K-Drama Wrap-Up: What I Watched in October 2023
Plus what I’m looking forward to in November!
Ok we’re more than a week into November, so I am very late posting my October wrap-up, but better late than never. I was actually fortunate enough to spend the first week of November in beautiful Bali on a work trip, but I’m back on home soil now and ready to dive back into regular life, which includes, among other things, lots of K-dramas!
Here’s what I watched in October, and my plans for November.
Doona! (2023)
Doona! is one of the most recent of Netflix’s original K-dramas and stars one of my all-time favourite actors, Bae Suzy in the lead role. Lee Doona is a retired K-pop idol who finds herself exhausted by the limelight, abandoned by those meant to love her, and attemps to start afresh, living in a college share house to escape it all. There she meets a quirky collection of students, but in particular Won-jun (Yang Se-jong), a very ‘regular’ engineering major with a generous and warm heart. It’s a case of opposites attract, and he’s completely oblivious to the world of K-pop stars which is a refreshing change for Doona.
While I did enjoy the series as a whole, I found the plot lacking in certain aspects. Perhaps because it’s a slice-of-life drama, there was no real climax to the storyline and no clear resolution (in my opinion anyway). So it ended and I felt a bit … huh, okay, that’s it? The cast of characters is fantastic, so I wish they’d been given a bit more meat to their storylines.
2.5 stars
Destined With You (2023)
October saw the finale of Destined With You, a fantasy romance staring Rowoon as lawyer Shin-yu and Jo Bo-ah as civil servant Hong-jo. I had a bumpy ride with this one! I wanted to love it but at times it felt as though it wasn’t sure what genre it wanted to be in — I actually thought it was leaning a little into horror during the first episode, then a serious fantasy drama, which then turned quite tongue-in-cheek and cheesy which through me right off. Eventually I did settle into the storyline a little more, which centres around Shin-yu’s curse that causes hallucinations and a spell book that only Hong-ju can use (and which might be the cure to Shin-yu’s curse).
3 stars
Strong Girl Bong-soon (2017)
If you read my last wrap-up you’ll know I was really looking forward to the premiere of Strong Girl Nam-soon, so it was only fitting that I squeezed in a re-watch of Strong Girl Bong-soon (its predecessor) beforehand. Strong Girl Bong-soon was the very first K-drama I watched and I return to it again and again — it’s become somewhat of a ‘comfort watch’ for me.
For anyone not familiar with the series, Bong-soon (Park Bo-young) is the superhero-esque herione, petite and unassuming but with incredible strength thats passed down through the women in her family. After witnessing her easily defend herself against a group of thugs, Ahn Min-hyuk (Park Hyung-sik) decides to take her on as his bodyguard, promising her a job at his gaming company if she helps him out with a stalker. What ensues is one of the cutest (and at times, silliest) romances you’ll ever watch, against the backdrop of a serial kidnapper on the loose in Bong-soon’s neighbourhood. It’s funny, cheeky and adorable and while, even as a huge fan, I can admit certain parts of the plot are somewhat questionable (looking at you mobster storyline), it’s a fun, light watch with an addictive OST to keep your toes tapping.
4 stars
Yumi’s Cells (2021) and Yumi’s Cells 2 (2022)
Another rewatch for me — the Yumi’s Cells series is one of my all-time favourite K-dramas and one that I think is very much under-the-radar and really shouldn’t be! I cannot recommend it highly enough for its creativity, realistic, relatable and entertaining-as-heck storytelling and stellar cast.
Based on a webtoon of the same name, it follows Kim Yumi (Kim Go-eun) as she navigates the world of dating and career change as a 30-something. Sounds simple enough and perhaps predictable enough for a K-drama plot, right? But the magic of the two seasons of Yumi’s Cells lies in the fact that it’s also told from the perspective of Yumi’s cells — yep, that’s right! As a viewer we’re treated to an animated insight into Yumi’s psyche by way of the most adorable cell characters. It’s almost like merging a K-drama romance with Disney Pixar’s Inside Out. Her Love cell helps her navigate dating, her Reason cell helps Yumi make rational decisions, her Sensitivity cell manages her emotions and her Hunger cell … well, he rules them all at times! It’s actually really gorgeous and clever and there’s some genuinely heartfelt and poignant moments that will have you feeling really warm and fuzzy inside.
Of course, aside from that, there’s a kind of epic romance playing out, but since there’s two seasons (so far — I’m still crossing everything for a third!) and I don’t want to be responsible for any spoilers, my lips are sealed!
5 stars
What I’m looking forward to in November 2023
For November, I’ll be wrapping up viewing Strong Girl Nam-soon which I’ve been watching since its premiere in late October. I must say, I’m finding the plot very hard to engage with and it’s quite a departure from the original, so I’m curious to know how it will end and what my final thoughts will be.
I’m looking forward to checking out another of Netflix’s new original K-dramas (they’re really releasing a lot of originals at the moment!) — Daily Dose of Sunshine starring Park Bo-young, whose character, Da-eun, works as a psychiatric nurse.
I’m tentatively considering Castaway Diva but … it does look extremely cheesy so I’m still on the fence (but open to convincing if anyone is watching it and thinks it’s worth watching! Let me know in the comments below.).
There’s also the upcoming release of My Demon on November 20 — a fantasy romance staring Song Kang and Kim Yoo-jung. So, in all, a busy month of releases ahead!
What K-dramas have you been watching lately? I am always open to recommendations, so drop me a comment below.
If you love K-dramas as much as I do, you might enjoy the K-drama Journal and Activity Book I have available in my Etsy shop. Take a look here: https://samanthaadores.etsy.com/au/listing/1575847311/kdrama-journal-template-printable
