Browse Category

Entertainment - Page 5

#KajoPicks: Mothers from Korean drama-land we love

Published on

This Mother’s Day, we are giving tributes to mothers who exist in Korean drama-land. These mothers have the advantage over real mothers by being able to say and do the right thing at the right time, creating some perfect heartwarming moments.

So here are mothers from 10 Korean dramas we love :

1.Jo Kang-ja (Kim Hee-sun) in Angry Mom (2015)

How far would you go to protect your child from bullying? Are you willing to go as far as disguising yourself as a high school student because that was Jo Kang-ja did in Angry Mom (2015).

Kang-ja (Kim Hee-sun) was once the most feared troublemaker at her high school.

However due to her unexpected pregnancy, she had to drop out of school to raise her child.

In the present day, Kang-ja is now a 34-year-old woman with a teenage daughter Oh Ah-ran (Kim Yoo-jung).

They do not have the perfect mother-daughter relationship but Kang-ja really loves her daughter, like any mothers out there.

One day, Ah-ran was admitted to the hospital due to extreme bullying. This leads Kang-ja to do something that most conventional mothers would never do.

She enrolls in the same high school as her daughter under the false identity ‘Jang Bang-wool’.

At first, Kang-ja wanted to teach the bullies a lesson. Instead, she comes across the darker, corrupted side of the school.

This high school drama offers a bit of ‘noona’ romance with one of the boys falling in love with Kang-ja.

Watch the trailer here.

2.Kang Soo-jin (Lee Bo-young) in Mother (2018)

Just because a woman gives birth, it does not mean she deserves to be called a mother, especially if she abuses her own child.

This drama let viewers define what is the meaning of being a ‘mother’.

Kang Soo-jin (Lee Bo-young) works as a temporary teacher at an elementary school.

She realises one of her students is a victim of domestic abuse.

Soo-jin decides to do the craziest thing; she kidnaps her student and raises her as her own.

This award-winning drama is a remake of a popular Japanese drama Mother (2010).

Watch the trailer here.

3.Kim Soo-hyun (Lee Bo-young) in God’s Gift: 14 Days (2014)

Speaking of Lee Bo-young, she plays the another role of a strong-willed mother Kim Soo-hyun in God’s Gift: 14 Days.

In the drama, she works as a successful TV writer for a current affairs program.

One day, her young daughter Han Saet-byul is kidnapped and murdered.

After her daughter’s death, she comes across a miracle; a chance to go back in time exactly two weeks before the event.

No mothers who have lost their children would pass this chance, Soo-hyun goes back in time to save her daughter.

Can she save Saet-byul before she dies all over again?

4.Oh Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin) in When the Camellia Blooms (2019)

Over the years, we have seen more and more Korean dramas exploring the idea of a single parent or divorcee finding love all over again.

This type of storyline is more relatable because you see, romance does not happen only between two single people with no past at all.

When the Camellia Blooms follows the story of Oh Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin), a single mother who moves to the fictional town of Ongsan.

There, she opens a bar named Camellia while raising her son Kang Pil-gu (Kim Kang-hoon).

Six years later, policeman Hwang Yong-sik (Kang Ha-neul) moves back to his hometown Ongsan.

He meets and falls for Dong-baek. Despite his own mother’s disapproval, Yong-sik continuously pursue Dong-baek and protect her son Pil-gu.

Not long after that, Dong-baek’s peaceful life in Ongsan is interrupted with the presence of a serial killer.

The worst part is the serial killer’s next target is none other than Dong-baek.

In the meantime, her love life gets complicated when her ex-boyfriend and the father of her child Kang Jong-ryul (Kim Ji-seok) shows up wanting her back.

When the Camellia Blooms (2019) was second highest rated drama in 2019 with many critics praised it for its realistic storyline and a nice blend of romantic-comedy and thriller.

Watch the trailer here.

5.Kang Hye-soo (Uee) in Marriage Contract (2016)

Speaking of single mother, here is another Korean drama about the struggle of being a single parent.

Kang Hye-soo is a single mother who is left to raise her daughter while paying off her late husband’s debts.

As if her life is not difficult enough, she is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.

When all things seem to be in despair, Hye-soo is given a rare opportunity.

Marry the son of a chaebol and donate part of her liver to his mother, in exchange for enough money for her daughter until she becomes an adult.

What would a dying mother do? Understandably, she agrees for the contract marriage.

However in a classic tale of Korean drama, Hye-soo and the rich man start to have feeling for each other.

Watch the trailer here.

6.Lee Soo-im (Lee Tae-ran) in Sky Castle (2018)

First of all, all of the mothers except for Lee Soo-im in Sky Castle are crazy or abnormal.

Other mothers in the drama would definitely put real life helicopter mums to shame.

Soo-im on the other hand, is the most humble of all the mothers in the complex called Sky Castle. It is where wealthy doctors and professors live.

Unlike other mothers, she is the only mother who is a stepmother. However, it does not make her less of a mother.

For example when her stepson Hwang Woo-joo wants to take a time off from studying, she understands and supports his decision.

Overall, the drama is actually mocking the competitiveness of South Korean education system and parents who dictate their children’s study.

Watch the trailer here.

7.Cha Yu-ri (Kim Tae-hee) in Hi Bye Mama (2020)

When a surgery goes wrong, Cha Yu-ri (Kim Tae-hee) dies unexpectedly.

That was five years ago, through a reincarnation project, she is offered a chance to become human again if she succeeds in going back to her place within 49 days.

However, her husband Cho Gang-hwa (Lee Kyu-hyung) has now remarried with Oh Min-jung (Go Bo-gyeol).

Nonetheless, Yu-ri’s real reason wanting to be incarnated is for the sake of her daughter Cho Seo-woo who grew up the last five years without her.

Sometimes being a mother is not just about what you want for your child but what is the best for your child.

Watch the trailer here.

8.Ma Jin-joo and Kim Mi-kyung in Go Back Couple (2017)

Let’s say you are given a chance to go back in time to spend time with your dead mother to whom you were unable to say your last goodbye.

The price for the chance is that you need to leave your own child in the present. Would you give up your child for your mother?

Ma Jin-joo (Jang Na-ra) wishes to go back in time before she met her ex-husband Choi Ban-do.

