My Absolute Boyfriend is the latest robot-themed romance to debut in k-dramaland, following Are You Human Too? in 2018 and I'm Not A Robot in 2017. In this girl-meets-robot story, Young Goo, played by Yeo Jin Goo, is a love robot, designed to give …
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Children of Nobody: Unspeakable Acts Under The Moonlight
Whenever someone mysteriously dies in the drama Children of Nobody, the police find fragments of a poem, poetry that is lovely, but at the same time sinister, hinting at dark and unspeakable acts under the moonlight. The poetry is a good metaphor …
Will Park Bo Gum Free Song Hye Kyo From Her Icy Tower In Encounter?
It's easy to guess that Encounter will be a Cinderella story from the opening credits, and if you still missed that visual clue, Song Hye Kyo's character, a cool aloof CEO, also entrusts her shoes to the freewheeling young traveler, played by Park Bo …
The Last Empress Is Not Princess Hours
Don’t be surprised if you experience deja vu while watching the first episode of The Last Empress. This drama takes place in a fictional Korea that has a constitutional monarchy, which makes it similar to the 2006 drama Princess Hours. It is …
Newbie Kdrama Actors That Personified Star Power in 2018
A good role can make an actor's career and 2018 featured some stellar performances by six up-and-coming kdrama actors. In every case, the role wasn’t their first or even one they first attracted attention in, but excellent 2018 performances prompted …
Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment Echoes in Bad Papa
The solution to all of Jang Hyuk’s problems in Bad Papa seem to be money, but every time he makes the choice to take the money, despite the risks, he ignores the potential for his choice to end badly. His character Yoo Ji Cheol grew up poor and …
The Player: Who Are The Real Con Artists?
The Player, starring Song Seung Heon and Krystal, is a crime-fighting drama with some unlikely players—prosecutors partnering with a band of talented swindlers. Plots with con men hijinks and car chases don’t usually make the top of my kdrama watch …
Men With Secrets: Seo In Guk Is Mesmerizing In The Smile Has Left Your Eyes
In The Smile Has Left Your Eyes Seo In Guk’s character uses a kitten to evoke sympathy. Yet while he’s cradling that innocent stray, it’s easy to recognize something monstrous in him. Kim Moo Young may be so kind-hearted that he risks his own life to …
Sung Hoon Is The Model Of A Romantic Prince In “My Secret Romance”
“My Secret Romance” is a shoujo manga, a love-comic k-drama that manages to run through every k-drama rom-com trope in the first half hour. That’s not a complaint. The fluffy, enjoyable rom-com unabashedly and comically celebrates the genre …
Are You Human Too? It’s A Good Question
When I first interviewed Seo Kang Joon on the DramaFever Awards Ceremony red carpet, he didn't strike me as leading man material. Recently debuted with the actor-idol group 5urprise, the newbie actor had not yet made his mark on drama land. …
“Come and Hug Me” And The Ghost of Collective Punishment
It’s a common plot device for k-drama lovers to be conflicted between filial duty and romantic love, especially when one of the lovers is somehow complicit in crimes against the other lover’s family. Being complicit does not necessarily mean …
Six Months Worth Of Stand Out K-Drama Characters
As a writer, one of my favorite things in any good story is watching characters develop and grow. So far, 2018 has been an excellent year for k-dramas with complex characters. These characters faced challenges, didn’t always handle them well, but …