K-drama Part 3/4

We have only 2 days left in the month, and only 2 posts left for me to meet my target of 30 posts. It is important that we complete the K-drama list. 

 1.Vincenzo: Perfection, addiction, obsession! Again, one of the most highly-rated K-dramas, Vincenzo was a treat to watch. It had 20 episodes against the norm of 16, but even that left us wanting more. 10/5 

 2. Business Proposal: Average run of the mill stuff. Nothing worth remembering, except for the male lead's large nose. I think the guy is too young to get surgery yet. The actress was forgettable as well. 2.5/5 

 3. Suspicious Partner: Interesting drama with some high points. Both good looking leads. I swooned over the male lead while he had his hair neat and brushed back. Once he got the k-drama hero fringe, all love was lost. 3/5 

4. Something in the rain: I watched this one because of Son Ye Jin. It started off real strong, and I loved the initial episodes. The jazz music, the tender romance, the rains - all the right ingredients. Then it just went downhill with too much rona-dhona. What a waste of 2 great actors! I will still rate it 3.5/5. 

5. Sky castle: Very highly rated drama focused on the rot in the Korean education system. Super intense and powerful with exceptional production quality, but it was all stress and no fun. I dropped off mid-way. 4/5

The K-wave

Pari and I love all things Korean. The fascination began with k-dramas which were our window into the Korean culture and their way of life. Through these, we have learnt about the chaebols(the super rich Korean families - thinks Ambani's and Tata's in India), Korean seasons, their flora and fauna, their food - gimbap, Tteokbokki, rameon, soju et al, their traditional wear as well as current fashion trends, the education system in Korea, the work-culture, weddings, societal structure and values - so on and so forth. Our interest in Korean culture is manifesting in different ways, which so accurately reflect how each of us pursues a common interest. Pari is learning Korean language, and has already started framing short sentences. She even manages to understand some of the k-drama conversations without the subtitles. The husband is perusing menus of various Korean restuarants to taste all the great stuff that we see in the k-dramas. Many years ago, we had visited this Korean restaurant in Bangalore by the name Soora Sang. I didn't like the food one bit but the husband liked it enough to polish off both our portions. I am sure he will like it even more now. At my end, I am reading Pachinko - an epic novel by Min Jin Lee. The book is set in Korea in the 1930's, when the country was under Japanese colonial rule. I am only on Chapter 14 and it has already become one of the most moving works that I have read in recent years. Highly recommended!

My affair with K-dramas..

 ..started during the COVID lockdown. I had been hearing exciting things about Korean entertainment for a while, and the lockdown gave us ample opportunity to sample new stuff. Funnily, we started K-dramas as a family and the husband enjoyed it more than anyone else. However, he got over it fairly quickly while Pari and I got hooked to them. Here's what I have watched so far with my quick comments and ratings. I will try to list them in the order in which we watched them, as far as I can remember.

1. What's wrong with Secretary Kim?: The first drama we watched and which made us K-drama fans. Not much of a story, but a feel-good romance with lot of fun moments. 4/5

2. Crash landing on you: Commonly known as CLOY, this is amongst the most  successful k-dramas of all times. Really, it was absolutely perfect in all aspects - interesting story, tender romance, situational comedy, suspense, fast-pace action, superb performances, great background score, stunning visuals and chemistry. 10/5

3. Its okay to be not okay: Again, a phenomenal drama. All the things that I said about CLOY above stand true for this one as well. It is an exceptional work on human feelings, love, insecurities and trauma with a fairy tale feel. 5/5

4. Memories of Alhambra: I chose to watch this because I just couldn't get enough of Hyun bin after CLOY. The first couple of episodes were dreamy and I imagined this soon becoming my new obsession. A crackling chemistry between two good looking people, sights of Granada, and the enigma of Alhambra.. what is there to not like! However, it soon ventured into virtual territories, where the lined between reality and perception became blurred. The following episodes didn't work for me despite trying real hard and I gave up on this halfway. 3/5

5. Romance is a bonus book: A warm, comforting drama. Again, the lead pair were really great looking - I think the actress is the prettiest in all k-dramas that I have seen. 4/5

Alright, this post is getting really long. I haven't even watched my k-dramas tonight. My mother often scolds me for staying up late at night watching TV, and I tell her - mujhe apne Korean heroes ko dekhe bina neend nahi aati hain(I can't sleep without watching my Korean heroes). So long!