i flipping love this drama!!! sooo addicting! it's got lots of yummy looking bread in it too.

WoW! I might just check this drama out! (If I can only find the time to watch a drama....)

I can't believe Road No. 1 is doing so poorly...with the big budget hype and all....

I absolutely can't wait for each episode of Baker King to come out! It's an amazing drama in many ways although i'm a probably a sucker for makjang dramas. I think it has the right balance of a solid plot, acting, makjang. i also like the references to the 1987 democracy movements (i'm kinda of a history buff), so maybe that's why the drama is resonating with so many viewers in Korea! Fighting, Kim Tak Goo!

can i ask who is the main girl for baker kim. is it eugene?

Thanks for the news! Part of the charm of this drama is when the 'makjang' parts the sound track is incredibly right on - so that when the 'mom' is having a tantrum, the silent movie melodrama piano starts and take the edge of the 'over-the-top' - making it seem almost deliberate.

Sam -soon was just good drama, and the lead was not a size 3, which then appeals to a wider audience.

They each might have these high ratings, but you cannot compare then.

Thanks again.

Oh, I forgot ...
The set, cinematography are fantastic. The period clothing, just WOW!

I dont understand whats the buzz about baker.....i love eugene but the series is so biring to me no matter how much i try to watch this series! Lol...

pretty amazing how this drama is now very successful given the fact that it did not have a huge pre-production buzz unlike IRIS, ROAD No. 1, ATHENA.. and its main actor is not a big A list Star.

Kudos to the staff and actors of Baker King! I wanted to watch this but I am still a bit prejudiced of the "makjang" part..

Yoon Si Yoon is fucking great in this! I love him! So cute! This drama was intense from the very first episode and from there I was sucked in! Haha, love it, love it, love it! Eugene is great in it, and the cinematography is just stunning, the soundtrack is beautiful, the acting and casting is spot on, perfection all around.

<3

My vibes just tell me that Gumiho will take over the top spot after Baker King finishes. It'll be quite miraculous if Playful Kiss beats it. As Gumiho was the most 'looked forward' drama of Fall.

lol i'm sure tak gu is good but i couldn't get through the first five minutes LOL. i'll watch it some other time but for now dong yi and gumiho! :)

korea loves bread.... hahhaha

I watched the first few eps but then i was "i don't want to see all this suffering."

anyways i just went to see a glimpse of ep 17 so can anyone tell me what has happened to his mom since she looks rich now?

@12: im not watching it either! i don't know why i haven't but i just don't have the urge even though i'm hearing good things about it [and the ratings are RIDICULOUS]. i downloaded the first episode but i haven't gotten myself to watch it...

45%? I don't get the buzz about this one. What's the fan base for Baker King? Females who dig Eugene and chinless wonder Yoon? 'Course I didn't understand the 'national drama' status of Queen Seon Deok either.

Baker King, you make my heart hurt. Why must you ruin yourself?

The drama is painful to watch even though there's food porn and a pretty solid cast.

The writing just kills it.

TakGu, you will be the poor child with the world loving you because you just work so hard.

MaJun, you'll never get your daddy's love. Oh snap. Forgot to tell you. He's not really your daddy. Are you going to get mad again?

To be honest, I invested too many hours into the drama, waiting for something to happen and I feel so stupid. I was waiting for some kind of character realization. For someone to be the grownup. For MaJun to be the first to take the step towards a different self.

At first, I thought he was like Kang DongWon physically and acting wise. But he kept showing the same angry, scrunched up face. It took me 18 episodes to finally see a side to him that made me think, "Wow. There's more to his character than anger and pettiness."

And then right after that, he reverted and I decided that I had enough.

There's so much that you can do with a character like MaJun and the drama just refuses to dip into that lovely angst. They just let him be the smart, handsome guy that's always angry and that always gets jealous of TakGu.

