Chansung’s Getting Married and Having a Baby! (& More 2PM Info!)
2PM’s Chansung is getting married and expecting a baby with his long-time fiancée! Let’s catch up with the idol actor and his bandmates.
Category: Reviews
The 54 Best K-Pop Songs of 2021
Teen Vogue asked 54 music writers to pick their favorite K-pop songs of 2021. I chose Monsta X’s “One Day,” which features gorgeous harmonies, along with heartbreaking lyrics that may make the listener sob in commiseration. Radio really dropped the ball on this song.
Return of the Ajeossi Actors (Part 2)
You asked for more ajeossi actors and we’re here to deliver. Who do you think made it onto this list of six top actors of a certain age?
“Happiness” (해피니스)
There are still 18 days left until the end of the 2021 — and Gong Yoo’s “The Silent Sea” doesn’t even makes its premiere until December 24. But I don’t know that there will be a better K-drama this year than “Happiness.”
“Inspector Koo” (구경이)
“Inspector Koo” starts off strong, with a whip-smart teenage serial killer manipulating her victims, teachers and the police. She is as much a sociopath as a psychopath, which is explained away during a backstory that involves childhood trauma.
“Nevertheless” (알고있지만)
In many ways, “Nevertheless” is a primer for how women are manipulated into diminishing their own wants and desires for a man.
Lost in Translation Watching K-dramas? We Can Help!
Aigoo or aegyo? Sunbae or hoobae? Is there anything more frustrating than watching a K-drama and not understanding what’s going on, even when you have the subtitles turned on?!
‘Vincenzo’ and adoption myth entrenched in Korean society
“Having been raised using Korean in her family, a Korean American journalist said that she still struggled to speak Korean fluently, and this experience led her to question why Korean entertainment writers and consumers failed to question improbable stories, such as that of ‘Vincenzo,” Lee Kyung-eun — the director of Human Rights Beyond Borders — wrote in her OpEd piece. The journalist she is talking about … is me.
“Mystic Pop-up Bar” (쌍갑포차)
Hwang Jung-Eum is one of my absolute favorite actresses. I love everything about her, especially the forthright way she delivers her dialogue. Her chemistry with both leading men is on point and viewers can see the family-like dynamics shared by the trio. Choi Won-Young and Yook Sun-Jae are superb actors whose subtle (and overt) mannerisms speak to viewers without them having to utter a word.
Product Placements in K-dramas: Love Them or Hate Them?
Even if you’ve only watched a few K-dramas, you’ve probably noticed the preponderance of product placements in many of your favorite series. Do they bother you? Or are they just part of the K-drama fun?
K-drama’s New Format: Love It or Hate It?
There’s something to be said about the classic K-drama format with the second lead syndrome, the white truck of death, the over-the-top chaebols and, most importantly, the one-and-done season that ends after 16 to 20 episodes.
K-drama Adoption Storylines Are Making Positive Strides, But There’s More Work to Do
“Having diverse characters leads to endless possibilities for storytelling. And there are infinite ways to tell an adoptee’s story…”
“Hellbound” (지옥)
Director Yeon Sang-Ha (“Train to Busan”) adapted “Hellbound” from his own webtoon of the same name. He makes it clear that cults are the true sinners, which manipulate people’s lives with fear. And that hell isn’t necessarily a place foreign to us, because it’s where we may already be living.
Getting Better All the Time: 7 Ajeossi Actors You Love to Watch
Being an ajeossi isn’t a pejorative. As Gong Yoo, Hyun Bin and Lee Jung Jae have proven, there is beauty to being successful and in demand in your late 30s and beyond. More power to these fine gentlemen.
Lee Min Ho in the States: The Talk of the Town!
Lee Min Ho will next be seen in “Pachinko.” Given his recent visit to Los Angeles, we think it’s time to revisit “The Heirs,” which was partially filmed in Huntington Beach, California.
“The Bros” (부라더)
Seok-Bong and Joo-Bong are estranged brothers who reunite for their father’s funeral. Neither one remembers having a close relationship with anyone in their family and dread the thought of spending time with them.
“You Are My Spring” (너는 나의 봄)
“You Are My Spring” stresses the importance of mental health care and normalizing treatment for everyone, rather than as something that’s just for the clinically insane. And … There’s also a serial killer element.
“Chief of Staff” (보좌관): Season 1 & 2
Lee Jung-Jae and Shin Min-A star as a political dream team working for opposing candidates. He is a former police officer, whose goal it is to become an assemblyman. She was an attorney and on-air journalist before becoming an assemblywoman.
“Dr. Brain” (Dr. 브레인)
If you could tap into the brain of a dead person (or a cat, yes, a cat) in order to save a life, would you? That’s the premise behind “Dr. Brain,” the first original Korean series to make its debut on Apple TV+.
“Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” (갯마을 차차차)
“Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” is one of those slow-moving K-dramas that makes viewers wish they had the same kind of relationship as the characters do — not just with love interests, but with their friends.