Iljimae (2008) is an old classic to put on your list

Before Lee Joon Gi became iconic in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016), he starred in the little gem Iljimae (2008). This Korean Drama is a Joseon version of Robin Hood with touches of Hwarang. Lead actor Lee Joon Gi plays Gyeom/Yong-i/Iljimae, the Nobleman’s son who was orphaned as a child and forced to live as a poor commoner, due to political and ambitious wranglings. He takes up the banner of the disenfranchised, while trying to find the murderers of his father. The stars aligned perfectly for this classic Korean drama from 2008, Iljimae Season 1 rated PG 13. Nevertheless, even though Iljimae is an engaging story, at times it does drift off into silly comedy. This may bother some. There is word fighting in Iljimae.

Stars Lee Young-ah, Park Si-hoo, Lee Joon-gi, Han Hyo-joo

Because this is an old gem, many film concepts and techniques are “ole school”, like Cinematography and sound effects. Iljimae was produced back in the day when the action actors were hooked up to wires, which were often visible to some paying attention. This was during the time when action actors also did their own stunts. Lee Joon Gi is often seen doing his own stunts in this drama. Watch out for the original blindfold ‘Healer’ Kiss.

The “eyes” have it for this Korean Drama. A very young Lee Joon Gi could not look more handsome, playing the role of the action hero. His eyes are the most gorgeous feature of his moon pie face.

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How good is the Korean Drama ‘Love Song for Illusion’ 2024, with Park Ji Hoon?

I am so excited about this Korean Drama I can’t wait for the next episode to drop. Crown Prince has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), brought on by childhood trauma. The premise is unusual, like ‘Kill Me, Heal Me’ Joseon style. The passion of the Crown Prince is dress designing. The Crown Prince is hated by a father who is an illegitimate King who stole the throne. Love Song for Illusion is based off of a Naver Webtoon by the same name by Vanziun.

The Crown Prince is his own evil twin. The drama music is smoking. The Crown Prince has great bravado when he is the “Evil Twin” and is the nicest wimp as the “Good Twin” in this Romance Action Thriller, with Court intrigue. There is great choreographed dancing in this drama. Frankly, Love Song for Illusions has one of the more inventive storylines in a while, as more Korean writers are starting to think outside of the box when writing Korean dramas. A King with DID, a revenging Assassin who has lost her memory and finds herself a Concubine to the Crown Prince and she likes the Wimp better, a Crown Prince who is competing with his other personality as the Second Lead, a rebellious second half-brother scheming for the Throne. It is all working for me. Love Song for Illusion for me is making me just as excited as the Korean Drama Perfect Marriage and Revenge. I am viewing this real-time. Head Talk Galore.


Actors Corner

Hong Ye-ji is a star. She can act. She can dance. She looks good doing Martial Arts skills. I am totally impressed with the female lead. And Hong Ye-ji and Park Ji Hoon have great chemistry. Look for Hong Ye-ji in the upcoming 2024 drama The Crown Prince Has Disappeared, with Suho from EXO.

Park Ji Hoon is a K-pop star and actor who began his acting career as a child. Park Ji Hoon always gives great unusual performances. He is called upon for a double role in Love Song for Illusions. Park Ji Hoon brings great bravado and simpleness to the roles as he plays opposite personalities.

Hwang Hee—I have always loved this underrated actor, who has appeared in Dali and the Cocky Prince and Arthdal Chronicles among many Korean dramas.


Chinese drama equivalent is Fall In Love, also about Dissociative Disorder (DID) and both personalities are the First and Second Leads.

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It is tricky business trying to make a horror film when you don’t have the tools.

Park Seo Jun and Han So Hee are stepping out this year with a horror Korean Period Drama. Action takes place in 1945. Korea is still under Japanese occupation (1910-1945). Now there is a whole generation of Korean people who grew up under Japanese occupation and they know nothing else. They are even forced to speak Japanese as the national language. This is the backdrop of an unusual horror story. The action is actually scary to me and invites the hand in front of the eyes at times. The drama starts off excellent. If only it could have stayed at this level, I would have been so happy.

From this height at the beginning, the drama drifts off into standard fare and old outdated tropes, but it is just set in 1945. The writer is Kang Eun-kyung, who brought us Doctor Romantic 2 (One of my all-time favorites) and The World of the Married. It is directed by Director Chung Dong-yoon. Someone’s vision did not work for me. There was little logic to this action and the story many times insulted my intelligence. You have an imposing creature which can fend off the bullets of 50 men at one time, as it overcomes them in five minutes. Then you have one man with one gun who holds this creature at bay for 15 minutes, just because he is the handsome Park Seo Jun? With some of the action, as death is at the door and chaos is all around, that hero stops to give “the hero speech”. Could this have been moved to a more appropriate point in the action?

And where was the Script Supervisor when this drama was being filmed? They are suppose to keep track of props, lighting, blocking, and story sequences to ensure the script's integrity and believability. In one scene, the protagonists are hiding crouched down behind a structure that is three feet tall, to elude an army seeking to kill them in front. It is clearly noticeable the the gun one of the protagonists is holding sticks up a feet above this structure, as the protagonist gives another “hero speech”. The shooting is curtailed until he is completely finished. Would not the gun, protruding above the structure, clearly give off their position to the enemy thirty feet away? I can’t name them all, but each gaff knocked me out of the fantasy illusion and back to reality. Is this bad scriptwriting and/or bad directing? My number one pet peeve is that you are in need of a gun and you knock out a soldier and you leave the gun and the bullets with the unconscious soldier? What happens when the soldier wakes up? I am getting a headache.

