A wrap on 2019, the drama addict way!

January 1, 2020January 1, 2020 ~ dramaindna

So 2019 is by(e) gone, let’s see how we- the drama addicts spent it and would probably continue to in the next and the next year as well..

Here are things you have done in 2019

Mentally dated your favourite oppa/unnie

We all know as Asian drama addicts, at some point in the drama we have fallen in love with a character, male or female. It doesn’t end there, you could be dating them or even get married to them, mentally, ofcourse!

Never had enough time for sleep because…. “Just this next episode”

We are well aware of the power of a cliffhanger. It can push you to limits you never knew existed. ‘Holding in your business’ or ‘pulling all nighters’. There’s never enough time to catch on sleep because you promise yourself to watch just one more episode, juuusstt 1 more!

Ditched going out on a weekend and binge watched

Humans are social animals only except when you are crazy addicted to a drama. Somewhere down the line we all have ditched our friends and plans, just to sit in and watch dramas even if it’s the one you have watched like 10 times already!

Secretly acted out your favourite scene

C’mon, we all have done it. Admit it! Locking up our room and taking up your favourite role with the scene playing in the backdrop. Yeah, we did better than the artist themselves.

Got extremely excited about a drama in public

You heard a new trivia, got too much into the song to scream your lungs out, grinned like an idiot at your phone. Whatever it is we all got those ‘what is wrong with you?’ stares.

Tried converting someone into a drama addict

Sometimes the drama world can feel a bit lonely. You want someone to discuss things with or just ‘get you’. Whether you were successful or not is entirely a separate question.

Cried your heart out on a emotional ost

Whether you thought you were the protagonist of the story or going through some personal tragedy, drama ost stir a lot of emotions. You are bound to shed a tear or two.

Watched without subtitles because….. Can’t wait!

If you are an international fan who does not understand the language, subtitles mean the world to you. But subbing of an episode takes anywhere between a few hours to days. When all the people on internet community start discussing this ‘how cutely he held her in his arms’ then you want to know just how cutely.

Got clueless about life after a drama ended

When we begin or are involved in a drama, everything makes sense. Our life seems to have all the purpose and meaning. Come to the end of it and you don’t know what to do anymore.

Realised you spent the whole year on this and will do it again (Proud Sigh!)

We may deny to so do, even promise to stay away for a while and detox. But we all know that the moment we get a little weak, we are going back, proudly!

How to pick a drama to binge watch: Do’s and Don’ts

December 7, 2019April 20, 2020 ~ dramaindna

Have you ever started watching a drama and after a few episodes started regretting your decision?

Well, you are not the only one! And if you are a person like me who needs to see things through then it’s just a sweet pill you try your best to swallow.

It’s not like everytime you pick a drama you grow a liking to it or like every aspect of a drama you love. However, there are some things you could do and avoid to dig a drama that you will fall in love with:

The Do’s

1. Research, Research, and Research!

It goes without saying that for one to decide what they like or dislike, they have to research about it. Checking for potholes and plotlines is great way to figure out if you will like the drama or if it’s worth your time and effort. You can look for summary, cast, trivia, any related news, etc on various websites.

2. Casting Couch (Picking your bias in the industry)

If the cast of drama is enough to make you stick to it or if you are a die hard fan of an actor/actress (not necessarily the main leads), this trick can do wonders for you. I have watched dramas staring the same male or female lead back to back. It helps me analyse their method, reminisce their different characters together and even aid in moving on.

3. Pick a mix of genre

Picking up only one genre drama or making your watchlist entirely based on a single genre can get monotonous. Instead try and pick a mix. For instance: Romance coupled with action and thriller is a personal favourite. You can also pick up single genre dramas for instance, hard core romance and then pick up a family comedy as your next just to keep yourself hooked.

4. Decide: Ratings Vs. Instinct

Public opinion obviously brings a big consent for watchlist. That being said, it may not apply to everyone, I for instance rarely go for ratings and rather base my decision on instincts.

5. Watch Scenes/ Short Clips

You can test the water for it’s depth via this method. Just watch some episode clips or scenes on YouTube. This is my go to method. You might come across a cliff hanger/climax scene as well. Therefore, this method is only advised for people who dont mind spoilers. If a 2-3 minutes clip is able to make your heart race, in all likelihood the series would too.

6. Ask for a personal recommendation

Sharing dramas with your friends could make up for interesting conversation. Your friends know your likes and dislikes, therefore, their recommendations may not only save you time but even turn out to be more accurate to your choice too.

