10 Korean Dramas To Watch For Its Exceptionally Gorgeous Cast

There are all kinds of dramas out there. Some are well written, some well-directed, and then there are some that are visually appealing. And by visually appealing I do not mean its cinematography but its gorgeous cast.

A good-looking cast not only lures you to the drama but also motivates you to keep watching the show irrespective of its poor script or story.

Most of us are guilty of watching at least one drama purely because it had a good (looking) cast. Here are some of my favorite (and not-so-favorite) shows, which were bearable only because the cast did a great job.

 

10 Korean Dramas That Are Bearable Only For Its Gorgeous Cast

When I started watching Korean dramas one of the first things I noticed was that almost everyone in the cast looked good. And I mean really good. Everyone acted well and looked so pretty or handsome. 

Since they work so hard on their appearance, here is a post appreciating the same. 🙂

1. The King: Eternal Monarch

This show was in the news right from the time Hallyu star, Lee Min Ho signed up for it. The show was his comeback drama after his military service. Anything attached to Lee Min Ho’s is big news and Eternal Monarch was no exception. With a striking face like his, it is natural for women to swoon their way to this drama.

Image Courtesy: Netflix

Then we had Goblin’s sweetheart, Kim Go Eun play the love interest and female lead, which further upped the gorgeous quotient. And of course, the charismatic Woo Do Hwan in his breakout role as the royal guard or clumsy officer with the Police Agency.      

Image Courtesy: Netflix

Image Courtesy: Keyeast 

The show dealt with time travel and parallel universes. Considering the budget and star cast, it should have been as spectacular as The Lonely Shining God since both the dramas had the same writer but sadly this one had only looks and hardly any matter.

Eternal Monarch was heavily criticized for its slow pace, unexplained time theories, and frustrating product placement. I personally dropped the show several times but still hope to finish it someday firstly because I want to watch Lee Min Ho and Kim Go Eun and secondly because I loved Woo Do Hwan in this one. 🙂  

2. The Heirs

The Heirs followed the chaotic personal lives of rich kids and their families. Having a show on wealthy people meant, we got to see palatial houses, stunning wardrobes, and beautiful faces. I am yet to see an ensemble cast as attractive as that of The Heirs.

It had Lee Min Ho as the male lead and hottie Kim Woo Bin as his nemesis.

Image Courtesy: SBS

Image Courtesy: Vogue

The pretty Park Shin Hye was the poor damsel in distress while the doe-eyed Kim Ji Won was the one creating trouble for her.

Image Courtesy: SBS

Image Courtesy: SBS

The mysterious Kang Ha Neul was the senior at school (when in real life he is a few years younger than the male leads) while Park Hyung Sik was the naughty side-kick.

Image Courtesy: SBS

Image Courtesy: SBS

These were just some of the characters. The star cast was huge and trusts me, breathtakingly beautiful.

Read full drama review here.

3. Hwarang

In Hwarang, we had a group of warrior boys formed in an ancient Korean kingdom. The reigning Empress formed this group so that these boys could one-day pledge loyalty to her son and the future king of her kingdom.

However, her rebellious son secretly becomes a part of the group and lives the life of a common warrior to be able to better understand the life of commoners. In the training academy, the prince reluctantly befriends five other boys who strongly dislike each other.

The drama started well but gradually went adrift and lost its initial charm. But the highlight of the show was its six handsome Hwarangs of which three are a part of popular boy bands in real life. Can you spot the three K-pop stars?

Image Courtesy: Twitter

Here have a look at the Hwarangs in a classy photo shoot for a magazine cover.

Image Courtesy: Soompi

Read full drama review here.

4. Cinderella and The Four Knights

The story revolved around a poor girl who is hired by a rich businessman to share a house with his three young grandsons so they learn to love and accept one another and eventually become worthy of inheriting his wealth and business.

This is a rom-com that I thoroughly enjoyed watching. However, somewhere in the middle, the show got unbearably slow especially when it started focusing on developing the central couple’s relationship. It got a tad bit boring but with Ahn Jae Hyun and Jung Il Woo the show still felt watchable.

Of course, we have CNBlue’s cutie Lee Jung Shin but the guy is hardly there so I won’t credit him for being a motivation to watch the show. 

Image Courtesy: tVN

Image Courtesy: tVN

Read full drama review here.

