Music, music, music
Iโll be updating this page periodically to include music thatโs piquing my interest at the moment. Song of the day: โPretty Babyโ by Blondie.
Category: Reviews
K-DRAMA REVIEWS (INDEX)
SUBSTACK is the space where I curate my reviews and views about Korean-centric things happening in the pop culture realm (and beyond) that pique my interestโฆand I hope yours, too. Wonโt you join me?
Young Posseโs Music Video for โColdโ Addresses Abandonment & Objectification
The K-pop girl group Young Posse released the stunning music video for โColdโ on March 2. Itโs by far one of the most meaningful videos Iโve watched in a long time โ maybe since K. Willโs โNo Sad Song for My Broken Heartโ and IUโs โLove Wins All.โ
All-Time Best K-dramas
Each of us has our own favorite K-dramas that are informed by our own personal experiences (and access). For instance, I was never able to get my hands on South Koreaโs early dramas like โDeath Row Prisoner,โ which premiered in 1956. Therefore, my picks are influenced by what Iโve seen, which are primarily shows from 2000 onward.
โBogotรก: City of the Lostโ (๋ณด๊ณ ํ: ๋ง์ง๋ง ๊ธฐํ์ ๋ )
There is a lot going on in โBogotรก: City of the Lostโ โ shootings, explosions, backstabbing. But when itโs all over, you realize that it was mostly much ado about nothing.
Teo Yoo: The โPast Livesโ and โThe Recruitโ Star Gets Real
An interview with the Korean German actor on why he joined the cast of โThe Recruitโ
โSquid Gameโ Season 2 heads back into the arena
NPR invited me back on their Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast to discuss the second season of the Korean series โSquid Game.โ
โSquid Game Season 2โ Ending Explained: Major Character Deaths, Plot Twists, and More
โSquid Gameโ season 2 introduces a whole new set of compelling characters. Will they make us forget fan favorites like North Korean defector Sae-byeok (Jung Ho-yeon) and Pakistani immigrant Ali (Anupam Tripathi)? No, but the star power of veteran K-drama stars, including Park Sung-hoon (โThe Gloryโ), Park Hee-soon (โMovingโ) and Im Si-wan (โMisaeng: Incomplete Lifeโ), is a nice concession to killing off nearly all of last seasonโs characters.
13 Best K-Dramas of 2024
It was an excellent year for Korean dramas โ and with Squid Game season 2 on the horizon, thereโs more to come.
โLove in the Big Cityโ (๋๋์์ ์ฌ๋๋ฒ)
Based on Sang Young Parkโs bestselling novel of the same name, the K-drama adaptation was overshadowed by the film version, which stars Kim Go-eun (Little Women) and Steve Sanghyun Noh (Pachinko). But this series is so relevant as it matter-of-factly addresses homosexuality โ a topic not often depicted in South Korean media in any meaningful way.
โThe Trunkโ (ํธ๋ ํฌ)
Adding a twist to the contract marriage trope, โThe Trunkโ tackles the plot device from a film noir perspective.
โFamily By Choiceโ (์กฐ๋ฆฝ์ ๊ฐ์กฑ)
If thereโs one thing this K-drama gets across, itโs that keeping secrets from children about their own history is never the way to go.
The Making of Jinโs Sweeping โAnother Levelโ
Jinโs vocals on โAnother Levelโ (from his debut EP โHappyโ) blew away co-songwriter Ben Samama.
Big Ocean: Meet the Deaf K-Pop Group Thatโs Breaking Barriers
Big Oceanโs Hyunjin, Chanyeon, and Jiseok talk about their remarkable journey and what they want to do next. My latest exclusive for Rolling Stone.
โLove Next Doorโ (์๋ง์น๊ตฌ์๋ค)
โLove Next Doorโ is written as a love story between two childhood neighbors. And it is. But itโs also about loving yourself enough to follow your convictions, despite objections from those you love.
โNo Gain No Loveโ (์ํด ๋ณด๊ธฐ ์ซ์ด์)
Starring Shin Min-a and Kim Young-dae, โNo Gain No Loveโ falls into the contract marriage trope. But, oh, it offers so much more.
โOfficer Black Beltโ (๋ฌด๋์ค๋ฌด๊ด)
โOfficer Black Beltโ is an action-packed thriller starring Kim Woo-bin. Is it predictable? Yes? But is it a fun watch? Absolutely!
โCyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horrorโ
The Nth Room targeted Korean women in a lower socio-economic class who needed money. They also set their marks on underage girls, who were too young to handle what they had been tricked into. These crimes are continuing, but now with with teenage boys at the helm.
โLike Flowers in Sandโ (๋ชจ๋์๋ ๊ฝ์ด ํ๋ค)
A mystery thriller as much as it is a wrestling saga, Like Flowers in Sand is set in a small town where everyone is obsessed with ssireum, traditional Korean wrestling.
11 Sporty K-Dramas to Watch to Celebrate Olympics 2024
These Korean shows (including โW,โ โAll of Us Are Dead,โ โPrison Playbookโ) deftly utilize sports in their storylines to demonstrate the charactersโ unrelenting perseverance and will to survive. My latest reviews for Teen Vogue.