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Review: Youth of May (오월의 청춘)
The drama takes place in Gwangju 1980 during the Gwangju Uprising. Hwang Hee-Tae (Lee Do-Hyun) is a clever medical student and a son of a notorious anti-communist government official played brilliantly by Oh Man Suk. Kim Myung Hee (Go Min-Si) is a nurse at the local hospital. Her best friend Soo-Ryeon (Keum Sae-Rok) is one of the activists of the Gwangju Democratic Movement. She is also Hee-Tae’s bride-to-be in an arranged marriage. The situation gets complicated when Soo-Ryeon – who hasn’t met her future groom yet – sends Myung-Hee instead of herself to a date with Hee-tae. They fall for each other – of course – and find themselves not only in the middle of a marriage triangle but also in the burning point of the violent events of the Gwangju Uprising.
After watching this drama I have to say that – even though it is fiction – I now understand better the controversy surrounding the Jung Hae-In and Jisoo drama Snowdrop. Even though I was a history major in university I’m not that familiar with korean history and I only recently learned about the Gwangju Democratic Movement (thank you, DKDK-tv). What started as student demonstrations against the martial law ended up in a blood bath when the government troops opened fire towards korean citizens. In this drama it is claimed that the military killed and violently attacked anybody that was present in Gwangju at the time. Many people were accused being communists or North-Korean spies without actual proof. The grudge many have against the government is therefore quite understandable.
Youth of May is in a way a wartime love story. It has more tragic than happy elements to it, so don’t watch this if you are looking for a feel-good romantic comedy. I personally found the storytelling lagging at times. I also felt the need to watch something more cheerful and entertaining in between. The love story isn’t the most memorable but I found the historic background very interesting. Young actors do a good job. I specifically liked Keum Sae-Rok’s performance as Soon-Ryeon.
*** 괜찮아 / Gwenchana
The drama takes place in Gwangju 1980 during the Gwangju Uprising. Hwang Hee-Tae (Lee Do-Hyun) is a clever medical student and a son of a notorious anti-communist government official played brilliantly by Oh Man Suk. Kim Myung Hee (Go Min-Si) is a nurse at the local hospital. Her best friend Soo-Ryeon (Keum Sae-Rok) is one of the activists of the Gwangju Democratic Movement. She is also Hee-Tae’s bride-to-be in an arranged marriage. The situation gets complicated when Soo-Ryeon – who hasn’t met her future groom yet – sends Myung-Hee instead of herself to a date with Hee-tae. They fall for each other – of course – and find themselves not only in the middle of a marriage triangle but also in the burning point of the violent events of the Gwangju Uprising.
After watching this drama I have to say that – even though it is fiction – I now understand better the controversy surrounding the Jung Hae-In and Jisoo drama Snowdrop. Even though I was a history major in university I’m not that familiar with korean history and I only recently learned about the Gwangju Democratic Movement (thank you, DKDK-tv). What started as student demonstrations against the martial law ended up in a blood bath when the government troops opened fire towards korean citizens. In this drama it is claimed that the military killed and violently attacked anybody that was present in Gwangju at the time. Many people were accused being communists or North-Korean spies without actual proof. The grudge many have against the government is therefore quite understandable.
Youth of May is in a way a wartime love story. It has more tragic than happy elements to it, so don’t watch this if you are looking for a feel-good romantic comedy. I personally found the storytelling lagging at times. I also felt the need to watch something more cheerful and entertaining in between. The love story isn’t the most memorable but I found the historic background very interesting. Young actors do a good job. I specifically liked Keum Sae-Rok’s performance as Soon-Ryeon.
*** 괜찮아 / Gwenchana
LadyManhattan's rating:
3
4
7
Pornographer (2018)
Well, this was actually japanese, but since I watched it via viki.com, which usually is my dealer for k-dramas, I'll just put it on this list. East Asian anyway.
LadyManhattan's rating:
5
6.7
7.2
Color Rush (2020)
Korean BL hasn't really been very good so far. Keep trying.
LadyManhattan's rating:
12
6.8
8
Hwarang (2016-2017)
So, I finally watched Hwarang, and it was golden! So much star-power! And so much musical talent in one drama. When I think about it, this really should have been a musical. Somebody, please make a Hwarang musical! I’d watch it.
The story of Hwarang is set in the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BCE–935 CE), that was one of the three kingdoms of the Korean Peninsula. Hwarang (a.k.a. The Flowering Knights) were an elite warrior group that truly existed during this time period. The drama itself is of course fiction.
The story begins when the widowed queen of Silla decides to form an elite group of soldiers, that all are from noble families, young and beautiful. — I mean, to be honest, that’s what I would do too, if were a monarch: collect all hot men to myself. — The situation becomes complicated when her only son, the crown prince of Silla (Park Hyung-sik) who has been hiding from the public eye his entire life, manages to lie his way into the Hwarang. The protagonist of the story is a nameless peasant boy played by Park Seo-joon. His motivation to join the warrior order is to revenge the death of his best friend. What follows is a tangled yarn of friendships, sword fighting, death, romance, jealousy, loyalties, betrayals, intrigue and hidden royalty. Even though Hwarang is a story of soldiers this drama is not too action-centered. Actually it is rather funny and could even be described as a comedy at times.
