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  • Gender: Female
  • Location: Brussels, Belgium
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  • Join Date: January 30, 2023
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Ariane aka RiriLaRoro

Brussels, Belgium

Hi & Welcome everyone !

This is the journey of an extraverted INFP girl into Dramaland...


How this addiction (let's call a spade a spade !) started:

Beginning of September 2022, I was experiencing a major slump on Netflix. Despite an endless list of series and movies on my -already huge- watchlist, nothing was tempting me.
A few weeks prior, a friend had recommended a South Korean show called "Crash Landing On You". I wasn't really convinced (back then I was almost exclusively a fan of American & European shows) but, knowing her excellent taste, I added that title on my watchlist... and just left it there ! :-D
At the time, I admit I wasn't really aware of the existence of Asian TV-series (I know, right ?!), let alone that they were SO MANY and that they were named "dramas".  

Pretty soon Netflix's algorithm began to recommend other South Korean dramas' titles and my curiosity finally got the better of me: the very 1st drama I clicked on was "Business Proposal". I don't remember why I chose that one in particular but what a cultural shock it was ! To be honest, I was still a litte skeptical after that first watch but I was definitely intrigued, to say the least.
That's when I finally decided to watch -the now classic- "Crash Landing On You"... and down the rabbit hole I went. Deep. Down. (yup, I even started learning Korean)

By the way, "Business Proposal" is - to this date- still the only Korean drama I rewatched in its entirety (and re-rated). I absolutely HAD to reevaluate that first watch a few months, and many Kdramas, later ! 

As a "newbie" I quickly realised how late I was in the game.
After just a few weeks I already had waayyyyy too many Kdramas on my -never ending- watchlist. So I needed to find a solution, fast: I made a promise to myself to NEVER! EVER! watch a show from an Asian country OTHER THAN South Korea. Adding MORE Asian shows, that would be completely insane, right ?!?
Well... that promise went down the drain a few months later (why am I not surprised ?!) as I subscribed to VIKI and watched my very first Taiwanese drama: "Lesson in Love".
Again, don't ask me why I chose that one specifically but I was hooked !

Soon after, this addicted person that I had become joined other streaming platforms (having access to a wide selection of Asian shows is something I love even though this vast range of choices gets me so conflicted when trying to select a new drama to start), discovered MDL, fantastic podcasts and amazing related communities on social media.  
About 10 months after my very 1st Kdrama, I finally caught my first Chinese series in July 2023, the no less famous "Hidden Love", and as they say, the rest is history. Btw, remember when I promised myself that I would never! ever! watch a show from an Asian country other than South Korea ?!? Yeaaah...

At the moment, around 60% of all the dramas and films I'm watching are (still) Korean. The rest is about 20% Chinese, 10% Thaï, 5% Taiwanese and 5% Japanese.
I like all genres but I'm not a fan of Horror ('cause I'm a chicken) except if mixed with good comedy, nor am I particularly interested in Anime (I tried).
I usually struggle when it's time to choose my next drama because there's so much I want to watch. That choice can be influenced by social media, different podcasts' (see list below) reviews, by Netflix's decision to remove a series from their panel... but truth be told, in the end, I mainly let my mood at the time choose.

Although I'm not hyperfixated on that specific genre, I love a good interesting romance (Noona's, BL's, fun sweet rom-com's, mature/smart melodrama...) and I'm definitely a Slow Burn -with a touch of angst- and interesting Character Development aficionada.

My favourite tropes:
-  Hidden/Mistaken Identities
- (Real) Enemies to Lovers
- Fake/Contract Relationships and Marriages

What I cringe at:
- Unnatural/Duckface Kisses (especially if both "in love" protagonists are adults)
- Long Love Triangles
- Random Serial Killer in a romance or rom-com (they are rarely necessary)
- Insane "Makjang" storylines and exaggeratedly toxic/screaming characters
- Infantile FLs (with over-the-top childlike voice and attitude) with zero brain cells
- White Truck-of-Doom (really ? again ?!? was there no other alternative to proceed with the story ?)
- Sudden Amnesia (As a rule, I attribute this to the screenwriter's lack of inspiration). This latter has sadly caused some amazing dramas to lose points on my rating chart.
Note: the "age gap" and characters' sexual orientation are never an issue for me. As long as both characters are consenting adults, I couldn't care less.  

