How Kdramas Portray the Journey from Youth to Adulthood
Submitted by Hera Lee
Kdramas, short for Korean dramas, are televised shows in Korean language. They grew in popularity in the mid-2000s among many asian countries, such as China and Japan. Around the late 2000s, however, they gained popularity across the globe and even entered American mainstream media with a Netflix series called Squid Game in 2021.
While there are a wide variety of Kdramas, a popular genre found among young viewers is coming of age stories. A coming of age story is a genre that focuses on the transition from childhood to adulthood. Many shows or television series depict this genre in settings such as high school, college, and even after college in order to relate to as many young viewers as possible.
I have compiled three kdramas that I personally found the best at portraying the journey from youth to adulthood—and I’ll review each one (spoiler-free!) by highlighting the storyline and how it beautifully depicts a coming of age story. I highly recommend you watch all three!
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This nostalgic show follows a group of young high school students who are best friends and also live in one small neighborhood together. Each character has their own quirks—the grumpy, the bubbly, the comedian, the innocent, and the studious. The dynamic of their friendship creates a fun but endearing storyline as they struggle through the change from high school to college. It faces topics such as family relationships, friendships, financial problems, death, and love. This show wonderfully depicts the lives of close-knitted neighbors living through the harsh financial crisis in Korea. The precious and hilarious interactions between the group of friends will have you reflecting your own relationships with friends and family. I poured my heart out when watching this drama, and could relate to a lot of the scenes and characters. I highly recommend watching it with your family or friends.
Weightlifting Fairy, Kim-Bok-Joo
This 2016 drama revolves around two student athletes—one an ambitious weightlifter and the other a star swimmer. These two polar opposites are both dedicated to their sport and surround their lives around it until they meet in college. Although they start out hating each other, they progress to having a crazy, exhilarating, and beautiful romantic relationship. This friends to lovers trope of a drama will have you up at night wanting to binge watch all of the episodes. Their chemistry is one of the best I have seen, and you will not be disappointed with the romance! The show also focuses on serious topics that are often underrepresented in television, such as eating disorders, burn outs, and PTSD. The show felt like a breath of fresh air, and is a good start for kdrama beginners.
Fight My Way
This humorous show follows a group of four friends who are high school graduates and have just entered the job market in Korea. While struggling to find a “real” job and securing a stable income, they rely on each other’s company to push through. Instead of all four characters pursuing their dreams, they end up working boring, unsatisfying jobs. On the verge of almost giving up, the group of friends decides to face the obstacles and fights their way through living up to their dreams despite the hardships. I found this drama to have realistic storylines, which can relate to many viewers who are also going through an identity crisis. It also teaches the viewers that money, fame, and connections do not always win over talent, passion, and faith. This adorable yet tear-jerking drama will leave many feeling inspired.
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