KDRAMA PHARMA

(to Cure K-Drama Fever!)

A - Z (Antibiotic - Zinc)

1% of Something (2016) B+

Short Pill:
To meet the inheritance guidelines of his grandfather’s will, a shrewd and wealthy heir chooses a woman who he thinks will be easy an easy target to fulfill the requirements listed. But what he finds may surprise him more than money.

100 Days My Prince (2018) B+

Short Pill:
When a prince loses his memory for 100 Days, relationships are formed that could last a lifetime… but the bigger question is…. will they make the cut in his royal return?

18 Again (2020) A+

Short Pill:

What if you could do it all again? Go back to the moment of the most important decision of your life, and choose again? And if choosing a new path means giving up everything you have now and cherish, would you take a chance to be great again? Or at least 18!?

49 Days (2011) Classic A-

Short Pill:
A young woman on the brink of death, is granted 49 days on earth, to find three people who genuinely mourn her absence. Seems simple enough… but honest tears are hard to find.

A Girl Who Sees Smells (2015) B+

Short Pill:
A girl who can visibly see smells, and a detective who lost most of his senses, including the ability to feel, team up to solve a case that could possibly connect them. with such a sensory overload, what can possibly go wrong… or right, in this sensitive match made in Smells-ville.

A Korean Odyssey (2017) B+

Short Pill:
Haunted, taunted, and afraid of the gift inside- just imagine if the one who has promised to protect you has a challenging time trying not to harm you. A reality stranger than fiction, a total Odyssey in Korea, indeed.

A Pledge To God (2018-19) B+

Short Pill:
Just how much is a Mother willing to lose, to save her Son? And how much is a Son willing to risk, to stay alive? A family drama that explores controversial issues regarding the legal lines of Health. What’s just when saving a life?

Age of Youth: Hello, My Twenties! (2016) B+

Short Pill:
Friends, Fights, Food, and Freedom! What more can you ask for in your twenties? Five roommates learn that you’ll get that and more, when heartache, heartbreak, heroes, and hell, are all included in the package as well. But that’s the cost of growing through the Age of Youth!

Angel Eyes (2014) Classic A-

Short Pill:
An emotional story of a young blind girl who relies on her other senses to help navigate in the world, and discern the hearts of those closest to her. Will her senses lead her to the same heart when her sight is restored? (Xandddie Art Featured)

Angel’s Last Mission: Love (2019) B

Short Pill:

When you dance like you’re dancing for the Gods, only an Angel can be sent down to Earth to save you from all that wishes to harm you, and all that wishes to harm your gift. Even if it turns out to be an Angel’s Last Mission!

Angry Mom (2015) A-

Short Pill:
When a mom has to protect her child, she’ll go from Momma Bear to Momma Beast, in a flash. This mom returns to high school to take on the bullies who are beating her daughter. They soon learn that they’re no match for Momma!

Another Miss Oh! (2016) B

Short Pill:
Tired of losing to, and always living in the shadows of someone with the same exact name, this Oh Hae Young, is ready to set herself apart and live on the winning end for once.

Are You Human? (2018) B+

Short Pill:
When a rich human meets his alter-robot-ego, they both struggle to be the only and only true heir to a family birthright. Who has more to offer will determine who wins the right to exist.

At 18 (Moment of 18) (2019) A+

Short Pill:
A heart warming coming-of-age story about daring to be true to yourself and trying to navigate young adult life, with pressures to succeed, or live up to the standards of those around you.

Backstreet Rookie (2020) B

Short Pill:

When a heart throb convenience store manager tries to manage a charming, young, part time employee, things get less than convenient, but all the more funny while discovering who’s truly in charge of whom.

Baker King Kim Tak Goo (2010) A

Short Pill:
Not fully rich and not fully poor, but definitely full of talent… a lost boy, with a rich heritage, vows to become the best baker in the land. But the invisible obstacles on his path to greatness threaten to hinder his bread, love, and dreams!

