Top Korean Dramas of 2013: Fifth Review

This is a remake of popular Japanese drama, Kaseifu No Mita which starred Nanako Matsushima. In this Korean version, Choi Ji Woo takes on the role of the suspicious housekeeper in this remake where she starts working at the Han Family's home. Lee Sung Jae acts as the dad while the other woman is played by Wang Ji Hye. One plus point for this drama is that we finally get to see young up-coming actress, Kim So Hyun in a non-cameo role as she plays the family's eldest daughter.

After the recent influx of time travel series, we have one more for the year. This time, Na Mi Rae, travels back to the past to find her younger self (played by Yoon Eun Hye) and to prevent herself from marrying Kim Shin (Lee Dong Gun). While she is in the past, she also tries to match-make herself with a chaebol or heir to a conglomerate, Park Se Joo (Jung Yong Hwa of CN Blue). The show can be occasionally funny but tends to fall flat most of the time.

The first episode exceeded my expectations as it was faster-paced than expected. Park Tae Shin (acted by Kwon Sang Woo) is a talented doctor whose main aim to save as many patients as he can. On the other end, we have Seo Joo Young (acted by Jung Ryeo Won) who feels that her pride is more important than her patients' lives. Their constant conflict brings life to this drama. The cast is rounded up by Joo Ji Hoon who plays Han Seung Jae, MinHo (of SHINee) as Kim Sung Woo and Oh Yeon Soo as Choi Ah Jin. As the series progresses, you may start to lose interest though as a lot of complex medical terms are used and it seems to be a constant showcase of the Top Team's amazing ability.

Before you start watching this drama, I have to warn you first that this will not be an easy watch as the drama focuses on the 1930s to 1940s period when Korea is still under Japan's colonial rule. The underdog, Kang San, is beautifully portrayed by actor Do Ji Han. His fellow basketball star Min Chi Ho is played by Jung Dong Hyun. There is also a Romeo and Juliet plot thrown in with Lee Elijah as Choi Shin Young, the Juliet to Kang San's Romeo.

This drama has a strong cast led by Ji Sung, Hwang Jung Eum and Bae Soo Bin. Although this drama has a typical plot where the female lead suffers from one setback after another, it does not seem too cliche thanks to the strong performance of Hwang Jung Eum and Ji Sung. This is also my first time seeing Ji Sung in a slightly more evil or rather obsessed role and he is doing well.

This is the most-hyped drama of the season due to its huge cast of famous actors and popular idols. Leading the cast are actors Lee Min Ho as Kim Tan, Park Shin Hye as Cha Eun Sang, Kim Woo Bin as YoungDo and Choi Jin Hyuk as Kim Won. The idol cast includes Min Hyuk (of CN Blue) as Chan Young, Krystal Jung (of f(x) ) as Lee BoNa and Park Hyung Shik (of ZEA) as Myung Soo. The earlier episodes are shot mostly at California which is where Kim Tan and Eun Sang first meets each other. Hence, starting their fated encounter. Viewers will most likely compare it to Boys Over Flowers but Kim Tan is less naive and less cartoonish compare to Gu Jun Pyo. On a separate note, Baek Sung Hyun appears here as Kim Tan's half brother. Unfortunately, his role is not given much chance to develop and any brotherly scenes we get have to be cherished!

If you loved the first drama, Reply 1997 by the same production team, you will most likely enjoy this drama too. You will find many similarities from the dialect version of Korean used, the two actors who play the "parents" and the strong female lead. In the first drama, Jung Eun Ji puts in a strong performance. Here, the female lead is well portrayed by actress Go A Ra. As with the first drama, it provokes us with a mystery. Which of the five guys did she marry in the end? Is it her "oppa" played by Jung Woo, the talented baseball player played by Yoo Yeon Seok, the reluctant medical student played by Baro of B1A4 or the other two oddball characters. I guess I will just have to keep watching to find out!