#I miss old school kdrama romcoms

[laylawatermelon]

The K-Drama Of It All

Hello! My hyper fixation has (very unhealthily) latched onto this show so I'm gonna be analyzing.

First of all, I am a veteran in these spaces.

Very shy in real life I am an avid observer in all my fandoms but TRUST I know what's up at all times because of it.

This first analysis will be of the phenomenon of how they playing in my face with the classic K-Drama tropes and cinematic choices.

Let us begin.

Now we all agree that The Bear is a cinematic masterpiece right? Right.

I have been consuming media across all mediums since I was a kid.

I quite literally spent most of my life watching behind the scenes, in front of the scenes, and in between the scenes.

I'm also an aspiring filmmaker and screenwriter. As such I analyze stuff I like more.

I try to understand why they are the way they are.

Now that we got all the fluff out of the way let's get down to the nitty gritty.

*stands on soapbox*

Page 1 of 10000 ehem

In this this essay I will -!

Fr tho. Let's look at this from a K-Drama perspective.

I've spent about 10-12/13 years watching them. And luckily got into it during the golden era.

I literally watched She Was Pretty air (among others). Ex, Strong Woman, Descendants of the Sun (never watched; controversy+ bad attention span), School 2013.

So you know I'm (somewhat) of an og.

I'm those shows it's very formulaic.

This can extend to other Asian dramas but I'm going to try to stick to K-Dramas.

For example, the 10 ep rule. Must have a kiss or kiss in that episode. (Before is fine)

Now they're getting a little willy nilly and getting down in the first EP but I can argue they was down bad back then as well. Just more angsty longing looks.

(which tbf Sydcarm does all the time but it's 99% Carm though)

In KDramas there's something common in the cinematography that I'd call the halo of light. Almost all the time there are some form of beauty shots with them beautifully lit where they're together, the way they look at each other etc.

Which ironically they do with these two a lot on the show.

I know the show is gorgeous but you can't just explain away some of the choices.

I have watched and read a lot of discussions so this will be influenced by a lot of people. I will mention when I got the help from (if i can find it).

Now I just want to say I think this.

These following trope have been here since the dawn of K-Drama time.

Enjoy my infodump.

Firstly let's discuss this here:

1. The Meet Cute/Halo Effect

We've all been screaming to the void about the classic meet cute that happens with Carmy's life and him being constantly bombarded with noise and chaos.

Stylistically this wouldn't be a typical formula for K-Dramas as it leans more into Kmovie style (which valid The Bear was originally a movie) I think it's as textbook as it comes.

Now the original script (which I have read) had a story of different tone. Very Chicago and chaotic but still...

In this iteration of the script idk what the actors were on but JAW looked at the script and chemistry test and was like hmm yes.

A dramatic romcom. I see.

For her she's an ambitious woman who has (maybe a tiny crush) admiration for him cause like he's literally who she wants to be.

Young, talented and successful. He's made a name in their industry so of course she wants to work under him.

But he he's playing the male lead in an early K-Drama with the classic *she enters* and it's like the second coming out Christ being lit from behind her.

The classic 'I can't believe I never noticed how beautiful she is' in all dramas (and romcoms honestly).

You can also compare it to the corny slightly funny moments in slow motion when they miss each other/do the angsty look.

Like this.

Good old kdrama tropes.

What's interesting is that in their scene they do the opposite of what a K-Drama would usually do. They cut the music and let it become calm.

You get to breathe and relax and so does he. He feels at peace.

In K-Dramas, osts are a kind of a life line so they would most likely blare it when he has that realization.

And then at every other romantic moment after.

Another way that it could be is by using very like calm music (still the ost but still).

They do use this with having mostly romantic music in their scenes but it's usually quiet and a bit hard to hear or understand (unless you're analyzing like many of the wonderful people on this app).

Now you can argue her warm lighting in each scene from the finale and introduction represents his hope/life/good change being given back to him in the form of her (but if that's not the most romantic thing I ever heard).

Now for the flashback in the panic attack scene you could argue the blue tone he sees her in, as it usually represents some kind of sadness/distance/professionalism in this show, it can also represent his piercing blue eyes remembering her in the only shade they know how.

Good God that color grading is nuts. His eyes *ARE* the color Blue.

Now I want to talk a bit more about shot composition, color grading and color choices.

In a few interviews I've seen and read the editors, directors and others were quite serious about the shots and music they used were very much on purpose.

I mean come on.

Also Announcement from a novel/screenwriter:

EHEM

WE DON'T EVER INCLUDE NOTHING THAT CAN BE MISINTERPRETED IN SCRIPTS!

AND THE DIRECTOR WOULD DEFINITELY CUT IT IF IT WASN'T HOW HE ENVISIONED IT!

(/hj)

The most telling scenes is the beginning of omlette and the end of the episode before it.

The director had chose to show her tattoo that represents loss in a deep blue lighting which was actually in a similar lighting that Carmy and Claire were bathed in afterwards.

The quora search says it means pain, heartbreak, and emotional turmoil.

It also lines up with the rest of the shots with him preparing dinner with Claire and her being alone.

I believe this kind of represents the emotional cheating (?) going on between them as he practically abandoned her (and their child, The Bear).

(which is a wild choice for platonic coworkers)

As I've said before blue lighting is usually representative of sadness, coldness etc.

In the scene personally even without connecting it to shipping or everything the message came clear to me.

Suffocation.

He was quite literally being suffocated as in the last scene her body was on his as he stared in the distance blankly.

Honestly that shot was kind of heartbreaking because it feels like coercion in a warped way.

He feels like he should be happy, he should participate in these acts, he should be doing well.

He's fulfilling his family's wish.

So why isn't he happy?

That's my writer kicking in but that's what I got from it.

🥲 (gimme a sec i gotta cry)

But the same blue tone was used in his panic attack as the camera zoomed in.

Now the ironic part was that they used warm lighting for the scenes with Claire, but it's not that unusual.

Warm lighting has always been used to also represent a time period in the past in addition to good/warm times.

What's ironic is what's literally colored in what should represent good times isn't working.

He's remembering his family in those same tones. The past isn't helping.

But the future does.

Enter Sydney in blue.

Now blue usually represents sadness (or calm) but it's also used in futuristic scenes.

*They benefit from the cold clinical look i guess🤷🏾‍♀️*

Then he becomes calm.

