So many of you asked for this after my last post on some of my favorite OTPs, so here goes – my attempt to answer the question:
Dear kfangurl,
What are some of your worst OTPs?
..Which I paraphrase to mean, OTPs that didn’t work for me / are not my favorite / are kinda blah. Coz worst is a strong word, heh.
Shout-out to Beez, for being the first to ask for this list!
Note: I fully expect that some of the OTPs that didn’t work for me, might be your actual favorite OTPs, and that’s perfectly fine, since this is all subjective anyway. But if you’d prefer to look away now, I won’t be offended, I promise. 😉
Dear Beez and all of you who either seconded her request, or voted YES on my Twitter poll,
I’m both amused and slightly terrified, writing this post, heh. Like I said above, chemistry is such a subjective thing.
For every person that doesn’t feel a particular OTP due to the lack of (perceived) chemistry, there’ll be someone else who loves them to pieces because of their (perceived) amazing chemistry.
So I thought I ought to make it doubly clear, that this is a completely subjective list of OTPs that I personally didn’t enjoy.
If you enjoyed and loved them, please don’t be offended or hurt. I always try to love an OTP, so if your OTP appears on this list, it simply means that I tried.. and I failed.
At least I tried? But, since you succeeded where I failed, then please love ’em extra for me, ok? 🙂
WHAT MAKES AN OTP BLAH FOR ME
In my head, there are 3 broad reasons why an OTP might be underwhelming, for me.
1. Poor perceived chemistry
Some OTPs make the air crackle between them just by being in the same orbit as each other. At the other extreme, some OTPs seem to have negative chemistry, where everything just seems extra awkward and hard to watch, when the supposed OTP is in the same frame.
Of course, there’s also the in between, where the OTP chemistry isn’t negative, necessarily, but is just.. blah. They could be interacting with a door knob, and it wouldn’t feel all that different.
Sometimes it has to do with the actors’ acting abilities, but sometimes, the actors might be perfectly capable, and yet.. the chemistry just doesn’t happen. Very mysterious.
2. The OTP relationship is disturbingly or awkwardly written
Some OTP relationship are really unhealthy, if you stop to think about it. In fact, the worst ones don’t even require you to stop to think about it.
The unhealthy dynamic smacks you in the face, and worse, Show serves up all the unhealthy stuff with tinkly cutesy music or grand romantic ballads, to inform you that you’re supposed to be getting all the romantic feels from what you’re watching on your screen.
On the other hand, sometimes a loveline is just a lazily strung together catalogue of romance tropes, and is stilted, awkward, and all of the things that are the opposite of natural or believable. Those don’t work for me, either.
3. The OTP connection feels forced
Not every story needs a romance, but many writers in Dramaland haven’t gotten the memo yet. Almost every kdrama seems to have at least a token romance in it, if only to satisfy the romantics among us.
This can result in OTP connections that feel shoehorned in just for the sake of it. Far from satisfying to watch, in my opinion.
Sometimes, this is because the actors don’t look comfortable together, so all the scenes where they’re thrown together in closed proximity don’t work, coz one or both of them look/s like they’d dearly love to be anywhere else but there. That feels forced, too.
HERE’S MY LIST
In no particular order, here’s my list of OTPs that I personally didn’t enjoy much at all, along with the broad reasons for why they didn’t work for me.
I feel more strongly about some OTPs than others, of course, but here’s everything in one jumbled up list (may it breed vagueness in terms of which ones I dislike the most!).
You guys asked, so here you go: OTPs – the meh, the sincerely bad, and the ones that made me want to throw things.
Warning: Unpopular opinions ahead!
Heirs
Chemistry: negative
OTP connection: disturbing
Other notable points: He’s controlling and threatens her as a way of showing his affection. And he treats her like an object, telling his rival, “You take her,” when the going gets too hard for him to take.
Plus, the way he grinds his lips on hers is disturbing and difficult to watch. Look, she’s literally wincing.
Review is here.
Descendants of the Sun
Chemistry: meh
OTP Connection: not disturbing per se, but very clunkily written
Other notable points: I didn’t find this OTP connection believable; everything feels like set dressing for connect-the-dots developments that lead to supposedly squee-worthy OTP interactions.
Said interactions are supposed to be cute &/or swoony, but I just couldn’t feel the cute or the swoon. It all felt staged and hollow to my eyes, despite our leads’ real life relationship. Real life chemistry doesn’t always translate into onscreen chemistry. Go figure.
Review is here.
Boyfriend [Encounter]
Chemistry: meh
OTP Connection: felt forced
Other notable points: I couldn’t feel the supposed chemistry between the OTP, and all the cutesy romantic stuff was hard to swallow because it all felt quite staged and hollow to my eyes.
The bickering and the sweet love confessions all felt overly scripted to my ears, so I cringed instead of swooned, through all the episodes I watched.
The straight-up mishmash of rom-com surreality and hard-nosed corporate reality came across as uncomfortable and awkward to me as well.
Dropped post is here.
The K2
Chemistry: negative
OTP Connection: unnatural, felt forced
Other notable points: His affection for her seems legitimately out of nowhere, and all that ramyun dancing, with him looking so thrilled at her being thrilled about ramyun, is really stilted to my eyes, and awkward to watch.
All that supposed deep care and love felt hollow and forced, too. I cringed. A lot.
Dropped post is here.
Something in the Rain
Chemistry: very good, actually
OTP Connection: unhealthy and aggravating
Other notable points: What’s the point of having strong OTP chemistry and oodles of initial cute, if all you’re going to do later, is trash it all with persistently unhealthy OTP dynamics, where the OTP keeps lying to each other and playing blame games?
And there’s so little character growth over the course of 16 episodes that nothing really changes between this OTP, and I personally found it all quite pointless.
Review is here.
Itaewon Class
Chemistry: middling
OTP Connection: felt forced
Other notable points: The romance gets suddenly amped up in Show’s last stretch, and it just feels very in-yo-face and aggressive, with the OTP going from sub-zero stop-crushing-on-me-please-please-PLEASE to you-are-my-LIFE-I-love-you-love-you-LOVE-YOUUU in not much screen time at all.
I tried to get on board with this loveline, I really did. But I found this whiplashy and very perplexing to watch, to be honest.
Edit: Review is here.
Memories of the Alhambra
Chemistry: negative
OTP Connection: felt very forced & shoehorned in
Other notable points: This story never needed a romance, but Show insisted on featuring a romance, just for good measure.
And as a result, our female lead is relegated to being the (always, never out of tears) crying (and crying.. and crying some more) damsel in distress, while our male lead presses forth with his adventure quest.
One of the most unsatisfying lovelines I’ve ever come across. Show would’ve been MUCH better off without it.
Flash Review is here.
Uncontrollably Fond
Chemistry: negative
OTP Connection: feels forced
Other notable points: I found everything about our female lead forced instead of cute and endearing, and that feeling extended to the romance as well.
This loveline didn’t feel natural, organic or believable to my eyes, no matter how hard Show tried to sell it. And Show tried hard, to sell it. Probably a good lesson on why it doesn’t pay to try to sell a pairing too hard?
Dropped post is here.
Well Intended Love [China]
Chemistry: middling. Sometimes it’s ok, sometimes she looks distinctly uncomfortable being near him.
OTP Connection: ultra disturbing
Other notable points: The OTP connection feels forced, probably because the writing itself is quite stilted and connect-the-dots. The worst offender though, is how he’s basically stalking her and being a fraud, and therefore toying with her mental health, all in the name of wooing her.
So, SO wrong, on so many levels. Plus, even taking the stalking-frauding thing out of the picture, he’s very controlling, also in the name of love. She’s occasionally literally held hostage, too – you guessed it – also in the name of love. It’s no wonder she looks so uncomfortable so much of the time.
Flash Review is here.
Hotel Del Luna
Chemistry: meh
OTP Connection: felt forced
Other notable points: For a story about an undead woman who’s thousands of years old, where the OTP connection is supposed to span much more than a single lifetime, this OTP connection falls really flat.
There is so little emotion expressed here, and he often looks like he’s just reciting his lines as instructed, rather than feeling feelings and saying words to try to express those feelings.
Very weirdly flat and underwhelming, I thought.
Review is here.
Hyde, Jekyll, Me
Chemistry: negative
OTP Connection: unnatural and forced
Other notable points: I don’t know why, but whatever chemistry Hyun Bin and Han Ji Min shared in The Fatal Encounter is completely gone, in this show.
The OTP connection felt awkward and staged, like these two were just going through their lines during a rehearsal, with no real emotions involved. Very blah, whether she was interacting with the human him, or the alternate him.
Dropped post is here.
Love and Destiny [China]
Chemistry: very good, actually
OTP Connection: disturbing
Other notable points: There’s a strong power imbalance built into this OTP connection that never quite evens out, through to the end of the show.
She literally trusts him with her life, even when it’s unreasonable to do so, and when she draws boundaries and asks him to leave, he refuses, and lies, and doesn’t respect her wishes, all in the name of love. And Show presents that as romantic, rather than problematic.
A great pity that the OTP’s written to be so twisted, when they share a lovely chemistry. Oh well.
Dropped post is here.
Extraordinary You
Chemistry: meh
OTP Connection: felt forced
Other notable points: Lots of folks found this OTP cute and melty, but I didn’t feel it at all, to be honest.
To make things even more difficult, this love connection is supposed to be so deep and strong that it transcends universes, lifetimes and timelines.
I couldn’t sense enough OTP intensity for even one lifetime or timeline, however, so this was a fail, for me.
Dropped post is here.
My Absolute Boyfriend
Chemistry: negative
OTP Connection: felt forced
Other notable points: This was very unnatural and weird. I couldn’t detect any chemistry between our leads, no matter how hard Show tried.
She could have been written to be having quasi-romantic moments with her vacuum cleaner, and it would’ve felt much the same, I think.
Dropped post is here.
Moorim School
Chemistry: meh
OTP Connection: felt forced
Other notable points: This romance felt shoehorned in and quite random, and the sudden ramping up of the loveline felt awkward to watch.
All the cute felt so staged, like, they have to like each other now, because it’s time; the script says so. This loveline was pretty awkward to watch, also because Lee Hyun Woo looked uncomfortable in his romantic leading man skin.
And I was uncomfortable coz he was uncomfortable, and.. you get the idea.
Dropped post here.
My Husband Oh Jak Doo
Chemistry: negative
OTP Connection: feels forced
Other notable points: I couldn’t see any chemistry between this OTP, and the extreme innocence and naiveté of this OTP relationship felt very Disney-esque and unnatural.
Plus, she often looks awkward and uncomfortable around him, even when things are supposed to be lovey-dovey between the two.
I don’t think Show meant for me to wince on her behalf, but I couldn’t help it; she looked so uncomfortable.
Flash Review is here.
Scholar Who Walks The Night
Chemistry: negative
OTP Connection: feels forced
Other notable points: Throughout this show, I felt like the romance was being shoehorned in there, just for the sake of it. Every time a supposed romantic moment happened, jangly romantic music played to clue me in, but I never felt it. Ever.
The romance always vied for attention, against the endless search for the mysterious journal, and it often felt like I was watching 2 different shows at once. Show should’ve cut out the romance, and focused on Lee Jun Ki’s good vampire facing off with Lee Soo Hyuk’s evil one.
That would’ve created more dramatic tension than the very uninspired romance, I’m quite sure.
Flash Review is here.
Where The Lost Ones Go [China]
Chemistry: negative
OTP Connection: unhealthy
Other notable points: I really, really did not enjoy Show’s idea of romance.
He’s constantly invading her space, but Show presents that as him being suave and charming, and all the forced skinship is presented as romantic. She keeps running away from him, until she suddenly doesn’t, and they start dating.
Very jarring and weird, I thought. And then, he disappears, and she angsts for years, searching for him, and when she thinks she sees him in the shadows, she screams into the night, at him, that she’ll make him fulfill his promise.
How very dysfunctional, and yet, lots of folks lapped this up like candy. I don’t get it.
Flash Review is here.
Warrior Baek Dong Soo
Chemistry: negative. So negative.
OTP Connection: very forced
Other notable points: It seems that Show just wanted a love triangle in this story, no matter what, even if our female lead’s acting capabilities were only a hair’s breadth better than an actual piece of wood. I’m sorry, that sounds harsh, but I kid you not; it’s true.
