Which Kind Are You? 5 Kinds of Kdrama Fans

I just did a guest post at DramaFever about the5 kinds of kdrama fans. After I was done, my husband read the post over my shoulder and said, "Wait, aren't you just writing about yourself for most of these?" Why yes, yes I am.

Does anyone else fall into these categories?




1.The Valiant Defender



Once you decide that you love a drama, you become like a mama lion protecting her cubs. You won’t let anyone get away with talking smack about your show! Did someone criticize the series extension? You thought it was perfect to really develop the relationship! Did they hate the costumes? But they were meant to show off the characters’ personalities! Did they say that the acting was melodramatic? OH NO THEY DIDN’T! How would they feel if they woke up with amnesia and cancer? Huh? Everything was perfect and wonderful and amazing and you cried in every single episode.

2.The Closet Viewer



You love Kdramas. I mean, you really love them. You spend your free time reading recaps and listening to the OSTs of your favorite shows. The only problem is that you are an adult, and you don’t know how to explain your obsession to your real-life friends in a way that they would understand. Instead, you lead a double life. When you tell your friends that you spent the weekend helping your mom clean out her basement, what you really mean is that you marathoned Prosecutor Princess for sixteen hours straight.

3.The Academic



You enjoy watching Kdramas, but you also have an advanced degree in psychology or literature or something. You reconcile these two interests by constantly talking about gender roles and socio-economic factors in your favorite shows. Most of your Kdrama-watching friends roll their eyes when you start conversations with “This episode reminded me of something Socrates once said…” but you don’t let that stop you! When that Wall Street Journal blog post criticized Kdramas as being “lowbrow,” you responded with a ten-page manifesto peppered with words like “dichotomy” and “pedantic.”

4.The Bias Stalker



Plot? Not important. Dialogue? Who cares? The one and only determining factor in helping you choose your next drama is how much screen time your favorite actor or actress will get. Now if only the writers would get rid of all these side characters and just put Oppa in a shower scene already…

5.The Seasoned Veteran



You were watching Kdramas looooooong before Full House or Coffee Prince even came onto the scene. As someone who has watched dramas for over a decade, you can dazzle younger viewers with extensive knowledge of the progression of kdramas. You have also gotten to a wise transcendental state of mind where Kdrama trends no longer impact you. You can wait until a popular show finishes airing before you watch it. You have also mastered the difficult art of watching only one episode at a time—something most Kdrama fans see as an impossible myth.

What are your Kdrama habits? One of the above? ALL of the above? (*raises hand slowly*)

Which Kind Are You? 5 Kinds of Kdrama Fans

It’s Korean snack time!

Summer is over and it’s time to head back to school and work. To make this transition a little easier it helps to bring some delicious snacks with you. Instead of grabbing your trusty American snacks, spice things up by trying a Korean snack. In order to determine which Korean snacks are the best, I headed over to K-town to pick some up. I had a hard time deciding because once I see Korean stuff I want to buy it all, but I finally narrowed it down to 5!

The taste testing panel included Min, Jackie, and Stan from DramaFever, and me, Coco.

We scored the snacks on texture, flavor intensity, aftertaste, and balance of sweetness/saltiness. Here are the results:

1. Corn Chi

Texture: 7/20

Flavor Intensity: 9/20

Aftertaste: 11/20

Sweetness/Saltiness: 14/20

Total: 41/80

Comments:
Min: “It was kind of bland and too mushy. Flavor was ok, but I wish it were more crunchy.”

Jackie: “Not crunchy at all. Quite disappointing because I thought it would be like cheese puffs.”

Stan: “Mushy and on the bland side.”

Coco: “Not good at all.”

2. Sweet Potato Snack

Texture: 13/20

Flavor Intensity: 13/20

Aftertaste: 12/20

Sweetness/Saltiness: 13/20

Total: 51/80

Comments:

Min: “It’s good and sugary but the hard texture and funky aftertaste make me not want much.”

Jackie: “Very sticky but pleasantly crunchy. Nice mix of sweet and salty. Kind of too savory for a snack.

Stan: “Crunchy and just a little sweet. Could eat lots of them.”

Coco: “Kind of like sticky pretzels. Good for a handful, but not a whole bag.”