Somehow the wish comes true and both of them are transported back to their college days.

They are both delighted, thinking that they now can change their lives, including not getting married to each other.

Furthermore, Jin-joo now can spend more time with her mother Go Eun-sook (Kim Mi-kyung) before her demise.

The more time they spend in the past, however, the more Jin-joo and Ban-do miss their son.

In the meantime, a mother’s instinct tells Eun-sook that there is something going on with her daughter.

Go Back Couple (2017) is one of those dramas that will make you want to hug your mother a little tighter tonight.

Watch the trailer here.

9.Park Hee-nam and Han Ki-ae in The Heirs (2013)

Set in a high school populated by the privileged and super rich, The Heir (2013) circles around students as they are about to take over their families’ business empires.

There are two mothers in the drama that we love.

First is Park Hee-nam (Kim Mi-kyung) who is the female lead Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye)’s mother.

Putting aside her disability as a mute, she is kind and always wants the best for her daughter.

Then we have Han Ki-ae (Kim Sung-ryung) who is the male lead Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho)’s mother.

Though she seems to be self-absorbed at first, she actually cares for her son and put her son’s happiness first.

The two mothers also have great comedic timing and an adorable relationship with each other in the series.

Watch the trailer here.

10.All the Mothers in Reply 1988 (2015)

Reply 1988 revolves around five friends and their families living in the same neighbourhood in Seoul.

It is the fourth highest rated drama in Korean cable television history to date.

Interestingly, all the mothers in the main cast used their real names in the drama. For example, Lee Ill-hwa plays the role of Lee Il-hwa, a mother who loves to cook a huge amount of food.

Meanwhile, Ra Mi-ran is Ra Mi-ran, a hot-tempered mother who is always anxious over her family.

Then, Kim Sun-young’s character also goes by her real name. She is a widow who tries her best to make up for their father’s absence.

Overall, the drama focuses more on the filial bond in family. It is one of the most recommended series to watch with your family.

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

5 important lessons every startup needs from The Intern (2015)

Published on

First of all, not everybody is a fan of Nancy Meyer’s movie The Intern (2015).

The Guardian described it as “The bulk of The Intern is a morass of wackiness, a chain of sequences shot in a flat and predictable manner that range from tedious to idiotic,” while New Yorker said it was a very strange workplace fantasy.

Putting aside the critical reviews, there is plenty of good career advice to ponder over from the movie.

Starring Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway and Rene Russo, the storyline follows a 70-year-old widower who becomes a senior intern at an online fashion website.

If you are running a startup company, here are some good lessons to learn from The Intern (2015):

1.Have self-initiative

In the movie, De Niro plays widower and retiree named Ben Whittaker who interns with About The Fit, an e-commerce fashion startup founded by Jules Ostin played by Hathaway.

There is a table covered with junk at the office that keeps on piling up. It is a constant bother for Ostin as she cannot find the time or a person to clear the table.

Noticing this, Whittaker takes his own initiative to clear the table, much to the relief of Ostin.

Instead of waiting for instructions, if you see there is a problem that needs to be solved, just solve it. Do not wait for your superior to give an order.

Sometimes you might not get recognition for the things you do on your own initiative and that is okay. As author Paulo Coelho once said, “The world is changed by your example not by your opinion.”

Just set a good example in your working environment; you might see the small changes that come along with it.

2.Learn from other generations

There is a Chinese proverb that goes “huo dao lao, xue dao lao(活到老学到老)”. It can be roughly translated to “one is never too old to learn”.

In the movie, Whittaker is open to learning something new, including having a Facebook account.

In the meantime, Ostin listens to Whittaker’s wisdom he gained from years of experience in business and marriage.

3.Celebrate little things

Whenever Ostin’s company achieveS a new goal, they would ring a bell in the office.

There is no success too small to be celebrated.

This work culture can keep a constant positive outlook in the company.

Imagine having a bad day in the office and suddenly the bell rings.

It can give the much needed push for everyone by celebrating every achievement no matter how small it is.

4.Working environment is very important

The working environment in The Intern might be too good to be true in reality.

For example, Hathaway’s character Ostin is always visible.

She has no office and sits in an open space with her employees.

When she is not happy with how the merchandise should be boxed and packaged, Ostin shows up at the warehouse showing her employees the right way.

Instead of sending a text or a memo or make a phone call, Ostin shows up in person.

5.Never lose your vision

It is easy to lose your aims or goals especially when you get caught up with the moment when working.

Whether you are working for someone else or on your own startup, never ever lose your ambition.

Keep working on your goals despite what other people are saying.

In the movie, Ostin is under pressure to give up her position as a CEO to someone outside of the company because her investors think that she is unable to cope with the work.

While others think that it is a good idea, she listens to her own instinct and sticks to her vision of the company.

Ostin started a company from her kitchen and in 18 months her employees grew from 25 to 220.

Nobody knows the company better than she does and for startup founders out there, nobody knows your company like you do.

Recycle a MAGGI® Hot Cup, get another one free!

Published on

MAGGI® has created the MAGGI®Hot Cup Recycling Bin – shaped like a giant MAGGI® Hot Cup and made from more than 3,000 recycled MAGGI® Hot Cups as part of MAGGI®’s efforts to reduce waste and encourage recycling in Malaysia.

These recycling bins will be conveniently placed at selected retail outlets and at MAGGI® roadshows so that consumers can easily recycle their used MAGGI® Hot Cup containers. Upon recycling one clean MAGGI® Hot Cup container at these recycling bins, consumers will each receive one free MAGGI® Hot Cup in return. MAGGI® will be working with Upcycle Shack to collect back the used Hot Cups to upcycle them to produce more recycling bins

Nestlé Malaysia Sustainability Initiative 

As part of global efforts to tackle the plastic waste crisis, Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage company, declared its global commitments to a waste-free future in 2019, including making all of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.

On-Pack Recycling Guide Box

  • In 2020, Nestlé Malaysia introduced a harmonized recycling labelling system on all Nestlé product packaging to better educate and encourage Malaysians to responsibly dispose their Nestlé product packaging post-consumption.
  • The on-pack Recycling Guide Box uses simple illustrations to inform consumers on the recyclability of each component in the product packaging, as well as which bin each component belongs to. The labelling system also tells consumers when a certain component is not recyclable, so that they would be able to separate the trash from the recyclable materials easily.
    • Nestlé Malaysia is targeting to incorporate the Recycling Guide Box in at least 80% of all Nestlé recyclable packaging by 2021, with the objective to reach 100% in 2022.

