30 Day Kdrama Challenge: Day 23 Your Favorite Couple

Day 23: Your Favorite Couple

Well, back in February, I wrote a post listing my favorite couples (read it here). My FAVORITE FAVORITE FAVORITE Korean drama couple is Shin Min Ah and Lee Sung Gi as Cha Dae Woong and Mi Ho in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. Read the post I mentioned above for more of my favorite couples along with demonstrative YouTube videos. Watch these adorable Kdrama couples on DramaFever

30 Day Kdrama Challenge: Day 20 Your Favorite Actress

Day 20: Your Favorite Actress

Yoon Eun Hye in I Miss You

Shin Min Ah in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho

This one is a little harder for me to decide on than my favorite Korean actor. So, I choose the two ladies that I love the most: Yoon Eun Hye and Shin Min Ah. To start, Yoon Eun Hye is a goddess, and I even wrote a post titled that (read it here). As for Shin Min Ah, she is in two of my most beloved Kdramas: My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and Arang and the Magistrate. Obviously they are both extremely beautiful in different ways, and they possess the talents to mesmerize, but they are also very funny and sweet in a down-to-earth-way. Watch Yoon Eun Hye and Shin Min Ah's dramas on DramaFever

30 Day Kdrama Challenge: Day 17

Day 17: A Kdrama you've watched more than once

Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye in Coffee Prince

Yes, I am a repeater, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. When something is AMAZING, why would I only watch it once? I will add, though, that sometimes I get really jealous when I think about people who are watching my favorite Kdramas for the first time. I will never get to have that experience again with those dramas. That strong, emotional, almost crazy reaction to watching a drama the first time and really loving it, I only hope that I can find more dramas in the future that affect me the same.

30 Day Kdrama Challenge: Day 6

Day 6: Your Favorite Song From a Kdrama OST

I think my favorite song from an OST, for right now anyway, is "Winter Love" by The One from That Winter, the Wind Blows. I also LOOOOVE Shin Min Ah's "Sha La La" from the My Girlfriend is a Gumiho OST. There are so many, though, that it's hard to pinpoint just one. It really depends on my mood. I also really love the opening and closing themes of the Taiwanese drama Summer Fever, both of them are performed by Gui Gui.

30 Day Kdrama Challenge: Day 2

Day 2: Your Favorite Male Lead Character

source: en.korea.com

Lee Seung Gi as Cha Dae Woong in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho is my favorite male lead. I promise I won't use Gumiho during every day of this challenge, but it fits during these first two. Anyway, Dae Woong is cute, funny, and genuine. Even though he was afraid of Mi Ho at first, as any sane person would be, he was never an awful jerk like some Kdrama lead males can be. Also, he was a spoiled grandson, but throughout most of the drama he wasn't rich which separates him from other male lead characters as well.

George Hu and Gui Gui

Another male lead I want to add is George Hu as Lin Ming Kuan in the Taiwanese drama Summer Fever. *Melt melt melt* He is so gorgeous. But he is also kind, loving, and smart. Notice how my two favorite male leads aren't rich assholes? Yeah, I know this kind of disqualifies every other Asian drama male lead, but my heart tends to sway stronger toward these guys.

Watch My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and Summer Fever on DramaFever

Join me in the 30 Day Kdrama Challenge heckyeahtumblrchallenges.tumblr.com

30 Day Kdrama Challenge: Day 1

I was browsing on Tumblr, as I do, and I came across someone's post about their 30 Kdrama challenge. I've seen posts about these challenges before, but I never really thought anything about it. Tonight, though, I have decided to proceed with the challenge. Yes, this means I will publish mini posts every day for 30 days in accordance with the challenge.

If you want to join me, I will be using this challenge from heckyeahtumblrchallenges.tumblr.com. I will also post my daily challenge on my Tumblr.

So here we go...

Day 1: Your Favorite Kdrama

Shin Min Ah and Lee Seung Gi
source: me!

Well, my favorite Kdrama is still the very first one that I ever watched, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. It is comedy, tragedy, and romance in perfect harmony.The lead actors and secondary actors play their parts just right, and the whole drama gives off a radiant sincerity that I was (almost) instantly attracted to. I was baffled by the intensity of my emotional attachment to the characters, and I regret nothing. I am glad this is the first Korean drama that I watched because it encouraged me to watch more.

