**** Slight/brief mention of s*ic*de
Korean dramas, commonly known as K-dramas, have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. This could be due to the worldwide success of Korean pop music (K-Pop) reaching western audiences, thanks to groups such as BTS and Blackpink.
Netflix has now jumped on the bandwagon, hosting a range of Korean dramas on their video-on-demand platform. Gaining the rights to popular titles frequent Korean drama-watchers are familiar with. This includes Boys Over Flowers, Heirs (Inheritors) and Hotel Del Luna.
For a while now, Netflix has shown its expansive collection of its own original series, but as of 2019, this has been expanded to include K-Dramas. Getting into whether they ‘feel’ how other k-dramas feel is a different story but any K-Drama for the most part follows set rules of editing characteristics. From the freeze-frame ending to the character-specific music.
Here is a summary of some of the romance dramas available on Netflix as of November 2020.
(Disclaimer: not all the K-dramas on this list have a strong romantic storyline)
Record of Youth (2020)
Genres: Romance
Starring: Park Bo-Gum (‘Reply 1988’), Park So-Dam (‘Parasite’)
Rating: 12 (Violence)
Record of Youth follows the story of an up-and-coming make-up artist and two models trying to break into acting. The group faces a lot of dilemmas such as hard to handle co-workers, industry corruption, fake news, and family struggles.
This drama is perfect for people that want to have a good laugh as well as
Romance is a Bonus Book (2019)
Genres: Romance, Comedy
Starring: Lee Jong-Suk (W: Two Worlds Apart), Lee Na-Young (Beautiful Days)
Rating: 12 (Suicide, language, sexual references, injury detail)
Besides the male lead being very well-known to many K-drama watchers. All actors in this drama had me rooting for them. Different to many western shows, no character is completely good, even the antagonist had me feeling sorry for them at some points. This drama does deal with a load of heavy themes but is incorporated seamlessly with the comedic undertones and theatricals of the drama.
I would recommend this to anyone that prefers stories with older characters.
Itaewon Class (2020)
Genres: Based on a Webtoon, Social Issue
Starring: Park Seo-Jun (She Was Pretty)
Rating: 15 (Violence, Threat)
Itaewon Class follows the story of an ex-convict trying to break out of the hold of misfortune his family has suffered from for the past couple of years. He works hard to open a pub and support himself and his friends.
The most ground-breaking part of this drama is it covers topics that K-dramas have not yet covered such as racism and transphobia. It is a heart-warming story and I recommend it to anyone who is new to the world of Korean dramas.
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)
Genres: Romance, Fantasy
Starring: Lee Min-Ho (Heirs), Kim Go-Eun (Cheese in the Trap)
Rating: 15 (Violence)
Lee Min-Ho is probably the most famous Korean actor to date. He has been in a number of shows and his performance in this drama was just as memorable. This story merges modern-day Korea with an alternative universe. If you are a fan of fantasy that takes part in the real world, this drama may be for you.
By: Cheyanne Bryan