Happy K-Drama-versary to Me!
Chocolate
One year ago today, on September 23, 2020, I watched my first Kdrama (Korean drama). And as of today, the ONLY English-speaking show I have watched in the past year since then was when Katie was here at Christmas and wanted to watch a baking competition show on HGTV.
I really didn’t know what to expect when watching that first one. I’d been seeing clips and mentions on TikTok…and had been actively following BTS for about six weeks, and was feeling more and more drawn to Korean content.
Crash Landing on You
That morning I’d joined my friend Mochi for the ALS Walk she does every year in memory of her brother, who sadly passed away from the disease in 2013. It’s a 3-mile walk and it exhausts me and makes my hips hurt. I’m not complaining! I’m just setting the stage.
So when I got back home later I didn’t want to do anything but crash on the sofa. I don’t usually turn the tv on til later in the evening so it’s a special treat I allow myself to watch TV in The Daytime – like if I’ve done something difficult in the morning or I’m not feeling well or I’m feeling sad.
I Told Sunset About You
I don’t really remember exactly what led me to choose “Chocolate,” other than it was on Netflix and…chocolate! I thought maybe it was like a re-telling of the 2000 movie “Chocolat” with Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche.
It was not.
It was…The Best Thing I Have Ever Seen.
It was emotional…emotionally suspenseful…a complex and interesting story…wonderful acting…did I say emotional? Oh, the CRYING and Gasping for Air! Mine, not theirs.
One Spring Night
My favorite stories are about relationships; well, love/romance. I don’t care for action, adventure, mystery, thriller, most comedy, historical, fantasy, sc-fi, war, crime shows/movies…and honestly, that is MOST of what’s out there. I’d been disillusioned with western (yes, I’m that pretentious that I now call “American” entertainment “western,” ha ha) TV and movies for a long time. I’d complained about it on here how few good things there were to watch.
So I was looking for something new.
Something in the Rain
And This Was New. The typical kdrama (and I do watch other East Asian dramas: Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, etc., but for the purpose of brevity, I’m going to lump them all under the broadest genre title of kdrama) runs for only one season and is 16 episodes long, with episodes running 60-ish minutes. There is the RARE second season…and as they’re starting to gain a larger following and demand increases, I see more and more fewer-episode seasons: 12, 10, 6…so they can get more titles out there quicker. But for the most part, a tv series is going to start and end in 16 episodes.
Cherry Magic
I like knowing There Will Be an Ending. They’re long enough to really develop plot and characters but not so long that you lose interest or actors/characters start to change (#DarrenStevens/Bewitched) or be killed off (#McDreamy). Long-running TV series almost always end up jumping the shark at some point….but you keep watching more out of loyalty than anything else.
SO. I started watching Chocolate around 3pm on Saturday afternoon. I was immediately hooked by the storyline and acting. I watched straight through til 3am Sunday morning when I couldn’t keep my crying-swollen eyes open any longer. I went to bed, reluctantly, and was back on the sofa at 9am to watch the remaining few episodes.
I was SO hooked.
What is it about them that has me so obsessed??
- The quantity of romance genre shows is so much greater than in the US so I have a HUGE catalog of never before seen things to watch.
- I feel that For the Most Part (there are some misogynistic exceptions but for the most part) they are produced with the female gaze in mind.
- I find the acting really REALLY good. Emotional but not over the top…I have never seen more male actors CRY So Well as since watching kdramas.
- SO. MUCH. EMOTION. I am an emotion addict. Make me cry, and I’m happy. Ha ha.
- Inner dialogue can be very deeply emotional. I mean, they say the words, they don’t just stand, gazing at the sunset, leaving you to imagine what they’re feeling, they SAY it. There are so many things that I identify with…or think, I’ve FELT that, I just never knew how to put it into words. Well, they know how to put it into words.
- They have a very poetic way of saying things (I think this is the Asian culture at large). It’s like they make it a priority to make things SOUND nice, not just BE nice, if that makes sense.
- They employ interesting photographic/filming techniques that strengthen scenes and connections (or DISconnections!) between characters.
- I think the S Korea (and Japan, etc) landscape is so lovely and makes for a wonderful backdrop. It’s a pleasure to see new scenery that you haven’t been seeing for the past 60 years!
