I got into k-dramas 10+ yrs ago because I was sick of how predictable the shows were in my country. But now I feel the same way about k-dramas, it’s a bummer.
I would say watch Chinese Dramas, but I'm only into Wuxia and Xianxia (Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Martial Arts) , the "modern" has some gems (original 3 body problem is a gem), but happens a lot "billionaire cheat the devoted wife, try to killed or wants the divorce she is actually stunning and even richer and revels the husband is evil" Old Japanese shhht is good....
Honestly it's not that the tropes bother me, it's when the trope doesn't make any sense in that drama that turns me off. Sometimes it feels forced so the drama can make it to 16 episodes when it only needs 10-12 episodes. I can count on one hand how many K-dramas I actually enjoyed this year.
In a nutshell: yeah! but there is No Gain no Love, My Name, Beauty Inside, Why Her, Heart Beat, Killing Vote, Our Blues, Call it Love, Black Knight, Crashlanding, Law Cafe, Strong Girl (both), Glory, Behind your Touch, and, trope well done, Business Proposal, Secretary Kim, and Eternal Monarch (intriguing plot, great cast).See you in my 19th life. Forest. Great video, spot-on!!
Arrogant men who treat the female lead like a brainless bimbo, then she acts like it however intelligent or skilled she is supposed to be or the FL is just a silly idiot, that totters about in heels after a man in a suit and smirk, gets me angry every time.
Yes, yes, YES! To all of it!! The “past lives/fated love” it’s probably the most annoying one for me. Most kdramas these days can honestly be 8-12 episodes long, everything else are just filler episodes that add NOTHING to the plot. Episodes 11-13 are always the most annoying headache inducing ones, 14-15 simply filler episodes and then we get the 16th episode hour and a half long with stupid plots and the last 15 mins they try to “solve” everything. Like I don’t know why writers give us such amazing stories to just throw it all out the window at the end, 99% of the time is a sloppy incomplete ending *sigh*
The need for a happy ending predominates, so all the side characters have to be paired up or fixed up. And the incurable disease has to somehow be cured.
6:14 yes this is wxactly why we gravitated towards kdramas because they showed us that love is way more than skinship, they showed love as an emotion. They were a breathe of fresh air as compared to western dramas that are just dirty and thats it
I've been watching Kdramas for about 4 years now. The enjoyment level is definitely decreasing for many of the reasons you've discussed in the video. I'll add a couple more. I'm so tired of seeing adult actors being forced to act so childlike in adult situations. For instance, a couple realize they both have feelings for each other, but for some strange reason (mainly this comes from the female lead) wants to hide this from the world. So, they are in public together, flirting and being affectionate, but suddenly notice a person they know, then suddenly the female gets aggressive, hits, slugs, slaps, or all three to the male. They are in their 30s, but they are acting like 12 year-olds experiencing their first crush????....really??? So unbelievable, especially when part of the storyline is that they've been in previous serious relationships, even engaged. My second irritation is why are the women so abusive? Girlfriends, mothers, aunts, and grandmothers hit everyone!! And yell at everyone.....why are they so abusive???
honestly didnt mind the illness troupe in love next door because it didn't come out of nowhere. there was foreshadowing from the first episode like her not drinking alcohol and not being able to eat the spicy food. overtime they kept adding more hints which made the illness more believable compared to something like dodosolsollalasol where the illness came out of no where in the last few episodes. they could have made it so that the reason she came back was because her fiance cheated but it was kind of nice seeing an ex that wasn't terrible
Historical dramas seem to have more cliches than modern ones. Dying people always bleed from the mouth, regardless of what they are dying from. Sick people always cough a lot, even though their sickness may have nothing to do with the lungs. One character is guaranteed to save the other from falling over, then their eyes meet, and BAM! they are in love. There's often an evil councillor in cahoots with a wicked concubine, and the hero/heroine turns out to be the secret child of the king.
The thing that bothers me is the need for the heroin to do something stupid that endangers herself so that we can have the hero rescue her. I call this the "tied to the railroad tracks" trope. And along with this is the heroine who stoically endures to the point that this defines her entire personality. These tropes are particularly prevalent in the historical dramas.
I've been watching Korean dramas since Full House was released around 2004. Since I was still in high school. I continued watching a lot of Korean dramas until 2014. During that period, one of the things I didn't realize was that because I watched Korean dramas too often, I could already guess where the story was going and the ending, even before the drama ends. Usually I only need to watch about 6 or 8 first episodes out of a total of 16 or 20 episodes, after that I will stop watching and start watching other dramas. Stories or themes that repeat themselves over time make me bored. I was then more selective in only watching one or two dramas a year.
Honestly went back to watching older dramas. There was something about them then that I liked. I tend to find myself distracted while watching and feeling the waste of airtime being fulfilled by b stories that don't really grab my attention.
Lovestruck in the City was so refreshing due to not using any of those tropes. The story felt so real , people behaved as as in real life. A true masterpiece in Rom-Coms
The cliffhanger ending for Vagabond still bothers me. Amnesia worked in the second part of Alchemy of Souls, since it was a major part of the storyline and not contrived.
I agree with a lot of these, and it is probably why I’m not watching as many kdramas anymore. BUT I strongly disagree about What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim. I loved it because it broke so many tropes. And it doesn’t do a sudden, forced reveal of them knowing each other as children, the way Cinderella and the Four Knights did. Instead it was present throughout the whole show and was the basis of the whole story. He knew who she was and he found her and hired her on purpose so he could help her and keep her close. He didn’t think she remembered and didn’t want to retraumatize her so he didn’t tell her. That show is one of the best. I can list like 3 other tropes it breaks. At least.
what has really been bugging me lately is their insistence on sticking to a 16 episode format, when a lot of dramas could be cut to 10-12 eps. too much stuff that just feels like filler.
The last point, when dramas end on a cliffhanger and don't return I couldn't agree more with Vagabond being the #1 culprit in my book. Each year that goes by without a second season just makes it impossible to eventually have a second season with the same actors, Arthal Chronicles being one such drama. Another aspect that is wearing thin is that many action stories involve a male who looks harmless, acts harmless but is really Rambo. The Man From Nowhere was fresh when it came out in 2010 but now in current dramas it seems everyone was a Black OPs agent in their past, although I must admit recent films like Ok Madam and Mission Possible were quite funny and refreshing. I now primarily watch Dramas from the 2000s to 2020. IRIS, Secret Garden, City Hunter, Damo, Slave Hunters, My Love From The Star, Descendants of the Sun , CLOY and films like The Man From Nowhere, Sassy Girl, The Classic to name a few.
