KS writes:
Can you suggest some dramas that are thought-provoking? As in, you get life nuggets from them; dramas that are not easy to watch but are interspersed with thoughtful life lessons?
Move To Heaven
All About Love Stories: By Kate!
In case you missed it, we have yet another guest post series to enjoy, this month!
Unlike our previous guest post series, this one was kind of an accident, almost. I have Ele to thank for this one, because it was her innocent question about something, that made me casually talk about the off-the-top-of-my-head, hypothetical possibility of a guest post series on love, in the month of February, in honor of Valentine’s Day.
So many folks on Patreon responded enthusiastically to this idea, that I felt that it would be remiss of me, not to actually make it happen, come February.
And so, here we are. This month, we will enjoy a total of nine guest posts from patrons on Patreon, on the topic of love stories. The brief is pretty flexible, in that, each writer is free to go deep, or go wide, on anything around the topic of love stories in Dramaland. I feel like we have a lot to look forward to, this month! 🥰
You can check out Uyen’s inaugural post here, and Jaco_4950’s post here.
Today’s post is brought to you by Kate, whom you may have seen around the blog, as well as on Patreon. Like Jaco_4950 did in her post, today is the first time Kate’s introducing herself to us properly (YAY for proper introductions! 🤩). I’m so glad that we have this chance, to get to know her better!
I hope you guys enjoy!
~ KFG ❤️
2021 Year End Awards: POLL RESULTS!!
Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote on The Poll!
The results are in, and, as promised, I’m here to announce the winners – and also, tell you where my votes would have gone, if I’d voted.
Come see? 😃
Year In Review: 2021
Where has 2021 gone, seriously? This was a strange year, in that it felt like time was passing really fast, but it also felt like we were stuck and frozen in time – or is that just me? 😅
I think it’s safe to say that it’s been a tough year for us all. For hanging in there; for continuing to put one foot in front of the other; for continuing to look for and appreciate the good in your world: You’ve done well, my friends. ❤️
Even though things in Dramaland have continued to evolve, there’s one thing that remains constant, and that is, our dramas are always there for us, ready to whisk us away into another world, at least for a little while; ready to introduce us to new friends, as we meet new characters; ready to offer us vicarious experiences, even if we’re in the thick of a lockdown and can’t leave our homes.
Just like it was last year, dramas helped to make life a little brighter and sweeter for me, and I hope they’ve done the same for you too. ❤️
Patreon Year End Awards: phl1rxd’s Year In Dramas!
In case you missed it, we’re doing something special and different to end off the drama year this year! Guests posts, by patrons on Patreon!
You can read more details, and check out Shahz’s inaugural post, here. You can also find JJ‘s post here, Trent’s post here, Sean’s post here, Martina’s post here and lotusgirl’s post here!
This is the finale guest post in the series, and next up, we’ll cap everything off with a poll, where you’ll be able to pick YOUR favorites for the year, from among the gems identified in these posts. How exciting! 🤩 Stay tuned for that!
Today’s post is brought to you by phl1rxd, who is as modest as she is talented. And, those of us who joined in the Nirvana in Fire group watch, will always be in awe of her deep knowledge of everything about that show, and her generosity in sharing that knowledge with the rest of us! ❤️
You’ll notice that in her post, the graphics are extra crisp and clean, all clearly hailing from the same family. That’s all phl1rxd’s work, y’all. Didn’t I tell you she’s talented? 🤩
I hope you guys enjoy!
~ KFG ❤️
Patreon Year End Awards: lotusgirl’s Year In Dramas!
In case you missed it, we’re doing something special and different to end off the drama year this year! Guests posts, by patrons on Patreon!
You can read more details, and check out Shahz’s inaugural post, here. You can also find JJ‘s post here, Trent’s post here, Sean’s post here, and Martina’s post here!
After today’s post, there will be one final guest post by a mystery guest writer, whose identity will be revealed when their post goes live. And then we’ll cap everything off with a poll, where you’ll be able to pick YOUR favorites for the year, from among the gems identified in these posts. How exciting! 🤩
Today’s post is brought to you by lotusgirl, who happens to be a very talented photographer and artist, on top of being an avid drama fan. She’s just beginning to make her work available commercially, and some of her paintings have already sold!! Wow! You go, lotusgirl!!
