Japanese Dramas over the years have proved to be will ALWAYS have a place in my heart, and for this reason alone I’m making a 2018 list of Jdramas^^ I used to make more of these but somewhat bittersweetly to me, Korean dramas have totally outshone Japanese dramas in recent years both with popularity and [...]

Hey everyone!! Our next LIVE CHAT #dramatalk is scheduled for Saturday March 5th 2016 at 3pm NY Time! Gather up your thoughts on the latest dramas you’ve been watching, and let’s all hang out chatting about Kdrama, Jdrama, WHATEVER dramas you like! This LIVE CHAT #dramatalk is also a KOREAN COSMETICS GIVEAWAY!!!! The wonderful people [...]

When I made my first EVER Asian drama review back in 2012, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I’d eventually be making a video about the New Thai Dramas of 2016. I’m sure some of you weren’t expecting it either.   These days with the internet so readily available at all of our [...]

GUYZS: Four out of the 5 dramas ON THIS LIST have KOREAN ACTORS STARRING IN THEM!!!!!!!!!!! Whaaaaaaaat?!?!!!!! Whether you’re ready for it or not, it looks like Chinese Dramas have landed on the drama scene and may just be here to stay! Crazy as that sounds, and if you’re not expecting to hear that, I think [...]

Although I’m currently watching (and so far LOVING) the New Korean Drama ‘Cheese and the Trap’, one of my first loves of ALL TIME has to be Japanese Dramas. If you’ve been a fan of this channel for any length of time you may already know this :)   This new year seems to be [...]

Korean Dramas may be the most popular Asian dramas at the moment, but how could I not count down my favorite Japanese Dramas of 2015? So I did!   I recently just finished watching Tenno no Ryoriban. I hadn’t finished it by the time I made this video, though I had seen Ouroboros. If I [...]

Hey everyone! There’s a New LIVE CHAT #dramatalk scheduled for this Saturday November 21st 2015 at 4pm NY Time. We’ll be chatting about all the latest Korean Dramas (as well as older ones!), and really anything Korea :)   I will also be announcing the winner of the Kokobox GIVEAWAY!!!! We’ve partnered with Kokobox Korea [...]

In a continuation on last weekend’s Chinese Top 5 Friday, I decided to explore another country’s selections for drama viewing: this time in Thailand!   In my life I’ve spent a total of about 3 weeks in Thailand for our honeymoon. It was certainly an enjoyable experience but what it didn’t introduce me to was Thai [...]

The other week I was looking for new Taiwanese Dramas to watch and talk about. The Korean Drama that I had been anticipating ‘She Was Pretty’ hadn’t started airing yet, and I was stuck in a drama limbo.   In looking for a good drama however I was struck by how many even better looking [...]

The other day I was looking for new Korean Dramas coming out in July, when I stumbled upon Death Note the Japanese Drama coming out in July!!!! I was SOOOOOOOO EXCITED for this news than I instantly when on a grand internet scavenger hunt to find all the information that I could about this so [...]

LIVE CHAT this Saturday May 9th, 2015 at 4pm NY Time!! Giving away and announcing the winner of the Gong Hyo Jin Running Man Cap compliments of the To February online boutique. To enter to win the Running Man Cap: To win the Running Man Gong Hyo Jin Cap: 1. Subscribe to our YouTube channel [...]

It’s been a long time coming, but yesterday at about 1:30am on the morning of May 3rd, we crossed 100,000 subscribers on our Hallyu Back channel!!!!!!!!!!! THAT’S BANANAS!!!! It’s incredible to be honest, so we decided to take a moment and reflect on the journey that got us where we are today in this video [...]

I had the very fun and unique opportunity to hang out with Richard’s mother and learn how to bake authentic Italian Sicilian bread! Woke up early in the morning and was picked up by my mother in law to drive way out into the countryside of New York State and take this Sicilian stuffed bread [...]

Thanks to all of you, I’ve been able to more seriously pursue a passion and dream of mine: painting. It’s been a crazy (almost) 2 months back in the US, and now I’d like to give back to you guyz for amazing support! All the paintings above are for sale, and there’s no time limit. [...]

