My Lists: 10 favorite bromances in Korean dramas

Clockwise from upper left: Vampire Idol, School 2013, The Heirs, A Gentleman's Dignity

Clearly, I have a thing for Kim Woo-bin and his bromances. 

Honestly, I'm only blogging right now because I have some time to kill while I wait for my mom (she's off watching Grease the musical with my aunt) and I'm waiting for several downloads to finish. So I thought of coming up with another list but it took me forever to try to think of something to list down. And then I realized that most of my drama feels right now center on one specific theme: the bromance.

In several of my current dramas, bromance (or potential bromance) is a strong theme. The entire plot of School 2013 revolves around the tragic friendship of Go Nam-soon (Lee Jong-suk) and Park Heung-soo (Kim Woo-bin). In The Heirs, I'm more concerned over the hope of reconciliation of Kim Tan (Lee Min-ho) with his brother Kim Won (Choi Jin-hyuk) and with former BFF Choi Young-do (Kim Woo-bin, again) than, say, his frustrating romance with Cha Eun-sang (Park Shin-hye).

So allow me to list down my 10 favorite bromances from some of my favorite Korean dramas.

10. F44 (A Gentleman's Dignity)

Nothing beats a friendship that spans decades. Through the tough teenage years, and well into second childhood, these four friends had each others backs. Sometimes misguided, most times with best intentions at heart, the men of A Gentleman's Dignity were there for each other no matter the cost.

9. Han Jung-woo & Joo Jung-myung (I Miss You)

Amidst the tragedy and the tears wrought by this melodrama, the one thing that would consistently bring a smile to my face was the cute friendship between detective Han Jung-woo (Park Yoochun) and his partner Joo Jung-myung (Oh Jung-se). They may quarrel like cats and dogs, but you know a bromance is serious when the boys refer to each other as "wife."

8. A.N.Jell (You're Beautiful)

All three boys may have fallen in love with the same girl (rolls eyes), but the bromance is strong in this drama. The best thing about You're Beautiful was how they took on the topic of fanfiction (yaoi fanfiction at that) head on, with a re-enactment sequence to top it all off. "In here (points to heart), there is you."

7. Sam Song-dong & Jin-guk (Dream High)

Jin-guk (Ok Taecyeon) and Sam Song-dong (Kim Soo-hyun) may have been 2/3 of one of the more believable love triangles in k-drama history (weren't we all on the edge of our seats dying to find out who Hye-mi (Suzy) eventually ends up with until the very last episode?), but the fact that they shared a room and had multiple arguments over underwear-sharing rights only mean one thing: bromance trumps romance.

6. Yoon Yoon-jae & Kang Joon-hee (Reply 1997)

There were a dozen different things to love about Reply 1997, but the bromance between Yoon Yoon-jae (Seo In-guk) and his gay best friend Kang Joon-hee (Hoya) was one for the books. I never expected a Korean drama to tackle homosexuality with such finesse. So much respect. Yoon-jae may have not reciprocated Joon-hee's feelings, but their friendship never wavered, not even for a second.

5. Kwon Ji-hyuk & Joo Byung-hee (Shut Up! Flower Boy Band)

This is one of the more tragic bromances ever depicted in a drama. Though we lost Byung-hee (Lee Min-ki) way too soon, the memory of that friendship was what spurred the story and fueled the spirit of Ji-hyuk (Sung Joon) and the rest of the band to "shut up, and run."

4. Goo Yong-ha & Moon Jae-shin (Sungkyunkwan Scandal)

Sure, there have been many bromances better than that of Goo Yong-ha (Song Joong-ki) and Moon Jae-shin (Yoo Ah-in), but how many of them won the Best Couple Award? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they were the only male-male couple to ever win this award. And for good reason, too. Despite Jae-shin's surly attitude and unruly behavior, none of that ever kept the gorgeous Yong-ha away. How close is too close, exactly?

3. Lee Kang-to & Kimura Shunji (Bridal Mask)

Possibly the most tragic friendship in a drama ever. Ever. I cried buckets of tears for these two men who were torn apart by family, beliefs, war, and loyalty to country. They went from being the cutest best friends, defying odds, to holding swords at each other's throats. It doesn't help, as well, that the actors behind Lee Kang-to (Joo Won) and Kimura Shunji (Park Ki-woong) are not just two of the best actors of their age, but also have amazing chemistry with one another, even in real life.

