Is watching K-drama your favorite pastime or has it become your obsession? It’s okay, no matter in which level you are, here I am to help you. Let me be your guide in this world of entertainment. I will give you the best drama reviews of 2024 which are needed for all the drama fans. Every year the Korean world of entertainment gives us some super amazing dramas which makes us even more connected with this industry. This year too it’s not different. Safe to say this year was more exciting than the previous years. We got romcom (romantic comedy), suspense, fantasy, crime thriller, comedy, law dramas, police dramas, medical dramas, action time travel and so on.
And I will give you my honest reviews on these.
I’m giving you a general short list of dramas released this year which were highly praised by everyone.
- Lovely Runner
- Queen of tears
- Marry My Husband
- Love Song for Illusion
- Gyeongseong Creature
- A Shop For Killers
- Flex X Cop
- Doctor Slump
- Love Next Door
- The impossible Heir
- Missing Crown Prince
- Chief Detective 1958
- Atypical Family
- Queen Woo
- A killer paradox
Let me discuss the most successful dramas and worth watching dramas this year with their specific genre.
Romantic K-Dramas This Year
Let us talk about the pure romantic dramas released this year which will make you fall in love with it.
1.Bad Memory Eraser:
This drama consists of a total 16 episodes, which was aired from August 2- September 21,2024. The main cast were Kim Jae Joong, Jin Se Yun, Lee Jong Won, Yang Hye Ji. The story line was simple, a normal family with two talented sons.We see the strong brotherhood when Kim Jae Joong aka Lee Goon a promising tennis player who got injured due to saving his little brother Lee Jong Won aka Lee Shin when both of them were young. But after losing his ability to play Lee Goon became depressed and lost all his self esteem.Here to fulfill his brother’s dream Lee Shin became the number 1 tennis player of Korea. On the other hand, Jin Se Yun aka Kyung Joo Yeon, a psychiatrist who lost her memory due to her painful wound from the past developed a Bad memory eraser, with the help of it she erases Lee Goon’s painful memory. While Yang Hye Ji aka Jeon Sae Yeon, an acquaintance of Joo Yeon becomes a part time translator of Lee Shin.
2.Love Adante:
It’s a short drama of 8 episodes with the cast of Kwon Hyun Bin (Im Joo Hyung) And Song Ji Woo (Ha Na Kyung). Both the government of South Korea and North Korea came up with a plan to make a small village called Peace Village to build up the connection between both the country.But for some system error the both the main leads, the South Korean pianist and the North Korean violinist, they had to live in sharing house and soon they fall in love.
3.Doctor Slump:
The most awaited reunion of Park Shin Hye and Park Hyung-sik happened this year. Yeo Jeong Woo (Hyungsik) and Nam Ha Neul (Shin Hye) are successful in their own respective fields. Previously they were high school enemies. Due to some issues they lost or resigned from their jobs. Eventually they met again and supported each other emotionally and later fell in love. Something like enemies to lovers.
4.Wedding Impossible:
The leads are Jeon Jong Seo(Oh Da Jeong),Moon Sang Min (Lee Ji Han) and Kim Do Wan (Lee Do Han). Oh Da Jeong is the best friend of Lee Do Han who plans a fake marriage with Oh Da Jeong due to some issues. When the younger brother of Lee Ji Han knows about the fake marriage tries to stop that marriage due to this at a moment both realize having feelings for each other.
If I give my honest review here then I really liked their acting and visuals.
5.Queen of Tears:
One of the dramas which created a sensation this year is Queen of Tears. Kim Ji Won, who played the role of Hong Hae-In is the chaebol and CEO of the Queen group, on the other hand ,Kim Soo Hyun played the role of Baek Hyun Woo, who is the husband of Hae-In and the head of the legal team. Both of their families are poles apart. Being in an unhappy marriage they start disliking each other. But while facing some family issues they became close and realized their love for each other. Not only the main leads but also the families get closer to each other.
Thrillers That Will Keep Your Mind Busy:
As a viewer I think the strongest point of the Korean Drama industry is the thriller and suspense genre. This year too they released some breath-taking thriller dramas. Such as:
1.A Shop for Killers:
The story starts with Jeong Ji An (Kim Hye Jun) being alone in a house which belonged to Jeong Ji Man (Lee Dong Wook), her uncle who was previously an army officer. He suspiciously died. Safe to say he was killed by his enemies. His niece who lived with her uncle developed her character through the hard struggle. One day out of nowhere she discovered a hidden shopping mall in her basement. It was full of illegal arms. Ji An suspected it as one of the reasons why her uncle was killed. But the niece is doubtful about her uncle’s death. She believes her uncle is not dead and soon he will come to save her too.
Here I will not give you any spoiler but I’ll say very soon the season of this drama will come.
2.Flex X Cop:
Jin I-Soo played by Ahn Bo Hyun is an illegitimate son of a business icon. But he is loved by his half brother while his step mother hated him. He is a man of adventure and loves playing police games. Luckily by chance he got to be a police officer for a time being in the crime department which is like a fun game to him. Now Lee Kang Hyeon played by Park Ji Hyun is the team leader, and some of his team members also dislike him because of his attitude and take him as a good for nothing. But very soon he proves himself and becomes a passionate police officer. All his team members were pleased by him along with the team leader
The inner story was so interesting. When I watched it, I started it without any expectations but in every episode I was amazed. With all means I will strongly recommend this drama to everyone.
3.Wonderful World:
The story looks so simple like a happy family living their peaceful life. But in an accident that loving family lost their only child named Kang Gun Woo. Now the mother Eun Soo Hyun played by Kim Nam joo who lost her child takes revenge and goes to jail. After some years when she comes back she tries to fulfill one of her inmates last wish. Doing so she encounters some harsh realities. One of the other superior characters Kwon Seon Woo played by Cha Eun Woo has his own mission of revenge and both develop a healthy relation of understanding with each other and both feel guilty to each other.
