Give K-dramas a Chance
It may seem overwhelming to try to get into K-dramas when you're just starting out. They’re much bigger time commitments than typical Western TV shows, if you're used to those. Tons of them exist as well. There are countless options across Netflix, Viki, Prime, and Hulu.
Finding a K-drama that suits your interests is totally worth the time and the search, though. Perhaps you enjoy the calm, comforting slice of life K-dramas. Maybe you really love the rom-coms that make you laugh, cry, and eye roll at the dramatic moments. There are even some thriller, horror, and action based K-dramas if you like intense things.
You see, what K-dramas do really well is tell quality stories. Emotional scenes tend to linger in the moment, like when you see a character sob for a whole minute, or two people in love lock eyes instead of merely glance at each other. Extra attention is paid to these moments so that the audience can experience the full, complete feelings of the people they're watching.
As a result of this detailed storytelling, K-drama episodes can be up to an hour and half long each. And, what’s more, is that the average drama has sixteen episodes in a season (most shows have only one season, luckily). This makes the act of watching a drama more of an intentional choice, since you have to lock in and read subtitles for several hours to finish the story.
The time commitment of a K-drama can be a really fun aspect of the watching experience. When you start a series you really like, you don’t have to be disappointed that you’ll be finished with it quickly. What’s more, if you begin a K-drama before all the episodes are released, you won’t succumb to binge-watching since only one or two episodes are uploaded to streaming services each week.
The K-drama genre as a whole offers a wide range of stories, with most of them being told in a high-quality way. The intricacies of the plot and the extra time taken to fully convey emotions make them worth every hour of your time. If you haven't seen one before, I highly recommend finding one with a premise that intrigues you. Then, finish at least one episode. I can almost guarantee you’ll want to keep watching after that.
Stay tuned for another blog with K-drama recommendations for new viewers!