I took the liberty of including one of her paintings below, just to tempt you a little extra, to pop over to lotusgirl’s blog, where you can browse more of her fabulous work. 🤩 (Edit! You can find her on Instagram @lamosscreative too!)
I hope you guys enjoy!
~ KFG ❤️
Dear kfangurl: What are some archetypes in kdramas?
T writes:
Hi kfangurl,
What are some of the archetypes you see in Kdrama characters? Could you recommend other dramas with those types of characters?
For example:
Romance is A Bonus Book’s Kang Dan-i is strong, sensitive, but oblivious to Eun-ho’s love for her. Eun-ho is petty, cocky, but really protective and compassionate toward his loved ones.
Another example:
Strong Girl Bong Soon’s rich heir Ahn Min-hyuk is the hardcore, serious, charming type, but completely caught off-guard and smitten with Do Bong-soon, which makes him fall to pieces. Bong-soon is the epitome of aegyo, but hesitant to embrace her full potential (another type).
What other dramas use these archetypes in similar ways or mix and match them in surprising or refreshing ways?
Thanks.
Patreon Year End Awards: Shahz’s Year In Dramas!
Tis the season for talking about our drama years, and this year, well, we’ve got an unexpected bonus for everyone!
Basically, over on the Drama Exchange on Patreon, I saw that Shahz had floated a cool idea to the community: that everyone come up with their own year-end lists, to complement my annual Year-In-Review post (which will still publish as usual, in case you were wondering!). She even came up with a bunch of categories for everyone to work with, and everybody was pretty buzzed about it.
Some days later, it suddenly occurred to me one morning, that it might be fun to invite those who are keen, to turn their year-end lists into guest posts here on the blog. I asked the community, and got lots of positive responses! Those who couldn’t commit to writing a post, were enthusiastically supportive anyway, and basically, that’s why we’re here today.
This kick-off post is by Shahz, who volunteered to go first (yay Shahz!). Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be seeing 5 more posts (yay!) by mystery guest writers from the Patreon community – whose identities will be revealed when their posts go live. Thanks for doing this, you guys! 😘
Thanks to another brilliant idea by Shahz, we’ll cap everything off with a poll (which I will announce after everyone’s guest posts have gone live), to see which dramas you guys as a community give your stamp of approval to this year!
I hope you all enjoy!!! ❤️
Dear kfangurl: Is my love for kdrama frivolous?
Lali writes:
Dear KFG
Greetings! Hope you’re doing okay in these uncertain times. Recently, I was asked by a friend why people are watching a lot of kdrama these days and I found myself groping for a good answer. I couldn’t really gush with goggly eyes as I would before a fellow kdrama enthusiast.
There’s the matter of availability and good looking actors, but that didn’t really feel to be at the heart of it. I also felt angry at myself for feeling apologetic about my drama choices (the person’s what you’d call a “serious” type and I didn’t want to be an object of his condescension).
Does this mean I subconsciously subscribe to the notion of kdramas somehow not being up to the mark? I have been agonising about this for a while now. I want to be able to watch what I like without feeling guilty or hesitant to acknowledge my love for it to the world.
And I could think of nobody better than you to provide a thoughtful answer to my predicament. The next time I come across this question, I’d like to bank on your eloquence and insights, please!
Review: Racket Boys
THE SHORT VERDICT:
Essentially, Show is a diamond in the rough; emphasis on diamond, and emphasis on rough, heh.
Show is rough around the edges, with one of those rough edges being a pretty scattered sort of approach to storytelling, but the warmth and community feels that it delivers are so good, and so strong, that you end up being more than willing to look past Show’s shortcomings.
The young cast really shines in this, and the adult characters are mostly there as sources of guidance and support, and that’s one of the things that I enjoy most about this show.
Our young crew is earnest and competent, and all-around believable, not only as their individual characters, but as the team that they form.
The stand-out for me, though, is Tang Joon Sang, whose character kinda functions as our protagonist. He really brings a lot of dimension to the role.
Wholesome and quite excellent, in spite of its flaws.