FAQ

I am new to K-Dramas. Where should I start?

If you are new to Korean Dramas Welcome! I know that it can be very overwhelming at first since there are so many to choose from. Here are a couple of steps that you can take to choosing your first drama to watch.

• Be open minded. There are a lot of different genres and story lines within the world of Korean Dramas. It helps a lot of you are willing to branch out of your comfort zone.
• Start is by reading the synopsis' of the drama of interest. The synopsis gives a pretty detailed explanation of what the drama is about (at least on Viki and Netflix). 
• If you have absolutely no idea where to start go ahead and take a look at my favorite dramas (look to your left). They are my favorites for a reason. My taste in dramas range quite a bit so I think there is something for everyone to try.
• If you still don't know where to start leave me a comment and I will be more than happy to start you on this journey

What does OST mean?

OST stands for Original Sound Track. One thing that I have noticed is that a majority of Korean Dramas have an OST. This is really cool because they use different types of musicians to create it. Whether they are K-Pop singer, trot singer or even the actor(s) featured in the show, an OST is made up of many different people from different backgrounds.    

Another cool aspect of OST's is that it brings its own personality to the show. Not one OST that I have come across sounds the same. For people who do not know how to speak Korean, background music can be very helpful. The music allows the viewer to feel all of the emotions that the actors are pouring out. And being someone who can not understand what they are saying (yet!) it helps me get into the drama more. Plus, they are really great songs that I end up adding to my Spotify Playlist. 

So when you are watching a drama, make sure that you are fully listening to it and not just reading the subtitles while listening to other music. Yeah, I'm talking to you mom. Take off your headphones. Smh.

Where can I watch these Dramas?

To watch K-Dramas, I manly use Netflix and Viki. But I know there are even more platforms to watch Korean Dramas on (Amazon Prime, Facebook, Hulu, etc.).
Viki by Rakuten is an American video streaming website that has a lot of Asian content (both original and from networks). Along with Korean movies and shows, Viki also has content from China, Hong Kong, India, Japan and much more. Viki also provides real-time subtitling in many languages. Just like Netflix it requires a subscription but it's definitely worth it. Currently you can have the basic subscription of $4.99/month and get a lot of content. If you want to unlock even more content, you can upgrade to Viki Plus for $9.99/month. I upgraded to Viki Plus when I realized that the only thing I watch is Korean Dramas. But if you are a beginner, I definitely recommend the basic description. It's 100% worth it and one of the best accidental finds of my life.

What is a Webtoon/Web-Drama?

A webtoon is a digital comic that originated in South Korea. A lot of Korean Dramas are based on webtoons. If you want to read them you can download the WEBTOON App on Google Play and the Apple Store for free! There are a lot of great original content on it.

A Web-Drama is a Korean Drama that was released online. Web Dramas are typically short dramas. But just because they are short doesn't mean that they aren't good. There are actually a lot of great web-dramas out there. You can also watch a majority of web dramas with English subtitles for free here: https://www.ondemandkorea.com/web-drama

What does Idol-Actor mean?

In Korea, singers are typically referred to as idols. A lot of these idols want to pursue more than music. A great portion of idols have actually acted in shows/dramas. Some do it just to try it out while others actually make it their other job. Having these idols act in these dramas is really fun because most of the time I do not even realize that they are singers (whether in a group or solo). For some reason its exciting to find out that they are singers because they act so well that you would never expect that acting was their second job. 

Under the Actor/Actress menu on the right side of the blog you can find the tab that says "Idol-Actor". You can click it to see which of the dramas that I have seen that have featured an idol.

What is a Melodrama?

A melodrama is a type of drama that is specifically designed to appeal to the viewer's emotions, taking priority over the detailed characterization. In order to achieve this, melodramas focus on the characters dialogue. The dialogue is typically very sentimental and private. 

When watching a melodrama you have to pay attention to the dialogue. I also recommend having a box of tissues next you as well 💗

What is a Sageuk?

Sageuk is the Korean word for historical drama. Sageuks are a perfect mixture of royal romances, palace conspiracies, aesthetic clothing and scenery. If you are new to anything Korean, then Sageuks are a great source of learning about Korea's past. They are definitely worth a watch.

Why is there only 1 Season for a show?

I am not 100% sure of the reason behind 1 Season shows, but once I explain my theory you are going to love the idea of only having 1 Season.

My theory behind the shows having only 1 Season is so that more dramas can be made. In American Television, people are obsessed with cliffhangers. These cliffhangers are what allows a show have multiple seasons. And having multiple seasons makes it feel like the show is just way too long and eventually, at some point,  the production of the show ends (usually because the writers run out of material). 

K-Dramas having typically one season means that within the 16-one hour episodes (or 32-thirty minutes episodes) all of your questions and theories about the show will be answered. You won't have to wait and n amount of years for the big and small questions within the show to be answered. I can say that 90% of the time all of my answers and confusions that I had while watching these shows were always answered by the Final Episode. Once the Final Episode ends I feel refreshed to know that nothing was left behind, that everything between the characters was resolved. And production companies can end the show and move on to the next project, which in turn is why there are so many K-Dramas to watch.

This doesn't mean that there are no K-Dramas with a 2nd Season or cliffhangers with no extra seasons. There are K-Dramas that have these things, it's just that within my experience it is very rare to come across.