- The music is so good! I’m pretty sure every series has its own Original Soundtrack (OST), and as you know, I’m really loving Korean music. Not just kpop but a lot of the ballads I’ve fallen in love with have come from kdramas.
- I actually like watching shows with subtitles. They FORCE me to sit down, sit still, pay attention, and not try to do three different things at the same time. You look away for an INSTANT and you’ve missed a plot-changing line. No scrolling on your phone when watching a kdrama, nope. ALSO, with my apparently imaginary hearing challenges, it doesn’t MATTER if I can’t hear what they say, I can read it! However, I STILL find myself turning the volume up “cuz I can’t hear what they’re saying…” even though I can’t UNDERSTAND what they’re saying!
- From a learning Korean language perspective, watching Korean shows, YouTube, etc, is a form of immersion language learning. I’ve definitely picked up words, phrases, intonations, and pronunciation from watching endless shows in Korean.
- The actors and actresses themselves are So Beautiful.
- I think the language itself sounds lovely/charming and I enjoy listening to it.
- I enjoy “breaking out” and doing new things…I was so tired of watching the same kinds of things.
I think I used this example last year when trying to explain to someone how different kdramas seemed to me after watching western television for 60 years…but I’m going to share it again here. It’s like…all my life I’ve enjoyed Hershey bars. Mmm, chocolate, good. So happy to have a Hershey bar. One day…someone gives me a Valrhona bar. I take a bite. OOOHHHHHH. THIS is what chocolate is supposed to taste like! This is not just good, it is heavenly. Now that I know Valrhona exists, why would I ever go back to Hershey’s??
Kdramas are my Valrhona.
What’s the Matter with Secretary Kim?
In the past year I have watched over 150 kdramas (some were movies not series). I know this because I am compulsive about keeping my MyDramalist.com watchlist up-to-date where I save (and rate) all the shows I have watched and plan to watch.
I know very few people are going to give them a try…and I get it. It’s okay. I’m not here to convince anyone, just to celebrate my anniversary of finding something different I really really enjoy. Some people have emailed me off-blog to share shows they HAVE watched…and enjoyed…and that has made me so pleased.
Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol
But I’m going to share my Top Ten here …just in case. I will say, if I can recommend ONE show to people, it would be Crash Landing On You…because it encompasses so many popular things: romance, drama, adventure, family dynamics, lovable characters, humor, bad guys, beautiful scenery (North Korea to South Korea to Switzerland). Plus, the lead characters’ visuals…oh…Hyun Bin?? Is it warm in here?? (just a little side note if you watch CLOY and fall in love with the main characters…since filming this series, they got engaged…and he is taking the next year off from working to help her plan the wedding – STOBBIT, I can’t even). There is literally something for everyone here.
The second one I’d recommend to newbie’s is What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, even though it’s my #9, I think a lot of people would like it. It’s more rom-com-y and I laugh-cried most of the way through.
- Crash Landing on You: South Korea, Netflix, DramaCool
- I Told Sunset About You: Thailand, Daily Motion, Dramacool
- One Spring Night: South Korea, Netflix, DramaCool
- Something in the Rain: South Korea, Netflix, DramaCool
- Jung Hae-In’s Travel Log: South Korea, Viki, DramaCool, YouTube
- Cherry Magic (30-sai made Dotei Da to Mahotsukai ni Nareru rashii): Japan, Dramacool, Vimeo, Daily Motion, maybe YouTube
- Chocolate: South Korea, Netflix, DramaCool
- Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol: South Korea, Netflix, DramaCool
- What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim: South Korea, Netflix, Viki, DramaCool
- BTS: Bon Voyage: South Korea, V-Live (paid), DramaCool
Note: While S Korean filmmakers are magical geniuses, they can’t make a movie trailer to save their life. I don’t get it. Their trailers make practically everything look cheezy, low-budget, shallow. I just don’t get it. Same with many opening credits. They’re often very 60’s American romantic comedy-esque with animations and silliness. I’ve almost given up on many shows cuz I could barely tolerate the ridiculous opening credits…but I powered through and was then delighted by the actual show that bore little to no resemblance to the opening credits.
