bumblethunderbeast

I had no idea that dramas were translated into musicals. Thanks for introducing me to such an entertaining byproduct! I could get lost for hours wandering around on YouTube following these quips.

I totally agree about wanting to avoid the onslaught of prosecutors & police! Like you, escaping murder and the legal system were part of my motivation for shifting from American dramas to Asian ones. I don't miss them a bit.

I've been exploring Korean cookbooks this year and 2 I really like: (1) Maangchi's Big Book of Korean Cooking from Everyday Meals to Celebrations: explains everything from grocery shopping and selecting the best items to how/when the foods are eaten. (2) K-Food Korean Home Cooking and Street Meals: some really fun flavors in the street section--lotus root nachos, etc.

Great article!!!

Another great article, Akage Girl. I really liked Splash Splash Love as well, but I didn't have the why of it fleshed out until I read this.

You asked what Asian drama made me think...The Beauty Inside (which I didn't see mentioned in the comments) was definitely entertaining and edifying for me. It challenged me to think about (1) how external appearance defines my perceptions/assumptions about others and (2) what is the core of my "authentic self" as opposed what is placed on me by the demographic trappings of life.

I totally agree about My ID is Gangnam Beauty, it did challenge my conceptions of what is beautiful and the double standard about plastic surgery. I've thought back to it every time I see plastic surgery scorned in a drama. I'm so glad to see someone else is flagging ID Gangnam Beauty for that contribution.

That's spot on! I totally agree. It's like on Amazon when a product has a 5-star rating from a single user while another brand has a 4.5-rating from 1,200 users. I'm more inclined to buy the lower rated, but more thoroughly tested, product. I'd also like to know how many users contributed to the ranking.

But just to be clear, I'm super excited about this addition to the stats. This suggestion would make a good thing even better.

I totally agree with your comments regarding conflict in YWCFTS, TMPB and AoL. The last two period pieces have conflict on steroids. I just finished Chicago Typewriter and while I wouldn't describe it as a melodrama, I think it fits your conflict-ridden description too.

If the story were only in the present it would be a fairly standard drama, but watching those same characters during their past lives in the Japanese occupation brings a whole additional layer of conflict between them. Traitors, lovers, love triangles, parents, children--the relationships are all jumbled between the two eras with only one person/ghost to connect them. This results in some interesting questions about whether redemption is possible or bad/good character is pre-ordained. And the conflicts become multi-faceted as characters remember the past while the present unfolds.

What do others think, did Chicago Typewriter master the art of conflict?

wow, am I embarrassed or what? My memories of Secret Garden focused more on the martial arts space, the sit up scene and the body swap. I'd totally fragmented these other details into its own separate show. Thanks for the quick response! I just re-watched the opening and you'e absolutely right.

Thanks for writing these 2 articles! I don't have anyone around me to talk about dramas, but I felt like you chronicled my own viewing experience. It's great to be understood. And despite AoL's eventful roller-coaster chaos and my own reticence about re-watching anything, I did end up watching this show twice.

Thanks for taking us on this geographical J-drama journey! More than even watching these shows, you made me want to travel to Japan.

Does anyone know the name of a drama where a wealthy department store CEO with a rock star cousin gets amnesia and forgets his poor, spunky, bicycle-riding, delivery girlfriend? I watched this show in my early drama days and for the life of me can't remember the title. Other details include throwing the delivered appliance into a pool in front of his home, socks featuring the musician cousin, pennies/change beside his bed on the night stand, an antagonistic female relative (mother and/or aunt???) and walks across the snow during the amnesia.

Glad to see someone take on this overused and often annoying trope. Thanks for the article!

Thanks Yuanwei! I've been on kissasian before but I'm always worried that I'll end up with a virus on my computer. I don't know, maybe I'll risk it.

I am definitely one of those who came to Dramaland after 2015. So I was pleasantly surprised that I had seen a few of these already (Coffee Prince, Meteor Garden, Full House and You're Beautiful). I'm particularly interested in Zettai Kareshi. Does anyone have recommendations for where I could watch it? It isn't showing up on viki or netflix and I'd rather not pay $40 to buy the DVD on Amazon.

After your first article, I've looked forward to each subsequent edition. You have a gift for showing concepts clearly and you have definitely broadened my perspective. Thank you. This article is the first one I struggled with. Can you check where you reference right and left? I could be wrong, but I think they might be flipped in a few places--like "the red flag." But at the very least under "confusion" both details are about the left.

So excited to see a substantive reference to Spirited Away. My now-husband and I watched the movie when we were dating. We used "Always With Me" as the processional at our wedding. No one except us understood the significance, but the song is hauntingly beautiful enough to stand on its own.

PLEASE do!!! Boys Over Flowers was one of my first K-dramas and I was so disturbed by Gu Jun Pyo. Even as I bought into the story, I hated that his extremes were condoned/just "grown out of." But clearly it wasn't enough to deter me from watching many more...

These are great! I wanted so many more...

Thanks for writing this and introducing me to the movie. I probably would never have watched it otherwise!