Top Kpop MVs: Exploring Kingdom

Sometimes 4th gen kpop is on a completely different level. While groups like BTS have an overarching storyline that fans can access with a little digging (me, I’m that fan. I had to get out a shovel), groups like ATEEZ and Kingdom have concepts that are completely in your face. ATEEZ are the Pirate Kings of course, and we’ve discussed that here on the blog. But today we’re gonna take a peek at the lesser-known group Kingdom, whose concepts and music have been solid from their debut. Come see if they’re a group who should be landing on your playlists! 

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Should You Take a Ride with Taxi Driver?

The power of Lee Je Hoon is undeniable, especially when it comes to the appeal of his Taxi Driver character, Kim Do Gi. Paired with the Rainbow Taxi found family headed by CEO Jang (played by a very capable Kim Eui Sung), Taxi Driver 2 took the Korean ratings system by storm, earning a 21% viewership by its finale and becoming the most-watched drama of 2023 so far. Come see if I agree with those ratings, and if this compelling drama should be on your radar. 

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Captivated by Meet Yourself and Hi Venus: A Wang Xiong Cheng Appreciation Post

Good, sustainable writing isn’t always easy to find in dramas, especially long-form Chinese dramas. Since 2020, however, FIVE Wang Xiong Cheng dramas have made their way to the screen, proving that this writer–who has come out of nowhere–has what it takes to make a story worth watching from beginning to end. Come see what makes Wang Xiong Cheng’s dramas special, and decide for yourself if you want to watch his newest works – Hi Venus and Meet Yourself.

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Trusting Writer Park Hae Young: A 4-Year Journey

You may have seen or heard (or both!) the love letters Drama Geek and I have written about My Liberation Notes, the phenomenally written and beautifully filmed Park Hae Young drama that aired earlier this year. The complexity of the characters and the influence of their environment on their attitudes couldn’t be dismissed, and we reveled in the cinematic experience.

That experience made me revisit another Park Hae Young classic, My Mister. This post could have had so many other subtitles: Never Break the 4-Episode Rule, Why I Went Back and Watched My Mister 4 Years Later, This Writer Knows What She’s Doing, and many more. I wrote My Mister off four years ago, because after 2 episodes, I concluded it was a drama about two sad people and all the bad people doing selfish things to those sad people. I was right, but I was also wrong. Come see why My Liberation Notes made me trust writer Park Hae Young, and whether revisiting My Mister was one of the better uses of my time this year. 

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A Love Letter to Happiness

Once upon a time in Korea, a drama was so compelling that I watched it in spite of the zombies, the pandemic mentions, and the terrible people who were trying to stymie our OTP from beginning to end. It was a tale of power and corruption and doing the right thing even when everyone else is out to get you. For Valentine’s Day, with the help of my friends and avid Happiness fans Tina Woelke and WheresWallace, we’ve penned a love letter to this incredible drama. 

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