As most kdrama fanatics probably know, the popular
drama Arang and the Magistrate just finished airing last weekend. A historical
fantasy about a female ghost searching for her killer, this show essentially
combined all of my favorite things.
It had drama, romance, action, mystery, magic, suspense,
folklore, comedy, and Lee Jun Ki…need I say more?
The man in command
In terms of story, Arang and the Magistrate did a fantastic job of leaving viewers guessing while still giving up enough clues to keep the story engaging. Nearly every episode ended with a nail-biting cliffhanger, and even when I thought I had everything figured out, there were still twists and turns in the plot up until the very end.
What really made this show for me, though, were the intricate relationships between the characters. There was, of course, the main relationship between Arang and the magistrate, which slowly developed into a full-blown love story by the show’s finale.
There was also the endearing bromance between the magistrate
and his manservant, as well as a romantic side story between the manservant and
shaman Bang Wool.
In addition to those, we had the truly heart-wrenching and tragic
story between Arang and Joo-wal, who was Arang’s love interest while she was alive.
We also had the touching relationship between the
magistrate and his mother, which was a relationship I think most people can
relate to.
There were certainly more relationships in the drama than these, but that’s just to give an idea of how important characterization
was in this series. There were no “throw away” characters. Each one contributed
in some way to the overall plot development.
I have to be honest and say that Arang and the Magistrate came across as more of a melodrama than a historical horror/comedy in the sense that there were many heartbreaking moments filled with
passionate sobbing. This was not just limited to the female characters, either.
More than once I saw Lee Joon Ki’s crying face…and it was not the most
attractive thing in the world. It was nice, however, to see the actors really
get into their roles.
Overall, Arang and the Magistrate is by far one of the best
dramas I’ve seen, historical or otherwise, and I would highly recommend it.
I went home this weekend from college (home for me is about
a 2 ½ hour drive away) and decided to drive up to my not-so-local Asian
market, a place I frequent whenever I’m back on breaks. I call it the “Asian
market,” but it also includes insurance, dental, and law offices for the local
Asian community.
Usually when I visit the Asian market I only go to the
bakery and the Super H Mart (a huge grocery store with a very strong, fishy smell).
The bakery is probably my favorite place to visit because it sells a variety
of drinks, like bubble teas, as well as sweet, fluffy breads, which are
often filled with bean paste.The bakery also has a glass display case filled with cakes, macaroons, and loaves of bread, and the bakery itself has a really nice, relaxed
atmosphere.
Today, however, I changed things up a little by checking out
a Korean BBQ place called Omi Korean Grill and Bar, a restaurant that serves a
variety of authentic Korean dishes.
Now, before you decide to go hit up your local
Korean BBQ, there are probably a few things you should know. First, pretty
much everything you order is going to come with a variety of “banchan” or side
dishes, as well as rice and soup. I didn’t realize this before ordering, so it
came as a bit of a shock when the waitress came with not only my main order,
but also a ton of other mini dishes as well.
These side dishes include things like kimchi, which is a
staple in the Korean diet, noodles, and cooked vegetables. I tried each one,
and they were all very, very good (and spicy). Evidently, you can also get free refills on
any side dish.
Secondly, the utensils used for traditional Korean meals are a
bit different from American utensils, and each utensil has a specific use. The utensils we received at Omi included a pair of chopsticks, a large spoon…and that’s it. If you go to a
Korean restaurant and only see these two items, don’t panic and wonder how the
heck you’re going to eat your food. They have forks for the less-skilled among
us, but in general, the spoon is used to eat the rice and soup, and the
chopsticks are used for the side dishes and main meal. I used
the chopsticks. :)
The main dish I ordered was “Bibimbap,” a popular Korean meal that
includes meat, rice, a variety of vegetables, and a fried egg. The food came
with the vegetables and meat already in a bowl, so all I had to do was dump
the rice in, mix it up, and add the sauce, which is the traditional way to eat
the dish.
Overall, I had a great experience at this restaurant.
The food was delicious and very flavorful, and the service was decent. I would definitely go there again.
Just in time for Halloween, the Korean drama Vampire Prosecutor
has just released its second installment, Vampire Prosecutor 2. Partly in honor
of the season and partly out of morbid curiosity, I decided to check out the
first rendition of this horror melodrama.
The show is 12 episodes long and has a primarily episodic
format, with each episode focusing on a different case (or cases).
When it starts, we’re in the middle of a high-speed car
chase, wherein the criminal is a mysterious, hooded figure driving a truck. We
eventually discover that this hooded figure is actually a vampire, and amidst the scuffle between the vampire, the prosecutor, and a third party in the chase, our prosecutor gets bitten.
Fast forward to the future, and Prosecutor Min has developed
some unique vampire abilities that help him solve crimes using victims’ blood. His eyes change to a steely blue color and he grows fangs whenever he uses
these abilities.
For the remainder of the episode, the story focuses on two cases. In the first case, a woman who appears to have been murdered is found to have actually committed suicide. In the second case, Prosecutor Min and his team investigate a
murdered orphanage girl.
