It’s almost the end of the year! Good luck to everyone writing finals, and Merry Christmas! I’m coming to you with my top five k-dramas that I watched this year on Netflix. I’ve provided some details on the show, a rating, as well as a bit of reasoning on my rating.
K-Drama Title: Summer Strike
Description: Romantic, Intimate
Synopsis: A drama about voluntary unemployed Lee Yeo-reum and librarian Ahn Dae-beom, who declared a life strike, leaving a complex city and looking for themselves in a strange place.
Rating: 8/10
Reasoning: Summer Strike was a really mellow and quiet show. What I found so striking about this show was the relationships– the friendships and this quiet intimacy between the characters. The setting of the show added to its charm – the peacefulness of the empty library and the quaint countryside town. All around, the plot towards the end was really interesting and I liked the calm vibe of the show.
K-Drama Title: King the Land
Description: Swoonworthy, Romantic
Synopsis: King the Land tells the story of Goo Won (Lee Jun-ho) who is the heir of The King Group, a luxury hotel conglomerate, who was thrown into an inheritance war, and Cheon Sa-rang (Im Yoon-ah), a hotelier who always has a smile on her face till she meets Goo Won.
Rating: 8/10
Reasoning: King the Land is just a sweet, classic rom com. It is so lighthearted and wholesome, it’s funny, honestly– just a great escape from anything you don’t want to do. If you are looking for something short and sweet, a light-hearted romantic comedy– I would recommend this!
K-Drama Title: Daily Dose of Sunshine
Description: Heartfelt, Emotional
Synopsis: Determined to provide a ray of light for those under her care, a young nurse navigates the world of mental health and the diverse stories surrounding it.
Rating: 10/10
Reasoning: I binge-watched Daily Dose of Sunshine in one night. What I really liked about this show was how it showed mental health. It was an eye-opening show – the stories of people who struggled with mental health disorders made you sympathize with them and realize just how much stigma there is. Frankly, I was crying so much throughout the show– the stories of the patients could be so heartbreaking and what makes it crazy was that it was based on real stories. For me, the best part of this story was the main character, I related to her, I rooted for her, and I loved her story with mental health. Overall, an incredible show that I would recommend to anyone.
K-Drama Title: Celebrity
Description: Ominous, Drama
Synopsis: A young woman finds herself an overnight success and soon she’s a part of the exclusive world of celebrity influencers. But all is not what it seems, and she has a plan to reveal the deep, dark secrets around her fame… if she survives.
Rating: 9/10
Reasoning: The show was very ominous— I was second-guessing myself the whole time. The main character is amazing; she’s cunning and well-spoken- honestly really cool overall. What kept me watching this show was the plot twists- the layers of this influencer illusion being revealed was really cool- the betrayals, the back-stabbing, really tied this into a mystery/thriller.
K-Drama Title: Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha
Description: Charming, Intimate, Feel-Good
Synopsis: A big-city dentist opens up a practice in a close-knit seaside village, home to a charming jack-of-all-trades who is her polar opposite in every way. Yoon Hye-Jin (Shin Min-A) works as a dentist. She is mostly a realist, but due to her rightfulness, which is only a tiny part of her mind, her life changes.
Rating: 9/10
Reasoning: Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is similar to King the Land – a classic sweet romantic comedy, except with the big city to small town romance. That wasn’t what really kept me watching though, it was the stories- the stories of the townspeople and the story of the male lead – I cried so much and it just made the show absolutely exceptional.
Currently, I’m watching Welcome to Samdal-ri – let me know your thoughts on it and any of the other k-dramas on this list. Thank you for reading, and enjoy your winter break! Merry Christmas!
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