Golden Rainbow

Summary: Golden Rainbow is a 41-episode South Korean drama produced for the network MBC. It's a complicated story set in the backdrop of the fishing industry that follows a group of orphans adopted by Kim Han Joo (Kim Sang Joong), who was raised as an orphan himself. The show spans a period of 18 years and there are multiple plots intertwined with one another ranging from corporate fraud, star-crossed love, family dysfunction, and the slippery slope of power and wealth. It's a mixed bag of everything. Prominent stars in the series include Uee and Jung Il Woo.

+1/2 heart for the children

Recommendation: This is another series that has me feeling particularly conflicted and that makes it difficult to recommend it wholeheartedly. The show starts out really strong and I enjoyed the performances of all the children. In particular, I thought the young Baek Won (Kim You Jung) and the young Seo Do Young (Oh Jae Moo) were wonderful. The cast of veteran actors all had flawless performances and laid out a great foundation for the remainder of the series. Then.... it fast forwards 14 years and it all falls apart. The transition to the adult cast wasn't as smooth as I'd have liked and a lot of the drama became boring, repetitive, and exhausting. How many times did the audience have to watch Uee and Jung Il Woo cry and pine for one another? Too many to count. Then, after sticking with it for 41 episodes, it all wraps up with a terrible ending. It very well may rival Bride of the Century for the worst ending...ever.

Cunning Single Lady

Summary: Cunning Single Lady (aka Sly & Single Again) is a 2014 k-drama produced for MBC. This series follows the trials and tribulations of Na Ae Ra (Lee Min Jung), who marries Cha Jung Woo (Joo Sang Wook) in hopes of having a secure and quiet life as the housewife of a government employee. When he unexpectedly quits his job to start a tech company, the couple's marriage falls apart under the weight of financial and emotional strain and they ultimately divorce. Years later, the pair are reunited thanks to a twist of fate and a street cart brawl. Cha Jung Woo is now a successful CEO worth millions and Na Ae Ra is determined to make him pay for the burdens he placed on her all those years ago. But her plot to exact revenge on him doesn't go quite the way she plans...

- 1 1/2 hearts for a lukewarm ending & the weird Tijuana wedding

Keep your enemies close... and your ex-husbands closer.

Recommendation: The best way for me to describe this k-drama is fun. It doesn't take itself too seriously while still delivering some poignant moments that deal with real emotion. Na Ae Ra and Cha Jung Woo were perfectly cast and their interactions with one another are sickeningly cute - in a good way. I couldn't help but root for them and I looked forward to their scenes. My only complaint is that the series could have benefited from an extra episode to wrap-up everything. The final episode felt rushed and half finished with too many flashbacks. Overall, this is a great romantic comedy and will probably find its way on to my "Best of 2014" list. I encourage others to watch it.

God's Gift - 14 Days

Summary: God's Gift - 14 Days is a 2014 k-drama produced for SBS starring Lee Bo Young and Cho Seung Woo. In this complicated tale of betrayal and murder, Kim Soo Hyun (Lee Bo Young) and Ki Dong Chan (Cho Seung Woo) are sent back 14 days prior to the death of her young daughter, Han Saet Byeol (Kim Yoo Bin), and the execution of his brother, Ki Dong Ho (Jung Eun Pyo). As the two race against the clock to uncover the truth and prevent these deaths, they discover that their fates are more closely connected than they could have ever imagined.

-1/2 heart for making me cry too much

Recommendation: This is a drama series that is on my "must watch" list for 2014. It's a nearly flawless production and the story is complicated without getting clumsy. God's Gift moves at a fairly quick pace starting with episode three and the audience quickly realizes that the characters are very different from how they are initially presented. It is interesting to watch how their masks get stripped away. Now, this isn't my favorite genre and I don't particularly like watching dramas that involve violence against children. But the script writer and director did a wonderful job of implying action without being graphic. The ending is apparently controversial among fans and I don't know if I necessarily love it. But I do think it was appropriate and fit with the theme of the series. It's not a bad thing to leave the audience with a few unanswered questions.

Emergency Couple

Summary: Emergency Couple is a 2014 k-drama produced for TvN. This series follows the couple Oh Chang Min (Choi Jin Hyuk) and Oh Jin Hee (Song Ji Hyo) as they rush into marriage and ultimately divorce. Several years later, the couple is reunited as doctors when they both land internships at the same hospital. All of their unresolved issues suddenly resurface as they are forced to work together in the emergency room under the watchful eye of a demanding department chief (Lee Pil Mo). Both Oh Chang Min and Oh Jin Hee soon realize that both the good and bad moments of the past have made them who they are in the present. Over the course of 21 episodes, the audience waits for the answer to one question: Will they find a way to rekindle their love?