There are some pluses, however, in this drama. The cast is a stacked cast with many Korean Drama favorite actors and actresses. They try to do their part with what should have been a thrilling horror Korean Drama. The cinematography is great and set design, lighting, and CGI are great.

Another thing which is endearing is Park Seo Jun. He has a signature in his acting. Park Seo Jun many times leaves behind comedic gestures in an scene, serious or not. While the other actor is being stoically serious, he will do something funny off side of the focus character. This is similar as with the signature of Lee Jong Suk, who tries to work in that little dance he does for his fans in all his dramas. Watch for these little messages to the fans for Jun. In one serious scene Park Seo Jun‘s character is consoling a very drunk friend (Wi Ha Joon). The Park character gives him his handkerchief to wipe his eyes, but the drunk blows his nose as well and then hands back the handkerchief. All while the drunk continues his drunk speech, Park Seo Jun takes the handkerchief and sniffs it, makes a funny face, and then throws it away. It is hard not to laugh at these little gestures in these serious moments. Will I watch season 2. I am trying to force myself, but I am still thinking it over.

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‘When I Fly Toward You’ Chinese drama is flying high for me.

‘When I Fly Towards You’ is a Chinese Drama about a young girl who has a mad crush on this boy. Why? No particular reason. Sometimes teen girls are just attracted to someone. He is very smart and in Advance Class. She is in average class. He runs, but she persists. Will she win? The drama is uncomplicated and delightful, a simple read. I love the chemistry between the male and female leads. Cuteness overload. ‘When I Fly Towards You’ is a Chinese Drama to add to your complicated list of dramas. Use it to decompress. The drama has 24 episodes at about 35 minutes each and is on Netflix. I am totally loving this Teen Crush School Life Drama. Like with the Chinese Drama ‘Hidden Love’, ‘When I Fly Towards You’ takes this relationship from teen years to adulthood. This is a very romance centered drama with a stellar posse of actors.

More attention is being paid to the Chinese School Life Romance Drama Hidden Love and deservedly so. Nevertheless, ‘When I Fly Towards You’ is an excellent drama too. Great OST or original soundtrack and great posse of actors. ‘When I Fly Towards You’ has the vibe of the Korean Drama ‘King, The Land’ because of the truculent male and the smiley female, with a splash of the Chinese Drama Hidden Love which transverses time.

PS-The voice of the Male Lead is ever heavenly, resonating in the lower register. I could listen to this voice for days and never get tired. And by the time you get to the end, you will miss this drama Big Time.

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I loved ‘My Lovely Liar’.

Hwang Min-hyun (Minhyun) singer/songwriter of the K-pop group NU’EST and actor from the big hit Korean Drama ‘Alchemy of Souls’ (which followed Live On) is putting out only his third drama. The early buzz is that this drama will make him a household name. It is fortunate that he gets the main lead with the little star maker, Kim So Hyun (Love Alarm). She is a former Korean child star, who can do little wrong in picking good Korean dramas and making her costars shine. ‘My Lovey Liar’ got off to a slow start, because this star power rich Korean drama needs a lot of set-up time. However, the chemistry between the two leads took off all of a sudden by the end of episode 2, heating up the place. I loved My Lovely Liar and I viewed this drama real-time.

The drama is quaint and engaging. It is about a young lady who can hear lies and she has turned this into a profitable business. Her love interest is a music genius with a mysterious and dark past. There are a few surprises in the story, which takes the action in surprising directions. Give this one a try.

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Time Travel fast track to understand the meaning of the Time Travel Loop Fantasy Drama.

A Time Called You ⚡️⚡️Spoilers⚡️⚡️

The whole crux of this drama pivots around this little girl who played video games with the high schooler Nam Si-heon. Her importance was not clarified in the Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’ .

With respects the Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’, maybe I could help some fully understand the ending.

The Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’ did not explain the importance of this little girl. It was left out of the drama. ‘A Time Called You’ is a remake of the Chinese Drama ‘Someday or One Day’. It is explained in the Chinese version who this little girl is at the very end, in a simple flashback. I even missed her importance until the end too. While some may have caught it, I sense that because this is a complicated drama, most persons probably missed that this little girl is the pivotal force of the whole drama. Who is she? Let’s get the background first.

The storyline revolves around two people in this drama Universe who have doppelgängers who exist in the same timeline. We meet Han Jun-hee (Jeon Yeo-been) and Koo Yeon-jun (Ahn Hyo-seop), who are lovers. He dies. She misses him so much she wills herself to travel back in time to where she thinks that he is alive.

When Han Jun-hee travels back in time, she inhabits/shares someone else’s body, the body of her older doppelgänger, high schooler Kwon Min-ju. Han Jun-hee’s mystery is “Why does Nam Si-heon (The doppelgänger of her love Koo Yeon-jun) look like Koo Yeon-jun, her lover who dies?”

