Serial Kdrama Speed-Dating.
This post by Oppa’s Goddness (one of the ex-soompier Julies) is too good to be kept hidden in the comment section. She said:
I don’t think I’m an avid kdrama fans. I don’t watch most of kdramas that exist, but I kinda keep update with the news.. I usually do -I call this- “kdrama-sampling” —> watch 15-30 minutes of ep 1, see if it tempts me enough I’d continue. If not then bye bye.. if the news/fans rave about the dramas I stop watching (it somehow gets popular), I’d watch random episodes (with a lot of skips ofc) and conclude/end it with 15-30 mins of final episode… but I love love reading recaps, reviews, comments, reactions etc. from the bad, silly, “eye-rolling” ones to funny, clever, deep, on another level ones. So yes, this makes me a frequent visitor to some kdrama blog such as DB, Koala (her blog is not as fun as used to be though.. just rephrasing K-ent/C-ent articles) breathlesssurvival etc, or k-drama twitter accounts. In fact I found this blog when surfing the twitter world.. 😉
I don’t watch any kdrama now.. not even do sampling since nov ‘17. I was about to sample Hwayugi, it has 2 oppa’s, first “real” oppa LSG and oppahjussi (ahjussi with “oppa-flavor”) CSW 😅 but the drama got series of “bad luck” and only has too few episodes right now, so I’m gonna wait for more episodes and see how people react to it.
What you call “kdrama-sampling” is what I call “speed-dating” kdramas. Like you, I give completed dramas about 30 minutes to SEDUCE me with their wit and originality. 😉
I don’t want a run-of-the-mill courtship. I like it unique and quirky. If I can already decipher the direction of the relationship within the first 30 minutes of the first episode, then it means I’ll expire of boredom by our third date…errr, episode.
I want my leads self-confident. Tsundere males are not my thing. I want kind, smart, suave, cogent (no, I’m not into the planet of apes) and self-sufficient (I detest needy guys) gentlemen. Naïve females are not my thing either. I’ve low tolerance for damsels-in-distress. In real life, I’ll probably be stepmother who’ll be the first one to shove her in a mud puddle just to test her mettle. If she can’t help herself and stand up on her own from an ANKLE-DEEP mud puddle, then a good man is a waste on her.
I want kdramas with depth. Don’t give me makjangs. Don’t give me stupid-girls/genius boys plots or I’ll set my flying my ninjas on the writers. For personal reasons, I don’t entertain law and order dramas.
I find clichéd pick-up lines entertaining if and only if they’re delivered with great panache.
Sold!!!! I’ll take him. 😀
I let bygones be bygones. I try hard to disallow the past history of actors from influencing the way I critique the show. (So there’s still reparation for you, Lee Byung Hun.) I disliked Kim GoEun in Cheese in the Trap, but I loved her in Goblin. I’m willing to watch Ryu Jun Yul’s kdrama one of these days after I forget the ludicrous antics of your fans.
I love the Hong sisters. They can date me anytime.
It’s funny that you mentioned Hwayugi’s oppas. Others already have noticed the similarity among Hwayugi, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and Master’s Sun. (bit of trivia: the office assistant was the male second lead in Warm and Cozy, another Hong sisters romcom). Have you watched Gumiho and Master’s Sun? What do you think?
Before I comment, I just wanna say that “Boyfriend material” gifs are GOLD!!!!! 👏🏻
Oh wow.. my comment made in to your post. 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻
For me I don’t have any strict rules what make a drama worth to have my full attention or only make the “sample-stop-forget” list. My list of favorite dramas are random, I can like very cheesy and fluffy drama, or ones with headache and kinda confusing-throw-away-your-logic kind drama. Or maybe they do have something in common, it’s just that I never give further thought what are the similarities.
But I know what genre/drama I won’t even bother to try, it’s horror-that gross zombie kind-the walking dead/train to busan type of drama/movie (which is in fact my hubby’s fave, and I, as good wifey, often make a lot sacrifice and end up watching the walking dead with him… things I do for the loved one 🙄) but ghost on kdrama is still acceptable.
Yes, I watched both Gumiho and Master Sun. So hwayugi is using the Hong Sister pattern, I mean trade mark too? Hmm, this pique my curiosity.
