The first drama I ever saw was Full House. It was cute, funny, a little crazy and totally different from American shows. But the drama that really drew me in was Goong. After that I started getting hooked on kpop and variety shows. It started it all. That's why Yoon Eun Hye is my number 1 girl :)

"All About Eve".
After this series, a new world of drama entered my life. I no longer watch anything other than Korean series.
Jang Dong Gun became forever the man of my dream.

Well, I have two since I happened to watch them at the same time. First, "Lovers in Paris" was airing, Tagalized, on The Filipino Channel. It was strange seeing a Filipino-dubbed Korean drama, but we watched anyway and fell in love.

At the same time, I also came across the OCN cable drama "Someday" (starring Lee Jin Wook and Bae Doona) airing on the International Channel (also known as AZN Television later).

The two dramas couldn't have been any more different from each other, but that was a good thing because my first experiences with Korean dramas showed me that there can be cute, sweet romantic and fun shows on one side and subdued, deep, emotional shows on the other.

Thanks to being my first dramas, Kim Jung Eun and Lee Jin Wook have and are my favorite Korean actors. And being my first Korean dramas ever, they really opened my eyes to a whole new world, literally, and I've been happily getting sucked into Korean dramas ever since.

You're Beautiful!

My first foray into k-drama and inevitably second lead syndrome. Still love Jung Yong Hwa to this day!

It was My Girl that reeled me into kDramas. I fell head over heels for Lee Dong Wook and Lee Junki. :) My heart never recovered and I've been watching korean dramas ever since.

for me it was GOONG!! i stumbled upon it on youtube.. eun hye led me to COFFEE PRINCE n den dr ws no turning back!! gong yoo completely threw me dis black hole!! n dats wat brought me to JB. coz honestly i cudnt gt enough of that show.from gong yoo to jks to kim soo hyun, i;ve always found a reason to stay. its been years now but seriously m not complaining. it opend up a whole new world of drama's to me. ADDICTED AND PROUD!!

I'd have to say..........
Playful Kiss. but it wasn't my first k-drama.

Watched the Taiwanese version and loved it. Then, my friends convinced me to watch the Korean version and now i cant stop watching korean dramas.
ARGH how i regret watching it (if i hadnt, my studies wouldnt have to plummet because of k-dramas!) (:

My Girl! I had seen Taiwanese dramas before but this was my first Korean one and I fell completely in love. I saw it in 2007 and have been in love with dramas ever since.

Coffee Prince.
I think I remember the year actually. 2007?
I watched that drama so fast, and luckily, I think I did NOT have to wait for new episodes, thank god.
Devoured that series in a couple of days, then it all went...uphill :) from there.

Happy Anniversary Dramabeans. You guys have been so much an essential part of my kdrama life that it feels like i've been with you since the beginning(even tho i actually only came in two years later lol). Lol I enjoy your recaps so much that I tend to not watch the dramas and just read hahahha

MY very first Korean drama would be Endless Love: Autumn Tale. I watched it in the Philippines when i was only 11 i think. Then when I moved here to the states when I was 13 I was sad that i wouldn't be able to watch and finish the dramas I was watching then. Thank God for the internet that I was able to continue my drama addiction and get to watch dramas as soon as they're shown in Korea too =)

A first drama is like the first day of school, the first kiss, the first meeting. You simple can't forget it. For that, mine was My Girl.

The plot is by far quite stereotypical of kdramas at the time: a pretty girl stuck between two handsome and suitable men with another jealous girl on the side. But the magic sparked like no other! Chemistry among the actors and actresses make or break a drama, and never will I forget the sizzling romance between Lee Da-hae and Lee Dong-wook or the dreamy would-be of Da-hae and Lee Jun Ki.

Each episode offers me Hae-rin's world, letting me step into her shoes and walk her road.

What girl would refuse a world with two attractive men wrapped around her finger?

happy 5th dramabeans!

