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A Koala's Playground

I'll talk about dramas if I want to

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First Preview for It’s Okay to Not be Okay with Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji is Surprisingly Dark and Intense

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 28, 2020 by ockoalaMay 28, 2020
Dramatic scenes from a psychological thriller series.

Okay, this is NOT what I was expecting especially since the first poster for tvN drama It’s Okay to Not be Okay had butterflies all over it. The first substantive preview is out and things are looking mighty sad and intense in It’s Okay land, complete with Kim Soo Hyun running away, more running away, talking about running away, and … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged Its Okay to Not be Okay, Kim Soo Hyun, Oh Jung Se, Park Gyu Young, Seo Ye Ji

The King: Eternal Monarch Wraps Filming After 7 Months and This Week Episode 13 Delayed So Only 1 Episode Airing

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 28, 2020 by ockoalaMay 28, 2020
Dramatic collage of diverse characters' emotions.

I wonder if The King: Eternal Monarch would have been better done Memento style, we see the ending and rewind backwards to learn alongside the leads what is happening. Maybe Kim Eun Sook intended it that way with the opening scene with blood splattered bad uncle Lee Rim being interrogated by Tae Eul and Shin Jae in a police interrogation … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged The King: Eternal Monarch

Early Promos for It’s Okay to Not Be Okay with Leads Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji Together

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 28, 2020 by ockoalaMay 28, 2020
Couple amidst flowers and butterflies, emotional embrace.

Hmmmm, this was not what I was expecting at all for the upcoming tvN drama It’s Okay to Not be Okay but I’m not complaining. Just curious why Seo Ye Ji‘s character looks like a fashionista even though she’s a children’s book writer or am I stereotyping lol. She gives off IU from Hotel Del Luna vibes and if that … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged Its Okay to Not be Okay, Kim Soo Hyun, Seo Ye Ji

Lee Dong Gun and Jo Yoon Hee Announce Divorce After Three Years of Marriage

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 27, 2020 by ockoalaMay 27, 2020
Bride and groom smiling on their wedding day.

This is such sad news, all the more so because netizens never thought they’d make it and I really hoped they would. You know, falling madly in love in a drama, getting married in real life and having an adorable a baby, it’s the stuff of K-dramas writ large and these two got all my cheers for making a go … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous | Tagged Baby, Dating, Divorce, Jo Yoon Hee, Lee Dong Gun, Married

Gong Yoo and Bae Doo Na Confirmed for Netflix 8-episode Drama The Sea of Silence Directed by Jung Woo Sung with the Screenwriter of Mother

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 27, 2020 by ockoalaMay 27, 2020
Two well-dressed individuals posing together.

Holy awards pancakes, talked about a stacked deck, and in all the right ways in terms of critical acclaim. Confirming the news earlier this month, Gong Yoo and Bae Doo Na will be working together on the small screen this year for the Netflix produced K-drama The Sea of Silence. It’s a sci-fi tale of a dystopian future where Earth … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged Bae Doo Na, Gong Yoo, Sea of Silence

Jang Geun Seok to Have Quiet Military Service Discharge at the End of May 2020

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 27, 2020 by ockoalaMay 26, 2020
Man in black suit waving at camera.

Goodness I totally lost track of this young man but it’s nice to have a surprise positive news about him. K-ent is reporting that actor-singer Jang Geun Seok will be discharged from the military at the end of the month, completing his nearly 2 years of mandatory service. Due to COVID-19 it’ll be a quiet discharge no public or fans … Continue reading →

Posted in Miscellaneous | Tagged Jang Geun Seok

May 2020 Korean Gallup Poll Results on Top 20 Favorite Shows Includes Dramas The World of the Married, Hospital Playlist, and Born Again

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 26, 2020 by ockoalaMay 26, 2020
Three Korean drama promotional posters.

