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2022 was a 12 months of highs for Okay-Dramas and whereas many of those highs could possibly be attributed to the success of breezy, tropey exhibits like Enterprise Proposal, it was additionally the 12 months the place characters and their lives obtained actual and rooted on display screen.
Among the many stand-out exhibits this 12 months, My Liberation Notes, an affecting slice-of-life story of three siblings residing on the outskirts of Seoul, their weariness and seemingly exhausting on a regular basis routines struck a chord regardless of its gradual preliminary tempo. The present enormously benefitted from stand-out performances by all its leads; Lee Min-Ki along with his wide-eyed monologues, Lee El’s fixed skilled and romantic entanglements, Son Suk-Ku’s brooding disappointment, and Kim Ji-Received at her melancholic finest.
Perfecting the slice-of-life style
There are lengthy, dreary commutes, a loneliness that hangs heavy round all of them, more and more irritating work ambitions, and the determined want to interrupt out of this all that My Liberation Notes completely encompasses. “I don’t know the place I’m trapped, however I really feel trapped. There’s nothing in my life that relaxes me. I really feel cramped and stifled. I need to break away,” says Ji-Received, as Mi-Jeong on the present, who additionally persistently will get essentially the most memorable strains. This was really the 12 months for the slice-of-life style, headlined by My Liberation Notes.
A nonetheless from ‘My Liberation Notes’
Louisa Might Alcott’s much-beloved novel Little Girls, which was tailored by acclaimed screenwriter Chung Search engine optimisation-Kyung as a Okay-Drama of the identical identify, is ready in opposition to the backdrop of modern-day Seoul which brings with it financial misery, the category divide, and corruption amongst a number of different socio-economic points. What might have been a no brainer thriller is elevated via nuanced writing and stellar performances by its ensemble solid.
Celebrating mature relationships
2022 was additionally the 12 months that we celebrated extra mature relationships on display screen. In Our Beloved Summer season, certainly one of this 12 months’s earliest hits, a pair that dated via highschool and college should face one another as soon as once more to shoot for a documentary that they had been part of practically a decade in the past. The present, nonetheless, wasn’t simply one other run-of-the-mill romance. The obstacles that Choi Ung and Yeon-Soo (performed by Choi Woo-Shik and Kim Da-Mi) should surmount are actual and relatable — there’s a haunting reminder of previous insecurities, lingering dredges of self-pity, and a quest to seek out one’s true ambition and identification.
A nonetheless from ‘Our Beloved Summer season’
Whereas the current romance Okay-Drama Love is For Suckers starring Lee Da-Hee and Choi Si-Received finally petered off to frustratingly-cliched territory, the beginning confirmed a lot promise as nicely. Da-Hee performs a actuality present producer in her late thirties, who’s single and infrequently doubtful about her work, and the loneliness that comes along with her age and relationship standing begins to envelop her.
Relatable and recurring themes
These have been a number of recurring themes throughout exhibits. The currently-airing Summer season Strike, starring Seolhyun and Im Siwan, has its feminine lead make a snap determination to go on ‘strike’, depart behind a poisonous job and escape the emotional aftermath of getting dumped. Downsizing her life to a backpack, Yeo-Reum strikes to a small, quaint seaside city to spend her days frequenting the library there, all of the whereas forming gradual and but significant connections with the residents there. Sooner or later, we’ve all been the place Yeo-Reum has; she simply desires to take off with out an agenda, and depart behind the hustle and all of the emotional burden.
In the meantime, the second season of Yumi’s Cells introduced again the much-loved animated cells encompassing Yumi’s ideas and feelings, and labored very nicely as a relatable relationship drama. Yumi (Kim Go-Eun) falls head-over-heels for the charming and chivalrous coworker Babi (Jinyoung). As Yumi navigates new love, this season additionally sees her on a journey of self-discovery as she embraces her goals of turning into a author.
