3GGG

Thank you very much for reading and your kind words! Glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you very much for choosing this one as your first article, I'm glad you enjoyed it! If you like this one, I think you might also enjoy the 2nd Part of this series and/or my Popular Visual Cues series, which might add to your appreciation of K-dramas and how they're directed :).

Thank you for checking out Part one as well! Glad you enjoyed it!

Indeed. I've actually been using the "age gap" tag considering only the character's age and whether the "age difference" was a factor called out by the show. But once I saw the data, it dawned on me how differently people use the tags. So it was quite an interesting experience trying to figure out things lol.

I agree. I like specific tags because it allows me to search dramas through the filter option or even avoid dramas. A "weak female lead" for example, is a show I won't bother with. Though, interestingly enough, as it'll become apparent in Part 3, the "weak female lead" tag is hardly every used!

Thank you very much for reading, glad you enjoyed it!

Indeed, you can probably tell that I gave more info regarding the "Cohabitation" tag than the rest and that's precisely because once I got into the data, I was appalled at how many times the FL was portrayed in a real crisis. I picked one per year, but there are so many more, it's saddening!

Yes, I left all the Rich Male/Poor Female data for the last part, which I've yet to start writing. But that one yielded a lot of interesting results (if not surprising).

I've heard good things about "Misty" but I haven't gotten around to watching that one yet. So many dramas, so little time!

As to the Childhood Connection, I agree that it shouldn't be so overused. I value "choice" over ideas of "fate", after all. So I always feel bummed out when two characters fall in love and everything's good, then we get the "but they knew each other as children!" because that means it's "fate" not "choice."

I agree. I think that the introduction of "fate" as a driving force for romance diminishes the beauty of the characters "choosing" to be together. It's like telling us the characters have no say in the matter because it had been determined by a higher force way way before. -_-

Thank you for reading! I agree with you on both points. It's very rare when we see a ML weaker or more vulnerable than the FL, but those shows stand out precisely because of how rare they are.

Some that come to mind where a ML relies emotionally on the FL which you may enjoy:
> "Mask"
> "Big Issue"
> "My Absolute Boyfriend" (currently airing)
> "Are you Human Too?"
> "Chicago Typewriter" | this applies to their present life.
> "Come and Hug Me"
> "Kill me Heal Me"

That said, I also agree that the reason why we don't see more "weak MLs" (or "poor MLs for that matter!) is because of the sexist way in which romance has been portrayed. A weak woman saved by a strong man is a tale as old as time. A strong woman saving a weak man is often regarded as a writer emasculating a man. Which is horrible, because then we get into unhealthy territory. Telling a man they shouldn't cry, for example, because "that's for girls". Or showing that if they don't have their lives figured out and they are successful, then they are worthless.

These type of message and pressure actually gave rise to what psychologist have defined as "Hikikomori" --> is a psychological condition which makes people shut themselves off from society, often staying in their houses for months on end. There are at least half a million of them in Japan. And, not surprisingly, MOST of the Hikikomori are men.

Aw, thank you, @Lua!

>A mirror
Yeah, we must always remember that things we may find unbelievable in dramas might actually mirror the realities of their target audience. I remember I had to go check out the working culture of South Korea through articles after I noticed patterns in the dramas. That's how I found out that SK is known for their very toxic working cultures. So "abuse in the workplace" is a tag that may be popping out in many shows for a reason.

>Main characters
Well, the way I see it, a few times we really do get two main characters. But at times, I feel we actually have 1 main character (most often male) and the main female character taking more of a support role. But since she's the "main female" I feel everyone's gotten used to calling her FL. Given how much I struggle to remember names from Korean shows, it works out because everyone should understand who I mean if I used FL/2FL or ML/2ML.

So, for example, in "City Hunter" you get two main characters: the ML and his adoptive father. The FL, however, is relegated to a support character. Meanwhile in shows like "Voice" and "Kill It" both ML and FL have equal relevance to the story, which makes them true co-leads.

>Romance + FL's perspective
Unfortunately, I feel most of the times, the show starts out relying more heavily in the FL's perspective, but slowly moves away and focuses entirely on the ML's perspective after the halfway mark. So FL often end up relegated to a support/cheerleader role while the ML does everything. There are exceptions and I tend to rate those exception much higher for this reason. Like for example "Lawless Attorney".

Also, thank you for reading AND helping gather all the data!

Indeed, I felt that the ML stole the show because rather than the story focusing on the Pinocchio aspect, they focused on the ML getting revenge. So the FL lost a lot of relevance as the story progressed and was eventually sidelined into a "cheerleader" position. It's my one peeve about that show, because otherwise it's great!

I tried watching "Shopping King Louis" but I put it on hold after the first episode, lol. I really need to finish it. I hadn't heard about "You are my Pet", is it a drama you'd recommend (since it has such a low rating here)?

"Pinocchio" is an interesting case. Because while he does start out in crisis, he is also a child at the time, so it never feels out of norm. Then he gets adopted by the FL's grandfather, BUT the FL and her father also move in with the grandfather because of money related issues. So they are both taken in, in a way, which makes them equal.

Not only that, but later on he does grow independent by finding a job and moving out. You could say he held slightly more power than the FL because she was unable to lie, which means she was at a disadvantage. Not to mention, he did excel more than her at his company. But I'm nitpicking. Overall, even if the ML stole the show (FL lost relevance as the show progressed), the writers at least wrote a pretty balanced relationship between them.