You might be interested in

MAGGI®’s annual Jom Masak & Menang Bersama contest is back!

Published on

The soul of Gawai Dayak is that of family and heritage, enjoyed over a spread of home-cooked local delicacies and favourites. For MAGGI®, it has always been a privilege to hold a special place in the Sarawakian kitchen, whether it’s for everyday cooking or special dishes lovingly prepared during festive seasons.

“At the core of the Gawai Dayak harvest festival lies the story of patience, diligence and hard work. While the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has changed the dynamics of how we live and celebrate these special occasions with our loved ones, MAGGI® hopes to continue to support and be an everyday ally to the people of Sarawak during these challenging times,” says Geetha Balakrishna, Business Executive Officer, MAGGI®, Nestlé (Malaysia) Berhad.

To kick off the Gawai Dayak celebrations and add some festive cheer this year, MAGGI® will pay special tribute to healthcare and frontline heroes across Sarawak & Sabah by donating 20,000  MAGGI® Hot Cups via Malaysian Red Crescent in May 2021.

“This small gesture of appreciation on our part is our way of saying thank you to our healthcare and frontline heroes for their courage, selflessness, and dedication in helping the nation battle against COVID-19. We also hope to bring a little cheer to everyone with the return of our annual Jom Masak & Menang Bersama contest,” says Geetha.

MAGGI Jom Masak dan Menang Bersama
From second left: Lee Tsuen Fu (General Sales Operation Manager, Nestle), Siaw Siew Tiong (Division Head, eMart).

How to participate in MAGGI®‘s Jom Masak & Menang Bersama contest

This year, the MAGGI® Jom Masak & Menang Bersama contest will start on May 1 and end on June 30, 2021. Participants stand the chance to win RM135,000 worth of prizes including the grand prize – a Mitsubishi Triton 4WD, cash prizes and Tefal woks – as part of the weekly giveaways throughout the contest period.

Prizes include:

  • Grand Prize: 1 x Mitsubishi Triton (4WD) – Worth RM 106,000
  • First Place Prizes: 8 x RM 2,000 Cash Prizes
  • Weekly Prizes: 9 weeks x 9 x Tefal Wok – Worth RM 169 each

How to participate:

To participate, consumers simply have to purchase participating MAGGI® products, and submit the entry and their contact details in one of two ways:

  1. Via WhatsApp: Include name and MyKad No. on the original receipt as proof of purchase, snap a photo and send the photo via WhatsApp to 018-388 2921.
  2. Via Mail / Contest Drop Box: Fill in the entry form with the required details and send the form together with the proof of purchase (to be inserted in an envelope) to the P.O. Box address or contest drop box.

For more information on the MAGGI® Jom Masak & Menang Bersama contest and other campaign deals, visit the MAGGI® website: www.maggi.my or follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MaggiMalaysia.


You might be interested in

4 Marvelous K-Dramas to watch out for on Netflix this May

Published on

Now that we’re entering the final stretch with our favourite gang of misfits and suave consigliere in Vincenzo on Netflix, it’s time to start planning your K-drama viewing schedule for May!

From stories about the seemingly perfect lives of the uber-wealthy, to touching lessons learned through trauma cleaners, you’ll be enamored. Take a look at what’s coming up!

Mine

4 Marvelous K-Dramas to watch out for on Netflix this May
Image courtesy of Netflix.

Look forward to a dazzling, intriguing look at the dramatic and glamorous lives of the super rich on May 8.

Mine focuses on two strong women who are daughter-in-laws married into a conglomerate family. Breaking free from society’s expectations and restrictions, the women seek to reclaim what is theirs.

Screenwriter Baek Mi-kyoung of Strong Girl Bong-soon and The Lady in Dignity, and Director Lee Na-jeong of Love Alarm S1 and Fight for My Way are the creative forces behind Mine. Furthermore, the series is led by powerhouse actresses Lee Bo-young and Kim Seo-hyung.

Mad for Each Other

4 Marvelous K-Dramas to watch out for on Netflix this May
Image courtesy of Netflix.

Do you have a weak spot for romance? Then Mad for Each Other will be right up your alley. Noh Hwi-oh (Jung Woo) and Lee Min-kyung (Oh Yeon-seo) each have their own painful stories when they first meet. The two of them are dealing with difficult matters like anger management issues and intense anxiety. As they get to know and understand each other, they begin to heal and fall in love.

Directed by Lee Tae-kon of the Hello, My Twenties! series, you’ll also be able to see Lee Soo-hyun from Part-Time Idol and Kim Nam-hee from Sweet Home.

Mad For Each Other will begin on Netflix this May 10.

Move to Heaven

4 Marvelous K-Dramas to watch out for on Netflix this May
Image courtesy of Netflix.

Move to Heaven tells the story of Cho Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon) and Han Geu-ru (Tang Jun-sang) who work together as trauma cleaners. Geu-ru, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, shows his new guardian Sang-gu how to respectfully clean and organize the possessions of those who have passed away. This way they assist the deceased with their final move and convey messages left behind by the deceased. The heartwarming series about life and death will also feature special cameos from actors including Ji Jin-hee and Lee Jae-wook. You’ll be able to watch the entire K-drama on May 14.

Racket Boys

4 Marvelous K-Dramas to watch out for on Netflix this May
Image courtesy of Netflix.

If you love heartfelt stories about youth, Racket Boys is a series you won’t want to miss out on. 16 boys and girls team up and pursue their dreams of becoming badminton superstars. It’s a diverse bunch with a baseball player, an attention seeker, a fashion king, an excessive talker, and more.

Led by their trustworthy coaches, the students strive to achieve their goals. There’s a lot of rising young talent to look out for with actors like Tang Jun-sang, Son Sang-yeon, Choi Hyun-wook, Kim Kang-hoon, Lee Jae-in, and Lee Ji-won. The inspiring tale of the badminton players’ sweat and tears will be coming soon in May.

Which May K-drama are you most excited for? Don’t forget to watch them all, only on Netflix!

