City Hunter is one of the best dramas ever made
589760
City Hunter is one of the best dramas ever made, Korean or American.  It is like a great book you can't put down.  When my sisters and I get together, we do K-drama marathons.  We really appreciate that these shows are very clean with no bad language and no porn sex scenes.  The entire family can watch these.  We also do not mind the subtitles.  We have just learned to read faster.  Sooo much fun.  Lee Min Ho is one of our favorite actors.  Thanks for the ride!
3140712
Wow! This series is truly great. It has everything you might want in a murder mystery. Great acting, solid casting, mysterious setting, beautiful photography, moody music, intriguing story line, etc. And the characters have loads of charisma. They really came alive. I felt I really got to know the main characters. The final image of Andri walking away from the camera made me sad in that I will miss him. What more can I say? It's a must see.
497507
Very interesting drama with an excellent cast.
4325614
This is a terrific action drama with an excellent, almost documentary story.  I love dramas with some historical significance, especially when the script and acting are especially good.  DiCaprio and Hounsou are both marvelous actors, and they both shine in this movie.  Very glad I bought it and will watch it many times.
4688422
Great story and acting. the city and cast also added a lot to the movie. I would highly recommend it
809374
The movie is about two teenagers,Acerola and Laranjinha. Both are 13 yrs.old,although as you go further along the series,they progressively become older teenagers. They grow up in Rio de Janeiro's dangerous slum(called the favelas)where it is said that residents are lucky if they live up to the age of 20. The City of Men is an excellent comedy drama where humor is mixed with the harsh reality of an environment of crime,drugs,sex and instant death. The scenes as well as the sounds such as the gunshots are so realistic that one may wonder if he/she is watching an actual true-to-life high quality footage of a crime scene.
The two kid actors are so talented that you may be so engrossed with the movie that you'll begin to feel you are part of the scene following those two and sharing their fears,uneasiness,disappointments,risks and repugnance to the crimes they witness blending with their spirit,courage,
gentleness,compassion,humor and accomplishments. All of these reflected in a setting of poverty. You couldn't help but love these two kids as you go along and see them through the episodes. Brazilian Portuguese with English subtitles. Abssolutely 5 stars.
1493831
All 140 Episodes of City Hunter (CH.1,CH.2,CH.3,CH.91) and the 6 City Hunter Movie / Special (Goodbye my Sweet Heart,357 Magnum,Bay City Wars,1000000 Dollar,Secret Service and The Death of Ryo Saeba) are Perfect for each Anime fan !!!!!!!!!!!
I saw City Hunter. 1 and 2 at the German Pay tv and I loved it from the first minute (I hope that there will be a German dvd with it soon )if you believe,City Hunter. 1 is good then wait on City Hunter. 2 (Episode 52-114) 1000% more City Hunter Action !!!
The bigest Episode is CH.2 (Ep. 100)Goodbye cold City 1/2 Ryo must save Tokyo from a group of Terrorists wiht a Atomic bomb but his real problem is the Boss of the Terroists it is a woman and her name is Kaori Makimura !!!!!!!!!
Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy BUY BUY Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy Buy
4917303
this Korean soap opera (called 'drah-ma' in Korea) begins with a fight/chase scene and abruptly goes back to a prior time.  It's confusing as you have no idea what is going on.  As you begin to watch, you begin to understand and, of course, the ending scene of the drama picks off where the beginning sequence ends.  A common movie technique but it works - kinda.

I liked this drama; I liked it a lot.  It's on the same level of Dae Jang Geum in terms of scope, breadth of story and excitement.  It's def. worth watching.  I watched the beginning episodes and fast-forwarded the rest until the last few episodes.

My biggest beef is the unbelieveability of some of the story:  I don't understand how the main female became so good at fighting.  I mean she NEVER loses!  She's literally invincible.  Not believeable.  Plus people fly around like in Crouching Tiger-Hidden dragon.  C'mon.  Please.

Then there's the ending.  It was a poor ending; somewhat Shakespearean.  It made me angry for some reason.  I don't want to spoil the plot so I won't go into details.  The bottom-line is that if you enjoy grand mini-series-type stories with some fighting and a tragic love story, this is a good one to watch.  As other people have mentioned, there is also a very poetic and romantic scene of the main female character being bandaged by her male superior as it's lightly snowing - they both love each other but do not admit it as they are of different classes.
2402526
This is one of the best kdramas I ever watched.  I have watched about 50+ of them. This drama has everything you expect and more. Great actors, storyline, special effects, the hero and the villian, love story, comedy, and more. I fell in love with the alien, but more; you fall in love with the girl. I love everything about her acting, I compared her with Gong Hyo-jin from Greatest love and Master's Sun. Great comedians both women and I love both of them. I have watched every single kdrama from Gong Hyo-jin and she is the best comedian, but after watching Jun Ji-hyun performance in kdramas, I was totally impressed.  I totally recommend it for everyone to watch it.
2525017
If you're a fan of historical drama, costume drama or just drama in general, Dae Jan Geum is for you.  This is some of the best televison I have ever seen, in any language.  It ranks with some of the best feature films in its production values.  The sets are so incredible and detailed that after the end of the series, it was converted into a theme park so that one could tour the realistic recreations of the Chosun royal palace kitchens.

