November is here!
Many kdramas have ended their run recently and new kdramas aired but this isn’t it, not yet!
There are still many kdramas that fans just can’t stop talking about, some of these kdramas have been in the making or confirmed for well over six months.
So without further due, here are 4 November 2018 kdramas that fans can’t stop talking about.
“The Last Empress”
Jang Nara is one of the most recognizable faces of the Hallyu wave, she has been in the business for a very long time and has been in many hit productions over the years.
What makes this drama special is the casting choice which includes Jang Na Ra, Choi Jin Hyuk and Shin Sung Rok. All of those actors are experienced and do extremely well each time.
The drama premise is also something that caught many fans’ attention. It is set in the present time but under the premise that South Korea is ruled by a constitutional monarchy.
It tells the story of Oh Ssu Ni (Jang Nara) a musical actress with a bright personality. Unexpectedly, she marries Emperor Lee Hyuk (Shin Sung Rok).
There she goes up against the power and fights for justice.
She falls in love with Na Wang Sik (Choi Jin Hyuk) who work as the bodyguard of the imperial family. He came carrying a revenge plan on the person responsible for his mother’s death.
Following the death of Emperor Lee Hyuk’s grandmother, Oh Ssu Ni breaks down the royal family with the help of Na Wang Sik and finds true love.
The leading cast includes: Jang Na Ra, Choi Jin Hyuk, Shin Sung Rok, Lee Elliya and Shin Eun Kyung.
“The Last Empress” will take over SBS’ Wednesday & Thursday 22:00 time slot previously occupied by “Heart Surgeons” and air its first episode on November 21st.
My initial expectations:
I love love Shin Sung Rok, this guy is epic and so is his acting. He is highly underrated and I wish he’d be more appreciated by everyone.
I also love Jang Nara, her choices are great and her 2017 drama was one of my favorites of that entire year. I don’t know about Choi Jin Hyuk’s drama choices since they haven’t always been on point but I am excited.
This is probably the drama I am most excited about on this list. I can’t wait to see it! The premise sounds so interesting!
“Death Song”
Kdrama fans just can’t get enough of Lee Jong Suk and this is why everybody is excited about this particular drama.
The drama is a remake of the 1990s movie of the same title, it’s a very sad sad drama and if you read around a bit you already know how it ends. The story is heartbreaking.
It will be directed by PD Park Soo Jin who previously worked on many hit dramas such as “Doctors” and “While You Were Asleep” some of fans favorite kdramas in recent years.
Lee Jong Suk will be reunited with Shin Hye Sun and Lee Sang Yeob whom he had previously worked with on other productions.
The upcoming drama tells the story of Korea’s first soprano Yun Sim Deok, the drama was named “Hymn of Death” after her most popular songs. It will differ from the previous musical and film adaptation and focus on the tragic love story between Yun Sim Deok and playwright Kim Woo Jin, it will also be focusing on the work of Kim Woo Jin, something that hasn’t been focused much on before.
Lee Jong Suk is taking on the role of Kim Woo Jin, the genius playwright.
Shin Hye Sun will play the role of Yun Sim Deok, the first Korean female soprano.
Lee Ji Hoon will play the role of Hong Nan Pa, a close friend of Kim Woo Jin (to be played by Lee Jong Suk) and Yun Sim Deok.
Lee Sang Yeob will take on the role of Yun Sim Deok’s (Shin Hye Sun) fiancée Kim Hong Ki, he is the son of a wealthy family.
The drama began filming in mid-April and finished shortly after.
The drama is scheduled to air after SBS’s Monday-Tuesday drama “Where Stars Land” air its last episode. The drama will premiere on November 27.
My initial expectations:
Lee Jong Suk, Shin Hye Sun and Lee Sang Yeob are all great actors and choose good projects most of the time so this is promising.
I looked up the story and we all know it ends with ‘death’ hence the title but I am still curious about the drama. I love kdramas made around early to mid-1900s they are always good, I just love that period of time.
I am interested in seeing how they’ll handle the entire story of those two lovers. This is one of the rare times I’ll be watching a kdrama when I absolutely know how it’ll end. Nonetheless, I am excited about it!
Boyfriend
Arguably the most anticipated kdramas on this list and one of the most anticipated kdramas of 2018-second-half.
Its been two years since we last saw Song Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum on the screen.
They both had a wonderful 2016 and starred in hugely popular kdramas that received national and international recognition.
Since then, Park Bo Gum had been particularly busy shooting various CFs and making variety show appearances. He kept himself pretty busy despite not having any acting projects lined up.
Song Hye Kyo, on the other hand, has since then gone public about her relationship with co-star Song Joong Ki and married him back in October 2017.
Fans of both have been desperately waiting for their comeback, it was announced back in Mid-2018 that the two will be leading the upcoming tvN drama titled “Boyfriend.”
Needless to say, this upcoming drama has been one of the most talked about 2018 kdramas since then.
“Boyfriend” tells the story of a single mother named Cha Soo Hyun (Song Hye Kyo) who is the daughter of a big politician. She married a wealthy heir but later divorced and Kim Jin Hyuk (Park Bo Gum) who is an innocent young man that meets the heiress and they fall in love.
Kim Jin Hyuk keeps failing at finding a stable job at the companies he wishes to go to. He takes a trip and there he meets Cha Soo Hyun. However, he is content with his life and happy with what he has. He finds happiness in the smallest things.