5. Scarlet Heart Ryeo

I never tire talking about Scarlet Heart Ryeo because it still remains one of my favorite shows. The show is about a girl who accidentally travels back in time and ends up living with the royal family. Like most of the shows on this list, this drama too started off well but gradually got too draggy.

But I did not mind it because I was in complete awe of Lee Jun Gi who gave a breathtakingly amazing performance as the supposed evil prince.

Also, he is one of the 14 princes of the Royal Family, which means he had brothers who were as handsome as him. Here have a look at his royal siblings who added to the show visuals. 🙂

Image Courtesy: Viki

Image Courtesy: Cosmopolitan

Image Courtesy: Cosmopolitan

Read full drama review here.

6. Mask

Here’s another drama dealt with the lives of the rich and powerful and lacked a coherent script. It was a romantic thriller that was supposed to keep you engaged through and through. But sadly, the drama goes off-track for a while. And when it does, the amazing cast keeps you involved with their good acting and impeccable looks.

Firstly, it has the lovely Soo Ae as the female lead who looks pretty as a picture. She plays the role of a poor girl who replaces a rich woman to cover up her accidental death.

Even when she plays the role of a poor woman she still stands out from the rest because milady is just plain gorgeous.

Image Courtesy: SBS World

To complement Soo Ae we had Ju Ji Hoon who looked dapper in his suits and of course highly adorable in romantic scenes.

Image Courtesy: SBS World

And then there is the bratty sister-in-law Yoo In Young who is a perfect example of a rich-spoiled girl.

Image Courtesy: SBS World

Read full drama review here.

7. Uncontrollably Fond

Painful is the word that comes to mind when I think of Uncontrollably Fond. It was a complicated love story of two people who want to be together but circumstances always kept them apart.

It was Kim Woo Bin’s first show as a lead and the boy did not disappoint. What disappointed me was the super-slow and draggy script. The show dragged mercilessly and tortured the leads endlessly. Ugh!

The only reason to bear this drama was the hottie Kim Woo Bin who looked heart-numbingly handsome and acted like a dream. Suzy too looked gorgeous as always and did some justice to her character.

Image Courtesy: KBS2

Image Courtesy: KBS2

Read full drama review here.

8. My Lovely Girl

Rain!! my first Korean crush was the reason why I got into Kdramas. 😀 My Lovely Girl was my second Korean drama. It is a melodrama following the life of a musician who is unable to make music since the death of his girlfriend. Years later, he happens to meet his dead girlfriends’ younger sister and decides to help launch her singing career. She accepts his help unaware that he is her sister’s former boyfriend.

Back then, I was mad about Rain so even though the show bored me to death I continued with it only for his sake. 

Image Courtesy: SBS

Read full drama review here.

9. Lovestruck In The City

Ah! Why is this drama here? Because it had the fresh pairing of my favorite Ji Chang Wook and the stunning Kim Ji Woon and was supposed to be an epic heart-melting romance. Sadly, the excitement created by the casting was watered down by the awfully slow pace of the web series. 

The story was about a guy having a summer romance with a girl on a holiday before returning back to his regular life. He leaves with the hope to reunite with the girl soon but she never meets him again. Betrayed and heartbroken he mourns the loss of his one true love and is unable to move on in life.

The biggest dampener here was Ji Chang Wook’s character brooding endlessly. Argh! And trust me it’s no fun to see someone cry and complain throughout the drama.

The only solace was Ji Chang Wook and Kim Ji Won’s beautiful romance. As a couple, they looked great together and tried their best to keep you involved in their love story.

Let’s take a moment to appreciate this beautiful couple.

Image Courtesy: The Jakarta Post

    Image Courtesy: Popsugar

Read full drama review here.

10. The Man Living In Our House

In my review, I specifically mentioned that this is an average show with nothing but a good-looking cast. The show followed the life of a girl who lives away from home for work and when she returns home one day she is shocked to find a strange man living in her house and claiming to be her stepfather. The problem is that the boy is too young to be her father and the second is that she had no inkling of her mother’s second marriage.

The show seemed very promising but was highly disappointing. But the cast was good so I could watch the show. It paired the tall and talented Kim Young Kwang with the graceful Soo Ae. 

Image Courtesy: KBS2

Image Courtesy: KBS2

Read full drama review here.

 

A good drama is a complete package of exceptional writing, acting, and execution. But for some dramas when the other elements are lacking, one aspect outweighs everything else. And in the shows mentioned above, it was the acting and visual appeal that worked best for an otherwise lacking drama.

 

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