Over the course of our year’s worth of blogging about Kdramas, it’s become apparent that Judy and I have different tastes in Kdramas. Although we both like all genres, she prefers rom coms, and I like dramas better. This, of course, has led to some polite but emphatic disagreements about which is better, and more importantly to both of us, who is right.
Here are my reasons for preferring straight dramas. Judy’s rebuttal will follow.
One: Character development. There’s a deep dive here into what makes each character tick. I love the depth the writer goes into to portray them.
Two: No physical touching but lots of intimacy. There is nary a hand hold let alone a hug, but the conversations are still total heavyosity. (Yes, that’s a word I’m my world.) What??? That's a word? Sometimes Pat stretches my belief...
Three: More intrigue. Straight dramas lead to more questions about how the plot will be solved. I find myself constantly asking who done it.
Four: No happy ending. This I love! Face it: if you’re a glass is half empty kind of person (moi) no happy ending Is your kind show.
Five: More involved plot lines. Sometimes I can’t even keep up with the complications in the multi layered plots. Simple isn’t the word that ever comes to mind with straight dramas.
Six: No closure. This just happened in “Signal”, and I loved the ending. And guess what? I just read there will be a season two. Yippee.
Seven: No endless waiting for the one handhold or the long hoped for kiss. Give it up. It ain’t going to happen. Ever. And it’s okay. There is a relief in knowing I don’t have to wait endlessly for something that will never come to pass. Didn’t we all just about swoon when the lead actors in Mr. Sunshine actually touched? The wait was just excruciating. Some of us are too old for all that excitement.
Eight: The clothes are serious. How can you make a cop uniform frivolous? You can’t. No high heels or mini skirts anywhere. I can live with that. Nine: The subtle humor. You have to look hard, but that’s the fun. In “Stranger”, the lead actor is called away just as the food is delivered and he’s got chopsticks in hand. I keep waiting for it to happen in each episode, and it usually does. I’m watching Season Two, and I’m concerned he might starve to death!
Ten: The guys are still gorgeous, and the gals are still beautiful This is universal in all Korean shows. They can’t help themselves. They’re attractive people. (Judy can agree with me here.)
Judy (with fabulous biceps) in blue.... Loser Pat in red.
So why do I like Kdrama Rom-coms? Let me think...
I like the eye candy the leading men typically provide. Dare I say this may be the primary reason? (Gosh, too many to name but we could start with Jung Hae-in from Something in the Rain, or Kim Seon-ho of Hometown Cha Cha Cha, or Cho Seung-woo in Divorce Attorney Shin, or Lee Byung-hun in Mr Sunshine, or...)
I love the slow build up. It can take hours and hours before the romance actually blossoms and I enjoy that. Please note this about the opposite of Pat's #7 noted above. Because this is My First Life is a good example.
I love the cliches. I love them so much I think I'll do a whole blog on Romcom cliches for your enjoyment.
I love the innocence. This may be due to the relative conservatism in Korea but I certainly find it refreshing.
I like Korean humor. Oftentimes it's subtle but romcoms can show this off. Things like promising to introduce a North Korean soldier to a Kdrama idol as a reward is clearly humorous. Watch Crash Landing on You for more great humor.
Frequently there's a love triangle happening and I enjoy rooting for my favorite or lamenting the also ran. Boys Over Flowers or Start Up
Romcoms usually have a happy ending although not always. Naturally I like that but can tolerate the sad ones if I have enough tissue in the house. As I've mentioned in the past Koreans really know how to cry and thus, how to make the audience cry.
This is a weird one but I enjoy the costumes. With romcoms they try to present the person in the correct setting which can be 1800 Joseon Korea or present day Seoul. In either case particular attention is paid to what the cast is wearing. Serious dramas don't focus on the clothes as much; or maybe it's just because I think serious dramas can be dreary and thus the clothes are dreary too!
And, in case you can't tell it's mainly because I wish the storybook ending would happen to me! Adoring, gorgeous man coupled with fresh flowers and delicious food, lovely music playing in the background, enjoying sumptuous surroundings, while looking elegant and slender into my twilight years... Who doesn't want that?
By the way, I think Pat's points all apply to romcoms with the exception of #6. Why she likes that depressing, dreary stuff that never ends is beyond me.
Clearly, Judy, you’re a glass is half full person. Where’s the fun in that?
Dear Guest.... if you are who I think you are you like Romcoms more!! Especially the happy ending part. I found Lee Byung-hun so different in this role vs Mr Sunshine which shows his versatility. I watched one of his 'old' shows called Iris & it was also totally different.
And it looks like if you've watched 8 Kdramas that you may be hooked!
Jeff and I are in the middle of our 8th Kdrama - Our Blues. I think it falls into the “drama” category. It is riveting but very different from other shows we have watched. Subject matter is a bit heavy and dark. The main actor from Mr. Sunshine is in this one. He’s a very good actor and it’s interesting to see him in a very different, blue collar role. Overall, I would recommend. I don’t know yet if I prefer romcom or drama. I do like a happy ending, though!
Pat, have you noticed that Stranger & Signal are considered thrillers? Looks like you just might be a "thriller" person! I wouldn't have considered myself a fan of the thriller genre until I watched these two kdrama and additionally Flower of Evil earlier this year and found myself thrilled (ahem) & excited in a cerebral as well as emotional way. I loved the twists & turns & dense plots of these dramas!
I love both the rom coms and the dramas.
Thanks for everyone’s suggestions. My “to watch” list is growing longer - so many KDramas so little time.
Love this post, and it makes me realize I like anything except horror as long as it's good. And that's one great thing about having discovered kdrama, is that good ratings and reviews on MDL, as well as comments from people on the kdrama subreddit, have gotten me to watch some good things I never thought would interest me. I probably lean more toward the heavyosity bias of Pat because they make me feel and ponder deeply. But I sure love a great rom-com, and those can be thought-provoking, as well. Boy, would I ever love it if they made a new season of Signal. That ending was left very open!