Enter The World Of K-Dramas

If you’re like me, then the title of this either made you curious, you can relate or you are already on board with this boat and are looking to connect with a fellow lover.

If K-pop memes, fancams, and mentions haven’t been flooding your social media timelines, or you haven’t been sent a meme from your secretly-in-love-with-K-pop, K-culture, K-drama friend, I will explain. The “K” before these words stands for Korea and more specifically, South Korea. Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services have been uploading quite a few Korean dramas (K-dramas), as well as other Asian-based dramas.

Even Hollywood has started to take notice, with Parasite winning four out of the six categories it was nominated in and Minari up for six nominations this year at the Oscars as well. Although spoken in another language, subtitles and with some relatable themes, great actors/actresses, and storyline make it easy for the audience to connect and engage. For this recommendation, whether this may be your first time watching a K-drama, you’ve dipped your toes in, or are a seasoned veteran, follow this formula and I’ll assure you, you can’t go wrong.

Feeling low + In need of humor= Ask Us Anything

Now, this is not essentially a K-drama, it is a Korean variety show. The concept of the show (which changed from its original starting point if you catch earlier episodes) is seven men who have their own school and every day they have new students that transfer over, the guests. The new students are oftentimes K-pop idols, actors/actresses, comedians, athletes, etc. who come on not just to be interviewed but also to show off skills, engage in games and challenges with their hosts or original students.

What is interested and different about the show is its casualness and familiarity. In South Korea, as well as in some other Asian countries, formalness or politeness very important as well as status. You can see it, especially in their language structure, how they speak and address one another. When to someone who is older than you or who you don’t know, or are of authority, formal language is used. When around friends, family (depending) they usually use informal language. In this show, you can see they aim to break these barriers in order to foster comradery and make guests feel at ease. This then brings about genuine and truly hilarious moments for these celebrities. To check out this show, hop on over to Netflix or to Viki.com to watch.

Feeling good + Need love & a laugh= What’s Wrongs With Secretary Kim & Mr. Queen

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim is an over the top and exaggerate romantic comedy that falls easily into one of the common K-drama tropes; the rich man that is in love with a poor girl who can’t stand him, yet when she sees past his money and arrogance, she falls in love with his warm and kind nature. In this case, Kim Mi So has been secretary to her genius, narcissist boss, Lee Yeong Joon and after ten years has finally had enough. She hands in her resignation letter to her boss who is taken aback and the whole drama is about him trying to figure out what is wrong with Secretary Kim. The acting is great and there are some steamy parts that will melt the sadness away (if only to make you sadder that you don’t have a guy like that).

Mr. Queen is a historical drama that takes place in the Joseon era. The main character is a male chef who one day finds himself in a body that is not his own. Or even in the same time period or gender for that matter! He finds that he is occupying the body of a queen, Kim So Yong who is getting married to the reigning monarch, King Cheol Jong. In an attempt to get back into his body, he does all kinds of weird things and acts in outrageous behavior. There is a bit of a mystery going on as well in this drama, so get ready for a little bit of everything.

Both of these can be found on Viki.com.

Feeling empowering + Need a solid female lead= Strong Woman Do Bong Soon & Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

Now I could name a couple of others but these are the easiest to start off. Both of these shows have great strong female leads. Literally. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is about a girl who comes from a family where the females are blessed with super strength. They are meant to only use their strength for good lest it is taken away from them for using it for evil or selfish gains. All her life, Do Bong Soon has had to hide away her secret powers until a man, Ahn Min Hyuk catches her saving an old man from a group of gangsters and employing her to be his bodyguard. There is love, there is a comedy, there is a killer on the loose, there is…nothing else you need but to go watch.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is about a girl whose goal in life is to compete in Olympics by representing Korea in woman’s weightlifting. She works at her family's restaurant, goes to school, and lifts, leaving not much time for personal life or romance until she falls in love with a handsome stranger. Having been a former athlete I could relate 100% to her struggles of being insecure about her looks when she never thought about them before, the ups and downs of falling in love, and relying on good friends to get her through.

