“My Magic Closet” (Além Do Guarda-Roupa)
The first episode of “My Magic Closet” accomplishes what “XO, Kitty” failed to deliver. It deftly tackles identity and what it’s like living as diaspora.
Category: Reviews
“Moving” (무빙)
There is a lot going on in “Moving,” Disney’s most-watched K-drama to date. Initially, it appears the series will center on heroic teenagers. But as intriguing as the storylines are for the children, it’s the parents’ arcs that really piqued my interest.
“A Time Called You” (너의 시간 속으로)
A remake of the Taiwanese series “Someday or One Day,” the Korean version of this time-travel drama isn’t always easy to follow. But if you suspend your belief in reality and just go with the flow, you will find yourself immersed in a compelling plot that centers on love, while it also navigates story arcs about guilt, gaslighting and a, erm, serial killer.
“Doctor Prisoner” (닥터 프리즈너)
One reason for the popularity of “Doctor Prisoner” may be that it has incorporated some real-life news into its story arcs, similar to how American shows such as “Law & Order” draw ideas from sensational headlines.
“Mask Girl” (마스크걸)
On the surface, it appears that “Mask Girl” is about beauty standards and how our looks are a catalyst for who we will become. But by the end of the series, viewers will have been taken on a wild ride where subterfuge and revenge are the norm, rather than the exception, and everyone’s moral compass has been broken.
“My Heart Puppy” (멍뭉이)
After learning that his long-time girlfriend is deathly allergic to dogs, Min-soo sets out on a journey to to find a new home for his beloved golden retriever. In the end, he realizes that the solution to his problem was nearby the whole time.
“King the Land” (킹더랜드)
You’ve seen the cold male chaebol/warm, hardworking female combo before in many popular K-dramas (including “Business Proposal” and “Oh My Venus”). But Im Yoon-ah and Lee Jun-ho are so charismatic and easy to watch in “King the Land” that they add a fresh touch to an old concept.
“Rebound” (리바운드)
“Rebound” is based on the true story of Busan’s Jungang High School basketball team. Long past its glory years, the team isn’t a priority for the school’s administration. They hire a young and inexperienced basketball coach, Yang-hyun (Ahn Jae-hong), who during his own Jungang school days was a champion athlete.
“The Uncanny Counter 2” (경이로운 소문 2)
This second season of “The Uncanny Counter” is good enough. But it is also a reminder that K-dramas are traditionally made to finish after one season. With the influx of Western streaming sites that have figured out how lucrative Korean shows can be, there have been more shows going into their second (or even third seasons). And while I was one of the viewers who had hoped for a second season of this series, I acknowledge that it may have been best to just leave things as they were.
“Midnight Runners” (청년경찰)
A thoroughly entertaining cop-buddy film, “Midnight Runners” does a great job of blending comedy with action, while delving into the world of human trafficking and organ harvesting. The film is driven by the camaraderie between musclehead Ki-joon (Park Seo-joon) and nerdy by-the-book Hee-yeol (Kan Ha-neul).
The Rose, Lollapalooza & Rock ‘n’ Roll
“Our goal as artists is for everyone who comes to our shows — no matter what age, what gender — to feel included,” said The Rose frontman Woosung. “That’s the energy we want at our concerts. We want it to be this happy place, a garden of roses where you’re enjoying music together with all kinds of different people and everybody feels safe.”
“D.P.” (디피): Season 2
What both seasons of “D.P.” does so well is tell the important and uncomfortable stories that no one wants to believe are true. When soldiers are regularly humiliated, degraded and tortured, what right does anyone have to tell the victims that they must return to their abusers?
“See You in My 19th Life” (이번 생도 잘 부탁해)
“See You in My 19th Life” delves into reincarnation. And as it does so, it drives home the point that even if you are assured of living more than one life, what’s important is that you live your best life, rather than muddling through and wasting time.
The 100 Greatest Songs in the History of Korean Pop Music
What follows is not only the story of Korean popular music, and how it birthed the K-pop business, but also how a small peninsula nation learned how to make art in the face of colonialism and political change, culled sonics from all corners of the globe, and keeps striving to find new ways of distilling the purest, most thrilling aspects of the human experience into four-minute packages of pop revelation. For Rolling Stone.
“Celebrity” (셀러브리티)
“Celebrity” tackles the ‘dark side’ of social media. When haters are anonymous, they’re emboldened to be cruel.
“Agency” (대행사)
“Agency” tackles the old boys’ club. It also addresses the expectations placed on women at work and at home.
“Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938” (구미호뎐 1938)
A look at how “Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938” reflects on colonization.
“Bloodhounds” 사냥개들
“Bloodhounds” offers sweet bromance. But this K-drama also has a brutal take on morality.
“The Good Bad Mother” (나쁜엄마)
Like “Our Blues,” “My Liberation Notes” and “Reply 1988,” “The Good Bad Mother” is a slice-of-life series filled with quirky characters who are overly interested in each other’s business. They support each other, are jealous of each other’s children and talk smack about each other. But if an outsider dares to do the same, hell hath no fury like a neighbor scorned.
“Black Knight” (택배기사)
“Black Knight” takes place 40 years after a comet crashed into Earth, nearly destroying the entire population. The Korean series is clearly a parable for what could happen to our world if we don’t take better care of the most vulnerable among us.