Latest / Daebak K-Rambles Podcast: K-drama Reviews / Beginner-Friendly K-dramas: If You’ve Never Watched a Korean Drama, Start Here / Ep. 101

Transcript

Beginner-Friendly K-dramas: If You’ve Never Watched a Korean Drama, Start Here / Ep. 101 · Daebak K-Rambles Podcast: K-drama Reviews

0:19
I'm Jessica and this is Tabak K Rambles.
0:22
We're a couple of friends review Korean dramas, except today,
0:25
today's a little different. We are back for season 7 of
0:29
Tabak. I can't believe that we are in a
0:32
brand new year 2026 and I'm kicking it off in a different
0:36
way. I don't have a guest with me
0:38
today. It's a solo pod and I'm going to
0:40
be finally delivering on something that has been asked of
0:43
me time and time again and it's to do a beginner K dramas
0:47
episode. Before we get into it, this is
0:50
your first time listening. Go ahead and subscribe on your
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favorite podcast app. We're on Apple podcast, Spotify,
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Google podcast and many more. And if you like us, please give
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us a five star review on Apple Podcast and Spotify.
1:01
Come and check us out on social media to stay up to date on the
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Instagram at Debakpod DAEBAKPOD. Lastly, if you are a fan,
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please, please consider becoming a patron.
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It is such a great way for you to get involved.
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Ensure your support. You can check out the page on
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Patreon dot com slash Tabak pod and shout out to our patrons
1:23
Curtis Bale, Alana, Lorna, Sammy, Julia, number one,
1:26
Caitlin 10, Maeve, Martha, Adelphia, Maria, Sarah, Pam,
1:30
Julia #2, Nadira, Matthew, Laura, Christine and Kate.
1:35
B Thank you so much for supporting the show and I love
1:39
interacting with you guys. There's been a few episodes that
1:42
came very quickly in Q 4/20/25 that I loved recording and
1:48
talking through with you guys. It was a lot of fun.
1:50
So beginner friendly K dramas. This is going to be, you know,
1:55
if you've never watched AK drama, start here.
1:57
That is what I want this episode to be.
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And I know that I had a lot of trouble coming up with the
2:04
dramas, to be quite honest with you, because I feel like at any
2:07
point you can enter K dramas, it there's just so many.
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When the right one finds you, it finds you is kind of my
2:14
mentality. But I also know that there's a
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lot of gateway dramas and then there's a lot of dramas that are
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more conducive to someone who is unfamiliar with Korean dramas,
2:24
with the culture, with the tropes and the nuances.
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I didn't want this episode to be here, the best K dramas because
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I feel like that's counterintuitive as well.
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And I also didn't want this to be a start with these classics
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because I don't think that works for everybody either.
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I think this is more of these shows teach you how to watch K
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dramas. They're a little more palatable.
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And I don't mean simple. I don't think beginner friendly
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necessarily means the dramas are simple.
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I think beginner friendly to me, in my mind, it means low
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friction, high emotional payoff. So consider me a guide, not a
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gatekeeper. If you've never watched AK drama
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or if you're looking to get back into it because you didn't
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really click with the first one you press play on, this is the
3:07
episode for you. Please note that I am not going
3:11
to focus on directors, screenwriters, or actors.
3:14
I do that a lot in every single deep dive review on the Tabak
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feed. But if you're new to K dramas
3:20
then you're not going to care. If something resonates with you,
3:24
then you can search up anything you want to know after the fact.
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It's been a long time since I considered myself a beginner K
3:32
drama watcher. I want this to be maybe a little
3:35
educational and I do kind of want to make this for everybody.
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And also knowing in the back of my mind that a lot of people
3:44
might press play on AK drama and it's a little silly.
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There's a lot of tonal chaos to it.
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You know, genre blending. It's this, that and the other.
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It's a crime drama, but it's a romance, but it's this.
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And then it has slapstick moments I think that might
4:00
overwhelm someone. I also feel like the deep
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melodramas, the trauma heavy romances, might also scare
4:07
someone off. So some of the criteria for me
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choosing the dramas that I'm going to talk about in this
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episode had to have a clear genre.
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It has to, in a way, explain its own tropes, reward emotional
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investment quickly. It does not require cultural
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fluency and has a strong hook by episodes one or two.
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You are invested. OK, so this is how it's going to
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go. I'm going to give you a few
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gateway dramas, which are dramas that a lot of people in the
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community watched and that was their first drama and it got
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them to stay. It got them to stay here in K
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drama land. So I'm going to give you a few
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of those and then I'm going to segue into basically the master
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list by mood. I'm going to give you the
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category slash genre. And if you're in the mood to
4:55
watch that genre, then these are the dramas for you.
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So without further ado, here we go.
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Here the gateway dramas. The first one I'm going to talk
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about is Crash Landing on You. It's 16 episodes long.
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It originally aired December 20, nineteenth through February
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2020. And each episode is about an
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hour and 25 minutes, a little on the long side if you ask me.
