A Rundown of 10 of my Favourite K-dramas of all time (Part 2!)

Hey homies! The second part is ready. I hope you’ve all being doing well?? I’m here to entertain you guys again. Please enjoyyyy.

Do Bong Soon

Two things about this drama killed me. The crazy humour and the fluffy romance.

*First off, the extremely funny gangster scenes got me laughing my ass off in a way that I had never in my whole life done before. Their funny scenes, especially the hospital scenes, genuinely got me bursting out hysteric and robust laughter from the pits of my stomach. I tell you guys, I was hopeless. I was nearly crying at some point. The pathetic state and idiotic attitude of the gangsters got me that bad.

*And just when I thought my ribs couldn’t crack any harder, I was introduced to our gay character. This one totally got me losing my mind from laughter. The highly comedic acting all ramped up with the coquettish hand gestures, the cat- walking steps, the ruffed tops, the skin-tight jeans, the saucy roll of lined eyes, the chokers, the gruff hairstyle, the dark-painted nails and the petty bickering and clashes with Bong Soon; all of these things defined HILARIOUS for me. I send my big love and admiration to Kim Won –hae for completely embodying this role as well as that of the doppelganger gangster and wrecking me with laughter. Actually, Do Bong soon is the most humorous k-drama that I’ve seen to date and a huge chunk of it is due to Kim Won hae.

*Now the fluffy romance! Park Hyung sik and Park Bo Young oozed natural chemistry together. Their romantic scenes were effortlessly cutesy and warm. And Park Hyung sik drooling and being coyly fuzzy over every cute little thing Bong soon did and said to him was refreshing and amusing to watch. Normally in k-drama rom-coms, the female leads did the drooling and falling, so I loved what the writer did with Hyung sik’s character.

* Hyung sik’s long, luscious lashes as well as his pure, amorous gazes will always melt my heart. I hope my future hubby gazes at me in the same heart-melting way that Hyung sik does.

*The trendy styling of Hyung sik’s fashionable character was dope too.

*And Bo young’s cute little stature and her beautiful smiles were an eye-pleaser. It was my first time seeing her in a drama and she effortlessly stole my heart with her acting. Playing the sassy and powerful Bong soon with that short, fringed hair was everything for me. I will never forget that deadly super hero expression of hers when dared. Go Strong Woman Do Bong soon!

*Bong soon’s supernatural powers were over the top and bad ass and I was absolutely stoked and pleased whenever she unleashed them on deserving people.

P.S- I loved Bong soon’s mother. She was mean and very much like Geum Jan Di’s immoral mother who pushes her daughter to the bed of a rich and handsome Chaebol. LOL. I went dead with laughter when Bong soon’s mother prayed to Buddha for a son and got a set of twin girls instead. Kudos to the writer on that one. Lmao.

Something about One Percent

Let me just say this, I’m a hopeless romantic at heart and one huge thing that endears me to K-dramas in how romance is always at the heart of every of their stories. That being said and with all I’ve been highlighting so far, it is clear that if you’ve got a beautiful love story, you’ve got my heart. And with this drama it’s all about the romance. It narrated a full, warm love story with just 13 episodes in a span of 30 minutes for each.

*Lee Jae In was handsome, had a good stature, a sensual voice, loved kissing and was really hard-working (all these I loved about him). However, he was arrogant, egoistic, self-centred and quite nasty (you know all the k-drama male lead cliché) but I loved his petty personality, his jealousy over the men in Da Hye’s life and how he grew to love and cherish Da Hye.

*I loved Da Hye’s character and Jeon So-min who played her. Da Hye is simple-minded, and had a kind and good heart. She also loved children but I loved that she had this sass and firmness to her plain character. She refused to take nonsense from Jae In. I also liked the tiny details and nuances that made up her relatable character; like her being forgetful and losing her ways on roads (guys this is totally me. I’m so forgetful and till now, I find it difficult to go out without being scared of mistaking a bus stop for another).

