Spring 2013 K-dramas: Taking a Second Look?

View Comments

• I think nine deserves a second look. It was a really fun drama and I enjoyed it a lot. One of my favorites this year for sure. I also thinks it works better if u marathoned it and since it recently just finished it would be a perfect time to watch it. I'm planning on rewatching soon.

  • I second Zain's suggestion. Nine is, simply put, like no other. It'd be great if you'd give the drama a second try.

    • agree! Nine is pretty good, i watched it and i still love it.. Lee Jin Wook is really good there.. a must watch :)

    • I guess I 'third' Zain's suggestions ;) Nine's pretty good, the story is intense and most importantly UNPREDICTABLE. I still haven't finished it got 4 episodes to go!!

      You're The Best Lee Soon Shin is very predictable by the cast is doing a good job in portraying their characters, the couples (all 3 of them) are pretty cute each in its own way and they got a lot of chemistry between each other. This is sort of MY 'guilty pleasure' :P

      other than the mentioned, I don't know if you like mystery/detective, but Team Ten season two is airing and I find it AWESOME, and although I don't usually watch sageuk but I'm enjoying Mandate of Heaven ;)

  • With no doubt the best show in 2013 so far and maybe even the best around for a long time. Great writing, suspenseful and well done.

    No idea at all, why the actress of MY gets so much hate. She is cute. There are other bad, and I mean really bad, female characters/actresses out there. *cough* When A Man Loves *cough*

    Icing on the cake is Lee Jin Wook's kissing.

  • I haven't watch Nine yet but definitely checking out soon. The reviews all said it was mind fuck and that the ending was great (although open to much interpretation). I read the recaps of the first episode and it was great! I was taken a back with the set-up. There's more than the 9-times-limitations that raises the stakes up. I didn't think this had a more serious tone compared to that of Queen In Hyun's Man.

    • Nine Time Travels totally deserves not only second look but sitting in the first place of best drama I've watched in 2013 so far.

      Judging the heroine by the haircut is proven to be not wise cause the character is adorable and has great chemistry with the hero, I can't get enough of their cute interaction. A bit sad is that she's somehow underused in the drama, because this drama actually focus more on the main reason of the time travel itself.

      Ending is great too.

      N this is my first comment in this blog after months of following, for the sake of this K-drama gem.

  • Nine's fabulous. It has its flaws of course – I think 16-18 tight episodes could have made it perfect – but it's like few other K-dramas out there and totally unpredictable from the beginning till the end. It's clever and solidly written – they planned this one out properly. Which is why it works, even if not everything is explained in the end.

    There's only one hero in this one really, which is unlike most K-dramas as well. It's one man's story, with other storylines feeding in, but it's about Sun-woo in the end.

  • Totally agree with you but for me the best of 2013.

  • yes. This one. Each episode was always unpredictable. The ending was also unique nothing like a regular Kdrama, although, I would have liked to have more clarity between the male and female leads at the end but still the ending did not disappoint. :)

    • I also loved Nine. And the recaps over on yobosayo.wordpress.com were awesome!

  • i agree that nine is probably the best thing this spring - but the bar is not set very high.
    it is ok, but it is not brilliant. what bugs me most about it is all the wasted potential.
    the writer juggles complicated paradoxical situations in non-satisfying ways, when creating something captivating could be a lot more straightforward. it had so many great motives that were touched lighly - should you play god, is your own happiness more important than others, if you could life your life again what would you change - but none of these achieves any real depth and comes to a conclusion.

    alot of the dramas this spring are what i tend to refer to as "campy". they revolve around a set of events, relationships and fixed locations, but fail to really move *somewhere*. the writing is not good, not very bad, mostly predictable. but what is missing most are any mindblowing, epic, memorable moments that define them. they lack a sense of identity and individuality.
    for instance, gu family book has just the right premise, a half-man half monster creature, that outright begs dealing with human nature, what makes one human and what it means. it had a debatably pretty good first 2 episodes, but then just sits around doing random things until we get to the ending.

    and now i realize i could maybe start my own blog instead of writing mile-long comments.

