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It's really interesting how tastes can change. For example, in my teens and even up to about 10 or 15 years ago, the fiction I read was almost exclusively science fiction and fantasy, preferably large fantasy series. I still read the occasional one, but mostly my reading now is British procedural crime thrillers, preferably with some romance.
If you'd told me even ten years ago that I would now be watching almost exclusively subtitled Korean romance-dramas, I think I'd have gawped at you. And yet, here we are.
Some of the reasons:
Anyway, here are some I've watched recently.
Young Lady and Gentleman (2021)
This one is a massive 52 episodes, with hugely complex plots going on (several plots involving various people). Basically, it's about a widower in his 40s who needs a live-in tutor. The tutor who gets the job has her own backstory, has been brought up by her dad since her mother abandoned them. There are multiple relationship stories going on, villainous characters (with their own reasons), and so much more. It was a lot of fun!
What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? (2018)
Kim Mi-So has been the secretary to the Vice Chairman for 9 years, and knows and manages everything. One day she resigns, to pursue her own life, and he's horrified. Turns out there's a bit of a backstory to them as children which she's blanked out (amnesia is a big thing in Korean dramas!), and he wants to win her over. Of course, several other plotlines going on with other characters. This was so much fun! The lead actress, Park Min-young, is absolutely superb.
Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010)
This might well have been the most enjoyable TV series I've ever watched. It's a historical drama set in Korea's Joseon dynasty, around 1790CE. A woman supporting her mother and brother was educated by her late father, and she makes money on the side by doing assignments and sitting exams for university students and those writing the civil service exams. Since women are not allowed to, she disguises herself as a young man. A young noble, thinking that this man, "Kim Yoon-shik" (her brother's name) is knowledgeable and talented, fools her into writing the entrance exam to the Sungkyunkwan university, and so she goes to university, in disguise because women are not permitted at all (the penalty is death). There she needs to integrate with her two roommates and keep her secret from the scholars, the staff, and the king himself.
In amongst that, there are political machinations, her young nobleman is getting terribly confused because he's feeling romantic feelings toward "Kim Yoon-shik", as are a couple of others, and some scholars are suspecting that Kim Yoon-shik is actually gay. Homosexuality is proscribed too - offenders will be expelled and their names forever erased. The series deals with topics like that, as well as some interesting political issues.
If you look carefully at the pictures, you'll see that "Kim Yoon-shik" is in fact played by the same talented actress as Secretary Kim.
So much fun. I was depressed for a couple of days after it finished, knowing there won't be any more of it.
If you'd told me even ten years ago that I would now be watching almost exclusively subtitled Korean romance-dramas, I think I'd have gawped at you. And yet, here we are.
Some of the reasons:
- The Korean dramas seem to be technically far better done than US or British TV series. Cinematography is clear and perfect, sound is far better (less emphasis of music or sound effects overwhelming voices).
- The plots are planned at the start, can be complex, but since most series are 16 or 20 episodes, there isn't this thing of season after season of scriptwriters writing the most desperate things they can to meet the weekly deadline. The Korean TV hangs together.
- The romances are generally pretty sweet, and there's a good chance you'll be getting a happy ending to the series. Frankly, I think we get enough real-world and gritty in our daily lives, thank you very much.
- I don't know if it's the acting or direction (both, likely), but the acting is superb. The actors tell stories with facial expressions, with a quirk of the lips, twitch of the nose, or narrowing of the brow - you know what they're thinking or feeling.
- There's character development. The characters change and grow throughout the series. And not just the main characters; many of the character have their own stories, and they grow too.
- There's often an element of destiny - the characters met as children, or have significant back stories, etc. I really like that. Not just the main characters too; many of the supporting characters have their own backstories.
Anyway, here are some I've watched recently.
Young Lady and Gentleman (2021)
This one is a massive 52 episodes, with hugely complex plots going on (several plots involving various people). Basically, it's about a widower in his 40s who needs a live-in tutor. The tutor who gets the job has her own backstory, has been brought up by her dad since her mother abandoned them. There are multiple relationship stories going on, villainous characters (with their own reasons), and so much more. It was a lot of fun!
What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? (2018)
Kim Mi-So has been the secretary to the Vice Chairman for 9 years, and knows and manages everything. One day she resigns, to pursue her own life, and he's horrified. Turns out there's a bit of a backstory to them as children which she's blanked out (amnesia is a big thing in Korean dramas!), and he wants to win her over. Of course, several other plotlines going on with other characters. This was so much fun! The lead actress, Park Min-young, is absolutely superb.
Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010)
This might well have been the most enjoyable TV series I've ever watched. It's a historical drama set in Korea's Joseon dynasty, around 1790CE. A woman supporting her mother and brother was educated by her late father, and she makes money on the side by doing assignments and sitting exams for university students and those writing the civil service exams. Since women are not allowed to, she disguises herself as a young man. A young noble, thinking that this man, "Kim Yoon-shik" (her brother's name) is knowledgeable and talented, fools her into writing the entrance exam to the Sungkyunkwan university, and so she goes to university, in disguise because women are not permitted at all (the penalty is death). There she needs to integrate with her two roommates and keep her secret from the scholars, the staff, and the king himself.
In amongst that, there are political machinations, her young nobleman is getting terribly confused because he's feeling romantic feelings toward "Kim Yoon-shik", as are a couple of others, and some scholars are suspecting that Kim Yoon-shik is actually gay. Homosexuality is proscribed too - offenders will be expelled and their names forever erased. The series deals with topics like that, as well as some interesting political issues.
If you look carefully at the pictures, you'll see that "Kim Yoon-shik" is in fact played by the same talented actress as Secretary Kim.
So much fun. I was depressed for a couple of days after it finished, knowing there won't be any more of it.