Han Jun-hee/Kwon Min-ju, Nam Si-heon/Koo Yeon-jun, Jung In-gyu

The Mystery

This is a double time travel!!! In the actual timeline, Kwon Min-ju dies. The actual teenager/adult (Nam Si-heon), misses the future Han Jun-hee. He met and fell in love with her when she inhabited/shared the body of Kwon Min-ju before Kwon Min-ju’s death. After the death of Kwon Min-ju, teenager/adult Nam Si-heon wills himself to travel in time to be with Han Jun-hee in the future, using that music tape and cassette player. However, he does so through his doppelgänger Koo Yeon-jun, a younger gay man who dies in a car crash. Nam Si-heon starts this journey when he inadvertently travels to his doppelgänger in the future and decides to become him after the death of Koo Yeon-jun. Nam Si-heon inserts himself into the timeline of Koo Yeon-jun. Nam Si-heon/ Koo Yeon-jun is the one who gives Han Jun-hee the means to travel back in time to the past. It is through the music tape and cassette player he used to travel to the future. It is Nam Si-heon/ Koo Yeon-jun who starts this time travel loop, to try to fix time so that he and Han Jun-hee can be together, as time keeps turning in on itself or looping.

Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’ and Chinese Drama ‘Someday or One Day’ .


Who is who? Who are the players?

Han Jun-hee (Jeon Yeo-been) is 6/7 years younger than her doppelgänger high schooler Kwon Min-ju. They both grew up in the same town.

Koo Yeon-jun (Ahn Hyo-seop) is 6/7 years younger than his doppelgänger, the high schooler Nam Si-heon. He does not live in the same town as Nam Si-heon. Koo Yeon-jun is the gay man who dies in a car crash. As he traveled through time, Nam Si-heon takes over the identity of Koo Yeon-jun.

Kwon Min-ju (Jeon Yeo-been) is the doppelgänger of Han Jun-hee and is 6/7 years older than Han Jun-hee. She is the one who loves Nam Si-heon, but Nam Si-heon is not attracted to her. The best friend of Nam Si-heon, Jung In-gyu, is in love with Kwon Min-ju.
Nam Si-heon (Ahn Hyo-seop) is the high schooler in the past and the doppelgänger of the younger Koo Yeon-jun. He encounters Han Jun-hee when she travels back in time and inhabits/shares the body and life of high schooler Kwon Min-ju.

Jung In-gyu (Kang Hoon) is the best friend of high schooler Nam Si-heon. To explain why Jung In-gyu confessed to the murder of Kwon Min-ju, this was because of his love for her. Kwon Min-ju wanted to die at the hands of a killer, because she felt that her pathetic life would be glorified in the news if she died this way. She asked Jung In-gyu to kill her, but he would not. She ended up committing suicide. He took the blame, because while he could not kill her he could give her a glorified death by being her “killer”, instead of her just committing suicide.

The Killer Oh Chan-yeong (Min Jin-woong) is 6/7 years younger than his brother, and is the younger brother of the classmate of Kwon Min-ju and Nam Si-heon. In the future, he steals the time-travel cassette. When he goes back in time (In the form of his brother) to kill Kwon Min-ju for fun, he is thwarted by the Police before he can kill Kwon Min-ju. He successfully kills her in the first original timeline.

Who is the little girl who played video games with high schooler Nam Si-heon?

Nam Si-heon finds out who the little girl is in the future. They were always destined to meet in the past, no matter through what timeline. That timeline was not disturbed be all the future fixes. If there were no interferences in the future, these two had met already, and in the Chinese version the little girl told high schooler Nam Si-heon that he was her future husband. These two fixed the most important part of the timeline, getting rid of the killer. Both knew to avoid that fated plane flight which crashed. The Universe was righted, making way for their eternal love.

Korean Drama ‘A Time Called You’ 9.0/10 and Chinese Drama ‘Someday or One Day’ 10/10.

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She is Han Jun-hee. The little girl tells Nam Si-heon to remember her name the next time they meet. How could you leave this explanation/clarification out of the drama? Koreans most likely caught that the little girl was Han Jun-hee. Americans are too busy reading subtitles, trying to keep everything straight. The simple Chinese drama flashback was all it would have taken for clarification.

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Were six episodes enough to pull off this wonderfully imagined SyFy Action Drama?

Black Knight

A celestial catastrophe causes Korea to change to a desert where air quality is drastically limited. Only 1% of the population survived and now live in a masked world. To receive goods and services in this dystopia, the population is divided into the general, special, core population members, separated by QR codes encoded into their skin. Those of the population not chosen for either of these special groups receiving special treatment are termed refugees. Humans can disassociate from humanity in times of extreme crisis.

The heroes of this new dystopia are the Deliverymen. They are the ones who fight off brutal Hunters, seeking to confiscate these special delivered goods. The Hunters try to steal from those supply cargo trucks called Relief Supplies Transport Vehicles the Deliverymen drive. The Deliverymen bringing replacement goods to the people in the serviced populations are Rockstars to the public. Out of the shadows of this fighting force of martial arts specialists is the legendary Deliveryman 5-8 (Woo Bin) who is the superhero among super heroes.