    • Nine was honestly amazingly mind-blowing. So glad it was on cable where it was appreciated.
      I personally thought the casting and acting was spot on, and the time travelling device very refreshing. Heh, I have nothing but praise for this drama.

  • Thank you, to everyone who commented on this post~

    Such a fantastic discussion and productive discussion was had. I'll probably do this every quarter from now on.

    I'll definitely give Nine another shot, jomo won AAML another chance with the comparison to City Hall, and for the love of all things Lee Seung Gi I think GFB is calling me back.

  • was never a fan of lee jin wook prior to this, but he was awesome in nine. agree with the above comments that it was a great drama, save for two issues i had with it:

    1. i would have preferred the heroine to play a bigger role or do something more productive than yknow, weeping all the time. she sure as heck showed spunk in wooing lee jin wook, but towards the end that spunk melted into a pool of helplessness and mostly useless fretting and flailing around.
    2. the villain's (and at times LJW's best friend's) campy, campy acting. i've only seen that ajusshi play nice daddy roles before, and i really think he should stick with those. the way he glared.... good lord. did a lot of instinctive cringing everytime he appeared.

• The only one I'm watching right now is The Best Lee Soon Shin. It's totally worth taking a second look. Heck, I never thought I'd be able to commit to a drama with this many episodes, but it only took the first couple to make me fall in love.

  First of all, Jo Jung Seok is amazing in this role. He's plays such a perfect blend of a slightly arrogant cool guy with a side of dorky awkwardness, he really should be winning all kinds of awards for how amazingly talented of an actor he is. I would watch it for that alone. He and IU are adorkable together. IU is doing a good job too!

  The secondary stories aren't bad either, loving her sisters (even the one that's mean to her) and their love-lines as well. The baker guy is my favorite. I luff him. :)

  There are a few things that slow the show down a bit (birth secret, omg! and mean moms, being meanies) but the good totally outweigh the bad, imo. (Plus, you can kind of fast forward them a bit without missing too much...just saying.)

  There are some really great LOL moments, and some heart-wrenching scenes too. The only thing I look forward to in kdrama land right now is the weekend.

  • I think that was a good review on The Best Lee Soon Shin so far.

    IU and Jo Jung Seok are so adorable. They are both so dense to their growing attraction to each other. Their moments together are what I look forward to the show at most. The other sisters' storylines are either more romantic-comedy (Yoo In Na's) or too melo (Son Tae Young's). IU's is the one that balances both out.

    Why this show is great is because the sisters. When they veer too much to the birth secret, it gets irritating because mom is so stubborn. That was practically the content for the first few episodes. I think starting episode 16 onwards is where the exciting stuff really happens. The episodes before that merely creates the set-up. Weekend dramas are slower in pacing and much more predictable but Lee Soon Shin is endearing enough to make you smile end-to-end with it's cuteness.

    • Yes I totally recommends you to take a second look on LSS. The drama is great. I never invested in a 50+ dramas coz I am afraid of getting bored in the middle run and think the time I just wasted but this one is an exception.
      CEO and Lee Soon Shin are adorkable, so cute together!
      I actually am getting tired of JOJ nowadays, imagine after I read the recaps for 11 and 12, although the subs are available, I did not bother watching it until now.
      But I had time watching LSS via live stream just now. Lol! I am totally addicted!

  • Oh yes, LSS is def worth a second look. All the three sisters' story lines are interesting. I started watching this solely for Yoo In na bcoz QINHM was just so awesome, but found myself enjoying the show as a very easy watch when I have down time that requires no thinking. Breadman is adorable! I also fast forward some of the boring birth secret drag bcoz mom was getting too angry & shouty and moody for my liking lately.

  • I wasn't planning on watching Lee Soon Shin (50 eps is just too much commitment) but now I find I'm looking forward to the weekend and for the next dose of JH awkwardness, breadman dorkiness, and Chan-woo swoonworthiness. And the general loveliness of the three sisters (plus Woo-jo).

    The trick with this one is to simply skip all scenes involving the mothers and focus on the above characters.

