netflix K Drama Page
Favorite K Drama
Over the last few years, I finally became a K Drama fan. Part of the reason is that my Korean is now good enough to mostly follow the dialogue although I still need subtitles. Second, because of COVID, we’ve been mostly at home in Korea, and third, I finally just got into K Drama. I know a bit late, but what the heck.
In general, K Dramas come in two forms – movies and series. The series are reminiscent of Mexican telenovela – usually 16 episodes, occasionally 20, and occasionally fewer. A few have two seasons. Most run for about a month. Almost all are available now on Netflix and Hulu with English sub-titles. A few were quite controversial. Parasite of course won the 2020 Oscar. And Minuri won best-supporting actress this year.
My favorites K Dramas so far include:
Crash Landing on You
Vincenzo,” “
Mine”,
“Move to Heaven”
“Parasite”,
‘DP,”
Camilla Blooming.”
Itaewon Class
Stranger
Mr. Sunshine
Last Man Standing
Mad About You
Reflections
Hell boundaching
Memories of the Alhambra
The Negotiation (film)
Space Sweepers K SF Drama
The Last Man Standing K Drama
Heist – not a K Drama, more of an S Drama but pretty good, but went on too long. Should have ended with the first season. There were lots of unanswered questions –
Mr. Kim’s convenience
Yet to Watch
Minuri Movie
Sky Castle
Kingdom (South Korean TV series)
Signal (South Korean TV series)
My Mister
Hospital Playlist
Flower of Evil
Synopsis and Comments (from Wikpedia and other sources)
Parasite 2020 Best Picture Oscar
Parasite (Korean: 기생충; Hanja: 寄生蟲; RR: Guangcheng) is a 2019 South Korean black comedy thriller film directed by Bong Joon-ho, who co-wrote the screenplay with Han Jin-won. The film, starring Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-Kyun, Cho Yeo-Jeong, Choi Woo-Shak, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin, and Lee Jung-Eun, follows a poor family who schemes to become employed by a wealthy family and infiltrate their household by posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals.
Parasite premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2019, where it became the first South Korean film to win the Palme d’Or. It was then released in South Korea by CJ Entertainment on 30 May 2019. The film was considered by many critics to be the best film of 2019. It grossed over $258 million worldwide on a production budget of about $15.5 million.
Among its numerous accolades, Parasite won a leading four awards at the 92nd Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film, becoming the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.[note 1]
Parasite is the first South Korean film to receive Academy Award recognition and one of three films to win both the Palme d’Or and the Academy Award for Best Picture.[note 2] It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language, and became the first non-English language film to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. At the 56th Grand Bell Awards and the 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards, Parasite had eleven nominations with five wins. At the 56th Buesking Arts Awards, it had twelve nominations with three wins. Joon-Ho has confirmed a TV series is in the works while two sequels are also planned.
The Kim family—father Ki-take, mother Chung-sook, daughter Ki-Jung, and son Ki-woo—live in a small semi-basement apartment (banjara),[10] have low-paying temporary jobs as pizza box folders, and struggle to make ends meet.[11] University student Min-hyuk, a friend of Ki-woo’s, gives the family a scholar’s rock meant to promise wealth. Leaving to study abroad and knowing his friend needs the income, he suggests that Ki-woo poses as a university student to take over his job as an English tutor for the daughter of the wealthy park family, Da-Hye. Ki-woo, presenting himself as a Yonsei University student, is subsequently hired by the Parks.
The Kim family schemes to get each member of the family a job by posing as unrelated and highly qualified workers to become servants of the Parks. Ki-Jung poses as “Jessica” and, using Ki-Woo as a reference, becomes an art therapist to the Parks’ young son, Da-song. Ki-Jung frames Yoon, Mr. Park’s chauffeur, for having sex in the car, then recommends Ki-take replace him. Finally, Chung-sook takes over as the Parks’ housekeeper after the Kim’s exploit the peach allergy of the long-time housekeeper, Moon-gang, to convince Mrs. Park that she has tuberculosis. Ki-woo begins a secret romantic relationship with Da-Hye.
When the Parks leave on a camping trip, the Kim’s revel in the luxuries of their residence before Moon-gang abruptly appears at the door, telling Chung-sook she has left something in the basement. She enters a hidden entrance to an underground bunker created by the architect and previous homeowner, where Moon-Hwang’s husband, Geun-SAE, has been secretly living for over four years, hiding from loan sharks. Chung-sook refuses Moon-Hwang’s pleas to help Geun-SAE remain in the bunker, but the eavesdropping Kim’s accidentally reveal themselves. Moon-gang films them on her phone and threatens to expose their ruse to the Parks.
A severe rainstorm brings the Parks home early, and the Kim’s scramble to clean up the home and subdue Moon-gang and Geun-SAE before they return. The Kim’s trap Geun-SAE and Moon-gang in the bunker. Mrs. Park reveals to Chung-sook that Da-song had a seizure-inducing traumatic experience on a previous birthday when he saw a “ghost” — actually Geun-SAE — emerging from the basement at night. Before the Kim’s manage to sneak out of the house, they hear Mr. Park’s off-handed comments about Ki-take’s smell. The Kim’s find their apartment flooded with sewer water and are forced to shelter in a gymnasium with other displaced people.
The next day, Mrs. Park hosts a house party for Da-song’s birthday with the Kim family’s help. Ki-woo enters the bunker with the scholar’s rock to find Geun-SAE. Finding Moon-gang has died from a concussion she received during the earlier fight, he is attacked by Geun-SAE, who bludgeons his head with the rock and escapes, leaving Ki-woo lying in a pool of blood in the basement. Seeking to avenge Moon-gang, Geun-SAE stabs Ki-Jung with a kitchen knife in front of the horrified party guests. Da-song suffers another seizure upon seeing Geun-SAE, and a struggle breaks out until Chung-sook fatally impales Geun-SAE with a barbecue skewer. While Ki-take tends to a severely bleeding Ki-Jung, Mr. Park orders Ki-take to drive Da-song to the hospital. In the chaos, Ki-take, upon seeing Mr. Park’s disgusted reaction to Geun-SAE’s smell, angrily takes the knife and kills him. Ki-take then flees the scene, leaving behind the rest of the Kim family.
Weeks later, Ki-woo is recovering from brain surgery. He and Chung-sook are convicted of fraud and put on probation. Ki-Jung has died and Ki-take, wanted by the police for Mr. Park’s murder, cannot be found. Geun-SAE has been assumed to be an insane homeless man, and neither his nor Ki-take’s motive for the stabbings is known. Ki-woo spies on the Parks’ home, now sold to a German family unaware of its history and sees a message in Morse code from a flickering light. Ki-take, who escaped into the bunker via the garage, has buried Moon-gang in the backyard and now raids the kitchen at night and flickers the light every day, hoping to Ki-woo will see it. Still living in their original basement apartment with his mother, Ki-woo writes a letter to Ki-take, vowing to earn enough money to one day purchase the house and reunite with his father.
Cast[edit]
Song Kang-ho as Kim Ki-take (Mr. Kim; 김기택; Gym Gitau), the father of the Kim family who is hired as Park Dong-ik’ s chauffeur.
Choi Woo-Shak as Kim Ki-woo (Kevin; 김기우; Gym Gou), the son of the Kim family who is hired as Da-Hye’s English tutor. Choi Woo-Shak stated that the character is intelligent but does not have the vigor needed to succeed in examinations.[12]
Lee Sun-kyun as Park Dong-ik (Nathan; 박동익; Bak Dongguk), the father of the Park family.
Cho Yeo-Jeong as Choi Yeon-go (Madame; 최연교; Choe Yeong), the mother of the Park family.
Park So-dam as Kim Ki-Jung (Jessica; 김기정; Gym Gijon), the daughter of the Kim family who is hired as Da-song’s art therapist.
Lee Jung-Eun as Gook Moon-gang (국문광; Guk Mungkan), the housekeeper for the Park family, who also worked for the architect and previous owner of the house. Bong Joon-ho said her relationship with the architect and parts of her story “that happen in between the sequences in the film” will be explored in the spin-off television series.[13]
Jang Hye-jin as Chung-sook (박충숙; Bak Chung Suk), the mother of the Kim family who is hired as the housekeeping for the Park family.
Park Myung-hoon as Oh Geun-SAE (오근세; O Genes), Moon-Hwang’s husband.
Jung Ji-so as Park Da-Hye (박다혜; Bak Daye), the daughter of the Park family.
Jung Hyeon-Jun as Park Da-song (박다송; Bak Datong), the son of the Park family.
Park Konerko as Yoon (윤; Yun), Park Dong-ik’ s chauffeur.
Park Seo-Joon as Min-hyuk (민혁; Miyoko), Ki-woo’s friend.[14]
Crashlanding on you
program.tving.com/ton/cloy
Crash Landing on You is a 2019–2020 South Korean television series written by Park Ji-Eun, directed by Lee Jeong-Hyo, and starring Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Kim Jung-Hyun, and Seo Ji-Hye. It is about a South Korean chaebol heiress who, while paragliding in Seoul, South Korea, is swept up in a sudden storm, crash-lands in the North Korean portion of the DMZ, and meets a captain in the Korean People’s Army. Over time, they fall in love, despite the divide and dispute between their respective countries. Wikipedia
Genre: Romantic Drama, Romantic comedy
Created by: Studio Dragon
Written by: Park Ji-Eun
Comments:
One of my favorites. It is a classic rom-com opposite attract theme. Almost a Romeo and Juliet star crossed lovers theme with the division of the Korean peninsula separating the lovers. When Captain Ri meets Se-Yeong who literary crash lands on him after a freak paragliding accident took over the DMZ, has to decide to risk everything to save her life and return her to South Korea or turn her in as duty would dictate. He chose to follow his heart and enlists the aid of his squad of soldiers who all fall in love with her as well. She also becomes friendly with the local woman in the village.
When a notorious gangster follows her to Seoul to kill her to take revenge on Captain Ri, Captain Ri and his squad follow her to save her and bring down the gangsters. I won’t say more than that.
This series led the North Koreans to blow up the inter-Korean liaison office as they saw the movie as an insult to the North. Some southern politicians denounced it as being too sympathetic to the North. It also of course featured rich people behaving badly in both the North and the South. – Common theme in most K dramas these days.
And a sub-romance between the captain’s soon-to-be-ex and Se-Young Ex who is End Comments con artist who is hiding out in the north after defrauding her father and brother.
End Comment
Vincenzo (2021)
Comment:
another one of my favorites. A Korean child is adopted by an Italian family who has mob connections. He graduates from Law School and becomes a lawyer to a Mafia family. He hides millions of dollars in gold bullion in an office building in South Korea. Hidden within the gold is a secret file on secrets of all the main corporations and political leaders in Korea known as the Guillotine file. Vengeance goes to Korea to recover the money after the godfather dies. The building tenants are being evicted by an evil corporation that wants to build their headquarters in their centrally located plaza. The tenants are being led by a lawyer. When he dies his daughter takes up the fight. She enlists the aid of Vincenzo who teaches her how to do things the mafia way. The usual rich family is behaving badly scenario, political corruption, etc. And a slow-burning love affair. The main villain is a real sociopath, which is also a common theme in Korean dramas nowadays. There is also an implied LGBT theme – as Vengeance is a very attractive man and both men and women try to seduce him. Another villain is a corrupt ex-prosecutor who goes to work for the evil Babel corporation and its sociopathic young secret chairman. He had been exiled to Canada as a young man when he killed a number of his classmates after witnessing his father being left to die by his mother. End comment
At the age of eight, Park Joo Hyeong went to Italy after being adopted. Now an adult, he is known as Vincenzo Casino to the Mafia, who employ him as a consigliere. Because mafia factions are at war with each other, he flees to South Korea, where he gets involved with Lawyer Hong Cha Young. She is the type of attorney who will do anything to win a case. Now back at his motherland, he gives an unrivaled conglomerate a taste of its own medicine with a side of justice. (Source: Netflix, Asianizing) Edit Translation
English
Vincenzo: Special (Korean compilation)
Native Title: 빈센조
Also Known as Basenji
Screenwriter: Park Jae Bum
Director: Kim Hee Won
Genres: Comedy, Law, Crime, Drama
Tags: Lawyer, Revenge, Eccentric Female Lead, Mafia, Smart Male Lead, Injustice, Competent Protagonist, Father-Daughter Relationship, Charming Male Lead, Funny Female Lead (Vote or add tags)
Where to Watch Vincenzo
Netflix
Subscription (sub)
Cast & Credits
Add Cast
Song Jong Ki
Vincenzo Casino / Park Joo Hyung
Main Role
Jeon Yeo Bin
Hong Cha Young
Main Role
Ok Teac Yeon
Jang Jun Woo
Main Role
Kim Yeo Jin
Choi Myung Hee [Prosecutor]
Support Role
Jo Han Chula
Han Seung Hyuk [CEO of Woosung Law firm]
Support Role
Kwak Dong Yeon
Jang Han Seo [Head of Babel Group]
Support Role
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Sisyphus
Mine”,
Comment
One of my recent favorites. Almost a poster child for the rich family behaving badly theme. An interesting LBGT romance sub-theme as well. Another Romeo-Juliet Cinderella romance sub-plot as well. The main protagonist is a real sociopath. The story revolves around his murder and who wanted him dead the most. Well, everyone hated him, everyone wanted him dead. The suspense was kept alive to the very end. The other theme is the two sisters-in-laws who battle the family and in the end, prevail against all the odds to come out on top and regain what they saw as “Mine” hence the title. Very well done.
Mine (TV series) – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_(TV_series)
Mine (Korean: 마인) is a 2021 South Korean television series directed by Lee Na-Jung and starring Lee Bo-young, Kim Seo-Hyung, Lee Hyun-Wook, and Ok Ja-Yeon. It revolves around strong women who free themselves from the prejudice of society and find their real ‘mine’. It also peeps into the mysterious lives of wealthy people. The series premiered ten on May 8, 2021, and aired every …
Mine (Korean Drama) – AsianWiki
https://asianwiki.com/Mine_(Korean_Drama)
Profile. Drama: my Revised romanization: my Hangul: 마인 Director: Lee Na-Jeong Writer: Baek Mi-Kong Network: tvN Episodes: 16 Reléase Date: May 8 – June 27, 2021, Run time: Sat. & Sun. 21:00 Language: Korean Country: South Korea Plot Synopsis by Asianizing Staff ©
Mine (2021) – Dramatist
https://mydramalist.com/75937-blue-diamond
Mine (2021) Mine. (2021) “Mine” is about strong and ambitious women who overcome the world’s prejudices to find their true selves. Seo Hee-Soo was a former top actress, but she gave up her career to marry the second son of Hyo Won Group. She does her best to fit in as a daughter-in-law of that family.
Mine | Netflix Official Site
https://www.netflix.com/title/81403973
Mine. 2021 | TV-14 | 1 Season | TV Dramas. Encaged in a gold-clad life of secrets and lies, two women in a conglomerate family seek to topple all that stands in their way of finding true joy. Starring: Lee Bo-young, Kim Seo-Hyung, Lee Hyun-Wook.
Mine (2021) – Full Cast & Crew – Dramatist
https://mydramalist.com/75937-blue-diamond/cast
Today, we present some unexpected cameo appearances in K-Dramas by popular actors and actresses. Get Ready to Be Enrolled in the “Police University” of 2021 News – Aug 1, 2021
Images for mine k drama
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Stream It or Skip It: ‘Mine’ On Netflix, A Soapy K-Drama …
https://decider.com/2021/05/10/mine-netflix-review/
It’s harder to compare Mine to a current K-drama, but it sure does have the feel of a good old-fashioned American primetime soap like Dallas or Dynasty, with some hints of Succession mixed in.
“Mine” (2021 Drama): Cast & Summary | Koopman
https://www.kpopmap.com/mine-2021-drama-cast-summary/
Information. Title: Mine / 마인 Director: Lee Nanjing Writer: Baek MiKyung. Network: ten x Netflix. Runtime: From May 8 # of Episodes: 16. Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Human Language: Korean. Summary. Encaged in a gold-clad life of secrets and lies, two women in a conglomerate family seek to topple all that stands in their way of finding true joy.
Korean Drama “Mine” (Synopsis + Cast + Preview) – Korean …
https://koreanallday.com/2021/05/09/korean-drama-mine-synopsis-cast-preview/
Korean Drama “Mine” (Synopsis + Cast + Preview) May 9, 2021. admin “Mine” (or “Blue Diamond”) is a ten original drama series that was released on 8 May 2021 and is available to watch online on Netflix*. SYNOPSIS “Mine” drama story will center around two strong and married women Seo Hee-Soo and Jung Seo Hyun. They both are married …
Mine episode 16 recap – the finale/ending explained – Ji …
https://readysteadycut.com/2021/06/27/recap-mine-season-1-episode-16-finale-ending-netflix-k-drama-series/
3.5. Summary. The finale of Mine wraps up the story nicely — episode 16 reveals the killer and gives the audience a taste of life after Ji-yong. There are strong themes of female empowerment in the finale that works well, in the story’s conclusion. This recap of the Netflix k-drama series Mine season 1, episode 16 — the finale/ending …
K-Dramas | Netflix Official Site
https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/2638104
K-Dramas. Laugh, cry, sigh, scream, shout, or whatever you feel like with these funny, intense, romantic, and suspenseful Korean dramas.
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Profile
Drama: Mine
Revised romanization: Mine
Hangul: 마인
Director: Lee Na-Jeong
Writer: Baek Mi-Kyong
Network: tyvm
Episodes: 16
Release Date: May 8 – June 27, 2021
Runtime: Sat. & Sun. 21:00
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea
Plot Synopsis by Asianizing Staff ©
A story of women who try to find their true selves, freeing themselves from prejudices in the world.
Seo Hi-Soo (Lee Bo-Young) was a star actress, but she gave up her career to marry the second son of a chaebol family. The chaebol family runs the Hyowon Group. She does her best to fit in as a daughter-in-law of that family. She acts confidently all the time to not lose her true self.
Jung Seo-Hyun (Kim Seo-Hyung) is married to the first son of the same chaebol family. She is also the daughter of a chaebol family. She is elegant and intelligent. She is also very rational.
Notes
“Mine” takes over TV N’s Sat. & Sun. 21:00 time slot previously occupied by “Vincenzo” and followed by “The Devil Judge” on July 3, 2021.
Cast
Hyowon Group’s Family
Hyowon Mansion’s Staff
Hyowon Group
Hagwon Gallery
Soo-Hyun Gallery
IL sin
Jung Seo-Hyun’s Group
Chairman Han Suk-Chol’s Past
Fight Club Group
Police
Reporters
Han Jin-Ho’s Mistresses
Kim Yu-Yeon’s Family
Jung Seo-Hyun’s Parenting Group
Others
Additional Cast Members:
Lee Yoon-Min – Chauffeur Park
Kim Ha-Rin – designer (ep.1,8)
Ko Kyung-Man – priest (ep.1)
Park Hee-Yeon – (ep.3)
Jo Soo-Yeon – cinema employee (ep.4)
Kim Jung-Hwan – funeral priest (ep.13)
Stranger (TV series)
| Stranger |
| Comment:
Well, done police drama. The usual rich people behaving badly, political corruption, honest police officers trying to solve crime being thwarted by corrupt senior-level figures. The romance theme was hinted at but never really developed. There was also a nice sub-theme of a serial killer whose crimes were covered up by his father who was a prosecutor. The series takes place amid the South Korean government’s attempt to reform the prosecutor’s office transferring much of their power to the police. The movie is perhaps a bit too pro-government reform in that regard. I would have liked to have seen a stronger romance and would have liked to have seen the political corporation corruption case spelled out a lot more. The plot was a bit confusing but the acting was first-rate. I would have to give it a B. End comment
Promotional poster for the first season |
| Also known as |
Secret Forest
Forest of Secrets |
|
| Hangul |
비밀의 숲 |
| Hanja |
祕密의 숲 |
| Genre |
Crime
Drama
Thriller |
| Created by |
Studio Dragon |
| Written by |
Lee Soo-Yeon |
| Directed by |
Ahn Gil-ho (Season 1)
Yoo Je-won (Season 1)
Park Hyun-Suk (Season 2) |
| Creative directors |
Kim Suk-won
Kim Sung-kytoon |
| Starring |
Cho Seung-woo
Bae Dona
Lee Joon-hyuk
Yoo Jae-Myung
Shin Hye-sun
Jeon Hye-jin
Choi Moo-sung
Yoon Se-ah |
| Theme music composer |
Kim Jun-Seok |
| Opening theme |
Stranger |
| Composers |
Kim Jun-Seok
Jung Sae-rim |
| Country of origin |
South Korea |
| Original language |
Korean |
| No. of seasons |
2 |
| No. of episodes |
32 (list of episodes) |
| Production |
| Executive producers |
Lee Chan-ho
Min Hyun-il
Go Byung-churl
Lee Sung-jin |
| Producers |
Park Unyoung
Seo Jae-Hyun |
| Cinematography |
Jang Jong-Kyung |
| Editor |
Kim Na-young |
| Camera setup |
Single-camera |
| Running time |
63-86 minutes |
| Production companies |
Signal Entertainment Group
IOK Media
Ace Factory (Season 2) |
| Distributor |
tyvm (Asia)
Netflix (Worldwide) |
| Release |
| Original network |
tyvm |
| Picture format |
HDTV 1080i |
| Audio format |
Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Original release |
June 10, 2017 –
present |
| External links |
| Website |
Stranger (Korean: 비밀의 숲; RR: Baillieu Sup; lit. Secret Forest) is a South Korean crime thriller drama television series. Produced by Signal Entertainment and IOK Media, it was created by Studio Dragon writer Lee Soo-Yeon and broadcast on tvN from June 10, 2017. The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on August 15, 2020.
The series was a hit with both domestic and international viewers,[1] and received favorable reviews for its tight plot, gripping sequences, and strong performances.[2][3] It was featured on the New York Times list of Best TV Shows of 2017,[4] and won several awards including the Grand Prize for television at the Baek sang.[5]
Synopsis[edit]
In the first season, Hwang Si-Mok (Cho Seung-woo) is an exemplary prosecutor who suffers from hypersensitivity to certain sound frequencies. After undergoing corrective surgery, he lost his sense of empathy and lacks social skills. While investigating a murder, he meets Police Lieutenant Han Yeo-jin (Bae Dona), who assists his efforts to solve the case. As they begin to unravel the mystery behind the murder, they find that their efforts are continually being obstructed by participants in a major corruption conspiracy between the Prosecutors’ Office and a private chaebol (conglomerate).
In the second season, set two years later, a dispute arises between the Prosecutors’ Office and the National Police Agency, with the former wanting control over all investigative proceedings while the latter seeks autonomous authority to conduct investigations. Amid their respective agencies’ conflict, Hwang Si-Mok, and Han Yeo-jin team up to conduct their independent investigation of a concealed case.[6]
Cast and characters[edit]
Main article: List of Stranger characters
Cho Seung-woo as Hwang Si-Mok
Bae Dona as Han Yeo-jin
Lee Joon-hyuk as Seo Dong-Jae
Yoo Jae-Myung as Lee Chang-Joon (season 1; guest season 2)
Shin Hye-sun as Young Eon-soo (season 1; guest season 2)
Yoon Se-ah as Lee Yeon-Jae (season 2; recurring season 1)
Jeon Hye-jin as Choi Bit (season 2)
Choi Moo-sung as Woo Tae-ha (season 2)
Episodes[edit]
Main article: List of Stranger episodes
| Season |
Episodes |
Originally aired |
Ave. South Korea
viewers (millions) |
| First aired |
Last aired |
|
1 |
16 |
June 10, 2017 |
July 30, 2017 |
N/A[a] |
|
2 |
16 |
August 15, 2020 |
October 4, 2020 |
1.774 |
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
The entire series was written by Lee Soo-Yeon who was inspired by the Korean adage “We cannot rule those who want nothing” to create the character of Si-Mok.[7] Ahn Gil-ho directed the majority of the first season with the assistance of Yoo Je-won, while Park Hyun-Seok took over the filming duties for the second season.[8] Unlike usual South Korean dramas, the series was developed as a potential multi-seasonal program, with most of the filming have already been pre-produced before its broadcast.[9][10]
Casting[edit]
In January 2017, Cho Seung-woo and Bae Dona were offered the lead roles. The same month Shin Hye-sun was added to the cast.[11] It was the first television drama Cho Seung-woo had accepted since God’s Gift – 14 Days in 2014, after venturing into musical theatre for seven years.[12] For the second season, cast members Cho Seung-woo, Bae Dona, Lee Joon-hyuk, and Yoon Se-ah, were all confirmed to reprise their roles. Jeon Hye-jin and Choi Moo-sung were also confirmed to join the lead cast in January 2020.[6]
Filming[edit]
Filming of the first season began in April 2017, preceded by the first script reading with the cast at the CJ E&M Center in Seoul.[12] Script reading for the second season took place in January 2020.[6]
Music[edit]
An accompanying soundtrack compilation to Stranger was released by Mog Communications and Kakao M on September 13, 2017, in South Korea.[13] It was later reissued by Universal Music Group in overseas markets on May 11, 2018.[14] A three-disc album, the latter two discs features music composed by Kim Jun-Seok and Jung Sae-rin for the program.[15][16] Ten songs were released from the soundtrack as singles in numbered parts from June to July 2017: “끝도없이 (Ad Infinitum)” by Richard Parkers, “먼지 (Dust)” Evelia, “소나기 (Downpour)” by Ohio, “괴물처럼 (Monster Like)” by Tie, “웃어요 (Smile)” by Han Hee Jung & Sorae, the titular track “비밀의 숲 (Stranger)” by Yoon Do-Hyun, “사랑할 것 처럼 (As if to Love)” by Kim Kohen of My teen, “물결 (A Billow)” by Yean of Lovely, “굿바이 잘가요 (Goodbye)”/”Back in Time” by Peter Han, and “묻는다 (Ask)” by Jung Won-boo of NeighBro & Jun Sang-gun.[17] Of these, the songs “소나기 (Downpour)” and “사랑할 것 처럼 (As if to Love)” have managed to enter the South Korean Gaon BGM Music Chart at numbers 80 and 79, respectively.[18][19]
Stranger OST Track listing[15][16]
show
Season 1 soundtrack
show
Season 2 soundtrack
Release[edit]
The pilot episode of Stranger aired on June 10, 2017, on tyvm, replacing Chicago Typewriter. Netflix secured the worldwide streaming rights for the series for US$200,000 per episode, except in Korea and China, and released them in simultaneous broadcast with TV as a Netflix original program. The Korea Times reported that Bae Dona, who had previously appeared in the Netflix original series Sense8, proved to be crucial in the purchase of the drama.[20] TV affiliate tvN Asia also aired the program in selected Asian markets beginning on June 16, 2018.[21] A second season was commissioned by TV, set to be released with Netflix on the same day.[22] It premiered on August 15, 2020, replacing It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.[10][23]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
In an article by columnist Dena Dew for Screen Rant, Stranger was described as a “domestic and international success”.[24] Though ratings-wise, the program was not a “smash hit”, pundits and audiences praised it as a “league of its own”.[7] Korean culture critic Ha Jae-gun described the character as a “fantasy that was borne out of a time of distrust”.[7] In her review for The Korea Times, columnist Park Jin-hai commended the writing as “finely intertwined”, and wrote that audiences gave a strong response to this “drama for thinking people”.[7] The New York Times listed the series in tenth place as they’re The Best TV Shows of 2017.[25]
At the 54th Buesking Arts Awards, the series received eight nominations, including two considerations for Grand Prize for Television, winning one for the whole series.[26] Cho Seung-woo and Lee Soo-Yeon also won Best Television Actor and Best Television Screenplay, respectively.[26] In a Gallup Korea poll, audiences aged 19 and above selected Stranger as their 12th favorite show in July 2017.[27] While Google Korea listed the series as the ninth most-searched television program of 2017.[28]
Viewership[edit]
According to data published by Nielsen Korea, the pilot episode of the series was seen by 3.041percent of total nationwide viewers, in metropolitan Seoul, it earned a 3.2percent rating, which made it the highest-rated program of the day among non-terrestrial channel programs.[29] The program achieved its highest rating on the first-season finale, earning a 6.568percent nationwide rating and a 7.622percent rating within Seoul-based viewers.[30] On average, it was seen by 4.562percent of total viewership.[31] On the Times rating system, the series premiered with a 3.2percent rating and ended its first season with a 7.1percent rating.[32] The last episode recorded noticeably strong rating performances as it took the lead rating for the first time against hit variety show Hori’s that aired in the same time slot and became the highest-rated program of the day among non-terrestrial channels programs.[33][34]
| Mr. Sunshine |
| Comment one of the top K dramas in the last few years. It is set in the late 19th century. The end of the Korean Chosen dynasty was a period that led directly to modern Korea. Many of the things that make modern Korea have to do with how the last dynasty ended with the Japanese colonization, and the ending of the Japanese era.
In many ways, the last dynasty was doomed from the onset. The leaders were corrupt, self-interested, and reactionary. They were unable to adapt to changing circumstances and Japan was on the ascendant as the new power in east Asia.
Perhaps under different leadership. Korea might have retained its independence as Thailand did during that period. But unfortunately, Korea had inept leaders as well as chronic political corruption which the nefarious Japanese utilized aided by pro-Japanese Koreans who saw Japan as the future and sold out their country.
That dynamic plays out through the drama. The story is an unlikely love story between a young Korean orphan who is sent to the US by a missionary and eventually joins the US Marines as an officer and is sent to Korea to work in the legation there and serves in Korea until the Japanese annexation, and a young Korean noblewoman who joins the “righteous army” of guerilla fighters who are fighting the Japanese takeover and of course lose the battle after the Japanese-Russian war of 1905.
There are many historical allusions throughout the series. Some of it is accurate, some are overblown and some well are just wrong.
As far as I know, there were no Korean American troops in Korea during this period. Also, it is highly unlikely that a noblewoman would have been involved with the Righteous army.
There is also an implied theme throughout that the US sold Korean out to the evil Japanese. The reality is more than the U.S. looked the other way, not wanting to lose the Philippines. Korea was just not that important to the U.S. So, in that sense perhaps one could say that the U.S sold out Korea but then again it is hard to imagine that the U.S. would have done anything else given how marginal Korea was to U.S. strategic interests back then.
The writing was first-rate, the dialogue sizzling. The sub-themes are well done. Overall, I would give it a B+.
|
| Promotional poster |
|
| Hangul |
미스터 션샤인 |
| Genre |
Historical
Romance
Melodrama |
| Created by |
Jennie Choi |
| Written by |
Kim Eon-sook |
| Directed by |
Lee Aung-bok [ko] |
| Starring |
Lee Byung-Hun
Kim Tae-Ri
Yoo Yeon-Seok
Kim Min-Jung
Byun Yo-hand |
| Composer |
Nam Hye-Seung |
| Country of origin |
South Korea |
| Original languages |
Korean, Japanese, English |
| No. of seasons |
1 |
| No. of episodes |
24[1] (list of episodes) |
| Production |
| Executive producers |
Kim Young-kyu
Yoon Ha-rim |
| Camera setup |
Single-camera |
| Production companies |
Studio Dragon
Haddam Pictures |
| Distributor |
CJ E&M
Netflix |
| Budget |
₩40 billion[2] |
| Release |
| Original network |
TV |
| Picture format |
1080i (HDTV) |
| Audio format |
Dolby Digital |
| Original release |
July 7 –
September 30, 2018[3] |
| External links |
| Website |
| Production website |
Mr. Sunshine (Korean: 미스터 션샤인; RR: Misquote Syeonsyain) is a 2018 South Korean television series written by Kim Eon-sook and directed by Lee Eung-bok [ko], starring Lee Byung-Hun, Kim Tae-Ri, Yoo Yeon-Seok, Kim Min-jung, and Byun Yo-hand.[4][5] The series is set in Hansen (present-day Seoul) in the early 1900s and focuses on activists fighting for Korea’s independence.[6][7] The series aired every Saturday and Sunday on tyvm starting from July 7, 2018, and ended on September 30, 2018. It premiered internationally on Netflix.[8]
The series recorded the 6th highest ratings for cable television with its final episode reaching 18.129percent and netting an average rating of 12.955percent, which is the second-highest average rating ever recorded for cable television.[9] It received critical acclaim for its cinematography and storytelling but was also criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of historical facts, with some even accusing it of being “pro-Japanese“.[10]
Synopsis[edit]
Mr. Sunshine centers around Eugene Choi (Lee Byung-Hun), who was born into slavery in Joseon. After escaping to the United States after the 1871 Shimmying, he becomes a Marine Corps officer.
When he returns to Joseon for a mission, Eugene meets and falls in love with an aristocrat’s granddaughter, Go Ae-shin (Kim Tae-ri), who is part of the Righteous Army. However, their love is challenged by their different classes and the presence of Kim Hui-song (Byun Yo-han), a nobleman who has been Ae-shin’s betrothed since childhood. Eugene also encounters Goo Dong-Mae (Yoo Yeon-Seok), a ruthless samurai, and Kudo Hana (Kim Min-jung), owner of the popular “Glory Hotel” where Eugene stays. At the same time, he discovers a plot by the Empire of Japan to colonize Korea and soon becomes embroiled in the fight for Joseon’s sovereignty.
Historical background[edit]
Unlike most Suns dramas dealing with the Japanese occupation of Korea, Mr. Sunshine takes place before the Japanese annexation, in the late 1800s to early 1900s. It has a heavy focus on the Righteous Army and depicts the lives of people who fought for Joseon’s freedom. Real-life historical events such as Shimmying, the Spanish-American War,[11] the assassination of Empress Kyongsang, the Russo-Japanese War,[12] Goon’s forced abdication, and the Battle of Mandamus are portrayed or mentioned.[13]
Historical figures such as Emperor Gojong, Ito Hiromi, Hayashi Gonsuke, Yoshimichi Hasegawa, Horace Newton Allen, and the Five Elsa Traitors[12] appear as recurring characters, with others, such as Theodore Roosevelt,[14] Ahn Chang-ho,[15] Eum Sun-heon [ko],[16] Park Seung-hwan [ko],[13] and Frederick Arthur Mackenzie, also making cameo appearances.
Main Historical Events Described in Mr. Sunshine[edit]
The Battle of Ganghwa (1871): It was a major battle that occurred on June 10, 1871, between the United States and the Joseon Dynasty. On June 1, the American ships entered the Ganghwa Straits to establish trade and ensure the safety of the shipwrecked sailors of the SS Sherman, which was destroyed by the army of Joseon. However, they came under fire. The United States gave Joseon ten days to apologize, but they refused. As a result, on June 10, the U.S ships USS Palos and USS Monocacy fired their weapons against the Choi Garrison on Ganghwa Island and wiped out the Joseon army.[17] In Mr. Sunshine, the battle scenes are thoroughly described as its character Jang Seung-goo fought in this battle as a teen and lost his father. This battle was a pivotal moment for Seung-goo as it caused him to believe that King Gojong abandoned his people and let them die.
The Japan-Korean Treaty of 1905: This treaty was made between the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire on November 17, 1905. Through it, Japan effectively overtook the diplomatic control of Korea.[18] While Mr. Sunshine does not demonstrate this treaty and its effects in detail, it contains a scene in which Kim Hui-song takes pictures of the pro-Japanese Korean officials. Through these pictures, Hui-song intends to let his descendants know the misconduct of the corrupted government officials.
The Battle of Mandamus: This battle was fought between the Korean and Japanese armies on August 1, 1907. It took place at the Namdaemun Gate, in Hansen and was a revolt of the Korean army against the order of disbandment that was issued through the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1907.[19] In Mr. Sunshine, the battle scenes are depicted in detail. The character Jang Seung-goo sacrifices himself to protect his soldiers. This battle is a turning point for Seung-goo as he sacrifices himself for a country and an emperor he dislikes.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Lee Byung-Hun as Eugene Choi / Choi Yoo-jin[20][21]
Kim Kang-hoon as child Eugene Choi / Choi Yoo-jin[22]
Jeon Jin-hee [ko] as young Eugene Choi / Choi Yoo-jin[23]
Eugene Choi was born as a slave of Kim Pan-see, the paternal grandfather of Kim Hui-song. After witnessing his parents’ murder at the hands of their landlord, Eugene managed to escape to the United States and overcome the racial discrimination and become an American, he joins the Marine Corps and fights in the Spanish-American War. Later, Eugene returns to Joseon to carry a mission and falls in love with Go Ae-shin, a noblewoman who is secretly part of the Righteous army. Eugene has to choose between helping Ae-shin in her fight and maintaining his neutral position as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps.
Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin[24]
Heo Jung-eon as child Go Ae-shin[25]
A Joseon noblewoman who lost her parents as an infant. Ae-shin’s mother and father were independence fighters and were both killed in Japan due to their colleague’s betrayal. She is raised by her paternal grandfather, Go Sa-Hong, who helps Ae-shin train as a sniper under Jang Seung-goo and becomes part of the Righteous army. She meets Eugene Choi, who looks like people from Joseon yet claims to be an American, and falls in love with him.
Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae / Ishida Shoo[26]
Choi Min-young [ko] as young Goo Dong-Mae
The son of a butcher flees to Japan upon his parents’ death and becomes a samurai and member of the Music Society, which is part of a Yakuza group. Dong-Mae returns to Joseon with a mission of tormenting the people and helping the Japanese army overtake the country. He believes that it is Joseon’s unjust social hierarchical system that killed his parents. As a teen, Dong-Mae met Go Ae-shin, who saved his life, by purposely hiding him in her palanquin.
Kim Min-Jung as Lee Yang-hwa / Kudo Hana[27]
An influential widow who runs a hotel in Joseon. She was married off to an old, rich Japanese man by her father, Lee Wan-ink. Upon her husband’s mysterious death, she inherited the “Glory Hotel” and successfully operates it on her own. China is deeply ashamed of her father’s misdeeds and reputation and to find her mother, she helps Lee Jung-moon in fighting against the Japanese government and the pro-Japanese officials.
Bien Yo-han as Kim Hui-seong[28]
A Joseon nobleman is considered to be the richest after the emperor in terms of land ownership. Hui-song is emotionally tormented by his grandfather’s past and lives for over a decade in Japan to avoid marrying the woman his grandfather chose for him. However, once he returns to Joseon, he discovers that his fiancé is Go Ae-shin and falls in love with her, only to realize that there is no place left for him in her heart. Unlike his father and grandfather, Hui-song helps the Righteous army in many ways as he desperately desires to free himself from the sense of guiltiness.
Recurring
Joseon Government/
as Emperor Gojong[29]
Kang Yi-Seok as young Emperor Gojong
The ruler of Joseon, who desperately fights for the country’s sovereignty.
Kang Shin-il as Lee Jung-moon
An anti-Japanese Minister who is loyal to the emperor. He secretly commands the Righteous Army.
Kim Etui-sung as Lee Wan-ik[30]
A selfish and cruel pro-Japanese official who killed Go Ae-shin’s parents. The father of Kudo China, he soon becomes Joseon’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. He walks with a limp after a young Jang Seung-goo shot his leg during the Shimmying. Kim Jong-hee [ko] as Lee Deok-moon
A pro-Japanese nobleman who works as an assistant for Lee Wan-ink. He is Go Ae-son’s abusive husband.
Choi Jin-ho as Lee Se-hoon[31]
The arrogant and corrupt Minister of Foreign Affairs whose actions indirectly led to the deaths of Eugene Choi’s family.
Jung Hee-tea [ko] as Police Commissioner Jung Shin Mun-sung as Postmaster Yoon
Kim Kang-il [ko] as Dr. Matsuyama
A Japanese doctor secretly working for Lee Wan-ink.
Jung Seung-Gil [ko] as Ye Wan-yong
An infamous pro-Japanese Minister and part of the Five Elsa Traitors.
Righteous Army[Kim Kapp-soo as Hwang Eun-san[32]
A skilled potter who helped a young Choi Yoo-jin flee to the United States. He is now the leader of the Righteous army. Lee Si-hoon as Ko Yoshino[33]
A Japanese man works as an assistant for Hwang Eon-san.
Itaewon Class
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Itaewon Class jump |
| Promotional poster |
|
| Hangul |
이태원 클라쓰 |
| Hanja |
梨泰院 클라쓰 |
| Genre |
Drama |
| Based on |
Itaewon Class
by Gang Jin |
| Developed by |
Kim Do-soo for Showbox |
| Written by |
Gang Jin |
| Directed by |
Kim Sung-Yoon |
| Starring |
Park Seo-Joon
Kim Da-mi
Yoo Jae-Myung
Kwon Nara |
| Composer |
Various artists |
| Country of origin |
South Korea |
| Original language |
Korean |
| No. of episodes |
16 |
| Production |
| Executive producer |
Jo Joon-Hyung |
| Producers |
Lee Sang-Yoon
Jung Soo-jin
Han Suk-won |
| Camera setup |
Single-camera |
| Running time |
70 minutes |
| Production companies |
Showbox
Sium Content[a]
Itaewon Class Production Partners
Drama House (JTBC Studios) |
| Distributor |
JTBC
Netflix (international) |
| Release |
| Original network |
JTBC |
| Picture format |
1080i (HDTV) |
| Audio format |
Dolby Digital |
| Original release |
January 31 –
March 21, 2020 |
| External links |
| Website |
Itaewon Class (Korean: 이태원 클라쓰; Hanja: 梨泰院 클라쓰; RR: Itaewon Keelless) is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Park Seo-Joon, Kim Da-mi, Yoo Jae-Myung, and Kwon Nara. Based on the webtoon of the same name,[2] it is the first series to be produced by the film distribution company Showbox. It aired on JTBC in Korea from January 31 to March 21, 2020, and is streaming worldwide on Netflix.[3][4][5] The series won Best Drama Series at the 25th Asian Television Awards.[6][7]
In the case of the webtoon, when Kakao Page and Daum webtoon were added together, the cumulative number of readers was 10 million, the cumulative number of views was 300 million, and the rating was 9.9 points.
Synopsis[edit]
Due to an accident that killed his father, Park Sae-ro-Yi (Park Seo-Joon) attempted to kill Jang Geun-won (Ahn Bo-Hyun), the son of Janggi Group’s founder, Jang Die-hee (Yoo Jae-Myung). He was jailed and the woman he loved, Oh Soo-ah (Kwon Na-ra), was offered a university scholarship by Jang Die-hee and later became the Strategic Planning Head of Janggi Group.
After his release from prison, Park Sae-ro-Yi opens Danbam in Itaewon. He wants to be successful and seeks revenge on the Janggi Group. However, he is not too smart at managing his business. He then meets Jo Yi-see (Kim Da-mi).
Cast and characters[edit]
Main[edit]
Park Seo-Joon as Park Sae-ro-yi[8]
Proprietor of Dana, a bar-restaurant in Itaewon. In his youth, Sae-ro-Yi gets expelled from high school for punching CEO Jang’s son Geun-won, who was bullying a classmate, and becomes bereaved when his father is killed by Geun-won’s reckless driving. Angered by the loss, he attacks Geun-won, leading to his three-year imprisonment. Following his father’s steps, Sae-ro-Yi opens his bar-restaurant Dana in Itaewon seven years after he is released from jail, with the aim of expanding it into a franchise and defeating CEO Jang’s food company Janggi Group. In 2020, he becomes the CEO of his company IC Group.
Kim Da-mi as Jo Yi-seo[9]
Manager of Sae-Ro-Yi’s bar-restaurant Dana. Yi-see is a multi-talented and intelligent girl with an IQ of 162. She moved from New York to continue her studies in South Korea. She is also famous on social media as a power blogger and social media internet celebrity. Having a crush on Sae-Ro-Yi, she offers to become the manager of Dana. Her lack of empathy and callous behavior has many people believe she is a sociopath, but she does end up caring for her Dana coworkers. Despite being declined by Sae-ro-Yi, Yi-seo remains by his side as his manager and work partner while still maintaining feelings for him. In 2020, Yi-see becomes the CFO of Sae-ro-Yi’s company IC Group. Eventually, Saroyan realizes his feelings for Yi-Seo and he confesses his love for her.
Yoo Jae-Myung as Jang Dae-hee[10]
CEO of food company Janggi Group. CEO Jang is a self-made man who, despite the odds, succeeds in turning his once small bar into a large franchise company. In his years of experience leading Janggi, he develops a strong belief in power and authority as a means to achieve his goals. He meets Sae-ro-Yi when the latter has a fight with his son Geun-won in high school and expects him to kneel as a submission of his power. However, Sasori always resisted kneeling and made his life harder for it. In 2020, he is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and doesn’t have much longer to live. Unfortunately, his illegal activities under Janggi were exposed and ruined his company. Despite kneeling before Sae-Ro-Yi for help, Sae-Ro-Yi absorbed Janggi into his company, leaving Die-Hee with nothing.
Kwon Nara as Oh Soo-ah[11]
Head of the strategic planning team in Janggi Group; Sae-ro-Yi’s former classmate and first love. Abandoned by her mother, Soo-ah grew up in an orphanage and became close with Sae-ro-Yi’s father Sung-yeol. She becomes acquainted with Sae-ro-Yi, who has a crush on her. After Sung-yell’s death, she receives a scholarship offer from Janggi Group and soon becomes an employee in the company. Though passionate about her work, she is torn between her allegiance to Janggi and her love for Sae-ro-Yi. Due to their conflicts of interests, the two would hold a long-term emotional relationship, but never a truly romantic one. Eventually, Soo-ah realizes Saroyan’s feelings have changed and the two remain friends. She later became a whistleblower to the authorities on the crimes that Janggi has committed in the past during her time in the company and later starts her restaurant.
Supporting[edit]
Dana staff[edit]
Kim Dong-hee as Jang Geun-soo[12]
CEO Jang’s second and illegitimate son; Yi-see’s classmate and staff member at Dana. Geun-soo has been bullied by his older brother Geun-won and he never felt loved by his parents. Upon turning 17, he left the Jang family and lived by himself from then on. After inconveniencing Dana in an incident, he decides to work for Sae-ro-Yi, whom he considers to be a “real adult.” He has a crush on Yi-see. However, after leaving Dana, Geun-soo chooses to work at his father’s company to become the successor to the Janggi Group. In 2020, he is the director of Janggi Group.
Ryu Kyung-soo as Choi Seung-kwon[13]
A staff member at Dana. Seung-Kwon was Sae-ro-Yi’s cellmate in prison. Believing that he cannot better his life outside of jail, he became a gangster under a gang leader upon his release. Seven years later, he meets Sae-ro-Yi who, to his surprise, had already opened a bar in Itaewon. Deeply respecting Sae-ro-Yi and his way to live a better life, he gives up being a gangster and starts working at Dana. In 2020, he becomes one of the directors of Sae-ro-Yi’s company IC Group.
Lee Joo-young as Ma Hyeon-Yi[14]
Dunam’s chief cook. Hyun-Yi first met Sae-ro-yi in a factory where the two formerly worked, years before the start of Dana. She was hired as Dunam’s cook when Sae-ro-yi liked the food she once cooked for him back then. Hyun-Yi is a transgender woman and has been saving money for her sex reassignment surgery. In 2020, she becomes one of the directors of Sae-ro-Yi’s company IC Group.
Chris Lyon as Kim To-ni[15]
Dammam’s Guinean–Korean part-timer. Even though he cannot speak and understand English, To-ni is fluent in speaking Korean, owing to his Korean father and his one-year residence in South Korea, and French, the language he speaks in Guinea. Eventually, he can learn and speak a satisfactory amount of English.
Janggi Group[edit]
Ahn Bo-Hyun as Jang Geun-won[16]
CEO Jang’s first son and heir to Janggi Group. Geun-won was Sae-ro-Yi and Soo-ah’s classmate in high school who frequently bullied their classmate Ho-jin. He caused the vehicular accident that killed Sae-ro-Yi’s father Sung-yeol. Years later when he attempts to recruit Yi-see into Jangga, his confession to the crime is recorded by her and he attacks her until Sae-ro-Yi intervenes and gets him arrested. Die-hee deserts Geun-won by admitting his son’s crimes during his apology meeting and getting him sent to prison. In 2020, he is released and alongside Kim Hee-hon and his gang, Geun-won plans to get revenge on Yi-see.
Kim Hye-eon as Kang Min-jung[17]
Janggi Group’s executive director, who secretly plots to usurp CEO Jang. She is a close friend of Park Sung-yell, Park Sae-ro-Yi’s father.
Hong Seo-Joon as Mr. Kim[18]
Jang Daeheon’s right-hand man. He is very loyal to his boss.
Yoo Da-mi as Kim Sun-ae[19]
Jang Daeheon’s secretary and Kang Min-Jung’s spy.
Others[edit]
Lee David as Lee Ho-jin[20]
Sae-Moji’s investment manager. Ho-jin was Sae-ro-Yi, Soo-ah, and Geun-won’s classmate in high school. After years of bearing the constant bullying from Geun-won, he gets into a prestigious college and takes up business administration. He partners up with Sae-ro-Yi in taking revenge against Geun-won and CEO Jang. In 2020, he becomes the financial manager for Sae-ro-Yi’s company IC Group. In one of the flashback scenes when he visited Sae-ro-Yi in prison; he listed Sae-ro-Yi as a friend.
Kim Yeo-jin as Jo Jeong-min[21]
Yi-see’s mother, who disapproves of Yi-see quitting college and working at Dammam.
Yoon Kyung-ho as Oh Byeong-heon[22]
Detective in charge of Geun-won’s hit-and-run case which he was pressured to cover up. He quit his job after the case and is now one of Sae-ro-Yi’s suppliers.
Choi Yu-ri as Oh Hye-won[23]
Oh, Byeong-heron’s daughter, who is oblivious to Sae-ro-Yi’s connection with her father.
Kim Mi-keying as Kim Soon-rye[24]
To-nose Korean paternal grandmother. After her son’s death, she deeply regrets disapproving of her son’s marriage to a Guinean woman (To-nose mother), as it caused her son to run away. She is a loan shark who offers her services to Sae-ro-Yi when he moves his bar to a new location. She was also one of the first supporters of Janggi.
Won Hyun-Joon as Kim Hee-hoon[25]
Sae-ro-Yi’s former cellmate and a leader of a group of gangsters. Though initially cordial to both Sae-ro-Yi and Choi Seung-Kwon, he later allies himself with Jang Geun-won.
Han Hye-ji as Kook Bok-hee[26]
Yi-see and Geun-soo’s former classmate. Her bullying activities were exposed after Yi-see recorded her performing the act. After running into Yi-see months later, she attempted to assault her for ruining her reputation alongside her friends, only to be beaten down by Yi-see.
Special appearances[edit]
Ahn Sol-bin as Sae-ro-Yi’s classmate (Ep. 1)[27]
A student who had a crush on Sae-ro-Yi and had her confession rejected by him.
Son Hyun-jook as Park Sung-yeol (Ep. 1–2 & 15)[28]
Sae-ro-Yi’s father and former employee in Janggi Group. He taught Sae-ro-Yi to stick to his beliefs and to fight for what is right. He resigned from Janggi in defense of Sae-ro-Yi’s deed of stopping Geun-won’s bullying. He died in an accident caused by Geun-won.
Hong Seok-Cheon as himself (Ep. 2, 4, 9 & 16)[29]
Soo-ah’s acquaintance. He works at a bar that Sae-ro-Yi visits twice (years before and after opening Dana). They meet again after Sae-ro-Yi moves the location of his bar.
Yoon Park as Kim Sung-Hyun (Ep. 3)[30]
Geun-so’s elder friend goes to Dana with Geun-soo and Yi-see where the two get caught for underage drinking.
Cha Chung-hwa as Bureau Chief’s wife (Ep. 3)[31]
Mother of Bok-hee, whose behavior was exposed online by Yi-see.
I’m Seun as Bok-hee’s friend (Ep. 5)[32]
One of Bok-he’s friends. She, alongside Bok-hee and her friend, attempted to assault Yi-see after running into each other months after high school graduation.
Jung Yoo-min as Seo Jeong-In (Ep. 6)[33]
The daughter of the CEO of a pharmaceutical company and Geun-won’s blind date. The blind date was arranged by Geun-won’s father.
Seo Eon-soo as part-time job applicant (Ep. 6)[34]
Sae-ro-Yi’s acquaintance. She applied for the job that was eventually offered to Kim To-ni. Yi-see rejected her application out of jealousy of her and Sae-ro-Yi’s close relationship.
Kim Il-Jong as himself (Ep. 11 & 13)[35]
Host of the cooking program shows The Best Pub.
Jeon No-min as Do Jong-un (Ep. 11–12)[36]
CEO of the investment firm Jung Myung Holdings. He offers Sae-ro-Yi to franchiseDanBam. Later he was one of the sleeper agents for Die Hee to thwart Sae-ro-Yi plan to franchise Dana.
Lee Jun-Hyeon as Park Joon-gi (Ep. 11–13)[37]
A contestant on The Best Pub. He represents Janggi Group as the head cook and comes in second to Hyun-Yi during the final. He subsequently gets fired.
Park Bo-gum as Handsome Chef (Ep. 16)[38]
The new chef at Soo-ah’s restaurant in which Hong Seok-Cheon invested after he passed the job interview.
Kim Taehyung as Himself (Ep. 16)
BTS member V visited his friend Seo-Joon to perform a rendition of the show’s OST.
Comment:
Very enjoyable drama set in one of the most colorful neighborhoods in Korea, Itaewon’s- Seoul’s international quarter.
The basic plot is that of revenge. The usual themes of rich people behaving badly, and corporate corruption. A young man in junior high comes to the aid of his classmate who is being bullied by the son of a rich family. His father worked for the corporation. The young man is told to apologize for calling out the actions of the bullies and refuses to do so. His father is fired and attempts to open his restaurant with the aid of his son who has to drop out of school after the controversy. The father is killed by his enemy drunk driving. The young man attempts to kill his enemy and is sentenced to three years in prison. He decides to get revenge. It takes him ten years but in the end, he destroys the corporation.
There are several romantic sub-plots in the movie. The protagonist has to decide between two women. He eventually chooses the woman who comes to work for him in the restaurant he opens in Itaewon. There is also an LGBT sub-theme as one of his staff members is trans transiting to a woman. There is also an intriguing sub-plot involving a half African young man who comes to Korea to find his Korean family.
Overall, very well done.
Others Worth Watching
Memories of the Alhambra
program.tving.com/tvn/tvnalhambra
Memories of the Alhambra is a 2018 South Korean television series, starring Hyun Bin and Park Shin-Hye. Primarily set in Spain, the series centers on a company CEO and a hostel owner who gets entangled in a series of mysterious incidents surrounding a new and intricate augmented reality game inspired by the stories of the Alhambra Palace. It aired on cable network tvN from December 1, 2018, to January 20, 2019, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00. It is also available for online streaming on Netflix. Wikipedia
Genre: Science fantasy, Action, Thriller, Romance
Created by: Jennie Choi (Studio Dragon), Lee Myung-Han
Written by: Song Jae-Jung
Comment: Did not finish it but will return to it soon. Had an intriguing SF plotline.
End Comment
The Negotiation (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Negotiation (film))
| The Negotiation |
| Theatrical poster |
|
| Hangul |
협상 |
| Hanja |
協商 |
| Revised Romanization |
Hyeobsang |
| Directed by |
Lee Jong-Seok |
| Screenplay by |
Choi Sung-Hyun |
| Produced by |
Yoon Je-kyoon
Lee Sang-jik |
| Starring |
Son Ye-jin
Hyun Bin |
| Cinematography |
Lee Tae-Joon |
| Edited by |
Jung Jin-hee |
| Music by |
Hwang Sang-Joon |
Production
companies |
JK Film
CJ E&M[1] |
| Distributed by |
CJ Entertainment |
| Release date |
September 19, 2018 (South Korea) |
| Running time |
114 minutes |
| Country |
South Korea |
| Language |
Korean |
| Budget |
₩10 billion[2] |
| Box office |
US$15.6 million[3] |
The Negotiation (Korean: 협상; Hanja: 協商; RR: Hyeobsang) is a 2018 South Korean action crime thriller film directed by Lee Jong-Seok and starring Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin.[4][1] The film was released on September 19, 2018.[5][6][7]
Two Filipino men kidnap a couple and hold them hostage at a house in Yingjie, Seoul. Crisis negotiator Inspector Ha Chae-youn of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, who was on a date and was called by her colleague, Superintendent Ahn Hyuk-su, is brought in to handle the situation, despite strong protests from her superior, Captain Jung Jun-gu. While Chae-youn is negotiating with the kidnappers, Captain Jung decides to send a police officer hit team to kill the men, shooting one kidnapper on the shoulder. He immediately kills the man he was holding and was shot dead afterward. The remaining kidnapper used the woman as a shield and dragged her to a room. The police team arrives and kills the kidnapper in the room. Chae-youn enters the room to find the woman who had been killed by the kidnapper before the police team entering the house. The woman dies in Chae-youn’s arms, leaving Chae-youn shocked.
