Recommendations of kdramas I have posted on Bluesky

A favorite kdrama of mine. Like Flowers in Sand - Netflix A well written slice of life in a coastal village centered around the traditional korean wrestling sport, childhood friends that  reunite as adults. ML strives to realize his dreams to become champion & achieves the happiest day of his life 

I love Korean Dramas.  I will post a favorite of mine each day. Here is one that I adored. Moving - superb cast, writing, direction and cinematography. Like Marvel superhero series but with a lot more heart. I watch in native Korean with English subtitles. Dubbing sucks! On Hulu/Disney+

The Atypical Family - Netflix An inventive & moving journey of deeply flawed family who lost their superpowers, and the family of grifters out to fleece them. But what started a con turns into salvation. Unique characters cast perfectly. Great direction, cinematography, innovative music score & OST

Today's featured kdrama is The Kidnapping Day – Amazon. A father in desperate need to pay hospital bills for his daughter kidnaps the daughter of rich parents, but ends up on the run as her protector. Exceptional rapport between kidnapper and child in an award-winning performance by actress Yu-Na 

In my top 5 kdrama  list Reply 1988 Tremendous writing, ensemble cast immersed in roles. Charming, nostalgic slice of life drama of a tight group of friends, siblilngs & parents. The brilliant shine of our youth & insight gained as adults, passage of time as we cherish how precious those times were. 

My kdrama pick today Twinkling Watermelon (Viki) -Heartwarming time travel teen romance drama that gives deep feels. ML frustrated with CODA duties for family, time travels to pursue dream as a musician only to get involved with his parents as a peer. GREAT cast & script! An Ode to sparkle of youth 

A thread on my kdrama pick of the day -Pachinko 1 &2 (Apple+) Stunning historical drama covering 3 generations of trauma starting with the Japanese occupation, then living in Japan prior to WWII to present day. Cinematic in nature, explores cultural identity, assimilation, resiliance, belonging. Lee Min Ho at his finest, Kim Min-ha perfectly embodies quiet determination and survival, `Anna Sawai, Jung Eun-chae, Noh Sang-hyun in a role that ripped my heart out, a stacked cast all who give it their best. An absolute tragedy if Apple fails to renew of season 3.

My  kdrama pick of the day The Matchmakers (Viki) A hidden gem sageuk rom com. Rowoon plays with perfect comedic timing & Cho Yi-hyun plays an intelligent, charming FL. The humor, royal politics & star-crossed love story woven together reminiscent of the fun I've had watching Shakespearean comedies. There are a lot of characters and the formation of the plot in the first few episodes and I got a little lost. However, when I read episode recaps on dramabeans, everything clicked and I had an enormously fun time watching this chaste romance. The king is GREAT. Deliciously devious villains.  

My daily kdrama pick - My Mister (Netflix) A beautiful complex story of redemption, such layered characters with challenging struggles in life. One of my very first dramas, and hit me very hard with the deep feels. The late Lee Sun-Kyung and IU play characters struggling with lives encumbered with difficulties, expectations and burdens, as they form a bond and help each other find a healing path forward. Award winning screenplay written by Park Hae-young who also wrote My Liberation Notes. This drama is truly one of the best Korean dramas I have ever seen. 

Today's pick is Mr. Queen (Netflix and Viki) Is a rom com that has it all - time travel, body swap gender bender, court intrique (of course!) when a modern day chef gets sent back in time and is trapped in the body of a Josean era Queen. Throughly entertaining to the end. I kept putting  it off because the Netflix previews didn't do it justice and oh, am I grateful I took the plunge for a memorable kdrama watching experience. My favorite performance of the remarkable actress Shin Hye-sun. The supporting cast have some hilarious moments! 

Today's daily pick is Flex X Cop. (Disney+/Hulu)Ahn Bo-hyun plays a spoiled, unserious chaebol's son, who gets paired up with Lee Gang-hyun, the 1st female head of a violent crimes division. This is a procedural drama that is episodic solving cases and an overall story arc on the backgrounds of the leads. There is plenty of comedy, action and mystery as the crime. The wardrobe must have been fun coming up with some of the wild outfits Ahn Bo-huun has to wear! I'd say more but don't want to spoil it. I love the handsome easy going charm of the ML and the smart, competent FL. 