Our 2 male leads fight for her affections, and often look at her with intense, meaningful gazes, but it all falls very, very flat. Show would’ve done better just focusing on the bromance, since that’s all that we remember, anyway.
Review is here.
Boys Over Flowers
Chemistry: meh
OTP Connection: unhealthy
Other notable points: He’s brash and controlling, and even allows her to be almost raped (wait, or did he actually order for her to be raped..?), and yet, this OTP is supposed to be squee-worthy and romantic? Um, no thanks.
I know I’m in the minority, but even when this show was all the rage and everyone was lapping this up – including me! – I never did feel Gu Jun Pyo’s charms, nor the appeal of this OTP.
Secret Garden
Chemistry: pretty good
OTP Connection: unhealthy
Other notable points: I admit that I loved this show when it first aired, but more recently, I find that I can’t even get past episode 1.
I find our male lead character too much of an unpleasant, entitled jerk, and all the so-called thrilling close encounters just don’t land the same way for me anymore. The Hyun Bin Handsome used to be enough to blind me to everything else, but not anymore, I guess.
IN CLOSING
This list isn’t comprehensive, of course. I might’ve blocked some blah OTPs from my memory, ha. And, I might (probably will) encounter even more blah OTPs as I go, as well.
But at least now you know a good number of the OTPs that haven’t worked for me, so far?
Do feel free to chime in, in the comments, with other OTPs that just didn’t work for you. Sharing is caring, and if my drama taste is like yours, you might be saving me some 16+ hours of my life! 😉
I hope this list has satisfied your curiosity, and that you guys aren’t too mad at me. 😛
Love! ❤
~kfangurl
POST-SCRIPT:
1. If you feel that I missed anything, or if you have your own insights that you’d like to share with the rest of us, do tell us about it in the comments!
2. Do you have a question of your own? Drop me a comment here or on the Dear kfangurl page, or send me an email!
I’m sad to see Hyun Bin in three of these 😭 I loved him in Crash Landing On You, and though the OTP is so unlikely to work out in the real world, I absolutely love how they were written to work out in Dramaland.
Hyun Bin is hands down my favorite Kdrama actor to look at, he looks great in everything and always presents himself very well put together. He’s legit talented as an actor, both in badass 1 vs 30 fighting scenes and in heartbreaking scenes with tears in his eyes that makes him feel that much human. But I’ve yet to check out other dramas starring him. Memories of the Alhambra and Secret Garden don’t seem much like my cup of tea, and Hyde Jekyll kinda looks creepy. I want to refrain from watching a series just because I liked the starring actor’s performance elsewhere. I’ll prolly watch Hyun Bin’s action dramas and films instead, but not before I exhaust my current shortlist of dramas to prioritize checking out for now.
Out of the above I’ve really only watched Itaewon Class and agree that it felt so forced. I’m not gonna spoil the OTP but I really wished Park Saeroyi made a decision much sooner in the series so we had a chance to watch the romance bloom on his side. The time jump would have been a great time to demonstrate subtle changes in this department, but IC missed this opportunity.
I was going to watch Descendants of the Sun but didn’t even finish the pilot episode. Idk why but I’m just not feeling it with this one.
I love Vincenzo, also staring Song Joong-ki, so much more, but honestly I don’t watch Vincenzo for the romance. It does have a great OTP but it’s more on the subtle side and didn’t have much time to properly blossom leading up to circumstances that would make things super difficult romantically. So maybe it’s not that the OTP doesn’t work, but that it’s in everybody’s best interest to keep things at that level.
Somebody recommended The K2 to me when I mentioned I needed a new exciting action drama to watch after Healer. I’m intrigued with the premise. But I’m a bit worried too—I just watched Ji Chang-wook deliver a stellar performance in Healer, and here he is in The K2 starring in what people say is a very similar action-thriller drama. And then I see The K2 listed among not-working OTPs, eep! Is it still worth the watch? The OTP was a major part of Healer and gave it that nice sweetening balance in an otherwise tense action-thriller. So I do kinda wonder if I will feel deprived of it if and when I decide to watch The K2.
That said, a bad OTP is not necessarily a dealbreaker for an otherwise great Kdrama. For example, despite the somewhat disappointing treatment of the OTP, Itaewon Class remains one of my top five favorite Kdramas for many other reasons, including this David vs Goliath premise of a bunch of outcasts who are new to business vowing to take down one of Korea’s biggest food companies, the values that the lead characters stand for, and just the sheer drama of the against-all-odds power struggle.
(Every now and then, I might even love a drama lacking an OTP altogether if it has other ways of engaging the feels. An example of such a drama is Juvenile Justice.)
So… someone please let me know what you think about The K2 and other series worth watching for sufferers of Vincenzo and Healer withdrawal syndrome. And since this is a post about OTPs, I’d appreciate a bit of a non-spoiler heads up on what things are like in that department.
I personally liked the K2. It had an interesting dynamic and relationships. The OTP worked for me at a story level more than at a emotional/engagement level. Both actors are good looking and it’s easy to believe the characters liked each other. That was enough for me.
i enjoyed a lot about Vincenzo, but the OTP dynamic wasn’t for me. I like positive romances and Vincenzo’s felt a bit squalid in that account…
I’d say you would enjoy Flower of Evil. It’s a thriller style drama with a very good grown up romance. I’m watching it now and really enjoying it. My Liberation Notes currently airing on Netflix is also excellent. The romance is only a part of the story but it’s smoking hot in a very unusual way. I recommend!
I would also recommend Secret Garden, if you’re a hyun Bin fan. There is much more to that drama that meets the eye… if you can overlook the silly and the absurd, that is. It is considered a classic for a reason. Hyun bin’s character in Secret Garden is one of my favourites in drama-land and his performance one of the best I’ve seen… and I’ve seen a lot of dramas, east and west 😅
Thank you Gloglo! Sorry for the super late reply, I didn’t turn on my notifications for this one and just happened to peek by.
Glad to hear you loved K2, sounds like it is worth the watch! I’m honestly worried whether I’ll love Ji Chang-wook here as much as I loved him in Healer, but I guess there’s only one way to find out.
I have never heard of Flower of Evil, but then I’m super new to Kdramaland, having only joined the party this year. I just looked it up on Wikipedia, and it does sound like the kind of drama I would enjoy. Looking forward to finally watch something from the 2020s again after wandering among 2010s gems. Thanks!
And I’ll definitely save Secret Garden for my romcom cravings. ❤️
I agree on so many of these. What I have found in the ones I loved is that the crappily written/performed relationship became second fiddle to the rest of the drama. I can live with that.
With The Perfect Match, Itaewon Class, Descendants of the Sun and more – I fast forward through the relationship just to get back to the story.
I just finished The Perfect Match and was able to blaze through the last six episodes by ignoring the on again, off again strange relationship between the principles. Something in the Rain became so boring that I still haven’t finished it yet. I love Jung Hae In but, just about everyone else in this drama was disposable. So agree on Absolute Boyfriend but, loved the depth of Yeo Jin-Goo’s performance so much, I could put up with her lifeless presence and lack of emotional depth. For The K2 – I was glued for the chemistry between everyone else but, the love story. I see in comments universally, that everyone wanted Ji Chang Wook and Song Yoon-ah to end up together.
Hi Kfangurl! I check in on your reviews every time I’m done with an Asian drama, and have imaginary conversations with your posts!😅 I might have posted a comment or two a few years ago, but I cannot be sure.
I’m here commenting now because I finished watching Memories of the Alhambra only a few days ago, and it has had me in a haze of reflection since then. I’ve read your flash review on the drama. But after reading this post, and many of the comments below, it got me reflecting on the OTP.
To be honest, the moment I knew this was all about an AR game, I figured the romance was going to be down-played heavily. (I hadn’t seen any of the PR save for the poster.) Where the romance was concerned, I actually got way more than I had bargained for, and I thought it was so beautifully woven in with the rest of the story. It turned out to be an integral part to Jin-woo’s motivation to level up and find Hee-joo’s brother. Of course, there was the motivation to save the company from bankruptcy, not to mention to save his life. But as he got deeper into things, Hee-joo inspired him to stay alive and keep going.
I was truly surprised at how subtly this romance develops between the OTP considering the general fast pace of the story-telling. [I read in one of the comments above that the writer added in the romance only in the last minute, so to speak.] I enjoyed the nuanced acting from Hyun Bin which showed a man who was used to living in distrust and betrayal, suddenly encountering complete trust and lack of guile in a person. It was never in his words. It was all in his face. I thought Park Shin-hye’s character was one she quite often plays – trusting, innocent, easily-confused but fiercely frank and straightforward, and loyal. But when played off against the character of Jin-woo it was such a complementary mix of two very different personalities.
I loved how she was not afraid to let him know how she felt about him. The stars in her eyes began when he waived away her tardiness in signing the contract and gave her the 10 billion won. She probably saw him as a knight in shining armour, so to speak. But, from there on, her crush becomes something more. She appears to respond to the loneliness she sees in him, and perhaps it is the loneliness in her that initially draws her so close to him. He too is just as equally drawn to her. He can’t help but come look for her when he knows she’s in Seoul. He appears to fight the attraction initially. But later gives into it completely, especially when she begins to be the only person in the world he can trust and who in turn believes in him. She trusts him enough to leave him to bring back her brother. And I think it’s perfect that the series ends with her still believing in him, and that her belief is not misplaced.
I like that their relationship was not complicated. Should he have let her in on his thoughts more? Perhaps. But then, it was all completely in keeping with his character. Even his friend Park talks of how Jin-woo always plays his cards close to his chest. And Hee-joo appears to realise this and accept it in him without question. Does it make her weak? I don’t think so. If anything, it shows her to be a rather strong person, and shows that Jin-woo’s heart is safe with her. She also appears to understand Jin-woo’s need to protect her although it hurts her (and so she can’t help crying?).
I had been so worried about the series ending dreadfully with a hurried, hashed up, happy ending. Instead, it ended with the key characters in place for the viewers to draw their own conclusions or for a sequel without destroying the element of ‘hope’ that seems to be a thin thread running through the episodes.
So, yep! That’s it! Just needed to get that all out. I really enjoyed this series. It was fantastic and ranks among my Asian drama favourites. I thought the story-telling was tight, except for the Marco bug and the logistics that apply to how the ‘master’ functions – but then the little brother is back at the helm and there is so much potential for how Jin-woo can be rescued without the game becoming as dangerous as it had proved. The pace was perfect. I loved the shift in timelines. It was so well done. The CGI, of course, was fantastic!
Hi kfangurl! I really enjoy all your reviews. Thanks for the great insights, advice and good reads! I must admit I do agree with you in all those poor OTPs you mention above (I the dramas I have seen)… except for one: Secret Garden. I watched SC for the first time recently, and I have watched it many many times since. I love this show dearly and I LOVE the character of Kim Joo won. I agree that problematic dynamics can spoil a love story in a show and I admit Joo won has some problematic domineering tendencies, but for some reason, I am able to overlook them in this show… Joo won is a very unique, complex character full of contradictions: he’s both rational and irrational, preposterous yet also matter of fact. He’s arrogant and self satisfied, yet at times surprisingly self-aware and self-loathing… what I’m trying to say I suppose is that I take Joo won’s inappropriate acts, his stalking, his rudeness and arrogance, his force kissing and bed-pinning as part of a character that deep down is tender, childlike and whose growth has been somewhat stunted… I don’t know. I do not love everything about this drama but I love the way Joo won is written: Everything he says moulds his persona so incredibly well… and, of course, Hyun Bin’d performance just gave him that extra flair of fun and depth That it’s no wonder the character became so very iconic back in the day… For me Joo won is up there with Darcy and Mr Rochester. I know, these are big words indeed, but sure… 😅
Haha, yes, those are big words, but y’know, you’re entitled to love what you love. I loved Secret Garden when I first watched it. I just.. don’t find it landing the same way now, when I try to rewatch it. So I don’t force it, but neither do I begrudge anyone from loving it. I’m glad you have a show that you enjoy so much, and can rewatch multiple times! That’s part of the joy of Dramaland! 😀
You’re absolutely right. I think the enjoyment of romantic drama and comedy is very much determined by the age we encounter it, our baggage, references, stage in life etc… I’m in my fifties and I have consumed romance of all flavours from high brow to fan fiction since I was fairly young. I now understand things that were not obvious to me when I was younger, things like why a storyline or a character speaks to me at a gut level, even when a lot in said character or story is, in theory, unappealing. In Episode 1 of SG I found that this obvious element was the incredibly witty and character defining dialogue. It was probably the language more than how much of a jerk Joo won is what won me over… That art gallery scene, where he tells his blind date about how he judges all the girls he meets there, sets Joo won to perfection: Yes, he is callous and incredibly rude, but he also displays a sophisticated intelligence and sensitivity that will become more obvious as the show progresses… and that for me was enough: This scene hinted at Joo won’s potential to mature and grow if given the right challenge. So when Ra Im was introduced I knew I was in for a treat. It it with her when we see Joo Won’s potential for tenderness… and how hilariously he disguises it: “Are you nervous because you’ve never seen a guy as handsome as me? I’m saying this in case you misunderstand but I’m not doing this for you: It’s my moral obligation in society, I’m just doing a good did.” lol, lol and lol.
