I Live in Cheongdamdong

Dear kfangurl: Which family dramas are the best?

| kfangurl

D-Lighted writes:

Hello! Could you please write a post with your recommendations for the best “family dramas”?

I think that is what you call the shows that have lots of episodes and a sit-com feel to them, having most episodes filmed on a few sets and broader comedy.

I really enjoyed My Father is Strange and All About My Mom. I saw in your review of My Father is Strange that you mentioned Ojakygo Brothers.

Are there any other great Family Kdramas? What do you know about this sub-genre? Thank you!!!

Continue reading →

Dear kfangurl: Can you talk about the shows that you didn’t review? [Part 2]

| kfangurl

Since you guys seemed to really like my last Dear kfangurl post, where I talked about shows that I haven’t reviewed on the site, I thought I’d do a Part 2! Surprise..? 😃

I picked 50 more (!!) shows to touch on in this post, with a quick “status update.” Mostly, these are dramas that people tend to ask me about, and also, shows that I’d like to give shout-outs to, but which I’m unlikely to write reviews for.

There are still more shows that I’ve either sampled or watched to completion, which I am not including in this list, but maybe (just maybe?) another post, another time? 😅

Continue reading →

Flash Review: The Taste of Curry [Drama Special]

| kfangurl

If I had to describe this drama special in just 3 words, they would be: simple; cute; prettyyy.

Unlike most other drama shorts that I check out, this wasn’t something that was recommended to me by friends, and neither was it because I had foreknowledge that an actor I like is in it (Hyun Woo’s in this, but that’s pure coincidence, I swears!)

Mostly, I was just looking for a quick, light and hopefully fun drama fix, and was intrigued by the title. I thought it sounded cute, unique and, well, tasty, which are all good things in my book, heh. So I dived right in.

Continue reading →

Review: Let’s Eat

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A charming little drama that uses food (lots and lots of food) as the means to bind individuals together into a community.

Let’s Eat hums to a completely different rhythm than dramaland’s typical rom-coms, and possesses a sensibility that toes the line between slice-of-life and manhwa-esque. And in spite of some gaping flaws, it somehow works.

Characters and relationships start to pop as we get deeper into the episodes, and by the time you reach the end, it’s likely that you won’t want to say good-bye.

And if you’ve ever wondered what it means to “eat deliciously,” which is the literal translation of 맛있게 먹고 (otherwise generally translated as “enjoy your meal”), you’d quickly find your answer – and your role models – in this show.

Continue reading →

Review: King of Dramas [The Lord of the Drama]

| kfangurl

THE SHORT VERDICT:

A tongue-in-cheek, satirical unveiling of what really happens behind the scenes of our beloved kdramas.

Populated by a large ensemble cast of likable characters, King of Dramas paints a dramatic yet believable picture that is in line with all the BTS drama news that we get off the grapevine.

PPL wars? Check. Scripts delivered to the set in a piecemeal fashion? Check. Madly rushing the final tape to the editing room minutes before the episode is due to broadcast? Check. Such a fascinating peek into the world that doles out to us the dramas on which we subsist.

The show starts out meaty and strong, and even manages to be insanely hysterical at points, buoyed by strong performances and often-cheeky writing. A huge pity, that the ending was more whimper than bang.

Continue reading →

Kfangirl’s 2012 Drama Awards + Origin Story of This Blog

| kfangurl

Kfangirl 2012 Drama Awards I

Celebrate with me! This is a double first for me: my first Year-In-Review, AND, my first guest post too! 😀

This guest post is especially close to my heart because how it came about is actually the origin story of this blog.

THE ORIGIN STORY

Up to about 2 months ago, I had been a persistent lurker in the kdrama-verse.

For most of my six kdrama-watching years, I visited lots of blogs regularly and kept up with the k-entertainment news and lapped up other people’s views and reviews, but I almost never commented on anything.

Once in a long while, I would leave a comment somewhere, but mostly only if I had something that I was just burning to say.

I’m an introvert at heart, though most people who know me in real life wouldn’t guess it, and this was my inner introvert acting out.

Continue reading →