PrettyCarEye

So KH & WW ended up together? Some comments above said she left the KH because she needed time apart? What is what? Don't know what to believe ...

So this is basically I Picked Up A Star On The Road, Part Deux.

I like Hyun Binney, and I can tolerate Son Ye Jin if I have to ... it's not that I dislike her because I don't. It's just that sometimes I find her acting a little bland, especially in the romance department. But we'll see. This might end up being a tragedy. Because how are they going to be together for the long haul? It's not like he can freely move to the South or she to the North. If he's a high ranking officer, it won't be that easy for him to defect either. His entire extended family, if he has one, risks being executed or sent to a labour camp if he does try to defect. Should be interesting to see how they solve this dilemma. The screenwriter also wrote My Love From Another Star & Legend of the Deep Blue Sea. I guess if she can make a love story between a human & an alien and a human & a half fish work out, heck a North and South Korean falling in love should be a piece of cake?

Aren't the vast majority of Kdramas basically 'slow' romances, though? In most 16 ep drama you have to wait at least until ep 8, 9 or 10 for the couple to get together. Then after that the usual stupidity of meddling parents, amnesia and or forced separations occur to keep them a part until 5 mins of the last episode we get a fish kiss and a HEA. I would have been more surprised if you said they became a couple in the first 3 episodes.

How exactly does one even begin to think they can outrun a bus or a taxi?
Moreover, if they're going to run themselves to death trying to catch up to a moving vehicle, isn't it just better to pay the cab fare??? They're more likely to catch up with the object of their desire in that way...
I've been to Japan, btw ... the fares depend on the time of day. Rush hour is the most expensive time to catch a cab, outside of that ... the fare price goes down considerably. A lot of times when these people are running after buses & cars, it's usually at night, outside of rush hour. They can take a cab. But the writers & directors seem to think these running scenes add dramatic effect. However, just like violently shaking a sick, comatose person who has suffered a serious brain injury & screaming at them to wake up ... there's nothing 'dramatic' about those scenes. They just look foolish.

Hahaha .... right? Every last bad guy in Kdramas is a shadowy figure lurking in the dark, wearing black clothes and that iconic black ball cap. I have never seen not one drama where this was ever changed up. If anyone has, I'd love to know what drama that is! lol

Well, I tend to like actors around my age or a little bit older too. So you're not alone there. Sure, I look at younger actors and I understand their appeal, but I just prefer grown men. I like their vibe. Even in irl, younger guys have never appealed to me. That's why I can't watch noona romances because I don't get the hype. Yes, younger guys may have more sexual stamina, if that's what you're after, but as far as I'm concerned, that's not good enough.

I do watch a lot of romance. I love romance and am always looking out for them, but unfortunately dramaland romance generally doesn't appeal to me. They're too repetitive & cheesy. Actually, I could probably tolerate the cheesiness, but it's the repetitiveness that kills me. My ideal drama is one that has a good blend & balance of romance + another genre, preferably crime, action, thriller or drama. Examples would be Lovers, My Husband's Penis Won't Fit, The Masked Lover, It's Okay, That's Love ... dramas like those. And yes, I want to see a real, 'mature' romance between adults. Not grown people acting cute and childish like they're still on the playground.

As for ratings, I only started to enforce my rating system in the last 2 - 3 years. I've been watching dramas since 2012, so about 7 years. A lot of the dramas I watched earlier in my career would probably score lower today because I'm more aware of what I like & who I am as a viewer. However, a low rating doesn't always indicate that I 'disliked' the drama. My ratings can have dual meanings. For example a 4 can mean that I wasted my time watching the drama, even though I didn't completely hate it OR it could mean that I really did hate it. So basically it depends. :)

One thing to keep in mind about my ratings is that I rate as an international viewer who was not brought up on Asian entertainment. I'm not used to its brand of cliches. I've gotten more used to them over the years; there are some things I can ignore or suspend belief on, but in general I view dramas through the filter of someone who is not from those set of cultures.

Therefore, when a drama lacks universality & is too deeply steeped in its local culture, it's possible that I may not enjoy it as much because I am not Korean or Japanese or Chinese or even Asian at all. So there has to be some universality in theme, and particularly the characters' thinking processes and behaviour, that I can relate to.

As an example, there are many aspects of Korean culture that I do not agree with or find incomprehensible. As such, if I watch a drama that is too heavily Koreanized (with no universality), it is likely to score a 6 or less. 6 is an average score. It's not a bad score, but it isn't necessarily a good score either. 5 is problematic, meaning there were more things I had a problem with than I didn't. 4 - 1, very serious problems bordering on disastrous.

