The drama is a television serial format, this format is very common in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand, where it is seen and broadcast more or less regularly. For some years now, with the development of new technologies, this type of format has also been broadcast on web TV. Dramas are extremely popular Korean TV series around the world, partly due to the spread of Korean culture abroad and partly through the phenomenon called Hallyu or “Korean wave”.
It has been since the nineties that there has been an authentic boom in this format, especially with regard to the romantic genre, and the school genre that catches on a young audience even if the majority of the stories are mostly still decidedly aimed at an adult audience. In the last few years, we have come to the creation of drama and web drama made specifically for mobile phones and tablets with daily broadcasts starting from five to 25 minutes maximum.
Thanks to streaming services like Netflix that offer subtitles in multiple languages, nowadays it is possible to see this type of product more easily. Unfortunately, the possibility of having the DVD of a certain type of series is scarce because these come out mostly in a reduced, non-integral version and not all of them are subtitled (which happens in the streaming version). In November 2008, Netflix first introduced Korean dramas to its streaming catalog. Although compared to other services, it has fewer series, it has two strengths- streaming is fast to load and is of excellent quality, presenting in HD some new series not present on other platforms.
Over time it is making up for the lack of drama and buying more and more products. In May 2010, DramaFever started broadcasting this type of series on the Hulu TV channel. Among the many advantages of streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, there is that of being able to discover, effortlessly, products that until a few years ago considered all niche because they are only available illegally and usually with difficulty. Now, however, everything is simpler and above all more understandable thanks to the subtitling work by the networks or the platform itself that spreads the drama in different languages.
The first Korean drama broadcast on television was Dream High, aired on the Super Channel! in 2013. Unfortunately, the series was dubbed with too many rearrangements (names in English, two-part episodes) cuts and complaints aimed at removing unsuitable content for the network’s target. Subsequently, after complaints from fans on YouTube, the channel uploaded the episodes of the drama uncensored. Starting from 2017, Netflix began to subtitle different dramas such as Man to Man, White Nights, One More Time, My Only Love Song and seeing the success which brought in terms of ratings and approval from the public of the Korean TV series, others came; are types of Korean drama to be seen absolutely such as Argon, Stranger, The sound of your heart, Man To Man, My Runway, Black, Hello My Twenties and last but certainly not least Prison Playbook.
A Korean Odyssey
This k-drama created by Jung-eun Hong and Mi-ran Hong tells of a creature as legendary as it is selfish. Her invulnerability is challenged by a woman who is able to see otherworldly beings. As the vision of the creature torments the young woman, the two make an agreement. After twenty years, however, the evil spirit returns to install it.
Argon
Argon (아르곤) is a 2017 South Korean drama directed by Lee Yoon-jung, screened by Jeon Young-Shin, Joo Won-Kyu, Shin Ha-Eun and starring Kim Joo-hyuk and Chun Woo-hee. The series marks the first small-screen role as the protagonist of Chun Woo-hee.
It is one of the latest projects that actor Kim Joo-hyuk participated in before his death on October 30, 2017.
The series revolves around the events of Kim Baek-Jin. Baek-jin is a journalist, reporter, and leader of an investigative team called “Argon.” A man of science, he does not tolerate mistakes and is based only on facts. Lee Yeon-Hwa is a contract reporter. Six months before her contract expires, she is assigned to work by “Argon”. Here he struggles to get a definitive job as a reporter. She works with Kim Baek-Jin, who trains her with severe training that will change her way of seeing things.
Because This is My First Life
Because This Is My First Life (이번 생 은 처음 이라) is also known by the international title This Life is Our First is a South Korean drama starring Lee Min-ki and Jung So-min regarding the different points of view compared to career, love, family and friendship relationships and finally on marriage.
Nam Se-Hee is a thirty-year-old single man. Meticulous and super fussy regarding not only his job but also his emotional relationships, he decided that he doesn’t want to get married. He lives with a cat, which he loves, and owns his own house that is paying through a super expensive mortgage. His dream is to be able to extinguish it before the age of 40. His only true friend is his boss. He works in a small studio as a computer designer for a dating app. Yoon Ji-Ho, on the other hand, she is a lively woman, also single and also thirty years old. He does not own a house and envies those who, on reaching his age, can afford it. She moved from her parents’ house to Seoul trying to show the family that she can do it without their financial support. He gave up dating men because of his economic situation. He has two best friends to whom he confides everything.
She dreams of becoming a successful writer and is therefore constantly under pressure.
It all starts when, for a strange twist of fate, Se-hee finds himself having to rent a room in his house in order to be able to pay the mortgage much faster and thus be able to pay it off as per plan. Ji-ho starts living with him. The life they have carried out so far will be completely turned upside down.
