I Hear Your Voice; 2013 (w/ Lee Bo Young, Lee Jong Suk, Yoon Sang Hyun, Lee Da Hee, Jung Woong In) - 5 stars - When I keep thinking about a show and how much I want to keep watching each episode after one ends, it definitely is a sign that I adore it. This is one of the best dramas I have seen in the past few months. It starts out where a boy receives some head trauma due to an accident that he is in with his father. He can now hear people's thoughts when he sees their eyes. An older girl (by about ten years) sees his accident and becomes an important witness to it. The show mainly takes place 10 years later. This boy is now 19 years old and has always set out to find the girl so he can protect her. She is now working as an attorney while he is finishing up high school. There are a lot of mysteries about the accident and it causes several issues to come as well as opportunities of romance for various people in the show. Some of the scenes are so intense and sad and others are beautiful and sweet. I really liked this one and cried a lot. The acting was so good and the story was compelling.

Answer Me 1988; 2015 (w/ Lee Hye Ri, Park Bo Gum, Go Kyung Pyo, Sung Dong Il, Ryu Joon Yul, Lee Il Hwa) - 4 stars - When I first saw this show I nearly gave it up. It has really long episodes of about an hour and a half each. There are sheep sounds here and there too with moments that make a character look dumb, which I didn't understand at times, so that was really weird to me (but I adjusted). It starts around the time of when the Olympic games were being held in South Korea in 1988. The main character is a girl who grew up in a lower class neighborhood. There are a few families we get to learn about throughout each episode. Each episode brings us closer to finding out who she ends up marrying, leaving you guessing and assuming things. There are so many amazing actors and characters and various relationships in this show. After the first few episodes I kept longing to learn more and more about these people. Not everything works out for some of the characters too, so I think this show is a good representation of how life can be at times. It is mainly about family and friendship. I cried so hard!!!! It has been over a month since I finished this show and looking at the pictures makes me miss watching it!

Cheese in the Trap; 2015 (w/ Kim Go Eun, Park Hae Jin, Seo Kang Joon, Lee Sung Kyung, Park Min Ji) - 3.5 stars - I actually really liked this series. I thought the love story was honestly a bit odd in general which is why I actually really enjoyed how the story turned out to show that maturity is possible. I believe finding yourself works best before being in a relationship as it is. That's what this show is all about: people learning about themselves and figuring out how to treat others as well. Really lovely plot and music throughout it. The main character is going to a university and studies really hard. Her close friends are by her side. There is this guy who she suspects and doesn't really trust who keeps asking her to eat lunch with him. He has really good grades like her and they are both a bit quiet. There is another guy who seems like a thug who is a gifted musician who due to an accident, can't really continue on with his career. She forms bonds with each of these two guys who also have a connection to one another. She is just trying to survive each day herself.

Heirs; 2013 (w/ Lee Min Ho, Park Shin Hye, Kim Woo Bin, Kang Min Hyuk, Kim Mi Kyung, Kim Ji Won, Choi Won Young) - 3.5 stars - I will admit that the first couple episodes with the bad American actors turned me off from continuing this show for a few weeks, but once they went back to Korea I couldn't stop watching it and it was always so interesting. Good show! Sweet story. A rich kid who doesn't really get along with his older brother, has been living in the US for a few years. He meets another Korean in California who doesn't really have a place to stay at. She went to visit her sister who lied to their deaf mother about something. Her mom works really hard as a maid. She decides to go back home, but hung out with the wealthy Korean guy she met in CA. She returns back home and has to live with her mom the maid. The wealthy guy returns and just so happens to be a part of the family her mom works for. This leads to difficulties. There are a few girls in bikinis in the first couple episodes when they are in the US (since we're too showy here),

Secret Garden; 2010 – 3.25 stars – I was blown away by the first episode and it took me a while to watch the next one, but once I got going I couldn’t stop (and these are hour long episodes. . .20 episodes for this show). Now to get to the plot. The poor girl who plays a stunt woman for TV shows somehow meets a rich CEO of a mall. She can’t stand how he shows up or is always around her and he can’t stand that he cant’s stop thinking about her all the time. She is not his type of woman. She is just not interested in him at all anyway. She has a thing for a big pop star. The pop star is the CEO’s cousin! Unfortunately, due to crazy circumstances that happen, she can’t get rid of the CEO and is pretty much in need of him often that she starts to just get used to him being around. The story seemed crazy to me by episode 6, as if it didn’t make sense anymore, but as it went on I was amazed and needed more and more and more! It was so good! I loved how they tied things together to make you go “A ha!”. Really awesome sets throughout this show by the way. I don’t understand the Korean culture quite too much, but I guess it is common for them to grab women by the wrist and make it seem like they have to go with them? That part is strange to me. This was a romantic comedy and was totally great. Also, it is rare to see shows these days where the lead couple don’t have sex at all before they wed! What a breath of fresh air. So much crying is shown throughout the show and they do it so well! ahh!