It is this character’s way of putting things what really makes me wish I could speak Korean 😉
Hi kfangurl! I really enjoy all your reviews. Thanks for the great insights, advice and good reads! I must admit I do agree with you in all those poor OTPs you mention above (I the dramas I have seen)… except for one: Secret Garden. I watched SC for the first time recently, and I have watched it many many times since. I love this show dearly and I LOVE the character of Kim Joo won. I agree that problematic dynamics can spoil a love story in a show and I admit Joo won has some problematic domineering tendencies, but for some reason, I am able to overlook them in this show… Joo won is a very unique, complex character full of contradictions: he’s both rational and irrational, preposterous yet also matter of fact. He’s arrogant and self satisfied, yet at times surprisingly self-aware and self-loathing… what I’m trying to say I suppose is that I take Joo won’s inappropriate acts, his stalking, his rudeness and arrogance, his force kissing and bed-pinning as part of a character that deep down is tender, childlike and whose growth has been somewhat stunted… I don’t know. I do not love everything about this drama but I love the way Joo won is written: Everything he says moulds his persona so incredibly well… and, of course, Hyun Bin’d performance just gave him that extra flair of fun and depth That it’s no wonder the character became so very iconic back in the day… For me Joo won is up there with Darcy and Mr Rochester. I know, this are big words indeed 😅
I haven’t seen all of these shows, but I totally agree with everything. Like, Memories of the Alhambra (which I am struggling to end). The show would be so much better without the silly romance. Not to mention that Park Hye Shin, even though an adequate actress, is always wooden when it comes to romance.
Lee Min Ho to me is the king of failed OTPs. I am really not a hater, I think he’s an ok actor that gets better and better, plus he’s really nice to look at, but all his characters have this arrogant jerk vibe that would probably make any woman in her right mind more eager to slap than kiss him. And I totally agree with you on Boys over flowers. What an unhealthy relationship that was, second only maybe to the one in Playful kiss (the k version, the one with Oh Ha Ni). Oh, and Cheese in the trap was also bad in that way. It made you want to scream “just get out” to our girl Seol, because that boy had issues and instead of treating them properly, the writers hesitated between a thriller and a rom-com.
In my book, Cheese in the trap is the perfect example of an OTP that has good chemistry, good actors, but which is also highly disturbing.
Apparently LMH is very appealing in The King: Eternal Monarch though! My sister fell under his spell in TKEM (& persuaded me to give it a try, so I’m watching it now), but now she’s attempted some of his other shows, and is coming up empty, lol. Like you said, he’s been given the role of jerky male lead so many times! 😂😂
I had been waiting to watch Goblin/ Guardian – all my research on Kdramas listed it as a ‘must watch’. Every list has it among its Top 10 best dramas of all times etc etc. It just came to Netflix where I am and I cleared the decks to devote my evenings to it – not that anyone is going anywhere these days, but still…..
Anyway, 2 days after watching the show, I decided to write here because I had to vent 🙂
I felt terribly, terribly let down by the OTP! To the point it just ruined the show for me. I mean Gong Yoo was a General, a legendary warrior, waited an eternity for his bride – and we are asked to believe that bride is some teenager in a school uniform? Did it not feel slightly- for lack of a better word- icky?? She’s a kid!!
Worse still, there was no chemistry between Gong Yoo and Kim Go-eun, the romance seemed so forced and most of the time poor Gong Yoo looked like a fond uncle taking his sister’s kid to lunch!
I so wanted to love Goblin/ Guardian – and I adore Gong Yoo (and his lovely, lovely hair and crooked smile) in it, just to be clear- but I can’t finish it or watch it again because Kim Go-eun just ruined it for me. I’m sad.
You should try to get through it if you believe in late payoffs. A lot of people complain about the lack of chemistry but it would be even ickier if he did display any sparks with her as a minor. Slightly spoilery: He waits. Although I don’t think he waits with any longing or anything like that… at first.
I will also say that even if there were no payoff with the OTP, the bromance and all the witty banter makes it worth a watch for me.
Agree on the bromance! Just loved their scenes together :))
And I also thought Lee Dong-wook and Yoo In-na were lovely. That pair made sense and had so much chemistry. And they are both so good at the fun bits and the angst.
Lol. I can’t comment on Goblin since I only made it up to about E10, but I do concur that from the section that I did watch, that the OTP was not a highlight of my watch experience with this one. But perhaps there really is a late payoff like Beez says. I may never see it for myself, but I do have vague good intentions of giving it another try – someday. 😅
Park Seo Joon is my Ultimate Favorite, but i really couldn’t stand the OTP in She Was Pretty. I found their chemistry middling to meh, largely because she didn’t seem that much into her, or at least i did not feel it come across the screen. Their connection, and the turnaround from him being so mean to her to eventually falling for her even before her makeover and great reveal, felt a bit forced to me. Maybe i couldn’t see the logic behind such a transformed perception and feelings on his part? Was it because she reminded him of his long lost first love? Was it because they had shared interests? One can have shared interests with someone without necessarily falling head over heels for that person all of a sudden.
Finally, it felt and seemed to me that she was not so much into him romantically. Her words did not translate to the romantic vibe she was supposed to show off. I felt like she was still in the platonic zone, that she lacked real DESIRE for him (nothing wrong with remaining in the platonic zone, except that it won’t serve the script), and that at times she was even subconsciously disinterested in him or maybe more interested in her female best friend. For instance, she came across as more excited to see Ha-ri than PSJ who was abroad for months.
I think we were supposed to believe that PSJ’s feelings for her were kept by him ever since childhood and he transferred those feelings to whomever said they were her. So when she was revealed to be herself, poof! That’s who he lived. But I agree with you 100% that their chemistry didn’t spark. It’s a shame really because the whole reason the two of them were cast to be the OTP is they had really good chemistry (even though they were playing sister) in Kill Me Heal Me earlier in that same year.
I felt exactly the same. I even fast forwarded most of it! I always like PSJ’s dramas but not this one and although I enjoyed Itaewon Class the OTP seemed very very forced to me.
I never hated an OTP the way I hated Something in the Rain. I guess it’s because of the way they OTP took us so high on the romance. One of the worst female lead characters. I want my swoons refunded tbh lmao
Ahahah!!! Wanting your swoons refunded! I LOVE IT! 😆😆 YES. I want my swoons refunded too!
I was thinking of watching it…after seeing bits of it….But then after checking this blog and the way it was shredded to pieces….I decided to skip it….thank you…”swoons refunded”….hilarious…Oh good lord…what have we come to…Enjoy..
Actually, it’s a really great OTP up until the writers destroyed it. Once that happens, one can more easily go back and see that the flaws were there all along. Including that it wasn’t just the female lead who was at fault.
But I don’t regret watching, because somehow that OTP stuck with me even after the house burned down.
What I’d recommend is that you watch the first 12 episodes, then allow yourself to be spoiled on how it goes sideways after that. At that point you can either skip the rest or watch it with far less anger/frustration than the rest of us felt.
I totally agree! It started so well, but was a disaster in the end.
Someone just sent me this:
https://youtu.be/eVDL9ugf0yw
It’s Ji Chang wook and Yoona having more chemistry in 3 minutes than they had throughout the entire K2 series run.
Most of this is BTS. It’s almost as if every time the director said “action” the chemistry fled the scene.
This makes me wonder is it really the writer or director’s fault when there’s no chemistry with actors whom we’ve seen have chemistry plenty of times with many other actors before but then they get a show that nothing comes across.
In any event, I’m sure the dancing noodles scene must’ve lasted 3 nauseating minutes and we could replace that with any one of this tiny few seconds scenes and the romance would’ve come out much, much better.
Hey Beez!
A successful collaboration between directors and actors requires a lot of trust. Typically the actor comes prepared with their own take on the character and scene. If everything has gone well in pre-production, everyone should be on the same page in terms of where things are heading and what the dynamics are. However, unlike theater, there is very little rehearsal time (maybe even less than I’m accustomed to in the US), which means if there is any disconnect, it has to be worked out quickly on the day. Ultimately, the director has the overall vision and should have a firm grasp on the arc and the beats that need to be hit in a scene. While the actor’s interpretations and input are essential to a good performance, they ultimately defer to the director–for good or ill. They may be given direction that deviates drastically from what they had become comfortable with, and they have to trust that the director isn’t going to have them do something foolish or counterproductive. They can’t see all the elements (sometimes there are rewrites and they only know the extent of the scene they’re working on that day) and just have to believe that everything will make sense in the end.
If that trust isn’t there, the result will be a conflicted and compromised performance that barely satisfies both sides. Tension from a bad actor/director relationship can make the actors uncomfortable on set, which will of course screw with their performance. If the trust is there, but the director’s vision is skewed, he or she could very well take a great initial interpretation by the actor and either muddy or destroy it.
The actors could be throwing sparks with their first take, but the director either gives an objectively bad note, steers them away from key elements that made their connection work, or says or does something that ruins the trust or comfort level. There’s also ego of course, and that cuts both ways. Maybe the actors are off their game because their feathers got ruffled when the director dared to tell them play the scene a little more comically. Or the director lost confidence when an actor defied direction.
The script further complicates things, as you can imagine. It can be hard to filter out the music, performances, and emotion and focus on what the nuts and bolts of the scene are. It’s pretty much impossible for me to judge the writing in k-dramas–at least on a micro scale, because I don’t have a good fix on the language and translation. Many times the words themselves seem clunky to me, and would sound cheesy or too blunt if delivered in english. But the sound of the language somehow just makes the words…work. Dunno. Can’t explain it. Which is why I can’t really critique it.
But dialogue and the content of individual scenes goes a long way in how we perceive the director’s or writer’s efficacy. We don’t often hold actors responsible for the overarching plot, but we do single them out when it comes down to the big moments and lines. They can only work with what they have. They have blocking and lines and character direction on top of that. If they’re really good, they may be able to make a mediocre writer or director look adequate, but usually they alone can’t compensate for a crappy foundation.
So even if the directors and actors are good but the script is weak and can’t be tweaked, they can only salvage the project. Usually though, if the actors have chemistry in one project, if it doesn’t show up in another, I’d say the director either took them out of their element or went against the grain. In theory, casting should bring actors onto a project that most naturally fit into the roles. If that is done well, the director merely needs to tweak. But if an actor got the role for any other reason (it’s a publicity vehicle, they knew the right person, they just happen to be the flavor of month, etc..,) the director is gonna have his hands full.
Basically, you are right, Beez. Many times what looks like bad acting or a lack of chemistry is no fault of the actors, but rather the byproduct of a misguided or overly ambitious script or director. But actors can also fudge up their chemistry. Easily, in fact. Ideally everyone is professional, but real relational dalliances, overstepping, unwanted advances, or even genuine intimacy can torpedo a sizzling connection.
It’s a very tricky thing, playing make-believe for money, and it isn’t hard to throw off the balance needed to keep the ship upright for the whole voyage.