Sigh. The food porn wasn't worth it.

i'm slowly watching this drama at kbsworld, but i'm reading the forums regarding the recent episodes. so much suffering for Tak Gu. At episode 20, i thought he would be building his empire as stated in the synopsis, but my gosh, he's suffering some more.

i have to agree though. somehow, the warmth of this drama keeps me going --- despite all the bad things which befell on Tak Gu, I want to see him victorious in the end. i guess 40% of SK are cheering for Tak Gu's happy ending as well. 'The good guys always win in the end.' : )

I am watching it as my favourite dramas CH and PP had finished and there is nothing better.The drama overall production is good but not great. The storyline is typical . I wouldn't rave about it. To me the best dramas so far in 2010 are CH and PP.

Best Korean drama in 2010 :)

Baker King deserves the high ratings. It is engaging and every episode counts. And the production company that handles this drama really aims for quality over all. They could've accepted the offer of KBS for extension so that they'll gain more bucks but they refused it because the audience was hooked because of the pacing of this drama which was supposedly a 50-episode drama cut into 30 episodes, so that each episode will be very important and the audience won't feel draggy at all.

Sorry to the haters out there if the dramas of your favorite stars were crushed by this series even though it was not hyped(unlike it's predecessors IRIS, Chuno & Cinderella's Sister), is low-budgeted and has almost no big stars(except for Eugene who's had back to back drama flops). And to the people comparing this drama to MNIKSS, there's no comparison at all. MNIKSS is a romcom and Baker King is a melodrama. Plus the baking in Baker King revolves around "breads" hence the English title "Bread, Love and Dreams," while in MNIKSS the baking there revolves around "cakes."

Oh man, I totally LOVE this drama!

Okay, warning, it's really heavy on the melodramatic side, so if you're hoping it'll be more "trendy" and "fast-paced" then you're looking at the wrong drama HOWEVER even if you're not into melodrama, take a chance with this drama because I promise you'll be hooked. It's just that good....

The acting isn't phenomenal or anything, and thankfully Kim Tak Gu (played by Yoon Shi Soon) is a complete cutey, however I think the plot is really engaging and something about food dramas are always fun~!

Yay. I love this show!

can u start recapping this?

i really love this drama ,in the beginning i only have curiosity for the quite high ratings ,but baker king deserves it ,is very good ,even if few people don't like it ,many people in korea and also some people in the web like me love it

I love this drama and can't wait for each episode

As a melodrama--there are going to be aspects of it that feel predictable--like the story--it's nothing groundbreaking. But I think the execution is just right on. The pacing is good. The soundtrack fits the emotional highs and lows. The actors are solid and while YSY occasionally takes it over the top--he is cute enough that I don't care.

Personally, I think the characterization is strong because there are no "good" or "evil" characters. Almost everyone is wrong or has been wronged in some way. Also, while I have a sense of what is coming--nothing ever plays out in the way I might expect. Something unexpected always happens to twist the scene a little. Also the bread looks so yummy on screen.

I think it deserves it's ratings...and I think it's more than the fact that there is not much competition. The lack of competition is what gave the show a chance in the first place--but I think the show itself is what kept people watching.

Who could guess that this drama would have this statu...especially a drama without big names...WOW !

I was following baker king up to episode 14.. Then I had to quit. I just couldn't take it anymore. All those going around in the circle and over the top (often unnecessary) melodrama isn't my cup of tea (I left my patience while watching Goong, thank you very much). I agree the acting isn't great (ok they are downright bad) but there are so many holes in the plot too. Things are not consistent at all.

I have to say, I dislike all the characters. I-need-a-grandson-cause-men-are-the-shit grandma, I-can't-move-a-muscle-I-have-botox dad, I'm-just-evil-pitiful-woman wife, look-at-me-I'm-so-vulnerable-and-helpless Tak-gu's mom (a closet skank), I'm-forever-jealous half bro, I'm-ever-so-cheery Tak-gu ain't my cup of tea.