This drama had a great ideal premise and could have been a great SyFy drama. I feel that the scriptwriter who transposed the brilliant Webtoon (By the same name) into a drama could have handled his brilliant material better. The writer seemed to have lost his way through this potential hit. Black Knight was reduced to allowing violence to take the place of a well written script, in my opinion. The cast was stellar, led by Woo Bin as the legendary 5-8 Deliveryman and Kang YouSeok as the dreamer and population castaway, seeking to become a Deliveryman like his hero 5-8.

I found myself fast-forwarding past certain violent scenes and I was left a little empty waiting for this potential hit to take off. This drama has six episodes. More episodes could have been used to develop the wonderfully imagined characters living in this wonderfully imagined life-interrupted world in this drama.

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Delves into the Webtoon Industry and give behind the scenes knowledge

I think that the Korean Drama ‘Today’s Webtoon’ is a special hidden gem. It stars Kim Se-Jeong (Business Proposal) as On Ma-Eum, and Nam Yoon-Soo (The King’s Affection) as Goo Jun-Yeong.

Fresh from her starring role in the RomCom Business Proposal, Kim Se-Jeong moves from high energy comedy to expose her softer realistic side as a personal developer of young Webtoon cartoonists in ‘Today’s Webtoon’. Kim Se-Jeong, playing On Ma-Eum, could not be a more empathetic drama character. I love her strong presence in this Korean drama. Empathy means the ability to wear the other person’s heart in your chest. On Ma-Eum really understands her young creative charges and really knows what they need. She garners the romantic attention of everyone looking for a safe haven. Nam Yoon-Soo plays Goo Jun-Yeong, who is the exact opposite in personality. He is too logical to understand feelings, but senses that he should latch on to On Ma-Eum. Goo Jun-Yeong is a business genius a tactician. You will not know whether to love or hate him. This drama also has great music. Stick with this one for the long haul. It just keeps getting better and better with each episode.

The character I am most drawn to in ‘Today’s Webtoon’ (because of the realistic rawness) is Sin Dae-Lyug. Few people understand a Webtoon genius and how to soothe that quiet beast within. In this drama, all of his Webtoon storylines are very dark, but autobiographical. Sin Dae-Lyug is played by Kim Do-Hoon from ‘My Absolute Boyfriend. His performance is very gritty and emotional and it may put him on your list of young talent for which to watch out.

What ‘The Liar and His Lover’ did for explaining the Music Industry, ‘Sh**ting Stars’ did for explaining the intricacies of handling the egos of drama stars in the Drama Industry, ‘Today’s Webtoon’ will do this for Webtoons. This drama explains the ins and outs and back door cutthroat dealings of the Webtoon Industry, while showing how creative genius Cartoonists are cultured as Webtoon Artists. Each drama character has his own dynamic backstory which adds richness to the drama. While enjoying this Korean drama, I learned so much about design and production of web cartoons, how to develop them, and what makes one web cartoon fun while another one is not.

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This story is time travel and not reincarnation

The Story

In the first 15 minutes (Therefore, this is not a spoiler), the Heroine dies, then gets a second chance to live her life again. Her is transported back in time via an unknown reason, hopefully to correct her past mistakes in life. The Story of Kunning Palace is a Time Slip (Time Travel) Drama, or this suggests that the means for time travel is not established. Nonetheless, this is a story within a story and is inventively designed. Both stories run concurrently, as the first life of the Heroine is threaded into the second life as flashbacks.

The heroine is the daughter of nobility, but she was switched at birth. The Noblewoman is raised as a plebeian and the switched plebeian is raised as a noblewoman. When all is discovered decades later, due to sentimentality and other reasons, the legitimate Heroine is accepted into the family only as a second daughter and not with the status of the plebeian daughter. This makes for an interesting start to The Story of Kunning Palace.

Quote: “He who has a mind to beat his dog will easily find a stick”. Young Warrior from The Story of Kunning Palace.

I love complicated dramas. The Story of Kunning Palace checks all my Asian drama criteria boxes. There is even a lot of ancient law incorporated into this intelligently written script. However, until enough of the backstory is revealed, the drama may be hard for some to follow. The heroine makes lots of mistakes as she first lives her life, which ends in her death. She is snatched out of her first timeline and reinserted back into the beginning of her failed first chance. What will she do? Will she learn from her past mistakes and correct them or is history doomed to repeat itself? It seems like that many of her efforts to change her new timeline produces failures, as history continues to make corrections back to its past timeline to thwart her new insertions. When under Time Travel restrictions, if one cannot makes changes or corrections in the new timeline then one is in a time alternative universe where changes to the future are impossible.

The heroine, who actually turned out to be a wicked person in the first timeline, gets a new chance to live a proper life. You see her make conscious efforts to correct past mistakes as these mistakes are revealed through her constant flashbacks to her original timeline. However, overall, her life course seems destined to be repeated. Will she succeed in correcting her past and saving all the lives she destroyed. You must watch The Story of Kunning Palace to find out.

Note: Some have flagged ‘The Story of Kunning Palace’ as drama about reincarnation.
It is not. Reincarnation is rebirth into a new body. The drama is a reinsertion into a first life and thus is Time Travel and not Reincarnation.

Quote: “What the world needs is heartless men. Those who abide by the rules can’t move forward fast enough. So screw the rules”. Anti-hero from The Story of Kunning Palace.