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These genres are military, comedy, romance, political.
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The synopsis is a South Korean heiress accidentally paraglides
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into North Korea and falls in love with a stoic army officer
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who risks everything to protect and return her home.
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Why should you watch this? It's a wildly ludicrous way to
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do a Romeo and Juliet type romance with the Montagues and
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the Capulets replaced with North and South Korea.
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You will get a lot of the extremes between the two and
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it's all inside this clean ROM com structure.
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It's high stakes for most of the show and it has universal
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appeal. This did gangbusters when it hit
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streaming during the pandemic. It's definitely a gateway K
6:01
drama for a reason. There is a full episode up on
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the Tabak feed already. We covered it back in season 1
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so if you want to deep dive you can find it.
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The second gateway drama is Business Proposal.
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It is 12 episodes long. It aired in 2022.
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Each episode is about an hour. The genres are comedy, romance,
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drama. Synopsis is a food researcher
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agrees to impersonate her wealthy friend on a blind date
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to scare off Aceo, only to discover he's her new boss and
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very serious about marriage. Why watch?
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This is very fast-paced at 12 episodes.
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Very familiar tropes, really great couples.
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The first you know the main couple are great and so are the
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secondary couple. It teaches you K drama humor
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without overwhelming you. I did guess on the Swoon Diaries
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podcast for a review of Business Proposal if you want to listen
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to that. The third gateway drama is
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extraordinary Attorney who it's 16 episodes long.
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It aired also in 2022. Each episode is about an hour
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and 10 minutes. The genres are law, romance,
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life, drama. Synopsis is a brilliant rookie
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lawyer on the autism spectrum, navigates her first law firm,
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complex cases and new relationships while challenging
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assumptions about competence, empathy and success.
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So each episode is going to cover a different case of hers.
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And so you get a lot of Korean society in there.
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It's very character driven storytelling.
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You have a wonderful lead actress.
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There's emotional clarity to it, and I don't think you need to
7:38
know anything you know at all. The show meets you where you
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are. It is quite light.
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If you're coming from the law shows here in the West, this is
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very, very light. Virgin pina colada, OK, like
7:52
club soda. We did cover it on the podcast
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as well, so there's an episode for that.
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The next gateway drama is Squid Game seasons one through three.
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Season 1 is 9 episodes aired in 2021.
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Season 2 is 7 episodes. It aired in 2024 and then season
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3 is 6 episodes, it aired in 2025.
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The episodes are all an hour long.
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The genres are action, thriller, mystery, drama, the synopsis
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reads. Hundreds of desperate, debt
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ridden contestants risk their lives in a series of deadly
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Children's Games, testing the limits of morality, survival,
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power and human endurance as the competition expands from a
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secret tournament into a global system of control.
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Why should you watch Squid Games?
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So it busted onto the Netflix platform in such a way that it
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forced the industry wide open. It's changed a lot of things,
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for better or for worse, and I'm definitely not going to go into
8:50
that at this point, but it is an incredible feat of creativity
8:54
and storytelling and also a cultural touchpoint.
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It's definitely entered the zeitgeist.
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It put K dramas on the map in the West in a way that we've
9:02
never seen before. So if you're looking for a
9:05
darker K drama, something with bite, something with grit, Squid
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Game is your ticket. Each season does have its own
9:11
episode review on the podcast feed.
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My buddy Miguel and I returned each time each season to
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immortalize our thoughts and critiques.
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The Next up is Boys over Flowers.
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This might be a little controversial, but Boys Over
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Flowers is 25 episodes long, aired originally in 2009.
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I think that makes it the oldest drama that I am recommending on
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the Beginner Friendly K Dramas list.
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Each episode is an hour and 5 minutes.
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The genres are comedy, romance, youth, and drama.
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The synopsis reads A working class girl transfers to an elite
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high school and becomes entangled in a turbulent romance
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with a domineering table air and his powerful friend group F4.
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So why watch? Why should you watch Boys Over
9:57
Flowers? This is an iconic classic K
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drama. It's beloved by many generations
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of K drama fans and it was so successful upon its release it
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made the entire cast household names and was a fantastic export
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to other surrounding countries in Asia.
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It's been remade several times by various countries and it
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showcases a metric ton of tropes that people loved at the time
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and still love. So some of those tropes I'll
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read out some tags. Rich man, poor woman, possessive
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male lead love triangle school bullying.
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Adapted from a manga. Reverse harem high school mean
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male lead disapproving parent male chases female first.
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So this could be a controversial pick on this list because it is
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quite dated. It reflects the early 2000s
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romance fantasies and social norms.
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And and it really clashes with how audiences read stories and
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interact with stories. Now, you know, this romance is
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kind of built on a on cruelty and that's obviously no longer
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romanticize. We've got, you know, some
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emotional manipulation, verbal abuse, social punishment, which
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equates to public humiliation. And these toxic male leads,
11:13
possessive male leads are just no longer in fashion anymore.
