Why would anyone subject themselves to watching an entire series reading English subtitles?
I used to be one of those people, baffled by the Korean Drama craze.
When I moved back to the Philippines in 2015, I wondered why there was an endless supply of kimchi in my mother's fridge. We had fluffy soft Korean omelette for breakfast and bibimbap was present on special occasions. K-drama woke me up every morning. I passed the TV in the living room without giving it a second glance, until a very dear friend recommended that I watch The Goblin five years later.
2020:
(Imagine 2020 written on a backdrop banner when they do a flashback scene in K-dramas)
I found myself crying on the sofa when the Goblin said goodbye to his bride. Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) crash lands in North Korea a.k.a Crash Landing on You.
While characters munched on their crunchy Korean style fried chicken, I was smitten by how beautiful weightlifter Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung-kyung) was, wondering how she managed to look angelic while lifting the heavy barbell. All of the soju tents they visited to unleash their heartbreaks or stresses of the day got me purchasing a bottle. And when that shot of soju didn't give me the least ounce of satisfaction, I have made a resolve to write down in my journal,
" To drink shots in a soju pop-up bar in downtown Seoul."
Remember when I wrote a Korean Food Crawl dream of mine? I think that was enough to say that I have been successfully converted.
Here are the Top 5 K-Drama Series that made me embrace this genre:
Itaewon Class
What is it about?
Itaewon Class is an inspiring story of a self-made man, an ex-convict driven by revenge, ambition and making his father proud. He starts his bar-restaurant business, DanBam from scratch. The series is based on a webtoon carrying the same title.
Throughout the series, I found myself rooting for him to succeed, with his gift in spotting the right people to work with and standing by them. Park Seo Joon plays the lead, our talented entrepreneur- Park Sae-ro-yi along with a sociopath restaurant manager (Kim Da-mi) and his team played by well-known cast; Yoo Jae-myung, Kwon Nara, Ahn Bo-hyun, Kim Dong-hee and more.
I was completely addicted to this and there's so much more to it than the trailer alone. I highly recommend it.
The Goblin (Guardian : The Lonely and Great God)
What is it about?
This is the culprit that started it all. The Goblin starts with an admired hero and general named Kim Shin (played by Gong Yoo of Train to Busan) during the Goryeo dynasty. His popularity was met with a betrayal of a jealous king.
God granted him immortality by being a Goblin because of this unexpected fate. This transformation gave him extraordinary powers. Having lived throughout many centuries, he moved from place to place to protect his secret of eternal life. The only way to break the curse is to meet his destined Goblin's wife. A ghost-seeing student named Kim Eun-tak (Kim Go Eun). She's the only one capable to kill him with his invisible sword and end his suffering.
Grim reaper (Lee Dong Wook) shows up and falls in love with a restaurant owner, Sunny (Yoo In Na). Their unusual friendship made this show refreshing to watch.
The series took me to a roller coaster of emotions throughout many twists and turns in its plot. The ending was also well wrapped up and I found myself re-watching the last episode sometimes even after completing the series.
Crash Landing on You
What is it about?
A wealthy South Korean heiress, Yoon Ser-ri (Son Ye-jin) crash lands in North Korea due to a paragliding accident caused by strong winds. A North Korean officer falls in love with her. We follow them through their adventures of not getting caught in her attempt to escape. Her smarts and can-do attitude get her though. The interesting mix of characters and their camaraderie captivate the hearts of the viewers throughout episodes. We end up crying and laughing with them.
Hi Bye Mama
What is it about?
Motherhood and family. We follow a ghost, a mother who died tragically who was given 49 days to be alive again in order to re-claim her place with her family. The problem, however is, her husband has moved on with a new wife who lovingly raised her daughter.
Where are the boxes of tissues again? I dare you to watch this without crying. My eyes were puffy all week while I was watching this.
The World of the Married
What is it about?
Infidelity and revenge. This psychological drama is based on the popular series Doctor Foster. A successful doctor living a seemingly perfect life discovers her husband's deadly affair. The first episode lands a sharp stab that left me with a mouth gaped open.
This psychological thriller kept me at the edge of my seat and the unexpected twists led to binge watching till 4 am.
What is Different About Korean Series
What I like most about K-drama is that everything is wrapped up in one season. There is hardly any sequel except for a few such as The Kingdom. This eliminates the feeling of a story being dragged on. One season is usually composed of 16 episodes with some longer stories extended to 21 episodes.
Their character development is fascinating and spot on. They create multi-dimensional characters that veer away from stereotypes. They delve into subjects and back stories we may even not think about like a germaphobic CEO who runs a cleaning company in Clean with Passion for Now.
Welcome to the rabbit hole!
Watch them at your own risk. If you are like me, you won't be able to stop until 3-4 am in the morning. I am grateful for the Hive, I don't watch as much as I used to anymore.
Have you ever tried watching K-Drama?
Which series would you recommend?
Thank you for reading. What's Your Top 5 Anime TV Series is the topic of Day 29 of the 30 Day Blogging Challenge by @tegoshei. My apologies, I have to flip it a little since I am unable to recommend any anime. Korea is next door neighbor to Japan, so I'm going for K-drama. Check out previous posts if you haven't read them yet and please join us in the 30 Day Blogging Challenge:
Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / Day 5 / Day 6 / Day 7 / Day 8 / Day 9 / Day 10 / Day 11 / Day 12 / Day 13 / Day 14 / Day 15 / Day 16 / Day 17 / Day 18 / Day 19/ Day 20 / Day 21 / Day 22 / Day 23 / Day 24 / Day 25 / Day 26 / Day 27/ Day 28