Today's daily pick is Happiness (Viki), A sci-fi thriller. Han Hyo Joo playin a member of a special police squad and Park Hyung Sik as a detective who were high school friends that reconnect when faking marraige so they can live in a coveted highrise apartment. A pandemic breaks out when infected people turn into zombies, and the city is locked down in quarantine. Surviving the crisis impacts residents in various ways, from cowardly self preservation vs bravely banding together as well as class struggle of owners vs renters and employees, for some satirical social commentary. 

My daily pick is Move to Heaven (Netflix). Sang Gu is a young man with Asperger syndrome who works with his father as cleaning up sites where people died, returning recovered possessions and sharing the stories of what was left behind to loved ones. This slice of life drama was inpired by Kim Sae-byul's book "Things Left Behind" who was a trauma cleaner, and will take you an a remarkable emotional journey of grief, healing and inspiration. Lee Je Hoon is amazing as the troubled uncle of Sang Gu and their evolving relationship. 

Today's daily pick is Under the Queen's Umbrella (Netflix) A sageuk drama that has palace politcs at it's core, but done so well! Kim Hye Soo plays a Queen full of personality and wit as she struggles not only to prepare her 4 sons for their responsiblities as royals. She is one of my favorite queens ever, but opposing her is Queen Dowager with pitch perfect villainy by Kim Hae Sook. There is so much in this drama, the love our Queen has for her sons, the path in life they forge, and gender identity thoughfully done instead of a tropey plot device. This is a must watch! 

Today's daily pick is Misaeng: Incomplete Life.(Netflix) The prologue opens with an action scene in Jordan. Im Si-Wan stars as Jang Geu-rae, an impovrished (Go) player who failed in his dream to become a professional player. By recommendation he gets hired as an intern at a large corporation. Using strategies of baduk for guidance he navigates workplace challenges & vicious office politics, facing resentment & bullying from others who feel they worked hard to earn advanced degrees vs his GED. Lee Sung-min stars as his boss. GREAT ensemble cast, life lessons & deep feels! 

Today's daily pick is Reborn Rich (Viki) Song Joong Ki stars as Jin Do Joon, the dedicated secretary to a chaebol family. When a power struggle amongst the kids for control of the corporation and Do Joon is betrayed & murdered by an unknown member of the family. He wakes up and discovers he inhabits the body of the youngest grandson of the chaebol patriarch, masterfully played by Lee Sung Min. In addition he is now in an earlier point in time, so he has knowlege of future events and this twis is used well as Do Joon plots revenge. The ML's had exceptional chemistry. 

Today's pick is Pyramid Game (Paramount+) PSA..This platform has a Black Friday deal of $2.99 a month for 2 months. Get it cheap and cancel if you wish after binging, which what I did for this drama. High School girls formally organize a monthly social ranking system by popularity vote that targets the bottom ranked girl for bullying. Bona stars as Seong Su Ji, who just transferred and scored a zero. She works out strategies to try to not only improve her rank, but topple the system. This female centered psycological thriller has a great cast, crisp storytelling in just 10 episodes. 

My daily pick of the day is Youth of May (Viki). In light of today's events, this is the drama where I learned about the high price students and others paid to achieve democracy in the Gwangju Uprising. I was sobbing at the end. If you haven't seen it, it is a timely watch. Top notch cast 

Today's daily pick is Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born (Disney/Hulu) Kim Tae Ri stars as a Mokpo fishmarket girl with a dream to join a women's traditional theater company as a pansori singer. Time period is mid 50's ALL the FL's are exceptional in this gorgeously produced female centric drama. 

My daily pick is a 2 for 1! Hospital Playlist 1 and 2 (Netflix). The close friendship of doctors who went to school together and work at the same hospital as top experts in their specialty. The friends meet up on a regular basis to play music and have fun with it! This drama is a great example of the TV I grew up with. A stacked ensemble cast including supporting cast, episodic with different medical cases and an overal storytelling arc of the progression of thier private lives. Oh, and they also have one of my all time favorite supporting actresses, Kim Hae Sook who is delightful 

Today's daily pick is Song of the Bandits (Netflix). Set in 20's during the Japanese Colonial period its a unique fusion of Western outlaw & kdrama. Kim Nam-gil (of Fiery Priest) plays Lee Yoon, a former enslaved Japanese soldier who left for Gando and becomes a bandit to protect the Josean people. I loved the OST which has 5 songs are in English. Only 9 episodes long, it should have been 16 episodes and feels cut in half with every plot line hanging, leaving me as well and the wishes of the cast for a season 2. Perhaps it's for the best, since it's a prelude to the Gando massacre. 

