Shining Inheritance, Starring Han Hyo Joo and Lee Seung Ki

After the first episode, I had decided not to finish it because when they introduced all the characters at once, it was very confusing. I finally took it up again after watching several more other dramas. The first half went by slowly and I wasn't that excited. But after about halfway, the plot sped up and I began really enjoying it. The characters were well-developed. The jerk gradually changed his attitude in a natural way. The heroine had her faults and wasn't all goody-two-shoes. The antagonist was definitely shrewd and calculating and really made it difficult for the heroine. But she was motivated by love for her daughter as well as her love of money and was a complex character. The heroine had many helpers including the nice guy, whom I felt sorry for because (spoiler alert) the heroine rejected him. Even the secondary characters had complete arcs that resolved in the last episode.

All in all, I really liked this drama, despite it's confusing and slow beginning. I felt for the characters and really wanted the good guys to win.

The Great Queen Seondeok, Starring Yo Won Lee, Ko Hyeon-jeong, Park Ye-Jin, Uhm Tae Woong, and Nam-kil Kang

This very long, intricate story is worth seeing to the end. At first, they introduced so many characters, it was confusing. And when some of the characters aged, others didn't, which also led to confusion. But don't let that stop you. I really enjoyed the setting, costumes and pageantry of the begin...read morening. The character arcs and plot were so interesting, one weekend, I watched ten episodes! The last third of the series I didn't enjoy as much as the first two-thirds, but it was still engrossing. This makes me want to find out the real story of Queen Seondeok.

Spring Waltz, Starring Do Young Suh, So-yeon Lee, Daniel Henney, and Bo-ra Geum

I liked this series, but thought it spent too much time on the backstory as children. If you only saw Episodes 2 and 3, you'd think the story was about the kids. However, I got back into it when the adults arrived full force. Phillip was so handsome and nice, of course I would have liked to see him and Eun-Young get together, but it's always the jerk who gets the girl. Even though I have these criticisms, I give it 4 stars for the emotional rollercoaster it puts you on. The last episode was kind of anti-climactic. SPOILER ALERT! It would have been better to see Song Ina let go of Jae Ha instead of her telling Eun-Young about it. All in all, I thought it was a great k-drama and would recommend it.

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, Starring Lee Seung Ki and Min-a Shin

I really really really really like this kdrama. Mi Ho was so pretty and adorable. At first I thought Dae-Woong looked goofy, but as the series moved on, I realized he really has a nice smile. The fact that they both were willing to give up their lives for each other was so touching. I'm not sure if ...read moresomething got lost in the translation, but I didn't understand where Park what's-his-name came from. I also thought he had ulterior motives and wanted Mi Ho for himself. This drama made me laugh and cry, especially the last two episodes. The grandma showing up in the last episode was kind of deus ex machina to make everything all right, but I would have been disappointed if Mi Ho didn't come back. Did anyone besides me catch Go Mi Nyu and Jeremy from You Are Beautiful? Even some of the music was familiar from either that drama or Heartstrings. I would highly recommend this show, especially if you liked Secret Garden or 49 days.

You Are Beautiful Starring Jang Keun Suk and Shin-Hye Park

I have watched three kdramas and they all had musical settings: Heartstrings, You are Beautiful, and The Musical. You are Beautiful was my favorite. I liked how the mean character changed by the end. It was the only one in which I felt physically sick before the last two episodes wanting to know wha...read moret happens, but not wanting the series to end. Yikes, does that mean I'm addicted?