Little Women, a coming-of-age story by Louisa May Alcott, is a timeless classic. It details the plight of the underprivileged March sisters and their coping mechanisms. The same story was recently adapted into a K-drama with a much darker tone and the inclusion of contemporary class issues (it only borrows a few extremely vague themes from the original novel). Little Women is a charming makjang drama that runs at breakneck pace, offering passion and thrill in a tidy package. It has an engrossing screenplay and excellent acting.
The financial, personal, and professional situations of the Oh sisters, Oh In-joo (Kim Go-eun), Oh In-kyung (Nam Ji-hyun), and Oh In-hye (Park Ji-hu), are not the greatest. In-kyung, a journalist at the start of the series, is fired due to a drinking problem just as she is about to start an investigation on Park Jae-sang, a prominent mayoral candidate.
The youngest, In-hye, is a gifted artist who is a scholarship student at a renowned art school with a promising future. In-hye, who is reserved and stoic, dislikes burdening her sisters or making them worry about her, so she goes out to work by herself.
In-joo, the oldest, who is in charge of looking after her sisters, becomes involved in a slush fund’s operations. Jin Hwa-young, who has also been treated similarly by her coworkers, is In-only joo’s buddy at work. In-joo works alone and is isolated from everyone else. Hwa-young, however, passes away quickly and leaves In-joo two million won along with hints to locate a slush fund worth about 70 million won. In-joo is divided between sticking by her buddy to learn the truth about her death and assisting her bosses in finding the money. She partners up with slush money expert Choi Do-il (Wi Ha-jun) during this time.
Little Women follows several narrative lines at once, and while they are all intertwined at one point, it is the show’s excellent writing and timing that make it all work. The entire cast does a wonderful job of portraying the characters, with newcomer Park Ji-hu deserving special recognition. Additionally, the drama is a visual pleasure because to its vibrant colour scheme and relevant frames. Every scene is filled with vibrant colours, yet there is a single pall of darkness that may alert the spectator to the doom that is creeping over the sisters. The suspense is maintained by several repeated themes, such as a pair of red shoes. Watch attention for the impressive Park home as well.
Although socioeconomic disparity is a recurring issue in K-dramas, the writer of the programme, Chung Seo-kyung, presents a more accurate portrayal of poverty and social mobility. No romantic idealisation or false sense of agency exists. The drama is not afraid to depict this unpleasant reality—that money has the power to influence people—in any way. Additionally, there are so many turns that you nearly lose faith in the characters. Although it nearly seems abrupt, it comes to a satisfying finish that provides closure. Even though strong female lead characters have appeared in K-dramas before, this drama has three of the best-developed female leads ever, which furthers the case for why this K-drama is a must-watch.