If it's repetitive and you're bored of seeing tropes, you've watched too much kdrama's and you're doing too much "noticing" and it's time to move on for a while.
I've been a fan of K-drramas for six years. I'm glad that you're calling out the tired old tropes, most affecting rom-coms. The real problem: there are simply too many rom-coms! Streaming is flooded with them. I'll watch a rom-com now and then, and there are some that are funny and original. But I much prefer a crime drama or a thriller or a courtroom drama or a Joseon story or a historical saga. But these are becoming harder to find because there are so many rom-coms out there. The last one I watched was King the Land, one giant cliche which I admit watching to the end in horror fascination at how low it could go.
I don't mind that much when a romantic/funny K-drama adds on a mystery/thriller note because I think that it's one thing that sets K-dramas apart from Western shows, usually western shows are monotone, if it's a comedy, it's only comedy(funny tone)... if it's a thriller, it's only suspense (and serious tone)... however real life it's not like that, you usually get a blend out of everything so that makes k-dramas more realistic... However, one thing I don't like about K-dramas like this, it's that they start being so funny to then become very tragic and sad, and depending on the execution of the plot(If the writers don't do a good job), it makes me lose excitement because I wanted to watch the drama to have a laugh and take my worries away, not to bawl my eyes out
I only checked kdramas the beginning and the end and it always ends the same, one is rich and one is poor and in the end they get married, done. The other genre I saw was zombie movies and I'm pretty sure those zombies also get married in the end and then their new born child is also a zombie.
I agree with this video, I would also add the shows where the woman is disguised as a man. Absolutely hate those shows because the entire time I’m watching I can’t believe the other characters can’t tell this is a woman. They pick the most softest feminine looking woman in full makeup to play a man which is totally unrealistic. And the bullying has gotten to be to much especially when you see how SK has a bully culture that is out of control. I’ve become very selective in which kdramas I watch.
I've watched so many kdramas over the years but I really enjoyed Lee Dong Wook's. Like Tale of the nine Tailed both seasons, and even his movie Single in Seoul. I really like his work 🎉🎉 it was kinda refreshing in some ways
Recently i was literally struggling with that love next door and just gave up after episode 3...same old stuff,emotional melodrama,neighborhood love and terminal illnesses..I was wondering how it was getting so much hype with such a zero content...Nowadays makers are cashing more on popular star cast rather then story elements.Sadly k dramas are no more what it was used to be.
you are right on the spot, I have been debating whether to stop watching k drama, exactly what you said, and not as clean as they used to be. I so much would love to find a drama that is a good one, be it sci-fi, mysteries, doctors, past, present, or future. the repeats are boring.
You forget to mention the worst and actually my most frustrating trope in Kdramas, The "evil-psycho-jealous ex-boyfriend/girlfriend" trope. Marry my husband and Queen of tears were ruined for me in the last episodes (even tho I like these shows so much at first) because of the obsession kwriters have with introducing a psycho second lead character who is pure evil, manipulative, stalker, clingy in a very bad way, criminal who have no motivation for his crimes but to ruin the relationship of the main leads. My main problem with "Terminal illness" trope is that korean writers are actually cowards and afraid of killing their main leads so the "Terminal illness" storylines are just pointless in kdramas because you know very well that the leads are save and not going to die in the end. And Am I the only one who thinks that the 16 episodes formula is beginning to ruin tv shows??!! It seems like kwriters can't write 16 episodes shows anymore and that's why most of 2023/2024 tv shows felt long and boring and have too many pointless plotlines while are the good show were 12 episodes or less.
I am uncontrollably fond of Uncontrollably Fond for the reason that is portrays the reality of a terminal brain tumor and the inevitable death of the hero/antihero, while the plot and characters progress with humor and pathos. The only kdarma I have found where the writers have been brave enough to kill off the leading man. Somewhat ironic that Kim Woo Bin should have had to battle cancer after making this show.
@@wl9275 I love “uncontrollably fond” too this show is great. Lately I tend to watch slice of life shows because it doesn’t have all these ridiculous tropes and lazy writing other tv shows have.
my pet peeve is seeing the female characters getting drunk all the time just to have a scene to release their inhibitions and confess their feelings or become vulnerable infront of the male chars
Besides the love triangles, all the hero’s and heroines are saints who will just endure being wronged for most parts of the series. Apparently you can also run from one destination to another irregardless of the distance. lol. Drivers are very law abiding, they WILL stay in their lane and mow you down even tho there are no other vehicles on the road and be extra vigilant at crossroads; trucks have a habit of ramming into your vehicle at these junctions. Plus you always know who the sponsors are coz every character drives the same brand vehicle and the way a pack of coffee or candy is positioned to ensure that viewers can see the brand repeatedly ughhh and how good the taste is constantly repeated. Hilarious when those pretty /handsome characters are always gawked at and complimented. Some series dedicate a few episodes just for this. It’s becoming ultra boring these days. That’s why I prefer historical dramas and action/investigative series.
After suffering through the 10 second long camera on the fl in rain or shine I found an article about trauma bonding. The brain has to mirror anything 17 seconds long. It’s physical. The writer is not to blame. The director could go 3 seconds like in mystic Pop up and move on. The lag of these 10 second zombie sad poses is intentional and I think it’s worth calling them out on it!
These problems will solve themselves. Overusing cliches and tropes will depress ratings. Original storytelling will generate higher ratings. And every story reuses elements that've been used before. It's telling a good story that counts. 'Business Proposal' for example has little that's original but it's well done. Same for 'Cinderella at 2 AM' and 'Cinderella and the Four Knights'. Or for horror 'Revenant' for me was riveting. Or 'The Witch: the Subversion' which had some engaging twists I didn't see coming.
The terminal illness trope is why I love Thirty-Nine so much because it doesn't feel like a cliché. We're not asking ourselves if the person is going to live because we know from the first few minutes into this series that she's going to die. The interesting part comes when we learn how everyone deals with it.