SPRINGTIME IS FINALLY HERE!!!! I’m so excited for the warm weather, and this winter seemed extra brutal with all the snow that took forever to melt. I had the amazing opportunity to test ride a bicycle yesterday when Richard picked up his mountain bike from the shop. We brought our new GoPro 4 camera and [...]

One of the most recognizable and economic ways to feed yourself in Korea is with Ramen! It’s relatively popular with locals as well as people who view Korea from afar. And not only is the selection of ramen wide and varied, there are also so many ways you can prepare it! The footage from this [...]

Hey everyone! LIVE CHAT #dramatalk scheduled for Saturday April 11th, 2015 at 4pm New York Time!! MY FIRST EVER LIVE CHAT FROM AMERICA!!!! So excited for this! If you have not entered, see how to in the description box of this video. I’m also announcing the winner of the Boys Over Flowers Kissing Star Necklace [...]

Super excited to hang out, talk some dramas and announce the winners on the HallyuBack #dramatalk T-shirts! I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I’m also a bit sad that this is my LAST LIVE CHAT!! SO.. Let’s hang out together one last time in Korean and make it a memorable LIVE CHAT! ^^ [...]

I love Kamenashi Kazuya.  Ok, maybe I don’t looove him, but I certainly do like watching him in my Jdramas.  So much so that I made an entire video about it and his best dramas quite a while ago!  Needless to say he’s back again at the beginning of 2015 with a drama that looks [...]

Jdramas are my first Asian drama loves. Actually truth be told, Matsumoto Jun and Oguri Shun are my first Asian drama loves. Matsujun is kinda looking a bit scary as he’s not aging as time is going on and I’m not wholly sure about how I feel about his dramas – but Oguri Shun still [...]

LIVE CHAT #dramatalk this Saturday Jan. 10th 2015 and announcing the winner of the Pinocchio Necklace GIVEAWAY! Let’s hang out, talk some dramas and tune in to see if you won! ^^ The AMAZING GIVEAWAY happening is in collaboration with ToFebruary.com Be sure to check out their website chock full of Korean drama, Kpop and [...]

Vagina Boat Artist Megumi Igarashi also known as ろくでなし子 meaning ‘Good for nothing girl’ or literally translated by Google as ‘Bastard Artist’ was arrested in Japan again for offering 3D prints of her vagina to people who donated to help her create a 3D kayak with an imprint of her vagina on it. We weigh [...]

We’re having a LIVE CHAT #dramatalk this Saturday December 20th at 11pm Korean time!!!!! YAY!! ^^ Along with exchanging some awesome end of the year #dramatalk I will also be announcing the winner of the Gong Hyo Jin Necklace Giveaway in collaboration with ToFebruary.com If you haven’t seen the video or entered to win one [...]

HEY EVERYONE! Special edition LIVE CHAT #dramatalk happening this Saturday November 8th 2014 at 11pm Korean time!! I will also be announcing the winner of the Heirs Park Shin Hye Backpack being given away by the kind folks at ToFebruary.com. The have so much Kdrama and Kpop merch on their website it’s not even funny, [...]

I am and will ALWAYS be a big fan of Japanese dramas. Why aren’t they more popular these days? Don’t get me wrong, Korean dramas being all the rage these days aren’t all that bad. I became really excited when I saw Japan was making a season 2 of Itazura Na Kiss: Love in Tokyo [...]

First things first I want to thank Tanya for her AWESOME suggestion! This is perfect timing because I’m totally on a Noona drama romance kick. I’m actually currently watching the number 5 drama on this list ☺ Yet, another reason why I couldn’t rank it any higher on the list than number 5. So far, [...]

WOOHOOOOO for Japanese dramas! I’m psyched that a Japanese drama has caught the attention of us drama lovers, because lord knows Korean dramas are dominating the scenes right now. This drama stars Gackt and Kuroki Meisa. If you don’t know who these two are, then you haven’t done your Japanese drama homework. Anyone who loves [...]

This week I’m rounding up my list of dramas I’d really like to see this fall out of all three countries. As a grad student who’s diligently working to try to finish my thesis this semester, I’m about to have a lot less time to peruse all of the dramas beyond an episode or two [...]

