REVIEW: ‘Love Like A K-Drama’ Is Endlessly Endearing

At this point, there is a reality dating show for everything, especially on Netflix. But while many focus on shock and awe and stirring whatever pot someone is holding at any given moment, Love Like A KDrama offers something more endearing and endlessly so. In the latest Korean reality series from Netflix, a group of four male Korean actors and female Japaneses actresses live together, pair up, and try to land leading roles in six mini romantic K-drama episodes. But we’re really here to see if they’ll fall in love. If the premise feels familiar, it’s because this reality show is a Korean production based on a Japanese series of the same name.

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. The series’ premise is fairly simple: Can people really fall in love if they act in a romantic Kdrama with kissing scenes? Like any on-screen romance, real-life romances do happen, but getting there is a journey that centers their talent and all areas of connections over time.

But how much does that work in day-to-day life? As emotions grow, the actors have to win an audition, but their emotions begin to get in the way. If things work out for them, they get to be with the person that they’re falling in love with, and if they don’t, they’ll have to watch someone they have feelings for be in a romance scene with someone else. Attempting to balance acting dreams, romance, and friendship, the series is edited with the emotions of the contestants first.

In the series, each of the eight men and women pair up and begin to audition for roles in each episode. But kiss scenes aren’t the only elements in the series that they’re shooting. Embracing the melodrama of dramas, the storylines include love triangles, heated romances, and, of course, skinship and romantic kiss scenes too. Having to move in and out of character has a very real effect on the actors, and the emotions get high extremely quickly. Very specifically, there is something extremely intimate about choosing a partner when you know that you will be getting romantic right off the bat.

Almost immediately, Love Like A KDrama leans into shaking up couples, pushing the couples to change based on what the male actors want. Starting with Kim Won-Shik and Honoka Kitahara, Song Ji-hyuk and Rio Yamashita, Ayano Kudo and Tae-gyun, and Nozomi Bando and Kim Dong-kyu, the couples shift quickly as the men begin to like the same women. Thankfully, the series is able to also put the agency in the women’s hands by letting them choose next. That is what keeps the series engaging, espeically when it comes to the real-life dating emotions of the series. Shifting the power dynamics consistently through the series allows for drama and helps even the playing field for both genders.

One of the other important elements is noting the gap between the actors, not just culturally, because all the women are Japanese, and the men are Korean. This is where the acting element of the series shines as its strongest and most competitive point of the show because the women are also significantly more seasoned as actors than the men, outside of Kim Won-Shik, who starred in True Beauty and Alchemy of Souls. 

As the couples shift, it’s clear that the choices aren’t just about who they like, but who each actor views as well: a great scene partner. The ability of the series to highlight the growing bonds between individuals is one thing when it comes to romance, but it’s much more endearing to see respect building between scene partners because of their talent and skill. Getting the chance to be cast in a lead role and prove their skill is just as important as any budding romance is. The respect that grows means even more as you see how hard each of the pair is working to get across communication gaps that come up throughout Love Like A KDrama and as they work.

By taking acting and Kdrama production seriously, Love Is Like A KDrama is something more than just a dating series. In fact, it feels awkward to call it as such, even if romance is one of the throughlines of the reality series. The bonds that grow in the series aren’t only romantic, but they’re also platonic, and the series is deeply endearing because of this. It’s important to note that the series still has the hallmarks of reality television with set dynamics like the “faithful” pair clearly set up to succeed in the long run and, ultimately, some forced moments of drama.

Love Is Like A KDrama is a series that captures personality, heart, and passion not just between people but in the profession as well. Awe get to learn each actor and who they are as a person. The series’ dramatic moments don’t overshadow its personal ones.

Love Is Like A K-Drama is streaming now on Netflix.