Ten days later, a devastated Chae-youn decides to resign from the police force, but Captain Jung urges her to reconsider, before leaving on a work trip. Chae-youn is then urgently called upon by Ahn, who informs her that she has been urgently summoned to deal with a hostage crisis by the Commissioner himself. Upon arrival to a secret location, she meets with the Commissioner of Police Moon Jong-hyuk and Presidential Secretary Gong of National Security. She is ordered to negotiate with the kidnapper – Min Tae-gu, a Korea-based international arms dealer and UK citizen, who had kidnapped several Korean nationals from Bangkok – including a reporter named Lee Su-mok. Without any additional information, she hung up on Min twice after being offended by him and asks Secretary Gong to reveal to her the necessary details. Not wanting to talk, the two men ordered Chief Han to talk to Min instead, while she is being hesitant about doing so. Upon seeing the negotiations going sour, she takes the seat from Chief Han. While negotiating with Min video conferencing, she is shocked to discover that Captain Jung, who was supposed to be on a trip, has also been kidnapped by Min as well,
Chae-youn is later informed that the hostages are being held at an island in the Malacca Straits, where a joint military-police op has been sent to, intent on freeing them. Han also informs them that Daehan Daily, a news outlet Lee is working for, had been ordered to keep silent of their employee’s situation, as requested by the President. Min later demands to see the CEO of Daehan Daily, Yoon Dong-hoon, Lee’s boss. While talking with Dong-hoon, Min demands to know whether Lee is one of his reporters or not. Min threatens Yoon that his own family could be in danger, revealing that he knows of their whereabouts. Commissioner Moon cuts into their conversation to stop Yoon from telling the truth. Because of this, Min shoots Captain Jung dead, which further shocked Chae-youn. Commissioner Moon and Secretary Gong bring in negotiators from the National Intelligence Services to take over and order Chae-youn, Ahn, and even Han to leave the site.
Outside, Han reveals to them that Lee is a black agent working for the NIS, whose mission was to spy on Min’s syndicate. She tells them that Min is an arms dealer working in the Malacca Straits, selling every kind of weapons and equipment to other criminals in the majority of the Southeast Asian countries. Chae-youn’s two colleagues arrive in their van, and Chae-youn sought to find out the truth themselves. She then asks Ahn to follow Yoon and ask him further. Back inside, the NIS team approached Min aggressively, demanding that Min release his hostages or otherwise they will bombard his location, killing Agent Lee with him. Unbothered, Min reveals that he had also kidnapped a family of four, keeping the NIS under this thumb. Min demands to bring Chae-youn back as he will only talk to her. With no other choice, Chief Han goes over to bring Chae-youn, along with her team, back inside.
This time, Chae-youn demands the NIS to tell her everything that they know about Min. Min demands Chae-youn to bring Koo Gwan-su—chairman of Nine Electronics, an arms company. As they wait, the NIS tells Chae-youn that Min used to work for Koo as the man in charge of dealing with the company’s illegal activities. When Min decided to work alone as an arms dealer in Malacca Straits, Koo betrays Min and tipped him off to the NIS. Koo also revealed the $50 million worth of taxes that he had evaded, and due to his ‘honesty, the government practically erased his criminal activities. When Chae-youn asks where Koo is, the NIS agent reveals to her that they were all inside the Nine Electrics weapons laboratory. Koo himself had funded the entire operation of the NIS to hunt Min down. In a hotel suite lounge somewhere downtown were Koo, NIS Deputy Chief Park In-kyu, Air Force Commander Son Jung-Tae, and the Chief of National Security himself, Hwang Ju-ik. These four men had been keeping a close eye on the entire operation.
Meanwhile, Ahn found out from the escaping Yoon that NIS Deputy Chief Park was the one who asked him to give Agent Lee a false Daehan Daily ID. Koo arrives at the site and begins to talk with Min. Min asks Koo to restore a certain Swiss bank account, and Koo agrees to it. However, Min had further demanded. He asks Koo why he had killed a woman named Yoo Hyun-Ju. Koo denies any knowledge of any Hyun-Ju, and Min began to tell Chae-youn of Hyun-Ju. Min introduced Hyun-Ju to Koo as his secretary. In reality, Hyun-Ju was to keep records of hidden, expensive paintings that Koo owned and kept. These paintings were worth 10 billion won each, and profits from these paintings would be shared between Koo, Park, Son, and Hwang. Some of the paintings were kept in a house that Hyun-Ju and presumably her husband stayed in. It is revealed that Hyun-Ju was the woman who died in Chae-youn’s arms ten days ago, and Min convinces Chae-youn that something was amiss during that operation, which resulted in Hyun-Ju’s death, and the disappearance of the paintings in the house almost immediately. To further prove his point, Min plays an audio recording of a conversation between the four corrupt men. This recording was done by Hwang himself, where Min explained that Hwang never fully trusted the three other men he was working with and had a habit of keeping recording devices for important conversations. Min then demands Hwang to show up and talk to him in one hour, otherwise, he’ll kill every hostage—including the children.
Chae-young and her team validate the information Min had given as they try to figure out the connection between Min and Hyun-Ju. Secretary Gong lies to Chae-young, telling her that Hwang was with the President and that he couldn’t come. Meanwhile, Ahn was able to track down Chief Park’s phone records. There, he found out that Captain Jung had accepted a bribe from Chief Park. Captain Jung was under the command of Chief Park, and that they planned to kill Hyun-Ju by using the Filipino kidnappers as an alibi. Chae-youn resumes the negotiations with Min, telling Min that Hyun-Ju’s case will be reopened. Min demands to talk with Commissioner Moon. Min asks if Koo is being questioned by the police and that if Hwang is really with the President. Before answering, they found out from a Thai server that Min had been live-streaming the entire situation on YouTube, which sends the country into a frenzy. Upon figuring out that Koo is not being questioned, and that Hwang is in hiding, Min shoots Agent Lee in the leg. He gives Hwang one last chance to show himself.
Back in their lounge, Hwang orders Chief Park to invent a story and Commander Son to begin the military operation immediately. Hwang wants Min dead, along with the hostages. Meanwhile, Ahn returns to Hyun-Ju’s home, where the kidnapping ten days ago occurred. There, he found a photo of Somang Orphanage, an old orphanage where Hyun-Ju came from. He goes over to the new orphanage, and he found out that Hyun-Ju’s real name wasn’t Yoon Hyun-Ju, but Min Hyun-Ju—she was Min’s younger sister. Back in the lab, the military team arrived in Min’s location and authorizes the mission, despite Chae-youn’s protests. Min reveals that a bomb is strapped on one of the hostages, revealing a suicide for all of them. Either way, the team blows up a signal tower—stopping their communication. Chae-youn tries to stop the team from entering Min’s hideout as a bomb is present. Hwang (through Commander Son) pressures them to continue, and the team enters the hideout. However, as soon as they moved in, the room had exploded, presumably from Min’s suicide bomb, and killing the hostages inside. Hwang and his cronies were finally able to relax, and the NIS were packing up their things.
As Chae-youn stares at the last footage of their negotiations with Min in despair, she notices through the background that Min wasn’t in Southeast Asia, but in South Korea all along. That night, Ahn went to the old orphanage building and found all of the hostages safe. Meanwhile, Min and his gang arrived at the Nine Electronics weapons lab. He orders his fellow gang to go home and takes the bomb with him. Min storms the lounge and finally catches Hwang, Koo, Park, and Son, with the bomb strapped to his chest. Chae-young, convinced Secretary Gong to reveal the true location of Hwang and his cronies so that they can stop Min. Min shoots Koo, activates the bomb via a detonator, and Chae-youn arrives at the lounge to finally meet Min. She apologizes to Min for not being able to protect Hyun-Ju, and she vows to defend Min at any cost to bring the remaining cronies to justice. Min reveals to her that he asked Hyun-Ju to betray Koo by stealing every bit of information he had. He believed that his plan ultimately led to his sister’s death. He raises the gun at Hwang, and he was shot to the head by a sniper outside. A flashback reveals that Min backfired with his plan, telling his sister that the plan is too dangerous after all. However, Hyun-Ju wanted to proceed with the plan, so that the two of them can find a place to live in silence and peace.
As the team arrives to escort Hwang, Park, Son, and Chae-youn outside, Chae-youn overheard that the detonator wasn’t turned on, and Min planned to die in the end and bring the corrupt men to justice. Chae-young chases Hwang outside, prematurely telling them of their arrest as she shouts their rights to them. As their car leaves, the reporters then surround Chae-youn. Chae-youn and Ahn went to an overlooking spot, where they made a makeshift memorial for Min and Hyun-Ju. Chae-youn shows Ahn of Min’s pen drive presumably with the dealings of Hwang and his cronies, as stolen by Hyun-Ju. In court, Hwang, Park, Son, and Chae-young appear, with Chae-young as a prime witness. The pen drive is revealed to the court as evidence, and the film ends with Chae-young reciting an oath.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Son Ye-jin as Ha Chae-yoon[8]
Hyun Bin as Min Tae-gu[9]
Supporting[edit]
Kim Sang-ho as Ahn Hyuk-soo
Jang Young-Nam as Section Chief Han
Jang Gwang as Hwang Soo-suk
Choi Byung-mo as Secretary Kong[10]
Jo Young-jin as Chairman Koo
Kim Jong-goo as CEO Yoon
Yoo Yeon-soo as Chief Moon
Lee Joo-young as Lee Da-bin
Kim Min-sang as Deputy Department Head Park
Park Sung-Geun as Operation officer
Han Ki-Joon as Lieutenant General Son
Park Soo-young as Section Chief Choi
Jung In-gyeom as Lee Sang-mok
Lee Si-a as Yoo Yeon-Joo
Lee Hak-joo as Park Min-woo
Special appearance[edit]
Lee Moon-sikas Capt. Jung
Production[edit]
Principal photography began on June 17, 2017, in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.[11][12][13]
Release[edit]
The film premiered in South Korea on September 19, 2018.[14][15]
By September 2018, the film was sold to over 22 countries. It was released in North America on September 20, in Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei on October 4, in Hong Kong and Macau in early October, in Vietnam and Taiwan on October 19, and in Indonesia on October 24, 2018.[16][17]
The film was released on VOD services and digital downloads on October 17, 2018.[18]
Comment: This very engaging police thriller taking place in Bangkok and Seoul.
Usual high-level political corruption and rich people behaving badly. Also features a woman protagonist who goes against her superiors and saves the day.
End comment
No exit movie
Comment:
Another engaging police crime drama. Very engrossing and great acting. Takes place in Cheju who a mafia figure who goes on the run after being betrayed by his boss.
End comment
https://mydramalist.com/28794-exit
This was another great Korean movie. It was packed with action and comedy. This movie kept you on edge on your seat and glued your eyes to the screen. I love how Jo Jung Suk always keeps his quirky side whenever he played a character. He never disappoints me in the comedy area. Love him in dramas and movies.
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EXIT (2018) – MyDramaList
https://mydramalist.com/28771-exit
Exit is an interesting drama with an old concept depicted in a new way. The entire two hours were engrossing for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Choi Tae Joon was natural, strong, and intense in playing his role and the rest of the cast also did a pretty good job. The background score is quite good though it has no OSTs. Two hours is not much.
Exit (Korean Drama, 2018, 엑시트) @ Han Cinema
https://www.hancinema.net/korean_drama_Exit.php
Exit (Korean Drama, 2018, 엑시트) – Find the cast, latest updates, latest news, legal streaming links, DVDs, Blu-rays, collectibles, latest trailers, latest …
Sisyphus: The Myth (2021)
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An unfathomable incident introduces a genius engineer to dangerous secrets of the world — and to a woman from the future who’s come looking for him. Han Tae Sul, a co-founder of Quantum and Time, is a genius engineer with the highest level of coding skills and outstanding looks that outweighs his engineer fashion sense. Due to his innovative achievements, Quantum and Time is a world-class company, dubbed “The Miracle of South Korea’s Engineering Industry.” In reality, Tae Sul has constantly caused his company’s stocks to fluctuate after his brother’s death ten years ago. One day, he witnesses something unbelievable. To reach the truth, he sets off on a dangerous journey. Kang Seo Hai is a survivor of a future dystopian world. With the survival skills that she’s learned from living amongst gangsters and warlords, she travels back to save Han Tae Sul. (Source: Netflix, Newsmen) Edit Translation
English
Native Title: 시지프스: The Myth
Also Known As Sisyphus: The Fable, Sipleses, Sisyphus
Director: Jin Hyeon
Screenwriter: Jeon Chan Ho, Lee Je In
Genres: Action, Thriller, Mystery, Romance, Drama, Fantasy
Tags: Time Travel, Genius, Rich Male Lead, Uncover A Truth, Death Of Sibling, Engineer, Sassy Female Lead, Pre-produced, Strong Female Lead, Future (Vote or add tags)
Where to Watch Sisyphus: The Myth
Netflix
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Cast & Credits
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Jo Seung Woo
Han Tae Sul
Main Role
Park Shin Hye
Kang Seo Hai
Main Role
Kim Byung Chula
Seo Won Ju / “Sigma”
Main Role
Sung Dong-Il
President Park [President of Asia Mart]
Support Role
Tae In Ho
Eddie Kim / Kim Seung Bok [Tae Sul’s friend / Co-founder of Quantum & Time]
Support Role
Chae Jong Hyeon
Sun / Choi Jae Sun [Chinese restaurant delivery guy]
Support Role
All you need is love
Sisyphus: The Myth is an intriguing drama. The thrilling teaser that was released late last year stoked the flames of excitement for many avid K-drama viewers. Coupled with a cast that’s headlined by bankable stars the likes of Cho Seung Woo and Park Shin Hye, it became one of the most talked-about and highly anticipated shows for 2021. When it finally aired, however, it polarized opinions here in MDL and left several viewers’ expectations somewhat unfulfilled, to the extent that the ratings steadily declined to the current score hovering at around 8.
Some continued to enjoy the show, for various reasons, and I happen to be one of them. Allow me to share my (spoiler-free) thoughts and then you can make your own decision on whether or not to embark on what has largely been a fun-filled escapist roller coaster ride.
What is it about?
In a nutshell, a woman from the dystopian future of South Korea travels back in time in the hopes of altering the course of history by preventing the seemingly inevitable fate that befell the country, the looming catastrophe of nuclear war. Central to this mission is the man who invented the time-traveling machine. These two characters are played by Park Shin Hye and Cho Seung Woo respectively.
The drama contains a mix of science fiction, action, drama, and romance genres imbued with themes of revenge, redemption, remorse, love, friendship, and familial bond. The director is Jin Hyeon, who notably helmed The Legend of the Blue Sea, The Master’s Sun, and City Hunter, among others. The screenplay is written by the husband and wife team of Jeon Chan Ho and Lee Je In, for only their third production.
This show is jointly produced by Drama House and JTBC and has been publicized as the network’s 10th-anniversary special drama. Its title is derived from the ancient character from Greek mythology, King Sisyphus of Corinth, and is completely pre-produced with principal photography that has taken place toward the end of 2020.
What’s great about it?
The Production Values
As expected of a JTBC production, this drama is very well, made. I love the cinematography (in particular the indoor lighting), the many gorgeous scenic views of both Seoul in the present time and the vast landscape of the dystopian future. The set designs for various settings are quite exemplary while the special effects (CGIs, firefights, and pyrotechnics) are considered top tier for a show of this nature.
The Acting and Cast
In my humble opinion, the leads are fantastic and I have absolutely no complaints. While Cho Seung Woo fully embodies the character of Han Tae Sul, the same goes for Park Shin Hye’s Kang Seo Hai. They deliver very strong performances in their portrayal of deeply flawed and emotionally scarred individuals. These are the types of roles that perhaps mature actors with adequate professional and life experiences are better-equipped to articulate and convey convincingly, which is very much the case here.
It’s interesting to note that unlike Cho Seung Woo’s other more serious roles, especially that of Hwang Shi Mock in Stranger, here his Han Tae Sul is much more comedic and mischievous with a copious dose of flamboyance and swagger. Despite possessing similar social awkwardness, this character is remarkably more fun while his ingenuity in getting out of tricky situations bears an uncanny resemblance to the MacGyver persona.
Such nuanced characterization is depicted by the other veteran supporting cast as well, notably Sung Dong Il, Kim Byung Chula, and Kim Jong Tae. Kim Byung Chula in particular surprised me with his depiction of Seo Won Ju. Despite being slightly OTT, I suspect he had the time of his life being “unleashed” from his usual more understated roles. Here he plays “dual characters” where his versatility is quite commendable.
Special mention goes to the young actor Lee Joo Won, who plays the young version of Seo Won Ju. This kid truly gave me goosebumps with his chilling portrayal.
The Action
For the most part, the choreography has been outstanding. From the numerous unarmed combat sequences to the firefights involving some pretty impressive military hardware. It’s not often that we see plenty of intense (and at times, logic-defying) gun battles in a non-military drama so this aspect of the production is indeed praiseworthy. Other forms of action include a lot of hard running in chasing (and being chased by) a multitude of characters.
The Romance
This particular theme is so beautifully and convincingly conveyed. It helps immensely that Cho Seung Woo and Park Shin Hye abundantly possess such wonderful chemistry which is poignantly manifested amidst the ensuing intrigue and mayhem. The pairing of Han Tae Sul and Kang Seo Hai, in many ways, makes a lot of sense. They are each plagued by a traumatic past and rendered seriously flawed, emotionally damaged, and are now fighting against the odds to change their fate.
What could’ve been better?
The Science
I love the concept here about time traveling to the past to change the future which gives me vibes of The Twelve Monkeys where the premise is quite similar. However, I do feel that the science as depicted in the show is super messy. Many technical aspects are open to interpretation and left to the viewers to fill in the blanks, as the story progresses. It’s a process of trial and error where we discover new things during every episode. The finale is quite possibly the most mind-blowing of all.
The Screenplay
A parallel narrative and converging plot format are used to tell the story, which includes numerous flashbacks and flashforwards by various major characters in multiple timelines – the past, present, and future. Sometimes title cards are used to indicate the date, but not when the scene is obvious. It can get a little disorienting unless viewers pay close attention to the details.
How and why certain events transpire are quite convoluted and require too much deductive reasoning to derive a sense of what the answers could be. The credibility of certain characters is questionable while quite a number of the sequences appear utterly ridiculous and fantastical, despite the sci-fi tag. The seeming lack of logic in certain respects of the overarching plot has led me to strongly suspect the screenwriters were high on recreational psychoactive substances as they were writing this.
Overall
The sooner viewers suspend disbelief and forgo questioning how the technology works by accepting the science as it is, the less confusing the show would appear to be. Regardless of the perceived weaknesses resulting from the flawed execution of the concept, I found myself enjoying the wild and, at times, exhilarating ride once I shut down my cerebral process and went instinctive. I would advise you to do the same for this is the only way to truly appreciate Sisyphus: The Myth. And if you do decide to watch this, be rest assured – the ending is very much a happy one, for everyone (kind of).
Mediocre Myth
At outset, the drama starts as an interesting and pioneering perspective of time travel. With the use of new ideas like uploader and downloader, the science-fiction aspect is on par with that of the contemporary world of science fiction entertainment.
Along with this, is the backdrop of a nuclear war involving Koreas, it provides an exquisite playing field for proficient storytelling. These themes remind me of the “TENET” movie.
The show is almost convincible scientifically about time travel*. But that’s where the spectacle of this show ends. This show has countless flaws.
One, after setting the story, the show becomes more character-driven and not plot-driven. Thus, giving little scope for further exploring the sci-fi elements or packing it with more plot elements. Viewers are taken through detailed narratives about various side characters. These insights could have been less detailed.
Two, Will over Wits. Almost every scene has some sort of test for characters to make a choice. Almost every character ends up making emotion-driven decisions and not reason-driven. This leads to a countless loop of bad folks coercing good folks to fall into their traps. Countless episodes are wasted in these cat-and-mouse endeavors.
Three, Lack of an alternate answer to the recurring question “Girl or World?” Right in the first instance of asking this question, the answer is undeniably obvious. Yet, the protagonist delays to choose the answer giving false hope of the possibility of an alternative answer. Had this been answered earlier, it would have ended the show quicker.
Four, Romance: The Leads’ relationship feels more like comradeship and less like a romantic one. If at all it is present, it is not so passionate and intense given their life-threatening circumstances.
Five, the beginning of the time loop. How did all this begin that is, the events right before the first loop are hardly explained. I believe that explaining a bootstrap paradox is an unimaginable task.
Despite the flaws, there are a couple of appreciable elements like One, ambitious production. The initial fights and stunts scenes felt amateurish in CGI. But the events of the future were well, produced. The drone chase scene was a personal favorite. The fights scenes were really good, especially the last fight of the future timeline. Two, despite the ever-looming question of “save the world”, the intermittent scenes of future events were very imaginative. Three, Badass FL and Genius ML both bring something unique to the plot. Four, the “Act of Kindness” (without letting the spoiler out), was the best moment in the entire drama and gave the best “glimmer of hope”, an essential feature of the Sci-Fi genre.
Acting-wise, both the leads are exceptional. PSH stunt scenes are awe-worthy. Kim Byung Chula does an incredible job. Music-wise, I liked the title music of whizzing sound and the end song. Rewatch value is lower as sci-fi elements are hardly convoluted.
Sisyphus: The Myth is an inventive concept but fails in storytelling.
~~
*Logical inconsistencies do exist.
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I have to agree with the consensus on this one. It just did not work for me. The plot was just too convoluted and contradictory. The acting was superb but the writing was sub-par particularly the ending. One principle of creative writing is that when you write you are creating an alternative world. And every world has rules. Violating the rules of your alternative universe leaves the readers or viewers confused, disappointed, or even angry. The special effects were good, not great. The plot had too many holes in it. In the end, it was defeated by the writing. End comment
Space Sweepers K SF Drama
Space Sweepers
Space Sweepers is a 2021 South Korean space Western film directed by Jo Sung-hee, starring Song Jong-ki, Kim Tae-Ri, Jin Seon-kyu, and Yoo Hai-jin. Regarded as the first Korean space blockbuster, it was released on Netflix on February 5, 2021.Wikipedia
Director Sung-hee
Produced by: Yoon In-beom, Kim Soo-jin
Writer(s): Yoon Seung-min, Yoo-king Seo-ae, Jo Sung-hee
Space Sweepers (Korean: 승리호; Hanja: 勝利號; RR: Sangho; lit. Spaceship Victory) is a 2021 South Korean space Western film directed by Jo Sung-hee, starring Song Jong-ki, Kim Tae-Ri, Jin Seon-kyu, and Yoo Hae-jin.[2] Regarded as the first Korean space blockbuster,[3] it was released on Netflix on February 5, 2021.[4][5]
In the year 2092, Earth has become nearly uninhabitable. The UTS Corporation builds a new orbiting home for humanity that mimics the natural processes on Earth; however, only a chosen few are permitted to ascend and become UTS citizens, while those remaining on Earth breathe polluted air.
To regulate the population in orbit and keep an eye on the non-citizens, UTS governs them via a strict set of rules and taxes. Many non-citizens from all across the globe work as space sweepers, collecting space debris floating in Earth’s orbit and selling it to the company factory for survival. The plot follows such a crew of space sweepers and their ship, the Victory.
Victory’s crew has Kim Tae-ho, Tiger Park, and Bubs (an android), all led by Captain Jang. Tiger Park handles the ship’s machinery and was a drug baron on Earth. Bubs used to be a robot soldier but now helps repair the ship and cast the net for space junk while saving up to get a complete skin graft. Jang was one of the child geniuses sponsored by UTS and created several hi-tech inventions for the company but, after discovering the company’s true workings, became a pirate and tried to assassinate James Sullivan. Her crew was killed and Sullivan survived, so she changed identities and had an eye transplant. Tae-ho, once a child soldier, is on a search for his daughter (Su-ni); who was lost and ejected into space after space debris collided with the station they were staying at. His sole life aim is to pay for the authorities’ recovery team to locate her body tracker before she drifts out of orbit and gets lost in space forever.
After picking up a car floating in orbit, they discover a child in it. News reports say that she is a robot named Dorothy, and has a weapon of mass destruction inside her created by the terrorist group Black Fox. The crew also finds a smartphone in Dorothy’s bag with several missed calls from someone named Kang Hyeon-u. They call back and, assuming the other party to be part of the Black Fox group, negotiate two million dollars for returning Dorothy. Tiger finds Dorothy drawing in his cabin and starts a conversation with her, as he finds himself drawn to her.
Tae-ho and Tiger carry Dorothy to a nightclub to collect the ransom, but she wanders off in the crowd. UTS soldiers have lain in wait, and a massacre ensues. Tiger and Tae-ho locate Dorothy when Soldier 01 zeroes in and shoots at them. Dorothy’s eyes change color, and the trio is protected from the blast by a sort of force field around them. Jang is watching everything through a feed on the ship. She also notices the man who came to collect Dorothy shouting after her and calling her Kotani. The trio makes it back to the ship, and Dorothy busies herself drawing and playing. When asked by Jang what her name is, Dorothy says Kotani is her Korean name. Tae-ho ignores her, thinking she is a robot, while Tiger becomes friendly with her and suggests keeping her. Tae-ho dismisses the idea and goes to sets up another call with Kang Hyeon-u to rearrange the exchange.
Dorothy and Tae-ho find tomatoes on the plant that Dorothy had helped revive from a dead tree, and sell them. Jang finds papers in Dorothy’s backpack and goes through them. Bubs put makeup on Dorothy and tell her the story of Tae-ho; as a child soldier, Tae-ho was Soldier 01 at the age of 17. On one of his voyages, Tae-ho shot and boarded a ship that carried several fleeing non-citizens and killed them all. He noticed a baby still alive in the arms of a dead woman and adopted the girl. She rekindled his humanity and Tae-ho found himself unable to hurt others – as a result, he was dismissed from the force, made homeless, and reduced to a non-citizen. After one year of homelessness, Tae-ho became desperate and gambled, neglecting Su-ni. She wandered away to find a snack, and while outside there was a debris impact that caused her to be blown into space, with Tae-ho helplessly witnessing it from an airlock.
A masked man follows Kotani to the toilet in the factory. Her screams alert Tae-ho and Tiger, who rush to save her but are ambushed by a group of masked people. Tiger beats them all and Jang intervenes, discovering they are other space junk collectors working with Black Fox. Their leader, Karuma, explains that Black Fox is not a terrorist organization, but rather an environmental group and that Kotani is not an android but a human child. Born with a congenital disease, her father Kang Hyeon-u injected her with nanobots found in space debris to save her life. The nanobots helped not only saved Kotani but also gave her a unique power: Kotani could now communicate with other nanobots and heal and protect things. Sullivan found this out and used Kotani to turn Mars into a healthy, green planet. He now plans to kill Dorothy in a hydrogen bomb explosion (since nanobots can only be destroyed by breaking them into atoms through extremely high temperatures). Given its proximity to Earth, the explosion would cause the factory to fall onto the planet, destroying the Earth and making Mars the only viable option for all humans.
The crew decides to unite Kotani with her father and disable the bomb, with the help of the Black Foxes who will locate and take Dr. Kang to the meeting point. Soldiers attack them, but Tae-ho and Kotani manage to flee on the Victory. They enter a space debris field, where nanobots begin to consume their ship. Kotani communicates with them, and the nanobots disperse. They enter the factory where the meet-up is scheduled, only to be ambushed. The UTS soldiers kill all the Black Foxes and Dr. Kang before kidnapping Kotani. Sullivan leaves Tae-ho four million dollars in return for abandoning Kotani. Tae-ho takes the money, but the rest decide to save Kotani – even if it kills them. Tae-ho goes to give the money to the UTS officers, and they hand over Su-no’s last found remains to him – her clothes, crayons, and Korean writing book. In it, Su-ni had written that she wanted to be a good person like her father. This reminds Tae-ho of the promise he made to Su-ni, to be the best man she had ever known. He takes back the money and returns to the ship with a new zeal before they all go to save Kotani.
Sullivan goes live, announcing the Mars program. The bomb has been armed in the factory, and Kotani is strapped to it on a chair. The team frees Kotani, but Jang discovers that the bomb cannot be defused. It will not only destroy anything in its blast range but also destroy any nanobots in the vicinity of 5,000 kilometers. The only way Kotani’s nanobots (and her life) can be saved is if she is out of range. The team sets off to fly 5,000 km away, but is interrupted by Soldier 01; Tiger fights her and ejects her from the factory. The team sends out a message to the rest of the Space Sweepers, who come to their aid, fighting the attacking troops. The population of Earth learns of Sullivan’s true goals when they hear him recount his plan through the Space Sweepers’ emergency comm channel. The Victory is intercepted by Sullivan himself, who tries to fight the crew to get back Kotani. When it seems they have lost the battle, Tiger and Tae-ho manage a final boost that puts the ship just out of the blast range. The crew reveals their real plan: Kotani was left safely behind with other Space Sweepers. The Victory had removed the bomb from the core and carried it away, ready to sacrifice their lives to save Earth and Kotani. The bomb explodes; however, Kotani has summoned the nanobots to protect the Victory, keeping the crew safe.
In the aftermath of the battle, UTS apologizes for the cover-up of the true goals and promise to help make Earth more habitable. Kotani is adopted by the crew and, using her powers, enables Tae-Ho to say goodbye to Su-ni. Bubs get her skin graft. Tiger and Tae-Ho take Kotani down to Earth to help grow trees and they all continue space sweeping.
Cast[edit]
Song Jong-ki as Kim Tae-ho – Former Commander of the Space Guards and the first-ever UTS Genius.
Kim Tae-Ri as Captain Jang / Jang Hyun-sook – Former Special Forces Squad officer who later deserted her post to create her pirate organization. She attempted to assassinate CEO James Sullivan in which her entire pirate crew was killed.
Jin Seon-kyu as Tiger Park / Park Kyung-soo – Former Drug King who escaped Earth after being arrested and sentenced to death.
Yoo Hai-jin as Robot Bubs – Former military robot trying to save up for her gender confirmation services
Richard Armitage as James Sullivan – The CEO of UTS.
Kim Mu-yell as Kang Hyeon-u – Kang Kotani’s father and a scientist.
Park Ye-rim as Dorothy / Kang Kotani – First believed to be a robot, she is a human who was injected with nanobots by her father as a last resort to heal her.
Kim Hyang-gi as Bubs’ new body
Comment: an enjoyable dystopian story taking place in space after much of the earth is uninhabitable and a Mars colonization drive is launched. Usual political and corporate corruption and rich people behaving badly. The romance between the lead characters is hinted at but never resolved. The child star is the future star in the making. The dialogue was well done. I enjoyed this one. End comment
The Last Man Standing K Drama
The Man Standing Next
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Man Standing Next |
| South Korean theatrical release poster |
|
| Hangul |
남산의 부장들 |
| Hanja |
南山의 部長들 |
| Directed by |
Woo Min-ho |
| Screenplay by |
Woo Min-ho
Lee Ji-min |
| Produced by |
Kim Chula-Yong |
| Starring |
Lee Byung-Hun
Lee Sung-min
Kwak Do-won
Lee Hee-Joon |
| Cinematography |
Go, Nakasone, |
| Edited by |
Jeong Ji-eon |
| Music by |
Jo Yeong-wok |
Production
company |
Hive Media Corp. |
| Distributed by |
Showbox |
| Release date |
22 January 2020 |
| Running time |
114 min |
| Language |
Korean |
| Budget |
$18 million |
| Box office |
$34.7 million[1] |
The Man Standing Next (Korean: 남산의 부장들; Hanja: 南山의 部長들; RR: Nnamani bujangdeul; lit. Chiefs of Namsan) is a 2020 South Korean political drama film directed by Woo Min-ho. Based on an original novel of the same title, the film stars Lee Byung-Hun, Lee Sung-min, Kwak Do-won, and Lee Hee-Joon as the high ranking officials of the Korean government and the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) during the presidency of Park Chung-hee 40 days before his assassination in 1979.[2]
Comment: this one resonates with me. My Korean adventures began in August 1979 a few months before the assassination that changed modern Korean history occurred. I had just arrived in Korea and had finished up my training. We were due to go to our assignments but the assassination occurred and we were sent to Seoul to wait to see if Peace Corps Korea would be pulled out. We were cleared to go to our assignments in early November 1979.
The drama hints at an alleged US CIA plot to take out Park Chung-hee. Not sure I believe that the US CIA had anything to do with it but perhaps we at least knew in advance and did nothing to stop it. The drama was well done, well written, with great dialogue, and well reflects the tensions of the period.
End Comment
Mr. Sunshine
DP
Cosmos’s Commentary:
A gripping drama based on true events about life in the Korean military and why some soldiers run away from their obligations amid the constant harassment and strict discipline of the Korean military. This drama hit a nerve among many Koreans who recall their trouble times in the military. The military has announced that they are discontinuing the DP unit but swore it had nothing to do with this drama.
D.P. (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| D.P. |
| Promotional poster |
|
| Korean |
디피 |
| Genre |
Drama
Military |
| Based on |
D.P Dog’s Day
by Kim Bo-tong |
| Screenplay by |
Kim Bo-tong
Han Jun-hee |
| Directed by |
Han Jun-hee |
| Starring |
Jung Hae-in
Koo Kyo-hwan
Kim Sung-kyun
Son Seok-Koo |
| Composer |
Primary |
| Country of origin |
South Korea |
| Original language |
Korean |
| No. of episodes |
6 |
| Production |
| Executive producers |
Bien Seung-min
Han Jun-hee |
| Producer |
Kim Dong-min |
| Cinematography |
Yoo Ji-sun |
| Editor |
Park Min-sun |
| Running time |
45–55 minutes |
| Production companies |
Climax Studio
Shortcake |
| Distributor |
Netflix |
| Release |
| Original network |
Netflix |
| Original release |
August 27, 2021 |
D.P. (an acronym for Deserter Pursuit) is a South Korean streaming television series directed by Han Jun-hee, from a screenplay by Kim Bo-tong and Han, based on the Lashing webtoon D.P Dog’s Day by Kim. The series stars Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-kyun, and Son Seok-Koo.[1][2] It premiered in six parts on Netflix on August 27, 2021.[3][4]
Synopsis[edit]
Set in 2014, D.P. tells the story of a team of Korean military police with their mission to catch deserters.
The series magnifies the undesirable nature of the military, especially within a South Korean context. The widespread bullying and hazing as well as the mindset for the “survival of the fittest” are rife, with those presumed the “weakest” thrown to the bottom of the pile and served horrifying experiences at the hands of their superiors and compatriots.
Private Ahn Joon-ho and Corporal Han Ho-Yul both team up to find the deserters, and end up on an adventurous journey.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Jung Hae-in as Private Ahn Joon-ho
Koo Kyo-hwan as Corporal Han Ho-Yul
Kim Sung-Kyun as Sergeant First Class Park Bum-gu
Son Seok-Koo as Captain Im Ji-sup
Supporting[edit]
Jo Hyun-churl as Jo Suk-bong
Shin Seung-ho as Hwang Jang-soo
Park Se-joon as Heo Ki-young
Park Jung-woo as Shin Woo-suk
Kim Dong-young as Choi Joon-mok
Lee Jun-young as Jung Hyun-min
Choi Joon-young as Heo Chi-do
Moon Sang-hoon as Kim Roo-ri
Hyun Bong-sik as Chun Yong-duck
Hong Kyung as Ryu Yi-Kang
Bae Yoo-ram as Kim Kyu
Han Woo-Yul as Tae Sung-goon
Guest[edit]
Go Kyung-pyro as Corporal Park Sung-woo (Ep. 1)
Kwon Hae-Hyo as Ahn Joon-ho’s father (Eps. 1, 3–4)
Lee Seol as Shin Woo-Seok’s sister (Eps. 1 & 6)
Lee Jong-ok as an hinoeuma employee (Ep. 2)
Episodes[edit]
| No. |
Title |
Directed by |
Written by |
Original release date |
| 1 |
“A Man Holding Flowers” |
Han Jun-hee |
Kim Bo-tong & Han Jun-hee |
August 27, 2021 |
| 2 |
“Daydream” |
Han Jun-hee |
Kim Bo-tong & Han Jun-hee |
August 27, 2021 |
| 3 |
“That Woman” |
Han Jun-hee |
Kim Bo-tong & Han Jun-hee |
August 27, 2021 |
| 4 |
“The Monty Hall Problem” |
Han Jun-hee |
Kim Bo-tong & Han Jun-hee |
August 27, 2021 |
| 5 |
“Military Dog” |
Han Jun-hee |
Kim Bo-tong & Han Jun-hee |
August 27, 2021 |
| 6 |
“Onlookers” |
Han Jun-hee |
Kim Bo-tong & Han Jun-hee |
August 27, 2021 |
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In late June 2020, Lashing officially announced that Lashing Studio and Homemade Film would co-produce a 6-part adaptation of the hit webtoon D.P: Dog Days by Kim Bo-tong, to be released exclusively through Netflix.[5][6] The story is based on Kim’s own experience during his mandatory military service.[7]
Director and co-writer Han Jun-hee had wanted to work on the webtoon’s adaptation “for five or six years [before he] finally got a chance” to do so.[8] Though Ahn Joon-ho is a Corporal in the webtoon, Han wanted him to be a Private in the series so people could “resonate with the story and consider Joon-ho as a friend who just started his military service.”[9]
Casting[edit]
On September 3, 2020, Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-Kyun, and Son Seok-Koo were confirmed to star in the series.[10][11] Koo’s character does not appear in the webtoon, which he found “hard but exciting to portray a character exclusive to the series.”[12] To prepare for his role, Koo received help from his road manager who was part of the D.P. team during his military service.[13] As for Jung, he practiced boxing for three months before filming began, to do his action scenes.[14]
Kim Bo-tong, who wrote the webtoon and co-wrote the series, commented that he “never dreamed of such a cast. They fit so perfectly into their roles that it seems like the roles were written for them.”[15]
Filming[edit]
Principal photography began in the summer of 2020.[16]
Reception[edit]
Audience viewership[edit]
Following its release, the series topped Netflix’s Top 10 in South Korea.[17]
Critical response[edit]
William Schwartz of Han Cinema praised Jung Hae-in‘s acting, commenting that he “is sublime here, in a brooding cinematic role radically different from the romances he’s better known for.” He added that “D.P. is worth watching, not just by people curious what South Korean mandatory military service is like, but anyone from any country who’s seriously thinking about joining up.”[18]
Pierce Conran of the South China Morning Post gave the series a 4.5/5 rating, noting that “D.P. hits home with a story that spans the past and present, as it acknowledges that yesterday’s problems can still be today’s.” He also praised the cinematography as well as Jung and Koo’s “electric chemistry”.[19] Daniel Hart of Ready Steady Cut also rated the series 4.5 stars out of 5, describing it as “the finest K-Drama mini-series this year.”[20]
Greg Wheeler of The Review Geek rated the series 4.3/5, noting that “D.P. is a stunning Korean drama [which] takes an unflinching look at bullying, the effect it has on mental health and larger societal questions about the mandatory military service in Korea” and praising the series for its “impressive” cinematography and for the way it “explore[s] a very sensitive and prevalent topic in a raw, artistic and unflinching way.”[21]
In a mixed review, Hitzig Jumaine of NME gave the series a 3/5 rating, commenting that “Kim Bo-tong and Han Jun-hee must be given credit for how this series tackles such extraordinarily difficult and tragic subject matter with compassion and sensitivity”, and praising the “uniformly excellent performances, splendid cinematography, addictive pacing, and intrepid commitment to shedding light on the appalling culture of bullying in the military”, but criticizing the “weak characterization [of the] three main leads” as well as the “ludicrous escalation of events during its climax, which suddenly turns a fairly grounded show into a melodramatic action thriller.”[22]
Cosmos’s Commentary:
Squid Games
The top show on Netflix is not only in the US but also in Korea. Reminiscent of both the “Maze”, the “Hunger Games”, and the” Cube “ but done in a K Drama way. And addictive!
Squid Game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Squid Game (Korean: 오징어게임; RR: Jingle Gem) is a South Korean survival drama streaming television series written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The nine-episode series, starring Lee Jung-Jae, Park Hae-soo, and Wi Ha-Joon, tells the story of a group of people who risk their lives in a mysterious survival game with a ₩45.6 billion (US$38.7 million) prize.[2][3] It was released worldwide on September 17, 2021, by Netflix.[4][5]
Premise
Four hundred and fifty-six people, who have all struggled financially in life, are invited to play a mysterious survival competition. Competing in a series of traditional children’s games but with deadly twists, they risk their lives to compete for a ₩45.6 billion (US$38.5 million) prize.
Cast and characters
Players
Main characters[6]
Lee Jung-Jae as Seong Gi-Hun (No. 456)[7]
A chauffeur and a gambling addict, he lives with his mother and struggles to financially support his daughter. He participates in the Game to settle his many debts.
Park Hae-soo as Cho Sang-woo (No. 218)
The head of the investment team at a securities company, he was a junior to Gi-Hun, and was a gifted student who entered Seoul National University, but is now wanted by the police for stealing money from his clients.
Oh Yeong-su as Oh Il-name (No. 001)
An elderly man with a brain tumor prefers playing the Game to waiting to die on the outside.
Hyeon Jung as Kang Sae-beak (No. 067)
A North Korean defector enters the Game to pay for a broker that can find and retrieve her surviving family members from the country.
Heo Sung-tea as Jang Deok-su (No. 101)
A gangster enters the Game to settle his massive gambling debts.
Anupam Tripathi as Abdul Ali (No. 199)
A foreign worker from Pakistan enters the Game to provide for his young family after his employer refuses to pay him for months.
Kim Joo-young as Han Mi-no (No. 212)
A mysterious and manipulative woman who claims to be a poor single mother.[8]
Supporting characters
Yoo Sung-joo as Byeong-gi (No. 111)
A doctor secretly works with a group of corrupt guards trafficking dead participants’ organs in exchange for information on upcoming games.
Lee Yoo-mi as Ji-Yeong (No. 240)
A young woman was just released from prison after killing her abusive father.
Kim Si-Hyun as No. 244
A pastor who finds his faith again in the Game.
Minor characters
Lee Sang-hee as No. 017
A glass-maker with more than 30 years’ experience.
Kim Yun-tea as No. 069
A player who joins the Game with his wife, No. 070
Lee Ji-ha as No. 070
A player who joins the game with her husband, No. 069
Kwak Ja-young as No. 278
A player who joins Deok-sun’s group and acts as his henchman.
Chris Chan / Chris Lag hit[9] as No. 276
A player who joins Seong Gi-Hun’s group on the Tug of War round.
Game staff
Gong Yoo is a salesman who recruits participants for the Game (Special appearance, Episodes 1 and 9)[10]
Lee Byung-Hun as The Front Man (Special appearance, Episodes 8–9)
Civilians
Main characters
Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho[11]
A police officer sneaks into the Game to find his missing brother.
Supporting characters
Kim Young-ok as Gi-Hun’s mother
Cho Ah-in as Seong Ga-Yeong, Gi-Hun’s daughter
Kang Mal-gum as Gi-Hun’s ex-wife and Ga-Yeong’s mother
Park Hye-jin as Sang-woo’s mother
Park Si-wan as Kang Cheol, Sae-book’s brother
English cast (dubbing)
Greg Chun as Seong Gi-Hun
Stephen Fu as Cho Sang-woo
Paul Nakache as Jang Deok-su
Hideo Kimura as Oh Il-name
Vivian Lu as Kang Sae-beak
Rama Valéry as Abdul Ali
Tom Choi as Front Man
Donald Chang as Hwang Jun-ho
Stephanie Komura as Han Mi-no
Yuki Luna as Ji-yeong
Cosmos’s Commentary:
Move to Heaven is a heart-wrenching drama about a “Rain man” like character who worked with his father in a trauma clean-up business cleaning up after the recently deceased. His father dies and his father’s deadbeat brother shows up as his guardian.
Move to Heaven (Korean: 무브 투 헤븐: 나는 유품정리사입니다; RR: Mubeen to hereon: Naneun yupumjeongnisaimnida) is a South Korean streaming television series directed by Kim Sung-ho and written by Yoon Ji-rye on. It is an original Netflix series, starring Lee Je-hoon, Tang Joon-sang, Ji Jin-hee, Lee Jae-Wook, and Hong Seung-hee. The series follows Geu-ru (Tang Joon-sang), a young man with Asperger syndrome, and Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon), his guardian. Working as trauma cleaners, they uncover untold stories.[1][2] The series was released worldwide by Netflix on May 14, 2021.[3]
Cosmos’s Commentary:
Another K Drama I liked was “Mad About You”.
The acting was first-rate, the storyline intriguing, and covers some contemporary issues including adultery, cyberbullying, and the like.
“About two people with their own painful stories who go through a complicated process of hurting and healing while falling in love with each other. No HI Oh is a detective in the violent crimes division of the Gangnam Police Station. He thinks that he is doing well until his life suddenly takes a turn and he becomes a “crazy” person who can’t hold in his anger about anything. Lee Min Kyung is a woman who is caught up in her delusions and compulsions. She had lived an ordinary life as a pretty woman with a respectable job until “that incident” caused everything in her life to break down. As a result, she was unable to trust anyone and is caught in a prison of her own making. Her delusions also have the unfortunate side effect of making everyone else around her angry. (Source: Suomi)”
Cosmos’s Commentary:
Heist – not a K Drama, more of an S Drama but pretty good, but went on too long. Should have ended with the first season. There were lots of unanswered questions –
Who is behind the Professor? Obviously could not have pulled it off himself. There are hints that he is connected to shadowy and Serbian forces and has some inside info from the police and security forces.
The politics got a bit too left-wing conspiracy for my taste as well.
Money Heist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Money Heist (Spanish: La casa de papal, “The House of Paper”) is a Spanish heist crime drama television series created by Alex. The series traces two long-prepared heists led by the Professor (Álvaro Morten), one on the Royal Mint of Spain, and one on the Bank of Spain told from the perspective of one of the robbers, Tokyo (Ursula). The narrative is told in a real-time-like fashion and relies on flashbacks, time-jumps, hidden character motivations, and an unreliable narrator for complexity.
The series was initially intended as a limited series to be told in two parts. It had its original run of 15 episodes on Spanish network Antena 3 from 2 May 2017 through 23 November 2017. Netflix acquired global streaming rights in late 2017. It re-cut the series into 22 shorter episodes and released them worldwide, beginning with the first part on 20 December 2017, followed by the second part on 6 April 2018. In April 2018, Netflix renewed the series with a significantly increased budget for 16 new episodes total. Part 3, with eight episodes, was released on 19 July 2019. Part 4, also with eight episodes, was released on 3 April 2020. A documentary involving the producers and the cast premiered on Netflix the same day, titled Money Heist: The Phenomenon (Spanish: La casa de papal: El Fennomen). In July 2020, Netflix renewed the show for a fifth and final part, which would be released in two five-episode volumes on 3 September and 3 December 2021, respectively. The series was filmed in Madrid, Spain. Significant portions were also filmed in Panama, Thailand, Italy (Florence), Denmark, and Portugal.
The series received several awards including the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series at the 46th International Emmy Awards, as well as critical acclaim for its sophisticated plot, interpersonal dramas, direction, and for trying to innovate Spanish television. The Italian anti-fascist song “Bella ciao“, which plays multiple times throughout the series, became a summer hit across Europe in 2018. By 2018, the series was the most-watched non-English-language series and one of the most-watched series overall on Netflix,[4] having particular resonance with viewers from Mediterranean Europe and the Latin American regions.
Premise[edit]
Set in Madrid, a mysterious man known as “The Professor” recruits a group of eight people, who choose city names as their aliases, to carry out an ambitious plan that involves entering the Royal Mint of Spain, and escaping with €984 million. After taking 67 people hostage inside the Mint, the team plans to remain inside for 11 days to print the money as they deal with elite police forces. In the events following the initial heist, the group’s members are forced out of hiding and prepare for a second heist, this time on the Bank of Spain, as they again deal with hostages and police forces.
Cast and characters[edit]
See also: List of Money Heist cast members
Main[edit]
Ursula Cordero as Silene Oliveira (Tokyo): a runaway turned robber who is scouted by the Professor, then joins his group and participates in his plans. She also acts as an unreliable narrator.
Álvaro Morten as Sergio Marquita (The Professor) / Salvador “Salva” Martin: the mastermind of the heist who assembled the group, and Berlin’s younger brother
Ritzier Ikuno as Raquel Murillo (Lisbon): an inspector of the National Police Corps who is put in charge of the case until she joins the group in part 3
Pedro Alonso as Andrés de Foolscap (Berlin): a terminally ill jewel thief and the Professor’s second-in-command and older brother
Paco Tous as Agustin Ramos (Moscow) (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–5): a former miner turned criminal and Denver’s father
Alba Flores as Ágata Jiménez (Nairobi) (parts 1-4; featured part 5): an expert in counterfeiting and forgery, in charge of printing the money and oversaw the melting of gold
Miguel Herren as Anibal Cortés (Rio): a young hacker who later becomes Tokyo’s boyfriend
Jaime Lorene as Ricardo / Daniel[b] Ramos (Denver): Moscow’s son who joins him in the heist
Esther Acerbo as Mónica Ketamide (Stockholm): one of the hostages who is Arturo Román’s secretary and mistress, carrying his child out of wedlock; during the robbery, she falls in love with Denver and becomes an accomplice to the group
Enrique Arce as Arturo Román: a hostage and the former Director of the Royal Mint of Spain
María Pedraza as Alison Parker (parts 1–2): a hostage and daughter of the British ambassador to Spain
Darko Peri as Mirko Dragic (Helsinki): a veteran Serbian soldier and Oslo’s cousin
Kite Manger as Marivic Fuentes (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–4): Raquel’s mother
Horik Kircherian as Bogotá (parts 3–present): an expert in metallurgy who joins the robbery of the Bank of Spain
Luka Pero’s as Jakob (Marseille; part 4–present; featured part 3): a member of the gang who joins the robbery of the Bank of Spain and serves as a liaison for the group.
Belen Cuesta as Julia (Manila; part 4–present; featured part 3): godchild of Moscow and Denver’s childhood friend, now a trans woman, who joins the gang and poses as one of the hostages during the robbery of the Bank of Spain
Fernando Kayo as Colonel Luis Tamayo (part 4–present; featured part 3): a member of the Spanish Intelligence who oversees Alicia’s work on the case
Rodrigo de la Serna as Martín Berate (Palermo / The Engineer; parts 3–present): an old Argentine friend of Berlin who planned the robbery of the Bank of Spain with him and assumed his place as commanding officer
Najwa Nimr as Alicia Sierra (parts 3–present): a pregnant inspector of the National Police Corps put in charge of the case after Raquel departed from the force
Recurring[edit]
Roberto García Ruiz as Dimitri Most’ve / Radka Dragic[c] (Oslo; parts 1–2; featured parts 3–4): a veteran Serbian soldier and Helsinki’s cousin
Fernando Soto as Angel Rubio (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–5): a deputy inspector and Raquel’s second-in-command
Juan Fernández as Colonel Luis Prieto (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–4): a member of the Spanish Intelligence who oversees Raquel’s work on the case
Anna Gras as Mercedes Colmenar (parts 1–2): Alison’s teacher and one of the hostages
Fran Morcilla as Pablo Ruiz (part 1): Alison’s schoolmate and one of the hostages
Clara Alvarado as Ariadne Cascades (parts 1–2): one of the hostages who works in the Mint
Mario de la Rosa as Suárez: the chef o the Grupo Especial de Operaciones
Miquel García Board as Alberto Vicuña (parts 1–2; featured part 4): Raquel’s ex-husband and a forensic examiner
NAIA Gus as Paula Vicuña Murillo (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–4): Raquel and Alberto’s daughter
José Manuel Pogan as César Gandía (parts 4–5; featured part 3): chief of security for the Bank of Spain who escapes from hostage and causes havoc for the group
Antonio Romero as Benito Antonina’s (parts 3–5): an assistant to Colonel Luis Tamayo, who is persuaded by the Professor to do tasks for him
Diana Gómez as Tatiana (featured parts 3–5): the fifth ex-wife of Berlin who is a professional pianist and thief
Pep Munn as Mario Urbana (featured parts 3–5): the governor of the Bank of Spain
Olalla Hernández as Amanda (featured parts 3–5): a hostage that Arturo rapes
Mari Carmen Sánchez as Paquito (featured parts 3–5): a hostage and a nurse who tends to Nairobi while she recovers
Carlos Suárez as Miguel Fernández (featured parts 3–5): a nervous hostage
Adhikari Alcona as Matias Cano (featured parts 3–5): a member of the group who largely guards the hostages
Ramón Aguirre as Benjamín (featured parts 4–5): father of Manila who aids the Professor in his plan
Antonio García Ferrers as himself (featured parts 4–5): a journalist
Patrick Cried as Rafael (featured part 5): Berlin’s son
Alberto Amarilla as Ramiro (parte 5)
Miguel Angel Silvestre (featured part 5): René, Tokyo’s boyfriend before working with the Professor
José Manuel Seda as Segesta (part 5): leader of the army detail inside the bank
Production[edit]
Conception and writing[edit]
Further information: § Themes and analysis
We wanted to make a very small project simply; we wanted to cross lines we couldn’t cross in previous projects, in terms of narrative and structure without any intermediaries.