You might be interested in

Know the true story behind Oscar-nominated film Sandakan No. 8 (1974)

Published on

Sandakan No. 8 (1974) is a Japanese film directed by Kei Kumai which focused on the ‘karayuki-san’.

‘Karayuki-san’ is the Japanese term for young women forced into sexual slavery in the 19th and early 20th century. Directly translated, it means ‘Ms. Gone-To-China’, although it was expanded to ‘Ms. Gone-Abroad’ as it saw these young women being trafficked to Southeast Asia, Manchuria and even as far as San Francisco.

The movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1975. (It lost to Akira Kurosawa’s Dersu Uzala.) 

Know the true story behind Oscar-nominated film Sandakan No. 8 (1974)

The plot of Sandakan No.8

The film starts with journalist Keiko Mitani (Komaki Kurihara) who is researching the history of Japanese women who were sex slaves in Asian brothels during the early 20th century.

While researching, she finds Osaki (Kinuyo Tanaka), a former karayuki-san who lives in a shack in a rural village.

Osaki agrees to tell her life as the film goes into a flashback to the 1920s.

Poverty-stricken circumstances led to a young Osaki (Yoko Takashi) being sold by her family to work as a maid.

The location? Thousands of miles away in Sandakan, British North Borneo (present-day Sabah).

Osaki thought she was going to work in a hotel. As it turns out, the establishment was actually a brothel called Sandakan No.8.

She is forced to work as a prostitute at Sandakan No.8 until World War II. During her stay at the brothel, she has a short-lived romance with a poor farmer.

When Osaki finally returns to Japan, her brother and his wife who have bought a house using the money she sent them, turns her away. Osaki’s life can never be normal again due to her past at Sandakan No.8.

In the epilogue, Osaki tells Keiko about a graveyard established for prostitutes who died in Sandakan.

Later, Keiko makes her way to Borneo looking for the cemetery. When she finds the graveyard, Keiko realises that all of them were buried with their feet pointing in the direction of Japan.

It is a gesture to condemn their ancestral home for abandoning them.

Sandakan No. 8 is based on the book “Sandakan Brothel No. 8: An Episode in the History of Lower Class”

When author Yamazaki Tomoko interviewed a former karayuki-san, she gave her the pseudonym – Yamakawa Saki – to protect her identity.

Yamazaki met her by accident during a trip to Amakusa in 1968 while researching on karayuki-san. After a series of interviews with Osaki and her friend Ofumi, Yamazaki wrote the book “Sandakan Brothel No. 8: An Episode in the History of Lower Class” (1972).

Although it was Yamazaki’s first book, it instantly became a national best-seller, with her work considered as a pioneer work on karayuki-san. It was later followed by “The graves of Sandakan 1964” and “The Song of a Woman Bound for America 1981”.

The real-life Osaki was born around 1900. Shortly after her birth, her father died leaving her mother struggling to feed three children.

Osaki’s mother then remarried, this time to her own brother-in-law, moving in with her new husband and his six children. For the most part, however, her mother left Osaki and her siblings to fend for themselves.

In order to survive, Osaki’s brother sold her to a procurer for 300 yen. Osaki had also agreed to go because her best friend was going too. She was only 10 years old.

When Osaki first arrived at Sandakan, she worked as a cleaner in the brothel on Lebuh Tiga in Sandakan.

After she turned 13, she was forced to take on customers.

Osaki’s life at Sandakan No.8

Later, she moved to Sandakan No. 8, also known as Brothel No.8, which was unusually owned by a woman named Kinoshita Okuni. She was also known as Okuni of Sandakan who treated her girls well.

Before coming to Sandakan, Okuni was a live-in mistress to an Englishman back in Yokohama. After he left Japan for good, she moved to Sandakan to open a general store and a brothel.

Osaki became a live-in mistress to an Englishman in Sandakan after seven years working at the brothel.

Interestingly, the arrangement was a facade to hide the fact that the Englishman was having an affair with another Englishman’s wife.

Little is known about the Englishman. Osaki called him “Mister Home” and he worked at Dalby Company which owned a shipyard in Sandakan back then. Mister Home also had a wife and children back in England.

Nonetheless, Osaki was happy with the arrangement. She still received money from Mister Home to send it back to Japan and she no longer took customers at the brothel.

Unfortunately, just like the film, Osaki was rejected by her elder brother and the rest of her family upon her return to Japan.

So where is Sandakan No.8?

Just like Keiko in the movie, Yamazaki made her way to Sandakan in the 1970s.

To her disappointment, there were no traces left from Sandakan No.8 or any other brothels.

However, she did find an old graveyard which is now called Sandakan Japanese Cemetery.

It was founded in 1890 by Osaki’s boss, Okuni. She built it to pray for the souls of Japanese who died in Sandakan.

And just like in the movie Sandakan No.8, they were all buried with their feet pointed in Japan’s direction.

You might be interested in

KajoPicks: 10 K-dramas based on real-life historical figures of the Joseon era

Published on

The Joseon dynasty was the last dynasty of Korea which lasted for about five centuries.

It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 until it was replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897.

The dynasty started after the fall of 500-year-old Goryeo dynasty. Yi was a Goryeo soldier who slowly rose through the ranks until he initiated a coup d’etat against King U of Goryeo.

He later killed King U and his son, who were then replaced by another royal – King Gongyang of Goryeo – on the throne.

Gongyang’s reign only lasted for three years. In 1392, Yi dethroned King Gongyang and exiled him.

Then Yi Seonggye put himself on the throne, using the name Taejo.

At first, Taejo wanted to continue to use the name Goryeo for his country and simply change the royal line of descent to his own.

However, his royal court convinced him to give a new name to the dynasty to signify a change in the country.

After much deliberation, Taejo declared the new kingdom as Joseon. It was a tribute to the ancient Korean state of Gojoseon.

With a dynasty that spanned over five centuries, Joseon was rich with historical figures.

Hence, it is no surprise that the Korean entertainment industry has taken much inspirations for their dramas from this period in history.

While some of these Korean historical dramas (or better known as saeguk) have taken more entertaining and fun approaches to retell the history of Joseon, other dramas tried to give justice to the original stories.

