Song Kang starred in his first Netflix original K-drama, Netflix original K-dramas like Sweet Home as well as traditional dramas like My Demon. The great thing about Song Kang is that he is capable of taking on a variety of characters, from a human-turned-demon to a ballet dancer.

Due to how most of his K-dramas have ended up on Netflix, even the ones that weren't created by the streamer, Song Kang has been dubbed “The Son of Netflix.” Song Kang's K-dramas each have a unique story, but there's one rather disturbing aspect of Love Alarm that is easy to overlook.

Love Alarm Is A Very Dark K-Drama When You Think About It

Love Alarm Has A Deep And Dark Theme

At its core, Love Alarm is a sweet love story. So, it's easy to dismiss it as just another fun K-drama. However, when you peel back the layers, it's actually a very dark show. The romantic K-drama's plot is essentially that of an app that tells people if they are near someone who likes them. Something about that premise just feels very dystopian. The app not only reveals feelings that should remain private, especially for teenagers, but it also interferes with how potential relationships are built, even leading to competition about who has the most irers.

Even after Sun-oh and Jojo graduate from high school, it's clear that the Love Alarm app controls how people juggle their love lives and who they end up with. It's not really revealed how the app measures people’s real feelings, but its impact is visible. While for some, the app proves how popular they are, for others, it's a stark reminder of their loneliness. In this way, Love Alarm shows that a society that solely depends on an app to dictate their love lives can't really function properly.

Love Alarm Was Probably Not Even Trying To Be That Dark

Love Alarm Has A Sweet Love Story

In a world filled with several teen romance dramas, new shows have to find a way to stand out. So, it makes sense that Love Alarm has a sci-fi twist added to its premise. Although the Love Alarm app plot is a bit dark, the show wasn't really going in that direction. Yes, it has a dark theme, but the series is essentially about a teenager falling in love and then finding herself in a love triangle.

Love Alarm and Kingdom are both commonly referred to as the "first Netflix original K-drama." Although Love Alarm was the first original K-drama to be commissioned by Netflix, Kingdom was the first original Korean series to debut on the streaming platform.

It's a fun, uncomplicated story that we've seen in K-dramas time and time again. It uses several tropes, like two best friends falling in love with the same girl, a love triangle, and a rich boy falling for a poor girl. So it's possible to enjoy Love Alarm based on these factors alone without getting too deep. But like most Korean TV shows, it explores a variety of themes in addition to its main premise.

Netflix's Original K-Dramas Have Come A Long Way Since Love Alarm

Netflix Has Several Popular Original K-Dramas

Love Alarm was the first Netflix original K-drama commissioned by the platform. Since then, the streamer has built an impressive catalog of Korean shows, with Netflix having a little bit of everything when it comes to its K-dramas. The streaming giant has undoubtedly helped K-dramas become a global phenomenon, especially after major hits like Sweet Home and Squid Game. Netflix original K-dramas span several genres, from revenge K-dramas like The Glory to zombie K-dramas like All of Us Are Dead.

The Korean Wave started several years ago with TV shows like Boys Over Flowers, but streaming platforms, particularly Netflix, have put them on the map. K-dramas like Squid Game, in particular, have had such a huge impact that more people are becoming invested in K-dramas, which is perhaps why Netflix has been constantly creating better ones since Love Alarm came out.