K-drama: To All the Korean Dramas I've Loved Before

Want to have a good laugh? Shed a few tears, scare yourself, or just spend time with your loved ones? I’m sure there is Korean drama, or k-drama for short, that will surely catch your attention. Whether you are a boy or a girl, a student or an adult, it’s never too late to try and watch one.

Hwaiting (Fighting), Finger heart, Oppa, Ramyeon --- I’m sure you have heard a few of these terms that have become associated with k-drama and Korean culture. As a k-drama addict myself, I want to share some of the series that I have watched on Netflix and give a brief background as to how they have captured my heart and how they will surely capture yours, too. If I could just share all the k-dramas I have watched, I definitely would. I had a hard time choosing only a few for this list, so I decided to group them into different categories: action, suspense-romance-drama, and school life.

Crash Landing on You (2019-2020)

I’m sure you've heard about this drama, especially with its rise to fame a few years ago. The story is about a South Korean heiress named Yoon Seri, who literally crash lands in North Korea after her parachute was swept up by a tornado. Upon hanging in a tree, she was spotted by captain Ri Jeong, a soldier in the North Korean army. A series full of laughter, tears, and action, it's the perfect formula for a 21st century k-drama.

Why I loved it: Besides the fact that the story was something new (it isn't your common guy meets girl trope!), all the actors and actresses portrayed their characters well. The accent of the North Korean characters was easily distinguishable, and Captain Ri's troupe was definitely one of the parts I always looked forward to. The show also accentuates its theme of "living a simple life in the village is enough as long as you are part of a community." You might not be able to grasp what I’m saying unless you watch the drama yourself, but if you do, I’m sure you won’t regret it. And *spolier alert* my heart aches for Alberto and Dan. Hopefully, next time all the second leads could have a happily-ever-after ending as well.

Descendants of the Sun (2016)

Adapted by a television channel, Descendants of the Sun first originated from Korea. It's about a budding romance between a special forces officer, Captain Yoo (famously known as “Big Boss”), and a surgeon, Kang Mo-yeon. The drama revolves around their experiences and the different obstacles they face as a couple and in their jobs.

Why I loved it: There’s more to this action-romance drama that will surely get you hooked. I, for one, watched it with both of my parents, and they were as excited as I was after every episode. Oh and did I mention? Their OST (Original Sound Track) was also on point. Every time I hear their songs, I still reminisce all the feels that this drama gave me. Both the action scenes and the medical scenes were shot nicely, with medical terms being well-explained to help the viewers understand what’s happening. A lot of scenes made me laugh, as the drama balanced comedy and action excellently.

City Hunter (2011)

City Hunter was based on a Japanese action-thriller manga series. Lee Yoon-Sung, dubbed the “City Hunter”, goes on a quest to avenge his father who was killed by five different government officials. He was told by Lee Jin-Pyo, a close friend of his father's, to avoid falling in love due to the dangerous nature of his quest. But, as he started his plan, he met Kim Na-Na, a woman who works as a bodyguard. The drama comes with a mix of action, thriller and a little touch of romance.

Why I loved it: City Hunter was the first k-drama I'd ever watched not only once, twice or thrice, but FOUR times! Looking back, I don't know where I got the time to keep re-watching this 20-episode long drama, but one thing’s for sure: I enjoyed it and would definitely watch it again someday. Romance wasn’t really the main focus of the drama, as it centered more on the thriller and action side. Maybe the unpredictable plot was what made me watch it all over again. The OST was really catchy and my mom even used some of their songs as her ringtone. It was just a bonus that Lee Min-ho, the lead actor, was tall, cute, and definitely looked like a gentleman, always ready to save a damsel in distress.

Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon (2017)

Do Bong-soon is the lead female character in this k-drama. Born with a superhuman strength that was passed down through all the women in her family, she meets Min-Hyuk, a CEO of a video gaming company (who isn’t your typical chaebol heir or rich guy) and applies as his own personal bodyguard. Together, they unravel a whole lot of secrets and solve a series of crimes that have been taking place in Bong-Soon's neighborhood. This drama has a slice of mystery and suspense to it along with romance and comedy.

Why I loved it: The lead couple in this k-drama is one of my fave OTPs (or one true pairings). It flips a lot of the normal tropes around, making it distinct from the usual cheesy k-drama. I really enjoyed how the leading guy An Min-Hyuk gets butterflies and becomes shy every time Bong-Soon does something for him. The height gap shows how Bong-soon was so small compared to Min-Hyuk; their nicknames for each other were so adorable! The drama also shows a hint of women empowerment by reversing the damsel in distress trope.

My Love from the Star (2013)

"My Love from the Star" or "You Who Came from the Stars" is about a man named Do Min-Joon --- an alien who landed on Earth centuries ago. Although he looks like a normal person, he couldn’t find a way back to his planet and has been stuck here on Earth for over 400 years. Unexpected things happen in his past, and in the present-day, he meets a woman named Cheon Song-Yi, the female lead who looks exactly like a girl he met during his first years on Earth. Will he choose to go back to his home planet, or has he found a reason to stay?