Watch My Girlfriend is a Gumiho on DramaFever

The Best Kdrama Couples

In honor of Valentine's day, since I have nothing better going on of course, I present you with my list of the best couples from the Korean dramas that I have watched. I am focusing on the main couples involving the lead characters for now, but I plan on making a list later of the best side-character couples because they can't be quite good as well (for example: Lee Jae Shin played by Lee Yoon Ji with Ein Shi Kyung played by Jo Jung Suk in The King 2 Hearts).

1. Mi Ho and Cha Dae Woong

Shin Min Ah and Lee Seung Gi are perfect together in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. I have watched it 3 times, and I just bought the DVD set on Amazon. Needless to say, this is my all- time favorite drama. The video to left features my favorite scene from the show (ignore the subtitles unless you read whatever language that is) when Dae Woong gives Mi Ho a recharge by telling her that he really really really really really likes her. Tears well up in my eyes a bit just from watching that little clip. DramaFever.com.





2. Kim Na Na and Lee Yoon Seong

Out of all of the dramas that Lee Min Ho has starred in, I think his coupling with Park Min Young in City Hunter makes the most sense. They are a very attractive couple, and I don't think I would have liked the drama as much if it were two different people. Na Na and Yoon Seong hardly had a chance to love each other in a normal way, but the rare intimate moments that they shared were made sweet by the adorable actors filling those roles. Watch it on DramaFever.com.






3. Go Nam Soon and Park Heung Soo

Lee Jong Suk and Kim Woo Bin are the "it" couple in the Korean drama world right now, so I can't fail to include them in my list. Their touching friendship in  School 2013 fueled the main emotional vein of the drama. In the interview that I have included here they basically sum it up by stating that they had great acting chemistry together and that they have known each other since they were young. Their love story is beyond the typical cheesy romance because watching them as Nam Soon and Heung Soo is like experiencing the ups and downs of a real friendship. Watch it on DramaFever.com.




4. Choi Hee Jin and Kim Bong Do

I say "fighting!" to this couple because they are still dating in real life. Yoo In Na and Ji Hyun Woo are so genuine and adorable in this Queen In-Hyun's Man, that it's hard not to get sucked in and ignore the nonsensical time travel aspects of it. The video I have included has some cute moments with Lee Seung Gi's "Losing My Mind" playing in the background which reminds me of My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and makes me smile. Watch it on DramaFever.com.






5. Seo Eun Gi and Kang Ma Roo

I would like to categorize Moon Chae Won and Song Joong Ki in Innocent Man (Nice Guy) as the best "worst" couple. The two of them were a pair of fucked up kooks that put each other through hell, but I couldn't help rooting for them. Chae Won and Joong Ki look so good together even when they are beating the physical and mental shit out of each other and themselves that it makes the story more romantic than it actually should be. Watch Innocent Man DramaFever.com.






BONUS COUPLE: You + Lee Min Ho! Let's all take a moment (or twenty) and pretend that we are celebrating a romantic V-day in Seoul with Lee Min Ho, shall we?

Lee Min Ho in Faith

The Perfect Korean Drama

This summer I started to jot some ideas down for what I would like to see in a Kdrama. I never really went anywhere with it, and I only listed out a few bullet points, but I have been wanting to elaborate on that idea for months. Since the holidays are nearing and things are slowing down at work, I decided that I will start creating my idea of the perfect Korean drama. I don't know how far I will go with it, but I feel ambitious about this project at the moment. I will post continuously as I come up with more. Now, clearly it will all be written in English by an American person, so I guess it would be more accurate to say that I will be writing a Korea-style drama, and, obviously, it will star my favorite Korean celebrities.

Here are my ideas so far:

• I want to see Onew in a Kdrama, so he WILL be in mine. That's the first and most important idea that I came up with. I think that Lee Jin Ki is adorable and funny, and I want to see him in a Korean drama ASAP. He will also have at least 2 songs on the OST.

Lee Jin Ki aka Onew of SHINee

• I need Moon Chae Won. What female Kdrama fan wouldn't go gay for Moon Chae Won? Anyway, I digress. In my drama Chae Won will play an actress, and I want her to refer to the Chaeki ship in a funny way. 

Moon Chae Won as Seo Eun Gi

• Song Joong Ki will make a cameo appearance. Now, I should be saying that I want him to star in my drama, right? Well, I think that it would be cooler if he made a cameo as himself and has an encounter with Moon Chae Won who is portraying an actress who has a crush on him and wants to work with him, but she isn't making progress in the acting world yet.... something like that.

