15 times I fangirled over KDramas

Annyeong haseyo! After being able to watch 15 Korean dramas, I have to admit, I am a full-fledged fan! Ever wondered why there are quite a number of people inclined in watching these kinds of series nowadays? Allow me to take you through the koreanovelas that made me a supporter then maybe in your spare time you may consider binge-watching them too.

(Note: The dramas in the list were enumerated based on the chronology of which series I was able watch first. The thumbnail photos used are not mine but were outsourced from the web.)

1. Descendants of the Sun

This drama is my game changer. After seeing this, I started looking for other Korean series to watch. The lead actors were Song Joong Ki (Captain Yu Shi Jin) and Song Hye Kyo (Dr. Kang Mo Yeon). The story is about the twisted fate of a doctor and a soldier - how sometimes their love for each other can get in the way of their profession but if that two people are really destined to be together then they will always bump in each other's paths no matter what it takes. I love how they used realistic scenarios like earthquake and abduction in their story line in which anybody can relate. Can I just also share how happy I am with the #songsongcouple 's recent engagement? One more good reason to love this drama - it paved way to their REAL happy ending! 

My personal & fearless rating: 9.5/10

2. Goblin

My all time favorite Korean drama to date - Goblin. From the superb story line, to the actors and actresses who portrayed the role, to the excellent cinematography, to the OST. A total WOW! It is a story about a warrior named Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) who was sentenced to death because of a jealous young king but was then rewarded by the deity to be an immortal goblin. It seemed to be a reward to him at first because he was able to take revenge to people who wronged him but as the people he loves begin to age and die, he felt lonesome. The only way he can be at peace is when he finds his bride who can pull out the imaginary sword in his chest. Some people may say that Kim Go Eun (Ji Eun Tak) is not a fit leading lady to Gong Yoo, but I beg to disagree. Weren't you able to see the transition of Eun Tak from a simple girl to a blooming lady? For me, it was purely intentional that he is very plain-looking at the first few episodes then suddenly shifting into a beautiful, young lass. Gong Yoo is very manly, that is a given fact. I am one with those who initially wanted a second season just like with Endless Love series but I realized, it is best to keep it that way. I cannot think of any story to add with it that would exceed what was already shown. Fun fact: Descendants of the Sun and Goblin had the same writer so you are assured that it is really well made. Also, the character Goblin is not the same character you'll see in Clash of Clans because it is really from the Korean mythology. You'll understand me further if you will watch it. Aaaaaand, don't forget to download the drama's OST album, you won't find a song that is not beautiful and catchy.  

My personal & fearless rating: 10/10

3. Big

Okay, the moment I subscribed to Goblin was during the same time it was currently being shown in Korea so I had to wait every Saturday and Sunday morning to be able to watch it. Next to the fiancé, I developed a truly, madly, and deep attachment to Gong Yoo ( I feel Anne..) So I started stalking him and the works he had done in the past. This is where I found out about Big. I watched this interchangeably with Goblin to be productive. Haha! Gong Yoo is playing two roles - a doctor (Seo Yoon Jae) and later on a high school student (Kang Kyung Joon) whose soul entered the former's body because of an accident.  His leading lady is Lee Min Jung (Gil Da Ran) who is Kang Kyung Joon's high school teacher and Seo Yoon Jae's fiancée.  Gil Da Ran was faced with the dilemma of whether she has fallen in love with the Kang Kyung Joon trapped in the doctor's body or he is just missing his fiancé. It was not as epic as Goblin but it is still Gong Yoo sooooo why not? 

My personal & fearless rating: 7/10

4. Legends of the Blue Sea

The dramas' lead characters are, Heo Joon Jae (Lee Min Ho), a con artist and Shim Cheong (Jun Ji Hyun), a mermaid, whose love story was already written even before they meet. They are faced with the challenge of keeping their selves safe from the danger inflicted by Heo Joon Jae's step family. It tells us a story of love on a whole new different level. This could literally use the hashtag #lovewins (no pun intended). Don't we just love to watch romantic dramas that are new, fresh and where we can still relate even if it is fictional.

