In our series Classic KDrama 101, we cover dramas you may have missed but are worth seeing. If you want to make a suggestion for dramas that you would like included in this series, please let us know.
Obviously, there may be some excellent examples that we missed. Also, if you think a drama we cover does not make the Classic KDrama grade, please say so and let us know why. Dramas appeal to viewers-or don't-for different reasons.
That said, let's move on to this week's drama, "City Hunter," which was based on the Japanese manga of the same name.
"City Hunter" is the story of a man whose whole life has been a preparation for revenge. He has the skills needed to take on the bad guys. He only has one thing to fear: falling in love. And that is one arrow he cannot dodge.
The story of the 2011 hit series starts in 1983 when a bomb kills high-ranking South Korean officials. To retaliate, a covert North Korean operation is planned but those in charge have a change of heart and decide to end the mission already underway, destroying all evidence by killing the team they dispatched.
This prompts the sole team survivor Jin Pyo, played by Kim Sang Joong, to kidnap Lee Yoon Sung, the son of his fallen comrade. He takes the infant to Burma planning to train him in all the skills required to avenge his father. After growing up in Burma, Lee Yoon Sung gets a doctorate at MIT. He returns to Korea in 2011, where he enters the Blue House as an IT expert. He is solely focused on accomplishing his mission until he meets a presidential bodyguard Kim Na Na, played by Park Min Young.
While working at the Blue House, he discovers who killed his father and comes up with a plan for revenge but his less than violent plan does not satisfy his adopted father. Lee Yoon Sung is suddenly faced with conflicting loyalties, as well as the overwhelming desire to protect Kim Na Na.
This drama provided a breakout performance for Lee Min Ho, who by then had already turned heads in "Boys Over Flowers." His tough-but-sensitive portrayal of Lee Yoon Jung is a pleasure to watch as the character learns the true meaning of justice and the crippling nature of revenge.
The action-packed drama won Lee Min Ho a Top Excellence Award for acting, a Top Ten Stars Award and a Netizen Popularity Award.
And "City Hunter" is also a series that men seem to like as much as women, so it's a great way to introduce your favorite men to kdrama.