2. Lee Jae-ha & Eun Shi-kyung (The King 2 Hearts)

"A king is only as strong as his best soldier." Or no. I might have gotten that quote wrong. I think it was originally "a king is only as strong as his queen," which also totally applies to this drama, but that's beside the point. The reluctant friendship between Lee Jae-ha (Lee Seung-gi) and Eun Shi-kyung (Jo Jung-suk) is one of the most poignant bromances on this list. When your king is not only irresponsible but arrogant to boot, one does not expect the upright and strict military man to be his best and most loyal soldier. "I didn’t serve you because you were the king. I served you because even in the pit of despair, you did not give up."

1. Go Nam-soon & Park Heung-soo (School 2013)

Broken dreams, brought about by a broken leg, ruined their friendship, but Park Heung-soo's (Kim Woo-bin) biggest grievance was not that his best friend Go Nam-soon (Lee Jong-suk) ruined his one shot at professional soccer, but that after all that he walked out of his life as well. Not only did he lose his dream, he lost his best friend too, the only two things he had in his life. "All I had besides soccer was you—and when soccer was gone and I wanted to die, you should have just been there, bastard. So what I’m saying is, didn’t you miss me, bastard?" Sometimes I'm not sure which bromance is more awesome, the one we see in the drama or the one in real life.

I don't know what it is about bromances that just tug at my heartstrings. Maybe it's because intimacy in friendship between men is not as common as it is between women. Or maybe it's because being female myself, it's a glimpse into how friendships work on the other side of the fence. Whatever the reason behind it, gimme a drama with an epic bromance and I'm sure to fall in love.

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Currently Watching: The Heirs, Mi-rae's Choice, Pretty Man, Reply 1994

It's gotten really bad, this addiction of mine. I think this is the most number of dramas that I've ever attempted to watch simultaneously. By simultaneously, I don't mean I have 5 different screens simultaneously airing 5 different dramas. But If I could do that and still completely understand what I'm watching, I would. That would cut down on my drama-watching time significantly.

Aside from watching currently airing dramas, I'm also watching an older drama that has been on my to-watch list for so long. Also, I'm revisiting a favorite from last year. So without further ado, here are the dramas that are currently taking up most of my time.

1. The Heirs - As frustrating as it is to watch two overgrown teenage boys playing tug-o-war - sometimes emotionally and most times literally - with a tiny girl, I'm stuck to this drama like glue. For one, it does have a stellar cast - although most of them are underutilized and left in the background.

Aside from the main love triangle, I'm loving all the minor relationships in the drama. The mothers are awesome. Yoon Chan-young and Lee Bo-na are adorable. Well, Lee Bo-na is just all-around wonderful - and here I thought I was going to dislike her. I'm glad they took Krystal's character in a different direction because it's quite too easy to make her haughty, possessive, self-important role and turn her into a mean girl. It also must be said that characters like Lee Hyo-shin and Jo Myung-soo keep me sane.

We have 6 more episodes and I'm hoping we find some believable character growth in our main leads before the finale. If not, I will have wasted 20 hours of my drama-watching life that I could have very well used to re-watch City Hunter, a drama I actually liked Lee Min-ho in.

2. Mi-rae's Choice - While I'm more sympathetic towards the male leads in this drama, the Noble Idiot act that both Oppa and Kim Shin are pulling in the recent episodes are frustrating. I thought my annoyance would be reserved for Ahjumma Mi-rae, but no. The boys are starting to aggravate as well.

I'm just glad I'm still fully behind Mi-rae every step of the way. Because it's one thing to gripe about Noble Idiots and another thing entirely to have no heroine to support. I'm happy Mi-rae is not just likeable, but she's also shown the most character growth in the drama. She's no longer the weak pushover who was happy with being mediocre. Now, she has an actual dream and a goal to work towards. There's no way in hell she's ending up with Ahjumma Mi-rae's life and problems. She's above all that now and her growth has been fun to witness. Honestly, she needs neither men right now.

Here's to hoping that the final episodes redeem Kim Shin's decision to be an ass towards Mi-rae (to spare her from a future that hasn't even happened yet). I mean, we all know Mi-rae ends up with him, right? Park Se-joo may be awesome, but Mi-rae's just not feeling him. Sad. My Shin-woo feels are resurfacing. Let me love you, Shin-woo hyung!

3. Pretty Man - Come to think of it, we have Shin-woo and Go Mi-nam in separate dramas this season, and with the premiere of Pretty Man last week, Hwang Tae-kyung is back as well. All we need right now is for Lee Hong-ki to get himself a drama and my A.N.Jell babies will be complete.

