There’s a reasonK-dramashave gotten so popular in recent years, taking over every streaming platform and becoming another powerful engine behind the always-growing Korean Wave as it takes over global pop culture. It’s the fact that many K-dramas are just incredibly compelling: Everything from the characters tothe best K-drama tropesis perfectly planned to draw audiences in and not let them leave until they’ve lived through several emotional journeys, each one more heartbreaking than the last.
That’s true for pretty much any genre of K-drama, even though there are certain ones that are more predisposed than others — those telling one of thebest K-drama romance stories, for instance. It’s this compelling nature of K-dramas that makes them so addictive and, in many cases, also so rewatch-worthy. Even though plenty of new titles are released every year,there are some K-dramas that one will want to return to time and time again.
A Korean Odysseyis a great classic among K-dramas of recent years, based on the famous 16th-century novelJourney to the West, a pillar of Chinese literature and the same basis for the world-famous manga and animeDragon Ball. The plot ofA Korean Odysseyreworks the story ofJourney to the Westand sets it in modern-day South Korea.It features powerful immortals, demons, and humans who can see ghosts, making it a perfect watch for anyone who loves their stories with more than a sprinkle of fantasy.
A Korean Odysseywas written by the popular screenwriting duo Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran, known professionally as the Hong sisters. They have penned other great K-drama fantasy romances likeMy Girlfriend Is a Gumiho,Alchemy of Souls, andHotel del Luna.
What makesA Korean Odysseyso rewatchable is its complex but incredibly satisfying story, which brings audiences along a fantastical ride that leads to an incredibly satisfying place — which is exactly where every hero’s journey should lead. The characters ofA Korean Odysseyare also interesting, well-rounded, and easy to love or hate, making returning to them a truly joyous experience.
Once Upon a Small Townis a bright, lighthearted, and funny romance story relying on one of the oldest rom-com tropesnot just in K-pop but everywhere:An established professional from a big city finds out that they have to move to a small town for some reason or another, and subsequently must adapt to a different pace of life and all the new people who will undoubtedly never stay out their business.
Once Upon a Small Townfeatures K-pop star Joy, a member of girl group Red Velvet, in the leading role of Ahn Ja-young.
Filled with a whole variety of hilarious little mishaps and all the quirks of small-town life,Once Upon a Small Townis not a difficult story to follow, and it delivers a satisfying ending that everyone expects from a rom-com. It might not be incredibly surprising, but it makesOnce Upon a Small Townthe perfect show to put on for a rewatch when in need of a pick-me-up.
In the same vein asOnce Upon a Small Town,Business Proposalis also the perfect show to rewatch when one is looking for something funny and cute that has that perfect rom-com happy ending — even though its success has left fans clamoring forBusiness Proposalto have a second season. As the title suggests, the story ofBusiness Proposaltakes place inside a large food company, whereresearcher Ha-ri unexpectedly finds herself on a blind date with CEO Tae-moo.
With a premise like that, one can expect all kinds of shenanigans to happen throughoutBusiness Proposal’s 12 episodes, as Ha-ri and Tae-moo circle each other in a series of increasingly ridiculous moments before inevitably ending up together. As it happens in so many K-dramas, though, the secondary couple might rival the leading one in terms of entertainment. In this case,Young-seo, Ha-ri’s best friend, and Sung-hoon, Tae-moo’s secretary, are also perfect rom-com material.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joofalls within a much-beloved subgenre,the coming-of-age K-drama, which in this case is mixed with the usual twists and turns one might expect from a sports drama. That’s because main character Bok-joo’s biggest dream is to be a weightlifting champion while at university. The story, of course, follows Bok-joo and her group of athlete friends as they train to pursue their dreams, fall in love, and become adults in the process.
While not that big of a success at the time of its release,Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joohas ascended to a cult status, with an incredibly dedicated fanbase made up mainly of young viewers who are around the same age as the drama’s main characters.Weighlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joomanages to capture that unique feeling of being in one’s early 20s, making it a truly timeless piece, capable of always resonating with new audiences but also of having something new to offer upon every rewatch for viewers even past the target age range.
True Beautywas a massive successat the time of its release, partly because it is the adaptation of an equally popular webtoon of the same name. The story follows high school student Lim Ju-kyung who has been bullied all her life for her perceived unattractiveness. She decides to master the art of makeup, something that gains her immediate popularity, but that is also not without its downsides.