—Writer Esther Martinez Lobato, October 2018[11]
The series was conceived by screenwriter Alex and director Jesús Colmenar during their years of collaboration since 2008.[12] After finishing their work on the Spanish prison drama Locked Up (Vis a vis), they left Globo media to set up their own production company, named Vancouver Media, in 2016.[12][13] For their first project, they considered either filming a comedy or developing a heist story for television,[12] with the latter having never been attempted before on Spanish television.[14] Along with former Locked Up colleagues,[d] they developed Money Heist as a passion project to try new things without outside interference.[11] Pina was firm about making it a limited series, feeling that dilution had become a problem for his previous productions.[15]
Initially entitled Los Desharious (The Evicted) in the conception phase,[15] the series was developed to subvert heist conventions and combine elements of the action genre, thrillers, and surrealism, while still being credible.[12] Pina saw an advantage over typical heist films in that character development could span a considerably longer narrative arc.[16] Characters were to be shown from multiple sides to break the viewers’ preconceptions of villainy and retain their interest throughout the show.[16] Key aspects of the planned storyline were written down at the beginning,[17] while the finer story beats were developed incrementally to not overwhelm the writers.[18] Writer Javier Gómez Santander compared the writing process to the Professor’s way of thinking, “going around, writing down options, consulting engineers whom you cannot tell why you ask them that,” but noted that fiction allowed the police to be written dumber when necessary.[18]
The beginning of filming was set for January 2017,[14] allowing for five months of pre-production.[19] The narrative was split into two parts for financial considerations.[19] The robbers’ city-based code names, which Spanish newspaper ABC compared to the color-based code names in Quentin Tarantino‘s 1992 heist film Reservoir Dogs,[20] were chosen at random in the first part,[21] although places with high viewership resonance were also taken into account for the new robbers’ code names in part 3.[22] The first five lines of the pilot script took a month to write,[19] as the writers were unable to make the Professor or Moscow work as a narrator.[15] Tokyo as an unreliable narrator, flashbacks, and time-jumps increased the narrative complexity,[16] but also made the story more fluid for the audience.[19] The pilot episode required over 50 script versions until the producers were satisfied.[23][24] Later scripts would be finished once per week to keep up with filming.[19]
Casting[edit]
Casting took place late in 2016, spanning more than two months.[25] The characters were not fully fleshed out at the beginning of this process and took shape based on the actors’ performances.[26] Casting directors Eva Leora and Yolanda Serrano were looking for actors with the ability to play empathetic robbers with believable love and family connections.[27] Antenna 3 announced the ensemble cast in March 2017[3] and released audition excerpts of most cast actors in the series’ after show Terser Grado and on their website.[26]
The Professor was designed as a charismatic yet shy villain who could convince the robbers to follow him and make the audience sympathetic to the robbers’ resistance against the powerful banks.[28] However, developing the Professor’s role proved difficult, as the character did not follow archetypal conventions[25] and the producers were uncertain about his degree of brilliance.[15] While the producers found his Salva personality early on,[15] they were originally looking for a 50-year-old Harvard professor type with the looks of Spanish actor José Coronado.[15][29] The role was proposed to Javier Gutiérrez, but he was already committed to starring in the film Campeones.[30] Meanwhile, the casting directors advocated for Álvaro Morten, whom they knew from their collaboration on the long-running Spanish soap opera El Secretor de Puente Viejo, even though his prime-time television experience was limited at that point.[29] Going through the full casting process and approaching the role through external analysis rather than personal experience, Morten described the professor as “a tremendous box of surprises” that “end up shaping this character because he never ceases to generate uncertainty,” making it unclear for the audience if the character is good or bad.[25] The producers also found that his appearance as a primary school teacher gave the character more credibility.[15]
Pedro Alonso was cast to play Berlin, whom La Vos de Galicia would later characterize as a “cold, hypnotic, sophisticated and disturbing character, an inveterate macho with serious empathy problems, a white-collar thief who despises his colleagues and considers them inferior.”[31] The actor’s portrayal of the character was inspired by a chance encounter Alonso had the day before receiving his audition script, with “an intelligent person” who was “provocative or even manipulative” to him.[32] Alonso saw high observation skills and an unusual understanding of his surroundings in Berlin, resulting in unconventional and unpredictable character behavior.[31] Similarities between Berlin and Nimr’s character Zulema in Pina’s TV series Locked Up were unintentional.[33] The family connection between the Professor and Berlin was not in the original script but was built into the characters’ backstory at the end of part 1 after Morten and Alonso had repeatedly proposed to do so.[34]
The producers found the protagonist and narrator, Tokyo, among the hardest characters to develop,[19] as they were originally looking for an older actress to play the character who had nothing to lose before meeting the Professor.[26] Ursula Cordero eventually landed the role for bringing playful energy to the table; her voice was heavily factored in during casting, as she was the first voice the audience hears in the show.[26] Jaime Lorene developed Denver’s hallmark laughter during the casting process.[26] Two cast actors had appeared in previous TV series by Alex Pina: Paco Tous (Moscow) had starred in the 2005 TV series Los hombres de Paco, and Alba Flores (Nairobi) had starred in Locked Up. Flores was asked to play Nairobi without audition when Pina realized late in the conception phase that the show needed another female gang member.[15] For the role opposite to the robbers, strop was cast to play Inspector Raquel Murillo, whom Ikuno described as a “strong and powerful woman in a world of men, but also sensitive in her private life”.[35] She took inspiration from The Silence of the Lambs character Clarice Starling, an FBI student with a messy family life who develops sympathies for a criminal.[36]
The actors learned of the show’s renewal by Netflix before the producers contacted them to return.[37] In October 2018, Netflix announced the cast of part 3; the returning main cast included Pedro Alonso, raising speculation about his role in part 3.[38] Among the new cast members were Argentine actor Rodrigo de la Serna, who saw a possible connection between his character’s name and the Argentine football legend Martín Palermo,[39] and Locked Up star Najwa Nimr. Cameo scenes of Brazilian football star, and fan of the series, Neymar, as a monk were filmed for part 3, but were excluded from the stream without repercussions to the narrative until judicial charges against him had been dropped in late August 2019.[40][18] A small appearance by Spanish actress Belen in two episodes of part 3 raised fan and media speculation about her role in part 4.[41]
Design[edit]
Spanish Surrealist painter Salvador Dalí was chosen as the heist team’s mask design.
The show’s look and atmosphere were developed by creator Alex Pina, director Jesús Colmenar, and director of photography Miguel Amodeo, according to La Vanguard “the most prolific television trio in recent years”.[42] Abdon Alaniz served as art director.[43] Their collaboration projects usually take a primary color as a basis;[43] Money Heist had red as “one of the distinguishing features of the series”[44] that stood over the gray sets.[45] Blue, green and yellow were marked as forbidden colors in production design.[45] To achieve “absolute film quality”, red tones were tested with different types of fabrics, textures, and lighting.[46] The iconography of the robbers’ red jumpsuits mirrored the yellow prison dress code in Locked Up.[44] For part 3, the Italian retail clothing company Diesel modified the red jumpsuits to better fit the body and launched a clothing line inspired by the series.[45] Salvador Dalí was chosen as the robbers’ mask design because of Dalí’s recognizable visage that also serves as an iconic cultural reference to Spain; Don Quixote as an alternative mask design was discarded.[47] This choice sparked criticism by the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation for not requesting the necessary permissions.[27]
To make the plot more realistic, the producers requested and received advice from the national police and the Spanish Ministry of Interior.[48][49] The robbers’ banknotes were printed with permission of the Bank of Spain and had an increased size as an anti-counterfeit measure.[48] The greater financial backing of Netflix for part 3 allowed for the build of over 50 sets across five basic filming locations worldwide.[50] Preparing a remote and uninhabited island in Panama to represent a robber hide-out proved difficult, as it needed to be cleaned, secured, and built on, and involved hours-long traveling with material transportation.[46] The real Bank of Spain was unavailable for visiting and filming for security reasons, so the producers recreated the Bank on a two-level stage by their imagining, taking inspiration from Spanish architecture of the Francisco Franco era.[46] Publicly available information was used to make the Bank’s main hall set similar to the reallocation. The other interior sets were inspired by different periods and artificially aged to accentuate the building’s history.[50] Bronze and granite sculptures and motifs from the Valle de Los Ciaos were recreated for the interior,[46] and over 50 paintings were painted for the Bank to emulate the Ateneo de Madrid.[50]
Filming[edit]
The Spanish National Research Council headquarters, the principal filming location of parts 1 and 2 of Money Heist
The Nuevo’s, the principal filming location of part 3 of Money Heist
Parts 1 and 2 were filmed back-to-back in the greater Madrid region from January until August 2017.[23][25][51] The pilot episode was recorded in 26 days,[48] while all other episodes had around 14 filming days.[16] Production was split into two units to save time, with one unit shooting scenes involving the Professor and the police, and the other filming scenes with the robbers.[19] The main storyline is set in the Royal Mint of Spain in Madrid, but the exterior scenes were filmed at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) headquarters for its passing resemblance to the Mint,[48] and on the roof of the Higher Technical School of Aeronautical Engineers, part of the Technical University of Madrid.[51] The hunting estate where the robbers plan their coup was filmed at the Finca El Gascon farm estate in Terrebonne.[51] Interior filming took place at the former Locked Upsets in Colmenar Viejo[13] and the Spanish national daily newspaper ABC in Torreon for printing press scenes.[23] As the show was designed as a limited series, all sets were destroyed once the production of part 2 had finished.[19]
Parts 3 and 4 were also filmed back-to-back,[52] with 21 to 23 filming days per episode.[16] Netflix announced the start of filming on 25 October 2018,[28] and filming of part 4 ended in August 2019.[53] In 2018, Netflix had opened their first European production hub in Tres Cantos near Madrid for new and existing Netflix productions;[54] the main filming moved there onto a set three times the size of the set used for parts 1 and 2.[55] The main storyline is set in the Bank of Spain in Madrid, but the exterior was filmed at the Ministry of Development complex Nuevos Minister iOS.[55] A scene where money is dropped from the sky was filmed at Callao Square.[51] Ermita de San Fritos in Car rascal served as the exterior of the Italian monastery where the robbers plan the heist.[45] The motorhome scenes of the Professor and Lisbon were filmed at the deserted Las Salinas beaches in Almería to make the audience feel that the characters are safe from the police although their exact location is undisclosed at first.[56] Underwater scenes inside the vault were filmed at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom.[22][57] The beginning of part 3 was also filmed in Thailand, on the Guna Yale islands in Panama, and in Florence, Italy,[46] which helped to counter the claustrophobic feeling of the first two parts,[16] but was also an expression of the plot’s global repercussions.[58] Filming for the fifth and final season concluded on 14 May 2021.[59]
Music[edit]
Main article: Money Heist (soundtrack)
The series theme song, “My Life Is Going On,” was composed by Manel Santisteban, who also served as composer on Locked Up. Santisteban approached Spanish singer, Cecilia Krull, to write and perform the lyrics, which are about having confidence in one’s abilities and the future.[60] The theme song is played behind a title sequence featuring paper models of major settings from the series.[60] Krull’s main source of inspiration was the character Tokyo in the first episode of the series when the Professor offers her a way out of a desperate moment.[61] The lyrics are in English as the language that came naturally to Krull at the time of writing.[61]
The Italian anti-fascist song “Bella ciao” plays multiple times throughout the series and accompanies two emblematic key scenes: at the end of the first part the Professor and Berlin sing it in preparation for the heist, embracing themselves as resistance against the establishment,[62] and in the second part it plays during the thieves’ escape from the Mint, as a metaphor for freedom.[63] Regarding the use of the song, Tokyo recounts in one of her narrations, “The life of the Professor revolved around a single idea: Resistance. His grandfather, who had fought against the fascists in Italy, taught him the song, and he taught us.”[63] The song was brought to the show by writer Javier Gómez Santander. He had listened to “Bella ciao” at home to cheer him up, as he had grown frustrated for not finding a suitable song for the middle of part 1.[18] He was aware of the song’s meaning and history and felt it represented positive values.[18] “Bella ciao” became a summer hit in Europe in 2018, mostly due to the popularity of the series and not the song’s grave themes.[
Move to Heaven
Synopsis[edit]
Move to Heaven is inspired by the essay “Things Left Behind” by Kim Sae-buy, a former “trauma cleaner”. Geu-ru (Tang Joon-sang), who has Asperger syndrome, and his ex-convict uncle Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon) meet for the first time after the sudden death of Geu-ru’s father. Entrusted as Geu-ru’s guardian, Sang-gu joins his nephew to help run the family trauma cleaning company “Move to Heaven”, wherein the course of business they uncover untold stories about the deceased while Sang-gu tries to deal with his painful past with Geu-ru’s father as well as the traumatic incident that landed him in jail.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Lee Je-hoon is Cho Sang-gu,[4] an ex-convict and Geu-ru’s estranged uncle who becomes his guardian upon release from jail. He is blunt, smokes cigarettes, and moonlights as an underground MMA fighter. He was sent to jail after putting his protégé Su-Cheol into a coma during a fight. Despite his background, he is still entrusted to take care of Geu-ru after his release and is instructed to stay and work with Geu-ru for a three-month probationary period. Although he initially does so for financial gain and appears to be ignorant of Geu-ru’s condition, he slowly gets to know Geu-ru as they both work together as trauma cleaners for Move to Heaven, gaining a new outlook on life and allowing him to discover the truth about his half-brother and Geu-ru’s father Jeong-woo, who he believes had abandoned him when he was still very young.
Tang Joon-sang as Han Geu-ru,[5] a 20-year-old with Asperger syndrome who works as a trauma cleaner for Move to Heaven, over which he took following his father’s death. He is smart, has an incredible memory, and is extremely logical, abilities which he uses to uncover untold stories about the deceased through the collection of their important personal belongings. Following his father’s practice, Geu-ru places the deceased’s most important belongings in a yellow box, which he always insists on handing over to the next of kin; if they cannot be readily found or are unwilling to receive the box, Geu-ru always tries to find a way to pass it on regardless, often to Sang-gu’s consternation. Geu-ru also has a minor obsession with fish and marine life, since his parents regularly brought him to a giant aquarium as a child, and he continues to do so as an adult. When he feels panicked, Geu-ru recites facts about fish to calm himself. Despite his condition, there are a lot of people surrounding him who understand his situation and try their best to help him and make him feel comfortable.
Supporting[edit]
Ji Jin-hee is Han Jeong-woo, Geu-ru’s father, and Sang-gu’s older half-brother, who shares the same mother with him. He was the founder and owner of Move to Heaven before his sudden death from cardiac arrest. Previously a firefighter in Busan, he rescued an abandoned infant, whom he and his wife later adopted and named Geu-ru. After her passing, he taught Geu-ru everything about life and his job as a trauma cleaner but kept his heart condition secret from him. He also treated Sang-gu like his own brother, but after Sang-gu’s father died and Jeong-woo inadvertently abandoned him, they became estranged until Su-Cheol tried to reunite them at his last fight. Although Sang-gu refuses to see him when he tries to visit him in jail, Jeong-woo still entrusts his son’s future care to him.
Kim Ju-Yeon is Min Ji-won, Jeong-woo’s wife and Geu-ru’s mother, who died from cancer when he was a child.
Lee Moon-Sik is Park Joo-take, a waste disposal truck driver and a friend of Jeong-woo. He is a close partner of Move to Heaven who helps them collect the unusable garbage left by the deceased. A North Korean defector, he is amazed by Move to Heaven’s work and always prioritizes them when they need his service.
Im Won-hee as Oh Hyun-change, a lawyer, and a partner of Move to Heaven. He was assigned by Jeong-woo to contact Sang-gu when he got discharged from prison and explains to Geu-ru and Na-mu the guardianship arrangement with Sang-gu.
Hong Seung-hee as Yoon Na-mu,[6] Geu-ru’s best friend and neighbor who joins and helps him run Move to Heaven after she becomes suspicious of Sang-gu’s sudden presence in Geu-ru’s life. However, her mother disapproves of her working as a trauma cleaner, and she does so in secret. She has been fond and protective of Geu-ru since they first met when they were kids and is willing to take good care of him.
Hong Seok is Park Jun-Yeong,[7] a policeman and friend of Han Geu-ru and Yoon Na-mu. He is usually seen attending crime scenes where clean-up by Move to Heaven is required and is their first contact when the pair needs the help of the police. Like Na-mu, he understands Geu-ru’s condition and tries his best to help him. It is hinted that he has feelings toward Yoon Na-mu.
Jung Young-Joo as Oh Mi-ran, Na-mu’s mother. She runs a small takeaway shop, located against Move to Heaven, with her husband. She disapproves of both her daughter’s friendship with Geu-ru and her working for Move to Heaven.
Lee Jae-wook as Kim Su-cheol,[8] Sang-gu’s friend and protégé. 10 years ago, Sang-gu helped him out when he was beaten up by street thugs, inspiring Su-Cheol to become a fighter and eventually becoming a champion boxer himself. After several years, he told Sang-gu that he wanted to retire from boxing so he could start a new life running a supply shop with his father and sister. Unfortunately, he ended up being forced to participate in a rigged underground MMA fight against Sang-gu to get the money to do so. During the fight, after Su-Cheol refused to concede, Sang-gu violently knocked him out, putting him into a coma, and Sang-gu was sent to jail for it. Sang-gu visits a still-comatose Su-Cheol in hospital after his release, but he passes away soon after. Sang-gu later discovers Su-Cheol was suffering from CTE, which was his real reason for retirement.
Park Jung-Won is Kim Su-jin, Su-school’s younger sister.
Jung Ae-Youn as Madam Jung, an associate of Sang-gu and an underground MMA fight organizer. She organized the fight between him and Su-Cheol and, after his release from jail, persuades Sang-gu to continue fighting for her.
Choi Soo-young as Son Woo-rim,[9] a social worker who helps lonely citizens who don’t have any other family. She first crosses paths with Move to Heaven when they attend to the home of an elderly couple who have committed suicide together, and later contacts them to take care of Matthew Green’s belongings. Sang-gu appears to have a crush on her.
Guest appearance[edit]
Shin Soo-oh as Kim Yong-woo,[10] a murder suspect. (Episode 4)
Yoon Ji-Hye as Lee Ju-Yeong, a public prosecutor. (Episode 4, 10)
Kwon Soo-Hyun as Soo-Hyun,[11] a doctor. (Episode 5)
Lee Ki-young is Soo-Hyun’s father, a decorated military officer. (Episode 5)
Jung Dong-hwan is Kim In-su, an elderly man who commits suicide alongside his wife. (Episode 6)
Yoon Joo-sang as Chairman No (episode 6)
Yoo Sun is Kang Eun-Jeong, a newscaster. When she was a teenager, her parents fostered Korean children who were to be adopted by overseas couples. (Episode 9)
Kevin Oh as Matthew Green, a deportee from the United States looking for his birth mother, whom he believes to be Kang Eun-Jeong. His birth name is Kang Seong-min. (episode 9)
Lee Re as “butterfly girl”[12] (episode 10)
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In September 2019, it was reported that Kim Sung-ho would direct a series for Netflix, the story of which is inspired by an essay “Things Left Behind” by Kim Sae-buy, a former “trauma cleaner”.[13]
Casting[edit]
On 17 December 2019, Netflix confirmed the lead casting of Lee Je-hoon and Tang Jun-sang for the series.[5] On June 3, 2020, Netflix confirmed that Ji Jin-hee, Lee Jae-Wook, and Hong Seung-hee are to join the cast of the series.[1]
Filming[edit]
As the infection due to the COVID-19 pandemic was reported, the production of Move to Heaven, along with other Netflix original dramas, was stopped in late August 2020.[14] On February 25, 2021, Netflix announced its plans and timeline for forthcoming projects including Move to Heaven.[15] On February 25, 2021, new stills from the TV series were released.[16]
Release[edit]
The series was released on Netflix on May 14, 2021. All 10 episodes, each with a running time of around 45 to 60 minutes, are available for streaming. It became the 11th South Korean Netflix original series released on Netflix.[17]
Reception[edit]
Greg Wheeler of The Review Geek, rating the series 9 out of 10, opined that the series is a beautiful message conveyed through unique characters. Wheeler praised the performance of Tang Jun-sang, writing “Tang Joon-Snag’s acting is nothing short of extraordinary…” He also praised the soundtrack and wrote that it was “absolutely on-point.” In summary, he said, “With excellent acting, tightly written chapters and a careful, respectful and empowering view on death, Move to Heaven is a cleverly written and unique Korean drama”, and concluded by saying that the show was an “…absolute must-watch this year. Just be sure to have a pack of tissues ready to catch those tears!”.[18] Rhian Daly of NME also praised the series, awarding it 5 out of 5 stars, and called it a contender for one of 2021’s best shows.[19]
Mr. Kim’s convenience
Kim’s Convenience
cbc.ca/Kim’s convenience
Kim’s Convenience is a Canadian television sitcom that premiered on CBC Television in October 2016. It depicts the Korean Canadian Kim family that runs a convenience store in the Moss Park neighborhood of Toronto: parents “Papa” and “Umma” – Korean for dad and mom, respectively – along with their daughter Janet and estranged son Jung. Wikipedia
Developed by: Ins Choi, Kevin White
Starring: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Jean Yoon, Andrea Bang, Simu Liu, Andrew Phung, Nicole Power
Country of origin: Canada
Comment:
Not exactly a typical K drama. It takes place in Canada and depicts the life of a Korean immigrant family running a convenience store in Toronto. Well, done. Good acting, and storylines.
End comment
Yet to Watch
Minuri Movie
Minami (Korean: 미나리 [mina], transl. ”water celery“) is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It stars Steven Yuen, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yoh-Jung, and Will Patton. A semi-autobiographical take on Chung’s upbringing, the plot follows a family of South Korean immigrants who try to make it in the rural United States during the 1980s.[6]
Minami had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2020, winning both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award.[7] It began a one-week virtual release on December 11, 2020, and was released theatrically and via virtual cinema on February 12, 2021, by A24.
The film received critical acclaim, with many declaring it one of the best films of 2020. It earned six nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Yuen), and Best Supporting Actress (Youn), with Youn winning for her performance, making her the first Korean to win an Academy Award for acting. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, and earned six nominations at the 74th British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film Not in the English Language.
Plot[edit]
In 1983, the Korean immigrant Yi family moves from California to their new plot of land in rural Arkansas, where Father Jacob hopes to grow Korean produce to sell to vendors in Dallas. One of his first decisions is to decline the services of a water diviner and he digs a well in a spot he finds on his own. He enlists the help of Paul, an eccentric local man, and Korean War veteran. While Jacob is optimistic about the life ahead, his wife Monica is disappointed and worries about their son David’s heart condition; he is frequently told not to run due to this. Jacob and Monica work sexing chicks at the nearby hatchery and argue constantly while David and his sister Anne eavesdrop.
To help watch the children during the day, they arrange for Monica’s mother Soon-JA to travel from South Korea. David, who is forced to share a room with her, avoids her because she does not conform to his idea of how a grandmother should be. Still, Soon-ja attempts to adjust to life in the States and bond with the children. The well that Jacob dug runs dry. Jacob is reluctant to pay for county water but eventually is forced to do so. He runs into additional difficulties, such as the vendor in Dallas canceling their order at the last minute. Even so, he perseveres despite Monica’s vocal desire to return to California. This brings their marriage closer to the breaking point.
Meanwhile, Soon-JA takes David to plant Minami seeds by the creek. She tells them how resilient and useful the plant is, and predicts plentiful growth. David finally begins to warm to his grandmother after she teaches him Hanabusa, bandages his wounds, and soothes him to sleep. Soon-ja also encourages him to do more physical activity, something his parents discourage, but she says that he is stronger than they think. Soon-ja suddenly suffers a stroke overnight. She survives with medical treatment but is left with impaired movement and speech.
Jacob, Monica, Anne, and David head to Oklahoma City for David’s heart appointment and to meet a vendor to sell Jacob’s produce. Although they learn that David’s heart condition has dramatically improved and Jacob makes a deal to sell vegetables to a Korean grocer, Jacob also indirectly admits to Monica that the success of his crops is more important to him than the stability of their family. Following an emotional argument, the two tacitly agree to separate.
However, Soon-ja accidentally sets the barn containing the produce on fire in their absence. Upon arriving home, Jacob rushes in to save the crops, and Monica soon follows. Eventually, the fire grows out of control, and they decide to save each other while leaving the barn to burn. A distraught and confused Soon-ja begins to wander off into the distance, as Anne and David call for her to come back. Seeing that she is not responding to them, David breaks into a sprint to meet her, blocking her path. Soon-ja seems to recognize David for a moment and reaches for his hand and the grandchildren lead her back home. The family is asleep on the floor, collapsed from the fatigue of the night before. Above them, Soon-ja is awake, in a chair, watching them sleep with a subdued expression.
Sometime later, Jacob and Monica are with the water diviner who finds a spot for a well. They mark it with a stone signifying their intention to stay on the farm. Jacob and David then head to the creek to harvest the minaret, which had grown successfully, with Jacob noting how good a spot Soon-ja had picked to plant them.
Cast[edit]
Steven Yuen as Jacob Yi
Han Ye-ri as Monica Yi
Alan Kim as David Yi
Noel Kate Cho as Anne Yi (Ji-young, Korean: 지영)
Youn Yoh-jung as Soon-ja (Korean: 순자)
Will Patton as Paul
Scott Haze as Billy
Jacob Wade as Johnnie
Comment: Won best supporting actress Oscar.
End comment
Sky Castle
Sky Castle (Korean: SKY 캐슬; RR: SKY Kassel; stylized as SKY Castle[a]) is a 2018–2019 South Korean television series starring Yum Jung-ah, Lee Tae-ran, Yoon Se-ah, Oh Na-ra and Kim Seo-Hyung. It aired on JTBC on Fridays and Saturdays, from November 23, 2018, to February 1, 2019.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Sky Castle is the second-highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history.[10] The drama received positive reviews from critics and won multiple awards, including four at the 55th Buesking Arts Awards.
Synopsis[edit]
A satirical series that closely looks at the materialistic desires of the upper-class parents in South Korea and how they ruthlessly secure the successes of their families at the cost of destroying others’ lives. The drama revolves around the lives of housewives residing in a luxurious residential area called SKY Castle in suburban Seoul, where wealthy doctors and professors live. The wives are determined to make their husbands more successful and to raise their children to be top students,[5] who will be accepted at the best universities, so they use every possible way to get that.[11]
Han Seo-jin (Yum Jung-ah) is married to an ambitious doctor, Kang Joon-sang (Jung Joon-ho). She wants her eldest daughter, Kang Ye-seo (Kim Hye-Joon), to also become a doctor. To do that, she hires Kim Joo-young (Kim Seo-Hyung), a coordinator with a one hundred percent success rate when it comes to her students’ admission to the Seoul National University.
No Seung-Hye (Yoon Se-ah) is the wife of Cha Min-hyuk (Kim Byung-Chula), a perfectionist law professor. She does not like the way her husband teaches their twin sons, Cha Seo-Joon (Kim Dong-hee) and Cha Ki-Joon (Jo Byeong-kyu). Later it is revealed that their daughter, Cha Se-ri (Park Yoo-Na), who has always been Min-Hyun’s pride since she attends Harvard University, hides something from them.
Jin Jin-hee (Oh Na-ra) is the mother of Woo Soo-Han (Lee Eugene). She wants her son to be like her husband, Woo Yang-woo (Jo Jae-Yoon), which means becoming a doctor. She befriends Seo-jin to get information and to achieve a perfect career and education for her family.
Following the suicide of Lee Myung-Joo (Kim Jung-nan), mother of Park Young-Jae (Song Geon-hee), who was a former student of Joo-young and recently admitted to the Seoul National University, Lee Soo-im (Lee Tae-ran)’s family moves into the SKY Castle. Her husband, Hwang Chi-young (Choi Won-young), works at the same hospital as Joon-sang and Yang-woo, and her son, Hwang Woo-Joo (Kang Chang-hee), attends the same school as Ye-seo. Her family often clashes with the other residents due to their differences in opinions.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Yum Jung-ah as Han Seo-jin/Kwak Mi-hyang[12]
An overzealous mother who wants nothing more than her daughter to get into Seoul National Medical University. She hides her past from everyone except her husband and in-laws who knew that she grew up poor with an alcoholic father who sold oxblood and offal. She is the mother of Kang Ye-seo and Kang Ye-bin; the wife of Kang Joon-sang and daughter-in-law of Madame Yoon.
Lee Tae-ran as Lee Soo-im[12]
A new member of the neighborhood disapproves of the other parents’ methods for getting their kids to university, believing it is too harsh. She is disliked by the other parents for disrupting the status quo. She knows who Seo-jin is, as she knew her from when they were younger. She is the most down-to-earth out of all mothers in the complex and the only mother who is a stepmother. She is the stepmother of Hwang Woo-Joo; and the wife of Hwang Chi-young.
Yoon Se-ah as No Seung-Hye[12]
A woman who befriends Soo-im, and starts to look down on how the other moms treat everyone and their kids. She changes her ways and becomes protective of her sons from their father’s harsh teaching methods. She is the mother of Cha Se-ri, Cha Seo-Joon, and Cha Ki-Joon. She is the wife of Cha Min-hyuk
Oh Na-ra as Jin Jin-hee[12]
A friend of Seo-jin tries to get her child to do everything with Seo-jinn’s daughter so he can be successful. She bribes Seo-jin with gifts into trusting her with information. But she finds it difficult to keep secrets. Her loyalty changes easily as well depending on who she is with. She is the mother of Woo Soo-Han and the wife of Woo Yang-woo.
Kim Seo-Hyung as Kim Joo-young[13]
She is a well-known tutor only accessible to the elite and only caters to two students at a time. Because of her 100% success rate in getting students accepted, Seo-jin was determined to hire her as her daughter’s tutor. She tutored Young-Jae and Ye-seo. She hides a past that she tries to escape from. She has a daughter, Kay, or Katherine, who was an acclaimed genius when they lived in Fairfax.
Supporting[edit]
Kang family[edit]
Jung Joon-ho as Kang Joon-sang[14]
Seo-jinn’s husband. Doctor of the Joo-Nam University Hospital. He holds Min-hyuk in absolute contempt and delights in the latter’s misfortunes. He is very ambitious and is obsessed with maintaining a good track record to elevate his status in the hospital. He will stop at nothing to get rivals out of the way.
Kim Hye-yoon as Kang Ye-seo
Seo-jinn’s elder daughter. Her dream is to enter Seoul National University‘s medical faculty and be a third-generation doctor. She is very impulsive and is as determined as her father in achieving her goals. She has feelings for Woo-Joo.
Lee Ji-won as Kang Ye-bin[15]
Seo-jinn’s younger daughter. She is cynical and often clashes with her sister and believes her parents only care for her sister. She, however, gets along well with the other children in the complex and is the first one in the family to warm up to Hye-nab
Jung Ae-Ri as Madame Yoon
Joon-sing’s mother-in-law. She is the one who pushed Seo-jin to bring Ye-seo to the top to have a third-generation doctor in the family.
Hwang family[edit]
Choi Won-young as Hwang Chi-young[14]
Soo-Kim’s husband. Doctor of the Joo-Nam University Hospital. Rival of Joon-sang. He grew up at an orphanage that was owned by Soo-i’s parents. He was married to Woo-Jono’s real mother, but after she passed away, he remarried Soo-im.
Kang Chan-hee as Hwang Woo-joo[14]
Soo-i’s step-son is treated like her own son. He likes Hye-na and is liked by Ye-seo. A kind student who always helps other students that have difficulties.
Cha family[edit]
Kim Byung-churl as Cha Min-hyuk[14]
Seung-Hye’s husband. A law school lecturer and former prosecutor. He is strict with his children and holds very high expectations of them, especially academically.
Park Yoo-Na as Che Se-ri[16]
Seung-Hye’s daughter. She is the MD of a nightclub. She lied about being a Harvard University student and got caught.
Kim Dong-hee as Cha Seo-joon[17]
Seung-Hye’s elder son; twin of Ki-Joon. A classmate of Woo-Joo. Even though he is calmer than his younger twin, he strongly dislikes his father’s method of teaching and studying.
Jo Byung-guy as Cha Ki-joon[18]
Seung-Hye’s younger son; twin of Seo-Joon. He likes to play tricks on Ye-seo. He strongly dislikes his father’s method of teaching and studying.
Woo family[edit]
Jo Jae-yoon as Woo Yang-woo[14]
Jin-hee’s husband. An Orthopedic surgeon. He is very obedient to Kang Joon-sang but behind him, he admires Hwang Chi-young.
Lee Eugene as Woo Soo-Han
Jin-hee’s son. He is not interested in studying but still tries his best under huge academic pressure. Soo-Han has a crush on Ye-bin.
People around Joo-young[edit]
Lee Hyun-jin as Jo Tae-Jun [19]
Secretary of Joo-young. Originally met when he sabotaged Kim Joo-young’s husband’s car for her in Fairfax.
Jo Mi-nyao as Kay/Katherine
Kim Joo-young’s daughter. Mentally ill cause by Kim Joo-young sabotaging her father’s car, causing a serious accident leading to her brain damage. Implied to have savant syndrome.
Others[edit]
Kim Bo-ra as Kim Hye-na[20]
Sin-ah Secondary School student. She is treated as an enemy by Ye-seo. She has a mutual feeling with Hwang Woo-Joo. She is the daughter of Kang Joon-sang and Kim Eun-Hye, yet he does not acknowledge her until after her death.[21] (Eps 2, 4-15)
A former resident of Sky Castle committed suicide after her son runs away to his secret girlfriend.
Myung-Jono’s son. After his mother’s death, he wants to reconcile with his father, Park Soo-Chang.
Myung-Jono’s husband and Young-Jae’s father. At first, he’s harsh toward Young-Jae but after his wife’s death he wants to reconcile with Young-Jae
Young Jae’s girlfriend. She is 6 years older than him and hired as a housekeeper by Myung-Joo, coming from a low-class family. Myung-Joo disapproved of her status and her relationship with Young-Jae.
-4)
Comment:
this drama centers upon the lengths to which families will go to get their kids into the SKY castle – Seoul, Korea or Yonsei University in Seoul which is the ticket to the upper class in a status-conscious South Korea. For most children, the route to the top consists of undergraduate degrees at one of the SKY universities (actually the top five) then a graduate degree from a top US university, after military service (for men). Then returning home at age 28 to get married after getting into one of the top corporations or perhaps the top civil service ranks, or becoming a lawyer, judge, or prosecutor.
End Comment
Kingdom
Kingdom (South Korean TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Mnet’s television program Kingdom: Legendary War.
Kingdom (Korean: 킹덤; RR: Kingdom) is a 2019 South Korean political period horror thriller streaming television series, created and written by Kim Eun-hee and directed by Kim Seong-Hun and Park In-je.[4][5][6] It is Netflix‘s first original Korean series,[b] which premiered on January 25, 2019.[7][8][9][10] The series is adapted from the webcomic series The Kingdom of the Gods, which was authored by Kim Eun-hee and drawn by Yang Kyung-il.[1] Set on a fictional, medieval-inspired Joseon, Kingdom explores the story of a Crown Prince, as he sets to investigate the source of a mysterious plague that begins to ravage his country. It stars Ju Ji-hoon, Ryu Seung-Rayong, Bae Doo-na, Kim Sang-ho, Kim Sung-kyu and Kim Hye-jun.
The series was positively reviewed and renewed for a second season which was released on March 13, 2020.[11][12][13][14] A special feature-length episode of the series, titled “Kingdom: Ashen of the North”, was released on July 23, 2021, and focused on the supporting character Ashen played by Jun Ji-Hyun.[15] The episode acts as a sequel to the second season of Kingdom and explores the backstory of Ashen, the mysterious character Lee Chang’s group encountered on their journey north to discover the origins of the infected.[16]
Synopsis[edit]
Set during Korea’s Joseon Dynasty, three years after the Imjin War, the first season of Kingdom follows the story of Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon) and his subordinates, who stumble across an unnatural plague that resurrects the dead amidst his investigation of a brewing political conspiracy and rumors of the King of Joseon’s death. Amidst the chaos and death that ensues, Chang meets allies who try to make a stand in the city-state of Sangju before it spreads further into the province, only to discover that the plague has already adapted. The second season picks up during Lee Chang’s struggle to save his people from the spread of the plague and his dynasty from the machinations of the powerful Haemon Cho clan who hides a sinister secret.
Kingdom: Ashen of the North[edit]
Kingdom: Ashen of the North explores the backstory of Ashen (Jun Ji-Hyun), the mysterious heir of the Northern Sanjaya tribe village, and the origin of the resurrection plant that triggered an unprecedented cascade of tragic events that swept through the Kingdom of Joseon.
Plot[edit]
‘Kingdom’ locations
The kingdom is set during Korea’s Joseon period, three years after the famous “Battle of Unpot Wetland” near the city of soldier during the Japanese invasions of Korea, where 500 Korean soldiers, led by Governor Ahn Hyeon, defeated an army of 30,000 Japanese invaders. Unbeknownst to the common people, this victory was achieved by using an herb known as the “resurrection plant”, which transformed the diseased villagers of Suman into ferocious zombies; after the battle ended, the zombies were executed and buried in secret.
Season one[edit]
At the start of the series, the King dies of smallpox. Chief State Councilor Lord Cho Hak-Ju (Ryu Seung-Rayong) decides to hide the King’s death until his daughter, Queen Consort Cho (Kim Hye-Jun), produces a son. Such a son would have a more legitimate claim to the throne than Crown Prince Lee Chang, whose mother was a concubine. As a result, the King is inoculated with the resurrection plant and subsequently becomes a monster at night, restrained with chains and fed with the bodies of court servants. Refused permission to visit his father, the prince leaves in disguise to search for Lee Seung-hui (Kwon Bum-take), the doctor who last treated the King. Shocked by what he finds in the process of investigating the King’s illness, he heads to the Southern province of Yeong sang with his loyal bodyguard Mu-Yeong (Kim Sang-ho) to search for more answers. At Lee Seung-hui’s clinic outside the city of Dingane, physician’s assistant Seo-bi (Bae Dona) cares for dozens of patients but is running out of food to feed them. Yeong-shin (Kim Sung-kyu), one of the patients, makes a stew for the people from what he says is deer meat. However, the meat is later revealed to be sourced from the cadaver of someone bitten by the King and all the patients quickly turn into zombies.
The next day, the magistrate of Dingane and nephew of Lord Cho Hak-Ju, Cho Beom-pal (Jeon Seok-ho), disregards Seo-bi and Yeong-shin’s advice to cut off the head of each cadaver, leading to a night of chaos when the dead awaken. When the Prince takes control and orders that the bodies of the undead be destroyed, the yangbans secretly flee on the only boat, carrying their belongings and the corpse of a precious son. Soldiers of the royal guard from Hanyang confront the prince, resulting in the slaughter of dozens of civilians he was trying to help. Subsequently, the Prince goes to Sangho to seek help from Lord Ahn Hyeon, his mentor. Investigating a village that seems to be oddly well-fed in such dire times, he discovers the fate of the missing boat; the precious son became a monster, the yangbans were killed or drowned, and the boat was looted after stranding itself. Awakened from his retreat by his alarm network, Lord Ahn Hyeon (Heo Joon-ho) arrives with troops who know how to deal with the zombie crisis. The season ends with Queen Cho taking the Regency of the vacant throne, decreeing the blockade of the South, while Lord Cho Hak-Ju comes to Kyongsang’s gate with the Army and the zombie King. On the other side, Lord Ahn Hyeon and the Prince fortify Sangho against the zombies while Seo-bi and Cho Beom-pal explore the Frozen Valley, learning the origins of the zombie disease.
Season two[edit]
In Hanyang, the Queen has gathered many pregnant women at Nasonex, her private residence. Mu-Yeong’s wife is there as well, taken as a hostage, to force Mu-Yeong to spy on the prince. Pregnant women are killed when their delivery is not as expected. As a result, the Special Forces Commander becomes suspicious and searches Nasonex. He finds the corpses of seven delivered women. The baby girls were strangled, but the baby boys were only stillborn. At Sangho, it is discovered that the zombies are slowed not by sunlight, but by temperature. Since the weather gets colder, the situation becomes worse after another night of chaos. The prince decides to break into the border fortress with a limited squad. They are successful but fall into a trap. Lord Ahn Hyeon is shot to death, while The Prince is put in presence of the zombie King, and must cut his head off to save his own life. But there was a trap inside the trap; when Lord Cho Hak-Ju turns back to Hanyang, Lord Ahn Hyeon appears as a resurrected zombie. Wearing his commanding flag, he bites Lord Cho Hak-Ju, before being killed himself, proving the existence of zombies and the good faith of the prince. The blockade army allies with The Prince.
The next day, Lord Cho Hak-JU’s corpse disappears. He has been taken by Mu-Yeong, helped by Seo-bi and Cho Beom-pal. They flee towards Hanyang, but along the way, Mu-Yeong is killed. At the Lord Cho Hak-Ju residence, Seo-bi discovers a cure; a full immersion in water forces away the worm-like entities causing the zombification. At the same time, the Queen pretends to give birth, presenting Mu-Yeong wife’s newborn as her own. She poisons her recovered father who discovered the lie and organizes a zombie research lab beneath her Palace. While the Queen prepares a large proscription, the Royal Guards are lured out of the Palace, allowing the Crown Prince to conquer the place. But the Queen practices a scorched earth policy and orders to release the zombies from the research lab, and chaos ensues. However, the plan of closing the gates of the inner Palace is not sufficient, and the Queen is eaten. The last few survivors escape to the Rear Garden and break the ice of the pond. The zombies are stopped by the water, while the bitten but not yet transformed people are saved from being zombified.
Seven years later, the baby is crowned King, while Seo-bi, Yeong-shin, and the former Crown Prince investigate the Northern Provinces. Shortly after their arrival to a seemingly empty village, a mysterious woman named Ashen (Jun Ji-Hyun) appears inside a barn and stands next to the undead who are kept inside wooden boxes for some nefarious purpose.
An of the North[edit]
Set before the events of the first season, the episode delves into Afshin’s origin story and her experiences growing into a scorned woman that turned against the Kingdom of Joseon. During her childhood, Ashen (Kim Shi-ah) lived in the Northern village of Sanjaya with her ailing mother and her father, Ta Hob (Kim Roi-ha) who was one of the Jurchen people living in Joseon and also the head of their settlement. Tensions were high between Joseon, the central kingdom, and the Jurchen border tribes of Paju Owe. The Paju Owe had gathered their army at the basin of the Pajero River.
When fifteen of Paju Owe Jurchen men enter the forbidden area known as Pisa-gun to illegally gather wild ginseng, they all die unexpectedly. It is revealed that Cho Beom-il (Jung Suk-won), a high-ranking member of the Haemon Cho clan, orchestrated the deaths of the Jurchen men. The Deputy Commander of the Caupain group, Min Chi-rock (Park Byung-Eun) investigated the deaths of the Jurchen and discovered Cho’s involvement, he travels to the Sanjaya village to conduct damage control and prevent a conflict against the Kingdom by the Page Owe. Min spread the message that the deaths were due to a tiger attack but some villagers remained skeptical.
During a meeting with Ta Hob, the Commander requests him to travel to the bordering Page Owe tribe and spread the message, that the attack was caused by a tiger who killed the men. Ta Hob agreed to the mission as he had pledged his loyalty to Joseon and hoping his actions will grant Sanjaya governmental representation, improving the lives of its people. This was later revealed to be a ruse conspired by the Commander, to strategically protect the interests of the Kingdom.
On a false hunt for the alleged tiger, the Commander encounters some Pages Owe soldiers and informs the group, that the attackers of the Page Owe men were killed by the villagers of Sanjaya. This act later diverts the Page Owe ‘s hostility towards the village of Sanjaya. Afterward, the Page Owe military led by Ai Da Gan (Koo Kyo-hwan), attacks Sanjaya in the middle of the night, massacring the inhabitants. Before the attack on the village, Ashen finds the resurrection plant in a hidden cave shrine and reads the ancient mural to understand its properties and effects, to tend to her terminally ill mother. Upon returning to the village, she finds that it has been burned to the ground and all the villagers killed. Unbeknownst to Ash in, her father was taken hostage by the Page Owe military.
Being the sole survivor of the massacre, Asian goes to the Commander and begs for a chance to avenge her family. He places her in a military settlement post, where she begins to perform odd jobs while training in the woodlands. Years later, she was told by the Commander to spy on the military camp of Page Owe. While infiltrating the camp, Asian finds her father held as a prisoner, with his limbs amputated. Ta Hob begs his daughter to kill him to end his misery. Asian complies and sets the camp on fire before going back to the settlement. Before her return to the military settlement, the Commander was summoned to return to the South to deal with the war against the Japanese forces, leaving his Second-in-command and soldiers behind. Soon after, Asian reads the records inside the Commander’s hut, implicating the Commander of framing the Sanjaya village for the Jurchen deaths’ at Pisa-gun, leading to the eventual massacre of her village.
Asian prepares to take revenge against the Kingdom of Joseon. After night falls, she kills several Joseon soldiers as they sleep and uses the resurrection plant to bring them back as zombies. While the zombies rampage around the camp, Asian kills any soldiers, with her bow and arrows, who manage to escape or lock themselves beyond the zombies’ reach. Using the last soldier as bait, she attracted the zombies together and then burns them, effectively killing all the soldiers and zombies in the camp. Asian is then seen dragging a giant sack back to her village which looks normal. She then enters her old house which was filled with her family and some villagers. She was awakened to zombie snarls which brings her to the present where the village is burned down and the house is filled with zombies chained to the back of the house. It is revealed that after the massacre of her village, she had converted her family and some villagers into zombies. Asian had been feeding them animals for years but felt that they deserved better food and fed them with a soldier she had carried with her in the sack. She vowed to destroy Joseon and the Jurchen to avenge them and joined them when she is done.
Asian leaves to meet Lee Seung-hui, the Joseon King’s physician at the border in Fiji. She sells him the resurrection plant, setting in motion, the events that would later occur in the “Battle of Unpot Wetland” and the tragedy that would come to pass at Dingane. After exiting the city, Asian walks into an open field, and later witnesses Ai Da Gan and his Page Owe brethren riding horses in the distance. The Page Owe riders approach Asian and she shoots an arrow without hesitation.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Ju Ji-hoon as Lee Chang: The Crown Prince of Joseon and the current heir to the throne. Suspicious of the mysterious illness afflicting his father, the King of Joseon, his investigation not only uncovers a dangerous plague that brings the dead to life, but also a plot to betray the Royal family and usurp him as heir.[20]
Bae Dona as Seo-bi: A physician’s assistant from Dingane who is among the first to discover the outbreak of the mysterious plague. She desperately seeks to find a cure and comes to possess a journal containing crucial information about the disease.[2]
Kim Sung-kyu as Yeong-shin: A mysterious tiger hunter from the South who is also among the first to discover the outbreak of the plague. A skilled fighter who carries early European muskets, he allies himself with Lee Chang and helps to lead the fight against the undead.
Jeon Seok-ho as Cho Beom-pal: A somewhat incompetent magistrate of Dingane and Cho Hak-Ju’s nephew. He used to be more interested in self-preservation than protecting his people.[21]
Ryu Seung-Rayong as Lord Cho Hak-Ju (seasons 1–2): The Chief State Councilor of Joseon and head of the Haemon Cho clan. He is the father of Queen Consort Cho and Cho Beom-il and the uncle of Cho Beom-pal. A cold, ruthless leader, he is desperate to secure his power over the throne through Queen Cho’s unborn child who he seeks to make an heir to the throne in place of Lee Chang.[22]
Kim Hye-Jun as Queen Consort Cho (seasons 1–2): The young and “pregnant” Queen of Joseon who is Cho Hak-Ju’s daughter, Cho Beom-ill’s sister, and Lee Chang’s stepmother. Like her father, she is desperate to secure her power over the throne by giving birth to a son that will displace Crown Prince Lee Chang as the rightful heir.
Kim Sang-ho as Mu-Yeong (seasons 1–2): Prince Chang’s loyal personal bodyguard accompanies him to the southern provinces to investigate the plague, leaving his pregnant wife in the capital.[23]
Heo Joon-ho as Lord Ahn Hyeon (season 1; guest season 2): A former governor and war hero who has retired from public service, despite his popularity with the people, to live a quiet life in Sangho. He was also a mentor to the young Lee Chang.[24]
Jun Ji-Hyun as Asian (special; guest season 2): A mysterious stranger from Hengyang province in the North of the country.
Kim Shi-ah as young Asian[25]
Park Byung-Eun as Min Chi-rock (special; recurring season 2): Head of the Royal Commandery and a skilled archer who becomes suspicious of the Queen.
Koo Kyo-hwan as Ai Da Gan (special): Leader of the Page Owe tribe.
Kim Roi-ha as Ta Hob (special): Head of the Northern Sanjaya tribe and the father of Asian.
Supporting[edit]
Jung Suk-won as Cho Beom-il (seasons 1–2; special): Cho-Hak-Ju’s son and Queen Cho’s elder brother and a commander in the Royal Army.
Kim Jong-soo as Kim Sun: Chief Scholar in Hanyang who clashes with Cho Hak-Ju.
Kwon Bum-take as Lee Seung-hui (season 1; special): Royal physician who attends to the King.
Lee Yang-hee as the Minister of War: Powerful politician in Hanyang who is initially loyal to the Haemon Cho clan but finds his loyalty wavering.
Jin Seon-kyu as Deok Sung: Ahn Hyeon’s loyal right-hand man.
Joo Suk-tea as Lee Do-jin (seasons 1–2): Leader of the Palace Guard who travels south to apprehend Lee Chang, he is loyal to Cho Hak-Ju.
Ahn Eun-jin as Mu-Yeong’s wife: A loving, pregnant, wife who was put under the protection of the Haemon Cho clan.
Kim Tae-hoon as Lee Gang-Yun (season 2): Head of the Royal Army, who travels south with Cho Hak-Ju.
Jo Han-Chula as Won Yu (season 2): Descendant of an exiled member of the royal family living a quiet life on a remote island, who is sought out by Lee Chang.
Ahn Jae-Hong as Eunuch (season 2): Former eunuch who later becomes the new king’s servant.
Kim Kang-hoon as Mu-Yeong’s son (season 2): A young boy who was rescued from a horde of zombies as a baby by Seo-bi.
Comments: Zombie attacks in the Chosen dynasty. End comment
Reply 1988
Reply 1988
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reply 1988 (Korean: 응답하라 1988; Hanja: 應答하라 1988; RR: Endophora 1988) is a South Korean television series starring Lee Hye-Ri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Go Kyung-Pio, Park Bo-gum, and Lee Dong-why.[1][2][3] Beginning in the year 1988, it revolves around five friends and their families living in the same neighborhood of Sangamon, Dugong, Northern Seoul.[4] It aired every Friday and Saturday from November 6, 2015, to January 16, 2016, on tvN for 20 episodes.[5][6]
Reply 1988 is the third installment of tvN‘s Reply series.[7] It received both critical and audience acclaim with its final episode recording an 18.8% nationwide audience share, making it the fourth highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history.[8][9]
Lee Hye-RI as Sung Duk-seon/Sung Soo-yeon[10]
The middle child of her family, she is infamously ranked 999th in school and is the only girl in their group of five neighborhood friends. Though not academically gifted, Duk-seon has a bright and compassionate personality. She cares deeply for her friends and classmates but feels lost without a “dream” to pursue. Dukedom moves through the stages of her youth alongside her male friends, and the mystery of which of them she eventually marries is a continual point of tension for viewers throughout the series.
Ryu Jun-yeol as Kim Jung-hwan
Stoic and sarcastic, but with a secret sweetheart, Jung-hwan (called Jung-pal by his friends) is one of the leaders of the neighborhood group. Jung-hwan is handsome, smart, and athletic, often taking on extra feelings of responsibility to fulfill the dreams of his older brother Jung-bong, who has a chronic heart condition. While Jung-hwan doesn’t often share his emotions with others, he feels things deeply and uses his sarcasm and attitude as a shield. He develops feelings for a neighborhood friend early but is reluctant to admit his crush, even as the right timing slips away.
Go Kyung-Pio as Sung Sun-woo
A class president, caring brother, and dependable son to his widowed mother, Sun-woo is an ideal young man. He is devoted to his friends and dotes on his younger sister. Sun-woo harbors a secret crush on a neighborhood friend that lingers into adulthood.
Park Bo-gum as Choi Taek[11]
An internationally renowned genius Badu player, Taek is the quietest of his neighborhood friends. Taek dominates on the Badu board but struggles with simple everyday tasks. His Badu success has brought money and fame but has left Taek distant from his age group, and so he relies on his neighborhood friends for companionship, grounding, and a connection to youth. Taek is generous to a fault and hesitant to make a fuss, but that hesitancy disappears in competition. However, when he realizes that the person he cares for has another admirer, he has to weigh romance against friendship.
Lee Dong-why as Ryu Dong-Rayong
The neighborhood clown, Dong-Rayong loves to sing, dance, and play jokes with his friends. Like Dukedom, Dong-Rayong is not a natural academic, but his thoughtful insight and surprising wisdom serve him and his friends well. As the son of two working parents surrounded by tight-knit families, Dong-Rayong sometimes feels neglected by his parents and makes up for their absence by acting out. His nosy nature means that he ends up knowing many of the neighborhood’s secrets before anyone else.
Recurring[edit]
Sung family
Sung Dong-il as Sung Dong-il (Dukedom’s father)
A fraud and security specialist at a bank, Dong-il fell into debt after lending money to a friend who never paid it back. He struggles to provide for his family as he wants to while paying off the debt but does his best to give everything he can to his children. He and his wife, Il-Hwa, argue but love each other very deeply.
Lee Il-Hwa as Lee Il-Hwa (Duck-Seon’s mother)
Il-Hwa is a kind woman who spends much of her time with the other moms and caring for her family. She worries about her children and husband and shows much of her care by cooking massive quantities of food to share with her family and the neighborhood.
Ryu Hye-young as Sung Bo-ra (Duck-Seon’s older sister).
Bo-ra is a tough-as-nails college student who wants to become a lawyer. While outwardly stoic, she has a warm heart and shows compassion to those who need it most. Where Dukedom struggles academically but excels at interpersonal relationships, Bo-ra is a stellar student who stumbles in social and emotional situations. She carries on a secret relationship with another person in the neighborhood.
Choi Sung-won as Sung No-Eul (Duck-Seon’s younger brother)
Dong-ill’s assistant in his schemes, No-eul is a kindhearted young teen with a beautiful singing voice and a poetic, dreamer’s mind.
Kim family
Kim Sung-kyun as Kim Sung-kyun (Jung-Hwan’s father)
Sung-Hyun is a kind and humorous man who runs an electronics store. He loves to joke and play with the neighborhood kids, and generally keeps an air of joviality among the adults. He adores his wife, Mi-ran, and hopes for good futures for his sons.
Ra Mi-ran as Ra Mi-ran (Jung-Hwan’s mother)
A tough lady with a strong past, Mi-ran is the indisputable empress of the Kim household. Worried about Jung-bong since his childhood diagnosis with a chronic heart condition and annoyed with his constant academic failures punctuated by collecting obsessions, Mi-ran can sometimes come off as short-tempered. This short temper is an expression of her anxiety and love for her children and family.
Ahn Jae-Hong as Kim Jung-bong (Jung-Hwan’s older brother)
A student who failed his college entrance exam 6 times, Jung-bong has a chronic heart condition that made his childhood difficult. He has a sometimes childlike personality and is easily distracted. Nevertheless, Jung-bong is kind, thoughtful, compassionate, and easy to like. He happily cares for the neighborhood kids including Jin-Joo, Sun-woo’s little sister. He is a surprisingly poetic romantic.
Sun-woo family
Kim Sun-young as Kim Sun-young (Sun-woo’s mother)
A kind young widow, Sun-young dotes on her children as much as possible, probably to try to make up for their father’s absence. She struggles with her mother-in-law and does her best to keep the family afloat. With a sunny personality and an upbeat disposition, she is always looking for the best side of any situation and can make even the most bear-like person laugh.
Kim Seol as Sung Jin-Joo (Sun-woo’s little sister)
A precocious toddler in 1988, one can assume Jin-Joo was born somewhere between 1983 and 1984. Doted on by everyone in the neighborhood, Jin-Joo is adored by all of the adults and teens alike. She loves her older brother but is a bit more reserved with others.
Neighborhood residents
Choi Moo-sung as Choi Moo-sung is also called “Bonghwangdang.”
Teak’s father and the owner of a watch store at the entrance to the alley. Moo-sung moved to the neighborhood at the behest of Sun-young, whom he has known since childhood, after the death of Teak’s mother. He was adopted into the neighborhood family as he raised Taek alone. Quiet and reserved, Moo-Sung’s unassuming exterior conceals hidden depths of emotion and compassion for his son, his friends, and the neighborhood as a whole.
Yoo Jae-Myung as Ryu Jae-Myung (Dong-Yong’s father)
A dean at the boy’s high school, Jae-Myung once harbored dreams of being a dancer. Now focused on shaping the men of the future, he does his best to keep his son in check while still enjoying his life.
Extended[edit]
Lee Min-Ji as Jang Mi-ok (Duck Seon’s friend)
A wealthy student. At first, her father was shown as a scary person but later it was revealed that he was a textile businessman who started his business from scratch. A good friend to Dukedom and Ja-Hyun, she is practical and excitable. Married Kim Jung-Bong, elder brother of Kim Jung-Hwan.
Lee Se-young as Wang Ja-Hyun (Duck Seon’s friend)
A constant friend to Dukedom and Mi-ok, Ja-Hyun is focused on boys and becoming a hairstylist.
