by Vianey Perez
Korean dramas may be more addictive than sugar. If you’re someone who likes to binge watch but doesn’t know what to watch, then here are five Korean dramas you should watch with your time off.
Right now the Korean film industry is booming. This happens to be because people in other countries, such as America and Mexico have been discovering these entertaining dramas.
They have great actors, are culturally educational, and are generally G-rated.
“Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo”
Number of episodes: 16
Being an athlete is hard — especially if you’re female. This series can help when you’re feeling stuck, or dealing with something emotionally. The show can also be helpful on the subject of first love.
Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung) is a university student attending an athletic school. She’s there because she loves the smell of chalk particles and the feel of bars, and weightlifting is her entire life. Being a weightlifter can bring some difficulties; it’s not a very feminine sport. In the show, Bok Joo learns that being a woman is hard, and so is falling in love.
I loved this drama because I could relate to the main character. Doing sports makes you seem less like a girl, and sometimes you can get teased for it. It’s especially hard when you want to impress someone but you know that being an athlete may not be the best way. It also shows how athletes can suffer from trauma and what they do to overcome it. They talk about subjects that can relate to different communities.
“Relationship isn’t like sports. Effort doesn’t guarantee success.” – Jung Joo Hyung, Weightlifting fairy Kim Bok Joo
“Call Me Mother”
Number of episodes: 16
Children are the future, and often, we depend on them for success. This drama is about taking family for granted. Too often, we fail to see that some people are there for us with love.
Soo Jin (Lee Bo-Young) is a bird researcher who just got laid off her job. While trying to maintain some kind of cashflow, she becomes a homeroom teacher (she was supposed to only be a science teacher). She then meets a shy kid named Hye-Na (Heo Yool), who is picked on at school and home. Soo Jin can see that the child is reaching out for help and decides to take a role as her mother.
I love this drama because I’m used to life where home feels lonely and scary. I could relate to how both Soo Jin and Hye Na were feeling.
I also love how this Kdrama talks about topics that are serious in the world child abuse and neglect. It is a Kdrama that has shown me that children always need love, but so do the people raising them. We all need someone to be good to us and to helps us.
“I didn’t cry. At times like that, you should think of something you like. Then you might stop crying.” — Hye Na, “Call Me Mother”
“My Love From Another Star”
Number of episodes: 21
Wondering if anyone has lived for more than 100 years? Are there really any life forces outside of earth? This Kdrama is a must see, no matter the season. We see stars, we dream upon them, and we admire them. This Kdrama involves someone who comes from the stars; someone who lived upon them.
Do Min-Joo (Kim Soo- Hyun) is an alien who has lived on Earth for 400 years. He looks and acts like any other human being, but he hates them all. He despises who they are and the actions they make. Despite this, he falls in love with an actress named Cheon Song-Yi (Gianna Jun).
“Five stages of grief: anger, denial, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Going through the agony of loss, a person goes through these stages of grief to cure the pain.” —Do Min Joo, “My Love From Another Star”
“Pinocchio.”
Number of episodes: 20
The future is something many people worry about. In a world pressured to be honest and pure but also be successful, it can be hard to choose what to do for the rest of your life. “Pinocchio” shows you how hard the real world can be. It is all about a world of reporting competition. It can be hard to make it in the news business, and even harder when deciding what the truth is.
Choi In-Ha (Park Shin-Hye) is a female looking to become a reporter like her mom. She’s young, brilliant — but the one flaw she has? Pinocchio Syndrome, which causes people to only tell the truth. (Whenever they lie they hiccup.) Dal- Po (Lee Jong-Suk) is her “uncle” in the shows and wants to also become a reporter, but only to avenge his family.
I love love this Kdrama because it shows how hard telling the truth can be, and how we sometimes rely on what we see rather than what we gather. This also goes into my interest in journalism and how we tell the “truth” — but how do we do that if we don’t know what it is?
This Kdrama helped me understand that we can’t rely on the news and if we were, we have to make sure the information is credible.
“For the past six months, my life has been nothing but a lie. But… the truth is ten times more comforting than a lie.” — Choi Dal-Po, Pinocchio
“Let’s Eat”
Number of episodes: 16
Are you a person who is all about food? “Let’s Eat” is the perfect Kdrama for you because it deals with delicious meals. This Kdrama shows different foods from Korea, and how to eat them. Watching this show would help you learn how to eat some Korean cuisine or how to look for good restaurants.
Lee Soo-kyung (Lee Soo- Kyung) is a 33-year-old woman who got divorced in her 20s. She likes to have pride but often loses control over food. Her next door neighbor suddenly dies, leaving the apartment for rent. The new tenant is a girl named Yoon Jin-Yi (Yoon So-Hee) who has never lived alone. While being new in the apartment, she tries to befriend Lee Soo-Kyung and another tenant,Goo Dae-Young (Yoon Doo-Joon). Lee Soo-Kyung wants nothing to do with this friendship until food is involved.
I love this drama because I am also a big food addict. I love learning things about food, and maybe the techniques involved when eating it. This show helped me learn how to eat some traditional Korean dishes, and how to know if food is good or not. I also love all of the characters because they contrast one another but they are put in the same friend group which makes an interesting scene.
“To you who eat a lot of rice because you are lonely. To you who sleeps a lot because you are bored. To you who cries a lot because you are sad. I write this down. Chew on your feelings that are cornered like you would chew on rice. Anyways, life is something that you need to digest.” — Chu Yang Hee, “Let’s Eat”
