ACCESS to Korean dramas have long improved since we bought DVDs from Metrowalk, Greenhills and, sometimes, our officemates in the early-2000s. From DVDs, people moved to downloads and streaming. I remember how my friend Gianna would walk around with her HP Mini open just because she couldn’t interrupt the streaming of her favorite Korean drama.
The first-ever Korean drama that I watched was Autumn in My Heart, which starred a beautiful young actress named Song He-kyo and actor Song Seung-hon. GMA aired the show’s tagalized version and it was, I believe, how many Filipinos got hooked on Korean dramas. Autumn in My Heart ended in a tragedy and we soon realized that with Korean dramas, you should expect the unexpected.
Other Korean dramas that were popular during that time were Winter Sonata (which, like Autumn in My Heart, was part of the Endless Love series), Stairway to Heaven, All About Eve and Rooftop Room Cat.
It was so difficult to watch these dramas, if you wanted to catch them before they were tagalized by the local networks. Not all DVDs were clear (this was before HD became everyone’s birthright) and had subtitles.
I used to love the tagalized versions because I was too lazy to read subtitles. But now, I realize it has more impact if you hear the characters talking in Korean.
All that is in the past. These days, it’s so easy to watch Korean and other Asian dramas, thanks to video on demand services.
So how and where can you watch?
Here are three of the most popular services. Disclaimer: I’m not an expert and I don’t claim to be, so my choices are more mainstream:
- For less than P400, you have access to Netflix’s extensive Korean library, which includes Something in the Rain, Love in The Moonlight, Hyori’s Bed and Breakfast, Bad Guys, The Producers, Uncontrollably Fond, A Korean Odyssey, Strong Girl Bong-Soon and Prison Playbook. Despite being the most expensive among the streaming options, Netflix offers the most seamless experience. You won’t experience lags or glitches such as the absence of subtitles. Netflix also allows you to download a lot of titles so you can watch videos online.
- iFlix doesn’t have most extensive collection of Korean shows but it has some of best titles. They only have around 50, including international blockbusters, such as Descendants of the Sun, While You Were Sleeping, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, Temperature Of Love, The Inheritors (which was aired in the Philippines as The Heirs), Goblin and My Love From The Star. The subscription rate is around P149 a month but you can also get it for free from a Smart subscription or using your Grab points. iFlix doesn’t offer the most seamless experience when it comes to streaming. Sometimes, the subtitles disappear or the scenes play over and over. I also don’t like how little content you’re allowed to download and how you get the “you’ve already downloaded 10 titles, you need to chill” warning. That’s not polite or respectful at all, and I don’t understand why that should be so. Netflix can tell you that without making you sound like a criminal.
- In terms of content, Viu is the best. Its library is an extensive collection of dramas and variety shows currently showing in Korea. You can get Viu for free or the premium version for less than P200. Viu content that are currently airing in Korea include What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, Suits, Come and Hug Me, About Time, Investigation Couple and Come On and Hug Me. But after downloading Viu and getting the premium version, my Huawei phone died. It was repaired at a Huawei service center but died again. So I didn’t get the chance to test Viu properly and I am too scared to download it on my work phone.