Lovers in Paris was definitely the trigger kdrama for me...
it all began while i was on vacation in the philippines dec. 2004. the kdrama craze was just starting to make its way into the country, and i guess i was just at the right place at the right time. the trailers for the filipino dubbed version was on every other commercial. it seemed pretty catchy enough, so i thought i'd see for myself what all the buzz was about. who isn't a sucker for a good cinderella story plot?! that, and the fact that the house that i was staying at didn't have cable, and only got two channels(my options for entertainment were very limited). i was two weeks in with lovers in paris, when it was time to go back home. that was the very first time i felt kdrama withdrawal symptoms : ( i'll never forget sitting in that plane home so depressed, and in my head thinking 'NO FAIR!! NO FAIR!!' i thought that was it for lovers in paris(and me), but after a year, as god would love to mock me, i'm flipping through channels on tv at home, and i spot a familiar face on a local international channel! it's PARK SHIN YANG! IT'S LOVERS IN PARIS! IN MANDARIN! NO SUBTITLES! lol slight glitch in the system...i'm not chinese, and the only words i understand in mandarin are i love you, and thank you...but still i tuned in every night for lovers IN MANDARIN. this was all before the time of fast streaming videos, and though i knew about yesasia then, as a broke high school student, $100 per kdrama dvd boxset was not exactly in my price range. eventually, i would discover ebay and $15 kdrama dvd bootlegs. to this day one of my very prized possesions is my very first lovers in paris bootleg dvd. the dvd box is all raggedy now, but i'm kind of proud to say that with the dozens of friends who've borrowed it throughout the years, in a way, in my own little circle, i helped spread the good word(of kdramas).

so thanks again dramabeans! admittedly, i don't have as much time to devote to kdramas as i used to, but i shall forever keep your site on bookmark to get my daily fix! Cheers! lastly, may i say.... Park Shin Yang has aged, and so have i...but i'd still take him over brad pitt any day! woo!

I think what started it for me was "Jin Shil" (Truth) with Choi Ji Woo and Ryu Shi Won. I was like 10 and didn't care about dramas until my mom borrowed this particular one from the Korean Video Store. Ryu Shi Won was friggin HOT and I got obsessed since then XD

When I think about it, that drama was definitely in that classic and cliche Korean Drama catagory hahaha

awww man good times, good times.

The first drama I ever saw was my lovely Kim Sam soon.the funny thing is that I didn't even know it was korean..lol I snuck into my parents room while they were out on a Sunday morning. My parents tv had digital thus more channels(my room didn't have cable then). I was browsing channels and then stopped at 18.3. For some reason my sister and I always thought Asian shows were cool even if we didn't understand anything. Every Sunday when my parents were out I would watch this drama. One day digital stopped working sadly but I found out that I actually finished watching it without knowing it then. After that that I watched this one drama called my woman. It wasn't very popular but I semi liked it. I officially didn't come back to the dark side until boys over flowers where sadly I didn't watch the first episodes (I did go back eventually) my sister asked me to stay up with her and as I was browsing channels I came across junpyo(I didn't know his name then) beating up that one dude in ep 7 I believe. Since then I've been hooked like no other lol but I love these dramas!!!
[email protected]

My first drama love is none otherthan FULL HOUSE!! It is where I get my first glimpse of a Korean drama and of course the ever so hooooottt Bi/Rain with the ever soooo beautiful Song Hye Gyo! I just so love evrything about Full House. It's story, the characters, the actors that portrayed the characetrs. It is so different from ant TV dramas that I have used to watch before this aired in Philippine TV. I remember everytime I ride a bus going home from school, after they air the episode for the day this TV network airs Rain's past concerts and hell if the bus is full of people, I will stand just to see hi sexy moves!!!hehe
So this is my first drama love.. Hope I win!!! I would love to have the You're Beutiful CD.. pleasssseee... T_T

Congratulations! I can't believe it has already been 5 years. I discovered you when I was living in Singapore - your insights into the dramas you recap really accelerated my decline into full blown addiction. Now that I am back in Australia where Kdrama lovers are harder to spot, I am so reliant on my daily dose of Dramabeans!

My first Kdrama love was definitely Coffee Prince. Even though it was dubbed in Mandarin in Singapore, I just loved it.

Thanks again and I look forward to the next 5!

You're Beautiful...and yes, I do have a copy of the limited edition Director's cut DVD:)

I remember being depressed on December 18, 2009 after watching this super disturbing anime. Then I started watching YB on youtube....and didn't sleep until December 19 ^^.

