Korean Drama : The Man in the Mask

Alternative Title

Masked Prosecutor

Year Released

2015

Genre

Action

No. of Episodes

16 - runing time of 70 minutes per episode

Starring

Joo Sang-wook, Kim Sun-a, Uhm Ki-joon

Storyline

Ha Dae-chul (Joo Sang-wook) is a prosecutor by day and a masked vigilante by night. He meets Yoo Min-hee (Kim Sun-a) who is a female detective of the violent crime division.  

Dae-chul also has a half-brother, prosecutor Kang Hyun-woong (Uhm Ki-joon).

My View

I guess the plot does not really captivate me as I started fast-forwarding a lot of scenes starting from episode 2.

Rating

1/5 Stars

Korean Drama: The World of the Married

Year Released

2020

Genre

Family, Romance, Thriller

No. of Episodes

16 + 2 specials - running time of 80 minutes per episode

Starring

Kim Hee-ae, Park Hae-joon, Han So-hee

Storyline

The plot starts off with a perfect life follows by suspicion, betrayal, lies and manipulation. After which is a comeback, revenge and fear. 

Then there is emotional breakdown, dilemma and suicide. Finally, the show ends with reflection, letting go, a lot of patience and forgiveness.

My View

The first episode left me swearing a lot. If betrayal by your other half is not enough, there are those people who keep their silence about the truth.

Another part that makes me curse was when Lee Tae-oh (Park Hae-joon) and Ji Sun-woo (Kim Hee-ae) had a fierce fight which landed Tae-oh a police's constraint order.

In the end, all of them realise what is the most important thing in their lives. Eventually, they get to move on in peace.

Rating

5/5 Stars

Korean Drama : Pied Piper

Year Released

2016

Genre

Action, Crime

No. of Episodes

16 - running time of 65 minutes per episode

Starring

Shin Ha-kyun, Jo Yoon-hee, Yoo Jun-sang

Storyline

Joo Sung-chan (Shin Ha-kyun) signs a contract and becomes negotiator for K-Group Chairman Seo Geon-il (Jung Gook-hwan). In return, Chairman Seo lends a large sum of money for Sung-chan's mother's surgery. However, she passes away before getting treatment.

Yeo Myung-ha (Jo Yoon-hee) decides to join Crisis Negotiation Team to reach out to helpless citizens. She believes that by listening earnestly to those in need may ends in a different result. She is one of the victims from New Town Development (by K-Group) 13 years ago. Her parents died in an explosion during rioting.

Yoon Hee-sung (Yoo Jun-sang) is the anchor of TNN Night News channel. He used to be a reporter but makes a deal with Press Director to hide the truth about kidnapping case involving K-Group employees. Sung-chan was the negotiator back then and his girlfriend died because of his negotiation negligience.

A mysterious man named Pied Piper who always make calls by whistling first. Next, he will inform the police department on any upcoming kidnapping, explosion cases etc. 

My View

PP is a very different kind of crime drama. Yes, it is still to expose the bad deeds of higher-ups like any other dramas. But the way the plot is written unravels extraordinarily. 

One of the cases involving a suicide by a helpless lady certainly impresses me. 

Pied Piper's real identity stuns me as well.

Rating

5/5 Stars

Korean Drama : Special Affairs Team TEN 1 & 2

Year Released

2011 - 2012 (season 1), 2013 (season 2)

Genre

Crime, Mystery

No. of Episodes

9 - running time of 72 minutes per episode (season 1), 12 - running time of 74 minutes per episode (season 2)

Starring

Joo Sang-wook, Kim Sang-ho, Choi Woo-shik, Jo An

Storyline

Yeo Ji-hoon (Joo Sang-wook) starts a "Special Affairs Team TEN" to deal with difficult crime cases. Ji-hoon was a former ace detective but quitted his job to be a police academy professor.

However, he returns as a detective again when a serial killer (who killed his wife) whom he was unable to catch, re-appears suddenly. To understand the criminal's thoughts, Ji-hoon becomes "the monster who catches monsters".

Ji-hoon recruits Nam Ye-ri (Jo An) a profiling specialist, Baek Do-shik (Kim Sang-ho), a veteran cop whose nickname is "venomous snake" and Park Min-ho (Choi Woo-shik), a rookie who is often lucky in finding clues to crimes.

My View

There are a mixture of simple, straightforward crimes and complicated ones. 

Sad to say, until the last episode of season 2, I'm still clueless as to who is that "F" serial killer. 

The whole Min-ho kidnapping saga involving detectives and higher police force makes me confused as well.

I seriously feel like rating a 3 but I'm giving it a 4 because of all those great cases.

Rating

4/5 Stars

Korean Drama : Private Lives

Year Released

2020

Genre

Crime

No. of Episodes

16 - running time of 75 minutes per episode

Starring

Go Kyung-pyo, Seohyun, Kim Hyo-jin, Kim Young-min

Storyline

A story revoles around GK group which controls the private lives of everyone. They also manipulates voting results of assemblymen. Lee Jung-hwan (Go Kyung pyo) is known to be a spy detective but in fact a "shadow" working for GK group. 

