K-Drama Llama - This Week In Anime

Are K-Dramas are just a bunch of attractive people putting themselves in situations? Sylvia and Coop discuss.

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Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead.

All titles mentioned below are streaming on Netflix.

Sylvia

Well, Coop, it’s been about a year since the last time you and I dipped our toes into the wide, wild world of K-dramas, so why don’t we dive right into a new batch and try to answer one simple question?

Granted, I possess zero confidence that anything we’re about to discuss counts as “normal.”

Coop

That’s true, Sylvia… But there’s one thing I’m sure of: You took so many screenshots of a certain terminally ill girl who likes Radiohead.

Damn, instant killshot. Now I have to spend the rest of this column dead. Just like her.

Oh, we’ll just throw you in a nondescript dump filled with toxic chemicals and gender fluid.

© Netflix	© Netflix
© Netflix	© Netflix

You’ll be right as rain almost instantly!

Or sprout some scales…

Honestly, with this hairdo, I don’t think anything on Earth could harm me.

And I suppose while we’re here, we can officially start with The Wonderfools, the first of our six K-drama features you can find readily available at your local Net’s Flicks. And yes, this show opens with Radiohead‘s “Creep” as a means of pulling us all the way back to 1999. A simpler time. In some respects.

I’ll admit, it was the hit of “Creep” that prompted me to toss this one on our viewing list for the evening. Well, and that Chae-ni’s a character whose outlook on the world made me go: “Oh, yep… They’ve got Sylvia already, and she hasn’t even seen it yet.”

© Netflix	© Netflix
© Netflix	© Netflix

The Wonderfools kicks off with Chae-ni crashing out after being told that her once-treatable congenital heart disease has become terminal. Honestly, I was heartened (pun not intended) to see our heroine lose it in public, because if I were in her shoes, I’d have a hard time holding myself back.

Same! Big mood! I love a heroine who’s a down-on-her-luck grungy loser who comes up with the dumbest plan ever to collect her own ransom and then proceeds to die in the middle of it anyway.

This also results in some great black comedy involving her two knucklehead accomplices trying (and failing) to dispose of her body. That’s the stuff that really tickles my fancy.

But meanwhile, there’s also a bigger narrative brewing about people with psychic powers and toxic runoff with mutant and/or resurrective properties. Kind of a lot going on.

Oh, and there’s a cult of those super people too!

Who also happen to be the same folks raving about the oncoming apocalypse. Despite all the strings being pepe silvia’d up on the cork board here, Wonderfools‘ premiere does a pretty good job of weaving said strings together. Particularly with introductions of those aforementioned knuckleheads and the hunky public servant who’s just rolled into town.

There’s also the implication he might be a “Clark Kent” of sorts.

It’s a solid premiere that sets up a lot of threads! That said, given the title and premise, I was anticipating more of a superhero parody. Which the show might indeed turn into once these lovable idiots figure out what their powers are. But mostly I am here for Chae-ni.

As I said, they got you.

They got me.

Also, I don’t know if this is an intentional link, but a stray clipping from Clark Kent’s conspiracy book seems to imply The Wonderfools might be connected to the Sweet Home TV series? Which, of course, everyone knows of due to the original film’s foundational ties to the Resident Evil series. However, I could be very wrong.

But also yes, Chae-ni.

I trust her and her brain wholly.

Sadly, none of the other shows featured Chae-ni, but I will try not to hold that against them.

What about a romantic dramedy that would make the tokusatsu sickos go off in the comments if I didn’t mention that Sōta Fukushi, Kamen Rider Fourze himself, is in it?

If there is a Kamen Rider connection, I’m glad we can trust you (or Chris) to let us know. Although I’d say you don’t need to know that to enjoy the messy romcom shenanigans that Can This Love Be Translated? throws at you in its premiere.
It also features a surprising amount of Enoshima for a K-drama. Weebs rejoice.

Bugmen aside, I quite enjoyed this premiere.

I was surprised just how much of the episode takes place in Japan despite the historically rocky relations between the nation and their Korean neighbors to the northwest.

It certainly fits the theme of the series! Interpersonal communication is rife with the potential for misunderstandings, especially when romantic intentions are on the menu. And it’s fun to explore that with a guy whose job is bridging the gap between different languages as objectively as possible.

The episode’s main appeal lies in the rapport between the composed Ho-jin and the vengeance-seeking Mu-hee. On one hand, you have a guy who saves a little Italian kid from anaphylactic shock. On the other, you have a girl swearing into her phone. A powerful meet-cute if I’ve ever seen one.

Mu-hee’s also a girl who thought she’d order a bowl of ramen by shoving her phone into a waitress’s face.

I’ve heard from friends who’ve recently lived in or visited Japan that tourists throwing translation apps at people has become a common sight. And that it’s greatly unappreciated too. It’s kind of no wonder that Ho-jin was avoiding her at first.