Yes, it is repetitive, but it is not the tropes that are annoying at times, but when the tropes do not have any bearing on the development of the story. Maybe it is not only in Queen of Tears but in most rom-com dramas. Let us not forget, though, that Queen of Tears posted the highest viewership on Netflix despite the tropes and predictable storyline mentioned by the reporter. Despite this observation, I still love watching medical stories, courtroom dramas, and even suspense thrillers. I still love re-watching old dramas, especially if I really like and love the actors. Let us not also forget that during the COVID-19 pandemic, one of our daily companions that left our sanity intact was Kdramas. Maybe it is just a re-invention of a new plot to make it more exciting.
This is actually true. I started watching k-drama almost 20years ago😂 and I especially love romcom but I grew tired. But oh! This year they got me into my sweet mobster which is romcom but different scenario. I hope they also do horror & comedy
My daughter said c drama doesn’t hook you in like the k drama which after we are hooked on the k has a terrible let down so you regret watching. Doesn’t happen in c drama she says.
These things happen all the time 1: Raining and need for umbrella 2: Piggy back ride for either drunk or hurt person 3: 15 second zoom in on kiss that is not really a kiss 4: No one seems to wear actual pyjama's to bef 5: Drunk confessions 6: FL being saved from a trip/fall/motorbike/splash of water 7: Family members of rich family being nasty to M or Female lead...whichever one is the poor person 8: Horrible mothers 9: Judgemental friends 10: 8 to 10 episodes for an actual kiss and most times it looks unrealistic
39 (Thirty-nine) was a good show with a terminal illness, it was not as realistic, but it really explored how the terminal illness of a loved one was affecting the community around her. The idea of hope and positivity and the concept of grieving someone who is still alive but dying. Also the whole affair thing was a great touch, because it just seemed so different. All of the characters have a more realistic background and the plots are not too predictable.
What's funny is the infamous "netizens" expect reality in a fictional story. It's called escapism for a reason. It's also funny that a lot of the shows mentioned in this video were actually not only successful but highly successful.😂 The long and short of it is this: You can please some of the people all of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. If you don't like it, don't watch it. Turn the channel, turn the tube off, and find another pass time. Or, on second thought, try writing your own script and see how many people *you* can please.
I'm at a point where none of the newer K-dramas interest me anymore. I've been going back to older 2000's dramas like My Girl, Full House, Boys Over Flowers, and You're Beautiful for the nostalgia.
This criticism is better directed at American movies. American movie directors have clearly LONG run out of ideas and now only project people with strange powers and LGBTQ in even movies that would be best done without them. I would take Korean movies over the American movies with the "save the world" bull crap they dish out.
They are too long they can made shorter by at least 4 episodes . Rich man poor secretary ....boring . Orphanages too many coincidences . Too many car crashes 😂😂
Every kdrama is the same. Live triangle, CEO, poor girl rich boy, old friends, frim enemy to livers, proposal, happy end. Very predictable. That's why is 2521 gold.
Yes and don t forget the white truck and even went Czeck and the artist will wait for the truck to hit them instead of evading the truck...if they re hit they get comatose and amnesia...?.even they re stabbed in stomach he get comatose....its redandancy
i think drama is like Music and fashion, there's no such thing as fresh, everything is repetitive, however, what you can do is how to present it, get the right cast, right music, right script writer, etc.
I think that k-dramas, which I love, should work on their endings. The overall structure of the story should begin from how it ends. A good story shouldn't show the seams but then it tends to look so easy and unfortunately the skill and talent that goes into telling the story isn't valued and others just copy the highlights, ie the tropes. With Itaewon Class, the writing seemed to run out of steam. The beginning was so good, they set up a romance between what we thought were the ML/FL and then had them meet again when they were older. They then meet yet again and so expectations are built up for the audience. They're the same age and admire each other. They've known each other since they went on a date as teenagers, but they're not allowed to have a romance. That might be why the end of the drama was so laboured. It had no momentum to carry it through. Still worth watching.
One of my all time favorites is Uncontrollably Fond because it does not shy away from the physical results of a brain tumor, and has the hero/antihero follow the natural progression of the disease to death. Good writers do not need the happy ending.
@@anita2053-r1f I felt the Queen of Tears going for the happy ending was a complete destruction of the story, not a happy ending at all. Perhaps I am only a small minority. Viewers might not want the happy ending if they compared the Queen of Tears to Uncontrollably Fond. Miracle cures are a cop out.
How about the trope of the mother/ sistertgirlfriend being a murder victim in the show usually in the beginning. Kdramas are merciless on women in them
As i semi watch this video, i also have "Good Job" kdrama on. Right now its kissing scene in 10th episode. Nothing appealing. At all. But realistically, what other choice do they have? I grew up watching Hollywood tv series. Gave up on them 5 years back after watching for about 20 years. They became repetitive. And then _because they become repetitive_ they had to change. But they became absolutely unappealing to me. Kdrama is going through same. How many childhood loves and contract marriages there can be? But if you change, why would people who started watching would continue to watch? They do try but fail, miserably. (Almost) all scifi kdrama for example - we get second season of "Hellbound" but not "Silent sea". You could watch "Seoul Busters" but would you? So kdrama makers _have to have_ childhood love and contract marriages and all other tropes but still make it refreshing. How? They could change completely, like Hollywood did but that would be for completely different audience. Kdrama still does not have one huge advantage Hollywood has - language. So that drastic change would be way too risky. Unless someone famous starts a petition to get rid of all these tropes or ar least reduce them and it gets highest number of votes, staeting with mine..
@prokkle that's not really a cliffhanger. Her love interest made it clear that he was gonna torture the guy in prison. We knew what was gonna happen because he said it. "For as long as I'm working in this prison, I'm going to psychologically and mentally torture you. You're going to look over your shoulder every day. When you're eating, when you're sleeping. It's not gonna end." Just because we're not physically seeing what's going on doesn't mean it's not happening. It is happening. How is that considered cliffhanger??
Boring plots and repetitive like poor girl meets rich boy; take down the rich; soldiers taking down Japanese army during Japanese invasion or Joseon dynasty fighting invaders or killing the King. And so much episodes that I watch Ist episode and the last one only and press thumbs down.
