Hong Sisters: a voice out of the chorus

I'm bound to be hit with whatever objects are at hand (please spare me the rotten eggs, it's hard to get rid of the smell :P), but I have this urge to find out if I'm the only human on the planet who is not enthusiastic about the Hong Sisters's scripts.
It seems to me, the success of their dramas - at least on the web, because in Korea they usually get average ratings - is due to the good choice of actors, a choice which usually doesn't depend on the writers.

Their stories all have the same pattern: 5/6 episodes of pure fluff and goofs, than one of the characters starts to fall in love (usually the female) but no matter the age, she is invariably surprised by it and doesn't know why she's feeling that way (I've shouted "it's indigestion" a couple of times, but they don't seem to listen to me :S). He is perturbed too, but keeps his front. There's is ALWAYS the (in)famous second guy who never had a chance to begin with, no matter how kind or good-looking he is. Then comes the angst and the tears which last to the final episode, where everything is solved in the last 5 minutes.

I can't recall for the life of me one line to quote from a Hong Sister drama. One that made me think twice. I maintain that the reason why I enjoyed My Girl and You're beautiful is because the actors had a great chemistry in the first, or were eye candy in the second.
I never went past the first episodes of either My GF is a Gumiho or Hong Gil Dong. And I barely cracked a smile on those parts which are supposed to be funny.
I won't mention the Greatest Love because I haven't watched it and don't plan to do so, but I have reasons which have nothing to do with the script, in this case.

So, I voiced my very unpopular piece.
Taste aside - I am not going to debate on taste, of course - are you willing to explain to me why their work is so raved about on the net?

I've seen two Hong sisters dramas in full, They are:
1> you're beautiful
2> the greatest love
I'm almost done with my girl, ep 14 is where I am I think.

I loved all three of these dramas. Granted that they aren't flawless, the plot is filled with cliches and a second male lead(going through heartbreak towards the end) is given in each of these dramas, I still love all of these elements. A drama for me would not be complete without
1> A great romance
2> Comedy
3> a love triangle

All of Hong Sisters' dramas are known for these very elements. But that's just my opinion, I happen to enjoy Rom-coms more than any other genre no matter how overused the concept maybe.

Watching a drama need not be always be "hard-work" ,a drama works for me even if it doesn't have a sophisticated storyline(I love such themes also though).

I think you're missing out on the Greatest love though. Yes it contains the elements typical of a "Hong Sisters' " drama, but I found it quite refreshing. It has a different storyline and the actors are brilliant. What would be the other reason you mentioned due to which you do not want to watch this show?

ps: I think "The greatest love" got pretty high ratings in Korea. It was rated #1 in Seoul for the last 10 episodes. Guess the dramas are not "only web" favorites now ^o^

If this isn't a debate on taste which also leads to opinion I will stick with the question. Why are they popular on the net? I think the big reasons why they are popular are 3-fold. 1) Their unabashed use of those very Kdrama cliches everyone loves and also loves to make fun of. I think the Hong Sisters are well aware of peoples' love-hate relationship with cliches and usually are pretty irreverant when including them or finding clever ways to introduce them in their dramas. 2) I think they also appeal to a segment of people who love pop culture and enjoy all of their puns and pop culture references. The Greatest Love was chock full of them. It's my opinion the Hong Sisters are sort of like American writer Joss Whedon in that way. (Part of the reason I loved shows like Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel and even Firefly was the way he incorporated all these clever pop culture elements to his shows. Even in the midst of the drama he was able to make you laugh...I like that a lot) 3) A lot of people simply love a good romance. A good romance should have humor and nice healthy dose of angsty drama to up the stakes and make the final resolution worth watching. I think a lot of people, myself included, enjoy how their dramas build up to that end. While the basic set up is usually no different any other rom-com out there, I do think they have a pretty clever way of reaching that typical end. Disclaimer: The above is completely my opinion and I could be wrong. :)

I know we're not debating taste but taste is such a big part of why so many people love them. Of course they are not going to be to everyone's liking. So Rita, no rotton eggs. Perhaps I should throw a tomato at you. Catch it, slice it, sprinkle with salt and pepper! Enjoy.

First of all, thank you for answering. I was a little hesitant before posting this, as I always am when voicing a critic.
Second, I'd like to quote you all, but I would end up with a 2-pages post. Therefore, I apologize for the length and the... blob.

This said, Kamz, I am not the type of drama lover who necessarily follows authors, unless I fall in love with a script and am curious to know of other works by that same writer, like Eriko Kitagawa - who NEVER let me down - or Kim Eun Suk, whose writing style (in the form of lines, not necessarily plot) I appreciate a lot.
But one can't possibly be spared the mention of the Hong Sisters, no matter what one reads or watches. Reviews, commentaries, synopsis, it ìs a chorus of "the hong sisters this the hong sisters that". I would never have voluntarily looked for the writer of You're Beautiful, for instance, because although I liked it, I think the script is very silly.
Like Revy, I watched it because of the guys - yes, as you see, I too am not in search of philosophy or high literature! :D

Jeanie, thanks for the tomatoes, they were delicious! ;)
I understand the love/hate relationship with clichés, but while I appreciated them here and there, I have developed a natural resistance to plots which always follow the same path, they bore me. And like Revy and Yoona said, the H.Sister tend to mask the same story just with different names and settings. I completely agree that a good love plot serves us humour and angst in healthy doses, but predictability kills all their impact, in the long run. The first time I see a clumsy girl saying the wrong thing I laugh, the second I smile, the third I yawn and the fourth I switch channel.
The last romance I translated was so reminiscent of "My Girl" I had to double-check the name of the writer. :P

The age factor is an interesting issue, which would also explain the different reception of some dramas on television or on the net. :)

As for the reason why I can't watch The Greatest Love, it's very shallow, but one I can't overcome, no matter how hard I try: the male lead. I have a sort of "skin-dislike" for the man (I apologize to everyone a hundred times and to him a million). I tried the first episode and, believe me, my lips didn't twitch once. Immediate dislike, no fun at all.
I always try to watch things with no prejudice, but when it becomes a torture I give up, I'm not a masochist for the sake of dramas.

