Nothing Compares To You

You're spent. You've just finished the final episode of the most life-altering drama you've watched in recent times, and your world has been sufficiently rocked. Like any real drama addict, you begin scrolling and scraping through the internet to find your next mind-blowing experience. But you soon realize “THERE'S NOTHING TO WATCH!".  After painstakingly combing through all the recommendations on every drama discussion site, and none of the suggestions sound like something you want to see. Look, you’ve even tried watching a few of the suggested shows and ended up dropping all of them very early. 

Here are 6 tips that have helped me get over that hurdle and carry on my Asian drama love. 

1. Branch Out 

Okay, your latest and most epic drama was a taught legal thriller (would anyone like a glass of Punch!?). Instead of trying to find something similar try something totally different - like an offbeat romantic comedy. How about a fusion fantasy saeguk? Ghosts, wizards, and gisaengs can’t compare to the razor sharp dialogue and plotting villainy in your last show, but that’s the point. With this tip, you won’t have the burden of constantly comparing your new show to your old one. You can appreciate this new experience for what it is. Variety is the spice of life. Change it up.

2. Travel 

Was your last drama a K-drama? How about trying a different locale? Jdrama, Cdrama, TWdrama, HKdrama, and Thai Lakorns can open your eyes to a whole new set of crushable stars and unforgettable stories. Asia is the largest continent on earth. It has so many cultures and each with different sights, tastes, and sounds. Trust me the dramas are just as diverse. Go on, explore a little.

Bo Lin Chen and Miura Huruma

(two of my favorite non-Korean stars)

3. Try a Movie 

What?? A movie? How can 2 hours even begin to compare to an entire series? Are you mad? I hear you, but movies offer a complete story in a bite size package. Character and plot development are sped up due to the time constraint, so you tend to get more bang for your buck. When nothing could compare to Cruel City, I watched the movies The New World (2013) and The Man From Nowhere (2010). Both of these movies are great action/gangster flicks that keep your adrenaline and mind pumping. Much like Cruel City it showed us a glimpse of South Korea's criminal world. Both of them are now in my top ten favourite movies. I highly recommend them. You may just fall in love with a movie that has a sequel, prequel, and spin-off which equals to even more fun. 

4. Read or Write Recaps/Episode Reviews 

A lot of what we miss from these great dramas are the feelings and emotions they evoke. This new drama just doesn't pull your heart in the same way. You could try reading a play by play recap of the show that just ended. Some recaps are so well done that they get your feels all twisted up the same way watching the show did. There are also some great episode recaps here on MDL that really capture all the emotions in a certain episode. Can’t find any recaps or reviews for your particular drama? Then write one. With this tip, you get to pour all your excitement and love for that drama into your own personal recap or review. Try it; you may like it so much that you start your own blog.

5. Start/Join a Discussion 

Sharing is caring, and the same holds true in dramaland. Nobody can really express the joy of the joint “squee”. These are your people, they understand you, and they feel your pain and elation. Joining fellow drama addicts on discussion boards or in the comment section can really chase away your “nothing compares blues”. It’s great when you can giggle over an embarrassing fart joke or swoon over a kiss scene or discuss the near heart attack you endured when the birth secret was finally revealed. Come out of lurking mode and join the conversation. MDL has a great feature where you can start a discussion on any of the titles in the database. You may even find your drama soulmate a thousand miles away or a local group of drama addicts you can meet in person. Share the love. You never know what can happen.

6. Re-Watch 

Is that scene still haunting you? Are you still hearing the final lines of the final episode? Well dear, press rewind and get watching. But I JUST FINISHED IT! IT’S SO FRESH! So what? Many of us have re-watched an entire series right after it ended, because it was just that good. Since you know all the twists and turns you can fast forward through your not so favourite parts and get to the extremely juicy bits. Let’s face it, you love ALL of this drama, but some scenes have a special place in your heart. Please don’t feel like its waste of time to re-watch when you have 500 titles on your PTW list. Drama watching is about what makes you happy not how many titles you’ve completed. Some people have dramas they watch every year at a specific time because they love them THAT MUCH. This drama may become that special show for you. Rewind and enjoy to your heart’s content. Watch like no one is watching.

Do you have a drama that you watch over and over again? Do you have any tips and tricks that can help? Comment and share. Thanks a whole lot for reading my very first article. Toodles :D