And of course a disclaimer that makes this whole post almost worthless: this is the perspective of someone who has worked (in a very limited capacity and on nothing of great scale) on sets in the US. The dynamics of actors, directors, and writers could be waaaaay different in another country. (KaPow! Revelation!!!) This was just my 24 won, for what it’s worth. (Which is technically about two cents…) 🙂
Thanks for a great break-down of the nuts and bolts of how things work on set, Jesse! 🙂 To my understanding, the same dynamics apply in kdramas, and I love how you’ve laid it out in such an easy-to-understand way! This is great. I love it. And I echo what Beez said recently: you’re very eloquent and expressive – I love reading you. 🙂
On a slightly different note, I’ve sent you an email, so please have a look in your inbox! 😀
Great comments, Jesse Gray.
I do wonder what’s it’s like for Korean actor/actresses who appear in a succession of romance dramas. It must be a unique experience, no?
An American movie actor might need to fake being head-over-heels in love for part of a movie and maybe for portions of a succession of movies. But rarely for most of the film or thus not for that many months out of the year. And a TV actor might need to fake it for part of a single season of a show, but if the show succeeds they’d stick with that role for many years — and that early intense phase of the romance would evolve into something more comfortable.
Also, American actors and actresses don’t have to stay single or hide the fact that they date IRL.
So imagine the experience of single actors like Son Ye-jin or Hyun Bin filming one 16-hour show after another, with such intense portrayals of two people falling deeply in love.
Hyun bin is that rare actor who has never hidden his dating life and everybody seems to be okay with it. I think it’s because actors who date publicly straightaway at the beginnings of their career release the fantasy right away as opposed to fans who (somewhere in the back of their minds) truly think they’ll meet Oppa one day and he’ll sweep them off their feet. Now this is just me speculating of why some actors can while others can’t.
The reason for my supposition is the lives of actors like Hyun bin, Jang Hyuk, and even every Kfangirl’s dream Lee Min ho (whose following is like that of The Beetles [or insert Elvis or your appropriate age group boy band]).
The one thing that I see they have in common is they never went along with the facade of not being human and dated publicly right off the bat.
Plus, as discussed on that Dear Fan Girl thread on the topic of unhealthful fan worship, actors have it less bad than K-pop idols and at some point everyone ages out on the requirement not to openly date.
But honestly, would the experience I described be even weirder if you were dating someone you cared about or were married?
Definitely weird. I don’t follow kpop at all but the Kdrama news sometimes includes kpop news and I’ve heard of a few Kpop idols who have been secretly married for years being found out. The fans are clamoring that the agencies should kick them out of their respective groups.
@merij1 See my answer above this comment about Hyun bin dating publicly. He’s announced his relationships with many actresses in the past, the latest being Kang So ra. The most famous being he and gorgeous original Hallyu star Song Hye kyo (female lead in Descendants of the Sun).
I bow to your superior information! What about Son Ye-jin or Han Ji-min?
@merij1 *cough* *ahem* Well seeing as they don’t have chocolate abs, my knowledge of the actresses is limited. 😉
“chocolate abs” is a Kdrama thing. I literally wait for the guys to go into the military so we can get the classic Kdrama shower scene trope.
Ha. I can’t remember if you’ve mentioned your own status. Married or comparably serious pairing with someone? Or are you happily single?
Even though my gal doesn’t frequent blogs like this, I have to be careful about expressing my “admiration” for certain actresses. But yes, I’m your reciprocal on which actor/actresses I would notice that about.
Happily divorced! Although it’s been so long now that I really just think of myself as single. I’m 60 now and so there’s a lot more freedom to be a lit.tle. bit nasty. Just a l’il bit… and just not care what people think. It’s wonderful!😆
Btw. It goes almost without saying, but at our age I figure I no longer need to be assured that I don’t “have to” answer personal questions unless I choose to. Because of course I don’t!
I will say if the magic number for actors getting married is somewhere between 45-49, for actresses it seems to be the magic 39. But can be anywhere from 35-39 cause who wants to turn 40 and never been married? (Hey! That’s not my personal opinion). It’s my understanding that in real life, in Japan and South Korea, when a girl hits 29 and is unmarried the family tends to nag as if she’s “on the shelf”.
That’s so old for the guys! The women need to balance career with the harsh realities of declining fertility.
Exactly. yup.
@merij1 When I first started watching Kdrama – it seemed as if actor Kwon Sang-Woo was everywhere. And starring in everything. He got married and his career went poof! But I think part of the reason is his wife is an actress who was S. Korea’s darling (equivalent to America’s Sweetheart). Since Koreans still value marriage, continuing to lust after him would be disrespectful to her. Of course, these are just my thoughts from observing (his career and others). It’s not like anyone as out and out said this is the reason why his career tanked.
Nice comment….I actually think this phenomenon of hiding things and acting “holier than thou” is very Asian.
Honestly in Indian entertainment space, its equally bad and they appear as hypocrites when they do that.
I can’t comment on Korean industry but I have read news articles on actors/idols dying because of the pressure.
I personally think that an actor’s performance is enhanced and the portrayal on camera appears more honest when they don’t hide things…and an actor will be able to do that only when he/she is secure of her craft and body and the success/failure that follows…you need all the “extras” only when you are an insecure person by nature…neways social media is making it only worse for them…
I really felt this with Hyun Bin….maybe he has one less thing to worry about and instead can concentrate on his performances….And I think he is easily one of the best right up there with DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Hugh Jackman, Benedict, Robert Downey, Richard Gere (the ones I like in HW and are very open minded people);
Very interesting observation…..waiting for somebody to throw light on this….
Anyone interested in going deeper on this thread about what it’s like for actors and actresses featured in K-romance dramas should read this guest post by Jesse on how these shows are filmed:
https://thefangirlverdict.com/2020/05/17/inner-workings-practical-factors-that-affect-onscreen-chemistry/
Thank you for the shout-out, @merij1!!! 🙂
Thank you….I have already started reading it…Thanks to KGV, Jesse and Merij…..
It is a very intense read and I will comment after I absorb it fully…
Thanks, @merij1!
You’re right–I think these dramas present a very unique experience for the Korean actors. As you pointed out, duration is a factor, but so is the level of romance. In American films and TV, many times intimacy is cheaply bought with make-out sessions and sex scenes. Those require a certain level of vulnerability, finesse and skill, but not emotional resonance; they’re more like action sequences than romantic interactions. Dramas include those, but they’re usually manifestations of what the characters have been expressing with their words and actions to that point. Those physical incarnations of intimacy have been earned, which means the actors have gone on the journey with their characters to arrive at that point. It’s a much more organic and lengthy process, requiring sustained connection and a myriad of emotional exposure on set.
Also, the composition of American shows is very different than many of these dramas. Their runs may be longer, but the focus is on something other than romance. Many of them are comedies or procedurals where there is a romantic couple, but their relational progression is usually the B or even C story. I can’t think of any long-running (or short running) US shows that give romance center stage and build the plot around it. So even if you cobble together the bits and pieces of romance sprinkled in a 9-season US show, it probably wouldn’t even come to half of a 16-episode drama. You allude to this in your comment as well with regards to just having to share intimate moments sporadically. Because US shows spread out the romance so much, the progress is incremental and doesn’t need a whole lot of commitment on the actor’s part to pull off.
Sit-coms have their characters dip in and out of relationships more frequently, but they are of course played for laughs and involved many other partners. The closest I can think of to an OTP is probably the classic Ross and Rachel connection from Friends, but they spend 95% of the show with other partners. That’s a big “Ppppppbbbbttt” as far as I’m concerned. 😉
Dramatic films may involve many more romantic and deep moments, but as you said, they are quick bursts. The amount of time the actors spend on a project is usually 2-3 months, and when you add up their actual screen-time together, it’s not even half the film’s duration. RomComs are an exception, but most of the time the Com takes precedence over the Rom, making a comedic chemistry more important (or at least more utilized) than a romantic one.
As crass as it sounds, most of the American movies beats go, “Flirt-Flirt-Kiss-Sex-Shun-Reconcile” or “Flirt-Avoid-Flirt-Avoid-Pine-Pursue-Withdraw-Pine-Realize”–the latter being more rare and closer to how these types of dramas are set up. Either way, scenes wherein the actors are actually taking each other in, letting their characters yearn, hurt, advance, retreat, and console each other are few and far between.
Side Note: It makes me wonder if at some point drama actors begin to distance themselves from their roles at a certain point in their careers. Not consciously of course, but more as a subconscious defense after going deep for so long with so many shows. I still maintain that even if an actors isn’t going method, if they are doing it right, they are investing pieces of themselves in every performance. If an actor has built a career out of sustain relationally-driven roles, I have to imagine it starts to wear them out.
Oddly enough, the closest I can think a non-drama production has gotten to mimicking the relational connection found in these dramas is Lord of the Rings. That production spanned years with no breaks, and the principle actors who were together the whole time became very close friends, attended each others weddings and became god-parents to some of their kids. There weren’t any sustained romances that got caught up in that duration, but there’s a very real affection and love that comes from going through the trials and tribulations of a production.
So yeah, merij1, I agree that these dramas are a whole different ball o’ wax. There’s nothing like them on this side of the water, and sadly I don’t know that there ever will be. I have often thought about trying to craft a 16-hour American show based off the structure and unique elements of Kdramas to introduce the mass populace here to the genre, but I don’t think they’d get it. Studio execs here are convinced that sex is what sells, so if you try to pitch the appeal of a romance that has an OTP, and that OTP doesn’t show a sufficient amount of skin or engage in bedroom frivolity within the first two episodes, you’re done.
C’est la vie!
I too have tried to picture American TV giving this a shot — am intensely romance-centered show with a limited run of 12-16 episodes. I’ve even fantasized being the showrunner who pitches the notion. In the age of HBO/Netflix, it’s certainly far more possible now than it was back in the days of only broadcast TV, where it could only have happened as a miniseries based on a book.
You know there would be a market for it in the US, if it were done well. Netflix has pretty much proved that concept with its successful acquisition of these Asian shows. Even for these corporate ‘suits who wouldn’t recognize a good idea that hasn’t already succeeded unless it bit them on the ass, this should be recognizable as a promising new market.
Btw, I’m dating myself here, but Moonlighting was a long-running show that kept the never-quite realized OTP in play. The romance was always in the background, but it was only sometimes the focus. However, it worked rather well that way.
Your observation about the sequencing of romance in American movies is why my wife and I fled to K-drama. We don’t relate to romance that starts with attraction but then suddenly they’re ripping off their clothes as fast as they possibly can because they’re so aroused they can’t take the time to savor what’s about to happen. That’s lust.
As for what it must be like for Korean romance actors, I started thinking about that after watching CLOY.
Neither Hyun Bin nor Son Ye-jin are known to be dating anyone, nor have they ever been, despite being in their late thirties now.
So of course everyone ‘shipped them IRL. Whether they ever gave each other a shot at love, they must at least appreciate having each other as a friend who shares that peculiar romance actor experience.
They’ve also both mentioned the weirdness of being celebrities and how they try to cope with that.
When he performed his military service Hyun Bin chose the marines instead the usual entertainment service because he felt he needed some time away from others to figure how who he really is.
Son Ye-jin says she spends most of her free time traveling to other countries, where she is not recognized and where no one is constantly trying to help her. She says she needs to do regularly that to remember/learn who she is.
Bottom line: it’s got to be a tough life, despite all the perks. I picked these two actors as examples since they’re both so attractive and yet there’s little reason to hope either will find love and marriage before age 40. Han Ji-min is single too, I believe, and also approaching 40.
Celebrities have it rough. Fame is superficial and hollow, and fortune is fleeting and inconsequential when it comes to love. But celebrities are encumbered by both when trying to find a genuine relationship. Don’t get me wrong, having a chunk o’ change would be nice, but at times it can be a burden. I give Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin props for not caving to pressure and finding ways to keep themselves grounded as they continue to pursue their careers and who they are outside of them.
I just found out that Seinfeld didn’t get married until he was 45, so they’ve still got some time. 🙂
> Seinfeld didn’t get married until he was 45, so they’ve still got some time
Seinfeld didn’t have to worry about bearing children. Although in these times, adoption really does seem like a less selfish alternative.