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Of course, this show exhibits extreme wealth fantasy without,
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you know, really saying anything about it.
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And it glorifies this like table excess, these riches and excess
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from the rich and elite dramas nowadays really do a lot more
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critiquing than just he's rich, she's poor.
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They really interrogate wealth and privilege a lot better.
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While this show is really fantasy fulfillment, right?
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Boys over Flowers is also, you know, suffering as proof of love
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on both sides. The male and female lead are
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both going through a lot, like their love is constantly tested.
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So the love equals suffering trope again, people don't really
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like normalizing Harm is I guess how we would view it today.
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The way it's filmed, the style, the pacing, it is very late
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2000s. So all these things taken
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together, you know, the red flag discourse, the consent language,
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power imbalance critiques, all of these things make people
12:16
really sort of upset when they watch Boys Over Flowers for the
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first time nowadays. Or when they return to it and
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they rewatch it and they're like, whoa.
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I want to say Boys Over Flowers being dated doesn't doesn't mean
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that it lacks value. It is still a gateway drama,
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still hugely influential. And it probably should be viewed
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more as a cultural artifact, right?
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It's kind of a snapshot of what romance was allowed to look like
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back then. And lastly, bringing up the rear
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on the gateway dramas, we have strong Women Tobong soon again.
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A bit of a dated drama but 16 episodes long.
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Aired in 2017. Each episode is an hour and 7
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minutes. The genres are action, comedy,
13:00
romance, and supernatural. The synopsis is a petite woman
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with supernatural strength hides her powers while working as a
13:07
bodyguard for an eccentric CEO, leading to a quirky romance amid
13:11
a dark crime chase. Why should you watch this?
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It's a very fun, very light romantic comedy with a central
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couple that has incredible chemistry.
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A lot of people still ship these two even after all these years.
13:23
I think it's nearly been a decade.
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It's also a great introduction to tonal shifts in K dramas,
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Which is to say, K dramas love to blend and bend genres, so
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this show does that with this very light and bubbly romance
13:36
butting up alongside a series of brutal serial kidnappings.
13:41
Yes, you heard that correctly. Why is this dated?
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It's got some off color joke slash comedy.
13:47
It's kind of built on gendered stereotypes.
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So a lot of the humor leans on, oh, Taobong Sun is so tiny and
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cute and childlike, but she has a men's power.
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So it's still kind of upholding traditional views on femininity
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while celebrating this strong woman.
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You do have a boss employee relationship.
14:07
So you got that power imbalance. You got the cartoonish reaction
14:11
shots, over the top sound effects, so like these visual
14:14
and stylistic cues that are no longer in fashion.
14:18
And lastly, you got some jokes around masculinity, queerness
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and perceived sexuality might make you feel uncomfortable, but
14:27
again, data doesn't mean bad, it just means dated.
14:30
And there is a deep dive on the podcast for strong women
14:33
tobongsoon if you want to listen back to that after you've given
14:36
it a watch yourself. So now I'm switching gears.
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I'm going into beginner friendly K dramas by mood by genre.
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If you are a romance first timer, you're looking to get
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into the romances and the ROM coms.
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These are going to teach you the tropes.
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These are the dramas for you. So first UI have love to hate
14:57
you. It is 10 episodes.
14:59
It aired in 2023 and it is 52 minutes per episode.
15:04
The genres are comedy, law, and romance.
15:07
The synopsis is a fiercely independent lawyer who distrusts
15:10
men enters a fake relationship with a top actor who's sworn off
15:15
women, only for their battle of the sexes dynamic to turn into
15:19
real love. Why should you watch this?
15:21
It's actually quite a grown relationship between two adults
15:25
versus two people whose frontal lobes haven't developed yet.
15:28
But it's still adhering to some wonderful tropes like enemies to
15:32
lovers. You know, fake relationship,
15:35
contract relationship, and wish fulfillment.
15:37
Because she is getting into a relationship with an actor, a
15:41
celebrity. It introduces you to the Korean
15:44
entertainment industry and how it's basically built on
15:47
fostering parasocial relationships with these celebs.
15:51
Next up, I have her private life.
15:54
It is 16 episodes long. It aired in 2019 and each
15:58
episode is an hour and 15 minutes.
16:00
The genres are business, comedy, romance, and drama.
16:04
The synopsis reads. A polished art curator secretly
16:08
lives as a devoted K pop fangirl, and when her new boss
16:11
discovers her double life, their professional partnership turns
16:14
into an unexpected romance. Why should you watch?
16:18
This is a very good, also spicy romance between adults.
16:22
But it's also a look at adoption in Korea, the trauma associated
16:27
with the loss of your birth culture.
16:29
It's also, as the synopsis suggests, a story about K Pop
16:33
fandom. So it's a great intro to this
16:35
world, this culture, as it were. It feels honest, authentic, and
16:40
told with love. It's not a perfect show, I have
16:43
my nitpicks with the third act essentially, but it is a solid
16:47
drama. Next up I have So I Married the
16:50
Anti fan. Wait, now I'm kind of starting
16:52
to feel like this is all in one vein.
