IF YOU’RE perpetually glued to your screen for hours on end or impatiently counting the days until you see Oppa (Korean for older bro or hottie) in the next episode, fear not! You are definitely not alone. As Anne Curtis hashtagged, #NilamonNgKDRAMA. Bes, we are multiplying like the Gremlins. Group hug!
With Anne gushing over the K-drama Goblin and its lead actor, Goong Yoo (also in Coffee Prince and the hit zombie movie, Train to Busan), in all her social media channels, along with Kuya Kim Atienza who even recently met the K-star at a fan-meet in Hongkong, it’s evident that majority of gals on this side of the globe have indeed been bitten by the K-drama bug.
Here are the most likely reasons why the girls in your life are hooked on viewing dubbed versions on free TV, or painstakingly reading subtitles, or even watching “raw” episodes (no translations) they can’t even understand:
The Eye Candy
Let's prioritize this one and not be plastic. Korean Oppas are hot, even Kuya Kim pretends to be Kim Shin, Yoo’s name in the Goblin! The Oppas have smooth fair skin, chiseled bodies, bedroom voices, and handsome faces. They're young, buff, and unafraid to show skin. And may I especially mention-the abs. Swoon!
Be sure to check out “Oppas and their Abs” pictures in the All About KDrama site. Hotness overload! Moreover, search YouTube for the Princes’ bath scene clip of Scarlet Heart Ryeo and the men's locker room shower fight scene of The K2. You can thank me later!
The Storylines
K-dramas are fast-paced, with tons of exciting twists in a single episode. Typically each drama has 16 or 20 one hour episodes. Unlike Filipino telenovelas that tend to stretch and drag, K-dramas find the perfect balance in making things short enough for us fans to quickly see our happy-endings, at the same time, leave us craving for more.
At times, stories have supernatural elements like: a gal with super-strength (Strong Woman Do Bong Soon), a mermaid (The Legend of the Blue Sea), a werewolf (A Werewolf Boy), a grim reaper (Goblin), an alien (My Love from the Star), a vampire (Scholar Who Walks the Night), or even a ghost (Master’s Sun) in the story, and somehow, they are able to incorporate these well, making sure the viewers are touched to the core.
For each K-drama title, there's enough action, comedy, and drama from start to finish. And let’s not forget the romance, of course. They sure know how to work the “kilig” factor to the bones!
The OST
Often, fans don't understand the lyrics in the original sound track (OST), but that doesn't stop us K-addicts from being swept away. Music, after all, transcends spoken language. The feels! The OST lingers in every fan's head, even after the K-drama is already concluded.
Be sure to check the video OST of the Goblin in YouTube, which has Anne Curtis waxing poetic. Someone even photoshopped the song album cover and replaced the girl character with Anne's face, prompting the latter to share it on her Facebook. Other notable OSTs: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Love in the Moonlight, and Descendants of the Sun.
The Production Values
The lighting, set design, and costumes are always on point. Most of the fashion is avant-garde, with the exception of sageuks (historical dramas). Most dramas have at least one character that is fashionable—straight from GQ or Vogue. They know how to work walk-in closets (case in point, The Boys Over Flowers)!
Another example: the cinematography in Goblin is top-notch and the special effects are amazingly executed. My favorite scene is when the Ji Eun Tak, the heroine, tries to pull off the sword on the Goblin’s chest. She grabs the hilt, pulls, but he isn’t ready and pushes her away. Since he is super human, she flies high into the air. He catches her in a blink of an eye, several meters away, and protects her from the chain reaction of cars hitting each other. At the end of the scene, cars explode behind the hugging couple, as dramatic music is expertly cued in to set the mood and convey its powerful message.
I can truly understand why Anne Curtis declared she is struggling to move on from this drama, even referring to herself as JiANNEtak. In fact, in her recent trip, she tried to recreate several scenes from the Goblin and then shared them via social media. This is K-Drama fan-girling at its finest!
The Cliffhangers
Koreans definitely know how to keep us fans on the tips of our toes, biting our nails, pulling our hair, and screaming, “What the heck happens next?” This question leaves us frustrated as we try to survive on behind-the-scenes clips and mini-previews to give us enough clues about the next episode. This is where I am with the newest drama, My Secret Romance.
If you’re the impatient sort, hold off on watching until the entire series is over. Otherwise, you'll be stuck at the end of your tethers, waiting week after week. There's always viu.com, kissasian.com, dramacool.com, or dramafever.com if you want to binge watch.
The Culture
We learn about Korean culture thru our dramas. This includes food appreciation, with K-fans frequently craving rameon (ramen)! There’s also the pajeon (pancake), soju (wine), samgeopsal (bbq belly), fish cakes, kimchi, etc.
In addition, most K-fans can probably rattle off Korean phrases such as “Annyeong haseo” (hello), “Kamsahamida” (Thank you), “Saranghae” (I love you), “Shiro” (I don’t like), and many more. Personally, my favorite word is “Bogo Shipda” (I miss you!) reminding me of the hit-song by the K-pop band BTS, who incidentally just had their hit concert at the Mall of Asia Arena last weekend.
The Life Lessons
Practically all the K-dramas have life lessons: Don't pretend to be someone you’re not. Work hard! Listen to your mother. Respect your parents. Be loyal to your friends. There are just too many to mention.
My most favorite, especially for the teens, would be Weight Lifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo’s message of confidence, self-love, and acceptance. Book Joo is a non stereotypical heroine who is boyish weightlifter and not model thin. But in the end, she gets the popular guy by just being herself.
Some people assert that watching K-drama is a stupid huge waste of time. But, really, don’t we all have versions of silly things, which don’t necessarily solve the world’s problems that we still like to do because they make us infinitely happy? We all need relaxing guilty pleasures to take the edge out of the harsh realities of everyday life. K-drama allows that escape, albeit temporary. The key here is proper time management. Never neglect responsibilities while fan-girling. Always, “Fighting!” (If you know what that means, then you are a true fan. High-five!)