Lee Mi-Yeon as adult Sung Dukedom
Kim Joo-hyuk as adult Choi Taek
Jeon Mi-seen as adult Sung Bo-ra
Woo Hyun as adult Sung No-eul
Lee Chung-mi as Nam Goong Nelumbo
Lee Jin-Kwon a Bad student
Seo Cho-won as Supporting
Park Ah-sung as Student
Song Young Kyu as Sun-young’s older brother
Yong Young-Jae as director of Korea Baduk Association
Bae Yoo-ram
Special appearances[edit]
Kim Young-ok as Duck Seon’s grandmother (ep. 2)
Jung Won-Jong as Dong-ill’s older brother (ep. 2)
Kim Sure as snack shop owner (ep. 3)
Lee Moon-se (voice) as radio DJ (ep. 6)
Park Ji-Yoon as TV interviewer (ep. 7)
Park Jung-min as Bo-ra’s boyfriend (ep. 8)
Kim Tae-hoon as Cardiac surgeon (ep. 8)
Lee Soo-Kyung as Lee Soo-Kyung, No-Elu’s girlfriend (ep. 8)
Jung Yoo-min as Bo-ra’s friend (ep. 8)
Jung Hae-in as Ho-young, Deok-sun’s middle school friend (ep. 13)
Shin Young-jin as Class President’s mother (ep.14)
Ahn Sung-ki (ep. 17)
Jung Woo as Trash (ep.18)
Go Ara as Sung Na-Jung (ep.18)
Production[edit]
Leads Hyeri and Park Bo-gum in costume at a fan signing event for the series, February 2016
Reply 1988 marked the third collaboration between director Shin Won-ho, screenwriter Lee Woo-Jung and actors Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-Hwa after Reply 1997 (2012) and Reply 1994 (2013). Kim Sung-Kyun, who co-starred in 1994 also joined the cast. The first script-reading was held in August 2015.[12] Choi Taek, played by Park Bo-gum, was loosely based on the real-life Go player, Lee Chang-ho.[13]
Unlike the previous Reply series, 1988 focused more on filial bonds than a romance between characters with director Shin saying that most of the story was about family, and only a small fraction was about Duck-Seon’s love.[14]
Comment: period piece circa 1988 set in Ssangmoondong, a typical middle-class neighborhood in northern Seoul. End comment
Cosmos commentary:
similar to a US movie from a few years back. Two cops are linked through a mysterious connection across allowing them to collaborate to solve crime cases.
Signal (South Korean TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the South Korean TV series. For the Japanese remake, see Signal (Japanese TV series).
Signal (Korean: 시그널; RR: Diegueno) is a 2016 South Korean fantasy police procedural television series starring Lee Je-hoon, Kim Hye-soo, and Cho Jin-wrong. It aired on tvN from January 22 to March 12, 2016, on Fridays and Saturdays at 20:30 KST for 16 episodes.[2][3][4] The series was inspired by real-life criminal incidents in Korea,[5] including the Hazing.[6][7]
The series received widespread acclaim from the audience and critics alike for its story and performances. It is also the eleventh highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history with a peak audience viewership of 12.54%.
Premise[edit]
A walkie-talkie allows a detective in the year 1989 to communicate with a cold case profiler from 2015. With the power of fore- and hindsight, the two not only solve crimes but prevent them from ever taking place.
Synopsis[edit]
A criminal profiler Park Hae-young (Lee Je-hoon), solves a kidnapping case that ended up with a falsely accused who disappeared after the crime, with a mysterious walkie-talkie he picks up. The success of this case triggers the formation of a long-term cold case team, led by Detective Cha Soo-Hyun (Kim Hye-soo), who has been searching for her long-lost mentor Lee Jae-Han (Cho Jin-Wong), for the past fifteen years. With the help of Detective Lee Jae-Han, the person at the other end of the walkie-talkie, Park Hae-young solves other cold cases that have remained unsolved for years, while helping Lee Jae-can help solve some cases in the past. Grave unintended sequences follow.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Lee Je-hoon is Park Hae-young,[8] the profiler who finds the walkie-talkie by accident and uses it to solve cold cases.
Kim Hye-soo as Cha Soo-Hyun,[9] once a timid rookie and the first woman police officer in the department, leads the “Long Term Cold Case team”
Cho Jin-Wong as Lee Jae-Han,[10] the somewhat clumsy and socially inept but incorruptible police officer from the past who establishes a rapport with Park.
Supporting[edit]
Police officers
Jang Hyun-sung as Kim Bum-joo
Jung Hae-kyun as Ahn Chi-soo
Kim Won-hae as Kim Eichel
Jung Han-bi [ko] as Oh Yoon-seo
Lee Yoo-Jun [ko] as Jung Han-ki
Kim Min-kyu as Hwang Etui-kyung
Extended
Kim Hyun-bin as young Park Hae-young
Kang Chan-hee as Park Sun-woo
Lee Moon-soo as Lee Jae-Han’s father
Seo Jun-hee as Cha Soo-Hyun’s mother
Lim Hwa-young as Cha Soo-Hyun’s younger sister
Lee Jin-Kwon as Supporting
Special appearances[edit]
Oh Yeon-ah as Yoon Soo-ah (ep. 1-2)
Lee Young-eun as Kim Yoon-jung (ep. 1-2)
Lee Si-a as Kim Won-kyung (ep. 2-4)
Kim Jung-young as Won-Kyung’s aunt (ep. 2-4)
Kim Ki-Cheon as Lee Chun-goo (ep. 3-4)
Lee Dong-ha as Han Se-yo (el. 5-8)
Jung Suk-yong as Oh Kyung-tea (ep. 5-7)
Park Si-eun as Oh Eun-ji (ep. 5-6)
Choi Woo-ri as Shin Yeo-jin (ep. 5-6)
Yoo Ha-bok as Shin Dong-hoon (ep. 5-7)
Son Hyun-Joo as Jang Young-Chula (ep. 7, 11, 14, 16)
Lee Na-ra as Shin Da-Hye (ep. 7-8)
Lee Sang-year as Kim Jin-woo (ep. 9-11)
Lee Chae-Kyung as Jin-woo’s mother (ep. 10)
Seo Eun-ah as Yoo Seung-yeon (ep. 10-11)
Shin Yi-joon as Kang Hye-Seung (young / ep. 11-14)
Kim Woo-suk as Lee Dong-jin (ep. 12-14)
Hwang Seung-eon as Han Do-yeon (ep. 13)
Jeon Su-ji as Kang Hye-Seung (adult/ep. 13-14)
Seo Ji-hoon as Jang Tae-jin (ep. 14)
Upon its premiere, the series attracted attention for weaving actual cases into its plot and attained high ratings.[11][12] With its final rating of 12.54%, it is one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history.[13][14] It received praise for its solid acting, tightly-constructed plot, and detailed and sophisticated direction; and enjoyed success internationally in China and Japan.[15][16][17]
The drama went on to win several awards from different award-giving bodies, including Best Drama, Best Screenplay for Kim Eun-hee, and Best Actress for Kim Hye-soo at the 52nd Buesking Arts Awards, as well as another Best Actress award for Kim and the Dasani (Grand Prize for Television) for Cho Jin-Wong at the tvN10 Awards. Cho also won the Dasani at the 1st Asia Artist Awards for his performance.
Comment: similar to a US drama a few years ago. End comment
My Mister
My Mister (Korean: 나의 아저씨; RR: Naoi Ajose) is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Lee Sun-Kyun and Lee Ji-Eun. The series was directed by Kim Won-Seok, written by Park Hae-young, and produced by Cookable. It aired on tvN from March 21 to May 17, 2018, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:30 (KST) time slot.[2][3][4]
The drama received critical acclaim, winning Best Drama at the 55th Buesking Arts Awards.
Synopsis[edit]
My Mister tells us the story of three middle-aged brothers, who are enduring the weight of their lives, and a strong, cold woman, who has been living a hard life of her own, as they come together in healing each other’s past scars.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Lee Sun-kyun as Park Dong-hoon[1]
The second oldest of the three brothers. He works as a structural engineer and always has a safety-first approach to life. He is quiet and stoic but also goes all in for the people he loves.
Lee Ji-eun (IU) as Lee Ji-an[1]
Kim Gyu-ri as child Ji-an
A woman who is enduring many hardships in life. She is tasked by her boss who runs a company she is temporarily working for to discover Park Dong-hood’s weaknesses, but she soon ends up falling for his warm charms and learns to trust someone for the first time.
Supporting[edit]
Dong-hood’s family[edit]
Go Doo-shim as Byun Yo-soon[5]
A loving mother with three sons who worries about her eldest living apart from his family, and her youngest, who has yet to get married despite being over 40.
Park Ho-san [ko] as Park Sang-hoon[6]
Dong-hood’s eldest brother. He is a middle-aged man who was fired from his job and then ran two failing businesses, which ended up in him being chased out of his own home. Though he has to live under his mother’s roof, he’s a romanticist at heart who always thinks about ways to find happiness.
Song Sae-beak as Park Ki-hoon[1]
Dong-hood’s younger brother. He was once seen as a genius director because an independent film he shot when he was twenty was invited to the Cannes Film Festival. However, 20 years have passed since his glory days. He has yet to successfully launch his career as a movie director.
Lee Ji-ah is Kang Yoon-hee,[7] Park Dong-hood’s wife, who is having an affair with Do Joon-young, her husband’s boss who is younger than him.
Jung Young-joo [ko] as Jo Ae-Ryun.[8]
Lee Ji-ant’s family[edit]
Son Sook [ko] as Lee Bong-ae: Lee Ji-ant’s deaf grandmother.
People around Lee Ji-an[edit]
Jang Ki-yong as Lee Kwang-il[9]
A loan shark, who liked Ji-and when he was young.
Ahn Seung-gun as Song Ki-bum[10]
Ji-ant’s best friend.
Lee Young-seok [ko] as Hongdae: Kwang-ill’s partner.
People in the company[edit]
Kim Young-min [ko] as Do Joon-young[11]
Dong-hood’s college junior and Ji-ant’s boss, currently working as a CEO.
Shin Goo as Chairman Jang Hoe-jang
Jung Jae-sung [ko] as Executive Director Yoon Sang-tea
Seo Hyun-woo as Head of Section Seo
Chae Dong-hyun [ko] as Kim Dae-ri
Kim Min-seok [ko] as Yeo Hyung-kyu
Ryu Sun-young [ko] as Jung Chae-rung[12]
Dong-hoon and Ji-ant’s co-worker.
Extended[edit]
Kwon Na-ra as Choi Yoo-ra[13]
A movie actress, and Park Ki-hood’s love interest.
Park Hae-joon as Gumede
Dong-hood’s friend and has dated Jung-hee in the past.
Oh Na-ra as Jung-hee
Owner of Jung-hee’s Bar, friends with Dong-hoon.
Shin Dam-soo [ko] as Director Jung Chang-mo
Park Soo-young as Je-Cheol
Hospital Playlist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
navigation Jump
Hospital Playlist (Korean: 슬기로운 의사생활; Hanja: 슬기로운
The series follows five doctors in their 40s who have been best friends since they entered medical school in 1999. Lee Ik-Jun (Jo Jung-suk) is an assistant professor of general surgery specializing in liver transplants. He takes care of his young son as a single father after getting divorced from his adulterous wife. His cheerful charisma allows him to connect with many people, making him a popular figure among both patients and other doctors. Unapologetically good at anything he puts his mind to, Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon-Seok), an assistant professor of pediatric surgery, is generous and caring, endearing him to his patients. He is a devout Catholic and secretly plans to become a priest due to the pain caused by seeing his patients suffer. Kim Jun-wan (Jung Kyung-ho) is an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery, who appears cold and professional. However, he hides a soft, kind temperament that rarely shows, only surfacing with his friends and certain patients. Yang Seok-Hyeong (Kim Dae-Myung), an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, is an aloof and introverted doctor. Though he comes off as detached, he is willing to go the extra mile for the female patients under his watch. He is divorced and deeply cares for his mother. Chae Song-Hwa (Jeon Mi-do), the only female in the group of friends, is an associate professor of neurosurgery. She is considered perfect by her colleagues: she treats patients kindly, performs hundreds of successful surgeries, and has a great personality.
The story revolves around a group of friends as they embark on hospital adventures involving medicine, music, and relationships.
Cast[edit]
Overview[edit]
Main[edit]
Jo Jung-suk as Lee Ik-Jun, an assistant professor of general surgery.
Yoo Yeon-Seok as Ahn Jeong-won, an assistant professor of pediatric surgery.
Jung Kyung-ho as Kim Jun-wan, an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery.
Kim Dae-Myung is Yang Seok-Hyeong, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
Jeon Mi-do as Chae Song-Hwa, an associate professor of neurosurgery.[11]
Supporting[edit]
Doctors[edit]
Shin Hyun-bin as Jang Gyro-wool, a third-year resident in general surgery.
Jung Moon-sung as Do Jae-hack, chief resident of cardiothoracic surgery.
Ahn Eun-jin as Choo Min-ha, a second-year resident in obstetrics and gynecology.[12]
Kim Jun-Han is Ahn Chi-Hong, a third-year resident in neurosurgery.
Moon Tae-you as Yong Seok-min, chief resident of neurosurgery.
Ha Yoon-Kyung as Heo Sun-bin, a third-year resident in neurosurgery.
Choi Young-Joon as Bong Gwang-Hyun, assistant professor of emergency medicine.
Seo Jin-won as Min Gi-Joon, professor of neurosurgery.
Kim Hye-in as Myung Eun-won, a second-year resident in obstetrics and gynecology.[13]
Choi Young-woo as Cheon Myung-tea, professor of cardiothoracic surgery.
Shin Do-Hyun as Bae Joon-hee, the fellow in emergency medicine.
Jeon Kwang-jin as Jong Se-hyuk, the fellow in orthopedic surgery.
Lee Se-hee as Kang So-ye, one-year Fellow in emergency medicine [14]
Woo Jung-won as Yom Se-hee, Professor of Stainbrook [15]
Lee Jong-won as Kim Geon [16]
Lee Jung-won as Hwang Ji-woo, second-year surgeon [17]
Nurses and medical students[edit]
Kim Soo-jin as Song Soo-bin, surgical ward nurse.
Yoon Hye-RI as So Yi-Hyun, cardiothoracic surgery medical assistant.
Yang Jo-ah as Hwang Jae-shin, neurosurgery medical assistant.
Lee Noh-ah as Lee Young-ha, surgical ward nurse.
Lee Dal as Kim Jae-hwan, surgical ward nurse.
Lee Hye-Eun as Kook Hye-sung, general surgery medical assistant.
Lee Ji-won as Han Hyun-hee, pediatric surgery medical assistant.
Lee Jong-won as Kim Geon-run, second-year surgeon major.
Kim Ji-sung as Han Seung-Joo, obstetrics and gynecology delivery room nurse.
Seol Yu-jin as Eun Sun-jin, obstetrics, and gynecology medical assistant.
Kim Bi-bi as Ham Deok-Joo, transplant coordinator.
Park Han-sol as Sun woo Hee-soo, emergency room nurse.
Cho Yi-hyun as Jang Yun-bok, third-year medical student.[18]
Bae Hyun-sung as Jang Hong-do, third-year medical student.
Kim Kang-min as Im Chang-min, intern.
Lee Chan-Hyung as Choi Seon-young, intern.
Chae Min-hee as So-Yeon, [19]
Family members of the main characters[edit]
Kwak Sun-young is Lee Ik-sun, Ik-Joon’s younger sister and Jun-win’s girlfriend.
Kim Joon as Lee Woo-Joo, Ik-Joon’s son.
Kim Hae-sook as Jung Rosa, Jeong-won’s mother.
Sung Dong-il is Jeong-won’s eldest brother.
Kim Kapp-soo as Joo Jong-soo, president of the Yule Foundation.
Cho Seung-Yeon as Joo Jun, director of Yule Medical Center.
Moon Hee-Kyung as Cho Young-Hye, Seok-Yeong’s mother.
Nam Myung-real as Yang Tae-yang, Seok-Hyeon’s father.
Lee So-Yoon is Kim Tae-yeon, Yang Tae-yang’s mistress.
Comments: Like a Korean version of Gray’s Anatomy? End Comment
Flower of Evil
Flower of Evil (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
navigation Jump
Flower of Evil (Korean: 악의 꽃; RR: Ague knot) is a South Korean television series starring Lee Joon-gi, Moon Chae-won, Jang Hee-jin, and Seo Hyun-woo.[1][2][3] It aired on tvN every Wednesday and Thursday from July 29 to September 23, 2020,[4] and streamed internationally on Iliya, Viki, and Vito with multi-languages subtitles. Lee and Moon have previously starred in Criminal Minds, and it was Lee’s return to television after two years.[5]
Synopsis[edit]
Baek Hee-sung (Lee Joon-gi) is a man who hides his identity and past from his wife Cha Ji-won (Moon Chae-won), a detective. On the surface, they appear to be the perfect family: a loving couple with a beautiful daughter who adores her parents. Cha Ji-won and her colleagues begin investigating a series of unexplained murders and are confronted with the reality that her seemingly perfect husband may be hiding something from her.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Lee Joon-gi as Baek Hee-sung / Do Hyun-soo[1]
Park Hyun-joon as young Hyun-soo
Cha Sung-je as child Hyun-soo
Moon Chae-won as Cha Ji-won, Hee-sung/Hyun-soo’s wife[1]
Jang Hee-jin as Do Hae-soo[2]
Lim Na-young as teenage Hae-soo, Hyun-soo’s older sister[6]
Lee Chae-Yoon as eleven-year-old Hae-soo
Seo Hyun-woo as Kim Moo-jin, journalist[3]
Jeong Taek-hyun as young Moo-jin[7]
Supporting[edit]
Baek Hee-sung & Cha Ji-won’s family[edit]
Jung Seo-Yeon as Baek Eun-ha, daughter of Hee-sung and Ji-won[8]
Son Jong-hakas Baek Man-woo, Hee-Sung’s father[9]
Nam Gi-ae as Gong Mi-Ja, Hee-Sung’s mother[10]
Jo Kyung-sook as Moon Young-ok, Ji-won’s mother[11]
Kanoo Police Station[edit]
Choi Dae-hoon as Lee Woo-Cheol, leader of Homicide Investigation Team[10]
Choi Young-Joon as Choi Jae-sub, veteran detective[10]
Kim Soo Oh as Im Ho-Joon, youngest team member[10]
Lim Cha-ching as Yoon Sang-pill, section chief[10]
Hong Seo-Joon as Oh Young-Joon, police captain
Hanoian Magazine[edit]
Yang Hye-jin as Gang Pill-young, lead reporter[10]
Ju Ye-Eun as Reporter Joo
Others[edit]
Choi Byung-mo as Do Min-seok, father of Hae-soo and Hyun-soo
Kim Ji-hoon as Baek Hee-sung
Choi Kwon-soo as young Hee-sung
Lee Kyu-bok as Nam Soon-gill
Kim Geon as Kim In-seo
Lee Ju-Yeon as Park Seo-young
Han Soo-Yeon as Jung Mi-sook
Yoon Byung-hee as Park Kyung-chon, taxi driver and husband of Jung Mi-sook
Park Seung-tea as Oh Bok-ja
Kim Ki-Cheon as Dr. Lee Hyun-suk
- Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Rye(2016)
15 | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, History
Rate
Korean melodramatic adaptation of Chinese drama Startling by Each Step (2011) follows a woman who travels back in time to the Goryeo Dynasty of Korea whenever a total eclipse of the sun took place.
Stars: Lee Joon-Gi, Ji-eon Lee, Kang Ha-Neal, Nam Joo-Hyuk
- Sangsogjadeul(2013)
15 | 55 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After a chance encounter in LA, two teens from different social backgrounds reunite at an exclusive high school attended by Korea’s Uber rich.
Stars: Lee Min-Ho, Park Shin-Hye, Woo-bin Kim, Kim Ji-Won
- Kill Me, Heal Me(2015)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rate
A love story between the son from a wealthy family who has 7 personalities Cha Do Hyun (Ji Sung) and Oh Ri Jin (Hwang Jung Elum) who becomes his secret psychiatrist.
Stars: Seong Ji, Hwang Jeong-elm, Kim Hee-Jung, Shim Hye-jin
- Healer(2014–2015)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
An old murder incident involving a group who ran an illegal broadcasting station brings together different people – a mysterious errand guy “Healer” who possesses disguise and fighting … See full summary »
Stars: Ji Chang-Wook, Park Min-Young, Tae-Mi, Jeong Guy-Su
Votes: 6,769
- My Love from Another Star(2013–2014)
Not Rated | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Do Min-Joon, an alien that came to our planet 400 years ago, will be able to return to his planet in 3 months, but when he meets famous actress Chun Song-Yi, all the centuries he spent distancing himself from humans come to an end.
Stars: Jun Ji-Hyun, Kim Soo-Hyun, Park Hae-Jin, Yoo In-Na
Votes: 10,186
- Oogonium (2013)
Tae Gong Sil can see ghosts, but their constant demands of help make her life impossible until she meets Joo Jong Won, handsome CEO that measures everything with money since when she touches him, the ghosts disappear.
Stars: Kong Hyo-Jin, So Ji-sob, Seo In-Guk, Yoo-Ri Kim
- Haereul poteen dal(2012)
TV-Y | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
The story of the secret love between Lee Hwan, a fictional king of Joseon, and Wool, a female shaman. Wool was born as Heo Yeon Woo, the daughter of a noble family who won the love of the … See full summary »
Stars: Mi-seen Jeon, Mi-keying Yang, Eung-soo Kim, Eun-Byul
Votes: 2,034
- Boys Over Flowers(2009)
TV-14 | 70 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Poor girl attends the elite Shin Hwa High and is bullied by the leader of F4 (the four richest boys). He becomes attracted to her; however, she has a crush on his best friend. Whom will she choose?
Stars: Ku Hye-Sun, Lee Min-Ho, Kim Hyun-Jong, Kim Bum
- Minami Shiny(2009)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Go Mi-Nya, a girl about to become a nun is asked to cover for her indisposed twin brother, Mi-Nam, who’s on the verge of becoming a k-idol. To do so, she disguises herself as a boy and joins Arnell, a really popular boy band.
Stars: Park Shin-Hye, Yong-Hwa, Yong-Hwa Jung, Hong-ki Lee
TV-Y | 60 min | Comedy, Romance
Love, tradition, and politics collide when a spirited young art student is betrothed to the crown prince of South Korea.
Stars: Yun Geun-Hye, Ju Ji-Hoon, Song Ji-Hyo, Bool-am Choi
- Mischievous Kiss(2010)
15 | 66 min | Comedy, Romance
Fate brings polar opposite high school classmates (one obsessively attracted to the other, the other indifferent to all advances) to live under one roof. Is romance possible?
Stars: Jung So-Min, Kim Hyun-Jong, Tae-Sung Lee, Hye-Young Jung
- Sungkyunkwan Scandal(2010)
TV-Y | 70 min | Comedy, Drama, History
In the Joseon era, Kim Yoon-hee masquerades as a boy to earn a living as a book transcriber. Her family’s dire circumstances and the encouragement of a noble’s son finally drive her to attend Shunyuan University, forbidden for females.
Stars: Park Min-Young, Yoo-chum Park, Yoo Ah-in, Song Jong-ki
- Ok-tab-bang Wang-se-ja(2012)
15 | 65 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Crown Prince Yi gak finds that he has been transported from Chosun Dynasty to modern-day Seoul. He meets Hong Se Na, who bears a striking resemblance to his dead wife, and is determined to … See full summary »
Stars: Woo-Sik Choi, Seok-won Jeong, Yu-mi Jeong, Han Ji-min
- Mai gel(2005–2006)
With a perpetually indebted father, Joo Yoo Rin learned to lie on the spot and get herself out of tricky situations, which gets Seal Gong Chan, a rich heir to a company, to hire her to impersonate his long lost cousin.
Stars: Lee Da-have, Lee Dong-Wook, Lee Joon-Gi, Si-Yeon Park
- Shining Inheritance(2009)
15 | 70 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After losing her father Go Eunson’s stepmother kicks her and her autistic brother out of the house. Shortly after her brother is kidnapped. Eon-sung now has to look for her brother while also trying to find a job to survive.
Stars: Han Hyo-jook, Lee Seung-gi, Moon Chae-Won, Soo-bin Bae
- 마이 프린세스(2011)
15 | 65 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Kim Tae-hee plays Lee Seal, an ordinary college student who finds out she’s a princess and the great-granddaughter of Korea’s last Emperor. But life can be complicated for a princess in this funny, quirky melodrama.
Stars: Song Seung-Heon, Kim Tae-hee, Park Yeon, Soo-young Ryu
- Angkeumhan Dashingly(2014– )
Na Ae-ra (Lee Min-Jung) and Cha Jung-woo (Joo Sang-wok) got married young. Ae-ra wanted to have steady life but Jung-woo business led them to lots of debt and hard work so she broke off … See full summary »
Stars: Lee Min-Jung, Sang-UK Joo, Gyu-Ri, Seo Kang-Joon
- All About My Romance(2013– )
A conservative government party member falls for the feisty young leader of an upstart liberal party in this Korean romantic comedy.
Stars: Shin Ha-kin, Lee Min-Jung, Hee-soon Park, Chae-Ah Han
- Protect the Boss(2011)
TV-Y | 65 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After a long stretch of unemployment, No Eon Seol lands a job as secretary to Cha Ji Heon the youngest son of a rich family. However, her secretary duties go beyond the ordinary, helping her boss cope and function in normal society.
Stars: Gi-soo Byion, Hwa-Yeon Cha, Kang-hee Choi, Jeong Gyu-Su
- The King 2 Hearts(2012)
15 | 65 min | Action, Drama, Romance
The crown prince of South Korea is forced to work alongside a female North Korean military officer. Political and emotional complications lead to an uneasy marriage engagement.
Stars: Lee Seung-gi, Ha Ji-Won, Jo Jung-Suk, Jason-Patrick Taylor
- Bool-up Eosin Jungyi(2013– )
15 | Drama, History, Romance
A Historical drama about Yoo Jung, also known as Jung Yi, the first female potter in the Joseon Dynasty and regarded as the dojo of Shin taro porcelain. ‘Yoo Jung’ is based on the real … See full summary »
Stars: Moon Geun-young, Sang-Yoon Lee, Kim Bum, Keon-Hyeong Park
- Nae Yeojachinguneun Gumshoe(2010)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Chae Die Wong, an aspiring actor, unwillingly releases a Gumshoe, a legendary nine-tailed fox, from her centuries-old prison. He runs away terrified and ends up injuring himself badly, but she saves his life and asks him to stay by his side.
Stars: Shin Min-a, Lee Seung-gi, Min-woo No, Park Soo-Jin
Votes: 2,693
- Naege Geothermally Haebwa(2011)
15 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.2
Rate
A woman, jealous when her friend steals her first love and marries him, lies that she is married too. The lie ensnares a hotel president who goes along with the lie for his reasons. Will the lie become reality?
Stars: Seung-us Ryu, Yun Geun-hye, Yun-hie Jo, Sung Jun
Votes: 1,257
- Un-Myong-Cheol-eom neol sa-rang-hae(2014)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Romance
7.9
Rate
A touching Korean drama filled with comedy about a girl who finds happiness, friendship, and love in the most unexpected way!
Stars: Jang Hyuk, Jang Na-ra, Choi Jin-Hyuk, churl
Votes: 2,036
- Shinai (2012)
60 min | Drama, Fantasy, History
8
Rate
When the queen-to-be of medieval Korea is badly wounded, Captain Choi Young uses a wormhole to “heaven,” which is 21st-century South Korea, to bring back the spoiled Dr. Yoo Eon-Soo who becomes a pawn in a game of human chess.
Stars: Kim Hee-seen, Yoon Kyun-Sang, Lee Min-Ho, Deok-Hwan Ryu
Votes: 2,256
- The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince(2007)
15 | 55 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
8.2
Rate
A tomboy, mistaken for a lad, maintains the deception for the sake of employment. The situation becomes complicated when her male boss begins to develop feelings for this “boy.”
Stars: Gong Yoo, Yun Geun-Hye, Sun-Kyun Lee, Jeong-an Chae
Votes: 4,627
- 동이(2010)
TV-Y | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
8
Rate
Story a simple maid that rises high in the royal harem as a consort and, ultimately, mother of the Korean king.
SARS: Han Hyo-Joo, Julia Lim, Kim Yoo-Jeong, Da-Min Han
Votes: 1,349
- Love in the Moonlight(2016)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.8
Rate
The unlikely love story between a crown prince and his eunuch.
Stars: Park Bo-Gum, Kim Yoo-Jeong, Chae Soo-bin, Kwak Dong-Yeon
Votes: 2,344
- She Was Pretty(2015)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Romance
7.7
Rate
When Ji Sung-Joon was young, he was ugly. As he grew up, he began to have an attractive appearance. When Kim Hye-Jin was young, she was pretty. As she grew up, she became ugly. Ji Sung-Joon tries to find his first love.
Stars: Hwang Jeong-elm, Seo Jun Park, Jun-hee Ko, Si Won Choi
Votes: 4,025
- Bimal (2013)
15 | Drama, Romance
8.1
Rate
A devoted woman makes the ultimate sacrifice for her boyfriend, only to learn that love doesn’t always conquer all. Yoo Jeong (Hwang Jeong Elum) is a sweet, upbeat person who has always … See full summary »
Stars: Hwang Jeong-elm, Seong Ji, Soo-bin Bae, Lee Da-hee
Votes: 1,031
- Naemsaereul Boneen Sonyeo(2015)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
7.1
Rate
Detective Tae Ho lost his younger sister to a barcode-murder case and lost his ability to taste, smell, and feel pain. He then meets Oh Cho Rim, the only witness to the murder case who possesses a special sense: she can see smells.
Stars: Yoo-chum Park, Shin Se-Kyung, Jin-Seo Yoon, Min Nakong
Votes: 1,023
- Sesang Eddied Eobneun Chakhan Namja(2012)
15 | 60 min | Drama
7.8
Rate
Kang Ma-Ru is a promising medical student until he takes the blame for a crime he didn’t commit. When he finds an opportunity for revenge, he takes it, using Seo Eon-Gi. Ma-Ru soon … See full summary »
Stars: Song Jong-ki, Moon Chae-Won, Si-Yeon Park, Kwang-Soo Lee
Votes: 1,604
- Descendants of the Sun(2016)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
8.3
Rate
This drama tells of the love story that develops between a surgeon and a special forces officer.
Stars: Song Jong-ki, Song Hye-Kyo, Jin Goo, Kim Ji-Won
Votes: 11,373
- Haideu, Jail, Na(2015)
15 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7
Rate
Koo Seo-Jin (Hyun-Bin) has two different personalities. One of his personalities is cold like Hyde and the other is sweet like Jekyll.
Stars: Hyun Bin, Han Ji-min, Hee-Sung Kwak, Hyerim
Votes: 986
- O Ma-i Bi-neo-seu(2015–2016)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.8
Rate
A lawyer in her thirties coming out of a long relationship decides to regain her figure and health after meeting a renowned personal trainer who obsesses with leading a healthy lifestyle after suffering a serious injury in his childhood.
Stars: So Ji-sob, Shin Min-a, Sung Hoon, Yoo In-young
Votes: 3,817
- Secret Garden(2010–2011)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
8.1
Rate
A rich young CEO falls for a poor stuntwoman despite class differences, cultural traditions, and the man’s firmly objecting mother.
Stars: Ha Ji-Won, Hyun Bin, Yoon Sang-Hyun, Sa-rang Kim
Votes: 5,961
- Gamy eon (2015)
15 | Drama, Romance
7.8
Rate
Ji-sook facing a hard time because of her father’s debts and begin being chased by moneylenders. When a series of things happen Ji-sook has to live with Eon Ha’s identity (a Woman from an elite family) because she looks exactly like Eon Ha.
Stars: Soo Ae, Ju Ji-Hoon, Jeong-Hun Yeon, Yoo In-young
Votes: 344
- Hungrier (2013– )
Not Rated | Drama, Romance
6.9
Rate
At 42-years-old, Kwon Yolo (Lee Beom Soo) is South Korea’s youngest prime minister ever. On top of his reputation of being an honest man of the utmost integrity, he’s also a widower who … See full summary »
Stars: Im Yoon-ah, us, Yoon Shi-Yoon, Jeong-an Chae
Votes: 332
- Pool ha-woo-sue(2004)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Romance
7.9
Rate
In a bid to reacquire her childhood home, a free-spirited woman agrees to a sham marriage with a selfish actor. Their daily lives are complicated by overlapping love triangles and comic misadventures.
Stars: Song Hye-Kyo, Rain, Eun-Jeong, Seong-su Kim
Votes: 3,112
- Kawagoe (2005– )
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.6
Rate
Chun-Hyang is smart and sassy and becomes involved with good-looking Mongering. His first love Chae-rim enters the picture. An older man, Hak-do, pursues her. Will they find their way back to each other?
Stars: Chae-young Han, Hee Jae, Tae-wooing Edom, Si-Eun Park
Votes: 442
- Mary Stayed Out All Night(2010)
65 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
6.8
Rate
Wi Mae Ri is the cheerful, pragmatic daughter of a failed businessman who had grown used to being constantly on the move to escape from loan sharks. She becomes fast friends with the … See full summary »
Stars: Moon Geun-young, Hyo-Jin, Kim Jae-Wook, Hyo-jin Kim
Votes: 719
- City Hunter(2011)
TV-Y | 60 min | Action, Romance, Thriller
8.1
Rate
Lee Yun-song was trained by his father’s best friend to get revenge on the government for killing everyone in his father’s unit.
Stars: Lee Min-Ho, Park Min-Young, Sang-Jung Kim, Ho-jin Chun
Votes: 5,220
- Neon Neace Banhaesseo(2011)
65 min | Drama, Music, Romance
7.2
Rate
A series of misunderstandings causes Lee Shin, the cocky leader of “The Stupid” and Lee Guy-won, a student majoring in Traditional Korean Music to start on the wrong foot. Until she sees him performing live, and is immediately captivated.
Stars: Yong-hwa Jung, Park Shin-Hye, Chang-up Song, Yi-Hyeon So
Votes: 1,645
- Anderman (2015)
15 | 70 min | Comedy, Drama
7.6
Rate
This drama is about Jo Gang-JA, a mother who was known as a tough girl in high school. Her daughter Ah-ran is bullied at school and when Gang-JA finds out, she makes it her responsibility … See full summary »
Stars: Kim Hee-seen, Kim Yoo-Jeong, Hyun-Woo Ji, Ji Soo
Votes: 443
- Nae mi-eum-i deul-li-da(2011–)
65 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.8
Rate
Can You Hear My Heart features Hallyu stars Kim Jae Won, Hwang Jung Elum, and Nam Goong Min in this romantic drama that shows us love in defiance of physical limitations? Dong Joo (played by … See full summary »
Stars: Jae-won Kim, Hwang Jeong-elm, Min Namkoong, Lee Hye-Yeong
Votes: 169
- Jang Ok-Jung, Sarang-e Salda(2013)
15 | Drama, History, Romance
7.5
Rate
Life Of Jang Ok Jung, Later Known as Jang Hee Bin, was one of the most famous Concubines of The Joseon Dynasty who was known for her hunger for power.
Stars: Kim Tae-hee, Yoo Ah-in, Geon-Ju Lee, Soo-Hyun Hong
Votes: 212
- Marriage Contract(2016)
15 | 75 min | Drama
7.6
Rate
Ji-Hoon (Lee Seo-Jin) has a cynical personality due to his family background. Even though he comes from a rich family, his mother had an affair with a married man and they had Ji-Hoon. From… See full summary »
Stars: Seo-jin Lee, Kim You-Jin, Yoo-Ri Kim, Kim Kwang-guy
Votes: 557
- Won-deo-pool la-i-pea(2005– )
Comedy, Romance
7.2
Rate
The story of Xu Tian who suffers big blows both in his love and work life. When he decides to leave America, where he has been living for 10 years, and returns to his home country, luck is not on his side.
Stars: Frank Powers, Jun-yong Choi, Eun-Jeong, Hyeon Ju
Votes: 106
- Dream High(2011–2012)
15 | 70 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
7.6
Rate
Dream High tells the story of six students at Kirin Art High School who work to achieve their dreams of becoming music stars in the Korean music industry. Go Hye Mi is a student who sings … See full summary »
Stars: J.Y. Park, Jin-won Jung, Ji-eon Lee, Kim Soo-Hyun
Votes: 2,549
- Personal Taste(2010)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.4
Rate
The surprise hit of 2010, Personal Taste (aka Personal Preference) garnered high ratings and a huge fanbase in a comedy that proves true love is found in the most unlikely places. Quirky … See full summary »
Stars: Son Ye-jin, Lee Min-Ho, Nam-Gil Kim, Ji-Seok Kim
Votes: 3,713
- Baegnyeon-ui Sibu(2014)
15 | 67 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
7.1
Rate
The Taeyang Corporation is the largest conglomerate in South Korea. The family that runs Taeyang has been under a curse for hundred years that the first bride of the eldest son will always … See full summary »
Stars: Jin-Sung Yang, Hong-ki Lee, Jung-Hee Nam
DP
Cosmos’s Commentary:
A gripping drama based on true events about life in the Korean military and why some soldiers run away from their obligations amid the constant harassment and strict discipline of the Korean military. This drama hit a nerve among many Koreans who recall their trouble times in the military. The military has announced that they are discontinuing the DP unit but swore it had nothing to do with this drama.
D.P. (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| D.P. |
| Promotional poster |
|
| Korean |
디피 |
| Genre |
Drama
Military |
| Based on |
D.P Dog’s Day
by Kim Bo-tong |
| Screenplay by |
Kim Bo-tong
Han Jun-hee |
| Directed by |
Han Jun-hee |
| Starring |
Jung Hae-in
Koo Kyo-hwan
Kim Sung-kyun
Son Seok-Koo |
| Composer |
Primary |
| Country of origin |
South Korea |
| Original language |
Korean |
| No. of episodes |
6 |
| Production |
| Executive producers |
Bien Seung-min
Han Jun-hee |
| Producer |
Kim Dong-min |
| Cinematography |
Yoo Ji-sun |
| Editor |
Park Min-sun |
| Running time |
45–55 minutes |
| Production companies |
Climax Studio
Shortcake |
| Distributor |
Netflix |
| Release |
| Original network |
Netflix |
| Original release |
August 27, 2021 |
D.P. (an acronym for Deserter Pursuit) is a South Korean streaming television series directed by Han Jun-hee, from a screenplay by Kim Bo-tong and Han, based on the Lezhin webtoon D.P Dog’s Day by Kim. The series stars Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-kyun, and Son Seok-Koo.[1][2] It premiered in six parts on Netflix on August 27, 2021.[3][4]
Synopsis[edit]
Set in 2014, D.P. tells the story of a team of Korean military police with their mission to catch deserters.
The series magnifies the undesirable nature of the military, especially within a South Korean context. The widespread bullying and hazing as well as the mindset for the “survival of the fittest” are rife, with those presumed the “weakest” thrown to the bottom of the pile and served horrifying experiences at the hands of their superiors and compatriots.
Private Ahn Joon-ho and Corporal Han Ho-Yul both team up to find the deserters, and end up on an adventurous journey.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Jung Hae-in as Private Ahn Joon-ho
Koo Kyo-hwan as Corporal Han Ho-Yul
Kim Sung-Kyun as Sergeant First Class Park Bum-gu
Son Seok-Koo as Captain Im Ji-sup
Supporting[edit]
Jo Hyun-churl as Jo Suk-bong
Shin Seung-ho as Hwang Jang-soo
Park Se-joon as Heo Ki-young
Park Jung-woo as Shin Woo-suk
Kim Dong-young as Choi Joon-mok
Lee Jun-young as Jung Hyun-min
Choi Joon-young as Heo Chi-do
Moon Sang-hoon as Kim Roo-ri
Hyun Bong-sik as Chun Yong-duck
Hong Kyung as Ryu Yi-Kang
Bae Yoo-ram as Kim Kyu
Han Woo-Yul as Tae Sung-goon
Guest[edit]
Go Kyung-pyro as Corporal Park Sung-woo (Ep. 1)
Kwon Hae-Hyo as Ahn Joon-ho’s father (Eps. 1, 3–4)
Lee Seol as Shin Woo-Seok’s sister (Eps. 1 & 6)
Lee Jong-ok as an hinoeuma employee (Ep. 2)
Development[edit]
In late June 2020, Lashing officially announced that Lashing Studio and Homemade Film would co-produce a 6-part adaptation of the hit webtoon D.P: Dog Days by Kim Bo-tong, to be released exclusively through Netflix.[5][6] The story is based on Kim’s own experience during his mandatory military service.[7]
Director and co-writer Han Jun-hee had wanted to work on the webtoon’s adaptation “for five or six years [before he] finally got a chance” to do so.[8] Though Ahn Joon-ho is a Corporal in the webtoon, Han wanted him to be a Private in the series so people could “resonate with the story and consider Joon-ho as a friend who just started his military service.”[9]
Casting[edit]
On September 3, 2020, Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-Kyun, and Son Seok-Koo were confirmed to star in the series.[10][11] Koo’s character does not appear in the webtoon, which he found “hard but exciting to portray a character exclusive to the series.”[12] To prepare for his role, Koo received help from his road manager who was part of the D.P. team during his military service.[13] As for Jung, he practiced boxing for three months before filming began, to do his action scenes.[14]
Kim Bo-tong, who wrote the webtoon and co-wrote the series, commented that he “never dreamed of such a cast. They fit so perfectly into their roles that it seems like the roles were written for them.”[15]
Filming[edit]
Principal photography began in the summer of 2020.[16]
Reception[edit]
Audience viewership[edit]
Following its release, the series topped Netflix’s Top 10 in South Korea.[17]
Critical response[edit]
William Schwartz of Han Cinema praised Jung Hae-in‘s acting, commenting that he “is sublime here, in a brooding cinematic role radically different from the romances he’s better known for.” He added that “D.P. is worth watching, not just by people curious what South Korean mandatory military service is like, but anyone from any country who’s seriously thinking about joining up.”[18]
Pierce Conran of the South China Morning Post gave the series a 4.5/5 rating, noting that “D.P. hits home with a story that spans the past and present, as it acknowledges that yesterday’s problems can still be today’s.” He also praised the cinematography as well as Jung and Koo’s “electric chemistry”.[19] Daniel Hart of Ready Steady Cut also rated the series 4.5 stars out of 5, describing it as “the finest K-Drama mini-series this year.”[20]
Greg Wheeler of The Review Geek rated the series 4.3/5, noting that “D.P. is a stunning Korean drama [which] takes an unflinching look at bullying, the effect it has on mental health and larger societal questions about the mandatory military service in Korea” and praising the series for its “impressive” cinematography and for the way it “explore[s] a very sensitive and prevalent topic in a raw, artistic and unflinching way.”[21]
In a mixed review, Hitzig Jumaine of NME gave the series a 3/5 rating, commenting that “Kim Bo-tong and Han Jun-hee must be given credit for how this series tackles such extraordinarily difficult and tragic subject matter with compassion and sensitivity”, and praising the “uniformly excellent performances, splendid cinematography, addictive pacing, and intrepid commitment to shedding light on the appalling culture of bullying in the military”, but criticizing the “weak characterization [of the] three main leads” as well as the “ludicrous escalation of events during its climax, which suddenly turns a fairly grounded show into a melodramatic action thriller.”[22]
Cosmos’s Commentary:
Squid Games
The top show on Netflix is not only in the US but also in Korea. Reminiscent of both the “Maze”, the “Hunger Games”, and the” Cube “ but done in a K Drama way. And addictive!
Squid Game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
navigation Jump
Squid Game (Korean: 오징어게임; RR: Jingle Gem) is a South Korean survival drama streaming television series written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The nine-episode series, starring Lee Jung-Jae, Park Hae-soo, and Wi Ha-Joon, tells the story of a group of people who risk their lives in a mysterious survival game with a ₩45.6 billion (US$38.7 million) prize.[2][3] It was released worldwide on September 17, 2021, by Netflix.[4][5]
Premise
Four hundred and fifty-six people, who have all struggled financially in life, are invited to play a mysterious survival competition. Competing in a series of traditional children’s games but with deadly twists, they risk their lives to compete for a ₩45.6 billion (US$38.5 million) prize.
Cast and characters
Players
Main characters[6]
Lee Jung-Jae as Seong Gi-Hun (No. 456)[7]
A chauffeur and a gambling addict, he lives with his mother and struggles to financially support his daughter. He participates in the Game to settle his many debts.
Park Hae-soo as Cho Sang-woo (No. 218)
The head of the investment team at a securities company, he was a junior to Gi-Hun, and was a gifted student who entered Seoul National University, but is now wanted by the police for stealing money from his clients.
Oh Yeong-su as Oh Il-name (No. 001)
An elderly man with a brain tumor prefers playing the Game to waiting to die on the outside.
Hyeon Jung as Kang Sae-beak (No. 067)
A North Korean defector enters the Game to pay for a broker that can find and retrieve her surviving family members from the country.
Heo Sung-tea as Jang Deok-su (No. 101)
A gangster enters the Game to settle his massive gambling debts.
Anupam Tripathi as Abdul Ali (No. 199)
A foreign worker from Pakistan enters the Game to provide for his young family after his employer refuses to pay him for months.
Kim Joo-young as Han Mi-nyao (No. 212)
A mysterious and manipulative woman who claims to be a poor single mother.[8]
Supporting characters
Yoo Sung-joo as Byeong-gi (No. 111)
A doctor secretly works with a group of corrupt guards trafficking dead participants’ organs in exchange for information on upcoming games.
Lee Yoo-mi as Ji-Yeong (No. 240)
A young woman was just released from prison after killing her abusive father.
Kim Si-Hyun as No. 244
A pastor who finds his faith again in the Game.
Minor characters
Lee Sang-hee as No. 017
A glass-maker with more than 30 years’ experience.
Kim Yun-tea as No. 069
A player who joins the Game with his wife, No. 070
Lee Ji-ha as No. 070
A player who joins the game with her husband, No. 069
Kwak Ja-young as No. 278
A player who joins Deok-sun’s group and acts as his henchman.
Chris Chan / Chris Lag hit[9] as No. 276
A player who joins Seong Gi-Hun’s group on the Tug of War round.
Game staff
Gong Yoo is a salesman who recruits participants for the Game (Special appearance, Episodes 1 and 9)[10]
Lee Byung-Hun as The Front Man (Special appearance, Episodes 8–9)
Civilians
Main characters
Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho[11]
A police officer sneaks into the Game to find his missing brother.
Supporting characters
Kim Young-ok as Gi-Hun’s mother
Cho Ah-in as Seong Ga-Yeong, Gi-Hun’s daughter
Kang Mal-gum as Gi-Hun’s ex-wife and Ga-Yeong’s mother
Park Hye-jin as Sang-woo’s mother
Park Si-wan as Kang Cheol, Sae-book’s brother
English cast (dubbing)
Greg Chun as Seong Gi-Hun
Stephen Fu as Cho Sang-woo
Paul Nakache as Jang Deok-su
Hideo Kimura as Oh Il-name
Vivian Lu as Kang Sae-beak
Rama Valéry as Abdul Ali
Tom Choi as Front Man
Donald Chang as Hwang Jun-ho
Stephanie Komura as Han Mi-nyao
Yuki Luna as Ji-yeong
Cosmos’s Commentary:
Move to Heaven is a heart-wrenching drama about a “Rain man” like character who worked with his father in a trauma clean-up business cleaning up after the recently deceased. His father dies and his father’s deadbeat brother shows up as his guardian.
Move to Heaven (Korean: 무브 투 헤븐: 나는 유품정리사입니다; RR: Mubeen to hereon: Naneun yupumjeongnisaimnida) is a South Korean streaming television series directed by Kim Sung-ho and written by Yoon Ji-rye on. It is an original Netflix series, starring Lee Je-hoon, Tang Joon-sang, Ji Jin-hee, Lee Jae-Wook, and Hong Seung-hee. The series follows Geu-ru (Tang Joon-sang), a young man with Asperger syndrome, and Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon), his guardian. Working as trauma cleaners, they uncover untold stories.[1][2] The series was released worldwide by Netflix on May 14, 2021.[3]
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15 | 60 min | Drama, Fantasy, History
Rate
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Stars: Lee Joon-Gi, Ji-eon Lee, Kang Ha-Neal, Nam Joo-Hyuk
- Sangsogjadeul(2013)
15 | 55 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After a chance encounter in LA, two teens from different social backgrounds reunite at an exclusive high school attended by Korea’s Uber rich.
Stars: Lee Min-Ho, Park Shin-Hye, Woo-bin Kim, Kim Ji-Won
- Kill Me, Heal Me(2015)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
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A love story between the son from a wealthy family who has 7 personalities Cha Do Hyun (Ji Sung) and Oh Ri Jin (Hwang Jung Elum) who becomes his secret psychiatrist.
Stars: Seong Ji, Hwang Jeong-elm, Kim Hee-Jung, Shim Hye-jin
- Healer(2014–2015)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
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Not Rated | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
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TV-Y | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
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TV-14 | 70 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
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15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
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Stars: Park Shin-Hye, Yong-Hwa, Yong-Hwa Jung, Hong-ki Lee
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Stars: Yun Geun-Hye, Ju Ji-Hoon, Song Ji-Hyo, Bool-am Choi
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15 | 66 min | Comedy, Romance
Fate brings polar opposite high school classmates (one obsessively attracted to the other, the other indifferent to all advances) to live under one roof. Is romance possible?
Stars: Jung So-Min, Kim Hyun-Jong, Tae-Sung Lee, Hye-Young Jung
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TV-Y | 70 min | Comedy, Drama, History
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Stars: Park Min-Young, Yoo-chum Park, Yoo Ah-in, Song Jong-ki
- Ok-tab-bang Wang-se-ja(2012)
15 | 65 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Crown Prince Yi gak finds that he has been transported from Chosun Dynasty to modern-day Seoul. He meets Hong Se Na, who bears a striking resemblance to his dead wife, and is determined to … See full summary »
Stars: Woo-Sik Choi, Seok-won Jeong, Yu-mi Jeong, Han Ji-min
- Mai gel(2005–2006)
With a perpetually indebted father, Joo Yoo Rin learned to lie on the spot and get herself out of tricky situations, which gets Seal Gong Chan, a rich heir to a company, to hire her to impersonate his long lost cousin.
Stars: Lee Da-have, Lee Dong-Wook, Lee Joon-Gi, Si-Yeon Park
- Shining Inheritance(2009)
15 | 70 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After losing her father Go Eunson’s stepmother kicks her and her autistic brother out of the house. Shortly after her brother is kidnapped. Eon-sung now has to look for her brother while also trying to find a job to survive.
Stars: Han Hyo-jook, Lee Seung-gi, Moon Chae-Won, Soo-bin Bae
- 마이 프린세스(2011)
15 | 65 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Kim Tae-hee plays Lee Seal, an ordinary college student who finds out she’s a princess and the great-granddaughter of Korea’s last Emperor. But life can be complicated for a princess in this funny, quirky melodrama.
Stars: Song Seung-Heon, Kim Tae-hee, Park Yeon, Soo-young Ryu
- Angkeumhan Dashingly(2014– )
Na Ae-ra (Lee Min-Jung) and Cha Jung-woo (Joo Sang-wok) got married young. Ae-ra wanted to have steady life but Jung-woo business led them to lots of debt and hard work so she broke off … See full summary »
Stars: Lee Min-Jung, Sang-UK Joo, Gyu-Ri, Seo Kang-Joon
- All About My Romance(2013– )
A conservative government party member falls for the feisty young leader of an upstart liberal party in this Korean romantic comedy.
Stars: Shin Ha-kin, Lee Min-Jung, Hee-soon Park, Chae-Ah Han
- Protect the Boss(2011)
TV-Y | 65 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After a long stretch of unemployment, No Eon Seol lands a job as secretary to Cha Ji Heon the youngest son of a rich family. However, her secretary duties go beyond the ordinary, helping her boss cope and function in normal society.
Stars: Gi-soo Byion, Hwa-Yeon Cha, Kang-hee Choi, Jeong Gyu-Su
- The King 2 Hearts(2012)
15 | 65 min | Action, Drama, Romance
The crown prince of South Korea is forced to work alongside a female North Korean military officer. Political and emotional complications lead to an uneasy marriage engagement.
Stars: Lee Seung-gi, Ha Ji-Won, Jo Jung-Suk, Jason-Patrick Taylor
- Bool-up Eosin Jungyi(2013– )
15 | Drama, History, Romance
A Historical drama about Yoo Jung, also known as Jung Yi, the first female potter in the Joseon Dynasty and regarded as the dojo of Shin taro porcelain. ‘Yoo Jung’ is based on the real … See full summary »
Stars: Moon Geun-young, Sang-Yoon Lee, Kim Bum, Keon-Hyeong Park
- Nae Yeojachinguneun Gumshoe(2010)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Chae Die Wong, an aspiring actor, unwillingly releases a Gumshoe, a legendary nine-tailed fox, from her centuries-old prison. He runs away terrified and ends up injuring himself badly, but she saves his life and asks him to stay by his side.
Stars: Shin Min-a, Lee Seung-gi, Min-woo No, Park Soo-Jin
Votes: 2,693
- Naege Geothermally Haebwa(2011)
15 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.2
Rate
A woman, jealous when her friend steals her first love and marries him, lies that she is married too. The lie ensnares a hotel president who goes along with the lie for his reasons. Will the lie become reality?
Stars: Seung-us Ryu, Yun Geun-hye, Yun-hie Jo, Sung Jun
Votes: 1,257
- Un-Myong-Cheol-eom neol sa-rang-hae(2014)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Romance
7.9
Rate
A touching Korean drama filled with comedy about a girl who finds happiness, friendship, and love in the most unexpected way!
Stars: Jang Hyuk, Jang Na-ra, Choi Jin-Hyuk, churl
Votes: 2,036
- Shinai (2012)
60 min | Drama, Fantasy, History
8
Rate
When the queen-to-be of medieval Korea is badly wounded, Captain Choi Young uses a wormhole to “heaven,” which is 21st-century South Korea, to bring back the spoiled Dr. Yoo Eon-Soo who becomes a pawn in a game of human chess.
Stars: Kim Hee-seen, Yoon Kyun-Sang, Lee Min-Ho, Deok-Hwan Ryu
Votes: 2,256
- The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince(2007)
15 | 55 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
8.2
Rate
A tomboy, mistaken for a lad, maintains the deception for the sake of employment. The situation becomes complicated when her male boss begins to develop feelings for this “boy.”
Stars: Gong Yoo, Yun Geun-Hye, Sun-Kyun Lee, Jeong-an Chae
Votes: 4,627
- 동이(2010)
TV-Y | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
8
Rate
Story a simple maid that rises high in the royal harem as a consort and, ultimately, mother of the Korean king.
SARS: Han Hyo-Joo, Julia Lim, Kim Yoo-Jeong, Da-Min Han
Votes: 1,349
- Love in the Moonlight(2016)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.8
Rate
The unlikely love story between a crown prince and his eunuch.
Stars: Park Bo-Gum, Kim Yoo-Jeong, Chae Soo-bin, Kwak Dong-Yeon
Votes: 2,344
- She Was Pretty(2015)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Romance
7.7
Rate
When Ji Sung-Joon was young, he was ugly. As he grew up, he began to have an attractive appearance. When Kim Hye-Jin was young, she was pretty. As she grew up, she became ugly. Ji Sung-Joon tries to find his first love.
Stars: Hwang Jeong-elm, Seo Jun Park, Jun-hee Ko, Si Won Choi
Votes: 4,025
- Bimal (2013)
15 | Drama, Romance
8.1
Rate
A devoted woman makes the ultimate sacrifice for her boyfriend, only to learn that love doesn’t always conquer all. Yoo Jeong (Hwang Jeong Elum) is a sweet, upbeat person who has always … See full summary »
Stars: Hwang Jeong-elm, Seong Ji, Soo-bin Bae, Lee Da-hee
Votes: 1,031
- Naemsaereul Boneen Sonyeo(2015)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
7.1
Rate
Detective Tae Ho lost his younger sister to a barcode-murder case and lost his ability to taste, smell, and feel pain. He then meets Oh Cho Rim, the only witness to the murder case who possesses a special sense: she can see smells.
Stars: Yoo-chum Park, Shin Se-Kyung, Jin-Seo Yoon, Min Nakong
Votes: 1,023
- Sesang Eddied Eobneun Chakhan Namja(2012)
15 | 60 min | Drama
7.8
Rate
Kang Ma-Ru is a promising medical student until he takes the blame for a crime he didn’t commit. When he finds an opportunity for revenge, he takes it, using Seo Eon-Gi. Ma-Ru soon … See full summary »
Stars: Song Jong-ki, Moon Chae-Won, Si-Yeon Park, Kwang-Soo Lee
Votes: 1,604
- Descendants of the Sun(2016)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
8.3
Rate
This drama tells of the love story that develops between a surgeon and a special forces officer.
Stars: Song Jong-ki, Song Hye-Kyo, Jin Goo, Kim Ji-Won
Votes: 11,373
- Haideu, Jail, Na(2015)
15 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7
Rate
Koo Seo-Jin (Hyun-Bin) has two different personalities. One of his personalities is cold like Hyde and the other is sweet like Jekyll.