Even though it is sad to see JKS' transformation to Prince of Asia, I will always be grateful to Hwang Tae Kyung to introducing me to a world that has Kim Hyun Joong ( yup, IDC if he can't act, Yoon Ji Hu was da best!!!), Jung Il-woo ( OMFG, I can't get enough of the guy!!!), No Min Woo ( Yoshiki's son bwahahahaha!) and Kim Soo Hyun ( Samdong ah...). I am still hwaiting for JKS to work on a kick-ass drama or movie like Beethoven Virus or Itaewon Massacre. YB---it wasn't until spring of 2010 that I was able to stop rewatching the thing.

Boys Over Flowers- my first kdrama firstlove and will always be. It was the same force that took me to the dark side and kept me there. BOF is like an extention of my universe. Whenever I feel life is getting monotonous, I go and revisit it. Jandi's mouth is so fast but she entertains me. Who cares what others say about her and BOF, she's fun!

Congratulations on reaching 5 years!! I have stumbled upon your site when I was searching for recaps for Coffee Prince and have been viewing your site ever since. Thank you so much for providing recaps and news for those of us, non-korean speakers.

My very first kdrama was Full House with Rain and Song Hye Kyo. But it wasn't until I watched My lovely Samsoon with Kim Sun Ah and Hyun Bin that I got hooked.

My Name Is Kim Sam Soon - fell in love with Kdrama and have been seeking it out ever since. Before I discovered Kdrama on the internet, I had to beg, borrow, steal and buy DVD's.... streaming is the bomb :-)

LOVE Dramabeans, this is my first time making a comment but long time reader. Just wanted to say all the way from Down Under, thanks for making my drama choosing all the easier, and thanks for making me laugh so hard. I adore your site, love they way it's written, and seem to be just as addicted to it as kdrama!!!!

Happy 5th Birthday

Hwangjini!!!

My very first drama that I've seen was the 1996 First Love. But just for memories sake, I think I watched Stairway to Heaven next, followed by Autumn in my Heart, and Hotelier, and Wish Upon a Star. After that it was a whirlwind of different dramas.

Princess Hours.

This 2006 big hit drama has brought me into Korean dramas world. Before Princess Hours, i was already watching several Korean dramas that are being aired locally here in the Philippines. These were The Truth, My Girl, Which Star are You From, Full House, and others. But Princess Hours has really caught my heart. It has opened me to many fangirling opportunities. I started searching for it soundtracks, for the artists' information, and other things about the drama. Because of Princess Hours, I also decided to learn Korean language so that I could write their names in Korean. This drama is the reason why I studies Hangul, even before I became a Kpop fangirl a year after. I really owe my current Korean fandom to Princess Hours. I will always be thankful to this drama, especially to Prince Shin, Princess Chaekyung and Prince Yul who have always been a great part of my heart. :) Princess Hours forever and always ❤

I don't think it's not necessarily the first drama you watched, I think they're pointing out is the first drama you fell in love with.

I gotta say Memories of Bali, which you guys might see as odd 'cause the drama is really brooding and mature. But I remember watching it on ABS-CBN (a Filipino channel) when I was 10 or 11 something like that. And I'm a guy.

I think that drama fueled my eagerness and adoration to watch more dramas because it really absorbed me. Kdramas are really different from the dramas we have here in the Philippines, Kdramas are fast-paced, quirky, unpredictable and really fun to watch with all those hijinks and wisecracking storylines.

Memories of Bali sold me with it's wonderful story, setting and three dimensional characters. The story is immense and really enjoyable. And an ending that'll make your jaw drop.

I love other dramas too... You're Beautiful, City Hunter, God of Study, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, Princess Hours and the list goes on.

Funnily enough, you're beautiful! I had run out of J dramas and animes i wanted to watch. i needed a new addiction - something funny, light and fluffy to consume all of the time i should have spent studying... and i saw the poster for You're beautiful, with angel wings, the clouds, the floating and thought yup, that looks pretty nonsensical. and it was. and so began my downward spiral into addiction! :)

WOOHOOHOO! Congratulations and happy birthday, Dramabeans! To be honest, it was really this awesome site that got me irreversibly hooked on k-dramas, eversince JB replied to my email query regarding her k-drama recommendations (I was an idiot, turns out they have a handy-dandy list of recommended shows, so I thank you JB for sending me the link!).