Turn to another drama if it’s too much of the same idol mess. Not all Korean dramas are rom coms so search around and find the types of dramas that you’re looking for. 🌸💃🏽
I agree with you. I decided to check out chinese, vietnamese, and other Asian films. Most are just copies of the same story line you find in Ks. I'm from Texas. I love those plots where the rich or city person goes to the country and finds that they can fit in and live a better life. But I still always come back to Korean films.
I prefer taking a break from kdramas when it becomes too boring. Its the law of diminishing returns ... too much of anything ruins its allure. There is so much good content out there nowadays, from other languages, that kdramas do not rule my life anymore. Or I look for older series that may have missed watching. I hv a GOAT list of kdramas handy for this 😂
@@qualajake in my case if a drama is goood i take 6 days to complete and repeat for 14 days if its bad i gaveup in middle. For only thrillers i complete in 1or 2 days like duty after school
It defends on what the content of the story actors have the right to choose story like one of That Winter The Wind Blows it stays a memory of the past like the script writer so incredible I do congratulate all actors within the show🙏good job ❤Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo❤
for me glory was ok i think it added up all but no need for so much sexual content in glory unless necessary whichwas not in part 2... DONT SAY ABT HEIRACHY I THOUGHT OF WATCH IT IT MADE ME CRY SO BAD I WASNT ABLE TO COMPLETE 1 EP idk if ppl feels the same
We cant make something that really new now, all the topic and storyline have been used. So they mix little of this and that. Except we want to make really2 nonsensical plot 😂 Its hard to make something new and acceptable to audiences at the same time
Now days different theme are better Like the Glory Judge from hell Strangers from hell I personally prefer fantasy shows rhey are better than romantic one
Agree, I did not want to watch Queen of Tears so not sure but Love Next Door is full of cliches. Loved No Gain No Love and Lovely Runner. Never boring and full of humor and great chemistry.
Oh come on! It had its fair share . The 'shading with umbrella' was all over the place . The inter-time connection was as bad as and served the same purpose as the past life or childhood trope .
I fully agree, THE WORST OF ALL IS THE COUPLES ALWAYS WERE so called childhood friends and then later meet and then never forget how in love they were😵 Then the drinking culture and then the one biggyback the other home!!!! Boring !!!!!!!! And So shamefully and vulgar!!!!!!!!! And the worst of all is their sitting and eating on the floor! Don’t they have dinner tables or beds!!!!!!! Not to talk about over stuffing their mouths with food AND then talking with full mouths!!!!!! We westerners find it absolutely gross and NOT funny!!!!🥴
Talk about nit picking... I think the "cancer" trope in "Love Next Door" was handle rather well. What I didn't like the most was how emasculated some of the male characters were, especially the SML. Looks like the woke message found in a lot of western productions found their way in k-dramas.
the past love life i hate it nowadays since its so annoying like why add fate in every single kdrama...and then we have the typical arrogant rich girlies why? why cant a girl be rich and be nice as well dont tell me girls like these doesnt exist i was dissapointed a bit in love next door dunno why? prbly bcz of the fl her acting and she is a good actress but...her character was meh in the show infact i quit the drama around ep 8 tried watching it couldnt i switched to judge from hell enjoying it so far family by choice is also a great drama waiting for gangnam b side and mr. plankton i just hope they are good and they just overshyped and arent good i dont want that
I have seen a couple of this dramas and the acting is so played out that it becomes so boring that it seems this actors dont know how to act . horrible scripting you seen one you seen them all
"Keeping their perfect appearance that it is difficult to believe they are really in pain!" hihi... I cannot stop laughing! But please stop!! You are killing our illusions!! hehe!!
![BTS: Spilling the (kitchen) tea | Culinary Class Wars | Netflix [ENG SUB]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z4EagOWb9bk/mqdefault.jpg)
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 84 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "ก้องศึก vs เมืองไทย"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3kuzsAIDf1c/mqdefault.jpg)
I got into k-dramas 10+ yrs ago because I was sick of how predictable the shows were in my country. But now I feel the same way about k-dramas, it’s a bummer.
Its hard to make unique things 🤷♀️
I would say watch Chinese Dramas, but I'm only into Wuxia and Xianxia (Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Martial Arts) , the "modern" has some gems (original 3 body problem is a gem), but happens a lot "billionaire cheat the devoted wife, try to killed or wants the divorce she is actually stunning and even richer and revels the husband is evil"
Old Japanese shhht is good....
kdramas are the worst thing to watch if you hate tropes
Dear hyeri is great family by choice virtuos business are now best.
Honestly it's not that the tropes bother me, it's when the trope doesn't make any sense in that drama that turns me off. Sometimes it feels forced so the drama can make it to 16 episodes when it only needs 10-12 episodes. I can count on one hand how many K-dramas I actually enjoyed this year.
Yes, they do stretch things out, with flashbacks and side plots that you really don't care about.
In a nutshell: yeah! but there is No Gain no Love, My Name, Beauty Inside, Why Her, Heart Beat, Killing Vote, Our Blues, Call it Love, Black Knight, Crashlanding, Law Cafe, Strong Girl (both), Glory, Behind your Touch, and, trope well done, Business Proposal, Secretary Kim, and Eternal Monarch (intriguing plot, great cast).See you in my 19th life. Forest. Great video, spot-on!!
I really enjoyed The Glory because I didn’t know what to expect. But most k-dramas lately, the story falls flat and is too similar to others.
True
Arrogant men who treat the female lead like a brainless bimbo, then she acts like it however intelligent or skilled she is supposed to be or the FL is just a silly idiot, that totters about in heels after a man in a suit and smirk, gets me angry every time.
That’s why I love the females in Hyena and Legal High. There is balance there!
I think much better then Indian daily soap serials where you always listen music dhum thana Nana
Yes, yes, YES! To all of it!! The “past lives/fated love” it’s probably the most annoying one for me. Most kdramas these days can honestly be 8-12 episodes long, everything else are just filler episodes that add NOTHING to the plot. Episodes 11-13 are always the most annoying headache inducing ones, 14-15 simply filler episodes and then we get the 16th episode hour and a half long with stupid plots and the last 15 mins they try to “solve” everything. Like I don’t know why writers give us such amazing stories to just throw it all out the window at the end, 99% of the time is a sloppy incomplete ending *sigh*
The need for a happy ending predominates, so all the side characters have to be paired up or fixed up. And the incurable disease has to somehow be cured.