My views are often clashing with Korean trend these days.. First we are flooded with Auto-tune (how could they use it for Lee Seung-Gi's voice) and now this drama.. I just don't get it.

heh, i just started this yesterday, watched 2 episodes, but i skipped the childhood eps and started from adulthood (ep 7, in case anyone's wondering). yoon shi yoon is crazy eye-candy, he looks like someone smushed lee junki and 2am's jinwoon into one super-cute earnest package. 2 eps in prob isn't enough for me to judge, but... it's not groundbreaking at all, i don't really know why it works. i've seen many, many better dramas, more original dramas, but so far it's compelling and entertaining. i think at this point yoon shi yoon is the big pull (that face. *__* being purely shallow here but my hormones have seriously taken a tackle with this one), but it's dramatic without having a heavy, depressing air, and i think so far for me that's what's working. plus, the little no-nonsense female lead's kicked him in the shins twice in the last 2 eps, two for two!

the high ratings of baker king could be because people have had enough of over-hyped productions with big stars, big budgets but with very little substance. all these dramas have questionable acting, directing and writing.

maybe, just maybe, people just want to go back to the basics - food! doesn't matter if the acting, directing and writing are questionable too, people just wanna go back to the basics.

i personally like this drama because of eugene especially since she's suppose to be a villain. im really interested to see what will happen to her character along with Joo Won's {who plays tak-gu's "brother" ma joon}.

also about the whole "female lead" thing, in my opinion its eugene. even though shes a bad character, her actions and existence affect the drama greatly. i feel that the other female lead, even though she'll be tak-gu's love interest in the end, is only for comic relief and to probably be the only person tak-gu can rely on after all this betrayal. just because you're the main lead's love interest {in the end} doesn't mean that you are THE female lead. imo, its eugene.

agree with @23:rave.
those dramas with big buzz are just promoting its stars rather than the storyline...well maybe it is just my opinion coz i tend to not watching drama with stars like kim tae hee, or that G.I Joe actor...and the chuno drama, with jang hyuk and others..whats more cinderella sister...I just can stand until episode 8 and I flunk it from my list...

take you're beautiful for example, eventho i'm a fan of jang geun seuk and lee hong ki, I just dont fancy that drama as much as this because of it's over the top ridiculousness with Park Shin Hye who looks really girly crossdressed as a boy but acted much like a girl does...and with her voice...urghh..very unrealistic...so I know why the rating was not really good back in Korea even it is well accepted by netizens...(I think mostly they're the ANJELL fan around the world)

Baker King got a very dramatic storyline which blended in a perfect dramatic timeline, and makes the viewers anticipated the next episodes after watching it. the casting was good and their acting makes sense.. realistically...so..way to go Baker King!...(I'm rooting for Yoon Shi Yoon..and his cute smile) =)

Can't be..!!! My sister is literally forcing herself to watch the drama just because she does not like unfinished businesses.. She is literally bored to death and can't wait to finish the Drama. I think it's all because of the food and the passionate people's love for cooking otherwise the Drama is a wack. Eugene is an old goose and the guy is super cute yet not sufficient enough to make me watch it. I think Nappeun Namja should have been the National Drama or whatever. People just stopped caring for quality and i do agree that SBS makes the best dramas ever. My favorite drama's have always been of SBS... KBS production teams tend to draaaaaag the soul of the storyline thus pull the life outta my nose so... I disagree strongly Yorobeun.

44% ratings breaks down into

20% for the Poor Man's Lee Junki (normally worth 5% but since Junki is off in MS his value quadruples)

5% - started off at -5% for the Poor Woman's Nam Sang Mi (with a very unfortunate bow haircut), but adds a 10% for reuniting Iljimae fangirls waiting for their poor Bong Soon to get Yong, now's your change, imagine this is Bong Soon and Yong reincarnated into modern times.

7% for evil Eugune - a great risk for her to take, and she looks fabulous and is acting her heiny off - would be higher but she got docked points bc this is pretty much her F-you to all her critics (who are you calling Nation's Fairy, now!) and her one-up-manship of Sung Yuri.

6% for Daddy with the perpetual son issues Jung Kyung Ryul - who is great as the tortured daddy but got docked points since his daddy issues have gotten progressively less epic-in-scale (from Buyeo to Jeju to baking bread).

5% for evil mommy - is she more evil than Madame Shin? We'll have to wait and find out. At least she hasn't tried to kill people yet. Or has she?

1% for the Poor Man's Kang Dong Won - wow can this boy NOT act more than most his other co-stars are not-acting. But his backside looks great! 1% for his backside!