That aside, Pretty Man had a pretty strong premiere week. In my personal opinion, that is. I'm not sure how it rated against The Heirs, who shares the same time slot, but I thought the first 2 episodes showed promise. While I was expecting fluff and cuteness, what I was not expecting was depth and mystery. I should have taken more note of KBS's decision to use Bel Ami as its international title, a reference to the Guy De Maupassant novel. Clearly, we're delving into darker and more emotional corners here.

I'm glad then that they have both Jang Geun-suk and IU on board. Both actors can do comedy and drama quite well. While Jang Geun-suk has a tendency to overact, it bodes well for the drama that he is also a very nuanced actor where multiple emotions come across with a single look.

Though they are of different genres, and are as different as night and day in treatment and aesthetics, what immediately comes to mind with the characterizations in Pretty Man is the 2007 drama Que Sera Sera. That character-driven drama tackled similar themes - an abusive relationship between a simple girl and a gold-digging womanizer. So while both lead characters in Pretty Man are completely flawed, I'm excited to see how working with each other will change them. Because that's where we're headed, right? Right?!

4. Reply 1994 - While I'm not liking how long this drama is seeming to be (20 one-hour-long episodes?!), I can't help but love its plot points and characters. A lot of the plotting is similar to its predecessor, Reply 1997, and yet it doesn't exactly feel the same.

What this drama does so well, as with 1997, is how they tackle real-life situations without aggrandizing these occurrences. First loves, first heartbreaks, one-sided loves, friendship, family - the drama finds these precious moments in the lives of our characters and highlights the emotions without amplifying them. It's very day-in-the-life and can easily make a wrong turn towards the mundane, but it doesn't. It's quite beautiful.

Because of the longer format, compared to 1997's total of 16 30-minute back-to-back episodes, 1994 actually jerks us around more in the question of who Na-jung ends up with. Is it Oppa? Is it Chilbongie? No, it's Oppa, right? Nope, Chilbongie? No! It's Haitai! Team Haitai for the win!

5. School 2013 - Truth be told, while School 2013 is on my list of favorite dramas, I actually haven't watched the entire drama. I used to watch it on KBS World when it aired late 2012 to early this year. And on those days I couldn't watch, I'd immediately go find the recaps on dramabeans while promising myself I'd download the episode eventually. I never did. So I finished the series half by watching it on tv, and half by reading the recaps online. I cheated and I'm sorry.

So now, with the vast onslaught of Lee Jong-suk and Kim Woo-bin feels (from both I Hear Your Voice and The Heirs), I've decided to revisit School 2013. Properly, this time around. I'm still on episode 2 (I started last night, to be fair) but the feels are already there. Heung-soo isn't even around yet and I'm already itching for his appearance and the promise of angst-y bromance. I luff them.

6. White Christmas - This drama has been on my list for the longest time. I actually started watching it several times before but never got past the first episode because of one thing or another. But I've always been told of how awesome it is and that I absolutely must see it. I actually have no excuses seeing how it's only 8 episodes long. And this is it. I swear.

I'm not going to deny the fact that the driving force behind watching White Christmas is, once again, Kim Woo-bin. He is awesome and I just need more of him. Not to mention the very many other model-actors in this drama. Apparently I have a thing for them. Lee Soo-hyuk, Hong Jong-hyun, Sung Joon - I love them all. If only Lee Jong-suk were in this drama too. HA.

7. We Got Married - In this variety-docu series, I'm still totally invested in the relationship of Taemin and Na-eun so I do try to stay away from the crazy things the fans have to say online. I don't need the netizen-driven drama to enjoy this couple, thank you very much.

I've also started to watch the 2 new couples: Jung-Jung Couple and the Yoon-han couple. I actually love Jung Joon-young and Jung Yumi together. They are hilarious and complete opposites, yet so awesome together.

To be honest, I'm thinking of dropping Yoon-han and his wife (I don't even remember her name). While I think they are cute and a perfect match, they bore me to tears. They should just get it over with and get married in real life. I loved Yoon-han even before he got on board the We Got Married train and he's an awesome singer and pianist, but this show is showing me how dull he is. Everything is just so damn serious with them. I can't. My older friends absolutely love it but I'd rather have more of Taemin and Na-eun's adorable first love instead.

So these are the shows I've been busy with on a weekly basis. It's insane. And yet, there are still other shows I watch every now and then, on top of my already busy drama-watching schedule. There's that adorable show Tablo and his daughter are on, Superman is Back. Cuteness overload, seriously. And then, of course, there's Running Man. And I also have to try to tune into the new season of 1 Night 2 Days, if only to check out the rapport between the new cast members and to see if the new PD is any good.

Ugh. I'm so ready to hibernate. Is it December yet? I need a breather. From work, that is. I'm probably just going to keep watching all these dramas (and the upcoming new ones) during my Christmas break.