The first drama that pulled me over to the "dark" but wonderful side was not You're Beautiful, even though it was the first one I watched and found it a joy, with an overdose of pretty. No, THE drama to beat is Return of Iljimae. I was trolling the handy-dandy list for the next drama to watch, and got curious about the lead actor -- I mean, JIW is hot with that mane of glory. Add to the fact that both JB and GF rated it a rare 10/10, and I was sold. And so I watched ROI, going back to this site every episode to understand those words and nuances I couldn't quite capture with the subtitles, and I. WAS. DONE. FOR. I absolutely loved JIW and the rest of the cast there, found the story compelling, and the cinematography and musical score breathtaking. Since ROI, I followed the rankings bestowed by JB and GF on dramas, and I never stopped. Even now that work (and love life) take center stage in my life, I still find time for my dramas, the most recent being Flower Boy Ramyun Shop, with no one else but my most favorite-est actor, JIW. Thank you, JB and GF, for all that you do to make my life oh-so-happy!! More power to this site! :)

I really didn't enjoy k-dramas at first because of ALL the crying, but then my friend recommended Delightful Girl Chun-hyang, and I found it so funny and awesome. Now, even when I don't have time to watch dramas, I always check this site for recaps and updates :).

glass slippers! (유리구두, yuri gudu) with so ji-sub. ^^
i was only in 6th or 7th grade when this aired, but i remember getting excited whenever my parents brought home vhs copies the korean store made of the drama each week. i've been an addict ever since. lol.

definitely.....delightful girl chun-hyung

In the year of our Lord, 2010, on a cold November night, at least as cold as one can get in the Caribbean, a young woman reaching her 30's was forced by one of her best friends to watch a "telenovela" from a land far far away.

The lights were turned off, and the paused image on the computer screen was set into motion...

The sound of a shimmering spell interrupted the silence and brought to her ears a melody -until then- unknown to her "...tururu puuu wiiiii pam pam pam pam I will promise you duru lendo mandan dosara gague I will promise you du par eun neor an go sar a gal kke..." The strange tongue pierced through her objections as she was enthralled by the subtitles that magically made every word she was hearing make sense.

She watched on, waiting for that feeling of joy her friend always projected whenever she talked about her Korean dramas. And then, without previous notice, it happened...a young novice was standing in the middle of a crowd of fangirls as three adorable men walked past her like angels fallen from the heavens...

It was thus that, as new feelings were awakened in the novice by these boys' wake, so did our heroine succumb to the power of the Hallyu Wave. Once she saw You're Beautiful, she was never the same again.

My first drama was Secret! (Bi Mil) Ryu Shi Won <3

i really got hooked with korean dramas when our national tv stations started broadcasting korean dramas. the lovers in paris. the 4 seasons dramas. save the last dance for me. memories of bali, 3 dads and 1 mom and many more. i really got addicted to korean dramas. they have good stories. but i really started downloading korean dramas and not just by waiting for them in Free TV after i watched You're Beautiful. i love the OST and the story. the humor and love. and the rest is history :)

BOYS OVER FLOWERS!!! Lee Min Ho and Kim Hyun Joong are still and ultimately the love of my life! :)

The first k-drama that I fell in live with was "Princess Hours/Goong." I remembered the days that I'm waiting it late every night and still watched it marathon in DVD. The cuteness/quirkiness of the character of eun yoon hye, the snob side of joon ji hoon and the affectionate,sweet Kim Jeong Hoon made a lovely love triangle. It's also nice because it is mixed modern and traditional korean culture of constitutional monarchy. It's in the show that I first saw the hanbok, the grandiosity of the marriage ceremony, etc. I actually watched it three times already - once on TV and twice in DVD. And also, the incoporation of the bears is delightful and adorable. It turned me into fangirl where I go crazy surfing the internet for their pictures. :))

