Flower Boy Ramyun Shop is a perfect example of a romantic comedy where poor girl meets rich boy and they fall for each other. Yang Eun Bi (Lee Chung Ah) is a college student preparing for her civil service exam. Chi Soo (Jung il Woo) is the heir of the biggest food conglomerate in Korea. Through some twists of fate, they end up working at a ramyun shop owned by Choi Kang Hyuk (Lee Ki Woo). To complete the flower boys in the series are Kim Ba Wool (Park Min Woo) and Woo Hyun Woo (Jo Yoon Woo).

The one who caught my attention in Flower Boy Ramyun Shop is Ho Soo, who played Ba Wool’s girlfriend. She was unsure about her feelings for Ba Wool, which I think everyone can relate to especially during our high school years. I will keep my eyes on Ho Soo’s career from now on.

Chi Soo and Eun Bi show us that you can’t control your heart to love someone. It just happens. While Flower Boy Ramyun Shop is somehow predictable, it made up for it with interesting characters, funny situations, and heart whelming moments. It tried to be realistic and at the same time suspend reality for its audience. It is well-written and the ending will satisfy most of the viewers.

It is a typical melodrama with Han Da Jin losing both her parents after graduating from a pilot school. Being a pilot would make her father proud. It provided a source of income for her so that she could take care of her younger sister. What she didn’t know was that pilot Yoon Sung directly caused the accident that led to the death of her mother.

Take Care of Us, Captain’s take off was not good. It immediately experienced turbulence during the first episode. I had high hopes for the drama but nothing can save it from crashing down. The rest of the episodes were full of drama and formulaic. The main characters would work on their love lives and the crew would encounter passengers that needed their help or touch their lives. One way or another, the cast would either be shouting with each other or someone would be crying.

Since I saw her in Boys Over Flowers, Koo Hye Sun has a special place in my heart. But role after role, it seemed like her character never changed. She is typecast as the tomboy that gets the man. I don’t know why writers kept giving her the same roles over and over again. Another thing I dislike about her is her inability to kiss. She looks awkward in all her kissing scenes that would make the audience think that she’s not enjoying it at all.

I think that Lee Sung Min was casted in Take Care of US Captain only to have a sexy girl for the pool scene in Episode 3. Aside from that, she is forgettable. If the writer tried to incorporate more scenes with her in a bikini then the ratings could have gone up.

Of the girls in Take Care of Us Captain, Yoo Sun gave the best performance. Her character was the antagonist at first until the writer decided to place her in the back seat towards the second half of the drama.

Ji Jin Hee is a fine actor but you can’t like his character since the start of Take Care of Us, Captain because you know he caused the accident and he hasn’t fessed up to Da Jin. He had to wait until the end until he told her about it. No matter how the writer builds up the relationship of the two main characters, there’s just no spark between them.

Lee Chun Hee had a better chemistry with Koo Hye Sun. As Dong Soo, he had a playful relationship with Da Jin. But he was placed in the friend-zone very early in the story and he can’t get out of it. In the latter part of Take Care of Us, Captain, his character transformed that reminded me of Da Lung from Hi My Sweetheart.

But probably the most adorable part of Take Care of Us, Captain is Kil So Won, the kid who played Da Jin’s sister. She’s so fluffy that she could play the part of the little girl in Despicable Me. She lightens up the mood whenever she’s part of the scene.

To be honest, I skipped a few episodes of Take Care of Us, Captain. I watched until Episode 15 and skipped forward to the finale. I don’t know whether watching the four episodes would change my opinion about the series as a whole but from what I’ve seen, Take Care of Us, Captain is a Korean drama series that I should not have bothered watching at all. It made me not want to see another Koo Hye Sun starrer in the near future. Hopefully, she does her homework and chooses a role that’s not reminiscent of her previous ones.

And because of circumstances, Eun Jae became Moo Yul’s bodyguard. Wild Romance focused on how two people who hate each other end up falling for one another. Yes, it’s a typical romantic comedy featuring an odd couple.

Wild Romance tried to be different by introducing a psycho stalker. This element of the story felt forced and the identity of the culprit was easily unmasked before the end of the series. The writer tried to throw the viewers’ attention away from the real stalker by introducing a twist, which I thought was a bit off character.

Jin Dong Soo (Oh Man Suk) and his wife Oh Soo Young (Hwang Sun Hee) are Moo Yul’s best friends. They support Moo Yul through thick and thin. So when the twist arrived, it was out of nowhere and unbelievable.

One of the reasons why I had high hopes for Wild Romance was because it was the first acting job for Jessica Jung of SNSD. I think she’s not ready yet to take acting seriously. She was stiff and should take more workshops if she wants to pursue an acting career. She played Kang Jong Hee, Moo Yul’s ex-girlfriend who still has some feelings for him.

