burhaa aadmi

"Watch dramas on legal sites." Which presupposes this is possible. For many, it's not. Viki, for example, does not let me access their site, even making difficult to access via a vpn - and use of a vpn is deemed a breach of the T&C anyway, therefore illegal. I would amend the advice to "watch on legal sites IF YOU CAN"

If you have access to torrents, it is available with subs

An interesting article, thanks. I enjoyed your comments about the impact of shorter lifespans on cultural mores too, a very valid point.

I was less impressed with this
"Sometimes people get so stuck in escapism when watching historical and period dramas that they don't enjoy practicality and realism, ***which is the whole point*** of watching nonfiction and fictional dramas about ancient and prehistoric events."

The "whole point of watching" is whatever each viewer decides it is, especially with fictional content. I don't watch historical Dramas, but I respect the right of those who do to watch them for whatever reason they choose. If their reason is escapism, that is just as valid a reason as wishing to "think critically" about the past. You cite "Moon Lovers" as an example of a Drama that had a historically valid ending, but that Drama was built around the concept of time travel. Since the core concept of the Drama is pure fiction (according to current physics), viewers who chose to watch it for an escapist happy ending were not somehow doing the Drama a disservice.

I definitely agree that it's important to try to avoid imposing contemporary values on the motives and actions of past figures, but Dramas are fiction, their content is fiction and that content (including their presentation of history) is VERY heavily influenced by present realities, including the socio-political propaganda inserted either explicitly (PRC) or implicitly (ROK) by the countries in which they're made. Since they are in the end, just entertainment, those viewers who watch them for the purpose of finding escapist entertainment commit no offence, I think.

That's fine, I posted because it is a remarkable tribute to any actor to have a writer state that they created an entire Drama with that specific actor in mind.

Very, VERY few actors have had that happen for them, but sadly, most users on sites like MDL are so focused on male actors that any time a female role shines, it's considered theft, as in "stole the show" (presumably "stolen" from the ML)

The same mindset can be seen in the planned Korean remake, where all the buzz and focus has been on the casting of the MALE lead in a Drama that was explicitly created to be ABOUT the female lead

Some Day Or One Day should not be in a list of Dramas where the FL "stole" the show, because the writer has explicitly stated that he wrote the Drama specifically with Ko Chia Yen in mind. This means the Drama was created and built around the FL AND the specific actor who played the part. So she didn't "steal" the show, she WAS the show, the reason it existed at all

Now, we are breaking up (them, not us 🤣)

That's what Wiki says too, several years training as an idol before deciding to act instead.

Thank you for this! It is great to know that there's only 1 Drama starting next month I'm remotely interested in, I can look forward to clearing more of my PTW backlog, woohoo!

Hardly forgotten if she's shot 3 movies and received awards for her performance in one of them. Not being a Drama is more likely a consequence of the movie roles. Movies offer better working conditions and quite often much better opportunities to develop acting skills than Drams, putt movies first is understandable.

Looking forward to this. I'm not a K-Pop stan, so when I see idols who turn out to be good actors as she has, I'm always saying "DO quit your day your job" 😁

Another factor that might need to be considered is the male character's own background - a military officer in a very repressive authoritarian regime. Giving orders has become part of who he is, even if the military was not his chosen vocation. So it's possible that the writers weren't necessarily implying approval of his actions, but writing a scenario that fits the character they created.

I absolutely loved your article, even though it was hard to read. Or perhaps BECAUSE it was hard to read. Your excellent piece brought up so many memories of scenes that I hated, and tropes that are intolerable, well done.
Rather than rant at length in repetition of your awesome summary, I'm going to single out just one of the "THIS! HELL YES THIS!" moments I had reading your piece: "The Sleeping kiss" Outside of a long-term stable and secure life partnership, this is just "Hell No!". It is such an ugly glorification of non-consensual behaviour that I am always delighted when I see a lead (usually M, but occasionally F) CONTEMPLATE doing it, then stop themselves.. Sadly, that sort of awareness is very rare, as your article showed, which is why I dropped many of the Dramas you examined. Thank you!

It's because I am ruthlessly focused on the entertainment value. Because I drop A LOT of the Dramas I start - 48.5% of C Dramas, 22% of K Dramas, 18.2% of TW and 17.5% of J Dramas - I have more time to go back and watch the ones that DO entertain me. 🙂

A very interesting and VERY detailed analysis, well done! Your question "what your Top 10 C Dramas?" got me thinking, because my current ratio is 36 C Dramas completed, 34 dropped. But of the completed ones, the Top 10 stand out not only for their scores but for the number of times I've rewatched many of them
TITLE SCORE Times Watched
The Love Equations: Extra Story 10 1
Mr. Fighting 10 1
Lovely Us 9.5 1
Put Your Head on My Shoulder 9 3
First Romance 9 1
A Love So Beautiful 9 4
The Love Equations 8.5 3
Le Coupe de Foudre 8.5 3
My Love, Enlighten Me 8 3
Dating in the Kitchen 7.75 1

Awesome! She was outstanding in Capital Scandal, and it was flattering when she followed me on Insta 🙂

one of my favourite Dramas EVER is "Yeah That's How It Is" - so good I put it on my "10+" list
https://kisskh.at/list/O38nwv91
and I was delighted to see that since mentioning it in an MDL article published on Aug 29 as one of a set of Dramas with less than 1000 viewers at MDL, it's gained more than 120 viewers 👏

Aah, thanks! I'd have 41 Dramas to vote "hell no!" for. That sounds like way too much clicking for this lazy old git 🤣👴

Yes, she was SERIOUSLY injured to the point of being unable to walk. It happened a couple of years ago, in a Drama wasn't watching, but they ended up filming some of her final scenes with her seated, after she was out of hospital.

Not sure how this poll works, so of the 12 I've finished (not counting the many I dropped), I voted for my 4 faves.

I'm now in the mood to start a petition allowing infinite votes for Kim Young Ok on every poll, whether or not she's nominated.