City Hunter (Kdrama): First Thoughts

*Spoilers ahead*
This past weekend, I began watching a new Korean drama called City Hunter, starring the always stylish Lee Min-Ho. I hadn't heard too much about this one, though I did see a few stills on dramabeans that didn't really give too much away about the story, direction, etc. From what I understand, the drama is loosely based on a Japanese manga with the same title. But, after reading about the manga it looks like the connection is fairly loose indeed. I sure wasn't looking forward to seeing LMH as a womanizer :-S (Update: After watching episode 2, I'm a little worried about this now!)

If I had to describe the drama, I would say that it is about a young man who is groomed to avenge his father's death, but during this quest (with part of his humanity intact), he falls in love with a girl. I couldn't find a more accurate synopsis online, so my version will have to do.

Now, I'm not accustomed to watching more serious dramas, but it looks like this one might have enough of a balance between the lighthearted/fun and serious/revenge elements. As I have only watched the first episode, I will probably elaborate on this later.

There were, admittedly, a few inconsistencies that I found difficult to ignore. On the one hand, it seemed to defy logic that the character Lee Jin-Pyo could justify stealing an innocent baby from its mother. If the mother had passed away or something, Jin-Pyo taking the child would have been more believable. But it was just plain ridiculous! And on top of that, raising the child on a drug farm made the child's displacement even more intolerable.

My Princess (Kdrama): My Thoughts

I've spent the last week watching Kdrama, My Princess and it been quite an enjoyable experience. I just wrapped it up a short time ago. Coming off watching Shining Inheritance, and sampling a few new dramas, I was skeptical about the prospect of finding new ones that would have the right vibe. For me, that vibe could be described as lighthearted, romantic comedies, that aren't too rambunctious or too experimental (it's kind of hard to explain what I mean by this!). I'm also very picky about the male and female leads, they simply need to be likable, charming and down to earth- not too much to ask for, right??! I'm not too interested in leads that look too plastic either.

Very quickly, here is a brief synopsis of this drama. Don't want to give too much away...

An ordinary college student, Lee Seol, finds out she's a princess. The grandson of Daehan Group, Park Hae Young, is put in charge of educating Seol on proper etiquette.

So with this drama, I felt that it moved a little slowly until about the 5th episode, when everything seemed to pick up and move at a more regular pace. One thing I found difficult to accept about Lee Seol's character in the beginning was how she did not seem very independent or willing to speak up for herself (especially against the evil Oh Yoon Joo). Granted, she is a university student and is young. I guess I am accustomed to/enjoy seeing independent women in the shows I watch. It takes Lee Seol some time to get there, but she slowly starts becoming more and more independent and that is great to see!

Shining Inheritance/Brilliant Legacy/Beautiful Legacy: Best Korean Drama.

I recently watched a Korean drama called Shining Inheritance (also known as Brilliant Legacy and Beautiful Legacy). It was incredible. It really set the bar for kdramas, for me. As a huge fan of these dramas, I have seen a number of them including Boys Over Flowers (Lee Min-Ho ♥), Coffee Prince (Gong Yoo ♥), Secret Garden, Personal Taste and have tried out a few others, as well! I am currently watching My Princess (Song Seung Heon ♥) and Lie to Me. As far as genre goes, it's probably evident by my selections that I find the romantic comedies/ romantic dramas most interesting. What can I say?

Getting back to Shining Inheritance. Here is the show's description:

Go Eun Sung's life is similar to Cinderella's. After her father died, her step-mother, Baek Sung Hee, took away all of her assets and her younger brother, Eun Woo, suddenly disappears without a trace. Despite this, Eun Sung preservers and works really hard to fulfill her dreams. When the CEO of a food company, Jang Sook Ja, suffers amnesia and can't remember who she is. Eun Sung takes her in. However, Eun Sung does not know that she is the grandmother of Sun Woo Hwan, the man who she switched bags with at the airport. How will their constant bickering lead them to realize that they care more about each other than they let on? 

Such a great storyline. The writing was incredible (as far as I could tell through the translation!) and I never found myself questioning the plot direction, pace, script etc, which tends to happens with shows at one point or another, right? Not only is this drama cute, romantic and funny, it was also full of genuine drama. It is sure to evoke emotion. And the actors all did a wonderful job. The supporting cast were very compelling and entertaining, as well!

This is all to say that this drama is an absolute must-see. Whether you're new to Kdramas or are a Kdrama vet, this one is not to be missed. The length of this drama-28 episodes will be an added treat. You won't be able to get enough of Hwan & Eun Sung! :-)

For more Kdrama info, check out this informative blog.

Ahn-nyong-i kah-se-yo!