Kimchi Achaar

I wrote this ages ago, forgot about it, and then immediately had feelings again when I reread it… so obviously, we’re posting.   No spoiler review—because some twists deserve your full, unprepared shock.   After a very, very long time, I finally found my go-to drama of 2021. Hometown Cha Cha Cha, starring Kim Seon-Ho and Shin Min-Ah, has everything I love in a Korean drama. Lovely characters, cute chemistry between the leads, and a plot that has me hooked for the entirety of the drama. The town's talent show and Du Sik gobbling down a hot dumpling so his “rival” doesn't get any from Hye Jin is peak jealous kdrama hero moment.    I feel that K-Dramas get it right in how they handle relationships, not just between the leads, but with everyone else as well. HTCCC follows Yoon Hye Jin, an aloof and hardworking dentist who quits her job and opens a dental clinic in a small seaside village, Gongjin. Here, she meets Hong Du Sik, more commonly known as Chief Hong (Hong Ba Ja...

I was stuck in a K-drama slump for a very long time. It wasn’t that I had given up on dramas entirely, but every show I tried ended up being dropped halfway through. Then I heard about the Hong Sisters’ drama, and as a long-time fan, I had to at least give it a try. So imagine my surprise when I ended up binging the series and loving every single minute of it.  Alchemy of Souls is a drama I never knew I needed in my life. This Korean drama throws you into a world where souls can switch bodies, power always has a price, and everyone is hiding something. The twists and turns—and then the twists again—had me worried that the writers wouldn’t be able to tie everything together properly. But the ending was so satisfying that I genuinely couldn’t find fault in it. It’s such a rare win.  Mini SPOILERS AHEAD Set in the fictional land of Daeho, the story centers on an unforgettable pair: the feared assassin Naksu, trapped in the weak body of Mu-deok, and the privileged young mage Jang...

Korean Dramas have been leveling up in their plots and storytelling to cater to a younger and international audience. Public broadcasting stations like SBS, MBC and KBS are garnering ratings at less than 10%. PDs and stations alike are trying everything they can to get in more numbers. Longtime Kdrama fans have to agree that 2017 was not the best year for Korean dramas. In the midst of all this is a simple rom-com from a cable tv that is gathering ratings higher than public broadcasting stations. What's Wrong With Secretary Kim (WWWSK) is a cute romantic comedy with all the elements of the tired and tested storyline. Rich, narcissistic boss, Lee Young Joon in the process of preventing Kim Mi So, his secretary, from quitting her post ends up falling for her. Obviously, they share a past that is pretty dark. But this is mixed with so much cheesiness that transforms into some of the funniest scenes I have seen in a long time. But what sets it apart is the direction, hot chemistry b...

When you have two actors who can give new meaning to the term Bromance, do you really binge watch a rom-com for the weekend? Released in August 2017, Midnight Runners stars Park Seo Joon and Kang Ha Neul (Moon Lovers) as police cadets who witness a kidnapping on their night out. While trying to use everything they have learned in school, they face reality (Korean movie reality) of Process and paperwork involved. Frustrated they decide to secretly lead the investigation while in school.  To be honest, I was wary of watching Midnight Runners. Korean Movies, especially related to kidnappings can either go really dark and depressing. or just leave you with more questions than answers. Midnight Runners had the right mix of humor and suspense without overdoing either. I loved watching every moment of it.   While the story could have been a hit and miss, director  Kim Joo-hwan elevated a simple suspense comedy to being much more. The pace of stor...

If you are an avid Goblin addict then you must be flipping tables 'cause of the cancelled episode. But I am calming myself down by telling myself that there are 3 episodes next week. That's right episode 15 and 16 will be back to back! Just another 5 days to go! Goblin made me realize that 1 knight in shining armour is never enough ;) But enough about my fantasies and let's go down to the best scenes from Goblin. Note: I have seen many, many previews and trailers but I have to say that Goblin trailers and preview do not do justice to the drama. While watching the promos, I was hardly motivated to watch the drama if not for Gong Yoo. Same goes for the previews. Thank the Goblins, I decided to watch this explosive series.  It was manically difficult for me to make this list. But I finally got it down to the most meaningful scenes 10. Photo Time: If you ignore the product placement of Canon, the feels in this scene can make you smile. Taking photos usually means tra...