Fun or serious, these saeguk dramas are still entertaining to watch. So here are 10 K-dramas based on real-life historical figures of Joseon dynasty:

1.Warrior Baek Dong-soo (2011)

Baek Dong-soo (1743-1816) was a swordsman and martial artist.

He became a folk hero when his group protected King Jeongjo from numerous assassination attempts.

His story inspired Lee Jae-heon’s manhwa entitled “Honorable Baek Dong-soo”.

This comic was later adapted into Korean television series Warrior Baek Dong-soo.

In this drama, Dong-soo is played by Ji Chang-wook. He started as a carefree swordsman who later became a member of the royal guard.

The plot is set against the political struggles between different factions including those led by King Jeonjo, by the Qing ambassador to Joseon, by the Japanese swordsman and by the assassin’s guild.

Overall, the series showcases intense political intrigue with a tale of how a best friend can turn into an arch-nemesis.

Warrior Baek Dong-soo was a hit when it aired and Ji won the received a ‘New Star Award’ at the SBS Drama Awards for his role.

2.Dae Jang Geum (2003)

Today, Dae Jang Geum (2003) is still holds the honour of bein one of the tenth highest rated Korean dramas of all time.

Directed by Lee Byung-hoon who is known for his historical dramas, the series was later exported to 91 countries.

Based on the life of Lady Jang-geum, it tells the story of an orphaned kitchen cook who went to become the first royal female physician.

According to history, King Jungjong was so impressed with Jang-geum’s medical knowledge that he trusted her with the health of the royal family.

Jang-geum eventually became the third highest-ranking officer in the royal. Additionally, she was granted the use ‘Dae’ before her first name which means ‘great’ in Korean.

She was that impressive for a woman during her time (sometimes during 16th century) that some historians believed that she was just a fictional character.

However, we bet our money the historians who did not believe her existence are men.

Nonetheless, the series was praised for its highlights on Korean royal cuisines, traditional medicine and culture.

3.The King’s Doctor (2012)

Here is another saeguk drama directed by Lee Byung-hoon.

This time, it is based on the real-life historical figure Baek Gwang-hyeon (1625-1697).

He was just a low-class veterinarian specialised in treating horses.

Thanks to his knowledge and hardwork, Gwang-hyeon worked his way up to become the royal physician who is in charge of the king’s health.

The series marks actor Cho Seung-woo’s television debut, playing the role of Gwang-yeon.

Before this, Gwang-hyeon was know for his works in film and theatre.

4.Painter of the Wind (2008)

Shin Yun-bok (1758-1813) was a Korean painter of the Joseon dynasty. His paintings were considered erotic.

One of his paintings called ‘Scenery on Dano Day’ depicts a group of women entertainers bathing in a stream and two young monks spying on them in the background.

In a historical fiction novel by Korean author Lee Jung-myung, the story explores the possibility of Shin Yun-bok actually being a woman.

Yun-bok disguises herself as a boy to search for her father’s murderer.

She then meets Kim Hong-do, another real-life historical figure, who guides her into becoming a great artist.

The drama Painter of the Wind is based on Lee Jung-myung’s novel and the role of Yun-bok is portrayed by Moon Geun-young.

5.Goddess of Fire (2013)

Speaking of Moon Geun-young, she plays the role of Yoo Jung in Goddess of Fire (2013).

Her character is based on real-life historical figure Baek Pa-sun during the 16th century.

Pa-sun was renowned as the first female potter and porcelain artist in the Joseon Dynasty.

Her talent was so famous that she was among the Korean artisans captured and forcibly taken to Japan during the Japanese invasion in 1592.

In the drama, Jung falls in love with Prince Gwanghae.

She eventually needs to choose between love or her country.

Watch the trailer here.

6.Six Flying Dragons (2015)

KajoPicks: 10 K-dramas based on real-life historical figures of the Joseon era

The main characters of this historical drama are a mixture of real-life historical figures and fictional characters.

Among the six dragons, Lee Bang-won (Yoo Ah-in), Jeong Do-jeon (Kim Myung-min) and Lee Seong-gye (Cheon Ho-jin) are real-life historical figures.

Meanwhile, Boon Yi (Shin Se-kyun), Ddang-sae (Byun Yo-han) and Moo-hyul (Yoon Gyun-sang) are all fictional characters.

It follows the story of Lee Bang-won who helped his father King Taejo to establish the Joseon Dynasty.

He later became the third king of the Joseon dynasty known as King Taejong.

7.Jeong Do-jeon (2014)

KajoPicks: 10 K-dramas based on real-life historical figures of the Joseon era

Another popular real-life historical figure during the Joseon Dynasty is Jeong Do-jeon (1342-1398).

He is known as one of the most powerful politicians and a close ally of King Taejo.

In this period drama, the story follows how Do-jeon help in founding the Joseon dynasty and the hardship he faced in the process.

Critics praised Jeong Do-jeon (2014) as one of the most ‘authentic and realistic’ Korean historical dramas in the new millennium.

So this drama is definitely worth your time to watch especially if you love history.

8.Saimdang, Memories of Colours (2017)

14 years after her successful portrayal of Jang Geum in Dae Jang Geum (2003), Lee Young-ae returns to small screen in Saimdang, Memories of Colours (2017).

In this series, Young-ae portrays real-life historical figure Shin Saimdang (1504-1551).

She was a popular artist, writer, calligraphist and poet.

The plot follows a Korean university art history lecturer Seo Ji-yoon also played by Lee Young-ae who discovers a long lost diary.

Through the diary, Ji-yoon uncovers the extraordinary life of Shin Saimdang and a mysterious ancient painting.

Saimdang’s birth home, Ojukheon is well-preserved to this day.

Watch the trailer here:

9.Queen for Seven Days (2017)

This historical drama follows the real-life story of a queen who only held the title for seven days. She has been known as the shortest time a person to have reigned as a queen in Korean history.

Queen Dangyeong (1487-1557) was the first queen consort of King Jungjong, the eleventh Joseon King.

In September 1506, she became Queen consort of Joseon only for seven days.

She was disposed and expelled from the palace because her own father led a coup against her husband.

The disposed queen continued to live in exile until she died childless in 1557.

In the fictional version of Queen Dangyeong, the king and queen still long for each other even after she was dethroned and abandoned.

Overall, the drama focuses on the struggle of a woman who was unwillingly thrown into the political royal court in the 16th century.