  • "You're the Best, Lee Soon Shin" is totally worth a second look. I really enjoy it - especailly Jo Jung Seok. Adorkable and awesome :)

  • IU and JJS makes it a go for me. I'm so hooked that I am catching chinese subs because they come out earlier than english subs. And I can't say I am literate in Chinese either (definitely know less than 1000 characters).

    but am hating the birth secret, which they're dragging on forever. Just want them to out it pronto.

  • My weekend is definitely a blast with The Best of Lee Soon Shin. I'm with Serena regarding the length of the drama but I find that I am not minding it so much anymore. I usually get bored with the makjang but boy it is laced with the funnies weaved in with romance relationship of the siblings and family relationships that I can sit through the makjang. JJS, IU and the others are truly making their characters interesting. I'm quite surprised with IU's acting, she should have done the role of Suzy, love her but she looked like a dear in headlights in GFB. I think IU would have done a better job if they had to cast an idol.

  • I love this drama too! Definitely worth checking out.

  • Yes. YTBLSS is a great show and I look forward to the weekends. JJS and IU are great in their roles and the sisters are awesome. Agreed with the part about the mean moms and birth secrets. Although, several secrets have been outed now. If you pick up now, you won't miss much in terms of plot but you'll miss the cute moments. And bread man is FTW!!

• I'm actually only watching GFB, so I can comment on that. Personally, I'm loving it. Its far from perfect, but the chemistry between LSG and Suzy is EPIC. They look amazing and there's some seriously moving scenes that kick right in the gut - especially in the last few episodes. Suzy has finally adjusted I suppose. She isn't great, but she's easily ok. I love her in the bad-ass scenes, and I think she's comfortable with her costars. Earlier I felt a lack of chemistry between LSG and her because they felt a little awkward. That's not even questionable now... whatsoever.

  But what makes GFB so awesome is the characters. There's an amazing female lead who has a good head on her shoulders. She has a heart - that feels love, jealousy, anger - but that heart also allows her to be selfless and giving. She is bad-ass and independent. A heroine on her own rights, irrelevant of whom she fell for. I love her!

  LSG is hitting it out of the park (...again) with his emotional breakdowns. The guy understands his characters so well, and really becomes them. I'm so emotionally invested in his journey. The drama has plot holes, but I can see past that because it's addicting. But yea... give the last few episodes a try. If you don't like them, then its prob not for you.

  P.s. Gumiho dad is back this coming week! =)

  • I second GFB. Yes there are some glaring problems with the story and the acting at times, but like Kelly said, the characters are what make the drama. The first few episodes were fun, but it was only in the last 3-4 episodes that I found myself fully invested...and episode 12 sealed the deal.

    By the way, does anyone else think LSG is totally smexy when he's in gumiho form? *fans self*

    • I totally agree with you. Though LSG is not the typical handsome idol, he definitely has this aura than can sweep your feet away. I also like the progress of the story and the strong personality of the leading lady character despite obvious proof that shows Suzy's lack of experience in acting.

  • I'm loving GFB too. Before I sort of forced myself to watch it because Seunggi (the parent's story didn't do anything for me at all), but I'm completely loving the story and OTP now. It has flaws, but somehow it's really engaging. And yes, even Gon is more than just snarky comments now.

    @stacy
    Yes, he looks great as a gumiho. Those eyes!

  • I will agree that LSG is doing a great job, but I am finding this drama a horrible slog because the writing is so-so, the directing is sometimes laughable, and Suzy is another one of those idols-masquerading-as-actors. She has this placid, cow-eyed expression of mild surprise that she wears 90% of the time - it drives me nuts. Her part is written well, and she gets all the sympathy points in the book so everyone likes her, but it is the character that is epic, not Suzy. And I hate what they are doing to the secondary female, who can act and who actually did have some chemistry with LSG; literally character assassination.

• Suprised Mandate of Heaven hasn't been included on your list, the show has got a hold of my heart - hook line and sinker.
  You're the Best Lee Soon Shin is definitely worth checking out, I find myself skipping through most weekend dramas but every bit is gold in this show. IU and Jo Jung Seok unexpectedly have great chemistry, they are so sweet i can't even LJKSDLKFJASDLFj and Breadman ASDJASLDJLAKEJLAIWELI
  - it definitely picks up as the relationships get more settled.

