K-Dramarama: Memories of the Alhambra

Maybe sappy teen dramas aren't your thing. That's ok. There is a k-drama out there for almost any genre you might want. Memories of the Alhambra was my second K-drama and definitely has a healthy dose of romance, but I'd consider it more of a sci fi/action show. It's also one of the highest rated shows in Korean cable TV history.

CEO Yoo Jin Woo is visiting Granada to meet with the developer of a groundbreaking new augmented reality game. However, when he arrives, he discovers that the developer, Jung Se Joo, has gone missing. Jin Woo ends up staying at the hostel run by Se Joo's sister, Jung Hee Joo, where he shakes up her entire life. When the game starts spilling over into reality, she finds herself entangled with Jin Woo as he races to try to find her brother.

First of all, they synopsis does not do this show justice. It's full of twists and surprises that keep you guessing through the entire series. I don't want to get too much into the plot because I don't want to give anything away. It does, alas, have a bittersweet ending.

I also wasn't expecting a science fiction leaning show to have a lot of sword fighting, but was pleasantly surprised. Much of the show was filmed in Granada and the views are gorgeous, so that's another high point as well.

Hyun Bun as Jin Woo and Park Shin Hye as Hee Joo have fantastic chemistry. All the casting is well done. A personal favorite for me was Min Jin Woong as Seo Jung Hoon, CEO Yoo's assistant. And we also have a chance to play my favorite game, which k-pop idol is in this show? For this one we get Chanyeol of EXO. He's cute as heck with glasses, playing game creator Jung Se Joo.

I very strongly recommended this one. It was the second k-drama I ever watched and not only is it great, it's easily accessible to American viewers. As of the time of this post it's available to stream on Netflix.