Magic Moments

Empress Ki Poster (behance.net) Empress Ki is the most elaborate, gripping, and thrilling series I have watched this year. And at 51 episodes , it is the longest Korean drama series I have ever watched. Even though the number seems daunting and too much, it’s worth it all. If you like period dramas, you won’t want to give this one a miss. It was in 2016 that I first read about Empress Ki, the historical drama that had garnered much praise and accolades from the audience and critics alike. Most Korean dramas are just 16 or 20 episodes long. So 51 seemed never-ending to me then. It wasn’t until 2017 that I decided to at least try the first episode. And I was hooked. But owing to the various circumstances I didn’t continue watching it. It was just last month that I remembered this epic story and watched it to completion within just a few days. Believe it or not, midway through it, I was almost literally pulling my hair out, in anticipation of what would happen next. I wou...

Sassy Go Go (Cheer Up!!) (Source: Soompi.com) Perhaps I am missing school, my own carefree days of yore. As much as I say that they were carefree days, I just know that they were not. We struggled for marks, toiled hard for securing a good rank and position in the class, hated our parents for comparing us with our classmates, and sighed inaudibly when the tuitions and extra classes coincided our play hours. I liked studying. I would study the textbooks, go through the class notes and also solve the test papers bought specifically for 10th board exams. But then I was very insecure too, had a huge inferiority complex, and a painful introversion as big as a mountain. I was good at studying. No, let me rephrase it. I was only good at studying. I didn’t do well in sports or quiz competitions or debates. I had no interest in leadership. I feared being the center of attention. But as far as marks were concerned, I knew I would get decent figures if I put in more number of hours. ...

Image: Mary Stayed Out All Night(Webtoon) Webtoons are the South Korean webcomics published online, updated episode by episode on a regular basis. It's a totally different medium of story telling in South Korea, which has its dedicated fan base and readers. It is a very integral part of Korean culture just like theatre, or any form of art. And many stories here are adapted to TV series and movies too. Webtoons are thus a rich, varied, ever increasing repository of unique stories that thrive on reader's demand and ratings. Some run years like 'Cheese In The Trap' and 'The Tower of God' but they are gems in this medium. Webtoons are different from the American comics or the Japanese Manga. They are gaining popularity slowly and steadily internationally through apps like Line Webtoon , Comics Naver etc. Dr. Frost: " Lauded as a genius, psychologist Dr. Frost uses his belief that all humans are basically the same to guide his practice. His keen...

When I watched the trailer of ‘The Handmaiden’, I had a picture of who is innocent, who is being tricked and the suspicious hints in the storyline. But what I found in the first half of the movie, was totally different from the impression that the trailer had had. A Korean girl from a con artists’ household travels to a rich Japanese home to play Miss Hideko’s personal maid, Tamako, with the mission of making her fall for The Count- another acquaintance who wants to get her inheritance for himself by marrying her. Things go out of the plan when Tamako feels for her missus- pity, love and remorse for the innocent being that she was and wants to prevent The Count from taking advantage of her and hurting her in the process of acquiring her treasures. Tamako herself is in dilemma, as she wants riches to fulfill her own dreams, but wants Hideko to be safe from their ploy. Lady Hideko is delicately beautiful. She was raised as a virtual prisoner by her uncle, the book collec...

Book Blurb: “Najin Han, the privileged daughter of a calligrapher, longs to choose her own destiny. When her traditional father seeks to marry her into an aristocratic family, her mother defies generations of obedient wives and instead sends Najin to serve in the King’s court as a companion to a young princess. But the King is soon assassinated, and the centuries-old dynastic culture comes to its end. Spanning thirty years, The Calligrapher’s Daughter is an exquisite novel about a country torn between ancient customs and modern possibilities, a family ultimately united by love, and a woman who never gives up her search for freedom.” Thoughts (First 100 pages): The title itself suggests that the story is of that daughter, whose identity is defined on the sole pretext of being her father’s daughter. She has no name. She wasn’t christened with one on the hundredth day of her birth, as the traditional Korean custom had it for the sons. There was no celebration, no festi...

8.  Bride of the Century  - A conglomerate family is under a curse for a hundred years that the first bride of the eldest son would always die. There are power struggles, conspiracies, doppelgangers and search for sincere love. Though the theme seems a bit cliche the plotline is interesting. 7. Prosecutor Princess - The plot is about law and crime and the happening lives of prosecutors. The lead actress has good acting skills and there is an equivalent proportion of romantic comedy, suspense and drama twists. 6.  Shining Inheritance  - This tale is marked by tragedy, teary eyes, and sadness. Eun Seong's father dies in a construction accident and her younger brother goes missing. She has to fend for herself while searching for her brother. Destiny happens and she inherits a vast fortune from an old woman whom she had helped in need. There is love, lost and found tale, and making one's life upon one's own terms. A very good watch. 5. ...

Cheese in the Trap Cheese in the Trap is 16 episodes South Korean Drama series- one of the most honest, realistic, and un-sugarcoated portrayal of the human mind. One’s mind can be so diverse. It harbors so many thoughts at every single moment supported by so many different interpretations of the same situation. And minds of people can be the next unique identification key in a future world, after fingerprints and retinas. Yoo Jung Yoo Jung, the lead protagonist in ‘Cheese in the Trap’ is rather unconventional. He is strange as per the normal standards of human behavior. He has a weird way of drawing conclusions from situations. His logics and analytics are seriously beyond comprehension. He has a sort of ‘victim mentality’- he is rather too aware of people around him, who try to befriend him for their own needs and who care only about their own interests in the guise of friendship. He tries to avoid those people when he realizes their motives, but in vain. Then he se...

Reply1988 or AnswerMe1988 is the third installment of the Reply Drama series(Reply1997, Reply1994). This romantic comedy family drama was widely acclaimed by audience and critics alike for its original theme of celebration of youth, family, memories and days of yore, thus making it the highest rated drama in Korean cable television history. A lighthearted coming of age tale of five friends and their families living in the same neighborhood, this anthology slice-of-life series of 20 episodes spanning 90-110 minutes each is bound to take one of the favorite spots in your drama lists. The episodes focus equally on the filial bond and the romance between the teenage characters. A persistent question through the episodes is who among her best friends Duk Seon, the female teenager, marries eventually. The actors shine through their performances, and each is given his own screen space, time and big-hearted story. Each character is so endearingly flawed, earthly and humane that...

Pixabay.com I had participated in the #AToZChallenge in 2015 . I had blogged about 26 fictional characters I loved. They were my favorite ones whom I adored in movies, drama series, and novels. In 2016 things became too hectic for me and I couldn’t participate. But I did miss so much fun. I tried to compensate the experience by participating in the UltimateBloggingChallenge in October 2016. But there’s nothing like blogging with a theme and that too alphabetically. Now until today morning, after trying to come up with a theme, trying to plan a bit for April, I had almost given up on this happening event for the year 2017. I had almost decided not to take part. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way , and here I am jotting up words, making out sentences for the April AToZChallenge Theme Reveal post. Anyone who has been following my posts here must be aware what a huge self-professed fan I am of Korean Drama Series . I have done a couple of blog posts here at Magic Moments ...