*But most of all, I loved the chemistry between Da Hye and Jae In. There was bickering and petty brawls and there was also innocence, familiarity, warmth and fuzziness in their relationship. I loved the dates, the late night calls, the evening strolls, the sleep-ins and the many kisses, oh my God, they were hot! Jae In’s sensual kissing is no joke and it was highly interesting to watch. Anyway, at the end of the whole watch, I felt the urge to fall in love and date too. How mushy!

*The lack of any serious villains, the simple romance plot, the short duration and compatible, attractive lead actors made the ride a cherishable one.

My Golden Life

This family drama was an emotional roller coaster ride for me. The drama tackled serious themes such as poverty, death, depression, suicide, heartbreak, dreams, hard work, sacrifice, forgiveness, endurance, honesty and parental love. It especially opened my eyes to the depth of a father’s love which can also be as deep as that of a mother’s or maybe even deeper.

*Chun Ho-Jin who played Ji an’s father gave a deeply emotional and heart-wrenching performance worthy of an Oscars. He was a good-hearted, selfless husband and father, who unconditionally loved his wife and children and despite being in an old age, sacrificed and relentlessly worked hard for them in order to take away disappointment and sadness from their faces. The particular scene where he helplessly and hopelessly roamed a terminal for days searching for his missing dear daughter was tear-jacking. Two of my friends actually cried as they watched this particular scene.

As for me, I managed not to cry throughout the journey, but at the part where the drama made us think that the father had cancer, then assured us that he didn’t, only to reveal that he actually did have cancer and a limited time to live; my throat had felt clogged and tears stung the back of my eyes hard. I was overwhelmed with sadness and a heavy heart. My only consolation was the fact that before his death he was able to spend quality and happy times with his family and was assured that he was loved and appreciated by them.

*Ji an’s story too was a heart-breaking one for me. And Shin Hye Sun, God, I was taken aback by her performance. I was so used to seeing her play minor and silly characters to the extent that I was surprised and even doubtful about her playing a lead role. However her portrayal of Ji an was epic! The pain, guilt, embarrassment, agony and sadness Ji an had to live with throughout the drama could be felt. Her story was wrenching and pitiful to watch. I was truly empathetic towards Ji an and I was glad that at the end she found her feet, gave her dreams priority and mended things with her family, her father especially.

*And as for Do Kyung, I respect the novel thing the writer did with him. He is the first Chaebol that couldn’t sweep the poor girl off her feet. Rather, the girl he loved motivated him, pushed him, drove him to crazy edges and made him realize that her family was of utmost importance to her. Do Kyung had to accept this hard fact and work hard on his own to be a man that Ji an could really trust and rely on.

*And jeez, the writer of this highly educative and enlightening drama deserves an Oscars too. You do not come across dramas as deeply moving and morally educative as this one every day. It is a drama to be kept close to one’s heart.

Princess Man

This historical Romeo and Juliet modelled forbidden love-story was somewhat tragic but greatly interesting. First off, I loved the chemistry between the leads. Moon Chae Won and Park Si-hoo were amazing together. And even though their love went through several scarring hurdles, it still managed to stay with them throughout the drama. I was profoundly inspired by their love to the extent that after I was done with the drama, I found myself easily scribbling a love poem. Me? Poems! Guys, I’m awful with poems. Lol.

*Moon Chae won’s performance of the princess was brilliant. I was endeared to her character’s kind heart, her zeal for adventures, her firm and brazen disposition against the evil actions of her father, her agony of watching close ones die by her father’s hands and her deep pain with choosing to side with Seung-yoo despite knowing that he plotted to kill her father. And her abysmal love for Seung-yoo, gosh! It was so believable and convincing. It was deeply moving as well.

*And as for our hero, Seung yoo; Park si-hoon’s portrayal of him was astounding. Park si hoon was actually why I was keen on watching my Golden Life where he starred as Do Kyung. He engaged me so deeply especially after the part where his brother and father were killed and when he was almost killed off as well. Seung yoo’s deep seated rage following his survival from the hot heels of his killers; his bitterness and hell bent thirst for revenge amidst all the hurt and pain he nursed in his heart and soul were portrayed by Park si-hoon so ingeniously. It is not easy to act out such varying dark and humane emotions.

