Now that some of us have more time on our hands to just chill, one activity that seems to be shared by most Pinoys is this: binge-watching on Netflix—specifically K-Dramas. Whether you're a seasoned hallyu fan or have recently jumped on the drama bandwagon, Netflix has become a go-to source to stream old and new drama faves. And if you want a peek at what most Pinoys are streaming at the moment, check out one of the newest features on the app, the Top 10 most-watched list in the Philippines.
Since the roundup of shows and movies is based on popularity, we can deduce some interesting facts about our viewing habits—like the very apparent obsession we currently have over Park Seo Joon.
Out of the Top 10, there are three Park Seo Joon dramas on the list, namely: Itaewon Class (5), Fight For My Way (8), and What's Wrong With Secretary Kim (10). That is a lot of quality PSJ content.
It's no doubt that the 31-year-old Korean actor has catapulted to superstardom in the past few years, with back-to-back-to-back hit dramas under his belt. Seo Joon's most recent series Itaewon Class—a revenge story which spans 15 years—wrapped up in March so it makes sense that viewers are checking out the hype over it. But what about the two other dramas, then?
Both dramas came out a few years ago—Fight For My Way in 2017 and What's Wrong With Secretary Kim in 2018, but both secured spots in the current Top 10. Well, this isn't a random occurrence but is actually based on Netflix's algorithm. The streaming platform basically guesses what we're interested in based on our activity and recommends similar titles. So yup, since a lot of us were watching Itaewon Class, it seems Netflix thought it best to give us even more of Seo Joon—and we hardly think anyone's complaining.
In a previous interview with SPOT.ph, Netflix’s vice president for Korean content Minyoung Kim also mentioned that there's an option to rate the shows you like or dislike with the thumbs-up and thumbs-down feature, “so that the algorithm can get smart.”
So, if you recently checked out Itaewon Class, then we can assume that Netflix sent you a recommendation to watch either Fight For My Way or What's Wrong With Secretary Kim, or better yet, both! It's actually a handy way to get sucked into the black hole that is K-Dramaland, TBH.
If you're wondering what other titles are on the current Top 10 list, here you go: Prison Break (1), For The Broken Hearted (2), Hi Bye, Mama! (3), Crash Landing On You (4), Itaewon Class (5), Money Heist (6), The King: Eternal Monarch (7), Fight For My Way (8), Too Hot To Handle (9), and What's Wrong With Secretary Kim (10).
Happy viewing, y'all!
this strange new world.