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My Lists: 11 Hallyu-related merchandise in my growing collection

I probably own more Hallyu-related merchandise than I'd care to admit, and I've probably spent way more on these things than I should have... It is an addiction that is hard to quit, but I comfort myself in the fact that at least it's not, you know, drugs and alcohol. Ha.

Just walking around Seoul - or almost any Asian city, for that matter - will bring you face to face with a whole lot of merchandise being endorsed by Hallyu stars. Even in my own city, 4 hours away from the K-Pop capital, you will see local and Korean brands alike being endorsed by these celebrities almost everywhere. In almost every mall, there will be an Etude House and a Face Shop outlet. Nature Republic and Tony Moly are everywhere as well. We have Caffe Bene and Hollys Coffee and Tous Les Jours. You'll find Shin Min-ah and So Ji-sub on huge billboard advertisements for Giordano along almost every major highway. 2PM's Nichkhun can be found on Bench billboards. Super Junior's Donghae and Siwon, alongside Lee Min-ho, are also endorsers of Bench. They're everywhere.

So, is it any surprise that my own bedroom is filled with stuff that bare the faces of these celebrities? Or, perhaps, that I own things because of its connection to a certain popstar? Well, let me count the ways... of my growing insanity.

1. JYJ/DBSK Posters - I have a friend who gives me these things, I swear. She was nice enough to let me have her DBSK Mirotic poster and to gift me with the NII JYJ poster she got from her last trip to Seoul.

2. SHINee Mouse Pad - This was free too! I got this from Etude House as a free gift for spending so much in their store. I still haven't found use for it but, you know, it's kinda nice opening my closet to find the boys of SHINee smiling brightly at me.

3. Super Show 5 Bag Tag - Again, this was free. I swear it! The tag came for free along with my concert ticket to see Super Junior's Super Show 5.

4. Random Big Bang Memorabilia - I'm starting to feel real good about myself, because again, most of these were free. The Big Bang collection cards and the Big Bang photo was given to me by the same friend who gave me the posters above. The G-Dragon bookmark I got for free off a shelf of free merchandise at Lotte Cinema in Vietnam. The only thing here I actually paid for was the Big Bang concert ticket. Ha.

5. Jang Geun-suk Notepad - I probably should be embarrassed to admit that this was one of the very first things I bought in Seoul on my first visit there about 2 years ago. It was our first day in the city and I found a store in one of the subway stations selling K-Pop stuff and I bought this and a CNBLUE one (that I brought home for my sister).

6. Miniature Pig-Rabbit - I was addicted to the drama You're Beautiful. So when I found out that an actual-sized Pig-Rabbit was ridiculously expensive for a stuffed doll, I found this miniature one (the kind you hang from your cellphone or bag) and bought it for a very small fraction of the real doll's price.

7. Baby Radish Doll - I don't even know what to do with this doll but I was in love with the drama Rooftop Prince and wanted my own Yi Gak. While it is beyond impossible to have your own Yoochun, the Radish Doll was quite easy to buy. Ha.

8. Fake Elstinko Cap - Many K-Pop stars wear Elstinko snapbacks but the person who stands out in my mind whenever I remember these caps is actress Song Ji-hyo from variety show Running Man. Both she and Haha wear these caps all the time. I can't afford actual Elstinko, but this was a very cheap knock off I got from a market in Vietnam.

9. Beauty Products  - Whether it's Jang Geun-suk for Nature Republic, SHINee for Etude House, Kim Hyun-joong for The Face Shop, JYJ for Tony Moly... I'm there. I love Korean-branded beauty products and I'm thankful that they're really affordable. I once dropped ₩100,000 (roughly $100) at an Etude House branch in Myeong-dong and came out with a ginormous shopping bag. That was last year, and I still have unopened products in my closet.

10. Big Bang's Alive EP - I actually had my friend buy this for me in Seoul last year because they didn't have it here at that time and I had to have it ASAP. Sure, the metal casing is now rusted.... But it's still kinda awesome. The album itself is awesome.

11. G-Dragon's One Of A Kind EP - I was in Seoul towards the end of last year and found this awesome store in Myeong-dong that sold all these K-Pop stuff. My sister ended up buying a CNBLUE album and some Big Bang socks (T.O.P and Daesung). I bought this G-Dragon mini-album, as well as some Big Bang socks (T.O.P and G-Dragon). We ended up getting some free cellphone charms because of our purchases.

I've been a K-Drama fan much longer than I've been a K-Pop fan, but look at all these crap I've managed to amass in the past 2 years. Good lord, can you imagine me 5 years from now? Aigoo.

