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. ...

Doctor Crush/ Doctors You never know who would influence you so much that it changes the course of your life itself. When you meet them for the first time, you just know the person’s about to bring out the best in you.  Years later, you realize what a miracle it was to have them in your life. The role of a teacher or mentor is great- the one person that can show you the path you’d want to follow, the one person who can change your perspective and your life if you ever allow. In ‘Doctors’ the female lead character played by Park Shin Hye is influenced by her homeroom teacher to make something out of her life, and leave behind the careless wayward ways. You are lucky if you have a guide, who shows never tells; who acts never preaches and in turn inspires you to take the reins of your own life. He saves you from your own self-imposed doom, the reckless and uncertain future. He gives you something to look forward to in life- a dream, a wish to fulfill, an aim to work up...

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 ...

Scarlet Heart has been one of the best romantic tales of the year in Asian Dramas, not just in Korean Drama. With an ensemble cast, it was sure to win hearts from the very beginning. It was the first series that I didn’t binge watch, rather I chose to wait every week and watched only two episodes that were available the respective Mondays and Tuesdays. I had never ever waited for any episode so impatiently. I watched the episodes again and again during the wait, read forums on it, listened to the songs from the series, watched the cast’s interviews, and still missed it like hell. I missed the characters for the five days that I waited every week for the next episode to be broadcast and be available with subtitles. The strategy used by the directors and writers of this phenomenal series is one of sheer torture for the fans. They introduce so many characters worth meeting- some so adorable, some hard on the exterior hiding a painful past, some charming and kind and some wi...

Kill Me Heal Me ‘Kill Me Heal Me’ has a great storyline, a plot that doesn’t adhere to any of your active imagination, presumption, preconceived notion or stereotypes. About the series- a bit of the plot: "A romantic comedy between a third-generation billionaire with Dissociative Identity Disorder and a first-year Psychiatrist resident who treats him secretly. After a traumatic experience in his childhood, Cha Do Hyun suffers memory lapses and his personality then fractured into seven different identities. He tries to regain control over his life with the help of Oh Ri Jin, a first-year psychiatric resident who treats him secretly. But Ri Jin’s twin brother, Oh Ri Ohn, is a famous mystery novelist who investigates about Do Hyun and his family." Acting Skills of the Lead Actor You wouldn’t want to miss the great acting skill of the lead actor- the one having multiple personality disorder. Every personality has different fashion sense, gait, body languag...

I would never forget Choi Dal Po. Every book I read, every TV series I watch introduces me to a new character, unique and original in his own way. Some I forget, but some shall always remain with me, close to my heart. Choi Dal Po is one of them. I already miss him. Hailing from the Korean series ‘Pinnochio’, Choi Dal Po is a chubby cute super intelligent lad who grows to be a reporter. The eleven year old kid was rescued by an old man living in the countryside who was on the verge of insanity. The old man took him to be his long lost son who supposedly drowned and was no more. This kid took the name of that son, Choi Dal Po, and lived with him happily taking care of him. He had no choice, as his father was estranged and mother was dead. His once happy family was destroyed, and he had to remain in hiding from the media. I loved this eleven year old, when he tried to be dumb and foolish to properly imitate the old man’s real son, lest the old man should discov...

     T he story starts in old Goreyo. A young new king is escorted from Yuan—the present day China—to Goreyo by a group of Woodalchi—a specially trained brave soldiers who protect the king, under the leadership of General Choi Young. They defend the King with all their might from enemies who want him dead, but the Queen, Princess of Yuan, is injured fatally in the process. Her condition becomes so critical that the royal doctor gives up on saving her. In those days Goreyo was not completely independent, but at mercy of Yuan. Most of the kings were married to Yuan princesses, so the queens of that era were non natives, and the death of the newlywed queen would mean war, death and loss for the kingdom. The King therefore is in a great dilemma. So on the advice of ministers, he commands Choi Young to enter the ‘heaven’s gate’ and bring a doctor from heaven to the mortal world to save the queen. The heaven’s gate is actually a portal to the present day Seoul. ...