3. Corn Snack

Texture: 7/20

Flavor Intensity: 6/20

Aftertaste: 11/20

Sweetness/Saltiness: 7/20

Total: 31/80

Comments:

Min: “Tastes like day old popcorn without butter. Is this a snack for old people?”

Jackie: ”Very light and not crunchy at all. Neither sweet nor salty.”

Stan: “Very soft and mushy, but a pleasant aftertaste.”

Coco: “Has a bland taste with a strange not-quite-popcorn texture.”

4. Peanut Balls

Texture: 11/20

Flavor Intensity: 13/20

Aftertaste: 10/20

Sweetness/Saltiness: 13/20

Total: 47/80

Comments:
Min: “Funky fishy taste. The nut in the middle was a nice surprise, but it was not my favorite.”

Jackie: “I definitely like this crunchy snack with its peanut taste.”

Stan: “Crunchy and a little sweet with an odd aftertaste.”

Coco: “Like a peanut-y, fishy version of Captain Crunch. Strangely I want more. Kind of addictive.

5. Ddukbokki

Texture: 14/20

Flavor Intensity: 18/20

Aftertaste: 14/20

Sweetness/Saltiness: 12/20

Total: 58/80

Comments:
Min: “Can’t tell if it’s sweet or salty. The spiciness is good until the aftertaste.”

Jackie: “ Very flavorful. The spicy kick is a nice surprise. It has a lasting aftertaste.

Stan: “Crunchy with a pleasant spicy aftertaste.”

Coco: “It’s like dehydrated Asian noodles: sweet, spicy, and sticky.

And the winner is Ddukbokki! Check out your nearest Korean market to try some of these snacks for yourself!

Have you tried any Korean snacks? Let us know how you like them in the comments below.

It’s Korean snack time!

All The FEELS!!!: Who Are You Episodes 5-8 at DramaFever

Whoa, things are about to get real in Who Are You! These last four episodes covered a lot of major plot twists. This show is getting so good, you guys! Get on the Who Are You ship right away if you haven’t. For the first four episodes, I gave the show a 4 out 5 on the Kdrama Feels-O-Meter, but after these last four episodes, I have bumped it up to 5 out of 5! So many more than the average American show. Head over to my post with the DramaFever Drama club to take a look at all the FEELS!!!

So who is watching Who Are You? Does it make you as emotional as me? Comment below. 

All The FEELS!!!: Who Are You Episodes 5-8 at DramaFever

Kdrama Ghosts: Why You Gotta Be So Creepy?

For my fourth post with the DramaFever Drama Club about Who Are You episodes 1-4, we decided to do an analysis of the way ghosts are used to represent certain themes in Korean Dramas.

One of my professors once told me that all good horror devices actually represent broken human relationships or broken societies. For example, haunted houses represent abuse within a family. Along this line, it seems that the ghosts in Who Are You represent a broken justice system. Like the psychic tells Shi Oh, ghosts appear because they want relief from resentment.



I’ve noticed in several Korean dramas, I Hear Your Voice being the most recent example, that the Korean justice system is often portrayed as unevenly on the side of guilty defendants. People too often get away with crimes, leaving it up to those who are wronged to take matters into their own hands. We see a prime example of this in the scene below.




Shi Oh must avenge the death of the girl, who cannot do it herself, because Shi Oh knows that the culprit will most likely be found not guilty according to Korea’s due process. Once the murderer is caught, the girl’s ghost now smiles and disappears. It seems that in the setting of a detective story, ghosts represent those seeking justice.



On a side note, why you gotta be so creepy ghosts? It’s clear that you can be pleasant and nasty-wound-free after you’ve received help, so what’s with the sneaking around, grabbing people’s arms and making them fake bleed, making people cold, and creepily playing the piano? Not necessary!



I have to admit that I find the ghosts in The Master's Sun much creepier, but the Who Are Ghosts are a little more realistic looking (if there is such a thing as a realistic ghost). To see my and Vivi's horrified reactions to the ghosts in The Master's Sun, check out Vivi's YouTube review of episodes 1-4.

So, what do you think ghosts in Kdramas represent? What Kdrama has the scariest ghosts? Comment below.

Kdrama Ghosts: Why You Gotta Be So Creepy?