DaliaB

It's funny. I didn't even like some of the dramas where I remember the songs, and when I listen, I remember the time when I watched the drama more than the drama itself. Often I watch dramas to fit my mood anyway, so the mood is back. Like with the Bride of Habaek soundtrack, which I watched during the first lockdown and hmm... was that a good or a bad memory for me?

I have just watched someone turning into a phone. Which drama has the vending machine?

I now have a crush on you! This comment made me laugh way too hard.

Haha, I was already a teenager in the 2000s, just not watching KDramas for lack of access. I meant it felt like western TV Rom-coms of the early 2000s.

That sucks. It's also on the YouKu app.

I started watching dramas only in 2019, and am surprised I watched so many from 2015 and didn't even realize. It is funny how much the style, tropes and looks have changed in these 9 years.. She was Pretty felt almost a bit early 2000s to me.

And this is all of them in one long video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dI1TidsVtk4&pp=ygUbaW52aW5jaWJsZSBzdGVwbW90aGVyIGRyYW1h

https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIPiKkS-FpK_VYq0-kczhNYSWKrCcJh46

It's already on Youtube.

Also, I agree on the soundtracks. It's the reason why Sageuks and historical shows often rub me the wrong way, the modern soundtracks. Would love to see one with music of the time, akin to what the BBC miniseries do.

I haven't watched them yet, mostly because "family" is a bit of a sore spot for me, I was a child in the 80s and 90s and don't really want to go back right now and I am now also a parent, so I watch shows to escape all the love, fights and warm responsibilities.

But I will definitely earmark them if I do get a bout of nostalgia. My childhood was a bit unusual, but wonderful, and I wrote down the story of my grandparents, parents and me in 2008 or so, to get over grief and become a proper adult.

Your description is the best I have read, it makes it very appealing. Great article!

I loved all of these dramas except Go Ahead. And yes, they all have the same underlying feeling of compassion with the flawed characters, positivity and warm relationships even with the secondary characters. Also great secondary characters. Big fan of these two and will watch anything they work on.

I think it is one of those things that are hard to translate, both literally and as a concept. In many shows they translate it as Brother, or they just use the first name, since using the first name has a different connotation in most Western countries as well than, say, using Mr. Last Name. Sometimes I think it would be better to just write Hyung or Oppa or whatever and let people find out for themselves that it is a respectful adress. I understood as much from the get go as it is the same in India, as I wrote in the beginning of the article, but with the difference that it almost definitely signifies brotherly/sisterly feelings or if you use it with a stranger, a kind of plea to be treated like a sister. Not unlike the American "Bro", actually, something we don't use at all in the European languages I know.

It's not that kind of drama. I haven't finished it yet, it got a bit too heavy for my current mood. But I don't think it's a romance at all.

Thankyou! <3

The funny thing about the calling each other by the last name is that many times they are in fact calling each other "Mr.President", "Secretary Kim" or whatever job title they first were introduced as well into a relationship. Often these are then subtitled as Ms.Kim or something, because calling each other by job title is even more unusual. Took me a while to not find it funny, and enjoy the sweet moment when they are like: "We have been kissing each other for two weeks now, maybe call me "Surname-First Name" now." Or if they were already at Surname-First Name, call me First-Name-Diminutive.

I don't know, but that kind of stuff happens a bit more organically in my country, where we go from Last Name to First Name very quickly in most contexts and calling each other by the first name after dating is unusual, as we usually use pet names then.

Host clubs aren't nightclubs or cabarets though. They are places where you specifically go to be surrounded and entertained by the male and female employees, according to your preferences. This includes physical contact, although not kissing/sex, at least not on club premises. It is more like a strip club without the stripping.

What, you never dated a guy that then turned out to be your half brother? How disappointing!

Yeah, it is sometimes hard to discern between popular tropes and reality if you have never been there. I shared a dorm with a few South Koreans for two months, and I felt among the same gender they were more physical than us central Europeans are, but then also much more reserved with the other gender, which was interesting. They would easily react to a joke with a flick of the wrist with another girl, but then hugging goodbye with the guys made them go beet red. lol

Oh yes, the random slaps of higher ups to lower downs. I don't know how much real life that is, but try that in Europe and you would either have a full on brawl or an assault charge on your hands. Everybody just standing there was one of the few culture shocks. I get the job market is tight, but my human instinct would have my hands itching.

I heard somewhere they were using a brand new technology for filming the background (3D screen or something) and that they are having technical difficulties in post production because of it.