It’s been WAY TOOOOOOOOOO LONG since I’ve done a LIVE CHAT #dramatalk with you guyz!! I’ve been wanting to do them, but I’ve just been way to busy with school, and then I was home visiting family in the US. I’m back in Korea, settled for the most part, and I’m ready to chat with [...]

One thing I find to be pretty standard across the board for Asian drama lovers is that we’re a unique breed. A lot of times, our friends and family don’t watch them and don’t understand how we can watch them.   So, I decided to make this video as a kind of tongue in cheek [...]

Have you guyz seen the titles and themes of a few of these dramas that Japan is releasing this month? In terms of drama land, I cannot think of any dramas that are more racier than these. I’m indeed curious to see how this all plays out.   For someone who fell in love with [...]

One of the biggest stories to come out this year a few weeks ago was a leak on the Matusmoto Jun Inoue Mao dating relationship. If you didn’t know, these two are dating. In fact, for those of us that have been following their story ever since they starred along side each other in Hana [...]

Around the same time I made the Smexiest Korean Actors video, I actually also wrote this one, or at least made the list of smexy gents I wanted to talk about. You see, for me it was actually a lot easier to make my smexy Japanese guys list because I’ve been watching Japanese Dramas longer [...]

I couldn’t just write up a bunch of dream Kdramas and completely ignore my first love of Jdramas now could I? Last week I uploaded a video on New 2015 Korean dramas and that was a lot of fun to make. But since for me its so hard to write Japanese dramas since I haven’t [...]

So I tweeted the other night that I was going to finish this drama, and I haven’t gotten around to watching the last episode yet because I’ve been too tired. That being said, I’m saving it for a special occasion that will probably occurring sometime within the next 48 hours. Preferrably when I can sit [...]

I’ve been waiting for a month like this from Japanese dramas for a LONG time!!! I became almost uncontrollably excited when I was researching this video when I saw many of my favorite Jdrama actors and actresses in leading roles this month. Now I may not be able to pronounce all their names to save [...]

Hey guyz! LIVE CHAT #10 is scheduled for Saturday March 8th 2014 at 11pm Korean time!!! I’ve been in South Korea now officially for 5 years and been doing Kdrama, Jdrama and TWdrama reviews for less than 2. Let’s celebrate and hang out together for this exciting occasion! ^^ #dramatalk! TWEET THIS LIVE CHAT! ► [...]

Now that I’ve started talking about Japanese dramas coming out in March, I can’t avoid the truth that my winter vacation is quickly coming to a close. While Richard and I stayed in Korea instead of traveling to Thailand, Cambodia or some other exotic locations like we have in the past, we still had a [...]

Hey guyz! Live from Korea LIVE CHAT #9 #dramatalk is scheduled for Sunday Feb. 23rd 2014 at 1pm Korean time!!! For this LIVE CHAT I have a special guest joining me in the Hallyu Back household: Nichola from ‘My Korean Husband’! She’s an Asian Drama fan just like me! This is gonna be so much [...]

From the first episode of the first day of my drama watching career I have had a drama leading man crush. His name is Matsumoto Jun and the drama was Gokusen. The image of Matsu-jun with his perfectly styled hair with the bleached out tips and swagger that went on for days captured me from [...]

Valentines’ Day is coming up quickly and I’ve noticed that chocolate has practically exploded in the different stores around our home in Korea for the holiday. Korea and Japan have their own unique way of celebrating Valentine’s Day that you may have seen in manga/manhwa, anime and dramas. If you’re not familiar with it, let [...]

Hey guyz! LIVE CHAT #8 is scheduled for Sunday Feb. 2nd 2014 at 1pm Korean time!!! A whole lotta new Korean Dramas in 2014 to make a fuss about! Jdramas too! Let’s hang out and CHAT about it! ^^ #dramatalk!

If you didn’t know, I recently started daily vlogging Monday – Thursday on the bonus channel for the new year while I’m on vacation.  That means until March you’ve got an inside look into my life, what it’s like to live in Korea and the like.  In turn, I get to try out some concepts [...]

LIVE CHAT is on at 2pm Korean time today! YAY!!

