Hey everybody! Okay so this is not a usual post. I don’t normally read mangas or even watch anime, but I have watched a lot of k dramas which are either based on a manga or webtoon. Here are a few of my top picks for you all to check out on Netflix:

Extraordinary You-

Plot- What would you do if you found out that you were, in fact, a character in a comic? And an extra character on top of that? Change the course of the story, obviously! Eun Dan Oh is a 17-year-old high-school student from a wealthy family who suffers from a lifelong heart condition that inevitably means she will not live past her teenage years. However, when Dan Oh realizes she is experiencing long gaps in her memory as well, she comes into the unhappy inheritance of another fact in her life: she is a character in a Korean webtoon and all of her actions are predetermined by the artist who draws her. To make matters worse, she discovers she is only a supporting character in the cast. With her newfound understanding of the world she inhabits, she is determined to find true love in her own plot-line and circumvent the author’s plans for her character by utilizing the flashes of storyboard she alone is able to see.

My Thoughts – This was such an original and fresh concept. It’s about this high schooler who discovers that not only is she a character in a comic book , but she is a supporting character ! This information is enough to make her decide that no matter what, she’ll take her fate in her own hands. This drama was so unpredictable and filled with twists and turns and I’d absolutely recommend it if you’d prefer something different from the typical high school story. The character are very complex and the acting is superb, especially from Lee Jae Wook,who plays the role of the second lead Bae Kyung. Plus there is some historical drama bits mixed in with the storyline, all in all a very enjoyable watch which will have you make your own hypotheses about how the things work in the comic book world .                       

2. Tale Of Nokdu-

Plot – Jeon Nok Du lives on an island with his father and older brother. He is smart and a good swordsman. Since he was little, his father did not let him study or go to the mainland. One day, his father and older brother are attacked by a group of female assassins. Jeon Nok Du chases after one of the assassins to the capital. During that time, Jeon Nok Du meets Dong Dong Ju. She wants to shoot the King with her arrow, but Jeon Nok Du saves her from trouble. Meanwhile, the assassin that Jeon Nok Du chases goes into a widowed village. To find out who and why his family was attacked, Jeon Nok Du disguises himself as a woman and enters the widow village. There, he meets Dong Dong Ju again. She is an apprentice to become a gisaeng.

My Thoughts- This one is a historical drama based on a webtoon. The main character Nokdu, is a youth who disguises himself as a woman to infiltrate a women – only village when he goes after the assassins who attack him and his family. There he meets a girl named Dong Jo, who is a gisaeng-in-training.This is a really superb drama . I mean it’s a historical one so there’s bound to be fighting, lies, deceit , plotting for the throne and all, but this one is also a rom-com on top of that. The storyline has twists and turns and some really hilarious scenes like which had me laughing-out-loud. And can I say, I really loved the happy ending because so often in historical dramas we get to see a sad ending ( like Scarlet Heart Ryeo), which really breaks my heart, so a happy ending made me glad.

3.My ID is Gangnam Beauty-

Plot- This series tells the story of Kang Mi Rae, a girl once bullied for her looks. As a result, she became insecure, cautious around people and withdrawn. However, Mi Rae decides she wants a fresh start away from bullying and gets plastic surgery to transform her face. When she begins university, she meets Do Kyung Suk from their middle school days, who sees people for what they are on the inside and not the outside; he then becomes attracted to Kang Mi Rae. As Mi Rae begins to get teased once more and labeled “Gangnam Beauty”, the cold, aloof but kind inside Kyung Suk becomes the one person that stands up for her and in the process, Mi Rae begins to recover her lost confidence and discovers that true beauty is not on the outside.

My Thoughts – This drama has some very strong points which work in its favour. Our main lead is a timid girl who has been bullied from childhood for her looks, so before going off to college she gets plastic surgery done on her face. This drama takes a good look at how we treat people who we think are good looking and also the people who we think are not, and whether it really matters . The male lead played by Cha Eun Woo is such an adorable person and they really have a great chemistry between them . Initially it starts off at a slower pace, but by the time the first half ends , the pace picks up. The side characters are very well developed too and there is no dearth of strong female characters in this drama. Our Main character grows so much throughout the show, from being an insecure girl she develops the confidence to go after things she wants and discovers that beauty is not all about looks.  Plus I really loved the college aesthetics which was showed in the drama so much. You should totally check out this one if you want to watch a college romance with a great characters and an apt message.

4.What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim?

My Thoughts – This drama is a romantic comedy which really has very adorable characters and amazing acting from the main leads. Their chemistry is so amazing and it is definitely one of those shows which makes you laugh out loud. It has many clichés yet it manages to entice the viewers with its charm and cute storyline. Check out my review here.

5.Boys Over Flowers-

Plot- Geum Jan Di comes from a poor family who owns a dry-cleaning shop. One day, she visits Shinhwa High School, a prestigious school for the wealthy, and saves a student who was going to commit suicide because of F4 bullying. Jan Di then receives a swimming scholarship to attend the school for her heroic act. In school, she meets the notorious F4, who are the most popular and powerful group of boys at the school, consisting of Gu Jun Pyo; the leader of F4 and heir to the Shinhwa Group, Yoon Ji Hu; the grandson of a former president of Korea, So Yi Jung; a skilled potter who comes from a family that owns the country’s biggest art museum, and Song Woo Bin; whose family runs the country’s largest construction company. Her life at school starts out miserable, as she doesn’t fit in with other students because of her statues, and later becomes worse when she is labeled as the new bullying target of the F4.

My Thoughts – This show was my first introduction to the world of k dramas and it’s one of the most popular dramas out there. It had such immense popularity in both Asia and in other continents too. This one really has all the tropes and cliches of  k drama world from poor girl, rich guy to rich-guy-bullying-poor-girl-and-then-falling-for-her , memory loss, evil-mom-trying –to-separate-her-son-from-the-girl plus a love triangle and whole loads of drama and angst. So why should you watch this drama? Because the story is soo catchy that even if you smile and shake your head at the stupid elements you’d still watch it because its sooooo entertaining. The acting is also pretty good , especially of the male lead Lee Minho if you can get past his curly hair. You’ll laugh, cry and then maybe even binge watch it because its that addictive.

P.S This post is written by my younger sister Shruti, who shares my love of K dramas and books. She is a perfectionist and also helps with editing my posts a little when I am at home. She is currently watching , Lee Minho’s current drama, King: The Eternal Monarch. She is a senior at high school .

Have you watched any of these Kdramas ? Do You watch kdramas ? Let’s Chat inthe comments Section .