What do you get when you mix a nine-tailed fox with a woodcutter, add in a dash of time travel, and topped with a mermaid. You get a mix of great fantasy K-dramas.
Here are eight shows to help you find your next new fantasy series.
Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below!
1. Mama Fairy And The Woodcutter
What’s It About: Sun Ok Nam is a fairy. During the Joseon Dynasty she came down to Earth to take a bath and a woodcutter stole her clothes and she is unable to return to heaven. Sun Ok Nam has the special ability to talk to plants. She decides to marry the woodcutter and give him two children. She still is unable to locate the clothes he stole from her. He gets into an accident before she has a chance to find out where they were hidden. Almost 700 years later, Sun Nam works as a barista. One day two men enter the coffee shop and she believes one of the men is her reincarnated husband. She is not sure which one is her husband and decides to follow the men into Seoul.
Starring: Moon Chae Won, Yoon Hyun Min, Seo Ji Hoon
Where To Watch: Rakuten Viki
Watch The Trailer Here:
2. Tale Of The Nine Tales
What’s It About: Lee Yeon is a 1,000 year-old gumiho that once guarded the mountain spirit of Baekdudaegan. Now he lives in the city. He sacrificed his life for the woman he loved. Lee Yeon now lives his life as a nine-tailed fox in human form. Nam Ji-A works for a local TV station as a producer for documentaries. She seeks out supernatural stories. She hunts down the weird, unusual and sometimes dangerous subjects for her show. When she was a small girl, her along with her family was in a car accident. She lost her parents and the only thing she can remember is a strange man saved her. During one of her show segments, Nam Ji-A comes across Lee Yeon. She’s convinced there is more than meets the eye to him and decides to keep a close watch on him. Lee Rang is Lee Yeon’s half brother. He is seeking revenge against his brother for abandoning him when they were younger. Will Lee Yeon be able to protect himself and Nam Ji-A from his vengeful brother?
Starring: Lee Dong Wook, Jo Bo Ah, Kim Bum
Where To Watch: Rakuten Viki
Watch The Trailer Here:
3. Extraordinary You
What’s It About: Dan Oh is a high school girl from a wealthy family. She has a congential heart disease. Her fiance Baek Kyung attends the same prestigious school as her. One day, she wonders why her memory keeps failing her. She suffers from short term memory loss, but realizes she can see into the future. Dan Oh realizes she is a character in a comic. Not satisfied with this fate, she decides to forge her own destiny by changing the plot line and finding her own true love. Along the way, she meets another background character called Number 13. His life slowly begins to change after meeting Dan Oh.
Starring: Rowoon, Kim Hye Yoon, Lee Jae Wook
Where To Watch: Rakuten Viki, Kocowa
Watch The Trailer Here:
4. Abyss
What’s It About: Go Se-yeon was a prosecutor at the top of her game. Cha Min is the successor to a cosmetic company. He is also Go Se-yeon’s best friend. After both get into two seperate accidents, they are sent to Heaven. There they get reincarnated by the “Abyss”. The Abyss is a celestial object that has the ability to revive anything that has died. The reincarnated bodies take on the appearance of that person’s soul. The two discover they have come back to life but don’t recognize each other.
Starring: Park Bo-Young, Ahn Hyo-Seop, Kwon Soo-Hyun
Where To Watch: Netflix
Watch The Trailer Here:
5. Doom At Your Service
What’s It About: Tak Dong-kyung is an editor at a web novel company. She lives an oridnary life until she stumbles into a unexpected fate. After finding out her boyfriend cheated on her and she was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, Tak Dong-kyung calls out to the heavens and wishes for the world to be doomed. Her call summons Myeol Mang, a entity that acts as a intermediary between humans and the gods. Myeol Mang offers Tak Dong-kyung a hundred day contract to live her life the fullest before a grim reaper comes for her soul. However, things are never simple as it seems.
Starring: Park Bo Young, Seo In Guk, Lee Soo Hyuk
Where To Watch: Rakuten Viki
Watch The Trailer Here:
6. Mystic Pop-Up Bar
What’s It About: Ssanggab Cart Bar is only open at night. It is run by Weol-ju. She has a bad temper. She employs a part-time worker named Han Kang-Bae and an afterlife detective named Chief Gwi. She visits people in their dreams to help them solve problems. Han Kang-Bae has a unique ability. Whenever he touches someone, he can make people pour out all of their troubles. Weol-ju decides to use Han Kang-Bae to help her settle the grudges of 100,000 souls.
Starring: Hwang Jung-Eum, Yook Sung-Jae, Choi Won-Young
Where To Watch: Netflix
Watch The Trailer Here:
7. The Legend Of The Blue Sea
What’s It About: Shim Cheong is a mermaid. She follows her true love, Kim Moon, a nobleman’s son during the Joseon Dynasty to the modern-day Seoul. The two met as children and became instant friends. When they become adults, they are seperated due to outside forces. Shim Cheong and Kim Moon cross paths again when Shim is found by town folks trapped in a cave after a storm. Heo Joon Jae is a con artist. He becomes interested in Shim Cheong because of the expensive jade bracelet she wears on her wrist.
Starring: Lee Min Ho, Jun Ji Hyun, Shin Hye Sun
Where To Watch: Rakuten Viki, Hulu
Watch The Trailer Here:
8. The Light In Your Eyes
What’s It About: Kim Hye-Ja has a positive personality and a honest way of living. She has dreams of becoming an announcer. When she was a child, she found a watch on the beach that has the ability to manipulate time. But, everytime she uses it, it comes with a heavy price. She ages in time. Suddenly Kim Hye-Ja finds herself as a 70 year-old woman. Lee Joon Ha is friends with Kim Hye-Ja. He is exhausted from his difficult family life and has given up on his dreams. He now works as a scammer in an elderly care center. The two cross paths again in the care center, unaware of each other.
Starring: Han Ji-Min, Nam Joo-Hyuk, Son Ho-Jun
Where To Watch: Rakuten Viki
Watch The Trailer Here:
It’s amazing to see the depth and breadth of K-drama movies and series. From crime dramas to fantasy and historical shows they show a rich panorama of human experience that amazes me. These selections that author provides are excellent choices for the K- drama fan.