I can tolerate a triangle if it's handled maturely, as I recalled it was in Lovers (one of my favourite dramas). I remember not having a negative reaction to the triangle there because it made sense that the characters were in a love triangle in the first place. The 2nd woman wasn't just put there as a prop to create fake drama. It was relevant to the entire story & plot that she was in the picture. If you ever watch the drama, you'll understand what I mean.

I've found that older kdramas are a source of frustration for me because they have all the nonsensical (to me) tropes that work my nerves. Love triangles, forced separations, terminal illness, hysterical FLs, amnesia, makjang galore and the list goes on. So I've kind of sworn off anything that was made prior to 2010/2012. Interestingly, Jdramas are the opposite. I love 90s/early 2000s Jdramas, esp romance ones. They're so much more satisfying than what's being produced today. Even more interesting is that Lovers was released in 2006, but of all the early 2000s Kdramas I watched, that one was the only exception. I loved that drama. In fact, it is to this day, the only drama I've given a 10. I plan to rewatch it soon to see if it will maintain that score. I gave Kingdom a 10 too, but that score isn't final until I watch season 2.

I quite enjoyed Something About 1% (2016). I remember one of the reasons I enjoyed it was the chemistry between the leads. Loved their banter! I also loved the fact that the leads did not entertain other people intruding on their relationship. Any attempt at a triangle was shut down by both pretty quick! In fact, for this reason alone I gave the drama a 7/10 scoring (when it probably would have gotten a 6/10 otherwise). I loved that the leads just straight up told those 3rd wheels: 'Look, I'm seeing someone and I'm very happy, so please focus your attention elsewhere'. They didn't entertain them or hang around them & there certainly weren't any multi episode arc of them being 'friends' with them, as is frustratingly common in other dramas. It was 'I'm not interested, bye!' ... and that's that. LOVED it! :)

You need to read what I wrote again. I never said the ML in I Am Not A Robot goes to bed in 3 piece suits. In fact, you're right, I remember he wore a lot of robes and comfortable indoor clothes because he hardly ever goes outside. In this one it was the FL who slept in her street clothes, more than once and I don't recall her being drunk in those scenes. If it isn't this drama, then it's the other drama where one of the leads is or acts like a robot .... quite similar to I Am Not A Robot. I think that drama is probably called Are You A Robot or something to that effect. You can search it, I'm sure it will come up. If memory serves me correctly, though ... it was indeed I Am Not A Robot where this happened, not the other one.

Anyway, as I recall the FL didn't "live" with 3 men & 1 unrelated female, she worked with them. However, even if that were the case, it still doesn't explain why you'd have to sleep in street attire. You can still maintain your modesty in proper sleep wear even if you sleep in close quarters with your colleagues (I've done it countless of times & I work in a very male dominated industry!).

She lived with her family (brother, his wife and kid), but I can't remember in exactly which scenes she slept in her clothes. You're gonna have to keep skimming, if it interests you to do so, possibly the whole 32 ep drama (hopefully you won't miss it because often times these scenes are not prolonged, only a few secs). I specifically remember reacting to that because I was like 'Girl, how are you going to go to bed dressed like that?'.

There are plenty of dramas out there where this happens. Obviously, other viewers commenting about it prove that I'm not just making stuff up to be argumentative. You're probably just lucky not to have encountered dramas with this particular occurrence or it might not have registered to you that the characters go to sleep in their outside clothes. Might be something you suspend your belief on & thus dismiss when it appears on screen. Or you could've just rationalized it away as you've done in your responses to me a couple of times. Anyway, I think we've discussed this enough. On this particular subject, I rest my case.

Oh, you're right. I forgot that the site actually records when someone joins. Nevertheless, I'm not interested in conversing with a 'ghost'. This person has no profile, and most importantly, no list. What's the point of engaging if I can't at least see what kind of dramas the person prefers? I'm interested in talking to people who are active.
Anyway, regarding your observations...
Lol ... like, is there a universe in which women don't like manly men ... ? Heck, if it exists, I don't ever want go there! lol On a serious note, I know a lot of women are into the androgynous, feminine, flower boy type ... I live in a part of the world where those types are preferred. But, as far as I'm concerned, if those were the only men left on earth I think I'd rather be lesbian .... ;)
As for ratings, there are many criteria which can influence a drama's rating. All dramas are not judged the same. I judge K-J-C-T dramas slightly differently, but in general a drama will get high scores from me if it attempts to break the frame of its genre in some way.

Ok, fair enough. Given that I haven't seen all dramas in existence, I too am only talking about the ones I've seen. I can remember only one drama that I've seen with a love square (2 girl/2 guy) - Que Sera Sera. All the others tend to have 2 guys, 1 girl ... the odd few will have 2 girls, 1 guy.

