Crash Landed on KDramas

My co-host Sangeetha joins back for this very special episode with Sadhana - A travel designer and frequent traveller to South Korea. She is also one of the early listeners of our podcast and has always had encouraging words for us!
Sangeetha has been to Seoul in 2016 and Sadhana has been there thrice since pandemic.
In this episode -
(1) Sadhana recommends her favourite 5 dramas to our listener: Reply1988, My Liberation Notes, Goblin, Signal and Moonlovers Scarlet Heart Ryeo.
(2) Sangeetha and Sadhana share their travel experiences from Seoul.
(3) Don’t miss the great tip that Sadhana shares at the end of the episode!

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Host Minal is joined by Vipula and Benny to discuss the 2021 hit Kdrama Hometown Cha Cha Cha. The episode is full of spoilers so we suggest you watch the drama before listening to this episode. 
Hometown Cha Cha Cha is a 16 episode romance + slice-of-life drama that ran from Aug to Oct 21. The drama is a remake of the movie Mr. Hong starring Uhm Jung Hwa and Kim Joo Hyuk (Argon, Reply 1988 - Cameo Elder Taek)
Director: Yoo Je Won - Oh My Ghost, Crash Course in Romance, Love Next Door
Writer:  Shin Ha Eun (The Crowned Clown, Love Next Door).
Lead Pair: Kim Seon Ho/ Shin Min Ah
Gongjin Gang 

Plot summary: Yoon Hye-Jin (Shin Min-A) a successful dentist and city girl moves to the small village of Gongjin and runs into Hong DuSik (Kim Seon Ho). Hong DuSik is a man with many skills and jobs. Their opposite personalities and outlook to life clash and sparks fly. Their journey combined with those of their village family makes this drama more of slice of life intertwined with a solid romance. 

Key themes:
Trope Reversal: Ms. Grumpy meets Mr. Sunshine

Found family

Women friendships

Portrayal of strong women across all age groups

Mature handling of a love triangle and its resolution

Some of our posts on Hometown Cha Cha Cha:
Representation of women :
Strong women from Little Bora to Gam Ri Haelmoni across all age groups Minal on the women in this drama

Vipula on Hye Jin , Part 2
Best Love triangle resolution in Kdramas? 
Hands down the best! 
Two scenes reflect mature handling of this triangle 
The HedgeHog: Why Minal thinks Dusik is the The Hedgehog and not HyeJin

Literary References in the show
Henry David Thoreau‘s Walden

The Doorkeeper Poem [ Dusik reads to Hyejin in E10]  

Favourite Scenes mentioned:
The First Meeting

Cinderella and The Prince

HyeJin - Dusik annoying each other

Gamri and Dusik

Gongjin Family

Pyo Mi Seon And Eun Cheol

Meet the parents

All the confessions:

Hyejin’s confession

Dusik says I love you

The marriage proposal

Comedy scenes:

Dusik running on his off day

Namsuk see Dusik asking JiPd for Ramyeon

Dusik eats Hyejin’s badly cooked porridge

Things that didn’t work for us:
HyeJin beating Dusik to hide their relationship

The stalker episode

Trauma overdone:

Assistant director blaming DuSik for his father’s investment woes from the financial market crash

DuSik’s senior’s wife holding DuSik responsible for her husband’s death

Music Credits:  Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetter. License code: LU8KUCTYYYAA2KKL
Contact Us:
Email: crashlandedonkdramas[@]gmail[.]com 
Leave us a review or rating on the podcast app. 
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Twitter: @CrashLandedonKD
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Minal is joined by another resident guest of this podcast - Vipula to discuss the 2024 KDrama When the Phone Rings which took the world by storm in December. The episode is full of spoilers so we suggest you watch the drama before listening to this episode. 
The drama was 12 episodes and telecast from November 2024 - Jan 2025. The director is Park Sang-Woo and the writer is Kim Ji-Woon. The drama is based on a web-novel/webtoon and stars Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin as the lead pair. 

Plot Summary (Source: Asian Wiki)
Paik Sa-Eon (Yoo Yeon-Seok) comes from a prestigious political family and he becomes the youngest presidential spokesman in Korea. His background also includes time spent as a war correspondent, hostage negotiator, and main anchorman. He ismarried to Hong Hee-Joo (Chae Soo-Bin) since 3 years in a marriage of convenience. She is the step-daughter of a major Korean newspaper proprietor. She has selective mutism due to an accident she sufferred in childhood. She works as a sign language interpreter in court and on television. For the past 3 years, they haven't communicated with each other. One day, Hong Hee-Joo is kidnapped by an unidentified person and this changes their marriage life. 
Favourite Scenes mentioned:
E1: HeeJoo curses Baek Saeon
E3 : She is my wife
E3 : Baek Saeon learns his wife can make sounds
E4: HeeJoo is brand new language
E5: Interview scene
E6: Basek Seon searches for HeeJoo
E7: First confession and kiss
Mr Kang bringing all the laughs
Saeon and HeeJoo scene compilation
Yoo Yeon Sook Dramas: Mr Sunshine, Hospital Playlist , Interest of Love
Minal’s KDrama Romance Recommendations: Suspicious Partner, The Law Cafe , Crash Landing on You , Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo and Love All Play
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Email: crashlandedonkdramas[@]gmail[.]com 
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Twitter: @CrashLandedonKD
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Double Feature: Queen of Tears and Love Next Door