Band of Sisters: Unni is Alive! (2017) B+

Short Pill:
Tragedy prompts a bunch a women, who are strangers to each other, to band together to find the common enemy who helped put them in the situation they’re in. But can their punishment be harsher than the one life has in store?

Be Melodramatic (2019) A

Short Pill:

A fresh and REALISTIC view of life in Korea for young, 20-something, career professionals, who are trying to conquer the hurdles of life, delays of dreams, and emotions of love… all while learning about their authentic selves on the road to Thirty.

Beautiful Gong Shim (2016) A-

Short Pill:
Awkward, weird, and little uncanny, to those who barely understand her. But smart, eccentric, and uniquely herself to those who’ve experienced her infectious, authentic, and uniquely brilliant self. To know her is love her. How can she be anything but Beautiful!?!

Beautiful World (2019) A+

Short Pill:

A tear-jerkingly sad reality behind the effects of school bullying and how it directly or indirectly affects the lives of everyone involved.

Beauty Inside (2018) B

Short Pill:

When a woman who changes appearance once a month, and a man with facial blindness partner up, what can go wrong? Or who can see past the outward skin to see the beauty changing within?

Because This Is My First Life (2017) A+

Short Pill:
In what feels like an impossible situation, a guy and girl agree to marry, for reasons outside of love, and discover that handshake love deals aren’t as simple as they may seem, even when you follow the rules to the letter.

Birth of a Beauty (2014-15) B+

Short Pill:
They say that Beauty is only “skin deep” but the world rarely looks beyond the face to discover the beauty inside. Can new packaging promote what you want the world to see. or should you change how. you see yourself in the world?

Birthcare Center (2020) A+

A super creative take on the child birthing process and and the wild postpartum thoughts that plague new mother at the start of their journey.

Boys Over Flowers (2009) Classic A

Short Pill:
An average delivery girl gets a chance of a lifetime, to attend a prestigious school of the rich and elite, and soon learns that money can’t buy all rich kids, class, and that only the tough can survive this school of hardknocks.

Cain & Abel (2009) Classic A-

Short Pill:
When jealousy rears its ugly head, no one is safe, not even from a brother who wants what you’ve worked so hard for. Envy and praise doesn’t come cheap and is sometimes it’s stolen… or worse.

Cheese in the Trap (2016) B

Short Pill:
When an offbeat, quirky girl, becomes the object of desire for an offbeat Chaebol (heir), things get kind of weird.. yet strangely beautiful. She tries to understand his darker side and he tries to allow her light to warm his heart. But can Beauty really change a Beast? A modern twist on the the classic Beauty & The Beast fairytale. But sometimes, being an empathetic soul can lead you like a mouse to cheese in a trap.

Cheongdam-dong Alice (2012) Classic B+

Short Pill:
A modern day twist on “Alice in Wonderland” that follows a talented, young designer, in her desire to join the who’s-who, socialite scene, of the ritzy Cheongdam-dong neighborhood, in Seoul. Getting accepted into that class of people is no easy feat, so just how far down the rabbit-hole is she willing to go, to get there?

Chicago Typewriter (2017) B+

Short Pill:
A group of friends from a past life, find their way into each other’s lives, in present day, to piece together a mystery that was left unsolved in the 1940’s, and to close the chapters of a book so they can peacefully move on. A VERY different twist to reincarnation.

Cinderella’s Sister (2010) Classic B

Short Pill:
Hurt people, hurt people. And broken people, break people. When the seed of bitterness grows, there’s no telling how far it will go. But discovering who’s more broken, Cinderella or her Sister, is a seed of sadness all on its own.

Coffee Prince (2007) Classic A

Short Pill:
When a tomboy’ish girl, accepts a job at an “All Male Waiters” themed Coffee Shop, the rules aren’t the only things that gets bent. In this classic Gender Bender series, will power, hearts, and definitely gender, leans a little to the other side of love.

Come and Hug Me (2018) A

Short Pill:

Painful memories resurface when two adults, reunite, and try hard to push past the trauma that entangled them together as youth. Can happiness and healing grow from so much pain?

