Previously, on December 20, Korea’s leading film magazine, Cine21, released its comprehensive review of the Korean film scene for 2024, along with expectations for 2025.
Cine21 critics’ picks for the most overrated and underrated K-drama of 2024 have been revealed in this review.
More underrated
Among them, the most underrated K-drama was “A Virtuous Business,” which stars actress Kim So-yeon and is a remake of the British TV series “Brief Encounters.” It boasts a rather unique subject matter: selling adult toys in a historical rural setting, but at the same time tackles complex social and character issues.
According to critic Kim Hye-ri, “A Virtuous Business” does not isolate the theme of sexuality but connects it to social issues of power and culture, creating an intriguing approach. Meanwhile, critic Nam Sun-woo felt that K-drama was “both progressive and charming,” while still vividly addressing the crux of his topic.
Finally, critic Bok Gil commented: “The story of “A Virtuous Business” revolves around childless married women, divorced women and single mothers who sell adult toys in a small village in the early 1990s.. By setting it as a historical film, it avoids unnecessary criticism and at the same time cleverly incorporates timeless feminist issues into a relatable narrative, providing subtle entertainment for female audiences.
Meanwhile, “A Virtuous Business” previously attracted attention when actress Kim So-yeon revealed that she visited a sex toy store with her husband while preparing for the drama.
The most overrated
On the other hand, the work that Cine21 considers most overrated is “Queen of Tears”, despite the enormous success of the series and the title of “most interesting” K-drama of the year.
According to critic Kim Sun-young, this K-drama “overrelies on K-Drama clichés, drawing comparisons to ‘The Married Couple Clinic: Love and War’.”
“The Married Couple Clinic: Love and War” is a KBS program. The first season aired from 1999 to 2009 and the second from 2011 to 2014, focusing on couples on the brink of divorce due to family conflict.
Meanwhile, critic Bok Gil criticized the fact that in this work by screenwriter Park Ji-eun, “cGirl and status still hold absolute power“, and critic Park Hyun-joo agreed, stating that the series has faced heavy criticism for its”poor plot, devoid of any significant social commentary”.
Finally, critic Jin Myung-hyun described the handling of humorous situations in “Queen of Tears” as something similar “It’s gotten significantly worse.”
On the other hand, TIME Magazine shared a similar perspective, describing the series as consisting of two contrasting halves. While the first half showed creativity within the K-Romance genre, the second half devolved into chaos, recycling familiar clichés from other K-Dramas. However, the last part of the series was considered lackluster, full of implausible and banal developments.
This leads to “Queen of Tears” ultimately not making TIME’s list for the “10 Best K-Dramas of 2024.”
