Spring 2022 Korean Drama Review
This post is very late, but I finally finished and caught up on this seasons Korean Dramas so I thought I would share my thoughts and opinions on them! It was an overall really great season, so let’s get into it.
The first drama that I finished was Tomorrow, which is based off of a Korean WEBTOON, and I have to say this jumped up into my top five for a number of reasons. Number one being that it had Lee Soo Hyuk in it, he is one of my favorite actors. He is absolutely stunning and I love all of the characters he’s played. I also really loved the rest of the cast for this drama I think they all played their characters incredibly well. This show made me cry at almost every episode, so keep that in mind if you decide to watch it.
The concept for the show was amazing, grim reapers who’s mission is suicide prevention is such a unique premise for a story. What makes this show even more incredible is the fact that suicide is not talked about in most places in the world, but especially South Korea, which is ranked 4th in the world when it comes to suicide rates. It’s something very common in society there but not talked about, so the fact an entire show was dedicated to it is really amazing. I love seeing more and more dramas like this or it’s ok not to be ok talking about such controversial topics
The side story of Koo Ryeon and Park Joong Gil was also so good and honestly I was more invested in that. I was really invested in their side story, their tangled past and learning more about it. my only issue is I wish they had introduced this idea earlier on, because it felt like it was pushed till the very end which made it feel rushed. Their shared past has such a big impact on each of their characters and why they behave the way they do that I wish they had brought it up more throughout the show
Seeing their characters all grow in different ways was also really amazing. There are a lot of trigger warnings in this show though because it is about suicide prevention. However, I think the show did a really great job talking about such sensitive subjects and conversations. The authors took the time to tell each persons story and the issues they were concerned about, giving them more of a place in the show.
One thing I did find weird was that the main character Choi joon woong felt more like a side character than the main character. Yes, he is what begins the show and brings us into the underworld and shows us all the different departments but we don’t know much about him. There is no talk about his past or anything he is struggling with like you see with the other three main characters. All we know is he is struggling to find work and ends up saving a man who tries to jump off a bridge and is placed in a comma. Other than that he never talks about himself or his past, mentioning his concern for his mom and sister at times but very briefly. Then when he leaves the group to go back to his life there isn’t much to it, he just goes. I thought he’d be more involved in the overall bigger plot.
I wasn’t expecting to love Our Blues as much as I did, and I’m amazed this is also moving up into my top five. Similarly to “It’s ok not to be ok” and “tomorrow” this drama talks about so many topics that most people avoid putting in there shows. It also included an incredible cast with actors and characters who had disabilities. One character is deaf and played by a deaf actress, another has Down syndrome and again is played by an actress who has it. That alone and the subjects they covered in this like; depression, teen pregnancy, marital issues, a husband being beaten by his wife, and issues between parents and children was so amazing.
Set in Jeju, the show follows a 14 characters, divided into 8 stories over 20 episodes, all dealing with their own issues and lives but living in the same neighborhood and being interconnected. Some went to high school together, others work together and some fall in love. The writers did such a good job blending everyone’s stories together and making it seamlessly become one. It wasn’t complicated to follow the stories, and even when focusing on one persons story you were learning about other characters along with it. What I liked was each episode focused on two people, sometimes about their relationship together or just their stories intertwined, sometimes it would be in two parts, so two episodes, and it made it really easy to follow and understand.
The cast in this was top tier! They brought out a really famous cast including Kim woo bin, who I missed so much, Kim hye ja, go doo shim, cha swung won and so many more! I love Kim woo bin and he is what drew me into watching this drama and I’m so glad I did.
This drama did an amazing job of just portraying real life, and everyday issues that people are dealing with. Dealing with getting older, relationship issues of all kinds, financial mishaps, depression and more. This show did such an incredible job showing that when there isn’t much going on in our lives it can still be fun, exciting, thrilling, emotional nod touching. We got to see such intimate and intricate glimpses of the characters lives and with that you are able to find something to relate to. The drama successfully captures the joys and growing pains of life and I really enjoyed watching it.
The third drama I finished was Sh**ting Stars, which follows the behind the scenes of the entertainment industry. Focusing on oh han byul who leads the agency’s PR department, one of her clients being top star Gong Tae Sung who can do no wrong. They bicker constantly after knowing each other in high school and college, where they became sworn enemies.
Compared to the other two dramas this was a really easy and relaxing show to watch. I adore Lee Sung Kyung and every drama she has been in. She is an incredible actress and was incredible in this drama as well. I feel like I could do an entire post on just the fashion she wore in this show because I loved her style so much!
There are moments of drama throughout the show, especially following a group of anti fans going after the male lead. Anti fans and groups are a big thing in Korea, so learning more about this was interesting.
I feel like I don’t have as much to say about this drama because compared to everything else I watched it was much more light hearted and easy to watch. It had me hooked every episode, wanting to watch more. I found it interesting to see more about the entertainment industry in Korea and how scandals and things like that are handled. I also really liked the romance side of the show. So if you’re looking for a cute romance drama to watch I’d recommend this one.
This drama was so hard to finish that I actually ended up dropping it. I thought Krystal did a great job acting, but the story was so unbelievable and it didn’t draw me in. I made it about half way, but decided I’d rather invest my time watching other shows since life has gotten busy.
I still have not watched Pachinko, but I’m so scared to watch it and not love it. Or watch it and finish it in a day. What kdramas did you watch this spring season? And what are you planning on watching next?
