I finally decided to watch this series because I was missing Choi Woo-shik. It marked the first time I consciously focused on his screen presence and savored his performance. Although he played a significant role in Parasite, my level of interest in K-entertainment was not as profound back then, leading me to immerse solely in the storyline, rather than appreciating the actors.
Disclaimer: This post shouldn’t be treated as a review because I am far from qualified to give an objective and professional take on dramas. It should be treated as a subjective viewpoint of a cinephile who loves to watch movies and dramas purely for entertainment. I have only one criterion – I shouldn’t get bored. The film will be judged on that factor alone.
What’s It About?
Our Beloved Summer chronicles the story of two childhood sweethearts whose first encounter occurs during a school assembly. As she walks determinedly towards the podium, a nostalgic Choi Woo-shik from the future whimsically describes the moment, saying, “I noticed her because she looked as if she was going to fight a war.”
They are eventually chosen for a documentary exploring the behavioral patterns of the top student (the girl) and the lowest-performing student (the boy). The narrative delves into their evolving love story, navigating the complexities of first love, eventual separation, and their paths crossing again years later as dedicated professionals.
Thoughts
I loved Choi Woo-shik’s performance. You know he is a top-notch actor when the character he portrays on-screen is nothing like what he is in real life. Choi Woo-shik is a goofball who makes the most bizarre, sarcastic jokes in reality shows. He’s a laugh riot. On the other hand, this character (Woong) in Our Beloved Summer is aloof, serious, rarely smiles, and has an air of melancholy about him.
Personally, I found the story to be predictable and a bit dragging. The side characters appealed more to me than the main leads’ chemistry. It gave me a strong sense of second male/female lead syndrome. Woong’s manager and Yeon-soo’s friend injected much-needed humor into the otherwise “gray” storyline, providing a relieving touch to the narrative. They were outstanding.
Overall, the series did not feel like a light, breezy watch for the most part, as it focuses on the complexities of lost love. So, if you are looking for a meet-cute story where the characters gradually fall in love, Our Beloved Summer may probably not be for you. I recommend giving it a go if you are missing Choi Woo-shik, like me.
Our Beloved Summer is available on Netflix. It has 16 episodes, with each episode lasting almost an hour.
As you might already know, I am big-time into romantic kdramas. But as of now, I am on a short break and experimenting with other genres to detox my system from the sugar overload.
I enjoyed two Korean thrillers recently. One is a movie and the other a kdrama.
Revenant
If you are into horror mysteries, this is a must-watch. Kim Tae Ri gives a superlative performance (as usual), but so do the others. No one is out of place. You will find yourself completely immersed in the story, taking in the characters, their miseries, thoughts, and feelings, almost becoming one with them.
Kim Tae Ri plays a food delivery girl struggling to juggle her many responsibilities. She has to work, study, and, last but not least, deal with her reckless single mother, who is a handful in more ways than one. One fine day, she learns that her mother has lied about many things, including her father’s life story. Supernatural events unfold, leading to the discovery of hidden secrets.
The series is fast-paced and lures you in with its many twists and turns. The jump scares are comparatively less (I can only remember one), so that’s a big plus. The horror element is conveyed brilliantly through the character’s subtle change in expressions and body language. Nothing is over the top.
Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
The Childe
Kim Seon Ho brilliantly portrays a quirky killer who is out to get a Filipino-Korean boxer in search of his wealthy father.
The cat and mouse chase was super fun, and it helps that the main lead does all of it impeccably dressed in well-fitted suits. Kim Seon Ho oozes charm in the way he talks and moves. But he also has the most sinister smile. How this beautiful man from Hometown Cha Cha Cha managed to play such a twofold character is beyond me. Like Kim Tae Ri, Kim Seo Ho is perfection.
The movie gets violent at times but will not stop you from completing it. Take it from someone who hates violence and bloodshed.
The Childe is fast-paced, like Revenant, so I highly recommend the two to people with a short attention span (like yours truly). You can catch the movie at a theatre near you.
Detouring a bit from the usual saccharine sweet K-dramas, I decided to give this Korean movie named “A Man and a Woman” a try.