I can also say that their kitchen scenes in early season 2 are blue coded but it has a calm feeling not a distant feeling. It ironically feel warm and calming despite the cool tone.

This appears in a couple other scenes in the show when he's showing her the work done in the early season.

But color wise it's usually warm tones with them as the color kind of transitions in that scene. It's half half.

His view is warm because he thinks she's good with what he did and hers is cold because he ditched her so yeah.

Now shot wise let's discuss because it's a bit obvious.

The staff head mentioned loving close ups to show the characters emotion but also to convey a sense of what's not being said.

An example of his uncertainty with Claire is the car scene. In most of his shots it's extremely close to her and gives off an awkward vibe.

But when you go to her perspective, she's more open and his shots show background and more of his character, also reflecting their relationship with each other,

This persists with the kitchen scene as well.

When I rewatch it it has that same quality. It's a bit more pulled out (obviously as they literally spent the night together so anyone would feel closer) but there's still an awkward/dreamlike feel like when its on her like she's not quite based in reality.

Or in Carmy's self sabotaging view, too good to be true.

In comparison to Sydney, the shots with her are almost always wide and open.

We see it with them as early in season one with the outside scene where he's staring her down and gets her to open up.

You can argue that almost all of their shots are as equals, or in the same frame with an openness that have/represents when they're communicating with each other. (I'm def writing about their communication)

Sydney's character is ironically what a male lead would be like and Carmy would be more of the female archetype.

Which I really appreciate now that I think about it.

The male lead is usually very successful/good at what they do, hesitant to share but when they do you feel it and know it's sincere. They're usually more bumbly with expressing when they're emotional but when they do its like a huge release. And when they love it's very obvious and excessive at times.

In comparison, Carmy is very expressive, sensitive and aware. He's devoted (Claire sorry but you don't quite count) to things he's passionate about, willing to communicate and has traits of sensitivity.

His eyes and body tells what he's feeling almost immediately. (Also JAW is just an incredible actor)

In Kdrama land their roles would be switched. Hell I can argue some American dramas as well.

Back on topic though.

The Halo Effect is there. Like all the time.

To my next point-

2. The She Looks Away, I Look At Her

Now you may argue this is very Disney Rapunzel, all that coded.

You will also be correct.

I am a Disney (more Nick honestly) kid.

This too applies to the K-Drama world nay I would say it originated there (it did not).

Do you know how many shows I can name where the male lead is just hopelessly in awe as he stared at the female lead because she just insulted him and he wants to tell her he loves her in every way.

Ring ring.

I heard The Bear calling. Yeah imma need you to clock out on this gaslighting.

time to fangirl

Look at the gif sets!

But honestly, it's a common way to show that the character cares and wants a person without outright saying it.

You understand the vibes almost instantly.

He likes her. He wants more.

She likes him. She wants more.

3. Matching Clothes

This one is a simple one but we all know how common it is in K-Dramas to have a matching something.

A good example of a recent show is Extraordinary Attorney Woo, and how they almost always matched even if he was in casual clothing and she was in office clothes.

You're supposed to get a telepathy feel from them. Like they're on the same wavelength.

In ships/shows they usually subconsciously brainwash you into details of a relationship by having them wear or have something that reminds you of them.

In wardrobe, clothing is meticulously planned to match characters financial situation and express their personality. The clothes tell the story.

And the story usually is we go together. Real bad.

So yeah, sure in this scene/episode they were more in tune and tandem and as time went on they became more disjointed.

Granted they do work in a place with uniforms but I digress.

And lastly my third point part II-

Same But Different

If this were a kdrama there'd be like 0.00% chance that they WOULDN'T happen.

First they're the main leads so duh, and second the way that they parallel each other is insane.

There are many edits and examples of them directly mirroring each other in certain situations.

Scrubbing the floors when feeling lonely seemingly in the exact same spot, stressing in the freezer, saying stuff at the same time and their weird telepathy and answering each other's - sandwiches (that's what I was gonna say).

(sorry)

And if any of you say work wife I will rage cause let me catch my man laying under a table like that!!!

Sparta!

But for real, yes there's intimacy and friendship and all that but I ain't everr look at my friends of either gender like that.

If did I probably had feelings and just kept em in. And did the Carmy puppy eyes (TM).

And yes we are aware Carmy is emotionally constipated like a coke bottle filled with mentos with a tight cap on and his lack of a social life coupled with his (many) different mental illnesses/difficulties.

So he probably doesn't even recognize or even want to recognize them as such and honestly as a 4 lifer

I'm really sad but I don't think he'll confess in the next season.

I'm making a post about it but I'm also uncertain about it lasting more than three seasons as thematically and the way it was intended to be a movie I feel kind of uncertain.

It can extend to 4 but it was intended and the way it's narratively been flowing its exactly like a 3 act structure just spread out (like butter).

The next season is after the dark of night aka main character loses everything.

This season was fun and games - quite literally him having amusement and such. (Training Arc!!) It ended with his demise I'd say.

Now there's no where to go but up.

I'm not saying that it's impossible, but a 4th season would likely be more aimed toward getting a star or maintaining a star etc and family ties and such.

That'd be most likely when, if any, outwardly romantic contact should happen.

But they might surprise me.

Butt honestly in KDrama land there's no way the set up isn't romantic even if it was just a chef or professional focused show.

I'd say it'd be standard honestly for ones focused on career with a dash of romance.

Ex. Miss Hammurabi (best example)

The Good Doctor (Japanese Version)

There's probably more but I exclusively watch romance so 🤷🏾‍♀️.

In Conclusion,

Yes. They are end game.

I also wanna say how odd it is that this ship is attacked by fans of the show and non fans alike because I've literally grew up in the age of Rise of The Brave Tangled Guardians.

There's nothing more random than that time period.

They all dated each other!

Like my guy there's a Tony the Tiger x Grinch fic and don't even get me started on the Onceler selfcest as different flavors of himself (/j i love stuff like this)!

My point is it's not that unusual for the two leads to be shipped. Same gender or not.

I also have years of teenage brain rot developed from eating movies for breakfast so I know more than you! (/hj) I'm obviously right!

I will be discussing some more of this in length at a later date.

But I rest my case.

I will retreat into my cave until next time.

[dangermousie]

FL: why is ML not showing for our joint birthday? Does he really not love me?

ML: falls unconscious as he hurries to her because his hereditary usually terminal illness activated.

