Welcome to Kdrama and Ramen!

“Military Prosecutor Doberman” is a revenge drama with a legal focus.  The fact that the legal cases involve military crimes and courts give it an interesting and unique perspective.  But if revenge and intrigue aren’t your thing, there isn’t really enough court room drama scenes to make this one worth your while.  Several cases involve bullying and violence that might be a bit much if you are sensitive to those issues.  But if you are looking for an exciting drama about going after those who use their position and privilege to take advantage of the weak and unprotected, this one is entertaining and satisfying. And there is a touch of romance thrown in, for fans who need a bit of love with their revenge.   I give “Military Prosecutor Doberman” a 8 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

“Twenty-Five Twenty-One” is a coming of age story about friendship, first love, and the dreams of youth.  This nostalgic drama is a sweet, feel-good story spanning three years.  But there is also a bittersweet message that as youth passes, life doesn’t always turn out the way we hope.  The cast has amazing chemistry and Kim Tae Ri’s Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actress was well-deserved.  If you are looking for an emotional romantic drama with a strong focus on friendship, this drama is a must-see.     I give “Twenty-Five Twenty-One” a 9 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

“Sungkyunkwan Scandal” is a light-hearted, gender-bender historical romance that intensifies toward the end with some mystery and political intrigue. Because this one aired back in 2010, you are likely to see lots of familiar faces among this fun, talented cast. The breezy rom-com feeling in the first half and the fun bromance make it an easy watch, even if you are new to historical dramas.  But seasoned fans will also enjoy the interesting plot and cast chemistry. I give “Sungkyunkwan Scandal” a 8 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

“Forecasting Love and Weather” is a slow-paced romantic drama.  Rather than the light romantic comedy I expected, it actually focuses on the more realistic, serious side of love and marriage.  I really wanted to love this one more than I did.  Although it has an amazing cast, the story itself lacks any real character depth or romantic chemistry.  While I found the subject of weather and meteorology unique and interesting, and loved the way they related weather phenomenon to relationships, the theme often overshadowed the characters themselves.  I give “Forecasting Love and Weather” an 7 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

“Melancholia” is a slow-paced and bittersweet drama of longing and revenge.  It portrays the beauty of math and it’s relationship to art, life and love. While romantic love is at the very root of this story, it is seldom at the forefront.  Don’t expect cute, romantic dates or steamy love scenes.  Instead, the main story focuses on political and educational corruption, and a desire to expose those who use students in their own power games.   The strengths of this series lie in its thought provoking, powerful message  and interesting and complex characters and relationships.    I give “Melancholia” a 9 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

“The Sound of Magic” is a dreamy, fantasy drama that is sort of a “Mary Poppins” meets “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory“.   Let me start with the obvious.  This is a magical fantasy series, so if you aren’t willing to check your adult cynicism at the door, you might as well not waste your time on this one.  Also, if shows where the characters break into song and dance at random moments irritates you, this probably isn’t your thing. As for me, I love a good musical and this type of fairy tale fantasy is one of my favorite genres.  And this drama had me “spell-bound”.  The cast was fantastic, the scenes were visually stunning, and the OST is amazing. The story mixed just enough bittersweet realism into the enchanted lives of our leads to keep me emotionally engaged.  I give “The Sound of Magic” a 9 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

“Strangers From Hell” is a psychological thriller about a group of psychopaths who all live together in a cheap goshiwon called Eden. This one is dark and creepy, with enough gore to have the finale rated 19+.  So if you are squeamish or easily scared, you may not enjoy it.  But if you enjoy a complex thriller that will play with your mind and has a fantastically crazy cast of psychopaths, the subtleties of this drama will have you second guessing for days.  I still haven’t decided what I think really happened at the end, and that just makes it all the more interesting!  I give “Strangers From Hell” a 9 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

“School 2021” is a young romantic drama about first love and preparing for an unknown future.  It’s really more of a slice of life drama focused around high school life than a specific plot line, so if you are looking for a tight story with a focused theme this is probably not for you.  It’s not complicated or exciting, but it does have some sweet moments that remind us that often success is more about passion and your own happiness than natural talent.  I give “School 2021” a 7 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜

“Juvenile Justice” is a dark legal drama that exposes the harsh realities of young criminals and the challenges and temptations they face. It also looks at maximum sentences for the youth and whether a “slap on the wrist” punishment is enough. This is not a series for the faint of heart.  It is violent and sadly realistic.  The themes swing hard at social responsibility and often harken back to the familiar saying “it takes a village”.  The cast is exceptional and the cases are riveting and veer away from easy, cookie-cutter endings.  I give “Juvenile Justice” an 9 out of 10 ramen.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