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kdrams for n00bs
Dec. 3rd, 2023 11:42 amAnd here's the part where I attempt to explain Kdramas to someone who's never watched them before. Basically in the same format as the previous one.
Korean Dramas
Intro - Kdramas tend to be less genre-specific than Cdramas. That is, you can usually catagorize them loosely into modern and historical. Kdramas don't typically do anything like wuxia and only recently have they started adding fantasy elements to some historical dramas. If there's fantasy in Kdramas, it's usually in modern ones and tends to blend supernatural with reality like it's commonly accepted. This usually involves ghosts and grim reapers and sometimes humans with magical powers. Korean dramas are usually one hour per episode and the common length is 16 but may be slightly more or less. Kdramas usually fall into the following categories:
Saeguk - this is what they call their historicals and unlike Cdramas, these don't always involve the royal family or palace intrigue, which is kind of nice so you can see regular people. However, there was a very strong slave culture in ancient Korea that might be startling to Western viewers, as well as a lot of misogynistic attitudes that are often less emphasized in Cdramas. FTM crossdressing is a lot more convincing for various reasons though. THere's a lot more emphasis on realism. Example: Slave Hunters
Modern Romance (romcom) - Like Cdramas, this is fairly self-explanatory, but Kdramas tend to be a lot more creative in their romcom stories and they're usually steamier too lol. Korean modern romances might be heavy on the comedy, or they might even include a decent amount of action. Example: My Suspicious Partner
Action/Thriller - This is kind of a blanket category bc it isn't as narrowly focused as Cdramas, there might be gangs and drugs, or it might largely be white collar crime or govt related. May or may not include romance. It will usually be heavy on fighting and other action scenes. Example: The K2 or The Veil (both highly recommended btw)
Soap/Family - this is a category I honestly never watch bc it's boring lol, but these tend to be overdramatic and center around a Chaebol family or families and their travails. There's usually multiple romance lines. Example: Magic
Urban Fantasy/Ghosts - These are usually but not always set in modern times and involve supernatural things like ghosts, gods, monsters, shapeshifters, ghost fighters, etc. Unlike Cdramas, there's nothing prohibiting explicit supernatural content so they won't pretend it's something else. Example: Let's Fight Ghost, Goblin
Psychological - THis is somewhat similar to action/thriller, but typically includes a strong psychological element of some kind. May or not include action and/or romance. Example: Save Me
Youth - one thing that's fairly annoying about Korean youth dramas is that the actors are often way too old to play the parts and it's kind of obvious. Youth dramas are usually set in high school, but might be university and there's almost always a bullying storyline of some kind. Example: Police University
Final notes - Korean dramas usually choose to emphasize comedy or be very serious. I would say most include some comedic elements. The Veil might be the one I've watched that was not funny in some way. There's often a lot more physical fighting in Kdramas vs Chinese. You can expect more overt misogyny from male characters as well. There's usually at least one unreasonable "witch" female character. If you see a random blur on the screen, it's probably a knife or other sharp implement. The same doesn't apply to guns lol.
Kdrama Pros:
- Usually really well-done in terms of effects, acting, and editing, very polished
- Fighting is generally realistic and up close
- Real kisses in romances
- Lots of good supernatural plots
- Comedy is usually pretty natural
Cons:
- Historicals are usually boring asf
- A lot of overbearing male characters
- Tend to be too long for the amount of real plot
- REALLY obvious product placement
- In modern ones, everything tends to be too shiny and pretty
- Too many chaebol characters
Kdrama 101 (i.e. five representative dramas to watch first)
1. The K2
2. Goblin
3. Our Blooming Youth
4. W
5. Good Manager
Korean Dramas
Intro - Kdramas tend to be less genre-specific than Cdramas. That is, you can usually catagorize them loosely into modern and historical. Kdramas don't typically do anything like wuxia and only recently have they started adding fantasy elements to some historical dramas. If there's fantasy in Kdramas, it's usually in modern ones and tends to blend supernatural with reality like it's commonly accepted. This usually involves ghosts and grim reapers and sometimes humans with magical powers. Korean dramas are usually one hour per episode and the common length is 16 but may be slightly more or less. Kdramas usually fall into the following categories:
Saeguk - this is what they call their historicals and unlike Cdramas, these don't always involve the royal family or palace intrigue, which is kind of nice so you can see regular people. However, there was a very strong slave culture in ancient Korea that might be startling to Western viewers, as well as a lot of misogynistic attitudes that are often less emphasized in Cdramas. FTM crossdressing is a lot more convincing for various reasons though. THere's a lot more emphasis on realism. Example: Slave Hunters
Modern Romance (romcom) - Like Cdramas, this is fairly self-explanatory, but Kdramas tend to be a lot more creative in their romcom stories and they're usually steamier too lol. Korean modern romances might be heavy on the comedy, or they might even include a decent amount of action. Example: My Suspicious Partner
Action/Thriller - This is kind of a blanket category bc it isn't as narrowly focused as Cdramas, there might be gangs and drugs, or it might largely be white collar crime or govt related. May or may not include romance. It will usually be heavy on fighting and other action scenes. Example: The K2 or The Veil (both highly recommended btw)
Soap/Family - this is a category I honestly never watch bc it's boring lol, but these tend to be overdramatic and center around a Chaebol family or families and their travails. There's usually multiple romance lines. Example: Magic
Urban Fantasy/Ghosts - These are usually but not always set in modern times and involve supernatural things like ghosts, gods, monsters, shapeshifters, ghost fighters, etc. Unlike Cdramas, there's nothing prohibiting explicit supernatural content so they won't pretend it's something else. Example: Let's Fight Ghost, Goblin
Psychological - THis is somewhat similar to action/thriller, but typically includes a strong psychological element of some kind. May or not include action and/or romance. Example: Save Me
Youth - one thing that's fairly annoying about Korean youth dramas is that the actors are often way too old to play the parts and it's kind of obvious. Youth dramas are usually set in high school, but might be university and there's almost always a bullying storyline of some kind. Example: Police University
Final notes - Korean dramas usually choose to emphasize comedy or be very serious. I would say most include some comedic elements. The Veil might be the one I've watched that was not funny in some way. There's often a lot more physical fighting in Kdramas vs Chinese. You can expect more overt misogyny from male characters as well. There's usually at least one unreasonable "witch" female character. If you see a random blur on the screen, it's probably a knife or other sharp implement. The same doesn't apply to guns lol.
Kdrama Pros:
- Usually really well-done in terms of effects, acting, and editing, very polished
- Fighting is generally realistic and up close
- Real kisses in romances
- Lots of good supernatural plots
- Comedy is usually pretty natural
Cons:
- Historicals are usually boring asf
- A lot of overbearing male characters
- Tend to be too long for the amount of real plot
- REALLY obvious product placement
- In modern ones, everything tends to be too shiny and pretty
- Too many chaebol characters
Kdrama 101 (i.e. five representative dramas to watch first)
1. The K2
2. Goblin
3. Our Blooming Youth
4. W
5. Good Manager
