One of my all time favorites

10/10 is my rating. A 2016 South Korean television series with 16, 60 minute episodes. It is based on a novel that had the same title and the basic elements of the story draws some parallels with Boys Over Flowers (2009).

The "Cinderella" in this story is Eun Ha Won (Park So-dam) who is hard working and mature for her age. She lost her mother and her father remarried but is rarely home. She lives with her stepmother and step sisters who do not consider her family and are selfish with the limited resources the family has. Ha Won is working multiple part-time jobs to save up for college. Her mother, when alive, encouraged Ha Won to be a teacher and that is her life goal.
Circumstances lead her into the realm of three rich, spoiled, heirs to an empire and the Grandfather thinks she might be just the one to get the boys into shape. This is after he saw her "discipline" one of his grandsons who was not treating his elder or her with respect.The grandfather strikes a deal with her and gets her to move in with his handsome nephews as sort of an adult nanny. Before moving in, Ha Won already had encounters with lady's man and playboy Kang Hyun Min (Ahn Jae-hyun) and the "gangsterish" rebel Kang Ji Woon (Jung ll-Woo). Kang Seo Woo (Lee Jung-shin) is not immediately on Ha Won's radar but the grandfather does not think much of his music career. The fourth knight is the grandson's live in bodyguard Lee Yoon Sung (Choi Min). Park Hye Ji (Son Na-eun) is a childhood friend of Kang Hyun Min and Kang Ji Woon has designated himself as her protector. Hye Ji sees herself marrying into the Kang family and often uses one of the cousins to get the attention of another.

Spoiler 🚨 I was actually surprised with how much I loved this movie. Ha Won was everything I love in a lead female character she was feisty at times, sweet and nice to most, fun, positive. I really loved the way she slowly transformed the rich, spoiled heirs. I love bromances and developing relationships. I wasn't disappointed in any aspect of this movie - it was pretty much perfect to me.

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Incredibly good and great insight into what used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2015 South Korean drama with 20, 60 minute, episodes. It is about a young man, Cha Do Hyun (Ji Sung), who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID - formerly called multiple personality disorder). As the story unfolds it is revealed that Do Hyun experienced many traumatic, life-threatening events. As a a third-generation business heir he must keep his disorder secret from those that would displace him which is challenging, and sometimes comical, when the personalities often appear with little warning. Desperate to lead a normal life, Do Hyun, seeks the help of Oh Ri Jin (Hwang Jung-eum) who agrees to help him privately. She is a first year resident but is skilled in dealing with some of the more difficult psychiatric cases. Ri Jin has a twin brother who writes under a pseudonym and who reveals the seedier side of the rich and famous. Do Hyun must gain control of his condition before one of his personalities takes complete control and also before he is discovered by reporters like Ri Jin's twin or his devious, plotting, family members. Do Hyuns personalities are: Shin Se-gi: A tough, bad boy, dare devil who comes out when Do-hyun experiences a physical threat he meets violence with violence but never hurts children or women. Se-gi knows all about Do Hyun as he has complete memory of everything. Se-gi falls in love with Ri-jin at first sight. Perry Park: Is an older man (40) who likes to build bombs and fish. He makes his appearance whenever Do-hyun thinks back on good times with his father. This personality is named after a boat that Do-hyun promised to procure for his father. Ahn Yo-na : An outgoing and impish 17 year old fan girl. extrovert and mischievous 17-year-old girl who loves idols. This personality emerges when something stressful occurs that has to be endured quietly. Ahn Yo-seob : An artistic 17 year old who is suicidal. This personality emerged when Do-hyun made a suicide attempt during his high school years. Yo-seob is Yo-na's twin brother. Na-na (Cha Do-hyun): This personality represents all of Do-hyunn's childhood fears and she is named after her teddy bear. Mr. X: Na-na's father - a mysterious character among the other personalities.

