Five (5) Koreanovela TV Dramas Reviewed on PopGeeks

Have you ever heard the term “Koreanovela”? It’s a portmanteau (newly invented word or phrase) that combines “Korean” and “telenovela”.

• A telenovela is a Latin American soap opera.  Growing up in Miami, Florida, which has a large Cuban population, the Spanish-speaking channel often aired these TV shows. They are just like American soap operas, i.e. loaded with a bunch of catty people, unfaithful spouses, and unnecessary life drama, but the storyline is very addictive.
• It turns out that “Koreanovela” is used for K-dramas that have gained popularity in Latin America and in the Philippines (Yes, this country is part of the part of the Asian continent). Having just recently discovered this word, it made me wonder if I had watched and reviewed any Koreanovelas. The answer is: Yes.

• FUN TRIVIA: The Koreanovela that most K-drama addicts know about is “Boys Over Flowers”. No surprise. There are versions, remakes, or adaptations in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, China, and Thailand ~ movies and series.

Below are five (5) Koreanovelas reviewed on PopGeeks. NO, they do not have 100+ episodes. YES, they are available on either Viki or Netflix.

• NOTE: Some might argue that the K-dramas on this list are NOT a “telenovela”, per se. Eh!  “Koreanovela” is a new term. It’s open to interpretation. When I did a search these Korean dramas showed up in the results. Feel free to disagree. I wouldn’t start World War 3 over it. LOL. 😀

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(1) Good Manager (2017)

STORYLINE: Kim Sung-Ryong ((played by Namkoong Min) used to receive awards for being a math genius when he was a little boy. But when he became a man, he lost his way and ended up for gangsters managing money. In an attempt to find his way back onto the right path, he started siphoning money from the accounts of his gangsta boss. He got caught! He was a given choice. Get a job at a legitimate company, continue working for his gangsta boss, cook the books to make his boss look like an honest businessman OR … ??? DIE!

TRAILER/TEASER:

KBS WORLD TV. “Good Manager.” YouTube, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMf7VY8La5REbtt-vN_dbJQGpZTKSe7VJ.

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(2) My Name (2021)

STORYLINE: Yoon Ji-Woo (played by Han So-Hee) never knew her father. But like a typical young adult she thinks her father is never there for her. Everyone and everything else in his life is more important to him than her. But on the one night he did show up, he was killed right outside the door of their apartment. She heard the gunshots, and tried to look through the keyhole, but couldn’t see the killer. Someone told her that her father had been killed by a dirty cop. Yoon Ji-Woo changed her name to Oh Hye-Jin and got a job work undercover in law enforcement, hoping to find out who the killer was, and GET REVENGE.

TRAILER/TEASER:

Netflix K-Content. “My Name.” YouTube, 29 Sept. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOl7iOrD31Q.

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(3) Unlocked (2023)

STORYLINE: Lee Na-Mi (played by Chun Woo-hee) is intelligent, talented, hard-working, has excellent marketing skills, and holds down more than one job. She’s smart but did something that was not smart. Got stupid drunk and lost her smartphone. A serial killer found it. When the serial killer wasn’t killing people he had a regular job fixing phones. He contacted her and returned her phone AFTER installing spyware. That psycho trapped both Lee Na-Mi and her father in his murderous hellish nightmare. The End Game was MURDER. But he wanted to have fun before that.

TRAILER/TEASER:

Netflix K-Content. “Unlocked.” YouTube, 18 Jan. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8qGElYoAoU.

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(4) Lovely Runner (2024)

STORYLINE: Im Sol (played by Kim Hye-Yoon) is a young girl involved in a tragic accident and must now use a wheelchair. Ryu Sun-Jae (played by Byeon Woo-Seok) is a top K-pop star and she is a huge fan. The K-pop members are being interviewed on a radio show making calls and talking to listeners. Fan or not, she would rather die than be in a cripple! While she was contemplating suicide, she received a phone call. Im Sol answers the phone and releases all of her rage on the caller. Rather than hang up, Ryu Sun-Jae started talking to her and ultimately, convinced her to live.

But later she heard that Ryu Sun-Jae had committed suicide. WHAT? That’s so unfair! He was in pain too? She lived. Why didn’t he live? Now there’s no way to bring him back. Or is there? As if it was an answer to a prayer, Im Sol miraculously traveled back in time. She wasn’t in a wheelchair, and Ryu Sun-Jae wasn’t a K-Pop member. He was a top athlete in high school and they both attended the same school. He was ALIVE! Could she prevent his suicide?

TRAILER/TEASER:

CJ ENM Global. “Lovely Runner.” YouTube, 19 Apr. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kk0dYa8Ccc.

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(5) Queen of Tears (2024)

STORYLINE: Baek Hyun-Woo (played by Kim Soo-Hyun) fell in love with Hong Hae-In (played by Kim Ji-Won), but he didn’t know she was a chaebol heiress. No matter because she agreed to get married and promised she would never leave him alone and would never make him cry. But he did make him cry. He became so miserable he decided to divorce her. On the night he planned to ask for a divorce, she told him she was dying. Whoa! Divorce? Death? He decided not to ask for a divorce. If only his wife’s illness was the only thing he had to concern himself with. He didn’t care about his wife’s money. But other people did!

TRAILER/TEASER:

Netflix K-Content. “Queen of Tears.” YouTube, 3 Mar. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg2D8zrzlOA.

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