The Moon That Embraces the Sun; 2012 (TV series) – 4.25 stars – This show was addicting and was the first one I saw. This is set in Historic Korea when they had a king and queen. The show starts off with an important back story episode that brings the rest of the series into play (the second episode was where I got addicted). Ultimately it is about two brothers who both seem smitten with the same girl and the issues with politics surrounding the throne. One of the brothers is the crown prince and the other was born from a concubine. I could explain so much more about the storyline and various characters but it would take too long, but all of them were very interesting. There is a lot of crying in this series but it is done so realistically and splendidly. I was amazed by the costumes and the storyline.

Angel Eyes; 2014 (w/ Gu Hye Sun, Lee Sang Yoon, Kang Ha Neul, Nam Ji Hyun, Kim Ji Suk) - 4 stars - The first couple episodes are focused on two older teens and the experiences they endured because of an accident. One is a guy trying to care for his mother and sister the best he can. He is happy-go-lucky and has a good attitude. The other is a girl who misses her mother and wishes her father had a better relationship with her because they were once close. She is pretty lonely and is blind. Goodness this part is really sweet and addicting to watch. Everything seems so nice. Then something else happens which pulls the two apart. Years pass by and their paths cross one another again. Are they still remembering the first loves they had for one another or are they ready to move on? Let me just say that the whole series has loads of tears (man, they are so good at crying too). I love the way the characters are developed throughout the series! So good! So sweet too! My emotions were all over the place while watching this!

My Love From Another Star; 2013 (w/ Kim Soo Hyun, Jeon Ji Hyun, Park Hae Jin, Yoo In Na, Shin Sung Rok) - 4.5 stars - I have reviewed two other shows I have seen with Kim Soo Hyun in the past. In this one he plays an alien who has come to Earth to learn from it. He meets a young girl who shows him what a truly kind human is like. Four hundred years later he is in modern day Seoul. He has watched the city change before his eyes and has changed his identity countless times. There is a famous actress who is a student in his class in which he is a professor at. She thinks she can get away with things. Turns out she is also the new next door neighbor who annoys him because of his special abilities he has at hearing things easily. Their entire relationship is so great to watch. I laughed SO many times throughout this show! I thought Jeon Ji Hyun was amazing and I loved her humor! Just to let you know, there is a lot of drunkenness in this show (though never shown as a good thing). There is also a murder mystery throughout the entire story and the actress is thought as the one who did it. Her alien neighbor doesn't really want to be involved but seems to be drawn to wanting to help this girl regularly. She is a pain in his butt throughout. One of the best shows I've seen!

Twenty Again; 2015 (w/ Choi Ji Woo, Lee Sang Yoon, Choi Won Young, Kim Min Jae) - 3.25 stars - Ha No Ra is a housewife. She is very dutiful. She once wanted to become a dancer, as she went to a special academy for dance. It was her dream. Now she wants to make sure her son is cared for. She is a sorrowful creature to watch though. I was really pained when I saw the first two episodes especially of this show. I hurt for this woman and was annoyed with her because she let her husband pretty much walk all over her (at first). Her husband wants to divorce her but they are waiting for a time since their son is entering college. That is when behind her husband's back, she decides that she too will enter college. She will do her best so that her son and husband have no idea. In the process she comes across an old friend of hers from high school who ends up being one of her professors. He gives her attitude and doesn't get it considering they were friends once. I guess in Korea it is looked down on for older people to enter college while here in the US I know a lot of people who got degrees later on in life. Ha No Ra wants to make friends but everyone sees her as an "old lady". . .but her character develops really well and so I continued to watch this. It got good. Also Lee Sang Yoon was in Angel Eyes that I reviewed above too. He did a great job.

Heartstrings; 2011 (w/ Park Shin Hye, Jung Yong Hwa, Song Chang Ui, Kang Min Hyuk, Woo Ri, So Yi Hyun, Im Se Mi) - 3.75 stars - This was a very sweet and clean show all around. Kyu Won was raised in a traditional music family. Her grandfather is a famous folk singer and wears the traditional clothing of Korea. She has been playing a stringed instrument called a gayageum all her life. She is now in a University working on her major in traditional music. Lee Shin majors in music too but plays the electric guitar. He feels like traditional music has no passion. He is popular in his band and all the girls like him. When he comes across Kyu Won, the two of them butt heads and decide to compete against one another in their music. The story was just really lovely. It had its funny moments and very sweet moments. I liked that the people actually played the instruments and did their own singing too! Yey!

I originally posted all of these in a few separate reviews on my website over the past 4 years http://justicepirate.com