2 girls, 1 guy love triangle dramas off the top of my head - Lovers ... that's the only one I can think of.

But 2 guy, 1 girl (off the top of my head) - Witch's Love, I Picked Up A Star On The Road, The Heirs, Reply 1997, Cunning Single Lady, The Greatest Love

Perhaps it all depends on the type of dramas I watch. I know very early on in my drama watching career, I swore off dramas with love triangles because I found them so damn annoying. I just want the drama to focus on the OTP. I don't want some other guy or gal constantly hovering around the leads for no reason other than to mope. But it is a cliche that's really hard to escape so even while I try to avoid it I end up watching a lot of shows with love triangles & 9/10 times it's a 2 guy, 1 girl triangle. I looked at my stats recently & I was shocked to see that love triangles ranked quite high on my list ... I was like, HOW???

Robert, it's not a possibility, it's facts. While some actors are careful not to criticize the poor working conditions that can led to characters doing nonsensical things like sleeping in street clothes and jackets, you can find many news articles online that have exposed dismal conditions in the Korean drama production industry. A few years ago a drama had to shut down production due the actors having to work in extreme conditions and get this ... without pay! It was a huge scandal. One actress spoke out publicly & was fired and blackballed for a period of time. Can't remember the name of drama, but it was a historical ... there were a few articles on this site about the incident.

Plus, if you're familiar with the popular blog/YouTube channel, Eat Your Kimichi ... they've worked extensively in Korean entertainment (mostly on variety shows) and they spoke of the horrible conditions, in particular freezing sets, even when filming in a studio. I also have a few foreigner friends who work in the Korean entertainment industry and they report the same. Poor conditions, 16+ hr work days, not having proper safety measures on set for chase and fire scenes and the list goes on. Two crew members on the Netflix drama Kingdom died due to overwork & lax safety measures on set respectively.

You can also check out dramas like The World They Live In & The King of Dramas, both of which are dramas about the making of dramas. They are not too far from reality. Interestingly these are also 2 dramas in which you'll see people sleeping in street clothes. Actually, it was indeed in The King of Dramas where the ML slept in his 3 piece suit, pretty much through the entire drama! smh

Other ones off the top of my head: A Gentleman's Dignity, Ojakgyo Brothers, All About My Mom (most family drama I've seen have had a few scenes where the characters go to bed in street clothes), I'm Not A Robot, The Heirs ... those are the ones I can remember now. If I bothered to check my list, I could probably mention tons more.

How about these:

- If there's a child featured, it's almost always a girl in Korea and Japan, but a boy in China & Taiwan.
- Always a rich/poor couple, hardly ever a couple where both are just average people. This is mostly true for K, C & T dramas I've seen, though. Jdramas are the exception. Jdramas are very good at producing dramas about regular, everyday people who ain't got no bread. lol
- Villains always lurk in the shadows, wearing full black & a black ball cap ... haha
- Somebody mentioned the trip and catch down below, but how about, and I really *hate* this one, the "opps! I tripped and fell right on your mouth 'kiss' ". They're still doing that sh-- in dramas, TODAY. In 2019. ::eyeroll::
- Running to catch up with someone .... who's being driven away in a car or bus. Or someone who is long gone. I see this a lot in J & K dramas. It's like they think the running & totally exhausting one's self in this way is an epic demonstration of their love & desperation for the other person. From where I'm sitting it just looks so dumb! Like get a cab or call the person for peace sake! lol

You seem to like contradicting everything I point out ...
There are always exceptions, Robert. The point is if you watch 100 Kdramas with a love triangle, it is most likely to be a 2 guy, 1 girl triangle. So it's not to say 2 girls, 1 guy triangles don't happen, it's to say the opposite is more common & more popular with the fandom, it seems.
Same goes for C/T dramas, and to a large extent, J dramas. There tends to be more 2 girl, 1 guy triangle. However, that doesn't mean 2 guy, 1 girl *never* happen. They do. I don't mind talking to you, but if you keep this up, I'm going to block you (bet you're gonna be predictable & block me first after having the last word... :)

I went to your list to check for dramas we might have in common, but you seemed to have made a profile just to comment on my post. Not interested.

Sweats can seem unusual, but not the worse. My boyfriend sometimes sleeps in his sweats, mostly the bottoms while being bear on top. So that's not SO unusual to me; it's the going to bed fully clothed that's hella distracting. I've noticed it in too many dramas to count, and not just when the characters are drunk. Falling asleep in your street clothes when you're drunk can and does happen. Anyone who's ever been drunk has experienced this at least once, I think. I know it has happened to me once or twice.