Remember a time when we thought all K-Dramas are the same and we could predict almost every scene. Though I admit not all of them are similar, you cannot disagree that you do have your own share of predictable dramas plots and cliché . But then W-Two Worlds came into my life and I will never be the same again. Apart from fantasizing that my favorite webtoon lead would turn out to be a real gorgeous, rich and heavenly man, I think W has sort of spoilt me for other dramas. W is fantasy drama which has its own set of rules and logic. The rules have been so tightly woven within the story-line, that you don't really question it. All credits of drama goes to the exceptional way the story was written. Beware of Spoilers Ahead! The story leads Oh Yeon Joo, a doctor from the real world meets and falls in love with Kang Chul (Lee Jong Suk), a lead character from the Webtoon W have played their parts to perfection. While Oh Yeon Joo is a scatter brain who has a cheerful personality...

Lee Joon Ki has had a busy 2016. First with Moon Lovers and then his special appearance in "Resident Evil". It has been confirmed that he is considering his new project which is the Korean remake of "Criminal Minds". Also considering the project is  Kim Ah Joong, who was in 200 Pounds Beauty.  If they do confirm the roles, I can't wait for this. Lee Joon Ki and Kim Ah Joong is a dream come true paring for me since I love them both. It has been long since Lee Joon Ki has taken up a modern role. His last projects were all Sageuk and I am dying to see him anything other than a Hanbok. He has previously played the role of an investigator in "Time Between Dog and Wolf" which helped him break away from his pretty boy image.  Source: Soompi

Over the years, Korean dramas have followed a very predictable routine and hence it is a breath of fresh air when you find a drama that does not follow the predictable format.W-Two Worlds falls into that refreshing-breath-of-air category. But most of the time I am catching my breath because I have no clue what is going to happen. It's already 13 episodes and yet I have no clue how this would end? But something that would help me pass my time till the finale comes in is to watch each episode so I can swoon at every one of Lee Jong Suk's expression. Also I love how naughty he is. I have always seen Lee Jong Suk in a "goodie goodie" role and I absolutely adore that he has a slight adult naughty side to his character in W.  W is one of those dramas that has so many loop holes that each one of them have a logic of their own. That is the best part of a fantasy drama. You create your own rules. But though W has a new set of logic, writer Song Jae-jung has thought ou...

Unless you have been living under a rock, you could not have missed the craze around Descendants of the Sun. An avid Kdrama viewer sees this happening almost every year. Boys Over Flowers, You Who came from the Stars were 2 of the dramas that comes to mind. This year DOTS has taken over the K-Drama wave and have sky rocketed our two stars into crazy stardom. So much that DOTS has a sequel coming out and a movie? Though no concrete news has been said about the sequel and movie, we do know that the DOTS season 2 will premiere in 2017. But while we wait for the sequel and movie news, lets look back at the most interesting scenes in Descendants of the sun and in the process stare at Song Joong Ki. 1) The Meet What I like about this scene is the Captain Yoo Shi Jin's clear surprise when Kang Mo Yeong totally ignored him and followed by a fake cry for help. 2) The Movie Date that never happened So Kang Mo Yeong got stood up but I totally adored the interaction between the tw...

We fans of Korean dramas obsess over every single minute details in a drama that we know the catch phrases, OST and clothes. I recently made a list of medical terms I came across in non-medical dramas . And now I make a list of landmarks I have come to know only through such dramas. 1)  N Seoul Tower  /  Namsang Tower: I first came across this beautiful structure in Boys over Flowers. But over the years, i have seen this crop up in movies and dramas including You Who Came From the Star s . This is usually the place where our OTPs make a promise of undying love and promptly break up a few episodes later. 2) Han River Bridge: Again another spot seen in numerous dramas. Usually a pretty site needs to be used more often for a kiss scene. But then again K-dramas do things differently. Usually a scene here leads to a break up or one of our leads finding out some tragic truth. Whatever the reason, the river has witnessed many of our pretty boys and girls shed tears. ...

I was watching episode 12 of my current crack Secret (with Ji Sung, Hwang Jung Eum) and it made me wonder about the Korean drama Kiss Concepts. I realized that kissing in kdramas is not as simple as in real life. Cause in real life a kiss is just a kiss, right?  In kdramaland every kiss has a history, a tale to tell and, unfortunately, one the following standard MOPs. 1) The accidental kiss ( ‘coz nothing is more attractive than a klutz)  2)  The should’ve -would’ve-but-couldn’t kiss (‘coz I’m too lazy to try harder) 3) The sleeping beauty kiss (aka the I-can’t-risk-getting-slapped-kiss) 4) The cardboard kiss 5) The deer-in-head-lights kiss 6) But then there is the hot kiss. Very rare! This kind of kiss is an art form in itself.