Black
Black (블랙) is a 2017 fantasy-thriller. South Korean drama starring Song Seung-heon, best known for his role in the drama Autumn in My Heart (2000), Go Ara, Lee El, and Kim Dong-jun. In this drama, we see the story of a reaper called Black who descends to Earth to find out the truth about a series of mysterious murders from Heaven. While investigating, he borrows the body of a deadly detective Han Moo-gang and forms a peculiar partnership with Kang Ha-ram in order to save the lives of people killed earlier than expected by a serial killer. Ha-ram is a mortal with powers- she is, in fact, a clairvoyant who can predict the death of the people around her by looking at their shadows. For this reason, he often wears sunglasses on his face so as not to constantly witness misfortunes.
Ha-ram wants to use his power to do good but in doing so he often messes up the celestial plans and is one of the reasons why Black collaborates with her in the beginning. The biggest problem arises when Black falls in love with the woman and is therefore driven to make a decision- to return to Heaven or to remain on Earth?
But above all, can he live forever in the body of the mortal to whom he stole the identity for the investigation?
Boys Over Flowers
The plot revolves around the events of Jan-di and the F4. Shinhwa is a high school for rich kids, attended by the arrogant but popular Gu Jun-pyo, heir of the multinational Shinhwa Group, together with Yoon Ji-hoo, So Yi-jung and Song Woo-bin, forms the group of F4 (I Flower Boy)– the four boys are not only intelligent and skilled but are considered the most beautiful and popular boys of the school and “rule” over all the other high school students.
Geum Jan-di, on the other hand, is an ordinary girl of humble origins who lives with her parents and little brother. Her own a dry cleaner and after school, she helps them by delivering customer laundry at home. When one day accidentally rescues one of the Shinhwa students from the suicide attempt, the president of the Shinhwa Group, as well as the school’s financier, offers her a free scholarship to silence the fuss caused by the negative publicity produced by the accident, generated by the bullying perpetrated by F4. The girl is grateful for the opportunity but is also annoyed by the attitude of the four boys.
She soon clashes with Jun-pyo, deciding that she doesn’t want to be bullied for her origins. Struck by the girl’s character, the F4 leader takes a cota for her. Jan-di, however, tries something for another member of F4 or Ji-hoo, the most peaceful and quietest member. The only problem as always is its background.
Will she be able to overcome social differences and be accepted by the parents of the boy she wants to be with? But above all, what will happen when Jun-pyo confesses her feelings? Friendships, first loves, jealousies, bullying, suicide are just some of the important issues addressed in this drama.
Descendants of the Sun
Yoo Si-jin is the captain of a South Korean special forces unit. On a day off, he and Sergeant Major Seo Dae-young land a thief who, wounded during his capture, is sent to the hospital.
In the emergency room, Si-jin meets Dr. Kang Mo-yeon and falls in love with her at first sight. The two begin dating, but after some failed appointments due to his work, they agree that a relationship between them is not possible. Shortly thereafter, Si-jin leaves to lead his soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in the Balkan state of Urk. The two did not meet until eight months after the captain’s departure, Mo-yeon was sent to Urk for refusing the hospital director’s s3xual advances.
Doctor Stranger
The story revolves around Park Hoon, a South Korean boy who spent part of his life in North Korea after his father was tricked into working as a doctor in the North. He too, like his father, growing up develops an interest in medicine and is known by all for his ingenious skills. Here he meets a Song Jae-hee girl, also an anesthesiologist specializing in oriental medicine, and falls in love with her.
While not being separated from her and living a better life, the two seek a plan to escape on the other side of the border. They manage to get a step away from the consulate but during the escape, Seung-hee is killed or so believes Hoon.
He will discover that not everything is as it seems and that nothing he has learned over the years corresponds to reality. Doctor Strange is a story that brings to light the conflicts between North and South, between being a doctor and being a soldier, a story that speaks of love and friendship.
Duel
The plot revolves around the character of Jang Deuk-cheon, a detective loyal to his duty whose daughter is sick with cancer. After months of hospitalization, the child is selected as a candidate for an experimental scientific treatment to cure the disease but on the very day of the transfer to the clinic where she must receive the therapy she is kidnapped.
While trying to catch the suspect he encounters a problem- all the clues lead to the same face but the criminals seem to be two. Are they twins? And if so, why do they both have the same DNA? Which of the two really kidnapped his daughter and killed all the witnesses who dared to get in their way? The detective will soon discover that the answers to his questions are more complicated than they seem. A battle between good and evil, right and wrong, in the deadliest of duels.
Heirs
Heirs (상속자 들) also known by the international title The Inheritors is a South Korean drama broadcast on SBS from 9 October to 12 December 2013. It is the first Korean drama co-produced with the American digital distribution platform DramaFever.
Eighteen-year-old Kim Tan is the second son of the president of the Jeguk Group, one of the richest and most important South Korean chaebol, and has been studying for three years in the United States, where his older half brother Kim Won sent him to prevent him from interfering in the management of the company, of which Won became the new director after his father’s retirement. In Los Angeles, Tan meets Cha Eun-sang, a humble native girl who came from Korea in search of a better future. When Eun-sang discovers that her older sister, with whom she intended to go to live, told her and her mother only lies and finds herself alone and in difficulty, Tan decides to give her a hand, hosting her briefly at her home and ending up falling in love with it.