Quote: “I would not dare to ask your Majesty to move. But I also have a message for your Majesty. You must know that a man who is greedy for his own profit and who seeks the skin of a tiger, does not know that the tiger is a tiger”. Lowly Court Official loved by Her Majesty from The Story of Kunning Palace.


Actors Corner

Bai Lu—Strong female role with a woman who knows how to pull the surprise, by playing dumb.
Zhang Ling He—The anti-hero (Villain) you will love and hate to be confused by.

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Miraculous Brothers is an interesting concept drama

Miraculous Brothers (2023)

Some Korean Devotees have wanted darker themed Korean Dramas. Each has her own taste. So many dark themed dramas have too much violence in it for me. However, I fell upon this little gem of a Korean Drama. Miraculous Brothers (2023), which is a Crime, Mystery, Fantasy Bromance. The Korean Drama Miraculous Brothers is not a run-of-the-mill story. The edgy dark lyrics of the pulsating drama music should give you a clue about that. Cinematography (especially camera angles) are eye-catching. This drama kept climbing higher and higher up my All-time List, with each episode. You really have to be patient with this one. Each layer has a unique surprise.

The story centers around the mystery surrounding a magnificently written “book” which explores man’s desires and the duality of good and evil. Who is the writer of this book titled ‘God is Dead’, and is this person of this world? Is this book a book of fiction or reality? The writer of Miraculous Brothers just gives away enough mystery, a little bit at a time, until he reveals the big picture. This keeps you fully engaged as a viewer. (The drama has no demonic content, even though the young man has more than human powers.)
The drama pace of Miraculous Brothers is immaculate. What I like most about this complicated drama is that at junctures along the way, you are given recaps of what you should have picked up from all the clues. So if you get lost you are put back on track. For my taste, this is a great drama.
There are two male protagonists in the Korean drama Miraculous Brothers. Are they monsters or saviors? There is a strong female lead character too. While the subject is about serial killings, the drama does not have gratuitous violence. There is some cursing. The rating, however, is mostly accounting for suicides being covered in some arcs in the story.

One of our main protagonists is a young man who appears to be not of this world. He can manipulate time and objects, but lost his memory when he was hit in a car accident. The other protagonist is a failed writer who is the driver of the car from the accident. His life is turned upside down as he tries to piece together clues as to who is this strange visitor.

Bae Hyun-sung (Dear M) and Jung Woo (Reply 1994)
Miraculous Brothers is in the vein of the great Korean Drama Signal, with a twist. Lots of Head Talk here.

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Does The Long Ballad show how powerful love can be, as lovers ignore the cost of love?

This post does contain small spoilers in the text.

The Long Ballad is unique in showing what power love has over a person. Many Korean Drama devotees will remember the Korean Drama ‘Nevertheless’ as a drama showing how one can ignore all the red flags which tells you that this is not a love pathway you need to travel. However, you also learn that your heart can so easily ignore all the warning signs as you steamroll over common sense. The story of The Long Ballad becomes a truly tumultuous journey of love for me of the true costs of love.

The Long Ballad (Song) centers around many true historic figures among the plot. The drama is a Romeo and Juliet story of star-crossed lovers from the Tang Dynasty Period (618-907) who should have been enemies, since their Tribes were enemies and were constantly clashing and fighting each other. Our lovers are Li Changge (Dilraba Dilmurat), a Royal Princess from the Tang Dynasty and A’ Shi Le Sun (Leo Wu) who is Commander of the Eagle Military Division of the A’ Shi Le Tribe. Being the only member to survive the loss of all her whole family in a coup for the Tang Dynasty Throne, heroine Li Changge sets out on a quest for revenge, as she remains loyal to her Tang Tribe no matter what the cost. Princess Li Changge is totally reckless in her quest, ready and willing to give up her life at any time. A’ Shi Le Sun becomes the one who wants that life for himself, and he refuses to let her sacrifice herself, as he constantly goes to her rescue. Li Changge and our hero A’ Shi Le Sun meet by chance while she is disguised as a man, who has full expertise in the Martial Arts. Later, when he finds out that she is a woman, love comes almost instantly, as he admires the bravery and skills of this powerful woman fighter. Even at the potential cost of the danger to his whole Military Division and potential disloyalty to his Tribe because of this love affair, A’ Shi Le Sun can not withdraw his heart to the side of reason.

A’ Shi Le Sun is often physically harmed, disgraced, and even loses his mother to death protecting the only woman he has ever loved romantically, as Li Changge continues on her reckless course. A’ Shi Le Sun tried many times to let go of his love for Li Changge, but he was not able to release himself from this burdened love. Love has full power over you, but so does Li Changge’s revenge and loyalty to her cause.

(When A’ Shi Le Sun’s mother was killed, all I could think of was “Release the Kraken”, as A’ Shi Le Sun went on a rampage of blood, ala Vincenzo.)

Along the way, Li Changge begins to realize the depth of the romantic love A’ Shi Le Sun has for her, as she slowly begins to return his endearing love. A’ Shi Le Sun’s love is like a third uncontrollable character in this love story of The Long Ballad. Every time Li Changge endangers herself A’ Shi Le Sun is forced to pay the cost of sanitizing her world to keep his love in this world. He could do no less. While the cost of loving Li Changge was great, losing Li Changge was a price A’ Shi Le Sun found unimaginable to pay.

