Kdramalover - Blog Posts

My Thoughts on ‘Our Beloved Summer’

In a line or two: 

Our Beloved Summer was such a healing, therapeutic watch that did not hide the 'humanness' of love.

The story: 

The drama is about two exes--- Kook Yeon Soo and Choi Woong (high-school students when they began dating) who had a 5-year relationship and broke up. They meet 5 years later and agree (fact: are forced) to shoot a documentary similar to the one they shot in high school. What starts from a '100 Things I Hate About You' turns into an introspective, messy yet heart-warming return to each other.

My Thoughts:

1. I love the layers in Kook Yeon Soo's personality. She's smart, socially inadept, deadpan, and more sensitive than she lets herself acknowledge. I love how the flaws in her character actually make her more endearing and relatable.

2. Kim Ji Woong, our male lead's best friend, is actually the prettiest one here, according to me. He's at constant war with himself, but I also love how he returns to the camera to shoot people's raw selves and finds comfort in it. 

I especially love his friendship with Choi Ung, who despite knowing that Kim Ji Woong has feelings for Yeon Soo, doesn’t push him away.

3. I thought the drama would come to be overwhelming given its storyline. But surprisingly, I couldn't keep away from it because of how comforting I found it to be. 

4. Then we have K-pop idol NJ. She's such a fireball. She's funny, adorable, and yet so trapped and defined by people's idea of her. I love how Choi Ung and she decide to remain friends, comforting each other when things aren't going their way. 

5. Okay, I love Choi Ung's parents so much! Honestly, the idea of running a restaurant and feeding people good food is the definition of a beautiful life for me. However, their care for Ung and his art is so cute and heart rendering.

6. It was through NJ that I realized how joy-crushing fame can be. You forget who you are and try too hard to become someone else's expectations of who you should be.

7. I think Choi-Ung's definition of happiness: "To do lie down and watch the sunlight stream through leaves" was when I first fell for him. 

I love how he's never glorified 'living big'. He's so content with his wants. He knows exactly the kind of people he wants to be around and isn't afraid to go for an unconventional way of living if it makes him peaceful and happy.

8. When they all head for a 3-day trip for the shoot, I got really emotional watching Yeon Soo enjoy herself. It was so nice to see her smile and laugh and let herself free. 

That was the first time I realized how lonely she must have been all these years, handling responsibilities and pushing people away to avoid hurt.

9. My favorite moment of the series was when Ung is waiting for Yeon's answer: will she travel to Germany with him as he enrolls in the architecture program? They meet at Sol Yi's restaurant and Yeon Soo chooses to stay back in Korea because that's what feels right to her. 

There is this amazing moment where they know what they have to do for themselves and yet are so supportive of each other, without letting go of the love they've fought so hard to come back to.

10.Then we have Sol-Yi. I mean, who cannot love her? She's Yeon Soo's 'Reality Check Provider' and also her soundboard + BFF. I have to say I absolutely enjoy watching Park Jin Joo on screen. Even with her supporting role in 'Her Private Life', she was fabulous. 

Here, Sol Yi is spontaneous, has a I-am-the-love-guru vibe and is atrocious in her choice of men. She cooks mediocre food but she doesn't give up on her dream. She's sassy, rude, amazing, and absolutely honest.

11. Lastly, I want to say I came to love Chae Ran so much. She's assistant produce to Kim Ji Ung and is also his unmistakable 'soulmate'. She possess so much sensitivity and yet is so calm and cool. 

I love how she decides to wait for Kim Ji Ung to be in a better headspace before she confesses her feelings for him. That was such a mature, soft, 'ah' moment.

Learnings:

1. When the Universe gives you second chances, grab them with both hands and work to give them your all. People do not come into your life accidentally. Each one is there for a reason.

2. Love has a funny, soft, ridiculously amazing way to make itself known. Allow yourself to feel it when it knocks your door. (P.S: Open it wide and let love rain in your heart.)

3. Love is a fairytale, with all the sparkles, the imperfections, the laughs, the tears, the growth, the support, and the gooey-warm feeling you get when you're with someone right for you.

