Kdramas are extremely great, but very often, they start out as this super amazing show
and then plummet down, leaving viewers hanging, and frankly, a bit disappointed.
Of course, this doesn’t apply to all, and there are plenty of Kdramas out there that’s
just interesting from start to end.
Let’s check out these very well-written series in today’s video.
Racket Boys Starting off the list on a bright note is
Racket Boys - a series that will absolutely make you grin through the entire ride.
Like its name, the series follows a student male badminton team that’s very close to
disbanding, due to the lack of members and dwindling success.
Residing in the middle of nowhere and without any funds, yet this gang of boys just don’t
believe in quitting, putting in all their blood, sweat, tears, and a lot of determination.
The drama started as badminton coach Hyeong Jong left Seoul to go to the countryside,
bringing along his son Hae Kang.
At first, Hae Kang was mad: he had to leave behind his city, fast wifi, and baseball - all
to join a lacking badminton team.
However, he slowly learned to appreciate his new settings - making for a wholesome character
arc.
Racket Boys is a melody of flawed characters who bring out the best in one another - there’s
hardly any scheming, just light bickering - and the characters feel fresh and young.
The adults are also not perfect - with their own issues and flaws that they had to learn
to overcome.
The series also boasts a beautiful countryside with interesting pieces of life that hook
you in - so be ready to get all mushy with feelings and unable to stop smiling when watching
it.
Well, considering Racket Boy's screenwriter had also contributed to Reply 1988 and Prison
Playbook, there’s no way that this series will disappoint you if you want something
healing.
The Uncanny Counter Now, let’s delve a bit to the fantasy realm
with the supernatural drama ‘The Uncanny Counter’.
Aired on OCN - a broadcasting channel that specializes in heavy, dark, and gloomy series,
The Uncanny Counter came as quite the surprise - retaining the channel’s unique and intriguing
plot, and yet was much brighter in both the theme and the delivery.
The Uncanny Counter started out following the steps of So Mun, a high school student
who was disabled due to a car accident that also killed his parents.
After being possessed by the Yung spirit Wigen - he developed the power to banish evil spirits,
and thus, ended up joining the Counters - a group of people who hunt demons and evil spirits
under the guise of a very popular noodle shop.
Action-packed with numerous interesting plot points, The Uncanny Counter really stood out
among its peers.
We get to watch an underdog story in the form of the male lead realizing his power, a tale
of found family as the counters grow closer, political schemes, past reveals, and even
a great sense of humor.
Sure, the story stray from pure monster fighting to political battling near the end, but it
was just enough to keep us going.
And we can’t forget the brilliant characterization - which manages to give everyone the spotlight,
and even flesh out minor characters Honestly, The Uncanny Counter was just highly
enjoyable - and the Koreans also seem to agree.
Ratings for the series jumped from 2.7% in the first episode to over 10% in the finale
- a feat very rarely achieved by a channel as underrated as OCN.
Navillera Now, let’s take a seat and get ready to
bawl your eyes out, because Navillera is an emotional piece of art that will move you
from the core.
Long story short, this series tells the story of Shim Deok Chul, a 70-year-old retired mailman,
who decides to finally pursue his life-long dream of learning ballet.
He insisted, despite his family not being pleased about his course of action, and everyone
telling him that it’s now pointless to chase a dream.
On the other side of the story, we get to meet Lee Chae Rok, a 23-year-old ballerino
who was struggling financially and close to giving up on his dancing career.
After some rocky first meetings, Chae Rok and Deok Chul ended up bringing out the best
in each other - as one learned ballet and another learned a great deal of life lessons.
Honestly, the series is just beautiful.
Deok Chul’s commitment to his dream was inspiring in many different ways - and watching
his baby steps at the age of 70, we can’t help but admire his determination, and his
urge to pursue happiness.
Chae Rok was also a roller coaster of a character: growing from a loner that held back his feelings,
to someone who extended trust and is trusted in return.