16:54
But anyway, too late to change it now.
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So I married the anti fan is 16 episodes long.
16:59
It aired in 2021. Each episode is an hour.
17:03
Genres are music, comedy, romance.
17:06
The synopsis reads. A top idol and a disgraced
17:09
reporter are forced into a fake marriage for a reality show,
17:13
turning public hatred into an unexpected romance.
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So why watch? So I Marry the the anti fan.
17:19
It's an idol drama. The female lead actress is part
17:22
of an iconic K pop group SNSD slash Girls' Generation and the
17:27
male lead in the show plays an idol, not that he is 1 in real
17:31
life. The strength of the show lies in
17:33
the central couple. They are so great and the female
17:36
lead is extremely relatable. Very practical with a fun but
17:40
take no shit attitude. The secondary couple is a mess I
17:45
have to say. Probably the worst part of the
17:46
show to me, but toxic second male leads aside, this show is a
17:51
stunner. Up next I have True Beauty is 16
17:55
episodes long. It aired from December 2020 to
17:59
February 2021. Each episode is an hour and 15
18:03
genres are comedy, romance, youth, drama.
18:07
So the synopsis reads. A shy high school girl hides her
18:10
insecurities behind flawless makeup, navigating love,
18:13
friendship, and self acceptance as her secret identity threatens
18:17
to be exposed. So why should you watch this?
18:20
This is a cute high school romance.
18:22
Really sweet. It's not going to break your
18:24
brain at all. It's maybe an abrupt
18:26
introduction to a famous second male lead and the associated
18:30
second male lead syndrome. It's another idol drama, with
18:34
the male lead being an idol from the group Astro.
18:38
And it's an idol drama in the most traditional or
18:40
stereotypical sense. An idol drama is a type of K
18:44
drama that typically features K pop idols or popular young
18:48
celebrities in the main cast, and it's aimed at fans of those
18:52
idols. Often they prioritize charm,
18:56
romance, and light hearted storytelling over heavy themes
18:59
or complex plots. Idol dramas tend to have pretty
19:02
people who can't act or are just starting out in this new career
19:06
path. There is an episode review for
19:08
True Beauty on the podcast feed if you want to scroll to that
19:11
later on. My last drama in this romance
19:14
category is Temperature of Love. So this show is 40 episodes
19:21
aired in 2017. Each episode is 30 minutes long.
19:23
So back then they were kind of doing this fun thing where they
19:27
would air 2 episodes at a time, filling up basically an hour
19:31
slot. So you can think of it as being
19:33
basically 20 episodes of an hour piece.
19:37
The genres are food, comedy, romance, life, synopsis reads.
19:42
A passionate aspiring screenwriter and a talented chef
19:45
navigate the highs and lows of love, career, ambition, and the
19:48
challenges of pursuing their dreams while falling for each
19:51
other. Why should you watch Temperature
19:53
of Love? I really enjoy this drama.
19:55
It's probably a deeper cut than the rest.
19:57
Kind of underrated. It's a great introduction to
20:00
flawed characters. It's a lot of push and pull
20:03
between this couple. And I think there's a healthy
20:06
amount of frustration that you'll feel, particularly toward
20:10
the female lead. I think if you're looking for an
20:12
effortless romantic drama with interesting characters and
20:15
plenty of food porn, then Temperature of Love is just the
20:18
ticket. New genre.
20:20
This category is comfort, feel good, slice of life.
20:25
This is for those of you who want a gentle tone, likable
20:29
characters, no tonal shock. A lot of these shows might
20:33
overlap with the romance genre as well.
20:36
First up, we have Hometown Cha Cha Cha.
20:38
It is 16 episodes long. It aired in 2021.
20:42
Each episode is an hour and 20 minutes.
20:45
Genres Comedy, romance, life drama Synopsis reads.
20:50
A pragmatic dentist from the city moves to a seaside village
20:54
and forms an unexpected bond with a charming Jack of all
20:57
trades, discovering love, community and healing along the
21:00
way. Why watch Hometown Cha Cha Cha?
21:03
This was such a pleasant watch. It's definitely in my top five
21:06
shows of 2021. These wholesome seaside
21:10
romances, they work for a lot of people.
21:12
The male lead is beyond charming.
21:14
The central romance was all butterflies and sugar cookies
21:18
and puppies. Like all good things, The second
21:20
couple is really sweet and funny as well.
21:22
It is not a perfect show. I did have qualms like the
21:25
finale being too predictable, but it was still very
21:28
satisfying. Next up we have Run on.
21:31
It is 16 episodes long. It aired from December 2020 to
21:35
February 2021, almost at the exact same time as Crash Landing
21:39
On You. So Sorry To Run On.
21:41
Each episode is an hour and 10 minutes.
