Watching dramas is an art. But when you think about how each person started watching them, they all might tell you a different story. We’ve all gone through it. When it comes to my case, I wasn’t very keen on watching something in a language I didn’t understand ( Korean, Japanese, Chinese, or Thai) and the fact that I had to read subtitles all the time bothered me. It was difficult at first to make up my mind about dramas. It went on and on until I just thought- if I could have watched Japanese movies like Ringu or The Grudge and enjoyed them, why not give dramas a try? Just to be on the safe side I started out with my first Japanese drama — Hana Yori Dango. Though it seemed a little childish at first with time it grew on me.
After the Japanese drama came the Korean drama which was the Japanese adaption of Hana Yori Dango- Boys Over Flowers in my case. And I ended up liking it so much, that I instantly fell in love with Hallyu world. Following it, I watched Kdramas day and night. Plus, it was the summer of Girls Generation and Super Junior Kpop idol craze where I got to discover a whole new world of fandoms, makjangs, and unique mix of cultures. I got obsessed and since then this obsession never stopped such that even after a decade, I am still addicted to Asian dramas.
You end up owing a lot to your first drama. Because only when if the first drama succeeded in impressing you is when you decide to watch the others. You never expect what kind of roller-coaster emotions a drama may put you through. And you might feel yourself experiencing the same kinds of emotions that your favorite characters end up feeling- anger, despair, or joy.
The whole process of anticipating the next episode is a crazy wait. You always want to know instantly what would happen next after the end of each episode. All dramas are known to end at places that leave you wanting for more. Be it a drama of any genre, the cliffhangers are always crazy. They get crazier as each episode goes by. Even if the drama ends up testing your patience, once you’re invested, you find yourself wanting to come back to it.
After your first drama comes your second, third, and so on. Then in no time, you find yourself easily bored at the genre you don’t like. Or you might feel like rom-coms can be predicted easily. In extreme cases, you end up dropping the drama completely. And this is the point when you know you’ve had had enough or maybe it was a bad drama. Yes, that happens- some dramas are awesome, some good, and some plain bad.
Over time, you might find yourself preferring either Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, or even Thai dramas. It is different in each case. Your interests change and your opinions change. But every now and then a drama comes along which makes you feel exactly what your first drama made you feel like. This is what we call a ‘favorite’. We all have favorite dramas. And these are the ones we can watch any number of times and not get tired. This is the best part of watching dramas- they give you a lot to cherish and hold on to.
Just like listening to music or playing a favorite sport can cheer up a person, I find that dramas can also cheer me up. No matter how sad, lonely or cranky I am- dramas seem to be the perfect remedy. I am happy that I found this joy of watching and enjoying dramas to this extent.
The final part comes when you’ve ended a drama. Maybe it is a happy ending or a sad one but you’re always at your emotional high when it’s just over. You probably feel happy or sad, think about it for a long time and then move on to the next one. Anyway, we’ve all developed and mastered the art of watching dramas!