While words like "mouth-watering" have been used to promote the show, it's really not about cooking though a lot of cooking scenes do take place - many episodes of the series revolve around food and the preparation of it.  Food is just a touchstone used to explore differing philosophies of life and how even the most mundane things can be used as tools in the hands of the good - and weapons in the hands of the evil.  There's plenty of intrigue, from the lowest servant rebelling against authority by making onions too salty to the hastening of a royal death by the serving of too-rich meals, but also an exploration of love and hate and what it means to live in such an artificial and repressed atmosphere as that of a royal palace.

It's not all backstabbing and stir-frying though - there are minor characters who give welcome comic relief.  A sweet romantic thread also runs through the story.  There are even martial arts scenes and a short display of ssrieum, the Korean counterpart of sumo.

One thing not to be overlooked is the beautiful and sometimes haunting soundtrack.  Western instruments playing music with a Korean flavor (a kind of reverse 12 Girls Band!) give the series the right ambience without alienating those who might not enjoy traditional Korean melodies.  The soundtrack is worth buying on its own merits.

Because it's a television series, each episode begins with a synopsis of earlier plot points and those tend to become tedious when watching the DVDs.  There are many flashbacks also used to remind viewers of past incidents and that can also slow down the flow.  Of course that's what the fast-forward button is for.

Shop around.  Amazon does not have the best price by a long shot.  The entire series can be had in one huge boxed set (complete with additional trinkets referenced in the show).

This series is certainly addicting - expect to spend all of your free time for quite a while wallowing in the trials and triumphs of the great Jang Geum.
2356761
Chuno (The Slave Hunters) masterfully blends elements of The Good The Bad and The Ugly, The Seven Samurai, Romeo and Juliet, Robin Hood, and A Game of Thrones; and raises the bar for Epic Dramas.

Setting:
Chuno is a 24 episode drama set during Korea's Joseon Dynasty (16th Century).  After Korea lost the war to China, the country was in ruins.  50% of the population was enslaved.  When slaves escaped, Chuno (Slave Hunters) were hired to return them to their masters for severe punishments.

Story:
The story revolves around a band of slave hunters lead by Lee Dae Gil, a hunter with a brutal reputation.  For the last 10 years, Lee has carried a portrait of a beautiful girl with him where ever he goes, asking everyone if they have seen her and promising them great rewards if they can give him any information.  It is soon revealed that Lee was once an aristocrat from a wealthy family who fell in love with a slave named Un Nyun.  Because they were from different classes, their relationship was forbidden and they were both severely punished.  During a slave rebellion, Lee lost everything and turned to the streets to survive.  Now Lee's face is badly scarred and he has the grim countenance of a starving wolf.  After 10 years, he still searches for the woman that he loves and her brother who led the rebellion.  The Slave Hunters become entangled in a major political conspiracy when they are hired to track down an escaped military criminal.

Awards:
Won Best Actor Jang Hyuk as Lee Dae Gil
Won Best Actor Oh Ji Ho as Song Tae Ha
Won Best Supporting Actor Sung Dong as Chun Ji Ho (The guy with the evil laugh)
Won Best Couple (Lee Dae Gil and Unnyeon)
Won Best Script
Nominated for Best Drama but lost to IRIS.

Characters:
As you can tell by the awards, the acting is superb.  Jang Hyuk (Lee Dae Gil) is like a Korean Toshiro Mifune.
Lee Dae Gil is the leader of the slave hunters.
Song Tae Ha is the escaped military criminal.
Hye Won (Un Nyun) is Lee's long lost love.
The story also features corrupt politicians, assassins, mercenaries, soldiers, rival factions, street gangs, merchants, heirs to the throne, spies, scholars...

Action:
Chuno has outstanding action sequences similar to the Movie 300.  There are brawls, wars, skirmishes, musket snipers, sword fights, spear fights, archers...

