2022 is a great year for K-drama fans, but the crow is always finicky, and have made certain criticisms to all of the hit K-dramas.
The more popular a K-drama is, the more opinions it receives, including some not-so-positive ones. In 2022, this trend prevails, and hit K-dramas throughout the years all have some certain issues that leave the crowd displeased. Below is a summary of these criticisms.
“Our Beloved Summer”, which concluded in January 2022, is absolutely adored by young international viewers, who praised the series for its outstanding cinematography and acting. Unfortunately, the series suffers from low viewership ratings, despite being aired on SBS. In particular, it recorded an average rating of 3.9, even dropping to as low as 2.6% in episode 2.
Meanwhile, “Business Proposal” is an extremely viral drama in the first half of 2022, having achieved remarkable reception as well as viewership ratings. Unfortunately, the series only lasted 12 episodes, leading to later events, such as the male lead going overseas and the second female lead’s family issue being extremely rushed and poorly developed. It was a huge pity, considering the potential this series holds.
For “Twenty Five Twenty One”, which was hailed as a legendary youth drama, many audiences have a great problem with the not-so-happy ending. In particular, the 2 last episodes leaves a lot of viewers frustrated, with the female lead growing estranged with her once close friends, breaking up, and marrying a new man all at once. While there are bits of realism embedded in this ending and make it make sense, it was not at all satisfying to see beloved characters becoming unfamiliar as they approach adulthood.
“Our Blues”, which boasted an “all-star” cast, did extremely well both rating and topicality wise. However, as the series is an omnibus that focuses on different characters in different episodes, not every story and character click, leading to some viewers growing impatient as they wait for their favorite to show up again. In addition, while the series delivers extremely meaningful messages about family, mental disabilities, and youth, these can hit a tad too heavy for a regular watcher, making “Our Blues” not fitting the taste of everyone.
My Liberation Notes
“My Liberation Notes” was not a drama expected to gain massive success. But it did the impossible with a realistic plot that depicted the lives of characters were filled in equal parts hardship and liberation that resonated strongly with the audience.
The series might be a drag to watch with a slow pace of development. Nevertheless, with a strong shift near the end of the series, the drama gained momentum and prospered in the last 2 to 3 weeks.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
“Extraordinary Attorney Woo” is a prominent drama of 2022, domestically and internationally. The humanizing take on a lawyer with autism spectrum disorder enabled the viewers to immerse into a brand new emotional world. However, the series still came into criticism for the misinformation of the disorder that might potentially damage the people with autism in real life.
While the errors may taint the record of the drama, the criticism can be used to create more inclusive and appropriate representation in K-dramas in the future.
Big Mouth
“Big Mouth” is the most attention-grabbing collaboration in 2022 between Lee Jong Suk and Yoona. The drama explores an intense and interesting story of a lawyer being blamed for a crime he did not commit and had to sit behind bars for it. While the series had a promising start with compelling premise, high rating and hyped discussion, the end did not live up to expectation and became diluted.
Under the Queen’s Umbrella
“Under the Queen’s Umbrella” is the most anticipated period drama of the year with unique and intriguing details as well as Kim Hye Soo’s great acting chops. Not taking account of its historical setting, the drama appeared to adapt a lot of motifs from modern-day family infighting. Moreover, Kim Hye Soo’s character, Queen Im Hwa-ryeong, was too powerful, she could solve any problem in minutes, which left out the necessary buildup or suspension for the series. Fortunately, the plot developed interestingly and fans did not seem to complain anymore.
Reborn Rich
“Reborn Rich” is setting unprecedented records in the last two months of 2022 with captivating revenge plots along with a stellar cast, led by Song Joong Ki. Viewers are taken from one surprise to another and are always looking forward to the next episode. The biggest minus point of the series is the redundant love line of the male and female leads. Fortunately, the audience is willing to look past these missteps and focus more on other developments.
Source: dienanh
