suggests a way to meet in Switzerland.  Se ri says it's the center of music or something like that.  Actually that was neighboring Austria for classical music.  But maybe the symbolism is more that Switzerland is famously neutral so it's like neutral territory for them -- though Se ri learns to paraglide in Switzerland, leading to her fateful arrival in North Korea.

Are two weeks a year enough for a couple to sustain a relationship?  Maybe, even for modern, Western couples.  But more likely, they'd both be married to other people and then flying off to Switzerland to have their annual trysts -- wasn't until towards the end of the last episode that they finally kiss passionately.

That's the other thing, PDAs may not be a Korean thing but the expression of love is pretty chaste.  Movies from the '50s had more passionate onscreen kissing.  Is this tame kissing also in other K-dramas or movies?  If it is, it makes it puzzling that K-dramas have found popularity outside of Asia.

It's not just Se Ri who was destined to pine away for her man.  Seo Dan falls for Jeong Hyeok when she was under 10 and then gets engaged to him but he delays the wedding and she waits ten years.  Then she falls for another man, who is killed.  Now she's going to be by herself, at least for awhile?  If she goes to Russia, she'd attract a lot of men.  For that matter, she should have suitors at home as well.

It took a long time for Western popular culture to depict modern female characters who take control over their own destiny when it comes to men.  Hell even depicting women who have many sexual relationships is still relatively uncommon in TV and film.  

So these female characters in this show may seem jarring to Western audiences, how they fixate on one man, willing to wait years and years for him.  French Lieutenant's Woman with Meryl Streep depicts such a female character waiting year after year for some man.  But the story is based in the 19th century and it turns out it's a film within a film.  They show Meryl and her leading man having a more modern relationship when they're not shooting the film within the film.

 

[khyber]

Currently enjoying Misaeng incomplete life on Netflix.  About a young man who is trying to fit into corporate life.

[Maelstrom]

I've always heard very good things about Misaeng, though I haven't watched it yet.

I finished the excellent Hospital Playlist last month (coincidentally starring one of the guys in Misaeng) and trying to decide on my next drama 🤔

[Maelstrom]

Heartbreaking news - Lee Sun-Kyun, a.k.a The Voice, has died

https://mydramalist.com/article/breaking-actor-lee-sun-kyun-passes-away

https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/589764-parasite-film-actor-found-dead/

Such a tragic, unnecessary loss of an incredibly talented actor. By all accounts he was a truly good guy and a generous co-star (he apparently remained friends with the actress IU long after they finished work on My Ajusshi).

He was one of my favorites though I only watched a few of his dramas. I first saw him in Coffee Prince, a fairly standard rom-com where he played the second lead. His starring role in My Ajusshi was a standout in his career, IMO, and showed what a remarkable actor he was. But my favorite drama of his was Diary of a Prosecutor, a fun workplace comedy that showed his comedic chops - and that it was an ensemble role spoke to his lack of ego. An incredibly talented man with an incredible voice who died way too soon. RIP :(