Upon Eun-sang’s departure for Korea, Tan decides to return to his homeland, where he discovers that Eun-sang recently lives at his home because his mother works there as a housekeeper. Thanks to a scholarship from the Jeguk Group, Eun-sang begins to attend Jeguk High School, a prestigious institute for wealthy boys, where, among other students, he meets the school bully and former friend of Kim Tan, Choi Young-do, who falls in love with her, and Tan’s betrothed Rachel Yoo. Willing to defend his love for Eun-sang at all costs, Tan decides to challenge social differences and his own father, who tries to separate the two boys by all means so that his son can marry Rachel.
Hello My Twenties
Hello, My Twenties (청춘 시대), also known as the Age of Youth or Youth Generation is a South Korean JTBC drama.
Yoon Jin Myung is a student of the last year of Business Administration and Management. Her family is rather poor so she is always busy between school and work to be able to keep herself independent and not weigh on the shoulders of her parents. Suffering from insomnia.
Kang Yi Na studies as Jin Myung Business Administration and Management and is very popular thanks to her beautiful presence, among the roommates she is the most popular of the group, very attractive, she is noticed by everyone and envied by the other students on campus. She lives surrounded by boys, she is very open and outgoing.
Jung Ye Eun studies to become a nutritionist and love her boyfriend with whom he spends all his time when he is not in university. Very charismatic, she has an almost morbid relationship with him, which will wreak havoc in her life.
Song Ji Won studies Communication Sciences and is a bright and cheerful girl, she is obsessed with finding a boy before the age of thirty. He has a bright personality and loves to drink. Often it puts awe at kids with his loud talk.
Yoo Eun Jae specializes in Psychology. A shy and introverted girl is the latest arrival in the residence and at the beginning does not adapt to the rhythms of the city and does not easily integrate into the group of girls. It comes from a rural area of the countryside and for this reason, it is often made fun of by classmates. It has a unique taste in men. In the series, we see real situations in everyday life. You can see how these girls deal with everyday life between dramas, loves, betrayals, disappointments and how together they overcome misfortune and manage to emerge stronger and more united than before.
Good Doctor
Perhaps not everyone knows that the American TV series The Good Doctor with Freddie Highmore by Bates Motel is taken from a k-drama. In fact, it is in fact based on the South Korean drama Good Doctor which, initially, should have been called Green Mes (literally “Green Chisel”). Mes is a German-derived word used in Korea to refer to a medical instrument. Since not many people know this detail, the title chosen was ” Good Doctor ” at a later date.
The protagonist Park Shi-on is an autistic boy with savant syndrome- in other words, this young man has genius skills. These are discovered in a diagnostic center. When he grows up and becomes a pediatric surgeon, he is faced with a challenge- to be accepted into the staff within six months or to abandon his post.
Good morning call
When her parents move and leave the city, Yoshikawa Nao goes to live alone, so that she can cultivate the lands that her grandfather left after his disappearance. The girl has long dreamed of being independent like any teenager. Enthusiastic about the idea, she is preparing for the big step, but she does not know that a surprise awaits her- the same apartment has been rented to Uehara Hisashi who – as the case may be – is none other than the beauty of the school. The overlapping problem is posed to the owner of the property, but there seems to be no solution other than coexistence.
Once the protagonist has reached independence, another important challenge begins.
I’m Not a Robot
Kim Min-kyu is a rich computer genius who due to a peculiar form of allergy lives isolated and far from any type of contact with humans. If he touches people, in fact, rashes appear on his body which prevents him from breathing properly and which makes him look like a monster.
Jo Ji-ah, on the other hand, is a woman who tries to work as a designer and in the meantime she does small jobs including as a guinea pig for her ex-boyfriend, Professor Hong Baek-kyun who now works as a scientist for a large company. The man created a robot that he called Aji 3 which has the face and some characteristics of Ji-ah. In exchange for $ 10,000, Ji-ah must pretend to be the robot in question for several hours and answer all questions from Min-kyu who wants to buy the model for himself.
I Rember You
The plot of the story revolves around the brilliant profiler Lee Hyun who returns home to Korea, after years spent in the United States, when the detail of a case that is following triggers in his memory a memory that he believed he had lost forever. In fact, a serial killer is killing women, all of whom look similar. Only Lee sees some details, the hallmark of the killer.
The serial killer seems to send a personal message to Hyun with every murder almost as if he wanted to be captured. The man wonders if these details can be linked to the criminal who ran away by kidnapping his brother Min.
The sound of your heart
Based on the popular web-toon of the same name “Maeumui Sori”, The sound of your heart (마음 의 소리) also known as Sound of Your Heart, follows the events of the really existing cartoonist Jo Suk and the people close to him- his wacky family, his older brother Jo Joon and his girlfriend Ae-Bong.