Come Back Mister (2016) B+

Short Pill:
When a man, who overworked himself to death, returns in the form of a woman’s body, he must protect his family the best way he can, all while learning how to navigate in his hot new body!

Crash Landing on You (2019-20) A+

Short Pill:

A cute, colorful, and surprisingly funny, “rom-com” about a love that blossoms when a bossy South Korean business woman meets a disciplined North Korean soldier when she gets stranded across the demilitarized zone during a freak accident.

Dear My Friends (2016) A+

Short Pill:
Who says the best years of your life are before your Fifties? Or that your Golden years are reserved just to wait and die comfortably? These friends are just getting started and have declared the best times ahead of them. But why take that wild journey alone, when you can ride it out in laughter and love, with your ‘Dear’ friends?

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020) A-

Short Pill:
When life takes an unfortunate turn, an entitled “Daddy’s Girl” from the city, joins the ‘real world’ of the countryside to earn her keep. With a lots of kindness from strangers, flattering compliments, an endless list of “I Owe You’s”, and piano barter payments, she gains friendships and support that that money could never afford.

Doctor Crush/Doctors (2016) B

Short Pill:
She’s crushing skulls, and fixing hearts. Bad girl exterior, with a marshmallow heart. She’s had a tough past but will she allow someone to mend her?

Dong Yi (2010) Classic A

Short Pill:

From a “Pauper” to the “Palace”, an epic tale of how a servant garners favor from the right people, and rises to the top, during the Joseon period in Korea.

Dream High (2011) Classic A

Short Pill:
Why dream low when you can achieve everything that you work for with a little hard work and patience? Why give up when you have a school dedicated to help push you to the finish line? Why sing so low when you can scream high? But can all dreams come true at Dream High?

Emergency Couple (2014) Classic A-

Short Pill:
Someone please call 911 because this beautiful love has taken a hilarious turn for the worst! Sometimes love turns into hate and sometimes hate is just love misunderstood.

Empress Ki (2013) Classic A

Short Pill:
Assuming the identity of a boy, to escape the life of a palace maid, a skilled fighting girl from Goryeo, finds favor with China’s Yuan Dynasty’s heir-to-the-throne, and becomes a prominent figure after overcoming war, politics, and betrayals on her path.

Faith: The Great Doctor (2012) Classic A-

Short Pill:
An inter-dimensional time portal allows a love between two ages of time to bloom. A Goryeo warrior and a present day Doctor depend on each other while trapped in another time.

Fated to Love You (2014) Classic A+

Short Pill:
Top 5 of all time! Classic “Pretty Woman” story with a better twist. An office helper goes from feeling like disposable post-it papers, to growing stronger like crazy glue, after a fated romance with a rich guy.

Father Is Strange (2017) A

Short Pill:

Daddy’s Baby? Or Daddy’s Maybe? Whatever seems to be going, something about Dad just feels quite off. Father isn’t quite himself, and the family dynamic feels strange for sure.

Fight For My Way! (2017) B+

Short Pill:
This is a story that follows the “It” crowd from their glory moments in High School, into the lowest moments of their adult lives. We watch them fight to get their lives back on track, all while watching the bigger fight preparing to happen in the ring.

Flower of Evil (2020) A

Short Pill:
When you’re raised on a field of darkness, and seeded with thoughts of hate, can anything good come of your garden? Or are you just destined to be a Flower of Evil? Hopefully we can all be regrafted when the right Gardener comes along to help to cultivate our needs.

Go Back Couple (2017) A

Short Pill:
Once the honeymoon is over and familiarity sets in, contempt is sure to follow. What if we could do it all over again from the start? Would we still choose the same love, or a different path?

Goblin/Guardian (2016/17) A+

Short Pill:
A cursed warrior, sentenced to a life of immortality, has had to watch those who he’s loved and cared for die before him, for 900 years, until a promised bride appears, that can help remove his misery.

Good Casting (2020) I

Short Pill:
After a tragic causing hiatus from the field, a kick-butt spy agent and her reactivated housewife sidekicks reunite to finish a job that hits close to home. Their “Mission” definitely feel impossible but these 3 unlikely heroes find a way to take a licking and keep on ticking.