And speaking of stiff acting, Kang Dong Ho played the only consistent character in Wild Romance. As Kim Tae Han, his poker face stayed on for the entire series. But the Tae Han and Dong Ah (Im Joo Eun) pair is the only likeable couple in the series. They had better chemistry than the main couple.

Dong Ah is Eun Jae’s best friend and she grew on me. At first I tend to just dismiss her presence but as the series progressed, she became my eye candy. I can’t wait to start my What’s Up marathon so that I can see her more.

Wild Romance was a funny romantic in the start and end. But they had to incorporate a stalker mystery plot in the middle to intensify the lackluster romance brewing between Moo Yul and Eun Jae. It drained the fun factor of the drama. If you’re going to watch this one, don’t expect it to be fluffy from episode 1 to the last episode.

He decides to study in a college in Hangzhou and his sister changes his name to Lin Da Lung so that people would not know his true identity. To others, Da Lung is just a poor student with a mushroom hair and loves wearing tacky clothes. This is the reason why he’s the target of bullies in school. Chen Bao Chu (Rainie Yang) is the only one who didn’t tease him and even protected him from those who bullied him.

Chen Bao Chu also comes from a rich family but their business failed and her parents went bankrupt. Her mother wants her to marry a rich guy who can take care of her. When the mother finds out of her relationship with Da Lung, she tries to persuade Bao Chu not to see him again.

Yes, Hi My Sweetheart has a typical story that has been done several times already. What makes this different from the rest is the chemistry of the main actors. It has been a long time since I’ve watched a Taiwanese series, so I was happy to be acquainted with Rainie again. And she didn’t disappoint me. She effortlessly portray Chen Bao Chu as a tough girl who also has a sweet side.

But as much as I wanted to really like Hi My Sweetheart, I was dissatisfied with its story. The plot felt tedious at time and had to resort to deus ex machina. I could forgive the writers if it was used once but several times is inexcusable. And I don’t like the cliché ending. How many series ended with a wedding? Can’t they think of another way to end a romantic comedy?

Aside from Rainie Yang, The only redeeming factor of Hi My Sweetheart is Dalung. No not the ugly, mushroom head character that Show o played. Instead, I’m talking about Da Lung Da Lung… Da Lung Da Lung Da Lung… Da Lung… Yes, it’s the Pink Panther theme. That’s probably the most memorable part of the series. Plus, Rainie was cute when she danced to it. Check it out below:

Yeon Jin might look like the typical high school girl but she can knock you out in less than a minute. She’s a fierce heroine that girls can look up to. Han Groo deserves all the praises she got for her debut role. I hope her future roles would be as good as this one. Her character reminds me of Buffy but instead of vampires, she’s out to slay her mother’s killers.

The villains in Killer K look like your typical white collar executives who can’t do harm to anyone. But don’t let their looks deceive you. They are deadly criminals who are willing to kill people who stand in their way.

The mastermind is Chairman Kwon Do Hwan (Jun Gook Hwan). His company is involved in stem cell research. But in order to continue on the research, he had to do a lot of illegal things on the side. His right-hand man, or in this case woman, is Manager Min Ji Young (Park Hyo Joo). She’s in charge of all his dirty works.

I highly recommend this drama, although it’s not suitable minors because of some nudity and violence. The blood and gore is as real as it can get. This is also the first time I saw breast exposure in a Korean drama. If you’re looking for something different then this is the one you’re looking for.

The action sequences were believable except for the final battle between Yeon Jin and her mentor Min Ji Young. It was sniper versus sniper and yet when they were already in front of each other, both of them miss what for them were point blank shots. And as the cliché goes, the bad guy’s aim goes bad and gets hit by the good guy.

But overall, Killer K is a refreshing surprise. It is well-written and each episode is interesting. Too bad it’s too short with only three episodes. It’s better to treat it like watching a movie trilogy instead of a TV series. This is a must-see Korean drama series.

Can’t Lose has an interesting premise wherein the main couple was first seen as being madly in love with each other and during the course of the series, they fall apart. While they’re going through their divorce, the people around them are trying their best to make things better for the both of them.

Can’t Lose features a love story between two people coming from different worlds. Hyung Woo comes from a rich family who is close with his mother. On the other hand Eun Jae comes from a middle class family and hasn’t talked with her mom for a long time.

This is not the only difference that the two have. The cases they take on have also led to their constant bickering. Hyung Woo likes to take on charity cases while Eun Jae takes on the paying jobs to take care of the law firm’s bills.

