Wow! It has already been almost five years since the release of ‘Legend of the Blue Sea,’ the same show that made Lee Min-ho a crush to a long list of girls out there, after his portrayal in the iconic 2009 drama, ‘Boys Over Flowers. If you are a fan of ‘Legend of the Blue Sea,’ we will assume that you are looking for a light and romantic K-drama, something with a lot of humour involving past life, star-crossed lovers, fantasy, and adorable leads. Starring Lee Min-ho and Jun Ji Hyun as lead characters, as a con artists and mermaid respectively, the show focuses on the essence of destiny that reunites two people who have failed to avoid misfortune in their past lives.
Here are our top seven K-drama recommendations for all the K-drama addicts who have greatly enjoyed watching ‘Legend of the Blue Sea’ and are craving for something similar. Have a look into it.
While You Were Sleeping (2017)
Screenwriter: Park Hye Ryun
Director: Oh Choong Hwan, Park Soo Jin
Starring: Bae Suzy, Lee Jong Suk, Jung Hae In, Lee Sang Yeob, Hwang Young Hee, Shin Jae Ha
Total Number of Episodes: 32
The series is a mystery rom-com fantasy that centres on a young woman named Nam Hong Joo, who unintentionally develops the ability to see the future of random people in her dreams; however, she has never been able to prevent the bad that is going to happen. Due to some reasons, a rookie prosecutor, Jung Jae Chan, ends up dreaming about the upcoming events that are going to happen with Nam Hong Joo involving his childhood friend-turned-enemy, Lee Yoo Beom, who is a ruthless attorney, and Han Woo Tak, a young police officer. Surprisingly, he manages to change the future and protect the lives of both Hong Joo and Han Woo Tak. They soon realise that they have started to see premonition dreams about each other, but that’s not where the mystery ends.
Tale of the Nine-Tailed (2020)
Screenwriter: Han Woo Ri
Director: Kang Shin Hyo, Jo Nam Hyung
Starring: Lee Dong Wook, Jo Bo Ah, Kim Bum, Kim Yong Ji, Hwang Hee, Kim Jung Nan
Total Number of Episodes: 16
Tale of the Nine-Tailed is a thrilling series of legends and love, an action-packed romantic fantasy drama that centres on a 1000-years-old Gumiho of a nine-tailed fox, Lee Yeon, who is determined to look for the reincarnation of his lost love. Lee Yeon works for the Afterlife Immigration Office in order to eradicate supernatural creatures dangerous to the mortal world. However, his half-brother, Lee Yeon, who is half-human, makes his work difficult by causing trouble for him. On the other hand, Nam Ji Ah is a talented television producer working in a show featuring urban myths. The circumstances force her to believe that Lee Yeon is somehow connected to the car accident of her parents, which killed her parents. A promising inter-species romance, ‘Tale of the Nine-Tailed’ is again a must-watch Kdrama if you like mythical creatures.
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)
Screenwriter: Jo Yoon Young
Director: Kim Kyu Tae
Starring: Lee Joon Gi, IU, Kang Ha Neul, Hong Jong Hyun, Nam Joo Hyuk, Byun Baek Hyun
Total Number of Episodes: 20
Adapted from a Chinese novel by Tong Hua titled ‘Bu Bu Jing Xin,’ ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’ follows Go Ha Jin, who is transported back in the past to the start of the Goryeo Dynasty during the rule of King Taejo, on the day of the total solar eclipse. As she wakes up, she finds herself in the body of a 16-year-old Hae Soo, in the house of the Eighth Prince Wang Wook, the husband of her cousin. She meets and befriends several princes of the kingdom along with Wang So, the ostracized fourth Prince. Although she was already acquainted with the fact that getting involved in issues of the palace over the succession to the throne will bring no good to her, she unintentionally becomes a pawn in the struggle when several of the Princes develops strong feelings for her. The politics that we get to see here remind us a lot of the previous lives of the protagonists in ‘Legend of the Blue Sea.’ Though MLSHR has been tagged as a tearjerker, unlike LOTBS, the theme of reincarnation and destined romance between the leads, which repeats itself, is common in both of them.