Jung Hae-In’s NYC Travel Log
Of the 10 favorites, two are not dramas, one is a travel log of Jung Hae-in’s visit to NYC in fall 2019. He is my favorite actor. Not my favorite Korean actor. My favorite ACTOR. Period. He’s in three of my top 10 (One Spring Night, Something in the Rain, and the Travel Log). The other is the first season of BTS’ Bon Voyage reality travel show which is just…a wholesome delight. And only that season, cuz that’s the only season I’ve watched so far! I’m anticipating the next seasons to be just as good. I may have to make separate lists: dramas, reality, variety…and maybe movies. Cuz as good as the movies are, they can’t compete with the longer series’ just cuz…time and depth.
Where do I watch kdramas? Mostly on Netflix (their Korean catalog is expanding rapidly with the new popularity of All Things K) and Viki, which is like East Asian Netflix. It’s free to an extent but I have a paid subscription so I can see anything and everything. There are a couple streaming sites I use regularly: Daily Motion (which is free but has a lot of advertisements), DramaCool (which is free but has a lot of pop-ups…but has like EVERY Asian show EVER)), and, of course, YouTube. Oh, and Amazon Prime has a limited selection, as does Hulu. Oh, and LineTV and Gagaoolala, (which are pretty niche-specific to a sub-category of romance called BL, or “Boy Love.” Ha. But that’s for another post).
People are always telling me “Oh I’m watching this great show, it’s ____, you gotta watch it,” and I’m like I’m happy you found something you’re enjoying. I have, too 🙂
Will I EVER watch western shows again?? I dunno. Maybe if I ever run out of Asian shows I want to watch. In other words, no time soon.
In the meantime, I’m as happy as a 돼지 in 똥 with seemingly limitless Korean programming.
Happy Kdramaversary to me 🙂
julia
I totally get it! I’m so sick of seeing Los Angeles in every single show. When I finally see snow (or a fat person, or plain person or old person) it’s so much better. That’s why I loved Orange is the New Black because the characters were diverse with different story lines and it was actually boring to see the beautiful skinny white girls story line. I love looking at contemporary asian architecture and am always looking at how they fit a beautiful house into a tiny, tiny lot in a city so I understand the draw. Well, happy anniversary to finding a new, fun, fulfilling path in your 60th year!
bettyewp
Ha, that’s so funny that you see shows all set in LA, I feel like so many shows I was watching were set in NY 🙂
Oh gosh the tiny narrow winding hilly streets with the houses, that’s in so many shows and I’m so in love. Interestingly, those areas remind me of Los Angeles, the way the residential areas are set up high and have long views of the city lights below and mountains in the distance. I CAN’T WAIT TO BE THERE!!!
Em
Well this was certainly an eye opening post!
First, i went down the rabbit hole from your val-something chocolate link. Imagine being a self proclaimed chocolate snob and never hearing of the world’s finest. This will require a side by side taste test against my beloved Watson’s.
But I was today years old when discovering there is a kdrama genre. Ive been finding all the stan references confusing and assumed it all had to do with the bts group (and all i know of them is that something by that name exists and they seem to have Beatles-esque popularity).
But it was all so overwhelming to investigate and i just didn’t care enough. Watching television? I can do that. Bear and i are big fans of rom-com…so we will check out the Secretary Kim one at your suggestion.
Heaven help me if you have cursed me with a new obsession!!! And a very happy kdramaversary to you!
bettyewp
And now *I* need to taste some Watson’s chocolate! Is that a regional brand?
Yeah, I’d never heard of “k-drama” before the covid quarantine/tiktok era of late spring 2020. Ha. I always knew of the Spanish novellas…and when I first heard of k-dramas I thought they were like that. They’re NOT.
And to be fair, I have never watched a novella for any period of time…maybe they’re equally wonderful. They’re certainly beloved by many. But they seem more soap opera-y to me. And I just don’t have the emotional band-width to watch EVERY type of program.
BTS IS overwhelming to investigate. I struggle keeping up…and I am only updated on a very small percentage of their history/current activities. There are people who know every lyric to every song, the meaning and inspiration, the choreography, etc. I do what I can 🙂
I feel like I should watch What’s the Matter with Secretary Kim along with you! Let me know if you want a watch buddy! And FYI, the male lead, Park Seo Joon, is going to be in the new Marvel movie…another exciting instance of a Korean artist being recognized and ACCEPTED in the US.