JTBC
Monday - Friday
Dec 2011 - Aug 2012
Out of nowhere, this seemingly innocuous little daily sitcom has completely stolen my heart, so much so that I’m posting it on a blog I’ve had little time to visit. I just want to declare my love!
I Live in Cheongdam-dong follows Kim HaeJa and her feisty daughter Oh JiEun, who relocate with their financially struggling family to the affluent neighborhood of Cheongdam-dong with hopes of changing their destiny, only to find that they can easily change their scenery but not who they are in their hearts. Not only is the drama adorably rich with likable characters such as an uncle who is a manhwa artist and an aunt who is an actress fallen from fame, unexpectedly, Cheongdam-dong also has within it one of the most engaging and endearing love triangles I’ve seen in a long while.
I am completely smitten:
Oh JiEun is our lead gal, and she has two dreams, one is to fall in love with a wealthy Cheongdam-dong guy and the other is to open a guksoo (noodle) shop. As she works at a fancy Italian restaurant by day and her family’s lowbrow manhwa reading room by night, two very different young men come into her life challenging her perceptions on love and friendship—1) HyunWoo is a happy go lucky guy, an aspiring singer songwriter who spends his days loafing around reading manhwa; 2) SangYeob is the quintessential Cheongdam-dong native, a rich and successful architect who spends most of his free time playing with friends and flirting through a line of willing girls. Both men are legitimate contenders for her heart, although of course, only one will prevail! It is so unusual and fantastic to enjoy a heroine’s chemistry and spark with BOTH her male leads.
(Naturally, it also does not hurt that HyunWoo is one of my favorite actors, most notably he was one of those sexy little idol chefs from Pasta)
It’s been a rather long while since I’ve felt so invested in a drama and its characters, the last time I’ve eagerly awaited every second of a romance between a girl and her men. The friendships, the cuteness, the humor, it is all pitch perfect, both entertaining but emotionally rewarding. The last time I’d fallen so in love with a cast of characters was possibly You’re Beautiful and High Kick 2. After such quality ventures as Padam Padam and Fermentation Family, I’m wondering if jTBC is the network that speaks to me as a drama watcher—intelligently written, charming, and dosed with plenty of character development!
FAN MV (spoiler’d vid)
src: almostotherly
wow you're back!! miss your post!!
ReplyDeleteThanks!! It feels good to post again.=)
ReplyDeleteHello, has it been a year since your last post? Which KDramas have you watched and liked in 2011-2012?
ReplyDeleteI miss reading your posts, really. Thanks, I will check out your recommendation.
It has almost been a year, you're right! Wow, it's been a while, huh? About dramas I liked, let's see, I've really enjoyed Padam Padam, Fermentation Family and Shut Up Flower Boy Band this year, and I'm currently enjoying Rooftop Prince quite a bit. How about you? Thanks so much for visiting my blog and dropping a note!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed Padam Padam, and I'm currently enjoying Fermentation Family. Shut Up Flower Boy Band and Ojakgyo Brothers are next on my to-watch list.
ReplyDeleteAre you going to write reviews on Fermentation Family or Shut Up Flower Boy Band?
Anonymous, it's like you read my mind, you just named a whole bunch of dramas I enjoyed! Yes, I am hoping to write reviews for all of them...hopefully sooner rather than later. I have a lot of catching up to do on my review writing...but so little time. =( I'm also working on my 2011 Year End Review that I never put up last year...hopefully that'll get done soon too.
ReplyDeleteI'm really keen to check this one out, after reading your glowing recommendation!
ReplyDeleteMy Korean isn't very good tho, since all I know I picked up watching (lots & lots of) dramas! I was wondering if you know where or how I can watch this with subs?
kfangirl: gosh, that's a really good question. =( Are the usual fan sources not doing it? Viki or Darksubs? I've been watching raw files myself...it's unfortunate, I suppose that's probably why this drama is so under the radar in the English-speaking viewership, as it seems the main chunk of its fanbase are Korean-speakers...if I ever get wind of a subtitled source for it, I promise to post the info up ASAP!
ReplyDeleteYeah, no.. I've checked all the subbing groups that I know of, including WITH, Viki, Darksmurfsubs, Haruharu, Fighting Fansubs, the works. Dramafever also doesn't seem to have picked this up.
ReplyDeleteOne lone fan subbed the first episode and that was great coz then I actually got to watch the first episode, but she doesn't seem to be continuing with the project, so I'm back to the intimidating question of whether I should attempt a 100+ episode drama without subs, given my not-so-great Korean :p
Yes, please do post the info if you learn of a subbed source, thank you!!
Subs for E001-E005 are at http://dramatic.weebly.com/cheongdam.html . But at this late time, even finding the videos is hard.
ReplyDeletejust finished watching it, one of the funniest sitcom i’ve ever watch, the love triangle between Hyun Woo-Ji Eun-Sang Yeob are the best, even though i dont understand what they are saying cause there’s no available eng subs but still i enjoy watching it. And also the video you have posted above is no longer exist, can you please upload it again? Just want to know what they are saying. Thanks a lot!
ReplyDeleteKdramaguk : Quick And Biased Kdrama Reviews: A Kdrama Recommendation =)I Live In Cheongdam-Dong (2012) >>>>> Download Now
ReplyDelete>>>>> Download Full
Kdramaguk : Quick And Biased Kdrama Reviews: A Kdrama Recommendation =)I Live In Cheongdam-Dong (2012) >>>>> Download LINK
>>>>> Download Now
Kdramaguk : Quick And Biased Kdrama Reviews: A Kdrama Recommendation =)I Live In Cheongdam-Dong (2012) >>>>> Download Full
>>>>> Download LINK