Soundtrack:
The soundtrack is a fusion of modern music blended with epic period music.  Personally, I hate lyrics in background music, but for some reason Chuno pulls it off beautifully.  The best example is a track called 'Gloomy 30's'.  You can find it on youtube or itunes.  I put the link in the comment section below.

Maturity:  Teens
This was a TV show.  There's violence with some blood although I wouldn't call it gory like Spartacus.  There's NO nudity like A Game of Thrones or Spartacus.

Overall:
This is a MUST SEE if you are an EPIC COMPLETIONIST.  If you like A Game of Thrones, 300, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, The Seven Samurai... then this needs to go on your list.  I've known people who cried because some scenes were so sad, some scenes were so funny, and some scenes were so beautiful.  I watched the entire series twice already.  It's amazing!

People who may not like this:
If your epic period pieces need to be historically accurate, then the music, dynamic fight scenes, or makeup on the women may bother you.

Chuno is available right now on Hulu.com, but the subtitles are sub par.  The acting is so good, you don't even need them.  I've included two (fairly spoiler free) trailers in the Comment Section Below.

Enjoy!
3238716
24 is one of the best action dramas ever produced for television.  Both the writing and acting were excellent.  Watched the entire first season in a week.
1390885
One of the best shows of all time and so well acted.
2887459
I truly enjoy the intelligence of this serious, along with the transition of broken lives made into very useful protectors. I love the way they become a family and are so faithful to one another while living to help people in danger. It is very interesting , has much adventure, excitement, love, commitment, is witty and surprising. All the actors are great and so diverse. Even the dog is such a plus to the serious. I never get tired of watching this. The entire 5 serious is about 100 episodes. The best serious I have ever seen and owned.
2154174
There are some shows you watch where you feel like you've been cheated and you just wasted your time (and money). Definitely not this one. This series took many Asian countries by storm, but I believe that given the opportunity, it will also fascinate Western audiences. Costumes painstakingly recreated from the Han period, recipes and folk remedies of that time equally well researched, political intrigue. The culture of that period just unfolds before your eyes: how it is to be part of the king's inner court, what the inside of the Palace is like, how it is to be a palace girl, the hierarchies and politics of it all. Why, even the kitchen staff has hierarchies from the Lofty Madame to the lowly kitchen assistants. And at the heart of it all: the story of one girl who came into the palace hoping to one day bring honor to her mother, and how she makes the leap from being a palace girl, to being a kitchen madam, to being the king's physician. Above the pageantry, the gorgeous costumes, the interesting insights into Korean court life, this series' greatest strength is its complex, intriguing, and unpredictable story. I have been watching tv series from everywhere--- this is the best I have seen yet.
1956364
"The First Shop of Coffee Prince" is the first Korean drama I ever watched, and it's still the gold standard by which I judge all Kdramas. I watched it online several times before deciding to buy a copy.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of bootlegs out there, so it's important to look for the words "authorized US edition" or "licensed product". This one is the real deal. The subtitles are good, written in standard, American colloquial English, with very few typos. The video quality is high also, at least it was on my 9-inch portable DVD player. I can't vouch for how it would on a larger screen HD or plasma tv. There are 17 episodes on 6 disks, plus one disk of extras. They came in a nice trifold box set.

As for the series itself, it's a chick flick on steroids. There are at least 4 interconnected love stories, all centered around the titular coffee shop. The main story is the romance between playboy Choi Han Kyul, the  29-year old owner of the shop, and his employee Ko Eun Chae, an androgynous young woman who poses as a man to work at the all-male cafe. Eun Chae takes the job because she needs the money, but then begins to have feelings for Han Kyul. She is afraid to reveal her gender for fear of losing both her job and Han Kyul's friendship, but Han Kyul meanwhile is disturbed by his growing attraction to this "boy".  While it's obvious to everyone around them what is going on, they both fight it as long as they can...

An excellent ensemble cast and a good balance of humor, drama and romance make this series well worth watching. I only wish it would come down a bit in price so that more people could enjoy it. Four and a half stars.
1382574
I marathoned Shark (2013, they call it Don't Look Back here, so beware of bootlegs!) over two days and couldn't even sleep all night because it was so packed with tension on every episode. I loved Ye Jin Son and Nam Gil Kim as the leads, they had sublime chemistry together, and I loved their younger counterpart actors! Never before have I seen two young actors who so perfectly capture the physical and emotional characteristics of the adult actors. Also, the cinematography was lustrous and enchanting, some of the images were like paintings! I would freeze the images just to STARE at them! The OST was also beautiful and haunting. The K-drama of Shark falls under the radar unfairly, and needs more exposure! It's dynamite! One of the best. Great classic romantic storytelling.