At some point in our lives, we all must have thought to escape this real world and get lost in the realm of vast skies and floating mountains or an underwater kingdom brimming with vibrant coral reefs or talking sea animals. Alas! That’s not happening in our lives anytime soon.
But who says we cannot enjoy these experiences? Well, obviously, we cannot live in these places, but we can at least watch it. So, the solution to your problem lies in Korean dramas. The fantasy drama genre has always been on top of every drama-fanatics watchlist, and South Korea has produced some of the finest and original fantasy series in the entire world based on their folklore and mythology.
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Hop on to this article to learn about a few dramas that can take you to the realm of fantasy. From the world of immortal goblins to gumihos, we have mentioned everything.
Goblin is one of the most-loved dramas from South Korea and is nothing short of a masterpiece. This drama amazingly weaves together elements of fantasy, melodrama, and romance. The story revolves around a cursed Goblin, ‘Kim Shin’ (Gong Yoo), who seeks a human bride to release him from eternal suffering.
He then meets ‘Ji Eun-Tak’ (Kim Go-Eun), a high school student with the supernatural ability to communicate with spirits. Their love story transcends time and defies all odds. Another unmissable relationship in this drama is the bromance between ‘Kim Shim’ and the grim reaper, 'Wang Yeo' (Lee Dong Wook).
Goblin is an effortless amalgamation of folklore, mythology, and supernatural genre. This should be on your next watch if you love watching heavy fantasy dramas.
Due to its compelling fusion of fantasy, action, romance, comedy, and horror, Tale of the Nine-Tailed became one of the most popular K-dramas of 2020. Its brilliant first season portrayed the tale of ‘Lee Yeon’ (Lee Dong-Wook), a gumiho (nine-tailed fox) who abandoned his responsibilities as a mountain deity in exchange for the love of a woman.
She takes birth in the present time, centuries after her terrible death, enabling ‘Yeon’ to mend his shattered heart. ‘Yeon’ reunites with his sweetheart through many hardships, rescues the world, and makes peace with his anti-hero half-brother, ‘Lee Rang’ (Kim Bum).
In the drama, The Legend of the Blue Sea, Jun Ji Hyun is a mermaid who travels to Seoul in search of the human man she loves, Lee Min Ho. The drama alternates between two storylines, one set in the present and the other in the Joseon era. In a brief flashback, we get to know about the protagonists' pasts in the historical era. Throughout the drama, the love tale between the human, ‘Dam Ryung’ and the mermaid, ‘Se Hwa’, is revealed piece by piece in the past.
Their present selves rejoin and rekindle their romance in the present. The two get romantically involved as she tries to acclimatise to life on land. This drama is outstanding! It is a lovely love story with a fantastical twist. The Legend of The Blue Sea combines romance, humour, and drama with a gorgeous couple who must face many challenges to find happiness.
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In this supernatural drama, Hotel Del Luna, a woman (IU), is forced to manage the hotel due to a curse and falls in love with the human hotel manager, 'Goo Chan Seong' (Yeo Jin Goo). The hotel is a mysterious one that caters to ghosts. IU portrays ‘Jang Man Wol’, the hotel's CEO. She was cursed and has been forced to run the hotel for more than 1000 years as a result of the things she did during her lifetime. She is cynical, has a cold disposition, and enjoys spending money.
‘Goo Chan Sung’, portrayed by Yeo Jin Goo, has been hired to run the hotel. He has a reputation for having a weak heart and being very afraid of ghosts. He is also a good man with a great heart, which makes him ideal for assisting ‘Man Wol’ and spirits before they pass over to resolve their problems.
The drama's emphasis on the supernatural and its whimsical soundtrack gave it a tremendous mystical feel. Ghosts staying at a five-star hotel are the perfect setting for fun. Some of the ghosts also have quite spooky appearances!
The King: Eternal Monarch is set in two parallel worlds, one of which is the Korean Empire and the other, the Korean Republic. After his father was killed during a failed coup, ‘Lee Gon’ (Lee Min Ho) was catapulted into authority as a young boy. In an effort to prevent a wicked man from seizing power in the kingdom and wreaking devastation in both realms, the emperor of the Korean Empire, 'Lee Gon' joins forces with a detective from the Republic of Korea, 'Jeong Tae Eul' (Kim Go Eun).
Those incidents haunted him and sparked his interest in an enigmatic person who saved him at the time. Detective, ‘Jeong Tae Eul’ realises ‘Lee Gon’ is from a parallel dimension when he arrives out of nowhere, upending her perception of reality. She starts to fall in love with him while she fights to stop a traitor from his realm. It won't be wrong to call this an intriguing romantic-fantasy drama.
My Roommate Is A Gumiho centres around a college student, ‘Lee Dam’ (Lee Hye-ri), who unintentionally swallows a gumiho, 'Shin Woo Yeo' (Jang Ki Yong)'s, magic marble just as it is on the verge of becoming a human. ‘Shin Woo Yeo’ is a 999-year-old gumiho portrayed by Jang Ki Yong. He begs her to move in with him to keep her close while he searches for a means to get the marble back from her. She decides to move in with ‘Woo Yeo’ as soon as she realises the circumstances.
The story then takes a turn when both start falling for each other. ‘Woo Yeo’ would protect her from every mishap in her life, and ‘Lee Dam’ tries her level best to turn the marble blue so that the gumiho can turn into a human. This drama is a classic example of love having no limits and has some humorous and heartbreaking elements.
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‘Bo Dong Soon’, a woman with superhuman strength (Park Bo Young), serves as a chaebol heir, ‘An Min-Hyuk’s (Park Hyung Shik), eccentric bodyguard. They form a love triangle with the lead woman's childhood friend, 'Guk Doo' (Ji Soo), a police investigator searching for a serial kidnapper.
An entertaining drama, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, combines dark crime aspects with light-hearted comedy. The protagonist couple’s love story makes this drama worth watching since it will make you smile cheesily episode after episode.
W: Two Worlds revolve around 'Oh Yeon Joo' (Han Hyo-Joo)'s father going missing prior to the release of the final episode of his webtoon, W, and she becomes concerned until entering the webtoon herself and realising that everything there is just as real as her real-life world. She encounters ‘Kang Chul’ (Lee Jong-Suk), the main character of the webtoon, who is hurt and is able to save him in time.
Her life gets entangled with the webtoons, and she begins to fall in love with the fictional character. However, the trouble-making villain who has always gone unnoticed has returned, and he will stop at nothing until 'Kang Chul' is dead. They must find a solution before everyone they care about is in danger as the border between reality and the webtoon blurs.
From falling in love with a gumiho to living in the webtoon world, these fantasy dramas are sure to lighten your mood. Do let us know your favourite one.
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