Ask an Ajumma #1

Hello all our fellow MDL users! Welcome to our first issue of the "Ask an Ajumma" column! We ajummas love MDL as much as all of you and do hope you are pleased with our answers. Please remember that, like all other non-News articles, these are opinions only. We will give our most honest answers. If we are unsure of something, we hope to point you in the right direction.  

We truly had fun answering the questions and we hope you have fun reading them. 

Now on with the questions!

"I hope you’re doing well. There’s a little question that’s been ailing me ever since I’ve joined MDL. Perhaps you can help? Is there any correct way to ‘rate’ a drama? Perhaps a checklist or something? I don’t know if you’re supposed to be subjective, objective, a mix of both (?) My current rating formula is a bit sketchy... (You’d understand if you’d check my profile). I know it might be a stupid question, but you’re too generous (and wise) to mock the little inexperienced me. Right?"

--  Lumiere

Dear fellow addict, 

Let’s start with a fact: we’re only fans, not drama or movie critics. Therefore, we should rate shows the way we see fit. After a while of watching dramas, it becomes evident that you’d want to turn around and re-rate your watch list based on the growth of your watching experience and your knowledge of some technicalities. Personally, I rate dramas the way they make me relate to their characters and the overall impression they leave within me. Of course, I consider the actors’ performance and chemistry as well as the writing’s depth, but if a drama leaves a lingering strong impact I can be way too generous. 

At the end of the day, you should know that there’s nothing wrong about rating dramas the way you enjoy them. It’s your own verdict and you’re free to be shallow or strict. No one has the right to judge your taste or ratings. You can objective, subjective or both. After all, a drama’s rating affects how much you liked/enjoyed that certain drama.

-- The Romantic Ajumma

"I wonder what kind of drama genre ajummas usually watch." 

--  fairyep

I prefer romcoms and saeguks generally as I like to watch what makes me feel better and what makes me laugh; romance and adventure definitely have that effect on me. I don’t enjoy thrillers and long makjang (melodramatic) family dramas (I watched a few which were enough for me). I enjoy action dramas, but when they have a plot that has to do more with people stories and less action.

-- The Chatty Ajumma

"Hello Ajumma! Do you know any drama like To The Beautiful You? I reeeeeeeally want a drama like that!"

-- anonymous

Hello fellow drama lover!!

I know that there were a lot of people who didn’t like To The Beautiful You, but I’m not one of them. It was campy and cute and I’ve watched it TONS of times. I guess I’m just never going to grow up… and I’m okay with that! LOL!! As for recommendations, there aren’t a lot of gender-bender rom/coms out there and there are only a few that are any good. Recommendations I’d give are:

You’re Beautiful, Coffee Prince, Ma Boy, Sungkyunkwan Scandal, K-Pop The Ultimate Audition, Secret Garden, After School: Lucky or Not, Protect the Boss, Playful Kiss, Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, Boys Over Flowers, High School King of Savvy, Bride of the Century, The Greatest Love, Master’s Sun, Mary Stayed Out All Night, Panda and Hedgehog, Trot Lovers, Cunning Single Lady, Fated to Love You, A Witch’s Romance, You Who Came From the Stars, Emergency Couple, & Marriage Not Dating.

Only a few are gender benders or high school romances, but they’re all romances with some humor in them and I loved them all. Admittedly, some more than others, but most of these are on my “I’ve rewatched them" list. I hope that this list helps. Good luck and happy watching!

-- The Obsessive Ajumma

"Recently I have been especially irritated by a recurring issue in Korean dramas. Why, oh why, do some script writers completely lack logic, common sense, and memory? I ask this because a drama I am currently watching has these faults in spades. In fact, while watching, one can clearly see in their imagination the two different sides of writing. On one side of the table are the creative and clever people who are responsible for the good parts of the drama. On the opposite side, however, are the idiots who lack imagination and who seem to just add stuff as they go along. >_< It’s even worse when the second group of writers show up at the tail end of a drama, throw everything written before out of the window and then proceed to present an ending contradictory to the rest of the story, thus ruining everything."

-- Annoyed and Disappointed

Dear Annoyed,

It would probably be fair to say that most of us totally feel the same way you do about bad writing in certain Korean dramas. So in answer to your question (and remember I'm not an expert): Drama production is a money making business and a BIG ratings game. Producers, directors, fans' reactions & even advertisers most likely interfere with the final outcome of the story. Let's face it: writers have to please too many people, and by the end of a drama the result might be a big mess. I don't know much about what goes on behind the scenes in the drama creation process, but most of us are familiar with the flexible (*cough* unorganized *cough*) way in which Korean dramas are made. I found an interesting article on the subject at koreana.or.kr: They mention last minute rewrites as well as an actress walking off the set in protest. I want to also add that, because of this flexibility, other things happen that can cause a need for a rush finish (one example is the Bad Guy fiasco when Kim Nam Gil had to report for military duty before production was finished). Then other times a drama is so popular that the executives may decide that an extra 1 or 2 episodes are needed. Unfortunately, that strategy doesn't always work. Sometimes less is more.

In truth, I really wish that the drama kings/queens in the great Republic of Korea would straighten up and create a better strategy for their drama-making process.  It is definitely possible. But I think that they're on a drama-making roller coaster and they can't seem to get off. 

-- The Introspective Ajumma

"What do you think about the kisses in dramas? Too conservative? Or perfect? Which character would you kiss? And who needs to have some lessons?"

--  nana_sajoh

A good on-screen kiss is one that can be felt to your toes when watching. The actors who get it are ones who have kissed enough in real life to know the components of a good kiss. Kissing is the prelude to demonstrating emotions. Thus, what is too conservative or lackluster must be taken into context of the story. One of the most recent memorable kissing scenes was inIt's Okay, That's Love waterfall scene. Hands down, that kiss could be FELT and the actors knew how to kiss in real life thus all the feels. A good kiss can melt the ice, light a fire, or go flat due to forced execution in real life - it's all about experience & reciprocation

-- The Bookish Ajumma

If you have a question to ask the ajummas, send a PM to ask-an-ajumma with your question. Please indicate whether you'd like to remain anonymous or if it's okay to include your username. Thank you!