Netflix is somewhat persona non-grata in the Kdrama world at the moment. When people speak of the streaming giant these days it’s with a tone of annoyance and frustration. Netflix didn’t make many friends in 2019, although this wasn’t restricted to its decisions around Korean dramas *cough* Santa Clarita Diet *cough*.
There’s definitely a post into why people are cursing Netflix but their complaints fall into two main categories: over-translated subs and the season thing.
Subs aside, the reason people have started to darkly mutter Netflix’s name is because they’ve started to undermine what people liked about Asian dramas by cutting them into seasons and ending on frustrating cliffhangers. This year alone Netflix ruined the sweet slice of life My First First Love by chopping it in half for no reason. They then followed it up with Vagabond and the Arthdal Chronicles by… not ending them at all.
So you’re probably wondering why I’d be advocating Netflix buying anything. There are three main reasons:
- They actually pay those subbers. I may have just been complaining about the subs but, unlike streaming platform Viki, Netflix actually pays those subbers it forces to over-translate. Subbing is gruelling, complex and time consuming work. And while Viki’s famously high-quality fan subs are definitely superior to Netflix’s, its subbers don’t get paid for all that work – and yet Viki charges users to view their final product.
- Beautiful, brilliant HD. While many newer dramas are available on other platforms in 720p or 1080p, older dramas are often only to be found in 360p.
- Accessibility. Netflix is probably the most accessible streaming service globally and there are many dramas out there that are overlooked, undervalued and underrated. If they’re older, have raw fan subs and are only available on illegal sites with low-res files, this is going to be exacerbated. Many of these dramas are worthy of the full drama treatment.
So here’s a list of mistreated, overlooked or undervalued dramas that would definitely benefit from being picked up by Neflix.
5. The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry
I do love myself a Noona romance and, while 2010’s The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry can seem a little dated and a little rough around the edges, it remains one of the better examples of the genre for the pre-2012 era. The story of three mature, independent and professional women and their attempts to find love in a marriage market that’s still mired in older social mores is held together by female friendships and a second, unexpected, Noona romance that remains my favourite plotline.
Broadcast journalist Shin-young (Park Jin-hee), is the titular woman who still wants to marry (despite her whole 34 years) who falls for a musician 10 years her junior. Kim Bum – clearly hired due to his inherited popularity from Boys Over Flowers – has the acting prowess of a lump of wood but is nonetheless pleasant and handsome and portrays relatively well an artistic free spirit who refuses to adheres to social standards he doesn’t understand.
The show is available for steaming on Viki but with a low-quality file and an even lower profile, it would definitely benefit from being on Netflix.
4.Squad 38
Any show starring acting heavyweights Ma Dong-seok and Seo In-guk can hardly be considered low-profile and yet the fun heist show Squad 38, about a team of tax collectors who team up with a con artist, seems to have slipped into obscurity since it aired in 2016. Overshadowed and out-rated by 2017’s Chief Kim (on Netflix under the weird English title, Good Manager), Squad 38 seems to have dropped out of people’s minds. And yet, while it doesn’t have the same steroidal performances or epic bromance of the newer show, it is arguably better written and more cohesive. Seo In-guk is one of the – if not the – best actors in Korean television today and Squad 38 is just the right mix of serious and fun. It is also not available on any legitimate streaming service and is just waiting for someone like Netflix to pick it up.
3. Just Dance
The unsung drama hero of last year, Just Dance, is a bittersweet and heartfelt little drama just waiting to be discovered by an international audience. The story of marginalised students who discover purpose through a love of dance, the show will make you laugh, cry, rage and soar with love for these flawed, sad little babies. Set at a vocational school on a small island dominated by the shipping industry, these children have their futures mapped out and limited by the world before they even know who they are – at least until they learn there is something they’re truly good at. Starring two wonderful upcoming actors, Park Se-wan and Jang Dong-yoon, Just Dance is a unique drama unburdened by standard Korean tropes and storytelling.
2. My Strange Hero
Yoo Seung-ho has a history of being in quirky low-rated little cult hits that push boundaries – successfully or not so much. He followed 2018’s critically-acclaimed I’m Not a Robot with this year’s My Strange Hero (alt Bok-soo Returns or Revenge Returns) about a 28 year old man who returns to highschool as a student to get revenge. This was a joyful flower-strewn show about a man named revenge trying to get revenge despite being utterly incapable of getting revenge. Bok-soo was an adorable marshmallow of a male lead and his love interest was a glorious tsundere darling; allowed both to be a heroic female lead and unlikeable, inflexible, bad-tempered, and capable of making mistakes. Getting criminally-low ratings in Korea, it’s just waiting for an international audience to discover its joy.
1. Avenger’s Social Club
Avenger’s Social Club was an unusual beast, even for 2017 when writers started to truly push boundaries with their themes and characterisation. A truly female-led drama, a truly ensemble drama, and a drama that wasn’t selling wedding rings or reconciliation as happy endings. Avenger’s Social Club is a rare beast in being both a true revenge drama and one in which revenge isn’t the point of the drama at all.
The story of three women (and one young man) who form a social club to get revenge against various people in their lives, the show is driven by a lot of heart, some lovely performances, and an innate sense of justice. While some plot points can seem in retrospect a bit naff and the show is obviously low budget, it gets better and better on rewatch and is a quiet, understated and underrated little drama that is begging for some decent subs and a legitimate site pickup.
Avenger’s Social Club is about the need for community and support above and beyond the sometimes crippling and hypocritical demands of family and it is underpinned both by strong female friendships but also relationships that transcend normal social boundaries of age and status. For that reason, it’s number one on my list for a Netflix pickup.
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