Love Like a Kdrama Review: Raising an intriguing question, the new Japanese-Korean reality series (韓国ドラマな恋がしたい) on Netflix delves into what audiences have often wondered on their end – Can real love blossom between actors partaking in intimate scenes in romantic shows? The romance reality TV series stars four Japanese actresses, Rio Yamashita, young, yet experienced actresses Ayano Kudo and Honoka Kitahara, and former Japanese group E-Girls member Nozomi Bando, and four Korean actors/models, Kim Won-shik, seen in K-dramas True Beauty and Alchemy of Souls, K-pop group Supernova member Song Ji-hyuk, and models / rookie actors Lee Tae-gyun and Kim Dong-kyu.
In addition to the eight contestants, Yuko Fueki aka Yumin steps in as the host, with studio members, Haruna Kondo, Aa-Chan, Shusuke Fukutoku, Hayato Komori (GENERATIONS), and Maria Tani, offering live commentary. Directed by Yoshiaki Suzuki, the series consists of 12 episodes, and has been produced under the banner of TV Man Union. Only the first four episodes were released on Netflix on November 28, 2023, each having a runtime of 38-60 minutes.
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Love Like a Kdrama Netflix Review Contains Spoilers
Love Like a Kdrama Plot
A group of eight male and female actors is enlisted to live together as they all pair up for auditions to star in mini romance K-dramas. As four Japanese actresses arrive in Seoul to manifest their acting dreams, not only do they have to overcome the language barrier as they join Korean crews for filming, and also Korean male partners, with whom they also have a chance to engage in real romance off-screen.
While some of these actors stay focussed on their aspirations to take flight as budding actors, others are also simultaneously caught in the love network. Some develop genuine bonds with their partners, while others vie for a place beside the ones they admire as someone else comes closer to their crushes.
Love Like a Kdrama Review
The Love Like a Kdrama Episode 1 brings about a jarring shift for the Japanese actresses as they openly acknowledge that even though Japan and Korea are neighbouring countries, men hailing from both places have temperaments that can be deemed poles-apart. Initial opening sequences make for shy and awkward introductions as the women approach the men one by one and make their partner picks. While each of these meetings make for casual introductions, Nozomi and Dong-kyu’s final pairing comes together like fate’s design, and the whole thing already puts on the looks of a K-drama that warms your heart.
Without dragging out the melodrama here, the show swiftly moves on to them acting together as onscreen couples for their upcoming auditions and as significant Korean critics join the show as judges, harsh comments follow. The first evaluation itself makes it evident enough that the Japanese actresses are rather experienced than the Korean rookie actors, with Kim Won-shik being the most involved actor among the male contestants owing to his association with K-dramas like True Beauty and Alchemy of Souls. The judges, too, don’t mince their words as they remark these actors’ inexperience. However, the lingering truth in their comments can’t be ignored despite them laying out this feedback without sugar-coating it.
As the show progresses, the first four episodes are enough to illustrate the idea that romance is not the core target for these contestants. Their professional dreams are equally important, and the way these artists work together despite being complete strangers, having to rehearse emotionally intimate scenes the next day following their first meeting itself, speaks for itself. During this initial exchange, Rio emerges as one of the stronger contenders in the acting race, which puts added pressure on the shoulders of others.
These four episodes also help us draw parallels between two disparate romantic associations and the stark difference in the way Rio and Ji-hyuk’s pair works as compared to Won-shik approaching Honoka ardently. Digging into one of audience’s most asked questions, if actors fall in love with each while filming such powerful scenes, Love Like a Kdrama‘s Rio and Ji-hyuk demonstrate even if one party is willing to engage in real-life romance, reel love doesn’t always translate to reality because a lot of technicalities follow while filming for a show/movie, which doesn’t always necessarily leave room for romance to blossom in real life.
One of the memorable positive takeaways from the show has to be that it doesn’t just focus on these contestants developing bonds with each other like every other reality show does, but it also puts out the end result of the romantic dramas they’re shooting for during the broadcast, which equally builds on their growth as actors too. However, as can be expected there are some scripted melodramatic interventions that tag along with reality shows by default, and these moments become more pronounced as we progressively dive into the latter episodes. The focus gradually starts to shift to the idea of which pair can the audience actively root for as the romantic sensibility consumes the contestants.
So while the show starts out with a well-balanced approach, you can eventually see it fall prey to the common choices made by such reality shows. As always, this reality title also enlists cast members that promote the conventional definitions of beauty while the show itself gets boxed in the strict heteronormative structure.
With its share of heartwarming and sweet moments, the series portrays the cast actively finding ways to communicate with each other despite the overarching communication gap. In that way, genuine moments are birthed as we note the cast members wanting to get to know each other with an open mind.
Love Like a Kdrama Reality Show: Final Thoughts
At the end of the first four episodes, you will naturally find yourself rooting for certain contestants, especially since Kim Won-shik respectfully wins your heart by Episode 3, and eventually also gets caught in the unrequited love cycle, which by default, will push you to reserve a soft spot for him. However, it’s not just the fact that his feelings are not reciprocated that will get you to root for him, but the admirable way he graciously deals with the situation that will get you to like him.
Moreover, the staple archetype of any reality show – the couple that remains stable and committed to each other will always have the power to win over the audience. In this case, these couple seats are filled by Nozomi Bando and Kim Dong-kyu. All in all, the series warmly touches on these developing friendships or relationships unlike the direct and vehement provocative and lewd approach adopted by many American reality series. So, if you’re looking for a reality series that sweetly treads around romance, then you should tune into the new Netflix title.
Love Like a K-drama is now streaming on Netflix.
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