4. Forgiveness is hard. But regret is worse. 

5. Whoever you were has made you who you are today. But you can always change if you don't like who you've become.

Last Words: 

Oh, please watch this show. It is absolutely adorable, warm and mature.💕💕

~ Our Beloved Summer ~ Favorite Moments / Stills (2) 🌺

~ Our Beloved Summer ~ Favorite Moments/ / Stills (1) 🌺

~ At first, I thought I’d do a Jang Ki Yong appreciation post, but now, I think I’d be super unfair to not do an overall appreciation for ‘My Roommate Is A Gumiho’ because, all of them were SO stellar and loveable. ~ ❤

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Credits: 1: Tumgir | 3, 11 & 14:Bitches Over Dramas | 5: Kdrama Kisses | 7: Kdrama Quotes Galore | 13: @dramaintherain | 15: Soomi Forums | 16: Tumblr

‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’ Taught Me That to See the Good in the Bad is Indeed, a Very Brave Thing

‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’ is an absolute beam of light, there's no other way to describe the show. It is a haven for when you're lost, a huge hug of positivity when you're having low days and a thoroughly adorable drama.

The Story:

We have our lead protagonist, Gu Ra-Ra, a 24-year-old whose perpetually positive and cannot but look at the silver lining of every bad occurrence. She shines through adversity as she meets Jun Suwoon, a 19-year-old runaway who wants more from life than his family's stifling expectations.

It is in Eunpo, a little town away from Seoul, that the two meet accidentally. From here on we see the story of Ra-Ra and her jolting awareness of the real world as she loses everything she owns and has to now stand up on her two feet.

The show is so heartwarming because of the community of beautiful people Ra-Ra meets in her new, sleep town. Thanks to them (and a lot to Jun), Ra-Ra opens up her own piano academy 'La La Land'.

Dr.Cha: 

Jin Su-Kyeong:

Jin Ha-Yeong:

Lee Seung-Gi:

TWD: (The ‘Want Divorce’ Club)

Kim Man-Bok:

Detective Chu:

My Learnings from ‘Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol’:

1. Take life one day at a time.

Life is utterly unpredictable so sleep your worries away, and take one day at a time, as it comes. Gu Ra-Ra's 'let's do what we can do today' mantra is gold.

2. Love. Love is what makes the stars go around and rewrite themselves.

Oh man, if I can just hug Jun Woo and Ra-Ra for the beautiful, beautiful love they harbor and nurture, I'd have broken my screen by now.

3. Sometimes, we don't find family, it finds us.

To all the lovely people of Eunpo, I am smitten by the way you found Ra-Ra when she most needed companionship, love and comfort. It made me believe that there is sometimes more than just one family for some of us, and that sometimes that 'other' family finds you in the form of new friends, neighbors and landladies.

4. People may forget the rest, but they will always remember that one, unexpected act of kindness.

Ra-ra’s father was her biggest cheerleader and that is what made Ra-Ra stick to the piano. That one moment when her father cheered for her, defines Ra-Ra’s attitude when things get rough. It is this unexpected act of love that shapes Ra-Ra’s way of seeing the world and it showed me how powerful kindness can be. 

My Last Thoughts:

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Credits: Picture 1: letsott.com | Picture 2 & 3: Twitter (Hani, KPopandKDrama) | Picture 4: IDN Times | GIF 1 & 8: Tumgir | GIF 2: @dramaintherain​ | GIF 3: southsounder.com | GIF 4 & 6: Gfycat | GIF 5: Netflix | GIF 7: WiffleGif | GIF 9: Bitches Over Dramas 

~ My favorite quote from ‘I Am Not A Robot’. I think Ji Ah and Min Kyu make one of the cutest, prettiest K-drama couples.🌼  ~

~ Shin Hye Sun appreciation post for her absolutely delightful performance in Mr. Queen / Queen Cheorin ~ 💕

‘True Beauty’ Taught Me That You Have A Right To Be Seen & Cherished As You Are

Well, well. For starters, this was such a well-made show. Also, post gazillion discussions with my friend, we've concluded that K-dramas from 2019 have become more progressive, liberal and busters of their own stereotypes.

