Man Crush Mondays

Hey everyone! Today we've come to chat about my Man Crush Monday...  Yoo Ah In!

 *Slow Clap*                                                                                                       *Slow Clap*

To be honest, I am a bit fuzzy on how I was exposed to the ever talented Yoo Ah In. So I am going to start this journey on the amazing drama Six Flying Dragons.

If I ever take part in a revolution and I overthrow the government... Six Flying Dragons made me do it. This was one of the most solidly written drama's I've ever watched.  I believe it's 50 episodes, and it was a Saeguk that delivered well beyond any expectation that I could fathom. A large driving force responsible for this excellence is Yoo Ah In's performance as Yi Bang-Won. This character was jovial, petulant, conniving, smart, innocent all at once. I've never seen a character like that before and I was sucked in. Every point Yi Bang-Won made, I believed wholeheartedly even when he advocating for the complete elimination of his competitors. After watching this drama, I deep in my K-drama blues and I went searching for anything and everything that Yoo Ah In performed in.

This leads me to watch "Secret Love Affair". Which happens to be the very FIRST K-drama review I ever did. Secret Love Affair I binged this drama and I was in a state of melancholy for a while. Yoo Ah In plays Lee Sun-Jae a piano prodigy who unapologetically falls in love with a married director and begins to have the most passionate affair I've ever seen. The chemistry between Yoo Ah In and Kim Hee Ae was electrifying. Every nerve-ending I had was sizzling as I watched them together. I'd never seen two actors go back and forth the way these two did. There was a poeticism in every facial expression made. If you haven't watched this drama, please go watch it. WARNING: It may give you serious unrealistic expectations about love, relationships...etc.

After Secret Love Affair I was more ravenous for Yoo Ah In performances. I happened on the movie Antique, and it may have been one of the happiest decisions I have ever made. Yang Ki Bum plays a boxer who is trying to figure out his life and winds up at this cake-shop. This movie has one of the most unique stories I've ever seen. I feel in love with the entire cast, and it gave me more actors to stalk so I stayed out of a drama rut for a while. This also introduced me to a theme that some Korean movies have, in which you think you're watching one story, and it develops and turns into a completely different genre, and leaves you completely mind blown!

The creme de la creme of all performances done by Yoo Ah In for me... has to be Chicago Typewriter! Good Drama-gods... was this one of the most spectacular drama's I've ever seen! The seamless navigation of time was beyond anything I've watched before. Han Se-Joo plays a writer who encounters a ghost from his past life, and the reincarnated love of his life, all while trying not to lose his mind and his career. The only actor who could pull this role off is Yoo Ah In. I don't know much about his actual personality, but I bought this role hook line and sinker. The range that Yoo Ah In tapped into while playing both Han Se-Joo and Seo Hwi Young was magnificent to see. My heart was so full while watching this drama. Everything about it was pleasing to the soul, and it was one of the most inspiring works of arts that I've ever come across.

There are some special mentions to be said! I really enjoyed the movie "Like for Likes " it's a simple rom-com that made me laugh a lot. Tough as Iron was a heartwarming story that I would also recommend. He Who Can't Marry was a drama early in Yoo Ah In's career and it was really nice to see how far he's developed as an actor. There is also the famous Sungkyunkwan Scandal drama, I couldn't get into it, but I've read nothing but great reviews and I'll try it in the future. Also Jang Ok Jung drama was something I didn't finish but I remember enjoying the performances a lot.

That's it Drama Lovers, I hope this sparks some joy to your day, and as always Happy Drama Watching.

Chicago Typewriter

I thought that I had written a review on this drama, only to realize that...no, in fact, I had not written one about this creative masterpiece. So here we go!

If you haven't watched it yet, GO... NOW! It's amazing!!!

Yoo In Ah plays Han Se Joo who is a prolific writer. Though he has accolades, status, and money, he lives an isolated existence. Han Se Joo is skeptical, cynical and mistrusting of people outside of his small trusted circle. Throughout this drama, we get to see him evolve into a loving, and compassionate person. His hilarious antics often stem from suspicion and jealousy, and it was a pleasure watching him. We also get to see him reconcile to the supernatural elements of his world, and that was a great source of laughter. Han Se Joo finds that he has to navigate between his incarnated past and his present. He writes about these encounters with the hope of helping out his neighborly ghost, Yoo Jin Oh.

Yoo Jin Oh, (played by Go Kyung Pyo) is also a writer, who happens to be a ghost. His bar was instrumental for Korea to be liberated from the Japanese occupation. The only problem is, he doesn't remember how he died, and his soul has been captured inside a typewriter that happens to find it's way to Han Se Joo's desk. He makes his way back from Chicago to Seoul, and he's looking for the beautiful Jeon Seol. This character was lovesick throughout the series, and he had such beautiful puppy eyes. Go Kyung Pyo continuously pulled my heartstrings.

Jeon Seol played by the amazing Im Soo-Jung. Jeon Seol is an... unfortunate soul. She loses her father after being abandoned by her mother. Once she finds the talent for shooting guns, she begins having visions of the murder of someone of her past life. She then pursues a veterinarian degree but develops another scare. She's our typical spunky K-Drama lead girl. I adored the chemistry between Jeon Seol and Han Se Joo. They were electric and it was such a joy seeing them.

The story developed amazingly, the soundtrack was perfect, and by the last minute of the drama, I was completely satiated.