A Beginner's Guide to Kdrama

For those in the know, kdramas are a great hobby. Speaking only from personal experience, I can talk about how they introduced me to feminism, a broader cultural world view, a new language, and a greater social context. Daebak, as they say.

But it's taken me three years of fumbling around the web to get a grip on a lot of this stuff, and I wish I'd had a quick guide to get me started back in the day. So here are some rough starting tips, as well as what will probably be a monthly rotating list of dramas to check out.

                       

1. What is a kdrama?

I tend to think of Korean dramas as similar to BBC miniseries--self-contained stories with a designated ending point that focus deeply on the emotions and relationships of a select group of intertwined people. Often, watching them feels like reading a novel. They usually run 16-20 hour-long episodes, though they can also be shorter or longer.


                       

2. Where to watch?

You can find kdramas in a lot of places--hulu and netflix are some of the more 'mainstream', accessible places, and more specialized websites include dramafever and viki. Personally, I would always recommend viki if you can find the drama you want there: the subtitles are the best of the lot, though very literal, so it can take a while to get into the rhythm of the dialogue. Just give it a little time, and soon you'll be too absorbed to realize how strange it might sound sometimes. It's also great if you're hoping to pick up some of the language!

                       

3. I don't understand what's happening?

Kdramas come from a very different cultural context than, say, someone from America is used to. Confucian values run contrary to the individualist philosophy we emphasize, so often things will happen that we wouldn't understand. Why is it such a huge obstacle that his parents hate her? Why are the smart kids automatically the cool kids in this high school? What's an oppa/noon/hyung/unni/dongsaeng anyway? Eventually you will start to get the hang of these intricacies, but in the meantime I would suggest visiting dramabeans (kdrama interwebs central) to read the recap of each episode after you finish it, to help with these social cues. Also, download their book (for, what, five bucks? I forget) and read it through. They answer all the basic questions there that will make the beginning of your new hobby that much smoother.


                           

4. I've finished this show, but now I want to talk about it! Where do I go?

You're lucky! There's a thriving community of blogs and tumblrs out there devoted to kdramas and all that pertains thereto.  Fangirl Verdict  and Kdrama Today are two of my favorite places to go for thoughtful articles and reviews, while Episodes from Outside Seoul is a delightfully snarky place to get bite-sized thoughts on the hottest things going. Go out, engage! You'll make some wonderful friends.

                                             

5. Any other tips and tricks?

I'd suggest making an account on MyDramaList to keep track of what you've watched and what episode you left off at. It makes it easier not to accidentally skip episodes, and it's a handy quick guide to finding what else your favorite actors and actresses have been in.

Personal Favorites
I'm not saying you should watch these...
but you should watch these

Historical

Splish Splash Love

The Princess's Man
Seven Day Queen

Sungkyunkwan Scandal

Gaksital
Chicago Typewriter

Thriller/Action
White Christmas
Liar Game
City Hunter
Healer
Signal
Defendant

Coming-of-Age
Shut Up: Flower Boy Band
Answer Me 1997
Answer Me 1988
Age of Youth
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

Slice-of-Life
Misaeng
Dear My Friends

Romance
Coffee Prince
Bottom of the 9th with 2 Outs
Queen In Hyun's Man
It's Okay, It's Love
Kill Me, Heal Me

Melodramas
Nice Guy
Secret