‘True Beauty’ was all of the above along with being funny, cute and addressing social issues head-on. Speaking of the last one, this show really puts into perspective the pressure of being conventionally 'pretty' and the nature of school bullying that leads to traumatic experiences in the life of young Korean adults. For this, I really applaud the show.

The story is about 'ugly' looking 18-year-old Lim Joo Gyung who is bullied by her high-school classmates for her looks and appearance. It is rather devastating to watch the first two episodes because man, they really open your eyes to the gruesome shit people do to other people.

Tired of being bullied and unloved, Joo Gyung decides to switch schools. In the process, she discovers make-up and its unruly power to help her transform her appearance from zero to hero(ine).

As she learns to master make-up skills, she is shocked by how she can manipulate and hide what she really looks like. Plot-twist: she's already met our hero Lee Su Hoo by now, who's seen her 'non-pretty' avatar and since her transfer happens to be in his school, he's already dubious about her made-up self.

This is where the fun begins. Joo Gyung slowly discovers that with the help of beauty products, she can finally be a ‘normal teenager’ who has friends. Lee So Hu confronts her with his suspicions and upon them being confirmed, helps her keep her secret.

What follows is how Joo Gyung battles her own insecurities about herself, how the story displays with beautiful delicacy what it means to be truly beautiful and how, the people who love you will always be there, because they can see who you are, bone-deep.

Rather than using make-up as a crutch to keep running away from her lack of self-worth, we see how our heroine comes to terms with this and how she strives to be beautiful in her own might.

I cannot proceed without proclaiming my indefinite love for Lim Hee Gyung, Joo Gyung's older sister and a powerhouse of a woman. What's not there to love about her? NOTHING. 

I love how she's 'manly' enough to chase the person she's fallen for and I love her relationship with homeroom teacher Han Jun Woo, which is a complete power reversal than what is usually shown in K-dramas. She's the man here, she wears the damn pants and looks hot in them while she's at it. He, on the other hand, has no shame in being completely vulnerable and letting her take the lead.

Lim Hee Gyung is everything I want to see in female drama leads. She's funny, digs intense video-gaming, smart, independent and a boss of a career woman. On the other hand, Han Jun Woo is kind, makes for a thorough poet through and through, is calm, composed and very sure of himself.

There is no denying how much I love Hwang In Yeop in Han Seo Jun's avatar. Man, little did I know that the swordsman from 'Tale of Nokdu' was going to be a stellar second lead.

Seo Jun is everything Lee Su Ho is not: funny, understands and respects boundaries, isn't an asshole on purpose, loves Joo Gyung, respects her secret, respects her choice to love someone other than him rather than 'fight' for her by forcefully getting in her way, doesn't proclaim his feelings until he's sure she's not seeing anyone and is in general, SO MUCH MORE FUN than our boring, boring first lead. Sigh.

Women (heroines) of dramas, please wake-up. I'm kind of tired of looking at y'all throw away the most beautiful of men because you think being with a stuck-up-arrogant-cold male lead is 'true love'.

It isn't. Really.

Also, I want to highlight how the show has women running the entire storyline on the forefront.

Be it Lim Hee Gyung, her mother Hong Hyun Suk who's the primary bread earner of the family, or Soo-Ah or Kang Soo Jin. 

I loved how adorable, funny and cute Hyun Suk’s husband --- insert *one of my favorite K-actors* --- Lim Jae Pil is. Damn, I love gender-role reversals and what a success this drama has been with them. *happy tears and cheers*

Lastly, let's get on to my favorite learnings from the show:

1. Your healing is your responsibility. 

Something we see so beautifully through the characters of Joo Gyung and Su Ho. With their own respective healing journeys, we see them own their self-discovery versus piling it on each other in the name of love.