Stars: Hyun Bin, Han Ji-min, Hee-Sung Kwak, Hyerim
Votes: 986
- O Ma-i Bi-neo-seu(2015–2016)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.8
Rate
A lawyer in her thirties coming out of a long relationship decides to regain her figure and health after meeting a renowned personal trainer who obsesses with leading a healthy lifestyle after suffering a serious injury in his childhood.
Stars: So Ji-sob, Shin Min-a, Sung Hoon, Yoo In-young
Votes: 3,817
- Secret Garden(2010–2011)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
8.1
Rate
A rich young CEO falls for a poor stuntwoman despite class differences, cultural traditions, and the man’s firmly objecting mother.
Stars: Ha Ji-Won, Hyun Bin, Yoon Sang-Hyun, Sa-rang Kim
Votes: 5,961
- Gamy eon (2015)
15 | Drama, Romance
7.8
Rate
Ji-sook facing a hard time because of her father’s debts and begin being chased by moneylenders. When a series of things happen Ji-sook has to live with Eon Ha’s identity (a Woman from an elite family) because she looks exactly like Eon Ha.
Stars: Soo Ae, Ju Ji-Hoon, Jeong-Hun Yeon, Yoo In-young
Votes: 344
- Hungrier (2013– )
Not Rated | Drama, Romance
6.9
Rate
At 42-years-old, Kwon Yolo (Lee Beom Soo) is South Korea’s youngest prime minister ever. On top of his reputation of being an honest man of the utmost integrity, he’s also a widower who … See full summary »
Stars: Im Yoon-ah, us, Yoon Shi-Yoon, Jeong-an Chae
Votes: 332
- Pool ha-woo-sue(2004)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Romance
7.9
Rate
In a bid to reacquire her childhood home, a free-spirited woman agrees to a sham marriage with a selfish actor. Their daily lives are complicated by overlapping love triangles and comic misadventures.
Stars: Song Hye-Kyo, Rain, Eun-Jeong, Seong-su Kim
Votes: 3,112
- Kawagoe (2005– )
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.6
Rate
Chun-Hyang is smart and sassy and becomes involved with good-looking Mongering. His first love Chae-rim enters the picture. An older man, Hak-do, pursues her. Will they find their way back to each other?
Stars: Chae-young Han, Hee Jae, Tae-wooing Edom, Si-Eun Park
Votes: 442
- Mary Stayed Out All Night(2010)
65 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
6.8
Rate
Wi Mae Ri is the cheerful, pragmatic daughter of a failed businessman who had grown used to being constantly on the move to escape from loan sharks. She becomes fast friends with the … See full summary »
Stars: Moon Geun-young, Hyo-Jin, Kim Jae-Wook, Hyo-jin Kim
Votes: 719
- City Hunter(2011)
TV-Y | 60 min | Action, Romance, Thriller
8.1
Rate
Lee Yun-song was trained by his father’s best friend to get revenge on the government for killing everyone in his father’s unit.
Stars: Lee Min-Ho, Park Min-Young, Sang-Jung Kim, Ho-jin Chun
Votes: 5,220
- Neon Neace Banhaesseo(2011)
65 min | Drama, Music, Romance
7.2
Rate
A series of misunderstandings causes Lee Shin, the cocky leader of “The Stupid” and Lee Guy-won, a student majoring in Traditional Korean Music to start on the wrong foot. Until she sees him performing live, and is immediately captivated.
Stars: Yong-hwa Jung, Park Shin-Hye, Chang-up Song, Yi-Hyeon So
Votes: 1,645
- Anderman (2015)
15 | 70 min | Comedy, Drama
7.6
Rate
This drama is about Jo Gang-JA, a mother who was known as a tough girl in high school. Her daughter Ah-ran is bullied at school and when Gang-JA finds out, she makes it her responsibility … See full summary »
Stars: Kim Hee-seen, Kim Yoo-Jeong, Hyun-Woo Ji, Ji Soo
Votes: 443
- Nae mi-eum-i deul-li-da(2011–)
65 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.8
Rate
Can You Hear My Heart features Hallyu stars Kim Jae Won, Hwang Jung Elum, and Nam Goong Min in this romantic drama that shows us love in defiance of physical limitations? Dong Joo (played by … See full summary »
Stars: Jae-won Kim, Hwang Jeong-elm, Min Namkoong, Lee Hye-Yeong
Votes: 169
- Jang Ok-Jung, Sarang-e Salda(2013)
15 | Drama, History, Romance
7.5
Rate
Life Of Jang Ok Jung, Later Known as Jang Hee Bin, was one of the most famous Concubines of The Joseon Dynasty who was known for her hunger for power.
Stars: Kim Tae-hee, Yoo Ah-in, Geon-Ju Lee, Soo-Hyun Hong
Votes: 212
- Marriage Contract(2016)
15 | 75 min | Drama
7.6
Rate
Ji-Hoon (Lee Seo-Jin) has a cynical personality due to his family background. Even though he comes from a rich family, his mother had an affair with a married man and they had Ji-Hoon. From… See full summary »
Stars: Seo-jin Lee, Kim You-Jin, Yoo-Ri Kim, Kim Kwang-guy
Votes: 557
- Won-deo-pool la-i-pea(2005– )
Comedy, Romance
7.2
Rate
The story of Xu Tian who suffers big blows both in his love and work life. When he decides to leave America, where he has been living for 10 years, and returns to his home country, luck is not on his side.
Stars: Frank Powers, Jun-yong Choi, Eun-Jeong, Hyeon Ju
Votes: 106
- Dream High(2011–2012)
15 | 70 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
7.6
Rate
Dream High tells the story of six students at Kirin Art High School who work to achieve their dreams of becoming music stars in the Korean music industry. Go Hye Mi is a student who sings … See full summary »
Stars: J.Y. Park, Jin-won Jung, Ji-eon Lee, Kim Soo-Hyun
Votes: 2,549
- Personal Taste(2010)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.4
Rate
The surprise hit of 2010, Personal Taste (aka Personal Preference) garnered high ratings and a huge fanbase in a comedy that proves true love is found in the most unlikely places. Quirky … See full summary »
Stars: Son Ye-jin, Lee Min-Ho, Nam-Gil Kim, Ji-Seok Kim
Votes: 3,713
- gnyeon-ui Sibu(2014)Over the last few years, I finally became a K Drama fan. Part of the reason is that my Korean is now good enough to mostly follow the dialogue although I still need subtitles. Second, because of COVID, we’ve been mostly at home in Korea, and third, I finally just got into K Drama. I know a bit late, but what the heck.Here are some of my favorite K Dramas- I provide a synopsis and my comment on each.
In general K Dramas come in two forms – movies and series. The series are reminiscent of Mexican telenovela – usually 16 episodes, occasionally 20, and occasionally fewer. A few have two seasons. Most run for about a month. Almost all are available now on Netflix and Hulu with English sub-titles. A few were quite controversial.
Parasite of course won the 2020 Oscar. And Minuri won best-supporting actress this year.
My favorites K Dramas so far include:
Crash Landing on You
Vincenzo,” “
Mine”,
“Move to Heaven”
“Parasite”,
‘DP,”
Camilla Blooming.”
Itaewon Class
Stranger
Mr. Sunshine
Last Man Standing
Mad About You
Others Worth Watching
Memories of the Alhambra
The Negotiation (film)
Sisyphus: The Myth (2021)
Space Sweepers K SF Drama
The Last Man Standing K Drama
Heist – not a K Drama, more of an S Drama but pretty good, but went on too long. Should have ended with the first season. There were lots of unanswered questions –
Mr. Kim’s convenience
Yet to Watch
Minuri Movie
Sky Castle
Kingdom (South Korean TV series)
Signal (South Korean TV series)
My Mister
Hospital Playlist
Flower of Evil
Synopsis and Comments (from Wikpedia and other sources)
Parasite 2020 Best Picture Oscar
Parasite (Korean: 기생충; Hanja: 寄生蟲; RR: Guangcheng) is a 2019 South Korean black comedy thriller film directed by Bong Joon-ho, who co-wrote the screenplay with Han Jin-won. The film, starring Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-Kyun, Cho Yeo-Jeong, Choi Woo-Shak, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin, and Lee Jung-Eun, follows a poor family who schemes to become employed by a wealthy family and infiltrate their household by posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals.
Parasite premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on 21 May 2019, where it became the first South Korean film to win the Palme d’Or. It was then released in South Korea by CJ Entertainment on 30 May 2019. The film was considered by many critics to be the best film of 2019. It grossed over $258 million worldwide on a production budget of about $15.5 million.
Among its numerous accolades, Parasite won a leading four awards at the 92nd Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film, becoming the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.[note 1]
Parasite is the first South Korean film to receive Academy Award recognition and one of three films to win both the Palme d’Or and the Academy Award for Best Picture.[note 2] It won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language, and became the first non-English language film to win the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. At the 56th Grand Bell Awards and the 40th Blue Dragon Film Awards, Parasite had eleven nominations with five wins. At the 56th Buesking Arts Awards, it had twelve nominations with three wins. Joon-Ho has confirmed a TV series is in the works while two sequels are also planned.
The Kim family—father Ki-take, mother Chung-sook, daughter Ki-Jung, and son Ki-woo—live in a small semi-basement apartment (banjara),[10] have low-paying temporary jobs as pizza box folders, and struggle to make ends meet.[11] University student Min-hyuk, a friend of Ki-woo’s, gives the family a scholar’s rock meant to promise wealth. Leaving to study abroad and knowing his friend needs the income, he suggests that Ki-woo poses as a university student to take over his job as an English tutor for the daughter of the wealthy park family, Da-Hye. Ki-woo, presenting himself as a Yonsei University student, is subsequently hired by the Parks.
The Kim family schemes to get each member of the family a job by posing as unrelated and highly qualified workers to become servants of the Parks. Ki-Jung poses as “Jessica” and, using Ki-Woo as a reference, becomes an art therapist to the Parks’ young son, Da-song. Ki-Jung frames Yoon, Mr. Park’s chauffeur, for having sex in the car, then recommends Ki-take replace him. Finally, Chung-sook takes over as the Parks’ housekeeper after the Kim’s exploit the peach allergy of the long-time housekeeper, Moon-gang, to convince Mrs. Park that she has tuberculosis. Ki-woo begins a secret romantic relationship with Da-Hye.
When the Parks leave on a camping trip, the Kim’s revel in the luxuries of their residence before Moon-gang abruptly appears at the door, telling Chung-sook she has left something in the basement. She enters a hidden entrance to an underground bunker created by the architect and previous homeowner, where Moon-Hwang’s husband, Geun-SAE, has been secretly living for over four years, hiding from loan sharks. Chung-sook refuses Moon-Hwang’s pleas to help Geun-SAE remain in the bunker, but the eavesdropping Kim’s accidentally reveal themselves. Moon-gang films them on her phone and threatens to expose their ruse to the Parks.
A severe rainstorm brings the Parks home early, and the Kim’s scramble to clean up the home and subdue Moon-gang and Geun-SAE before they return. The Kim’s trap Geun-SAE and Moon-gang in the bunker. Mrs. Park reveals to Chung-sook that Da-song had a seizure-inducing traumatic experience on a previous birthday when he saw a “ghost” — actually Geun-SAE — emerging from the basement at night. Before the Kim’s manage to sneak out of the house, they hear Mr. Park’s off-handed comments about Ki-take’s smell. The Kim’s find their apartment flooded with sewer water and are forced to shelter in a gymnasium with other displaced people.
The next day, Mrs. Park hosts a house party for Da-song’s birthday with the Kim family’s help. Ki-woo enters the bunker with the scholar’s rock to find Geun-SAE. Finding Moon-gang has died from a concussion she received during the earlier fight, he is attacked by Geun-SAE, who bludgeons his head with the rock and escapes, leaving Ki-woo lying in a pool of blood in the basement. Seeking to avenge Moon-gang, Geun-SAE stabs Ki-Jung with a kitchen knife in front of the horrified party guests. Da-song suffers another seizure upon seeing Geun-SAE, and a struggle breaks out until Chung-sook fatally impales Geun-SAE with a barbecue skewer. While Ki-take tends to a severely bleeding Ki-Jung, Mr. Park orders Ki-take to drive Da-song to the hospital. In the chaos, Ki-take, upon seeing Mr. Park’s disgusted reaction to Geun-SAE’s smell, angrily takes the knife and kills him. Ki-take then flees the scene, leaving behind the rest of the Kim family.
Weeks later, Ki-woo is recovering from brain surgery. He and Chung-sook are convicted of fraud and put on probation. Ki-Jung has died and Ki-take, wanted by the police for Mr. Park’s murder, cannot be found. Geun-SAE has been assumed to be an insane homeless man, and neither his nor Ki-take’s motive for the stabbings is known. Ki-woo spies on the Parks’ home, now sold to a German family unaware of its history and sees a message in Morse code from a flickering light. Ki-take, who escaped into the bunker via the garage, has buried Moon-gang in the backyard and now raids the kitchen at night and flickers the light every day, hoping to Ki-woo will see it. Still living in their original basement apartment with his mother, Ki-woo writes a letter to Ki-take, vowing to earn enough money to one day purchase the house and reunite with his father.
Cast[edit]
Song Kang-ho as Kim Ki-take (Mr. Kim; 김기택; Gym Gitau), the father of the Kim family who is hired as Park Dong-ik’ s chauffeur.
Choi Woo-Shak as Kim Ki-woo (Kevin; 김기우; Gym Gou), the son of the Kim family who is hired as Da-Hye’s English tutor. Choi Woo-Shak stated that the character is intelligent but does not have the vigor needed to succeed in examinations.[12]
Lee Sun-kyun as Park Dong-ik (Nathan; 박동익; Bak Dongguk), the father of the Park family.
Cho Yeo-Jeong as Choi Yeon-go (Madame; 최연교; Choe Yeong), the mother of the Park family.
Park So-dam as Kim Ki-Jung (Jessica; 김기정; Gym Gijon), the daughter of the Kim family who is hired as Da-song’s art therapist.
Lee Jung-Eun as Gook Moon-gang (국문광; Guk Mungkan), the housekeeper for the Park family, who also worked for the architect and previous owner of the house. Bong Joon-ho said her relationship with the architect and parts of her story “that happen in between the sequences in the film” will be explored in the spin-off television series.[13]
Jang Hye-jin as Chung-sook (박충숙; Bak Chung Suk), the mother of the Kim family who is hired as the housekeeping for the Park family.
Park Myung-hoon as Oh Geun-SAE (오근세; O Genes), Moon-Hwang’s husband.
Jung Ji-so as Park Da-Hye (박다혜; Bak Daye), the daughter of the Park family.
Jung Hyeon-Jun as Park Da-song (박다송; Bak Datong), the son of the Park family.
Park Konerko as Yoon (윤; Yun), Park Dong-ik’ s chauffeur.
Park Seo-Joon as Min-hyuk (민혁; Miyoko), Ki-woo’s friend.[14]
Crashlanding on you
program.tving.com/ton/cloy
Crash Landing on You is a 2019–2020 South Korean television series written by Park Ji-Eun, directed by Lee Jeong-Hyo, and starring Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin, Kim Jung-Hyun, and Seo Ji-Hye. It is about a South Korean chaebol heiress who, while paragliding in Seoul, South Korea, is swept up in a sudden storm, crash-lands in the North Korean portion of the DMZ, and meets a captain in the Korean People’s Army. Over time, they fall in love, despite the divide and dispute between their respective countries. Wikipedia
Genre: Romantic Drama, Romantic comedy
Created by: Studio Dragon
Written by: Park Ji-Eun
Comments:
One of my favorites. It is a classic rom-com opposite attract theme. Almost a Romeo and Juliet star crossed lovers theme with the division of the Korean peninsula separating the lovers. When Captain Ri meets Se-Yeong who literary crash lands on him after a freak paragliding accident took over the DMZ, has to decide to risk everything to save her life and return her to South Korea or turn her in as duty would dictate. He chose to follow his heart and enlists the aid of his squad of soldiers who all fall in love with her as well. She also becomes friendly with the local woman in the village.
When a notorious gangster follows her to Seoul to kill her to take revenge on Captain Ri, Captain Ri and his squad follow her to save her and bring down the gangsters. I won’t say more than that.
This series led the North Koreans to blow up the inter-Korean liaison office as they saw the movie as an insult to the North. Some southern politicians denounced it as being too sympathetic to the North. It also of course featured rich people behaving badly in both the North and the South. – Common theme in most K dramas these days.
And a sub-romance between the captain’s soon-to-be-ex and Se-Young Ex who is End Comments con artist who is hiding out in the north after defrauding her father and brother.
End Comment
Vincenzo (2021)
Comment:
another one of my favorites. A Korean child is adopted by an Italian family who has mob connections. He graduates from Law School and becomes a lawyer to a Mafia family. He hides millions of dollars in gold bullion in an office building in South Korea. Hidden within the gold is a secret file on secrets of all the main corporations and political leaders in Korea known as the Guillotine file. Vengeance goes to Korea to recover the money after the godfather dies. The building tenants are being evicted by an evil corporation that wants to build their headquarters in their centrally located plaza. The tenants are being led by a lawyer. When he dies his daughter takes up the fight. She enlists the aid of Vincenzo who teaches her how to do things the mafia way. The usual rich family is behaving badly scenario, political corruption, etc. And a slow-burning love affair. The main villain is a real sociopath, which is also a common theme in Korean dramas nowadays. There is also an implied LGBT theme – as Vengeance is a very attractive man and both men and women try to seduce him. Another villain is a corrupt ex-prosecutor who goes to work for the evil Babel corporation and its sociopathic young secret chairman. He had been exiled to Canada as a young man when he killed a number of his classmates after witnessing his father being left to die by his mother. End comment
At the age of eight, Park Joo Hyeong went to Italy after being adopted. Now an adult, he is known as Vincenzo Casino to the Mafia, who employ him as a consigliere. Because mafia factions are at war with each other, he flees to South Korea, where he gets involved with Lawyer Hong Cha Young. She is the type of attorney who will do anything to win a case. Now back at his motherland, he gives an unrivaled conglomerate a taste of its own medicine with a side of justice. (Source: Netflix, Asianizing) Edit Translation
English
Vincenzo: Special (Korean compilation)
Native Title: 빈센조
Also Known as Basenji
Screenwriter: Park Jae Bum
Director: Kim Hee Won
Genres: Comedy, Law, Crime, Drama
Tags: Lawyer, Revenge, Eccentric Female Lead, Mafia, Smart Male Lead, Injustice, Competent Protagonist, Father-Daughter Relationship, Charming Male Lead, Funny Female Lead (Vote or add tags)
Where to Watch Vincenzo
Netflix
Subscription (sub)
Cast & Credits
Add Cast
Song Jong Ki
Vincenzo Casino / Park Joo Hyung
Main Role
Jeon Yeo Bin
Hong Cha Young
Main Role
Ok Teac Yeon
Jang Jun Woo
Main Role
Kim Yeo Jin
Choi Myung Hee [Prosecutor]
Support Role
Jo Han Chula
Han Seung Hyuk [CEO of Woosung Law firm]
Support Role
Kwak Dong Yeon
Jang Han Seo [Head of Babel Group]
Support Role
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Sisyphus
Mine”,
Comment
One of my recent favorites. Almost a poster child for the rich family behaving badly theme. An interesting LBGT romance sub-theme as well. Another Romeo-Juliet Cinderella romance sub-plot as well. The main protagonist is a real sociopath. The story revolves around his murder and who wanted him dead the most. Well, everyone hated him, everyone wanted him dead. The suspense was kept alive to the very end. The other theme is the two sisters-in-laws who battle the family and in the end, prevail against all the odds to come out on top and regain what they saw as “Mine” hence the title. Very well done.
Mine (TV series) – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine_(TV_series)
Mine (Korean: 마인) is a 2021 South Korean television series directed by Lee Na-Jung and starring Lee Bo-young, Kim Seo-Hyung, Lee Hyun-Wook, and Ok Ja-Yeon. It revolves around strong women who free themselves from the prejudice of society and find their real ‘mine’. It also peeps into the mysterious lives of wealthy people. The series premiered ten on May 8, 2021, and aired every …
Mine (Korean Drama) – AsianWiki
https://asianwiki.com/Mine_(Korean_Drama)
Profile. Drama: my Revised romanization: my Hangul: 마인 Director: Lee Na-Jeong Writer: Baek Mi-Kong Network: tvN Episodes: 16 Reléase Date: May 8 – June 27, 2021, Run time: Sat. & Sun. 21:00 Language: Korean Country: South Korea Plot Synopsis by Asianizing Staff ©
Mine (2021) – Dramatist
https://mydramalist.com/75937-blue-diamond
Mine (2021) Mine. (2021) “Mine” is about strong and ambitious women who overcome the world’s prejudices to find their true selves. Seo Hee-Soo was a former top actress, but she gave up her career to marry the second son of Hyo Won Group. She does her best to fit in as a daughter-in-law of that family.
Mine | Netflix Official Site
https://www.netflix.com/title/81403973
Mine. 2021 | TV-14 | 1 Season | TV Dramas. Encaged in a gold-clad life of secrets and lies, two women in a conglomerate family seek to topple all that stands in their way of finding true joy. Starring: Lee Bo-young, Kim Seo-Hyung, Lee Hyun-Wook.
Mine (2021) – Full Cast & Crew – Dramatist
https://mydramalist.com/75937-blue-diamond/cast
Today, we present some unexpected cameo appearances in K-Dramas by popular actors and actresses. Get Ready to Be Enrolled in the “Police University” of 2021 News – Aug 1, 2021
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Stream It or Skip It: ‘Mine’ On Netflix, A Soapy K-Drama …
https://decider.com/2021/05/10/mine-netflix-review/
It’s harder to compare Mine to a current K-drama, but it sure does have the feel of a good old-fashioned American primetime soap like Dallas or Dynasty, with some hints of Succession mixed in.
“Mine” (2021 Drama): Cast & Summary | Koopman
https://www.kpopmap.com/mine-2021-drama-cast-summary/
Information. Title: Mine / 마인 Director: Lee Nanjing Writer: Baek MiKyung. Network: ten x Netflix. Runtime: From May 8 # of Episodes: 16. Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Human Language: Korean. Summary. Encaged in a gold-clad life of secrets and lies, two women in a conglomerate family seek to topple all that stands in their way of finding true joy.
Korean Drama “Mine” (Synopsis + Cast + Preview) – Korean …
https://koreanallday.com/2021/05/09/korean-drama-mine-synopsis-cast-preview/
Korean Drama “Mine” (Synopsis + Cast + Preview) May 9, 2021. admin “Mine” (or “Blue Diamond”) is a ten original drama series that was released on 8 May 2021 and is available to watch online on Netflix*. SYNOPSIS “Mine” drama story will center around two strong and married women Seo Hee-Soo and Jung Seo Hyun. They both are married …
Mine episode 16 recap – the finale/ending explained – Ji …
https://readysteadycut.com/2021/06/27/recap-mine-season-1-episode-16-finale-ending-netflix-k-drama-series/
3.5. Summary. The finale of Mine wraps up the story nicely — episode 16 reveals the killer and gives the audience a taste of life after Ji-yong. There are strong themes of female empowerment in the finale that works well, in the story’s conclusion. This recap of the Netflix k-drama series Mine season 1, episode 16 — the finale/ending …
K-Dramas | Netflix Official Site
https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/2638104
K-Dramas. Laugh, cry, sigh, scream, shout, or whatever you feel like with these funny, intense, romantic, and suspenseful Korean dramas.
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Profile
Drama: Mine
Revised romanization: Mine
Hangul: 마인
Director: Lee Na-Jeong
Writer: Baek Mi-Kyong
Network: tyvm
Episodes: 16
Release Date: May 8 – June 27, 2021
Runtime: Sat. & Sun. 21:00
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea
Plot Synopsis by Asianizing Staff ©
A story of women who try to find their true selves, freeing themselves from prejudices in the world.
Seo Hi-Soo (Lee Bo-Young) was a star actress, but she gave up her career to marry the second son of a chaebol family. The chaebol family runs the Hyowon Group. She does her best to fit in as a daughter-in-law of that family. She acts confidently all the time to not lose her true self.
Jung Seo-Hyun (Kim Seo-Hyung) is married to the first son of the same chaebol family. She is also the daughter of a chaebol family. She is elegant and intelligent. She is also very rational.
Notes
“Mine” takes over TV N’s Sat. & Sun. 21:00 time slot previously occupied by “Vincenzo” and followed by “The Devil Judge” on July 3, 2021.
Cast
Hyowon Group’s Family
Hyowon Mansion’s Staff
Hyowon Group
Hagwon Gallery
Soo-Hyun Gallery
IL sin
Jung Seo-Hyun’s Group
Chairman Han Suk-Chol’s Past
Fight Club Group
Police
Reporters
Han Jin-Ho’s Mistresses
Kim Yu-Yeon’s Family
Jung Seo-Hyun’s Parenting Group
Others
Additional Cast Members:
Lee Yoon-Min – Chauffeur Park
Kim Ha-Rin – designer (ep.1,8)
Ko Kyung-Man – priest (ep.1)
Park Hee-Yeon – (ep.3)
Jo Soo-Yeon – cinema employee (ep.4)
Kim Jung-Hwan – funeral priest (ep.13)
Stranger (TV series)
| Stranger |
| Comment:
Well, done police drama. The usual rich people behaving badly, political corruption, honest police officers trying to solve crime being thwarted by corrupt senior-level figures. The romance theme was hinted at but never really developed. There was also a nice sub-theme of a serial killer whose crimes were covered up by his father who was a prosecutor. The series takes place amid the South Korean government’s attempt to reform the prosecutor’s office transferring much of their power to the police. The movie is perhaps a bit too pro-government reform in that regard. I would have liked to have seen a stronger romance and would have liked to have seen the political corporation corruption case spelled out a lot more. The plot was a bit confusing but the acting was first-rate. I would have to give it a B. End comment
Promotional poster for the first season |
| Also known as |
Secret Forest
Forest of Secrets |
|
| Hangul |
비밀의 숲 |
| Hanja |
祕密의 숲 |
| Genre |
Crime
Drama
Thriller |
| Created by |
Studio Dragon |
| Written by |
Lee Soo-Yeon |
| Directed by |
Ahn Gil-ho (Season 1)
Yoo Je-won (Season 1)
Park Hyun-Suk (Season 2) |
| Creative directors |
Kim Suk-won
Kim Sung-kytoon |
| Starring |
Cho Seung-woo
Bae Dona
Lee Joon-hyuk
Yoo Jae-Myung
Shin Hye-sun
Jeon Hye-jin
Choi Moo-sung
Yoon Se-ah |
| Theme music composer |
Kim Jun-Seok |
| Opening theme |
Stranger |
| Composers |
Kim Jun-Seok
Jung Sae-rim |
| Country of origin |
South Korea |
| Original language |
Korean |
| No. of seasons |
2 |
| No. of episodes |
32 (list of episodes) |
| Production |
| Executive producers |
Lee Chan-ho
Min Hyun-il
Go Byung-churl
Lee Sung-jin |
| Producers |
Park Unyoung
Seo Jae-Hyun |
| Cinematography |
Jang Jong-Kyung |
| Editor |
Kim Na-young |
| Camera setup |
Single-camera |
| Running time |
63-86 minutes |
| Production companies |
Signal Entertainment Group
IOK Media
Ace Factory (Season 2) |
| Distributor |
tyvm (Asia)
Netflix (Worldwide) |
| Release |
| Original network |
tyvm |
| Picture format |
HDTV 1080i |
| Audio format |
Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Original release |
June 10, 2017 –
present |
| External links |
| Website |
Stranger (Korean: 비밀의 숲; RR: Baillieu Sup; lit. Secret Forest) is a South Korean crime thriller drama television series. Produced by Signal Entertainment and IOK Media, it was created by Studio Dragon writer Lee Soo-Yeon and broadcast on tvN from June 10, 2017. The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on August 15, 2020.
The series was a hit with both domestic and international viewers,[1] and received favorable reviews for its tight plot, gripping sequences, and strong performances.[2][3] It was featured on the New York Times list of Best TV Shows of 2017,[4] and won several awards including the Grand Prize for television at the Baek sang.[5]
Synopsis[edit]
In the first season, Hwang Si-Mok (Cho Seung-woo) is an exemplary prosecutor who suffers from hypersensitivity to certain sound frequencies. After undergoing corrective surgery, he lost his sense of empathy and lacks social skills. While investigating a murder, he meets Police Lieutenant Han Yeo-jin (Bae Dona), who assists his efforts to solve the case. As they begin to unravel the mystery behind the murder, they find that their efforts are continually being obstructed by participants in a major corruption conspiracy between the Prosecutors’ Office and a private chaebol (conglomerate).
In the second season, set two years later, a dispute arises between the Prosecutors’ Office and the National Police Agency, with the former wanting control over all investigative proceedings while the latter seeks autonomous authority to conduct investigations. Amid their respective agencies’ conflict, Hwang Si-Mok, and Han Yeo-jin team up to conduct their independent investigation of a concealed case.[6]
Cast and characters[edit]
Main article: List of Stranger characters
Cho Seung-woo as Hwang Si-Mok
Bae Dona as Han Yeo-jin
Lee Joon-hyuk as Seo Dong-Jae
Yoo Jae-Myung as Lee Chang-Joon (season 1; guest season 2)
Shin Hye-sun as Young Eon-soo (season 1; guest season 2)
Yoon Se-ah as Lee Yeon-Jae (season 2; recurring season 1)
Jeon Hye-jin as Choi Bit (season 2)
Choi Moo-sung as Woo Tae-ha (season 2)
Episodes[edit]
Main article: List of Stranger episodes
| Season |
Episodes |
Originally aired |
Ave. South Korea
viewers (millions) |
| First aired |
Last aired |
|
1 |
16 |
June 10, 2017 |
July 30, 2017 |
N/A[a] |
|
2 |
16 |
August 15, 2020 |
October 4, 2020 |
1.774 |
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
The entire series was written by Lee Soo-Yeon who was inspired by the Korean adage “We cannot rule those who want nothing” to create the character of Si-Mok.[7] Ahn Gil-ho directed the majority of the first season with the assistance of Yoo Je-won, while Park Hyun-Seok took over the filming duties for the second season.[8] Unlike usual South Korean dramas, the series was developed as a potential multi-seasonal program, with most of the filming have already been pre-produced before its broadcast.[9][10]
Casting[edit]
In January 2017, Cho Seung-woo and Bae Dona were offered the lead roles. The same month Shin Hye-sun was added to the cast.[11] It was the first television drama Cho Seung-woo had accepted since God’s Gift – 14 Days in 2014, after venturing into musical theatre for seven years.[12] For the second season, cast members Cho Seung-woo, Bae Dona, Lee Joon-hyuk, and Yoon Se-ah, were all confirmed to reprise their roles. Jeon Hye-jin and Choi Moo-sung were also confirmed to join the lead cast in January 2020.[6]
Filming[edit]
Filming of the first season began in April 2017, preceded by the first script reading with the cast at the CJ E&M Center in Seoul.[12] Script reading for the second season took place in January 2020.[6]
Music[edit]
An accompanying soundtrack compilation to Stranger was released by Mog Communications and Kakao M on September 13, 2017, in South Korea.[13] It was later reissued by Universal Music Group in overseas markets on May 11, 2018.[14] A three-disc album, the latter two discs features music composed by Kim Jun-Seok and Jung Sae-rin for the program.[15][16] Ten songs were released from the soundtrack as singles in numbered parts from June to July 2017: “끝도없이 (Ad Infinitum)” by Richard Parkers, “먼지 (Dust)” Evelia, “소나기 (Downpour)” by Ohio, “괴물처럼 (Monster Like)” by Tie, “웃어요 (Smile)” by Han Hee Jung & Sorae, the titular track “비밀의 숲 (Stranger)” by Yoon Do-Hyun, “사랑할 것 처럼 (As if to Love)” by Kim Kohen of My teen, “물결 (A Billow)” by Yean of Lovely, “굿바이 잘가요 (Goodbye)”/”Back in Time” by Peter Han, and “묻는다 (Ask)” by Jung Won-boo of NeighBro & Jun Sang-gun.[17] Of these, the songs “소나기 (Downpour)” and “사랑할 것 처럼 (As if to Love)” have managed to enter the South Korean Gaon BGM Music Chart at numbers 80 and 79, respectively.[18][19]
Stranger OST Track listing[15][16]
show
Season 1 soundtrack
show
Season 2 soundtrack
Release[edit]
The pilot episode of Stranger aired on June 10, 2017, on tyvm, replacing Chicago Typewriter. Netflix secured the worldwide streaming rights for the series for US$200,000 per episode, except in Korea and China, and released them in simultaneous broadcast with TV as a Netflix original program. The Korea Times reported that Bae Dona, who had previously appeared in the Netflix original series Sense8, proved to be crucial in the purchase of the drama.[20] TV affiliate tvN Asia also aired the program in selected Asian markets beginning on June 16, 2018.[21] A second season was commissioned by TV, set to be released with Netflix on the same day.[22] It premiered on August 15, 2020, replacing It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.[10][23]
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
In an article by columnist Dena Dew for Screen Rant, Stranger was described as a “domestic and international success”.[24] Though ratings-wise, the program was not a “smash hit”, pundits and audiences praised it as a “league of its own”.[7] Korean culture critic Ha Jae-gun described the character as a “fantasy that was borne out of a time of distrust”.[7] In her review for The Korea Times, columnist Park Jin-hai commended the writing as “finely intertwined”, and wrote that audiences gave a strong response to this “drama for thinking people”.[7] The New York Times listed the series in tenth place as they’re The Best TV Shows of 2017.[25]
At the 54th Buesking Arts Awards, the series received eight nominations, including two considerations for Grand Prize for Television, winning one for the whole series.[26] Cho Seung-woo and Lee Soo-Yeon also won Best Television Actor and Best Television Screenplay, respectively.[26] In a Gallup Korea poll, audiences aged 19 and above selected Stranger as their 12th favorite show in July 2017.[27] While Google Korea listed the series as the ninth most-searched television program of 2017.[28]
Viewership[edit]
According to data published by Nielsen Korea, the pilot episode of the series was seen by 3.041percent of total nationwide viewers, in metropolitan Seoul, it earned a 3.2percent rating, which made it the highest-rated program of the day among non-terrestrial channel programs.[29] The program achieved its highest rating on the first-season finale, earning a 6.568percent nationwide rating and a 7.622percent rating within Seoul-based viewers.[30] On average, it was seen by 4.562percent of total viewership.[31] On the Times rating system, the series premiered with a 3.2percent rating and ended its first season with a 7.1percent rating.[32] The last episode recorded noticeably strong rating performances as it took the lead rating for the first time against hit variety show Hori’s that aired in the same time slot and became the highest-rated program of the day among non-terrestrial channels programs.[33][34]
| Mr. Sunshine |
| Comment one of the top K dramas in the last few years. It is set in the late 19th century. The end of the Korean Chosen dynasty was a period that led directly to modern Korea. Many of the things that make modern Korea have to do with how the last dynasty ended with the Japanese colonization, and the ending of the Japanese era.
In many ways, the last dynasty was doomed from the onset. The leaders were corrupt, self-interested, and reactionary. They were unable to adapt to changing circumstances and Japan was on the ascendant as the new power in east Asia.
Perhaps under different leadership. Korea might have retained its independence as Thailand did during that period. But unfortunately, Korea had inept leaders as well as chronic political corruption which the nefarious Japanese utilized aided by pro-Japanese Koreans who saw Japan as the future and sold out their country.
That dynamic plays out through the drama. The story is an unlikely love story between a young Korean orphan who is sent to the US by a missionary and eventually joins the US Marines as an officer and is sent to Korea to work in the legation there and serves in Korea until the Japanese annexation, and a young Korean noblewoman who joins the “righteous army” of guerilla fighters who are fighting the Japanese takeover and of course lose the battle after the Japanese-Russian war of 1905.
There are many historical allusions throughout the series. Some of it is accurate, some are overblown and some well are just wrong.
As far as I know, there were no Korean American troops in Korea during this period. Also, it is highly unlikely that a noblewoman would have been involved with the Righteous army.
There is also an implied theme throughout that the US sold Korean out to the evil Japanese. The reality is more than the U.S. looked the other way, not wanting to lose the Philippines. Korea was just not that important to the U.S. So, in that sense perhaps one could say that the U.S sold out Korea but then again it is hard to imagine that the U.S. would have done anything else given how marginal Korea was to U.S. strategic interests back then.
The writing was first-rate, the dialogue sizzling. The sub-themes are well done. Overall, I would give it a B+.
|
| Promotional poster |
|
| Hangul |
미스터 션샤인 |
| Genre |
Historical
Romance
Melodrama |
| Created by |
Jennie Choi |
| Written by |
Kim Eon-sook |
| Directed by |
Lee Aung-bok [ko] |
| Starring |
Lee Byung-Hun
Kim Tae-Ri
Yoo Yeon-Seok
Kim Min-Jung
Byun Yo-hand |
| Composer |
Nam Hye-Seung |
| Country of origin |
South Korea |
| Original languages |
Korean, Japanese, English |
| No. of seasons |
1 |
| No. of episodes |
24[1] (list of episodes) |
| Production |
| Executive producers |
Kim Young-kyu
Yoon Ha-rim |
| Camera setup |
Single-camera |
| Production companies |
Studio Dragon
Haddam Pictures |
| Distributor |
CJ E&M
Netflix |
| Budget |
₩40 billion[2] |
| Release |
| Original network |
TV |
| Picture format |
1080i (HDTV) |
| Audio format |
Dolby Digital |
| Original release |
July 7 –
September 30, 2018[3] |
| External links |
| Website |
| Production website |
Mr. Sunshine (Korean: 미스터 션샤인; RR: Misquote Syeonsyain) is a 2018 South Korean television series written by Kim Eon-sook and directed by Lee Eung-bok [ko], starring Lee Byung-Hun, Kim Tae-Ri, Yoo Yeon-Seok, Kim Min-jung, and Byun Yo-hand.[4][5] The series is set in Hansen (present-day Seoul) in the early 1900s and focuses on activists fighting for Korea’s independence.[6][7] The series aired every Saturday and Sunday on tyvm starting from July 7, 2018, and ended on September 30, 2018. It premiered internationally on Netflix.[8]
The series recorded the 6th highest ratings for cable television with its final episode reaching 18.129percent and netting an average rating of 12.955percent, which is the second-highest average rating ever recorded for cable television.[9] It received critical acclaim for its cinematography and storytelling but was also criticized for its inaccurate portrayal of historical facts, with some even accusing it of being “pro-Japanese“.[10]
Synopsis[edit]
Mr. Sunshine centers around Eugene Choi (Lee Byung-Hun), who was born into slavery in Joseon. After escaping to the United States after the 1871 Shimmying, he becomes a Marine Corps officer.
When he returns to Joseon for a mission, Eugene meets and falls in love with an aristocrat’s granddaughter, Go Ae-shin (Kim Tae-ri), who is part of the Righteous Army. However, their love is challenged by their different classes and the presence of Kim Hui-song (Byun Yo-han), a nobleman who has been Ae-shin’s betrothed since childhood. Eugene also encounters Goo Dong-Mae (Yoo Yeon-Seok), a ruthless samurai, and Kudo Hana (Kim Min-jung), owner of the popular “Glory Hotel” where Eugene stays. At the same time, he discovers a plot by the Empire of Japan to colonize Korea and soon becomes embroiled in the fight for Joseon’s sovereignty.
Historical background[edit]
Unlike most Suns dramas dealing with the Japanese occupation of Korea, Mr. Sunshine takes place before the Japanese annexation, in the late 1800s to early 1900s. It has a heavy focus on the Righteous Army and depicts the lives of people who fought for Joseon’s freedom. Real-life historical events such as Shimmying, the Spanish-American War,[11] the assassination of Empress Kyongsang, the Russo-Japanese War,[12] Goon’s forced abdication, and the Battle of Mandamus are portrayed or mentioned.[13]
Historical figures such as Emperor Gojong, Ito Hiromi, Hayashi Gonsuke, Yoshimichi Hasegawa, Horace Newton Allen, and the Five Elsa Traitors[12] appear as recurring characters, with others, such as Theodore Roosevelt,[14] Ahn Chang-ho,[15] Eum Sun-heon [ko],[16] Park Seung-hwan [ko],[13] and Frederick Arthur Mackenzie, also making cameo appearances.
Main Historical Events Described in Mr. Sunshine[edit]
The Battle of Ganghwa (1871): It was a major battle that occurred on June 10, 1871, between the United States and the Joseon Dynasty. On June 1, the American ships entered the Ganghwa Straits to establish trade and ensure the safety of the shipwrecked sailors of the SS Sherman, which was destroyed by the army of Joseon. However, they came under fire. The United States gave Joseon ten days to apologize, but they refused. As a result, on June 10, the U.S ships USS Palos and USS Monocacy fired their weapons against the Choi Garrison on Ganghwa Island and wiped out the Joseon army.[17] In Mr. Sunshine, the battle scenes are thoroughly described as its character Jang Seung-goo fought in this battle as a teen and lost his father. This battle was a pivotal moment for Seung-goo as it caused him to believe that King Gojong abandoned his people and let them die.
The Japan-Korean Treaty of 1905: This treaty was made between the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire on November 17, 1905. Through it, Japan effectively overtook the diplomatic control of Korea.[18] While Mr. Sunshine does not demonstrate this treaty and its effects in detail, it contains a scene in which Kim Hui-song takes pictures of the pro-Japanese Korean officials. Through these pictures, Hui-song intends to let his descendants know the misconduct of the corrupted government officials.
The Battle of Mandamus: This battle was fought between the Korean and Japanese armies on August 1, 1907. It took place at the Namdaemun Gate, in Hansen and was a revolt of the Korean army against the order of disbandment that was issued through the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1907.[19] In Mr. Sunshine, the battle scenes are depicted in detail. The character Jang Seung-goo sacrifices himself to protect his soldiers. This battle is a turning point for Seung-goo as he sacrifices himself for a country and an emperor he dislikes.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Lee Byung-Hun as Eugene Choi / Choi Yoo-jin[20][21]
Kim Kang-hoon as child Eugene Choi / Choi Yoo-jin[22]
Jeon Jin-hee [ko] as young Eugene Choi / Choi Yoo-jin[23]
Eugene Choi was born as a slave of Kim Pan-see, the paternal grandfather of Kim Hui-song. After witnessing his parents’ murder at the hands of their landlord, Eugene managed to escape to the United States and overcome the racial discrimination and become an American, he joins the Marine Corps and fights in the Spanish-American War. Later, Eugene returns to Joseon to carry a mission and falls in love with Go Ae-shin, a noblewoman who is secretly part of the Righteous army. Eugene has to choose between helping Ae-shin in her fight and maintaining his neutral position as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps.
Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin[24]
Heo Jung-eon as child Go Ae-shin[25]
A Joseon noblewoman who lost her parents as an infant. Ae-shin’s mother and father were independence fighters and were both killed in Japan due to their colleague’s betrayal. She is raised by her paternal grandfather, Go Sa-Hong, who helps Ae-shin train as a sniper under Jang Seung-goo and becomes part of the Righteous army. She meets Eugene Choi, who looks like people from Joseon yet claims to be an American, and falls in love with him.
Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae / Ishida Shoo[26]
Choi Min-young [ko] as young Goo Dong-Mae
The son of a butcher flees to Japan upon his parents’ death and becomes a samurai and member of the Music Society, which is part of a Yakuza group. Dong-Mae returns to Joseon with a mission of tormenting the people and helping the Japanese army overtake the country. He believes that it is Joseon’s unjust social hierarchical system that killed his parents. As a teen, Dong-Mae met Go Ae-shin, who saved his life, by purposely hiding him in her palanquin.
Kim Min-Jung as Lee Yang-hwa / Kudo Hana[27]
An influential widow who runs a hotel in Joseon. She was married off to an old, rich Japanese man by her father, Lee Wan-ink. Upon her husband’s mysterious death, she inherited the “Glory Hotel” and successfully operates it on her own. China is deeply ashamed of her father’s misdeeds and reputation and to find her mother, she helps Lee Jung-moon in fighting against the Japanese government and the pro-Japanese officials.
Bien Yo-han as Kim Hui-seong[28]
A Joseon nobleman is considered to be the richest after the emperor in terms of land ownership. Hui-song is emotionally tormented by his grandfather’s past and lives for over a decade in Japan to avoid marrying the woman his grandfather chose for him. However, once he returns to Joseon, he discovers that his fiancé is Go Ae-shin and falls in love with her, only to realize that there is no place left for him in her heart. Unlike his father and grandfather, Hui-song helps the Righteous army in many ways as he desperately desires to free himself from the sense of guiltiness.
Recurring
Joseon Government/
as Emperor Gojong[29]
Kang Yi-Seok as young Emperor Gojong
The ruler of Joseon, who desperately fights for the country’s sovereignty.
Kang Shin-il as Lee Jung-moon
An anti-Japanese Minister who is loyal to the emperor. He secretly commands the Righteous Army.
Kim Etui-sung as Lee Wan-ik[30]
A selfish and cruel pro-Japanese official who killed Go Ae-shin’s parents. The father of Kudo China, he soon becomes Joseon’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. He walks with a limp after a young Jang Seung-goo shot his leg during the Shimmying. Kim Jong-hee [ko] as Lee Deok-moon
A pro-Japanese nobleman who works as an assistant for Lee Wan-ink. He is Go Ae-son’s abusive husband.
Choi Jin-ho as Lee Se-hoon[31]
The arrogant and corrupt Minister of Foreign Affairs whose actions indirectly led to the deaths of Eugene Choi’s family.
Jung Hee-tea [ko] as Police Commissioner Jung Shin Mun-sung as Postmaster Yoon
Kim Kang-il [ko] as Dr. Matsuyama
A Japanese doctor secretly working for Lee Wan-ink.
Jung Seung-Gil [ko] as Ye Wan-yong
An infamous pro-Japanese Minister and part of the Five Elsa Traitors.
Righteous Army[Kim Kapp-soo as Hwang Eun-san[32]
A skilled potter who helped a young Choi Yoo-jin flee to the United States. He is now the leader of the Righteous army. Lee Si-hoon as Ko Yoshino[33]
A Japanese man works as an assistant for Hwang Eon-san.
Itaewon Class
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Itaewon Class jump |
| Promotional poster |
|
| Hangul |
이태원 클라쓰 |
| Hanja |
梨泰院 클라쓰 |
| Genre |
Drama |
| Based on |
Itaewon Class
by Gang Jin |
| Developed by |
Kim Do-soo for Showbox |
| Written by |
Gang Jin |
| Directed by |
Kim Sung-Yoon |
| Starring |
Park Seo-Joon
Kim Da-mi
Yoo Jae-Myung
Kwon Nara |
| Composer |
Various artists |
| Country of origin |
South Korea |
| Original language |
Korean |
| No. of episodes |
16 |
| Production |
| Executive producer |
Jo Joon-Hyung |
| Producers |
Lee Sang-Yoon
Jung Soo-jin
Han Suk-won |
| Camera setup |
Single-camera |
| Running time |
70 minutes |
| Production companies |
Showbox
Sium Content[a]
Itaewon Class Production Partners
Drama House (JTBC Studios) |
| Distributor |
JTBC
Netflix (international) |
| Release |
| Original network |
JTBC |
| Picture format |
1080i (HDTV) |
| Audio format |
Dolby Digital |
| Original release |
January 31 –
March 21, 2020 |
| External links |
| Website |
Itaewon Class (Korean: 이태원 클라쓰; Hanja: 梨泰院 클라쓰; RR: Itaewon Keelless) is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Park Seo-Joon, Kim Da-mi, Yoo Jae-Myung, and Kwon Nara. Based on the webtoon of the same name,[2] it is the first series to be produced by the film distribution company Showbox. It aired on JTBC in Korea from January 31 to March 21, 2020, and is streaming worldwide on Netflix.[3][4][5] The series won Best Drama Series at the 25th Asian Television Awards.[6][7]
In the case of the webtoon, when Kakao Page and Daum webtoon were added together, the cumulative number of readers was 10 million, the cumulative number of views was 300 million, and the rating was 9.9 points.
Synopsis[edit]
Due to an accident that killed his father, Park Sae-ro-Yi (Park Seo-Joon) attempted to kill Jang Geun-won (Ahn Bo-Hyun), the son of Janggi Group’s founder, Jang Die-hee (Yoo Jae-Myung). He was jailed and the woman he loved, Oh Soo-ah (Kwon Na-ra), was offered a university scholarship by Jang Die-hee and later became the Strategic Planning Head of Janggi Group.
After his release from prison, Park Sae-ro-Yi opens Danbam in Itaewon. He wants to be successful and seeks revenge on the Janggi Group. However, he is not too smart at managing his business. He then meets Jo Yi-see (Kim Da-mi).
Cast and characters[edit]
Main[edit]
Park Seo-Joon as Park Sae-ro-yi[8]
Proprietor of Dana, a bar-restaurant in Itaewon. In his youth, Sae-ro-Yi gets expelled from high school for punching CEO Jang’s son Geun-won, who was bullying a classmate, and becomes bereaved when his father is killed by Geun-won’s reckless driving. Angered by the loss, he attacks Geun-won, leading to his three-year imprisonment. Following his father’s steps, Sae-ro-Yi opens his bar-restaurant Dana in Itaewon seven years after he is released from jail, with the aim of expanding it into a franchise and defeating CEO Jang’s food company Janggi Group. In 2020, he becomes the CEO of his company IC Group.
Kim Da-mi as Jo Yi-seo[9]
Manager of Sae-Ro-Yi’s bar-restaurant Dana. Yi-see is a multi-talented and intelligent girl with an IQ of 162. She moved from New York to continue her studies in South Korea. She is also famous on social media as a power blogger and social media internet celebrity. Having a crush on Sae-Ro-Yi, she offers to become the manager of Dana. Her lack of empathy and callous behavior has many people believe she is a sociopath, but she does end up caring for her Dana coworkers. Despite being declined by Sae-ro-Yi, Yi-seo remains by his side as his manager and work partner while still maintaining feelings for him. In 2020, Yi-see becomes the CFO of Sae-ro-Yi’s company IC Group. Eventually, Saroyan realizes his feelings for Yi-Seo and he confesses his love for her.
Yoo Jae-Myung as Jang Dae-hee[10]
CEO of food company Janggi Group. CEO Jang is a self-made man who, despite the odds, succeeds in turning his once small bar into a large franchise company. In his years of experience leading Janggi, he develops a strong belief in power and authority as a means to achieve his goals. He meets Sae-ro-Yi when the latter has a fight with his son Geun-won in high school and expects him to kneel as a submission of his power. However, Sasori always resisted kneeling and made his life harder for it. In 2020, he is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and doesn’t have much longer to live. Unfortunately, his illegal activities under Janggi were exposed and ruined his company. Despite kneeling before Sae-Ro-Yi for help, Sae-Ro-Yi absorbed Janggi into his company, leaving Die-Hee with nothing.
Kwon Nara as Oh Soo-ah[11]
Head of the strategic planning team in Janggi Group; Sae-ro-Yi’s former classmate and first love. Abandoned by her mother, Soo-ah grew up in an orphanage and became close with Sae-ro-Yi’s father Sung-yeol. She becomes acquainted with Sae-ro-Yi, who has a crush on her. After Sung-yell’s death, she receives a scholarship offer from Janggi Group and soon becomes an employee in the company. Though passionate about her work, she is torn between her allegiance to Janggi and her love for Sae-ro-Yi. Due to their conflicts of interests, the two would hold a long-term emotional relationship, but never a truly romantic one. Eventually, Soo-ah realizes Saroyan’s feelings have changed and the two remain friends. She later became a whistleblower to the authorities on the crimes that Janggi has committed in the past during her time in the company and later starts her restaurant.
Supporting[edit]
Dana staff[edit]
Kim Dong-hee as Jang Geun-soo[12]
CEO Jang’s second and illegitimate son; Yi-see’s classmate and staff member at Dana. Geun-soo has been bullied by his older brother Geun-won and he never felt loved by his parents. Upon turning 17, he left the Jang family and lived by himself from then on. After inconveniencing Dana in an incident, he decides to work for Sae-ro-Yi, whom he considers to be a “real adult.” He has a crush on Yi-see. However, after leaving Dana, Geun-soo chooses to work at his father’s company to become the successor to the Janggi Group. In 2020, he is the director of Janggi Group.
Ryu Kyung-soo as Choi Seung-kwon[13]
A staff member at Dana. Seung-Kwon was Sae-ro-Yi’s cellmate in prison. Believing that he cannot better his life outside of jail, he became a gangster under a gang leader upon his release. Seven years later, he meets Sae-ro-Yi who, to his surprise, had already opened a bar in Itaewon. Deeply respecting Sae-ro-Yi and his way to live a better life, he gives up being a gangster and starts working at Dana. In 2020, he becomes one of the directors of Sae-ro-Yi’s company IC Group.
Lee Joo-young as Ma Hyeon-Yi[14]
Dunam’s chief cook. Hyun-Yi first met Sae-ro-yi in a factory where the two formerly worked, years before the start of Dana. She was hired as Dunam’s cook when Sae-ro-yi liked the food she once cooked for him back then. Hyun-Yi is a transgender woman and has been saving money for her sex reassignment surgery. In 2020, she becomes one of the directors of Sae-ro-Yi’s company IC Group.
Chris Lyon as Kim To-ni[15]
Dammam’s Guinean–Korean part-timer. Even though he cannot speak and understand English, To-ni is fluent in speaking Korean, owing to his Korean father and his one-year residence in South Korea, and French, the language he speaks in Guinea. Eventually, he can learn and speak a satisfactory amount of English.
Janggi Group[edit]
Ahn Bo-Hyun as Jang Geun-won[16]
CEO Jang’s first son and heir to Janggi Group. Geun-won was Sae-ro-Yi and Soo-ah’s classmate in high school who frequently bullied their classmate Ho-jin. He caused the vehicular accident that killed Sae-ro-Yi’s father Sung-yeol. Years later when he attempts to recruit Yi-see into Jangga, his confession to the crime is recorded by her and he attacks her until Sae-ro-Yi intervenes and gets him arrested. Die-hee deserts Geun-won by admitting his son’s crimes during his apology meeting and getting him sent to prison. In 2020, he is released and alongside Kim Hee-hon and his gang, Geun-won plans to get revenge on Yi-see.
Kim Hye-eon as Kang Min-jung[17]
Janggi Group’s executive director, who secretly plots to usurp CEO Jang. She is a close friend of Park Sung-yell, Park Sae-ro-Yi’s father.
Hong Seo-Joon as Mr. Kim[18]
Jang Daeheon’s right-hand man. He is very loyal to his boss.
Yoo Da-mi as Kim Sun-ae[19]
Jang Daeheon’s secretary and Kang Min-Jung’s spy.
Others[edit]
Lee David as Lee Ho-jin[20]
Sae-Moji’s investment manager. Ho-jin was Sae-ro-Yi, Soo-ah, and Geun-won’s classmate in high school. After years of bearing the constant bullying from Geun-won, he gets into a prestigious college and takes up business administration. He partners up with Sae-ro-Yi in taking revenge against Geun-won and CEO Jang. In 2020, he becomes the financial manager for Sae-ro-Yi’s company IC Group. In one of the flashback scenes when he visited Sae-ro-Yi in prison; he listed Sae-ro-Yi as a friend.
Kim Yeo-jin as Jo Jeong-min[21]
Yi-see’s mother, who disapproves of Yi-see quitting college and working at Dammam.
Yoon Kyung-ho as Oh Byeong-heon[22]
Detective in charge of Geun-won’s hit-and-run case which he was pressured to cover up. He quit his job after the case and is now one of Sae-ro-Yi’s suppliers.
Choi Yu-ri as Oh Hye-won[23]
Oh, Byeong-heron’s daughter, who is oblivious to Sae-ro-Yi’s connection with her father.
Kim Mi-keying as Kim Soon-rye[24]
To-nose Korean paternal grandmother. After her son’s death, she deeply regrets disapproving of her son’s marriage to a Guinean woman (To-nose mother), as it caused her son to run away. She is a loan shark who offers her services to Sae-ro-Yi when he moves his bar to a new location. She was also one of the first supporters of Janggi.