– Supernatural entities ☑️
– Recasting actors/actress from their other works ☑️
– Cameos from actors/actress from their other works ☑️
What else? Can say anything about the plot/other details. Need to try hwayugi first.
But maybe Hwayugi would also have plot that the lead, either hero or heroine, experience “death” and resurrect back to life before the happy ending begin like both in Gumiho and Master Sun… hahaha we’ll see
That “boyfriend material” gif cracks me up, too, every single time I see it because of his delivery. Those arched eyebrows! The upturned nose! Those flaring nostrils! — they’re much better than Colin Firth/Mr. Darcy’s satirical face. lol.
Followed by that “come-hither” look… I wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face if this happened to me in real life (no! please god no!)
My mom used to say that if feeding a man’s stomach is the way to his heart, then nudging my funny bone is mine. For a bitch, I like to laugh at a lot of odd things.
Hwayugi, according to Lovebangwon, is supposed to be an adaptation of a famous folklore/epic story of the Monkey King. Have you read this? I’m not Asian nor am I into literature big-time, so I’ve never heard of the MK before this show.
All I know is the Hong sisters will twist the story around and make it entirely their own. They did that with The Great Gatsby. Their last romcom, Warm and Cozy, took some themes and symbolisms from that Fitzgerald novel and recasted them into kdrama. The original working title of W&C was “Jejudo Island Gatsby” IIRC.
Another similarity of Hwayugi and Gumiho is the cannibalism. 😉 Gumiho wanted to eat LeeSeunggi’s character. Now, the Monkey King, LSG’s character, wants to eat the monk.
Also, in both romcoms, the relationship between the hero and heroine is established based on survival or co-dependency. You might even consider it a dysfunctional dependency. Gumiho needed LSG for meat and survival in the human world. LSG needed the Gumiho for strength so he could live his dream as a martial arts actor.
Here, in Hwayugi, the heroine needed the Monkey King to survive because the demons are after her blood. And I’m sure the heroine/monk is the Monkey King’s ticket to heaven. She’s his path to enlightenment. 🙂
So right from the start, there’s a sense of urgency in the romance of Gumiho and Hwayugi. Hong sisters don’t do slow-moving romance; everything is accelerated. Even before love developed, the couple would be forced to be together for each other in madcap schemes, and sparks would fly.
There are other common elements, but for now let’s wait and see.
Ah! I’m sure there’s going to be a time leap, too, somewhere. The Hong sisters are big on the separation angle created by time leaps.
For me it’s always been about what moves my heart a mixture of what I see and what I read in a preview or hearing about it. I will admit I always move toward the love light of romance. Although I do from time to time watch a drama that doesn’t include a romantic couple for what ever reason I am drawn too. But they are few and far between…
I don’t care where they come from or the language that is spoken because Love in itself is a universal language all it’s own and often can be understood even without subs. Some even with body language those glances and gestures that need no words at all…
I admit to liking those romantic dramas with OTP’s that give us a view of love that can endure and last no matter the struggles or hardships. That overcome everything and anything and be willing to hold on no matter what it might cost them…
Love it’s what the world needs more of and maybe I do too. For I am always drawn to a romance and another view of love. I think they create a feeling inside that words cannot truly describe. That allow your heart to soar and like a voice inside always left wanting more…
Not only that but there is always that one OST song that in every drama is able to take you back to that place and those characters that moved your heart and took your breath away. To that story that moved from paper to the screen and for just a brief moment allowed you to soak up every word. Every character and dream…
Oh! You’re here!!!! You found me finally. I’m so glad you’re here. Your opinions are always appreciated.
I absolutely agree with you.
Another thing I like about kdramas is that even though this subject matter of love (for instance, falling in love) has been tackled over and over again, the storywriters always TRY to give it a new whirl, find a new twist, and seek a new way of telling it. They never get tired and I admire them for their never-ending creativity.
Like take this romcom I watching right now with Staygold. lol.
I go through the revolving door in my office building a number of times a day but not once did it enter my mind that something romantic could take place in it. But I’ve learned something new from “Jugglers.” 🙂 That is, stopping the door from revolving with the heel of your shoe is the NON-MAGICAL way of stopping time so you and your beloved can have a brief moment of SEPARATE PEACE apart from the hustle-bustle of the workplace. That was a nice imagery from this romcom I’m watching.
What are YOU watching nowadays?
I better finish that write-up for Episode 9 now. Catch you later?