This drama is a witty and spontaneous comedy from the longest-lived Korean webtoon. Hilarious and sometimes demented it is suitable for all ages. Jo Suk’s webtoon was first published on September 8, 2006, via the Comic section of Naver. The director of the drama is Ha Byung-Hoon while the screenwriter is Kwon Hye-Joo who wrote the script together with the author and director.
The sound of your heart aired simultaneously on KBS2 and Naver Tv Cast in Korea for a total of twenty episodes.
Kingdom
The plot of this Korean TV series revolves around a prince accused of treason. He is involved in political intrigue and must prove that he is innocent. In addition, he undertakes a suicide mission to understand the origin of a mysterious epidemic. The story begins with facts documented in the Annals of the Joseon dynasty that report a disease that spread to modern Korea in the nineteenth century. This epidemic was devastating- tens of thousands of people died within ten days.
Kingdom’s first season is made up of six episodes and will be streamed on Netflix Friday 25 January 2019. The series has already been confirmed for the second season of six episodes.
Man To Man
Man to Man (맨투맨) is an action drama with romantic implications produced by the JTBC network, created by Won-Suk Kim and directed by Chang-Min Lee starring Park Hae-Jin, Park Sung-woong, and Kim Min-jung.
The drama is about a special NIS (National Intelligence Service) secret agent named Kim Seol-woo who, to complete an important undercover mission, must pretend to be the bodyguard of a famous world star.
The celebrity in question is Yeo Woon-gwang, who after almost immediately being attacked by two obsessive fans, is looking for a bodyguard who can follow him everywhere. He chooses Kim Seol-woo, a mysterious man with many talents who seems to be perfect for the role. The new bodyguard doesn’t like the manager of the star, Cha Do-ha. Do-ha has a secret crush on the actor and wants to protect him at all costs.
Determined to get him fired, she will do anything to get rid of him. To avoid playing cover, Seol-woo bromances with the actor and starts shamelessly trying with the incorruptible manager. Trouble starts when Seol-woo falls in love with Do-ha.
Will Seol-woo be able to complete the mission or will he succumb to love by endangering the woman he loves?
Memories of the Alhambra
After receiving an email about a revolutionary AR game about medieval battles in the Alhambra, Yoo Jin-woo (Hyun Bin), CEO of an investment company specializing in optical devices, travels to Granada, Spain, to meet the game creator, Jung Se -joo (Park Chan-yeol).
However, Se-joo is not there and Yoo Jin-woo meets his sister Jung Hee-joo (Park Shin-hye), owner of the hostel where he stays and former guitarist.
The two become involved in a mysterious accident after which the boundary between the real world and the world built by See-joo begins to blur.
The TV series is available in streaming in the Netflix catalog from 11 December 2018- a new episode is added every Tuesday. Those who have already watched all the available episodes of the first season wonder if a second season for Memories of the Alhambra is in the pipeline.
Moonlight Drawn by Clouds
Hong Ra-on was raised as a boy by his mother, who died when the girl was ten years old; since then, Ra-on, with the name Sam-nom, has lived by keeping up with small chores by continuing to hide his s3x to escape a group of rebels. One day, trying to help a friend, he accidentally meets the Crown Prince Lee Yeong whose identity he does not know.
Shortly afterward the girl is sold to the royal palace as a eunuch. Here he will have to learn the court rules and serve the Prince and the royals by finding out who the mysterious boy he met long ago was.
Yeong, amused and at the same time irritated by his attitude prevents him, forcing her to become his personal eunuch.
Oh my ghost
Na Bong-sun is a very shy cook with very low self-esteem. He has no friends and his work is continually challenged by the superiors of the Sun Restaurant. Occasionally she happens to see ghosts, the legacy of a shamanic grandmother. When one of these ghosts takes possession of her, so the young woman acquires all the security she has always dreamed of and attracts the attention of the great chef for whom she has a crush on for some time.
Added to the Netflix catalog, this Korean TV series is available in streaming with its first season consisting of 16 episodes.
Mr.Sunshine
During the United States of America’s expedition to Joseon (in South Korea) in 1871, a Korean boy boarded an American warship and went to America. As an adult, he then returned to his homeland of origin as part of the troop of American soldiers stationed in the country.
The drama is the backdrop to a political event that really took place, an armed conflict that broke out between the two nations that led to the death of hundreds of people. With stunning vistas, big boats, epic battles and a love story that is the background of the story, the official teaser within a day of his release have already reached a million views on all social media, despite his little promotion by the official TVN press office.
The TV series Mr. Sunshine was added to the Netflix catalog on 19 July 2018 with the episodes of the first season. For those who loved the first cycle of episodes, the question is now only one- is the second season of Mr. Sunshine coming?
My First Love
My First Love is a Netflix Original series to be released on April 18, 2019. A release date has not yet been announced for the project that directs Oh Jin-seok, supported by Kim Min-seo. The first season of the series is made up of eight episodes.