My daily pick is The Red Sleeve (Viki) and Netflix. I think this is the best the performance by both ML Lee Jun Ho, who impressed me with Just Between Lovers  (aka Rain or Shine) and FL Le Se Young who was spectacular in A Korean Odyssey. This historical drama is inspired by true events, prince Yi San endures the ill treatment by his grandfather who murdered his father. Yi San falls in love with Sung Deok and dearly wants to make her his concubine, but she resists because of the restrictions of court life. In additoin to romance, navigating the high stakes court politics also make it a compelling watch. 

My daily pick is High School Return of a Gangster (Disney+/Hulu) Kim Deuk Pal is a 47 yo gangster who 2nd in command of his gang. Growing up poor he lacks an educatinal backround but he studies hard for his dream of going to university. One day, he sees Song Yi Heon, about to kill himself. Through an event, his spirit possesses the body of the suicidal high school student and learns that Yi Heon is a victim of bullying, which caused him to want to take his own life. I enjoyed the premise of the gangster taking on the bullies that made the student's high school life a living hell. 

A drama that kept me rivited. Death's Game 1 and 2.  The ML had to go through so many reincarnations, each one a compelling story in itself. this drama had me by the throat. The performances of each supporting cast member was superb. Dark, yet heartbreaking, with some elements of dark humor.

Instead of my daily Kdrama pick, today would be a good day to see 12.12:The Day (Viki), about a pivotol day in South Korean history in 1979's military coup. In the film, similar pseudonyms are used instead of the real persons' names and although it is based on real events, there are also fictional elements. After President Park's assassination, martial law is declared. Security commander Chun Doo-hwan and the officers who follow him stage a coup. Lee Tae-shin, a commander of the Capital Garrison Command who believes that soldiers should not take political action, fights against Chun Doo-hwan.

Today's daily pick is the 2018 hit Sky Castle (Netflix), A delightfully soapy melodrama and thriller set in the exclusive neighborhood of  SKY Castle. Wealthy parents go to great lengths including competing for the best tutors in an effort to get thier children into prestigious universities 

My daily pick - My Perfect Stranger (Viki) In this time travel mystery romance, the ML Yun Hae Jun is a star anchor at his broadcast station. He is calm and straightforward as a journalist and kind in his personal life. FL Baek Yun Yeong dreamed of being a writer but instead works in publishing. Each traveled back in time to 1987. There, the ML tries to solve a serial murder case, and the FL attempts to prevent her parents from marrying. The drama is riveting as we start to connect the dots on how their fates are connected. 

oday's recommendation is The Knight Flower, a rom com sageuk with a kick ass heroine (Viki) For the past 15 years Cho Yeo Hwa lead the life of a widow restricted to the home of her in laws and in devotion entirely to honoring her dead husband. At night Yeo Hwa dons the mask of Hero, who secretly jumps over the wall to savethe helpless. She crosses paths with Park Soo Ho, a Capital Guard officer who quickly realizes that Hero and Yeo Hwa are not who or what they appear to be. It was eye opening to learn about the restrictions of Josean widows lives 

Today's daily pick is Vincenzo (Netflix) - a drama that gave me true LOL belly laughs as well as a tense plot between our morally gray hero and dastardly villains. I won't say who is who as that might spoil the surprize! Plus, I'm a sucker for anything starring Song Joong Ki. Jeon Yeo Been plays the FL - her character is annyoing in the first episodes, but changes to a protagonist to cheer for as her character progresses. The supporting characters who all live in the same building are hilarious. 

my pick for today is Call It Love (Disney+/Hulu) This drama is a slow burn romance, taking time to let the story unfold. Two people due to life circumstanes would be enemies, but slowly resonate with each other and find comfort. Sim U Ju's life takes a turn for the worse when she's evicted from her home by her father's mistress after he dies. Seeking revenge, she targets Han Dong Jin, the son of the mistress but in time grows to empathize, understand and love him. Han Dong Jin, a lonely workaholic is shaken by Sim U Ju's arrival and impact on his life. Parts shot in rost tint for mood 