The Don’ts:

1. Giving too many breaks

This is a bummer. If you take watching dramas seriously enough, giving breaks in between becomes somewhat a no-no as you have to pick on where you left off and it also breaks the flow of the story. I have watched dramas stretched over a long span of time, what happened is either I had to watch the previous episode again or I wasn’t as interested as I would have been if I binged watched.

2. Going by the trend

Many have this habit of watching shows merely out of peer pressure even if they come to like it later. GOTS and FRIENDS are popular example. I for one have not been able to stick to trends, it turns I mostly tapped into markets that only later on become mainstream. This one is entirely a personal choice though. You could pick your watchlist based on trends or simply what suits your taste.

3. Judging by the length

The length of dramas was never really a question for me and shouldn’t be unless you are time bound or going off the internet. I have seen dramas with length of 10-11 episodes timing less than 30 minutes and dramas with 70-80 episodes of over two hours each! Both have entertained me their best. Many asian dramas like kdramas, thai dramas and cdramas could be finished in anything between 15-50 hours.

Choosing from an endless sources and titles can be daunting task. Many a times I simply end up browsing and watching none. This list is neither rigid nor absolute. It is just to help you pick out a drama that you could enjoy.

Happy Binge Watching!

Romance is a bonus book: Kdrama Review

October 2, 2019November 19, 2019 ~ dramaindna ~ 1 Comment

I finished watching the drama Romance is a bonus book. I started watching the drama after I saw a few clips of the actor, Lee Jong Suk that caught my attention. And also the title was something that really caught my eye. It was different, catchy and mysterious. This show has been the longest Korean show for me in terms of the time I took to finish it. It is beyond 1 month, not because it was boring but because I was busy. But yes, stretching it over such long period may have made it a little less interesting for me.

The story is about a woman named Kang Dan-i who is desperately trying to comeback as an advertising copywriter after years of break. Her best friend is Cha Eun-ho who is a successful author and a senior editor at a publishing company. During her difficult phase, Cha Eun-ho tries to help Dan-i overcome her personal and professional obstacles. Slowly both realise their underlying feelings for each other and how romance is just a bonus on their everlasting friendship.

The first 2 episodes were really really interesting. Like I said not a lot Kdramas start of with a bang for me. I need to dig deep into the story first. But this one did it for me. The actress has played the character absolutely beautifully. She feels irreplaceable (although I don’t know a ton of kdrama actresses).
The first few episodes were so realistic, I could actually relate to her story and her struggles to make her comeback, wanting to do something for herself after a long time. It was touching. When I learnt about how the two of them became friends, I thought that Eun-ho should have done a lot more. (Spoiler Alert!) I mean the person saved your life, made you a successful writer. You should be indebted.
I realised later that not only did he do a lot for her, he thought a lot for her too. A guy or a friend may do a lot for you but they may not always think for you. This made Eun-ho different.

Anyhow, the show in general made me learn a lot about books, what goes into making them, behind the scenes of publishing. It made me realise it’s not as easy as it seems. And also I had a new found respect for books even the ones I don’t like. There is so much backstory to a book and so many people involved, it is actually matter of life for some people. The deadlines and how people relentlessly work for it like it’s their baby. This is writer’s gold.

The marketing ideas discussed are unique and something I haven’t seen, if not new. I really loved them, it was an eye opener. There is an epilogue at the end of the episode which includes quotes and captions by the characters. This in my opinion is such a nice way to kind of take the story forward or reflect on something in past but from a different perspective. The comic scenes induced in between are not so subtle but they do make you smile if not laugh. Something’s however were highlighted more than necessary like the writer’s story, it kind of became more important than the characters itself. The protagonist’s child was dropped from the picture altogether only to be talked of at the end, which gives it a round end but does not look realistic. It makes me wonder if she talked to her child the whole time? Not even told her daughter about her boyfriend?
I really like how they have used the ‘Moon is Beautiful’ phrase. How Eun-ho used it to convey I love you to Dan-i. How they even used it to thank the viewers for watching the show. It reminds me of the phrase ‘I purple you’ from BTS.

I am not a big fan of ost from drama. It wasn’t something I listened to again and again. And for some reason unbeknownst to me, I kept picturing Dan-i and Eun-ho more as best friends than lovers, maybe because their friendship was real solid and enduring.

I liked the ending it was really soft and deep. It talked about how we should be like a book and the book we are may not be liked by some but it will also be loved by some. Be a book for someone.

All in all, it was a great drama with a good and different storyline. If you like thoughtful dramas, books, or are struggling professional, this one might just be for you. It definitely makes up on my must watch list if not the top ones.

The drama teaches us that life is about giving second chances even to yourself.

Why Watch it?

