Five shows to propel you into the world of K-drama
By Nori Quist, Staff Writer
With spring break quickly approaching, students have some time on their hands to invest on binging the latest shows. There is only so much to watch from the U.S. though, and those who are particularly picky and prefer certain genres (especially romance) may have run out of shows in the first few months of quarantine, and are grasping at straws on what to watch next. With that in mind, why not turn to K-dramas, which are becoming increasingly popular in the U.S., but are generally low commitment, since most individual series wrap up within one season? Here then are five good K-dramas on Netflix right now.
“The Sound of Your Heart”
“The Sound of Your Heart” is a show on Netflix based on a webtoon of the same name. It follows the life of the creator of the webtoon, Cho Seok, and his family. It is funny and absurd. Take for example a scene where Cho Seok’s dad taunts his mom about how easy it is to do a task on the internet, then secretly texts Cho Seok to have him do the task instead. The show’s expert gags follow in the footsteps of its source material, which is why the webtoon was Korea’s longest running webtoon series, running for 14 years from 2006 to 2020, and why the show was rebooted in 2018 (although watching the reboot is not recommended as highly).
“It’s Ok to Not Be Ok”
“It’s Ok to Not Be Ok” should resonate with young audiences during the time of COVID-19, as it focuses around themes of mental health (and the unfortunate lack thereof). In 2020, this series was the most popular romance show on Netflix in South Korea, and for good reason. The main characters are a psychiatric ward caretaker, his autistic older brother and an antisocial children’s book author. The best part of the series are the author’s fairy tales, which are read aloud throughout the series and are intertwined with the main plot, but can also stand on their own as beautiful short stories.
“Itaewon Class”
“Itaewon Class” is another show based off of a webcomic. The main character is an ex-convict who works with his friends to open a restaurant/bar and exact revenge on the president of a major food company and his son. This series is compelling because of its deep characters and inspiring plot. The characters also play well against each other, so in addition to its enjoyable revenge plot, “Itaewon Class” should sit well with fans of the found family trope.
“Mr. Sunshine”
“Mr. Sunshine” is set in the early 20th century and portrays the unlikely romance between a man who left Korea as a boy and became a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps and the granddaughter of a Korean aristocrat. It is set in Korea, where the captain has returned for a mission. This show gets off to a rocky start with a confusing plot and a strange and inaccurate portrayal of the early 1900’s U.S., but improves in later episodes. And there is something to be said for the rocky start: those with the inexplicable urge to see former president Theodore Roosevelt played with a light Korean accent will find the show of their dreams in “Mr. Sunshine”.
“Love Alarm”
Like “Itaewon Class”, “Love Alarm” is also based on a webcomic, and has an intriguing premise. There is an app, appropriately named “Love Alarm”, which alerts users of the number of people who love them within a ten meter radius. With this, “Love Alarm” takes off exploring the implications of this app from the perspective of its three main characters, who predictably end up in a love triangle. This is the perfect time to check out “Love Alarm”, as its second season was just released on March 12.