Can’t Lose is a different type of drama because it started with the couple in love and got separated along the way. It ended rather predictably with both of them missing each other and reunite.

Well it’s a good thing that they didn’t have to change anything about themselves in order to make their relationship work. All it took was their desire to hold on to each other even though they still fight a lot. Yoon Sang Hyun and Choi Ji Woo had the perfect chemistry to make the story work.

Lee Soo Kyung had a brief appearance in Can’t Lose, which I thought was way too short. She played Hyung Woo’s ex-girlfriend Eun Hee Soo. Another actor who made his mark with his short cameo role in the series is Uhm Ki Joon. He played Eun Jae’s ex-boyfriend Cha Suk Hoon.

Can’t Lose is an entertaining drama. It is different from any other romantic comedies around. You’ll get to learn a thing or two about love and relationships from it. I can inspire people whether they are single, married, or going through a divorce.

I don’t know how Jung Woo became a NTS agent. He is too weak and he lacks the mental ability to be an agent. He risked his career and betrayed the country for a girl that he just met. I can’t imagine how a guy like him was able to qualify as a spy and be given sensitive assignments.

I was expecting to see an intelligent spy drama but what I got was a story of love and betrayal. The girl in question is Yoon Hye In (Soo Ae), a double agent. Jung Woo fell hard for her and he didn’t even suspect her of any wrongdoings even when all the evidence pointed towards her. He wholeheartedly forgave her when he learned about the truth in the end.

It was not just Jung Woo who has a golden heart in Athena. Everyone in the NTS seemed to forget that Hye In is a traitor and she managed to escape any jail time. She even helped them go after Cha Seung Won (Son Hyuk), the Athena leader.

SM Entertainment must have invested a lot in Athena because the series featured some of its artists. BoA was featured in Episodes 7 and 8. She didn’t have any troubles with her role because she got to play herself. While I’m a BoA fan and enjoyed seeing her in the small screen for a cameo, I didn’t get the relevance of that Japan sortie to the story. All it showed was that Jung Woo is a player.

Another SM Entertainment artist in Athena is Choi Si Won of Super Junior. Now his character is a good one. He plays Agent Kim Joon Ho, a data analyst at the NTS who is reluctant to return to the field after a traumatic incident.

Then lastly, there’s Max Changmin of DB5K. He appeared starting from Episode 16 until the end. He played Agent Choi Tae Hyun, who seemed to be close with Agent Kim Joon Ho. While I still don’t like his lips, he did well with the action scenes. Si Won and Changmin were featured in an action sequence where they showed why they deserved to be in this action-packed drama.

Speaking of action, I don’t have any complaints about the action sequences. Each action scene was different and I enjoyed all of them. This was one factor why I stuck with the series until the end, even if I found the plot to be weak and unbelievable.

Another reason why I watched Athena until the end was Lee Ji Ah, who played NTS Agent Han Jae Hee. She’s not Kim Tae Hee but she’s close. Jae Hee used to date Jung Woo but then he already had his sights set on another. It’s a pity that the writer killed her character off instead of Hye In. That could have made the ending better for me.

Athena is said to be an Iris spin-off and there are some recurring characters from the previous series. Kim Seung Woo returned as Park Chul Young, the North Korean liaison to the south. Kim So Yun also returned as Kim Sun Hwa but this time around she has a family and living peacefully in the south but the higher-ups in North Korea ordered a crackdown on defected agent and Chul Young’s warning came a little late. Her family was killed and she vowed revenge against North Korea. Will her story be the feature of the next season? I just hope that it wouldn’t be a love story again.

I thought Athena’s ending would be as tragic as that of Iris. Hye In managed to kill Seung Won but she shot herself as well. Then a minor miracle occurred and we see Jung Woo and Hye In together in the end.

Athena would have been better if it stuck with being an action drama and got rid of the cheesy romantic story of boundless love. The main plot was interesting except for some holes in the plot. This is not a must watch but if you got the time then check it out.

Don’t expect The Musical to be anything like High School Musical or Glee. It is about one’s dream to be in a musical and how one songwriter can make the dream come true. And along the way, their hopes and dreams become one.

Go Eun Bi (Koo Hye Sun) is the aspiring musical actress. She starts her journey in The Musical as someone with nothing but a dream. People have told her that she doesn’t have what it takes to make it big in the scene but it didn’t stop her to chase her dream.

Hong Jae Yi (Choi Daniel) is a songwriter and the first person to see Eun Bi’s potential. He trains her to be a better singer and makes a play with songs that are well-suited for her voice. But it would not be a Korean drama without any conflict and for The Musical there’s Bae Kang Hee (Ok Joo Hyun), a famous musical actress who is still in love with Jae Yi. While still being in-love with an ex-boyfriend is not an issue, it is a problem when the girl is already married.