I'd say if you're looking for a reverse situation with a great outcome, look no further than "Big Issue". It has it all. FL is the ML's Boss. FL is NOT in crisis while ML is. FL is successful while ML fell out of fame. FL helps the ML out. And, what's even better, is that the show culminates in both characters becoming equal rank and equal partners.

Also, thank you for reading!

Thank you for reading, I'm glad you enjoyed it! :)

Thank you for reading, Poia! Indeed, I was expecting both "Office Romance" and the "Boss/Employee" relationship tags to yield higher numbers. I suspect many older shows haven't been tagged, though. And yes, childhood connection might also be higher but perhaps had gone un-tagged. I suspect we will see higher numbers if we only consider the last two or three years of tags, perhaps.

Thank you for reading, Neel!

A compiled list of cohabitation dramas might be interesting, though perhaps filtered through a single year or maybe a comparison between 2018-2019, because I doubt I've seen all the dramas with this plot device. Though I suspect we might all end up depressed lol.

I actually haven't seen that many single parent kids dramas. Though it would be interesting to compare how writers tackle a "single mom" vs a "single dad", wouldn't it?

Sometimes the connection can be introduced in a way that elevates the story (like with "Kill me, Heal me" and "Come and Hug Me". Unfortunately, at other times I feel like the connection is unnecessary.

Also, thank you for reading!

Thank you for reading. Yes, save for four dramas, that certainly seems to be the case!

Thank you for reading and a very interesting point regarding the tags! I hadn't considered the fact that "Childhood Friend" would've been a tag created one year prior to "Childhood Acquaintance". Kinda makes me wish there was a date to each tag!

The biggest problem with the tags when trying to find numbers ended up being how many tags meant the same thing but worded differently. So then you had dramas with both tags, dramas using one tag and dramas using another tag. So it created more work when I was checking to see how many dramas in total were using the tag.

So, for example: "warm woman/cold man" and "warm woman cold man" --> basically the same, but people could just add one, the other or even both. I also encountered: "Cheerful woman" and "Cheerful girl". Not to mention that the system seems to recognize upper caps as a different thing, so some tags were exactly the same save for the fact that one used upper caps and the other didn't. -_-

Also, agree with using the tags as filters. As you mentioned, it’s the only reason why I'm even adding them. So people could filter through the tags and get a list of shows rather than ask in the forums (though I still go into the forum and recommend lol).

Thank you very much for reading, @Penel! I agree with both of your points, unfortunately. I enjoyed cohabitation dramas as much as the next gal, but once I took a hard look at them, the different ways writers handle the plot device when it came to female leads was very depressing.

Even "Hello Monster" showed the preference to keep the ML in control to a certain extent. When the ML seeks "refuge" in the FL's house, he does so in his own terms, reminding her she "owes him" and basically making himself at home. When later on the FL seeks "refuge" in the ML's house, it's because someone attacked her and trashed her place. She's invited to stay because she's vulnerable and feels unsafe. So, as much as I love the show, that feels very unfair.

Agree with the childhood connection and I suspect missing tags are to blame. It'll be interesting to see how much the number grows once 2019 is over. Because, as I mentioned above, just considering the romance dramas aired and added to MLD in 2019, the childhood connection jumped to 27% (and we're only halfway through the year!)!

Thank you for reading! Indeed, I was surprised the Boss/Employee and Office Romance weren't higher. I am curious, however, to see how those numbers will shape once 2019 ends. I might try to tackle a "overview" article just comparing the numbers between 2018 and 2019 to see the differences/trends.

I think the only two Cohabitation shows I've watched which I haven't liked are:
1. Noble, my Love | because of how glaringly unhealthy the situation and the relationship they build was.
2. Love in Sadness | because the FL was caught between two men who pretty much held her life in their hands. It never settled down well with me. Though I admit, the antagonist/2ML was the real star for the show and the only reason one would/should watch it.

I do tend to tag the childhood connection even if it's a twist by using the spoiler tags. On that note, just went and checked "Her Private Life" and it does have the "Childhood Friends" tag. Which makes sense that it's not marked as a spoiler given that can also refer to the FL and her best friend and adoptive brother.

On that note, as I commented down below, so far 55 Romance Dramas have aired in 2019. From those 12 have been tagged with "Childhood Friends", which is a whopping 21%. Only 4 have been tagged with "Childhood Acquaintance" and none with "Childhood Love".

So, in all, 15/55 Dramas (because one drama had two tags) have a childhood connection related tag. That's 27% percent of the Romance Dramas added to MDL in 2019!

You should see me trying to figure out that math aspect, lol. It certainly was even harder because the numbers kept changing per day, as people tagged or edited dramas. Still, I'm glad you enjoyed it and I thank you for reading! :D

Hi Anacouver! Thank you for reading the article! Indeed, I've always been sadden by how most shows handle the cohabitation aspect, because I'm always keeping an eye on the power balance between the main leads (whether that be in romance or without; though I pay extra attention with the former).

I believe the only show I've seen with a reverse situation is "Big Issue". The ML in that show was shown in a highly desperate situation (homeless + with alcohol addiction + no support). While the FL has a stable job, some support (though she mostly keeps to herself) and she's successful. She helps the ML out by hiring him and getting him a place (though he doesn't move in with her). Eventually, however, the ML grows and becomes independent. To the extent that he ends up becoming the FL's boss, but she negotiates things so they become equal partners (co-CEOs). And the last two points are almost NEVER seen when the FL starts out as the ML's employee. So :(

The OST is fantastic!