Kdrama : Go Back Couple

Choi Ban-Do (Son Ho-Jun) and Ma Jin-Joo (Jang Na-Ra) are both 38-years-old and a married couple. Choi Ban-Do has been burdened with being the breadwinner and Ma Jin-Joo is a housewife with low self-esteem. Even though they loved each other when they married, they now hate each other. They both regret marrying at such a young age. The couple travel through time and find themselves as 20-year-old university students, when they met for the first time.


I watched Familiar Wife first and realized both dramas are almost similar with 2nd chance between a married couple as the core but if you can only watch one, I would highly recommend Go Back Couple. It is so much better in terms of plot, maturity, relatability ( with the son being brought in ), high-emotions, family love, etc.

Initially, I had wanted to skip the show, because So Ho Jun and Jang Na Ra looked like an unlikely couple but because of A-lister Jang Na Ra and how her dramas always shine, I decided to watch the first episode and boy! was I hooked!

The chemistry between the 2 leads and the 2nd leads are all so sweet and endearing and I really like the fact that all of them are level-headed and mature even to the point of knowing when to let go of their unrequited love.

You can't help but to root for Jang Ki Yong as the 2nd male lead, simply by the way he adored Jang Na-Ra. And the way that Son Ho-Jun and him fighting for her attention is just so hilarious, especially where both of them slept together beside her.

Watching the show reminds me once again, how fragile a relationship is, be it family or your love partner and how one should always cherish the time of having them by your side because one day, they will no longer be around. After all, our life on earth is limited.

Personally, I thought the ending for the last episode was too abrupt, there is no proper closure to those around the main leads - I would love to see where each and every one of them ended up with.

I also dislike the numerous to-and-fro between present and the past, making me a little confused at times, wondering which "era" the plot is in at that time frame. Then again, it is a small issue, as I get over that pretty quickly after a few minutes.

Go Back Couple has this feel-good factor with no jealousy and evil plots, but regrets and what-ifs that make tears roll and how the couple try to make things right, with the given chance. A must-watch Kdrama!

KDrama : Signal

Hae-Young (Lee Je-Hoon) works as a criminal profiler and is also a police lieutenant. Even though he is a cop, he doesn't trust cops due to his own past experience. Back in 2000, when Hae-Young was in elementary school, his classmate Yoon-Jung was kidnapped and later found dead. Hae-Young saw a woman taking Yoon-Jung from school that day, but the police announced that the suspect was a man. Hae-Young even went to the police station and told the police officers that he saw the kidnapper and she was a woman. The police officers though didn't pay attention to him. The killer was never caught and her case remains unsolved to this day.

Hae-Young meets a reporter at a cafe to reveal bombshells about a celebrity scandal. Meanwhile, veteran detective Soo-Hyun (Kim Hye-Soo) is at the cafe staking out the meeting, unaware that Hae-Young is a cop. She arrests Hae-Young for stalking celebrities. While leaving the police station (the same police station he went to as a kid), Hae-Young hears someone talking to him. He looks around to find a walkie-talkie. The man who is talking to Hae-Young is Detective Jae-Han (Cho Jin-Woong). The detective though is from the year 2000 and he is investigating the disappearance of Hae-Young's elementary school classmate. Hae-Young and Detective Jae-Han begin to communicate via the walkie-talkie.

This is such an excellent show, that I would highly recommend anyone who is into murder, mystery and thrillers to watch it. No wonder, it becomes one of the highest rated dramas in Korean cable television history with a peak audience share of 12.54%. It received praises for its solid acting, tightly-constructed plot and detailed and sophisticated direction.

Loved the show and especially Cho Jin-woong who put in a solid performance as the male lead, losing the lady he loved and also his own life, just because of his pursuit for justice. The emotions he portrayed in his role, had me tearing as I can feel his pain and his loss. To be honest, I didn't know who he was, before the show " Signal" but now I can see, why he is known as one of Korea's best actors, because he truly deliver an exceptional and flawless performance. You just have to watch the show, to get what I meant.

Cho Jin Woong,as a male detective, is so different from the "genius" male leads that we are so used to - he is simple, pure, idealistic, persistent, relentless and vulnerable, that you can't help screaming "don't do it!" at the TV screen at times, or quietly praying that nothing will happen or secretly rooting for him, in your heart for the things he did and did not do. There is a surge of emotions for him, as the one and only uncorrupted detective in the whole police force, where he is faced with different obstacles along the way to unraving the deadly plot.

The plot is complex, yet kept one rooted at the edge of your seat with every episode. Most of the cases are based on real crimes - one of it, being the famous Hwaseong Serial Murders which remained unsolved till today. Several films and television shows are based on these murders, such as Signal and Tunnel. As much as I enjoyed watching Tunnel, I would still recommend one to watch Signal if you can only watch one show. Signal would always be a winner in my heart. It is really that good.

You can purchase the video here, the books here, the audio OST here and the DVD set here. I would love to hear if you like the show!