In my personal point of view I am going to say this drama is so wonderful like its name and one of Cha Eun Woo’s best performances.
4.A killer Paradox:
Lee Tang (Choi Woo Shik) is a student who works as a part timer in a convenience store. One night on his way home he encounters an unfortunate incident and by accident he kills a man. The next day when he is emotionally getting ready to be arrested by the police discovers the man whom he killed was actually a serial killer. And the weapon with which he killed that man was not found. After this he develops a sense and feels the presence of the psycho killers if he encounters them. In a paradox he starts killing them. Jang Nan Gam (Son Suk Ku) is a detective who from day one suspected Lee Tang for those killings. And tries his best to catch him with proof.
5.Pyramid Game:
The story is based on school violence. When Suji (Bona) gets transferred to a renowned school faces a weird situation where the students play a cruel game. The name of the game is Pyramid Game. Once a month they play this game and this is a voting game. The student who gets the lowest vote is marked as F. The F student is bullied by every other student. When Suji becomes F she decides to discard this cruel game, being mentally strong Suji plans a strategy and finally gets rid of it.
Historical and Fantasy Dramas That Transport You to Another World:
The Korean people have a strong root connection with their history and you can see it through the historical dramas. They also have a creative mind with which they give us some awesome fantasy dramas every year.
1.Midnight Studio:
If you like the fantasy horror genre then I would like to tell you this drama is for you. The story is about a studio where Seo Ki Joo (Joo Won) along with his two assistants help the dead people to fulfill their last wishes by clicking their pictures with their family members. He is the seventh owner of that magical studio. Now here is the twist; the whole clan of Ki Joo is cursed because of that studio. Once he meets Han Bom (Kwan Nara) who becomes his healer.
2.Missing Crown Prince:
The drama is set in Joseon era, where the crown prince was kidnapped by the Royal physician to get rid of his daughter’s course. When the daughter discovers this she saves her not knowing his real identity. And through the course of time they develop their feelings for each other.
Not only in my opinion but also the viewers agreed that both Suho as Yi Geon, the crown prince and Hong Yeji as Choi Myung Yoon did a splendid job to portray the characters. And if you allow me to tell you about the ending then i’m going to say, this drama has one of the most satisfying endings in the kdrama history.
3.The Atypical Family:
Consisting of 12 episodes this drama is for sure worth watching. The whole family of Bok Gwi Joo (Jang Ki Yong) has some specific super powers. But through the course of time and with their modern lifestyle they lost their powers. Previously one of them could fly, one could see the future in dreams, some can see people’s mind while Gwi Joo could travel back to his happy past but losing his workplace senior and his loving wife he becomes depressed and as a result he never can go back to the past. This family meets a woman full of mystery called Do Da Hae (Chun Woo Hee) who helps them to regain their powers.
4.Miss Night and Day:
The fantasy drama starring Jung Eun Ji as Lee Mi Jin, Lee Jung Eun as Im Sun and Choi Jin Hyuk as Gye Ji Woong was released this year which seeks the attention of the viewers positively. One morning a girl who was in her late twenties struggling for her career founds out herself as a woman of fifty. Which was so terrifying for her. Every night and every morning her body changed as Mi Jin and Im Sun. But with her positive will powers pulls herself up and gets her desired job as Im Sun, the middle aged woman. Soon Mi Jin finds out there is a past connection between her and Im Sun and ultimately solves the mystery
5.Queen Woo:
This one is surely one of the finest historical dramas ever made in the Korean drama Industry. The cast was top notch, the story was so powerful, the dialogs, the screenplay, the graphics everything was superb. The King of Goguryeo Ko Nam Moo (Ji Chang Wook) suddenly dies and the exact reason for it is not clear. To Save the country and the throne The Queen Woo Hee, played by Jeon Jong Seo, makes a plan to marry one of the king’s brothers. On her way to the prince she faces so many obstacles and fights bravely to save her country. Lastly she decides to declare war against the enemies, who were none other than the brother’s of the late king.
The story is based on a true historical character, The Queen of Goguryeo and the drama was made by fictionalizing her bravery. And the fans are hoping for a second season of this drama.
6.Lovely Runner:
I will call myself a sinner if I don’t mention this drama. Starring Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon as Ryu Seon Jae and Im Sol the drama is a time travel drama based on a web novel. At the beginning of the drama we can see Ryu Seon Jae is an idol singer of the boy band Eclipse, who suddenly dies with an unknown reason suspected as self killing. Here Im Sol is a die heart fan of Seon Jae and breaks down with the news. Mysteriously somehow Im Sol was able to travel 15 years back. Going back in the past she discovers herself as the first love of Seon Jae, whom he once talked about in a talk show as an idol. Anyways in the past Im Sol tries her best to prevent the future tragedy which was going to happen with Seon Jae.
With the charm and acting both the actors made every viewer fall in love with those characters. Not only the main leads but also the side characters help the viewers to love this drama and connect with the story.
No matter which one is your favorite genre of drama, every drama works like a stress reliever. The story, screenplay, behind the scene clips will keep you away from the stress of day to day life, for some time . Not only that, if you want to know about a country or its culture, the film and entertainment industry is the easiest way for it.
Throughout the years, this industry is introducing us with their own culture, with their way of thinking. Every year, they are giving us some new content and making the fans more connected and committed to Korean culture. With that, we also get the chance to become connected with our own culture. No matter what reason you start to watch Korean dramas, once you start your journey in this amazing world, every day, you will discover a new phrase, and ultimately, you will find your ultimate stress buster. Happy watching.