Watch the trailer here:

10.The Crowned Clown (2019)

Prince Gwanghae (1575-1641) was the fifteenth king of the Joseon dynasty. He is perhaps one of the most famous historical figures with fifteen appearances in films and television series.

Even though he is one of only two deposed kings who were not restored and given a temple name, Prince Gwanghae is now considered one of the wiser kings in Korean history.

Unfortunately during his reign, the king was a victim of conflicts between political factions.

The Crowned Clown (2019) is based on stories of many assassination attempts carried out to kill Gwanghae during his reign.

To avoid assassination, Gwanghae or better known as King Lee Hun (Yeo Jin-goo) hired a clown named Ha Sun (Yeo Jin-goo) who looks identical to the king.

While impersonating the king, the clown later proved himself that he is a wise king on his own merits.

The drama is a remake of the 2012 film Masquerade.

Watch the trailer here:

You might be interested in

KajoPicks: 5 Japanese silent vloggers you should watch on YouTube

Published on

If you are not familiar with silent vloggers, they are the ones who do not talk to the camera but communicate via subtitles.

They film themselves doing their normal daily activities such as cooking and cleaning.

Over the years, many silent vloggers have started to pop up on YouTube especially from South Korea and Japan.

While these Japanese silent vlogs are equally aesthetic and calming to watch like the Korean silent vlogs, there is one small difference.

The Japanese silent vlogs circle mainly around the life of salarywomen.

In Japan, a salaryman refers to a salaried Japanese white-collar worker who shows immense loyalty and commitment to the corporation where he works.

They are expected to work long hours and participate in after-work leisure activities such as drinking and singing karaoke.

Typically, these workers enter a company after college graduation and remain with the same company for the rest of their careers.

KajoPicks: 5 Japanese silent vloggers you should watch on YouTube

So here are five Japanese silent vloggers you should watch on YouTube:

1.Rhea Y.

This YouTube vlogger is not a Japanese citizen, but a Filipino who is now living in Japan.

She starts her video from vlogging her life living alone, to living with her husband and now being a housewife.

Her most popular video is ‘Day in the life of Salary Woman in Japan/Winter Time’.

This 22 minute and 28 second long video has 2.6 million views to date.

Besides her main channel, Rhea also runs another YouTube channel called RareRoom. In this channel, she shares her life managing her small online business, packing crafting and more.

Meanwhile, her husband just started his own YouTube channel James P. which features cooking videos.

Watch her video here.

2.Nami’s Life

Nami describes herself as just an office lady who lives alone in Tokyo without special skills or interesting hobbies.

Still, she managed to gather a massive 348,000 subscribers on her channel with 36 millions views to date.

Her silent vlogs circle around how she spends her time at home, everyday routine and how she spends her weekends.

10 years ago, we bet no one would ever thought that filming yourself living on your own would make you famous across the internet.

And the best part is, no one would recognise you on the street because you do not film your face.

3.Miku

Most of these silent vloggers might be amateur videographer but they are undeniably talented.

They have the knowledge of composition and storytelling when comes to producing a video.
Hence, it is not a surprise for Japanese silent vlogger such as Miku who already gathered 228,000 subscribers although she just started her YouTube channel in February 2020.

Imagine this; 3.7 million viewers have watched Miku’s 5-minute video of her morning routine.

Yes, 3.7 million people watched her putting her skincare and make up, eating cereal and packing her handbag for work.

Watch her video here.

4.Choki

Choki and Korean silent vlogger Nyangsoop seem to have a lot of similarities. Both have more than 600,000 subscribers on their channels.

Plus, they both divide their videos into playlist according to the four seasons; summer, winter, autumn and spring.

On top of that, Choki and Nyangsoop’s videos have them both cooking just like how you imagine a fairy tale character would cook; very calming to watch with a pet cat lounging around.

Lastly, the two vloggers seem to be the masters of hyge living and meditative type of videos.

For Choki, she shares many of her own recipes such as cinnamon rolls and Japanese milk bread.

5.Snow

Last but not least, we have a Japanese silent vlogger who is also a mother on this list.

Snow shares what a mother would usually do such as cooking, doing chores and cleaning except that she has thousands of viewers watching her.

Apart from showing her routine, this YouTuber also shares her cleaning tips and recipes.

Watch her video here.

You might be interested in

7 book recommendations from your favourite Korean dramas

Published on

Are you looking for book recommendations? Oddly, one of the places to look for some book recommendations are K-dramas.

If you have watched a dozen Korean dramas by now, you should know how much K-dramas love books.

Sometimes, books are mentioned to build up the character background, or to make the character look smart like in Encounter (2018).

Other times, a book plays a crucial key or a turning point, as it does in The King: Eternal Monarch (2020).

While most of the books are in Korean and unfortunately not available in English translation (yet), a handful of titles that feature in these dramas are in English.

7 book recommendations from your favourite Korean dramas

Here are seven book recommendations from some of your favourite Korean dramas:

1.’The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane’ by Kate DiCamillo (My Love from the Star)

The male protagonist in My Love from the Star quotes this book so much throughout the series that the novel became a bestseller in major Korean bookstores.

Written by American writer Kate DiCamillo, ‘The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane’ follows the life of a china rabbit (a rabbit made of ceramic, just to be clear).

Overall, the novel circles around the themes of loss and recovery as well as the journey to self-discovery.

One of the famous quotes in the book is, “If you have no intention of loving or being loved, then the whole journey is pointless.”

2.’The Happy Prince’ by Oscar Wilde (My Absolute Boyfriend)

My Absolute Boyfriend (2019) follows the story of Zero Nine (Yeo Jin-goo), a humanoid robot who is programmed to be in love with his one and only girlfriend.

When he was first programmed, his programmer read out ‘The Happy Prince’ by Oscar Wilde over and over again to remind Zero to never become like the character in the story.

The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888) is a collection of short stories for children.

Apart from ‘The Happy Prince’, other short stories by Wilde are ‘The Nightingale and the Rose’, ‘The Selfish Giant’, ‘The Devoted Friend’, and ‘The Remarkable Rocket’.

3.’To Room Nineteen’ by Doris Lessing (Because This is My First Life)

Since the female lead Yoon Ji-ho (Jung So-min) in Because This is My First Life (2017) loves to read, books can be found throughout the series.