The plot, as you can guess from the title whose literal translation is “My first love” revolves around teenage love in college. This romantic comedy is part of the k-drama tradition and promises to be very fashionable, in step with the times.
My Girlfriend is a Gumiho
Cha Dae-woong wants to become an action movie star, but for his irresponsible and spoiled behavior, his grandfather Cha Poong decides to let him attend a college. The boy, however, decides to use the money from the tuition to buying a new and flaming motorcycle with which he runs away. During his escape he ends up in a temple, where he accidentally releases the demon of a Gumiho (9-tailed fox) and then runs away frightened, risking to die.
The gumiho, in the form of a beautiful woman, unexpectedly saves his life and starts following him wherever he goes. Dae-woong is annoyed and frightened by his presence, but he is forced to indulge her not knowing that the fox only wants to become human. The two then make a pact- she lends him his fox ball so that he can increase his physical strength and his speed and become one of the best action movie actors and stuntmen ever and in return, he must help her become Human.
My Golden Life
The plot of the story revolves around two families- the Choi family and the Seo family. In particular, we focus on Ji-an, a woman who after many efforts and sacrifices gets the opportunity to raise her social status and Do-kyung, a rich chaebol who finds in her the happiness she has always lacked.
The Seo family is composed of the parents Tae-soo and Mi-Jung, the older brother Ji-tae, Ji-an and the twin Ji-soo and finally the “little” of the Ji-ho house. After an unpleasant accident, Ji-an finds himself having to pay a large sum of money to Do-kyung knowing nothing of his identity.
Destiny wants us to discover that the two families are related. In the past, in fact, Mi-jung exchanged the twins after the misfortune, taking with them a girl who is not actually hers. Ji-an then finds himself living overnight in the Choi family, chaebol and heirs of the famous Haeseong Group.
This is not only to try to have a better life and to know the long-lost parents but also to distance themselves from the pain felt after the discovery. When, after months and months, it seems to have taken place, a shocking news comes out. The twin exchanged is not her but Ji-soo, the real Choi Eunseok.
Another problem is his relationship with Do-kyung- have the two gone from strangers to colleagues, from colleagues to brothers and now? His heart is a turmoil of emotions that he cannot understand.
What will happen once the big secret is revealed? And above all, what will happen to the relationship between you and Do-Kyung?
My Love Who Came From The Stars
The protagonist of this story is Min-joon, an alien who landed on Earth in 1609, during the Joseon dynasty. On earth, he falls in love with a mortal, Yi-hwa who discovers his secret and who tries to keep it and risks his life. Discovered his nature, in fact, the men of the village try to capture him and the girl tries to escape with him but during the escape, she dies to save her love.
Min-joon is destroyed because in addition to the girl he also lost the opportunity to return to his planet and is forced to remain on Earth for four centuries.
My Runway
My Runway (마이 런웨이) is a web drama consisting of 6 episodes lasting 20 minutes each produced by the MBC Dramanet / Tv Chosun network. Broadcast since December 31, 2016, the mini-series is a comedy with romantic and supernatural elements. The story revolves around the character of Han Seo Yeon, a student, and brilliant girl, healthy and extroverted, dreams of becoming a model. He often gets low grades at school because he prefers to focus on his future career instead of studying.
Despite trying constantly, every casting she participates in fails. If this were not enough, his dream in the drawer is to be able to walk the catwalk along with his idol, the famous Jaebeom model. Then we have Jinwook, Jaebeom’s best friend and the most famous and sought after model of the moment in Korea. Due to an injury from the past, he hides his good heart behind haughty and contemptuous attitudes. Seo Yeon and Jinwook meet in a casting for a television program but good blood doesn’t flow between the two immediately. Due to a strange accident, the boys find themselves in each other’s body and will have to try to face the situation to the best of their ability.
In the catalog of Netflix, it is available the first season of six episodes.
My Only Love Song
The protagonist is Soo-jung, an arrogant and self-centered idol who believes that fame and money are everything. She is convinced that only important people of a certain social status can achieve their dreams and does not believe in true love. Talented young man but now cynical and always in fear of a younger girl stealing the show. After shooting an important scene in her new series, the actress gets angry with the director and the whole crew for the addition of a co-protagonist at the last minute. The idea of sharing the scene with another actress whom she considers to be of low caliber despite her pretty face leads her to leave in a hurry from the set. She escapes with a ramshackle bus that borrows from the scene and in an incomprehensible way she accidentally ends up in a space-time portal that takes her to the past.
Here he knows On-dal, a man who loves money and who would do anything to get it. However, the latter, although appearing gruff and stingy, is kind and has a weak point for the weak and needy. In secret, therefore, he gives charity to people who need his help. There is no good blood between the two since both have similar characters. Soo-jung in order to return to the future and leave the epoch Goreyo must seek the help of On-Dal. Will he be able to leave his pride aside and get help?
The twenty episodes of the first season have been added to the Netflix catalog!