My personal & fearless rating:  8/10

5. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

If you want a drama that is very light, fun to watch and one that will awaken your teen spirit, then you should watch this. The main characters are Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung), a weightlifter and Jung Joon Hyung (Nam Joo Hyuk), a swimmer. They are childhood friends who seemed to lost communication after they went to high school but fortunately they met again in the university where they started to rebuild back their friendship. In the story, they also presented the hardships and goals of athletes. How they aspire for acceptance from the people they like despite the career they choose to pursue. It's truly a feel good drama after watching the "emotionally draining" ones.

My personal & fearless rating:  9/10

6. W Two Worlds

One thing that made me really hooked to Korean drama is their ability to produce quality shows even if it has a lot of CGI's (computer-generated imagery). Truly exceptional! It left me wondering why we can't do it here in the Philippines... W Two Worlds is one of those quality made series. It is about the love story that emerged from a webtoon character  Kang Chul (Lee Song Juk) and a doctor Oh Yeon Joo (Han Hyu Joo). Dr. Joo was suddenly pulled inside the webtoon when Kang Chul was about to die in an episode. Afterwards, she was continuously being dragged inside like she was actually a part of the story. The challenge lies in finding the suspect in the murder of Kang Chul's family members and dealing with Oh Yeon Joo's father who happens to be the author of the webtoon series. I love the endless twists and turns of the story and how the drama can be categorized into a suspense thriller but can also be balanced out by the love and romance between the two lead characters.

My personal & fearless rating:  9/10

7. Tomorrow With You

This drama has a resemblance to the movie The Time Traveler's Wife. Yoo So Joon (Lee Je Hoon) accidentally became a time traveler after his parents died in a train accident. He met another time traveler who helped him adjust in this situation. The same person also encouraged him to pursue on finding the woman who Yoo So Joon met minutes before the train accident. He found her and kept on altering the future so that Song Ma Rin (Shin Min Ah) will stay safe without realizing that it was him who was in grave danger. The question lies in whether they will live happily ever after unlike the tragic ending in the movie The Time Traveler's Wife.

My personal & fearless rating:  7.5/10

8. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

This is somewhat similar to WFKBJ because both series feature women's strength. Although this particular one deals with superpowers. Do Bong Soon (Park Bo Young) has a supernatural strength which was passed on to all female members of their family. She met Ahn Min Hyuk (Park Hyung Sik), the chaebol heir and CEO of a gaming company, when she got involved into a gang fight (guess who won). The story will present the struggles of Do Bong Soon in controlling her immense strength, in choosing who among her admirers she will give her heart to, and in identifying Ahn Min Hyuk's blackmailer as well as the mysterious killer in their town.

My personal & fearless rating:  8/10

9. Pinocchio

This particular drama was suggested by no less than the fiancé himself, so I watched it in an instant. Reading the title, it has almost the same principle as to the children's story of the wooden puppet whose nose will grow longer every time he will tell a lie. In the drama, Choi In Ha (Park Shin Hye) suffers a Pinocchio Syndrome such that she will hiccup every single time she will make false statements. She and her father transferred to her grandfather's house when her parents were separated. Upon arriving in that house, she met a young boy by the name of Ki Ha Myung (Lee Jong Suk) whom her grandfather mistakes as his own son (Choi In Ha's uncle) forcing the name Choi Dal Po to him. They grew up together and little by little began to have feelings for each other. The conflict will arise once they start to discover that their pasts are intertwined and complicated which will greatly impact their current status.

My personal & fearless rating:  8.5/10

10. The Heirs 

If you are a fan of high school teenage love stories, this drama is for you. The story touches on the topic of bullying among students with varied social classes. It also portrays the personal struggles of the wealthy kids that act as heirs to their families since they are expected to do well in school and enroll in university courses based mainly on what their parents want rather than theirs. Of course the whirlwind love story of a rich guy to a commoner can also be expected. Lee Min Ho (Kim Tan) did very well in this series. He is paired with Park Shin Hye (Cha Eun Sang) who is very good in portraying protagonist underdog roles.