Despite being a non-romantic series, Navillara has expressed many different forms of love
through the many relationships it describes.
There’s familial love between Deok Chul and his family, and a tender yet unique platonic,
family-ish love between Deok Chul and Chae Rok, as well as other unconditional loves
scattered through the show.
There’s a love towards ballet, and a love towards life.
Navillera also brings a great piece of reality, and it shows that there’s the ups and downs
to everything, even people who are supposed to love you.
It embraces the theme of old age, of societal prejudice, of dreams, and of appreciating
what you have in life.
Watching the series, I often find myself tearing up along with the character, and the tight
writing never lets loose til the very end.
Navillera is honestly an A+ to me.
The Crowned Clown Well, since most of the aforementioned series
are set in the modern age, let’s make a tribute to historical dramas with the masterpiece
‘The Crowned Clown’.
Taking place in the mid-Joseon period, the series started with extreme turbulence - with
a palace filled with upheavals, power struggles, and assasination plots.
Worried and Angered, Yi Heon, the king of Korea at the time, puts Ha Seon, a clown who
looks exactly like him, on the throne.
This frees him from being a target, yet, unfortunately, had upended everything.
For starters, Yi Heon is a cruel and cynical king, who often bursts out in rage and punishes
his officials.
Meanwhile, Ha Seon is a kind and goofy clown with certain bursts of creativity, and thus
had swayed the favors of many allies.
And the result?
A lot of palace drama, a death, plenty of scheming, and a forbidden romance.
Seriously, everything in this series just knocks the ball out of the park.
The story is so immersive and well-written - heavy with politics and yet with some sprinkles
of romance and comedy in between.
The cinematograph just blows your mind away - and sometimes it feels as if you are watching
a very well-produced movie.
And the acting?
It was extremely impressive - as everyone got their roles nailed down, especially Yeo
Jin Goo, who played both the king and the clown - and got down two vastly different
personalities with just one face.
Not too slow nor too fast, The Crowned Clown stayed strong till the very end.
It draws you in with the not-no-new and yet unpredictable plot, with morally-grey characters
that leave you torn - understanding their motivations and yet cannot wholly hate them.
Honestly, the drama blew my mind away, and considering that its rating had doubled overtime,
the Korean audience shared the sentiment.
Well-written, fleshed out, and engaging - the series is easily among my top historical picks!
Beyond Evil So, since we have got comedy drama, slice-of-life
drama, action drama and historical drama, let’s delve into investigation for our final
pick!
Yes, this is another Yeo Jin Goo work, so I may be a little biased, but honestly, Beyond
Evil is such a gem, snagging home three major awards for Best Drama, Best Actor, and Best
Screenplay in the prestigious Baeksang Awards, despite going against huge competitors like
Flower of Evil, It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, Vincenzo, and Penthouse.
Starting the drama, we are introduced to two main characters with contrasting personalities:
the morally ambiguous Dong Sik - whose sister went missing the same time there was a murder
mystery in town, and the newcomer “rich kid” Han Jo Won - who decided to work in
this remote countryside for unknown scheme.
And surely enough, the duo did not get along, with Jo Won even suspecting his colleague
of being the true killer.
Stifling, intense, and unpredictable, Beyond Evil is a complex drama with a wide range
of characters - all playing critical roles in the plot development.
Watching the drama is like going on a treasure hunt where you had to search for clues along
with the main characters, where only after ages of digging around and getting off dirt,
will you reach the true solution.
Throughout the series, I find myself unable to take my eyes off the screen, gaping at
every revelation, and resonating with the raw feelings brought forth by the actors.
The writing itself is extremely solid, and while I did have issues with how dark the
cinematography is at times, Beyond Evil just never leaves me even one second of boredom.
And that’s the list!
Of course, there is a whole world of other series that I want to talk about, but time
is running out.
How about you tell us what Kdrama that you enjoy from start to end, and voice your thoughts
about them in the comment section?
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See ya!