Sleepless nights
White Nights, also known as Night Light (Bul-ya-sung – 불야성) is a South Korean drama starring Lee Yo-won, Jin Goo and Uee. The soundtracks (OST) of the series are among which have received several compliments from the public and have become part of the classical music charts especially Way ( Way ) of XIA, Like That Day (그날 처럼) by Kim Sung-je del idol group Supernova and For Me (나를 위해) of Bae Soo-jung. The drama tells the story of three individuals who are driven by greed to fight for the command of a large food chain.
Seo Yi-kyung is an ice woman willing to do anything for her ambition and does not believe that greed is a capital sin. Twelve years earlier, he cheated on his boyfriend, Park Gun-woo, a wholehearted man heir to a large company while Lee Se-jin is an orphan from a very poor family who lost their parents when she was only a child and who wants to escape this situation.
One More Time
” N on, we realize the importance of someone until you lose it forever,” says the protagonist of the story.
One More Time (헤어진 다음날) also known by the title The Day After We Broke Up is a 2016 South Korean web drama starring L, pseudonym of the singer of the idol group Infinite, Kim Myung-soo, and Yoon So-hee. It is compared to the 2004 science fiction film directed by Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber The Butterfly Effect.
Between twists, laughter and a few tears One More Time excites and moves. The drama makes you think and offers social ideas that should not be underestimated.
The plot of the web drama with supernatural elements revolves around the relationship between Yoo Tak, leader of the indie rock band One more time, singer and guitarist and the keyboard player of the group as well as his girlfriend Da-in.
After almost 7 years together Yoo Tak does not feel that affection for the girl but does not want to leave her because of the debts. In fact, the boy risks being evicted for some time and does not want to risk being left alone without a house to return to in case it happens. Da In is and remains his anchor. However, when he is contacted by an important record company, he is placed in front of an ultimatum- in order to become a star, he must leave his group, thus becoming a soloist and remain single. After the initial hesitations Yoo Tak accepts the proposal but the next day he wakes up reliving the day of the ultimatum again and again. The situation worsens and repeats itself punctually every time he wakes up. The fate involving the two protagonists is cruel and they will have to do everything to prevent the future that is repeated every day without changes being fulfilled. It is seen as a story destined to end thanks to fate reborn.
This fantasy drama is available in the Netflix catalog with the 8 episodes of the first season.
Pinocchio
The story revolves around Ki Ha-myung, a bright-minded boy with learning skills on the edge of genius. Ki Ha-myung lives a happy life with his parents and older brother Jae-myung until the day his father Ho-sang, captain of the fire team, dies in the explosion of a factory together with many of his men. Since Ho-sang’s body is initially missing, the media turns the man into a scapegoat, especially MSC Song Cha-ok journalist, which makes everyone believe that Ho-sang actually survived the tragedy and is hiding because he is responsible for the death of his men. The captain’s family is then targeted, they almost become outcasts and often become bullied- the mother of Ha-myung and Jae-myung cannot endure the constant harassment and decides to commit suicide by throwing himself with a younger son from a cliff. Jae-myung failing to stop her in time, blames on average, especially Cha-ok, for their death. In fact, Ha-myung survived, saved by Choi Gong-pil, an elderly man who lives on the island of Hyangri.
The man suffered trauma years ago and believes that the boy is his son Choi Dal-po, who has actually been dead for thirty years. Ha-myung, who has no one else in the world, decides to play the game and starts treating Gong-pil like a father; the man officially adopts him, changing his name to Dal-po, and inserts him in the family registers as the eldest son. When five months later Gong-pil’s youngest son Choi Dal-pyung moved to the island with his daughter Choi In-ha, the two are stunned by the situation. Although they do not want to upset the elderly, in fact, Dal-pyung initially refuses to have to call a boy of the same age as his daughter his “older brother”. In-ha, he hates living on the isolama, he resists staying close to his father. Idolize the mother who is a famous journalist. After the divorce of his parents, he acquired the ” Pinocchio syndrome“, Which makes her sob every time she tells a lie. The story goes on and 5 years later, Dal-po and In-ha are in their last year of high school, in the same class. Dal-po, pretends to be stupid so as not to arouse suspicion about his true identity and In-ha, knowing that Pinocchio syndrome limits his work choices, decides to become a journalist like his mother. Another 3 years pass and we now see the two adults who are ready to enter the world of work.
In-ha, after many efforts, she manages to get an interview at the mother’s home, but it is the same mother who makes her hiring fail by telling everyone about her syndrome. Dal-po angry decides to help her realize her dream and announces that she wants to become a reporter himself. The two, however, are hired for two different stations and find themselves rivals. In-ha tries to understand the reason behind the perseverance to work in that Dal-po station. He will soon discover that the boy is looking for his brother and that behind the facade of a good boy there is always the angry Ha-myung, who has hidden his plan to avenge his family and take revenge on those who have brought misfortunes and lies in their lives.
