Korean dramas have remained all the rage for years, and with streaming TV like Netflix, it is easy to get addicted watching K-Dramas because of the storylines, and hidden messages. For those who have not burrowed into the world of K-Drama, here are some of the best shows on TV which you can finally binge on Netflix. With so many K-Dramas out there right now, here are some of the dramas which I would love to recommend you to watch.
My ID is Gangnam Beauty (내 아이디는 강남미인)
Cast: ASTRO‘s Cha EunWoo, Im SooHyang, Kwak DongYeon, Jo WooRi
Summary: The story of a woman living a new life through plastic surgery. She meets Do KyungSuk at the college, while everyone thinks that appearance is important, he thinks differently. She will learn what is real “beauty”.
My Opinion: This is a love story of two university students based on a popular webtoon of the same name by Maeng Kee. The protagonist was not considered as a ‘beauty’ that she had to undergo scalpel to make herself appeared acceptable in the eyes of the society obsessed with beauty. This drama attempts to ‘heal’ our perceptions on the concept of ‘beauty’ as we tend to get obsessed with the outer appearances. The ‘real beauty’ is based on the inner aspects. It is a good drama as it delivers the message to self-love – to love yourself more for others to knows that you should never hate yourself. In the finale, the message is quite clear which the protagonist admitted that she got plastic surgery because she was ugly. The question lies whether a pretty face can truly make one find true happiness or the other way round.
Romance is a Bonus Book (로맨스는 별책부록)
Cast: Lee JongSuk, Lee NaYoung
Summary: Cha Eun-Ho is a genius writer and the youngest chief editor ever at his publishing company. He is smart and handsome. He is also even tempered at work, but he has a warm heart and a reasonable personality. Kang Dan-Yi used to be a popular copywriter, but she is not anymore. She is now broke and unemployed. Even though she tries to find a job, due to her impressive career and excellent educational background, she is unable to find a new job. Finally, Kang Dan-Yi gets a job at a publishing company by lying about her background. Cha Eun-Ho is the chief editor at that publishing company. They begin to develop romantic feelings for each other.
My Opinion: The world of publishers might not be as beautiful as a bestseller book. It has to endure challenges from meeting with the authors until the day of launching the books. The main female character is a single mother who is struggling to build up her new life. She may have the qualifications but after being housewife for such a long time, she has to accept the fact that it is impossible to get a job with the massive rivals surrounding her. This drama addresses societal issues with a bit of heart-fluttering scenes. The ending is great with solid messages.
Hi Bye, Mama! (안녕 엄마)
Cast: Kim TaeHee, Lee KyuHyung, Go BoGyul
Summary: It tells the story of Cha YuRi who was forced to leave her family as she passed away in an accident. She got the opportunity to be reincarnated for 49 days and appeared in front of her husband and her daughter who started their new life to overcome the pain of her passing.
My Opinion: Death is inevitable. This drama delivers message in a unique way. The female protagonist passed away and left her husband and newly-born daughter. However, after 5 years of being a bright ghost looking after her daughter, she is granted with a ‘Life-After-Death’ for 49 days. However, the husband remarried again to overcome the pain of losing his beloved wife. Every episode brings a new insight and message to the audiences. The messages revolves around the life and death. It attempts to deliver the notion that family comes first in everything including death. It has quite touching story with some poignant and funny scenes.
Crash Landing On You (사랑의 불시착)
Cast: Hyun Bin, Son YeJin, Kim JungHyun, Seo JiHye
Summary: The absolute top secret love story of a chaebol heiress who made an emergency landing in North Korea because of a paragliding accident and a North Korean special officer who falls in love with her and who is hiding and protecting her.
My Opinion: This drama has edged out Goblin with its captivating drama experience. It appeals to both political and romantic junkies. Some might feel that this drama has a typical love triangle that begins and ends in the similar way. Some scenes can have lots of laughters with naive conversations and silly shenanigans. A guilty pleasure which you will have both love and hate feelings.
My Holo Love (나 홀로 그대)
Cast: Yoon HyunMin, Ko SungHee, Choi YeoJin
Summary: So-Yeon has a problem recognizing faces. Due to this, she keeps a distance from other people. So-Yeon becomes a beta tester for hologram AI Holo. AI Holo is completely on her side. Being with So-Yeon, AI Holo realizes the limit of artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, Nan-Do (Yoon Hyun-Min) is the developer of AI Holo. Nan-Do has the same physical appearance as AI Holo, but his personality is completely different. While watching So-Yeon and AI Holo, he feels something that he has never felt before.
My Opinion: Not a very novel drama but it has a great execution of simple-minded fantasy drama. It has a nice storyline and I must say that the male lead actor did a great job with his dual roles. It tends to deliver the message of having a little bit of self-confidence in finding love. This has similarity to another dramas – I am Not a Robot (로봇이 아니야), and Are You Human Too? (너도 인간이니?)!
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments. I hope you enjoyed reading and see you again soon in my next post.