Spoiler 🚨 I read, before I watched this, reviews where others said how amazing Ji Sung did in acting the many personalities of the male lead. I thought it would be serious but it is handled with a very healthy dose of humor and tons of compassion. I laughed so hard when some of the personalities emerged both at the personalities' antics as well as everyone's response to it. I remember when I was a psychology student meeting someone with what they then called multiple personality disorder. I was skeptical. I was later convinced. Typically the person has suffered severe trauma or abuse and develop the other personalities as a coping mechanism. The person presenting who had multiple personality disorder explained it like you have one road you typically travel and there are grooves in it from the well worn tires but then that road gets a huge pothole so you take an alternative road. Over time that second road gets grooves and it is easy to switch between the two. I saw that person change personality and it did not at all seem like acting. I think they portrayed that quite well in this drama - how the switch happens and why it develops. I was a little disappointed in the way it ended as it left a lot of questions unanswered and it felt pretty rushed. Not enough to keep me from watching it - I would recommend it - but just decreased how good I thought it was by a small amount.

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8/10 is my rating. This is a 2011 South Korean drama with 16 episodes. Yang Eun-bi (Lee Chung Ah) is a college student with plans to become a high school teacher. She has a chance encounter with Cha Chi Soo (Jung II Woo) whose family has a food conglomerate.

Spoiler 🚨 If you like series with an anime feel - this would be a good fit. It definitely has some silly moments that break the "4th wall". I really like all the characters and the relationships were very believable. I thought the relationship/romance between the leads was really cute. I rated this a bit low because there were a lot of plot elements that did not make sense to me. The father in this one starts very different than most Korean drama parents but then does a quick reversal and it makes it seem out of character. Some of the past mysteries are not completely answered and some of the plot points are simply dropped. I still thought it was very good and worth the watch but it just doesn't rank up with some of the spectacular dramas I have seen because of some weaknesses in character consistency and follow through with plot points.

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Breaks with tradition - changing cultural norm

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2007 South Korean Drama spanning 16, 60 minute, episodes. Kim Dang Ja (Shin Eun Kyung) is the editor of a magazine who decides she wants to have a baby because her biological clock is ticking. Now she just has to pick the perfect father and convince him to be a no strings attached father. Choi Gi Chan (Ryu Soo Young) is a university professor who is smart and attractive and would make the perfect father in Kim Dang Ja’s eyes.

Spoiler 🚨 I really liked the twist of having a Korean female deciding to raise a child solo. Seducing a man with no plan to have a relationship is something you would see more in American culture so I could relate to it from that perspective. The "side romance" was just beyond cute. I found I was as much, or more, interested in the outcome of that situation. It is very sad in the middle. I cried buckets of tears. I was not sure it would end well but it did. If you are okay with a sad sandwich (happy in the beginning and end but sad in the middle) I would recommend this one. I rated it down because I really felt I was dragged through the emotional ringer and that felt unnecessary to me.

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When a Little Lie spirals out of Control

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2011 South Korean t.v. drama with 16, 60 minute episodes. Gong Ah-jung (Yoon Eun-hye) is a dedicated civil servant who worked hard to work in her career with the hopes of impressing and gaining the attention of her first love. Before Ah-jung can enact her romantic plan her seeming friend steals her guy and marries him. Flash forward a few years and Ah-jung has maintained contact with this frenemy but is determined to get revenge. Still unmarried she chooses to lie about her status and says she is married. The lie snowballs through the gossip chain until it transforms into she is secretly married to the most eligible bachelor in Korea, wealthy hotel heir, Hyun Ki-joon (Kang Ji-Hwang). Ki-Joon is none too happy with the lie and is determined to exact his own revenge. Hilarity and heartbreak ensue amongst plots, revenge, romance, and love triangles.

Spoiler 🚨 There were some slow parts as well as some parts where I felt sheer frustration with the female lead. The romances were believable and the plot held together well. I recommend this highly but warn there are some slow spots.

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Interesting Premise, slow in some parts

8.5/10 is my rating. This tv drama is also known as Another Miss Oh. This is a 2016 South Korean drama with 18, 60 minute, episodes.

