The Signs as Kdrama Tropes - PART 2
A car crash to put everything into perspective
Usually towards the end of a drama, everything is going to… well, shit. Nothing is working out, everyone has had enough and then. SUDDENLY, someone gets hit by a car. Not enough to kill them, but just about enough to make it seem so. In older dramas sometimes it caused amnesia but nowadays it starts a montage of the other lead coming and visiting the hospital every day. They realise what is truly important; that they love them (and that they are not dead).
What do you do if you can’t swim and see a pool? In a kdrama, get in it. There will be no lifeguards about or anything but the intense music and the fact that the floor is in reach, you will be reassured that a man with a rippling body and talent for swimming will come straight in there after you. Usually coupled with an embrace (I mean yeah how else they are going to dramatically get you out in theory SAVING your life) and an intense – and kind of damp – aftermath.
Typical of a rich male lead, it is usual that they aren’t just a pretty face and a horrible demeanour. There is a reason they are that horrible. And it all happened… long ago. Traumas from childhood making them have a crazy erratic fear that comes to play when their love interest saves them or the story of how his family died in some sort of fire or car accident where she finally realises. He might not be that bad after all and she misunderstood him all along.
Most kdrama episodes are an hour long each. They would be on average about 34 minutes if they took out the unnecessary slow motion sequences from every angle to give you the full affect – a kiss, the phone flipping scene from Descendants of the Sun or anything else for that matter could have been seconds long but no. You have to bask in it – and furthermore, you will see the scenes again, in flashbacks when the characters think about it later. In this episode… and the next one… and the next one…
Have you lost all hope? Are you with your lover and you are staring at each other from across the street after a huge blow out argument? Do you know what could make this better? Nicely timed HEAVY rain. The drenched look just makes matters worse and the desperation doubles when your clothes are wet. The only way that this could be saved is with an umbrella… and that’s too optimistic. You part ways and your tears can’t be seen in it all. Don’t worry though; it might be followed by a desperate ‘I want you back’ kiss or, sadly, a night alone at the playground or bus stop.
A motorcyclist has no clue how to drive and almost drives into the two main leads but don’t worry. It was planned – the male lead gallantly pulls her out of the way and she falls into his arms. Or the bus is too shaky, or someone bumps into you in the street. Just plain stumbling could earn you a kiss and not the general embarrassment every normal person feels when they trip over. Whether it is at a start of a drama when an intense gaze is shared or later on when the sexual tension is higher, it gives at least a little bit of skinship that we all want and deserve.
Commonplace in most dramas, there is always a push and pull between two leads; usually the complete opposite from one another. The second lead sadly already has a bit of a push over complex and it too nice to do anything drastic. They are the same amount of handsome or beautiful but you can always tell who will win the girl (and it’s usually the one in the poster anyway). It sparks up fiery arguments between the two and honestly, if I was the female lead, I wouldn’t complain.
Whilst an agitating trope because the person is usually stunning BEFORE the makeover you can’t help but love when the male lead finally sees his love interest with her makeup done and a dress on. Yes it’s a little bit shallow but they do look stunning it’s hard to deny. They are usually modest and shy about their looks which earn them maybe the first compliment of the drama, “You look pretty” or a timely “wow” and their perception has been changed. It is romantic and sweet, and I bet you that they will flashback to it later on when he’s thinking about it alone.
You think your parent is strict? Try living with a parent like a rich heirs’. A mother usually has a nasty streak. She will tear up relationships, send him away to another country to keep them apart and spend thousands to stop a poor girl like the main lead from going anywhere close to their son. It usually comes with a monologue about true love and arguments between the family but nothing can beat the feeling of the male lead giving up his riches, family, his work for his love (though it is a bit much but it’s all or nothing I guess).
You’ve just seen something you didn’t understand, say, your boyfriend with another woman in the street. Do you A) ask them about it or B) think rationally and come to a RATIONAL conclusion. WRONG both of them are incorrect. Instead you will run away and ignore them because to you you’ve just been broken up with. But don’t worry; it will be sorted after two episodes when everything is FINALLY understood by natural means. Lesson of the day; just ask.
Everyone loves a strong female lead character – it’s inevitable. But if you give them a hint of being relatable and different it just makes them even better. Not every woman can be pristine and dress nicely so you absolutely have to include the women that don’t have pant suits to wear to work and instead, a hugely different style that makes them stand out or a sense of humour that only they get. It gives the drama a loveable character that can be funny and not care about what people think of them. It’s beyond refreshing!
With a contract relationship there is usually rules to abide. No going into each other’s rooms, these bathroom times to avoid each other in unfavourable circumstances and absolutely no skinship but that little sheet of details will be thrown out ever so soon. It usually goes hand in hand with cohabitation and becomes a dilemma when the characters are conflicted with their pretend partner because suddenly there is a spark of emotion, and suddenly they are being more tactile. Contract relationships ALWAYS end up as real as any.
i’ve just started a twitter, @/simplykdramas and I will be posting there a lot more. please go and follow it, and once we get to our first 100 followers (we are little newbies) then i will be posting part 3 of the kdrama tropes on here!!
https://twitter.com/simplykdramas
also! im so happy to be back doing these a bit more often - i hope you like them a lot!!
