Whenever I used to think of Korean dramas, I thought of shows filled with a huge amount of romance and emphasis on things such as friendship, basically just a nice show to watch that contains at worst a tiny bit of drama. Once I watched the K-Drama named Little Women, my whole view of the genre changed.
We are first introduced to three sisters, Oh In-Ju, Oh In-Kyung, and Oh In-Hye who live in a shabby home with their mother. These three girls were trying their best to make do with what they had while the mom did little to nothing to help other than make some great kimchi. The fact that they had no money did take a great toll on them because we see how hard the two older sisters (Oh In-Kyung & Oh In-Hye) work in order to try and give their younger sister (Oh In-Ju) the life they didn’t have. Money is of great importance to them because they believe it could completely change the way they are living.
While they are dealing with the problems of money, jobs, and sister drama, the sisters find themselves entangled with the richest family in Korea’s illegal activities. They end up being close to losing their lives or each other. It has such a harsh criminal aspect that I have never seen within a K-Drama. Also, the intense level of violence was a big shock to me.
And don’t worry guys, we still get romance and just like with other k-dramas, it takes FOREVER for the two people to realize they are meant to be together. I honestly cried when they finally decided to be together. This, however, is not central to the main plot.
This show was nothing short of wild. The unexpected twists and turns happening throughout the show is what made it the most engaging to me. Sure, it can seem a bit daunting that each episode is about an hour or longer, but you get so much plot within that time span that it barely feels like an hour.
A lot of people may know the title Little Women when it comes to the book written by Louisa May Alcott, or the film adaptation of this novel directed by Greta Gerwig, also the whole backdrop for this show. I only say this because the show is just about three girls trying to find their place in the world despite their financial disparity which is exactly what the sisters in the novel were trying to do. Though the show definitely has less of a positive outlook with a lot of crime and death, it still can be considered a coming-of-age story.
Overall, if you are looking for a new Korean Drama to watch or just trying to start watching them, I think Little Women is a great option. It has crime, drama, and romance, what more could ya need?