Oh Hae-young (Seo Hyun-jin) grew up in the shadow of another girl, who went to the same school, who had the same name. Things finally seem to be going right for her in her adult life when she is on the verge of marrying Han Tae-jin (Lee Jae-yoon) an attractive businessman who is worthy of bragging about. However, the day before their wedding, Tae-jin breaks it off saying some very hurtful things. Park Do-kyung (Eric Mun) is no stranger to heartbreak, his fiance did not show up on the day of their wedding. Do-kyung finds out that Hae-young is going to marry another man, Tae-jin and Do-kyung and his friend formulate plot to ruin the husband to be and stop the marriage. Do-kyun is a successful sound director who supports his brother and his widowed mother. His mother is looking for a wealthy husband who just so happens to have the right connections to help Do-kyung carry out his plot. Only problem is he is breaking up the wedding, and ruining the husband to be, of the wrong Hae-young. Now there are two miserable, jilted, people who fatefully cross paths and find solace in each other. Hae-young does not know Do-kyung, who she is drawn to as if by fate, is the very person who caused her current unhappiness. Can a relationship built over such a deception last? Tae-jin is acquitted and returns to reclaim his intended bride. Will Hae-youngs feelings rekindle? The other "pretty" Hae-young returns and decides she made a mistake and wants Do-kyun back, will her beauty and style win back Do-kyun? Can the "normal" Oh Hae-young step out of the shadow of the other Hae-young and realize her own worth?

Spoiler 🚨 I liked this one but I didn't love it. Some of the posters showed dolls and such so I thought it would be a lot more comedic than it actually was. The characters said things to each other that I cannot imagine anyone saying to someone else and that person still liking them. They also say things about other people and life that is a bit shocking. I really liked the side romance. I also liked the main male lead's sister and his friends. The story was compelling, the romance was sweetly satisfying but there were times, when I felt angry or shocked at things the characters said or did. I also found that it dragged a bit for me, in some areas. And her mom was strangely abusive to her daughter. it was good but I didn't think it was great. Totally worth watching but not a list topper.

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Very edge of the seat, fast paced and entertaining

9/10 is my rating. Also known as "I Remember You" is a 2015 South Korean drama with 16, 60 minute, episodes. Profiler Lee Hyun (Seo In-guk;Park Bo-gum) after a case he receives triggers a memory he thought long buried in the past. Detective Cha-Ji-an (Jang Na-ra) has never stopped investigating Lee Hyun as she knows that his brother disappeared and his father were murdered
and that Lee Joon Young (Do Kyungsoo), a criminal, was somehow involved. Things are not quite as they seem and the tangle seems to gain twists and turns even as they unravel it.

Spoiler 🚨 I really liked this and it kept me engaged the whole way through. I am a big fan of the crime genre so this appealed to that interest of mine. I also like psychological thrillers and romances and it had all those elements. There were multiple serial killers and they really explore the nature versus nurture psychological concepts which I found very intriguing. I would have rated this even higher but the ending was just a tiny bit softer than I like it. Just being extremely picky but there were some elements that seemed as if it was being left open for additional episodes or even another season. But it ended well - just not with all aspects completely tied up. Some do not mind that at all so it will not diminish at all for those that like to have some pieces to ponder. It was very well acted as I have come to expect from the two leads. Their romance was "cute", heart warming and believable. I liked the interplay of the "team" that was built to track the killers. Parts were predictable but not in a bad way. But there were also a fair number of surprises. It is a great drama that I highly recommend.

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Love, love, love this one

My rating is 10/10. This is a 2013 South Korean romantic comedy television series with 16, 40 minute, episodes. It is also know as "Cute Guys Next Door" and is based on a webtoon "I Steal Peaks At Him Every Day" by Yoo Hyun-sook based on the webtoon by Yoo Hyun-sook. Go Dok-mi has become agoraphobic after suffering from extreme bullying in high school. She rarely ventures out and her main "escape" is stealing peeks at her handsome neighbor in an apartment directly across from hers. Things change though when her "flower boy" neighbor has a visitor, his younger brother, Enrique Geum (Yoon Shi-yoon), who spent most of his time growing up in Spain. He catches Dok-mi spying on his brother Tae-joon ( and him Park Shin-hye as a lonely girl who never ventures outdoors, but is caught spying on her neighbor across the street by a different guy (Yoon Shi-yoon) Oh Jin-rak is a webtoon artist who lives right next door to Dok-mi and has observed her, and loved her, from afar. He wants her to stay just the way she is and protects her and her privacy. A Japanese visitor who desires to learn Korean cooking also moves in and all of the "flower boys" form a friendship. Once Enrique discovers the reason for Dok-mi's spying he becomes determined to draw her out in the world. Dok-mi becomes the center of attention for two very different men one who wants her to stay as she is and the other who wants her to explore what life has to offer.

