An Ode to Quiet Love
I wrote this article specifically for one of my most anticipated Kdramas, Thirty-Nine. After all, female friendships is one of my favorite dynamics.
However, I should say that I dropped Thirty-Nine because it didn't follow through with the promise of a female-centered drama. I won't go long ranting about it here. Maybe it improves as the episodes go on, maybe it doesn't. Instead, let's focus on the power of female friendships and the K-dramas that showcase exactly that.
I don’t know about you but one thing I love about K-dramas is the female friendships, specifically the ✨Power Trio✨. This holds a special place in my heart since I have two female best friends as well and I would like to think our bond and craziness are worth a K-drama show.
In books, shows, and other media where you have this trope, the group typically consists of Beauty, Brains, and Brawn. Think: Powerpuff Girls, Charlie’s Angels, and even the latest Encanto movie uses this dynamic.
With K-dramas, however, we get to see a more varied combination of personalities for our three leading ladies. As much as I love Writer Lee’s works who penned my beloved Reply 1988 and Hospital Playlist, these dramas could really do with more female presentation. (Here’s to hoping she somehow stumbles upon this article and creates a female-centered friend group that I deserve haha!)
The same chaos but make it ✨female✨
Here are some of the K-dramas featuring the Power Trio:
“My Anticipation for the future exceeded my regret for the past.”
Watch this drama. Just trust me on this. Right from the very first episode, it hits you with how unique it is. You have Jinjoo, the headstrong cynically quirky writer; Eunjung, the badass documentarist who talks to herself and donates all her earnings away; and Hanjoo, the sweetest and strongest girl to ever exist who will shamelessly put the most ridiculous of PPLs (Product Placement) in your favorite K-drama scenes. *wink* *wink*
Plus, you get to know the journey of how they make K-dramas, from the writing to production and then to filming. What more could you ask for?
One of the most heart-fluttering K-drama scenes, you ask? This umbrella scene right here:
There’s nothing like your best friends waiting for you after a long, hard day. In. The. Rain. You guys, who’s the one slicing onions here?
Like Be Melodramatic, they have their honorary guy friend and he’s probably the gentlest soul out of the four. It’s hilarious when the three girls try to compete for his approval (in a friendly banter, non-catty way, of course!). It’s basically the story of three girls who’ve been friends since forever who have never dated even until their thirties. Too relatable alert! I like its other title better: No Sex In the City.
Oh and did I tell you that one of our main girls get to live out her childhood dream and do We Got Married with her Kpop bias?
Because This Is Our First Life
“We are living our life for the first time.”
This drama really proves that you can be friends with people with wholly different personalities from you. Horang wants to get married, Sooji wants to succeed in her career, while Jiho just wants to have a house to live in.
Even with wildly different lives and dreams, at the end of the day, these girls got each other’s back.
(accurate portrayal of this show and I teaming up to destroy misogyny)
You can’t talk about a female trio without WWW: Search. You just can’t. It’s about the story of two competing search engine companies and the women running them behind the scenes.
This drama oozes empowerment, from the successful careers of the leads down to the smallest details like how a kickass character can also be sweet and charming at the same time. Not to mention the fashion, the makeup, the hair—they just stun me every time.
Heck, even the villain here is an old lady who tattoos people as a hobby. How awesome is that?
Bonus K-dramas
They’re the highlight of the show. I was already sold at the very first scene when they were exchanging meals.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
SWAG! Also, get you some girl friends who tell you great pickups lines like “Do you like Messi?”
These women were long-lost friends but have found their way back to each other. Talk about romantic! Plus, you get a male lead who loves to clean +++ his cleaning tips.
All you need in life is supportive friends who will be your personal campaign manager when you randomly decide to run for elections.
Day or night, each of them has their own brand of crazy but they’re each other’s crazy uwu
Get you a friend group who will stare daggers at your crush as he/she talks to another person. And who will recognize you, through thick or thin, whatever you're transformed as. ;)
Webdramas
Not all friendships are smooth-sailing and rosy. I love how this drama depicted insecurity and jealousy among friends. Totally relatable for the high school setup. Friends fight, make up, and become stronger because of that.
I love this for the oh-so-delectable food scenes but the stories of the girls were nonetheless as heart-warming.
Bonus! Bonus! for more Female Friendships
They may not be a trio, but I could not write an article about female friendship without these two. What I love most about it is their different dreams especially how poignant it is to see a traditionally feminine character who dreams to become a mom stand up for herself and know her worth.
Moms are the strongest people in the world and it’s beautiful to see their struggles and hopes in their journey.
What’s better than a trio of females? Well, a girl squad, of course! Age of Youth tells the story of college roommates with miles away personalities as they go through life.
Overall, I think what’s beautiful about these dramas is seeing these girls be there for each other, come
rain
or shine.
What’s your favorite show with a prominent female cast?
Credits: We do not own any of the images and gifs used for writing this article; Sources of the materials used are linked to each item. | Edited by: devitto (1st editor) |