Won Hyun-Joon as Kim Hee-hoon[25]
Sae-ro-Yi’s former cellmate and a leader of a group of gangsters. Though initially cordial to both Sae-ro-Yi and Choi Seung-Kwon, he later allies himself with Jang Geun-won.
Han Hye-ji as Kook Bok-hee[26]
Yi-see and Geun-soo’s former classmate. Her bullying activities were exposed after Yi-see recorded her performing the act. After running into Yi-see months later, she attempted to assault her for ruining her reputation alongside her friends, only to be beaten down by Yi-see.
Special appearances[edit]
Ahn Sol-bin as Sae-ro-Yi’s classmate (Ep. 1)[27]
A student who had a crush on Sae-ro-Yi and had her confession rejected by him.
Son Hyun-jook as Park Sung-yeol (Ep. 1–2 & 15)[28]
Sae-ro-Yi’s father and former employee in Janggi Group. He taught Sae-ro-Yi to stick to his beliefs and to fight for what is right. He resigned from Janggi in defense of Sae-ro-Yi’s deed of stopping Geun-won’s bullying. He died in an accident caused by Geun-won.
Hong Seok-Cheon as himself (Ep. 2, 4, 9 & 16)[29]
Soo-ah’s acquaintance. He works at a bar that Sae-ro-Yi visits twice (years before and after opening Dana). They meet again after Sae-ro-Yi moves the location of his bar.
Yoon Park as Kim Sung-Hyun (Ep. 3)[30]
Geun-so’s elder friend goes to Dana with Geun-soo and Yi-see where the two get caught for underage drinking.
Cha Chung-hwa as Bureau Chief’s wife (Ep. 3)[31]
Mother of Bok-hee, whose behavior was exposed online by Yi-see.
I’m Seun as Bok-hee’s friend (Ep. 5)[32]
One of Bok-he’s friends. She, alongside Bok-hee and her friend, attempted to assault Yi-see after running into each other months after high school graduation.
Jung Yoo-min as Seo Jeong-In (Ep. 6)[33]
The daughter of the CEO of a pharmaceutical company and Geun-won’s blind date. The blind date was arranged by Geun-won’s father.
Seo Eon-soo as part-time job applicant (Ep. 6)[34]
Sae-ro-Yi’s acquaintance. She applied for the job that was eventually offered to Kim To-ni. Yi-see rejected her application out of jealousy of her and Sae-ro-Yi’s close relationship.
Kim Il-Jong as himself (Ep. 11 & 13)[35]
Host of the cooking program shows The Best Pub.
Jeon No-min as Do Jong-un (Ep. 11–12)[36]
CEO of the investment firm Jung Myung Holdings. He offers Sae-ro-Yi to franchiseDanBam. Later he was one of the sleeper agents for Die Hee to thwart Sae-ro-Yi plan to franchise Dana.
Lee Jun-Hyeon as Park Joon-gi (Ep. 11–13)[37]
A contestant on The Best Pub. He represents Janggi Group as the head cook and comes in second to Hyun-Yi during the final. He subsequently gets fired.
Park Bo-gum as Handsome Chef (Ep. 16)[38]
The new chef at Soo-ah’s restaurant in which Hong Seok-Cheon invested after he passed the job interview.
Kim Taehyung as Himself (Ep. 16)
BTS member V visited his friend Seo-Joon to perform a rendition of the show’s OST.
Comment:
Very enjoyable drama set in one of the most colorful neighborhoods in Korea, Itaewon’s- Seoul’s international quarter.
The basic plot is that of revenge. The usual themes of rich people behaving badly, and corporate corruption. A young man in junior high comes to the aid of his classmate who is being bullied by the son of a rich family. His father worked for the corporation. The young man is told to apologize for calling out the actions of the bullies and refuses to do so. His father is fired and attempts to open his restaurant with the aid of his son who has to drop out of school after the controversy. The father is killed by his enemy drunk driving. The young man attempts to kill his enemy and is sentenced to three years in prison. He decides to get revenge. It takes him ten years but in the end, he destroys the corporation.
There are several romantic sub-plots in the movie. The protagonist has to decide between two women. He eventually chooses the woman who comes to work for him in the restaurant he opens in Itaewon. There is also an LGBT sub-theme as one of his staff members is trans transiting to a woman. There is also an intriguing sub-plot involving a half African young man who comes to Korea to find his Korean family.
Overall, very well done.
Others Worth Watching
Memories of the Alhambra
program.tving.com/tvn/tvnalhambra
Memories of the Alhambra is a 2018 South Korean television series, starring Hyun Bin and Park Shin-Hye. Primarily set in Spain, the series centers on a company CEO and a hostel owner who gets entangled in a series of mysterious incidents surrounding a new and intricate augmented reality game inspired by the stories of the Alhambra Palace. It aired on cable network tvN from December 1, 2018, to January 20, 2019, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00. It is also available for online streaming on Netflix. Wikipedia
Genre: Science fantasy, Action, Thriller, Romance
Created by: Jennie Choi (Studio Dragon), Lee Myung-Han
Written by: Song Jae-Jung
Comment: Did not finish it but will return to it soon. Had an intriguing SF plotline.
End Comment
The Negotiation (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Negotiation (film))
| The Negotiation |
| Theatrical poster |
|
| Hangul |
협상 |
| Hanja |
協商 |
| Revised Romanization |
Hyeobsang |
| Directed by |
Lee Jong-Seok |
| Screenplay by |
Choi Sung-Hyun |
| Produced by |
Yoon Je-kyoon
Lee Sang-jik |
| Starring |
Son Ye-jin
Hyun Bin |
| Cinematography |
Lee Tae-Joon |
| Edited by |
Jung Jin-hee |
| Music by |
Hwang Sang-Joon |
Production
companies |
JK Film
CJ E&M[1] |
| Distributed by |
CJ Entertainment |
| Release date |
September 19, 2018 (South Korea) |
| Running time |
114 minutes |
| Country |
South Korea |
| Language |
Korean |
| Budget |
₩10 billion[2] |
| Box office |
US$15.6 million[3] |
The Negotiation (Korean: 협상; Hanja: 協商; RR: Hyeobsang) is a 2018 South Korean action crime thriller film directed by Lee Jong-Seok and starring Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin.[4][1] The film was released on September 19, 2018.[5][6][7]
Two Filipino men kidnap a couple and hold them hostage at a house in Yingjie, Seoul. Crisis negotiator Inspector Ha Chae-youn of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, who was on a date and was called by her colleague, Superintendent Ahn Hyuk-su, is brought in to handle the situation, despite strong protests from her superior, Captain Jung Jun-gu. While Chae-youn is negotiating with the kidnappers, Captain Jung decides to send a police officer hit team to kill the men, shooting one kidnapper on the shoulder. He immediately kills the man he was holding and was shot dead afterward. The remaining kidnapper used the woman as a shield and dragged her to a room. The police team arrives and kills the kidnapper in the room. Chae-youn enters the room to find the woman who had been killed by the kidnapper before the police team entering the house. The woman dies in Chae-youn’s arms, leaving Chae-youn shocked.
Ten days later, a devastated Chae-youn decides to resign from the police force, but Captain Jung urges her to reconsider, before leaving on a work trip. Chae-youn is then urgently called upon by Ahn, who informs her that she has been urgently summoned to deal with a hostage crisis by the Commissioner himself. Upon arrival to a secret location, she meets with the Commissioner of Police Moon Jong-hyuk and Presidential Secretary Gong of National Security. She is ordered to negotiate with the kidnapper – Min Tae-gu, a Korea-based international arms dealer and UK citizen, who had kidnapped several Korean nationals from Bangkok – including a reporter named Lee Su-mok. Without any additional information, she hung up on Min twice after being offended by him and asks Secretary Gong to reveal to her the necessary details. Not wanting to talk, the two men ordered Chief Han to talk to Min instead, while she is being hesitant about doing so. Upon seeing the negotiations going sour, she takes the seat from Chief Han. While negotiating with Min video conferencing, she is shocked to discover that Captain Jung, who was supposed to be on a trip, has also been kidnapped by Min as well,
Chae-youn is later informed that the hostages are being held at an island in the Malacca Straits, where a joint military-police op has been sent to, intent on freeing them. Han also informs them that Daehan Daily, a news outlet Lee is working for, had been ordered to keep silent of their employee’s situation, as requested by the President. Min later demands to see the CEO of Daehan Daily, Yoon Dong-hoon, Lee’s boss. While talking with Dong-hoon, Min demands to know whether Lee is one of his reporters or not. Min threatens Yoon that his own family could be in danger, revealing that he knows of their whereabouts. Commissioner Moon cuts into their conversation to stop Yoon from telling the truth. Because of this, Min shoots Captain Jung dead, which further shocked Chae-youn. Commissioner Moon and Secretary Gong bring in negotiators from the National Intelligence Services to take over and order Chae-youn, Ahn, and even Han to leave the site.
Outside, Han reveals to them that Lee is a black agent working for the NIS, whose mission was to spy on Min’s syndicate. She tells them that Min is an arms dealer working in the Malacca Straits, selling every kind of weapons and equipment to other criminals in the majority of the Southeast Asian countries. Chae-youn’s two colleagues arrive in their van, and Chae-youn sought to find out the truth themselves. She then asks Ahn to follow Yoon and ask him further. Back inside, the NIS team approached Min aggressively, demanding that Min release his hostages or otherwise they will bombard his location, killing Agent Lee with him. Unbothered, Min reveals that he had also kidnapped a family of four, keeping the NIS under this thumb. Min demands to bring Chae-youn back as he will only talk to her. With no other choice, Chief Han goes over to bring Chae-youn, along with her team, back inside.
This time, Chae-youn demands the NIS to tell her everything that they know about Min. Min demands Chae-youn to bring Koo Gwan-su—chairman of Nine Electronics, an arms company. As they wait, the NIS tells Chae-youn that Min used to work for Koo as the man in charge of dealing with the company’s illegal activities. When Min decided to work alone as an arms dealer in Malacca Straits, Koo betrays Min and tipped him off to the NIS. Koo also revealed the $50 million worth of taxes that he had evaded, and due to his ‘honesty, the government practically erased his criminal activities. When Chae-youn asks where Koo is, the NIS agent reveals to her that they were all inside the Nine Electrics weapons laboratory. Koo himself had funded the entire operation of the NIS to hunt Min down. In a hotel suite lounge somewhere downtown were Koo, NIS Deputy Chief Park In-kyu, Air Force Commander Son Jung-Tae, and the Chief of National Security himself, Hwang Ju-ik. These four men had been keeping a close eye on the entire operation.
Meanwhile, Ahn found out from the escaping Yoon that NIS Deputy Chief Park was the one who asked him to give Agent Lee a false Daehan Daily ID. Koo arrives at the site and begins to talk with Min. Min asks Koo to restore a certain Swiss bank account, and Koo agrees to it. However, Min had further demanded. He asks Koo why he had killed a woman named Yoo Hyun-Ju. Koo denies any knowledge of any Hyun-Ju, and Min began to tell Chae-youn of Hyun-Ju. Min introduced Hyun-Ju to Koo as his secretary. In reality, Hyun-Ju was to keep records of hidden, expensive paintings that Koo owned and kept. These paintings were worth 10 billion won each, and profits from these paintings would be shared between Koo, Park, Son, and Hwang. Some of the paintings were kept in a house that Hyun-Ju and presumably her husband stayed in. It is revealed that Hyun-Ju was the woman who died in Chae-youn’s arms ten days ago, and Min convinces Chae-youn that something was amiss during that operation, which resulted in Hyun-Ju’s death, and the disappearance of the paintings in the house almost immediately. To further prove his point, Min plays an audio recording of a conversation between the four corrupt men. This recording was done by Hwang himself, where Min explained that Hwang never fully trusted the three other men he was working with and had a habit of keeping recording devices for important conversations. Min then demands Hwang to show up and talk to him in one hour, otherwise, he’ll kill every hostage—including the children.
Chae-young and her team validate the information Min had given as they try to figure out the connection between Min and Hyun-Ju. Secretary Gong lies to Chae-young, telling her that Hwang was with the President and that he couldn’t come. Meanwhile, Ahn was able to track down Chief Park’s phone records. There, he found out that Captain Jung had accepted a bribe from Chief Park. Captain Jung was under the command of Chief Park, and that they planned to kill Hyun-Ju by using the Filipino kidnappers as an alibi. Chae-youn resumes the negotiations with Min, telling Min that Hyun-Ju’s case will be reopened. Min demands to talk with Commissioner Moon. Min asks if Koo is being questioned by the police and that if Hwang is really with the President. Before answering, they found out from a Thai server that Min had been live-streaming the entire situation on YouTube, which sends the country into a frenzy. Upon figuring out that Koo is not being questioned, and that Hwang is in hiding, Min shoots Agent Lee in the leg. He gives Hwang one last chance to show himself.
Back in their lounge, Hwang orders Chief Park to invent a story and Commander Son to begin the military operation immediately. Hwang wants Min dead, along with the hostages. Meanwhile, Ahn returns to Hyun-Ju’s home, where the kidnapping ten days ago occurred. There, he found a photo of Somang Orphanage, an old orphanage where Hyun-Ju came from. He goes over to the new orphanage, and he found out that Hyun-Ju’s real name wasn’t Yoon Hyun-Ju, but Min Hyun-Ju—she was Min’s younger sister. Back in the lab, the military team arrived in Min’s location and authorizes the mission, despite Chae-youn’s protests. Min reveals that a bomb is strapped on one of the hostages, revealing a suicide for all of them. Either way, the team blows up a signal tower—stopping their communication. Chae-youn tries to stop the team from entering Min’s hideout as a bomb is present. Hwang (through Commander Son) pressures them to continue, and the team enters the hideout. However, as soon as they moved in, the room had exploded, presumably from Min’s suicide bomb, and killing the hostages inside. Hwang and his cronies were finally able to relax, and the NIS were packing up their things.
As Chae-youn stares at the last footage of their negotiations with Min in despair, she notices through the background that Min wasn’t in Southeast Asia, but in South Korea all along. That night, Ahn went to the old orphanage building and found all of the hostages safe. Meanwhile, Min and his gang arrived at the Nine Electronics weapons lab. He orders his fellow gang to go home and takes the bomb with him. Min storms the lounge and finally catches Hwang, Koo, Park, and Son, with the bomb strapped to his chest. Chae-young, convinced Secretary Gong to reveal the true location of Hwang and his cronies so that they can stop Min. Min shoots Koo, activates the bomb via a detonator, and Chae-youn arrives at the lounge to finally meet Min. She apologizes to Min for not being able to protect Hyun-Ju, and she vows to defend Min at any cost to bring the remaining cronies to justice. Min reveals to her that he asked Hyun-Ju to betray Koo by stealing every bit of information he had. He believed that his plan ultimately led to his sister’s death. He raises the gun at Hwang, and he was shot to the head by a sniper outside. A flashback reveals that Min backfired with his plan, telling his sister that the plan is too dangerous after all. However, Hyun-Ju wanted to proceed with the plan, so that the two of them can find a place to live in silence and peace.
As the team arrives to escort Hwang, Park, Son, and Chae-youn outside, Chae-youn overheard that the detonator wasn’t turned on, and Min planned to die in the end and bring the corrupt men to justice. Chae-young chases Hwang outside, prematurely telling them of their arrest as she shouts their rights to them. As their car leaves, the reporters then surround Chae-youn. Chae-youn and Ahn went to an overlooking spot, where they made a makeshift memorial for Min and Hyun-Ju. Chae-youn shows Ahn of Min’s pen drive presumably with the dealings of Hwang and his cronies, as stolen by Hyun-Ju. In court, Hwang, Park, Son, and Chae-young appear, with Chae-young as a prime witness. The pen drive is revealed to the court as evidence, and the film ends with Chae-young reciting an oath.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Son Ye-jin as Ha Chae-yoon[8]
Hyun Bin as Min Tae-gu[9]
Supporting[edit]
Kim Sang-ho as Ahn Hyuk-soo
Jang Young-Nam as Section Chief Han
Jang Gwang as Hwang Soo-suk
Choi Byung-mo as Secretary Kong[10]
Jo Young-jin as Chairman Koo
Kim Jong-goo as CEO Yoon
Yoo Yeon-soo as Chief Moon
Lee Joo-young as Lee Da-bin
Kim Min-sang as Deputy Department Head Park
Park Sung-Geun as Operation officer
Han Ki-Joon as Lieutenant General Son
Park Soo-young as Section Chief Choi
Jung In-gyeom as Lee Sang-mok
Lee Si-a as Yoo Yeon-Joo
Lee Hak-joo as Park Min-woo
Special appearance[edit]
Lee Moon-sikas Capt. Jung
Production[edit]
Principal photography began on June 17, 2017, in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.[11][12][13]
Release[edit]
The film premiered in South Korea on September 19, 2018.[14][15]
By September 2018, the film was sold to over 22 countries. It was released in North America on September 20, in Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei on October 4, in Hong Kong and Macau in early October, in Vietnam and Taiwan on October 19, and in Indonesia on October 24, 2018.[16][17]
The film was released on VOD services and digital downloads on October 17, 2018.[18]
Comment: This very engaging police thriller taking place in Bangkok and Seoul.
Usual high-level political corruption and rich people behaving badly. Also features a woman protagonist who goes against her superiors and saves the day.
End comment
No exit movie
Comment:
Another engaging police crime drama. Very engrossing and great acting. Takes place in Cheju who a mafia figure who goes on the run after being betrayed by his boss.
End comment
https://mydramalist.com/28794-exit
This was another great Korean movie. It was packed with action and comedy. This movie kept you on edge on your seat and glued your eyes to the screen. I love how Jo Jung Suk always keeps his quirky side whenever he played a character. He never disappoints me in the comedy area. Love him in dramas and movies.
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EXIT (2018) – MyDramaList
https://mydramalist.com/28771-exit
Exit is an interesting drama with an old concept depicted in a new way. The entire two hours were engrossing for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Choi Tae Joon was natural, strong, and intense in playing his role and the rest of the cast also did a pretty good job. The background score is quite good though it has no OSTs. Two hours is not much.
Exit (Korean Drama, 2018, 엑시트) @ Han Cinema
https://www.hancinema.net/korean_drama_Exit.php
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Sisyphus: The Myth (2021)
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An unfathomable incident introduces a genius engineer to dangerous secrets of the world — and to a woman from the future who’s come looking for him. Han Tae Sul, a co-founder of Quantum and Time, is a genius engineer with the highest level of coding skills and outstanding looks that outweighs his engineer fashion sense. Due to his innovative achievements, Quantum and Time is a world-class company, dubbed “The Miracle of South Korea’s Engineering Industry.” In reality, Tae Sul has constantly caused his company’s stocks to fluctuate after his brother’s death ten years ago. One day, he witnesses something unbelievable. To reach the truth, he sets off on a dangerous journey. Kang Seo Hai is a survivor of a future dystopian world. With the survival skills that she’s learned from living amongst gangsters and warlords, she travels back to save Han Tae Sul. (Source: Netflix, Newsmen) Edit Translation
English
Native Title: 시지프스: The Myth
Also Known As Sisyphus: The Fable, Sipleses, Sisyphus
Director: Jin Hyeon
Screenwriter: Jeon Chan Ho, Lee Je In
Genres: Action, Thriller, Mystery, Romance, Drama, Fantasy
Tags: Time Travel, Genius, Rich Male Lead, Uncover A Truth, Death Of Sibling, Engineer, Sassy Female Lead, Pre-produced, Strong Female Lead, Future (Vote or add tags)
Where to Watch Sisyphus: The Myth
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Cast & Credits
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Jo Seung Woo
Han Tae Sul
Main Role
Park Shin Hye
Kang Seo Hai
Main Role
Kim Byung Chula
Seo Won Ju / “Sigma”
Main Role
Sung Dong-Il
President Park [President of Asia Mart]
Support Role
Tae In Ho
Eddie Kim / Kim Seung Bok [Tae Sul’s friend / Co-founder of Quantum & Time]
Support Role
Chae Jong Hyeon
Sun / Choi Jae Sun [Chinese restaurant delivery guy]
Support Role
All you need is love
Sisyphus: The Myth is an intriguing drama. The thrilling teaser that was released late last year stoked the flames of excitement for many avid K-drama viewers. Coupled with a cast that’s headlined by bankable stars the likes of Cho Seung Woo and Park Shin Hye, it became one of the most talked-about and highly anticipated shows for 2021. When it finally aired, however, it polarized opinions here in MDL and left several viewers’ expectations somewhat unfulfilled, to the extent that the ratings steadily declined to the current score hovering at around 8.
Some continued to enjoy the show, for various reasons, and I happen to be one of them. Allow me to share my (spoiler-free) thoughts and then you can make your own decision on whether or not to embark on what has largely been a fun-filled escapist roller coaster ride.
What is it about?
In a nutshell, a woman from the dystopian future of South Korea travels back in time in the hopes of altering the course of history by preventing the seemingly inevitable fate that befell the country, the looming catastrophe of nuclear war. Central to this mission is the man who invented the time-traveling machine. These two characters are played by Park Shin Hye and Cho Seung Woo respectively.
The drama contains a mix of science fiction, action, drama, and romance genres imbued with themes of revenge, redemption, remorse, love, friendship, and familial bond. The director is Jin Hyeon, who notably helmed The Legend of the Blue Sea, The Master’s Sun, and City Hunter, among others. The screenplay is written by the husband and wife team of Jeon Chan Ho and Lee Je In, for only their third production.
This show is jointly produced by Drama House and JTBC and has been publicized as the network’s 10th-anniversary special drama. Its title is derived from the ancient character from Greek mythology, King Sisyphus of Corinth, and is completely pre-produced with principal photography that has taken place toward the end of 2020.
What’s great about it?
The Production Values
As expected of a JTBC production, this drama is very well, made. I love the cinematography (in particular the indoor lighting), the many gorgeous scenic views of both Seoul in the present time and the vast landscape of the dystopian future. The set designs for various settings are quite exemplary while the special effects (CGIs, firefights, and pyrotechnics) are considered top tier for a show of this nature.
The Acting and Cast
In my humble opinion, the leads are fantastic and I have absolutely no complaints. While Cho Seung Woo fully embodies the character of Han Tae Sul, the same goes for Park Shin Hye’s Kang Seo Hai. They deliver very strong performances in their portrayal of deeply flawed and emotionally scarred individuals. These are the types of roles that perhaps mature actors with adequate professional and life experiences are better-equipped to articulate and convey convincingly, which is very much the case here.
It’s interesting to note that unlike Cho Seung Woo’s other more serious roles, especially that of Hwang Shi Mock in Stranger, here his Han Tae Sul is much more comedic and mischievous with a copious dose of flamboyance and swagger. Despite possessing similar social awkwardness, this character is remarkably more fun while his ingenuity in getting out of tricky situations bears an uncanny resemblance to the MacGyver persona.
Such nuanced characterization is depicted by the other veteran supporting cast as well, notably Sung Dong Il, Kim Byung Chula, and Kim Jong Tae. Kim Byung Chula in particular surprised me with his depiction of Seo Won Ju. Despite being slightly OTT, I suspect he had the time of his life being “unleashed” from his usual more understated roles. Here he plays “dual characters” where his versatility is quite commendable.
Special mention goes to the young actor Lee Joo Won, who plays the young version of Seo Won Ju. This kid truly gave me goosebumps with his chilling portrayal.
The Action
For the most part, the choreography has been outstanding. From the numerous unarmed combat sequences to the firefights involving some pretty impressive military hardware. It’s not often that we see plenty of intense (and at times, logic-defying) gun battles in a non-military drama so this aspect of the production is indeed praiseworthy. Other forms of action include a lot of hard running in chasing (and being chased by) a multitude of characters.
The Romance
This particular theme is so beautifully and convincingly conveyed. It helps immensely that Cho Seung Woo and Park Shin Hye abundantly possess such wonderful chemistry which is poignantly manifested amidst the ensuing intrigue and mayhem. The pairing of Han Tae Sul and Kang Seo Hai, in many ways, makes a lot of sense. They are each plagued by a traumatic past and rendered seriously flawed, emotionally damaged, and are now fighting against the odds to change their fate.
What could’ve been better?
The Science
I love the concept here about time traveling to the past to change the future which gives me vibes of The Twelve Monkeys where the premise is quite similar. However, I do feel that the science as depicted in the show is super messy. Many technical aspects are open to interpretation and left to the viewers to fill in the blanks, as the story progresses. It’s a process of trial and error where we discover new things during every episode. The finale is quite possibly the most mind-blowing of all.
The Screenplay
A parallel narrative and converging plot format are used to tell the story, which includes numerous flashbacks and flashforwards by various major characters in multiple timelines – the past, present, and future. Sometimes title cards are used to indicate the date, but not when the scene is obvious. It can get a little disorienting unless viewers pay close attention to the details.
How and why certain events transpire are quite convoluted and require too much deductive reasoning to derive a sense of what the answers could be. The credibility of certain characters is questionable while quite a number of the sequences appear utterly ridiculous and fantastical, despite the sci-fi tag. The seeming lack of logic in certain respects of the overarching plot has led me to strongly suspect the screenwriters were high on recreational psychoactive substances as they were writing this.
Overall
The sooner viewers suspend disbelief and forgo questioning how the technology works by accepting the science as it is, the less confusing the show would appear to be. Regardless of the perceived weaknesses resulting from the flawed execution of the concept, I found myself enjoying the wild and, at times, exhilarating ride once I shut down my cerebral process and went instinctive. I would advise you to do the same for this is the only way to truly appreciate Sisyphus: The Myth. And if you do decide to watch this, be rest assured – the ending is very much a happy one, for everyone (kind of).
Mediocre Myth
At outset, the drama starts as an interesting and pioneering perspective of time travel. With the use of new ideas like uploader and downloader, the science-fiction aspect is on par with that of the contemporary world of science fiction entertainment.
Along with this, is the backdrop of a nuclear war involving Koreas, it provides an exquisite playing field for proficient storytelling. These themes remind me of the “TENET” movie.
The show is almost convincible scientifically about time travel*. But that’s where the spectacle of this show ends. This show has countless flaws.
One, after setting the story, the show becomes more character-driven and not plot-driven. Thus, giving little scope for further exploring the sci-fi elements or packing it with more plot elements. Viewers are taken through detailed narratives about various side characters. These insights could have been less detailed.
Two, Will over Wits. Almost every scene has some sort of test for characters to make a choice. Almost every character ends up making emotion-driven decisions and not reason-driven. This leads to a countless loop of bad folks coercing good folks to fall into their traps. Countless episodes are wasted in these cat-and-mouse endeavors.
Three, Lack of an alternate answer to the recurring question “Girl or World?” Right in the first instance of asking this question, the answer is undeniably obvious. Yet, the protagonist delays to choose the answer giving false hope of the possibility of an alternative answer. Had this been answered earlier, it would have ended the show quicker.
Four, Romance: The Leads’ relationship feels more like comradeship and less like a romantic one. If at all it is present, it is not so passionate and intense given their life-threatening circumstances.
Five, the beginning of the time loop. How did all this begin that is, the events right before the first loop are hardly explained. I believe that explaining a bootstrap paradox is an unimaginable task.
Despite the flaws, there are a couple of appreciable elements like One, ambitious production. The initial fights and stunts scenes felt amateurish in CGI. But the events of the future were well, produced. The drone chase scene was a personal favorite. The fights scenes were really good, especially the last fight of the future timeline. Two, despite the ever-looming question of “save the world”, the intermittent scenes of future events were very imaginative. Three, Badass FL and Genius ML both bring something unique to the plot. Four, the “Act of Kindness” (without letting the spoiler out), was the best moment in the entire drama and gave the best “glimmer of hope”, an essential feature of the Sci-Fi genre.
Acting-wise, both the leads are exceptional. PSH stunt scenes are awe-worthy. Kim Byung Chula does an incredible job. Music-wise, I liked the title music of whizzing sound and the end song. Rewatch value is lower as sci-fi elements are hardly convoluted.
Sisyphus: The Myth is an inventive concept but fails in storytelling.
~~
*Logical inconsistencies do exist.
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Comment::
I have to agree with the consensus on this one. It just did not work for me. The plot was just too convoluted and contradictory. The acting was superb but the writing was sub-par particularly the ending. One principle of creative writing is that when you write you are creating an alternative world. And every world has rules. Violating the rules of your alternative universe leaves the readers or viewers confused, disappointed, or even angry. The special effects were good, not great. The plot had too many holes in it. In the end, it was defeated by the writing. End comment
Space Sweepers K SF Drama
Space Sweepers
Space Sweepers is a 2021 South Korean space Western film directed by Jo Sung-hee, starring Song Jong-ki, Kim Tae-Ri, Jin Seon-kyu, and Yoo Hai-jin. Regarded as the first Korean space blockbuster, it was released on Netflix on February 5, 2021.Wikipedia
Director Sung-hee
Produced by: Yoon In-beom, Kim Soo-jin
Writer(s): Yoon Seung-min, Yoo-king Seo-ae, Jo Sung-hee
Space Sweepers (Korean: 승리호; Hanja: 勝利號; RR: Sangho; lit. Spaceship Victory) is a 2021 South Korean space Western film directed by Jo Sung-hee, starring Song Jong-ki, Kim Tae-Ri, Jin Seon-kyu, and Yoo Hae-jin.[2] Regarded as the first Korean space blockbuster,[3] it was released on Netflix on February 5, 2021.[4][5]
In the year 2092, Earth has become nearly uninhabitable. The UTS Corporation builds a new orbiting home for humanity that mimics the natural processes on Earth; however, only a chosen few are permitted to ascend and become UTS citizens, while those remaining on Earth breathe polluted air.
To regulate the population in orbit and keep an eye on the non-citizens, UTS governs them via a strict set of rules and taxes. Many non-citizens from all across the globe work as space sweepers, collecting space debris floating in Earth’s orbit and selling it to the company factory for survival. The plot follows such a crew of space sweepers and their ship, the Victory.
Victory’s crew has Kim Tae-ho, Tiger Park, and Bubs (an android), all led by Captain Jang. Tiger Park handles the ship’s machinery and was a drug baron on Earth. Bubs used to be a robot soldier but now helps repair the ship and cast the net for space junk while saving up to get a complete skin graft. Jang was one of the child geniuses sponsored by UTS and created several hi-tech inventions for the company but, after discovering the company’s true workings, became a pirate and tried to assassinate James Sullivan. Her crew was killed and Sullivan survived, so she changed identities and had an eye transplant. Tae-ho, once a child soldier, is on a search for his daughter (Su-ni); who was lost and ejected into space after space debris collided with the station they were staying at. His sole life aim is to pay for the authorities’ recovery team to locate her body tracker before she drifts out of orbit and gets lost in space forever.
After picking up a car floating in orbit, they discover a child in it. News reports say that she is a robot named Dorothy, and has a weapon of mass destruction inside her created by the terrorist group Black Fox. The crew also finds a smartphone in Dorothy’s bag with several missed calls from someone named Kang Hyeon-u. They call back and, assuming the other party to be part of the Black Fox group, negotiate two million dollars for returning Dorothy. Tiger finds Dorothy drawing in his cabin and starts a conversation with her, as he finds himself drawn to her.
Tae-ho and Tiger carry Dorothy to a nightclub to collect the ransom, but she wanders off in the crowd. UTS soldiers have lain in wait, and a massacre ensues. Tiger and Tae-ho locate Dorothy when Soldier 01 zeroes in and shoots at them. Dorothy’s eyes change color, and the trio is protected from the blast by a sort of force field around them. Jang is watching everything through a feed on the ship. She also notices the man who came to collect Dorothy shouting after her and calling her Kotani. The trio makes it back to the ship, and Dorothy busies herself drawing and playing. When asked by Jang what her name is, Dorothy says Kotani is her Korean name. Tae-ho ignores her, thinking she is a robot, while Tiger becomes friendly with her and suggests keeping her. Tae-ho dismisses the idea and goes to sets up another call with Kang Hyeon-u to rearrange the exchange.
Dorothy and Tae-ho find tomatoes on the plant that Dorothy had helped revive from a dead tree, and sell them. Jang finds papers in Dorothy’s backpack and goes through them. Bubs put makeup on Dorothy and tell her the story of Tae-ho; as a child soldier, Tae-ho was Soldier 01 at the age of 17. On one of his voyages, Tae-ho shot and boarded a ship that carried several fleeing non-citizens and killed them all. He noticed a baby still alive in the arms of a dead woman and adopted the girl. She rekindled his humanity and Tae-ho found himself unable to hurt others – as a result, he was dismissed from the force, made homeless, and reduced to a non-citizen. After one year of homelessness, Tae-ho became desperate and gambled, neglecting Su-ni. She wandered away to find a snack, and while outside there was a debris impact that caused her to be blown into space, with Tae-ho helplessly witnessing it from an airlock.
A masked man follows Kotani to the toilet in the factory. Her screams alert Tae-ho and Tiger, who rush to save her but are ambushed by a group of masked people. Tiger beats them all and Jang intervenes, discovering they are other space junk collectors working with Black Fox. Their leader, Karuma, explains that Black Fox is not a terrorist organization, but rather an environmental group and that Kotani is not an android but a human child. Born with a congenital disease, her father Kang Hyeon-u injected her with nanobots found in space debris to save her life. The nanobots helped not only saved Kotani but also gave her a unique power: Kotani could now communicate with other nanobots and heal and protect things. Sullivan found this out and used Kotani to turn Mars into a healthy, green planet. He now plans to kill Dorothy in a hydrogen bomb explosion (since nanobots can only be destroyed by breaking them into atoms through extremely high temperatures). Given its proximity to Earth, the explosion would cause the factory to fall onto the planet, destroying the Earth and making Mars the only viable option for all humans.
The crew decides to unite Kotani with her father and disable the bomb, with the help of the Black Foxes who will locate and take Dr. Kang to the meeting point. Soldiers attack them, but Tae-ho and Kotani manage to flee on the Victory. They enter a space debris field, where nanobots begin to consume their ship. Kotani communicates with them, and the nanobots disperse. They enter the factory where the meet-up is scheduled, only to be ambushed. The UTS soldiers kill all the Black Foxes and Dr. Kang before kidnapping Kotani. Sullivan leaves Tae-ho four million dollars in return for abandoning Kotani. Tae-ho takes the money, but the rest decide to save Kotani – even if it kills them. Tae-ho goes to give the money to the UTS officers, and they hand over Su-no’s last found remains to him – her clothes, crayons, and Korean writing book. In it, Su-ni had written that she wanted to be a good person like her father. This reminds Tae-ho of the promise he made to Su-ni, to be the best man she had ever known. He takes back the money and returns to the ship with a new zeal before they all go to save Kotani.
Sullivan goes live, announcing the Mars program. The bomb has been armed in the factory, and Kotani is strapped to it on a chair. The team frees Kotani, but Jang discovers that the bomb cannot be defused. It will not only destroy anything in its blast range but also destroy any nanobots in the vicinity of 5,000 kilometers. The only way Kotani’s nanobots (and her life) can be saved is if she is out of range. The team sets off to fly 5,000 km away, but is interrupted by Soldier 01; Tiger fights her and ejects her from the factory. The team sends out a message to the rest of the Space Sweepers, who come to their aid, fighting the attacking troops. The population of Earth learns of Sullivan’s true goals when they hear him recount his plan through the Space Sweepers’ emergency comm channel. The Victory is intercepted by Sullivan himself, who tries to fight the crew to get back Kotani. When it seems they have lost the battle, Tiger and Tae-ho manage a final boost that puts the ship just out of the blast range. The crew reveals their real plan: Kotani was left safely behind with other Space Sweepers. The Victory had removed the bomb from the core and carried it away, ready to sacrifice their lives to save Earth and Kotani. The bomb explodes; however, Kotani has summoned the nanobots to protect the Victory, keeping the crew safe.
In the aftermath of the battle, UTS apologizes for the cover-up of the true goals and promise to help make Earth more habitable. Kotani is adopted by the crew and, using her powers, enables Tae-Ho to say goodbye to Su-ni. Bubs get her skin graft. Tiger and Tae-Ho take Kotani down to Earth to help grow trees and they all continue space sweeping.
Cast[edit]
Song Jong-ki as Kim Tae-ho – Former Commander of the Space Guards and the first-ever UTS Genius.
Kim Tae-Ri as Captain Jang / Jang Hyun-sook – Former Special Forces Squad officer who later deserted her post to create her pirate organization. She attempted to assassinate CEO James Sullivan in which her entire pirate crew was killed.
Jin Seon-kyu as Tiger Park / Park Kyung-soo – Former Drug King who escaped Earth after being arrested and sentenced to death.
Yoo Hai-jin as Robot Bubs – Former military robot trying to save up for her gender confirmation services
Richard Armitage as James Sullivan – The CEO of UTS.
Kim Mu-yell as Kang Hyeon-u – Kang Kotani’s father and a scientist.
Park Ye-rim as Dorothy / Kang Kotani – First believed to be a robot, she is a human who was injected with nanobots by her father as a last resort to heal her.
Kim Hyang-gi as Bubs’ new body
Comment: an enjoyable dystopian story taking place in space after much of the earth is uninhabitable and a Mars colonization drive is launched. Usual political and corporate corruption and rich people behaving badly. The romance between the lead characters is hinted at but never resolved. The child star is the future star in the making. The dialogue was well done. I enjoyed this one. End comment
The Last Man Standing K Drama
The Man Standing Next
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Man Standing Next |
| South Korean theatrical release poster |
|
| Hangul |
남산의 부장들 |
| Hanja |
南山의 部長들 |
| Directed by |
Woo Min-ho |
| Screenplay by |
Woo Min-ho
Lee Ji-min |
| Produced by |
Kim Chula-Yong |
| Starring |
Lee Byung-Hun
Lee Sung-min
Kwak Do-won
Lee Hee-Joon |
| Cinematography |
Go, Nakasone, |
| Edited by |
Jeong Ji-eon |
| Music by |
Jo Yeong-wok |
Production
company |
Hive Media Corp. |
| Distributed by |
Showbox |
| Release date |
22 January 2020 |
| Running time |
114 min |
| Language |
Korean |
| Budget |
$18 million |
| Box office |
$34.7 million[1] |
The Man Standing Next (Korean: 남산의 부장들; Hanja: 南山의 部長들; RR: Nnamani bujangdeul; lit. Chiefs of Namsan) is a 2020 South Korean political drama film directed by Woo Min-ho. Based on an original novel of the same title, the film stars Lee Byung-Hun, Lee Sung-min, Kwak Do-won, and Lee Hee-Joon as the high ranking officials of the Korean government and the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) during the presidency of Park Chung-hee 40 days before his assassination in 1979.[2]
Comment: this one resonates with me. My Korean adventures began in August 1979 a few months before the assassination that changed modern Korean history occurred. I had just arrived in Korea and had finished up my training. We were due to go to our assignments but the assassination occurred and we were sent to Seoul to wait to see if Peace Corps Korea would be pulled out. We were cleared to go to our assignments in early November 1979.
The drama hints at an alleged US CIA plot to take out Park Chung-hee. Not sure I believe that the US CIA had anything to do with it but perhaps we at least knew in advance and did nothing to stop it. The drama was well done, well written, with great dialogue, and well reflects the tensions of the period.
End Comment
Mr. Sunshine
DP
Cosmos’s Commentary:
A gripping drama based on true events about life in the Korean military and why some soldiers run away from their obligations amid the constant harassment and strict discipline of the Korean military. This drama hit a nerve among many Koreans who recall their trouble times in the military. The military has announced that they are discontinuing the DP unit but swore it had nothing to do with this drama.
D.P. (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| D.P. |
| Promotional poster |
|
| Korean |
디피 |
| Genre |
Drama
Military |
| Based on |
D.P Dog’s Day
by Kim Bo-tong |
| Screenplay by |
Kim Bo-tong
Han Jun-hee |
| Directed by |
Han Jun-hee |
| Starring |
Jung Hae-in
Koo Kyo-hwan
Kim Sung-kyun
Son Seok-Koo |
| Composer |
Primary |
| Country of origin |
South Korea |
| Original language |
Korean |
| No. of episodes |
6 |
| Production |
| Executive producers |
Bien Seung-min
Han Jun-hee |
| Producer |
Kim Dong-min |
| Cinematography |
Yoo Ji-sun |
| Editor |
Park Min-sun |
| Running time |
45–55 minutes |
| Production companies |
Climax Studio
Shortcake |
| Distributor |
Netflix |
| Release |
| Original network |
Netflix |
| Original release |
August 27, 2021 |
D.P. (an acronym for Deserter Pursuit) is a South Korean streaming television series directed by Han Jun-hee, from a screenplay by Kim Bo-tong and Han, based on the Lashing webtoon D.P Dog’s Day by Kim. The series stars Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-kyun, and Son Seok-Koo.[1][2] It premiered in six parts on Netflix on August 27, 2021.[3][4]
Synopsis[edit]
Set in 2014, D.P. tells the story of a team of Korean military police with their mission to catch deserters.
The series magnifies the undesirable nature of the military, especially within a South Korean context. The widespread bullying and hazing as well as the mindset for the “survival of the fittest” are rife, with those presumed the “weakest” thrown to the bottom of the pile and served horrifying experiences at the hands of their superiors and compatriots.
Private Ahn Joon-ho and Corporal Han Ho-Yul both team up to find the deserters, and end up on an adventurous journey.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Jung Hae-in as Private Ahn Joon-ho
Koo Kyo-hwan as Corporal Han Ho-Yul
Kim Sung-Kyun as Sergeant First Class Park Bum-gu
Son Seok-Koo as Captain Im Ji-sup
Supporting[edit]
Jo Hyun-churl as Jo Suk-bong
Shin Seung-ho as Hwang Jang-soo
Park Se-joon as Heo Ki-young
Park Jung-woo as Shin Woo-suk
Kim Dong-young as Choi Joon-mok
Lee Jun-young as Jung Hyun-min
Choi Joon-young as Heo Chi-do
Moon Sang-hoon as Kim Roo-ri
Hyun Bong-sik as Chun Yong-duck
Hong Kyung as Ryu Yi-Kang
Bae Yoo-ram as Kim Kyu
Han Woo-Yul as Tae Sung-goon
Guest[edit]
Go Kyung-pyro as Corporal Park Sung-woo (Ep. 1)
Kwon Hae-Hyo as Ahn Joon-ho’s father (Eps. 1, 3–4)
Lee Seol as Shin Woo-Seok’s sister (Eps. 1 & 6)
Lee Jong-ok as an hinoeuma employee (Ep. 2)
Episodes[edit]
| No. |
Title |
Directed by |
Written by |
Original release date |
| 1 |
“A Man Holding Flowers” |
Han Jun-hee |
Kim Bo-tong & Han Jun-hee |
August 27, 2021 |
| 2 |
“Daydream” |
Han Jun-hee |
Kim Bo-tong & Han Jun-hee |
August 27, 2021 |
| 3 |
“That Woman” |
Han Jun-hee |
Kim Bo-tong & Han Jun-hee |
August 27, 2021 |
| 4 |
“The Monty Hall Problem” |
Han Jun-hee |
Kim Bo-tong & Han Jun-hee |
August 27, 2021 |
| 5 |
“Military Dog” |
Han Jun-hee |
Kim Bo-tong & Han Jun-hee |
August 27, 2021 |
| 6 |
“Onlookers” |
Han Jun-hee |
Kim Bo-tong & Han Jun-hee |
August 27, 2021 |
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In late June 2020, Lashing officially announced that Lashing Studio and Homemade Film would co-produce a 6-part adaptation of the hit webtoon D.P: Dog Days by Kim Bo-tong, to be released exclusively through Netflix.[5][6] The story is based on Kim’s own experience during his mandatory military service.[7]
Director and co-writer Han Jun-hee had wanted to work on the webtoon’s adaptation “for five or six years [before he] finally got a chance” to do so.[8] Though Ahn Joon-ho is a Corporal in the webtoon, Han wanted him to be a Private in the series so people could “resonate with the story and consider Joon-ho as a friend who just started his military service.”[9]
Casting[edit]
On September 3, 2020, Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-Kyun, and Son Seok-Koo were confirmed to star in the series.[10][11] Koo’s character does not appear in the webtoon, which he found “hard but exciting to portray a character exclusive to the series.”[12] To prepare for his role, Koo received help from his road manager who was part of the D.P. team during his military service.[13] As for Jung, he practiced boxing for three months before filming began, to do his action scenes.[14]
Kim Bo-tong, who wrote the webtoon and co-wrote the series, commented that he “never dreamed of such a cast. They fit so perfectly into their roles that it seems like the roles were written for them.”[15]
Filming[edit]
Principal photography began in the summer of 2020.[16]
Reception[edit]
Audience viewership[edit]
Following its release, the series topped Netflix’s Top 10 in South Korea.[17]
Critical response[edit]
William Schwartz of Han Cinema praised Jung Hae-in‘s acting, commenting that he “is sublime here, in a brooding cinematic role radically different from the romances he’s better known for.” He added that “D.P. is worth watching, not just by people curious what South Korean mandatory military service is like, but anyone from any country who’s seriously thinking about joining up.”[18]
Pierce Conran of the South China Morning Post gave the series a 4.5/5 rating, noting that “D.P. hits home with a story that spans the past and present, as it acknowledges that yesterday’s problems can still be today’s.” He also praised the cinematography as well as Jung and Koo’s “electric chemistry”.[19] Daniel Hart of Ready Steady Cut also rated the series 4.5 stars out of 5, describing it as “the finest K-Drama mini-series this year.”[20]
Greg Wheeler of The Review Geek rated the series 4.3/5, noting that “D.P. is a stunning Korean drama [which] takes an unflinching look at bullying, the effect it has on mental health and larger societal questions about the mandatory military service in Korea” and praising the series for its “impressive” cinematography and for the way it “explore[s] a very sensitive and prevalent topic in a raw, artistic and unflinching way.”[21]
In a mixed review, Hitzig Jumaine of NME gave the series a 3/5 rating, commenting that “Kim Bo-tong and Han Jun-hee must be given credit for how this series tackles such extraordinarily difficult and tragic subject matter with compassion and sensitivity”, and praising the “uniformly excellent performances, splendid cinematography, addictive pacing, and intrepid commitment to shedding light on the appalling culture of bullying in the military”, but criticizing the “weak characterization [of the] three main leads” as well as the “ludicrous escalation of events during its climax, which suddenly turns a fairly grounded show into a melodramatic action thriller.”[22]
Cosmos’s Commentary:
Squid Games
The top show on Netflix is not only in the US but also in Korea. Reminiscent of both the “Maze”, the “Hunger Games”, and the” Cube “ but done in a K Drama way. And addictive!
Squid Game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Squid Game (Korean: 오징어게임; RR: Jingle Gem) is a South Korean survival drama streaming television series written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The nine-episode series, starring Lee Jung-Jae, Park Hae-soo, and Wi Ha-Joon, tells the story of a group of people who risk their lives in a mysterious survival game with a ₩45.6 billion (US$38.7 million) prize.[2][3] It was released worldwide on September 17, 2021, by Netflix.[4][5]
Premise
Four hundred and fifty-six people, who have all struggled financially in life, are invited to play a mysterious survival competition. Competing in a series of traditional children’s games but with deadly twists, they risk their lives to compete for a ₩45.6 billion (US$38.5 million) prize.
Cast and characters
Players
Main characters[6]
Lee Jung-Jae as Seong Gi-Hun (No. 456)[7]
A chauffeur and a gambling addict, he lives with his mother and struggles to financially support his daughter. He participates in the Game to settle his many debts.
Park Hae-soo as Cho Sang-woo (No. 218)
The head of the investment team at a securities company, he was a junior to Gi-Hun, and was a gifted student who entered Seoul National University, but is now wanted by the police for stealing money from his clients.
Oh Yeong-su as Oh Il-name (No. 001)
An elderly man with a brain tumor prefers playing the Game to waiting to die on the outside.
Hyeon Jung as Kang Sae-beak (No. 067)
A North Korean defector enters the Game to pay for a broker that can find and retrieve her surviving family members from the country.
Heo Sung-tea as Jang Deok-su (No. 101)
A gangster enters the Game to settle his massive gambling debts.
Anupam Tripathi as Abdul Ali (No. 199)
A foreign worker from Pakistan enters the Game to provide for his young family after his employer refuses to pay him for months.
Kim Joo-young as Han Mi-no (No. 212)
A mysterious and manipulative woman who claims to be a poor single mother.[8]
Supporting characters
Yoo Sung-joo as Byeong-gi (No. 111)
A doctor secretly works with a group of corrupt guards trafficking dead participants’ organs in exchange for information on upcoming games.
Lee Yoo-mi as Ji-Yeong (No. 240)
A young woman was just released from prison after killing her abusive father.
Kim Si-Hyun as No. 244
A pastor who finds his faith again in the Game.
Minor characters
Lee Sang-hee as No. 017
A glass-maker with more than 30 years’ experience.
Kim Yun-tea as No. 069
A player who joins the Game with his wife, No. 070
Lee Ji-ha as No. 070
A player who joins the game with her husband, No. 069
Kwak Ja-young as No. 278
A player who joins Deok-sun’s group and acts as his henchman.
Chris Chan / Chris Lag hit[9] as No. 276
A player who joins Seong Gi-Hun’s group on the Tug of War round.
Game staff
Gong Yoo is a salesman who recruits participants for the Game (Special appearance, Episodes 1 and 9)[10]
Lee Byung-Hun as The Front Man (Special appearance, Episodes 8–9)
Civilians
Main characters
Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho[11]
A police officer sneaks into the Game to find his missing brother.
Supporting characters
Kim Young-ok as Gi-Hun’s mother
Cho Ah-in as Seong Ga-Yeong, Gi-Hun’s daughter
Kang Mal-gum as Gi-Hun’s ex-wife and Ga-Yeong’s mother
Park Hye-jin as Sang-woo’s mother
Park Si-wan as Kang Cheol, Sae-book’s brother
English cast (dubbing)
Greg Chun as Seong Gi-Hun
Stephen Fu as Cho Sang-woo
Paul Nakache as Jang Deok-su
Hideo Kimura as Oh Il-name
Vivian Lu as Kang Sae-beak
Rama Valéry as Abdul Ali
Tom Choi as Front Man
Donald Chang as Hwang Jun-ho
Stephanie Komura as Han Mi-no
Yuki Luna as Ji-yeong
Cosmos’s Commentary:
Move to Heaven is a heart-wrenching drama about a “Rain man” like character who worked with his father in a trauma clean-up business cleaning up after the recently deceased. His father dies and his father’s deadbeat brother shows up as his guardian.
Move to Heaven (Korean: 무브 투 헤븐: 나는 유품정리사입니다; RR: Mubeen to hereon: Naneun yupumjeongnisaimnida) is a South Korean streaming television series directed by Kim Sung-ho and written by Yoon Ji-rye on. It is an original Netflix series, starring Lee Je-hoon, Tang Joon-sang, Ji Jin-hee, Lee Jae-Wook, and Hong Seung-hee. The series follows Geu-ru (Tang Joon-sang), a young man with Asperger syndrome, and Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon), his guardian. Working as trauma cleaners, they uncover untold stories.[1][2] The series was released worldwide by Netflix on May 14, 2021.[3]
Cosmos’s Commentary:
Another K Drama I liked was “Mad About You”.
The acting was first-rate, the storyline intriguing, and covers some contemporary issues including adultery, cyberbullying, and the like.
“About two people with their own painful stories who go through a complicated process of hurting and healing while falling in love with each other. No HI Oh is a detective in the violent crimes division of the Gangnam Police Station. He thinks that he is doing well until his life suddenly takes a turn and he becomes a “crazy” person who can’t hold in his anger about anything. Lee Min Kyung is a woman who is caught up in her delusions and compulsions. She had lived an ordinary life as a pretty woman with a respectable job until “that incident” caused everything in her life to break down. As a result, she was unable to trust anyone and is caught in a prison of her own making. Her delusions also have the unfortunate side effect of making everyone else around her angry. (Source: Suomi)”
Cosmos’s Commentary:
Heist – not a K Drama, more of an S Drama but pretty good, but went on too long. Should have ended with the first season. There were lots of unanswered questions –
Who is behind the Professor? Obviously could not have pulled it off himself. There are hints that he is connected to shadowy and Serbian forces and has some inside info from the police and security forces.
The politics got a bit too left-wing conspiracy for my taste as well.
Money Heist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Money Heist (Spanish: La casa de papal, “The House of Paper”) is a Spanish heist crime drama television series created by Alex. The series traces two long-prepared heists led by the Professor (Álvaro Morten), one on the Royal Mint of Spain, and one on the Bank of Spain told from the perspective of one of the robbers, Tokyo (Ursula). The narrative is told in a real-time-like fashion and relies on flashbacks, time-jumps, hidden character motivations, and an unreliable narrator for complexity.
The series was initially intended as a limited series to be told in two parts. It had its original run of 15 episodes on Spanish network Antena 3 from 2 May 2017 through 23 November 2017. Netflix acquired global streaming rights in late 2017. It re-cut the series into 22 shorter episodes and released them worldwide, beginning with the first part on 20 December 2017, followed by the second part on 6 April 2018. In April 2018, Netflix renewed the series with a significantly increased budget for 16 new episodes total. Part 3, with eight episodes, was released on 19 July 2019. Part 4, also with eight episodes, was released on 3 April 2020. A documentary involving the producers and the cast premiered on Netflix the same day, titled Money Heist: The Phenomenon (Spanish: La casa de papal: El Fennomen). In July 2020, Netflix renewed the show for a fifth and final part, which would be released in two five-episode volumes on 3 September and 3 December 2021, respectively. The series was filmed in Madrid, Spain. Significant portions were also filmed in Panama, Thailand, Italy (Florence), Denmark, and Portugal.
The series received several awards including the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series at the 46th International Emmy Awards, as well as critical acclaim for its sophisticated plot, interpersonal dramas, direction, and for trying to innovate Spanish television. The Italian anti-fascist song “Bella ciao“, which plays multiple times throughout the series, became a summer hit across Europe in 2018. By 2018, the series was the most-watched non-English-language series and one of the most-watched series overall on Netflix,[4] having particular resonance with viewers from Mediterranean Europe and the Latin American regions.
Premise[edit]
Set in Madrid, a mysterious man known as “The Professor” recruits a group of eight people, who choose city names as their aliases, to carry out an ambitious plan that involves entering the Royal Mint of Spain, and escaping with €984 million. After taking 67 people hostage inside the Mint, the team plans to remain inside for 11 days to print the money as they deal with elite police forces. In the events following the initial heist, the group’s members are forced out of hiding and prepare for a second heist, this time on the Bank of Spain, as they again deal with hostages and police forces.
Cast and characters[edit]
See also: List of Money Heist cast members
Main[edit]
Ursula Cordero as Silene Oliveira (Tokyo): a runaway turned robber who is scouted by the Professor, then joins his group and participates in his plans. She also acts as an unreliable narrator.
Álvaro Morten as Sergio Marquita (The Professor) / Salvador “Salva” Martin: the mastermind of the heist who assembled the group, and Berlin’s younger brother
Ritzier Ikuno as Raquel Murillo (Lisbon): an inspector of the National Police Corps who is put in charge of the case until she joins the group in part 3
Pedro Alonso as Andrés de Foolscap (Berlin): a terminally ill jewel thief and the Professor’s second-in-command and older brother
Paco Tous as Agustin Ramos (Moscow) (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–5): a former miner turned criminal and Denver’s father
Alba Flores as Ágata Jiménez (Nairobi) (parts 1-4; featured part 5): an expert in counterfeiting and forgery, in charge of printing the money and oversaw the melting of gold
Miguel Herren as Anibal Cortés (Rio): a young hacker who later becomes Tokyo’s boyfriend
Jaime Lorene as Ricardo / Daniel[b] Ramos (Denver): Moscow’s son who joins him in the heist
Esther Acerbo as Mónica Ketamide (Stockholm): one of the hostages who is Arturo Román’s secretary and mistress, carrying his child out of wedlock; during the robbery, she falls in love with Denver and becomes an accomplice to the group
Enrique Arce as Arturo Román: a hostage and the former Director of the Royal Mint of Spain
María Pedraza as Alison Parker (parts 1–2): a hostage and daughter of the British ambassador to Spain
Darko Peri as Mirko Dragic (Helsinki): a veteran Serbian soldier and Oslo’s cousin
Kite Manger as Marivic Fuentes (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–4): Raquel’s mother
Horik Kircherian as Bogotá (parts 3–present): an expert in metallurgy who joins the robbery of the Bank of Spain
Luka Pero’s as Jakob (Marseille; part 4–present; featured part 3): a member of the gang who joins the robbery of the Bank of Spain and serves as a liaison for the group.