One of them is ‘To Room Nineteen’ by Doris Lessing which is actually a collection of short stories.

‘To Room Nineteen’ itself is a short story of a couple who get married because it is the logical thing to do.

One day, the wife realises her career is sidelined because of her duties as a wife and a mother.

So the wife finds herself a secret refuge, in room 19, a place where she can be herself.

4.’World’s End Girlfriend’ by Kim Yeonsu (Because This is My First Life)

In one of the episodes of Because This is My First Life, Ji-ho receives this book as a gift.

It is a short story collection entitled ‘World’s End Girlfriend’ by Korean writer Kim Yeon-su.

There is a no English translation of the book.

However, there is an audiobook produced by Literature Translation Institute of Korea.

5.’The Wind in the Willows’ by Kenneth Grahame (When the Weather is Fine)

In the drama When the Weather is Fine (2020), Eun-seob (Seo Kang-joon) is the owner of ‘Goodnight Bookstore’.

Besides selling his books, Eun-seob’s life revolves around drinking coffee, reading, writing on his blog.

One of his favourite books is The Wind in the Willows by Scottish author Kenneth Grahame (1908).

Eun-seob loves the book so much that he owns a collection of at least twelve different Korean editions of it.

This children’s book focuses on four animals; Mole, Rat, Toad and Badger.

A former employee of Bank of England, Grahame moved to an old farmhouse in Blewbury, England in 1908.

There, Grahame used the bedtime stories he had told his son Alastair to write the basis for The Wind in the Willows.

6.’Owl At Home’ by Arnold Stark Lobel (When the Weather is Fine)

Speaking of the drama When the Weather is Fine, Eun-seob turns his bookstore into a book club meeting at night on weekly basis.

During the meeting, members are encouraged to share about their favourite books, poems or verses.

In one of the meetings, the youngest member of the book club Jung Seung-ho (Han Chang-min) shares his favourite book ‘Owl at Home’.

It is a 1975 children’s book written by American author Arnold Lobel.

The story follows Owl who lives by himself in a warm little house and makes a friend when he goes for a walk one night.

If you have young children at home, this is a perfect book to read for them.

7.’Unterm Rad’ by Hermann Hesse (Encounter)

Also known as ‘Beneath the Wheel’, this 1906 novel by Hermann Hesse is on the heavier side of our book recommendations.

It follows the story of Hans Giebenrath, a talented boy sent to a seminary to study and his life after he is expelled.
Overall, Hesse is criticising education system that focuses only on students’ academic performance and nothing more.

The male lead character Kim Jin-hyuk (Park Bo-gum) reads this book when he is travelling on a bus, which makes some of us wonder, “Doesn’t he get any motion sickness?”

You might be interested in

KajoPicks: 15 South Korean high school dramas you need to watch

Published on

Feel like indulging in some teen dramas? Here are 15 South Korean high school dramas to watch:

1.School 2013 (2012)

We cannot talk about Korean high school dramas without putting KBS’s School anthology series on the list.

So far, seven School drama series have premiered since 1999.

The series has been noted for launching the careers of many rookie actors who have become household names in the Korean entertainment industry today.

For instance, School 2013 (2012) was the launching point for actors Lee Jong-suk and Kim Woo-bin.

This edition was set at Seungri High School, apparently one of the worst-ranking schools out of the178 high schools in Seoul based on its academic scores.

The drama depicts the real-life issues faced by Korean high school students like bullying, school violence, mental health, suicides and private tutoring.

Watch the trailer here.

2.Who Are You: School 2015 (2015)

Here is another of our favourites from the School series, Who Are You: School 2015. We love it mainly because of Kim So-hyun’s impressive performance playing two different characters in the drama.

She plays the roles of Go Eun-byul and Lee Eun-bi, identical twins who were separated as children.

Eun-bi lives in an orphanage while her sister was adopted.

After intense bullying by her classmates, Eun-bi tries to commit suicide. Eun-byul coincidentally is there and rescues her sister.

She decides to switch places with her twin after she realises that Eun-bi has lost her memory. Eun-byul reasons that with this, Eun-bi can start a new life unknowingly as her twin.

Trouble starts when Eun-bi’s bully transfer to the same school and recognises her.

You can watch the drama on KBS World Youtube Channel.

Watch the trailer here.

3.Dream High (2011)

Imagine Disney’s High School Musical as a Korean drama series and almost all the leads are played by K-pop singers.

Starring miss A’s Bae Suzy, 2PM’s Ok Taecyeon, T-ara’s Ham Eun-jung, 2PM’s Jang Woo-young and IU, the drama was a hit when it was first broadcast.

The only non-Kpop idol among the cast is Kim So-hyun, who trained for three months for his role in the drama.

It follows of the story of six students of Kirin High School who dream of becoming K-pop idols.

Besides showcasing the difficult training and competition in making K-pop singers, the drama also highlights the dark side of Korean entertainment like sexual harassment.

The drama marks the acting debuts of Suzy and IU who later continued to take lead acting roles in Korean dramas.

Watch the teaser here.

4.Reply 1997 (2012)

Do you want a glimpse of Korean high school in the 1990s? Reply 1997 (2012) centers on six friends who lived in Busan.

The storyline goes back and forth between their past as 18-year-old high school students in 1997 and their present time as 33-year-olds at their high school reunion dinner in 2012.

The drama is praised for being well-researched since it was able to recreate the South Korea in the late 90s with accuracy.

Reply 1997 stars Jung Eun-ji, Seo In-guk, Hoya, Shin So-yul, Eun Ji-won and Lee Si-eon.

Since the drama is set in Busan, most of the cast members are from the region who can speak in the local Gyeongsang dialect.

The drama was a hit among South Koreans with the last episode recording the highest ratings at the time for a Korean cable drama.

5.The Heirs (2013)

While Reply 1997 offers viewers some realism, this Korean high school drama is the exact opposite.

Written by Kim Eun-sook, The Heirs (2013) is set in a high school which caters only to the rich and privileged.

It is a classic Cinderella story where rich boy Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho) falls in love with his housekeeper’s daughter Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye).

Plus, a series set among the rich is not complete without some chaebol (Korean conglomerate) drama.