Look everyone, as long as people like this drama, good for Baker King. I think it's the most unintentionally hilarious bit I've seen in awhile, but it's rather harmless and doesn't take itself seriously. And it's fun to poke fun at.

I literally started the drama today. I'm now on episode 5. It's like crack. I usually don't watch melodrama (I am strictly a romcom girl) but I was intrigued. It's an absolute roller coaster and I'm enjoying it immensely.

Ok now I get. So there is such a thing as "Makjang".
My wife and I are watching this drama and couldn't figure out why everyone was overacting like school children in a play.
So "Makjang" is a style in Korean Dramas? I must say it's hard to get used to.
Cliches abound in this drama. We know who to hate and who to like. Nothing left to the imagination here.

But we still watch it and enjoy it. Sometimes I think we are entertained by the "otherness" of it. People seem to be on the stupid side of innocent.
Then we are charmed by the delicate culture at the same time and the fact that there is some "light" philosophy that points out the good in people. And of course we would like to believe that there are good people like that in the world. And we want revenge on the bad ones.
It's "Days Of Our Lives" with bread.

I do look forward to seeing every crazy episode but I disagree that the production values are high.
Looks and sound quite dodgy compared to some other dramas.
I love it when we see shots of the fathers mansion. It must be also true in Asian countries that wealthy people have no taste at all. Man that place is ugly!

ockoala I just read your post........you nailed it completely.

For all of you who don't understand why the koreans are loving this drama, maybe it's because of the bread. If the bread tastes as good as it looks in the drama, boy I need to get me some of that.

Anyways, I have been craving soft, comforting bread ever since I started to watch this series. However, I still can't find anything better than the chinese bakeries. Except for a few exceptions, he japanese and korean ones in my area just don't cut it. Maybe Hawaiian bread?

baker king is so BORING...im forcing myself to watch it cos i wanted to finish once i started it but i cant take it anymore...i was curious cos of the high ratings, nd yoon shi yoon looks a lot like junki but ...seriously why would u watch that now when u can switch to my girlfriend is a gumiho....nd soon playful kiss.....i hope its ratings go down..hehe...evil i knw but i hope ppl will watch my girlfriend is a gumiho ..its so much better

This is one of the best dramas by far this year.

I was hoping that they would extend it.

Oh God. I love this series. Compelling, engaging, intriguing and addicting drama. This low budget plus minimal promotion drama looks like mock big budget drama Road Number 1. I don't care what you guys saying (Negative comment). Really hope this drama win some award at Baeksang Award.

does it really deserve this high rating !
I haven't seen any episode yet
the cast and the story give me low hops actually

hmmmm,
well I believe that rating is not a condition for a drama to be good or bad !!
for instance , Bad guy Drama is really great but it took very low rating !! NOT FARE !!

I wanted to like Baker King, I really did. But I am just not a melodrama person, and this is all about the drama. Too much drama and heartache (same reason I dropped Bad Guy). uck. I got through 6 episodes and quit.

I can see how it's popular. It's just not for me.

Baker King is my favorite weekly drama right. I check dramacrazy twice a day to see if any episodes with english subs have been released.

Yep. This drama might not have cutesy characters or high profile actors, but it does have a solid storyline.

Baker King is my favorite weekly drama right. I check dramacrazy twice a day to see if any episodes has been released with english subs.

This drama might not have cutesy characters or high profile actors, but it does have a solid storyline with heart.

You can usually tell when a dramabeans post has made its way to soompi - that's when a bunch of people sign on to defend (or show love) for the subject.

Oh..it did work the first time. Sorry for the double post...

Makjang???

Seriousy?!

So far this drama has been a very refreshing and inspirative drama for me, something I never quite get from other kdramas no matter how much I love them. By watching, you'll know how captivating this drama is,,not just revolving around who'll get the girl and whatnot~Really one u shouldn't miss this year!

And if the makjang comments shy you away,well, I pity you!:P

It's really nicely put together. It's dramatic for sure but I really like the leads and how it's not just about guy sees girl and falls in love with her. I'm hooked and I got a friend of mine who doesn't even watch dramas hooked as well and I know it's not just because the two guys are hot because they weren't in like the first six episodes and that's where she got hooked.