Belen Cuesta as Julia (Manila; part 4–present; featured part 3): godchild of Moscow and Denver’s childhood friend, now a trans woman, who joins the gang and poses as one of the hostages during the robbery of the Bank of Spain
Fernando Kayo as Colonel Luis Tamayo (part 4–present; featured part 3): a member of the Spanish Intelligence who oversees Alicia’s work on the case
Rodrigo de la Serna as Martín Berate (Palermo / The Engineer; parts 3–present): an old Argentine friend of Berlin who planned the robbery of the Bank of Spain with him and assumed his place as commanding officer
Najwa Nimr as Alicia Sierra (parts 3–present): a pregnant inspector of the National Police Corps put in charge of the case after Raquel departed from the force
Recurring[edit]
Roberto García Ruiz as Dimitri Most’ve / Radka Dragic[c] (Oslo; parts 1–2; featured parts 3–4): a veteran Serbian soldier and Helsinki’s cousin
Fernando Soto as Angel Rubio (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–5): a deputy inspector and Raquel’s second-in-command
Juan Fernández as Colonel Luis Prieto (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–4): a member of the Spanish Intelligence who oversees Raquel’s work on the case
Anna Gras as Mercedes Colmenar (parts 1–2): Alison’s teacher and one of the hostages
Fran Morcilla as Pablo Ruiz (part 1): Alison’s schoolmate and one of the hostages
Clara Alvarado as Ariadne Cascades (parts 1–2): one of the hostages who works in the Mint
Mario de la Rosa as Suárez: the chef o the Grupo Especial de Operaciones
Miquel García Board as Alberto Vicuña (parts 1–2; featured part 4): Raquel’s ex-husband and a forensic examiner
NAIA Gus as Paula Vicuña Murillo (parts 1–2; featured parts 3–4): Raquel and Alberto’s daughter
José Manuel Pogan as César Gandía (parts 4–5; featured part 3): chief of security for the Bank of Spain who escapes from hostage and causes havoc for the group
Antonio Romero as Benito Antonina’s (parts 3–5): an assistant to Colonel Luis Tamayo, who is persuaded by the Professor to do tasks for him
Diana Gómez as Tatiana (featured parts 3–5): the fifth ex-wife of Berlin who is a professional pianist and thief
Pep Munn as Mario Urbana (featured parts 3–5): the governor of the Bank of Spain
Olalla Hernández as Amanda (featured parts 3–5): a hostage that Arturo rapes
Mari Carmen Sánchez as Paquito (featured parts 3–5): a hostage and a nurse who tends to Nairobi while she recovers
Carlos Suárez as Miguel Fernández (featured parts 3–5): a nervous hostage
Adhikari Alcona as Matias Cano (featured parts 3–5): a member of the group who largely guards the hostages
Ramón Aguirre as Benjamín (featured parts 4–5): father of Manila who aids the Professor in his plan
Antonio García Ferrers as himself (featured parts 4–5): a journalist
Patrick Cried as Rafael (featured part 5): Berlin’s son
Alberto Amarilla as Ramiro (parte 5)
Miguel Angel Silvestre (featured part 5): René, Tokyo’s boyfriend before working with the Professor
José Manuel Seda as Segesta (part 5): leader of the army detail inside the bank
Production[edit]
Conception and writing[edit]
Further information: § Themes and analysis
We wanted to make a very small project simply; we wanted to cross lines we couldn’t cross in previous projects, in terms of narrative and structure without any intermediaries.
—Writer Esther Martinez Lobato, October 2018[11]
The series was conceived by screenwriter Alex and director Jesús Colmenar during their years of collaboration since 2008.[12] After finishing their work on the Spanish prison drama Locked Up (Vis a vis), they left Globo media to set up their own production company, named Vancouver Media, in 2016.[12][13] For their first project, they considered either filming a comedy or developing a heist story for television,[12] with the latter having never been attempted before on Spanish television.[14] Along with former Locked Up colleagues,[d] they developed Money Heist as a passion project to try new things without outside interference.[11] Pina was firm about making it a limited series, feeling that dilution had become a problem for his previous productions.[15]
Initially entitled Los Desharious (The Evicted) in the conception phase,[15] the series was developed to subvert heist conventions and combine elements of the action genre, thrillers, and surrealism, while still being credible.[12] Pina saw an advantage over typical heist films in that character development could span a considerably longer narrative arc.[16] Characters were to be shown from multiple sides to break the viewers’ preconceptions of villainy and retain their interest throughout the show.[16] Key aspects of the planned storyline were written down at the beginning,[17] while the finer story beats were developed incrementally to not overwhelm the writers.[18] Writer Javier Gómez Santander compared the writing process to the Professor’s way of thinking, “going around, writing down options, consulting engineers whom you cannot tell why you ask them that,” but noted that fiction allowed the police to be written dumber when necessary.[18]
The beginning of filming was set for January 2017,[14] allowing for five months of pre-production.[19] The narrative was split into two parts for financial considerations.[19] The robbers’ city-based code names, which Spanish newspaper ABC compared to the color-based code names in Quentin Tarantino‘s 1992 heist film Reservoir Dogs,[20] were chosen at random in the first part,[21] although places with high viewership resonance were also taken into account for the new robbers’ code names in part 3.[22] The first five lines of the pilot script took a month to write,[19] as the writers were unable to make the Professor or Moscow work as a narrator.[15] Tokyo as an unreliable narrator, flashbacks, and time-jumps increased the narrative complexity,[16] but also made the story more fluid for the audience.[19] The pilot episode required over 50 script versions until the producers were satisfied.[23][24] Later scripts would be finished once per week to keep up with filming.[19]
Casting[edit]
Casting took place late in 2016, spanning more than two months.[25] The characters were not fully fleshed out at the beginning of this process and took shape based on the actors’ performances.[26] Casting directors Eva Leora and Yolanda Serrano were looking for actors with the ability to play empathetic robbers with believable love and family connections.[27] Antenna 3 announced the ensemble cast in March 2017[3] and released audition excerpts of most cast actors in the series’ after show Terser Grado and on their website.[26]
The Professor was designed as a charismatic yet shy villain who could convince the robbers to follow him and make the audience sympathetic to the robbers’ resistance against the powerful banks.[28] However, developing the Professor’s role proved difficult, as the character did not follow archetypal conventions[25] and the producers were uncertain about his degree of brilliance.[15] While the producers found his Salva personality early on,[15] they were originally looking for a 50-year-old Harvard professor type with the looks of Spanish actor José Coronado.[15][29] The role was proposed to Javier Gutiérrez, but he was already committed to starring in the film Campeones.[30] Meanwhile, the casting directors advocated for Álvaro Morten, whom they knew from their collaboration on the long-running Spanish soap opera El Secretor de Puente Viejo, even though his prime-time television experience was limited at that point.[29] Going through the full casting process and approaching the role through external analysis rather than personal experience, Morten described the professor as “a tremendous box of surprises” that “end up shaping this character because he never ceases to generate uncertainty,” making it unclear for the audience if the character is good or bad.[25] The producers also found that his appearance as a primary school teacher gave the character more credibility.[15]
Pedro Alonso was cast to play Berlin, whom La Vos de Galicia would later characterize as a “cold, hypnotic, sophisticated and disturbing character, an inveterate macho with serious empathy problems, a white-collar thief who despises his colleagues and considers them inferior.”[31] The actor’s portrayal of the character was inspired by a chance encounter Alonso had the day before receiving his audition script, with “an intelligent person” who was “provocative or even manipulative” to him.[32] Alonso saw high observation skills and an unusual understanding of his surroundings in Berlin, resulting in unconventional and unpredictable character behavior.[31] Similarities between Berlin and Nimr’s character Zulema in Pina’s TV series Locked Up were unintentional.[33] The family connection between the Professor and Berlin was not in the original script but was built into the characters’ backstory at the end of part 1 after Morten and Alonso had repeatedly proposed to do so.[34]
The producers found the protagonist and narrator, Tokyo, among the hardest characters to develop,[19] as they were originally looking for an older actress to play the character who had nothing to lose before meeting the Professor.[26] Ursula Cordero eventually landed the role for bringing playful energy to the table; her voice was heavily factored in during casting, as she was the first voice the audience hears in the show.[26] Jaime Lorene developed Denver’s hallmark laughter during the casting process.[26] Two cast actors had appeared in previous TV series by Alex Pina: Paco Tous (Moscow) had starred in the 2005 TV series Los hombres de Paco, and Alba Flores (Nairobi) had starred in Locked Up. Flores was asked to play Nairobi without audition when Pina realized late in the conception phase that the show needed another female gang member.[15] For the role opposite to the robbers, strop was cast to play Inspector Raquel Murillo, whom Ikuno described as a “strong and powerful woman in a world of men, but also sensitive in her private life”.[35] She took inspiration from The Silence of the Lambs character Clarice Starling, an FBI student with a messy family life who develops sympathies for a criminal.[36]
The actors learned of the show’s renewal by Netflix before the producers contacted them to return.[37] In October 2018, Netflix announced the cast of part 3; the returning main cast included Pedro Alonso, raising speculation about his role in part 3.[38] Among the new cast members were Argentine actor Rodrigo de la Serna, who saw a possible connection between his character’s name and the Argentine football legend Martín Palermo,[39] and Locked Up star Najwa Nimr. Cameo scenes of Brazilian football star, and fan of the series, Neymar, as a monk were filmed for part 3, but were excluded from the stream without repercussions to the narrative until judicial charges against him had been dropped in late August 2019.[40][18] A small appearance by Spanish actress Belen in two episodes of part 3 raised fan and media speculation about her role in part 4.[41]
Design[edit]
Spanish Surrealist painter Salvador Dalí was chosen as the heist team’s mask design.
The show’s look and atmosphere were developed by creator Alex Pina, director Jesús Colmenar, and director of photography Miguel Amodeo, according to La Vanguard “the most prolific television trio in recent years”.[42] Abdon Alaniz served as art director.[43] Their collaboration projects usually take a primary color as a basis;[43] Money Heist had red as “one of the distinguishing features of the series”[44] that stood over the gray sets.[45] Blue, green and yellow were marked as forbidden colors in production design.[45] To achieve “absolute film quality”, red tones were tested with different types of fabrics, textures, and lighting.[46] The iconography of the robbers’ red jumpsuits mirrored the yellow prison dress code in Locked Up.[44] For part 3, the Italian retail clothing company Diesel modified the red jumpsuits to better fit the body and launched a clothing line inspired by the series.[45] Salvador Dalí was chosen as the robbers’ mask design because of Dalí’s recognizable visage that also serves as an iconic cultural reference to Spain; Don Quixote as an alternative mask design was discarded.[47] This choice sparked criticism by the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation for not requesting the necessary permissions.[27]
To make the plot more realistic, the producers requested and received advice from the national police and the Spanish Ministry of Interior.[48][49] The robbers’ banknotes were printed with permission of the Bank of Spain and had an increased size as an anti-counterfeit measure.[48] The greater financial backing of Netflix for part 3 allowed for the build of over 50 sets across five basic filming locations worldwide.[50] Preparing a remote and uninhabited island in Panama to represent a robber hide-out proved difficult, as it needed to be cleaned, secured, and built on, and involved hours-long traveling with material transportation.[46] The real Bank of Spain was unavailable for visiting and filming for security reasons, so the producers recreated the Bank on a two-level stage by their imagining, taking inspiration from Spanish architecture of the Francisco Franco era.[46] Publicly available information was used to make the Bank’s main hall set similar to the reallocation. The other interior sets were inspired by different periods and artificially aged to accentuate the building’s history.[50] Bronze and granite sculptures and motifs from the Valle de Los Ciaos were recreated for the interior,[46] and over 50 paintings were painted for the Bank to emulate the Ateneo de Madrid.[50]
Filming[edit]
The Spanish National Research Council headquarters, the principal filming location of parts 1 and 2 of Money Heist
The Nuevo’s, the principal filming location of part 3 of Money Heist
Parts 1 and 2 were filmed back-to-back in the greater Madrid region from January until August 2017.[23][25][51] The pilot episode was recorded in 26 days,[48] while all other episodes had around 14 filming days.[16] Production was split into two units to save time, with one unit shooting scenes involving the Professor and the police, and the other filming scenes with the robbers.[19] The main storyline is set in the Royal Mint of Spain in Madrid, but the exterior scenes were filmed at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) headquarters for its passing resemblance to the Mint,[48] and on the roof of the Higher Technical School of Aeronautical Engineers, part of the Technical University of Madrid.[51] The hunting estate where the robbers plan their coup was filmed at the Finca El Gascon farm estate in Terrebonne.[51] Interior filming took place at the former Locked Upsets in Colmenar Viejo[13] and the Spanish national daily newspaper ABC in Torreon for printing press scenes.[23] As the show was designed as a limited series, all sets were destroyed once the production of part 2 had finished.[19]
Parts 3 and 4 were also filmed back-to-back,[52] with 21 to 23 filming days per episode.[16] Netflix announced the start of filming on 25 October 2018,[28] and filming of part 4 ended in August 2019.[53] In 2018, Netflix had opened their first European production hub in Tres Cantos near Madrid for new and existing Netflix productions;[54] the main filming moved there onto a set three times the size of the set used for parts 1 and 2.[55] The main storyline is set in the Bank of Spain in Madrid, but the exterior was filmed at the Ministry of Development complex Nuevos Minister iOS.[55] A scene where money is dropped from the sky was filmed at Callao Square.[51] Ermita de San Fritos in Car rascal served as the exterior of the Italian monastery where the robbers plan the heist.[45] The motorhome scenes of the Professor and Lisbon were filmed at the deserted Las Salinas beaches in Almería to make the audience feel that the characters are safe from the police although their exact location is undisclosed at first.[56] Underwater scenes inside the vault were filmed at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom.[22][57] The beginning of part 3 was also filmed in Thailand, on the Guna Yale islands in Panama, and in Florence, Italy,[46] which helped to counter the claustrophobic feeling of the first two parts,[16] but was also an expression of the plot’s global repercussions.[58] Filming for the fifth and final season concluded on 14 May 2021.[59]
Music[edit]
Main article: Money Heist (soundtrack)
The series theme song, “My Life Is Going On,” was composed by Manel Santisteban, who also served as composer on Locked Up. Santisteban approached Spanish singer, Cecilia Krull, to write and perform the lyrics, which are about having confidence in one’s abilities and the future.[60] The theme song is played behind a title sequence featuring paper models of major settings from the series.[60] Krull’s main source of inspiration was the character Tokyo in the first episode of the series when the Professor offers her a way out of a desperate moment.[61] The lyrics are in English as the language that came naturally to Krull at the time of writing.[61]
The Italian anti-fascist song “Bella ciao” plays multiple times throughout the series and accompanies two emblematic key scenes: at the end of the first part the Professor and Berlin sing it in preparation for the heist, embracing themselves as resistance against the establishment,[62] and in the second part it plays during the thieves’ escape from the Mint, as a metaphor for freedom.[63] Regarding the use of the song, Tokyo recounts in one of her narrations, “The life of the Professor revolved around a single idea: Resistance. His grandfather, who had fought against the fascists in Italy, taught him the song, and he taught us.”[63] The song was brought to the show by writer Javier Gómez Santander. He had listened to “Bella ciao” at home to cheer him up, as he had grown frustrated for not finding a suitable song for the middle of part 1.[18] He was aware of the song’s meaning and history and felt it represented positive values.[18] “Bella ciao” became a summer hit in Europe in 2018, mostly due to the popularity of the series and not the song’s grave themes.[
Move to Heaven
Synopsis[edit]
Move to Heaven is inspired by the essay “Things Left Behind” by Kim Sae-buy, a former “trauma cleaner”. Geu-ru (Tang Joon-sang), who has Asperger syndrome, and his ex-convict uncle Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon) meet for the first time after the sudden death of Geu-ru’s father. Entrusted as Geu-ru’s guardian, Sang-gu joins his nephew to help run the family trauma cleaning company “Move to Heaven”, wherein the course of business they uncover untold stories about the deceased while Sang-gu tries to deal with his painful past with Geu-ru’s father as well as the traumatic incident that landed him in jail.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Lee Je-hoon is Cho Sang-gu,[4] an ex-convict and Geu-ru’s estranged uncle who becomes his guardian upon release from jail. He is blunt, smokes cigarettes, and moonlights as an underground MMA fighter. He was sent to jail after putting his protégé Su-Cheol into a coma during a fight. Despite his background, he is still entrusted to take care of Geu-ru after his release and is instructed to stay and work with Geu-ru for a three-month probationary period. Although he initially does so for financial gain and appears to be ignorant of Geu-ru’s condition, he slowly gets to know Geu-ru as they both work together as trauma cleaners for Move to Heaven, gaining a new outlook on life and allowing him to discover the truth about his half-brother and Geu-ru’s father Jeong-woo, who he believes had abandoned him when he was still very young.
Tang Joon-sang as Han Geu-ru,[5] a 20-year-old with Asperger syndrome who works as a trauma cleaner for Move to Heaven, over which he took following his father’s death. He is smart, has an incredible memory, and is extremely logical, abilities which he uses to uncover untold stories about the deceased through the collection of their important personal belongings. Following his father’s practice, Geu-ru places the deceased’s most important belongings in a yellow box, which he always insists on handing over to the next of kin; if they cannot be readily found or are unwilling to receive the box, Geu-ru always tries to find a way to pass it on regardless, often to Sang-gu’s consternation. Geu-ru also has a minor obsession with fish and marine life, since his parents regularly brought him to a giant aquarium as a child, and he continues to do so as an adult. When he feels panicked, Geu-ru recites facts about fish to calm himself. Despite his condition, there are a lot of people surrounding him who understand his situation and try their best to help him and make him feel comfortable.
Supporting[edit]
Ji Jin-hee is Han Jeong-woo, Geu-ru’s father, and Sang-gu’s older half-brother, who shares the same mother with him. He was the founder and owner of Move to Heaven before his sudden death from cardiac arrest. Previously a firefighter in Busan, he rescued an abandoned infant, whom he and his wife later adopted and named Geu-ru. After her passing, he taught Geu-ru everything about life and his job as a trauma cleaner but kept his heart condition secret from him. He also treated Sang-gu like his own brother, but after Sang-gu’s father died and Jeong-woo inadvertently abandoned him, they became estranged until Su-Cheol tried to reunite them at his last fight. Although Sang-gu refuses to see him when he tries to visit him in jail, Jeong-woo still entrusts his son’s future care to him.
Kim Ju-Yeon is Min Ji-won, Jeong-woo’s wife and Geu-ru’s mother, who died from cancer when he was a child.
Lee Moon-Sik is Park Joo-take, a waste disposal truck driver and a friend of Jeong-woo. He is a close partner of Move to Heaven who helps them collect the unusable garbage left by the deceased. A North Korean defector, he is amazed by Move to Heaven’s work and always prioritizes them when they need his service.
Im Won-hee as Oh Hyun-change, a lawyer, and a partner of Move to Heaven. He was assigned by Jeong-woo to contact Sang-gu when he got discharged from prison and explains to Geu-ru and Na-mu the guardianship arrangement with Sang-gu.
Hong Seung-hee as Yoon Na-mu,[6] Geu-ru’s best friend and neighbor who joins and helps him run Move to Heaven after she becomes suspicious of Sang-gu’s sudden presence in Geu-ru’s life. However, her mother disapproves of her working as a trauma cleaner, and she does so in secret. She has been fond and protective of Geu-ru since they first met when they were kids and is willing to take good care of him.
Hong Seok is Park Jun-Yeong,[7] a policeman and friend of Han Geu-ru and Yoon Na-mu. He is usually seen attending crime scenes where clean-up by Move to Heaven is required and is their first contact when the pair needs the help of the police. Like Na-mu, he understands Geu-ru’s condition and tries his best to help him. It is hinted that he has feelings toward Yoon Na-mu.
Jung Young-Joo as Oh Mi-ran, Na-mu’s mother. She runs a small takeaway shop, located against Move to Heaven, with her husband. She disapproves of both her daughter’s friendship with Geu-ru and her working for Move to Heaven.
Lee Jae-wook as Kim Su-cheol,[8] Sang-gu’s friend and protégé. 10 years ago, Sang-gu helped him out when he was beaten up by street thugs, inspiring Su-Cheol to become a fighter and eventually becoming a champion boxer himself. After several years, he told Sang-gu that he wanted to retire from boxing so he could start a new life running a supply shop with his father and sister. Unfortunately, he ended up being forced to participate in a rigged underground MMA fight against Sang-gu to get the money to do so. During the fight, after Su-Cheol refused to concede, Sang-gu violently knocked him out, putting him into a coma, and Sang-gu was sent to jail for it. Sang-gu visits a still-comatose Su-Cheol in hospital after his release, but he passes away soon after. Sang-gu later discovers Su-Cheol was suffering from CTE, which was his real reason for retirement.
Park Jung-Won is Kim Su-jin, Su-school’s younger sister.
Jung Ae-Youn as Madam Jung, an associate of Sang-gu and an underground MMA fight organizer. She organized the fight between him and Su-Cheol and, after his release from jail, persuades Sang-gu to continue fighting for her.
Choi Soo-young as Son Woo-rim,[9] a social worker who helps lonely citizens who don’t have any other family. She first crosses paths with Move to Heaven when they attend to the home of an elderly couple who have committed suicide together, and later contacts them to take care of Matthew Green’s belongings. Sang-gu appears to have a crush on her.
Guest appearance[edit]
Shin Soo-oh as Kim Yong-woo,[10] a murder suspect. (Episode 4)
Yoon Ji-Hye as Lee Ju-Yeong, a public prosecutor. (Episode 4, 10)
Kwon Soo-Hyun as Soo-Hyun,[11] a doctor. (Episode 5)
Lee Ki-young is Soo-Hyun’s father, a decorated military officer. (Episode 5)
Jung Dong-hwan is Kim In-su, an elderly man who commits suicide alongside his wife. (Episode 6)
Yoon Joo-sang as Chairman No (episode 6)
Yoo Sun is Kang Eun-Jeong, a newscaster. When she was a teenager, her parents fostered Korean children who were to be adopted by overseas couples. (Episode 9)
Kevin Oh as Matthew Green, a deportee from the United States looking for his birth mother, whom he believes to be Kang Eun-Jeong. His birth name is Kang Seong-min. (episode 9)
Lee Re as “butterfly girl”[12] (episode 10)
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In September 2019, it was reported that Kim Sung-ho would direct a series for Netflix, the story of which is inspired by an essay “Things Left Behind” by Kim Sae-buy, a former “trauma cleaner”.[13]
Casting[edit]
On 17 December 2019, Netflix confirmed the lead casting of Lee Je-hoon and Tang Jun-sang for the series.[5] On June 3, 2020, Netflix confirmed that Ji Jin-hee, Lee Jae-Wook, and Hong Seung-hee are to join the cast of the series.[1]
Filming[edit]
As the infection due to the COVID-19 pandemic was reported, the production of Move to Heaven, along with other Netflix original dramas, was stopped in late August 2020.[14] On February 25, 2021, Netflix announced its plans and timeline for forthcoming projects including Move to Heaven.[15] On February 25, 2021, new stills from the TV series were released.[16]
Release[edit]
The series was released on Netflix on May 14, 2021. All 10 episodes, each with a running time of around 45 to 60 minutes, are available for streaming. It became the 11th South Korean Netflix original series released on Netflix.[17]
Reception[edit]
Greg Wheeler of The Review Geek, rating the series 9 out of 10, opined that the series is a beautiful message conveyed through unique characters. Wheeler praised the performance of Tang Jun-sang, writing “Tang Joon-Snag’s acting is nothing short of extraordinary…” He also praised the soundtrack and wrote that it was “absolutely on-point.” In summary, he said, “With excellent acting, tightly written chapters and a careful, respectful and empowering view on death, Move to Heaven is a cleverly written and unique Korean drama”, and concluded by saying that the show was an “…absolute must-watch this year. Just be sure to have a pack of tissues ready to catch those tears!”.[18] Rhian Daly of NME also praised the series, awarding it 5 out of 5 stars, and called it a contender for one of 2021’s best shows.[19]
Mr. Kim’s convenience
Kim’s Convenience
cbc.ca/Kim’s convenience
Kim’s Convenience is a Canadian television sitcom that premiered on CBC Television in October 2016. It depicts the Korean Canadian Kim family that runs a convenience store in the Moss Park neighborhood of Toronto: parents “Papa” and “Umma” – Korean for dad and mom, respectively – along with their daughter Janet and estranged son Jung. Wikipedia
Developed by: Ins Choi, Kevin White
Starring: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Jean Yoon, Andrea Bang, Simu Liu, Andrew Phung, Nicole Power
Country of origin: Canada
Comment:
Not exactly a typical K drama. It takes place in Canada and depicts the life of a Korean immigrant family running a convenience store in Toronto. Well, done. Good acting, and storylines.
End comment
Yet to Watch
Minuri Movie
Minami (Korean: 미나리 [mina], transl. ”water celery“) is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It stars Steven Yuen, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yoh-Jung, and Will Patton. A semi-autobiographical take on Chung’s upbringing, the plot follows a family of South Korean immigrants who try to make it in the rural United States during the 1980s.[6]
Minami had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2020, winning both the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award.[7] It began a one-week virtual release on December 11, 2020, and was released theatrically and via virtual cinema on February 12, 2021, by A24.
The film received critical acclaim, with many declaring it one of the best films of 2020. It earned six nominations at the 93rd Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Yuen), and Best Supporting Actress (Youn), with Youn winning for her performance, making her the first Korean to win an Academy Award for acting. It also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, and earned six nominations at the 74th British Academy Film Awards, including Best Film Not in the English Language.
Plot[edit]
In 1983, the Korean immigrant Yi family moves from California to their new plot of land in rural Arkansas, where Father Jacob hopes to grow Korean produce to sell to vendors in Dallas. One of his first decisions is to decline the services of a water diviner and he digs a well in a spot he finds on his own. He enlists the help of Paul, an eccentric local man, and Korean War veteran. While Jacob is optimistic about the life ahead, his wife Monica is disappointed and worries about their son David’s heart condition; he is frequently told not to run due to this. Jacob and Monica work sexing chicks at the nearby hatchery and argue constantly while David and his sister Anne eavesdrop.
To help watch the children during the day, they arrange for Monica’s mother Soon-JA to travel from South Korea. David, who is forced to share a room with her, avoids her because she does not conform to his idea of how a grandmother should be. Still, Soon-ja attempts to adjust to life in the States and bond with the children. The well that Jacob dug runs dry. Jacob is reluctant to pay for county water but eventually is forced to do so. He runs into additional difficulties, such as the vendor in Dallas canceling their order at the last minute. Even so, he perseveres despite Monica’s vocal desire to return to California. This brings their marriage closer to the breaking point.
Meanwhile, Soon-JA takes David to plant Minami seeds by the creek. She tells them how resilient and useful the plant is, and predicts plentiful growth. David finally begins to warm to his grandmother after she teaches him Hanabusa, bandages his wounds, and soothes him to sleep. Soon-ja also encourages him to do more physical activity, something his parents discourage, but she says that he is stronger than they think. Soon-ja suddenly suffers a stroke overnight. She survives with medical treatment but is left with impaired movement and speech.
Jacob, Monica, Anne, and David head to Oklahoma City for David’s heart appointment and to meet a vendor to sell Jacob’s produce. Although they learn that David’s heart condition has dramatically improved and Jacob makes a deal to sell vegetables to a Korean grocer, Jacob also indirectly admits to Monica that the success of his crops is more important to him than the stability of their family. Following an emotional argument, the two tacitly agree to separate.
However, Soon-ja accidentally sets the barn containing the produce on fire in their absence. Upon arriving home, Jacob rushes in to save the crops, and Monica soon follows. Eventually, the fire grows out of control, and they decide to save each other while leaving the barn to burn. A distraught and confused Soon-ja begins to wander off into the distance, as Anne and David call for her to come back. Seeing that she is not responding to them, David breaks into a sprint to meet her, blocking her path. Soon-ja seems to recognize David for a moment and reaches for his hand and the grandchildren lead her back home. The family is asleep on the floor, collapsed from the fatigue of the night before. Above them, Soon-ja is awake, in a chair, watching them sleep with a subdued expression.
Sometime later, Jacob and Monica are with the water diviner who finds a spot for a well. They mark it with a stone signifying their intention to stay on the farm. Jacob and David then head to the creek to harvest the minaret, which had grown successfully, with Jacob noting how good a spot Soon-ja had picked to plant them.
Cast[edit]
Steven Yuen as Jacob Yi
Han Ye-ri as Monica Yi
Alan Kim as David Yi
Noel Kate Cho as Anne Yi (Ji-young, Korean: 지영)
Youn Yoh-jung as Soon-ja (Korean: 순자)
Will Patton as Paul
Scott Haze as Billy
Jacob Wade as Johnnie
Comment: Won best supporting actress Oscar.
End comment
Sky Castle
Sky Castle (Korean: SKY 캐슬; RR: SKY Kassel; stylized as SKY Castle[a]) is a 2018–2019 South Korean television series starring Yum Jung-ah, Lee Tae-ran, Yoon Se-ah, Oh Na-ra and Kim Seo-Hyung. It aired on JTBC on Fridays and Saturdays, from November 23, 2018, to February 1, 2019.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Sky Castle is the second-highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history.[10] The drama received positive reviews from critics and won multiple awards, including four at the 55th Buesking Arts Awards.
Synopsis[edit]
A satirical series that closely looks at the materialistic desires of the upper-class parents in South Korea and how they ruthlessly secure the successes of their families at the cost of destroying others’ lives. The drama revolves around the lives of housewives residing in a luxurious residential area called SKY Castle in suburban Seoul, where wealthy doctors and professors live. The wives are determined to make their husbands more successful and to raise their children to be top students,[5] who will be accepted at the best universities, so they use every possible way to get that.[11]
Han Seo-jin (Yum Jung-ah) is married to an ambitious doctor, Kang Joon-sang (Jung Joon-ho). She wants her eldest daughter, Kang Ye-seo (Kim Hye-Joon), to also become a doctor. To do that, she hires Kim Joo-young (Kim Seo-Hyung), a coordinator with a one hundred percent success rate when it comes to her students’ admission to the Seoul National University.
No Seung-Hye (Yoon Se-ah) is the wife of Cha Min-hyuk (Kim Byung-Chula), a perfectionist law professor. She does not like the way her husband teaches their twin sons, Cha Seo-Joon (Kim Dong-hee) and Cha Ki-Joon (Jo Byeong-kyu). Later it is revealed that their daughter, Cha Se-ri (Park Yoo-Na), who has always been Min-Hyun’s pride since she attends Harvard University, hides something from them.
Jin Jin-hee (Oh Na-ra) is the mother of Woo Soo-Han (Lee Eugene). She wants her son to be like her husband, Woo Yang-woo (Jo Jae-Yoon), which means becoming a doctor. She befriends Seo-jin to get information and to achieve a perfect career and education for her family.
Following the suicide of Lee Myung-Joo (Kim Jung-nan), mother of Park Young-Jae (Song Geon-hee), who was a former student of Joo-young and recently admitted to the Seoul National University, Lee Soo-im (Lee Tae-ran)’s family moves into the SKY Castle. Her husband, Hwang Chi-young (Choi Won-young), works at the same hospital as Joon-sang and Yang-woo, and her son, Hwang Woo-Joo (Kang Chang-hee), attends the same school as Ye-seo. Her family often clashes with the other residents due to their differences in opinions.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Yum Jung-ah as Han Seo-jin/Kwak Mi-hyang[12]
An overzealous mother who wants nothing more than her daughter to get into Seoul National Medical University. She hides her past from everyone except her husband and in-laws who knew that she grew up poor with an alcoholic father who sold oxblood and offal. She is the mother of Kang Ye-seo and Kang Ye-bin; the wife of Kang Joon-sang and daughter-in-law of Madame Yoon.
Lee Tae-ran as Lee Soo-im[12]
A new member of the neighborhood disapproves of the other parents’ methods for getting their kids to university, believing it is too harsh. She is disliked by the other parents for disrupting the status quo. She knows who Seo-jin is, as she knew her from when they were younger. She is the most down-to-earth out of all mothers in the complex and the only mother who is a stepmother. She is the stepmother of Hwang Woo-Joo; and the wife of Hwang Chi-young.
Yoon Se-ah as No Seung-Hye[12]
A woman who befriends Soo-im, and starts to look down on how the other moms treat everyone and their kids. She changes her ways and becomes protective of her sons from their father’s harsh teaching methods. She is the mother of Cha Se-ri, Cha Seo-Joon, and Cha Ki-Joon. She is the wife of Cha Min-hyuk
Oh Na-ra as Jin Jin-hee[12]
A friend of Seo-jin tries to get her child to do everything with Seo-jinn’s daughter so he can be successful. She bribes Seo-jin with gifts into trusting her with information. But she finds it difficult to keep secrets. Her loyalty changes easily as well depending on who she is with. She is the mother of Woo Soo-Han and the wife of Woo Yang-woo.
Kim Seo-Hyung as Kim Joo-young[13]
She is a well-known tutor only accessible to the elite and only caters to two students at a time. Because of her 100% success rate in getting students accepted, Seo-jin was determined to hire her as her daughter’s tutor. She tutored Young-Jae and Ye-seo. She hides a past that she tries to escape from. She has a daughter, Kay, or Katherine, who was an acclaimed genius when they lived in Fairfax.
Supporting[edit]
Kang family[edit]
Jung Joon-ho as Kang Joon-sang[14]
Seo-jinn’s husband. Doctor of the Joo-Nam University Hospital. He holds Min-hyuk in absolute contempt and delights in the latter’s misfortunes. He is very ambitious and is obsessed with maintaining a good track record to elevate his status in the hospital. He will stop at nothing to get rivals out of the way.
Kim Hye-yoon as Kang Ye-seo
Seo-jinn’s elder daughter. Her dream is to enter Seoul National University‘s medical faculty and be a third-generation doctor. She is very impulsive and is as determined as her father in achieving her goals. She has feelings for Woo-Joo.
Lee Ji-won as Kang Ye-bin[15]
Seo-jinn’s younger daughter. She is cynical and often clashes with her sister and believes her parents only care for her sister. She, however, gets along well with the other children in the complex and is the first one in the family to warm up to Hye-nab
Jung Ae-Ri as Madame Yoon
Joon-sing’s mother-in-law. She is the one who pushed Seo-jin to bring Ye-seo to the top to have a third-generation doctor in the family.
Hwang family[edit]
Choi Won-young as Hwang Chi-young[14]
Soo-Kim’s husband. Doctor of the Joo-Nam University Hospital. Rival of Joon-sang. He grew up at an orphanage that was owned by Soo-i’s parents. He was married to Woo-Jono’s real mother, but after she passed away, he remarried Soo-im.
Kang Chan-hee as Hwang Woo-joo[14]
Soo-i’s step-son is treated like her own son. He likes Hye-na and is liked by Ye-seo. A kind student who always helps other students that have difficulties.
Cha family[edit]
Kim Byung-churl as Cha Min-hyuk[14]
Seung-Hye’s husband. A law school lecturer and former prosecutor. He is strict with his children and holds very high expectations of them, especially academically.
Park Yoo-Na as Che Se-ri[16]
Seung-Hye’s daughter. She is the MD of a nightclub. She lied about being a Harvard University student and got caught.
Kim Dong-hee as Cha Seo-joon[17]
Seung-Hye’s elder son; twin of Ki-Joon. A classmate of Woo-Joo. Even though he is calmer than his younger twin, he strongly dislikes his father’s method of teaching and studying.
Jo Byung-guy as Cha Ki-joon[18]
Seung-Hye’s younger son; twin of Seo-Joon. He likes to play tricks on Ye-seo. He strongly dislikes his father’s method of teaching and studying.
Woo family[edit]
Jo Jae-yoon as Woo Yang-woo[14]
Jin-hee’s husband. An Orthopedic surgeon. He is very obedient to Kang Joon-sang but behind him, he admires Hwang Chi-young.
Lee Eugene as Woo Soo-Han
Jin-hee’s son. He is not interested in studying but still tries his best under huge academic pressure. Soo-Han has a crush on Ye-bin.
People around Joo-young[edit]
Lee Hyun-jin as Jo Tae-Jun [19]
Secretary of Joo-young. Originally met when he sabotaged Kim Joo-young’s husband’s car for her in Fairfax.
Jo Mi-nyao as Kay/Katherine
Kim Joo-young’s daughter. Mentally ill cause by Kim Joo-young sabotaging her father’s car, causing a serious accident leading to her brain damage. Implied to have savant syndrome.
Others[edit]
Kim Bo-ra as Kim Hye-na[20]
Sin-ah Secondary School student. She is treated as an enemy by Ye-seo. She has a mutual feeling with Hwang Woo-Joo. She is the daughter of Kang Joon-sang and Kim Eun-Hye, yet he does not acknowledge her until after her death.[21] (Eps 2, 4-15)
A former resident of Sky Castle committed suicide after her son runs away to his secret girlfriend.
Myung-Jono’s son. After his mother’s death, he wants to reconcile with his father, Park Soo-Chang.
Myung-Jono’s husband and Young-Jae’s father. At first, he’s harsh toward Young-Jae but after his wife’s death he wants to reconcile with Young-Jae
Young Jae’s girlfriend. She is 6 years older than him and hired as a housekeeper by Myung-Joo, coming from a low-class family. Myung-Joo disapproved of her status and her relationship with Young-Jae.
-4)
Comment:
this drama centers upon the lengths to which families will go to get their kids into the SKY castle – Seoul, Korea or Yonsei University in Seoul which is the ticket to the upper class in a status-conscious South Korea. For most children, the route to the top consists of undergraduate degrees at one of the SKY universities (actually the top five) then a graduate degree from a top US university, after military service (for men). Then returning home at age 28 to get married after getting into one of the top corporations or perhaps the top civil service ranks, or becoming a lawyer, judge, or prosecutor.
End Comment
Kingdom
Kingdom (South Korean TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Mnet’s television program Kingdom: Legendary War.
Kingdom (Korean: 킹덤; RR: Kingdom) is a 2019 South Korean political period horror thriller streaming television series, created and written by Kim Eun-hee and directed by Kim Seong-Hun and Park In-je.[4][5][6] It is Netflix‘s first original Korean series,[b] which premiered on January 25, 2019.[7][8][9][10] The series is adapted from the webcomic series The Kingdom of the Gods, which was authored by Kim Eun-hee and drawn by Yang Kyung-il.[1] Set on a fictional, medieval-inspired Joseon, Kingdom explores the story of a Crown Prince, as he sets to investigate the source of a mysterious plague that begins to ravage his country. It stars Ju Ji-hoon, Ryu Seung-Rayong, Bae Doo-na, Kim Sang-ho, Kim Sung-kyu and Kim Hye-jun.
The series was positively reviewed and renewed for a second season which was released on March 13, 2020.[11][12][13][14] A special feature-length episode of the series, titled “Kingdom: Ashen of the North”, was released on July 23, 2021, and focused on the supporting character Ashen played by Jun Ji-Hyun.[15] The episode acts as a sequel to the second season of Kingdom and explores the backstory of Ashen, the mysterious character Lee Chang’s group encountered on their journey north to discover the origins of the infected.[16]
Synopsis[edit]
Set during Korea’s Joseon Dynasty, three years after the Imjin War, the first season of Kingdom follows the story of Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon) and his subordinates, who stumble across an unnatural plague that resurrects the dead amidst his investigation of a brewing political conspiracy and rumors of the King of Joseon’s death. Amidst the chaos and death that ensues, Chang meets allies who try to make a stand in the city-state of Sangju before it spreads further into the province, only to discover that the plague has already adapted. The second season picks up during Lee Chang’s struggle to save his people from the spread of the plague and his dynasty from the machinations of the powerful Haemon Cho clan who hides a sinister secret.
Kingdom: Ashen of the North[edit]
Kingdom: Ashen of the North explores the backstory of Ashen (Jun Ji-Hyun), the mysterious heir of the Northern Sanjaya tribe village, and the origin of the resurrection plant that triggered an unprecedented cascade of tragic events that swept through the Kingdom of Joseon.
Plot[edit]
‘Kingdom’ locations
The kingdom is set during Korea’s Joseon period, three years after the famous “Battle of Unpot Wetland” near the city of soldier during the Japanese invasions of Korea, where 500 Korean soldiers, led by Governor Ahn Hyeon, defeated an army of 30,000 Japanese invaders. Unbeknownst to the common people, this victory was achieved by using an herb known as the “resurrection plant”, which transformed the diseased villagers of Suman into ferocious zombies; after the battle ended, the zombies were executed and buried in secret.
Season one[edit]
At the start of the series, the King dies of smallpox. Chief State Councilor Lord Cho Hak-Ju (Ryu Seung-Rayong) decides to hide the King’s death until his daughter, Queen Consort Cho (Kim Hye-Jun), produces a son. Such a son would have a more legitimate claim to the throne than Crown Prince Lee Chang, whose mother was a concubine. As a result, the King is inoculated with the resurrection plant and subsequently becomes a monster at night, restrained with chains and fed with the bodies of court servants. Refused permission to visit his father, the prince leaves in disguise to search for Lee Seung-hui (Kwon Bum-take), the doctor who last treated the King. Shocked by what he finds in the process of investigating the King’s illness, he heads to the Southern province of Yeong sang with his loyal bodyguard Mu-Yeong (Kim Sang-ho) to search for more answers. At Lee Seung-hui’s clinic outside the city of Dingane, physician’s assistant Seo-bi (Bae Dona) cares for dozens of patients but is running out of food to feed them. Yeong-shin (Kim Sung-kyu), one of the patients, makes a stew for the people from what he says is deer meat. However, the meat is later revealed to be sourced from the cadaver of someone bitten by the King and all the patients quickly turn into zombies.
The next day, the magistrate of Dingane and nephew of Lord Cho Hak-Ju, Cho Beom-pal (Jeon Seok-ho), disregards Seo-bi and Yeong-shin’s advice to cut off the head of each cadaver, leading to a night of chaos when the dead awaken. When the Prince takes control and orders that the bodies of the undead be destroyed, the yangbans secretly flee on the only boat, carrying their belongings and the corpse of a precious son. Soldiers of the royal guard from Hanyang confront the prince, resulting in the slaughter of dozens of civilians he was trying to help. Subsequently, the Prince goes to Sangho to seek help from Lord Ahn Hyeon, his mentor. Investigating a village that seems to be oddly well-fed in such dire times, he discovers the fate of the missing boat; the precious son became a monster, the yangbans were killed or drowned, and the boat was looted after stranding itself. Awakened from his retreat by his alarm network, Lord Ahn Hyeon (Heo Joon-ho) arrives with troops who know how to deal with the zombie crisis. The season ends with Queen Cho taking the Regency of the vacant throne, decreeing the blockade of the South, while Lord Cho Hak-Ju comes to Kyongsang’s gate with the Army and the zombie King. On the other side, Lord Ahn Hyeon and the Prince fortify Sangho against the zombies while Seo-bi and Cho Beom-pal explore the Frozen Valley, learning the origins of the zombie disease.
Season two[edit]
In Hanyang, the Queen has gathered many pregnant women at Nasonex, her private residence. Mu-Yeong’s wife is there as well, taken as a hostage, to force Mu-Yeong to spy on the prince. Pregnant women are killed when their delivery is not as expected. As a result, the Special Forces Commander becomes suspicious and searches Nasonex. He finds the corpses of seven delivered women. The baby girls were strangled, but the baby boys were only stillborn. At Sangho, it is discovered that the zombies are slowed not by sunlight, but by temperature. Since the weather gets colder, the situation becomes worse after another night of chaos. The prince decides to break into the border fortress with a limited squad. They are successful but fall into a trap. Lord Ahn Hyeon is shot to death, while The Prince is put in presence of the zombie King, and must cut his head off to save his own life. But there was a trap inside the trap; when Lord Cho Hak-Ju turns back to Hanyang, Lord Ahn Hyeon appears as a resurrected zombie. Wearing his commanding flag, he bites Lord Cho Hak-Ju, before being killed himself, proving the existence of zombies and the good faith of the prince. The blockade army allies with The Prince.
The next day, Lord Cho Hak-JU’s corpse disappears. He has been taken by Mu-Yeong, helped by Seo-bi and Cho Beom-pal. They flee towards Hanyang, but along the way, Mu-Yeong is killed. At the Lord Cho Hak-Ju residence, Seo-bi discovers a cure; a full immersion in water forces away the worm-like entities causing the zombification. At the same time, the Queen pretends to give birth, presenting Mu-Yeong wife’s newborn as her own. She poisons her recovered father who discovered the lie and organizes a zombie research lab beneath her Palace. While the Queen prepares a large proscription, the Royal Guards are lured out of the Palace, allowing the Crown Prince to conquer the place. But the Queen practices a scorched earth policy and orders to release the zombies from the research lab, and chaos ensues. However, the plan of closing the gates of the inner Palace is not sufficient, and the Queen is eaten. The last few survivors escape to the Rear Garden and break the ice of the pond. The zombies are stopped by the water, while the bitten but not yet transformed people are saved from being zombified.
Seven years later, the baby is crowned King, while Seo-bi, Yeong-shin, and the former Crown Prince investigate the Northern Provinces. Shortly after their arrival to a seemingly empty village, a mysterious woman named Ashen (Jun Ji-Hyun) appears inside a barn and stands next to the undead who are kept inside wooden boxes for some nefarious purpose.
An of the North[edit]
Set before the events of the first season, the episode delves into Afshin’s origin story and her experiences growing into a scorned woman that turned against the Kingdom of Joseon. During her childhood, Ashen (Kim Shi-ah) lived in the Northern village of Sanjaya with her ailing mother and her father, Ta Hob (Kim Roi-ha) who was one of the Jurchen people living in Joseon and also the head of their settlement. Tensions were high between Joseon, the central kingdom, and the Jurchen border tribes of Paju Owe. The Paju Owe had gathered their army at the basin of the Pajero River.
When fifteen of Paju Owe Jurchen men enter the forbidden area known as Pisa-gun to illegally gather wild ginseng, they all die unexpectedly. It is revealed that Cho Beom-il (Jung Suk-won), a high-ranking member of the Haemon Cho clan, orchestrated the deaths of the Jurchen men. The Deputy Commander of the Caupain group, Min Chi-rock (Park Byung-Eun) investigated the deaths of the Jurchen and discovered Cho’s involvement, he travels to the Sanjaya village to conduct damage control and prevent a conflict against the Kingdom by the Page Owe. Min spread the message that the deaths were due to a tiger attack but some villagers remained skeptical.
During a meeting with Ta Hob, the Commander requests him to travel to the bordering Page Owe tribe and spread the message, that the attack was caused by a tiger who killed the men. Ta Hob agreed to the mission as he had pledged his loyalty to Joseon and hoping his actions will grant Sanjaya governmental representation, improving the lives of its people. This was later revealed to be a ruse conspired by the Commander, to strategically protect the interests of the Kingdom.
On a false hunt for the alleged tiger, the Commander encounters some Pages Owe soldiers and informs the group, that the attackers of the Page Owe men were killed by the villagers of Sanjaya. This act later diverts the Page Owe ‘s hostility towards the village of Sanjaya. Afterward, the Page Owe military led by Ai Da Gan (Koo Kyo-hwan), attacks Sanjaya in the middle of the night, massacring the inhabitants. Before the attack on the village, Ashen finds the resurrection plant in a hidden cave shrine and reads the ancient mural to understand its properties and effects, to tend to her terminally ill mother. Upon returning to the village, she finds that it has been burned to the ground and all the villagers killed. Unbeknownst to Ash in, her father was taken hostage by the Page Owe military.
Being the sole survivor of the massacre, Asian goes to the Commander and begs for a chance to avenge her family. He places her in a military settlement post, where she begins to perform odd jobs while training in the woodlands. Years later, she was told by the Commander to spy on the military camp of Page Owe. While infiltrating the camp, Asian finds her father held as a prisoner, with his limbs amputated. Ta Hob begs his daughter to kill him to end his misery. Asian complies and sets the camp on fire before going back to the settlement. Before her return to the military settlement, the Commander was summoned to return to the South to deal with the war against the Japanese forces, leaving his Second-in-command and soldiers behind. Soon after, Asian reads the records inside the Commander’s hut, implicating the Commander of framing the Sanjaya village for the Jurchen deaths’ at Pisa-gun, leading to the eventual massacre of her village.
Asian prepares to take revenge against the Kingdom of Joseon. After night falls, she kills several Joseon soldiers as they sleep and uses the resurrection plant to bring them back as zombies. While the zombies rampage around the camp, Asian kills any soldiers, with her bow and arrows, who manage to escape or lock themselves beyond the zombies’ reach. Using the last soldier as bait, she attracted the zombies together and then burns them, effectively killing all the soldiers and zombies in the camp. Asian is then seen dragging a giant sack back to her village which looks normal. She then enters her old house which was filled with her family and some villagers. She was awakened to zombie snarls which brings her to the present where the village is burned down and the house is filled with zombies chained to the back of the house. It is revealed that after the massacre of her village, she had converted her family and some villagers into zombies. Asian had been feeding them animals for years but felt that they deserved better food and fed them with a soldier she had carried with her in the sack. She vowed to destroy Joseon and the Jurchen to avenge them and joined them when she is done.
Asian leaves to meet Lee Seung-hui, the Joseon King’s physician at the border in Fiji. She sells him the resurrection plant, setting in motion, the events that would later occur in the “Battle of Unpot Wetland” and the tragedy that would come to pass at Dingane. After exiting the city, Asian walks into an open field, and later witnesses Ai Da Gan and his Page Owe brethren riding horses in the distance. The Page Owe riders approach Asian and she shoots an arrow without hesitation.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Ju Ji-hoon as Lee Chang: The Crown Prince of Joseon and the current heir to the throne. Suspicious of the mysterious illness afflicting his father, the King of Joseon, his investigation not only uncovers a dangerous plague that brings the dead to life, but also a plot to betray the Royal family and usurp him as heir.[20]
Bae Dona as Seo-bi: A physician’s assistant from Dingane who is among the first to discover the outbreak of the mysterious plague. She desperately seeks to find a cure and comes to possess a journal containing crucial information about the disease.[2]
Kim Sung-kyu as Yeong-shin: A mysterious tiger hunter from the South who is also among the first to discover the outbreak of the plague. A skilled fighter who carries early European muskets, he allies himself with Lee Chang and helps to lead the fight against the undead.
Jeon Seok-ho as Cho Beom-pal: A somewhat incompetent magistrate of Dingane and Cho Hak-Ju’s nephew. He used to be more interested in self-preservation than protecting his people.[21]
Ryu Seung-Rayong as Lord Cho Hak-Ju (seasons 1–2): The Chief State Councilor of Joseon and head of the Haemon Cho clan. He is the father of Queen Consort Cho and Cho Beom-il and the uncle of Cho Beom-pal. A cold, ruthless leader, he is desperate to secure his power over the throne through Queen Cho’s unborn child who he seeks to make an heir to the throne in place of Lee Chang.[22]
Kim Hye-Jun as Queen Consort Cho (seasons 1–2): The young and “pregnant” Queen of Joseon who is Cho Hak-Ju’s daughter, Cho Beom-ill’s sister, and Lee Chang’s stepmother. Like her father, she is desperate to secure her power over the throne by giving birth to a son that will displace Crown Prince Lee Chang as the rightful heir.
Kim Sang-ho as Mu-Yeong (seasons 1–2): Prince Chang’s loyal personal bodyguard accompanies him to the southern provinces to investigate the plague, leaving his pregnant wife in the capital.[23]
Heo Joon-ho as Lord Ahn Hyeon (season 1; guest season 2): A former governor and war hero who has retired from public service, despite his popularity with the people, to live a quiet life in Sangho. He was also a mentor to the young Lee Chang.[24]
Jun Ji-Hyun as Asian (special; guest season 2): A mysterious stranger from Hengyang province in the North of the country.
Kim Shi-ah as young Asian[25]
Park Byung-Eun as Min Chi-rock (special; recurring season 2): Head of the Royal Commandery and a skilled archer who becomes suspicious of the Queen.
Koo Kyo-hwan as Ai Da Gan (special): Leader of the Page Owe tribe.
Kim Roi-ha as Ta Hob (special): Head of the Northern Sanjaya tribe and the father of Asian.
Supporting[edit]
Jung Suk-won as Cho Beom-il (seasons 1–2; special): Cho-Hak-Ju’s son and Queen Cho’s elder brother and a commander in the Royal Army.
Kim Jong-soo as Kim Sun: Chief Scholar in Hanyang who clashes with Cho Hak-Ju.
Kwon Bum-take as Lee Seung-hui (season 1; special): Royal physician who attends to the King.
Lee Yang-hee as the Minister of War: Powerful politician in Hanyang who is initially loyal to the Haemon Cho clan but finds his loyalty wavering.
Jin Seon-kyu as Deok Sung: Ahn Hyeon’s loyal right-hand man.
Joo Suk-tea as Lee Do-jin (seasons 1–2): Leader of the Palace Guard who travels south to apprehend Lee Chang, he is loyal to Cho Hak-Ju.
Ahn Eun-jin as Mu-Yeong’s wife: A loving, pregnant, wife who was put under the protection of the Haemon Cho clan.
Kim Tae-hoon as Lee Gang-Yun (season 2): Head of the Royal Army, who travels south with Cho Hak-Ju.
Jo Han-Chula as Won Yu (season 2): Descendant of an exiled member of the royal family living a quiet life on a remote island, who is sought out by Lee Chang.
Ahn Jae-Hong as Eunuch (season 2): Former eunuch who later becomes the new king’s servant.
Kim Kang-hoon as Mu-Yeong’s son (season 2): A young boy who was rescued from a horde of zombies as a baby by Seo-bi.
Comments: Zombie attacks in the Chosen dynasty. End comment
Reply 1988
Reply 1988
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reply 1988 (Korean: 응답하라 1988; Hanja: 應答하라 1988; RR: Endophora 1988) is a South Korean television series starring Lee Hye-Ri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Go Kyung-Pio, Park Bo-gum, and Lee Dong-why.[1][2][3] Beginning in the year 1988, it revolves around five friends and their families living in the same neighborhood of Sangamon, Dugong, Northern Seoul.[4] It aired every Friday and Saturday from November 6, 2015, to January 16, 2016, on tvN for 20 episodes.[5][6]
Reply 1988 is the third installment of tvN‘s Reply series.[7] It received both critical and audience acclaim with its final episode recording an 18.8% nationwide audience share, making it the fourth highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history.[8][9]
Lee Hye-RI as Sung Duk-seon/Sung Soo-yeon[10]
The middle child of her family, she is infamously ranked 999th in school and is the only girl in their group of five neighborhood friends. Though not academically gifted, Duk-seon has a bright and compassionate personality. She cares deeply for her friends and classmates but feels lost without a “dream” to pursue. Dukedom moves through the stages of her youth alongside her male friends, and the mystery of which of them she eventually marries is a continual point of tension for viewers throughout the series.
Ryu Jun-yeol as Kim Jung-hwan
Stoic and sarcastic, but with a secret sweetheart, Jung-hwan (called Jung-pal by his friends) is one of the leaders of the neighborhood group. Jung-hwan is handsome, smart, and athletic, often taking on extra feelings of responsibility to fulfill the dreams of his older brother Jung-bong, who has a chronic heart condition. While Jung-hwan doesn’t often share his emotions with others, he feels things deeply and uses his sarcasm and attitude as a shield. He develops feelings for a neighborhood friend early but is reluctant to admit his crush, even as the right timing slips away.
Go Kyung-Pio as Sung Sun-woo
A class president, caring brother, and dependable son to his widowed mother, Sun-woo is an ideal young man. He is devoted to his friends and dotes on his younger sister. Sun-woo harbors a secret crush on a neighborhood friend that lingers into adulthood.