21:45
The genres romance, life, drama, sports Synopsis reads A former
21:50
track star turned sports agent and a subtitled film translator
21:54
connect over their shared love of language, sports and personal
21:58
growth. Navigating romance and self
22:00
discovery. Why watch Run on?
22:02
This is a comforting slice of life drama.
22:04
All of these are, but it features really magical dialogue
22:08
and larger explorations of self love and failure.
22:12
The male lead is adorably childlike and the second couple
22:15
are seen stealing. If I have nitpicks, they're
22:18
about the pace thing of the show.
22:20
I think it's a bit slow. But this, this is definitely a
22:23
beginner friendly K drama that does not feel cheesy.
22:26
It's going to speak to the skeptics.
22:28
The I tried it once and bounced off viewers.
22:31
Of course there's a big fat deep dive on the podcast feed for Run
22:35
On. Next up I have My Mr. My Mr. is
22:39
16 episodes long. It aired in 2018 and each
22:43
episode is an hour and 17 minutes.
22:46
Genres are psychological life drama, Synopsis reads 3
22:51
Middle-aged brothers and a young woman burdened by hardship form
22:55
an unlikely bond, finding healing, understanding and quiet
22:58
resilience amid life's struggles.
23:01
Why watch my Mr. so? This is absolutely one of the
23:05
best K dramas of all time. It's kind of hard to pin down as
23:09
well, hard to describe. It's a dark, melancholy drama,
23:14
an exploration of Korean workplace culture, failure,
23:18
being a good person, community, empathy, happiness, and so much
23:23
more of these performances are so special.
23:26
They're not over the top, they're not slapsticky, they're
23:29
not silly. It almost doesn't even feel like
23:31
they're acting. It's subtle, it's painful, it's
23:35
simmering under the surface. This deep well of emotion and
23:38
anguish over your life, your circumstances.
23:42
And the way that the whole show plays out is slow but
23:45
purposeful. And in the end, I think you're
23:47
going to find deep emotional payoff.
23:50
It's another one that's going to speak to the skeptics, and it's
23:52
going to speak to those that don't want to watch something
23:55
that feels cheesy. And I did have the absolute
23:58
honor of covering this on the podcast.
24:00
Up next, I have Move to Heaven. Move to Heaven is 10 episodes
24:04
long. It aired in 2021.
24:07
Each episode is under an hour, 52 minutes.
24:10
Genres are life and drama. Synopsis reads A young man with
24:15
Asperger's and his estranged uncle run a trauma cleaning
24:18
business, uncovering the hidden stories of the deceased while
24:21
learning about life, grief and human connection.
24:25
Why watch move to heaven? I think this might be a a swing
24:29
to recommend for a beginner. I think maybe I'm, you know,
24:33
pushing a little bit, but I think there's gold in them
24:35
hills. Like You Feel me like this is
24:37
one of the best K dramas of all time.
24:39
Just Like My Mr's show is incredibly written and
24:42
performed. While you won't get the cultural
24:44
nuance is the first time you watch it.
24:48
You know, things like rooftop apartments, the stigma around
24:51
orphans, gifting, gifting thermal underwear to your
24:53
parents in the sambong department store collapse.
24:56
None of that stuff is going to really, you're not going to
24:58
really understand it. But I think the show stands on
25:01
its own. It explores the power of memory
25:05
and nostalgia and a very impactful journey through grief
25:10
that leads to true catharsis. I really, really loved covering
25:13
this one on the podcast as well. There is a deep dive for Move to
25:16
happen. Lastly, in this category of
25:19
slice of life comfort dramas, I have Hospital Playlist.
25:24
Season 1 is 12 episodes. It aired in 2020.
25:28
Each episode is an hour and 30 minutes.
25:30
That's a little painful for me. Season 2 is also 12 episodes.
25:34
It aired the very next year, 2021.
25:36
Each episode is an hour 40 Well, the genres are comedy, romance,
25:42
life drama and medical. Synopsis reads 5.
25:47
Doctors who have been friends since medical school navigate
25:50
hospital life, romance and personal challenges while
25:53
finding joy and support through their shared love of music.
25:57
Why watch hospital playlist? It's a light, very light
26:00
introduction to medical dramas in K drama land.
26:03
It's very strong and charismatic friend group.
26:06
Easy to watch them. There's a few dramas from this
26:09
director and writer that are this specific brand of slice of
26:13
life drama, and while they all depend on like some level of
26:16
cultural fluency, this one is the most accessible I think.
26:20
So if you're a westerner like I am, then you're definitely not
26:24
going to understand the significance of the songs, much
26:27
less recognize them. But it's all very endearing
26:30
nonetheless. And of course, I do have an
26:33
episode review for Hospital Playlist Season 1 on the podcast
26:37
feed. The next genre is for the
26:40
thriller. Curious.
26:41
We're going to cover some thrillers, some mystery, some
26:44
crime dramas. So you're going to get some
26:47
familiar crime frameworks, high stakes, and minimal melodrama in
26:51
these shows. First up, I'm giving you Signal.