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Does Golden Spoon become the first Korean Drama to have two Male First Leads outside of BL dramas?

In Korean Dramas specifically and writing in general, the First Male Lead is the male protagonist around whom the storyline pivots. Therefore, the Male First Lead never becomes the Male Second Lead. In addition, if you pluck out this character from the storyline you have no story. Outside of BL Korean Dramas, you get one Male First Lead usually.

(No Spoilers)

The storyline for Golden Spoon is exceptional and unusual.

Golden Spoon is the story of two teen young men, one super rich and one very poor, who go to the same high school. The poor teen desperately wants to be rich, to control his life. As the story evolves, a Golden Spoon grants his wish to switch parents. In a reality-bend, he abandons his parents in his reality to become the son of the riches Chaebol. In this switch, the (unaware) natural son of the riches chaebol inherits the parents of the economically poor young student. Each boy keeps his personality identity and both are their original self, but they just live in a different reality in this switch. Reality is bent. As you can see, because of this unique storyline, neither teen can be plucked out of this story. (We are not talking about changing out an actor).

“Male First Lead” Confusion

In Golden Spoon, both boys fall for the same girl. She likes only one of the boys, but in this reality-bend, at any given time, both of our teen boys are this boy which she likes. This reality-bend in Golden Spoon leads to a Korean Drama conundrum. The First Male Lead of a story is always the protagonist about which the drama story is written. Because this story is equally about the two boys living in each others’ reality-bend, for me this makes Golden Spoon the first Korean Drama which I have seen that has two Male First Leads or Double Male First Leads and no Second Male Lead.

Fan Alert: The ending is mind-blowing.

Take-Away from the Story

Golden Spoon addresses whether all that is golden is really ideal? Should value be attached to the integrity of your soul? Is money really what makes you happy? Golden Spoon has many aspects of the Korean drama Reborn Rich. It handles the material in unique ways and may be a fresh look at an old theme, “Is the grass greener on the other side?”

Note: Golden Spoon is not a body-swap Korean Drama. Both boys are themselves, but the one with the Golden Spoon retains the knowledge of their former self and their relationships in the other bended reality. Although not knowing the life the other boy lived, each are retrofitted into that life or reality-bend. This makes for a unique prospective view on both of their lives.

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This is a rich well written story with a wonder love match around the game of Go.

Captivating the King is a Period Korean Drama you definitely want to watch this year of 2024. I had fully written up ‘Captivating the King’, then I had to go back and toss that writeup. In this Korean Drama, the viewer gets a Korean Drama first. See if you can identity what happens in this drama, which in my 250 viewed Asian Dramas, I have not seen. I have seen this occurrence happen with a secondary leads, but not with the Main Male Lead. ‘Captivating the King’ is intelligently written with a polished plot-line. There is skilled acting by all of the drama actors too, in this stacked cast.

The Story

When Korea’s Joseon Dynasty became a tributary to the Chinese Qing Dynasty in 1636, Joseon was told to cut ties with the Chinese Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), who had been helping them for Centuries. While under the Ming Dynasty (Ming Dynasty reigned from 1368 to1644), the people of Joseon enjoyed more humane favors comparatively to being under the Qing. Now the once small nation of Qing has risen to great power, and the Qing Dynasty rules through retaliation and brutality.

The Qing Dynasty maintains strict order by holding captive in China Korean people of the Royal Courts. One such hostage from Korea is its Grand Prince Yi In. He is a very likable person when compared against his ever maddening brother, King Yi Sun of Joseon. After some time in captivity, Grand Prince Yi In finally is allowed to come home for a visit.

The Grand Prince loves the board game Baduk (Go), and Yi In is a great Baduk player, having honed his skills in China while being held in captivity. Upon his return to Korea, he meets a girl pretending to be a lad (Kang Mong Woo/Kang Hee Soo). She is a great Baduk player too and has an unbroken record of wins. However, game play is frowned upon for women, because of the male associations. Thus, she feels a need to hide her identity. The cutest love story emerges underneath this game of Baduk (Go), which channels around mystery and intrigue. Also there is much Court Intrigue in this drama. For likability, ‘Captivating the King’ is on the level of The Red Sleeve and My Dearest. It is a rich story which draws you right in.

Quote: “To wish for life when you love them and death when you hate them. Wishing them to live while wishing them to die. That is what it means to be captivated.” From The Captivated King.

Actors Corner

The stars of ‘Captivating the King’ are actress Shin Sae Kyeong (The Girl Who Sees Smells, Six Flying Dragons) and actor Jo Jung Suk (Hospital Playlist Series, The King: 2 Hearts), who is also an accomplished musical Theater performer. These are two powerhouse stars in Captivating the King. Both are at a level where the meatier dramas are offered to them. Both acting performances are at a stellar level in this drama. Shin Sae Kyeong and Jo Jung Suk are giving a master class of acting.

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A Later Bloomer, but a Sure Winner

The Story

In this Historical RomCom Mystery, a mature widow, with great martial arts skills, rights injustices by night. Fascinating, she is, to a young Officer of the Courts who is tasked with discovering night criminals. Is this a perfect match under the moonlight?

