Reviewing the K-Dramas I binge-watched because of Hyun Bin & Son Ye-Jin (Part #1)

This year has been an interesting year for me so far. Not just because of the coronavirus situation but because of my new found passion for Korean Dramas!

So, in February, I decided to watch 'Crash Landing on You' on Netflix with my husband and literally since then I've just immersed myself whole heartedly into everything Korean! I'm right now at the 'obsessing' part, hopefully it'll mature and I'll find a healthy balance soon (or maybe not!).

Quick recap of what I've done so far: After binge-watching CLOY multiple times, I joined a Facebook Fan Group for the show, joined Soompi and started reading the CLOY Drama thread and the Hyun Bin & Son Ye-Jin thread. I posted a link to my blog on the FB group and had 1000+ views with 10+ comments. I've shared the blog with multiple friends and family members, all of whom loved reading the blog and most of them then watched the show as well! My husband brought me soju + beer at home and I'm now checking out kimchi boxes at the local supermarket as well! :)

Moving on from CLOY (does one ever?!) I decided I should watch some other shows and hopefully find that "balance" back in life. And I feel like I've achieved that now. There are still some days when I play the CLOY OST before going to sleep, or watch a few behind-the-scenes on YouTube when I want to pass the time quickly, but at least I'm not constantly binge-watching the drama over and over so I think I'm in a better phase now!

Today's blog is going to be about the K-dramas I watched post CLOY on Netflix with short snippet reviews about each:

1) Hyde Jekyll, Me - I picked this because it has Hyun Bin in it. No other reason. :) The storyline seemed intriguing. Hyun Bin plays a character who has multiple personality disorder so in essence he plays two characters in this series. What I loved the most was how practically they showed what it would be like to actually live with an illness like this. It didn't seem farfetched or fictionalized. The pace is a bit slow so you have to be okay with that. Surprisingly though, I was far more moved emotionally with the cold-hearted personality of Gu Seo-jin than with the warm-hearted, always lovable Robin. The chemistry between the lead pairs isn't that great. Quite kiddy to a large extent. But interesting plotline so I will recommend that you give it a shot. Seeing Hyun Bin play these two characters who have dramatically different personalities AND being able to show growth, maturity, reconciliation between them I thought was the key highlight. I think I'm truly able to appreciate how different it is to be an actor seeing his performances. Probably because it's a series, there is time to see a growth curve in the character, there is time to absorb the context and the reactions of people around the characters so I'm connecting far more to the actors and characters than I would to a movie. Or maybe it's just that because this is in another language, it's a unique plot line, that I'm investing more attention than I normally would.

2) Secret Garden - This was the third series I watched after CLOY and Hyde Jekyll, Me. Again because it has Hyun Bin in it. This is a pretty old series so set expectations for the technology and the context setting in the show. The storyline is about a rich CEO of a department store who bumps into a middle-class stuntwoman in the film industry and their topsy-turvy love story together. The pace does drag on but some highlights for me in the show were the fascinating architecture of the house that Hyun Bin lives in, the playful witty dialogues between the multiple characters in the show, and general time pass. The plot line does have strong undertones of a guy being obsessed with a girl and kind of wearing her down eventually which is unappealing but I persevered.

3) Something in the Rain - After focusing on Hyun Bin, I decided to change focus and see something of Son Ye-Jin's past dramas and I was not disappointed. This was such a real series in a way. Set in Seoul, depicts a scenario of a mid-30s working professional who is in a middle management kind of role, lives with her parents in a middle class home, works very hard, has a few friends, faces workplace harassment almost on a daily basis and has a general submissive personality. She meets and starts a relationship with the younger brother of her best friend and this journey is very beautifully shown. It's not all perfect and happy-go-lucky, there are many ups and downs, but it feels real and genuine. It's a slow paced drama so don't expect a lot to happen but it's a drama that made me think a lot. About women, working, relationships, expectations and societal norms.

I'm going to stop this post here now because it's already too long. I have 5 others that I've watched for which I'll create a couple of new posts. Till then, enjoy watching and let me know what you think and if you have recommendations for others!

In the upcoming posts I will be covering these shows: Chocolate, The Doctors, Cinderella and the Four Knights, Romance is a Bonus Book and What's wrong with Secretary Kim?