@merij1 – I figured out how to put a link to my comment. Here it is – about Hyun bin dating
https://thefangirlverdict.com/2020/05/02/dear-kfangurl-what-are-some-otps-that-didnt-work-for-you/#comment-77342
I’ll admit, HBO wouldn’t be the first place I’d try my pitch; if Kdrama had a nemesis or polar opposite, I’d say the kind of shows HBO is predisposed to producing would be it. 🙂 But you’re right about Netflix. They’ve got the numbers–they can see the popularity and viewership dramas enjoy. If there was going to be a way to get a western version of a drama out there, they’d probably be the best way to go. Or maybe Prime. In both cases though, they’re still taking a risk. Sometimes genres and cultures clash, so there’s no certainty the mix would pan out as well as the OG material. But if ya could get an A-lister to sign on (which would require a strong script), I could see Netflix throwing money at it. The possibility is certainly there!
My only question would be what style to go with. I think shows like “Healer” and “My Mister” would almost be guaranteed successes because…well…they don’t have a lot of the quirks and nuances that many of the other shows have. (“Healer” in particular would be a great way to help transition out of the overly-saturated superhero genre while still giving people a taste of it. I’d be down with doing an adaptation, but I wouldn’t try to sell it as a new series.)
When I think of the kind of off-the-wall, fun shows here in the US like “Community”, “Arrested Development”, and even “30 Rock”, many of them had their runs cut short and had a bit of trouble gaining wide popularity. And those were billed as comedies. (Although “Scrubs” had a good run and actually reminds me a lot of some Kdramas in many ways.) I wonder how much of the KDrama flare could be worked into a “romance” and still have a chance. How would an uninitiated audience react to asides, frequent flashbacks, slow-motion glances and “I’ve tripped and fallen into your arms” moments, etc..?
It would be a balancing act requiring some trial and error. Shoot the same scene differently and see how it works after the edit. Doable, but probably a longer process. Admittedly part of the charm for me though is seeing the tight-nit cast and crew photos at the end of a show. It’s like half the size of what we have here, and I’ve seen some things (like one of the lead actors holding a boom mic for a scene he’s not in) that the unions would kill. Ah well. That’s probably enough hypothetical musing from me for now. 🙂
I haven’t seen Moonlighting, but after getting acquainted with Bruce Willis as a hardcore action guy, I’ve always wanted to see him in that show. And c’mon, it’s not THAT old. It came out after the original Star Wars, which is kinda like my version of “BC”. Right now, we’re in 42 ANH. 😉
And a hearty nod of agreement regarding you calling out lust for what it is. I don’t know how or why love’s counterfeit sells so well, but it’s really prevalent here. I’d largely stopped watching new content after awhile ’cause it was getting depressing…but then KDramas happened and the world opened up.
I love pizza. I enjoy the flavor, the texture, everything. I can eat pizza even when I’m full, which is dangerous and skews towards gluttony if I’m not careful, but it’s just so darned good!
But you know what I don’t love? I don’t love watching someone ELSE eat a pizza for two minutes. There’s no appeal to me whatsoever. So I continue to be miffed and mystified at how people enjoy sex scenes. Not to knock anyone who enjoys them of course, but I just don’t get the point. That’s not something I can live vicariously through! I’m not absolutely certain, but from how it’s been described, I’m willing to bet I’d like sex almost as much as I like pizza–but even then, I’d still be missing the allure of watching other people do it.
I used to think I was peculiar in that regard, but considering the spiciest thing I’ve seen thus far in the Kdrama world is a guy and gal disappear under a comforter, I don’t think I’m alone anymore. 😀
Ha. You crack me up with your pizza analogy.
> How would an uninitiated audience react to asides, frequent flashbacks, slow-motion glances and “I’ve tripped and fallen into your arms” moments, etc..?
Yeah, I too have tried to picture American actors/actresses in these scenes. Would the magic would still work, even for me? It’s an interesting thought experiment.
@Jesse Gray and @merij1 You know, as often as I’ve reached Healer, I didn’t even catch that it’s the Superman-Lois Lane dynamic. I can’t believe I didn’t catch it, not even when Ahjumma explained it to Healer (which I only caught that dialogue upon my last rewatch in January of this year). lol
I do see lots of American shows doing a shorter running format, mostly cable shows. I cut the cord to cable a long time ago but I’m seeing these shows show up on. Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu.
Ironically, Beez, I now want to watch The K2.
I watched the first 15 minutes when Netflix tried to push it on me, but my wife is not big on mostly-bad-ass fighting/action shows with frail damsels in distress — which is exactly what those first scenes on the subway platform suggest. (My wife LOVED Healer, but of course it’s so much more than action; and the female lead is strong as well as endearing and the OTP rocked.)
But now that I realize it’s Healer’s Ji Chang-wook and now that I know NOT to bother attempting to invest in the OTP, I think I might skim through it on my own. If only for Chang-wook and the actress who played the calculating boss-wife, Song Yoon-a. I’m not familiar with her, but she strikes me as a substantial actress I should get to know.
Since I’ll be skimming through it, maybe it’ll be easier to write an alternate version in my imagination where Chang-wook and his evilish boss Yoon-a end up together! Which would be a refreshing reversal on the tired trope about kind women helping cold men re-discover their hearts, blah blah blah.
I know most people cut and ran on The K2 but as a die-hard Ji Chang wook fan, I was motivated to watch to the end. I would say don’t fast forward through anything (except maybe the annoying cheesiness of the OTP) because there are some stellar performances and some very interesting psychological dysfunctional but interesting dynamics going on with the older couple in a love-hate thing. Not that it’s pleasant to watch but… nevermind. I can’t say more without spoiling the only reason to watch it. The action is lots, fierce, and non-stop. (I luv it.)
I tend to give Korean actors/actresses an American counterpart and Ji Chang wook’s is Hugh Jackman. Similar to Hugh Jackman, JCW is a reluctant action film star. They’d both rather be performing in musical theatre but the audience lives them in action roles.
typos: … audience loves them in action roles.
I am now going to check out the work of JCW….Since I like HJ and you have compared him to JCW…
I was neways planning to catch Healer and maybe its the first thing to start with I guess….
And I like how u say…..”performing in musical theatre but the audience likes them in action roles”….
But honestly I like HJ as an action star/normal guy than a musical performer…maybe I find it a bit odd to see him sing…I don’t know…just me I guess…I rather prefer Logan and Leopold …but good to know your views…
@Princess Jasmine – oops! Did I make it sound as if I prefer Hugh Jackman in musicals? Quite the contrary. As a Marvel fan since 1979, Hugh Jackman embodies Wolverine and nobody else could ever fill his shoes, for me.
Same with Ji Chang wook. I’ve seen clips of his musical performances and…
Let’s just say start with Healer. Then if you can tolerate a long series, Empress Ki. Then Suspicious Partner. There are others but just save Melting Me Softly until you’re entrenched in love for him because and just want to see him on your screen because it’s not a very good show.
I enjoyed the K2 thoroughly. The best relationship was between Chang Wook and Song Yoon Ah (she was fabulous as the baddie and is a wonderful actress in general) – the whole love hate thing was going on. However, I have a soft spot for Im Yoon Ah though and I thought she played the whole angelic thing really well. I didn’t have a problem with the noodle scene either 😜 She has a new drama going out soon – Hush, that isn’t romance based.
I’m enjoying it so far! I don’t really care about the plot in a show like this, so when I say I’m skimming, it means I FFwd through scenes that don’t feature the actors I care about. It’s their interactions that I care about.
But just watching the TV interview of the baddie woman in the first ep was enough to convince me to watch all her scenes. Wow.
Not even game to comment on this one other than to say I either like an OTP or I don’t. I know there are some OTP’s I have liked and the majority have said the interaction is a bust! However, I did like this post very much and throwing things is highly recommended 😂
Ahaha!! Are you perhaps speaking from experience..? 😂😂😂 I’m glad you enjoyed this post, even though you’re choosing to withhold comment! And it’s completely true that perceived chemistry of an OTP is very subjective. I’ve seen wildly different opinions on the exact same OTP, so it stands to reason that people will always have different opinions on this topic. We just like what we like! 🤷🏻♀️😉
Okay, here is one “hot off the press.” The King: Eternal Monarch. Kim Go Eun – Fabulous. Lee Min Ho – what are you doing in this show (my apologies to all the LMH fans out there, but he is borderline okay in this, that’s it). Is there: crack, sizzle and pop between the two leads? Not from LMH. The writing is, well, how can I say “snooze, and you won’t lose.” So, officially dropped at the half way mark.
Hahaha! I’ve been hearing so much about The King! And very little of it is good, unfortunately. 😛 I’m half toying with the idea of taking a look, just to see for myself, but the reports have been quite discouraging, so I’m leaning towards side-stepping it completely. And your decision to drop it kinda confirms my gut instinct, that it’s not for me! 😆
It won’t hurt you to have a random look. It has all the hallmarks of a great show, but I think you might see through it straight away 😱
Ahaha!! Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sean! 😆 I just might have a random look, though I hear the more recent episodes are tighter and more interesting, with Woo Do Hwan’s characters coming face to face with each other. I do think, though, that if I were to start with E1, I might not have the patience to last till E8..! 😅
Woo Do Hwan is truly awesome in The King as the “unbreakable sword” and as his other self, as are so many of the other characters. However, it is not enough to keep me watching 😜
Perfectly understandable, Sean! I have been quite tickled by some of the double Woo Do Hwan clips floating around, but.. it’s still not enough to entice me to give the show a proper watch! 😆🤭
Sean and Fangurl – I am sticking with it for Maximus. Ha Ha! There are so many errors in it (wait, which side of his neck is hurt to the white pony to how can you love this guy when you only met him?). Not to mention that I am so confused! The most OTP chemistry was in the restaurant scene where they were having coffee and Kim Go Eun laughed. My old “keep watching and maybe it will get better” mode has kicked back in. We shall see if I can hang in there. I still love Kim Go Eun but I may have lost my LMH blinders.
To me, it’s gotten much better in these last 4 episodes. And I’m hoping it’ll continue to get better and I really hope they can tie all the mysterious things together so it makes us feel satisfied with the fantasy writer-nim is trying to tell.
To me, it’s gotten much better in these last 4 episodes. And I’m hoping it’ll continue to get better and I really hope they can tie all the mysterious things together so it makes us feel satisfied with the fantasy writer-nim is trying to tell.
Maximus is certainly getting a lot of attention and is an amazing and stunning horse. There are some very nice interviews out there with LMH regarding his affection for Maximus. No blinders there! Good on you for hanging on, and if Beez is right, perhaps it is righting itself.
@seankfletcher – I’m laughing too because I was the first to ask kfangurl to do this post. And I was all about “we won’t be mad or gripe about our OTPs”. And I truly, honestly thought I meant that but, unfortunately, I was the only one arguing and expressing why my favorite OTP shouldn’t be on the “bad”ist. 😆😂
All taken in good humor, no worries, Beez!! 😄😉
I have seen all the K-dramas mentioned here. I completely agree with you! 100% !!! First time to your blog. Impressed with your views 🙂
Oh, welcome to the blog, Sakthy!! 😀 Glad to have you here! Also, yay that we seem to have similar tastes! 😉
Well I thought your post was supposed to be controversial and scandalous, but the comments here are pretty much in agreement with you. Sigh!
Kidding. I love this. Seems newer viewers are learning about kdramas from you. And that’s always a good thing.
Tee hee. It’s controversial to those who love the OTPs I listed, though! 😅 I vaguely remember upset readers when I posted my DOTS review and said I didn’t care much for the OTP, or for Song Hye Kyo’s character. So I was mindful of upsetting folks again, with this list. 😝 Glad you enjoyed this post, despite my arguable lack of controversiality! 😆
I agree with a lot of these OTPs and realize that most of those I agree with involve dramas written by Kim Eun Sook (Secret Garden, The Heirs, Descendants of the Sun, Memories of the Alhambra). And this is also why I won’t get into The King: Eternal Monarch until I have more of a sense of how people whose opinions I trust (like you ^^) think of it. What do you think of Kim Eun Sook’s writing, and are there specific writers that you follow for how they always seem to just get it?
Memories of the Alhambra is by a different writer.
I don’t think Alhambra is one of Kim Eun sook’s.
Hm.. the main thing that I’ve noticed that bugs me with dramas like DOTS is, KES seems to write with several Big, Grand OTP moments in mind, but a lot less thought seems to be put into the moments in between, so those Big Grand Moments tend to feel lazily strung together, and then the story itself doesn’t feel cohesive. Context is everything, so without a well built context (and instead, we get connect-the-dots stuff that string Big Moments together), the Big Moments just don’t land with the emotional impact that she probably wanted. I’ve mostly felt underwhelmed with her dramas, despite the buzz.