As it happens in several K-dramas,True Beautyfeatures a good old-fashioned love trianglebetween the main love interest, perfect student Lee Su-ho, and the secondary one, seemingly harsh Han Seo-jun. While the love triangle trope is a bit dated, some K-dramas still manage to do it perfectly andTrue Beautyis one of these, making the romantic twists in so entertaining that it’s an easy story to return to time and again.
Reply 1988is the third installment of theReplyseries, which also includesReply 1997andReply 1994. Because of this, its release was highly anticipated, and it was also very well-followed as it was airing. Its influence also helped spark a trend of ’80s nostalgia everywhere in South Korea, which expanded to K-pop a couple of years later.
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There are several elements that contribute to makingReply 1988such a beloved show, from its soundtrack to its realistic portrayal of South Korea in the 1980s, but what helps with its rewatchability factor is undeniably its cast of characters.The story ofReply 1988follows five friends, all well fleshed out and so realistically portrayed that they feel almost like real people, making returning to the show almost like returning to visit an old friend.
Hilarious and with a surprisingly bittersweet feel to it,Mr. Planktonis a relatively new release that still skyrocketed to the top of the list of best K-dramas available on Netflix.Its plot includes a man born from an incorrect artificial insemination, a thwarted marriage that would have saved a clan more than half a millennia old, and a devastating ending that will leave viewers staring at the screen long after the final episode has concluded.
Despite that, though, the K-drama truly is incredibly enjoyable.Mr. Plankton’s bittersweet endingis part of the story’s journey, and it’s sort of anticipated from the beginning. It makes for a very cathartic watch, which is something that everyone needs every once in a while.Mr. Planktonis also relatively short, another point in its favor when it comes to rewatchability.
Hotel del Lunais another beloved K-drama, starring an equally beloved lead actress: Lee Ji-eun, better known to the public as IU and one of the most influential celebrities in South Korea. Even though she started out as a soloist, IU branched out into acting andHotel del Lunaremains one of her most recognizable roles. In the drama, she plays Man-wol, the owner of the titular hotel that caters exclusively to ghosts.
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With the premise of a ghost-centered hotel,Hotel del Lunacan’t be anything but filled with unique, funny, and fantastical situations as the hotel’s staff do their best to help their guests see to their unfinished business on Earth before moving on.Man-wol is an incredibly compelling character, headstrong, vain, and competent,and the main reason whyHotel del Lunais such a rewatchable show.
Very few shows have had the impact on South Korean pop culture asCrash Landing on Youdid. The story of a rich heiress who gets blown over the DMZ during a paragliding session and is brought back to South Korea by a North Korean soldier, all the while falling in love with him, madeCrash Landing on Youone of the highest-rated series in the history of South Korean cable television.
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There’s a lot of anti-foreigner propaganda in North Korea so I wasn’t sure if my experience would mirror the romantic K-Drama Crash Landing On You.
Down toCrash Landing On You’s tearful ending, it’s such a captivating story that one can’t help to return to it every once in a while, even if you already knows all its twists and turns. This incredible rewatchability potential, whereindedicated fans simply want to experience the romance between Se-ri and Jeong-hyeok over and over again, is a true testament to just how brilliantly written and actedCrash Landing On Youis.
Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, more often known simply asGoblin, was a true phenomenon in South Koreaat the time it was airing. Now it remains one of the most beloved fantasy romance K-dramas to come out in the past decade, and rightfully so. Everything aboutGoblinis incredible, from the stellar performances of lead actors Gong Yoo and Kim Go-Eun to its plot, detailing the beautiful, heartbreaking romance between the immortal Goblin and his Goblin’s Bride.
The show is also known asGoblinbecause that is the English translation of the worddokkaebi,the particular creature that the drama’s main character is supposed to be. Adokkaebiis a powerful, awe-inspiring creature that can have many different physical appearances.
While there’s no shortage of fantasy romances to be found in the grand variety of theK-dramamedium, very few leave audiences with that same feeling of bittersweet happiness in the way Goblin does. That’s what makes it the perfect piece to return to many times, as well as the genuinely funny skits that happen between the leading trio, which, besides Gong Yoo and Kim Go-Eun, includes Lee Dong-wook as a Grim Reaper.
