Before I vanish again into the stuff I have to do for yesterday, I want to express my sincere hateful love for Life Is Beautiful drama. I have never thought any drama longer than 20 at most (yes, Goong was an exception) episodes could make me glued to the screen so much. Don't count taeha dramas. LIB was the first to do that and Assorted Jewels just followed. After that, only Seongkyunkwan Scandal made me feel rejuvenated again.
What has become out of me? I embarked on long journeys with New Tales of Gisaeng, Twinkle Twinkle and Royal Family (OK, this one is short). I'm helplessly enamoured with long, full of details and well paced dramas. So what if I have to wait for a proper "spark" between main couple 20+ episodes like in Family's Honor? So what if I have to endure all evil characters that apparently don't sleep only to come up with their ultimate plan to ruin somebody else's life? Long dramas have certain charm in their pace that no drama can fulfill. Or maybe I'm just getting old?
I love March. It gets me some nice, cozy depression every year.
While watching QoR I was sure I would never go back into teen rom-coms again. I don't mind any normal romance, I like those (yes, time to confess - I like romantic stories, ekhem...), but not just wild ride for fangirls. This is why I dropped so many dramas recently. I found them insulting me. It's not like I pose as some drama-upper-class, hell, I love, love Goong even though it's cheezy, but it's not stupid. And what's more - it doesn't make me feel stupid or embarrassed. But I have a problem with some dramas. As I said it earlier, if I don't feel any connection, I don't care for at least one character, I can't continue. My Princess was so full of crap, nonsense and mess poured with some bad acting and directing that it made my usually high crap tolerance go off. I had enough after 2 episodes, and I'm not even sure why I bothered to watch the second one. Paradise Ranch - bland story and I don't care about any of the characters more than about a horse in it. And don't let me start on the Twilight of Kdramas that was Mary Should Stay In Hell (known in some circles of "the shrieking eels" as Marry Me, Mary, or Marry Me, Geunseok), because I think I was too lenient on this one when I wrote the review of the first episode long time ago, after taking sedatives and digestive pills. I should write it just before I calmed my stomach a bit.
I mentioned earlier my turn into "long dramas alley" when I was in the middle of a wild ride called QoR. Those are not dramas for everyone no matter how much you love a certain actor/actress. I know I can never watch Queen Seondeok on my sober days again, even though I love, hopelessly and helplessly, Kim Namgil-nim. 4 times is enough.
As I said, long dramas have their own style. Actors can focus more on showing many facets of their characters and they don't usually care about being pretty from every angle. They delve more into their characters, they have time to show changes in them, or new sides to them when the situation is changing.
Plus, long dramas, as no others, have time to show Korean customs and traditions. This is why there are lot of scenes with landscapes, inside the buildings, focusing on small details (even what kind of picture is hanging on the wall, or what color of maedeup is inside the room, ah, Ha family's house was so perfect! Everything was assembled with such care and precision!), even people's individual taste in clothes. I have learned so much by watching only long dramas, hell, I incorporated few recipes into my menu and I'm happy with that^^.
And as much as I take taeha dramas with a pinch of doubt, I can take the reality of long dramas more easily.
This is why I'm sure I'd stay with those. I can't banish short ones from my life, but I know I won't probably savour them as much as the long ones. There is a good romance in short ones too, like twisted relationships in Goodbye Solo or The Perfect Neighbor, but those are the exceptions. It takes great cast and great writer to make a good drama with a romance in it.
And this is also because I feel the pressure of age on my neck. I have nor time nor will enough to put up with idiotic stories about another spoiled girl who acts as if mentally damaged.
For some this all may seem stupid, but it makes me happy. Even for one hour a day. Even thinking of some scenes makes me smile and it disperses the clouds of uncertain future that lies ahead. This is why I enjoy the company of people I will never meet. And this is why when I start to take them into my life, I like them to give a good performance. I can take crap in the real life, but I can't do the same with dramas/movies. Because they have the same role as stage plays in ancient Greece - cathartic.
Ah yes, lack of something to bash also makes my mood go down. But I will patiently wait for Diva's display.
