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Gold Member
The entire growth of South Korea’s economy stems from it’s significant investment in it’s entertainment industry, which it now exports globally in the form of K-Pop and K-Dramas. K-Dramas are South Korean produced television dramas, that have led to the ‘Korean Wave’ or ‘Hallyu’ - the global adoption of Korean pop culture. This is how good these dramas are!
Why Should You Tune In
It’s the same reason why Squid Game is the most watched show in Netflix history and why Parasite was the first foreign language film to win Best Picture. There is a brilliance in story telling and directing being demonstrated. Fascinatingly unique shows in a diverse array of genres, legal; medical; romance; historical; sci-fi; horror or a combination of all! Complimented with soundtracks that amplify your feelings. Being exposed to a different culture can really open up your perspective, and K-Dramas do just that, all the while being very entertaining. Join us and share your laughter, tears, joy and anger, it’ll be all worth it.
Critically Acclaimed Recommendations
Moving
"Seemingly typical high school students, bear extraordinary inherited powers. Bong Seok can fly, Hee Soo possesses exceptional athleticism and rapid injury recovery, and Gang Hoon wields uncanny strength and speed. As they conceal their gifts, their parents fight to shield them from exploitation by others, navigating a delicate balance between secrecy and protection."
Reply 1988
"Five childhood friends, who all live in the same neighborhood of Seoul, lean on each other to survive their challenging teen years and set a path for their futures."
Hospital Playlist
"The stories of people going through their days are seemingly ordinary but actually special at the hospital, a place known as the microcosm of life, where someone is being born and someone's life meets its ending. The five doctors are long-time friends of 20 years who started their undergrad in 1999 in the same medical school and now are colleagues in the same hospital and have a band together."
Weak Class Hero
"Yeon Shi Eun is a model student who ranks at the top of his high school. Physically, Yeon Shi Eun appears weak, but by using his wits and psychology, he fights against the violence that takes place inside and outside of his school."
My Mister
I wouldn’t read the synopsis, just watch it, it’s quite emotional.
FAQs
What K-Drama should I start with?
This is a difficult question to answer, because just as there are many great dramas, there are many bad ones. It’s a good idea to start with a genre that interests you, find a highly rated one and take it from there. You will find many recommendations here and throughout this thread.
Where can I watch:
Types of Drama Productions:
Most dramas are live productions, meaning that they’re airing as they’re being recorded. You may find some exceptions with ones that are produced by Netflix as they’re mostly pre-produced. They come in many different forms/lengths:
- Mini-series - the most popular form of dramas, 12-26 episodes, typically 40-50mins each. Most tend to be 16 episodes.
- Soap/daily dramas - 30min episodes, like western soaps, that air daily.
- Weekend/family dramas - these are long-form dramas that typically run up to 50 episodes
- Web dramas - these are short dramas 8-20mins long, and not very popular in the K-drama community
Parental Advisory:
Korean’s are culturally conservative, you’ll have no worries having to look up parental guidance on the vast majority of dramas as they’re for the most part family friendly. This is also due to broadcasting regulations.
Tracking:
If you get hooked, you’ll soon be exposed the influx of new and regularly released dramas. A great tool for tracking upcoming and dramas you’ve watched is MyDramaList.
Thread Rules
Do not link to pirated sites! There are plenty of legal ways to watch K-Dramas now, and if you’re struggling to find which streaming service a particular show is on, just ask or visit the drama page of the show you’re looking for on MyDramaList and it’ll detail which streaming services it is available on.
Spoiler tags! It goes without saying, be considerate of those who haven’t seen an episode you’re on or the drama itself. You don’t have to spoiler tag your thoughts on a show or episode, just plot points regarding characters and narrative. If you break this rule, I will snitch like a bitch to our moderators!
