KDRAMAS:

BY MARIAM JABRI

Ever scrolled through tiktok and landed on an edit of some popular Korean Drama? If not, I feel sorry for you. The day I watched my frst drama was an awakening for me. The American shows I had already consumed could not compare to the 16 episode romance of any kdrama. If you don’t already watch kdramas, let this be your reason to start. The selection pool is large, but don’t let that intimidate you. Below I’ve listed good starter shows in six genres that you can choose from to start your journey:

Lighthearted Romance

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo

Where you can watch: Viki

This is one of my all-time favorite romances. It follows weightlifter Kim Bok-joo and swimmer Jung Joon-hyung and their journey with love, friendship, and family. It includes sub-plots that will warm your heart and help you understand every character. The show does a great job of addressing topics like depression and body image issues. It’s also hilarious and very exaggerated. It’ll make you cringe and swoon at the same time. If you want a friends-to-lovers, slow-burn college romance then I highly recommend you give this a try.

Family & Friendship

Reply 1988

Where you can watch: Netfix, Amazon Prime, Viki, Tubi

Set in the 80s, Reply 1988 centers around a group of best friends navigating their lives in Seoul, South Korea. Growing up in a close-knit community, the show highlights each families day-to-day struggles and successes in an ever-changing society. The character development fts perfect with the show’s 16-episode season. Reply 1988 is an excellent choice if you want a comfort show that is both hilarious and heartwarming.

Fantasy

Alchemy of Souls

Where you can watch: Netfix

The romance in this show should be banned because of how criminally amazing it is. It follows famous, soul-shiftng assassin Nak-su and outcast noble Jank Uk as their bumpy encounter leads them to work together to change each other’s destiny. A mentor-mentee relationship develops as they combat the danger that surrounds their day-to-day lives. This show has aspects of mystery, humour, love, family, and friendship + a lot of magic and duels. You won’t just fall in love with the leads, but the side characters, too. Let’s just say you are bombarded with romance and angst from every relationship. The editing for this show is also high-quality for a fantasy. It starts a little slow, with a 20-epsiode frst season and 10-episode second season, but you’ll get into it. I highly recommend this show if you want a good soulmate romance with a little bit of magic.