Love Like a K-Drama is a Japanese dating reality show released on Netflix on November 28, 2023. It is directed by Yoshiaki Suzuki and Produced by Yuka Yokoyama, Motoki Hamasaki (ABEMA), Kenichiro Kamiyama, and Tomoko Tomita (TV Man Union). Only four episodes have been released so far, with a runtime of about 40-60 minutes.
The cast of the show includes Honoka Kitahara, Ayano Kudo, Nozomi Bando, Rio Yamashita, Lee Tae-gyun, Kim Wonshik, Kim Dong-kyu and Song Ji-hyuk. While Yuko Fueki serves as a host, Haruna Kondo (Harisenbon), Aa-CHAN (Perfume), Shusuke Fukutoku (Jarujaru), Hayato Komori (GENERATIONS), and Maria Tani serve as studio members, commenting on the show.
Is it possible for people to truly fall in love while acting in a romantic K-drama that involves kissing scenes? It follows eight male and female actors from Korea and Japan as they live together and pair up to compete for the lead roles in six mini K-dramas. The show aims to explore whether the actors can develop genuine romantic feelings for each other while working together.
Love Like a K-Drama Episodes 1-4 Review
The core concept of the show is to determine whether the lead cast of a drama will develop romantic feelings in real life as well. It’s a collaboration between the Japanese and Korean cast, where 4 actresses travel to South Korea to make their own K-Drama moment. Among them, Rio is the oldest and most experienced actress, Ayano and Honoka also have their fair share of experience in acting and Nozomi is a former member of the group E-Girls, who has recently embarked on her acting career.
They are welcomed by Yuko Fueki in South Korea, who briefs them about their day-to-day activities. At first, they are asked to get into a limousine taking them to the male cast. Each male cast was waiting for them at different locations in Seoul. As they met one by one, whosoever was interested in pairing up with the man in front of them, had to extend their hand to him. If there was just one hand then the guy would pair up with them, if 2-3 people were interested then it was up to the guy to choose his partner.
Among the male cast members, Wonshik is the most experienced actor, known for his roles in True Beauty and Alchemy of Souls; Ji-Hyuk is a member of the boy band Supernova, currently active as an actor in both Korea & Japan. Dong-kyu and Tae-gyun are models venturing into acting. Wonshik was the first one to meet the cast and chose Honoka as his partner. Ji-hyuk chose Rio, Tae-gyun chose Ayano, Dong-kyu and Nozomi were paired automatically as the team.
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All eight members will be living together in one house and will be given the opportunity to lead in a 6-part mini-drama. In each episode, the host gives them the script to prepare. The next day, each pair has to audition for the same lead couple role in front of the judges. In the first episode, Yuko Fueki, Hwang Doo-jin and Kim Jung-eun were the judges. The pairs had to act in the scenario of two lovers saying their last goodbye to each other. Another important part of each script was a loving kiss, an intimate ending to each drama story.
After watching each team’s acting, the judges decide the best pair which will shoot the mini-drama. The second half of almost all the episodes first shows the drama they shot, then delves into behind-the-scenes to gauge if the actors fell for each other off-screen as well. More than the reel drama, real-life drama between the actors is much more interesting to watch.
Likewise, new scripts are given in each episode and the paired-up teams audition to bag the part. Regardless of whether a team has already shot a drama or not, each has an equal shot at the role. However, in the second episode, the male cast was given a chance to choose any partner they wanted for the new script. Similarly, for the third drama, the women were asked to choose any partner they wanted among the male cast. This created some tension and even love triangles, as the actors decided to choose someone other than they already paired with.
One stark contrast between the Japanese and Korean actors is the difference in acting experience. Almost all the female cast have significant experience and know how to express their emotions, even if they don’t know the language. Meanwhile, the male cast doesn’t share the same acting experience and looks below par while acting/auditioning. Bad acting often becomes a factor in not being chosen to star in the drama, despite the actresses giving good performances.
Overall, the concept is quite new and interesting to watch but often feels scripted, even the real-life moments. The studio members also don’t play much role or comment on what’s happening. So far, it seems difficult for any couple would come out of this experience. Either the cast members are majorly focused on acting and bagging roles, not indulging in getting to know the partners. Or are stuck with a partner they don’t have any feelings for and not being able to give their best, while eyeing their crushes in the house.
Rating: 3/5
Love Like a K-Drama is available to watch on Netflix. New episodes will be released on December 5, 2023.
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