Working through the formula: Kdramas

Best Love: A love story set in Korea’s TV/film industry. The hero, an egotistical actor, figures out he loves the heroine, a down-and-out singer, by measuring his pulse.

I like watching Korean dramas. They’re usually fluffy romcoms, with enough melodrama and separation that drives viewers mad but not away. (I say usually because there is something called A Love to Kill – beautiful to see but extremely tough to watch).

These shows usually work within a paradigm. Most of them are love stories of a rich, emotionally-stunted hero and a poor but heart-warming heroine. Of course, there are usual suspects - the side hero who love the poor girl but has a fatal flow (he’s her brother, is the best of the lot); the side-heroine, who has her agenda but is deep down a kind person. For the pair to get together in the end, there are obstacles like the hero’s stern family, the heroine’s always-broke dad, etc.

 
Gloria: This show had all the familiar trappings of a K-drama. A closed-up hero who only knew how to express himself through getting beat up and a heroine who raised her older but mentally-challenged sister by doing 10 jobs a day.

So within this age-old formula, which works wonders in all cultures, it is always difficult to establish an OTP (one true pairing) that can sustain a) their own character flaws b) family outbursts and machinations and c) ratings! The first one is extremely negotiable, though.

Goong/Princess Hours: A classic trope loved by all, the forced marriage, with the added bonus of being set in a royal household, Goong is much-liked by all. The story is shaky but there are spots of good acting. Mostly, the OTP wins hearts. 

In any case, while the formula is constraining and limited, the possibilities of experimentation are huge. The same story told through different lens, with things changed here and there, just fuels the fancy of viewers. While Gloria added the theme of revenge to the story, Best Love became a story told through metaphors and symbols.

While I haven’t watched many Kdramas, I’m still waiting to see them try some Japanese police/detective shows like Trick. Can someone make that somewhere?!