“You don’t know how strong the tea bag is until you put it in water”, in ‘The Winding Road of the Right’, the last hit k-drama of Netflixa voice-over throws us, without prior warning, this poetic reflection to talk to us about the resistance of love. And all this, while the protagonist is dazed looking at her cup, in a scene as relevant to the plot as it is everyday in form.
“You can’t tell how strong it is just by looking at it. The moment the hot water touches it, an intense orange flower appears. That’s when it shows its strength. The same thing happens with love, you don’t know how strong it is until you put it in boiling water,” he concludes. Yes, it has many flourishes or perhaps it is somewhat convoluted, but if you want to watch a Korean series you have to get used to this culture shock because it is the daily bread for fans of dramas or k-dramas.
This narrative style, so typical and unmistakable of South Korean productions, in which the protagonists speak as if they were in a perpetual poetry contest, does not stop conquering to the public. The growing fascination with Korean culture not only extends to the global imagination thanks to the k-pop or to content creators who explore the products of the convenience store of the country. In fact, on screen, there is life beyond ‘The squid game’the zombies and the demonic monsters.
Fury for contemplative series
Beyond what happens to the protagonists, or the unexpectedness of a certain dramatic turn, the key to the success of these series must be found in issues of format and style. The persistent figure of the voice-over that articulates the tribulations of the protagonist, the contained emotions, hands that touch in slow motion or a connection revealed through glances are the key to the dramas and what has the audience completely hypnotized.
That something becomes a phenomenon and takes the mainstream by storm (or the top of the most watched on Netflix, which amounts to the same thing) is either due to curiosity about the diametrically opposite or the similarities and empathy that arouses in us. What is striking is that, with this new version of the traditional soap operas, we achieve the union of the two factors.
The landscapes, the Korean work reality, its gastronomy or traditions are, in our eyes, something foreign but the result is that the drama and love engage in a global way. It is true that cultural differences allow this to permeate the topics discussed, as demonstrated by the presence in many of them of the concept of honor, family duties or the marked cult of beauty in Korean culture.
They can even highlight issues that are not so striking to foreign audiences, such as a relationship between an older woman and a younger man. However, whether under cherry blossom trees or in a charming cafe in Hongdae, family, relationship or work conflicts are universal.
Korean series drink from the appearance slow visual and narrativewhere the environment reinforces the slow pace of emotional development and, at times, it seems that “nothing is happening.” Something that brings us closer to slow cinemawhere visual statements, silence, long takes or the particular use of time are the basis of the narrative structure. Of course, there is no one like the South Korean scriptwriters to use the most famous tropes and play with them until they are completely turned upside down, making us go through all kinds of emotions during each of their episodes.
“Koreans are known for being very expressive and in touch with their emotions. Korean dramas reflect that, exploring the entire spectrum of emotions in their stories. They take viewers on a rollercoaster of emotions, making them laugh, cry, feel anger and everything in between.” Jung Duk-hyunpop culture critic.
He slow burn persist and catch
We have spoken on several occasions about success of romantic literature and, if there is a cliché that captivates readers, it is the slow burn: those stories and relationships that simmer, without rushing. The ones that have you on the edge of your seat, breathless and end up making you smile when everything falls into place and the protagonists find their “happily ever after”. Anticipation is the key and there are few clearer examples of this slow burn on screen than dramas.
In the vast majority of them we have a structure of at least 17 episodes 70 minutes where we see how the protagonists travel a long and arduous path to meet each other through a variety of genres: fantasy, comedy, thriller, drama… Leñe, the last series I have seen has taken up about 14 hours of my life, and I am ashamed to admit that the protagonists have not even shaken hands.
There is something for everyone: if you like literature and the publishing world, start ‘Romance is a Bonus Book’ now. If you want something more political with social criticism and without losing the romantic essence, ‘Crash Landing On You’ focuses on the story of a South Korean heiress who, after suffering an accident, ends up in North Korea, where a North Korean army officer helps her hide.
For fans of the mystery ‘A Suitcase’ gradually reveals the secrets of a very particular marriage agency. On the other hand, ‘Something in the Rain’ fully addresses the social and family conflicts that arise from a relationship with an age difference. And if your thing is loves that transcend the passage of years and generations, or a good fantasy drama, ‘If Life Gives You Tangerines’ or ‘Alchemy of Souls’ will catch you. Well, if we add up this whole series, I probably have too many fingers on my hands to count all the kisses there are on them.
Something that attracts attention and is curious about this country, a paradigm of that style of productions where silence and pause They are the key, it is the little that reflects the reality of the daily life of its population. With eternal work days and the frenetic pace of lifeeven for many Koreans it can be complicated find time to see their own productions, taking into account the level of commitment it requires.
Soap operas already taught us to be patient
The truth is that this extensive format, where tension and resolutions to conflicts are dilated and tangled, have existed on the television schedule for many years in the soap opera format, but even that has changed. The hegemony of afternoon soap operas persists and will persist, but the success of national products like ‘Valle Salvaje’ or ‘La Promesa’ is now shared with Turkish soap operas.
Where a few years ago soap operas like ‘Passion of Gavilanes‘ or ‘Love you like this, Frijolito’, now that television slot is occupied by ‘Brothers’ or ‘Karagul: Land of secrets’. What started Can Yaman can’t stop anymore (do you remember when, until the Turkish ambassador in Spain, participated in Antena3’s Christmas advertisement).
And, once again, despite cultural differences, this deep-rooted concept of family duty and that certain conservative and retrograde aftertaste are not factors that manage to reduce its success, but rather it once again reaffirms the taste for the slow pace, the slow fire. Beyond these narrative techniques, of course in soap operas and Korean dramas, as well as in literature, we also find that cliché installlove (instant crush). What we need to know is that until this is resolved, be prepared until at least episode 70.
All these Turkish and Korean productions, always under impeccable workmanship, have become in their own right the kings of slow burn. That sustained tension is key, but what they really offer is full character development. Just like in the pages of a book, facets, desires and desires are revealed little by little; Each small gesture or achievement takes on greater value and leaves a better taste in the mouth, precisely because of the time and narrative development it has required.
This search and connection with these types of products is nothing more than the result of the viewer’s or reader’s need to find a slow and emotional space, without surprises, becoming a direct refuge from the rush and frenetic pace of real life.
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