My personal & fearless rating:  8/10

11. My Love from the Star / You from Another Star

I must say, if Park Shin Hye is good at pathetic protagonist roles, then Jun Hi Jyun is on the other hand, very well versed in romantic comedies. I don't know if that is her personality in real life, but her quirkiness and funny antics brings out the best in her. In this drama, she plays as an actress who faces controversies because she did not finish school thus considered unintellectual. She agrees to do a documentary of her life and meets Professor Do Min Joon (Kim Soo Hyun) who is an alien. The professor is already scheduled to go back to his planet so he tried to ignore his feelings for her but he failed. I guess this is where the story takes off. Admittedly, it's hard to control your feelings for someone once it is already reciprocated. There is a need to give more, don't you think? If you enjoyed watching the Tagalog version of the drama by Jennylyn Mercado and Gil Cuervo, you will definitely love the original series all the more.

My personal & fearless rating:  8/10

12. Love in the Moonlight 

I am scared to try dramas that has an old Korean setting because I always have the feeling that it is boring. I don't know why, and this may sound funny and immaterial, but I often associate it to black and white television and the formality of the dialogue is intimidating to me. Good thing, one of my closest friends suggested I watch this drama. Park Bo Gum's portrayal as the Crown Prince Lee Yeong was really commendable. No wonder why he won as the Most Popular Actor in Television at the recent Baeksang Arts Awards. His leading lady, Kim Yoo Jung (Hong Ra On) is really known for her portrayals in these types of dramas. Hong Ra On disguises himself as a man as advised by her mother. She then ended up being a eunuch in the palace particularly designated to the Crown Prince. The prince treated him nicely but began to develop feelings for her when he discovered that she was in real life a female. Their relationship was going smoothly until the story broke that Hong Ra On's father was a rebel and the reason why the prince's father kept on having nightmares.

My personal & fearless rating:  8.5/10


13. Uncontrollably Fond

This specific drama is a tearjerker. Initially, I don't like Kim Wo Bin because his facial features are too strong that I don't find him attractive. But after watching this, I realized how good he is as an actor and as a singer/musician! He played the role of Shin Joon Young, an actor who was despised by his mother for not continuing law studies. His father was a prosecutor whom he did not grew up with because his parents were separated even before he was born. During high school, he met Noh Eul (Suzy Bae) whom he started to like because of her strong personality. They were separated by an unfortunate event but he later on started to look out for her because of his sickness. They were brought together by the documentary that Shin Joon Young agreed to do provided that Noh Eul will be the producer. I'm pretty sure you can relate on the topics of fighting and sacrificing for what you love and cherishing your days as if it were your last. What makes it more personal is that I watched this after finding out that Kim Wo Bin was diagnosed with Nasopharyngeal cancer. You REALLY have to watch it if you enjoyed The Fault in our Stars and Tuesdays with Morrie.

My personal & fearless rating:  8.5/10





14. Love in Trouble (Suspicious Partners)

This drama is easy and very convenient to watch since one episode only lasts for 30 minutes. All in all, it has 40 episodes.  The lead characters are Ji Chang Wook  who plays as a prosecutor named Noh Ji Wook and Nam Ji Hun as Eun Bong Hee, a prosecutor trainee. The hullabaloo in their relationship arises when the trainee was set up as a murder suspect and the prosecutor helped her to be acquitted even if it meant resigning from his post. It also tackles illegalities in the prosecutor's office and how it is possible to manipulate evidences just to convict a person. If you find a one hour episode too long, then I recommend you to watch this.

My personal & fearless rating:  9/10





15. Fight (for) my Way

This is the last on this list but definitely not the least. I made sure not to start watching a new drama until I finish blogging about these 15!!! =) The story revolves around the lead characters Ko Dong Man, a former Taekwondo player (Park Seo Joon) and Choi Ae Ra (Kim Jo Won) an aspiring television host/commentator. This drama affirms the beauty in falling in love with your best friend, in pursuing your dreams even if you fail countless times and in being persistent with your passion because it will eventually pay off. Kim Ji Won is still as feisty as her roles in Descendants of the Sun and The Heirs but it suited very well on her character in this drama.

My personal & fearless rating:  8/10

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If you're looking and are open to explore new series to watch, then pick out one from the list and start the marathon. You can download the app, VIU, because you can save up to three episodes offline which is really convenient. Don't worry, the list doesn't stop here, I'll surely update you on the other dramas I'll be watching. Now, if you'll excuse me... 😉