From one K Drama Bluff to another
Anneyong!
K Dramas are a huge thing in themselves. But I am very new to this world. I have been watching K Dramas since January this year. Within such a short span of time, they have shaped my understanding of societies a lot. A major factor is a similarity I found in Indian and Korean societies. In terms of entertainment, we have always looked West, which has influenced our lives and culture a lot. With something creative, catchy, and worth watching closer home, it gives assurance about a lot of things we think are only present in Indian families. Well if this is not the case, it could be an only Asian thing, but who knows. I guess we’ll have to wait for other regions to produce such content.
It was ‘Crash Landing on You’ which took me down this rabbit hole. Like it is for most of us, this show introduced me to a completely new genre of entertainment that felt closer home. I do not like to call them DRAMAs though, perhaps because of the stereotype attached to this word. Most of these series are different in the sense that they highlight pertinent issues deeply entrenched in societies across borders. An interesting angle is how within the setting of everyday lives they introduce relationships that are considered taboo in many societies. By this, I don’t only mean the LGBTQ, but also the ones having an elder woman younger man, a single parent, etc.
However, a lingering theme that encompasses almost every series is the heavy role of patriarchy in our lives. This fight for a woman in an Indian setting is very well resonated from these Dramas. Rebellion is to be done within the rigid context our lives are situated in. Different themes are respectively prominent, however, patriarchy like everywhere else overshadows them. ‘Crash Landing on You’ was a feel-good series where this theme did not take up much space. Perhaps that is why I could finish it within 4 days. I did spend some sleepless nights catching up with the addictive plot and twists in hours-long episodes. So if you are a K Drama beginner, watch this show first. You will not be disappointed and would rather thank me for introducing you to this world.
The second K Drama I directly jumped to was ‘Something in the Rain’, it was again a feel-good series. I felt it was a bit too stretched for some episodes, but it will give you a good closure and some really beautiful songs to sing along with. The catch of many K Dramas is that they have a lot of English Songs to their credit which pulls you a little closer. So language is not a barrier even when it is. I can vouch for the anger you will feel when that lingering theme will pop up frequently because we as women tend to experience it on a daily basis. But I can also vouch for the longing of a near-perfect partner you wish you had after you watch this. Don’t lose hope.
The one after this I watched was ‘One Spring Night’. From my experience, I would say don’t watch these ones after the other. They have a lot of overlap to make you disinterested in watching it further. Again a feel-good romantic series portraying a single father and an engaged woman as a couple. Watch it for warmth and again, beautiful songs.
‘Descendants of the Sun’ was something a lot of K Drama ‘bluffs’ had recommended to me. So as usual I was excited to watch it. I feel due to the hype created about it I wasn’t able to enjoy it as much as I could have. Interestingly it did not have the patriarchal lingering theme nor the usual Rich Boy Poor Girl plot but the hype did not live up to my expectations. I would still recommend it for someone wanting to escape into a country that doesn’t exist on the real map of the world.
‘When the Camellia Blooms’ was a series a comment on a youtube video made me watch. The person claimed it to be swoon-worthy and so did Netflix, but it wasn’t. The unnecessary underplot ruined the essence of it. It does have struggles of a single mother trying to make it in the competitive world, struggling to run a male-dominated business, and constantly having to justify herself. The one part which I credit the writers for is when the female lead makes it on her own. The character of the male lead is only to introduce romance in the story and not to overshadow her achievements. So watch it only if this interests you.
‘Lovestruck in the City’ is a Netflix original, so credits to it for constantly coming on my dashboard until I decided to watch it. This one is closer to a lot of American Shows we watch but the one thing which made me fall for it was its original songs. Again, all in English. I got so addicted to one of the songs that I had to listen to it for an hour on loop to get it out of my head. The music takes you back to the old days and is very refreshing. Watch it for the songs. You will not regret it.
Before I write about ‘Itaewon Class’, I should tell you how I started watching K Dramas. Like many of us, I was introduced to the Korean World through BTS. Now I am a proud BTS Army who listens to BTS day and night. So when Kim Taehyung from BTS sang ‘Sweet Night’ for a series, I had to watch it. If you haven't heard this song, do it right away. Firstly, his voice is to melt for, and secondly, the song gives you a gist of what the show is about. Even if you don’t end up watching any of the shows I recommended above, watch this one. It has everything to offer. And I can confidently say it is the only show after ‘Crash Landing on You’ which kept me hooked to it for days on end. It has struggles of a young group of friends struggling to make it big in the corporate world as its main theme. Romance, betrayal, and rejection are underplots perfectly woven together. It is a perfect watch in every sense.
Like any form of content does, K Pop and K Dramas have introduced a lot of Korean-style (Indian) food in my taste buds with a splurge of Korean words that I speak on a daily basis. So hoping you too dwelve into these shows and introduce yourself to a world of magic and utopia(of course).
Annyeong!