Cha Soo Hyun is an unhappy human being who was never once able to make a decision herself, she was always told what do and how to behave because she comes from a classy family.
The leading cast includes Song Hye Kyo, Park Bo Gum, Go Chang Suk, Cha Hwa Yeon, Moon Sung Geun, Man Ki Ae, Shin Jung Geun, Baek Ji Won, Kwak Sun Young Block B’s P.O, Jang Seung Jo and many others.
“Boyfriend” will premiere on November 28, after “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes” concludes its run.
My initial expectations:
I have been vocal about this drama casting since I reported on it. I love both actors but I don’t know how I feel about the pairing. I don’t like it much.
My problem with the pairing isn’t that he’s younger than her its that he’ll be romancing his best friend’s wife in a drama. I find that troubling and a bit awkward.
We’re so used to see Song Hye Kyo and Park Bo Gum together since they hang out together. Them and the media always portrayed them as close noona-dongsang, this is why I have an issue with this casting precisely.
Yet, I am certain that Joong Ki had a say in this, I doubt Bo Gum would’ve agreed on a wimp, I still find it uncomfortable.
I don’t know if their acting will be able to change the way I am so used to perceive them. The script looks amazing and I love the idea, they shifted focus, Hye Kyo is playing the role of the male chaebol we’re so used to in kdramas.
I also like that her character is a divorced mother, this will thicken the plot. I also like that the male lead is going to be the nice guy.
I can’t say I am super excited, I am intrigued but not excited. I have to check out the first couple of episodes to see if they can help me forget about all of what I think of.
I don’t doubt they will do great, they are both good actors, Hye Kyo is (naturally) way better than Bo Gum, but they are both talented.
I also like that Jang Seung Jo joined the cast. I am a bit sad because he only recently confirmed which mean that his role will be very small.
I would love to see him on screen with Hye Kyo. He’s so handsome and a talented actor, I really think they’d suit each other on screen.
“Clean With Passion For Now”
Kim Yoo Jung is one of the most successful child-turned-adult actresses. She has been in the business for a long time and established a strong following over the years.
The news of her drama comeback following “Moonlight Drawn By Clouds” were announced back in January 2018. However, tragedy struck and the actress announced she was suffering from hypothyroidism.
This was revealed shortly after she was confirmed for the drama. She took a long hiatus to focus on her health and the subsequently the drama production as put on hold.
The production team waited until Kim Yoo Jung got better to resume the drama filming.
She was originally set to romance rising actor Ahn Hyo Seop. Because of her hiatus, he took on another project which was “30 but 17.” Around the same time he was filming for the drama, “Clean With Passion For Now” announced filming would start soon.
Due to scheduling issues, Ahn Hyo Seop had to drop and was replaced with Yoon Gyun Sang.
“Clean With Passion For Now” is based on the popular webtoon drama about a man named Jang Sun Kyul (Yoon Gyun Sang), a man with good looks and a fortune who suffers from severe mysophobia.
Jang Sun Kyul is so obsessed with cleaning that he owns a cleaning company. His life changes when he meets a carefree and untidy girl named Gil Oh Sol (Kim Yoo Jung) who gets hired in his company; they fall in love and change each other’s lives.
Song Jae Rim will play a role that is unique and not found in the original webtoon.
The leading cast includes: Kim Yoo Jung, Yoon Kyun Sang, Song Jae Rim
“Clean With Passion For Now” will take over the JTBC Monday & Tuesday 21:30 time slot previously occupied by “The Beauty Inside.” The first episode will air on November 26.
My initial expectations:
I have also been vocal about how upset I were when I found out that Ahn Hyo Seop was dropping out, I was pretty upset!
I was excited that Yoo Jung would be romancing a guy who isn’t much older than her. The girl only recently turned 19 but can easily pass for a 16 year old actress.
I wished that they just waited a bit longer for Ahn Hyo Seop to finish shooting for “30 but 17,” but again, I know that he’s a rookie and there is no way they’ll be waiting for a rookie, they have already waited about 6 months for Yoo Jung.
They also cast someone who is 12 years old than her. I have no problem with Yoon Kyun Sang and I think he’s a terrific actor but man that was a miss-cast.
And yes, I have seen all the teasers released so far and they only made me feel like that even more. Out of all the young actors available, why did they have to choose him?
He is 31 years old but actually looks a lot older, like a lot!
I know you’ll say that I am being a bit too much and rushing into conclusions and you might be right but I find an issue with the casting for this drama and I doubt my feelings would change even after watching it.
I don’t mind couples with large age gaps, some can make it work, but I don’t think I can picture those two together; she looks like she could pass for his niece.
I love all the actors involved in this production but I seriously doubt I’d be able to stick around and watch. I also have an issue with the plot since its very basic and cliché.
The plot is yet again about another snoopy male lead who will treat the female lead badly before he falls in love with her, he’s picky and difficult to be around.
I have already seen about 50 kdramas with the same plot so I am not super excited about it either, I don’t think I am ready to watch yet another kdrama with the same plot over again.
If this kdrama was coming out a couple of years ago I would have been super excited about it but since I have seen my fair share of such plots and the casting of two leads is not what I had in mind, I doubt I’d be checking this drama out!