Park Bo-gum as Choi Taek[11]
An internationally renowned genius Badu player, Taek is the quietest of his neighborhood friends. Taek dominates on the Badu board but struggles with simple everyday tasks. His Badu success has brought money and fame but has left Taek distant from his age group, and so he relies on his neighborhood friends for companionship, grounding, and a connection to youth. Taek is generous to a fault and hesitant to make a fuss, but that hesitancy disappears in competition. However, when he realizes that the person he cares for has another admirer, he has to weigh romance against friendship.
Lee Dong-why as Ryu Dong-Rayong
The neighborhood clown, Dong-Rayong loves to sing, dance, and play jokes with his friends. Like Dukedom, Dong-Rayong is not a natural academic, but his thoughtful insight and surprising wisdom serve him and his friends well. As the son of two working parents surrounded by tight-knit families, Dong-Rayong sometimes feels neglected by his parents and makes up for their absence by acting out. His nosy nature means that he ends up knowing many of the neighborhood’s secrets before anyone else.
Recurring[edit]
Sung family
Sung Dong-il as Sung Dong-il (Dukedom’s father)
A fraud and security specialist at a bank, Dong-il fell into debt after lending money to a friend who never paid it back. He struggles to provide for his family as he wants to while paying off the debt but does his best to give everything he can to his children. He and his wife, Il-Hwa, argue but love each other very deeply.
Lee Il-Hwa as Lee Il-Hwa (Duck-Seon’s mother)
Il-Hwa is a kind woman who spends much of her time with the other moms and caring for her family. She worries about her children and husband and shows much of her care by cooking massive quantities of food to share with her family and the neighborhood.
Ryu Hye-young as Sung Bo-ra (Duck-Seon’s older sister).
Bo-ra is a tough-as-nails college student who wants to become a lawyer. While outwardly stoic, she has a warm heart and shows compassion to those who need it most. Where Dukedom struggles academically but excels at interpersonal relationships, Bo-ra is a stellar student who stumbles in social and emotional situations. She carries on a secret relationship with another person in the neighborhood.
Choi Sung-won as Sung No-Eul (Duck-Seon’s younger brother)
Dong-ill’s assistant in his schemes, No-eul is a kindhearted young teen with a beautiful singing voice and a poetic, dreamer’s mind.
Kim family
Kim Sung-kyun as Kim Sung-kyun (Jung-Hwan’s father)
Sung-Hyun is a kind and humorous man who runs an electronics store. He loves to joke and play with the neighborhood kids, and generally keeps an air of joviality among the adults. He adores his wife, Mi-ran, and hopes for good futures for his sons.
Ra Mi-ran as Ra Mi-ran (Jung-Hwan’s mother)
A tough lady with a strong past, Mi-ran is the indisputable empress of the Kim household. Worried about Jung-bong since his childhood diagnosis with a chronic heart condition and annoyed with his constant academic failures punctuated by collecting obsessions, Mi-ran can sometimes come off as short-tempered. This short temper is an expression of her anxiety and love for her children and family.
Ahn Jae-Hong as Kim Jung-bong (Jung-Hwan’s older brother)
A student who failed his college entrance exam 6 times, Jung-bong has a chronic heart condition that made his childhood difficult. He has a sometimes childlike personality and is easily distracted. Nevertheless, Jung-bong is kind, thoughtful, compassionate, and easy to like. He happily cares for the neighborhood kids including Jin-Joo, Sun-woo’s little sister. He is a surprisingly poetic romantic.
Sun-woo family
Kim Sun-young as Kim Sun-young (Sun-woo’s mother)
A kind young widow, Sun-young dotes on her children as much as possible, probably to try to make up for their father’s absence. She struggles with her mother-in-law and does her best to keep the family afloat. With a sunny personality and an upbeat disposition, she is always looking for the best side of any situation and can make even the most bear-like person laugh.
Kim Seol as Sung Jin-Joo (Sun-woo’s little sister)
A precocious toddler in 1988, one can assume Jin-Joo was born somewhere between 1983 and 1984. Doted on by everyone in the neighborhood, Jin-Joo is adored by all of the adults and teens alike. She loves her older brother but is a bit more reserved with others.
Neighborhood residents
Choi Moo-sung as Choi Moo-sung is also called “Bonghwangdang.”
Teak’s father and the owner of a watch store at the entrance to the alley. Moo-sung moved to the neighborhood at the behest of Sun-young, whom he has known since childhood, after the death of Teak’s mother. He was adopted into the neighborhood family as he raised Taek alone. Quiet and reserved, Moo-Sung’s unassuming exterior conceals hidden depths of emotion and compassion for his son, his friends, and the neighborhood as a whole.
Yoo Jae-Myung as Ryu Jae-Myung (Dong-Yong’s father)
A dean at the boy’s high school, Jae-Myung once harbored dreams of being a dancer. Now focused on shaping the men of the future, he does his best to keep his son in check while still enjoying his life.
Extended[edit]
Lee Min-Ji as Jang Mi-ok (Duck Seon’s friend)
A wealthy student. At first, her father was shown as a scary person but later it was revealed that he was a textile businessman who started his business from scratch. A good friend to Dukedom and Ja-Hyun, she is practical and excitable. Married Kim Jung-Bong, elder brother of Kim Jung-Hwan.
Lee Se-young as Wang Ja-Hyun (Duck Seon’s friend)
A constant friend to Dukedom and Mi-ok, Ja-Hyun is focused on boys and becoming a hairstylist.
Lee Mi-Yeon as adult Sung Dukedom
Kim Joo-hyuk as adult Choi Taek
Jeon Mi-seen as adult Sung Bo-ra
Woo Hyun as adult Sung No-eul
Lee Chung-mi as Nam Goong Nelumbo
Lee Jin-Kwon a Bad student
Seo Cho-won as Supporting
Park Ah-sung as Student
Song Young Kyu as Sun-young’s older brother
Yong Young-Jae as director of Korea Baduk Association
Bae Yoo-ram
Special appearances[edit]
Kim Young-ok as Duck Seon’s grandmother (ep. 2)
Jung Won-Jong as Dong-ill’s older brother (ep. 2)
Kim Sure as snack shop owner (ep. 3)
Lee Moon-se (voice) as radio DJ (ep. 6)
Park Ji-Yoon as TV interviewer (ep. 7)
Park Jung-min as Bo-ra’s boyfriend (ep. 8)
Kim Tae-hoon as Cardiac surgeon (ep. 8)
Lee Soo-Kyung as Lee Soo-Kyung, No-Elu’s girlfriend (ep. 8)
Jung Yoo-min as Bo-ra’s friend (ep. 8)
Jung Hae-in as Ho-young, Deok-sun’s middle school friend (ep. 13)
Shin Young-jin as Class President’s mother (ep.14)
Ahn Sung-ki (ep. 17)
Jung Woo as Trash (ep.18)
Go Ara as Sung Na-Jung (ep.18)
Production[edit]
Leads Hyeri and Park Bo-gum in costume at a fan signing event for the series, February 2016
Reply 1988 marked the third collaboration between director Shin Won-ho, screenwriter Lee Woo-Jung and actors Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-Hwa after Reply 1997 (2012) and Reply 1994 (2013). Kim Sung-Kyun, who co-starred in 1994 also joined the cast. The first script-reading was held in August 2015.[12] Choi Taek, played by Park Bo-gum, was loosely based on the real-life Go player, Lee Chang-ho.[13]
Unlike the previous Reply series, 1988 focused more on filial bonds than a romance between characters with director Shin saying that most of the story was about family, and only a small fraction was about Duck-Seon’s love.[14]
Comment: period piece circa 1988 set in Ssangmoondong, a typical middle-class neighborhood in northern Seoul. End comment
Cosmos commentary:
similar to a US movie from a few years back. Two cops are linked through a mysterious connection across allowing them to collaborate to solve crime cases.
Signal (South Korean TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the South Korean TV series. For the Japanese remake, see Signal (Japanese TV series).
Signal (Korean: 시그널; RR: Diegueno) is a 2016 South Korean fantasy police procedural television series starring Lee Je-hoon, Kim Hye-soo, and Cho Jin-wrong. It aired on tvN from January 22 to March 12, 2016, on Fridays and Saturdays at 20:30 KST for 16 episodes.[2][3][4] The series was inspired by real-life criminal incidents in Korea,[5] including the Hazing.[6][7]
The series received widespread acclaim from the audience and critics alike for its story and performances. It is also the eleventh highest-rated Korean drama in cable television history with a peak audience viewership of 12.54%.
Premise[edit]
A walkie-talkie allows a detective in the year 1989 to communicate with a cold case profiler from 2015. With the power of fore- and hindsight, the two not only solve crimes but prevent them from ever taking place.
Synopsis[edit]
A criminal profiler Park Hae-young (Lee Je-hoon), solves a kidnapping case that ended up with a falsely accused who disappeared after the crime, with a mysterious walkie-talkie he picks up. The success of this case triggers the formation of a long-term cold case team, led by Detective Cha Soo-Hyun (Kim Hye-soo), who has been searching for her long-lost mentor Lee Jae-Han (Cho Jin-Wong), for the past fifteen years. With the help of Detective Lee Jae-Han, the person at the other end of the walkie-talkie, Park Hae-young solves other cold cases that have remained unsolved for years, while helping Lee Jae-can help solve some cases in the past. Grave unintended sequences follow.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Lee Je-hoon is Park Hae-young,[8] the profiler who finds the walkie-talkie by accident and uses it to solve cold cases.
Kim Hye-soo as Cha Soo-Hyun,[9] once a timid rookie and the first woman police officer in the department, leads the “Long Term Cold Case team”
Cho Jin-Wong as Lee Jae-Han,[10] the somewhat clumsy and socially inept but incorruptible police officer from the past who establishes a rapport with Park.
Supporting[edit]
Police officers
Jang Hyun-sung as Kim Bum-joo
Jung Hae-kyun as Ahn Chi-soo
Kim Won-hae as Kim Eichel
Jung Han-bi [ko] as Oh Yoon-seo
Lee Yoo-Jun [ko] as Jung Han-ki
Kim Min-kyu as Hwang Etui-kyung
Extended
Kim Hyun-bin as young Park Hae-young
Kang Chan-hee as Park Sun-woo
Lee Moon-soo as Lee Jae-Han’s father
Seo Jun-hee as Cha Soo-Hyun’s mother
Lim Hwa-young as Cha Soo-Hyun’s younger sister
Lee Jin-Kwon as Supporting
Special appearances[edit]
Oh Yeon-ah as Yoon Soo-ah (ep. 1-2)
Lee Young-eun as Kim Yoon-jung (ep. 1-2)
Lee Si-a as Kim Won-kyung (ep. 2-4)
Kim Jung-young as Won-Kyung’s aunt (ep. 2-4)
Kim Ki-Cheon as Lee Chun-goo (ep. 3-4)
Lee Dong-ha as Han Se-yo (el. 5-8)
Jung Suk-yong as Oh Kyung-tea (ep. 5-7)
Park Si-eun as Oh Eun-ji (ep. 5-6)
Choi Woo-ri as Shin Yeo-jin (ep. 5-6)
Yoo Ha-bok as Shin Dong-hoon (ep. 5-7)
Son Hyun-Joo as Jang Young-Chula (ep. 7, 11, 14, 16)
Lee Na-ra as Shin Da-Hye (ep. 7-8)
Lee Sang-year as Kim Jin-woo (ep. 9-11)
Lee Chae-Kyung as Jin-woo’s mother (ep. 10)
Seo Eun-ah as Yoo Seung-yeon (ep. 10-11)
Shin Yi-joon as Kang Hye-Seung (young / ep. 11-14)
Kim Woo-suk as Lee Dong-jin (ep. 12-14)
Hwang Seung-eon as Han Do-yeon (ep. 13)
Jeon Su-ji as Kang Hye-Seung (adult/ep. 13-14)
Seo Ji-hoon as Jang Tae-jin (ep. 14)
Upon its premiere, the series attracted attention for weaving actual cases into its plot and attained high ratings.[11][12] With its final rating of 12.54%, it is one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history.[13][14] It received praise for its solid acting, tightly-constructed plot, and detailed and sophisticated direction; and enjoyed success internationally in China and Japan.[15][16][17]
The drama went on to win several awards from different award-giving bodies, including Best Drama, Best Screenplay for Kim Eun-hee, and Best Actress for Kim Hye-soo at the 52nd Buesking Arts Awards, as well as another Best Actress award for Kim and the Dasani (Grand Prize for Television) for Cho Jin-Wong at the tvN10 Awards. Cho also won the Dasani at the 1st Asia Artist Awards for his performance.
Comment: similar to a US drama a few years ago. End comment
My Mister
My Mister (Korean: 나의 아저씨; RR: Naoi Ajose) is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Lee Sun-Kyun and Lee Ji-Eun. The series was directed by Kim Won-Seok, written by Park Hae-young, and produced by Cookable. It aired on tvN from March 21 to May 17, 2018, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:30 (KST) time slot.[2][3][4]
The drama received critical acclaim, winning Best Drama at the 55th Buesking Arts Awards.
Synopsis[edit]
My Mister tells us the story of three middle-aged brothers, who are enduring the weight of their lives, and a strong, cold woman, who has been living a hard life of her own, as they come together in healing each other’s past scars.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Lee Sun-kyun as Park Dong-hoon[1]
The second oldest of the three brothers. He works as a structural engineer and always has a safety-first approach to life. He is quiet and stoic but also goes all in for the people he loves.
Lee Ji-eun (IU) as Lee Ji-an[1]
Kim Gyu-ri as child Ji-an
A woman who is enduring many hardships in life. She is tasked by her boss who runs a company she is temporarily working for to discover Park Dong-hood’s weaknesses, but she soon ends up falling for his warm charms and learns to trust someone for the first time.
Supporting[edit]
Dong-hood’s family[edit]
Go Doo-shim as Byun Yo-soon[5]
A loving mother with three sons who worries about her eldest living apart from his family, and her youngest, who has yet to get married despite being over 40.
Park Ho-san [ko] as Park Sang-hoon[6]
Dong-hood’s eldest brother. He is a middle-aged man who was fired from his job and then ran two failing businesses, which ended up in him being chased out of his own home. Though he has to live under his mother’s roof, he’s a romanticist at heart who always thinks about ways to find happiness.
Song Sae-beak as Park Ki-hoon[1]
Dong-hood’s younger brother. He was once seen as a genius director because an independent film he shot when he was twenty was invited to the Cannes Film Festival. However, 20 years have passed since his glory days. He has yet to successfully launch his career as a movie director.
Lee Ji-ah is Kang Yoon-hee,[7] Park Dong-hood’s wife, who is having an affair with Do Joon-young, her husband’s boss who is younger than him.
Jung Young-joo [ko] as Jo Ae-Ryun.[8]
Lee Ji-ant’s family[edit]
Son Sook [ko] as Lee Bong-ae: Lee Ji-ant’s deaf grandmother.
People around Lee Ji-an[edit]
Jang Ki-yong as Lee Kwang-il[9]
A loan shark, who liked Ji-and when he was young.
Ahn Seung-gun as Song Ki-bum[10]
Ji-ant’s best friend.
Lee Young-seok [ko] as Hongdae: Kwang-ill’s partner.
People in the company[edit]
Kim Young-min [ko] as Do Joon-young[11]
Dong-hood’s college junior and Ji-ant’s boss, currently working as a CEO.
Shin Goo as Chairman Jang Hoe-jang
Jung Jae-sung [ko] as Executive Director Yoon Sang-tea
Seo Hyun-woo as Head of Section Seo
Chae Dong-hyun [ko] as Kim Dae-ri
Kim Min-seok [ko] as Yeo Hyung-kyu
Ryu Sun-young [ko] as Jung Chae-rung[12]
Dong-hoon and Ji-ant’s co-worker.
Extended[edit]
Kwon Na-ra as Choi Yoo-ra[13]
A movie actress, and Park Ki-hood’s love interest.
Park Hae-joon as Gumede
Dong-hood’s friend and has dated Jung-hee in the past.
Oh Na-ra as Jung-hee
Owner of Jung-hee’s Bar, friends with Dong-hoon.
Shin Dam-soo [ko] as Director Jung Chang-mo
Park Soo-young as Je-Cheol
Hospital Playlist
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Hospital Playlist (Korean: 슬기로운 의사생활; Hanja: 슬기로운
The series follows five doctors in their 40s who have been best friends since they entered medical school in 1999. Lee Ik-Jun (Jo Jung-suk) is an assistant professor of general surgery specializing in liver transplants. He takes care of his young son as a single father after getting divorced from his adulterous wife. His cheerful charisma allows him to connect with many people, making him a popular figure among both patients and other doctors. Unapologetically good at anything he puts his mind to, Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon-Seok), an assistant professor of pediatric surgery, is generous and caring, endearing him to his patients. He is a devout Catholic and secretly plans to become a priest due to the pain caused by seeing his patients suffer. Kim Jun-wan (Jung Kyung-ho) is an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery, who appears cold and professional. However, he hides a soft, kind temperament that rarely shows, only surfacing with his friends and certain patients. Yang Seok-Hyeong (Kim Dae-Myung), an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, is an aloof and introverted doctor. Though he comes off as detached, he is willing to go the extra mile for the female patients under his watch. He is divorced and deeply cares for his mother. Chae Song-Hwa (Jeon Mi-do), the only female in the group of friends, is an associate professor of neurosurgery. She is considered perfect by her colleagues: she treats patients kindly, performs hundreds of successful surgeries, and has a great personality.
The story revolves around a group of friends as they embark on hospital adventures involving medicine, music, and relationships.
Cast[edit]
Overview[edit]
Main[edit]
Jo Jung-suk as Lee Ik-Jun, an assistant professor of general surgery.
Yoo Yeon-Seok as Ahn Jeong-won, an assistant professor of pediatric surgery.
Jung Kyung-ho as Kim Jun-wan, an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery.
Kim Dae-Myung is Yang Seok-Hyeong, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology.
Jeon Mi-do as Chae Song-Hwa, an associate professor of neurosurgery.[11]
Supporting[edit]
Doctors[edit]
Shin Hyun-bin as Jang Gyro-wool, a third-year resident in general surgery.
Jung Moon-sung as Do Jae-hack, chief resident of cardiothoracic surgery.
Ahn Eun-jin as Choo Min-ha, a second-year resident in obstetrics and gynecology.[12]
Kim Jun-Han is Ahn Chi-Hong, a third-year resident in neurosurgery.
Moon Tae-you as Yong Seok-min, chief resident of neurosurgery.
Ha Yoon-Kyung as Heo Sun-bin, a third-year resident in neurosurgery.
Choi Young-Joon as Bong Gwang-Hyun, assistant professor of emergency medicine.
Seo Jin-won as Min Gi-Joon, professor of neurosurgery.
Kim Hye-in as Myung Eun-won, a second-year resident in obstetrics and gynecology.[13]
Choi Young-woo as Cheon Myung-tea, professor of cardiothoracic surgery.
Shin Do-Hyun as Bae Joon-hee, the fellow in emergency medicine.
Jeon Kwang-jin as Jong Se-hyuk, the fellow in orthopedic surgery.
Lee Se-hee as Kang So-ye, one-year Fellow in emergency medicine [14]
Woo Jung-won as Yom Se-hee, Professor of Stainbrook [15]
Lee Jong-won as Kim Geon [16]
Lee Jung-won as Hwang Ji-woo, second-year surgeon [17]
Nurses and medical students[edit]
Kim Soo-jin as Song Soo-bin, surgical ward nurse.
Yoon Hye-RI as So Yi-Hyun, cardiothoracic surgery medical assistant.
Yang Jo-ah as Hwang Jae-shin, neurosurgery medical assistant.
Lee Noh-ah as Lee Young-ha, surgical ward nurse.
Lee Dal as Kim Jae-hwan, surgical ward nurse.
Lee Hye-Eun as Kook Hye-sung, general surgery medical assistant.
Lee Ji-won as Han Hyun-hee, pediatric surgery medical assistant.
Lee Jong-won as Kim Geon-run, second-year surgeon major.
Kim Ji-sung as Han Seung-Joo, obstetrics and gynecology delivery room nurse.
Seol Yu-jin as Eun Sun-jin, obstetrics, and gynecology medical assistant.
Kim Bi-bi as Ham Deok-Joo, transplant coordinator.
Park Han-sol as Sun woo Hee-soo, emergency room nurse.
Cho Yi-hyun as Jang Yun-bok, third-year medical student.[18]
Bae Hyun-sung as Jang Hong-do, third-year medical student.
Kim Kang-min as Im Chang-min, intern.
Lee Chan-Hyung as Choi Seon-young, intern.
Chae Min-hee as So-Yeon, [19]
Family members of the main characters[edit]
Kwak Sun-young is Lee Ik-sun, Ik-Joon’s younger sister and Jun-win’s girlfriend.
Kim Joon as Lee Woo-Joo, Ik-Joon’s son.
Kim Hae-sook as Jung Rosa, Jeong-won’s mother.
Sung Dong-il is Jeong-won’s eldest brother.
Kim Kapp-soo as Joo Jong-soo, president of the Yule Foundation.
Cho Seung-Yeon as Joo Jun, director of Yule Medical Center.
Moon Hee-Kyung as Cho Young-Hye, Seok-Yeong’s mother.
Nam Myung-real as Yang Tae-yang, Seok-Hyeon’s father.
Lee So-Yoon is Kim Tae-yeon, Yang Tae-yang’s mistress.
Comments: Like a Korean version of Gray’s Anatomy? End Comment
Flower of Evil
Flower of Evil (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Flower of Evil (Korean: 악의 꽃; RR: Ague knot) is a South Korean television series starring Lee Joon-gi, Moon Chae-won, Jang Hee-jin, and Seo Hyun-woo.[1][2][3] It aired on tvN every Wednesday and Thursday from July 29 to September 23, 2020,[4] and streamed internationally on Iliya, Viki, and Vito with multi-languages subtitles. Lee and Moon have previously starred in Criminal Minds, and it was Lee’s return to television after two years.[5]
Synopsis[edit]
Baek Hee-sung (Lee Joon-gi) is a man who hides his identity and past from his wife Cha Ji-won (Moon Chae-won), a detective. On the surface, they appear to be the perfect family: a loving couple with a beautiful daughter who adores her parents. Cha Ji-won and her colleagues begin investigating a series of unexplained murders and are confronted with the reality that her seemingly perfect husband may be hiding something from her.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Lee Joon-gi as Baek Hee-sung / Do Hyun-soo[1]
Park Hyun-joon as young Hyun-soo
Cha Sung-je as child Hyun-soo
Moon Chae-won as Cha Ji-won, Hee-sung/Hyun-soo’s wife[1]
Jang Hee-jin as Do Hae-soo[2]
Lim Na-young as teenage Hae-soo, Hyun-soo’s older sister[6]
Lee Chae-Yoon as eleven-year-old Hae-soo
Seo Hyun-woo as Kim Moo-jin, journalist[3]
Jeong Taek-hyun as young Moo-jin[7]
Supporting[edit]
Baek Hee-sung & Cha Ji-won’s family[edit]
Jung Seo-Yeon as Baek Eun-ha, daughter of Hee-sung and Ji-won[8]
Son Jong-hakas Baek Man-woo, Hee-Sung’s father[9]
Nam Gi-ae as Gong Mi-Ja, Hee-Sung’s mother[10]
Jo Kyung-sook as Moon Young-ok, Ji-won’s mother[11]
Kanoo Police Station[edit]
Choi Dae-hoon as Lee Woo-Cheol, leader of Homicide Investigation Team[10]
Choi Young-Joon as Choi Jae-sub, veteran detective[10]
Kim Soo Oh as Im Ho-Joon, youngest team member[10]
Lim Cha-ching as Yoon Sang-pill, section chief[10]
Hong Seo-Joon as Oh Young-Joon, police captain
Hanoian Magazine[edit]
Yang Hye-jin as Gang Pill-young, lead reporter[10]
Ju Ye-Eun as Reporter Joo
Others[edit]
Choi Byung-mo as Do Min-seok, father of Hae-soo and Hyun-soo
Kim Ji-hoon as Baek Hee-sung
Choi Kwon-soo as young Hee-sung
Lee Kyu-bok as Nam Soon-gill
Kim Geon as Kim In-seo
Lee Ju-Yeon as Park Seo-young
Han Soo-Yeon as Jung Mi-sook
Yoon Byung-hee as Park Kyung-chon, taxi driver and husband of Jung Mi-sook
Park Seung-tea as Oh Bok-ja
Kim Ki-Cheon as Dr. Lee Hyun-suk
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15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
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15 | 66 min | Comedy, Romance
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TV-Y | 70 min | Comedy, Drama, History
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15 | 65 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
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Stars: Woo-Sik Choi, Seok-won Jeong, Yu-mi Jeong, Han Ji-min
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Stars: Lee Da-have, Lee Dong-Wook, Lee Joon-Gi, Si-Yeon Park
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15 | 70 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
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Stars: Han Hyo-jook, Lee Seung-gi, Moon Chae-Won, Soo-bin Bae
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15 | 65 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Kim Tae-hee plays Lee Seal, an ordinary college student who finds out she’s a princess and the great-granddaughter of Korea’s last Emperor. But life can be complicated for a princess in this funny, quirky melodrama.
Stars: Song Seung-Heon, Kim Tae-hee, Park Yeon, Soo-young Ryu
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Na Ae-ra (Lee Min-Jung) and Cha Jung-woo (Joo Sang-wok) got married young. Ae-ra wanted to have steady life but Jung-woo business led them to lots of debt and hard work so she broke off … See full summary »
Stars: Lee Min-Jung, Sang-UK Joo, Gyu-Ri, Seo Kang-Joon
- All About My Romance(2013– )
A conservative government party member falls for the feisty young leader of an upstart liberal party in this Korean romantic comedy.
Stars: Shin Ha-kin, Lee Min-Jung, Hee-soon Park, Chae-Ah Han
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TV-Y | 65 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After a long stretch of unemployment, No Eon Seol lands a job as secretary to Cha Ji Heon the youngest son of a rich family. However, her secretary duties go beyond the ordinary, helping her boss cope and function in normal society.
Stars: Gi-soo Byion, Hwa-Yeon Cha, Kang-hee Choi, Jeong Gyu-Su
- The King 2 Hearts(2012)
15 | 65 min | Action, Drama, Romance
The crown prince of South Korea is forced to work alongside a female North Korean military officer. Political and emotional complications lead to an uneasy marriage engagement.
Stars: Lee Seung-gi, Ha Ji-Won, Jo Jung-Suk, Jason-Patrick Taylor
- Bool-up Eosin Jungyi(2013– )
15 | Drama, History, Romance
A Historical drama about Yoo Jung, also known as Jung Yi, the first female potter in the Joseon Dynasty and regarded as the dojo of Shin taro porcelain. ‘Yoo Jung’ is based on the real … See full summary »
Stars: Moon Geun-young, Sang-Yoon Lee, Kim Bum, Keon-Hyeong Park
- Nae Yeojachinguneun Gumshoe(2010)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Chae Die Wong, an aspiring actor, unwillingly releases a Gumshoe, a legendary nine-tailed fox, from her centuries-old prison. He runs away terrified and ends up injuring himself badly, but she saves his life and asks him to stay by his side.
Stars: Shin Min-a, Lee Seung-gi, Min-woo No, Park Soo-Jin
Votes: 2,693
- Naege Geothermally Haebwa(2011)
15 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.2
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A woman, jealous when her friend steals her first love and marries him, lies that she is married too. The lie ensnares a hotel president who goes along with the lie for his reasons. Will the lie become reality?
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Votes: 1,257
- Un-Myong-Cheol-eom neol sa-rang-hae(2014)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Romance
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A touching Korean drama filled with comedy about a girl who finds happiness, friendship, and love in the most unexpected way!
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Votes: 2,036
- Shinai (2012)
60 min | Drama, Fantasy, History
8
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When the queen-to-be of medieval Korea is badly wounded, Captain Choi Young uses a wormhole to “heaven,” which is 21st-century South Korea, to bring back the spoiled Dr. Yoo Eon-Soo who becomes a pawn in a game of human chess.
Stars: Kim Hee-seen, Yoon Kyun-Sang, Lee Min-Ho, Deok-Hwan Ryu
Votes: 2,256
- The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince(2007)
15 | 55 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
8.2
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A tomboy, mistaken for a lad, maintains the deception for the sake of employment. The situation becomes complicated when her male boss begins to develop feelings for this “boy.”
Stars: Gong Yoo, Yun Geun-Hye, Sun-Kyun Lee, Jeong-an Chae
Votes: 4,627
- 동이(2010)
TV-Y | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
8
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Story a simple maid that rises high in the royal harem as a consort and, ultimately, mother of the Korean king.
SARS: Han Hyo-Joo, Julia Lim, Kim Yoo-Jeong, Da-Min Han
Votes: 1,349
- Love in the Moonlight(2016)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.8
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The unlikely love story between a crown prince and his eunuch.
Stars: Park Bo-Gum, Kim Yoo-Jeong, Chae Soo-bin, Kwak Dong-Yeon
Votes: 2,344
- She Was Pretty(2015)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Romance
7.7
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When Ji Sung-Joon was young, he was ugly. As he grew up, he began to have an attractive appearance. When Kim Hye-Jin was young, she was pretty. As she grew up, she became ugly. Ji Sung-Joon tries to find his first love.
Stars: Hwang Jeong-elm, Seo Jun Park, Jun-hee Ko, Si Won Choi
Votes: 4,025
- Bimal (2013)
15 | Drama, Romance
8.1
Rate
A devoted woman makes the ultimate sacrifice for her boyfriend, only to learn that love doesn’t always conquer all. Yoo Jeong (Hwang Jeong Elum) is a sweet, upbeat person who has always … See full summary »
Stars: Hwang Jeong-elm, Seong Ji, Soo-bin Bae, Lee Da-hee
Votes: 1,031
- Naemsaereul Boneen Sonyeo(2015)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
7.1
Rate
Detective Tae Ho lost his younger sister to a barcode-murder case and lost his ability to taste, smell, and feel pain. He then meets Oh Cho Rim, the only witness to the murder case who possesses a special sense: she can see smells.
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Votes: 1,023
- Sesang Eddied Eobneun Chakhan Namja(2012)
15 | 60 min | Drama
7.8
Rate
Kang Ma-Ru is a promising medical student until he takes the blame for a crime he didn’t commit. When he finds an opportunity for revenge, he takes it, using Seo Eon-Gi. Ma-Ru soon … See full summary »
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Votes: 1,604
- Descendants of the Sun(2016)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
8.3
Rate
This drama tells of the love story that develops between a surgeon and a special forces officer.
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Votes: 11,373
- Haideu, Jail, Na(2015)
15 | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7
Rate
Koo Seo-Jin (Hyun-Bin) has two different personalities. One of his personalities is cold like Hyde and the other is sweet like Jekyll.
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Votes: 986
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15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.8
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A lawyer in her thirties coming out of a long relationship decides to regain her figure and health after meeting a renowned personal trainer who obsesses with leading a healthy lifestyle after suffering a serious injury in his childhood.
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Votes: 3,817
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15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
8.1
Rate
A rich young CEO falls for a poor stuntwoman despite class differences, cultural traditions, and the man’s firmly objecting mother.
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Votes: 5,961
- Gamy eon (2015)
15 | Drama, Romance
7.8
Rate
Ji-sook facing a hard time because of her father’s debts and begin being chased by moneylenders. When a series of things happen Ji-sook has to live with Eon Ha’s identity (a Woman from an elite family) because she looks exactly like Eon Ha.
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Votes: 344
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Not Rated | Drama, Romance
6.9
Rate
At 42-years-old, Kwon Yolo (Lee Beom Soo) is South Korea’s youngest prime minister ever. On top of his reputation of being an honest man of the utmost integrity, he’s also a widower who … See full summary »
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Votes: 332
- Pool ha-woo-sue(2004)
TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Romance
7.9
Rate
In a bid to reacquire her childhood home, a free-spirited woman agrees to a sham marriage with a selfish actor. Their daily lives are complicated by overlapping love triangles and comic misadventures.
Stars: Song Hye-Kyo, Rain, Eun-Jeong, Seong-su Kim
Votes: 3,112
- Kawagoe (2005– )
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.6
Rate
Chun-Hyang is smart and sassy and becomes involved with good-looking Mongering. His first love Chae-rim enters the picture. An older man, Hak-do, pursues her. Will they find their way back to each other?
Stars: Chae-young Han, Hee Jae, Tae-wooing Edom, Si-Eun Park
Votes: 442
- Mary Stayed Out All Night(2010)
65 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
6.8
Rate
Wi Mae Ri is the cheerful, pragmatic daughter of a failed businessman who had grown used to being constantly on the move to escape from loan sharks. She becomes fast friends with the … See full summary »
Stars: Moon Geun-young, Hyo-Jin, Kim Jae-Wook, Hyo-jin Kim
Votes: 719
- City Hunter(2011)
TV-Y | 60 min | Action, Romance, Thriller
8.1
Rate
Lee Yun-song was trained by his father’s best friend to get revenge on the government for killing everyone in his father’s unit.
Stars: Lee Min-Ho, Park Min-Young, Sang-Jung Kim, Ho-jin Chun
Votes: 5,220
- Neon Neace Banhaesseo(2011)
65 min | Drama, Music, Romance
7.2
Rate
A series of misunderstandings causes Lee Shin, the cocky leader of “The Stupid” and Lee Guy-won, a student majoring in Traditional Korean Music to start on the wrong foot. Until she sees him performing live, and is immediately captivated.
Stars: Yong-hwa Jung, Park Shin-Hye, Chang-up Song, Yi-Hyeon So
Votes: 1,645
- Anderman (2015)
15 | 70 min | Comedy, Drama
7.6
Rate
This drama is about Jo Gang-JA, a mother who was known as a tough girl in high school. Her daughter Ah-ran is bullied at school and when Gang-JA finds out, she makes it her responsibility … See full summary »
Stars: Kim Hee-seen, Kim Yoo-Jeong, Hyun-Woo Ji, Ji Soo
Votes: 443
- Nae mi-eum-i deul-li-da(2011–)
65 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.8
Rate
Can You Hear My Heart features Hallyu stars Kim Jae Won, Hwang Jung Elum, and Nam Goong Min in this romantic drama that shows us love in defiance of physical limitations? Dong Joo (played by … See full summary »
Stars: Jae-won Kim, Hwang Jeong-elm, Min Namkoong, Lee Hye-Yeong
Votes: 169
- Jang Ok-Jung, Sarang-e Salda(2013)
15 | Drama, History, Romance
7.5
Rate
Life Of Jang Ok Jung, Later Known as Jang Hee Bin, was one of the most famous Concubines of The Joseon Dynasty who was known for her hunger for power.
Stars: Kim Tae-hee, Yoo Ah-in, Geon-Ju Lee, Soo-Hyun Hong
Votes: 212
- Marriage Contract(2016)
15 | 75 min | Drama
7.6
Rate
Ji-Hoon (Lee Seo-Jin) has a cynical personality due to his family background. Even though he comes from a rich family, his mother had an affair with a married man and they had Ji-Hoon. From… See full summary »
Stars: Seo-jin Lee, Kim You-Jin, Yoo-Ri Kim, Kim Kwang-guy
Votes: 557
- Won-deo-pool la-i-pea(2005– )
Comedy, Romance
7.2
Rate
The story of Xu Tian who suffers big blows both in his love and work life. When he decides to leave America, where he has been living for 10 years, and returns to his home country, luck is not on his side.
Stars: Frank Powers, Jun-yong Choi, Eun-Jeong, Hyeon Ju
Votes: 106
- Dream High(2011–2012)
15 | 70 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
7.6
Rate
Dream High tells the story of six students at Kirin Art High School who work to achieve their dreams of becoming music stars in the Korean music industry. Go Hye Mi is a student who sings … See full summary »
Stars: J.Y. Park, Jin-won Jung, Ji-eon Lee, Kim Soo-Hyun
Votes: 2,549
- Personal Taste(2010)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.4
Rate
The surprise hit of 2010, Personal Taste (aka Personal Preference) garnered high ratings and a huge fanbase in a comedy that proves true love is found in the most unlikely places. Quirky … See full summary »
Stars: Son Ye-jin, Lee Min-Ho, Nam-Gil Kim, Ji-Seok Kim
Votes: 3,713
- Baegnyeon-ui Sibu(2014)
15 | 67 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
7.1
Rate
The Taeyang Corporation is the largest conglomerate in South Korea. The family that runs Taeyang has been under a curse for hundred years that the first bride of the eldest son will always … See full summary »
Stars: Jin-Sung Yang, Hong-ki Lee, Jung-Hee Nam
DP
Cosmos’s Commentary:
A gripping drama based on true events about life in the Korean military and why some soldiers run away from their obligations amid the constant harassment and strict discipline of the Korean military. This drama hit a nerve among many Koreans who recall their trouble times in the military. The military has announced that they are discontinuing the DP unit but swore it had nothing to do with this drama.
D.P. (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| D.P. |
| Promotional poster |
|
| Korean |
디피 |
| Genre |
Drama
Military |
| Based on |
D.P Dog’s Day
by Kim Bo-tong |
| Screenplay by |
Kim Bo-tong
Han Jun-hee |
| Directed by |
Han Jun-hee |
| Starring |
Jung Hae-in
Koo Kyo-hwan
Kim Sung-kyun
Son Seok-Koo |
| Composer |
Primary |
| Country of origin |
South Korea |
| Original language |
Korean |
| No. of episodes |
6 |
| Production |
| Executive producers |
Bien Seung-min
Han Jun-hee |
| Producer |
Kim Dong-min |
| Cinematography |
Yoo Ji-sun |
| Editor |
Park Min-sun |
| Running time |
45–55 minutes |
| Production companies |
Climax Studio
Shortcake |
| Distributor |
Netflix |
| Release |
| Original network |
Netflix |
| Original release |
August 27, 2021 |
D.P. (an acronym for Deserter Pursuit) is a South Korean streaming television series directed by Han Jun-hee, from a screenplay by Kim Bo-tong and Han, based on the Lezhin webtoon D.P Dog’s Day by Kim. The series stars Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-kyun, and Son Seok-Koo.[1][2] It premiered in six parts on Netflix on August 27, 2021.[3][4]
Synopsis[edit]
Set in 2014, D.P. tells the story of a team of Korean military police with their mission to catch deserters.
The series magnifies the undesirable nature of the military, especially within a South Korean context. The widespread bullying and hazing as well as the mindset for the “survival of the fittest” are rife, with those presumed the “weakest” thrown to the bottom of the pile and served horrifying experiences at the hands of their superiors and compatriots.
Private Ahn Joon-ho and Corporal Han Ho-Yul both team up to find the deserters, and end up on an adventurous journey.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Jung Hae-in as Private Ahn Joon-ho
Koo Kyo-hwan as Corporal Han Ho-Yul
Kim Sung-Kyun as Sergeant First Class Park Bum-gu
Son Seok-Koo as Captain Im Ji-sup
Supporting[edit]
Jo Hyun-churl as Jo Suk-bong
Shin Seung-ho as Hwang Jang-soo
Park Se-joon as Heo Ki-young
Park Jung-woo as Shin Woo-suk
Kim Dong-young as Choi Joon-mok
Lee Jun-young as Jung Hyun-min
Choi Joon-young as Heo Chi-do
Moon Sang-hoon as Kim Roo-ri
Hyun Bong-sik as Chun Yong-duck
Hong Kyung as Ryu Yi-Kang
Bae Yoo-ram as Kim Kyu
Han Woo-Yul as Tae Sung-goon
Guest[edit]
Go Kyung-pyro as Corporal Park Sung-woo (Ep. 1)
Kwon Hae-Hyo as Ahn Joon-ho’s father (Eps. 1, 3–4)
Lee Seol as Shin Woo-Seok’s sister (Eps. 1 & 6)
Lee Jong-ok as an hinoeuma employee (Ep. 2)
Development[edit]
In late June 2020, Lashing officially announced that Lashing Studio and Homemade Film would co-produce a 6-part adaptation of the hit webtoon D.P: Dog Days by Kim Bo-tong, to be released exclusively through Netflix.[5][6] The story is based on Kim’s own experience during his mandatory military service.[7]
Director and co-writer Han Jun-hee had wanted to work on the webtoon’s adaptation “for five or six years [before he] finally got a chance” to do so.[8] Though Ahn Joon-ho is a Corporal in the webtoon, Han wanted him to be a Private in the series so people could “resonate with the story and consider Joon-ho as a friend who just started his military service.”[9]
Casting[edit]
On September 3, 2020, Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-Kyun, and Son Seok-Koo were confirmed to star in the series.[10][11] Koo’s character does not appear in the webtoon, which he found “hard but exciting to portray a character exclusive to the series.”[12] To prepare for his role, Koo received help from his road manager who was part of the D.P. team during his military service.[13] As for Jung, he practiced boxing for three months before filming began, to do his action scenes.[14]
Kim Bo-tong, who wrote the webtoon and co-wrote the series, commented that he “never dreamed of such a cast. They fit so perfectly into their roles that it seems like the roles were written for them.”[15]
Filming[edit]
Principal photography began in the summer of 2020.[16]
Reception[edit]
Audience viewership[edit]
Following its release, the series topped Netflix’s Top 10 in South Korea.[17]
Critical response[edit]
William Schwartz of Han Cinema praised Jung Hae-in‘s acting, commenting that he “is sublime here, in a brooding cinematic role radically different from the romances he’s better known for.” He added that “D.P. is worth watching, not just by people curious what South Korean mandatory military service is like, but anyone from any country who’s seriously thinking about joining up.”[18]
Pierce Conran of the South China Morning Post gave the series a 4.5/5 rating, noting that “D.P. hits home with a story that spans the past and present, as it acknowledges that yesterday’s problems can still be today’s.” He also praised the cinematography as well as Jung and Koo’s “electric chemistry”.[19] Daniel Hart of Ready Steady Cut also rated the series 4.5 stars out of 5, describing it as “the finest K-Drama mini-series this year.”[20]
Greg Wheeler of The Review Geek rated the series 4.3/5, noting that “D.P. is a stunning Korean drama [which] takes an unflinching look at bullying, the effect it has on mental health and larger societal questions about the mandatory military service in Korea” and praising the series for its “impressive” cinematography and for the way it “explore[s] a very sensitive and prevalent topic in a raw, artistic and unflinching way.”[21]
In a mixed review, Hitzig Jumaine of NME gave the series a 3/5 rating, commenting that “Kim Bo-tong and Han Jun-hee must be given credit for how this series tackles such extraordinarily difficult and tragic subject matter with compassion and sensitivity”, and praising the “uniformly excellent performances, splendid cinematography, addictive pacing, and intrepid commitment to shedding light on the appalling culture of bullying in the military”, but criticizing the “weak characterization [of the] three main leads” as well as the “ludicrous escalation of events during its climax, which suddenly turns a fairly grounded show into a melodramatic action thriller.”[22]
Cosmos’s Commentary:
Squid Games
The top show on Netflix is not only in the US but also in Korea. Reminiscent of both the “Maze”, the “Hunger Games”, and the” Cube “ but done in a K Drama way. And addictive!
Squid Game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
navigation Jump
Squid Game (Korean: 오징어게임; RR: Jingle Gem) is a South Korean survival drama streaming television series written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk. The nine-episode series, starring Lee Jung-Jae, Park Hae-soo, and Wi Ha-Joon, tells the story of a group of people who risk their lives in a mysterious survival game with a ₩45.6 billion (US$38.7 million) prize.[2][3] It was released worldwide on September 17, 2021, by Netflix.[4][5]
Premise
Four hundred and fifty-six people, who have all struggled financially in life, are invited to play a mysterious survival competition. Competing in a series of traditional children’s games but with deadly twists, they risk their lives to compete for a ₩45.6 billion (US$38.5 million) prize.
Cast and characters
Players
Main characters[6]
Lee Jung-Jae as Seong Gi-Hun (No. 456)[7]
A chauffeur and a gambling addict, he lives with his mother and struggles to financially support his daughter. He participates in the Game to settle his many debts.
Park Hae-soo as Cho Sang-woo (No. 218)
The head of the investment team at a securities company, he was a junior to Gi-Hun, and was a gifted student who entered Seoul National University, but is now wanted by the police for stealing money from his clients.
Oh Yeong-su as Oh Il-name (No. 001)
An elderly man with a brain tumor prefers playing the Game to waiting to die on the outside.
Hyeon Jung as Kang Sae-beak (No. 067)
A North Korean defector enters the Game to pay for a broker that can find and retrieve her surviving family members from the country.
Heo Sung-tea as Jang Deok-su (No. 101)
A gangster enters the Game to settle his massive gambling debts.
Anupam Tripathi as Abdul Ali (No. 199)
A foreign worker from Pakistan enters the Game to provide for his young family after his employer refuses to pay him for months.
Kim Joo-young as Han Mi-nyao (No. 212)
A mysterious and manipulative woman who claims to be a poor single mother.[8]
Supporting characters
Yoo Sung-joo as Byeong-gi (No. 111)
A doctor secretly works with a group of corrupt guards trafficking dead participants’ organs in exchange for information on upcoming games.
Lee Yoo-mi as Ji-Yeong (No. 240)
A young woman was just released from prison after killing her abusive father.
Kim Si-Hyun as No. 244
A pastor who finds his faith again in the Game.
Minor characters
Lee Sang-hee as No. 017
A glass-maker with more than 30 years’ experience.
Kim Yun-tea as No. 069
A player who joins the Game with his wife, No. 070
Lee Ji-ha as No. 070
A player who joins the game with her husband, No. 069
Kwak Ja-young as No. 278
A player who joins Deok-sun’s group and acts as his henchman.
Chris Chan / Chris Lag hit[9] as No. 276
A player who joins Seong Gi-Hun’s group on the Tug of War round.
Game staff
Gong Yoo is a salesman who recruits participants for the Game (Special appearance, Episodes 1 and 9)[10]
Lee Byung-Hun as The Front Man (Special appearance, Episodes 8–9)
Civilians
Main characters
Wi Ha-joon as Hwang Jun-ho[11]
A police officer sneaks into the Game to find his missing brother.
Supporting characters
Kim Young-ok as Gi-Hun’s mother
Cho Ah-in as Seong Ga-Yeong, Gi-Hun’s daughter
Kang Mal-gum as Gi-Hun’s ex-wife and Ga-Yeong’s mother
Park Hye-jin as Sang-woo’s mother
Park Si-wan as Kang Cheol, Sae-book’s brother
English cast (dubbing)
Greg Chun as Seong Gi-Hun
Stephen Fu as Cho Sang-woo
Paul Nakache as Jang Deok-su
Hideo Kimura as Oh Il-name
Vivian Lu as Kang Sae-beak
Rama Valéry as Abdul Ali
Tom Choi as Front Man
Donald Chang as Hwang Jun-ho
Stephanie Komura as Han Mi-nyao
Yuki Luna as Ji-yeong
Cosmos’s Commentary:
Move to Heaven is a heart-wrenching drama about a “Rain man” like character who worked with his father in a trauma clean-up business cleaning up after the recently deceased. His father dies and his father’s deadbeat brother shows up as his guardian.
Move to Heaven (Korean: 무브 투 헤븐: 나는 유품정리사입니다; RR: Mubeen to hereon: Naneun yupumjeongnisaimnida) is a South Korean streaming television series directed by Kim Sung-ho and written by Yoon Ji-rye on. It is an original Netflix series, starring Lee Je-hoon, Tang Joon-sang, Ji Jin-hee, Lee Jae-Wook, and Hong Seung-hee. The series follows Geu-ru (Tang Joon-sang), a young man with Asperger syndrome, and Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon), his guardian. Working as trauma cleaners, they uncover untold stories.[1][2] The series was released worldwide by Netflix on May 14, 2021.[3]
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Ji-Hoon (Lee Seo-Jin) has a cynical personality due to his family background. Even though he comes from a rich family, his mother had an affair with a married man and they had Ji-Hoon. From… See full summary »
Stars: Seo-jin Lee, Kim You-Jin, Yoo-Ri Kim, Kim Kwang-guy
Votes: 557
- Won-deo-pool la-i-pea(2005– )
Comedy, Romance
7.2
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The story of Xu Tian who suffers big blows both in his love and work life. When he decides to leave America, where he has been living for 10 years, and returns to his home country, luck is not on his side.
Stars: Frank Powers, Jun-yong Choi, Eun-Jeong, Hyeon Ju
Votes: 106
- Dream High(2011–2012)
15 | 70 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
7.6
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Dream High tells the story of six students at Kirin Art High School who work to achieve their dreams of becoming music stars in the Korean music industry. Go Hye Mi is a student who sings … See full summary »
Stars: J.Y. Park, Jin-won Jung, Ji-eon Lee, Kim Soo-Hyun
Votes: 2,549
- Personal Taste(2010)
15 | 60 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
7.4
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The surprise hit of 2010, Personal Taste (aka Personal Preference) garnered high ratings and a huge fanbase in a comedy that proves true love is found in the most unlikely places. Quirky … See full summary »
Stars: Son Ye-jin, Lee Min-Ho, Nam-Gil Kim, Ji-Seok Kim
Baegnyeon-ui Sibu(2014)
Reflection of You
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Reflection of You (Korean: 너를 닮은 사람; RR: Neoreul Dalm-eun Saram; lit. Someone Who Looks Like You) is a South Korean television series directed by Lim Hyeon-wook and starring Go Hyun-Jung, Shin Hyun-been, Choi Won-young, and Kim Sang-ho.[1] Based on a novel by writer Jung So-Hyeon, the series tells the story of a woman who leaves the conditioned lifestyle of ‘wife and mother’ for a brief period and becomes faithful to her desires, and another woman who comes in contact with her in that short span and loses the light of her life.[2][3] It premiered on JTBC on October 13, 2021, and airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:30 KST.[4] The series is available worldwide on Netflix.[5]
Synopsis[edit]
Jeong Hee-Joo (Go Hyun-Jung) had a tough time during her youth but becomes a successful painter and essayist. Her husband, Ahn Hyeon-Seong (Choi Won-young), is a rich and powerful person. With their two children, they enjoy perfect family life, but Hee-Joo feels like she is spending her time pointlessly. She meets Gu Hae-won (Shin Hyun-been), an art teacher who lacks worldly means but is still full of life.
A successful painter and essayist, daughter-in-law of Taerim Corporation.[6]
A substitute art teacher at Taerim Girls’ Middle School.[7]
A sculptor and Hae-won’s senior from art school.[8]
Hee-Joo’s husband, Principal of Taerim Girls’ Middle School and Chairman of Taerim Foundation.
Supporting[edit]
People around Jeong Hee-joo[edit]
Hee-Joo’s mother-in-law, Director of Taerim Hospital.
Hee-Joo’s younger brother, physiotherapist at Taerim Hospital.[11]
Hee-Joo’s sister-in-law, Chief of Neurosurgery at Taerim Hospital.
- Hong Seo-jun as Lee Hyung-ki
Mineo’s husband, a legal counselor for Taerim Foundation.[12]
Hee-joo’s teenage daughter, a 3rd grader at Taerim Girls’ Middle School.[13]
Hee-Joo’s son, a kindergartener.
- Park Seong-Yeon as Lee Dong-mi
Hee-Joo’s friend, owner of the fishing grounds.[14]
- Yang Jo-ah as Lisa’s new tutor[15]
People around Gu Hae-won[edit]
- Lee Ho-jae as Gu Kwang-mo
Hae-won’s grandfather.
Hae-won’s mother, a cosmetics door-to-door seller.[16]
The owner of a new bar in Hae-won’s neighborhood.[17]
- Shin Hye-Ji as Lee Joo-young[18]
Ahn Lisa’s classmate and best friend, who records everything on her phone.
- Seo Jin-won as Lee Il-Seong
A former professional billiards player, who maintains a billiard room. Lee Joo-young’s father.[19]
Director of Hwain Gallery.[20]
A curator at Hwain Gallery.
Mother of Jeong Sun-woo’s late friend.
Hellbound (Korean: 지옥; Hanja: 地獄; RR: Jiok) is a South Korean streaming television series directed by Yeon Sang-ho, based on his own webtoon of the same title. The first work in the Jiok was an 11 minutes short animation directed by Yeon Sang-ho in 2002. The series is an original Netflix release about supernatural angels appearing out of nowhere to condemn people to hell, starring Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Won Jin-ah and Yang Ik-june.[2][3][4][5]
The pilot of series premiered at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival in the Primetime program of TV series on September 9, 2021 and became the first Korean drama to make it to the festival.[6][7] It was released on Netflix on November 19, 2021.
Contents
Synopsis[edit]
‘Hellbound’ occurs in a fantasy version of Earth, wherein supernatural creatures from hell suddenly materialize to drag humans to Hell. Bound to a metaphysical approach, it exposes the duality of not allowing your light to come forth and only slowing your dark to expose itself.
While episodes 1-3 focus on Jin Kyeong-hoon, a detective investigating the happenings, and Jeong Jin-soo, the chairman of the New Truth, episodes 4-6 take place 5 years later and focuses on Bae Young-jae, a PD who has to struggle with the fact that his newborn baby is bound for hell.
Supporting[edit]
- Kim Do-yoon as Lee Dong-wook, ex-leader of Arrowhead
- Kim Shin-rok as Park Jeong-ja
- Ryu Kyung-sooas Yoo Ji, priest of the cult
- Lee Reas Jin Hee-jeong, Jin Kyeong-hoon’s daughter
- Im Hyeong-guk as Gong Hyeong-joon, sociology professor[13]
Production[edit]
In April 2020, Netflix approved production of an original series based upon the webtoon Hellbound, written and drawn by Yeon Sang-ho. Yeon signed on direct the series.[14]
In late July, Yoo Ah-in, Park Jeong-min, Kim Hyun-joo, Won Jin-ah, Yang Ik-jun, Kim Shin-rok, Ryu Kyung-soo and Lee Re were confirmed to play various roles in the series.[10][15][16] On February 25, 2021, the director and the cast of the Hellbound introduced the TV series in Netflix content roadshow.[17]
Release[edit]
The series had its world premiere at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, when the first three episodes were screened in ‘Primetime’ section on September 9, 2021 and became the first Korean drama to make it to the festival.[6][18] The first three episodes were also screened at the 26th Busan International Film Festival in newly created ‘On Screen’ section on October 7, 2021[19] and at the 65th BFI London Film Festival in ‘Thrill’ section on October 15, 2021.[20][21] It was released for streaming on Netflix on November 19, 2021.[22]
Reception[edit]
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating, based on 12 reviews with an average rating of 7.80/10. The site’s critical consensus reads, “Summoned by the devilish imagination of writer-director Yeon Sang-ho, Hellbound leverages its terrifying concept to thoughtfully explore human fallibility.”[23]
Audience response[edit]
Within a day of its release the series has risen to top 10 in Netflix’s world dramas. It is trending at no 1 spot in 24 countries.[24]
Critical response[edit]
Kylie Northover writing for The Age gave 4 stars out of 5 and appreciating the narrative wrote, “…the narrative steadily evolves into a compelling mix of police procedural, violent horror and shrewd commentary around ideas of human flaws, mortality, sin, justice and the influence of media.” Referring to The Leftovers, she felt that Hellbound shows sensibilities as “humanity’s search for purpose in the face of the divine, but its exploration of the conflicting ways in which humanity might react to such a mass event feels like something to which we can all, in a small way, relate post-pandemic.[25]
Ed Power of The Telegraph rated the series with 3 stars out of 5 and stated, “Hellbound unspools like a mix of Clive Barker, The Da Vinci Code and the iconic Japanese horror, Ring.”[26] Kim Seong-hyeon reviewing for YTN wrote the “performances of the actors that make the hell of reality that the director solidly created in this way more smoothly”. Concluding Kim stated, “Although the somewhat insufficient CG leaves a little disappointment, ‘Hell’ is a work that leaves a deep impression enough to offset that. There seems to be no doubt that ‘Hell’ will be the most talked about work this winter.”[27] Abhishek Srivastava of The Times of India graded the series with 4 stars out of 5 and appreciated the narrative and performance stating, “It works multiple surprises in its narratives and features excellent performances that accentuate the drama on contrasts amongst its characters”. About plot Srivastava said, “In a neat, riveting plot twist, the show jumps ahead a few years; bringing in a new layer of characters, scenarios and situations,… Concluding his review he said, “Hellbound is not a horror thriller, or a crime drama. [Rather] it combines elements from different genres to create a highly bingeable show where human behaviour comes under scrutiny.”[28]