It’s a new year! Wait.. I said that last week. >.< I haven’t made a new Japanese drama video since October 2013. That makes me really sad pandas. So much has happened and that was SO LONG AGO! OMG you guyz I’m going through Japanese drama withdrawl.   But that’s okay because this video is [...]

LIVE CHAT is on at 2pm Korean time today! YAY!!

Happy New Year everyone! LIVE CHAT #6 is scheduled for Friday Jan. 3rd, 2014 at 11pm Korean time!!! It’s a new year with tons of potential! Let’s start it off right talking dramas and hanging out! ^^ #dramatalk!

There’s nothing like a good Japanese Drama that is if you’re a die-hard Asian drama fan like me.   I have to say that I feel things are finally starting to turn around for Japanese dramas and I feel as though this year was the first glimpse I’ve had of a comeback of sorts since [...]

Hey guyz! LIVE CHAT #5 is scheduled for Sunday Dec. 15th, 2013 at 2pm Korean time!!! I am so looking forward t this LIVE CHAT for no other reason than I need a break from the end of the semester onslaught of assignments due! (I actually think I’ll be finishing up papers and presentation prep [...]

I’m in drama limbo. Anyone there with me? It all started when I recently finished watching a Master’s Sun – great drama btw! I knew that Heirs would start airing shortly after since it was taking over the time slot. Now it is out and I can watch it – but I have to wait [...]

It’s Jdrama week! And oh-my-goodness, does Japan have a lot of exciting dramas coming out this Month. Names like Kame, Maki Horikita, AKIRA, Ryo, Koike Teppei, Nakama Yukie.. I seriously cannot begin to explain to you all how awesome this month is for Asian dramas. In actually making the top 20, I will say that [...]

You know those dramas that are really great but never become all that popular? I think we all have our favorites dramas or TV shows that stand out in our memory for one reason or another that for some reason the rest of humanity just hasn’t caught on to it’s amazingness. Now it would be [...]

Today marks the beginning of our last weekend in the USA and as I keep saying it’s been an awesome trip but we’re excited to get back to Korea as well.   One of my favorite stops was chilling out with a few of my friends in State College, PA and indulging in an old [...]

This is a drama that’s all about Matsuta Shota. Not sure if they wrote this drama specifically with Shota in mind, but this one had to have a strong lead. With him in the lead, they are showcasing his acting front and center. And why wouldn’t they? He is sort of like the Lee Seung [...]

Although Japanese dramas in 2013 still aren’t nearly as popular as Korean dramas, I’m really excited for the comeback they are making! My thing is, before the big Japanese earthquake, Jdramas were very popular, and very, very good. After the whole earthquake shook the country (which by the way they talk about in Saikou no [...]

Ever have a relationship problem? Who hasn’t??? We’ve all been there. This Japanese drama is that particular slice of life that doesn’t necessarily taste so sweet. One reason why this drama may not be so popular is because people watching don’t necessarily want to face reality in their lives. This one is attempting to show [...]

Itazura na Kiss or It Started With a Kiss has always been one of my favorite stories to come out in the live action drama world. Back when I was first starting to watch dramas and basing my choices off of Mangas I watched both the original Japanese version and then the Taiwanese version with [...]

I have a confession. I’m a food porn enthusiast. I believe it started somewhere when I was in elementary school with only 10 channels and I had a choice between golf, fishing or Julia Child. I love that woman, and her book ‘My Life in France’ is a great read that I recommend to anyone [...]

For those of you have been following, you probably know by now that’s I’m also a fan of anime and manga. However, because I’m so wrapped up in dramas with Hallyu Back (and have had WAY too much homework recently), I don’t get to shower myself as much with anime anymore. Sad but true. So, [...]

Gosh am I excited for the summer!!! Not only will I finally get to give my daddy a hug after a year of not seeing him (yes I am going home for the summer!), but there look to be some fantastic Jdramas coming out. The first drama from this list that really stands out to [...]

There’s something about a Cinderella story. Whether you’re 5 or 55, and if you believe in the fairytale romance or you abhor everything it stands for there’s still something very gripping about it all. A new Japanese drama that started in April but is still being released, it’s one I completely almost overlooked in my [...]