Disclaimer: This post shouldn’t be treated as a review because I am far from qualified to give an objective and professional take on cinema. It should be treated as a subjective viewpoint of a cinephile who loves to watch movies and dramas purely for entertainment. I have only one criterion – I shouldn’t get bored. The film will be judged on that factor alone.
What’s It About?
“A Man and a Woman” is an emotional story of Sang-min (played by Jeon Do-yeon) and Ki-hong (played by Gong Yoo), two individuals who meet by chance and form a deep connection. They embark on a passionate but bittersweet extramarital affair amid their complicated personal lives.
Thoughts
The movie starts at a leisurely pace. I am generally not a fan of slow films, so I wasn’t sure whether I would like it. But I realized this pacing was essential to build the melancholy rhythm of the extramarital affair and to make us invested in their whole journey. It is a tumultuous relationship that is delicate and emotional, kind yet painful.
You end up rooting for the cheaters, something I have never done before. Two people quietly enduring the drudgery of everyday issues with a dry smile, eventually finding some warmth in each other’s arms. It’s tough to chide them. You know they are doing something morally wrong, but you want them to be together forever.
The credit goes to the makers and the actors for making us feel emotions out of the norm. We should be offended, angry, and betrayed seeing two people cheating on their spouses. But weirdly, we are not. That’s the effect of good creative storytelling. They make you feel what they want you to feel.
I would recommend the movie to serious cinema watchers, regardless of your take on extramarital affairs. Both the actors are brilliant. There is nothing as emotionally wrecking as the final few scenes. It is also an ugly reminder of how some of us, unfortunately, get the raw part of the deal, no matter how sincere we are. It’s just how life is, and the makers of “A Man and a Woman” have managed to capture this aspect brilliantly on camera.
I have been missing Bollywood romantic movies so much lately that I have delved deep into the world of K-drama. Korean dramas have everything I was missing in Bollywood movies – the feel-good, wholesome, and emotion-heavy element.
One of the actors I have come to admire is Park Seo-joon. He has sharp, expressive eyes that convey the world. It is always a delight to watch him, especially in romantic comedies. He grows on you, making an impact each time he appears on the screen.
If you are new to K-dramas, here are some Park Seo-joon gems you should check out:
What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim
Park Seo-joon plays a narcissistic boss. His secretary, Kim, who has been with him through thick and thin, surprises him by expressing her wish to resign. He tries his best to keep her employed in his company. Emotions clash, and we also get subjected to a dark, mysterious past that has been haunting the leads forever. Park Seo-joon’s comic timing in the series is impeccable. Don’t miss out on his “aura.”
Fight For My Way
This is inarguably one of the best K-dramas I have seen. The lead pair is charming and one of the cutest I have ever witnessed. The series follows two friends with a very platonic relationship until the inevitable happens – their feelings get involved. Their protectiveness towards each other, constant bickering, support, and humor makes you crave such a deep friendship. Park Seo-joon plays an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter, and the irresistibly cute Kim Ji-won plays a wannabe anchor who is proficient with her words. Both are fighting hard to find their way in a world that makes it difficult for earnest people to survive.
A Witch’s Love / A Witch’s Romance
This series has quite a controversial subject, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. A 25-year-old falls for a 39-year-old career woman who is considered a witch by her colleagues because of her ambitious, no-nonsense work ethic. Both characters are dealing with their own past heartbreaks – she was left on the altar by her beloved, and he’s emotionally scarred by a lover who died in an accident. Considering their age gap, Ban Ji-yeon (played by the charming Uhm Jung-hwa) finds it hard to reciprocate Yoon Dong-ha’s feelings. How they traverse this complicated situation forms the crux of the story.
This is one of Park Seo-joon’s earliest works, but there is no trace of inexperience. He handles the role with confidence, suave, and the boyish charm the role demands.
