5 Slice Of Life Kdramas That Will Change Your Perspective

In the world of Kdramas usually high-stake love triangles and shows with dramatic plot twists are always at the center stage, lately there has been shift of tide to the slice of life genre. The slice of life genre in Kdramas have been on steady rise this past few years. People relate with the narrative shown in these dramas, as it revolves around the everyday life of a ‘normal’ character and doesn’t need some over-arching climax to keep the viewers engaged. These dramas portray the challenges and joys of the ordinary and simple life, and in such seemingly mundane moment, viewers find peace and solace. That’s why these dramas are also called ‘healing dramas.’

Let’s look at 5 best slice-of-life Kdramas of all time.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha

After her life goes awry, Yoon Hye Jin (Shin Min Ah) an accomplished dentist from Seoul moves to a sea side village to start anew and meets Hong Du Sik (Kim Seon Ho) a handyman.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is a very down-to-earth drama, one that doesn’t have any gimmicks or elaborate plot. Though it is a light hearted and humorous drama, it draws you deep into the world building and the characters. We don’t just fall in love with both of our main characters, we also learn more about each and every person in the town and their struggles, making it more engaging and providing a perfect escape.

Hospital Playlist

Hospital Playlist is the story of a group of five doctors (Jo Jung Suk, Yoo Yeon Seok, Jung Kyung Ho, Kim Dae Myung, and Jeon Mi Do) who have been friends since medical school. The five of them all work at the hospital, Yulje Medical Centre. The drama explores the friend of all five of them as well as gives us a glimpse in the life of doctors and their patients. The group also form a band together.

The series takes place in Yulje Medical Centre, showing the life of not only the doctors but also their patients. It also does a great job of  showing deep the personal lives of all five main characters and their struggles and challenges. Hospital Playlist is wholesome Kdrama filled with heart-touching moments and comedy coupled with some romance. It depicts very natural and realistic representation of the life of doctors, and has become one of the most love Kdrama of all time.

Reply 1988

Reply 1988 is the part of Reply series – Reply series (Reply 1997,1994,1988) is the original slice-of-life series that has become a game-changer when it comes to portrayal of  real-life experiences in Kdramas. Though all three Kdramas under reply series are great, Reply 1988 is not only the best slice-of-life drama of the whole series but it also is the best slice-of-life Kdrama of all time.

Directed by Shin Won Ho and written by Lee Woo Jung, Reply 1988 follows the story of  Ssangmundong and its people, it particularly focuses on the five childhood friends (Lee Hye Ri,  Park Bo Gum, Ryu Jun Yeol, Go Kyung Pyo, and Lee Dong Hwi) and their family. It is a drama about family, love and challenges filled with a bunch of comedy and wholesome characters and storylines.

Prison Playbook

Prison Playbook is the story of  Kim Je Hyuk (Park Hae Soo), a renowned baseball player who ends up in jail after beating up a man for abusing his sister. The drama then explores the life of him and the people he encounters in prison. Lee Joon Ho (Jung Kyung Ho), is Je Hyuk’s works at the prison where Je Hyuk is locked up in and also who happens to be his friend.

Another slice-of-life gem directed by Shin Won Ho, Prison Playbook seems far from typical Kdramas but it managed to tug at the heartstrings of viewers making them sympathize with the prisoners and their individual stories. The drama makes the inmates affable, and brings light to their personal stories, which in turn, makes viewers relate to and have compassion for them.  It is a very different take on prison life and is very memorable.

My Mister

My Mister follows the story of Park Dong Hoon (Lee Sun Gyun), a married man who struggles with stress due to his family and work and Lee Ji An (IU) is a young woman who has lost hope in life, due to the trauma she underwent. The two meet at workplace and form a very unique bond with each other.

The tear-jerking story of Lee Ji An and the sufferings that she goes through are very morbid. Despite this, as the series progresses, we see grow and develop a relationship with people who care her, which ultimately makes it a beautiful slice of life drama. The dramas shows the beauty in building tight-knit relationships that can help you get out of difficult situations. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, but one worth going on !