SML: shows up in Easter colors going “I would like to take care of you.”

Noble idiocy on part of ML incoming in 1…2…

AHHHH I miss you old school kdrama romcoms. I am not being ironic, I miss when about halfway thru a switch flipped and then went into angstville. I think modern kdrama romcom watchers who lost their mind from the mild mild stuff in LND would die of angry shock if they tried old school romcoms. But that is why I loved them and don’t watch modern ones. A lid for every pot and all that and I prefer my pots full of angst.

[dramashii]

A 2022 Recap: My 5 favorite dramas of the year

2022 was an interesting year. I didn’t watch as many dramas as I hoped to have had, so making this list wasn’t as hard as I expected it to be. 

Disclaimer: This list is purely based on my own enjoyment of the show. They come in no particular order. This list is subjective, and will only include dramas that premiered in 2022 or have had their last episode air this year.  

Our Beloved Summer (SBS,Netflix)

“A life without love is like a year without summer.” 

This was absolutely beautiful. The cinematography, the music, and the chemistry between the leads were amazing. Watching this is like watching a movie. It was well-written and poetic. Notwithstanding the fact that I initially found the relationship between the leads toxic, this is actually a really solid romance drama. The characters were able to outgrow these toxic characteristics later on when they were older and gave the viewers a beautiful take on a second chance romance. 

Twenty Five, Twenty One (tvN, Netflix)

This drama taught me what love was. I have never seen a connection between two characters as beautiful as what Na Hee Do and Baek Yijin shared. It’s been 9 months and I still think about them from time to time. 

This drama captured the beauty of youth, first loves, and fighting for your dreams. Definitely was broken hearted with the ending. I didn’t need a happy ending; I just want one that made sense. I felt cheated when I first watched it, but then I realized how this drama literally resurrected me from my drama slump. Sometimes we forget how beautiful something was in the beginning, just because of its ending. The first 3/4 of the drama was definitely a 10. Regardless of how it tied everything, this was definitely one of the best dramas I’ve seen in my entire life. 

Extraordinary Attorney Woo (ENA, Netflix)

This is the best surprise I had this year. I wasn’t really keeping up with the news surrounding this drama nor was I planning on watching it. I just started it on a whim one night and easily fell in love with it.

 Although I love the portrayal of the romance, the real star of the show is the growth of Woo Young Woo as a lawyer. I love how each case she handles ties in with important themes in society. I especially like how this drama highlights the treatment of autistic people, since the titular character is one. You will definitely see how she tries to fit in, in a world where people have so many prejudices against people like her. 

Relevant themes, unique, well-acted and heartwarming. This is definitely one of the best dramas this year. 

A Dream of Splendor (Tencent)

This historical drama filled in what I was looking for in Chinese dramas for so long: a good, solid historical romance.

Well-acted and has a sensible plot. This drama is considerate to the eyes and the brain. I also liked how there is a story outside the romance. The 3 women’s journeys to finding their places in a male-dominated world is to root for. I especially liked each woman had a different personality and at some point, even had different directions in their lives, but they still kept their strong friendship in the end. 

Love Between Fairy and Devil (iQiyi)

The hype is real guys. This is the xianxia drama of the year.

This is straight out like a fairytale. “What happens when the villain falls in love?” Watch him damn the whole world just so he can kiss her one last time. 

The CGI, costumes, music, and the overall aesthetic of this drama was absolutely beautiful. I definitely think this is a good drama to watch as an introduction to the world of xianxia dramas. 

Runner Ups

A Business Proposal (SBS, Netflix)

This definitely reminded me so much of old-school romcom Kdramas which I missed so much. This is cliche done right. It almost has every trope you’ll find often plagued in Kdramas, but this drama did it so well. 

I do wish the ending was different. Definitely a drama to watch if you just want to turn off your brain and watch two most unlikely people fall in love. 

Lighter and Princess (Youku)

Definitely a guilty-pleasure. I really enjoyed the transitions of the relationship of the main couple. They started out as academic rivals, then became co-workers, then friends, then lovers, broke up, met again in a new workplace, became friends again, then got back together. Objectively, it’s not the best drama out there. The second half most especially felt lacking, and I didn’t like the “villain” of the story. Still this drama got me so hooked I bought a Youku subscription.

Maybe it was because of the chemistry between the leads, maybe it was because of Arthur Chen’s dashing looks, or maybe it was the fact that it rekindled my love for bad boys. I can’t pinpoint specifically what made this drama so addictive. But I do know for sure that this is my favorite modern Chinese romance drama of the year. 

[silverbyuls]

( lee hyeri, cis female, muse i ) oh snap! is that SHIN EUNBYUL they work over at high volume where some of the other employees have labeled them as THE AVERAGE JOE. that’s probably because they can be a bit ( optimistic. ) but also pretty ( dishonest. ) they’re TWENTY TWO and they’ve been living in woodstock for TWENTY TWO YEARS. it must be their shift because i totally hear THE CRANBERRIES blasting from the record store. ( a little tikes piggy bank tucked under the bed, clothing label sticking out from the back, snap clips with varnish peeling off, jelly shoes with the strap taped together, leaving lisa frank stickers along record crates ) @volumeupdates

BIO

the luke hemsworth of the family but middle child

goes by byul

tried to go by ‘e.b.’ but her mum went berserk because she’d reduced her name to two letters for the ease of her yt friends and her brother bullied her for being e.t’s ugly sister so now she tries to go by silver star (her name translated into english) but it doesn’t quite stick

claims that her older sister and younger brother stole all her beauty, brain cells and height

family invested everything into older sister so she could go to college in new york: savings, loans, moved to smaller house which is even further from the town centre

brother requires all attention as he has high hopes of getting into college on a baseball scholarship and she lowkey can’t wait until he’s far away from woodstock

her grades have always been average so no one expects her to leave – her parents talk about how nice it is that she’ll be with them forever but she knows that’s because they want her to take care of them when they’re old … which she would! if they didn’t live in woodstock

she tells them she’s going to move to california, but they think she’s as serious about that as she is about wanting to go to college, or becoming supermodel of the world, or an olympic swimmer, when she has average grades, of average height, and can’t even swim

if her life was a movie, she’d have fallen asleep in the first ten minutes – it has always been so boring and uneventful, so she lives up in her head with her fake scenarios to keep things interesting – most of the time, they’re taken straight from a book or magazine

sometimes these thoughts spill over into reality because she can’t fathom the idea of people realising she’s as plain as she is, and her little white lies give her a bit of sparkle to stand out (in her opinion)

but she will get to california!