May 2020 felt like such an active month, with hits and flops and plenty in between. What felt fun was the renewed interest in K-dramas rather than a blase and bored attitude. Gallup Poll Korea released its May 2020 list of the top 20 most popular currently airing shows in South Korea. Only 6 are K-dramas and the majority are … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas

Seo Ye Ji is a Classy Children’s Book Writer in First Drama Stills for It’s Okay to Not be Okay

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 26, 2020 by ockoalaMay 28, 2020
Four elegant portraits of a woman.

Sure, all eyes are on tvN drama It’s Okay to Not be Okay due it being Hallyu superstar Kim Soo Hyun‘s first post military discharge acting project. No pressure, right? His female lead is Seo Ye Ji and I think he must’ve have a say in her casting because she’s now part of his new agency and he commands the … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged Its Okay to Not be Okay, Kim Soo Hyun, Seo Ye Ji

Solo Survival is the Key in Movie Trailer for Zombie K-movie #Alive with Yoo Ah In and Park Shin Hye

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 26, 2020 by ockoalaMay 26, 2020
Two characters surrounded by zombies in a building.

The genre of zombie shows is like the zombies themselves, every time a pundit declares the genre dead the is yet another one waiting in the wings to pop out. I skipped what is now being called the interminable The Walking Dead so I’m not yet tired of this genre, and the Korean production teams have been doing their own … Continue reading →

Posted in Films | Tagged #Alive, Park Shin Hye, Yoo Ah In

MBC Mon-Tues Romance Drama Dinner Mate Premieres to 4.8%, 6.1% Ratings with All the Hallmarks of Classic Boy Meets Girl Hijinks and Cuteness

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 25, 2020 by ockoalaMay 25, 2020
Group conversation and reactions in a dramatic scene.

My Monday picked up majorly and a new 8-week addiction has formed. MBC premiered new Mon-Tues drama Dinner Mate (Shall We Have Dinner Together) and it’s basically tailored made to hit every one of my rom-com happy nodes. There’s handsome but still has a nice personality Song Seung Heon and ordinarily pretty and warmly confident Seo Ji Hye hitting the … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged Dinner Mate, Kim Jung Hyun, Seo Ji Hye, Song Seung Heon

First Character Stills of Kim Soo Hyun for tvN Healing Drama It’s Okay to Not be Okay

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 25, 2020 by ockoalaMay 28, 2020
Person lifting a blue cart indoors.

K-actor Kim Soo Hyun has two modes for me – sincere young man and ACTIVATE mode when he acts. When he activates he just becomes another person, whatever character it’s that’s character and not Kim Soo Hyun. That’s why I remember the names – Song Sam Dong, Baek Seung Chan, Do Min Joon, he takes a well-written role and makes … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged Its Okay to Not be Okay, Kim Soo Hyun

Won Jin Ah and Ro Woon Confirmed for jTBC Rom-com Drama Sunbae Please Don’t Put on That Lipstick

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 25, 2020 by ockoalaMay 24, 2020
Two portraits of young adults, one woman and one man.

It’s confirmed now so let’s hope for the best. Won Jin Ah and Ro Woon will be the leads of the upcoming jTBC K-drama adaptation of webtoon Sunbae, Please Don’t Put on That Lipstick. I don’t blame solely Won Jin Ah for the inexorable mess that was her last drama Melting Me Softly but it’s hard to shudder when I … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged Ro Woon, Sunbae Please Don't Put on That Lipstick, Won Jin Ah

Shit I Won’t Ever Buy Thanks to the Excessive and Heavy Handed PPL Insertion in The King: Eternal Monarch

A Koala's Playground Posted on May 24, 2020 by ockoalaMay 24, 2020
Two contrasting scenes with a woman.

Because the production of The King: Eternal Monarch decided to give all viewers the giant middle finger in the way it inserted product placement into the drama, imma give it right back and NEVER EVER buy any of the brands or items promoted in it. Okay, except for one but I’ll get to that in the end. There have been … Continue reading →

Posted in K-dramas | Tagged The King: Eternal Monarch

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