I don’t have a fixed list of writers I follow, but I would like to see more work from the writers who respectively wrote Be Melodramatic, At Eighteen, Search:WWW.. those feel immediately fresh and different, because they don’t feel like they’re following a formula. That said, I do think that Park Ji Eun does very well at making the tropes work, like with CLOY and YFAS. Despite the tropeyness, she brings the feels very well, and I appreciate that. Unfortunately, I don’t uniformly like all her dramas. I didn’t care for Legends of the Blue Sea, for example. I guess nobody gets it right all of the time? 😅
Well, two of them I really liked (Love & Destiny, Extraordinary You) . I can totally agree with your opinion on L&D. I never saw it from that point and Wow, it is so true. Darn! I confess I really liked her very much with the “evil” guy (even when in the buddy way and not OTP) since he was the more interesting character. Extraordinary You was more something for my heart (than the brain) and I think they had a good chemistry (they are young and not the best actors -no, LJW was wooden in that- but the OTP actors at least where enthusiastic). It is just the script that when into nowhere like Cheese in the Trap so that this Drama ended for me earlier.
Have you tried Well intended Love 2? I never finished it since it bored me out for my mind, even while quilting what made me through the first season. Even when they had the better script (better, but not good) and more money this time, the OTP actors still are terrible together. Even when the FL actress surely advanced the ML actor did not. He was terrible in each Drama I saw him yet. How does he land his roles?
Hehe, I didn’t care for the evil guy in Love and Destiny; his head tattoos always weirded me out! 😆 And even without his head tattoos in the mortal realm, he still struck me as always being Meaningful, but in a creepy way. 😂 I actually found the OTP chemistry really lovely. I guess too much awareness of the common issue of power imbalance made me more sensitive to it, and I just couldn’t shake the idea that she let him kill her, willingly, AND she gave up her hearing for him, despite it. Also, I was NOT pleased with his lying in the mortal realm, and how he wouldn’t take no for an answer, even when she put her foot down. If Show had called him out as being bad by doing that, I would’ve been ok with it, but Show portrays it as romantic, and that was just too much for me. 😅
I tried E1 of Well Intended Love 2, more out of morbid curiosity than anything (thanks, YouTube algorithm!), and I couldn’t back away fast enough! 😂😂 It all felt so awkward and unnatural, from the moment that they met. 😝 I honestly don’t understand that show’s popularity; it somehow has a lot of fans!
I still can’t get a credible picture in my mind of how they pitched the premise of Well-Intended Love to whoever originally gave it the green light. And the fact that it got a season 2 totally blows my mind, even though I realize that’s more common in China.
I take it the female lead magically turned the psychopath guy into a closer approximation of a real human by the end of S1? If so, was there a Pinocchio moment where he finally realized he wanted to be a real boy?
Haha! I can’t imagine it either, MeriJ! 😆😆 I might’ve blocked details from my memory as to whether he actually became more human by the end, but I remember feeling deeply unsatisfied still, by the time I got to the end. You might be interested in checking out what I had to say in my review here. 😝
And you know what, S2 doesn’t even continue from S1! They basically take the same characters, plonk them in an alternate universe where they’ve not yet met, and start the story ALL OVER AGAIN! 🤯🤯🤯 I do not know why. I tentatively looked at E1 of S2, out of morbid curiosity, and it felt as awkward and uncomfortable as S1 to me, and I backed away quite hurriedly. 😂
I haven’t actually seen any of S1. Netflix did a good job of making it seem good, so I read part of your review to verify and then ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction.
However, I actually love the idea of plonking the same couple into an alternate universe and filming a redo of an OTP that worked well. Imagine how that might apply to CLOY, Love Is A Bonus Book, Healer, Coffee Prince or One Spring Night, for example.
To follow this formula, it wouldn’t just be the same actors paired in a new show — the writers would need to re-create the essential premise of the original show, but explore new aspects of the romance. Why not?
Na, the psychopath still stays psychopath and gets locked up in S1. Didn’t knew what happened with his character in S2 since I never made it that far.
I love AU stories but that is what AO3 (or Fanfiction.net for the older juice) for. I don’t think I would watch an AU story for real again. I wish there would be more fanfics :DD.
Yes, I agree it would be interesting. In fact, Extraordinary You tries to explore that same concept, with the characters being comic book characters, reused by the writer in multiple universes, such that they became self-aware from.. “overuse.” ‘Twas an interesting concept, but unfortunately the show got boring after a while. Which means to say, don’t check out that show! 😆
> such that they became self-aware from.. “overuse.”
Sounds like a great premise. Much like season one of HBO’s Westworld, with AIs being abused in a amusement park by the uber-wealthy but thus becoming self-aware over the decades due to a the repetition of experience.
Now there is a show that I thought was brilliant in its first season, but I walked away from in its second season because of the “overuse” of killing off the decent and interesting characters (AIs).
Sean, I just started S3 of Westworld last night. I enjoyed S2 actually, but of course nothing will ever be as magical as that first season.
I’m one of those for whom unresolved ambiguity is a delight. Not knowing the answers to a puzzle means entire universes of possibility still exist for me to consider.
Merij – awesome! Westworld is truly one of the great sci-fi concepts and stories. Crichton’s creation is a fine contrast to the robotic pantheon created by Asimov. Enjoy S3. You never know, I might just take a sneak peek 😊
I am a puzzle solver and enjoy the mystery of the past, present and future. Hence I like many a detective story. However, I have a knack of working it all out early on in the story, so the show or book needs to bring something else to the table to keep me going.
It is a great premise! The first half of the show was so interesting and fresh, as the characters grew suspicious of their surroundings, and worked to figure stuff out. It’s too bad it became repetitive and lost its draw by the second half. I haven’t seen Westworld, but it does sound like a somewhat similar, interesting premise! 🙂
I actually rewatched S1 of Well Intended Love before S2 – and found S2 to be the more normal ( if that is possible) and believable story – the male lead is less of a psycho. The narrative is similar to the first season ( but everything is opposite) the FL loses her memory this time., etc. After watching the S2, I realised just how awful the ML was in S1 ( even if I binged the show as it was OTT but light)
However, the acting is still very mediocre – there are better Chinese dramas out there – I like Standing in the Time.
I’m so down for this. I have so many opinions on drama OTPs. And I find many of them quite different from most people that are into Kdrama when so try to talk to about OTPs that drive me crazy. ^^ I haven’t seen all of the dramas you’ve listed but I’ll comment on the few I have seen.
DOTS —this was the second Kdrama I ever watched. At first I found them cute and fluffy. Since I didn’t have much else to compare the ship to I kinda shipped them. However I quickly became so much more invested in the secondary couple… also kdrama’s greatest bromance ever to exist (I would also say the single best thing about DOTS).
Itaewon Class —I actually just finished this. Fantastic. I really enjoyed the chemistry —I agree it wasn’t “electric” …but it very real not forced. They felt like very real people with a relation connection/friendship. I also liked how all their friends (or most) also shipped them eventually. They work great together and they’re honest with each other. He made her want to be a caring person. She hates him for it at the beginning. I have more thoughts… but I’ll keep it to that. ^^
Well Intended Love = Cringe fest on so many levels… I physically could not finish this one…
Hotel Del Luna —I dropped this one because… a lot of reasons… I could never figure out what was going on —and not in a good 365 Repeat kinda fantastic way… the OTP felt borderline Stockholm syndrome… also flat.
Love and Destiny —I actually was unable to finish this one as well… (I just… I have a hard time with the 10 miles of love gloop as I refer to it… I think I hopped on the Li Jing ship to early and never got off. Also dear netizens, please do not murder me in my sleep) just kept comparing Nini’s character in LAD to her character and her chemistry with the Chen Kun in TROP (If you’ve seen it… you get it…).
Scholar —For as beautiful as Joon G…*coughs*… everything was, The OTP was the most lacking (besides the plot). Let’s talk about the big power imbalance between leads with zero chemistry to over come it. (beware-quarter-life-crisis-rant-ahead) I also found it really hard to swallow that someone over 200 years would fall in love with a teenager. I’m in my mid-20’s and I find most teenagers and I quote myself, “….uuuuhhhnnn….” But he’s been around for 200 years? Im not buying it. So in my opinion If you want good chemistry and Joon Gi try Scarlet Heart Ryeo. You can argue with me. But it’s my favorite Kdrama and I will defend myself. xD
Boys Over Flowers —I really tried to get into it since it’s the first Kdrama I remember hearing about years ago, but I 100% agree with your comment here…
Hi there Naomi! Looks like we are in agreement on a lot of OTPs!! 😀
I’m with you on the secondary couple in DOTS. I actually found them a lot more interesting than the official OTP, and I would’ve happily watched them in their own drama! 😄
Glad that the OTP in Itaewon Class worked for you.. I don’t HATE that they had a loveline.. I just didn’t like how the writers handled it. But I also admit I would’ve loved them to have been portrayed as platonic soul mates instead. That idea somehow appeals to me greatly. 😅
I love how you say you physically could not finish Well Intended Love. Well, it seems your body saved you! Coz I could physically finish it, and I’ve lived to regret it. A LOT. 😂😂😂
I haven’t seen every drama on your list but of the ones I’ve seen (including general crowd pleasers such as Descendants of the Sun and Hotel Del Luna, both of which I couldn’t finish), I agree with you 100%! Scary.
There are some tropes that bother me a lot, like stalker elements and forced kisses or worse. It’s very difficult for me, perhaps influenced by my own experiences and those of friends, to enjoy dramas that portray those actions as merely misguided romantic gestures or that play them for laughs. Other than those tropes, the biggest problem that I have with bad OTPs is how predictable and formulaic they can be. Please, Korean drama gods, do we ALWAYS have to tack on a happy OTP ending? There are also some actors that I find not very convincing, such as Sung Hoon, Suzy, and L, all pretty faces who have never moved me by their acting and thus make for leaden OTPs, at least to me.
Having said all that, I do keep watching a drama if there’s something other than an OTP that piques my interest. For example, I was surprised at first to see Warrior Baek Dong Soo on your list…because I didn’t remember a romance at all! (I guess that demonstrates how bad the OTP was.) One reason why RomComs are often a bust for me is because unless the “Com” is really good, I’m easily bored by the “Rom.” Instead of melting into a puddle when the OTP gaze into each other’s eyes, I think, oh my god, here comes the damn music. That’s why I tend to prefer (1) historical dramas (there’s nothing like a little death staring one in the eye to add some perspective); (2) political or mystery dramas (but only if the crazy is kept to a minimum — I always feel like having an insane villain is kind of a cop out); (3) fantasy worlds (I loved “W” despite its flaws and its requisite happy ending but then I didn’t like Hotel Del Luna, 365 Reset the Year, and Extraordinary You, so go figure); or (4) family dramas (because, to misquote Tolstoy, all romances are alike but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, and that makes for some fun drama).
I feel like I should add my own caveats to the above. These are just my thoughts and I recognize that some (or all) of you might disagree. But I stand by my opinion of L. hehe
@Alaska – sounds like Mr. Sunshine is the drama for you.
I second Beez’ opinion. Mr. Sunshine has it all. You can also try Kingdom, if you don’t mind zombies.
@Snow Flower – I, personally, can’t handle zombies. I did endure them for Gong Yoo in Train to Busan and then again for Hyun bin in Rampant. Somehow Rampant’s zombies felt less scary than Train’s zombies. It may possibly be categorized as a comedy (in my book) but that’s probably due to Hyun bin’s cavalier attitude and playboy persona.
The zombies in Kingdom are the scariest zombies ever. They run fast and they bite everyone. I don’t like horror as a genre and zombie horror in particular, but Kingdom is something else. It is a political thriller, social commentary, and a disaster movie all mixed into a glorious symphony of ice and blood.
Mr. Sunshine is epic in the true sense of the word, grandiose and breathtaking, an unforgettable tale of suffering and endurance.
Yeah. I don’t know why Train and Rampant zombies didn’t freak me out. But just the preview for Kingdom let’s me know I can’t handle it. lol
Ditto on everything you said about Mr. Sunshine. I was just trying to describe it in kfangurl’s latest post about which Kdramas to watch with moms. I couldn’t find the right words yo describe it. I wish I’d seen this comment of yours before then. I would’ve just quoted you. 👍👏
I thought I was the only crazy one trying to watch all of Hyun Bin work (too late to the party) but even for that I can’t watch zombies….but u are making it look like Rampant could be watchable…..
