New To Kdramas? Here’s What You Should Watch

Maybe some of you think that I’ve been watching kdramas for years, but in truth, I actually only began watching them this April-May. I got into them during finals – I do not suggest this – and I’ve never looked back since then. I did my best to watch the most amazing kdramas first, and I think I’ve been pretty successful so far. If you’ve ever wanted to get into kdramas but didn’t know where to start, well, that’s what I’m here for. Just lay back and relax, because I’ve done all the hard work for you. You can start with almost any of these and you can’t go wrong – welcome to the kdrama starter pack.

1. Cinderella & Four Knights

What it’s about: A poor, hard-working girl finds herself crossing paths with three rich cousins, and eventually, she finds herself living under the same roof as them. The chairman hires her to take control of the three and bring them together as a family, but along the way, feelings and obstacles arise. There’s also corporate politics and family issues, so you won’t get bored.

Why you should watch it:
– There’s the cliché (and yet perfect) mean dude, the openly flirtatious dude, the nice guy, and the quiet one who doesn’t say much.
– This was the first kdrama I finished, and it’s the perfect introduction to all the kdrama tropes.
– It has great music.

2. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

What it’s about: Do Bong Soon is a girl with super strength, although if she ever uses that strength to hurt someone, she’ll become cursed and lose her powers. One day, she meets An Min-hyuk, the CEO of the gaming company Bong Soon wants to be a video game designer at. Finding himself in need of a bodyguard, he hires Bong Soon as a bodyguard in exchange for a future position at his company. There’s also a serial kidnapper on the loose, and he finds himself at odds with Bong Soon.

Why you should watch it:
– The couple in this show is the cutest, and they’re even referred to as the “puppy couple”.
– The super strong aspect of the show is hilarious, and makes for a lot of funny scenes. Also, those times Bong Soon carries or piggybacks the love interest are too cute.
– The romance plus the serial kidnapper mystery angle make for a super interesting drama.

3. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo

What it’s about: A girl from the present is transported back into the Goryeo Dynasty when she drowns while trying to save a little boy. Once there, she finds herself in the body of a girl named Hae Soo, and she struggles to acclimate to her new life. She also finds herself often conflicting with the many princes in the palace, most of whom are quite intrigued by her. There’s romance, heartbreak, death, and a bucket load of palace politics.

Why you should watch it:
– This is hands down my favorite kdrama out of the 31 I’ve finished, and I have no doubt that it’s going to stay my favorite for quite a while, if not forever.
– The characters are amazing and have a ton of depth, not a single moment of the plot will bore you, and there are so many shocking things that happen. I guarantee you will cry and laugh a lot.
– Listening to the soundtrack after you watch the drama will make you cry your eyes out.
– You’ll be introduced and forever obsessed with these rather popular Korean actors.

4. W: Two Worlds

What it’s about: The daughter of a popular webtoon artist, Oh Yeon-joo, finds herself face to face with the main character of her father’s webtoon, Kang Chul. After this, she finds herself in and out of the webtoon world, and also starts developing feelings for the fictional man. While her father is desperately trying to kill him off, Kang Chul is busy fighting back – Oh Yeon-joo must decide whose side she’s on before it’s too late.

Why you should watch it:
– This is one of the most original plots I’ve seen, there’s a plot twist or cliffhanger at the end of every episode, and boy does it mess with your feelings.
– It’s like the dream kdrama for us readers who wish we could meet our favorite characters.
– Kang Chul is a seriously hot main character. He’s afraid of nothing, is extremely seductive when he feels like it, and hahahaha yes he does put us through a lot of pain.
– There are a ton of actions scenes, which I really enjoyed.

5. The Heirs

What it’s about: Cha Eun-sang is a poor girl who has multiple part-time jobs to help her mother make ends meet. She goes to the U.S. for her sister’s marriage, and there she meets Kim Tan, a rich Korean boy whose life seems carefree and perfect. Kim Tan begins having feelings for her, but things become complicated when both of them end up in Korea again and social classes come into play. There’s high school tropes, romance, and corporate politics aplenty.

Why you should watch it:
– While the first episode is so cliché that I literally laughed out loud, this is such a beautiful drama that, again, has all those kdrama tropes you crave.
– This is another one of those dramas that has a lot of popular faces, as well as super great, memorable characters.
– There’s a great soundtrack, a wonderful plot, lots of swoony moments, and you’re almost guaranteed to get second lead syndrome (falling in love with the second lead) while still loving the main guy.