From family squabbles over inheritance to embezzlement charges, The Heirs (2013) is definitely a higher level of teen drama.

Watch the trailer here.

6.Class of Lies (2019)

How about watching a Korean high school with a dose of mystery?

Class of Lies (2019) follows the story of Gi Moo-hyeok (Yoon Kyun-sang) who goes undercover as a substitute teacher Gi Kang-jae after his lawyer’s license is suspended.

In order to regain his license, he is determined to solve the murder case of a female student which made him lose his license in the first place.

As Moo-hyeok continues to dig deeper into the case while undercover, he uncovers a secret society of privileged students that controls the students and also the teachers.

The secret club is called Veritas Club that aims to falsify awards and student records so that the members can enter prestigious universities. Perhaps Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin have heard of this club before?

Anyway, the drama is aired on OCN channel which is widely known for their thriller and mystery series selection.

Watch the trailer here.

7.Sassy Go Go (2015)

Kang Yeon-doo (Jung Eun-ji) is the leader of street dance club ‘Real King’. The members are students who come together because of their poor academic performance with Yeon-doo herself positioned at 196th out of the 200 students at her school.

Meanwhile, Kim Yeol (Lee Won-keun) is the highest ranking student and the president of Baek Ho, an elite club composed of students from the top fifth percentile in school. He is known for his intelligence and arrogance.

When the Real King and Baek Ho clubs are forced to create a cheerleading squad, both groups put aside their differences to work together.

Meanwhile, Kim Yeol slowly falls for Yeon-do despite their contrasting personalities and preferences.

Watch the trailer here.

8.Moments of 18 (2019)

Do you remember when you were 18 years old?

Choi Joon-woo (Ong Seong-wu) is forced to transfer to Cheonbong High School for a violation he did not commit.

As transfer student, he becomes a subject of ridicule and prejudice from his new classmates.

One of his classmates, Yoo Soo-bin (Kim Hyang-gi) is the top student of the class. She has a helicopter mother who dictates her every move.

Moments of 18 tells the story of teenagers discovering themselves while going through their daily lives as high school students.

Watch the trailer here.

9.Best Mistake (2019)

If you want to watch Korean high school drama but do not have the time, this is the series for you. Each episode only runs for 8 minutes.

Kim Yeon-do (Lee Eun-jae) wants to get rid of a boy who just won’t leave her alone.

In desperation, she posts a random photo of another boy claiming that he is her boyfriend.

Later, she finds out that the boy in the photo is Ji Hyun-ho (Kang Yoo), one of her classmates.

Nonetheless, her posting creates some buzz in the school.

It has simple storyline circling around high school romance and friendship.

Watch the trailer here.

10.Hi! School: Love On (2014)

This Korean high school drama stars Kim Sae-ron, Nam Woo-hyun and Lee Sung-yeol.

It is teen romance fantasy series about an angel who accidentally becomes human after unintentionally saving a male student in danger.

Since then, the angel whose name is Lee Seul-bi slowly learns how to be a human while studying in a high school.

You can watch this drama on KBS World TV on Youtube.

11.Extraordinary You (2019)

Speaking of high school fantasy drama, here is another one for you.

Extraordinary You (2019) is based on the webtoon “July Found by Chance” which was first published in January 2018.

Can you imagine finding out that the world you live in is a comic?

One day, Eun Dan-oh (Kim Hye-yoon) finds out that she is just an extra character in a Korean comic.

She realises that all of her actions are predetermined by the comic artist and she is destined to die because of her lifelong heart condition.

So, Dan-oh decides to fight back against the comic artist and write her own destiny.

Sooner or later, some of her classmates start to realise that the reality they live in is in fact inside a comic book.

What happen when Dan-oh goes against the comic artist? Will she able to change her reality and not die?

Overall, Extraordinary You is a fun and amusing drama suitable for lighthearted entertainment.

Watch the trailer here.

12.Love Alarm (2019)

Love Alarm (2019) made headlines for being the first Korean series confirmed for pick-up by Netflix.

It follows the story of a technology that enables users to discover love through an application that notifies whether someone within the range of a 10-meter radius has romantic feelings from for them.

With this kind of app, it is bound to be downloaded by teenagers.

So what happens when a group of high schoolers get carried away with the app?

Watch the trailer here.

13.A-Teen (2018)

In the recent years, Korean web dramas began to gain its popularity among viewers due to its short running time per episode.

One episode could last between eight minutes to half an hour, which is different from the usual Korean dramas which take about an hour.

PlayList Global is known to be one of the famous production companies for web dramas and viewers can easily watch their series on YouTube.

One of the series is A-Teen (2018) starring Shin Ye-eun, Lee Na-eun, Shin Seung-ho, Kim Dong-hee, Kim Su-hyun and Ryu Ui-hyun.

It follows the story of six students and how they deal with their high school years.

Watch the trailer here.

14.True Beauty (2020)

KajoPicks: 15 South Korean high school dramas you need to watch

This Korean high school drama made a lot buzz when it came out especially because of the ‘Second Lead Drama’ phenomenon.

It is a term coined by K-drama fans when the second male lead character is more suitable with the female lead character compared to main male character.

In True Beauty (2020), both Lee Su-ho (Cha Eun-woo) and Han Seo-jun (Hwang In-youp) fall for Lim Ju-kyung (Moon Ga-young).

Ju-kyung has been constantly discriminated by her family and bullied by her peers due to being perceived as ugly.

Before she transfers to her new school, Ju-kyung masters the art of make up and transforms her look completely.

There in her new school, she is regarded as ‘goddess’ by her new classmates.

The drama is based on the Line Webtoon of the same name by Yaongyi.

Watch the trailer here.

15.A Love So Beautiful (2020)

This series is a Korean remake of a Chinese drama of the same name, which is based on a novel To Our Pure Little Beauty by Zhao Qianqian.

It centers around Sin Sol-i (So Joo-yeon), a cheerful girl who studies at Chun Ji High School.

She has a crush on her classmate and neighbour Cha Heon (Kim Yo-han).

While she repeatedly confesses her love to Cha Heon, he never expresses his feelings in return. The plot follows Sol-i and Cha Heon with their friends as they go through high school and eventually adulthood.

Watch the trailer here.

You might be interested in

1 … 3 4 5 6 7 … 18