Song Joong Ki as Kang Ma Ru

• Lee Min Ho will be the lead and will have sexy kissing scenes with Moon Chae Won. This seems so obvious to me that I didn't even list it first. So, to clarify, I want Onew in my drama, but I don't foresee him as a lead actor, not yet anyway.

Lee Min Ho

• I want the drama to start in Seoul, but end up in the country. I love the beautiful scenery and the interesting country-folk characters.
• At first I thought I wanted a supernatural element (because I enjoy them) like in those time-travel or body-swapping Kdramas (see Rooftop Prince and Secret Garden), but I changed my mind on that, at least for now. The great thing about a Kdrama is that the supernatural element could also come in later.
• I want it to be funny and dramatic, but not depressing. What really turns me off about some romantic comedies is that they get too dark and sad around the end. Some dramas balance this well (like Dream High and Coffee Prince) while others make it unbearable (my example is Starts Falling From the Sky, it became way too depressing and not funny).

Here are some dramas that mine will be inspired by: Invincible Lee Pyung Kang, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, Innocent Man (very slightly), The Vineyard Man, Answer Me 1997.

Shin Min Ah and Lee Seung Gi in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho

This is all I have for now. I came up with most of this while I was writing it, so some of it probably won't make sense to anyone except for me (even then...), but I hope to work things out as I forge ahead in my grand project. Bookmark my blog and keep checking back to see what crazy things develop in my mind as I try to create the perfect and best Korean drama.

Let me break it down

In order to understand where I am coming from with my reviews and lists, I think it is best to explain what attracts me to a drama.

Secret Garden

1. I LOVE (like really) Romantic Comedies. The combination of hilarious antics and Kleenex (or toilet paper if I'm being honest as to what I use to dry my stream of tears) -soaking love stories is my favorite. If I watch a drama that lacks silliness (like The Moon That Embraces the Sun) I may love it, but I will usually begin to feel depressed and irritable. So, I usually have to a romcom at the same time to balance my emotions.

Rooftop Prince

2. I enjoy the added tension when a drama includes supernatural elements such as: time travel (Rooftop Prince and Faith), humans falling in love with non-humans (My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and Arang and the Magistrate), body swapping (Secret Garden and Big), and strange memory loss (Haeundae Lovers and The Moon That Embraces the Sun). I know memory loss isn't supernatural per se, but the way it happens in Kdramas is so unrealistic that I consider to be magical.

Dream High

3. Kick-ass music is also necessary. I'm not just referring to the OSTs, (though that is important too) but what I really love are music-centered dramas in which the lead actor is a musician outside of that drama also. Dramas about the music industry intrigue me as well (Dream High and Kpop Ultimate Audition).

The Vineyard Man

4. Believing in the love of the man characters is the difference, for me, between an entertaining drama and one that makes me sob like weirdo alone in my room. My best example of steamy chemistry is Yoon Eun Hye (as Lee Ji Hyun) and Oh Man Suk (as Jang Taek Gi) in The Vineyard Man. Even if they weren't together in a romantic way throughout most of the story, the tension is so strong that I could hardly control my emotions while watching. At one point I had to stand up because I was crying so hard that I couldn't breath. Maybe I'm just weird, like I mentioned before, but feeling so strongly about the main characters indicates a successful drama to me.

My Korean Drama List

Lee Seung Gi and Shin Min Ah in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho

This is my crowning achievement. It is the list of Korean dramas that I have watched or am watching. The VVIP list is in order of my love for them while the other lists are in no particular order. These dramas are all Korean unless noted otherwise, and the shows with X I have watched more than once. Of course this is a work in progress, so please stayed tuned. My list of things I'm currently watching is basically shows that I have started and want to finish. I also listed the dramas I want to watch in the future at the bottom.