2. Stop hiding your light.

After losing his closest friend, we see Han Seo Jun shut his heart to music despite it being his first love. But with time, Lim Hee Gyung and Su Ho convince him that it is a loss to the world to keep his musical gifts to himself and we see Seo Jun share his light once again.

3. Your heart is what is the most beautiful thing about you.

Not your clothes, not your talents and not your face. Who you are, how you treat others and how you love is what determines how beautiful or ugly you are.

My last thoughts thoughts, “... the ultimate dumpling war.” 

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GIF Credits: GIF 1: @cafe330 | GIF 2, 4, 5, 18: Aghasewatchtv | GIF 3, 14: Soompi  | GIF 6: @youthofmay​ | GIF 7: Bitches Over Dramas | GIF 8: Xenews.net | GIF 12: @ohh!kdrama! | GIF 13: Unbothered Unnies | GIF 15: @allnightontum-blr-blog​ | 

Through ‘Goblin’ I Learnt Life Is Beautiful In Both, Colors Of Light & Dark

Ah, where do I start with this show? The 'Goblin' was my first 2021 drama pick. I had heard SO much about it -- one of the highest drama ratings ever scored, the love story of Eun-Tak and Kim Shin and of course, the hardcore shipping of Wang Yeo and Kim Sun. 

My YT recs were spammed with "Goblin: funny moments" featuring the Gob and Deok-hwa. And then, I happened to read a Google Review by someone who was raving about how the world built is so vast, so intricate and so fascinating. My mind instantly packed in high expectations for the show.

I get why Gong Yoo is so popular but can I say I love him more when he's doing off-screen interviews? (Have you seen his recent one with IU on Palette? *adorbs*)

The show has everything for a fantasy lover like me --- Korean mythology, magic, fantastical characters and badass Gods. 

What I didn't enjoy very much, contrary to popular opinion, was Eun-Tak's character. I found her obsessive and more of a crybaby than anything else. No offense to the actress, who I'm convinced is massively talented.

The story revolves around Kim Shin, a cursed 900-year-old Goblin who was a general-of-war in his last life and is seeking his wife in the mortal world. The latter is the only one who can help him end the treacherous curse and send him peacefully to afterlife.

Eun-tak, an orphan since she was 9, can see ghosts and converses with them. She's also very aware of her destiny as the Goblin's wife. A high-schooler, she meets her destined husband (Gong Yoo) and  soon enough, the tale gets complicated as the two battle fear of death, their growing love for a each other and the wretched curse.

There is Wang Yeo, a scaredy-cat of a king who is similarly cursed to be a Grim Reaper for repenting his past-life sins. I must say, the GR (Grim Reaper) is hot.🔥 He's also one of the most fascinating characters in the show for me -- shy, reserved, melancholy, with a soft lover's heart. 

Personally, I liked his bromance with the Goblin more than the latter's love story with Eun-Tak. (** insert: the MIB'ish slow-mo scene where the two of them walk towards Eun-Tak to save her. Also, the beaut BGM**)

But I am also heartily biased towards 'Sunny' aka Kim Sun, Wang Yeo's queen and Kim Shin's sister in her previous birth. Sunny is everything that Yeo is not -- bold, courageous, unafraid of chasing the man she dotes on and a strong woman with an even stronger pool of self-love.

The story is slow-paced, highlighting how transitory life is and how beautiful it is to be alive. We see the gradual progression of days as the Goblin and Eun-Tak fall in love and how the latter shows our hero what it means to live fully. Just following this up with some of my favorite learnings from the drama now:

1. You cannot change the past but you can learn from it. Something Wang Yeo does so beautifully when he regains his memories as a GR and repents for his past acts of cruelty and injustice.

2. Choose yourself, over and over again. Ah, I learned so much from Sunny, especially about how sometimes, forgiveness is not the answer and you cannot force yourself to offer it.

3. Through pain and discomfort, we grow. I could see this with Kim Shin's character --- first a deft goblin with a cocky attitude, we see his heart open up to the vulnerability of being human, of loving someone even when there isn't a guarantee of a happy ending and letting pain help him rise to be a better man, to himself and those he loves.