In Knight Flower, this widow lives with her mother-in-law and is not suppose to leave the compound. She sneaks out at night like an assassin to aid those in need. The widow has a very interesting back story. Widows are kept inside so that they don’t sin with their eyes and heart during the mourning period. However, her quest is to serve the poor. The people find this widow graceful, classy, and of great beauty. The young officer finds her clumsy and cumbersome, but wildly alluring and seeks to protect her. Knight Flower is a play on words with Night Flower.

‘Knight Flower’ did not pass my 15 minute “Love It or Leave It” test, however, I saw enough raw material present to foresee that this might be a winner. Sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone. Knight Flower did take off by the end of episode one. My hunch was proved right big time. The main couple is a May/December pairing. There is great chemistry between the two leads. There seems to be another May/December pairing in this drama too, involving an older man and younger women. The OSTs in Korean Dramas in general have been great lately, in the new Korean Dramas this year of 2024. K-pop now has its full presence in K-drama. The OST of Knight Flower has a few really great songs. The songs are so good, many will sit-down dance when hearing them.

Quotes from the Drama Knight Flower

What one holds in her heart is her will, and what one speaks is her words, so what one can do is to be careful of that.” Knight Flower (What on says and what one does may differ. It depends on the heart condition)

Knight Glowers—They are Rainbow pink flower, huh? Their stems are like bamboo, and they bloom on rocks, huh? From Korean Drama ‘The Knight Flower’.

A fierce tiger can become a rat. [Or A King who loses authority is overwhelmed by his subjects]. Knight Flower

Actors Corner

Lee Ha Nee (Honey)—Former Miss South Korea turned actress, Lee Ha Nee really showed up in Knight Flower. Her acting in Knight Flower is blowing me away. She has just the right touch of comedy and seriousness for this part. Lee Ha Nee has four dramas dropping this year of 2024, The Fiery Priest 2, Aema, Knight Flower, and one already score big even before its American release is Klaus 47 (Based on a true story). She is 5’8” tall.

Lee Jong-Won—Actor/Model at 6’0” tall, Lee Jong-Won is portraying his character with such endearment. You easily give into the notion that he is captivated by this older woman. Lee Jong-Won previously gave an award winning performance in The Golden Spoon and also can be seen in Hospital Playlist 2.

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Korea-Khitan War has what Royal family scandal as one of the bases of its storyline?

The drama series Korea-Khitan War could actually be called “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo Next Generations Revisited”. All the royals you will encounter in Korea-Khitan War are literally the next generations from the Brothers Wang. The series involves the children, the grandchildren, and great grandchildren of these Brothers. Korea-Khitan War also is connected to one of the biggest royal scandals of the family line. I will give context to the connection to Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016) with Korea-Khitan War 2023).

I love history. I love dramas. I am spaszing out. While the drama series is based off of real historical facts and events, some details may include imagined dramatizations or imagined story arcs which seek to explain certain facts in history. The Korean Drama Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016) ranks #1 out of 300 Asian Dramas I have seen. It will always be #1. That is fixed.

Korea-Khitans War found it’s footing among Korean Drama viewers, ending up with a 13.8% nationwide viewership in Korea for the finale. A drama getting 10% nationwide is considered a hit. In the privately run KBS Awards, Korea-Khitan War was nominated in 15 categories and won in 7 categories. Of course this Korean History would resonate with Koreans and the series is done beautifully.

Korean Khitan War—The Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo Connection

The first connection to the drama series Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo is the actor Kim San Ho, who played Crown Prince Mu in MLSHR. He is also in Korea-Khitan War playing Jeong Seong [Yang Gyu's subordinate].


The Wang Family Scandal

(This scandal is hinted at but not fully covered in Korea-Khitan War, so the information is not a spoiler).

Korea-Khitan Wars has connections to the Brothers Wang from Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

13th Prince Wang Baek Ah—Actor Nam Joo-hyuk
4th Prince Wang So—Actor Lee Joon Gi
8th Prince Wang Wook— Actor Kang Ha-neul
14th Prince Wang Jung—Actor JiSoo

As the series begins, we are introduced to Emperor Mokjong (Wang Song), 7th Emperor of Goryeo and his mother Grand Queen Dowager Heonae (Cheonchu). Queen Dowager Heonae is actually the daughter of 8th Prince Wang Wook. Queen Heonae and her sister (Queen Heonjeong) both married their first cousin, Emperor Gyeongjong of Goryeo, the son of Gwangjong of Goryeo (Wang So). Wang is the Chinese word for King.

These Wang family members who played this most significant part of this family scandal.

