Who doesn’t love a good fantasy/sci-fi drama series? They are much-loved by those who enjoy magic, fairy tales, reincarnation, parallel universes, legends, ghosts, goblins, and supernatural powers.
The multilayered genre is often packed with action-adventure, history, romance, comedy, and everything in between, as it draws viewers into a world where the real and surreal are blurred.
And if you’re a fan of South Korean popular entertainment, you’d be pleased to know there’s no shortage of Seoul fantasy dramas to stir your soul. Here are seven such titles currently (or soon to be) streaming on Netflix.
1. ‘The Sound of Magic’
Based on the popular webtoon “Annarasumanara” by Ha Il-kwon, “The Sound of Magic” delves into the question of what it means to dream and become a “good” adult.
Yoon Ah-yi wavers between her childhood dreams and her grim reality, while Na Il-deung faces pressure in realising his own destiny. Their lives take an unexpected turn when they encounter the mystical magician Ri-eul, who introduces the joy of magic into their lives.
“The Sound of Magic” premieres on Friday.
2. ‘Tomorrow’
A glitzy drama based on the webtoon of the same name, “Tomorrow” offers a fantasy take on one of Korea’s most pressing social issues.
Choi Jun-woong falls into a coma and inadvertently becomes half-human and half-spirit. He meets a grim reaper, Ryeon, and joins the Risk Management Team, a bureau at the Jumadeung Soul Management Department where grim reapers are tasked with saving people from suicide.
3. ‘Abyss’
This rom-com crime-fantasy is set in a world where people can come back to life with a catch – they return in a completely different body.
The story revolves around Cha Min, who falls from a building, and Go Se-yeong, who is brutally murdered. Both are brought back to life in entirely different bodies thanks to a mysterious, mystical marble called the Abyss.
He looks new and improved; she doesn’t; but that doesn’t stop them from falling in love while uncovering a murderer at the same time.Netflix.
4. ‘Tale of the Nine Tailed’
Based on the legend of the gumiho, a mythical fox with nine tails and supernatural powers and the ability to shapeshift into humans, this series follows Lee Yeon, who abdicates his position as the guardian mountain spirit of Baekdudaegan to search for the reincarnation of his one true love, Ah-eum.
He finally finds her in documentary producer Nam Ji-a, who specialises in stories about the supernatural…
5. ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’
Enter a fantasy world with two parallel universes and one epic love story. This romantic fantasy drama revolves around the relationships of people living in different timelines: the 21st-century kingdom of Corea ruled by emperor Lee Gon, and modern-day Korea, where police lieutenant Jung Tae-eul lives.
With the help of a mysterious flute known as the Manpasikjeok, their paths intersect across the boundaries of time and space.
6. ‘Memories of the Alhambra’
An augmented reality-gaming drama inspired by tech billionaire Elon Musk and the “Pokémon Go” game. Jin-woo, the CEO of an investment company that deals with optical devices, goes looking for Se-ju, a cryptic developer of an innovative augmented-reality game about medieval battles in Alhambra, who has gone missing.
Desperate to find him, Jin-woo gives the game a try in the hope of obtaining clues.
7. ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’
This popular romantic fantasy series follows immortal goblin Kim Shin, a 939-year-old guardian of souls, in his quest for a bride to remove an invisible sword from his chest and break his immortal curse.
High school student Ji Eun-tak summons the goblin by accident and their fate begins to entwine. Will she be the goblin bride that finally releases Kim Shin from his eternal misery?
These titles can be found on Netflix.
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