26:56
Signal is 16 episodes long, aired in 2016 and each episode
27:01
is an hour and 15 minutes. The genres are thriller,
27:04
mystery, sci-fi, synopsis reads. Communicating via a
27:08
walkie-talkie that transcends time.
27:11
A profiler from 2015 and a detective from 1989 join forces
27:17
to tackle crimes and injustice. Why should you watch this?
27:20
This is another well regarded, critically acclaimed show that
27:24
did incredibly well on its release.
27:27
It's got prestige energy, strong plotting, and minimal trope
27:31
confusion. This does not feel cheesy at
27:34
all. This is definitely another one
27:36
for the skeptics, and if you don't like romance, this one's
27:40
the one for you. Loved covering this one on the
27:43
podcast as well. Next up I have Flower Evil.
27:48
Flower of Evil is 16 episodes long.
27:51
It aired in 2020 and each episode is an hour and 10
27:54
minutes. The genres are thriller,
27:56
romance, crime, and melodrama. Synopsis Hiding a twisted past,
28:02
a man maintains his facade as the perfect husband to his
28:06
detective wife until she begins investigating a series of
28:11
murders. Why should you watch Flower of
28:14
Evil? So there's definitely some
28:15
melodrama in the show. First of all, as the genres
28:18
suggest, it's got retro K drama DNA so it's old tropes spun
28:22
slightly differently. Most people will tell you this
28:26
is a riveting ride edge of your sea plot and I tend to agree
28:29
with those assessments. There is an episode review up on
28:32
the podcast feed for Flower of Evil.
28:35
Next up, I'm giving you Connection.
28:37
Connection is 14 episodes aired in 2024.
28:42
Each episode is an hour. Genres, Action, Thriller,
28:45
mystery, crime. Synopsis is A driven narcotics
28:49
detective who is mysteriously drugged and haunted by his
28:53
friend's death teams up with a reporter to unravel the twisted
28:57
connections, buried secrets and corruption behind their shared
29:01
past. Why watch connection?
29:03
This is a bit of an underrated gem.
29:05
It's very, very addictive and thrilling.
29:08
The cinematography and editing made the watch experience so
29:11
tactile and visceral. You get a crash course in
29:14
Korea's war on drugs, the paranoia of living in a society
29:18
eager to condemn for drugs. This one isn't going to hold
29:22
your hand, but it's going to keep your attention span first.
29:26
And there is a big deep dive on connection on the podcast feed.
29:30
Next up and lastly for this category, the thriller category,
29:34
I have Happiness. It is 12 episodes long.
29:38
It aired in 2021. It's an hour and 5 minutes each
29:42
episode. The genres are action, thriller,
29:45
sci-fi, drama, synopsis reads. Set in the near future.
29:48
A high rise apartment building is sealed off when an infectious
29:52
disease breaks out. Trapped inside, the residents
29:55
fight to stay alive, battling not only the disease but also
29:58
the gnawing fear and suspicion that turned neighbor against
30:02
neighbor. Why watch happiness?
30:05
This is basically a form of zombies, so if you're not a
30:07
zombie person, maybe don't watch, but it's got enough
30:10
differences I think to make the squeamish feel more at ease.
30:15
Amazing leads with decent chemistry, although the romance
30:18
is definitely secondary. If you're a fan of power
30:21
couples, a good cop, bad cop routine, and a hint of best
30:24
friends to lovers and this is for you.
30:26
I love the world building and pressure cooker environment they
30:30
set up here. It's just a fantastic show full
30:32
of horrible flawed people in a survival situation and two
30:36
righteous leads trying to do the right thing.
30:39
Next genre is the fantasy. Curious.
30:42
If you are curious about the fantasy that shows up in K Drama
30:47
land, this is for you. These shows are going to have
30:50
strong myth, logic and high production value.
30:53
First up we have The Witch's Diner.
30:56
It is 8 episodes long. It aired in 2021 and each
31:00
episode is 44 minutes long. Genres Psychological Fantasy,
31:04
life, supernatural Synopsis reads A mysterious witch opens a
31:09
diner that grants customers deepest desires in exchange for
31:13
a steep personal cost, entangling them in dark bargains
31:17
and unexpected consequences. Why I Watch A Witch's Diner This
31:21
is an urban fantasy that combines the supernatural with
31:24
slice of life and includes elements of a mystery as well as
31:28
romance. It's got a bit of food porn in
31:30
there as well, and the thesis is be careful what you wish for
31:34
because it just might come true. Nothing is for free, and
31:37
sometimes the easy way is tempting but wrong.
31:40
Up next, I'm going to give you Goblin Goblin.
31:44
The Great and Lonely God is 16 episodes long.
31:47
It aired from December 2016 through January 2017.