13th Prince Wang Baek Ah (Anjong of Goryeo)— Actor Nam Joo-hyuk
Future Queen Heonjeong or BokSo from MLSHR
The father of Bok So is 8th Prince Wang Wook—Actor Kang Ha-neul

In the closing scene of Moon Lovers: Scarlet Ryeo (MLSHR), the 13th Prince Wang Baek Ah meets his very young niece Heonjeong (daughter of 8th Prince Wang Wook) and has a quaint chat. She is known as Bok So in MLSHR. This is a historical cue for history buffs. Wang Baek Ah and his young niece (future Queen Heonjeong) would later become lovers. When Prince Wang Baek Ah’s nephew (Emperor Gyeongjong and son of Wang So) died, 13th Prince Baek Ah consoled Queen Heonjeong over a period of time. Later, she got pregnant. Perhaps since people feign ignorance to save their lives, Queen Heonjeong was able to pass the child off as the son of her long dead husband Emperor Gyeongjong, and people went with this. No questions asked. This child eventually becomes one of the most famous and significant Emperors in Goryeo. The Korean Drama series Korea-Khitan War is about the accomplishments of this illegitimate child, Emperor Hyeonjong of Goryeo (played by ZE:A’s K-pop Idol Kim Dong-jun, the actor from More Than Friends). Like the Habsburgs of Austria, the Wang family interbred, constantly marrying half sisters and cousins.

Viewers first find this future Emperor( Hyeonjong of Goryeo) as a young child tucked away and abandoned in a monastery. This is so typical for the Wangs. Some may remember the first bride of 4th Prince Wang So. She was the daughter of his oldest brother Crown Prince/Emperor Wang Mu (Hyejong of Goryeo). This child bride also was tucked away in a monastery and was never seen again.

Nothing beats history as a source of drama. Korea-Khitan War is an ole school Korean way of making a Period Piece drama. However, great action is constant and the storyline is sprinkled with actual historical events. Korea-Khitan War covers the reign of Emperor Hyeonjong of Goryeo and his quest to unify Goryeo (Korea), while being faced with the challenges of constant war. There are rich characters, and lots of court intrigue. Korea-Khitan War is a thrilling ride.

The backstory is so intriguing and complicated that you need a scorecard to keep up. Knowing the background information will not destroy the pleasure of viewing the drama. It should increase it. Also, knowing the connection to Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo should make you want to finally buy Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo and view this Korean drama too. MLSHR is so popular, the only way right now to view it is to buy the drama series. There is sword fighting and war in this drama.

Scorecard—The backstory

1. Prince Wang Wook (played by Actor Kang Ha-neul)—Daejong of Goryeo died 969 CE. He was the 8th Prince in the Wang family and father of Queen half-sisters Heonae and Heonjeong (Bok So). Bok So was the little girl who met 13th Prince Wang Baek Ah (Actor Nam Joo-hyuk) at the end of the series. In the future, they become lovers.

The interim reigns of Kings not covered in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo and before or during Korea-Khitan War.

2. The second son of Prince Wang Wook became Emperor Seongjong of Goryeo (r. 981-997). His daughters married Emperor Hyeonjong of Goryeo.

Queen Wonjeong of the Seonsan Kim clan is the daughter of Emperor Seongjong, and she married the Emperor Hyeonjong of Goryeo (son of Wang Baek Ah and Queen Heonjeong).

Queen Wonhwa of the Gyeongju Choe clan is a daughter (from another mother) of Emperor Seongjong, and she also married Hyeonjong of Goryeo (son of Wang Baek Ah and Queen Heonjeong).

These half-sisters are the Queen sisters in Korea—Khitan War.

This means that 8th Prince Wang Wook’s daughters were Queen Half-Sisters to Emperor Gyeongjong of Goryeo (son of Wang So). The 8th Prince Wang Wook’s granddaughters also were Queen Half-Sisters. They married the illegitimate son of 13th Wang Baek Ah and Queen Heonjeong. He was Hyeonjong of Goryeo. (Mother-Heonjeong vs son Hyeonjong. The difference in spelling is the second “e” in Heonjeong)

3. Emperor Mokjong of Goryeo (r. 997-1009) was the son of King Gyeongjong, who is the son of 4th Prince and future King Wang So. His mother was the middle child of 8th Prince Wang Wook and younger sister of King Seongjong. Her name was Queen Heonae of the Hwangju Hwangbo clan or formally called Grand Queen Mother Heonae. She was the sister of Emperor Seongjong.

4. Queen Heonjeong—She was Bok So, the young niece of 13th Prince Wang Baek Ah and fourth Queen consort of King Gyeongjong (son of King Wang So). This daughter of 8th Prince Wang Wook and later became Queen Dowager Heonjeong of the Hwangju Hwangbo clan after her marriage to the son of 4th Prince/King Wang So. He was Gyeongjong of Goryeo. Gyeongjong of Goryeo was the 8th King of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea and the grandson of King Taejo. The affair of Queen Heonjeong took place after his death.

5. Emperor Gyeongjong, son of 4th Prince/King Wang So. He married two half-sisters. Both were the daughters of 8th Prince Wang Wook. They were Queen Heonae and Queen Heonjeong (Called Bok So in Moon Lover: Scarlet Heart Ryeo).

6. The 14th Prince Wang Jung (played by JiSoo) raised the daughter of Hae Soo in MLSHR. Hae Soo and her daughter were fictitious characters.

7. Great King Munwon (born Wang Jeong or Jung and played by Jisoo)—This historical person Wang Jung actually became a great Emperor in Goryeo, reigning after Wang So (Gwangjong of Goryeo). The specific dates of his reign, however, are not known. His daughter Queen Heonui of the Chungju Yu clan was the second wife of Wang So’s son, Emperor Gyeongjong of Goryeo. She was a rival Queen to the two daughters of 8th Prince Wang Wook. She is not covered in Korea-Khitan War.

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