  • I was so surprised to see the lack of discussion about Mandate of Heaven, show definitely deserves more love. Rang is so adorable! My heart breaks a little whenever I see her cry.

    • KBS really stunted the interest for Mandate of Heaven with the whole subbing fiasco, so disappointed with the lack of response from the online community :( the show is so good! I love how all the intensity is still undercut by some humour so my heart doesn't feel like its always going to give out heh. Glad that dramabeans has taken on recapping it though :)

  • The subs for Mandate of Heaven came out much earlier this week. I think that's proof how it's gaining more recognition, even if it's still quite muted.

    The characters are rich with depth. The political intrigue raises the stakes but there are still lighter moments worth checking out. At this point, it's not something you'll go crazy over. Although the exposition, cinematography and character motivations are solid enough to make you still want tune in.

  • i have been trying to watch that and have kept up so far, but it cant really convice me.
    one of the biggest issues is the directing, i think it shows that the pd doesnt have any experience with thrilling/action sageuk things. at some points it just strikes me as too "wannabe" dramatic without any real substance.

    you are right, some things are done well - subtle humor, some good characterization - but it still falls short of what could be done with it.

    im not sure if anyone else is also not too happy with lee dong wook's acting. he is very good at some things, dark, melodramic sort of moments and psychologically messed up things (that mostly in his other roles); the action-ish stuff, suspense, fear not so much though.

    • Well I do find Lee Dong Wook overacting often in here, but kinda suits his character so it doesn't bother me. He and rang are very easy to root for! Rang sure is the treasure of this show, but Jung-hwan is sure a surprise that I want to see more of, and Woo-young to have such an interesting and developed character was a delight! The rest of the characters did their job quit well ;) I think there are more than wannabeism in this show

    • yup both lee dong wook and song ji hyo's acting there are pretty... ehh, average, was kind of disappointed in both of them... the child actress does a much better job. i was surprised!

• The only ones I'm watching right now are You're the Best, Lee Soo Shin and I Summon You, Gold.... I actually like Han Ji Hye on this one.... And IU is turning out to be a really good idol-actress, especially compared to most.... But I do fastforward on the boring parts on both dramas.

  I'm also watching 2 Japanese dramas, The Last Cinderella and Itazura na Kiss - Love in Tokyo.... The latter is surprisingly really good and well done even though it has been made so many times.... And the female lead is doing really great and less annoying than the other Kotokos and the male lead is great too as Irie...

  • I second the Itazura na Kiss- Love in Tokyo vote. Yes they're retreading familiar ground, but the cast is very appealing, and there's enough differences to make it fresh. This version of Kotoko might be my favorite, and the actor portraying Irie gives him a subtle depth and humanity that character has, imo, lacked.

  • Second the vote for Itazura na Kiss – Love in Tokyo. I adore Kotoko (I can totally understand how Naoki's mom feels after she moves out!). Occasionally she's too stalkerish, but she's such a good person at the core (particularly obvious when you watch her scenes with Kin-chan).

  • Yea, I like Hna Ji Hye in Gold too! And omg, for some reason, I keep seeing Han Hyo Joo in Han Ji Hye!

    I Summon You, Gold is also my guilty pressure. It is the only one drama I am watching among the SEVERALS that is broadcasting, shows you how much of a slump I am in this drama.
    But gahhh, I LOVE MONG HYUN and HYUN TAE! I cannot wait for HYUN TAE to fall hard for Mong Hyun and suffer a little! He has been so mean to her. He deserves a bit of longing and jealousy.

    • Yes, me too, me too!! Enjoying ISYG, cannot wait for the youngest couple to fall in love. She'll be so good for him. The oldest couple, too, are so cute together. I'm liking how she is bringing him out of his shell. She does an excellent job with the duality of her character - elegant socialite, rough and tumble tomboy. This show, makjong and all, hits all the right buttons for me!!

      My buttons are also being hit by YTBLSS (plucky heroine overcomes obstacles and gains success, self confidence AND lovable fella)and The Last Cinderella.