she even has a plan:

she’s been working at freddy’s diner since she was fifteen, escaping to high volume whenever she can, a place where she can pop her headphones on during her breaks and pretend she’s getting ogled at on venice beach, but she’s terrible at saving so seven years later she’s still grinding

once she graduates high school, she has enough time for a second job and she’d dropped enough hints in front of jerry for him to kindly offer her a job. after all, she spends as much time in high volume as she does at freddy’s so there’s not much of a difference once she becomes an employee -- still floating around the place, sipping on her coke can, either people watching or people chasing -- except now she has access to the register

after a big argument with her parents, she ended up moving out into a place in the middle of town. that was never part of the plan because saving was easier when she lived at home. she’ll say things got really bad but really, she was just getting closer to her target and she wanted a valid reason to put it off for a bit longer

she was only supposed to do it once – stealing from the cash register. it was just right there, no one was around, and she thought it was going to be her last shift because jerry was angry at her for being late again (granted, he hadn’t actually been mad, but it was one of those days when everything felt personal)

besides, she’d overheard a group of girls she’d idolised in school talk about how they stole some underwear and they made it sound so cool

she felt like everyone could hear her heart thumping against her chest as she walked out of the store but the day after, no one said anything about it, no one even noticed, and she wasn’t fired. so she did it again, and again, and again, and eventually she didn’t even bat an eyelid

the extra money was supposed to help her reach her goal faster but, again, she’s terrible at saving and her parents are so hardworking, she can’t help but feel guilty and buy nice things for them every once in a while and when they ask where she got the money from, she lies and says jerry gave her a bonus for being a good employee

on the other hand, if they’ve had an argument, or they’ve forgotten about her again, she’ll have a full on les-mis-i-dreamed-a-dream episode then splurge out on a cute jacket because it’s hers and it’s new! rather than worn out hand-me-downs from her sister or brother!

started her own side hustle called the separation agency – inspired after a customer at high volume asked her to help him break up with his boyfriend. so she’s the messenger for people who have things to say but don’t have the balls to say it to someone’s face themselves. usually they’re horrible messages, like break ups. she’s had like three customers and tries to promote her side hustle whilst on her shift at high volume

she thinks her “business” could actually thrive in a bigger city which is just another reason why she needs to get out of woodstock – it’s holding her back!

anyway, jerry’s missing, which is perfect for her because she gets to come in late and not get told off, and maybe steal a little more than she usually does

PERSONALITY:

when she’s around people, she seems like an extrovert: bubbly, talkative, dramatic ... which uses up a lot of her energy and her social battery is weak, so needs her own space often, and likes doing nothing by herself so sometimes she’ll lie to get out of plans or bail last minute 

she has big dreams, and talks about all her big plans, but has leaving anxiety which is why she’s shit at saving and makes up excuses as to why she can’t leave just yet 

has main character syndrome -- likes to live her life as a romcom, most of her lies revolve around her love life because she wants to be seen as desirable, but also will overanalyse everything 

sensitive, passionate, immature, sympathetic, fickle, clumsy, dramatic, caring, head in clouds

will pretend to knows things to fit in like ~hipster~ bands or anything really, depends on the crowd

could gladly spend all day talking to customers at work then the next day she’ll prefer to day dream in the storage room

rides a bike to and from work and almost everywhere else too -- the only one out of her siblings who had to bike to school because small car and siblings took up all the space -- she’s had the same bike since high school 

loves spice girls but feels like she’ll be judged so keeps quiet and plays it when she’s closing

honestly could hate you one day and have a crush on you the next but you wouldn’t even know it -- a vicious cycle 

collects stickers and leaves them everywhere and on everyone - often passive aggressive through them, basically uses them like emojis

will try to order food and get others to pay for it - especially kfc, never gets to eat the drumsticks at home so will honestly cry if people steal the drumsticks from her

buys lottery tickets and scratch cards because she has a 50/50 chance of winning

WANTED CONNECTIONS: (current connections)

start up: stolen str8 from a kdrama that ruined my life hehe her parents set her up with a pen pal to keep her busy out of guilt because they’re so busy with her siblings and work and obviously she romanticises it !!! her parents would’ve asked to lie a little bit, just so she’d be writing to someone she’d easily obsess over -- love island vc: someone who ticks all the boxes 

xoxo gossip girl: someone who loves a good gossip sesh -- they probably send 👀 at each other across the store when things feel a bit tense, which is code for ‘meet me in the storage room’ so they can chat away for the rest of their shift

lunch stealer: she makes her own lunch every day and is extremely protective over it but one day it went missing and she knows it was them (maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t) so now they are her sworn enemy

sister’s/brother’s friend: therefore an automatic enemy

shut up: someone who just tells her to shut up because she chats so much shit and she’s insane - just sandra x dina vibes from superstore (x)

carpool karaoke: she hates cycling in when it’s raining, so either she’s trying to get them to be her designated driver or has already succeeded and is annoying about it

crush #1: someone she has a crush on (more of an infatuation) and they’re not interested in her in the slightest but in her head they’re giving her mixed signals and she has made up a fake boyfriend to try to make them jealous

crush #2: someone she thinks has a crush on her. either because they’re nice or tease her or just mean, it doesn’t matter, she’s insane so she’ll interpret it however she wants

ex: they never broke up, or even dated, but she thinks something almost happened between them and she thinks she cut things off by giving them space

separation agency: someone who once used the agency either out of the kindness of their heart or for a different reason entirely and now she won’t stop pestering them to try and get them to use it again

no thots just vibes: i just like this gifset tbh (x) and we can brainstorm ! 

