If you’re like me, you might spend a lot of your time looking for something to watch on TV. My husband and I cut the cord several years ago, vowing to reduce our entertainment bill. Instead, we ended up with all the major streaming services. Streaming started out well. It’s great watching shows with no commercials, binging the biggest streaming hits, and searching the catalogues for shows I always wanted to watch but never had the time when I worked.
Then, search doldrums happened. Though each streaming service offers hundreds (maybe thousands) of movies, dramas, reality shows, I would spend more time looking for something to watch than actually watching something. Not to mention the fact that when I did find something to watch, I would forget what streaming service carried it. Or forget about it completely. I tried apps to help me find and keep track of shows, but those typically gave options for shows I had already seen or had tried to watch before.
Looking for something to watch led to my first Kdrama
One day in March 2023, I sat on my couch, looking for something to watch. I wanted a show that sounded interesting and also had a limited number of episodes. That’s when I discovered the Kdrama, Kiss Sixth Sense, an office romance with a fantasy element, streaming on Hulu. To be fair, I had seen it on my home page before, but that day, I clicked into it and read the premise. It sounded intriguing and just up my alley: two genres combined to create something new. The show consisted of one season with 16 episodes and had an English dubbed version. (I have never been a big fan of reading subtitles – but more on that later)
The first episode, filled with interesting characters, a fun office setting, and cute little sound and video effects, drew me in right away. Before I knew it, I had viewed the entire show in a matter of days. I liked it so much, I looked for another, similar show to watch. Hulu obediently provided me What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim starring the Park Seo-Jung and Park Min-young. Unfortunately (or so I thought at the time), it had no English dubbed version, but I decided to give it a try, subtitles and all.
I was glad I did. What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim is a charming, funny, and incredibly well-acted drama, filled with high production values. I plunged through the first few episodes, reading subtitles, wishing for a dubbed version. Then a funny thing happened. Somewhere along the way, I realized that my brain had gotten used to reading the words on the screen. Normally, I find reading subtitles hugely distracting, but the show captured my interest so well, reading the subtitles almost became effortless.
Down the Kdrama Rabbit Hole
Two Kdramas under my belt, I determined to find more Kdramas to watch. A quick search through the various streaming services had my head spinning with all the available Kdrama content. Keeping with the office romance theme, I quickly consumed Touch Your Heart and Business Proposal on Netflix. By then, something a little different sounded good. The King: Eternal Monarch, also streaming on Netflix, caught my eye. It stars Lee Ming-ho and Kim Go-eun, and is written by Kim Eun-sook, all (whom I have now learned) are giants in their industry. I love time travel and alternate reality stories with some romance tossed in. This one fit the bill.
To say that The King: Eternal Monarch blew me away is an understatement. I loved every (ok almost every) minute of it, even when it didn’t always make sense. I spent days afterwards thinking about it. (Did I mention how much I love Woo Du-hwan in his dual roles?) During those moments, with my head spinning around the plot, I noticed something else. As I thought back on some of the beautiful dialog, I could almost hear the actor’s voices in my head — but speaking in English! I’m sure there is a phenomenon related to that. Because of it, I will never go back to watching a dubbed version if I can help it. I love hearing the actors’ original voices.
Within two months, I had watched eleven Kdramas. By plugging through sites like Soompi, Dramabeans, and MyDramaList, plus roaming through the various streaming content, I quickly developed a list of over 50 more to watch. With so many available, I realized that I needed to start with the highest rated/recommended or I would be lost down the Kdrama rabbit hole. Side note: as of this writing I have over 100 shows on my list so– too late – I already am.
Looking for something to watch increased my interest in all things Korean
Another fun thing happened while watching Kdramas. I became more interested in Korea – the land, the people, the music, the culture. I even decided to learn Korean. (Mostly to better understand what the actors in Kdramas are saying but as turns it, it’s a pretty fun language to learn!) You can check out my Beginner’s Guide here.
Through KafeNook, I plan to share my reviews on the various Kdramas that I watch, explore the reasons why I find them so compelling, and maybe (hopefully) bring new viewers along with me.
So what is your favorite Kdrama? Write it in the Comments below.
Author’s Note: links provided to external sources are not an endorsement of those sources but are solely provided for reference.