She Was Pretty
Ji Sung-joon (played by Park Seo-Joon) and Kim Hye-Jin (played by Hwang Jung-eum) were childhood buddies. They were each other’s first love. Then due to some twisted fate, they part ways. Years later, Ji Sung-joon reaches out to Hwang Jung-eum online via email and insists on meeting up. She hesitates. The issue – she is not as pretty as before. Her underconfidence and lack of self-esteem make her do childish things that snowball into a more significant problem. The story is engaging, and you will end up rooting for the two.
I like how the series emphasized embracing one’s true self and owning everything that makes us unique.
Don’t miss out on these K-dramas! They are like medicine for the soul.
Lately, I have ventured into watching Korean dramas. I have to admit I am completely hooked. I tried to stay away from K-dramas for the longest time, assuming it would be too cheesy for my liking. And honestly, the titles did not help.
But after watching just a few K-dramas over the past few months, I can confidently say – don’t judge a series by its name!
K-drama is anything but corny, cheesy, or cringe. It has well-crafted plots with impeccable, high quality writing. It’s admirable how much importance they place on everyday emotions. I now find it so wholesome, engaging, and fulfilling that I would advise anyone to watch at least one episode every day, especially if you’ve had a particularly draining day. A K-drama episode a day might just keep the doctor away.
The Korean dramas I tend to choose are solely focused on relationships because that is what I am craving at the moment. Over the past decade, I binge-watched several serious, abstract, intellectual, gory, and violent movies. The types that movie critics couldn’t stop raving about. And now I’ve had enough. I have reached a saturation point when it comes to reality-based cinema. Bring on the whimsical, captivating, addictive world of romance! I want to leave my troubles behind, I want to dream of a better world and romanticize about it.
As an Indian, I can’t help but wonder what happened to the quintessential feel-good romantic Yash Raj-esque movies? Why have we stopped making them? They used to perform incredibly well at the box office and are still cherished. DDLJ has been on a running spree for decades in Mumbai, with no end in sight. Which other genre can boast of having a similar impact on the audience? We can’t get enough of the charming Raj or the dreamy-eyed Simran. My friends reminisce about the etherealness of Chandni and the intoxicating love of Veer Zara. Forget Yash Chopra movies. Even a dark project like Dil Se had its share of aesthetically pleasing love-packed moments. Not to forget the playful mischief enacted by the lead actors with full gusto. A quirky Preeti (played by Preity Zinta) asks Amar (portrayed by the king of romance Shah Rukh Khan), “Are you a virgin?” which catches him off-guard, like the rest of us. We loved the dialogue, the crackling chemistry, and the freshness of it all.
Personally, my favorite Bollywood pair is Konkona and Ranbir in Wake Up Sid. The romantic angle was offbeat – a young guy in his 20s falling for an older working woman. You might think this unconventional pairing might not work, but they proved their detractors wrong. The chemistry was bang-on, scenes were memorable, dialogues were fun and thoughtful, and it boasted of the right mix of profoundness and escapism. You fell in love with the characters. It was difficult not to.
Romantic stories used to sell big in Bollywood. So this sudden shift from romance to violence and trauma-inducing reality cinema is unreasonable. The ones that Bollywood does end up making nowadays have no soul and are almost, for the lack of a better word – “cringe.” They lack emotional intensity and nuance. It is difficult to connect with the characters and delve into their world. A sign of a compelling romantic story is when you find yourself developing an emotional connection with the characters. Their love feels like your love. You want to hug them when they are sad, cheer for them when their passion gets reciprocated, or blush when romance is in the air. This holds true whether you are reading a book or watching a movie. If this feeling is missing, the story fails to make a mark.
It is not that India has stopped indulging in romantic stories entirely. We get to witness some well-made series on OTT, such as Mismatched and Little Things. They have done well, proving that there is an audience out there for authentic Hindi romantic sagas.
I thought I would have to resort to books for my kind of romance. Still, lo and behold, I was introduced to the world of K-drama, where everything is just as mushy and glossy as it used to be in Bollywood.
What makes K-drama so different from regular Bollywood movies released nowadays?
Focus is on emotions and feelings
Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
Those stolen glances, broad smiles, and yearning looks are what makes K-drama so swoon-worthy. While Bollywood has moved to a more lusty “fast food” kind of romance, Korean drama still hangs on to the original slow-cooked YRF magic with a tight leash. Why stop making something that is doing well?