He is Psychometric (2019) B+

Short Pill:
Just by touching any object that has had contact with skin, allows him to see the full history around it. This gift can save lives, and maybe even his own.

Healer (2014/15) Classic A+

Short Pill:
If you don’t fall in Love with Healer, your heart isn’t working right. Healer is everything you look for in a drama. It has suspense, ACTION, comedy, and Romance! It will keep you on the edge of your seat and on the tip of your toes. Must Watch!

Heirs (2013) Classic B+

Short Pill:

A satisfying take on the “rich boy, loves poor girl” tale, of a girl from a lower social class, who meets a young heir from an elite world that he invites her in to. Can she swim with the sharks? Or will she learn to tame them so she won’t sink?

Hi Bye, Mama! (2020) B+

Short Pill:
A classic twist on the theory of 49 days. This Mama ghost has 49 days to settle her issues on earth, and is faced with decisions on whether she will voluntarily leave, or face consequences of the heavens.

High School Love On (2014) Classic A

Short Pill:
A teenager reaper of souls, gets stuck between the real world and the celestial world when she personally helps a human to live. What is develop afterwards, is out of this world!

Hotel del Luna (2019) B

Short Pill:
An immortal woman who runs a peculiar hotel finally faces off with souls from her past life who may be the cause of why she’s stuck on earth. Strange things start happening around her when her eternal clock starts ticking again.

I Am Not a Robot (2017-18) B+

Short Pill:
When a guy who has everything, orders a one-of-a-kind A.I. Model, he finds that he received more than he has bargained for. Is she real? Or is his mind playing tricks on him? An enjoyable and funny Rom-Com.

I’ll Go To You When The Weather is Nice (2020) A-

Short Pill:
After misunderstandings occur in the big city of Seoul, a woman returns to the small town to reconnect with her family, herself, and overcome some issues. She connects with a boy trying to resolve his own hurts. Can two hurts hearts help each other heal?

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (2020) B

Short Pill:
Memories, Nightmares, and Thoughts… even when suppressed, seem to find themselves in the forefront, at the worst possible moments of your life, causing you to feel things that don’t feel okay, no matter how much you convince yourself otherwise. Because sometimes it’s not okay. But is NOT being okay, really okay?

Itaewon Class (2020) A-

Short Pill:
An emotionally investing drama, set in Itaewon, an upcoming neighborhood in Seoul, that brings together a group of people as unique as their bar is, and shows just far patience, and a good plan, can take you in completing your mission. Be it patience in vengeance or patience in love, this group is definitely in a class of their own!

Just Between Lovers (2017-18) A

Short Pill:
Shared tragedies and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) reunites two adults who cross paths as teenagers and shared similar experiences of grief.

Legendary Witch (2014-15) A

Short Pill:
From Prison to Pastries! A group of unlikely women form a friendship in prison that extends beyond release. They come together in business and as a bonus family.

Live Up to Your Name (2017) B+

Short Pill:
A hilarious spin on the “Back to the Future” theme, or Joseon meets modern Seoul, with a twist. This story follows a modern day, hot shot surgeon, and a Joseon, hot shot healer, in a classic crisscross of worlds. A funny and light-hearted take on how “things of old” meets “things of new”

Master’s Sun (2013) Classic A+

Short Pill:
A hauntingly good story about a rich grouch who starts to change around a quirky woman who can see ghosts. A perfect blend of horror, romance, and humor, in this class Hong SIsters tale.

Money Flower (2017/18) B+

Short Pill:
Puppet Master? Or King of Chess? Either way, who better to pull the strings, and master the game of revenge, than Jang Hyuk? This is not like revenge plots that you’re used to. This slow-boiled, well thought out revenge, beautifully unfolds like a Lotus Flower (bomb), with all of the moving parts brilliantly orchestrated by one man.

Moon Embracing the Sun (2012) Classic A

Short Pill:
Top 3 of ALL TIME! First of all, the child acting is impeccable. Secondly, grab your tissues because it hurts so good. This drama is one of my first loves and I still rewatch with newcomers. (Fulfilling Endings are what count!)