Spoiler 🚨 Although I found a few things surprising and not really necessary I really loved this show. I thought, from reading descriptions, that this would be about Dok mi's love from afar of the "flower boy" she had been spying on. But the brother plays only a very minor role and actually leaves quite early in the series. The Japanese neighbor was also such a minor role that it seemed it could have been left out and you would not have noticed much difference. I found her behavior completely understandable as I know several people in my life that have withdrawn for similar reasons. I loved how persistent the men in her life were and how she changed and grew throughout the episodes. The romance was perfect and sweet and the friendships were also very heart warming. It is just a thoroughly enjoyable watch for anyone that loves romantic comedies. I am a huge fan of Park Shin-hye and I thought she played this role perfectly. I had never seen Yoon Shi-yoon in anything that I am aware of but I loved his character so much I will be looking for other things he may be in. I was surprised some rated this lower - maybe they have not experienced agoraphobia and did not find it believable. I am not sure. Because, for me, it had all of the elements needed for a great romance. I was cheering for the characters the whole way.

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I enjoyed it - it was very different and that made it super compelling

9.5/10 is my rating. 2019 South Korean television series with 32, 30 minute episodes.

Eun Dan-oh (Kim Hye-yoon) has a heart condition that is terminal despite repeated operations. Despite that she is kind and hopeful that something in her life will change and her heart will last on. Her fiance, Baek Kyung (Lee Jae-wook) is the son of one her father's business partners and their parents paired the two. Eun Dan-oh's father agreed to the engagement because Dan-oh has had a crush on Baek Kyung for 10 years even though Baek Kyung can be cruel to her and does not return her feelings. Eun Dan-oh begins to have memory lapses and the sensation that she just "comes to" in various activites. As she digs to determine the source of these strange occurances, she discovers, by chance, that she is a character in a manhwa called "Secret." Not only is she in the Manhwa but she is a supporting character who must do things to aid the lead characters in falling in love. She begins to resent the role she must play and becomes determined to do things to change the story. She soon notices a boy that has no name. When she looks at the Manga she can see that he is a background character that is not even fully illustrated. Dan-oh realizes that because he is not a central part of the story he has more freedom to do things in the "offscreen" that can impact the way the plot plays out. His name is Number 13 (just number 13 alphabetically in the year-book) but, as Dan-oh begins to develop feelings for 13 (Kim Ro-woon), she give him a name. As time goes on, more of the characters discover that they are in a Manhwa and join Dan-oh in changing this up.

I started this one in October of 2019 not realizing it was still on air. I normally do not watch those that are on air as I prefer to be able to watch them all at once. 12 episodes in and I cannot wait for more episodes to post. If it continues as it is now it is going to the top of my list as one of my favorites.

Spoiler 🚨 This was good the whole way through. I love the chemistry between the leads. I like the way Baek Kung realized that she would be happiest with Ha-Ru and yet is still always there for her. It had a sort of reincarnation angle to it without really meaning to. Some may not like the ending but I got it because they aren’t real. If it were a comic book series I could see myself reading all the comics even if it just re-told the same story. I highly recommend it - it’s very unique.

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He's Like a Male Version of Mary Poppins - I want one

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2018 South Korean Drama with 32, 30 minute, episodes. Kim Ji-woon (Ha Seok-jin) works as a House Helper a blend of "Mary Poppins", Dr. Phil, and House Brothers. He is an organizing and cleaning expert and only takes cases where he feels like he can improve the home environment as well as his client's lives. Im Da-young (Bona) is a young woman with a very chaotic life. She is an intern at an advertising company and works long hours trying to get hired on permanent. As the only daughter of a deceased architect, she lives in the house her father built and keeps it somewhat as a memorial to him. Her loneliness and work life are driving factors in the messy state of her house. She is riddled with debt from her late father but determined to keep the house he built. Her life changes dramatically when "Mr. Kim" agrees to help her restore order so that she can take on roommates to help with her financial situation. Her roommates turn out to be a couple of old high school friends who she became estranged with. Can these women get their messy lives back on track? Can "Mr. Kim" truly work miracles?