Stories for the soul
Crash Landing On You
We all know romantic movies are a world of make-believe, and we can’t possibly expect all of that sweet idealism to seamlessly transfer into our everyday lives. It’s not practical. But that’s what movies should do, if not regularly, then at least occasionally, offer a form of escapism to its audience from real-life issues.
The cute playfulness, heart-warming dialogues, gestures, and scenes that revolve around emotions are what make K-drama so sinfully good and make anyone forget their worries.
Family-oriented
Twenty Five Twenty One
One thing I dread nowadays is watching a movie or a TV series with family. You never know what kind of provocative scene will jump out of nowhere, leaving you and your family overwhelmed with embarrassment and a sense of existential crisis.
Most of the K-dramas I have seen are family-oriented. You can sit and watch the shows in the open, reassured that nothing awkward will unexpectedly appear on your screen.
Binge-worthy
What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim
Each episode in Korean dramas tends to be lengthy! It can be over an hour long. But since the focus is on everyday relationships, you don’t end up getting bored.
The right amount of playfulness and romance
Love To Hate You
The couples in K-dramas tease each other, have healthy banter, crack jokes, and are playful. Contrary to the common belief held by those who haven’t yet watched K-dramas, the shows are not all about soppy dialogues. The noteworthy part is that it all looks organic, not forced, adding to the authenticity of the experience.
Catchy music
Business Proposal
The music and background score in K-drama blends in with the situations, and in no time, you find yourself humming the tunes while doing your everyday chores. It exudes a gentle yet addictive vibe.
More relatability for 30+-year-olds
While many romantic movies in India cater to a younger audience, I have noticed that most of the K-dramas I have watched feature older and more mature characters. This offers more relatability for people in my age group who want to see people their age romance on-screen as well.
It’s Your Turn Bollywood
In the 80s and 90s, Bollywood films incorporated many of these points I listed above, except maybe featuring characters in their 30s and older. However, the current landscape of Bollywood movies doesn’t provide the same enjoyment as those classic films.
A look into the popularity of K-drama proves that romantic stories still sell. It is well-liked world-over across all nationalities. In India, I am surrounded by K-drama enthusiasts. It’s safe to say there is still a broad audience for the romantic genre in India, but they are forced to venture beyond the confines of the Indian movie industry as there’s a scarcity of feel-good, wholesome cinema here.
Hindi filmmakers should seriously consider creating good ol’ romantic movies again infused with emotions, aesthetics, endearing chemistry, and romantic dialogues. Maybe then, they may witness the box office numbers soar, finally putting an end to complaints about the underperformance of Hindi movies in recent times.
In The White Lotus S2, there are only two types of people – the ones who are street-smart and the ones who are not.
The street-smart ones know how to get their way, even if it’s through unethical means like manipulation, lying, and deceit. “How do you sleep well at night knowing you did this?” doesn’t apply to them. They sleep quite well because, in their world, happiness is correlated with survival, satiation, and goals, not empathy. Due to this, their conscience is clear.
In the real world, we often come across such multi-layered people. The outer layer may be enticing, but the inner layers are complex and dark. It is next to impossible to decode the various layers someone may possess. This is where you take that leap of faith and hope they are worth trusting.
When we get duped, we try to find relief in the thought that the culprits will live their lives in guilt. Or hope karma will eventually get them. Often, it never happens. And that’s what the White Lotus S2 shows – the brutal reality of it all. No one is shown guilty. Or maybe they do, for a second, before the realization dawns on them that their dreams have now been fulfilled. They walk into the sunset hand-in-hand with their partners-in-crime, forgetting the sins of the past and awaiting a sparkling future.
The naive ones, who say and do all the right things, get played and left behind. The only positive aspect of their experience is that they are one step closer to being streetwise.
When the good guys lose, you understand that the universe doesn’t owe anyone anything. It’s up to each of us to subject ourselves to vast experiences and come out of them better equipped to deal with the eccentricities of the world.
The Monkey Dilemma 
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