Mu-hee is basically a hot mess. Like her arc for most of the episode is trying to find the woman her BF left her for, and the conclusion to that arc reveals that she was actually the “other woman” in this scenario. Which is delicious irony but a big ego crack.

Yet this earns her a hug from the hot translator who’s fluent in like eight languages, so who is to say whether this is bad or not?

Homie, Ho-jin proves in this moment that he’s not only considerate, but he’s one hell of a smooth operator.

And hey, Mu-hee got the final word in too.

And while speaking a language anybody can understand.

On the topic of understanding language’s many nuances, I appreciated how the episode’s early goings highlighted rapport between interpreters and their clients. In this case, Ho-jin and the author he’s been touring Japan with. Having interviewed a handful of folks with the assistance of a translator, I’ve often felt any lingering nervous tension melt away when the interviewee happens to be tight with the translator.

It’s a neat angle! I was also not expecting the development where Mu-hee gets injured on the set of a campy horror movie and becomes an internationally beloved scream queen while in a coma. That feels more soap opera-ish than the rest of the episode, but it is fun nevertheless. And overall, Can This Love Be Translated shakes out to be probably the most “normal” drama of the bunch.

It’s a bunch of attractive people putting themselves in situations. That’s bread and butter.

Kind of like that one flick with Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, right?

If that’s the case, what if Overboard was a crime drama too?

Then it would probably look a little like the uhhh evocatively named Our Sticky Love.

Speaking of soap operas, this one involves the perennial favorite inciting incident of amnesia. And gratuitous explosions. K-dramas can contain multitudes.

Overboard with an underworld edge is a short, sweet, and surprisingly accurate way of describing Our Sticky Love. However, I couldn’t help but cackle when this little detail is tossed into the ruse.

Yeah, I like how the first half of the episode does a decent job of pulling the audience into that ruse. It is sus as hell, don’t get me wrong, but there is enough plausible deniability to accept that Eun-sae is just that cooked.

© Netflix	© Netflix
© Netflix	© Netflix

To Our Sticky Love‘s credit, the framing of this first half does quite a bit to disarm the viewer before the twist is fully revealed. Be it the mile-a-minute jokes, the ludicrous sitcom moments, or that MIDI cover of Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love.”

Also, Ha Young’s proficiency at mugging for the camera really endears you to her character. She is Going Through It.

© Netflix	© Netflix
© Netflix	© Netflix

I’ll admit, this was another one where I was going “Oh, Sylvia’s going to be saying ‘mood’ at every single one of these lines as she gets screenshots.”

Okay, I do have to say, her turning her hospital gown into a crop top was an all-timer diva move. I am watching and learning.

Taking notes!

Girl had the fit game on lock before the last thirty seconds of The Sopranos happened to her.

Damn straight.

Granted, the actual backstory behind the amnesia is less fun than the convoluted shenanigans Tae-ha scrounges together to keep her in the dark, but I’d be interested to see how the series continues to weave in the gangster side of the plot alongside the small town power struggles.

I do also like that Our Sticky Love takes place in a dinky little village. I get the impression that most K-dramas utilize a metropolitan setting, so this is a nice change of pace and scenery.

I’ve only seen a handful of K-dramas, but I’ve had the same setting impressions as well. So between this and The Wonderfools, it’s been nice to see some small townery going on. Oddly, I found myself thinking of Blue Velvet a time or two because that’s just how my brain works.

And if neither of those series is rural enough for you, we can always turn the clock back five centuries. Not too many skyscrapers in the Joseon dynasty.

Damn, it’s been a bit since I’ve seen a character turn directly to the camera and hit me with one of these.

It’s also a reminder that not even K-dramas are free of isekai. Although Bon Appetit, Your Majesty is definitely isekai by way of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, rather than by way of [insert your favorite popular Narou series here]. Plus it forgoes Truck-kun in favor of the far more aura-rich Eclipse-kun, with an assist from Cursed Ancient Tome-kun.

That moment when I get quoted on the Wikipedia page for isekai again because I referred to this show as a “Turkey!-like”

Deeply niche in-jokes aside, I love how our time-displaced Iron Chef winner is so confident that the titular royal is just a cosplayer. Well, that is until she actually runs into another person.

No seriously, she’s an Iron/Master/[insert competitive cooking show on Food Network that ends in]Chef champion. In fact, Ji-young was supposed to be starting a job at a three-star Michelin joint before getting Cursed Ancient Tome-kun’d.

Happens to the best of us. And it makes for a cute gimmick. After all, the fastest way to a notoriously evil tyrant’s heart is through his stomach, and each Michelin star you possess shaves extra time off that speedrun.

I feel like the full weight of the premise will be lost on people like me who do not know their Korean history. But from the gist of things, I gather that this is somebody wrote a time travel romance about Ivan the Terrible. Which, admittedly, I would also watch.