[akitohru]

I know literally nothing about kdramas, what are some good starter shows?

well, what kind of shows do you like? romantic comedies, melodramas, crime, horror, fantasy, historical, slice of life, action? for now, i’ll recommend some shows that i like across genres! :)

her private life: a cute romcom about a chief curator of an art museum who secretly has a fansite for an idol (fansite managers go to a lot of events and take pictures of their favorite idol, posting them on twitter/their personal websites for other fans and organize fan events for said idol.) she ends up having to fake date the art museum director after certain rumors come out! a very fluffy and mostly simple show. 

oh my ghost/oh my ghostess: a fantasy romcom with thriller elements. a woman who can see ghosts ends up getting possessed by a ghost who wishes to resolve her grudge of never getting to sleep with anyone. she goes after the mc's boss, a famous chef who the mc has a crush on. as time goes on, the ghost begins to discover that her grudge isn't as simple as it seems, having more to do with her untimely death than she thought.

signal: a fantasy crime thriller. a criminal profiler finds a walkie-talkie that transcends time, letting him communicate with a detective from 1989. together, they help each other solve cold cases and prevent some crimes from taking place in the first place. there is one strange thing though, the detective from 1986 has been missing for 15 years and the detective the mc works under has been searching for him ever since. what happened to him?

healer: an action romance. the male lead works as an illegal night courier who works under the alias healer. he is known to be the best in his field, having many people wanting to catch him and put him behind bars one day. the female lead is a reporter from a second-rate tabloid news website who is interested in healer and ends up being targeted by him on the order of a client who wishes to get information on her birth parents. the client, a famous journalist at a major broadcast station, seeks to uncover the truth concerning a decades-old incident involving five friends who ran an illegal pro-democracy broadcasting station. this is my favorite drama!

crash landing on you: a romcom with melodrama and action elements. it's a recent drama that has attracted a lot of attention and has gotten many people into kdramas. i personally liked it, but the subject matter is a bit controversial. due to a storm that occurs while she is paragliding, a south korean heiress accidentally crash lands in north korea. there, she comes across a north korean solider who helps her hide and tries to get her back home. the romance is sweet and the story keeps you interested, but some of plot points are far-fetched (as you can tell by the premise lol) and there are plot holes too. my advice is just don't take it too seriously. there is a reason it's so popular.

just between lovers: a romance melodrama about two people who were in the same shopping mall collapse when they were younger and are both traumatized by the incident. in the present, the female leads works as someone who makes architecture models and the male lead works different manual labor jobs. one day, it is announced that there will be a new construction project taking place at the accident site. the two end up involved with the construction project and get to know each other. as time goes on, they slowly begin to come together and heal. a very sweet, sad, and real drama. probably my favorite drama after healer.

the reply/answer me series: in this series, there are three shows: reply 1997, reply 1994, and reply 1988. you can watch them in any order and don’t have to watch all of them to get the full story. sometimes, characters from the other ones will make cameos, but they aren’t important to the story. they are all coming of age romcoms. reply 1997 is about a group of friends in high school, reply 1994 is about a group of people who become friends in college after living in the same share house, and reply 1988 is about another group of friends in high school that live in the same neighborhood and have all known each other from a young age. they are generally funny shows, but they all also discuss the topic of growing up and have some other pretty relatable, tear-jerking topics. the characters and the relationships between them are mostly really well-written and developed. my personal favorite is reply 1988. i love reply 1997, but i don't have any real strong feelings for 1994. it isn't bad, but, when compared to the other two, it's not very outstanding.

age of youth/hello my twenties: a slice of life with mystery elements. it’s about a group of college-aged girls who live in the same share house. the show discusses many relatable topics and also has mysteries that keep you hooked. one of my top favorites!

welcome to waikiki: a comedy drama with romance elements. it is about a group of friends who live in the same guesthouse whose lives change when a single mother and her baby end up living with them. a very fun and sometimes sweet show!

come and hug me: a romance melodrama that is also a crime thriller. the female lead's parents were brutally murdered by a serial killer who is the father of the male lead. they were each other's first loves and were ripped apart due to this incident. later on, they reunite, the female lead a rookie actress and the male lead a detective. they are both still very much in love with each other but also still suffering from the incident. this show discusses the topics of: is evilness inherited or a choice and do children deserve to suffer for their parents' mistakes? it is a very sweet, sad, healing, and thrilling drama.

my id is gangnam beauty: a coming of age romance. the female lead undergoes plastic surgery after years of ridicule and bullying. now in college, she's still self-conscious but is generally treated well. though, there are still some people who ridicule her for obviously having had plastic surgery done. there, she meets the male lead who she knew back in middle school. he is popular but uninterested in his popularity. they slowly get to know each other and develop feelings for each other. although the premise of the show may seem shallow, it is not. it discusses beauty standards in depth and is very tasteful about it. the male lead is respectful and very sweet despite his stoic nature.

i didn't mention where to watch these because where you can watch them depends on your region, but you can find kdramas on these websites/streaming platforms: netflix, viki, hulu, (us hulu doesn't have many though.) viu, kocowa, dramacool, dramanice, myasiantv. (watch out for viruses and pop-ups on the last three though. i recommend getting a pop-up blocker and adblock.)

[gizkasparadise]

Kdrama review: Shopping King Louis

Master Kdrama rec list.

Series: Shopping King Louis Episodes: 16 (~1hr each) Genres: Romance, Comedy, some Workplace Spoilers in the Review: Nope! If You Like, You’ll Like: Ouran High School Host Club, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, Confessions of a Shopaholic Rank: 10/10

“When was the most memorable moment for you?” “Right now.”

The Premise.

Shopping King Louis follows Kang Ji Seong, aka “Louis,” a chaebol heir who loses all of his memories in a car accident. He is found wandering the streets by Go Bok Shil, a country girl who’s made her way to Seoul to try and find her missing brother. Together, they try to survive the big city, find Bok Shil’s brother, and recover Louis’s missing memories. It reminds me of Ouran High School Host Club, but in reverse (absurdly sheltered and rich kid tries to blend in with normal human beings), and with some MYSTERIOUS INTRIGUE thrown in.

Characters. There’s four mains, all of them INCREDIBLY DELIGHTFUL. Our title character...

Kang Ji Seong / “Louis”. The aforementioned chaebol heir who loses his memory, prior to his accident, Louis is known around the world as “The Shopping King” due to his incredible retail game. As a certified Lonely Rich Kid™, he uses internet shopping to fill the emotional void. He joins many other Kdrama leads in the Amazing Tracksuit Club 

#walkwalk, #fashionbaby

Louis is THE MOST PRECIOUS. He’s so damn cute they animate puppy features onto him. Adorable, clueless, and a fashionista, he does what he can to help make Bok Shil’s life better (which, sometimes, makes it worse). Confused, bewildered, and stumbling around as a Rich Kid of Instagram discovering instant coffee for the first time, the character makes you want to get him a cashmere blanket and a Godiva hot chocolate. Help him.

