What makes K-Dramas so unique from ITV? - Page 5

1. Limited episodes - even though they follow a pattern like must kiss/start of the relationship in ep 8 out of 16, they are SHORT compared to ITV.

2. Visuals, fashion, CGI - best eye therapy😎, promo for Samsung mobiles esp😆 designer clothes/accessories/jewelry. CGI is used more in Cdramas than K still I loved Island for their CGI.

3. Clichés are always(mostly) done right. Childhood friends, country romance trope etc.

4. Leads actually go to WORK - office romance happens in office where they also deal with some real things(iykyk what I wanted to say in the place of 'things')

Medical dramas are more than just a white coat here. Even though shows that air on TV blur out the surgery part I like the details they put in explaining cases. Bring out different/least expected complications or symptoms.

Similarly, legal dramas. Some dramas even address real life crimes.

5. Action scenes are not choreographed. Even though characters don't die instantly after a gunshot they don't have a 20 mark essay to recite before dying here.

6. After watching many Kdramas if you miss ITV and think, 'ek EK style ka show tho banta hai yaar life main'- then there's a readymade genre for you called Makjang. Penthouse dekh ke hypertension se diarrhea tak aasakta hai😆 My fav makjang is Remarriage and Desires.

7. Mostly actors are not overdressed. Few do but negligible.

Watch Remarriage & Desires and The Glory😆 what's unique about them? You might not need any blood pressure pills while watching them🤣

Originally posted by: Daebak

I actually started with C dramas coz I literally ran out of stuff to watch on OTT platforms during lockdown.

A friend who was staying with me for 2 weeks literally arm-twisted me into watching my first foreign language show (Chinese show- The Untamed).

I ended up loving the show, then watched Love 020 and Put Your Head On My Shoulder. Once I got used to subtitles and Asian faces, I started watching K dramas.

And once you start Kdramas, it is like an obsession. Before you realise it, you have binge-watched 5-10 shows 🤣

What I love:

1. Gorgeous leads (I am v shallow when it comes to Kdramas and Cdramas. Leads gotta be gorgeous)

2. Limited episodes

3. Sweet story lines, I only watch happy shows

4. They do romance so well. Like 90% leads have great chemistry

They share chemistry with capital C! The editing, the OST, everything during romantic scene is soo perfect! In ITV you cannot find such thing🥴

In the Glory, the chemistry between moon dong and ha do was literally fire🔥🔥🔥 I wished soo much they were the main couple 🫢 song hye and jung sung must do another drama as main couple ❤️🔥

5. Food: I love watching these people eat. They make the blandest food look so yummy. Itne mazze leke khaate hai ye. YES! I recently watched My roommate is a gumiho and maannn, lee dam was such a treat to watch while eating😂😂 I haven’t a character enjoy food as much as her😂 her acting was 100/10 she literally slayed with her expression!

6. The best friends: Kdrama leads have the most amazing besties. Makes me so jealous.

Friends are family too! Through thick and thin they stick together!❤️ There is no toxicity like it happens in Indian shows where all relationships are ruined!

What I dont like:

1. Similar story lines: Once you have watched 10 shows, all romcoms seem the same.

2. Sometimes the FL's aegyo is unbearable

3. Childhood friends trope: they need to realize not all leads need to have crossed paths in their childhood. Why are they obsessed with this? I swear the first 10 shows I saw all had this trope and I actually started thinking that this was a prerequisite for K shows.😆

4. Leaving every thing to the last 2 episodes. They literally drag episodes 9-14 and then suddenly realize the show needs to end in 16 episodes and put everything in the last 2 episodes. Ruins the show for me. They did this for Doctor Cha and Business Proposal, it annoyed me so much. They really need to pace shows better.

Originally posted by: MostlyHarmIess

Padhega kaun itna 😆

Answer this “ what makes K dramas so unique from ITV regressive shows?”😆

Originally posted by: elsanna

Things...that help in watching kdrama😳

1.) Short drama length

2.) Most of the time sensible stories

3.) Good acting

4.) MOST IMPORTANT NO DHUM TANA NANANA

5.) Awesome music

Agree with all points! 4th one is the best!😆 Also we don’t have those never ending close ups of each character when something big is going to happen

Originally posted by: Katelyn

I grew up watching Thai and Chinese costume dramas since I know Thai and the Chinese dramas were Thai dubbed. I knew about Korean dramas but I wasn't interested at all. I actually didn't start watching Kdramas until 2020 with Crash Landing On You on Netflix. Since then, I've watched many Kdramas. Lately, I've been watching only Chinese costume fantasy dramas. I find them visually stunning with amazing worldbuilding. Chinese dramas are much more lengthier than Kdramas in general but that doesn't deterred me as long as they are interesting. For modern romantic comedy, I mostly opted for Kdramas. Whereas as for fantasy type, I prefer Chinese dramas.

Hey Katelyn,

The visuals in these dramas are stunning! The attention to little details, beautiful scenery with amazing color palette, the scenes shot from different angles and the editing in the end is cheff kiss😍…I literally live for the first episodes of Goblin. Their first meeting, the time first she summons him when its raining…man🔥🔥🔥 it was perfection! ITV mein hota toh you will get horrible music in background and bad editing😆

Originally posted by: SunqianFan

Romance 😳

Romance 😳

Romance 😉

and we live for that romance😍🔥

No one can do romance like in Kdrama! 🥹 the whole build up of the relation is to die for! ITV doesn’t build properly the journey like Kdrama do! They are stuck with wedding, EMAs and unnecessary plotting by neg characters!🙄

Originally posted by: Isamreen

Kdramas are like a maze once you enter you can't escape 😆

Due to the strict timeline the plot and pacing is tight. The tracks move fast and give a way to conclusion whereas ITV most of the time doesn't finish what it started. Endless dragfest! Sachi mein!😑😑 ITV keep dragging the same plots in all dramas. Rinse and repeat and audience keep watching it🤡

I like thriller genre but there is something for everyone.

