The FC Guide to K-dramas

Team FC

Updating the Rom-com

One of K-drama’s greatest gifts to popular culture is that it has revived the romantic comedy, which had languished to dreary dullness in both English and Indian entertainment.
Suggested watching: Crash Landing on You, Into the Ring

Spicy Second Leads

Every K-drama fan has suffered from the ‘Second Lead Syndrome’ at some point in their life. The affliction involves having a deep-rooted loyalty towards the character who didn’t bag the happily-ever-after but absolutely deserved it.
Suggested watchingItaewon Class, Our Beloved Summer, True Beauty

Ghosts

You may already know Koreans can craft a riveting zombie film (thank you, Train to Busan, 2016) but when it comes to the world of supernatural K-dramas, they’re not just about chills and thrills.
Suggested Watching: Hotel Del Luna, Mystic Pop-up Bar, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

Unconventional jobs

Possibly as a reaction to the increasingly stressful work environment in Korea, K-dramas show women excelling at some of the most obscure (and exciting) jobs. Take Run On’s Oh Mi-joo (Shin Se-kyung), who works as a subtitle translator.
Suggested watchingHer Private Life, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo

Well-written female friendships

K-dramas that aired before 2010 regularly featured female characters steeped in stereotypes – the second female lead was usually catty and manipulative, while the main lead was pure and gentle.
Suggested watchingTwenty Five Twenty One, Run On, Be Melodramatic, Mine

Thank you for reading

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