The second case affects Prosecutor Min in particular
because, at first sight, the girl looks like she was bitten by a vampire. She
has two holes in her neck and her blood is nearly drained.The investigators later find out,
however, that this murder is not all that it seems, throwing in a twist at the
end that’s sure to disturb viewers…in a good way of course.
The show also has its comedic moments:
I don't think this particular scene is meant to be funny, but I mean, a random half-naked guy comes out of nowhere and starts fighting our hero...I couldn't help but bust out laughing.
Another thing about this drama that stands out is the
unique cinematography. There are a lot of jerky camera cuts, image
superimpositions, and reverse motion shots, which really add to the horror/criminal investigation aspects of the show by creating a highly-stylized, disorienting presentation of events.
A drop of blood in slow-mo
Reverse motion: the blood drop reforms itself
The lighting in the drama is also notable. The whites
in each scene appear to be enhanced, giving the drama a very bright, surreal feel.
To compare it to an American TV series, I’d say Vampire
Prosecutor is something like True Blood meets Criminal Minds. It’s disturbing,
suspenseful, and eerie with a hint of the supernatural. If you’re a horror fan,
I would highly recommend checking it out.
In America, the 90s marked a decade of massive
technological, economical, and social change. It was the era of teenage pop
groups, the first mobile phones, portable CD players, Tamagotchi pets, Furbies,
StarCraft, and the all-time high-grossing film Titanic, just to name a few. I
myself am a 90s kid, and I can’t help but feel nostalgic when I think about how
different life was back then. I was young, innocent, and optimistic, and the
world was a completely different place than it is now.So much happened in the 90s that it
would be difficult to cover it all, but the 2012 Korean drama Answer Me 1997
does just that.
It may seem odd, even impossible, that a TV show focused
on Korea's 90s could elicit such a distinct feeling of nostalgia in a
full-blooded American citizen, but that’s part of what makes the show so good.
Even though it is based in a foreign country, many of the emotions and cultural
changes are the same.
Just to give you an idea of how smitten I was with this
show, I managed to watch all 16 episodes in less than a week despite schoolwork
and other commitments. I was, in a word, obsessed, and after you’re done
reading this post, you’re going to be obsessed too.
Answer Me 1997 has a really unique format that grabs your
attention as soon as it starts. In the first episode, we’re at a 2012 high
school reunion, and we’re introduced to a group of six friends.We’re told that two of those friends
are announcing their engagement that evening, and then we’re transported 15
years into the past, to the year 1997, to see how it all happened and to find
out who is getting engaged. The rest of the series flips back and forth between
the late 90s, when the group is in high school, and 2012, as they all remember things from their teenage years. The drama keeps you in suspense until the last few
episodes as to who all the couples are, and along the way you get to see how
each member of the group grows and matures.
The high school reunion
If you thought that South Korea was a conservative, culturally backwards country, then you have been very, very misguided. South Korea's culture is actually very similar to that of the United States, even back in the 90s. As proof, here are some of the show's major themes:
Pop groups
The girls in the drama are obsessed with boy bands, and
interestingly enough, the 90s boy bands of South Korea were very similar to
those of America. The drama features boy bands H.O.T. and Sechs Skies, whose American
counterparts would be something like the Backstreet Boys and N*SYNC. They even have rivalries between the fans of different groups. We’re also briefly introduced to the girl group Baby V.O.X., which vaguely resembles the Spice Girls.
Fan rivalries: on the left we see Sechs Kies fans and on the right we have H.O.T. fans
H.O.T.
Baby V.O.X
First love and first
heartbreak
The happy couples we see at the 2012 high school reunion weren’t always that way. Answer Me 1997 shows us the ups and downs in their
relationships as well as how they finally ended up together.
Technology
We also see the first mobile phones,
StarCraft (which was evidently extremely popular in South Korea), portable CD
players, Tamagotchi pets, and the infamous dial-up internet connection.
Tamagotchi!
StarCraft
Family Dynamics
Family plays a central role in this drama. We get to relive experiences like sending kids away to college for the first time as well as coping with things like family tragedy. The drama also shows how family members in Korea interact. The story, which is primarily centered in Busan and Seoul, depicts the typical "Busan" family, including the use of the Busan dialect.
Watching the Korea soccer match against Japan
The drama even covers homosexuality:
There are also some pretty neat connections made between the past and current Korean legends, something I only discovered after looking those particular characters up. In one scene, we see a slightly overweight, young baseball player practicing. When he turns around, the subtitles translate his jersey name as "Lee Dae Ho." After looking up his name, I found that Lee Dae Ho is now a famous Korean baseball player.
In addition, one of the friends in the group is actually an ex-member of the 90s Sechs Kies boy band. In one scene he's watching himself in a music video, but in the drama he's just a normal character. Pretty cool, eh?
Friendship
Last but not least, we get to see just how strong, and long-lasting, some friendships can be.
As you can tell, I really, really enjoyed this drama. Even
if you’re not a 90s kid, do yourself a favor and check this drama out. I’m
positive you’ll find something to relate to.
