Welcome to Kdrama and Ramen!

Okay, I really loved this drama for its simplistic realism and pure emotions.  “Like Flowers in Sand” is a sports romance with a bit of mystery.  It’s a nicely balanced drama that revolves around a group of childhood best friends as they navigate adulthood and try to reveal the truth about a scandal that happened when they were young.  This drama is wonderfully understated and paints a picture of love on all levels, from family and friendship to community. Like most life dramas, the pace is slow and deliberate, focusing more on character growth than a fast moving plot. I enjoyed the glimpses into the sport of ssireum and what their competitions look like. This cast is fantastic and the characters are well written and believable. I give “Like Flowers in Sand” a 10 out of 10 ramen.

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“Marry My Husband” is a time travel revenge drama that is heavy on the  makjang.  The drama and comedy are exaggerated and often silly, but the revenge journey and romance are rewarding.  The villains are especially well written and the side characters give the story some nice additional support.  Karma and fate take center stage among the themes, although there is also a positive message about empowerment and self-worth. For those of you who watched “Perfect Marriage Revenge”, you will find the plots remarkably similar.  I give “Marry My Husband” an 8 out of 10 ramen.

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“Tell Me You Love Me” is a slow romantic drama that speaks through the silence of sign language, written notes, and emotional expressions. This one is slow-burn to the extreme, so if slow moving, dialgue driver dramas aren’t your thing, you definitely won’t enjoy this one.  But the acting is amazing, the cinematography is quietly beautiful, and the well-written dialogue is honest and realistic.  I give “Tell Me You Love Me” an 9 out of 10 ramen.

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“A Killer Paradox” is a crime thriller with dark humor and superhero elements.  At some point I am going to have to stop saying that these kinds of crime noir dramas are not typical kdrama, because they are becoming increasingly more common.  But like many of its kind, this one includes graphic crime, nudity, and excessive swearing.  I’m not saying this is necessarily bad, but for some, they became kdrama fans to escape this kind of sensationalized programming.  So this warning is for them.  While the superhero aspect of this series was unique and interesting, the story was confusing and jumbled in parts.  On the other hand, I love these leads and their clever cat and mouse game was entertaining to watch.  And the cinematography and background music created the perfect moody backdrop for this exciting story.  I give “A Killer Paradox” an 8 out of 10 ramen.

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“Racket Boys” is a life drama focusing on team work and family with a sports theme.  As I did some research on this series, I was surprised to see that reveiws and ratings for this one are all over the place.  But I get it. This is not your average kdrama. First of all, not everyone is interested in becoming invested in a group of middle school badminton players.  Second, the humor and story are quirky and silly.  (Again, middle schoolers!) I can see why it might not resinate with certain fans.  But I am not one of them.  The humor reminded me of “Prison Playbook”, which I also loved and is by the same writer.  The character and relationship development is solid, and even the village locals have interesting side stories.  This young cast will win your heart and have you rooting for them.  If you’re on the fence, I recommend you give it a try.  You may even develop an interest in the sport of badminton! I give “Racket Boys” a 10 out of 10 ramen.

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“Welcome to Samdal-ri” is a warm, healing romantic drama about fresh starts, friends, and family.  This drama contains all the elements that I love.  It has a beautiful slow-burn romance, interesting characters and relationships, and warm scenery and writing.  Plus the leads are two of my favorites.  Where this drama fell short for me was in how they dispersed screentime for the secondary characters, focusing more on the characters without their own backstories. I also felt like the leads sometimes acted rather immature for grown adults.  But despite a couple pitfalls and heavy-handed tropes, I loved the warm, slow pace of this drama and the healing story it told.    I give “Welcome to Samdal-ri” an 8 out of 10 ramen.

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“My Lovely Liar” is a mystery rom-com.  For me, the love story for this drama was sweet and fun to watch.  But, despite a wealth of supporting characters, the drama fell short at providing interesting side plots or establishing a riveting murder mystery.  If you are just looking for a simple fantasy romance, this one isn’t a bad watch.  But if you are looking for strong story elements and exciting mystery, this is probably not it.     I give “My Lovely Liar” a 7 out of 10 ramen.

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“The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract” is a light time -travel romance. This drama started much stronger than it ended.  While the cast was good and the romantic chemistry was swoon-worthy, there are lots of plot holes and inconsistencies in the time travel story. At times the story really didn’t make much sense.  And I never felt like we got a solid connection between the past characters and their present day counterparts.  I did enjoy the romance and concept of this drama, and it’s a pleasant enough watch, but I wish the execution were stronger.    I give “The Story of Park’s Marriage Contract” a 7 out of 10 ramen.

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“Death’s Game” is a fantasy drama that focuses on our struggle to live despite pain and adverse conditions.  Wow!  I really enjoyed this drama for its phenomenol cast and the original and unpredictable story.  Even storylines that seemed to fall outside of the main theme get wound back into the central storyline in unique and exciting ways.  If you haven’t picked up on it through the title or descriptions of this drama, death is central to this story.  So if topics of death and suicide are triggers for you, please proceed with caution.  There are those that felt that the opinions about suicide in this drama lean more toward blaming the main character instead of presenting any kind of solution or social commentary on the problems that brought him there in the first place. For me, I loved the uplifting message that, regardless of the hardships we face, life should always be seen as a gift.  I give “Death’s Game” a 10 out of 10 ramen.

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