My daily pick is Revanant (Hulu) In the mood for supernatural suspense thriller rooted in Korean folklore? Kim Tae Ri is remarkable as Ku San Young. After receiving items from her deceased father, she becomes entangled in strange deaths and begins to change. Oh Jung Se plays Yeom Hae Sang, a folklore professor who can see demons, witnessed his mother's death at their hands. Lee Hong Sae, a police lieutenant, who is connected to both San Young and Jung Se, also becomes embroiled as mysterious events unfold. Trigger warning for suicides 

My daily pick is Mr. Sunshine (Netflix) Most have seen it, but if you have not, this historical epic drama is a must watch. Set in the time when the Josean dynasty is coming to an end and the beginning of Japanese Colonial rule and US efforts to influence. One of the best kdrama productions I've seen. Superb cast, cinematography, storytelling and well drawn characters. 24 eps, not one wasted. A love quadragle morphs into a deep friendship of the three ML's, and I loved them all 

Today's pick is Tomorrow (Netflix) TW - this fantasy drama is about reapers whose mission is to prevent people from committing suicide by helping them find comfort in their remaining days or years. Rowoon plays the ML who tries to save someone about to jump off a bridge interfering with reapers who also were trying to save him. After a struggle they both go over the bridge, and he ends up in a coma. He joins the team of reapers for a term of 6 months after which he will then be able to wake up from his coma. This drama is episodic, with heartrending stories - keep kleenex handy!

Today's pick is A Time Called You, a remake of a Taiwanese drama Someday or One Day. It is a time travel fantasy/thriller that starts out with the FL mourning the death of her boyfriend a year ago. She time travels back to 1998 and finds herself as a high school student named Minju. Another student resembles her boyfriend. His friend has a crush on "Minju". There is even a surprizing cameo by Rowoon in one of the timelines. The tale gets complex as timelines and identities jump around, so I have added a flow chart chart which is a SPOILER in part 3 of thread for you to keep and refer https://bsky.app/profile/doxiefan.bsky.social

Today's pick is The Uncanny Counter - SEASON 1. (Netflix) Demon hunters called Counters work undercover at a noodle restaurant to capture evil spirits that prey on humans. Each Counter has a untique ability/superpower, creating a team that can take down powerful spirits and send them to hell. The show is episodic, and we have an overall story arc on the newest Counter, as he joins the group and develops his powers. Lots of action, comedy and a fun romp. Do not bother with Season 2 or your fond impressions of Season 1 can be ruined. 

Today pick is Extraordinary You (Viki) An amazing cast with the main couple played by Kim Hye Yoon and Rowoon. Our FL lead has a happy life, but somehow becomes aware that she is in fact living as a character in a webtoon. She actively works to obtain control from the writer over her life and has an impact on other characters who become sentient as well. With this in mind, we see the impact when characters are classified as leads, background characters and the like. A very fun watch and interesting to contrast with W, for how writers use the drama to reveal their thoughts and struggles 

Today's pick is W, as a contrast to yesterday's pick Extraordinary You . FL played by Han Hyo Joo is searching for her missing webtoon-writing father when she is sucked into the strange world of her father’s webtoon W. In this dimension, she meets Kang Cheol (Lee Jong Suk), idealized ML character of W, an Olympic gold medalist & self-made millionaire. The plot gets complicated on what it takes for FL to enter each world & in the end as messy as it was getting I felt the writer was trying to say they were trying to wrap up the drama with a pleasing outcome for us as the drama audience and the  "webtoon readers" in the drama

Today's pick is Just Between Lovers (also known as Rain or Shine) Viki & Netflix. My first Lee Jun Ho drama - What sets his acting apart is he effectively communicates thoughts and emotions with micro expressions. The ML & FL lives are intertwined as a result of physical & psychological trauma of surviving a disaster that claimed 48 lives & also for those who lost loved ones, and  those connected to people blamed for the tragedy. They work together to heal and protect others from future tragedies. The rescue scenes resonated with me, so similar to earthquake rescue scenes where I lived 

Today's pick is Black Out (Hulu/Disney+) Crime/mystery/suspense! A promising medical student is arrested for the murder of 2 female classmates. He has no memory of the murders, and is coerced to confess and serves 10 years in prison. He returns to his hometown & wants to live a quiet life, but his family is in ruins, & the town harrasses him. As he desperately tries to remember what happened and clear his name, another murder happens. As more is revealed in his quest for truth, this mystery thriller will have you throwing bricks at some real despicable characters. Byun Yo Han is ML