  • yes ITAZURA is just too fun to watch and I think its because the main actress playing kotoko is adorable and perfect for the role. The story is still the same, but there are subtle changes made that (i think) makes it better than the other versions. I'm still at episode 6 but who knows what happens afterwards..

• i think the best lee soon shin and gu family book deserve a 2nd look:).
  the best lee soon shin,although it is moving slow,but it is very warming..unlike when a man loves(only give me frustration,i didn't enjoy it at all) and for gu,i think it keeps getting better.it gives me curiosity and i love the main leads chemistry,they are cute!and suzy's acting keeps on improving esp in ep 11 and 12.
  and i agree tat "i summon you gold"is so addicting!

• Honestly....none of the drama above is on my list or I have dropped after few episodes. It is really sad, that light and fun drama like Queen of Workplace/God of workplace with OJH and KHS is overlooked and definitely Special Affair TEN season 2 on the cable is really worth to watch and has become my favorite throughout 2013 dramas thus far.

  • I haven't tried Queen of Workplace. Mind giving more info? I haven't found any recaps or reviews and I've been wondering if it's any good.

    • I watch Q.of Workplace and have good laughs each time. Some predictable scenes but totally enjoying them nonetheless. It's a relaxing watch which I haven't come across for a long while. I'm not ashamed to say that Miss Kim is my super idol now, hahaha...
      Yes, I couldn't find any recap online too, but I guess it'll be also quite difficult to describe the hilarious scenes. You just have to watch it to see the comic. I recommend it!

• I think Nine is worth a second look. The story is better than all the dramas currently airing. And LJW is daebak.

• I highly, highly recommend Nine if you liked Queen In Hyun's Man. The time travel plot is very well thought out and all the characters act intelligently and according to their own interest. The plot moves along very briskly and it's really hard to predict what happens next, so it keeps you on your feet!

• I'm watching When a Man loves... :D Whether you want to give it another chance depends on what you want from drama. Want d good drama with three dimensional characters, tight script, smooth directing and excellent acting work? STAY AWAY FROM THIS DRAMA. WAML is bad, it really really BAD. It's horrendous, actually. :D I don't watch it because I love it but simply because I'm curious of how much awfulness can one drama contain. And even though I except nothing from this drama writer can STILL surprise me with even more stupid plot twists. And man are the actors bad, well, main leads mainly. SSK has basically two expressions and she floats through drama wearing one I would call a "pissy face". Another one is "sad face". And no, woman is NOT worthy of anybody's love... she's a horrible character, almost worst of them even though she hasn't even killed anybody. I wish men in this drama would just kick her sorry ass to the next planet and start bromancing each other.

  In a way it's also interesting to watch this drama because there's some tragedy & conflict that I think IS genuinely intriguing and heart wrenching. It's just that execution, writing & acting ruin it spectacularly.

  This is my assessment of this drama. :D

  • I must be masochistic or I have really bad taste but I am also watching "When a Man Loves". Otherwise, I am hanging in there for the next scene when SSH take off his shirt. Man, he looks good! Mi Do (SSK of no chin!!) is horrible both as an actress and in the role she plays. The second female lead (Chae Hung Ahn)is actually a much more competent actress is pretty hot looking and also has a clearly defined chin. Which gives her a tremendous edge over SSK. I actually don't mind the bromancing between the guys in the drama and I am quite taken with the second male lead (Yeon Woo Jin). But he's getting type cast playing love lorn second male leads (same in Arang and the Magistrade - which incidentally I absolutely adore - such an under rated series!). Anyway, can't explain why I watch certain drama - even knowing that it's pretty bad. As long as I am entertained and can temporarily escape from the stresses of work etc.

  • I confess to watching WAML too. I am fascinated by the writer's stubborn determination to try to make us believe there is a woman on the planet who would not take a flying leap into gorgeous SSH's manly arms. How long can this go on? I'll see it through to the bitter end. SSK is the Korean version of Kristen Stewart...........one expression of boredom pasted on her face all the time.

  • did anyone notice that pictureframe - chains installation artwork in his apartment...
    its really good, i am considering trying something similar.
    thats the only thing thats really good about it (other than ssh's shirtless looks), but it was worth checking out an episode for...