There’s only one week left till February 1st.
Let that sink in.
The first month of 2019 is almost over.
Now that’s what I call acceleration of time.
What better way to spend your last week of January than snuggling up with your closest family and friends and hot cups of cocoa (it’s still winter) and watching some binge-worthy Korean dramas to pass the time while “breaking” news about the U.S. government shutdown plays on repeat in the background around you?
There are so many entertaining K-dramas out there worth watching simply due to the number of accolades and attention they’ve garnered in their respective local audience hubs but I’ve done the painstaking (though rewarding) work of hand-selecting the ones that I would recommend in a heartbeat to any and all viewers interested in K-dramas.
Your welcome, ladies.
I curated my selection on the basis of the cast’s praiseworthy acting skills, the direction and storytelling, the quality of scriptwriting, the cinematography of scenes, the plot, the setting, the musical scores used (Original Sound Tracks or OSTs), and the overall execution of the entire drama from the pilot to the ending episode. Of course, my own personal preference also tied into my show choices.
I’ve decided to release my selection of K-dramas one show at a time, so that there’s something different to look forward to every single week. Let’s use diversity to fuel the excitement!
Please note that all of these shows contain romance – i.e. couples who like being with each other because it makes life better – but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of drama, humor, and action to go around for viewers of every taste!
*Disclaimer: there are spoilers!*
So, without further ado, here’s the first K-drama to sift through after you can muster up some free time during your last weekend of January:
My ID is Gangnam Beauty
Light-hearted and Impactful, Provocative Script and Direction
The title is highly interesting and is what first got me to start watching the show. If you get a taste of this show, then get ready for cuteness overload, new and matchless boyfriend standards, and increasingly higher expectations from your significant other (imaginary or otherwise). In other words, this 2018 South Korean webtoon-adapted television series knows the recipe to flutter. your. heart.
Though I’ve heard Psy’s Gangnam Style (that one song that blared all around our middle school hallways in 2012) countless times, I never even knew that “Gangnam” referred to an actual city in Seoul, Korea until I looked up the word for the first time after first hearing it used in My ID is Gangnam Beauty. This show also happens to be the first to introduce me to this intriguing concoction called soju, the most popular liquor of Korea and, allegedly, the “national booze beverage” of Korea.
The two main male leads in the show are extremely attractive (as is everyone else, of course!) and the dialogue between the main couple is simply too adorable to handle! I became aware of the existence of “couple hoodies” through this show – those hoodies are simply surreal.
The gist of the show is as follows:
One girl is bullied for her looks in middle and high school, so she opts for plastic surgery to reconstruct her face before college life starts. The plastic surgery doesn’t fix her low self-esteem and shaken confidence from all the emotional scars she’s suffered throughout the years before, though: only proper reflection, positivity and self-confidence building can do that. Surgery can only fix the outside, not the damage inside caused by society’s acidic remarks. So the girl – now a young woman – grows up to be a timid and highly insecure college student studying to become a perfumer. She meets a handsome but somewhat reclusive classmate and deals with her feelings regarding her own self-image, his developing feelings towards her, her feelings towards her caring TA, and what this all means in terms of beauty, self-confidence, and the preconceived notions of attractiveness in society. The show deals with several sensitive topics: what it means to be bullied, what it means to be confident in one’s own skin, what it means to be comfortable in one’s own self and to be bold against the opinions of others, what it means to develop a thick skin after that same skin was ridiculed for years by society, what it means to be genuinely noticed and liked by a handsome boy, what it means to be an attention-seeker, what it means to be super self-conscious constantly, and what it means to overcome this all to live life as happily as it can be lived.
This is a show that will not only introduce you to endearing characters but will also tackle issues of what it means to be confident and beautiful in a society that bases almost everything on looks. It addresses such topics such as society’s concept of beauty, the importance of personality and self-esteem, the effects of bullying and various parenting styles, domestic abuse, and how society’s definition of beauty can make or break one’s future life decisions.
The show is anything but superficial, and at those times where it seems cheery and cheeky, it immediately turns to a scene that delves deep into solemn and meaningful life themes that are ever-relevant in today’s world. It’s the perfect blend of sincere discourse and warm glee. Taking on such controversial themes while still maintaining an equally pleasant and mirthful episode ambiance is one of the reasons why this show should be a must-watch on your watchlist for this month.
Witnessing the storyline of the ultimate perfume couple unfold will never tire your eyes or ears! What’s great about this couple is that they progress from the bottom up; they grow together and learn about each other through the same experiences together. There’s a sense of equality between them and it is this same sense of egalitarianism that makes me long for such an intersubjective relationship in my own future.