The repetitive tropes are annoying but I’d love to watch a kdrama without a ‘drunk” scene. I’m so tired of this
6:14 yes this is wxactly why we gravitated towards kdramas because they showed us that love is way more than skinship, they showed love as an emotion. They were a breathe of fresh air as compared to western dramas that are just dirty and thats it
I've been watching Kdramas for about 4 years now. The enjoyment level is definitely decreasing for many of the reasons you've discussed in the video. I'll add a couple more. I'm so tired of seeing adult actors being forced to act so childlike in adult situations. For instance, a couple realize they both have feelings for each other, but for some strange reason (mainly this comes from the female lead) wants to hide this from the world. So, they are in public together, flirting and being affectionate, but suddenly notice a person they know, then suddenly the female gets aggressive, hits, slugs, slaps, or all three to the male. They are in their 30s, but they are acting like 12 year-olds experiencing their first crush????....really??? So unbelievable, especially when part of the storyline is that they've been in previous serious relationships, even engaged. My second irritation is why are the women so abusive? Girlfriends, mothers, aunts, and grandmothers hit everyone!! And yell at everyone.....why are they so abusive???
Too much drinking especially young girls . Drunk senseless . Such a shame and a bad example for youth
honestly didnt mind the illness troupe in love next door because it didn't come out of nowhere. there was foreshadowing from the first episode like her not drinking alcohol and not being able to eat the spicy food. overtime they kept adding more hints which made the illness more believable compared to something like dodosolsollalasol where the illness came out of no where in the last few episodes. they could have made it so that the reason she came back was because her fiance cheated but it was kind of nice seeing an ex that wasn't terrible
Historical dramas seem to have more cliches than modern ones. Dying people always bleed from the mouth, regardless of what they are dying from. Sick people always cough a lot, even though their sickness may have nothing to do with the lungs. One character is guaranteed to save the other from falling over, then their eyes meet, and BAM! they are in love. There's often an evil councillor in cahoots with a wicked concubine, and the hero/heroine turns out to be the secret child of the king.
🤣
Avoid dramas when plot involve school, love triangle, cheating, rich-poor & 0 chemistry lead.
that is 99% of all K-dramas then
@@AJ-Sno thats just 40%
@@AJ-Staxi driver is good
How do you know until you watch them?
@@wl9275 Trailer expose plot material.
The thing that bothers me is the need for the heroin to do something stupid that endangers herself so that we can have the hero rescue her. I call this the "tied to the railroad tracks" trope. And along with this is the heroine who stoically endures to the point that this defines her entire personality. These tropes are particularly prevalent in the historical dramas.
I've been watching Korean dramas since Full House was released around 2004. Since I was still in high school. I continued watching a lot of Korean dramas until 2014. During that period, one of the things I didn't realize was that because I watched Korean dramas too often, I could already guess where the story was going and the ending, even before the drama ends. Usually I only need to watch about 6 or 8 first episodes out of a total of 16 or 20 episodes, after that I will stop watching and start watching other dramas. Stories or themes that repeat themselves over time make me bored. I was then more selective in only watching one or two dramas a year.
Honestly went back to watching older dramas. There was something about them then that I liked. I tend to find myself distracted while watching and feeling the waste of airtime being fulfilled by b stories that don't really grab my attention.
Lovestruck in the City was so refreshing due to not using any of those tropes. The story felt so real , people behaved as as in real life. A true masterpiece in Rom-Coms
The most annoying one this the past connection trope. There is literally no drama without that trope.
The cliffhanger ending for Vagabond still bothers me. Amnesia worked in the second part of Alchemy of Souls, since it was a major part of the storyline and not contrived.
I agree with a lot of these, and it is probably why I’m not watching as many kdramas anymore. BUT I strongly disagree about What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim. I loved it because it broke so many tropes. And it doesn’t do a sudden, forced reveal of them knowing each other as children, the way Cinderella and the Four Knights did. Instead it was present throughout the whole show and was the basis of the whole story. He knew who she was and he found her and hired her on purpose so he could help her and keep her close. He didn’t think she remembered and didn’t want to retraumatize her so he didn’t tell her. That show is one of the best. I can list like 3 other tropes it breaks. At least.
what has really been bugging me lately is their insistence on sticking to a 16 episode format, when a lot of dramas could be cut to 10-12 eps. too much stuff that just feels like filler.
The last point, when dramas end on a cliffhanger and don't return I couldn't agree more with Vagabond being the #1 culprit in my book. Each year that goes by without a second season just makes it impossible to eventually have a second season with the same actors, Arthal Chronicles being one such drama. Another aspect that is wearing thin is that many action stories involve a male who looks harmless, acts harmless but is really Rambo. The Man From Nowhere was fresh when it came out in 2010 but now in current dramas it seems everyone was a Black OPs agent in their past, although I must admit recent films like Ok Madam and Mission Possible were quite funny and refreshing. I now primarily watch Dramas from the 2000s to 2020. IRIS, Secret Garden, City Hunter, Damo, Slave Hunters, My Love From The Star, Descendants of the Sun , CLOY and films like The Man From Nowhere, Sassy Girl, The Classic to name a few.
If it's repetitive and you're bored of seeing tropes, you've watched too much kdrama's and you're doing too much "noticing" and it's time to move on for a while.
I've been a fan of K-drramas for six years. I'm glad that you're calling out the tired old tropes, most affecting rom-coms. The real problem: there are simply too many rom-coms! Streaming is flooded with them. I'll watch a rom-com now and then, and there are some that are funny and original. But I much prefer a crime drama or a thriller or a courtroom drama or a Joseon story or a historical saga. But these are becoming harder to find because there are so many rom-coms out there. The last one I watched was King the Land, one giant cliche which I admit watching to the end in horror fascination at how low it could go.
I just hope they don't get rid of the Subway and Samsung ads when going to commercial break. That's what we watch romcoms for.
I am completely fed up with all the drinking in kdramas. Why is everyone always so drunk?! And I can’t bare the ridiculous cutesy over the top acting.
