After one more mediocre TV show with bland plot, one dimensional characters, awkward dialogue, and cliffhanger ending that will surely remain that way because everything gets cancelled, I had enough.

Watching Netflix is one of my favourite pastimes but I’ve grown sick of the shows I was watching. They were awful. And the ones that did sound good? They had way too much nudity and sex on screen. I’m no prude, but please, I don’t need to see that every five minutes. My poor eyes.

Enough was enough, so I decided to do something that I have been hesitant to do. I took the plunge.

I started watching my very first k-drama.

On the Internet, those who were watching k-dramas seemed happy, and privy to a whole new world of shows, couples, and characters. I wanted to be a part of it. So late one night, I browsed the collection on Netflix and tapped on the show that will start this journey. Chocolate.

Chocolate follows the story of a doctor and a chef who met when they were kids only to find each other again as adults and fall in love. It was defiantly a different pace. It’s not like what I was used to. But I liked it. I didn’t love it, but I enjoyed it enough that I wanted more.

So I clicked on the next show, one I was hesitant to start as well. Crash Landing on You.

And well. The rest is history.

Crash Landing On You was the highlight of my day. I would limit myself to one episode every night because I didn’t want it to end. I loved it that much. I laughed and cried and swooned so much every episode. My heart belonged to those characters. I was happy.

If it wasn’t for Crash Landing On You giving me the unique and amazing experience of being into a k-drama, I don’t think I would’ve continued. But I got to experience this phenomena, and I’m forever grateful.

Next came Romance is a Bonus Book. I didn’t really enjoy this, and I thought about stopping it several times but finally trudged through. I realized that my problem was that the main couple lacked chemistry. I realized what made CLOY so special—the chemistry between the main couple and the easy way the characters interacted with each other.

So I became picky with my choosing. I’d watch a bit and I would usually know from the first half hour if this was going to be one I enjoyed or not. I usually give the drama about an episode or two before dropping it.

I don’t remember which one I watched after, I think I ended up starting and dropping a bunch, maybe even watched an English show. But eventually I entered a new section of k-drama watching—weekly episodes.

Hospital Playlist aired a new episode every Thursday, and I would wake up every Thursday excited to watch it, only for the episode to end and me waiting for the next Thursday. My life revolved around the new Thursday episodes. I also tried The King: Eternal Monarch but couldn’t really get into it.

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay was one I followed from the very first week. Every Saturday and Sunday I would watch the new episodes and I followed this drama for eight weeks. Two months. It was an experience I will always treasure. There’s nothing like watching the episode and then seeing everyone fangirl over it on Twitter. Also reading all the theories and seeing things I’ve missed in terms of parallel and little details—which IOTNBO had a lot of.

Honourable mentioned to Life, a medical drama that was dark and fun, and totally fumbled the ball with the romance but we ignore that aspect.

Shoutout to Love Alarm for being so cute even though it’s different from the other dramas I’ve watched. Short episodes with less episodes per season.

I also watched Mr. Sunshine and it’s my first time watching a historical drama, and I love it. There’s also a mix of English and Japanese spoken alongside Korean, which makes the drama all the more rich and complicated. Mr. Sunshine is both the best and worst drama, because I loved it a lot. The characters, the history, the romance, the action, everything. On the other hand, that ending had me sobbing so hard my mom had to come check up on me.

Finally, I watched Hi, Bye Mama! which was both very sad and very adorable. I loved this drama so much and it was so well done. I defiantly recommend this for some heartfelt scenes and an enjoyable plot line.

I’m currently watching Vagabond but it is on hold as I get through some English shows. New seasons arrive in August/September so I have to catch up before I delve back into the world of k-dramas!

Diving into a drama is a whole experience. With each drama averaging hour long episodes and sixteen plus episodes in total, that’s a big chunk of time. In it, you really get to experience the world, get to know the characters, and really become invested in the story. Also reading the subtitles and making sure you understand everything takes concentration. So when I’m watching a drama, I’m consumed and focused. Nothing exists but the words and film on the screen. It’s amazing.

If you have not watched k-dramas before, I urge you take the plunge. You will not regret it.

Do you watch k-dramas? Which one is your favourite? If you don’t, would you ever consider trying it? Let’s talk in the comments!

Thank you for reading and see you next time ❤