Direk Joey Reyes enumerates his observations on K-dramas and what makes them 'addicting'

A few days ago, Filipino filmmaker Joey Reyes asked his followers, “What makes Koreanovelas such favorites for Filipinos?” on Twitter.

As of this writing, the tweet has already garnered more than 700 replies, 116 retweets, and 894 likes. And according to the director, “overwhelming would be an understatement.”

In his blog, “Choking on My Adobo,” Joey recounted how he came about the question and listed down his observations based on the recommendations of his fans.

In an entry made on April 11, titled “DAY 28: ECQ,” Joey said he gave in the K-drama genre in order to keep his sanity and not think about the coronavirus pandemic.

His initiation: Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin's Crash Landing on You.

He recalled, “I am not an expert nor a hundred percent Koreanovela authority but watching all these shows made me slowly understand why this form of entertainment has created major addiction for a substantial number of Filipinos.

“Now I see why this has become an important addition to the daily menu of human existence of so many.”

The director was so overjoyed with the overwhelming response and even claimed, “who is the best to know how a media product works than the consumers themselves?

“I was getting answers from thinking members of the audience who are reacting to what has been given to them not by Koreanovelas alone but by the local products in the form of mainstream teleseryes.”

To add, he professed that he was so engrossed with the way his audiences were able to pinpoint problems and “reaffirm what has been echoed for years.”

Moving forward, here are some points he listed down on what makes K-dramas so addicting.

1. The approach or style narratives of K-Dramas are not over-the-top dramatic.

Despite his limited references, the director couldn't help but agree with his audiences on this one.

He said, “KDramas dramatize through tenderness... You are fed an emotional scene but then it is cut right at the time when you know exactly how to react to that moment --- followed by, strangely but effectively, a light moment involving comedic elements.”

2. The stories are straightforward with no excess redundancy.

According to Direk Joey, the precision of narratives in K-dramas are laid out per episode and the subplots “never get on the way of the focus of the story.”

He said, “The writing of K-dramas are on-point, studied, blueprinted, rendered with precision, and never resulting in redundancy of plot points. But most importantly, capable of engrossing the audience without taking them for a route devoid of direction just to stretch the story.”

3. Limited runs

It's not obvious that K-dramas know how and when exactly it will end. In his words, “This makes a whole world of difference.”

He further adds, “The Pinoy teleserye can go on and on forever and ever as long as the audience responds to it. And until this very day, we know that is how the game is played and how the deal is done. Thus this takes its toll in the manner the stories are told ... and where the story goes ... or worse, how the long drawn narrative will end.”

4. The plots vary and scripts are well-written

Based on Direk Joey's observations, Koreanovelas have a certain reserved-coolness with the way they've written their script.

In his blog, he observed that the materials presented by K-dramas are meant to make you cry but never “in your face.”

“There is still a certain restraint in the way scenes are written --- so that the impact of a sequence is achieved not through words alone but what is visualized in its execution. And that makes great writing,” he said.

5. K-Dramas use the same stereotypes but are never diminished to the cliche

In the same context, Joey argued that while K-Dramas present the same template in their lead characters, the way they present it is in far contrast to that in Filipino television.

He added, “Unlike Filipino teleserye heroines whose greatness is measured by her ability to suffer, the KDrama heroine is a fighter. She has her own mind, knows what she wants --- and though she may stumble along the way, confronted by her adversaries, she will keep on fighting.

On the other hand, “The male lead is never flamboyant. For him, strength is his quietness. Strength is his ability to embody principle, a belief in justice, an extraordinary dedication to duty, and a guiding principle for standing for what is right regardless of obstacles or consequences.”

The other points he noted were: (6.) An array of genres, (7) Plot being well laid out and are logical, (8) The core is always the heart of the story, (9) Stories are not built around love teams, (10) Production value is given the utmost premium, (11) Production design is of premium importance, and (12) Koreanovelas are still basically conservative.

To conclude, Direk Joey said that there is only but one thing the quarantine has taught him: appreciation for a form of popular media that he used to look at from a distance but never understood.

He confesses he is still new to the genre but has still yet a “whole world out there to analyze even from the burden of quarantine and the imperative of social distance.”

To read more about his study, you can check out his blog, “Choking on My Adobo.”

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