Btw is there a place where I can connect with Bin fans and write or post stuff…I really want to put a word on snow queen which is so underrated….and just understand why so…
I haven’t watched Snow Queen (but I plan to). When I can’t find any of the blogs that I frequent talking about a show, I Google the show like this: Korean drama recap review Snow Queen
Inevitably somebody’s talking about it but in the case of Snow Queen, it’s probably old threads. With luck, whatever blog you find is still active so you might get conversations going.
I’ve liked Hyin bin since I watched Secret Garden in 2014 but he’s not one of my biases although I like him a lot. When an actor makes my bias list, I go back and watch every (do ya hear me? EVERY) drama and movie he’s been in. Only a couple of dramas that have been too old to find. Luckily there are only two actresses, so far, that I’d do the same for.
Thanks Beez; We seem to share a common liking for Hugh Jackman and Hugh Bin….Great start to life…
Thanks for your comments and time to explain things….much appreciated…
I personally like Snow Queen a lot…very underrated….maybe I am more like the lead character in real life…
I mean I have changed like him in the end but the story resonated a lot for me…life,death,cancer and mathematics thrown in…and I have dealt with all of these and I love mathematics and numbers…(I couldn’t have cared as much if he was a physics genius…so ya there u go…).
May I ask who are exactly your bias at the time being….
First of all, it’s my pleasure to have people to share my Kdrama obsession with. To not hear criticism and feedback like “Subtitles! Ugh! Why do you want to READ subtitles while you’re watching?” lol
Snow Queen. EEK! Math! But now boxing, I can take an interest in. Since I haven’t seen it, I can’t really give any opinion on it. But I can appreciate that the story touched you.
Hyin bin did not make my list because his skinny-ness (see Secret Garden) was a turn off but as he’s getting older and filling out more, he might just make the list soon. 😉
As to my biases:
I had topped my list with explanations from back in the day but You said “current biases” so I’ll scratch the list and only give brief reasons.
Song Seung heon – I like his looks and his older dramas which most are considered classics.
Rain – Does it all! You might know who he is because besides being a kpop (former) mega star he starred in an American movie – Ninja Assassin?
Joo Jin mo – He has better movies than dramas. In fact, most of his dramas kind of suck. 😢 But I’m loyal.
Jang Hyuk – fulfills ALL my needs. Choco abs AND acting skills and his martial arts skills are real. When his fists are flying, they might be as fast as Muhammad Ali in his prime. Jang Hyuk attracts women. He’s good looking but you’d think he’s even better looking by our reaction to him. It might be the machismo factor. Or the intensity he brings to his roles that can sometimes be viewed as having a passionate nature. 🤷
Yoo Ah in – Amazing acting skills. I used to say that Jang Hyuk is THE actor of the era but Yoo Ah in as made me change that to “Jang Hyuk is THE actor of his generation”. I can’t decide who holds first place with me when it comes to pure acting skills.
Kim Sung oh – 😍😍😍❤💞💓
My personal favorite. An amazing actor who’s taken for granted because of his comedic roles but when there’s a serious moment he’s startling. And the best part is he’s all mine as nobody else claims him. 😆
Woo Do-Hwan. He’s new so we’ll see if he lasts on my list.
Gong yoo! I hate horror genre but I watched Train to Busan (a zombie movie). What does that tell you?
Gong yoo has that charm that’s a cross between Carey Grant and Clark Gable. (Are most people here to young to know who they are?)
Sung hoon. I just like looking at him. 😆
Now I’ve never heard anyone else refer to female actresses as their “bias” but I do it because there’s so few that I like. Usually, I feel that any actress can fill whatever part is opposite one of the handsome actors.
Shin Hye sun – acting skills
Kim Seulgi – multi talented and such a cutie pie. She used to be a regular on Korean SNL.
Go Ah sung – acting skills
Ha Ji won – mostly I think it’s respect for her doing her own stunts and my fondness for her character in Secret Garden. But if she doesn’t return to rom-coms soon, I’ll have to put her on my “ex” list like Kim Sung ah whose roles lately are just too depressing.
The list is ever expanding. And since I tend to judge whether I’m going to watch something based on if one of my biases is in it, then, because I might take a liking to a supporting actor that’s in his show, is how I discover new ones along the way.
Have you got your own list of biases yet?
Oh Lord Beez – this really made me laugh out loud. ‘Sung hoon. I just like looking at him.’ Priceless!
Agree on Jang Hyuk and Yoo Ah In. They are superb actors. I actually gasped out loud several times while watching The Throne – Yoo Ah In’s acting was breath taking. While I personally think they are both fine (as in “Oh Lord he is fine”), their acting abilities are that much finer if you get my drift. Hoping for great roles for both of them in the future.
I just realized, I left Kang Ha neul off my list of biases.
Tee hee! I stand with you, on your opinion of L! 😆 I mean, he’s earnest, and he’s handsome, and he’s trying.. but it mostly doesn’t translate very well, unfortunately. 😛
I totally agree with you on the stalker elements and forced kisses. In this day and age where #metoo is so top of mind, and with more and more women drawing attention to the fact that they feel unsafe going out alone, and have to be on alert all the time, it’s just mindblowing that writers would think that portraying stalker elements as romantic would go down well. 🤪
I wonder if you’ve watched One Warm Word? It’s not a rom-com but a melodrama, and I thought the character development was well done. It all felt nicely organic too, and based on what you said, I thought you might appreciate it. It’s very underrated, in my opinion. You can take a peek at my review here, to see if it strikes your fancy. 🙂
And also a Korean dramas and almost had me throwing up all the time due to its chemistry was playful kiss
@koraah “Throwing up”?! Because it was gross or too sweet?
Well honestly I have to say I am a little shocked to see dramas like hiers,extroordinary you,scholar that walks the night,boys over flowers,hotel del Luna,descendants of the sun. Because these dramas I specified we’re recommended to me as dramas with good story lines and chemistry but anyways thanks for your time on this reply and well I guess I will have to look closer on these dramas and their chemistry before I decide on which to watch
Oh noes. I hope it doesn’t deter you from watching kdramas. Yep, some of the dramas she mentioned are popular, but they are okay story wise and chemistry wise. As she mentioned, her list is subjective. It didn’t work for her, but may have worked on others. It’s okay to watch few episodes of those dramas, and if it doesn’t really work for you, it’s okay to drop them.
If your taste is similar to kfangirl, do check out her full list of shows she reviewed. I found few dramas she highly recommend became my favorite. Secret Love Affair is one of them.
Aw, I’m sorry this post shocked you, koraah. 😬 I did mention that the opinions I have are unpopular, which means that there are many people who would speak well of these OTPs and these shows. I think I’ve become pickier, the longer I watch dramas. 😅 Don’t let me stop you from checking out any of the dramas.. but if you find that you feel similar to me as you’re watching, then maybe take note of what else is on the list, to avoid further disappointment? 😉
@kfangurl _ I think you mean – once she’s seen a couple of those dramas she should run screaming from the “bad OTP” list and check out your dramas on the “good OTP” list. hahahaha
Ahahaha!!!! Well.. that’s always an option too! 😅😆
Hi! I have a question.. What can make you drop a certain drama? Like what are the factors..?
Hi Gabrielle! 😀 Great to see you! <3 For me personally, I think the writing is the most important, out of all the factors that contribute to what makes a drama great to watch, for me. So if the writing is terrible, I'm much more likely to drop a drama. If the writing is good, and the acting is just ok, I'm ok to hang in there, generally. If the acting is great, and the writing is just ok, I'm also ok to hang in there, for the acting. But if the acting's great but the writing's terrible.. I'm much more likely to drop out, I think! 😅 So for example, in Something in the Rain, the acting is perfectly fine, really. But the writing made me very aggravated (the directing too, but I fault the writing more), and I actually regret not dropping it, and powering through to the end. 😝 I hope that answers your question! 🙂
This post is savage and I love it 🤣😂😂
Haven’t really seen most of the shows here since I’ve been avoiding hardcore romance dramas. But when I saw Secret Garden on the list it made me sad since it was one of the few kdramas that I loved in a time when I disliked kdramas. Although I doubt I would love it as much if I ever watch it now…😅 And so, so, so agreed on BOF!! Interesting how it was BOF who started the Korean Wave back then and I remember hating the show so much. I’m wondering if you’ve seen the C-drama remake? It’s just as bad but with much better production HAHA. I could barely last two episodes of it.
Tee hee! I’m not usually savage, but I guess this post is kinda savage after all..! 😅😝 Glad that you liked it, Simeon! 😀
I did try the C-drama remake of BOF, actually! I was shocked that I liked E1, but by E2, my interest started to wane, and I was out by the time I hit E3. 😆 I think I’m over that story, regardless of makeover! 😆
You should do more posts like these! I don’t know about others but I quite enjoy content like this HAHA
It’s an old story that does NOT age well, especially in the current political climate. I was quite disappointed though despite not liking the Korean and Japanese versions 😂
HAHA! 😆 Well, I’ve got lots of Dear kfangurl questions waiting in the wings coz folks have been quite inspired to ask questions! I just posted another List last night; you can take a look here! 😉
Damn that’s great! Can’t wait to see all the questions they’ve really interesting so far! 😆
Lol. It’s been fun, but it’s also kinda challenging? I feel like I’m on a talk show taking part in a pop quiz, and everyone’s just waiting to see what I’m going to say, all while they’re thinking up new questions to up the game, HAHA! 😆😆 I currently have 5 or 6 more Dear kfangurl questions to answer, but I also wonder if people will think I’m flooding the blog with them. 😅🤭
Oh noooo 😣 I think your answers have been really insightful so far and if this is a talk show you’re definitely gaining lots of points HAHA if it helps, you might even think of it as a series of interviews like the ones we watch for celebrities 😆😆😆
HAHAHA I like your analogy MUCH better!! 😆😆 Now I feel like a celebrity, you talented spin doctor, you! 😂😂 YAY that you’ve been enjoying the posts, that makes me happy! 😃❤️
HAHAHAHA glad I helped you feel better 🤣🤣
No way! The “quizzes” are actually fun and interesting to see other people’s loves and hates.
To me the otp in Itaewon Class didn’t feel rushed but dragged. I firmly believe that pining after one person and trying to make them love you for years is not healthy. It might make a great drama, but I just get annoyed when it goes on for too long. At the end it felt more like she was playing a game rather than having a real connection. I really liked both female leads, but their treatment was poor. The show had two accomplished women essentially fighting over one mediocre guy whose greatest love was the revenge.
Well intended love was terrible and the English name makes it even worse. Were they trying to trick us or what? I actually watched the second season and was surprised that they fixed most of the problematic things. There was less manipulation and kidnapping and more focus on characters. I stiĺl liked the second couple better(they had some really swoony scenes) but the main couple wasn’t as cringy as in season 1. It’s a mystery why they made the first season the way they did, when they were capable to deliver something better.
Third otp that really made me angry was the one in My first first love. Kdramas rarely give me the second lead syndrome, but here the second lead was so good. He was really given a good story as why he should end up with the FL and the ML was given nothing, not even a personality. We were just suppose to believe that them being childhood friends was enough connection. Nothing the otp did in the present supported this. The ML could show up to support the FL only because he had money and thus free time. The second lead was busy supporting his family and planning for the future. He couldn’t just drop everything and the ML took the advantage of this. So during the supposed swoony otp moments I just felt sorry for the other guy. I should have dropped this drama, but I kept hoping for some kind of last minute miracle. Kudos to Ji Soo though, he’s talented at playing jerk characters.