Cha Joo-eun (Seohyun) vows revenge on Jeong Bok-gi (Kim Hyo-jin) and Kim Jae-wook (Kim Young-min) when the pair set her father Cha Hyun-tae (Park Sung-geun) up in one of their "documentaries". Bok-gi and Jae-wook flees with millions of fund while Joo-eun's father ends up going to jail.

When Joo-eun is in the midst of filming documentary, she meets Jung-hwan. They both fall in love and decides to get married. However, on their wedding day, Jung-hwan fails to turn up as he is being chased by mobsters.

My View

PL as a whole has its fair share of conspiracy, suspense and just a little bit of con-artists part.

It would be better if there are more fraud cases like Leverage.

Rating

4/5 Stars

Korean Drama : Children of Nobody

Alternative Title

Red Moon Blue Sun

Year Released

2018 - 2019

Genre

Mystery, Thriller

No. of Episodes

32 -  running time of 30 minutes per episode

Starring

Kim Sun-a, Lee Yi-kyung, N, Joo Suk-tae

Storyline

Child counselor Cha Woo-kyung's (Kim Sun-a) life seems perfect until a little girl whom she doesn't know has been appearing in her subconcious mind. From then on, her life starts getting from bad to worse. 

Her husband has an affair, her second child is stillborn and she accidentally knocked a child down which ended up killing him.

Detective Kang Ji-hyun (Lee Yi-kyung) is someone who believes that every life matters be it a criminal or civilian. He crosses path with Woo-kyung when he is investigating some murder cases connecting to child abuse.

My View

I have not watched such an awesome thriller drama in a long time. 

For the first four episodes, my heart was racing as everything seemed spooky and mysterious. At the end of the first episode when Woo-kyung completed the poem, my heart skipped a beat.

Throughout the entire show, I just cannot wait to find out what's next. The plot is too good that I'm unable to write any spoilers. Lol..

Rating 

5/5 Stars

 

Korean Drama : You're All Surrounded

Year Released

2014

Genre

Action, Crime

No. of Episodes

20 - running time of 60 minutes per episode

Starring

Lee Seung-gi, Cha Seung-won, Go Ara, Ahn Jae-hyun

Storyline

After witnessing his mother's murder at a young age, Kim Ji-yong (Lee Seung-gi) becomes a detective in order to investigate his mother's death. He changes his name to Eun Dae-gu. Dae-gu spies on his team leader, Seo Pan-seok (Cha Seung-won), whom he believes to be related to his mother's killer. 

My View

Anything with Lee Seung-gi and Cha Seung-won are just extremely exciting to watch. 

The pair make me laugh so much at A Korean Odyssey.

Rating

4/5 Stars

Korean Drama : Your Honor

Alternative Title

Dear Judge

Year Released

2018

No. of Episodes

32 - running time of 35 minutes per episode

Starring

Yoon Shi-yoon, Lee Yoo-young

Storyline

When Judge Han Soo-ho (Yoon Shi-yoon) goes missing one day, his twin brother Kang-ho (with criminal records) takes over his place.

My View

A lot of funny moments when a proper judge's personality changes suddenly into those of a thug.

Rating

4/5 Stars

Korean Drama : Yong Pal

Year Released

2015

Genre

Medical drama, Action

No. of Episodes

18 - running time of 65 minutes per episode

Starring

Kim Tae-hee, Joo Won

Storyline

Though Kim Tae-hyun (Joo Won) - code name Yong Pal - is a talented surgeon, he offers his medical skills to those who cannot go for treatments publicly. Tae-hyun is desperate to earn money for his sister's medical bills.

He is soon being recruited to join a team of corrupt physicians to look after Han Yeo-jin (Kim Tae-hee). Yeo-jin is a chaebol heiress who is under medical induced coma. Her half-brother Han Do-joon (Jo Hyun-jae) is the mastermind behind it as he is going after Han family's inheritance.

My View

I choose to watch YP due to a scene on trailer whereby Yeo-jin attends her own funeral leaving everyone in shock.

Rating

5/5 Stars

Korean Drama : Woman with a Suitcase

Year Released

2016

Genre

Legal drama

No. of Episodes

16 - running time of 60 minutes per episode

Starring

Choi Ji-woo, Joo Jin-mo

Storyline

The story depicts the journey of how office manager Cha Geum-joo (Choi Ji-woo) works her way up to be an attorney.

Geum-joo eventually works at "Hamburger" Ham Bok-geo's (Joo Jin-mo) law firm. Bok-geo's used to be a prosecutor but chooses to quit to protect a witness.

My View

I'm a fan of legal drama so yeah WWAS is pretty good.

Rating 

4/5 Stars