I appreciated the occasional lower-third with relevant information on-hand, but boy do I wish it was consistently subtitled. I’d like a little extra context for the details or history that’s being expanded upon.

However, I admit it’s probably asking for a little too much given how Netflix implements its subtitles. Anime subtitles have spoiled us.

Yeah, at least Netflix‘s subpar subtitling is equal opportunity across multiple languages, not just Japanese.

And regardless, you don’t need a whole lot of historical context to appreciate the sight of Ji-yeong escorting the bratty king by a leash and literally spoon-feeding him later in the episode. That love language is universal.

The bibimap she makes ends up hitting him so hard, he has a Ratatouille.

Also, the classic “person with a baby mouth discovers how good spice can be” reaction.

For an historically abhorrent tyrant, the dude is pretty quotable.

Pictured: me when Bluesky randos reply to my posts on their Discover feed.

Don’t you just love it when aggrieved spirits materialize in your workplace?

This guy doesn’t!

Please, a moment of reflection for all reluctant ghost-seeing attorneys out there. Times are tough.

While we’re at it, let’s pour one out for the job hunters who’ve been dealing with constant rejections and all the AI nonsense tied into it.

True that. And despite its paranormal premise, Phantom Lawyer feels grounded in the despair of later capitalism, where the job market is screwy beyond belief, while already-rich institutions further consolidate their power and avoid any semblance of responsibility or retribution for doing so. Also, ghosts are there.

Ghosts who are suffering from that despair just as much as the people still living it.

After saying “screw it, I’ll do it myself” and opening up his own practice, I-rang finds himself representing the widow of a man who died due to medical malpractice. And thanks to the shamanic shenanigans going on in his office, I-rang can see the man too.

But with emotions running so high, the man ends up possessing I-rang a few times and lets the world have a piece of his mind… Which isn’t great when you’re trying to avoid being held in contempt.

However, you can’t help but feel for the guy because the doctor who killed him lies through his teeth on the stand. Our dearly departed friend can’t get a word in at all. Well, unless he starts possessing people.

Can I just say I love the rosy cheek effect when he’s possessed? That’s a very Mob Psycho 100 touch.

And yeah, overall, the supernatural silliness belies some pretty pointed social commentary. And strong character beats! Like, I-rang only opens his own practice after siphoning some money surreptitiously from his mom’s lease. But then, later in the episode, his mom actually offers to help him with money. That’s delightfully brutal.

The premiere also ends on a cliffhanger, with the trial not resolved in the slightest, which is similarly mean, but effective bait for the second episode.

Well, we do have another “So, you’re wondering how I got myself into this” to follow up on, so…

Exactly, I need to know how he got that suit and tie.

But if we’re talking about social commentary, then our final series in this K-drama sampler certainly fits the bill with its, let’s say, provocative ideas about education.

Provocative, indeed.

The idea of “mercenary teacher who shows up at schools to beat up the bullies” is admittedly cathartic for those of us who’ve been bullied (myself included). However, I can’t help but think of all the screams of “what the hell are you doing, dude?” that’d come out of our teacher colleagues’ mouths while watching Teach You a Lesson‘s premiere.

Teach You a Lesson has the most insane premise out of all of these shows, and need I remind our readers that one involved eclipse-based time travel, another featured a combination shaman-lawyer, and yet another starred a girl who came back from the dead. None of those can come close to the experience of watching this grown-ass man beat the shit out of high school students.

I do not even know how seriously I am supposed to take this premise, but every subsequent line of dialogue out of this guy makes it appear all the more genuine and thus all the more despicable.

© Netflix	© Netflix
© Netflix	© Netflix

Granted, this also made it one of the most watchable of these premieres, because I spent the whole hour in slack-jawed disbelief, wondering what new depths each new scene might sink to.

I’d have to agree with you. I have no clue how to take its setup, but if you look at Teach You a Lesson through the lens of an over-the-top action flick a la The Substitute… Yeah, it’s a blast.

It’s still confusing. This premiere is hammering home real issues and seemingly has its heart in the right place in regard to looking after kids who’re being bullied. However, the reality surrounding it all is so heightened, I couldn’t tell whether it was trying to really say something or just lean into the bit.

I guess that’s what makes it interesting! Does the show know and embrace that it’s stupid, or has it fooled itself into believing that it’s smart? I can’t say I’m all that interested in watching more to find out, but I do enjoy that Mr. Child-Puncher will evidently hop to a new problem school each week, leaving a trail of wanton destruction in his wake, like a malicious Mary Poppins.

If the promo clip on Netflix is to be believed, I believe Mr. Child-Puncher has a Benson to his Stabler… Which is an oddly fitting comparison given where that character goes.

Thankfully, I’m pretty sure your girl sticks to beating on weird dudes.

And hey, if Chae-ni ever gets sick of doing that, I am a consenting adult woman who would happily volunteer to get beaten up by her.

K-Drama Llama – This Week in Anime

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