That's because Korea has a HUGE drinking culture so naturally the writers will also include it in their shows.
I don't mind that much when a romantic/funny K-drama adds on a mystery/thriller note because I think that it's one thing that sets K-dramas apart from Western shows, usually western shows are monotone, if it's a comedy, it's only comedy(funny tone)... if it's a thriller, it's only suspense (and serious tone)... however real life it's not like that, you usually get a blend out of everything so that makes k-dramas more realistic... However, one thing I don't like about K-dramas like this, it's that they start being so funny to then become very tragic and sad, and depending on the execution of the plot(If the writers don't do a good job), it makes me lose excitement because I wanted to watch the drama to have a laugh and take my worries away, not to bawl my eyes out
Come on now. We all play K-Drama Bingo, right?! Marking off the clichés as they appear in each drama is one of the little enjoyments in life 😂
Me and my friend make it a drinking game when we are watching the same show. 😂😂😂
I just enjoy the little kopiko, Nespresso or subway ads in between 😅😅
@@imminii hmmmm Kopiko 🤤
I only checked kdramas the beginning and the end and it always ends the same, one is rich and one is poor and in the end they get married, done. The other genre I saw was zombie movies and I'm pretty sure those zombies also get married in the end and then their new born child is also a zombie.
I agree with this video, I would also add the shows where the woman is disguised as a man. Absolutely hate those shows because the entire time I’m watching I can’t believe the other characters can’t tell this is a woman. They pick the most softest feminine looking woman in full makeup to play a man which is totally unrealistic. And the bullying has gotten to be to much especially when you see how SK has a bully culture that is out of control. I’ve become very selective in which kdramas I watch.
Yesssss. I really hate cross dressing dramas. Fucking annoying trope cuz it ain't realistic in any way. Let's face reality here 😂!
I've watched so many kdramas over the years but I really enjoyed Lee Dong Wook's. Like Tale of the nine Tailed both seasons, and even his movie Single in Seoul. I really like his work 🎉🎉 it was kinda refreshing in some ways
Recently i was literally struggling with that love next door and just gave up after episode 3...same old stuff,emotional melodrama,neighborhood love and terminal illnesses..I was wondering how it was getting so much hype with such a zero content...Nowadays makers are cashing more on popular star cast rather then story elements.Sadly k dramas are no more what it was used to be.
you are right on the spot, I have been debating whether to stop watching k drama, exactly what you said, and not as clean as they used to be. I so much would love to find a drama that is a good one, be it sci-fi, mysteries, doctors, past, present, or future. the repeats are boring.
I agrée. Im adding j drama because these latest k drama is full of bullying yelling and hitting. What is the point of that.
Virtuous business dear hyeri family by choice are better
You forget to mention the worst and actually my most frustrating trope in Kdramas, The "evil-psycho-jealous ex-boyfriend/girlfriend" trope. Marry my husband and Queen of tears were ruined for me in the last episodes (even tho I like these shows so much at first) because of the obsession kwriters have with introducing a psycho second lead character who is pure evil, manipulative, stalker, clingy in a very bad way, criminal who have no motivation for his crimes but to ruin the relationship of the main leads.
My main problem with "Terminal illness" trope is that korean writers are actually cowards and afraid of killing their main leads so the "Terminal illness" storylines are just pointless in kdramas because you know very well that the leads are save and not going to die in the end.
And Am I the only one who thinks that the 16 episodes formula is beginning to ruin tv shows??!! It seems like kwriters can't write 16 episodes shows anymore and that's why most of 2023/2024 tv shows felt long and boring and have too many pointless plotlines while are the good show were 12 episodes or less.
I am uncontrollably fond of Uncontrollably Fond for the reason that is portrays the reality of a terminal brain tumor and the inevitable death of the hero/antihero, while the plot and characters progress with humor and pathos. The only kdarma I have found where the writers have been brave enough to kill off the leading man. Somewhat ironic that Kim Woo Bin should have had to battle cancer after making this show.
@@wl9275 I love “uncontrollably fond” too this show is great. Lately I tend to watch slice of life shows because it doesn’t have all these ridiculous tropes and lazy writing other tv shows have.
my pet peeve is seeing the female characters getting drunk all the time just to have a scene to release their inhibitions and confess their feelings or become vulnerable infront of the male chars
The 15th episode breakup NEEDS TO STOO
Besides the love triangles, all the hero’s and heroines are saints who will just endure being wronged for most parts of the series. Apparently you can also run from one destination to another irregardless of the distance. lol. Drivers are very law abiding, they WILL stay in their lane and mow you down even tho there are no other vehicles on the road and be extra vigilant at crossroads; trucks have a habit of ramming into your vehicle at these junctions. Plus you always know who the sponsors are coz every character drives the same brand vehicle and the way a pack of coffee or candy is positioned to ensure that viewers can see the brand repeatedly ughhh and how good the taste is constantly repeated. Hilarious when those pretty /handsome characters are always gawked at and complimented. Some series dedicate a few episodes just for this. It’s becoming ultra boring these days. That’s why I prefer historical dramas and action/investigative series.
After suffering through the 10 second long camera on the fl in rain or shine I found an article about trauma bonding. The brain has to mirror anything 17 seconds long. It’s physical.
The writer is not to blame.
The director could go 3 seconds like in mystic Pop up and move on. The lag of these 10 second zombie sad poses is intentional and I think it’s worth calling them out on it!
These problems will solve themselves. Overusing cliches and tropes will depress ratings. Original storytelling will generate higher ratings.
And every story reuses elements that've been used before. It's telling a good story that counts. 'Business Proposal' for example has little that's original but it's well done. Same for 'Cinderella at 2 AM' and 'Cinderella and the Four Knights'. Or for horror 'Revenant' for me was riveting. Or 'The Witch: the Subversion' which had some engaging twists I didn't see coming.
SPOT ON all of them. I agree with you. Especially that 'clean' part with k-drama. It's so lame right now and I prefer watch variety show more.
The terminal illness trope is why I love Thirty-Nine so much because it doesn't feel like a cliché. We're not asking ourselves if the person is going to live because we know from the first few minutes into this series that she's going to die. The interesting part comes when we learn how everyone deals with it.
