A New Wave of Talent: Discovering the Rising Stars of South Korea
As you all can see, we picked dramas from various countries in Asia. Every reader is bound to find their favorite(s), whether it be Japanese web series Alice in Borderland, Korean Squid Game, or Chinese drama Put Your Head on My Shoulder. We hope all of you will enjoy this article. Happy reading! |
#10 - Imawa no Kuni no Alice |
 | • Country: Japan Arisu Ryohei—a listless, jobless and video-game-obsessed young man—suddenly finds himself in a strange, emptied-out version of Tokyo in which he and his friends must compete in dangerous games in order to survive. In this strange world, Arisu meets Usagi, a young woman who’s navigating the games alone. After a dangerous game which tests Arisu’s limits, the two set out together to unravel one mystery after another as they risk their lives and confront what it means to live. |
#9 - My Name |
 | • Country: South Korea • Genres: Action, Thriller, Mystery, Crime • Episodes: 8 • Duration: 50 min • Starring: Han So Hee, Park Hee Soon, Ahn Bo Hyun • Content Rating: 18+ Restricted (violence & profanity) Following her father's murder, a revenge-driven woman puts her trust in a powerful crime boss — and enters the police force under his direction. |
#8 - Kingdom |
 | • Country: South Korea • Genres: Thriller, Horror, Historical, Political • Episodes: 6 • Duration: 51 min • Starring: Joo Ji Hoon, Ryu Seung Ryong, Bae Doo Na, Kim Sung Gyu • Content Rating: 18+ Restricted (violence & profanity) Questioning the circumstances surrounding the King’s death, the Crown Prince and his guard, Moo Young, set forth to locate Lee Seung Hui, the last physician to treat his father. But the two end up stuck with Assistant Physician Seo Bi and a mysterious man named Young Shin in a village plagued with a terrifying disease. |
#7 - Move to Heaven |
 | • Country: South Korea • Genres: Life, Drama, Family • Episodes: 10 • Duration: 52 min • Starring: Lee Je Hoon, Tang Jun Sang, Hong Seung Hee • Content Rating: 18+ Restricted (violence & profanity) When Geu Roo's father dies, Geu Roo's guardianship passes to his uncle, ex-convict Cho Sang Gu, who is a martial arts fighter in underground matches. Per the father's will, Sang Gu must care for and work with Geu Roo in Move To Heaven for three months to gain full guardianship and claim the inheritance. Eying money, Sang Gu agrees to the conditions and moves in. |
#6 - Nevertheless, |
 | • Country: South Korea • Genres: Life, Drama, Romance, Youth, Mature • Episodes: 10 • Duration: 1 hr. 10 min. • Starring: Han So Hee, Song Kang, Chae Jong Hyeop, Lee Yeol Eum, Yang Hye Ji • Content Rating: 15+ - Teens 15 or older Park Jae Eon finds dating a waste of time but likes to flirt. Even though he is friendly and cheerful towards all, he does not pursue others. Park Jae Eon is a master of “push-and-pull” who doesn’t get swept up in emotions. Jae Eon draws firm lines between himself and other people and doesn’t reveal how he feels. Yet when Park Jae Eon meets Yoo Na Bi, he wants to cross those lines. |
#5 - Extracurricular |
 | • Country: South Korea • Genres: Psychological, Crime, Youth, Drama • Episodes: 10 • Duration: 55 min • Starring: Kim Dong Hee, Park Ju Hyun, Jung Da Bin, Nam Yoon Su • Content Rating: 18+ Restricted (violence & profanity) Extracurricular is centered around four high school students who start committing crimes to earn money and the unpredictable dangers they face as a result. |
#4 - Put Your Head on My Shoulder |
 | • Country: China • Genres: Comedy, Romance, Life, Youth • Episodes: 24 • Duration: 42 min • Starring: Xing Fei, Lin Yi, Tang Xiao Tian • Content Rating: 13+ - Teens 13 or older Situ Mo is a graduating student. As someone who got used to having her whole life planned out for her, she is at a loss about her future and can't find the courage to make a decision for herself. Because the school districts have merged, physics major Gu Weiyi barges into her life. They clash repeatedly without noticing that they are slowly walking into each other's hearts. To their surprise, they accidentally end up having to live together. |
#3 - Sweet Home |
 | • Country: South Korea • Genres: Horror, Drama, Sci-Fi, Supernatural • Episodes: 10 • Duration: 52 min • Starring: Song Kang, Lee Jin Wook, Lee Si Young, Lee Do Hyun, Kim Nam Hee, Go Min Si, Park Gyu Young, Go Yoon Jung, Kim Gab Soo, Kim Sang Ho • Content Rating: 18+ Restricted (violence & profanity) Cha Hyun Soo moves to a new apartment. His quiet life is soon disturbed by strange incidents that start occurring in his apartment, and throughout Korea. As people start to turn into monsters, Hyun Soo and the other residents try to survive. |
#2 - The Untamed |
 | • Country: China • Genres: Mystery, Wuxia, Fantasy • Episodes: 50 • Duration: 45 min • Starring: Xiao Zhan, Wang Yi Bo • Content Rating: 15+ - Teens 15 or older
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#1 - Squid Game |
 | • Country: South Korea • Genres: Action, Thriller, Mystery, Drama • Episodes: 9 • Duration: 60 min • Starring: Lee Jung Jae, Park Hae Soo, Jung Ho Yeon, Wi Ha Joon • Content Rating: 18+ Restricted (violence & profanity) After a failed business venture, the debt-ridden chauffeur Seong Gi Hun lives his life gambling away the money he mooches off his elderly mother while failing to provide for her and his estranged daughter. When his life finally hits rock bottom, he receives an irresistible offer promising him a ₩45.6 billion prize in exchange for winning traditional Korean children's games against 455 other players, among them his childhood friend Cho Sang Woo. Commencing the games, the participants soon learn of the deadly consequences that come with losing. |
Awards |
Kingdom won Best Drama, Best Actor (Ju Ji Hoon), Best Writer (Kim Eun Hee), and Technical Award for Visual Effects at the 2nd Asia Contents Awards. | Move to Heaven won Best Creative, Best Actor (Lee Je Hoon), Best Writer (Yoon Ji Ryeon) at the Asia Contents Award. It also won Best Drama Series and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Lee Je Hoon) at the Asian Academy Creative Awards. | Extracurricular won Best New Actress (TV) (Park Ju Hyun) at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards. | Put Your Head on My Shoulder won Top Ten Web Series, Producer of the Year (Li Eryun), Most Promising Actress (Xing Fei), and Best Newcomer (Lin Yi) at Golden Bud - The Fourth Network Film And Television Festival. |
Sweet Home won Best Direction (Lee Eung Bok), Best Supporting Actor (Lee Do Hyun) at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, Character of the Year (Song Kang) at the Seoul International Drama Awards, and ACA Excellence Award (Song Kang), Technical Achievement Award, Best Newcomer Actress (Go Min Si) at the Asia Contents Awards. | The Untamed won 42 awards, including Web Drama of the Year, Most Promising Actor (Liu Haikuan), and Doki New Force at the Tencent Video All Star Awards. | Squid Game won 30 awards, including Program of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Drama at the Television Critics Association Awards. Additionally, Squid Game is the first non-English television series to be nominated and to win a Primetime Emmy Award, a prestigious award in the American television industry. |
Thank you for reading our article!
Acknowledgments: Credits belong to their rightful owners. Everything taken out of MDL are linked to their respective sources. The information in the Awards section is from Wikipedia. Special thanks to the editors! | Edited by: devitto (1st editor) |
