Similarly-Themed Asian Dramas: Lies, Revenge & Gumihos

Do you ever get that feeling where dramas invoke a sense of deja vu? Oftentimes, I find this happening more so with dramas airing on the same time slots having the same themes.

I wonder if the production team purposely leaks information to copy off of each other or whether they really just happen to come up with the same idea. Needless to say, I’m all for it. After all, it’s much easier to group together dramas based on individual taste.

Recently, I’ve been watching dramas all about lies. Some similarities might not be so apparent but I guess it depends on the eye of the beholder.

Pinocchio – about a girl who can’t lie and a boy who has a secret
Liar Game – a reality TV show where participants lie to win

ella chen SHE, game of lies, best taiwanese drama, c-drama
The Game of Lies – about a struggling author who resorts to forgery.

lee da hae, best kdrama miss ripley, mickey dbsk
Miss Ripley – about a young woman who pretends to be someone she’s not
 
That Winter, the wind blows song hye kyo jo in sung kdrama 2013, korean drama withdrawal syndrome
That Winter, the Wind Blows – Oh Soo, a swindler trying to lie his way into Oh Young’s life
jang nara baby faced beauty, best kdrama
Baby-Faced Beauty – 34 yr old Lee So Young has to keep up the ruse of being 25 years old


Inline with the idea of characters pretending to be someone they’re not, there are also plenty of revenge dramas in Drama Land and they usually end in tragedy. After all, what better way to ruin a revenge plot than to realize that the object of their revenge is actually dun dun dun dun….


nice guy innocent man, moon chae won, song joon ki, revenge kdrama
Nice Guy
A Love to Kill Rain and Shin Min Ah krama 2005, drama withdrawal syndrome
A Love to Kill
 
bad guy, kim nam gil han ga in, revenge kdrama
 Bad Guy
 

There was nary a time when I did not like dramas about gumihos (nine-tailed fox). They are mythical creatures which seem to be prevalent in Easter Asian cultures. As an avid fantasy action fan, I really enjoy dramas like the following:


top korean drama, gu family book lee seung ki, suzy miss a, best kdrama gumiho
Gumiho Family Book (action-romance)
kdrama, top korean drama, gumiho
Gumiho: Tale of the Fox’s Child (thriller)
My Girlfriend is a Gumiho Shin Min Ah Lee Seung Ki, best kdrama 2010 drama withdrawal syndrome
My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (romantic-comedy)
 
Nine-Tailed Fox Kim Tae Hee 2004 best kdrama, korean drama withdrawals
Nine-Tailed Fox (action romance drama)

After transforming.
Best Top Korean Dramas, kdramas gumiho, kim tae hee, Shin Min Ah, drama withdrawal syndrome Best Top Korean Dramas, kdramas gumiho, kim tae hee, Shin Min Ah, drama withdrawal syndrome

See here for a complete list of Top Korean Dramas and Korean Historical Dramas.


2 Comments

  1. Gulzar

    September 7, 2016 4:11 PM
  2. Unknown

    March 2, 2017 4:41 PM

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