Korean drama: A beginner’s guide to onboard with ‘Hallyu’ fever

Korean fever or "Hallyu" fever has become more prominent after the success of the Oscar winning film "Parasite." Movies like 'Train to Busan" and "Miracle in Cell No. 7" only lead to an increase in popularity of Korean movies and drama.

With highly intriguing plots and diverse storylines, Korean dramas were able to create waves globally, including Bangladesh.

Korean culture is celebrated in Bangladesh. There are a number of communities that arrange annual meet ups, cosplay, dancing and singing competitions to celebrate Korean pop culture.

A Bangladeshi Facebook group dedicated to Korean entertainment enthusiasts named "Korean Movie And Drama Lovers Of Bangladesh" has over 1,800 members, while another group named "Korean Movie and Drama Lovers" has 52,000 followers.

Korean drama has created a niche audience group in Bangladesh and a large portion of the audience has shifted from the mainstream American series to the eccentric yet engaging K-dramas.  

So what makes the Korean dramas so special, you ask? Well, for starters, K-dramas come with amazing plotlines which does not run as long as American TV shows. Most K-dramas consist of only 16 to 20 episodes and thus the plot is not overstretched or monotonous to watch.

Each K-drama episode is an hour long and at the end of the episode the viewer is left with major cliffhangers. For instance, in one of the shows, when you witness the death of the serial killer priest, the episode will leave you wondering about the priest's killers.

Fated encounter and brotherly romance (or bromance) are two of the rudimentary elements of K-drama. These shows can make you believe in fateful encounters. One cannot forget the umbrella sequence in Goblin - the chance encounter between Gong Yoo and Kim Go-eun will send a shiver down your spine.

The immortal Goblin can only die after his human wife Kim Go-eun kills him with his sword. Such is the cruel destiny that leads to massive dramatic encounters in K-drama.

The bonding between the Grim Reaper and Goblin is a testament of bromance in the history of K-drama. Their immature cutlery swordplay, petty one-upmanship antics, and hilarious moments of self-absorbed melodrama makes up for one hell of a bromance in Goblin.

Here is a list of K-drama for everyone to enjoy.

The King: Eternal Monarch

Genre: Science-fiction

Watch the trailer of "The King: Eternal Monarch" here 

From the writers of Descendant of the Sun and The Heirs comes the much awaited science-fiction historical time-travel drama The King. The story of the drama revolves around Lee Gon (Lee Min-ho), who is the King of the Kingdom of Corea. During childhood, he bore witness to the murder of his father by his uncle.But he was saved by a mysterious detective named Jung Tae-eul. 10 years later, Lee Gon comes across a mysterious portal through which he gets to travel into a parallel universe where the Republic of Korea exists. There, he has a chance encounter with Jung Tae-eul who does not recognize him. In the mean-time his uncle, who is in hiding, plans anarchy against him and assembles a set of army by traversing back and forth within the two parallel worlds.

This is actor Lee Min Ho's comeback drama after returning from military service and is one of the highest rated dramas in Korea. The drama is currently available on Netflix and the weekly episodes can be streamed on Friday and Saturday.

Itaewon Class

Genre: Drama

Watch the trailer of "Itaewon class" here  

The show's plot revolves around an ex-convict named Park Sae-ro-yi (Park Seo-joon) who wants to open his bar-restaurant DanBam (Sweet Night) in Itaewon. He gets expelled for punching a bully while his father gets killed in an accident. Orphaned and all alone in the street, he teams up with an ex-convict, a trans-woman chef, and an African-Korean man looking for his father. Together they join forces to compete against the largest food corporation in the country. The main character, Park Seo-Joon, can be easily recognized as the handsome family friend who gives the Kims the lucky rock in Parasite.

Itaewon class is a drama based on a webtoon of the same name and was the first series to be produced by film distribution company Showbox. The drama seamlessly incorporates the story of racial discrimination, class differences and the LGBTQ characters beautifully melt into the plot without being overpowering.  The show is available on Netflix.

Welcome to Waikiki

Genre: Comedy

Watch the trailer of "Welcome to Waikiki" here 

An aspiring film director, a struggling actor and a hopeful writer runs a guesthouse that hardly has any guests. One day, they discover a baby in one of the rooms of their guesthouse. After discovering the plight of the baby's mother - Yoo Na, they decide to let her stay with them and let her work for the guesthouse. The gang chases their dreams and learns a lot about life and love as the story unfolds.

Welcome to Waikiki will surely tickle your ribs and make you laugh throughout the series. Waikiki is the first Korean drama that is likened to Western sitcoms such as Seinfeld and Friends. The series has two seasons and both of them are available for streaming on Netflix.

Hand: The Guest

Genre: Horror

Watch the trailer of "Hand: The Guest" here 

A psychic, a Catholic priest and a detective unite to fight against the malevolent spirit Park Il Do. Yoon Hwa-Pyung (Kim Dong-Wook) is a psychic who believes that he was possessed by an evil spirit and killed his mother and grandmother while Mateo, the priest, witnessed the death of his family by the hands of his brother as he became possessed by the malicious spirit. Intertwined with the fates of Mateo and Hwa Pyung is the destiny of Detective Kang Gil Young who does not believe in spirits but witnesses the death of her mother during her childhood.

"Hand: The Guest explores" the world of Shamanism and spirit possession. This series focused on eerie supernatural events that may or may not transpire in real life, but all throughout its entire run, it is centered on only one subject – humanity.