OMG, Fabulous Boys is finally out!!! Though I haven’t seen it yet (waiting for subs is torture) I feel like I’ve been waiting for this drama forever and it’s almost in my grasp! I’ve also totally been on a Jdrama kick lately, I think it’s because I’ve been watching so many Korean dramas this year [...]

There are a whole bunch of what seem to be fun and interesting detective dramas coming out of Japan at the same time this year.  Though I’m not a huge fan of this genre of Asian drama, I still felt the need to put a video together about it.  And, after the chips had fallen [...]

Hana Yori Dango is the first of the F4 Flower Boy series dramas that I personally saw.  It was also a drama that fully helped endear me to Japanese dramas in general.  I actually found out about this drama through Matsumoto Jun.  When I first started my life as a drama enthusiast watching Gokusen.  It’s [...]

Kamenashi Kazuya is definitely one of my top 3 favorite Japanese actors. Since I made this video, I recently in watched him in Tatta Hitotsu no Koi. If I had seen this drama prior to making this list, it very well may have taken the number one spot. But.. such as life. These things happen. [...]

This one is an older drama, but quite possibly THE BEST melodrama I may have ever seen. I think one of the things that really makes this one stand out above and beyond others is that it’s a true story. So often in drama land things are completely fictitious and unrealistic. The situations and dialogues [...]

I was really excited when I began researching for this Top 5 because I’m a huge fan of Japanese dramas. Unfortunately, since making this Top 5 I haven’t had time to watch any of them! The names of these ones were practically impossible to pronounce, especially since I don’t speak a lot of Japanese and [...]

Oguri Shun makes his long awaited comeback after taking some time off and getting married with the Japanese Drama Rich Man, Poor Woman. I love this guy and I think I have yet to see him act horribly in a drama. It was a bit depressing finding out that he got married. But, at the [...]

5. Legal High A legal comedy about an attorney who loves his money and women but always wins the case and a female rookie attorney who starts to work at the firm and how their personalities clash. It’s something to make you laugh while those of us in the northern hemisphere are freezing up here. [...]

Priceless was perhaps the best Japanese drama of 2012, and it was family friendly! I’ll be honest, I haven’t finished this one yet but it’s not because I didn’t like it. Since I made this TOAD, there have just been too many good dramas and I’ve been too short on time. I’m totally with the [...]

Made this video in November 2012, but didn’t make the blog post until the middle of 2013. This is simply because there was no blog back in Nov. 2012. The YouTube videos came way before the blog. Anyhoo, I dig Japan. Japanese culture, Jdramas, some of the Japanese actors, and well, some of the actresses [...]

Wow, my hair was really red back then! It was as red as the maple leaves in fall. I always liked finding out what new dramas are coming out, what looks good and what I want to watch. I suppose this is how I started Hallyu Back in the first place. 5. Resident This one [...]

I couldn’t talk about my love of Asian dramas without talking about Miyazaki sooner or later. So, the video about Miyazaki and his brilliant animations which I SO LOVE came sooner. This man’s animations are pretty much single-handedly got me into anime, which In turn got me more or less into live action dramas which [...]

Picture a typical kid in a candy store for the first time ever in their life. Got your image? Does that image look anything like me? I as because this is exactly how I felt on my first night in Fukuoka, Japan. I cannot even begin to explain how exciting it was for me to [...]

After two exciting evenings in Japan, New Years day was our last day here. We were catching a flight around 8pm so we had all day to do whatever we wanted. I’ll admit, I love traveling, but I’m not the type to plan everything out and bring Lonely Planet guides with me. Rick is better [...]

On New Years Eve Dec. 31st 2011 we had sushi for dinner in Fukuoka, Japan. This wasn’t a place that was recommended in a tour book or by our hotel front desk. We had decided to walk around the city a bit and just see what we could find. Unlike in Korea, the weather was [...]

December 30th is Rick’s birthday, and in 2011 we decided just a day or two before this that we would take a last minute get-a-way to Korea’s neighbor Japan. We decided to visit the city of Fukuoka for two nights: Dec. 30th and 31st 2011. Even though this was a last second trip, this ended [...]