To be completely honest about it, I haven't watched that many Korean romantic films in the recent years. There are few reasons that contribute to that. First is that I've been busy. It's not that I don't have time anymore to watch a few movies. It's just that if I watch a certain movie, I want to be really interested in it even before watching because I will not and could not finish a movie if I find it to be a bother to watch based on the first few scenes. Another reason is that there are a few Korean romance movies that have really unique and interesting story lines. I watched many Korean romance movies then and it's easy for me to watch from movies to movies because the genre was new to me. Now, I've gotten used to the stories and much like those cliché Hollywood or Filipino movies, I could not take to watch every movie anymore. I just choose those potentially good movies and that's it. Lastly, I try to widen my scope these days. I really like horror or thriller movies, so I give more time in watching movies of that genre. Also, I watch (romance) French, Hollywood, British, Japanese, Thai, and other genres as well from other countries. That's why maybe I don't give time to watch other Korean romance films that are not that appealing to me. Nonetheless, I'm giving my top five Korean romantic films that was released from 2010 to present.
Let's start from..
5. Cyrano Agency (2010)
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At times, I really forget what the ending to this movie was. I think that's a good thing though, because you don't watch a movie just because of its ending. It's all about the process of how the story was presented. The concept was really good because it's quite different from the usual Korean romance movies that we all like.
4. How to Use Guys with Secret Tips (2013)
This movie is much more unique than you might expect it to be. The Korean title really means "A Manual on How to Use Men." It's basically about a woman who lacks social skills that a "woman" accepted by society needs, which is the capability to attract men. She then found a videotape (bought it from a weird vendor) that teaches women how to attract men in a step-by-step process. You might have guessed already: she then followed the tips and her life turned around from then on..
There are those types of movies wherein you just don't understand what's going on, because it seems like underneath those weird scenes comes a deep meaning. Perhaps I'm just thinking about it too much, but this movie indeed is somehow weird but its message is interestingly conveyed. You might notice that I like movies that is somehow at the periphery of the usual boy-meets-girl type of Korean movies because of reasons like what I've said in my introduction.
3. My Black Mini Dress (2011)
I actually included this movie already in the list I made for the Top 10 Korean Romance Comedy Movies I made back then, however, it wasn't in the top 10. I didn't include it because it was pretty recent and I wanted to include those old movies that many people really like already. This time, I'm including My Black Mini Dress in this list. This is about four women in their mid 20's who are struggling in life, albeit in different ways. These four were best friends in college but now that they're facing the "real world" already, the fun stopped and now they're struggling to look for the direction they need in life. It's a bit timely because the generation of people in their 20's nowadays are all "struggling" in finding something that is worthy to do for the rest of their lives. It's a matter that many of us are currently experiencing, and so this movie might just be the right movie to watch even though it's not that "romantic" in a sense of having a love story as the main plot of the movie.
2. Sunny (2011)
Like "My Black Mini Dress," this movie is not centered on a love story about a man and a woman. It's also about girls who were the best of friends in high school and got separated upon growing up. The movie alternates between the "present" wherein the girls are already adults and the "past" wherein they were in high school and having fun. I like this movie because it somehow gives you the feeling of nostalgia even if you're not part of the group. It's perfect in representing friendship especially between women. I also really like the soundtrack, especially the song where the title was based on, which is "Sunny" (that we all should love).
1. Architecture 101 (2012)
Architecture 101 or Introduction to Architecture is probably popular among K-pop fans because of Suzy (Miss A). This movie is about first love. The concept of first love in romance movies might not be that unique anymore, but this movie definitely portrayed it in a different way. The movie is somewhat perfect for me. It has this subtle vibe of romance. Usually, movies about first love can be so dramatic and passionate that it just ruins the innocence that's supposed to represent "first love." This is not the case for Architecture 101. The soundtrack was also really good and as you might have noticed, I'm a sucker for good soundtracks. Overall, this movie is at the top of my list because I think it's worthy enough to be in line with my other favorite movies like "My Sassy Girl" or "Windstruck."
That's it for the top 5 recent Korean romance movies. I hope you guys like the movies in the list and I promise to watch more romance movies so that I can review them here.
P.S.
This post is to make up for the past month (February). I haven't posted anything because of my busy schedule, but I hope this list makes up for it. I'll try to post another list (maybe of soundtracks) for the "love month," February.