Firstly, Happy Anniversary!
Boys Over Flowers was my first drama but the one that got me hooked was You're Beautiful!
Ever since that drama, I kinda had a thing for the second leads..I know a lot of ppl say that Jung Yong Hwa wasnt exactly the best actor, but for some reason, his expression and his acting in that drama really got to me emotionally, i was kinda rooting for him halfway through (though i know he wont ever get the girl..)
ever since then, it kinda open the gateway to k-drama and k-pop to me..
that was also how i stumbled upon dramabeans while googling for more info on k-dramas...
glad I found u guys because i have to say, it helps especially when they show certain korean culture that non koreans might not be familiar with (when i was a k-drama noob...)
by now, i can even converse with the cab drivers and bargain with street sellers when I was in Korea last November! though broken korean, but they understood me..lol

My first love is Bae Yong Joon's Hotelier. I watched it when I was in 5th grade and it hit me big time. Oh the good old days!

Firstly "Congratulations" on your fifth year. I might not be an often poster but I am an avid reader.
Secondly, in terms of "dramas that had me over to the dark side", I believe it was the Japanese adaptation of Hana Yori Dango. I clearly remember watching it on youtube and thinking " What the hell am I looking at ? " and then the second I knew I was googling Matsuda Shota.
Thirdly in regards to the first Korean drama... well, this is a bit more complicated. Even before watching HYD, I had taken a look at several Korean films but somehow they didn't get to me. After several Japanese dramas I have then laid my eyes on "My Girl". Lee jun ki, Lee Dong Wook brought the end of the Japanese Era and there I was spending hours, days, weeks just goggling my eyes at the screen enjoying every minute of it.

My first drama was Personal Taste, but my first obsession was ironically You're Beautiful, courtesy of dramabeans' episode blogs and Jang Geun Suk!

Happy anniversary, dramabeans! I wish everyone the best! Please keep rocking the net with your hilarious ep recaps & news posts! ^o^

MY GIRL!
loved lee da hae and lee jun ki together more though! hehe
hope i win! xx

I feel Inlove with the kdrama
The first Shop of Coffee Prince ..

I really love my chan!
I adore Yoon Eun Hye alot because of this drama!

I started watching k-drama with Autumn in My Heart but what brought me to the dark side is 1st Shop of Coffee Prince. I just fell in love with the characters especially Gong Yoo's Choi Han Gyul. I even wanted to have a boyfriend like him hehehe

Happy anniversary, dramabeans! I'm always a silent reader of your precious blog! Keep up the good work! :)

HEllo from Czech republic, my first drama love was The 1st shop of coffee prince...since that time im doomed....creeping around eb pages with korean dramas/ films.
thnx a lot 4 your hardwork....i really like it.
kamsahamnida....

I am not into drama but after watching you're beautiful it brought out the kid in me. My life before is only about office work and I dont have that much time to relax, Kdrama became my outlet to release my stress and be more optimistic with my everyday activities.

congrats on 5 years!

First drama: First Love of a Royal Prince

I caught it on the now defunct AZN channel because I recognized Cha Taehyun from My Sassy Girl. Only watched the last few eps & I was in a frenzy to find the rest of the series. There weren't any streaming sites and no repeats on the channel b/c they aired Secret afterward. The only way to watch back then was to download off bittorrent. I didn't want to because I was afraid of computer viruses XD. So I foolishly bought a pirated copy off ebay that I thought was real (I knew nothing about dramas back then..especially fakes and I was young & naive). Luckily there's easier ways to find dramas now.

Though I will have to say the OST brought me to the dark side because I loved Na Yoon Kwon & Sung Si Kyung's voices even though I had no idea what they were saying! But I still think my first kdrama love may have been Sweet 18 (my 3rd drama).

The drama I fell in love with would be Thank You. I was new to the kpop world during that time & didn't know anything about kdramas. So I was just watching the Korean channel, & then I saw a the ending of an episode of it. & I was so drawn into it. Thankfully the title was shown so I could search it up. So, I began to watch it.
It was a really interesting storyline & it was so emotional, that I cried for the first time for any movie/drama/etc. The actors & actresses were brilliant and their acting skills amazed me.
So after Thank You I started wanting to watch more kdramas, which led me to find out about Boys Over Flowers & DRAMABEANS! ^___^