Then we have...

Go Bok Shil. Incredibly earnest and adorable, Go Bok Shil has spent most of her life in the remote, rural country and is therefore illiterate with technology at the beginning of the drama. She comes to Seoul to find her younger brother, who has left the countryside in favor of the city.  Resourceful and scrappy, she learns quickly and does her best to navigate rapidly changing waters while working with Louis. Everytime she smiles a daisy blooms. Everytime she chases down an old woman who stole her shit an angel gets its wings. Look, her name literally means fluffy [ Elvis Costello’s “She” plays in the background ].

Our Second Lead Dude:

OSKA Director Cha Jong Woon. Director of merchandising at the online shopping company that Bok Shil eventually works for. He is aggressively not here for everything while simultaneously wearing a cravat and tiny, colored sunglasses. Dabs. A total grump who is actually a super nice guy to both Louis and Bok Shil, and gets a crush on the latter. Loves a good profit. Clears his throat and walks away whenever he is unhappy with the situation those two wacky drifters put him in.

Rounding out the mains, we have

Baek Ma Ri. Marie, get it? :D Louis’s childhood frenemy, who develops a one-sided crush on Louis because he’s going to inherit a shit ton of money and power. Not as bad as that summary just made her sound. Gets stuck on wacky and terrible roadtrips with Bok Shil and Louis’s downstairs neighbor. Works at the same marketing department as Bok Shil and Director Cha.

 ----

Review.

This is the perfect show if you want a RomCom. Like, perfect. The leads are adorable together, and the second lead dude is respectful and nice for the entire drama. I had a derpy smile on my face the whole time I watched it.

Drawbacks

-None.

-Okay, j/k. This is a Romcom at its heart, so if you’re looking for something with a meaty plot this might not be for you. It’s troperiffic in the best way, with a few, light twists to make it interesting but it’s not intense in terms of plot-driven storylines

-I wanted more with Ma Ri. Of the four, she got the least attention and I was hoping we would get a little more focus on her than what we did. Her storyline didn’t feel resolved to me

Reasons to Watch

-FLUFF. This is the fluffiest show I’ve ever watched. There are a few sad moments tied in for the #dramz, but overall this is just ridiculous cute and adorable. Perfect for if you’re feeling sick or having a rainy day

 -COMEDY. I legit laughed out loud nearly every ep. For those that don’t know me, I don’t emote. So that’s a triumph in itself. The Rich Kid Out Of Water trope is one of my favorites, and the show executed it perfectly. The super-imposed animations and soundtrack cuts (“She” by Elvis Costello in particular) totally had me rolling

-The romance! Seo In Guk (Reply 1997, Master’s Sun) and Nam Ji Hyun (Suspicious Partner) are hilarious and adorable and you’re rooting for both of them the whole way through. There’s also a background pairing between Louis’s butler and his grandmother’s maid, who used to be a gang leader known as THE HAMMER OF BUSAN that is so A+++

--

 Ridiculously cute and hilarious, I def rec Shopping King Louis!

[dramashii]

Against my better judgment, I watched the first 3 episodes of Big Mouth rather than do my backlogs. Objectively it’s a good drama: fast-paced, well-budgeted, and interesting. I can genuinely see this become something great if it stays consistent, and if the mystery unravels really well. But honestly, heavy dramas like this have never been something I gravitated towards to. I have mainly chosen to watch this because of Lee Jong Suk. By default, I always check out his dramas. 

I have watched dramas of similar genre in the past, but I wouldn’t say that I picked them up just because I was craving to watch a thriller or a mystery. Usually it’s because of an actor or an actress, or because of the buzz surrounding it. I have always considered myself more of a romcom girl.

I have gotten into my drama-watching hobby because of Korean drama romcoms. You Who Came from the Stars, Master’s Sun, Princess Hours, The Greatest Love, Lovers in Paris, Full House, Secret Garden; they have been part of the Kdrama-watcher starter pack when I was just starting to get into Kdramas, and I love them: cliche, flawed, ridiculous and all. I have enjoyed them.

Don’t get me wrong, the quality, production, and the plot of Kdramas these days are 100 times much better than they have been in the past. They have become more socially-aware, and they frequently integrate topics that are more relevant in today’s time. This is important because we need diversity in television.

But I can’t help miss the days when romcoms use to rule the Kdrama scene. Yes, the time when the rich man always falls in love with the poor undeserving woman; the time when a series of absurd events lead a man and a woman to be in close proximity with each other (bonus points if it’s forced cohabitation), or the time when fake dating always almost lead to a happily ever after. They can be problematic, some might not have even aged well if analyzed in today’s context, but I miss the silliness and exaggeration of it all. 

Thought-provoking dramas are great but sometimes I just want to turn off my brain and watch the most unlikely people fall in love through the most unlikely and out-of-this world events. They just don’t make dramas like those anymore. I miss it so much. 

[dangermousie]

Oooh, I missed you, angsty shower scene!

You can tell this was made in 2018 because they don’t make them this way any more, more’s the pity.

So, one ep into So I Married an Anti-Fan, and it’s such a total throwback delight! And not just because the male lead is Kwon Sang Woo level enjoying his shower.

I’ve made no bones that I find kdramas less and less to my taste as Netflix money pours in and they Westernize to chase the Western audience (probably to replace the formerly lucrative Chinese market that is now barred to them.) If I want Western-type shows, I will just watch many many boring American or British shows out there. I got into kdramas back in 2006 and I miss those types of dramas. Very few kdramas made after 2017/2018 or so ping it for me.

But because this one is so old (it was on the shelf forever for some reason), this one works! It reminds me of old-school kdrama romcoms, back when I didn’t think romcom was a dirty word because they worked for me. 

Anyway, this is DELIGHTFUL and I say it as a cranky, old “get off my lawn” fandom old.

[dangermousie]

Yay you're watching Miss Crow with Mr. Lizard! I'm not too sure about how you'll feel about this drama though because based on the trailer there isn't too much angst but for me just from me watching the trailer I think I'll love it. I'm not sure how many episodes you watched but can you tell me if there is a love triangle? I hate those so hoping that trope is dead in this drama lol

There is enough angst for me! Dude has a mechanical heart that is about to fail AND he can’t feel strong emotion or he’d be in danger. Oh, and she’s the only one who can touch him without being electrocuted when his pulse rate goes up.