Mother (2018) A

Short Pill:
This drama asks us to consider what is the role of a Mother? And who is allowed to play it? Is it the person who gives birth to a child? Or the one who protects and loves the child? Lines get blurred when a “Mother” steps in to parent a child in need of much, without seeking permission from her bio-mom.

My ID is Gangnam Beauty (2018) B+

Short Pill:
They say Beauty is only skin deep but that doesn’t always ring true in certain societies. In a world where beauty is rated, and faces are judged, can plastic beauty still compete in a classic beauty world?

My Love from the Star (2013) Classic A+

Short Pill:
Sometimes we meet people who are truly “out of this world”, making them unforgettable, and hard for anyone else to measure up. But that’s what we call a once in a lifetime love. That’s what these two have got.

My Unfamiliar Family (2020) A

Short Pill:
Can a case of Amnesia erase enough bad memories to help reset a family on the verge of growing distant? Or will forgotten pain prove to be just the cure to cut ties and start anew from a family that already feels so unfamiliar.

Mystic Pop-up Bar (2020) A

Short Pill:
A hostess of a magical late night bar, must meet a quota to settle the grudges of people in need, or suffer the consequences of a newer and worse fate than the curse that she was sentenced to, centuries prior.

Oh My Ghost (2015) A

Short Pill:
Don’t pass this by! It is VERY funny. The virgin ghost who takes over a body is as funny as the body who gets possessed. Great job by both!

Oh My Venus (2015) Classic B+

Short Pill:
They say Opposites Attract, but sometimes they just drive each other crazy… or crazy for each other! Full Review Coming.

Pinocchio (2014/15) B+

Short Pill:
A young man who is stuck in a world full of lies and hurt, meets a young woman, who cannot lie, without being found out. As he learns to trust her, it helps to heal him, and find truth along the way.

Queen of Mystery (2017) A-

Short Pill:
Is she annoying? (yeah) Is she a nosy neighbor? (yup) Are we happy when she’s got a hunch? (YES! We love it!) Not only are her instincts good, she takes on you on a hint for the clues and the most unique way. A different kind of drama for sure!

Radiant Office (2017) E

Short Pill:
After being down on her luck and believing that life couldn’t possibly throw anymore hardships her way, a young woman on a verge of a breakdown decides to live life on her terms, with fearlessness, perseverance, and a little but of shamelessness. Which are all of the ingredients that make for a radiant office-mate!

Record of Youth (2020) B

Short Pill:
Making your mark on the world is no easy feat. What’s harder is when everyone is watching, making it scarier to fail. But believe whole-heartedly that this is where you were meant to be, and let your record of youth tell the rest of the story. “I was here!”

Reply 1994 (2013) B+

Short Pill:
In classic “How I Met Your Mother” style, we travel back to 1994, to give us answers to how we got here. We follow a beloved group of friends, from the genesis of their meeting, to the marriages of the future, in this Coming of Age story, with each episode revealing a necessary puzzle piece to help you guess the outcome.

Revenge Note (Sweet Revenge) (2017-18) B+

Short Pill:

Someone’s making a list, and checking it twice, and it’s not good Saint Nick! The last thing you want to do is end up on the Revenge List. But what better way is there to quietly get your vengeance?

Rooftop Prince (2014) Classic A+

Short Pill:
Just the funniest mix of Joseon meets Modern Seoul. Perfect comedy with a beautiful reincarnation storyline and cast. “Old-meets-new” in this MUST WATCH Dramedy!

Room No. 9 (2018) A-

Short Pill:
A high powered attorney who cares nothing about cases, except winning, sabotages a desperate woman’s case that might hinder her winning streak. Karma teaches her a lesson when she becomes the inmate and the inmate becomes the lawyer, in a classic “Freaky Friday” type body switch.