KDrama : Familiar Wife

Cha Joo Hyuk works at a bank and has been married to Seo Woo Jin for five years. When a strange incident happens one day, Joo Hyuk makes a decision that impacts his life and those around him in unexpected ways. Suddenly, the life he had with Woo Jin and his best friend, Yoon Joong Hoo are gone and he is leading a very different life. How will his first love, Lee Hee Won, factor into his new life? And will it be possible to get his old life back?

The first episode was so relatable that I can't wait for more. I know of guys who are like him, who blamed the wife for the married life that went wrong, without realizing that he was the one who caused it to happen. 

I like how he started out as a self centered guy who only think of his own misery and unhappiness, with disregard to how his wife is handling the marriage to moving on and realizing that he was the one who caused the marriage to breakdown, and leaving his wife to her own, most of the time. 

The story gives both characters a 2nd chance in life and how Cha Joo Hyuk learnt more about himself and those around him to become a better person. In the last episode, you can see that both main leads have decided to love, support and cherish each other in managing life, work, marriage and family. And thats what makes the drama so endearing!

Kang Ha Na as his other wife is just so pretty, I can't help but to stare at her sweet dimple all the time. Watching her on Running Man tells me that, she is aware of her own beauty because she accepted all compliments without saying anything as though she hears them all the time. HAHA.

This is a good drama for married couples.

You can purchase Familar Wife OST from Amazon.

KDrama : A Korean Odyssey

In 2017, Son Oh-Gong and Ma-Wang are in conflict with each other as they look for a true light in a dark world where evil thrives. Having made a contract with Seon-mi 25 years ago, entitling her to seek help from Son Oh-Gong whenever she calls him in exchange for letting him free, the two meet again in a fateful encounter. From there, Son Oh-Gong is bound to his protective role towards Seon-mi, the little girl he had met years ago.

Earlier this year, A Korean Odyssey was so popular that has everyone talking about it and with a friend highly recommending this drama to me, it was apt that I should be watching it too. To add on, this drama was written by the famous Hong Sisters who have written many popular romantic comedies like The Girl, You're Beautiful, My Girlfriend Is A Nine-Tale Fox, The Greatest Love, Master's Sun, etc which I enjoyed. A Korean Odyssey is also known as Journey To The West remake.

Main lead, Lee Seung Gi as Son Oh Gong is so in love with female lead Oh Yeon Seo as Jin Jeon Mi that he will do anything to protect her. Despite his fiery temper, he has a soft and endearing side towards his friend, Cha Seung Won as Woo Hwi Chul and their constant bickering are just hilarious.

I like Jin Jeon Mi's office assistant who is a simple, kind and lovable character who always manage to inject a comical touch to the story. Every character just flourish under the Hong Sisters' writing and the humour is just so on point and makes it an enjoyable drama.

The plot is fantasy-like ( which is expected, since most of them are demons ) and each of the demons has an interesting personality and power.

Unfortunately, I thought the power of Black Dragon was alittle overhyped because it was killed by Son Oh Gong too easily, without much of a battle. And Jin Jeong Mi, with so much power, died alittle too quickly too. I was expecting more though.

However, I do like that Woo Hwi Chul managed to find out who his son is, and how he start to protect him from afar, without revealing who he is.

A nice drama!

You can purchase the DVD on Amazon.
A Korean Odyssey DVD
A Korean Odyssey Monkey Plush Toy
A Korean Odyssey Bangle
A Korean Odyssey Necklace

KDrama : Marry Me Now

Park Yoo-Ha (Han Ji-Hye) studied hard in medical school and finished her intern course. She works hard to become a doctor due to her father. Her father raised 4 children by himself and her oldest sister also sacrificed for the family. Park Yoo-Ha is not interested in other people. Suddenly, her father marries a woman rich enough to own a building.

Meanwhile, Jung Eun-Tae (Lee Sang-Woo) works as a doctor. He volunteered for performing medical service abroad, but he comes back to Korea. Jung Eun-Tae is not interested in marriage, because his father placed priority on his medical work over family and Jung Eun-Tae believes he is like his father.

Korean drama, Marry Me Now has recently ended its run of 50 episodes. I followed the show religiously, since episode 1. It was such a heartwarming plot and I don't even feel that its 50 episodes long. Kudos to the filming crew and the cast. Every character has his/her own time to develop in their character as we get involved in their family affairs.

I am not a fan of family dramas because their stories tend to be long and draggy but Marry Me Now was never boring. Even though the plot is simple and light but it displays the love and affection each had for another.

And while some may cringe upon PDA ( public display of affection ) between old folks in dramas, which this drama has, fret not, as both main leads have put in excellent performance to not make you feel that way. The female lead  Jang Mi Hee as Lee Mi Yeon fell head over heels for male lead, Yoo Dong Geun as Park Hyo Seob, ever and both are just so endearing and sweet to each other, that you can't help but to feel happy for their new found love at their age.

If you are into heartwarming and loving family drama, then this is a must-watch. I really enjoyed the show and I sincerely feel that, if every family can be like them, our world would be a better place.