Spoiler 🚨 I really loved this story. All of the relationships were interesting and the interplay between the characters and various story lines was compelling. There are even little household tips to pick up on and really, who wouldn't want a gorgeous House Helper to make sense of the chaos of modern life. It ended nicely and the length of the series was just right to fully tell the stories. The only slight drawback was not to see the story completely through to what happened after - but it was pretty clear where things were going so that was not a major fail point for me. I loved the central female lead. She was as kind as she was beautiful.

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Bristly, wealthy boss

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2018 South Korean tv series with 16, 60 minute, episodes.
A romance series about Lee Yoo-chan (Kim Jun-myeon) who used his genius level programming skills to become a young CEO of his company, Next In. His co-founder and Vice President friend, Min Tae-joo (Oh Chang-suk) is as warm and personable as Yoo-chan is cold and rude. Yoo-chan is a highly charismatic and successful CEO who hides the fact that he has a facial recognition disability from those he seeks to do business with. Kim Bo-ra (Ha Yeon-soo), is seeking employment and most are quickly dismissive as her near super human memory skills. However, while dismissive at first, Yoo-chan has a project where Bo-ra's skill is a perfect fit. His plan is to utilize her skill to land a big contract and then let her go. Bo-ra's goal is to get hired permanently and she has an ally in Tae-joo. Yoo-Chan has money to spare and often buys people off to appease and/or win favor. Bo-ra values more than money and calls the arrogant and snobbish young CEO to task about his values and treatment of others. Can two such seeming opposites find a path to love? Can Bo-ra show her real worth and be more than just a memory machine for Next In?

Spoiler 🚨 I expected this to be a fluffy, predictable romantic comedy and it was that in a lot of ways. Which is just what I felt like I needed after watching some heavier shows. It actually had a lot of surprising surprising depth and insight into being a human and interacting with others. it is true there is a cultural divide when someone is extremely wealthy and someone else is not. But when you truly love somebody those types of things can be overcome. I liked the interplay and development of all the characters. The romance was sweet and believable. The female lead grew and evolved as well. It was fun seeing her go from someone with no real self-confidence and no idea what she was capable of to someone who is extremely capable and determined. It is amazing and true what everyone can learn from other people. Someone who is cold and does not empathize with other people can learn a lot from someone who is kind, warm and thoughtful. That is not incredibly surprising. What is surprising is that someone who is kind, warm and thoughtful can also learn something from someone that is cold and confident. Goes to show if we were all the same that we would not grow as a people. You often hear that everyone can learn something from someone else. At times it can be hard to believe specially if you’re someone who is sensitive and kind and you encounter someone who seems to just be awful. We can probably all think of someone in our lives like that. If you think long enough about it you might be surprised what you learned. And I find that I can relate and learn something even from dramas that I think are going to be pretty surface level. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would recommend it.

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Predictable arranged situation but still good

8.5 out of 10 is my rating. This is a 2016 South Korean TV Series with 16, 45 minute, episodes. It is also known as "One Percent of Anything". The male lead, Lee Jae-in (Ha Seok-jin) has to get married in order to inherit his family fortune. Kim Da-hyun (Jeon So-min) is an elementary school teacher who agrees to a six month, pretend marriage, with Jae-in to help him secure his inheretance. Will they forget they are pretending?
Spoiler 🚨 I really liked this it was just a very solid if a bit predictable romance. I like the male lead a lot and think he’s a very talented actor. I had seen him in another drama called “House Helper” and I was very impressed with his acting ability. I have not seen the female lead in anything that I know of but I thought she played the role very well. I like the way both characters evolved and how you could see them being a good couple. There was not a lot of surprise to this nor very much side story which is the only thing that has me rating it down a bit. But I would still highly recommend it and will be looking for other dramas with either of these two in them.