Read: Top 10 K-Dramas To Watch If You Loved Hotel Del Luna
W— Two Worlds (2016)
Screenwriter: Song Jae Jung
Director: Jeong Dae Yun
Starring: Han Hyo Joo, Lee Jong Suk, Kim Eui Sung, Lee Tae Hwan, Jung Yoo Jin, Lee Si Eon
Total Number of Episodes: 16
K-dramas are one of the bests when it comes to delivering unique and interesting plots, and ‘W’ has once again proven it. The story follows a cardiothoracic surgeon, Oh Yeon Joo, whose father, Oh Sung Moo, suddenly goes missing while he was working on the last chapter of his new webtoon named, ‘W.’ When Yeon Joo arrives at his office place looking for him, she gets pulled inside by a hand from the monitor. Soon she realises herself to be on the top of the roof of a building, and next to her lay a man, bloodstained. She ends up saving him and soon discovers that he is the protagonist of the webtoon on which her father was working. However, whether Yeon Joo can enter or leave the webtoon depends entirely upon Kang Cheol’s feelings. Featuring a clash between reality and an alternate world that is inside a webtoon, the show advances on the question if he will have a happy ending or not.
Rooftop Prince (2012)
Director: Ahn Gil Ho, Shin Yoon Sub
Screenwriter: Lee Hee Myung
Starring: Park Yoo Chun, Han Ji Min, Jung Yoo Mi, Lee Tae Sung, Lee Tae Ri, Choi Woo Shik
Total Number of Episodes: 20
A historical mystery rom-com, ‘Rooftop Prince‘ revolves around the Crown Prince Yi Gak, who somehow gets transported to modern-day Seoul from the period of the Chosun Dynasty. When he crosses paths with Hong Se Na, who looked exactly the same as his dead wife, he decides to discover the mystery behind the death that happened more than 300 years before. Strangely enough, he finds himself resembling the grandson of the CEO of the company where Se Na has been working. With thinking much, Yi Gak assumes the identity of Yong Tae Yong in order to stay close to her and navigate an urban corporation to find out some clues to his past time period. The plotline as the male lead tries to adjust to the new era, as well as the theme of reuniting with the lover, will immediately remind you of LOTBS.
Chicago Typewriter (2017)
Screenwriter: Jin Soo Wan
Director: Kim Chul Gyu
Starring: Yoo Ah In, Im Soo Jung, Go Kyung Pyo, Kwak Shi Yang, Jo Woo Jin, Oh Na Ra
Total Number of Episodes: 16
Following the lives of two men and a woman over a period of eighty years, from the era of 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea, who are now reincarnated into the 21st-century individuals as a slump, a devoted fan, and a ghostwriter. The series features the convoluted woven story of three resistance fighters revealing the strange mirroring connections between the two eras, along with the possibilities of improving or redeeming their past lives in the present time. ‘Chicago Typewriter’ is the story of friendship, comradeship, love, and betrayal that has been existing for years. The theme of reincarnation and the tragic past with a promising and interesting story premise— what else do you need? Just go for it!
Shopping King Louis (2016)
Screenwriter: Oh Ji Young
Director: Lee Sang Yeob
Starring: Seo In Guk, Nam Ji Hyun, Yoon Sang Hyun, Im Se Mi, Uhm Hyo Sub, Yoon Yoo Sun
Total Number of Episodes: 16
The drama centres on a handsome shopaholic with the name Louis who, though he is the heir of a large business empire, becomes homeless after losing his memories due to amnesia. When a country girl named Koh Bok Shil, who lives a simple life away from luxury, encounters Louis in Seoul, the unlikely romance unfolds between the two. While Koh Bok Shil has a hard-working nature and angelic character, Louis is a shopaholic who tries to own everything he wants with the money. However, love is not something that we can buy with any amount of money as it is priceless. Although there is no fantasy involved in this show, there are a lot of things you are going to find similar when you will watch this, along with the storyline of amnesia and cohabitation.