31:51
It's a winter show. It's an hour and 15 minutes per
31:54
episode. Genres comedy, romance, fantasy,
31:58
melodrama. So the synopsis is A lonely
32:01
immortal goblin, cursed with eternal life seeks a human bride
32:05
to end his immortality, finding love, friendship, and fate
32:09
intertwined along the way. Why should you watch Goblin?
32:13
So caveat for really all fantasy K dramas in this category.
32:18
I don't think K dramas nail this genre at all.
32:20
I can count on one hand how many fantasy dramas I truly loved and
32:25
enjoyed. I think that most of them, most,
32:28
if not all, have super interesting premises but fumble
32:33
on executing the plot. All that to say, I adore A
32:37
Goblin. I love a show and even on
32:39
rewatch so much of it worked for me.
32:42
The emotions were still raw and I loved the romance and the
32:45
bromance. It's an iconic show that revived
32:49
the male leads TV career and made the female lead a household
32:53
name. It was extremely popular and now
32:56
I think it's legacy is tarnished by the disproportionate number
33:01
of voices watching the show in the last 6 or so years and
33:04
deeming the love story disgusting because of the 12
33:07
year age gap between the actors. Look I've litigated and re
33:13
litigated this numerous times on the podcast already.
33:16
But my take is this. The actors were to fully grown
33:19
consenting adults when they signed on and filmed the show.
33:22
And the show is not reinventing the wheel when it comes to the
33:26
fantasy genre having an immortal male lead falling in love with a
33:30
teenager. So take that what you will.
33:33
The mythical beings introduced in the show, the goblin and the
33:36
Grim Reaper are they're different, they're interesting.
33:39
You've not seen something like this before.
33:41
And just like I said on the full Goblin podcast review that you
33:44
can scroll back and listen to a lot of questions, it leaves you
33:47
with a lot of questions rather than answers.
33:49
So just be prepared for that. You might have to kind of go
33:52
with the flow a little bit last up for this category.
33:56
You can see I didn't even recommend that many, but the
33:58
last one I'll recommend is Alchemy of Souls.
34:01
It is two seasons. Season 1 is 20 episodes that
34:05
aired in 2022. Each episode is an hour 20.
34:08
Season 2 is 10 episodes. It aired between December 2022
34:13
and January 2023. Each episode is an hour and 21
34:17
minutes around there genres, action, supernatural, romance,
34:22
fantasy So synopsis reads. In a world where soul shifting
34:26
magic exists, A talented mage trapped in a weak body forms an
34:30
unlikely partnership with a skilled warrior navigating love,
34:34
power struggles and dangerous secrets across seasons one and
34:37
two. Why should you watch Alchemy of
34:39
Souls? So it's a very expensive, very
34:43
well acted show with an almost endless amount of world
34:46
building. I'm sure long term listeners of
34:50
Tabak will be stunned to see me recommending the show, but I
34:54
know a lot of people absolutely love the show and I'm happy for
34:57
them. You can be among them too for
35:02
those who are wondering. And they don't want to go back
35:04
and listen to the 2 episode 2 part review for Alchemy of Souls
35:09
on the podcast feed. The long and short of it is I
35:12
found that Alchemy of Souls was all style and no substance.
35:16
It's a strange two-part or two season structure with the second
35:20
season for some reason being shorter.
35:22
The writing is not my favorite, to put it delicately, but a lot
35:26
of people adore the show. So if you're wanting a high
35:29
budget, high production value fantasy show with hot people,
35:33
press play the last category. And I almost didn't even include
35:37
this one. But I thought, you know, this is
35:39
pretty unique to K dramas, so here we go.
35:41
It's historicals AKA Sagux, spelled SAGEUKS Sagux.
35:48
The first one I'll bring up is Kingdom.
35:51
It is two seasons. Season 1 is 6 episodes.
35:54
It aired in 2019. Each episode is less than an
35:57
hour, 51 minutes. Season 2 is also 6 episodes.
36:01
It aired next year 2020 and it's 45 minutes an episode.
36:05
Genres are thriller, historical, horror, political, and I almost
36:10
put this up in the thriller category, but I thought no I
36:13
think the historical aspect is kind of like something that
36:15
makes it special. It's the first thing you should
36:17
say about this show is that it's historical.
36:20
So the synopsis reads. The Crown Prince of Chosen
36:22
attempts to investigate a mysterious illness afflicting
36:25
the king, only to find himself caught in the middle of a deadly
36:28
epidemic ravaging the Kingdom. While trying to save the Kingdom
36:32
from the plague, he must also stop political rivals from
36:35
seizing power. Why watch Kingdom?
36:38
Yes, this is a thriller, but this is a historical zombie
36:42
thriller that is truly cinematic and violent and just completely
36:46
unassailable. There is virtuosic level of
36:50
craft and storytelling here. This is an absurdly great zombie
36:53
thriller and a damn good way of introducing historical Royal
36:57
Court politics. Next up we have Love in the
37:00
Moonlight. It's 18 episodes long.
37:03
It aired in 2016. Each episode is an hour.