Prison Playbook
Prison Playbook, also known as Wise Prison Life (슬기로운 감빵 생활) is a South Korean TV series produced by TvN and directed by Shin Won-ho (director already known for the TvN trilogy Reply– Reply 1997 (2012), Reply 1994 (2013) and Reply 1988 (2015-1016). It was written by Jung Bo-hoon.
It is a dramatic series that tells the story of a group of prisoners and their prison guards. A black comedy considered by many to be the Korean-style reinterpretation. of the TV show “Orange is the New Black “.
Many of the facts told are true, taken from interviews made by the drama staff to real prisoners. The director of the drama said that in each episode important social issues are treated. He explained that the initial focus of his work was to make people think, empathize with the protagonists, make them criticize, make them angry, make them happy. In an interview with Soompi he revealed- “With respect to the usual superficial arguments it is important that people understand what I wanted to convey through these characters. Seobu prison is a place where judicial processes are faced; in these places are the people who made the news and who created controversies. It is easy to connect with the protagonists of the story because many of the things they tell are facts of real everyday life. “
The main character of the series is Je-Hyeok, a baseball player (played by the actor Park Hae-Soo, here in his first starring role) considered the best pitcher in all of Korea. An unbeatable man on the playing field but very clumsy in everyday life. His career is at its peak, he has surpassed all the records in the nation and is ready to sign a contract for a major league that will take him to play in the USA for the Boston Red Sox. Suddenly everything changes when one night, after returning from training, he hears his sister shout and sees a man running outside his house. Without thinking twice, the man attacks the thug who tries in vain to escape. The two fight and Je-Hyeok takes it hard with a rock to the temple. The delinquent is hospitalized and ends up in a coma causing the player to be arrested by the police. Despite attempts by his lawyer and manager to help him with the case, he is accused of aggravated violence and forced to spend a year in prison. The situation worsens when the criminal dies and the player’s sentence is extended. Devastated by the news, the man must, therefore, adapt to his new life in Seoubu prison with the other prisoners.
A positive note of his stay in prison is the arrival of Joon-Ho (played by actor Jung Kyoung-Ho), a childhood friend of Je-Hyeok who works as an officer in the prison who will do everything to keep the player safe from the dangers that forced imprisonment entails.
Reunited Worlds
Hae Sung, a high school student of the last year takes care of her younger brothers and sisters with her grandmother after the death of her editors. On his birthday, his classmate Jung Jung Won prepares a surprise party for him at home but to keep him busy he asks him with an excuse to recover his forgotten wallet at school.
When the boy enters the classroom he finds himself in front of a shocking scene- one of his companions is on the ground and blood flows from his head where you can see a big cut.
He runs to call for help but as he goes out onto the street and is hit by a car and dies.
Twelve years later, Hae Sung wakes up on the roof of his school in uniform, his face as well as his body has not changed but he does not remember anything if he went to take the lost object from Jung Won.
Secret Garden
Gil La-im is a young woman who works as a stuntwoman in action movies. Kim Joo-won, on the other hand, is an arrogant and eccentric CEO, heir to a multinational clothing company. The two meet by chance and at the beginning, Joo-won refuses to admit the growing attraction he feels towards the woman.
The relationship between the two is confused and the man, in an attempt to get closer to La-im manages to combine a lot of trouble when his goal is only to help the woman.
To complicate matters further, one night the two find themselves having a drink in this hotel whose garden is called the “Secret Garden”. What they don’t know is that in that drink there is a potion that should make the two be sincere and can admit their feelings towards the other but this does not happen. The potion, in fact, has another effect and makes them reverse the bodies!
Something In The Rain
Great success in South Korea, this k-drama tells the steps of two people who from simple acquaintances become a real couple. The protagonist is a career woman who has recently returned single. When the brother of his best friend returns home after a period abroad, he begins to look at him from another perspective. If he were the love of his life?
In the cast, there are Son Ye-jin, Jung Hae-in, and Jang So-yeon and the first season has been available in streaming in the Netflix catalog since April 2018. If you want a romantic Korean TV series there are 18 episodes that waiting for you!
She Was Pretty
Ji Sung-Joon has always been an awkward and overweight guy and for this, he didn’t have many friends. Kim Hye-Jin, on the other hand, has always been beautiful and popular but has never left her friend alone.
Sung-Joon returns to Korea after 15 years spent in the United States and wants to see her friend and former loved one again. Hye-jin, ashamed that her first love sees how she has become, asks her attractive best friend Ha-ri to introduce herself in her place. After their meeting, however, Ha-ra is fascinated by Sung Joon and forgets the plan organized with Hye-jin.
However, things get complicated when Hye-jin finds work in the offices of the fashion magazine The Most, for which Sung-joon is deputy editor. Since his first meeting, he belittles and openly mistreats her for his clumsiness, without knowing who he really is. Yet despite this, the man feels something for her.
Sung Joon then begins to suspect that Hye Jin is not really who he claims to be.