Yes, it is repetitive, but it is not the tropes that are annoying at times, but when the tropes do not have any bearing on the development of the story. Maybe it is not only in Queen of Tears but in most rom-com dramas. Let us not forget, though, that Queen of Tears posted the highest viewership on Netflix despite the tropes and predictable storyline mentioned by the reporter. Despite this observation, I still love watching medical stories, courtroom dramas, and even suspense thrillers. I still love re-watching old dramas, especially if I really like and love the actors. Let us not also forget that during the COVID-19 pandemic, one of our daily companions that left our sanity intact was Kdramas. Maybe it is just a re-invention of a new plot to make it more exciting.
These days if a kdrama has more than 12 episodes, I don’t watch it. I can count with one hand the amount of Kdramas that were worth 16 chapters.
This is actually true. I started watching k-drama almost 20years ago😂 and I especially love romcom but I grew tired. But oh! This year they got me into my sweet mobster which is romcom but different scenario. I hope they also do horror & comedy
Cdrama better Storyline than korean dreams..
True even though they are super long
My daughter said c drama doesn’t hook you in like the k drama which after we are hooked on the k has a terrible let down so you regret watching. Doesn’t happen in c drama she says.
No, no, no! Kdramas yes. Older are the best. But some new ones are great!
The Vagabond has one of those cliffhanger endings and it's been years
These things happen all the time
1: Raining and need for umbrella
2: Piggy back ride for either drunk or hurt person
3: 15 second zoom in on kiss that is not really a kiss
4: No one seems to wear actual pyjama's to bef
5: Drunk confessions
6: FL being saved from a trip/fall/motorbike/splash of water
7: Family members of rich family being nasty to M or Female lead...whichever one is the poor person
8: Horrible mothers
9: Judgemental friends
10: 8 to 10 episodes for an actual kiss and most times it looks unrealistic
39 (Thirty-nine) was a good show with a terminal illness, it was not as realistic, but it really explored how the terminal illness of a loved one was affecting the community around her. The idea of hope and positivity and the concept of grieving someone who is still alive but dying. Also the whole affair thing was a great touch, because it just seemed so different. All of the characters have a more realistic background and the plots are not too predictable.
What's funny is the infamous "netizens" expect reality in a fictional story. It's called escapism for a reason. It's also funny that a lot of the shows mentioned in this video were actually not only successful but highly successful.😂 The long and short of it is this: You can please some of the people all of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. If you don't like it, don't watch it. Turn the channel, turn the tube off, and find another pass time. Or, on second thought, try writing your own script and see how many people *you* can please.
I'm at a point where none of the newer K-dramas interest me anymore. I've been going back to older 2000's dramas like My Girl, Full House, Boys Over Flowers, and You're Beautiful for the nostalgia.
Me too watched high kick
This criticism is better directed at American movies. American movie directors have clearly LONG run out of ideas and now only project people with strange powers and LGBTQ in even movies that would be best done without them. I would take Korean movies over the American movies with the "save the world" bull crap they dish out.
They are too long they can made shorter by at least 4 episodes . Rich man poor secretary ....boring . Orphanages too many coincidences . Too many car crashes 😂😂
Kdrama now is kinda like kpop now. They just trying to release as much as content and hopefully one go viral
Every kdrama is the same. Live triangle, CEO, poor girl rich boy, old friends, frim enemy to livers, proposal, happy end. Very predictable. That's why is 2521 gold.
Honestly Lovely Runner has been such a refresher after watching same old cliche K dramas
King the Land is one example. Chaebol sheesh. Did not offer anything new
Kim bokju was not a sudden reveal. They know from the start that they went to the same school and that the guy used to bully the girl
Yeah, i have stopped watching kdramas. Right now I am loving Chinese dramas.
I binge-watched The story of Yangxi Palace when I was doing chemo. It really took my mind off things.
Yes and don t forget the white truck and even went Czeck and the artist will wait for the truck to hit them instead of evading the truck...if they re hit they get comatose and amnesia...?.even they re stabbed in stomach he get comatose....its redandancy
i think drama is like Music and fashion, there's no such thing as fresh, everything is repetitive, however, what you can do is how to present it, get the right cast, right music, right script writer, etc.
I think that k-dramas, which I love, should work on their endings. The overall structure of the story should begin from how it ends. A good story shouldn't show the seams but then it tends to look so easy and unfortunately the skill and talent that goes into telling the story isn't valued and others just copy the highlights, ie the tropes. With Itaewon Class, the writing seemed to run out of steam. The beginning was so good, they set up a romance between what we thought were the ML/FL and then had them meet again when they were older. They then meet yet again and so expectations are built up for the audience. They're the same age and admire each other. They've known each other since they went on a date as teenagers, but they're not allowed to have a romance. That might be why the end of the drama was so laboured. It had no momentum to carry it through. Still worth watching.
Name of the drama at 2:25 and 6:30?
and how about those time travel ones , done to death
Some kdramas i begun but i could’t finish it because the most of then has plots that is very unnecessary
One of my all time favorites is Uncontrollably Fond because it does not shy away from the physical results of a brain tumor, and has the hero/antihero follow the natural progression of the disease to death. Good writers do not need the happy ending.
But viewers wanted
@@anita2053-r1f I felt the Queen of Tears going for the happy ending was a complete destruction of the story, not a happy ending at all. Perhaps I am only a small minority. Viewers might not want the happy ending if they compared the Queen of Tears to Uncontrollably Fond. Miracle cures are a cop out.
How about the trope of the mother/ sistertgirlfriend being a murder victim in the show usually in the beginning. Kdramas are merciless on women in them
As i semi watch this video, i also have "Good Job" kdrama on. Right now its kissing scene in 10th episode. Nothing appealing. At all.
But realistically, what other choice do they have? I grew up watching Hollywood tv series. Gave up on them 5 years back after watching for about 20 years. They became repetitive. And then _because they become repetitive_ they had to change. But they became absolutely unappealing to me.
Kdrama is going through same. How many childhood loves and contract marriages there can be? But if you change, why would people who started watching would continue to watch?
They do try but fail, miserably. (Almost) all scifi kdrama for example - we get second season of "Hellbound" but not "Silent sea". You could watch "Seoul Busters" but would you?
So kdrama makers _have to have_ childhood love and contract marriages and all other tropes but still make it refreshing. How?