If you like bestfriend to lovers dram theme
If you are a Lee Jong-Suk fan
If you are a Lee Na-young fan as she has comeback with a bang
To explore friendships, books and life
If you wish to watch something deep and thoughtful along with a bit of humour

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The Heirs: Kdrama Review

August 5, 2019August 4, 2019 ~ dramaindna ~ Leave a comment

“One who wears the crown must bear it.”

A crown does not only have weight, it is heavy as well. The story is about ‘heirs’ of various billion dollar businesses and companies and how their life is not all it seems to be. How their struggles and problems are just as ordinary as others. How money cannot buy you everything and there is price one has to pay for having a lot at birth.

Image Credit: Viki

Characters (Left to right): Choi Young Do, Kang Ye Sol, Cha Eun Sang, Lee Hyo Shin, Kim Tan, Chan Young, Jo Myung Soo, Lee Boo Na, Rachel Yoo

The starting of the show was quite interesting. For me usually korean shows take time to develop story and hence my interest but this one really got me interested from the first go.

Image Credit: weheartit

Slowly I realised that it is a high school drama with lots of cliche elements like a love triangle, jealous partner doing crazy stuff, the societal class and bullying. The drama has some really good sayings to offer. The back story they were trying to build was good but didn’t fully materialize.

Image Credit: Pinterest

Coming to the characters, I really liked Kim Tan saying “Do I like you?” “Did I miss you ?” Instead of I like you and I miss you. It adds such a mysterical and questioning element. I found Kim Tan relatable to the extent that to some people he is so sweet and to others he is so rude. The way he turns a blind eye to what he started makes me question if he really has become a good guy or even if he is a good guy. Lee min ho’s intense gaze is something in itself and he was looking handsome as ever but on the acting front he seemed like a poker face I couldn’t make out his expression many a times whether he is hurt, sad, angry or what. Maybe that was the demand of his character.

Image Credit: Pinterest

I was touched by Cha Eun-Sang’s determination to give her mother a better life even with so many problems and her mother’s inability to speak gives a much deeper touch and connect. Park Shin-Hye’s acting seemed very natural to the character.

Image Credit: weheartit

Image Credit: Pinterest

The chemistry between the lead was good but I think the couple could have had better scenes together. The intimacy could have been better like it was in the initial episodes. Another thing was the dream catcher, it kind of got the story around. I liked how Kim Tan looked through to EungSang via dream catcher symbolising she was his dream. I think dream catcher was one of my favourite characters in the show.

Image Credit: aminoapps

Image Credit: evacuatewithstyle

Yoong do came off as so evil but later on I realised that he is so sweet and fragile from inside and is textbook case of parent neglect and bullying.

Image Credit: Facebook

This drama was not really about being perfect and the character flaws were in your face evident which I did like. However, there are a lot of loose ends. Like what happened to Yoong Do’s father, his mother? What happened to Won’s Girlfriend? Did Rachel and Hyo -shin materialize (which was kinda out of the blue to be honest) A lot of characters, since it was ensemble needed more time. It was more like blink and miss for many. I would have enjoyed if chanyoung and his father’s relationship was given more time. The thing I did not like about this drama is women were being pushed around a lot be Cha Eun Sang, Rachel or Kim Tan’s mother. Their destiny for some reason did not seem completely theirs.

Image Credit: Pinterest

Somethings were beyond me like how Won changed suddenly when Kim Tan was trying so hard since the beginning. I wanted Won and his girlfriend to end up together they really deserved it. I wanted Kim Tan and Yoong do to reconcile, they deserved it. I wanted Rachel and Yoong Do to have a better end. I kind of pity them. Also when the show started I thought they might end up together but they were declared step brother and sister.

Image Credit: weheartit

The ost of drama is one of it’s strong points. The song ‘Here for you’, ‘Crying again’, ‘Moment’ are absolutely amazing. ‘Serendipity’, ‘I am saying’, ‘Love hurt’ by Lee min ho, ‘Story’ by Park Shin Hye are also great picks.

Image Credit: tumblr

Towards the end a lot started happening which was a little much for the end. All in all, it was like an okay drama. The underline theme was good but I wish it wouldn’t be shadowed by the love triangle. There were somethings I really liked. But sometimes it fell flat for me.

I would recommend this drama only if you have been into kdramas since before and you know how they work. Also, if you like things to be little cliché.

Why watch it?

If you are Lee Min Ho/ Park Shin Hye/ Kim Woo Bin fan
Park Shin Hye’s good chemistry with Lee Min Ho, Kim Woo Bin
If you like coming of age, high school romance drama with love triangles and cliché
If you like dramas with ensemble
The underlying theme, good quotes and good music

Continue reading “The Heirs: Kdrama Review” →