Side characters are given proper justice! Friends, colleagues, acquaintances are shown with great care and they act as in the growth of the characters unlike ITV where sisters, brothers, friends everyone's negative to glorify main characters. YES! There is no development for side characters in ITV. It’s all about ML/FL and negative characters winning over and over!

Chemistry hands down! I have witnessed the greatest chemistry they make me believe that they are in love.

After a drama ends they give you a sense of fulfillment, you think about it, the characters remain with you for a long time. In ITV it feels so empty. In ITV they never give proper closure to a track! Its always about mahaan ML and FL who keep running in circle for each other. There is no character arc🤔

I can go on about it....

Let's just end here 😆

Originally posted by: Odd-ball

Locks got me into Korean dramas..boy! I don't regret it.. they seemed like a breath of fresh air. And they are indeed a breath of fresh air😆

No saas-bahu stuff, wierd music and never gave me the urge to throw something on tv 🤣 ITV is all about saas bahu and weird music😆

There are variety of genres and if the drama is completed,we can read reviews and decide if i can watch it or not. It's awesome! And the captivating ost 's!!

After binge watching almost every office rom com, they all seem same with same formula but different actors..but still i want to watch and laugh along.

I really dislike the break up/misunderstandings happening between leads for the sake of it(mostly in c dramas) and the childhood connection thing (rolling eyes emoji)... still their plotline is better than any ongoing drama of SP🫢😂

Recommendations:

Tale of nine tailed 1938 - loved the bromance, comedy and fantasy elements.

My roommate is a gumiho - the comedy, fantasy elements.. though i got a bit bored at the end..saw and loved lee dam❤️

Suspicious partner- ji Chang wooki loved the leads dynamic until they revealed their parents connection (spoiler) JCW is my fav!❤️

Healer - loved it!

Alchemy of souls - loved it!!!!!!!!

Chinese dramas-

Mostly i used to watch University dramas like loveo2o, put your head on my shoulder. Because of luoyunxi-bailu, i started watching love is sweet and till the end of moon and ended up watching everything both starred in!! I am watching love is sweet! On epi 7 and loving it❤️

Originally posted by: Leprechaun

1. Limited episodes - even though they follow a pattern like must kiss/start of the relationship in ep 8 out of 16, they are SHORT compared to ITV. ITV mein in 8-16 the leads has yet to meet sometimes🤣 here in 8-16 we have followed a journey🤬

2. Visuals, fashion, CGI - best eye therapy😎, promo for Samsung mobiles esp😆 designer clothes/accessories/jewelry. CGI is used more in Cdramas than K still I loved Island for their CGI. Yessss…their visuals are captivating ITV will never ever reach such levels of awesomeness

3. Clichés are always(mostly) done right. Childhood friends, country romance trope etc.

4. Leads actually go to WORK - office romance happens in office where they also deal with some real things(iykyk what I wanted to say in the place of 'things') 😂😂😂 they don’t roam at home like ghosts waiting for the negative to create MU🤣

Medical dramas are more than just a white coat here. Even though shows that air on TV blur out the surgery part I like the details they put in explaining cases. Bring out different/least expected complications or symptoms.

Similarly, legal dramas. Some dramas even address real life crimes. Basically the plot have sense, well searched when they address a real life topic!

5. Action scenes are not choreographed. Even though characters don't die instantly after a gunshot they don't have a 20 mark essay to recite before dying here. 😆😆 You did dirty to me with Kill It! Kya expect kiya tha yaar!😒

6. After watching many Kdramas if you miss ITV and think, 'ek EK style ka show tho banta hai yaar life main'- then there's a readymade genre for you called Makjang. Penthouse dekh ke hypertension se diarrhea tak aasakta hai😆 My fav makjang is Remarriage and Desires.

7. Mostly actors are not overdressed. Few do but negligible. They have the best outfits! The best❤️ Ko Moon-young in It's Okay To Not Be Okay outfits were 🔥🔥🔥 One of the best dressed heroine!

Hero and heroine do wear normal clothes. Not like in ITV where FL is wearing sari n jewellery even at 11 PM with perfect make up on🤪

Watch Remarriage & Desires and The Glory😆 what's unique about them? You might not need any blood pressure pills while watching them🤣

Glory I have seen it! Remarriage&desires and penthouse are in my to watch list😆

I love kdramas so much! I think what drew me to kdramas was that they had similar tropes to the ITV shows that I grew up watching, they just did it better. The production quality/aesthetic of kdramas is much higher than what we see on ITV, and I think kdramas understand how to grow with their audiences and with the times in a way that ITV doesn't because to me, ITV has been stuck in the past for a very long time.

I also think that ITV is kind of the only TV industry that hasn't figured out how to contain its stories. I know that there will always be a desire for daily soaps for people like my mother who are incredibly impatient, but I think the current generation doesn't have to sit every day or once a week to catch up on shows, which is why kdramas or OTT content is so popular because it's all binge-able.