I mean, it’s a romcom and so it doesn’t have the same level of angst I desire from e.g., my xianxia romance. But it has a good amount of angst for a romcom - think old school kdrama which this reminds me of.

There is some love triangle stuff with one of his employees liking ML and childhood friend liking FL but neither is at all interested and those secondaries are not particularly pushy. Tbh, I ff through most not ship stuff so I am not even sure what is going on with them :)

I watched ten eps out of 36 so far and it’s all quite enjoyable.

[dangermousie]

Is there anything about previous kdramas (say Pre-2013) that you miss, some good element that you don't see in the current ones? Personally, I like how the dramas have begun to give a woman more agency and broken stereotypes (hotel del luna), less noble idiocy cases, more solid plots, more functional relationships. I ask because the local dramas in my country are regressing back to the "pure heroine" and girl-on-girl hate that I thought we had finally shifted away from.

I miss a lot of things, I prefer older dramas actually.

I am SO not the girl to go to for love of functional relationships. I love them fucked up and dysfunctional. I enjoy noble idiocy when well done (true with any trope that gives me angst.) I do like more types of female characters but honestly at least in sageuks you could always find strong women so that wasn’t an issue per se for me though it’s always good to have modern dramas join the bandwagon. As to solid plots, I think the ratio of well-written to badly-written is about the same nowadays. Honestly, I wonder if the issues you mention are most pertinent to romcoms which is my least favorite genre so I don’t watch much of them.

This said, things I miss:

* Serious proper sageuks. More and more they are tongue and cheek or youth sageuks. Some of us adults actually don’t want to watch modern people playing dress-up and cutesy teen romcoms with hanboks, but something nice and adult. Also, there are less and less of ANY.

* Proper melo. Very few good, adult, dark melos are being made. Could Something Happened in Bali, Tree of Heaven or A Love to Kill be made today? The answer is no. I want dark and tragic tales about people too dysfunctional to get a happy ending but for me to want it anyway. Same goes even for more "pure” tale traditional melos like Spring Waltz or Snow Queen.

* A certain degree of earnestness is gone. You don’t need to be cute and riffing and tongue-in-cheek and “we are too cool for school” all the time. That is what I first fell for - the heart - and a lot of dramas think they are too modern for it.

* In some aspects, kdramas resemble Western shows more and more. That’s fine but I don’t like Western shows. The one thing you can always say for jdramas is that don’t give a hoot what anyone outside of Japan wants to watch; they make it for a Japanese audience and that’s it. Kdramas are more and more made to appeal to Hallyu audience all around the world and ask Hollywood how bland and homogenous you end up making you product when you try to appeal to everyone. 

Honestly, I prefer pre-2013 kdramas to post-2013 ones because my personal narrative preferences align with them more. There is a reason I shifted more and more to period cdramas as things go on. It doesn’t mean newer ones are inferior in any way, it’s just my tastes are pretty old-school. I mean, I prefer Victorian novels to modern ones also :)

[dangermousie]

Extraordinary You - final thoughts

Warning - this is longer than Trumpet Creeper’s Kyung’s hair.

Wow. Wow. I never thought a drama this high concept (aw, satiric high school romcom? How about a mindbending, parable-like take on religion and philosophy and free will and sense of self and existence after death instead) could ever ever stick the landing. After all, something like W Two Worlds did not (I loved W but the ending was not on par with the rest.) But it did, and it is that incredibly rare perfect drama in which I would change nothing. 

Honestly, the whole story could be viewed as a meditation of the meaning of existence, with the author standing in for your deity of choice; not a benevolent deity many religions picture, sure, sometimes actively malevolent against those that disobey - the drama plain text admits that the author punishes those like Haru that try to challenge the divine plan, but that is not that uncommon in a number of religions. 

And the end, with its giant no exit - just an endless circle of being in other stories or put away and dead entirely - comes across as surprisingly hopeful despite the bleakness because I think what EY told me (and I fully understand it is different for everyone) is that control and permanence and existence are all fleeting and illusory, sure. But then, all you can do is live enjoying your today to the utmost, and love and free will and self-knowledge as much as you can get of it, is the sole light in a bleak, cruel, irrational world and is worth everything. 

Haru and Dan Oh, the ultimate fighters, cannot escape the cursed reincarnation circle and the worlds of the stories; but what they can do is try to change it as much as they can and to never ever give up and fight for their self-determination and their right to be together; even if it is ultimately futile and ends in erasure every time, the meaning of their life, the worth of their life is in that love and in that fight. 

And I love that they take even the limitations imposed and persist through them - remember the whole question of whether the scenes and words repeat because it’s their own or the author’s? Dan Oh’s take was the incredible that it is not the author - that they remember it from story to story because that is what they really felt and wanted to express to each other but couldn’t. She has taken all the existential insanity and decided she is a person and her wants are her own and not the narrative’s.

But of course, the capricious deity punishes Haru and punishes Dan Oh by taking him away, by not letting them stay together until the last page (though that “1 year away” is largely illusory imo - I am pretty sure the bulk of that year was “skipped.”) The scene with the lights going out, and Haru and Dan Oh, clinging, knowing the end has come, and Haru telling her she was his beginning and end and to call him by his name (so it would be the last thing he hears) is - I am freaking crying at the keyboard now.

And her name is the last thing he says in this existence.

And he is gone and she is left trying to grab his floating name tag. 

The thing with the names though is very important in other than a purely romantic sense. Their names is the one unchanging thing from one world to the next; even when the author does not name them, they get the same names - give them to each other or themselves. Because the name is such a sense of basic self, basic identity. Look at the scene with the Squid Fairy and the Court Lady, which also pulled every last heartstring - names are brought up again.

But of course, their time together is all so brief because the world ends in a few minutes and we do not see them in the new story. I am glad they got this one happy memory to erase the previous horror but still - so little, so fragile, so gone. But Squid Fairy and Court Lady are on the opposite side of the spectrum from Haru and Dan Oh, who will fight and fight and fight forever, no matter the odds or the risks or the outcomes. These two have accepted these worlds and these controls and the limitations and believe it is futile to fight; but the tragedy is they cannot keep their zen fully - they still love and miss each other, they still care for others. 