Their relationship is all about the little things – going from hand-holding to hugging to intimate conversations about earnest life events which truly grow two people closer to one another help build greater rapport between the couple. One’s dreams and problems become another’s dreams and problems. One’s past trauma connects to the other’s trauma and this forms an unbreakable bond between two people. Sometimes, suffering together creates a hole that two people share and fill so deeply that any other type of experience can never mimic.
The mysterious male lead is someone I aspire to be: straightforward, value-driven, direct, and easy to understand. Crystal clear in all thoughts and words. His eyes are the epitome of innocence, endless emotion, and pure joy. They look like what would happen if olives and almonds both had a lovechild: they’re beautiful. He is so attractive that he is called the “face-genius” within the show itself by the characters themselves! What’s more is that this actor can also duck punches like a punch-ducking expert, stare lovingly as if he was trained to do so, and make me gaze at him drinking energy cans from a vending machine 24/7 without fatiguing my eyes or dissatisfying me at all. His gorgeousness and versatile talent in expressions is a crime! He deserves an Oscar for his contributions on the show. His character has a cold, nonchalant side but then he has a warm, caring side reserved for only one woman who rejected him twice but warmed up to him more and more with time. He waited. At one point, he even warned his love interest not to drink more than 3 cups of soju (alcohol) after she got drunk at a party, passed out, and consequently had to be “piggybacked” to get home safely; he became possessive about her immediately after! He acted as her partner even before she had ever agreed to form any such relationship with him. He genuinely cared for her from the very get-go of the show.
One scene in the show features the female lead burning her hand during a chemistry lab session (classic injury). Her lab partner – who so happens to be the male lead of the show – is the first one to be concerned, followed by the second male lead, followed by another classmate (a side character), followed by the entire lab room. When I first saw this scene, I immediately asked one question: Did everyone grow concerned because she’s pretty or because they’re being polite and truly care about their fellow classmate’s hand? It’s a sourly toned question but there’s some truth to it in this day and age. Such a ubiquitous ‘bug of concern’ has never happened to me in any lab before since everyone’s too busy and stressed out to care about anyone else (which is perfectly understandable) so I truly wonder about how an entire classroom could suddenly show concern about a small burn on the finger of a classmate they are not overly familiar with.
On another note, the chemistry between the leads is so undeniably great that the characters in the show have formed a rule to distinguish friendships from romance: a couple has started dating if there is perceptible increased awkwardness in the interactions between the two. The height difference between the two main leads makes them both exactly suitable for one another and only adds to the show’s intrigue! That’s a ship worth rooting for!
For me personally, observing the individual relationship dynamics and love triangles unfold in this show, both inside the college classroom and outside, are highly interesting to observe: we homo sapiens have a roundabout way of searching for our life partners and engaging in interactions with those partners to either a) let them know we like them or b) let them know we don’t like them and like someone else. Isn’t that all that flirting is? Love, on the other hand, is what could turn a person who rarely smiles (and whenever he does, smiles only slightly) into someone who is a smiling machine, all because of one single human being. The emotion is that powerful.
Skinship – the relationship through physical touch between two love interests – grows gradually and viewers remain hungry to see it grow every single time. I, for one, was personally invested in the progress of the skinship timeline over the course of the drama. Seeing two leads go from holding hands to long eye contacts to back hugs to front hugs …to lip-locks….is all so satisfying – especially when the skinship happens gradually and realistically over time, as it should be, instead of only in a few days! For example, the male lead holds onto his love interest’s hand like it’s for the last time ever, as if that hand is some sacred breath of fresh air – he holds on to it for dear life and that sort of connection inspires ultimate boyfriend goals!
Here are a few popular lines from the show to help pique your curiosity about the addictive K-drama:
Male lead (Do Kyung-Seok): “Did you put on perfume?”
Female lead (Kang Mi-Rae): “No, I don’t use it much these days.”
Male lead (Do Kyung-Seok): “Was it because I hate it?”
Female lead (Kang Mi-Rae): “That’s not it.”
Now, without the speaker’s names, to keep you guessing:
“I’m happy to see you again.”
“Can people…cry of happiness?”
“Yes, of course, they can…..It never happened to you?”
“I’m happy whenever I meet you.”
“I only remember smiling once during my middle school days. And it was because of you.”
“I am sorry. For being harsh with you.”
“You keep getting intimidated for no reason.”
“Am I really that cool?”
“Do I need to have a reason to be curious?”
“You’re neither pretty nor ugly. You’re just you.”
“Let’s do everything together. Don’t do it alone.”
“Doesn’t Do Kyung-Seok [male lead] treat you [referring to the female lead, Kang Mi-Rae] like a special person?”
And if you’re a fan of piggyback rides like I am, then this show will further enrapture your heart. Watch the drama, and you’ll learn why.