To make things more complicated, there’s Yoo Jin (Park Ki Woong), a businessman who is also attracted to Eun Bi. This becomes the issue that tests his relationship with long-term girlfriend Seo Ra Kyung (Ki Eun Se).

There are several musicals coming from Korea in the past year and each one is different from another. The Musical is definitely not like Dream High or Heartstrings. Eun Bi and Jae Yi are not as cheesy as the couples in the other dramas but their chemistry is good. They make good music together and you would really like them to end up with each other.

The Musical gives the viewers a behind-the-scenes look into musicals. It shows the lives of the musicians and performers and how their problems affect the music they make. Overall, I enjoyed the series but the ending felt rushed. I was hooked with the series since Episode 1 because its style and concept are different from the rest. Plus, the music lets you forget about the real world.

The Musical’s last episode is the perfect example of a rushed ending. It must be because it was shortened down to 15 episodes. After the final scene, you would ask yourself why you bothered watching the series at all. Then you’ll remember all the good moments of the series and everything becomes all right again.

Tree with Deep Roots is about the series of murders before the announcement of the Korean script. Kang Chae Yoon (Chae Sang Woo) and So Yi (Kim Hyun Soo) were kids of slaves. They were orphaned during the reign of King Sejong’s father but Chae Yoon thought that Lee Do (Song Joong Ki) was responsible for their deaths.

Then Lee Do becomes King Sejong (Han Suk Kyu) and he is obsessed in developing Korea’s modern script. He is also busy mapping out the human anatomy. Grown up So Yi (Shin Se Kyung) is now one of King Sejong’s court maidens. Grown up Chae Yoon (Jang Hyuk) is one of the king’s guards. He still wants to kill the king and King Sejong knows it.

King Sejong wants to introduce his letters but he is opposed by the Milbon, nobles who fear that they would lose their place in society once the king replaces the Chinese alphabet with his own letters. They say that that the new alphabet would erode society.

Watching Tree with Deep Roots feels like you’re taking a lesson in Korean history. You learn a lot about their culture and past. I don’t know whether it is accurate or not but the drama series gives me an idea of how it was during King Sejong’s reign.

The cast members of Tree with Deep Roots are so great. It’s not a surprise that they won all the major awards at the SBS Drama Awards. Special mention goes to Han Suk Kyu, the king. He made the character believable that I wanted to kill the king at one point.

Jang Hyuk and Shin Se Kyung also did a good job as the series’ couple. They showed that love teams in dramas don’t need to be cheesy to make it work. You wouldn’t hear them say saranghae to each other but through their action the viewers could see that their love is not just skin deep. And death is the only thing that can separate them.

Tree with Deep Roots is an excellent Korean drama series. Acting, storyline, directing and the settings are on a class of their own. If you’re looking for a drama to marathon, this is the one you should choose. And if you’re a Super Junior fan, then you’ll be glad to see Kim Ki Bum here as one of the scholars.

Cha Gong Chan (Lee Min Ho) is the school’s black sheep. He used to be part of the football team but was kicked out after scoring an own goal at an important match. Then he met Min Yoo Seo (Moon Chae Won), a transfer student. It was love at first sight for Gong Chan. He was on the verge of dropping out of school but because of Yoo Seo, he tried his best to avoid being expelled.

A romantic comedy is incomplete without a third wheel. In Mackerel Run, we have Baek Hyun (Kwon Se In). He’s the only person who knew about Yoo Seo’s past and family background, which is shrouded in mystery. I don’t get why her mom, the principal, had to hide the fact that Yoo Seo was her daughter. Maybe it was because the drama was shortened that we didn’t get to know the full story of their relationship.

As a matter of fact, Mackerel Run felt like it was abruptly stopped. I don’t know why but I read somewhere that it was supposed to have a total of 16 episodes. But nevertheless, I enjoyed it. I had to thank Moon Chae Won for that. She’s perfect as the mysterious Yoo Seo. It’s as if the role was tailor-made for her. Plus, it also has a very cute Park Bo Young, who played their klutzy classmate and provided lots of funny moments in the series.

Actually this is not the first time that I saw Lee Min Ho, Moon Chae Won and Park Bo young together. Our School E.T. is a movie released a year after Mackerel Run that featured the three as classmates once again. But its story is nothing like Mackerel Run.

Mackerel Run is a light high school drama that could help you forget about your problems. Or it could bring back your problems with regards to your first love, friends and growing up in general. It is not as grand as Boys Over Flowers in terms of settings and plot but it is entertaining in its own simple way.