Stranger
Stranger known to most by the name of Secret Forest or Forest of Secrets ( Bimilui Soop – 비밀 의 숲) is a South Korean drama of the thriller genre TVN network directed by Ahn Gil-Ho and starring Jo Seung-woo ( God’s Gift– 14 Days ) and Bae Doo-na South Korean actress and model, internationally known for the roles in the films of Park Chan-wook, Mr. Vendetta, The Host, Cloud Atlas and who since 2015 has played one of the protagonists of the TV series Sense8. In Stranger, we see the protagonist Hwang Shi-Mok who had a brain operation when he was just a child. This surgical procedure led him to a loss of emotion. Hwang Shi-Mok works as a prosecutor, he is a rational, cold and lonely man, he is considered one of the few uncorrupted prosecutors in Seoul. One day, while going to work, a dead body is thrown in front of him. Visibly annoyed by the unusual affair, he meets with Lt. Chief of Police Han Yeo-Jin to determine where the crime scene occurred. The two begin working together to resolve the murder case and to eradicate corruption within the district attorney’s office which is covering a series of mass murders.
Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
Bong-Soon was born with superpowers- like all his family, in fact, he has superhuman strength. This force is inherited and passed on generationally but only in the women of the family. Despite not being bright, she has great skills as a designer. Her dream is to one day be able to create a video game in which she is the protagonist. One day Bong-Soon helps a group of people on the bus to his house and prevents them from falling off the overpass. Trying not to be seen in the face, however, she is noticed by Min-Hyuk who for an unfortunate case was on that same bus. Min-hyuk is head of the Ainsoft video game company. After developing a new video game, he is constantly subject to death threats, so he decides, Meanwhile in the neighborhood where the Do family lives, several crimes are taking place and the girl’s childhood friend, Detective Kook-Doo is working to catch the outlaw.
For a case of fate, the three will find themselves working together to solve the mystery and try to bring the criminal to justice. A love triangle will form during the investigation… you can’t miss it!
Suspicious Partners
Bong-Hee is an apprentice at the Judicial Research and Training Institute who one day on the subway mistakes Ji-Wook for a molester. As if that wasn’t enough, on that same day, she discovers her boyfriend Hee-Joon with another woman. After months of that bad day, the girl decides to recover her personal belongings from the ex’s house. Upon entering the house, however, he discovers that the boy has been stabbed to death. The girl, being the only one with a motive, is arrested but Ji-Wook, the prosecutor who deals with the case, finds evidence that exonerates her.
Two years pass and this time Bong-Hee and Ji-Wook meet but on opposite sides. She represents the accused while he represents the accuser. Will the woman finally find the killer and recover the trust and life she was destined for and which has been taken from her because of her?
The Legend of The Blue Sea
Heo Joon-jae, a charming and intelligent man, the son of a wealthy businessman who became a swindler after his parents’ divorce, falls in love with a mermaid named Shim Cheong. Their story is juxtaposed to the parallel story of their incarnations dating back to the Joseon era, when a mermaid rescues the young Kim Dam-ryeong from drowning.
Dam-ryeong continues to have dreams of himself, Se-hwa and their enemies of the future and is afraid that the same fate will be repeated to the two. Will the two succeed in avoiding the sad fate that has touched their ancestors?
W – Two Worlds
The plot of the drama revolves around the surgeon Oh Yeon Joo whose father, a well-known cartoonist, mysteriously disappears while he is writing the last chapter of the webtoon “W”. Yeon Joo goes to his father’s office to find some evidence and is shocked to see that one of the last scenes drawn by the parent on his tablet is the death of Kang Chul, the main protagonist of the “W” story.
While she finds herself reading a note left by the parent before she disappears, a hand that comes out of the screen drags it inside the same.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Kim Bok-Joo is a promising weight lifting college student. His father runs a small chicken restaurant together with his uncle who in the meantime wants to become a famous actor. Sunny and always optimistic girl, together with her friends and classmates, is not popular among boys because of her specialization.
Jung Joon-Hyung is a boy enrolled at the same university in Bok-joo whose qualification is swimming. Due to a trauma dating back to his childhood, he is no longer able to make races without committing a false start and for this reason, he is often disqualified from official competitions. He lives with his uncles and his elder cousin Jung Jae-Yi.
One day Kim Bok-Joo collides with Jung Joon-Hyung. His face is familiar but initially, being late for his training, he doesn’t give us much weight. During the course of the weeks, the two meet-clash several times and it is after the fourth time that the swimmer realizes where he saw the girl! In fact, when they were both in elementary school, Bok-Joo saved Joon-Hyung’s life. Fate has brought them back but will they be able to overcome obstacles in order to live a normal love story?
While You Were Sleeping
Nam Hong-joo is a television journalist who has the ability to see the deaths of some people in her dreams before they happen. Over the years, despite the attempts, however, she never managed to save these people because despite changing some details, the future and the sad fate of the victims have always been the same. This was the case at least until the arrival of Jae Chan, a novice prosecutor.