A present that broke many hearts owing to the sudden and nearly baffling writing decisions in its previous few episodes, Twenty 5 Twenty One will little doubt be remembered for years to come back for in any other case being a heat, beautiful coming-of-age story. It was a present that immersed viewers into the world of 5 associates, set in opposition to the backdrop of the IMF disaster in South Korea within the late nineties. Whereas the present had us all enormously invested in fencer Na Hee-Do and journalist Baek Yi-Jin’s (Kim Tae-Ri and Nam Joo-Hyuk in career-best performances) heat and love till all of it implodes, Twenty 5 Twenty One was, above all, a narrative that celebrated friendships, and Hee-do and her fencing rival Ko Yu-Rim (Bona) get essentially the most attention-grabbing trajectory.
A nonetheless from ‘Twenty 5 Twenty One’
Empathetic screenwriting
Quite a bit has been stated about certainly one of this 12 months’s greatest international successes, Extraordinary Lawyer Woo. Park Eun-Bin, enjoying lawyer Woo Younger-Woo who’s on the autism spectrum, was backed by delicate, empathetic writing and the authorized drama delved into a number of points starting from sexist office insurance policies, discrimination, and abuse. It’s this kind of writing that we hope to see extra of, and the promise of a second installment is thrilling. One other affecting authorized drama this 12 months, Juvenile Justice, took a sobering have a look at juvenile crimes and society at massive via the eyes of a choose performed by Kim Hye-Soo.
The affinity to Sageuks (historic dramas) continued, and in reality, grew much more in 2022. If the 12 months started with the smash-hit The Purple Sleeve which obtained nice evaluations and viewership rankings, it was adopted by the fantasy and interval drama Alchemy of Souls in June, written by the Hong Sisters, which delved very engagingly into magic, mages and soul switching. The second season of the hit present is presently airing. Beneath The Queen’s Umbrella, a Sageuk which has powerhouse performer Kim Hye-Soo play Queen Hwa-Ryeong has turn into each a rankings hit and is being lauded for its robust feminine lead; a Queen and mom who hustles to form her sons into succesful princes all whereas battling palace politics.
A nonetheless from ‘Alchemy of Souls’
The present hasn’t accomplished its run but, however Reborn Wealthy is already this 12 months’s greatest rankings hit. Following Vincenzo, it looks like Tune Joong-Ki is constant his nice run with choosing scripts. Reborn Wealthy has additionally launched many viewers to the powerhouse actor Lee Sung-Min, who performs Joong-Ki’s grandfather and head of the Soonyang Conglomerate. Razor-sharp writing with an excellent dose of nostalgia thrown in (given its setting via the ‘80s and ‘90s), this reincarnation drama has everybody on the sting of their seats.
A nonetheless from ‘Reborn Wealthy’
Prime tendencies and waiting for 2023
Following Squid Sport, Netflix delivered one other winner this 12 months with the zombie apocalypse present All of Us Are Lifeless. Set in a highschool, the present didn’t simply cease with the quintessential gore and violence of the style, but additionally invested time in its characters amidst the following chaos. Whereas Enterprise Proposal continues to pattern on Netflix’s prime ten exhibits eight months after its launch, there have been just a few breezy, romantic comedies this 12 months that managed to strike gold like they did.
After a shaky begin, Capturing Stars, starring Lee Sung-Kyung and Kim Younger-Dae, and set on this planet of leisure, had a number of candy moments, as did the smaller exhibits like As soon as Upon a Small City (which follows a hot-shot metropolis veterinarian transfer to a village), campus romance Pricey M and sports activities drama Love All Play. Reveals that got here with appreciable hype together with Tune Hye-Kyo and Jang Ki-Younger’s Now We Are Breaking Up, and Forecasting Love and Climate, starring Park Min-Younger and Tune Kang, didn’t fairly discover their footing.
In 2023, whereas there may be the opportunity of the sequels for a number of profitable exhibits together with D.P., All of us are Lifeless, and Candy Dwelling gearing up for launch , there’s additionally a rising dearth of feel-good romances that must be addressed . Nobody does an excellent, swoony romance like Okay-Dramas; right here’s to hoping there’s extra of that within the coming 12 months!
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