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Surprising the Age Gap becomes a Side Issue

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2018 South Korean drama with 16, 60 minute,episodes. It is also known as Pretty Sister Who Buys Me Food. Jung Hae-in (Seo Joon-he)
Yoon Jin-ah (Son Ye-Jin) is an unmarried woman in her mid 30s. Her mother wants her to get married but has very high standards in who she thinks is acceptable for her children. Jin-ah is in her mid 30s and is a store manager for a coffee chain. Her boyfriend breaks it off with her and she winds up bumping into her best friend’s younger brother who just returned from an oversees assignment. Jung Hae-in (Seo Joon-he), Jin-ah’s best friend’s younger brother, is a character designer at a computer video game company. He is a handsome lady’s man who can have his pick in terms of girls to date however he finds his other half in Jin-ah. At first their age gap, the fact that they grew up together, and that he is Jin-ash’s best friend’s younger brother are the issue but it quickly becomes a matter of Jin-ah’s mother thinking Hae-in, who lost his mother at a young age and whose father re-married and left the children, is not good enough for Jin-ah. Can their love survive with so many challenges?

spoiler 🚨 I liked this one to a degree. Jin-ash’s mother was particularly evil and mean but that’s not unusual in these types of dramas. I wanted her to change her mind but it never felt like she fully did. I got a little frustrated by the female lead‘s deceptions when it seemed like it would not of been hard for her to tell him the truth. He sometimes hid things from her as well and I think that made their relationship a little less believable. It was surprising to me that the age gap did not become the main thing they had to overcome it was more getting her family’s approval. I also do not like when they separate it was very sad and since the ending was a bit soft in terms of not knowing, for sure, they would remain together - the separation made it harder to believe seeing them get back together would result in happily ever after. For me a wedding scene would have been a better ending. Really good just a bit sad in parts.

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A very sweet romance with a slice of life look at book publishing

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 Television Drama with 16, ~ 60 minute, episodes.
Cha Eun Ho (Lee Jong-suk) is charming, handsome, and good at practically everything. He was a successful author at a very young age and was invited to be a senior editor at a start up book publishing company that gains success utilizing Eun-Ho's works as one cornerstone. Kang Dan-i is Eun-ho's childhood savior and friend who, after a failed marriage, seeks Eun-ho out with nowhere else to go. She has a child who she is solely supporting after her dead-beat ex husband left the sole care to her. Prior to becoming a wife and mother she had been a very successful copywriter, however she is finding no-one wants to give someone who has taken such a long pause a chance to show her abilities in a position. After being homeless, Dan-i returns to Eun-ho, her friend, with a plan to stay just long enough to get her life together. Eun-ho is a player who has never taken any relationship seriously largely because he has deep feelings for Dan-i. Will their love get another chance? Can Dan-i prove to the world that her career break and current single motherhood does not mean she cannot recapture her former brilliance in advertising.

I put off watching this one for a long time because the title, description, and pictures made it look rather dull. However, after reading some rave reviews I decided to give it a try and am not at all sorry I did. Honestly I should have known that Lee Jong-suk would not take anything but a very deep and compelling role. I think he is an extremely talented actor. I thought the female lead looked unattractive in some of the cover pictures but she is actually very pretty and the character she plays if very sweet. Since Lee Jong-suk is so handsome it is hard to buy that he would pursue someone that was not attractive so that was off putting and I thought the story would not hang together until I realized that the promotional pictures did not do the female lead justice. I also did not realize that the character would be so interesting and that it would explore cultural biases around single motherhood, the competitive nature of certain jobs, and how sometimes the perfect person for someone is the person they never imagined in that light.

Spoiler 🚨 The story is further compelling as you get a glimpse into the book publishing world. So do not let the short descriptions be offputting as this is actually very interesting and well developed. The friendships of the side characters are also well done and interesting. The main romance is super cute, heartwarming and very believable. There is no super evil villain in this one which is kind of refreshing in a way. The villain, if there is one, is more the circumstances that make it difficult for a woman or a man who took a career break to get back into their field of choice. Highly recommend this one.

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