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. π
This is.. possibly going to get ugly, isn’t it?Β π
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? π
WHAT MAKES AN OTP BLAH FOR ME
Yes, all these judgey faces / expressions, and then some! π
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:Β 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:Β 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:Β 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:Β 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:Β 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:Β 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:Β 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 naivetΓ© 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:Β pretty good
OTP Connection:Β 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 isnβt 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! π
I hope this list has satisfied your curiosity, and that you guys aren’t too mad at me. π
Love!Β β€
~kfangurl
My secret’s safe with you.. yes?
POST-SCRIPT:
1. If you feel that I missed anything, or if you have your own insights that youβd 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 theΒ Dear kfangurlΒ page, or send me an email!