*And the villain. The self-imposed king. Kim Yeong-Cheol, who played this role, is one of the best villainy actors I have seen to date. I honestly loathed this man and it is obviously all thanks to his ‘ruthless’ performance.

*The ending of this drama was really sad for me. I nearly cried. The leads still ended up with each other. But Seung yoo’s blindness and his moronic innocent smile as he was being led around by his chirpy little daughter and perhaps my longing for a better ending that could have been if the villain wasn’t so evil or if Seung yoo hadn’t been so intent on revenge, made me somewhat depressed and unsatisfied. Nevertheless, this drama is one of my favourites ever.

100 Days My Prince

This one is my latest favourite of all time and the reason is mostly tied to a single actor; Do Kyung Soo.
Truthfully, I wasn’t going to see this drama initially and it was due to the same person that later made it join the list of my favourites of all time. D.O is member of the busy Exo and I wasn’t interested in seeing him act. I hadn’t seen any of his dramas and I wasn’t convinced that someone who looked that handsome, possessed a beautiful singing voice and executed choreography so well could also perfectly play a male lead role of an historical drama to my level of satisfaction. Plus I didn’t want to waste my time on traditional dramas with poor acting. However, needless to say, D.O shocked me hard.

*I was sincerely mesmerized. He knew his crown prince character in and out and possessed him completely. His delivery of lines was epic. His flawless facial expressions whenever he was infuriated, suspicious, mockingly amused or being sarcastic were the highlights for me. And his affectionate gazes towards Hong shim with those big, beautiful, bunny eyes of his were everything. D.O smashed this role with so much charisma, confidence and charm. And boy knows how to make me laugh! D.O was immensely funny with the mighty referrals to himself and the haughty ones to the villagers around him even without knowing that he was indeed of a regal breeding. Everything about D.O’s performance was just highly entertaining for me.

*And his romantic scenes with Nam ji hyun (Hong shim) brought butterflies to the pits of my stomach. They were just so cute, adorable and lovely with each other. I was mad though that I didn’t get to see a lot of scenes with them in it. Apart from D.O’s acting and extremely handsome milky smooth face, their sweet blossoming romance was what had kept me glued to my lap top’s screen.

*The major village characters were unexpectedly other reasons why this drama stole my heart. Their hilarious dialogues and actions, cute ignorance and warmth towards the crown prince and Hong shim were heart-warming.

*And Kim Seon-ho who played Jae yoon, the hidden crown prince’s advisor. I was a bummer for him! I can’t wait to see more of his acting in major roles so I can see more of his charming smile as well as those cute little dimples of his. His portrayal of Jae yoon was simply genius!

*God forbid I forget the laughter that this drama brought to my soul. 100 days my prince is hands down the funniest Korean traditional drama that I’ve seen to date and this is all thanks to D.O and the hilarious village cast. They really messed with my ribs big time.

And cefini! We’ve come to the end of my rundown! Hope you guys enjoyed it??? You know with these dramas I’ve highlighted; it’s not like they didn’t have their imperfections or inconsistencies, they surely did. But due to the reasons you guys know about now, they stand tall in my heart above the sea of dramas that I’ve seen so far.

So what this rundown has thought me about myself is that for a K-drama to really capture my heart;

*It has to have really attractive leads that have natural chemistry and,
the romance has to be warm and fluffy (with lots of skinship),

*the leads have to deliver highly charismatic and impactful performances,

*there has to be sexy and chic styling,

*there has to be really good music,

*the humour has to be natural and literally rib cracking,

*the lines have to be sharp, witty and smart,

*the plot doesn’t necessarily have to be complicated,

*and if it must be, it has to be suspenseful and fast paced,

*the action scenes have to be exciting and full of dexterity,

*the villains have to be really evil and stylish in their deliveries,

*and I have to feel like I’ve really learnt something at the end of the day.

Whooooooops!!! It’s finally a wrap!
Guys, can you also name the Korean dramas that will forever be dear to your heart in the comment section? I’m curious too and I’d love to check ’em out and who knows, they might just join my all time fav list.

So homies, love yourself even when you feel you don’t deserve it, keep forgiving yourself, keep working on your limitations and keep striving to stay happy! You owe it to yourself.