Slow and Steady

A new drama has appeared, breathing fresh life into tvN's Monday-Tuesday lineup for 2025. The series in question is none other than "Mr. Shin's Project," marking the return of veteran actor Han Suk-kyu. While not a prolific actor, Han has consistently met audiences with a new project each year, building deep trust with the public. His name alone was enough to generate immense anticipation for this drama even before it aired. That anticipation turned into reality from the very first broadcast. "Mr. Shin's Project" kicked off with a phenomenal viewership rating of 6.5% in the Seoul metropolitan area for its first episode, a remarkable feat that instantly made it the highest-rated premiere among all tvN Monday-Tuesday dramas this year. This figure surpasses even many primetime weekend dramas, once again proving the immense power of Han Suk-kyu, an actor whose name is a seal of quality. The weight the name Han Suk-kyu carries is substantial. His filmography ...

JTBC's new Saturday-Sunday drama, <A Hundred Memories>, piques curiosity right from its title. The word "hundred," which one might associate with the number of loves, actually refers to the No. 100 bus where the main characters work. Instead of a romantic fantasy about loving a hundred times, the drama transports us on a nostalgic journey to 1980s Seoul, depicting the lives, friendships, and budding love stories of the No. 100 bus conductors. From its first episode, the drama has captured viewers' attention by promising more than a simple romance; it aims to warmly portray the social landscape and the joys and sorrows of youth during that era, all through the eyes of those in a now-vanished profession: the "bus girl."   The drama is specifically set in the year 1982. This makes it a true retro piece, delving a full generation deeper than the more commonly seen 1990s nostalgia. One of the most iconic figures of this era was the female bus conductor. The...

A weighty, long-form drama that boldly breaks the formula of Netflix Original series has arrived. It is <Eunjoong and Sangyeon>, starring Kim Goeun and Park Jihyun. Unlike the typical Netflix production trend, which favors short and fast-paced developments of around 10 to 12 episodes, this drama meticulously illuminates the decades-long relationship between two women over a vast 15-episode run. While this evokes the nostalgia of older Korean dramas where 16 episodes were the standard, it proves at every moment that this is not a simple regression, but a necessary choice to fully build the characters' emotional arcs. This drama captivates the viewers' hearts slowly but powerfully, not with speed but with depth, and not with provocative incidents but with the delicate crests and troughs of emotion. The most significant characteristic of <Eunjoong and Sangyeon> is that it does not rush. Unlike recent dramas that continuously deploy intense events from the beginning to ...

Last July, during a trip to Japan, a trailer that was repeatedly shown on the local Netflix caught my eye. The powerful opening scene, where two women collide on the street, causing one's bag to spill its contents and leading them to lock eyes, left a deep impression. At the time, I momentarily forgot about it amidst the many other things to see, but upon returning to Korea, I rediscovered the show on Netflix. That show was the Japanese drama based on a manga, <Cinderella Closet>. This chance encounter led me into the world of a new, lighthearted drama.   <Cinderella Closet> airs on Japan's TBS network at the rather late time of 12:58 AM every Tuesday. This late-night time slot suggests that it is more likely a niche or experimental work for a specific audience rather than a prime-time drama aimed at the general public. The original work is a popular Japanese manga, and the author reportedly expressed great joy that their work was adapted into a drama. While it'...