Yep, I'm with you. Thanks for sharing your journey. (And Baker King is a pretty awesomely epic entry point into dramaland!)

"I became addicted to DB and read pretty much every article I could get my hands on."

I'm telling you, you are not alone. I totally agree that knowing what other people thinks about the drama you are watching/watched is a very good feeling but the best thing here is we are given a bigger world to express how we feel about just anything and you can always feel the connection because we are all here out of our love for dramas. :)

Unfortunately dramaland produces very less slice of life genre dramas. But I believe they are eventually realising it that there is an audience even in Korea that likes such dramas. And even fhough they might not be producing many slice of life dramas, they have turned towards underdog heroes and generally characters that seem more human.
I beleive kdramaland best produces slice of life genre among all others but they make it less.

Aww, thank you for this post! So well-written. ? Indeed, slice of life dramas are harder and harder to come by, but so rewarding when they come. What I love most about them, the ones I've seen anyway, is, as you said, how they show what happens after the happily ever after. Life keeps on going, after you've overcome one hurdle there comes another. That was my fave part of Miss Korea, when my expectations were subverted and they showed us that her winning Miss Korea was never the end, and actually wasn't the point in the first place. It's what also really gutted me about AOY, seeing how Ye-eun struggled after what her psychotic ex had done to her, and how she wasn't okay yet at the end of the drama. We won't see what exactly happens to her until AOY2 comes out. But still, I'm glad that that's how it ended for her. It's okay to show we won't always be okay. We get hurt and we struggle. We fight and we live on and that's how we win.

Ah! Hearing a Jang Gue-rae talk about Misaeng (I stalked a bit ?) I only ever hear about this drama and I swear I'll watch it soon (..someday). And Baker King! Yoon Shi-yoon! Ddabong indeed ? I watched it all those years ago on local TV and I didn't even know it was makjang! It felt fresh, new and sincere back then. Hopefully, even it feels that way too, when I rewatch it (...someday)

Are you also from the Philippines? I, too, have become really attached to kdramas because of Baker King. I can't believe it's 7yrs ago already, I could still remember complaining *spoiler* that he didn't end up with his first love. Anyways, thank you for sharing us your journey from makjang to mundane!

"Like sipping coffee on a rainy day" Exactly! ?

Thank you for a lovely post! I agree with you, once the sparkly newness wears off of kdramas- it's the realistic slice-of-life dramas that end up owning me. Misaeng was my first (real drama) as well, and just thinking about it brings a lump to my throat. The emotions have stayed with me, 1 1/2 years and countless dramas later... we are all misaeng

First off, you're so strong for getting through Baker King. I wanted so badly to complete that drama because I loved almost everything about it, especially the acting. It was the first true makjang I watched. Unfortunately, it left me with rising stress levels and blood pressure every single episode and I just had to quit for my emotional health.

Like you, I absolutely adore slice-of-life dramas. Some might see them as mundane like you pointed out, but there's something so beautiful about seeing normal people encounter every-day obstacles and work through them. I find it relaxing and motivating in a way. Kind of like a subtle, 'you're not alone, today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow, you'll be okay at the end'.

Things don't always have to be super-dramatic for a happily-ever to feel satisfying. And sometimes it doesn't need to be a happily-ever type of ending. It's okay for the ending to just be like "and that's life and they'll keep on living it".

Love your writing. I love love love slice of life dramas. And reply 1997 was my first slice of life and I fell in love with it. It was just so different and refreshing that I couldn't stop telling all my siblings about it. At that time, I didnt know it was even called a slice of life drama. I just told them it was a drama that was realistic, not dramatic, and different. And then I watched In time with you, a Taiwanese drama and I realised that slice of life was going to be my best genre. Over time, I have watched so many, and I have come to value other forms of relationships more. E.g before I used to cry during romantic scenes, but now I cry during a family bonding moment. It's crazy.

I'm sorta the opposite. I came to K-drama and immediately took a dislike to makjang as it seemed kind of like an American soap opera. They are still not my favorite as I tend not to go for the melos too often, but I have to admit makjang can be done well. I've managed to view a few and am more open minded about it, but still it has to be just a tiny sliver of my k-drama diet. I can't handle more than that.

You'll have to let us know if you try another again.

Absolutely agree with everything you wrote. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, a lot of that resonated with me! I have realized recently that I prefer sad songs and depressing shows or movies, maybe because they're just a little bit more realistic? I'm sure it says something about me, but I love slice of life and love how these dramas can teach me much more about life than a melo can.

Misaeng was a turning point for me too! A friend introduced me to kdrama through the sillier, sweeter romantic comedies that were great for relaxing. (You're Beautiful, I'm looking at you.) Then she watched Misaeng and kept nagging me to watch it so she'd have someone to share it with. I'm forever grateful to her! Misaeng felt like my life in my twenties, and, even though the work culture is very different, every character was relatable and real!

"Slice-of-life isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It might even feel like watching them defeats the purpose of watching dramas. I’ve been called masochistic for liking “depressing” stuff. And, well, I guess it is kind of weird that I’m watching dramas that can be too painfully real at times to escape from real life."

My sentiment exactly!
This applies to watching Western movies as well, for me. I remember watching Mystic River and feeling gutted but absolutely loving it.

Thank you for saying that slice of life dramas are not everyone's cup of tea because I always think that they are everybody's cup of tea. Haha. Almost every slice of life drama that I watched are wonderfully executed that's why I'm loving them more and more.

I love that in slice of life dramas it points to the fact that everyone is the main character in his or her own life. They might not be millionaires but their life can be equally interesting. Most importantly, it's very difficult for them to get what they want. And that's precisely what makes their achievements very rewarding at the end.

It was fun reading about your journey, though part of me thinks shows like Misaeng, Age of Youth, and Dear My Friends are so good it's hard to not gravitate towards them.

It was hard to watch Misaeng because I can relate with it so much that it hurts. But, I really love this kind of slice of life drama. J-Dorama usually excels in this genre, but when K-drama does it right, it slips into the special place in my heart.

My first KDrama: The Princess's Man, what a ride! Still today the best drama I have watched.
Only Return of Iljimae rivals it for me.
I however enjoy all kinds of drama, from silly ones to serious ones, i'm kind of addicted, which my friends don't understand at all. Why watch Asian series with subtitles (100% European) when Americans have so many awesome series, well, I do enjoy game of thrones but there is something about KDramas.. I need my weekly fix. Found a great website where I can download all the dramas I want in Full HD and with subtitles for a very cheap monthly fee.

Yes, I love how much emotion a good writer can wring out of the most mundane events. I just started re-watching 1998 with my daughter, and I cried during all the sweet parent/ child moments. On the other hand, I can watch actors scream and wail in makjang scenes without feeling anything at all. I wish there were more slice-of-life dramas.