Why I loved it: My sassy girl lead Jun Ji-Hyun took the role of Cheon Song-Yi in this drama. What I liked about her acting was that she was able to portray a funny, short-tempered, confident, and fierce actress without overdoing it. She acts as a foil to Do Min-Joon, a quiet professor who is simply looking for his way back home. Their chemistry-filled scenes plus the soundtrack “You are my destiny…” will get you hooked and make you want to watch this drama all over again --- I watched the series thrice! You won't get tired of the plot either as you learn how they met during Cheon Song-yi’s previous life, and how fate continues to draw them back together. There’s also a mix of mystery and suspense that makes it binge-worthy. You may also want to watch the Filipino adaptation, but in my opinion, nothing will ever beat the original.

Doctor Stranger (2014)

The drama begins with Park Hoon (played by Lee Jong-Suk) and his father, a South Korean doctor, operating on a high official in North Korea. However, the family was given no permission to go back to the South, so they had no other choice but to live in North Korea, where Hoon was trained to one day become a doctor. There, he meets his childhood lover, Jae-Hee. After some strange circumstances, he finds himself permitted to go back to South Korea. He goes to work at Myungwoo University Hospital, and meets Soo-Hyun (aka Dr. Quack). However, after all of this, he still struggles to be reunited with Jae-Hee.

Why I loved it: Besides Lee Jong-Suk leading this drama and giving his charismatic grins and witty gestures, the plot of this drama got me interested to watch it. The medical scenes were very detailed and would almost persuade viewers to study and delve deeper into medicine. The storyline made me want more and made me wonder what would happen next. However, if there is one thing that I was disappointed with in the drama *spoiler alert*, it would be that he didn’t end up with the other female lead, Dr. Quack. in my opinion, their chemistry was way stronger than that of Park Hoon and Jae-Hee. I, originally, thought that only I felt that way, but after asking most of my friends, they too agreed that the ending would be much better if Park Hoon had ended up with Dr. Quack.

While You Were Sleeping (2017)

The drama begins with Hong-Joo (Bae Suzy) dreaming about her own mother’s death. She's had a history of foreseeing people's deaths before, which prompts her to do everything to prevent her mother from dying. Another character moves in next door: Jae-Chan (played by Lee Jong-Suk), a new prosecutor. He also dreams about the death of Hong-Joo’s mother, and the death of Hong-Joo herself, but unlike Hong-Joo, he has no reason to believe the dream till its events begin unfolding in real life.

Why I loved it: The premise of this k-drama was very unique. The leads being able to see the future through their dreams was quite an interesting premise. But to be honest, I love this drama because of its intricate cinematography, OST and the connections between the characters' lives portrayed in a way that you wouldn’t have suspected. It was just so niche and indescribable. If you are a first timer to Korean dramas, I'm sure that you won’t regret watching this show as you will always itch to know what happens next.

Boys Over Flowers (2009)

The infamous F4, chaebol (rich family) heirs handsome and rich, continue to run in their highschool. Jun-Pyo --- the spoiled, arrogant, head of the gang --- finds himself falling for Jan-Di, a girl from a poor family who is striving and optimistic. New at her school, she falls for another F4 member, Ji-Hu, and finds herself stuck in a love triangle with Jun-Pyo.

Why I loved it: “Almost paradiseeee….” everytime I hear that phrase from one of the songs in this drama, I get thrown back to the times when I was in Grade 5. I remember doing all my assignments as fast as I could so that when my mom came home from work, I could binge watch the episodes (but of course she didn’t know that I didn’t give my all in my homeworks). Jun-Pyo, Ji-Hu, Lee-jeong and Woo-Bin have been a part of my childhood long before I was introduced to the world of K-Pop and fictional crushes in books and movies. These dreamy boys caught my attention and somehow served as my temporary escape from reality. Ten-year old me thought that these guys truly existed in highschool, so you can just imagine how disappointed I was when I finally did reach highschool.

Love Alarm (2019)

Adapted from a webtoon, this k-drama is about how the famous Love Alarm app has affected the lives of the teenagers using it. The story revolves around Kim Jo-Jo, an orphaned girl; Sun-Oh, a popular student; and his best friend Hye-Young. Both boys have their eyes on Jo-Jo and seek to win her love, but the story isn’t 100% romance; it also tackles the different struggles in family and friendship.

Why I loved it: This drama is short and sweet (as it's only 8-episodes long!) plus it has a refreshing plot. The Love Alarm app really exists as well, and I even downloaded it after finishing the whole drama. The last episode kept me hanging since it left on a cliffhanger, and now I can’t wait for season 2.

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