So, obviously taste plays a major role in every aspect of our lives. But it can't be discussed, per definition. If someone told me "well, I love them, so what?", I would be at a loss: what could I ever reply?

Stripeycow wrote: Here is where I have to respectfully disagree with you and Yoona. While I don't absolutely 'love' every Hong Sisters drama I don't think they are rehashes of the same thing. For Instance: I think Greatest Love is very very different from Hong Gil Dong and My Girl. I don't see them as the same plot with different names and settings. Completely different stories to me all together. If I wasn't made aware of them as a writing team I don't think I'd ever guess those dramas were by the same writers. Do they have some of the same tropes? Yup. But I think I could site most dramas that include those. I think it is the make up of Kdramas for the most part and I'm okay with that. (i.e. bitchy girl rival or hopeless second lead male) And also..Do I get completely psyched and giddy when I find a drama that excludes a lot of these tropes and cliches or at least finds a new way to incorporate them? YES I DO. (i.e. Soulmates, City Hunter, A Man's Story)

It's too bad you have negative 'skin-dislike' of Cha Seong Won. I wonder if you would end up enjoying the drama if it weren't for him? But then I guess it wouldn't be the same without him. There is probably an actor or actress out there I feel the same way about. So many people love Kim Hyun Joong and I just...NO. Sorry but no. Bless his little heart, his overly pasty features and all those out there that adore him. So, I really get it.

Yes, I think I expressed myself quite badly here. The stories are different, one is about a nine-tailed fox who wants to become human, another about a nun who is caught in the world of music, another a korean robin hood and the girl involved between him and another.
But the pattern, and/or the rhythm of the story is always the same. I know with almost a certainty that before coming to some substance I have to watch at least 6 or 7 episodes of goofs, bickering, female pouting and male frowning, all wrapped in some fluff. And I also know when angst will come and why - supposedly unrequited love.

But even if I didn't have a problem with predictability, I firmly believe a story with no earth-shaking substance can be BRILLIANT if the style is such. But, well, I believe the sisters' script lack this brilliancy and rely on whatever happens. So you see my empasse: if style is not there, plot has to take over, and if this plot is predictable, what are we left with?

As I said, I can't use The Greatest Love as a comparison, for I haven't watched it. So maybe all my discourse is for nothing and the popular sisters are growing up. I apologize for starting a debate without having all the required elements.
But I'm happy you understand my "skin-dislike". I had to give up on City Hall - which has a wonderful main actress and is written by a clever writer - because of my personal idiosyncrasy. :P

Didn't read the previous posts, maybe somebody already mentioned this :)
My post is about The Greatest Love :) There is are MANY reasons for you to watch it :) It is the OPPOSITE of what you described as Hog Sisters cliches. I promise...
5/6 episodes of pure fluff and goofs? nope... 4th episode the GUY confesses and is rejected! , than one of the characters starts to fall in love (usually the female) but no matter the age, she is invariably surprised by it and doesn't know why she's feeling that way (I've shouted "it's indigestion" a couple of times, but they don't seem to listen to me :S)...nope...he can't understand NOT why he is falling in love with her, but another very important thing...you'll know when you watch it... . He is perturbed too, but keeps his front...told ya, he's the one falling for her! :D. There's is ALWAYS the (in)famous second guy who never had a chance to begin with, no matter how kind or good-looking he is...well...he has many chances...but what can you do, if the lead is always better... :P. Then comes the angst and the tears which last to the final episode, where everything is solved in the last 5 minutes...nope...the last 4 episodes are the culmination...the last one finishes them beautifully...
Watch it, Amrita, you'll like it!

I actually think the Hong Sisters are brilliant writers. That's not to say that thier scripts aren't flawed because in my opinion some of thier endings have sucked. I've seen all of thier dramas except Hong Gil Dong & Couple or Trouble. I like thier dramas because they are usually great at picking thier casts. But honestly i didnt really enjoy Greatest Love. I didnt think the cast was magic like thier last 2 dramas and the story got old real fast. But I will still continue to watch thier dramas because they usually are hilarious.

Pigbo wrote: But I'm happy you understand my "skin-dislike". I had to give up on City Hall - which has a wonderful main actress and is written by a clever writer - because of my personal idiosyncrasy. :P

Susy465 wrote: Hmm, thanks for the encouragement, Violet. :)
I may print a photograph of a Korean actor (whomever) and paste it on the screen when the guy is on, even following his movements.:P
It could be fun.
:D

amrita i totally get where you are coming from regarding the unexplainable & irrational dislike of Cha Seung Won (CSW) I felt the same way until recently.....on the chat thread someone started watching The Greatest Love (TGL) & raving about it I said the same as u that cos it had CSW in it I cldnt & wldnt watch it I had never seen him act just his pictures were enough to put me off lol

Suffice to say everybody else got on the CSW & TGL bandwagon so i decided to give it a go & I hv to say his comedic acting talents won me over & I am about to start episode 16 of TGL Its not the best drama i have ever seen but it is good & well worth watching. I have learned not to judge a book by its cover i know its an old cliche but its certainly rang true for me ....hope this helps!