Save Me (2017) B+

Short Pill:
They say a mind is a terrible thing, and maybe it is, in the hand of the wrong people. What’s scarier than losing your identity, thoughts, and individuality? Being surrounded by a community of people who are all plagued with the same experience. Don’t judge me and don’t join me… just save me!

Search WWW (2019) B+

Short Pill:

Two competing search engine companies try to make it the the top, while blurring the moral and ethical lines to get there. Search WWW is the not common drama that you’re used to. Love and Romance is not at the center of these storylines. Winning is. These are high powered and very determined Women who bring their own brand of “running shit” to the corporate race.

Secret Garden (2010-11) Classic A

Short Pill:
A fan favorite and one of the most balanced body switch dramas I’ve ever seen. It has some really fun moments and some real K-dramatic moments that really tug at your heart and root for the characters.

She Was Pretty (2015) B+

Short Pill:
They say Opposites Attract, but sometimes they just drive each other crazy… or crazy for each other! Full Review Coming.

Shopping King Louis (2016) A

Short Pill:
A true riches-to-rags tale that shows how you can gain the world to clothe you and feel empty when it’s gone, unless you’re lucky enough to find someone who may not have the world but is rich enough in spirit to feed and clothe you.

Sky Castle (2018) A

Short Pill:
What won’t the parents living in Sky Castle do to make sure that their children are at the head of the class? Nothing. If money can buy it, they want it. But everything that money buys doesn’t always glitter.

Start-Up (2020) B+

Short Pill:
When two sisters, who were separated in their youth, are reunited at a competition, sibling rivalry rears its ugly head, as feelings of deception, doubts, and jealousy, create hurdles on the way to the finish line of a major business opportunity.

That Winter, The Wind Blows (2013) Classic A-

Short Pill:
When a professional charmer tries to swoon a wealthy heiress, he finds himself in a much more vulnerable position than she appears to be in, and quickly discovers that love can be blinding, but never blind.

The Queen’s Classroom (2013) Classic A

Short Pill:
Who needs an after school bully when you’ve got a teacher like Teacher Ma, also known as “The Witch”. Only brave students dare cross the threshold of her door to receive continuous beatings, daily, to help whip them into shape? Yes, discipline is necessary for growth. But what is considered discipline, is subjective… I guess.

The Suspicious Housekeeper (2013) Classic A

Short Pill:
This unique and suspenseful drama has a lot of twists and turns and makes you long to uncover the mystery of who the housekeeper is and why she came. She teaches lessons in her own creative way… no matter how scary they can appear.

The Uncanny Counter (2020-21) A+

Short Pill:

Although Heroes can come in all shapes and sizes, it’s still more exciting to watch the most unlikely hero transform almost overnight to add a little something ‘uncanny’ to the vengeance and butt kicking style.

The World of the Married (2020) A+

Short Pill:
Every marriage has its faults, but when love becomes a battlefield, who will come out on the other side? How many people will it effect? And who will be at fault? This drama follows passion led astray and the darkness that can come out of love that once bloomed brightly.

Thirty but Seventeen (2018) B+

Short Pill:
After a life changing accident, a 17 year old girl awakens to find that she is now 30 years old and that so much of life has changed while she was asleep. She works to pick up the pieces but has a hard time adjusting to her 30 year old body and the world’s perception of her lack of skills.

True Beauty (2020-21) B+

Short Pill:

When a lifelong face-skin challenged girl discovers how to cover up her flaws with makeup, she inherits more than popularity, and must learn how to deal with the issues and mistrust that comes from concealing who you really are.

Vincenzo (2021) A

Short Pill:
Who do you call when you’re just little fish being circled by big conglomerate sharks in a small pond? A charming mafia boss that doesn’t shy away from danger and never loses his cool. Someone who manages to stay calm under pressure, collected when ruffled, and ever so cute in the toughest scenarios. This Italian raised mafia boss is back in Korea to clean the swamp from the pond. Vincenzo… Cassano to the rescue!

When the Camellia Blooms (2019) B+

Short Pill:
A sweet and suspenseful drama about an orphan never able to make friends, for fear of being abandoned again, who meets a community of people who has her back when things get scary.