Hello Listeners, welcome to the first episode of a new season in the new year. Minal is joined by our resident guest Mun who is the co-host of Witchaar Podcast. 

Mun and Minal discuss two the most anticipated and hyped dramas of 2024 Queen of Tears and Love Next Door. The lead pairs of both dramas are amongst our favourite actors/actresses. The writers and directors of these dramas are behind some of the most popular Kdramas such Crash Landing on You, Vincenzo, Hometown Cha Cha Cha. 

To find out if these two hyped dramas managed to live up to to our expectations - tune in to our latest episode.

Other KDrama recommendations for the leads:

Kim So Hyun - My Love from Another Star, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, One Ordinary Day (Remake of Criminal Justice)

Kim Ji Won : Descendants of the Sun, Lovestruck in the City, Fight for My Way 

Jung Hae In: Something in the Rain, While You Were Sleeping, DP , One Spring Night, Prison Playbook

Jung So Min : Because this is my first life

Previous Episode : Jane Austen of KDramas featuring Park Ji Eun writer of Crash Landing on You , My Love from Another Star, The Legend of the Blue Sea, Queen of Tears

Favourite Scenes:

Did I ever tell you not to be by my side 

Kim Soo Hyun - Best Crier Award

Hae In tells Baek Hyun Woo if she were reborn a 100 times she would marry him every time

Kdrama - Bollywood Crossover: Mun mentions Shahrukh Khan who is one of the superstars from Bollywood.  Minal mentions this famous SRK scene from the movie Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. The scene’s famous background music was used by fans to edit the scene where Kim Soo Hyun is running on the bridge. 

Queen of Tears - Love Next Door Crossover: Kim Soo Hyun calls Haein (Jung)

Other Dramas mentioned in the episode

2024 Dramas: Mr Plankton, BlackOut,When The Phone Rings, LightShop

Dramas pre-2024: King the Eternal Monarch, Mr Sunshine, The Law Cafe

Music Credits:  Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetter. License code: LU8KUCTYYYAA2KKL

Leave us a review or rating on the podcast app. 

Contact Us:

Email: crashlandedonkdramas[@]gmail[.]com 

Twitter: @CrashLandedonKD

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This is the finale of our special showcase on Moving Kdrama. Our host Minal is joined with our two wonderful guests Benny and Vipula.  

In this episode, we cover the final 4 episodes 17 to 20 which capture the final battle between the superheroes/spies from North Korea and South Korea and the battleground is the school. We discuss what we loved about the finale , what we would like Season 2 to cover  and what the show could have done better. A big thank you to all of our listeners who tuned in!

Have a wonderful new year and I hope to be more regular with this podcast in 2025.  

Episode Outline:

2 battlegrounds at School and Gym

North Korean agents vs Juwon, MiHyun and the teacher Choi Ill Hwan

MiHyun’s take down of the NK agent (Janitor lady) and the Ace shooter

JaeMan comes to the rescue of his son Kang Hoon

JuWon and Yongdeok fistfight

Bongaeman comes to the rescue

Gym : Hisoo, Bongseok and the NK Flying man

Dusik’s missions in NK - The slow motion gunfire scene which reminded Minal of the Quicksilver scene in X Men Days of the Future Past in terms of the slow-motion shots

The backstories of the the North Korean soldiers - YeongDuk and Jae Seok

The parallels between Deok Yoon the NK commander and DuSik

The NK soldiers revolt

Reunion - Dusik reunites with his family & Yeongduk finds a family with HiSoo and Juwon

Episode Clips: Episodes 18-20 Trailer

What we would like to see in S2:

DukSik - Juwon Reunion

Dusik - Bongseok relationship

Bongseok - HiSoo love story 

Kang Hoon’s journey in NIS

Frank’s backstory

CIA angle

Music Credits:  Music from Uppbeat: https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetter. License code: LU8KUCTYYYAA2KKL

Contact Us:

Email: crashlandedonkdramas[@]gmail[.]com 

Leave us a review or rating on the podcast app. 

Twitter: @CrashLandedonKD

Instagram @crashlanded_onkdramas