 

I'm more of a "binger" kind of watcher. That's one of the reasons why I rarely start an airing show before all episodes are released. Also, the likelihood of me forgetting what happened just 7 days ago is real ! :-D

It can be hard for me to drop a drama. Probably because, at this "Newbie stage" of my journey into Dramaland, I still want to watch as many Asian shows as possible. Yup, I definitely struggle with FOMO ! No worries, I'm working on it.  Slowly.
If I ever drop a show, it's very rarely before watching at least the first 4-5 episodes (of a Kdrama or 8-10 episodes of a Cdrama). I like to give it a fair chance.
I rarely rewatch an entire show though. It's not that I don't want to but time is of the essence here, guys ! ;-)))

Important note: fastforwarding/speed watching is a crime. Obviously. And don't get me started on dubbing ! A sacrilege, no less  :-x  but I (kind of) do understand/tolerate the context of Chinese shows' dubbing.

By the way, have I ever mentioned how much I loathe (unannounced) spoilers, especially those inconsiderate selfish Social Media Clout/attention seekers who publish or write "Just For The Clicks" about major story blind points or twists without any prior warning, like the one who made me stop watching right in the middle of the suspenseful 2020 Kdrama "Flower of Evil" ? Or the one who spoiled me of the very ending of the 2021 Kmovie "Midnight" and 2024 Kdrama "BlackOut" ? (Yes, I'm still fuming)

My RATING System is based on my own opinion:

10 (or A+) = MY kind of perfection.
I acknowledge that no drama or film is perfect but a 10-rated (or A+, which I rarely give, to be honest*) is close to "my kind of perfection" on my emotional, aesthetical & technical enjoyment scale levels.
* In my personal and humble opinion, less than a handful of shows a year deserves a 10/10.

I can't watch a drama simply because I love the main actor/actress or characters... or just because they are "pretty". I don't give shows a pass solely because of my personal (emotional) preferences either. I try to rate a drama/movie based on all its aspects including writing (a tight script is so important), directing, acting, pacing, editing, cinematography and overall production.
With experience, I've also become more cautious of quickly (over)hyped and popular shows. Most of the time these are often due to the "new toy"'s contagious -but short-lived- infatuation and they rarely translate into long-term quality "products".

I never rate a drama I didn't watch AT LEAST HALF of its episodes. (I personally cannot understand how it's possible to evaluate an entire show after only watching the first few episodes...).

The more dramas I watch, the more picky and critical I naturally become and the less I give out high ratings.
Nowadays a personal score of 8 out of 10 is equivalent to an average rating. So I would rarely recommend a drama I rated 7,5 and under.
Note: PLEASE do not take my ratings too seriously, this is Delululand ! ;-)

10★WOW… UNFORGETTABLE ! Spellbound. A Masterpiece. This touched my soul.  (A+)
9 - 9,5★AMAZING ! GREAT watch. Almost flawless. Loved every second.  (A- to A)
8 - 8,5★GOOD / SOLID ! A few flaws and/or small plotholes but still VERY enjoyable.  (B to B+)
7 - 7,5★DECENT but NOT impressive. Some flaws/plotholes could not be overlooked !  (C+ to B-)
6 - 6,5★Barely AVERAGE. Quite frustrating at times. Still watchable but VERY flawed (C- to C)
5 - 5,5★MEDIOCRE. Disappointing. Barely watchable/tolerable. This tested my patience. (D)
4 - 4,5★NOPE ! It was BAD. A definite waste of my time and energy. I should have read a book.
3 - 3,5★WHAT THE... !? This was TRASH ! TERRIBLE to the point of enraging. Just plain torture. 
2 - 2,5★TOXIC ! AWFUL ! Why, Oh why was this even made ?!? I lost brain cells watching it. 
1★This is a CRIME against humanity. Should be illegal.  How am I still alive after watching it ?


Still can't get enough ? Do you wanna HEAR more about Asian dramas ?

In no particular order, hereunder are some GREAT PODCASTS SUGGESTIONS (English speaking) on Spotify and their Instagram accounts:

Even if your tastes are completely different than mine, I'm always interested in others' opinions (WE ARE ALL ENTITLED TO OUR OWN OPINION AS LONG AS WE STAY KIND AND RESPECTFUL).

IF CRITICAL COMMENTS ON DRAMAS/FILMS CAUSE YOU TO LASH OUT AT THE COMMENTER OR IF YOU THINK ANY LOW RATING IS A PERSONAL ATTACK ON YOUR BIAS, CAUSING YOU TO HARASS THE AUTHOR, PLEASE KEEP WALKING ! 
I can handle a healthy debate but will NEVER tolerate hostility. 

So don't hesitate to send me a Friend Request or message (even if I don't interact as much as I would like) ! 
"The more, the merrier" in Delulu Land, right ? ;-) 

THANKS for stopping by and making it all the way down here ! 

HAPPY WATCHING !

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