37:06
The genres are historical comedy, romance and drama.
37:11
Synopsis reads. A cheerful young woman disguises
37:14
herself as a eunuch and unexpectedly captures the heart
37:17
of the Crown Prince, sparking a tender and politically charged
37:21
romance. Why watch Love in the moonlight?
37:24
This is a sweet, youthful romance.
37:26
It's a coming of age story, a gender Bender which is a sub
37:30
genre unto itself, especially in K drama land, and it's a pretty
37:34
breezy, easy to understand plots, light, whimsical and
37:37
romantic but with political stakes and some suspense is very
37:42
accessible. Next up we have 100 Days.
37:45
My Prince, 16 episodes long, aired in 2018.
37:49
Each episode an hour and 15 genres are historical comedy,
37:54
romance and drama. Synopsis reads.
37:57
A spoiled Crown Prince loses his memory in a village and must
38:01
live as a commoner, falling in love with a strong willed
38:03
village woman while navigating political intrigue upon
38:06
regaining his identity. Why watch 100 days my Prince?
38:12
It's also an idol drama with the male lead from the group XO.
38:17
God I love EXO. I love exo.
38:20
Romance is really good in this and the palace drama revolves
38:24
around a baby daddy scandal of epic proportions which I found
38:28
utterly captivating. The show is funny in the way
38:31
that the Goldie Hawn flick Overboard is funny.
38:33
It's the same fish out of water amnesia scenario with a spoiled
38:37
prissy royal learning the ropes of the proletariat.
38:41
The cinematography made this hug look real classy, Moody, and
38:45
elevated. And now we're on to the very
38:48
last show that I'm going to give you guys, it is Sung Kyung Kwan
38:53
Scandal. I'll say that again.
38:55
Sung Kyung Kwan Scandal. It's 20 episodes long and it
39:00
aired in 2010. It is the second oldest drama
39:04
that I am recommending in this entire episode.
39:06
Each episode of Sung Kyung Kwan Scandal is an hour and 10
39:09
minutes. The genres are historic Oracle,
39:11
comedy, romance and youth. Synopsis reads.
39:15
A resourceful young woman disguises herself as a man to
39:18
attend Tolson's elite Sun Kyung Kwan Academy, the nation's most
39:22
prestigious Confucian Academy, becoming entangled and
39:25
friendship, romance and political awakening among the
39:29
nation's future leaders. Why watch Sun Kyung Kwan
39:32
Scandal? Here we go, another gender
39:35
Bender cross dressing adventure. While this is a historical
39:38
setting and an older drama, at 16 years old, the drama feels
39:43
really modern in structure and tone.
39:46
It plays like a school drama which makes it immediately
39:49
familiar. By school drama, I mean drama
39:51
set in the school years. You don't need prior knowledge
39:55
of Tosun politics, Tosun spelled JOSEON to follow the stakes.
40:01
Romance and friendship lead the story.
40:04
The emotional core is found family, youthful idealism.
40:09
It's a slow burn romance. The politics exist, but they
40:12
never overwhelm the character driven storytelling.
40:15
It's definitely got some clear archetypes, easy to follow
40:18
conflicts, and the ensemble cast really is stellar.
40:21
They have wonderful chemistry together.
40:23
So that's it. Those are all of the beginner
40:25
friendly K dramas that I came up with and I wanted to chat
40:29
through with you guys. Once again, the gateway dramas
40:32
are crash landing on you. Business proposal extraordinary
40:36
attorney Wu squid game seasons one through three boys over
40:41
flowers and strong women tobone soon the beginner friendly
40:45
romance slash ROM com K dramas are love to hate you her private
40:51
life so I married the anti fan. True Beauty and temperature of
40:56
love The beginner friendly slice of life slash comfort dramas our
41:00
hometown Cha cha Cha run on my Mr. move to heaven and hospital
41:07
playlist. The beginner friendly thrillers
41:11
slash mystery slash crime dramas are signal flower of evil
41:16
connection and happiness. The beginner friendly fantasy
41:20
dramas are The Witch's Diner, Goblin, The Great and lonely God
41:25
and alchemy of souls. And finally, the beginner
41:28
friendly historicals or saga's are Kingdom Love in the
41:33
Moonlight, 100 Days, My Prince and Sun Kyunkuan, Scandal.
41:38
I really, really hope that you guys get out there and watch K
41:41
dramas, that you give one of these a shot.
41:44
I'm sure some listeners and fans of the show will maybe have
41:47
gleaned something from this hopefully, and they can go back
41:50
and maybe watch some of these that they never got around to or
41:53
maybe never even heard of. K drama land is vast and there's
41:57
so many genres, so many sub genres and there's room for
42:00
everybody here. Happy to be back and kick off
42:02
season 7 by welcoming maybe some new K drama fans.
42:06
Let me know what you press play on.
42:07
You know where to find me. Well that's been our show.
42:11
I'm Jessica and this has been the Tiba K Rambles podcast.