A lot of times, though, it looks like they use clothes strategically to prevent or hinder physical contact between the couple. Like sometimes when the couple is kissing, they can't get good access to each other because they're wearing these huge scarves, jackets and hats. I guess this is very inconvenient for the actors who often reluctantly perform these scenes. Sucks for us viewers though ....

On another note, I've heard film and drama sets can be very inhospitable working environments in Korea. Because producers want to cut corners and save money, most sets aren't heated so the actors have to work in freezing conditions, and maybe sometimes they compensate by allowing them to keep their clothes & jackets on even though it looks odd in the drama itself.

On film sets I've worked on, the conditions are always made comfortable for the actors. If we're shooting in cold conditions the set is always heated, especially if an intimate scene is being filmed. If filming outdoors, heating lamps are set up outside of the frame, but close enough to the actors for them to feel its warmth. That way, their performances aren't affected because they're freezing to death.
Most actors will walk off sets that are inhospitable to work in. Both the law and the unions allow for such action if the production is unable to provide a safe and hospitable working environment.

But in Korea it is the complete opposite. Most Korean actors, esp drama actors, have to put up with a lot of crap on Korean sets. Like filming in freezing conditions & other inhospitable, even dangerous, environments. People die, get injured or severely sick all the time because the producers would rather save money than cater to the health and safety of the cast & crew. And if anyone complains about it, esp to the media, you risk getting blackballed. Not saying these things ONLY happen in Korea, but the frequency with which it happens on Korean sets is alarming. So maybe this culture can explain a lot the absurdities we see in dramas ...

I don't agree with this. I think they do eat a LOT in Korean dramas. They eat quite a bit in J dramas too. Maybe in C & T dramas they pretend a bit more, but K & J dramas are legit when it comes to eating food, esp among average every day people. The higher class folks may feel they're too posh to eat though ... cuz they'd be sitting there cutting into their steak and never take a bite! lol

Haha, I've seen 2 girls, 1 guy love triangle (mostly in C/T/J dramas), but the vast majority are 2 guys, 1 girls, esp in Kdramas. A lot drama fans seem to prefer the latter, but for me ... I always role my eyes and think here we go again with the same BS ...
I hate love triangles in general, but I have to say when a 2 girl, 1 guy love triangle appears I'll watch it because it happens so rarely!
The rich people hospital room is a real thing. In Korea only the high class folks have top dollar to afford their own private room. Us common folks have to make do with just a thin screen between us and the next bed.
The piggy ride ... lord, I ain't even gonna say anything about that ...

Good article, OP. You've pretty much covered all the most annoying ones & I agree with everything except the 'strong female lead' trope.

The so-called lack of 'strong' female characters is a common complaint in the fandom. I have to say I find it a bit cliche and overused by drama fans, kinda like all the complaints about too much romance in dramas, when in fact there's hardly any romance in dramas unless it's a strictly romance drama (like I always wonder wtf are these ppl talking about when I see this complaint around MDL). These complaints from the fandom are like all the drama tropes we're complaining about here, because really .... 'strength', like beauty, is subjective.
I know for sure FLs that are often lauded as 'strong' & 'kickass' ... have just been boring and unimpressive to me because I admire a different kind of strength than a female character who can fight or have a sharp tongue (so cliche). People love Ha Ji Won, her characters get mentioned a lot as the poster child of the 'strong female lead'. However, I can't stand her and all her characters (that I've seen) are annoying & nothing close to what I admire in a 'strong' female character. On the flip side, I've admired female leads that have been dismissed as 'weak' or overlooked for their quiet strength because they aren't wielding swords or acting all butch. So yeah, 'strength' is very much in the eyes of the beholder.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention THE one thing I hate most about Asian dramas, and esp Korean ones: those godawfully awkward kissing scenes! I absolutely will REFUSE to watch a drama if I check the kiss scenes and they're horrible. I don't care how good the drama is. I also don't care who thinks I'm shallow. In that regard, yes, I'm shallow as F & I own it! I'm way too grown to be watching other grown ass folks kissing like virginal tweens, or making the scene look like they're being assaulted. This is why Park Shin Hye is blacklisted FOR LIFE! Man, even her best effort (in Doctors) was total sh!t. Smdh...

On the other hand, they do eat their food though, esp in Kdramas. Maybe with the high class people a little less so, but if it's just your average everyday folks (like our poor FL) ... they will gulp down their food with gusto! And I have to say when I first started watching dramas and I saw this, I really appreciated it because I used to hate it when the characters in western shows would play around with their food or pretend to eat it by cutting of the most minuscule piece.