Tag: 2016

“Hello, My Twenties!” (청춘시대): Season 1

Jae-Ha Kim

“Hello, My Twenties!” follows the lives of five college roommates ranging in age from 18 to 28. Eun-jae is a meek freshman who’s too shy to ask an upperclassman to return her pen and much too afraid to tell her roommates not to eat all of the homemade preserves her mother sent her off with. Ye-eun is a culinary arts student who’s more interested in her inattentive boyfriend than anything else. Ji-won is an eccentric journalism major (haha!) who says she can see a ghost in their apartment. Yi-na has a series of older, rich boyfriends and doesn’t seem to be studying much of anything other than her shoe collection. And at 28, Jin-myung’s live revolves around working three part-time jobs to pay for her tuition and pay off her family’s bills.

“Bring It On, Ghost” (싸우자 귀신아)

Jae-Ha Kim

The series parable seems to be that if you have hate in your heart, you are susceptible to being influenced to hurt others, just because you can. “Bring It On, Ghost” started off as an uneven series. But once you get past the first couple episodes, it becomes a must-see K-drama that’s filled with action and a lot of heart.

“Seoul Searching”

Jae-Ha Kim

Once “Seoul Searching” gets past the caricatures, the story delves into the deeper meaning of what it means to be Korean in societies that view you as a perpetual foreigner. Though the film concentrates on Korean Americans, two of the more memorable characters are Korean teens raised in Germany (Klaus, played by Teo Yoo) and Mexico (Esteban Ahn’s Sergio).

“Train to Busan” (부산행)

Jae-Ha Kim

“Train to Busan” does a great job at depicting how people deal with death during unthinkable times. When your loved one is infected and your only option is to perish (as human beings) with them or kill them so that you (and others) can survive, what would you do?

“Signal” (시그널)

Jae-Ha Kim

“Signal” makes you ponder the consequences of altering life. Is it fate for a person to die at a certain time, no matter how horrific that death might be? And knowing that saving someone’s life in the past could create catastrophic results in the future, would you still take that chance?

“One More Time” (헤어진 다음날)

Jae-Ha Kim

“One More Time” was Kim Myung-Soo’s first lead role. Best known to K-Pop fans as L from the group Infinite, he certainly had the look of a singer-songwriter-guitarist down pat. With a better script and direction, he could’ve really done something with this part. But as it was, Tan was an unsympathetic character who was old enough to be responsible, but too immature to give up his rock ‘n roll lifestyle to pay off his considerable debts.

“Star Show 360” with BTS

Jae-Ha Kim

One of the things I really enjoy about the Korean entertainment system is how idols are trained not just as singers, but also as actors. While most don’t pursue careers in television or film, almost all of them are comfortable promoting their groups on variety shows. Case in point: BTS!

“Love in the Moonlight” (구르미 그린 달빛)

Jae-Ha Kim

Second lead syndrome is strong in “Love in the Moonlight.” And although it’s obvious from the beginning who will end up with the girl, I honestly would’ve been fine with either. Are you #TeamBoGum or #TeamJinYoung?!

Revisiting “Hwarang” (V: It’s Definitely You)

Jae-Ha Kim

Before I watched  “Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth,” I was looking forward to seeing how the romance between Dog Bird (Park Seo-Joon) and Ah-Ro (Go Ara) played out. But after the finale, I realized that what stuck with me wasn’t their tepid relationship, but that of the young men who formed a relationship — which at times was adversarial, but also based on friendship, honor and righteous morals. In other words, I was all about the poet warrior youth’s bromance.