Three must-watch K-dramas to stream on Netflix right now
It’s a bit mad how K-dramas have basically become one of Netflix’s safest bets now, isn’t it? Can you imagine, just a couple of years ago, there was a cult of people who still acted hesitantly about subtitles? Now look at everybody. Whole weekends are planned according to the K-dramas releasing that week. Especially lately, because the spring releases have been absolutely trapping people.
And you can tell Netflix knows exactly what it’s doing now because the newer K-dramas don’t even try following the same formula anymore. Earlier this year, it was mostly revenge stories. Everybody looked furious all the time. But these newer releases? Completely different mood. We have everything from fantasy to royal kitchens and time travel.
The mad part is the production level of these shows. The scales are huge, all thanks to Netflix and its viewers, as they are watching, and Netflix is providing them with the budget. Crazy how one industry, which wasn’t famous in the nearby countries, has now become a global staple.
So if your watchlist’s looking rough at the minute and you need a new obsession, these three K-dramas are probably your best bet. Let’s have a look.
Three must-watch K-dramas to stream on Netflix right now
The WONDERfools
Are you also tired of K-dramas where everybody spends sixteen episodes looking angry and plotting revenge? Because if that’s the case, The WONDERfools are a nice change of pace. The show is set in 1999 during the Y2K panic, so you can assume a chaotic atmosphere before the superpowers even show up. That’s right, we have superheroes here. The story follows Eun Chae-ni, played by Park Eun-bin, who has been dealing with a serious heart condition for most of her life. Then a toxic accident changes everything, and all of a sudden, she is developing powers she can’t control properly.
Around her, other people in the town start experiencing strange things too, including civil servant Lee Woon-jung, played by Cha Eun-woo, who clearly knows more than he lets on. What’s amazing about The WONDERfools is that it’s not too heavy on the superhero stuff. The powers are important, sure, but the main story revolves around the characters and how all of this mess disrupts their normal lives. Also, the late-90s setting carries everything to die for. It’s so nostalgic: the background, the fashion… you’ll love it.
My Royal Nemesis
Now, if superheroes are not your thing and you want something simpler and slightly ridiculous, My Royal Nemesis is probably the one you should go for. Because, tell us why this woman literally dies in the Joseon era and then wakes up in modern-day Seoul as if she has been thrown into somebody else’s life. How insane is that! These K-dramas are really creative. So, the story follows Kang Dan-sim (Lim Ji-yeon), a royal concubine who gets sentenced to death by poison. Grim start, obviously. But instead of dying, she somehow ends up inside the body of a modern woman living in present-day Korea.
So now she has to deal with all sorts of modern problems like phones, traffic and office culture, and most of all, she has to forget that she isn’t a royal anymore. And that’s where most of the fun comes from. Dan-sim reacts to modern life the way millennials react when there is a new Instagram feature. Completely stressed. Then there’s Cha Se-gye (Choo Young-woo), a rich heir also getting wound up in the mess. And if not for the plot, watch this show for the food scenes; they’re amazing.
Soul Mate
Soul Mate goes in a completely different genre compared to the other two dramas. We don’t have any superpowers or royal concubines here. Soul Mate is heavy on the emotional side, and fair warning now, it can leave you feeling a bit miserable after an episode ends. But most of them will make you happy. But let’s have a look at the story first. We have Ryu Narutaki, a Japanese hockey player struggling with guilt after losing his best friend in a tragedy that changed his entire life. Trying to escape all of that, he leaves Japan and later meets Johan Hwang (Ok Taec-yeon), a Korean boxer carrying problems of his own.
Mind you, neither of these men arrives emotionally sorted, which is exactly why their relationship becomes so interesting to watch. Reading the plot, you might think that it’s a bit heavy, but trust us, Soul Mate won’t throw massive speeches at you. A lot of the emotion comes through awkward conversations and the expressions on the actors’ faces. Also, visually, the series looks gorgeous. Seoul, Tokyo and Berlin all look stunning here. So if you’re in the mood to handle all those emotions with beautiful backgrounds, this is the show for you.