6. Goblin: The Lonely and Great God

What it’s about: Ji Eun-tak has been called the Goblin Bride her whole life, and one day, she finally meets him. The goblin, Kim Shin, has been looking for his bride for centuries in the hopes that she can end his misery, but he doesn’t actually believe that Eun-tak is his bride. She’s also being chased by the Grim Reaper because she escaped death as a child, so…yeah.

Why you should watch it:
– This is the most beautiful kdrama I’ve seen in my life. The settings, the bromance, the cinematography, the soundtrack, the dialogue, the characters, the plot – everything is brilliant.
– This entire drama is so epic.
– Honestly, this drama can’t be put into words. It’s not my all-time favorite, but it’s one of the best. The first couple of episodes were actually my first kdrama episodes ever.

7. Boys Over Flowers

What it’s about: Geum Jan-di is a poor girl who gets a scholarship to an exclusive school for PR purposes. There, she’s up against the F4, a group of popular boys who have targeted Jan-di as their new enemy. Unfortunately for them, Jan-di isn’t scared of them in the least, and the leader of F4, Gu Jun-pyo, begins to find her interesting. A lot of things go down between Jan-di and F4, dynamics change, and hearts are won and lost.

Why you should watch it:
– If Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo is my favorite historical kdrama, then Boys Over Flowers is my favorite contemporary kdrama. It has all the tropes you love, but so much happens in these 25 episodes. This drama will be in my heart forever.
– If you’re going to watch only one kdrama ever, let it be this one.
– There’s a lot of character growth and development, and a lot of these characters are flawed and realistic, which is really nice to see in a kdrama.

8. My Love From Another Star

What it’s about: The #1 actress in Korea becomes a suspect in a murder, and suddenly, she finds herself destitute and hated by everyone. Also, she lives next door to an alien, Do Min-joon, although she doesn’t know it yet. He hates her because she isn’t the brightest of people, and yet the two are always bumping into each other. Do Min-joon just wants to go back to his home planet, but will this actress give him a reason to stay?

Why you should watch it:
– Murder mysteries + romance is my favorite combination, but add aliens into that mix and it becomes that much better. Also lol @ the alien’s personality.
– The hate-to-love and the unique personalities of both main characters make this drama unique.
– There are a ton of super cute moments as well as lots of perks to living next door to an alien. Overall, it’s pretty fun to watch, and there’s no other drama quite like it.

9. The Legend of the Blue Sea

What it’s about: A con-man finds his room broken into by a mermaid, although of course he doesn’t know that (mermaids automatically get legs when they’re on land). He’s about to turn her over to the police as a thief, but then realizes that the bracelet she’s wearing is quite expensive, and he wants to con her out of it. What neither knows is that their fates are intertwined, and they actually met before in a past life. This drama revolves around them finding out what happened in the past and figuring out a way to make things end differently this time around.

Why you should watch it:
– The mermaid and con-artist together make the funniest couple ever, and they’re both super adorable and hilarious at the same time. You’ll get a lot of laughs.
– The plot does turn a bit serious further on, and this adds so much more to the story. I loved the intertwining of the past life and the present life.
– Lee Min-ho (he’s also in Heirs and Boys Over Flowers)

10. Descendants of the Sun

What it’s about: A doctor and a soldier start dating each other, but Kang Mo-yeon, the doc, calls it off because as a doctor, she saves lives, while soldiers must kill. However, a couple months later, she’s sent overseas to volunteer, and who else does she meet but her soldier. There, they face disasters, bad guys, and also learn more about each other and what they’re each fighting for.

Why you should watch it:
– This one was actually recommended to my be my friend’s kdrama loving sister, although it had already been my radar because it’s hugely hyped. I didn’t think it was for me because of the solider/war scene, but it was so good. It’s not really a war going on, and the plot, characters, dialogue, and ROMANTIC SCENES were everything. Also, the music was on point.
– The main characters have a ridiculous amount of chemistry, and their actors are actually getting married soon.
– This is another one of those unforgettable kdramas, and it’s worth the hype. It’s not the fastest paced, but you’ll get a ton of swoons out of it.

 

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