I've seen statistics that show that most of the people who watch Kdramas prefer to watch something in the romcom and fantasy genre. Koreans do a really good job in any genre they produce, but it seems like a lot of Kdramas that have been a trend for a couple of years are the ones that tick the romcom and fantasy box.
I'm not going to say anything for this or against this. However, I recently watched a Kdrama that has a good blend of romantic comedy and fantasy and I'm here to give you snippets of what the show is all about.
Fetch your popcorn, Cinephiles. This should be fun...
Drama: Heartbeat
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Fantasy
Network: KBS2
Episodes: 16
Release Date: June 26 - August 15, 2023
Oh! The fantasy side of this Kdrama has to do with Vampires. The Kdrama tells the story of a vampire who's very desperate to become a human. He got a recommendation to go into 100 years of sleep in a coffin to achieve his desire. However, shit happened and he ended up becoming a half-human and half-vampire because he got woken up a day before completing his 100 years of sleep.
You know, that must hurt even for a vampire who's considered to be an emotionless creature. Aside from the fact that he still has to live as a half-vampire, he got to realize that society has transitioned so much from what it was 100 years ago. He's faced with an intense struggle for survival in a world where vampires can no longer go on a bloodsucking rampage.
It sure won't be a good look to be caught by a CCTV while sucking blood. Haha. As he tries to understand the norms of the current society, he crosses paths with really unique people and vampires. Will they become friends or foes? Haha. I can't spoil that for y'all.
Notable things about this show;
1. Storytelling: It only took one episode of the show to make it spicy and binge-watch-worthy, at least for me. The story is not exactly a unique one for a Cinephile. This isn't the first time we are tossed a story of a vampire who wants to be human. However, this is a breath of fresh air for Kdrama fans. Stories with this theme do not often get on screen.
Errmm... I hate to be the breaker of 'bad news' for those who always fantasise about happy endings. Sorry, there is no happy ending to the drama that unfolded in this show. The story is great and sad, but amazing. There are also lots of unanswered questions in the last 4 episodes of the show.
2. Comic Relief: This may well be the best bit about this show. The comedic side of the show can place you in stitches with laughter. The first 10 episodes at least are quite comical and the humour was never forced. I had a very good laugh watching those and I also enjoyed the serious side of the show.
3. Casting: I watched this show a month ago and I just took another look at the cast list to be sure I'm not getting anything wrong about the reputation of the actors that were cast for the show. TaecYeon who played the main character in the show is the biggest name in the cast sheet. The rest of the major characters are fairly decent in their role, but they are not one of the big dawgs in the industry.
I still can't take anything away from them. They did a good job for the role they are given and that's all that matters.
This show is good and worth the time spent watching it. Some other netizens have a review that's contrary to this and I fully understand their expression of frustration because of the fairly uninspiring closure given to the story. Of course, a lot of people don't enjoy sad endings and I also wished this had a happy ending. However, I won't discredit the good work of the story because of the sort of ending given to it.
If you are a Kdrama fan, you will surely enjoy binge-watching this.
Thanks For Not Missing Any Full-stop Or Comma. All Images are taken from the gallery section of the show on MyDramaList
Gif by @doze