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Pretty Man premieres this week!

I'm about ready to pull some hair out because I don't know where to find the time to watch all the dramas Korea's broadcasting companies have been throwing our way. The fact that Pretty Man will start to air in a few days, man alive! I mean, I still have The Heirs, Mi-rae's Choice, and Reply 1994 already keeping me super busy. Add to that my usual variety shows (i.e. Running Man, We Got Married)… Plus, you know, living out my actual life where I have work and stuff… How am I suppose to survive all this?

At the helm of this new drama is the same person who directed Flower Boy Ramyun Shop and Flower Boy Next Door - which were both fun, zippy, and beautifully painted rom-coms. So, at the very least, we can expect some quirky cuteness and aesthetically-pleasing images.

While I'm quite tired of Jang Geun-suk playing all these flower boy roles, I do love him as an actor. And though we're once again being forced to believe IU in a Plain Jane role, I think she has so much potential as an actor and she's come a long way since Dream High. She was a joy to watch in You're The Best Lee Soon-shin despite the drama's storytelling being a hot mess.

I haven't seen much of second male lead Lee Jang-woo aside from some clips of him on We Got Married, but I hear good things about him as an actor. And I loved Han Chae-young in Delightful Girl Chun-hyang, so here's to hoping I'll continue to love her in this new drama.

The plot may seem ridiculous right now, but what do we expect when it's based on a webtoon, right? So basically, what we know is that Jang Geun-suk plays the titular pretty man who's main goal is to woo the gorgeous Han Chae-young. But she plans on training him first and gives him the task of conquering 10 of the most eligible bachelorettes in the city. IU, on the other hand, plays your average girl-next-door who falls in love with our pretty man the moment she lays eyes on him in junior high. And, of course, Lee Jang-woo plays the nice guy who falls in love with IU's Plain Jane.

I've taken to calling this drama Pretty Man, based on the direct translation of its Korean title "예쁜남자 (Yeppeun Namja)" but KBS seems to have other plans as they've since been releasing teasers with the English title Bel Ami. Which is not actually English but French and translates to "pretty friend." This title references a Guy de Maupassant novel which, according to Wikipedia, "chronicles a man's corrupt rise to power from a poor police officer to one of the most successful men in Paris - most of which he achieves by manipulating a series of powerful, intelligent, and wealthy mistresses."

Despite my busy drama-watching schedule, it's not like I have a choice on whether or not to tune into this drama. Is there any question about tuning in? Nope. The only remaining question is, eotteokhae?!

Pretty Man premieres Wednesday on KBS, replacing current melodrama Secret.

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Hallyu stars send prayers to victims of Typhoon Haiyan

I've been gone for over a week but worry not, I'm safe and sound. Manila wasn't directly affected by the super typhoon that hit central Philippines late last week and I was actually in Vietnam when all this started to happen. By the time I got back, the typhoon was already making its way over to Vietnam. Imagine how lucky we were.

However, not so many people were as lucky. The devastation caused by the typhoon is immense and thousands of people have been affected. And here I thought the food poisoning that caused me and my sisters to worship the ceramic god was bad. Nothing is as bad as what's currently happening in Tacloban, Leyte, and other provinces affected by Haiyan. The fact that CNN's very own Anderson Cooper is in town to report on the disaster, well, that says something.

As this is not my personal blog, but a Hallyu-related blog, I'll keep things on the lighter side and share with you all the positive words and prayers my country has received from some of our favorite Korean stars. 

2NE1's Sandara Park, who grew up in the Philippines, took to Twitter to send out her thoughts on the typhoon. She also wished her Filipino followers well in Tagalog.

Jay Park

Flowsik of hip-hop/R&B group Aziatix

2PM's Nichkhun was actually in Manila during the typhoon for a fanmeeting, and he shared how he already was planning on visiting the Philippines after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake had hit the country awhile back. "A part of me was already here in the Philippines so when I heard about the earthquake, it really shook me," he said. 

Regarding Typhoon Haiyan, the Thai k-pop star shared, “It’s really heartbreaking to be a victim of something like this. I hope all the people in the Philippines are safe and those of you who are the victims, I hope you guys stay strong and keep your hopes up and never give up. I’m sure that when everything clears up, everything will go back to normal, for better.”

Kevin Woo of U-KISS

Model/actor Ricky Kim

Actor Lee Min-ho took to his official Facebook page, and cross-posted to his Twitter, his well-wishes for the Filipino people.

Their support and prayers mean a lot to us - especially since they're bringing attention to what is currently going on here. For more information on the typhoon and on how you can help, click here.

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