Both can be found on Viki.com (do notice though that some things you can view on Viki for free and others you have to have paid for their Viki pass to gain access to)

In your feelings + Need a good cry= Goblin or Guardian: The Great and Lonely God

This show is not for the faint of heart. Your feelings will be all over the place, they will be crushed and you will cry. You have been warned. This is an older drama and still a very popular one. It's about a man named Kim Shin who was a general in the Goryeo Dynasty. Due to a jealous king, he is killed for being a traitor only to resurrect as a goblin, made to protect certain people from a lifetime of misery. He is told that he will only be put to rest when the goblin bride presents herself and pulls the sword from his chest. Centuries later, in modern-day, Ji Eun Tak is a girl whose mother when pregnant was hit by a car. She is helped by a stranger and lives to give birth to her daughter. Her mother ends up dying when she is young still and she is forced to move in with her aunt and cousin who make her life a living hell. Ji Eun Tak tries to keep her head down, be a good kid, however, there is this thing about her. She can see the dead and those who shepherd them. Through the drama is followed by a few friendly and unfriendly ghosts and an even more unfriendly grim reaper who is digging into her mother’s accident and how he has no record of Ji Eun Tak at all.

To not give too much away, this drama is full of amazing actors, a great plot, twists you didn’t or did see coming but executed so well. Be sure to keep tissues on hand and don’t say I didn’t warn you.

I could go on and on, but I should spare you the dissertation and leave you with one last recommendation. This is for those who want an intriguing storyline, just enough of a regular K-drama cliché trope and something that will get you thinking.

It’s Okay Not to Be Okay & Itaewon Class

Both of these dramas came out recently and you have seen them trending on Netflix at one point and wondered: what is that?

It’s Okay Not to Be Okay is a K-drama centered around mental health. Mental health has not gotten the attention or respect it deserves, even in Western countries. Now that more people are talking about it, there are months dedicated to it, influencers who are driving the conversation, this drama is a perfect fit for it all. It follows the story of Ko Moon-young and Moon Gang-Tae whose past history intertwine and connect throughout. Moon Gang-Tae is a nurse at a mental health hospital and has had to up and move due to his autistic brother Moon Sang-Tae who throws a fit whenever he sees a butterfly causing him to lose jobs. Ko Moon-young is a beautiful, rich young woman who writes children’s books. Her personality though is the least to be desired. She is cold, haughty, and feels entitled to get whatever she desires. When they meet all she desires is Moon Gang-Tae who won’t let anyone get close to him due to past trauma and his commitment to his brother.

The show and actors due to a great job in explaining situations, expressing the hardships of those with mental illness as well as their caretakers. It’s a show that isn’t just about the main characters but about the stories and lives of the people around them.

Itaewon Class is an all-around underdog story. Park Saeroyi is arrest for three years after assaulting an influential man’s son who had killed his father in a car accident. Being in prison, he has time to formulate a plan and his one goal is to crush the man, CEO Jang Dae Hee who had sent him to jail by becoming rich and successful in the restaurant business. He is helped by influencer Jo Yi Seo; illegitimate second son CEO Jang Dan Hee, Jang Geun Soo; a transgender woman, Ma Hyeony and Kim Toni, half Black, half Korean part-timer. This show covers a variety of topics that are not commonly or openly spoken about in Korean such as race, sexual identity, disparities in the treatment of the different socioeconomic classes. This show was different than what I normally watched even for a K-drama and I couldn’t get enough of it.

Both shows can only be found on Netflix.

The world of K-drama is vast and it seems like there is always a new show coming out. Some are longer than others and yes, you may find yourself pulling all-nighters just to finish. But I say that dark circles are worth it. Check them out if you don’t believe me and caution: this genre is addicting.