They could change completely, like Hollywood did but that would be for completely different audience. Kdrama still does not have one huge advantage Hollywood has - language. So that drastic change would be way too risky. Unless someone famous starts a petition to get rid of all these tropes or ar least reduce them and it gets highest number of votes, staeting with mine..
The Glory didn't have a cliffhanger. Or am I confused??
It sort of did. The heroine gets her revenge in full, but her love interest does not.
@prokkle that's not really a cliffhanger. Her love interest made it clear that he was gonna torture the guy in prison. We knew what was gonna happen because he said it. "For as long as I'm working in this prison, I'm going to psychologically and mentally torture you. You're going to look over your shoulder every day. When you're eating, when you're sleeping. It's not gonna end." Just because we're not physically seeing what's going on doesn't mean it's not happening. It is happening. How is that considered cliffhanger??
Boring plots and repetitive like poor girl meets rich boy; take down the rich; soldiers taking down Japanese army during Japanese invasion or Joseon dynasty fighting invaders or killing the King. And so much episodes that I watch Ist episode and the last one only and press thumbs down.
same rollercoaster ride but different drama titles, protagonists and antagonists. 🤷
Turn to another drama if it’s too much of the same idol mess. Not all Korean dramas are rom coms so search around and find the types of dramas that you’re looking for. 🌸💃🏽
I agree with you. I decided to check out chinese, vietnamese, and other Asian films. Most are just copies of the same story line you find in Ks.
I'm from Texas. I love those plots where the rich or city person goes to the country and finds that they can fit in and live a better life. But I still always come back to Korean films.
Thank you for making this video. This should go viral for this to stop.
I prefer taking a break from kdramas when it becomes too boring. Its the law of diminishing returns ... too much of anything ruins its allure. There is so much good content out there nowadays, from other languages, that kdramas do not rule my life anymore. Or I look for older series that may have missed watching. I hv a GOAT list of kdramas handy for this 😂
I personally think LOVE NEXT DOOR is/was the worst. I couldn't finish watching and gave it👎.
seriously it took me 3 days to complete 1 episode it is so boring.
@@qualajake in my case if a drama is goood i take 6 days to complete and repeat for 14 days if its bad i gaveup in middle. For only thrillers i complete in 1or 2 days like duty after school
zero chemistry!
Boring 😂
It defends on what the content of the story actors have the right to choose story like one of That Winter The Wind Blows it stays a memory of the past like the script writer so incredible I do congratulate all actors within the show🙏good job ❤Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo❤
for me glory was ok i think it added up all but no need for so much sexual content in glory unless necessary whichwas not in part 2... DONT SAY ABT HEIRACHY I THOUGHT OF WATCH IT IT MADE ME CRY SO BAD I WASNT ABLE TO COMPLETE 1 EP idk if ppl feels the same
We cant make something that really new now, all the topic and storyline have been used.
So they mix little of this and that.
Except we want to make really2 nonsensical plot 😂
Its hard to make something new and acceptable to audiences at the same time
Very toxic some drama ! Always the couple be 2 - 3 years apart and in the last episode in the last min they comeback with a kiss and with frustration
Now days different theme are better
Like the Glory
Judge from hell
Strangers from hell
I personally prefer fantasy shows rhey are better than romantic one
Love Next Door is good not until EP8-16
Agree, I did not want to watch Queen of Tears so not sure but Love Next Door is full of cliches. Loved No Gain No Love and Lovely Runner. Never boring and full of humor and great chemistry.
Was Happy “Lovely Runner” Was Void Of These Problems And A Welcomed Relief
Oh come on! It had its fair share . The 'shading with umbrella' was all over the place . The inter-time connection was as bad as and served the same purpose as the past life or childhood trope .
Sorry, unableto watch due to too many flashbacks. Story not going anywhere. FL getting drunk
Totally agree every second drama are same to same it's getting boring
Now i just watch the first few episodes and then go to the last two
Its just always a diff pairing with thr same story line
We were making fun of the Egyptian drama 40 years ago. It's always a reach and a poor. A miraculous healing of a terminal illness. 😂😂
They still rate for me, sooo much better than American patriotic patronising bs! The panoramic views and scenery are worth it alone
Me watching Hotel Del Luna in 2024 and realising how much My Demon has copied from it which was released in 2023.
too much romantic sh** ruins everything
I fully agree, THE WORST OF ALL IS THE COUPLES ALWAYS WERE so called childhood friends and then later meet and then never forget how in love they were😵 Then the drinking culture and then the one biggyback the other home!!!! Boring !!!!!!!! And So shamefully and vulgar!!!!!!!!! And the worst of all is their sitting and eating on the floor! Don’t they have dinner tables or beds!!!!!!! Not to talk about over stuffing their mouths with food AND then talking with full mouths!!!!!! We westerners find it absolutely gross and NOT funny!!!!🥴
I'm very picky with the dramas I watch nowadays
Repetitive ? Predictable ? ... Well tell that to Philippine Dramas LOL !
Or even Hollywood dramas
Talk about nit picking...
I think the "cancer" trope in "Love Next Door" was handle rather well.
What I didn't like the most was how emasculated some of the male characters were, especially the SML.
Looks like the woke message found in a lot of western productions found their way in k-dramas.
the past love life i hate it nowadays since its so annoying like why add fate in every single kdrama...and then we have the typical arrogant rich girlies why? why cant a girl be rich and be nice as well dont tell me girls like these doesnt exist i was dissapointed a bit in love next door dunno why? prbly bcz of the fl her acting and she is a good actress but...her character was meh in the show infact i quit the drama around ep 8 tried watching it couldnt i switched to judge from hell enjoying it so far family by choice is also a great drama waiting for gangnam b side and mr. plankton i just hope they are good and they just overshyped and arent good i dont want that
I have seen a couple of this dramas and the acting is so played out that it becomes so boring that it seems this actors dont know how to act . horrible scripting you seen one you seen them all
"Keeping their perfect appearance that it is difficult to believe they are really in pain!" hihi... I cannot stop laughing! But please stop!! You are killing our illusions!! hehe!!
Gyeong seong creature S2 disappointed the most
This year released Lovely Runner is a good kdrama
Cdrama is the way, a lot of productions to choose from.