Five drama recommendations… for a summer heatwave

by DB Staff

Summer is here, at least in some parts of the world, and with it comes suntans, ice cream, and a good K-drama in your air conditioned living room (hopefully). Something dramas are always good at is evoking the mood and tone of the season they take place in, so here are some of our favorite dramas for summertime feels… and also a little something if you’re already over summer and want to cool down instead (read: blizzards and books).

Fight My Way (2017)

Nothing says summer more than a rooftop rendezvous. With clear skies overhead and a sparkling city as the backdrop, it’s the perfect place to get out of a sweltering apartment and try to beat the heat. Fight My Way is one of my favorites not only for its story, but its use of setting to tell that story. Four friends barely getting by live in a beat-up building in neighboring units but spend most their time outside — sitting on the steep climb of the outdoor stairs or sleeping out under the stars. The rooftop is a place for confessions and kisses, as well as drinking away the troubles of an adulthood that hasn’t gone as planned.

Aside from the airless apartments, Fight My Way is full of heat for other reasons. As Ae-ra (Kim Ji-won) and Dong-man (Park Seo-joon) progress from life-long friends to lovers, it’s not just the sun that has them in desperate need of a fan. By day, the two spend their time flirting around in colorful track pants, set against an even more colorful Busan. By night, Dong-man enters the ring as a mixed martial arts fighter, spraying sweat into a stifling arena. I’d recommend Fight My Way any day of the week, but I think it’s a perfect summer watch — so long as you can handle Park Seo-joon in tight t-shirts without overheating.
–@dramaddictally

Woohoo Waikiki (2018)

It’s in the name — this show is the hilarious summer romp that will have you clutching your sides in peals of laughter just five minutes in. There’s no shortage of wacky facial expressions and silly physical humor, made even better by how fully the actors commit to the farcical comedy. The three guesthouse boys (or five, if you count both seasons) are so endearing in their earnestness that it’s hard not to root for them, weird quirks and all. And I love that the girls have spunk, too — whether it’s protecting a baby with all their might, or being two seconds away from smacking a dumb boy in the face, heh.

What really elevates the show is the rock-solid chemistry of the cast; you don’t doubt for a second that they’ll have each other’s backs come hell or high water, even as they’re trading petty insults and tossing pillows. Beneath the endless humor is a tale underscored by its characters’ sincerity and determination, making it the perfect feel-good summer watch. –@solstices

Stove League (2019)

I associate summer with baseball, a sport I only watch when featured in inspirational underdog television and movie stories. If you’re anything like me and are a sucker for down on their luck athletic teams who rise to victory when a new coach — or manager — swoops in to save the day, then Stove League is a binge worthy K-drama that you need to check out. But, to be honest, this drama doesn’t exactly scream summer or hot weather because “hot stove league” refers to baseball’s off-season, and the bulk of this drama — as the title suggests — occurs during the colder months leading up to the next season.

The Dreams are far from being a dream team. In fact, they’re ranked dead last in the league at the start of our story, but new general manager Baek Seung-soo (Namgoong Min) is about to change things up. Right out the gate, he’s making risky trades and angering a lot of players and fans, and his lack of baseball experience makes everyone question his unorthodox decisions. So while the weather featured in this drama may be cool and mild, tempers and tensions are certainly hot as Seung-soo takes the Dreams from zeros to heroes.
–@daebakgrits

I’ll Find You on a Beautiful Day (2020)

Sometimes in the middle of summer the thing you want most is winter. I’ll Find You on a Beautiful Day is maybe the most anti-summer drama I can think of, set in the snowy countryside, between the cozy confines of a local bookstore and the surrounding wintery woods. Park Min-young, in what I think is her best role, and Seo Kang-joon are consistently bundled with sweaters, scarves, and snow boots as they trek the terrain, attend book club meetings, and get acquainted — eventually helping each other come to terms with their very difficult pasts.

The landscape (and leads) in this drama are supremely beautiful and the slice-of-life feel puts you right in the story. It’s hard not to catch a chill, as the harsh, cold exterior is a continual metaphor for the cold realities of the characters’ lives. Still, it’s a story about love, family, loneliness, and forgiveness — a mix that’ll make your heart melt and leave you with feels for days, just like a heavy snow. If you’re looking to cool down completely, this is your drama.
–@dramaddictally

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021)

When the weather gets warm, I start daydreaming about the beach, the sound of ocean waves, and a trade paperback novel. If there was ever a K-drama that seemed like it was plucked straight from the pages of a beach read, it would be Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, a light and fluffy romance about an out-of-touch city gal falling for the local small town hottie.

But beyond the romance between our lead characters Yoon Hye-jin (Shin Mina) and Hong Doo-shik (Kim Sun-ho), this drama is also a love story dedicated to small town life. The quaint seaside village of Gongjin — and this summertime drama — features many hot weather pastimes (e.g. surfing, beach picnics, watermelon, and outdoor grilling) that are going to make you want to take a spontaneous trip to the beach. But for me, on a more personal level, the slow-paced Gongjin and its town matriarch made me nostalgic for the lazy childhood summer vacations I spent at my grandmother’s house. –@daebakgrits

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Five drama recommendations… for a summer heatwave