‘Complete regret’ that even popular dramas cannot avoid

Any K-drama fan will sympathize with the feeling of disappointment when a drama you invested dozens of hours in watching to the end does not live up to your expectations. Recently, in an overseas online community, viewers poured out their honest opinions when asked about 'K-dramas that you watched until the end but regretted.'

Trap of Season 2: Strong Woman Gang Nam-soon and Sweet Home 2

One of the most mentioned works is Strong Woman Gangnam-soon. It is a spin-off of Strong Woman Do Bong-soon, which was very popular in 2017, and the main character is Do Bong-soon's cousin Kang Nam-soon. The main evaluation was that it was not enough to maintain the reputation of the previous work.

Sweet Home 2 is also a highly anticipated Season 2 work. This series, which depicts the story of survivors in a world overrun by monsters, was criticized for saying "the new characters are not interesting" and "the story has become shallow." In particular, one viewer pointed out, “We missed the elements that made season 1 special.”

Tone change and disappointment in the ending

Beauty Inside is a romantic drama that tells the story of a top actor who has a secret that turns him into a different person for one week every month. Viewers pointed out the lack of consistency, saying that the tone completely changed over the course of the series.

Memories of the Alhambra is a work with a unique setting set in Spain, and is a story about a company representative and a hostel owner becoming entangled in an augmented reality game. While many commented that “it was fantastic until the last episode,” many said that the ending ruined the entire viewing experience.

Complaints about the character

Bride of the River is a fantasy romance between a water god who came down to earth to obtain a sacred stone and the last descendant of the family that serves him. The main characters' love line, plot, and character development were all criticized as lacking, and some viewers commented, "The second male lead was better than the male lead."

Senior, don't put on that lipstick is an office romance set in a cosmetics company, and is the story of a junior employee attempting romance with a senior employee. One viewer said that as the drama progressed, the female lead became "unbearable."

Because this is my first life was also mentioned. This work, which has the setting of a drama writer entering into a contract marriage with a landlord, was criticized for its ending, and dissatisfaction with the female protagonist character was cited as the main reason for regret.

What K-drama viewing culture shows

This discussion shows that K-drama viewers value the completeness of the work and satisfaction with the ending rather than simply the completion rate. These are examples that once again confirm how difficult it is to maintain the charm of the original work, especially when producing a sequel or season 2 of a successful previous work.