Like I said already, the star-power in this drama is phenomenal. Park Seo-joon is definitely one of the best actors of his generation. He’s charisma would carry an elephant. In other central roles there are K-pop idols/actors Park Hyung-sik, Choi Min-ho and our little Kim Taehyung ( #btsv) in his very first (and so far only) acting role. I was positively surprised by V’s performance. He did overact a bit, although I don’t know if it was the director’s choice to make his character so overly excited and innocent. But for someone in his first role, 20 years old, he did good. Good boy, V. Jo Yoon-woo’s character made his way to my gallery of beautiful men with fans. Sageuks are always generous for fan-lovers. And let’s not forget the ahjussi line! My favorite older male actors all in one drama: Sung Dong-il, Yoo Jae-myung, Kim Chang-wan and Kim Won-hae. The adorable Go Ara shines as the famale lead and my ultimate girl-crush, the unrealistically beautiful Seo Ye-ji kicks ass as the warrior princess of Silla.
To summarize: Hwarang delivers at all fronts: story, production, actors. All daebak!
Also, the soundtrack will be my guilty pleasure for this summer. ”꽃비가 내려와, 검은 눈물 덮어…”
So, I finally watched Hwarang, and it was golden! So much star-power! And so much musical talent in one drama. When I think about it, this really should have been a musical. Somebody, please make a Hwarang musical! I’d watch it.
The story of Hwarang is set in the ancient kingdom of Silla (57 BCE–935 CE), that was one of the three kingdoms of the Korean Peninsula. Hwarang (a.k.a. The Flowering Knights) were an elite warrior group that truly existed during this time period. The drama itself is of course fiction.
The story begins when the widowed queen of Silla decides to form an elite group of soldiers, that all are from noble families, young and beautiful. — I mean, to be honest, that’s what I would do too, if were a monarch: collect all hot men to myself. — The situation becomes complicated when her only son, the crown prince of Silla (Park Hyung-sik) who has been hiding from the public eye his entire life, manages to lie his way into the Hwarang. The protagonist of the story is a nameless peasant boy played by Park Seo-joon. His motivation to join the warrior order is to revenge the death of his best friend. What follows is a tangled yarn of friendships, sword fighting, death, romance, jealousy, loyalties, betrayals, intrigue and hidden royalty. Even though Hwarang is a story of soldiers this drama is not too action-centered. Actually it is rather funny and could even be described as a comedy at times.
Like I said already, the star-power in this drama is phenomenal. Park Seo-joon is definitely one of the best actors of his generation. He’s charisma would carry an elephant. In other central roles there are K-pop idols/actors Park Hyung-sik, Choi Min-ho and our little Kim Taehyung ( #btsv) in his very first (and so far only) acting role. I was positively surprised by V’s performance. He did overact a bit, although I don’t know if it was the director’s choice to make his character so overly excited and innocent. But for someone in his first role, 20 years old, he did good. Good boy, V. Jo Yoon-woo’s character made his way to my gallery of beautiful men with fans. Sageuks are always generous for fan-lovers. And let’s not forget the ahjussi line! My favorite older male actors all in one drama: Sung Dong-il, Yoo Jae-myung, Kim Chang-wan and Kim Won-hae. The adorable Go Ara shines as the famale lead and my ultimate girl-crush, the unrealistically beautiful Seo Ye-ji kicks ass as the warrior princess of Silla.
To summarize: Hwarang delivers at all fronts: story, production, actors. All daebak!
Also, the soundtrack will be my guilty pleasure for this summer. ”꽃비가 내려와, 검은 눈물 덮어…”
LadyManhattan's rating:
5
8
8.7
Navillera (2021)
Sim Deok-chul is a 70 year old grandfather who has always had a dream to learn ballet. Lee Chae-rok is a promising, yet unmotivated, ballet dancer in his twenties. The most unexpected journey begins when Chae Rok is assigned to teach Deok Chul ballet. Without giving too much away, I can tell that they both learn from each other and become friends in the process.
I found this drama heartwarming, touching and very well made. Kind-looking Park In-hwan is perfect in mr. Sim's role. And Song Kang, the rising star of K-dramas, gives a very believable performance as a young ballet dancer even though he obviously isn't a dancer in real life, and the more difficult scenes are done by a stunt dancer.
Navillera is based on a webtoon that started in 2016 and the story is also made into a musical. I recommend this to anybody, who loves a sweet story but isn't afraid of bitter endings.
TW / SPOILER ALLERT: This might be hard to watch for people who have loved ones suffering from dementia/Alzheimer's disease.
I found this drama heartwarming, touching and very well made. Kind-looking Park In-hwan is perfect in mr. Sim's role. And Song Kang, the rising star of K-dramas, gives a very believable performance as a young ballet dancer even though he obviously isn't a dancer in real life, and the more difficult scenes are done by a stunt dancer.
Navillera is based on a webtoon that started in 2016 and the story is also made into a musical. I recommend this to anybody, who loves a sweet story but isn't afraid of bitter endings.
TW / SPOILER ALLERT: This might be hard to watch for people who have loved ones suffering from dementia/Alzheimer's disease.
LadyManhattan's rating:
10
7.1
6.7
The Negotiation (2018)
The movie that brought Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin together! Awwww.
LadyManhattan's rating:
K-dramas and Korean movies I've seen this year.
My scale:
* 진짜 싫어 / Jinjja sirheo!
** 평균 이하 / Pyeong-gyun iha
*** 괜찮아 / Gwenchana
**** 좋아요 / Johayo
***** 대박! / Daebak!
Year 2020 here: www.listal.com/list/my-kdrama-list-2020
My scale:
* 진짜 싫어 / Jinjja sirheo!
** 평균 이하 / Pyeong-gyun iha
*** 괜찮아 / Gwenchana
**** 좋아요 / Johayo
***** 대박! / Daebak!
Year 2020 here: www.listal.com/list/my-kdrama-list-2020
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