-1 heart for too much verbal abuse

Recommendation: This is an easy recommendation for me to make. I loved this k-drama and I am happy to recommend it to others as a must watch for 2014. While it firmly stands in the RomCom category, I felt that there were some painfully honest and very sad moments as the couple's marriage unravels and eventually falls apart. The writers, director, and cast did a phenomenal job of depicting the difficulty and complexity of managing not just the relationship with a significant other but all the circumstances that surround it: family, work, money, fear of failure, and personal aspirations. Choi Jin Hyuk, Song Ji Hyo, and Lee Pil Mo carried this series with really strong and touching performances.

Bride of the Century

Summary: Bride of the Centrury is a 2014 k-drama produced for CSTV. This sixteen episode series is centered around the Choi family, owners of the multi-million dollar conglomerate Taeyang Group. As their eldest son Choi Kang Joo (Lee Hong Ki) prepares for his arranged marriage with Jang Yi Kyung (Yang Jin Sung), the rumor that the family is cursed resurfaces. According to the legends, the first wife of the eldest son in each generation will die on her wedding night. When mysterious forces begin plucking at the threads of fate, the lives of everyone involved are irrevocably changed.

-2 1/2 hearts for bad casting and a bad ending

Recommendation: My opinion regarding this drama will probably be unpopular. But, I didn't love it. This is another one of those k-dramas that had a great set-up but ultimately failed to deliver. There were a lot of great moments in the first half of the series and I was excited to see how everything connected. But the explanation was...meh. And, frankly, this wasn't a great role for Lee Hong Ki. I struggled through the entire series to see him as Choi Kang Ju - a cold and logical businessman afraid of love. Sung Hyuk as Jang Yi Hyun was equally unimpressive as the rival for Na Doo Rim's heart. Then, the series ends with what has to be one of the most anticlimactic wrap-ups in k-drama history. It came across as, "...and then everyone said they were sorry. The end."

Series Alert: Fated to Love You

I wanted to throw this out there because I am super excited! According to the internet (and the internet is always right), a Korean re-make of the 2008 Taiwanese drama Fated to Love You is slated to air in July and it will be starring one of my favorite actors, Jang Hyuk (see: The Slave Hunters) . I'll have to keep my fingers crossed that the episodes become available in the States.

Last weekend, I started watching the Taiwanese version of this drama and I have to say that I am really impressed with it on all levels. Historically, I haven't invested much time in Taiwanese dramas because the production value isn't as high their Korean counterparts. From acting to sound issues, the few that I've tried to watch felt amateurish. But Fated to Love You had me hooked mid-way through the first episode. The script, acting, sets, etc... are all outstanding. In fact, the script is fairly clever in how people and topics are introduced into the plot and the timing of their importance. As soon as I make my way through the whole series, I'll post a review.

My sincere wish is that the 2014 re-make won't be too conservative in its approach to the topics of sex and unplanned pregnancy because I think the series will lose some of its charm if that happens. That being said, Jang Hyuk is the perfect choice for the role of the male lead. He will bring the right amount of levity and comedy to the role. Of course, he'll have some big shoes to fill as Ethan Juan played it perfectly the first time around.

July isn't that far away so this is something to look forward to!

Update: Choi Jin Hyuk (see: Emergency Couple) is currently slated to play the role of Daniel, which I assume is the equivalent role of Dylan from the Taiwanese version. If you are a Choi Jin Hyuk fan, I wouldn't get too excited, yet. There are three main arcs to Fated to Love You and this character doesn't have much to do until the last third of the series. So, there are likely to be several episodes in a row where he isn't seen much or at all.

The Slave Hunters (aka Chuno)

Summary: The Slave Hunters (aka Chuno) is a 2009 South Korean historical drama that follows the story of Lee Dae Gil (Jang Hyuk) and his band of trusty sidekicks (Hang Jung Soo & Kim Ji Sook) as they track down runaway slaves for reward money. When a politician hires the motley crew to track down a runaway general-turned-slave (Oh Ji Ho), they find themselves embroiled in a political conspiracy that might just cost them their lives. Lee Dae Gil's tragic background and the search for his first love (Lee Da Hae), a runaway slave from his household, adds additional twists and turns to the 24 episode historical melodrama.

-1 star for the weird assassin chick

Recommendation: I have watched several period dramas of late and The Slave Hunters, despite being several years old, is easily one of the best productions among them. This includes competition like: Iljimae: The Phantom Thief, Jung-Yi: Goddess of Fire, and Bridal Mask. From the cast, sets, costuming, script, and fight choreography, I found the series largely flawless and possessing a unique visual quality. It was so good that it earned a spot on my TOP TEN DRAMAS! list. There were some issues toward the end of the series with the music being overpowering in critical scenes and muffling the dialogue. But with subtitles that isn't much of an issue. I highly recommend this drama for fans of this genre and keep a box of tissue nearby because you will shed a few tears. I made the critical mistake of watching the last episode on a train... in public. It wasn't pretty.