Hi there Asperugo,
Aw, I didn’t think Sae Ro Yi was mediocre at all, really. He seemed like a really decent person to me. I love that he was loyal and compassionate and hardworking, and that he didn’t discriminate against people, and gave people second chances. I could see why both women liked him. That said, I would have preferred if the show had cut out the romance, and kept everything platonic in the end. I think that would have worked much better for me. 🙂
Kudos to you for actually watching S2 of Well Intended Love, especially since you clearly didn’t enjoy S1! You’re right, the English title is terrible; it implies that all the dysfunctional things the male lead does in the name of love, is ok. SO NOT! 😝
Thanks for the heads-up on My First First Love! I actually had that on my list, but from your comments, this doesn’t sound like a very good story after all! Maybe I should cross it off my list! 😜
I haven’t seen many of these, but I do wish to talk about Descendants of the Sun. I began watching it because the writer Kim Eun Sook also was the writer on Mr. Sunshine, which was really an encyclopedic discourse on serial drama plotting. But Descendants, although it had a stellar cast, was nothing of the sort. It was kind of a cheesey B military adventure tv series with a hokey love interest meant to be a hook for keeping you going from one episode to the next. It was the first thing I saw Song Joong Ki in and all I can say about that now that I have seen him in a variety of vehicles is what a waste of talent. He does suffer a bit in other things I have seen him in when all he is allowed to do is be the pretty but macho adventure hero, rather than playing on his range of acting chops, including his sense of humor, and ability to enact really eccentric characters, but any one of a hundred actors could have played the role he played in Descendants of the Sun, And getting to the OTP, it was hard to tell for me if it was just how cheesey their relationship was or more simply how meh the whole show was. Likewise Song Hye Kyo’s role was similarly cliche ridden, as a prototype competent liberated woman, yet really devoid of any flavor to bring out that charisma. And they seemed almost like a boy/girl version of an adventure bromance vehicle, with a bit of infatuation back and forth thrown in. Anyway, I agree with you on Descendants of the Sun.
I must agree that DOTS was really cheesy. But I can’t help it – I loved it anyway. 😆 😆 😆
This is savage…..exactly what I felt…thank you….u made my day..
And this was my 4th KDrama (I went by popularity) since I got on to the Korean wave…And I had no idea how famous the hero or heroine were…heroine had no flavour or emotions…..and she was a surgeon…meh….hero was jumping all the time…
Hahaha, I love how you break down DOTS, BE! 😆 Yes, Song Joong Ki has done better, and DOTS was pretty underwhelming overall. I thought the writing was a very weak spot (perhaps the weakest link), and that did nothing to help the decidedly underwhelming OTP connection. Without context, all the dramatic romantic OTP moments fell flat for me, and the lack of couple chemistry did nothing to lift the uninteresting script. BUT. Lots of folks loved it, so I can’t begrudge them their love for DOTS. 😅 It just really could’ve been better, overall.
I have been meaning to write in to this blog for sometime now ever since I started K-Drama with CLOY this Feb and reading your review of it; I admit I am new to kdrama world and I am yet to get over Hyun Bin (finished most of his serials and watching his movies now)
Descendants of the Sun;
I so agree with it; Thank you; I really didn’t understand the hype around this drama and except for the hero and the second heroine lead, everybody else was in OTP zone….and for god sake most of them were doctors…and the last few episodes were like WTH…
I think you are being unfair to Memories of the Alhambra and Secret Garden; I saw your review of SG;
Here is my 2 cents on it:
Memories of the Alhambra;
Park Shin is a vital part of the gaming plan designed by her brother and she is there for a reason; And she is the one who helps crack the “Fatima” key code; It makes so much sense for her brother to place the “peacekeeping” trust on his sister look-alike; And its the same trust that Hyun Bin places on her in the virtual world when he gets back in the last episode;
The romance did work albeit the limited time and may not be as developed as in other dramas;
I think Park Shin did a great job and kudos to Hyun for letting her shine in whatever scenes she had with him; And many felt upset with the ending because they all so badly wanted him to come out of the game for a happy ending with Park given what he had undergone over the last 1 year ever since he started the game at level 1;
Secret Garden;
Agree it was a bit difficult in the first few episodes and he was being a real jerk; But for me this is the catch because here we have a character who undergoes a complete transformation from being a jerk to a hopelessly in love guy who is willing to let go of his position/money/mother even before knowing that it was her father who saved him…. this part comes in episode 16 I guess…Infact his transition from episode 14 is a great watch and thats what makes this drama very interesting at least from a woman’s perspective;
(I agree that I myself was very worried for her until episode 9 when he really starts having a positive transition for good);
And the good part is they ended it with her still working as a stuntwoman inspite of being married to him and having 3 kids; If he had really looked down upon her until the end, he wouldn’t have allowed to work in that field and at one point he even wants her to quit but she puts it down; And both had an amazing chemistry and no OTP at any point;
Compare this with CLOY where we know from 1st episode that this guy is a real gentleman and there is nothing great to root for as a character arc except for the fact that we all like the gentlemanly Captain Ri and want the lovers to unite across borders; Infact in CLOY I will give more credit to the heroine character for her character development arc;
I haven’t seen the others….so no comment on that;
Btw, I started Coffee Prince since you are a big fan of it and I decided to give it a try as it keeps popping in my Netflix;
Based on my initial few episodes, its fun but in all honestly its really weird that the guy doesn’t know its a girl but then I like the girl character as she is very clumsy and hard working and I am all for fun not so perfect characters in drama world;
Thanks for your writing; You are absolutely great in it; Keep up the good work;
@Princess Jasmine – I totally agree and disagree with your post. 😊 I did feel Alhambra should have utilized Park Shin hye more because just the casting of her (as she’s a huge Kdrama star) gave big expectations for the romance. Plus even if she was not utilized much in the “real life” part of the story, I wish her game avatar had been given more of a focus in the game.
I totally agree with every single one of your points about Secret Garden!
I know you’ve said you’re new to Kdrama so I hope you don’t mind if I correct you on something. The use of OTP. It means One True Pairing as in the couple that we all know is going to end up together. We usually know this ahead of time from two things – they pretty much announce in casting news articles and if they don’t, most times you can tell by how big the stars are who will end up as the OTP.
Thanks from the bottom of my heart…..u made my day…and thanks for explaining the jargons…
I am new to kdrama world and thought I was the only one to like SG….and I am not even in my 20s to do that..
I am old enough to know how the world works and how fickle relationships can be and how cynical/unfair life can be..
In that context, I wrote my analysis on SG; And yes it had a great OTP (now I know the meaning)
I still stand by my comments on DOTS; No OTP…they were just sleepwalking after a few episodes;
Alhambra – I don’t think that drama was intended to have OTP; Or thats what I think;
In that context, I think Park Shin did make an impact in whatever little time she got;
And had a great chemistry with Hyun Bin; Especially the scene where she says she can be his “girlfriend”
That particular sequence alone truly sealed it for me;
We all would have loved to have “real her” or the “game avatar” do some action;
But the more I think about the story, I think she was meant to be the way she was (lovely and subdued);
Maybe this was to contrast out with the “other 2” wives who were really crazy and aggressive in their dealings;
( I am ok with divorce et all; just that both of them could have made it more civil and decent in separation)
And maybe I am in the minority to be ok with the ending of Alhambra and how Park was used;
And honestly I don’t bother much about news articles and big names; (This PR thing happens everywhere including Hollywood and Asia)
For me what appeals or not appeals is what I see as characters on screen and their performances and how the story works on us as viewers;
Great knowing you and stay safe everybody…..
Hmmm, interesting perspective on the female lead of Alhambra. Now I’m asking myself if it have worked for me not knowing who the actors are.
Since I was aware of how big she is in kdramas, I expect her to do more as she’s highly paid (not as high as the male lead, unfortunately). It was also promoted to be a romance. Heck she was in the main poster. So, I blamed it on the writing. I do know the writer was asked (forced?) to add romance to it. And she added it late into her writing process.
Watch W: Two Worlds, Queen In Hyun’s Man, and Nine if you like the writer’s work.
Hi, Princess Jasmine! Belated welcome to the wonderful world of kdrama! CLOY’s a great first drama; it’s got all of the ingredients that make kdrama as addictive and unique as it is. And I can completely understand not being over Hyun Bin. 😉
That’s an interesting perspective on Memories of the Alhambra and Secret Garden.. I personally didn’t like how the female lead in Alhambra was written to just cry a lot, all the time. I think it would have served the show better if the promotional material had focused more on Hyun Bin’s character, rather than hype up the romance. I think that messed with expectations too much, and did the show a disservice in the end. As for Secret Garden, I did love it back when I watched it.. I think I’ve gotten to the point where I’m over the jerk male lead turning over a new leaf for true love. But, since you’re still pretty new to kdrama, I imagine you would be a lot more forgiving of the jerk male lead. This is where different contexts and perspectives come into play, I guess! 😀 Doesn’t make my opinion better than yours or vice versa; just different, is all. 🙂
As for Coffee Prince, I thought the show did a good job establishing that Eun Chan was boyish, because she was regularly mistaken for a boy even before she met Han Gyul. So in the story world, it’s not just him for mistakes her for a boy, and that makes it work, I think. I feel Yoon Eun Hye as Eun Chan is one of the more believable crossdressing girls in dramas. Park Shin Hye in You’re Beautiful was absolutely, completely unbelievable as a boy. 😂😂😂
OMO Fangurl! I spit out my tea because I was laughing so hard when I got to Warrior Baek Dong Soo and the wood comment. That was hysterical and made my day.
This post is bloody brilliant. First – the first (my poor, poor, poor Yoo In-Na) and last photo in this post say it all. Perfect selections to invoke the mood of the post. Second, I can see you typing and frowning as you are asking yourself “Should I say this or not?”. Third – the comments are just great.
Of the above listed dramas I have seen 15 and dropped 5 of those 15. To be honest, the number dropped should also be higher but I was still in that ‘have-to-finish’ mindset when I watched them. There were some I avoided after I read your reviews of said dramas and I am very glad I did. (Note – IMHO – Moorim School and K2 really should be avoided like the plague). Something in the Rain made me very, very peeved and had the worst OST ever…like….in the history of KDrama.
The only disagreement I have is with LandD. I loved that drama. I cannot get enough of Chang Chen. I loved him in The Assassin and Brotherhood of Blades as well as all the other films I have seen him in. He is mesmerizing. To your point, I also wished that the writing could have handled a few situations in the drama better than they did.
I would like to add my top personal ‘WTH’ OTPs and that is from Coffee & Vanilla. I actually yelled at my TV while watching the sick way the ML treated the FL. It physically made me feel nauseous.
However, everything else is pretty much spot-on. I know you did not want to do this post but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks Fangurl.
Something about phl1rxd’s post reminded me of another OTP that was problematic for me – Wild Romance, starring Lee Dong wook and Lee Si-Young. It’s riveting to watch in a way but not for romantic chemistry. It’s that he was so rough with her during their physical bouts that it seemed strange. I don’t know if this was before or after she became a real life boxer (so if it was after maybe she told him to go all out) but I remember thinking this isn’t romantic at all (but it was fascinating)! And I’m the type who would find physical brawling (not real violence) sexy as it puts the OTP into skinship – kinda like in Oh My Venus’ grappling scenes.
Giggle. I’m very pleased that you enjoyed this post as much as you did, phl!! 😀 You’re right, I was quite reluctant to write it, coz I felt like I would quite likely upset a lot of people, since I didn’t like popular OTPs like the DOTS couple. But, by and large, you guys seem to be entertained, and most of you even have similar feelings, so I’m feeling much better about having written this post! 😆
Tee hee. I’m glad you approve the screenshot selections.. I thought they were quite suitable myself, but it’s extra special that you think so too! 😀
Aw, I’m sorry that you endured 10 to the finish, of the 15 dramas you saw from this list! 😅 Sometimes the completist streak is so hard to beat into submission! 😝 And I think you’re right about SITR having the worst OST ever! 😆 It aggravated SO much!
I did enjoy Chang Chen a great deal, in Love and Destiny.. There were definitely moments when I found him mesmerizing too – so no arguments there! 🤩🤩 But yes, the writing was difficult to swallow, in terms of the power imbalance, and didn’t sit well with me. Lots of folks enjoyed the show, though, so you are not alone in your love for it! 🙂 My own sister loved it, as did AvenueX, so I felt like the odd one out, not being able to muster up love for the show as I watched it – even though I was perfectly capable of appreciating the Chang Chen melty. 😉
Ooh, I didn’t have Coffee & Vanilla on my list, but – thanks for the warning! – I’ll now be sure to avoid it like the plague! 😆😆
For me it’s WWW. Everytime Morgan is on screen, i cringe hard. It would have been better if all the men in this drama disappeared. The romance ruined it.