While Goblin is a fascinating drama, I wouldn't call it a favorite nor something I'd like to re-watch. Maybe because the expectations I set for it were too high and the show felt a little too long and intense. Another lesson learned: never read Google reviews of a drama before you happen to watch it yourself.

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GIF Credits: | 2 - Yahoo News Singapore | 5 - Wattapad | 6 & 17 - Giphy | 11 - Pinterest | 

~ I started watching Traveler (Season 2) yesterday and I am already in love with Kang Ha-Neul. Also, I didn’t expect Ong Seong Wu to be so timid and cute. I’d thought he’d be more of a snob, but he’s as soft as a puppy. Also, also, hello Argentina and Buenos Aires! ❤ ~

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From: Episode 1

Me: *falls in love with dramas*

Me: So this is what it’s like to be a fan...

My heart:

Don’t Let Your Past Dictate Your Present Is What  I Learnt From ‘Chocolate’

For every drama I've loved so far, there's an inner Anvi screaming "O, my god! What a show! Go watch it!". It's screaming very loudly for this one as well.

My third drama to be precise and my first Korean one, ‘Chocolate’ (2019) had my heart in a knot and made me weep like a baby. It took every broken piece inside me and took its time in gluing it back with a little bit more magic and love.

Man, this show. Oh man, this show.

A tale of two childhood sweethearts, Dr. Kang and chef Moon Cha Young, the two reunite after nearly two decades with only Cha Young recognizing her first love. Dr. Lee Kang, an illegitimate heir of a big medical institution, lives with his step-family who wants nothing more than his inheritance. A boy who once dreamed of becoming a chef, Kang now seeks revenge for his mother's death.

Moon Cha Young has had it rough in life. A survivor of a terrifying building crash, she finds solace in food and cooking. Suffering from post-traumatic disorder, Cha Young keeps to herself, until Kang's best friend falls for her.

(I won't spill the beans further because that would just unravel the plot making it pointless to watch. Which is precisely what I don't want --- I want you to watch the drama and fall head over heels for it and cry buckets just like I did.)

Kang and Cha Young cross paths once again in a hospice for terminally ill patients and it is here, amidst stories of love, death, family and friendship that they begin to know each other.

The drama is tear-jerker, NGL. But I didn't mind that one bit. It isn't a light watch, it is mature and heavy and worth every minute of your precious time.

As is typical of drama male leads, Kang's initial treatment of Cha Young pissed the shit out of me even though I could understand where his attitude stemmed from -- Cha Young after all, broke the heart of his only and best friend. Still, I wanted to punch the man in his face a lot of times. And I also wanted to shake the hell out of Cha Young for returning to him time and again like a wounded puppy. Thank god she stopped after a while, thank god for some self-respect.

I also love, love the side-cast in this show. What freaking cool actors and boomers. I particularly love head nurse Ha Young Shi who's totally cool, gives zero shits about gender stereotypes and goes all in with her heart. Then there is Lee Joon who's narrative I particularly enjoyed, especially the way he chose to let his own heart guide him rather than his family's expectations of him. I loved Director Kwon Hyun Sik, a father figure to Kang and an absolutely beautiful man.

My learnings:

1. Some people are worth those second chances. 

Some people are worth placing your trust back into and trying once more. Some people are worth the fight. 

2. Don’t let your past dictate your present. 

Let your present dictate your choices, your heart. The past is long gone and if something from it comes revisiting, it is worth looking at in a brand new way.

3. It’s never too late to open your heart again.

For me, 'Chocolate' still remains one of my favorite dramas till date. I love the slow-paced nature of the show, I love how it wrings out all kinds of emotions from you and how it heals you in ways you don't even realize.

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GIF Credits: | GIF 2  - Soompi | GIF 7: Tumgir | GIF 11: Netflix 

Image Credits: Hancinema.net

~ Some GIF-love from Hyori’s Bed & Breakfast (Season 1) ~

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Credits: GIF 1: MyDramaList, GIF 2, 3 & 4: Amino Apps