‘Dramaworld’: Every K-Drama Fan’s Deepest Desire Comes True in This Korean-American Series While Hitting Every Major Trope

There is no denying that Korean dramas have fans in a vice grip. If one thing is for certain, a fan’s deepest wish is to be a part of their favorite K-drama and experience the ups and downs of love put to the test by outside forces. The 2016 Korean-American series Dramaworld brings that wish to life while still including all the riveting tropes and cliches that make a K-drama so addictive.

A die-hard K-drama fan gets sucked into her dream reality in ‘Dramaworld’

Welcome to the world of K-dramas. Dramaworld was a series originally introduced in 2016 starring Santa Clarita Diet’s Liv Hewson as Claire Duncan. Claire encompasses every K-drama fan at their core as she is obsessed with the genre of television.

Instead of partying and spending nights out with friends, Claire would rather watch her favorite Korean actor Joon Park (Sean Dulake), in Taste of Love. For her, K-dramas embody everything she wishes her life would be. K-dramas have heat-raising romance, good-looking male leads, the turmoil of family disarray, and the thrill factor of a villain.

In reality, Claire’s life is everything but and is a nobody in the real world. In a twist of fate and unexplainable magic, she is sucked into her phone into her favorite K-drama. She now exists in Dramaworld as a “facilitator.” Die-hard fans who enter Dramaworld to help keep a K-drama’s storyline on course while in the shadows.

But some rules must never be broken. As Claire meets Joon in the flesh, her efforts to fix her favorite K-drama lead to disaster. She is unaware someone else is pulling the strings to their benefit. Dramaworld Season 2 brings back the same level of tension and drama but with a more complex and interwoven storyline between reality and fantasy.

‘Dramaworld’ has a double whammy of K-drama tropes in a fun storyline

As Claire learns the ins and outs of Dramaworld with the help of Seth Ko (Justin Cho), she witnesses firsthand how K-dramas work. A unique aspect of Dramaworld is that it plays upon all the common cliche tropes K-dramas are known for.

The best part is that Claire has immense and detailed knowledge like any K-drama fan watching will relate to. Taste of Love has everything like the female lead; a poor lower-class dishwasher turned a sous chef. Tie in her male lead love interest and her boss who has yet to realize he is in love. Also, the subtle tropes such as the evil female character who will stop at nothing to marry the male lead.

The male lead also comes from a rich family, and he abandons his future role as CEO to become a chef. According to the structure, Claire knows how things work and tries to set the storyline back in place. A neat twist to Dramaworld is that Claire becomes a victim of the same tropes in her own storyline.

While Claire rectifies the wrongs to save Dramaworld and Joon, she finds herself also facing the same trope of unsuspecting love. All the while, she tries to save the people she cares for from a heinous enemy. In retrospect, Claire lives out a K-drama fan’s dream come true. Things only get more complex in Dramaworld Season 2 when Claire is thrust into turmoil again.

Both seasons of ‘Dramaworld’ have an array of famous cameos

There are many well-known names in the K-drama and acting industry in South Korea. Viewers who have been fans of K-dramas since before 2016 will audibly gasp and squeal in shock over the many cameos and guest appearances in Dramaworld and Dramaworld Season 2.

In the role of Seo-yeon in both seasons of Dramaworld is actor Bae Noo-ri. Fans will recognize her from Moon Embracing the Sun in 2012 and The Bride of Habaek in 2017. No K-drama is complete without the second male lead played by none other than Woo Do-hwan.

Woo is one of Korea’s rising stars who gained fame after Dramaworld, starring in Save Me, Mad Dog, Tempted, and The King: Eternal Monarch. Cameo and appearances include Choi Siwon, Sam Hammington, Park Jin-joo, All of Us Are Dead star Kim Byung-chul, Happiness star Han Hyo-joo, Lee Hee-joon, and Squid Game’s Lee Jung-jae. Dramaworld Season 2 also has Henry Lau as the male lead in a supernatural K-drama and hit actor Daniel Dae Kim.

Dramaworld is available to stream on IMDb TV, Amazon Prime TV, and Fire TV.