New Asian dramas to watch: Love in Disguise, Final Table and Dead-End Job

02Love in Disguise: a romance that begins as an investigation

Love in Disguise started first, on October 19. It airs on tvN in Korea on Mondays and Tuesdays, and it streams on Prime Video in many countries. It has twelve episodes.

Yim Si-wan plays Yoon Yi-jun, a rich heir who becomes a suspect in a murder case. Seol In-ah plays Kang Jae-hee, a former special forces officer who goes undercover as his secretary to investigate him. Kim Jung-hyun and Yeonwoo also star, and the story comes from a popular webtoon and web novel. Its first episode drew a 5.6 percent nationwide rating in Korea, according to Nielsen Korea.

My reason to watch: the romance begins as an investigation, so every kind word might be part of the job.

03Japan's entry: what if everyone forgot you?

The only series from Japan is Did Someone Happen to Mention Me? All eight episodes came out on Netflix worldwide on October 22. Koji Yakusho plays Gen Takasegawa, a stage actor who comes home from London after playing King Lear, only to find that the public, and even his own family, no longer remember him.

Kento Kaku, Kenichi Matsuyama and Noriko Eguchi are also in the cast, and it is written by Kankuro Kudo. Netflix announced it as one of three new series for its tenth year in Japan. It is the only comedy on the list, built on one simple question.

04Final Table: chefs in a survival contest

Final Table began on October 24. It airs on JTBC on Saturdays and Sundays, and it streams worldwide on Prime Video, with Disney+ in Korea. It has twelve episodes.

Ahn Hyo-seop plays Kang Han, a genius chef known as Chris K. In the story, chefs from around the world compete in a survival contest to find the best Korean chef. Hong Hwa-yeon, Chang Ryul and Jung Yoo-jin also star. Its rating went up with the second episode, according to Soompi. It is the only one here set in a kitchen, and a survival contest gives it a clear finish line.

05Summer Vacation: first love for colder evenings

Summer Vacation arrived on October 26, and you can watch it on Viki, with new episodes on Mondays and Tuesdays. Cho Yi-hyun plays Kim Ha-yeon, an ordinary high school student whose father's business trip takes her to Upo Village. There she meets Jo Yu-gyeom, the eldest grandson of the village's old head family, played by Jin Young of the group B1A4. Hong Ye-ji also stars.

The official story says Ha-yeon has a mysterious experience there before she returns to her normal life. It is a summer first-love story arriving in November, a warm pick for colder evenings.

06Dead-End Job: how much money would make you take that job?

One thing stands out about this list. Two of the five came out all at once, both on Netflix, with eight episodes each, while the other three add new episodes every week. So if you want a complete story right now, pick one of the two Netflix series.

The newest is Dead-End Job, which arrived on Netflix on October 30, the day before Halloween. All eight episodes are out, and it is only on Netflix. Netflix first set it for October 9, then moved the date to October 30. It is a mystery horror series directed by Kim Da-min.

Lee Jae-wook plays Hyeok-jun, a young man in debt. A staffing agency offers him a job that pays fifty times the minimum hourly wage. The night shifts at a convenience store look ordinary, but they turn out to be dangerous. Go Min-si plays Yeon-ju, an accident investigator looking into the agency, Lee Hee-joon plays the head of the agency, and Kim Min-ha plays Hyeok-jun's younger sister.

My reason to watch: it is the only horror story on the list, and it asks a simple question: how much money would make you take that job?

07What comes next

Just outside the five is The Perfect Lie, with Yoo Yeon-seok and Seo Hyun-jin, which started on MBC on October 30. Where it streams outside Korea could not be confirmed, so it stays off the list for now. Coming next: The Remarried Empress arrives on Disney+ on Wednesday, November 4, and Happy Anding starts on tvN on November 11.

A quick guide to the five: Love in Disguise for an undercover mission, Final Table for cooking, Summer Vacation for first love, Dead-End Job for horror, and the Japanese series for comedy. Next week brings new starts, so the list will change.