Must Watch Korean Dramas ~ Ash2theb

This list was seriously a thought I had back when I first started watching Korean dramas but in the pass few years the dramas have been getting really good. Seriously if you don't add these to your bucket list you should becuase you might be missing out on a cult classic. I also like to add one movie recommendation which is Old Boy because everyone I've talked to brings up this cult classic and some of them aren't even into k-dramas like that even though it's a movie. Oh also, I would like to mention that I delayed my editing till today but I wanted to add this list to the blog so, these are top notch dramas. If your into K-drama this list has got you covered and the ones with (*) are the ones I've watched and have mentioned in previous posts.

First we have...

1. *(2012) Moon Embracing the Sun 9.0

The historical/fantasy drama is adapted from the novel of the same name written by Jung Eun-gwol. It tells of a secret, poignant love story between a fictional king of the Joseon Dynasty and a female shaman against the backdrop of Korean traditional palace; and the conflicts and conspiracy of vying political powers.

2. (2009) Queen Seon Deok 8.9

Princess Deokman was born as Princess Cheonmyeong's twin and a member of the Silla royal family, but a prophecy leads to her abandonment as a baby. After an unconventional childhood in the Taklamakan Desert, Deokman eventually returns to Silla, and, disguised as a boy, trains as a Nangdo. There, she joins forces with her twin sister and the naive commander Kim Yushin to oppose the villainous Lady Mishil, a royal concubine and high-ranking official who will stop at nothing to rule Silla herself.

3. (2012) Bridal Mask 8.8

The plot of the TV drama is slightly modified from the original graphic novel. The story follows a man named Lee Kang-to, a Korean police officer commissioned by the Japanese Police to betray his own country and aid the Japanese in the annihilation of the Korean rebellion. During his mission, he encounters a notorious masked man who dons a traditional Korean bridal mask to fight for Korea's independence by assassinating Japanese key officers.

4. *(2010) Secret Garden 8.6

A stuntwoman who dreams of becoming a stunt director and a department store CEO who has nothing to lose, fall in love due to crazy and hilarious circumstances. Though they live in two different worlds, Gil Ra-im (Ha Ji-Won) and Kim Joo-won (Hyun Bin) meet in a twist of fate that brings them together. Gil Ra-im just wants a modest life. Since she was left alone in the world at a young age, she gave her all to martial arts, eventually becoming an acknowledged stuntwoman. Kim Joo-won couldn't care less about romance; all he wants is a beneficial marriage that can increase his power and advantages.

5. (2012) Reply 1997 8.6

The drama centers on the lives of six friends in Busan, as the timeline moves back and forth between their past as 18-year-old high schoolers in 1997 and their present as 33-year-olds at their high school reunion dinner in 2012, where one couple will announce that they're getting married. The coming-of-age drama also examines the extreme fan culture that emerged in the 1990s when first generation idol groups such as H.O.T. and Sechs Kies took center stage and K-pop was just blossoming.

6. (2011) Princess' Man 8.6

The Grand Prince Suyang attempts to build an alliance with his brother King Munjong's trusted prime minister, Kim Jong-seo's family. He proposes a marriage between his eldest daughter Se-ryung and Jong-seo's son, Kim Seung-yoo. Learning of this, Se-ryung's curiosity regarding her prospective husband is piqued. On hearing that Kim Seung-yoo is going to take over as her cousin Princess Kyunghye's new tutor, she persuades her to swap places with her so that she can catch a glimpse of her intended. Her first impression is not favorable and she is convinced that he is an arrogant womanizer. Later, as she attempts to master her current obsession with riding a horse, her horse runs away with her and Seung-yoo arrives in the nick of time to rescue her from being thrown off a precipice.

7. (2011) City Hunter 8.5

In 1983, the South Korean president and his delegates are visiting Burma when a bomb planted by North Korean agents explodes, killing some high-ranking officials. This historical event is called the Rangoon bombing (also known as the Rangoon incident). To strike back, five South Korean officials plan a covert operation, codenamed "Operation Cleansweep," to enter North Korea and kill several top members of the North's high command. Lee Jin-pyo and Park Moo-yul, two Presidential Security Service bodyguards and best friends who were present at the bombing, organize a 21-man team for the mission. However, as the team wreaks havoc in Pyongyang, the five officials abort the plan to avoid an international crisis if the mission is discovered. Their major concern is that the United States will withdraw its nuclear protection if the mission is made public, in light of Seoul's official declaration that it will not retaliate.

8. (2007) The 1st Coffee Prince 8.5

Choi Han-kyul (Gong Yoo) is a third generation scion of a food chaebol. He has never had a job and does not care for responsibility. Han-kyul is hung up on his first love, Han Yoo-joo (Chae Jung-an), who was never interested in dating, so they never officially went out. On the other hand, Go Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye) is a 24-year-old tomboy who is often mistaken for a guy. Her father died when she was 16 years old and since then she has taken over as the breadwinner in her family. She has the responsibility of taking care of her childish, spendthrift mother and trouble-making younger sister, so Eun-chan takes up every job possible: taekwondo teacher, waitress, and food delivery. When Han-kyul and Eun-chan meet, he, not knowing that she is a girl, decides to hire her to pretend to be his gay lover so that he can escape the blind dates arranged by his grandmother.

9. (2013) Empress Ki 8.4

The series revolves around Gi Seungnyang, a Goryeo-born woman who ascends to power despite the restrictions of the era's class system, and later marries Toghon Temür (Emperor Huizong of China) to become an empress of the Yuan dynasty, instead of her first love, Wang Yoo. The series depicts her loves and political ambitions as she is torn between the two nations.

10. *(2012) Faith 8.4

After King Gongmin of Goryeo marries the Yuan princess Noguk, they return to Goryeo. On the way they are attacked and the queen is fatally injured. According to the advice of his soothsayers, the king orders royal bodyguard Choi Young to pass through a mystical portal ("heaven's gate") and find "heaven's doctor." Choi Young travels to the future and brings back Yoo Eun-soo, a modern-day doctor from Seoul, who saves the queen's life. He makes a promise that he will return her to her world, but the kind-hearted yet powerless King Gongmin forces Eun-soo to stay as she can be useful to him.

Honorable Mentions