Haru and Dan Oh have created their own meaning in the arbitrary, cruel, impermanent world and that meaning is each other; to seize the brief moments of happiness as they come and grab on to free will even if it is punished, even if they never know whether, once this world ends, they will get another world or another chance (but hey, that’s normal life too - nobody has a certainty about the after of death.) That is why they can continue on through sheer will, why Haru literally forced his way into the story, why they remember; they do not accept defeat. But Squid Fairy and Court Lady have tried to go to the other extreme of powerless acceptance and I can get that choice. 

You know what has just occurred to me - in addition to fate, divine and free will, the other thing this drama addresses the concept of soul mates. The concept of someone destined by the fate for you is one many people find very appealing. But this drama posits that the true soulmate is one you affirmatively choose yourself. Because the technical soulmates here are pairs that the author puts together like Kyung and Dan Oh, and it shows not just potential incompatibility but the fact that if you do not know the love is based on true free choice, it lacks appeal. But when it’s based on genuine connection and love, it can transcend deity and worlds and the end of them all. 

The ending is as hopeful as it gets in this bleak world - Haru and Dan Oh as extras and thus free to do their own thing in a benevolent enough world - college setting. When they find each other, and of course the names are again their talisman, it’ s amazing. (And they are allowed to be at least a little older though one of the horrors is that they will never really get a choice to grow old together or have a long life - many short ones is what they get. Not that everyone wants a silver wedding anniversary and 2.5 children, but the fact that they never get that choice is awful.)

But the dark underpinning never goes away either - they are still puppets of an uncaring, and sometimes actively malevolent, deity. And we do not see Kyung or Squid Fairy or Court Lady or Juda or Do Hwa - reminding us of the fact that the world ends and you may never be pulled out of the box again, be dead forever or inserted into an insane suffering set up or whatever. 

Now to get to the other characters and strands:

* It’s surprising how OK I ended up being with Kyung in light of my earlier feelings for him. He really did get better, the more liberated from the authorial straight jacket he’s become. He wasn’t perfect (he clearly had Haru’s notebook but did not give it to Dan Oh; either because Haru didn’t want him to or because he wanted to keep it, who knows) but he was miles from the old Kyung. His face as he saw the end coming will haunt me.

* I know some people were unhappy with the resolution of the Do Hwa - Juda - Nam Joo story but I loved it. Maybe Juda would have picked differently if she knew the happy ending was an illusion and all that faces them is a possible eternity of nothingness or a new storyline entirely, at the moment of “triumph.” But maybe not. Unlike her stage counterpart, it’s clear that the real Juda is practical to the marrow of her bones, not prone to throwing the world away for love, and also what she really thrives on is being needed, being the one who saves and defends and is the leader in the relationship. She was never going to have that with Do Hwa, despite his gentleness. But with oblivious to the narrative to the last page Nam Joo she can have that - she can have someone who loves and needs her more than she loves and needs them, she can defend him and lead and be the boss (when she gave him a money balancing allowance book and he meekly took it, it all made so much sense.) This said, her joke about dating the boys on alternate days wasn’t as much of a joke as it was supposed to be. I could see her being the boss, money maker, polyamorous girl pretty easily. It would have been cool.

* I am pretty sure Kyung’s stepbrother/half-brother was in love with him in Trumpet Creeper - the way he talked about him in TC, the way he wanted to stay by him until the end, explicitly comparing it to Dan Oh and Haru, screams silent love to me (which adds another level of horribleness to the reincarnation/memory wipe concept here and in reality - in some of these endless worlds, people who loved each other might end up being family, even.)

Anyway, this is now my n1 kdrama of all time.

[dangermousie]

Dramas Being Watched Over Here This Week

The Beauty Within  (Korea; complete, binge) - I got three eps left and, as anyone looking at this tumblr for more than five minutes can tell, I am beyond obsessed with this drama. It puts me into a permanent swoon because of the OTP and the angst and the way the hero loves the heroine to such a negation of self (unhealthy, sure. What I want in fiction? Hell yeah.)

Catch the Ghost (Korea; airing, Monday/Tuesday) - this continues to be cute though I probably like it less than anyone in the entire fandom (I like it but don’t find it memorable)

Chocolate (Korea; airing, Friday/Saturday) - melllow melo, some angst (but not too much) and actors I love. This isn’t as intense as Lee Kyung Hee can get but more of her softer toned mood pieces (think Will It Snow On Christmas instead of Nice Guy) but I am charmed. 

Haechi  (Korea; complete, binge) - I am on ep 8 of 24 and it’s smart and passionate and just a good old school sageuk.

Joy Of Life (China, airing) - a cracky period fantasy about the usual rebellion against the emperor blah blah blah but surprisingly light in tone. Too light for my usual tastes, tbh, but I am keeping with it for now.

Pinocchio  (Korea; complete, binge) - once I finish Beauty Inside, this one is my next contemporary kdrama binge. I watched it ages ago and loved it but never finished and I’ve been missing Lee Jong Suk (not enough to watch Romance Is a Bonus Book - I like my LJS suffering, not romcomming; only romcoms I dig are ones like the Beauty Inside, which have a train load of angst in there.) I can’t wait! It’s been so long I am just going to restart from scratch.

Psychopath Diary  (Korea; airing, Wednesday/Thursday) - black comedy at its very best, that somehow manages to make me care for the meekest of the meek Dong Sik who mistakenly decides he is a serial killer and tries to implement that destiny with hilarious gusto.

Royal Nirvana (China, airing) - you want bleak? We got a gallon sized gulp of depression right here. You want smart? Come right in. Intense? Ditto. This story of the beleaguered crown prince, played impeccably by Luo Jin, is everything I watch period cdramas for. 

Six Flying Dragons  (Korea; complete, binge) - I am on ep 5 and this is smart and history heavy and has a hell of a cast and is all about the rise of Bang Won but also a lot of other characters and if you love history, or sword fights, or complicated characters, or tortured men, or strong women, or hell, really, if you have a pulse, just watch this. 

V.I.P. (Korea; airing, Monday/Tuesday) - someone really really wanted to do a French novel as a kdrama. I give them points for managing to take a single plot point (is the heroine’s husband cheating? with whom?) and last it eight eps, but honestly, I just want to know already and if it wasn’t for my love of morally compromised fictional relationships and completely irrational lust for Lee Sang Yoon’s beyond repressed character, I’d probably bail.