Last updated 11/30/15


VVIP

1.    My Girlfriend is a Gumiho X4
2.    Rooftop Prince X3
3.    Innocent Man/Nice Guy X3
4.    Summer Fever (Taiwanese)X2
5.    Fool's Love
6.    Ice Adonis
7.    I'm Sorry, I Love You
8.    Coffee Prince X3
9.    The Vineyard Man
10.   Arang and the Magistrate
11.   Fated to Love You (Korean version)

Great Ones

12.   Dream High
13.   Me Too, Flower
14.   Can You Hear My Heart?
15.   Invincible Lee Pyung Kang
16.   Kpop Ultimate Audition
17.   Big
18.   Secret Garden
19.   Shining Inheritance
20.   Boys Over Flowers
21.   Personal Taste X2
22.   49 Days
23.   City Hunter
24.   Queen In-Hyun’s Man
25.   Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (Japanese)
26.   Hana Yori Dango (Japanese)
27.   Sungkyunkwan Scandal
28.   I Do, I Do
29.   Hana Kimi (Japanese)
30.   The Moon That Embraces the Sun
31.   Heartstrings
32.   Haeundae LoversX2
33.   Full House
34.   Answer Me 1997
35.   Faith
36.   The King of Dramas
37.   School 2013
38.   Fated to Love You (Taiwanese)
39.   Incarnation of Money
40.   Heartless City
41.   It Started With a Kiss (Taiwanese)
42.   Secret
43.   Just You (Taiwanese)
44.   The Heirs
45.   Good Doctor
46.   Master's Sun
47.   My Love From Another Star
48.   Emergency Couple
49.   Beyond the Clouds
50.   Sly And Single Again
51.   Full House (Thai)
52.   Oh My Ghostess
53.   EXO Next Door
54.   Healer
55.   Jeju Island Gatsby
56.   Falling in Love with Soon Jung
57.   Mask
58.   Sensory Couple

Good Ones

59.    Wild Romance
60.    Tamra, the Island
61.    Bridal Mask
62.    King 2 Hearts
63.    I Love Lee Tae Ri
64.    A Gentleman's Dignity
65.    Couple Fantasy
66.    To the Beautiful You
67.    Lie To Me
68.    My Princess
69.    Protect the Boss
70.    Flower Boy Ramen Shop
71.    Scent of a Woman
72.    You Are Beautiful
73.    My Girl
74.    Shut Up Flower Boy Band
75.    Prosecutor Princess
76.    Goong
77.    Hello Miss
78.    Office Girls (Taiwanese)
79.    Spy Myung Wol
80.    Creating Destiny
81.    The Greatest Love
82.    Panda and Hedgehog
81.    The Princess' Man
82.    Full House Take 2
83.    King of Baking Kim Tak Gu
84.    What's Up Fox?
85.    Flower Boy Next Door
86.    Padam Padam
87.    That Winter, the Wind Blows
88.    Delightful Girl Choon Hyang
89.    All About My Romance
90.    Gu Family Book
91.    When a Man's in Love
92.    Something Happened in Bali
93.    Shark
94.    Her Legend
95.    Smile You
96.    Surplus Princess
97.    My Love Eun Dong

Meh, I finished them

98.    Pasta
99.    Playful Kiss
100.    My Lovely Sam Soon
101.    Mary Stayed Out All Night
102.    Stars Falling From the Sky
103.    Baby-Faced Beauty
104.    I Need Romance 2012
105.    Love Rain
106.    Take Care of the Young Lady
107.    Becoming a Billionaire
108.   I Miss You
109.  Autumn in My Heart
110.  It's Ok, Daddy's Girl
111.  Marry Him If You Dare
112.  Oh My Lady
113.  Hundred Year Inheritance
114.  Can Love Become Money
115.  Fall in Love With Me (Taiwanese)

Couldn't finish

116.    May Queen
117.   Cheongdam-dong Alice
118.   IRIS
119.   What's Up
120.   You're the Best Lee Soon Shin
121.   Loving You a Thousand Times
122.   Stairway to Heaven
123.   Que Sera Sera
124.   I Hear Your Voice ( I should finish it, I know)
125.   Crazy Love
126.   Passionate Love
127.   Goong S
128.   Sweet 18
129.   I Summon You Gold
130.   A Thousand Days Promise
131.   A Little Love Never Hurts
132.   Level 7 Civil Servant
133.   Bride of the Century
134.   You're All Surrounded
135.   Love Myself or You? (Taiwanese)
136.   In a Good Way (Taiwanese)
137.   Triangle
138.   Trot Lovers
139.   Birth of a Beauty
130.   Yong Pal
141.   Pinocchio
142.   Angel Eyes
143.   Modern Farmer
144.   Blade Man
145.   Hyde, Jekyll, and I

Currently watching and still undecided on final rating

Scholar Who Walks the Night
She Was Pretty

Next

Because It's the First Time
One Sunny Day
Oh My Venus
Twenty Again

I love your comments and suggestions, so please let me know if there is something I should watch.