My Only One Kdrama Ost

[Tisham Candella]

Hahaso this isn't generally my genre, but I actually rewatched the 2012 Tooniverse three-episode Kim So-hyun drama Ma Boy this morning for a blog post, and it holds up surprisingly well. Despite it having a pretty terrible message about making it as an idol, it's cute and funny genderbender fun! And it's also baby Kim So-hyun, so really, what's not to like??

It hard to say because so many established actors are former idols if you look far enough back, including Hyeri, Jung Ryo-won, Yoon Doo-joon. I believe Seo Hyun-jn and Jang Nara started out as singers though I don't know if they were exactly idols. Does the 'Lets Eat!' series qualify as an idol drama?

I'll be honest, most of the idol dramas I started I didn't wind up finishing. So I Married an Anti-Fan in particular inspired near-violent levels of rage in me, specifically the male lead, who was a Go Jun-Pyo-level bully and the (as already mentioned) insufferable second leads.

This all being said, being the diehard rom-com lover that I am, I was surprised to find that my two favourite idol dramas pretty heavily sideline the romance in favour of focusing on the friendship and relationships between the band/group members.

It took me a while to watch SUFBB, because I couldn't get past that scene, but once I finally did, what I found was beautifully sincere story of a group wayward teens, coming to terms with grief, and overcoming others' prejudice, and their own shortcomings to achieve their dreams. Also, Sung Joon! And L pleasantly surprising me!

The other one for me is probably a little less critically acclaimed, but Idol: The Coup was another surprisingly cracky watch that focused on the (mostly) charmingly flawed members of Cotton Candy as they fight for their dream against the seeming inevitability of disbandment. Hani was as likeable as always in the role of the leader of the group, fighting tooth and nail to keep everyone's head above water, and her chemistry with Kwak Si-Yang was more sizzling than it had any right to be.

Dream High was my second kdrama I ever watched, and it introduced me to Suzy, Taecyeon/2PM, IU, and Park Hye Run dramas! The soundtrack is amazing, and I was in college at the time so the themes about hardwork, competition, friendship, and romance resonated. I also remember Suzy's character Hye Mi having a great arc - she starts starting off as very unlikeable but she learns to appreciate everyone around her.

I'm amazed that anyone would mention the cast of Dream High (a drama which I liked and recommend) and compliment Suzy (who I have avoided since) and not include male lead, young Kim Soo Hyun, who provided such an impressive performance despite being the only actor main character that was not already a singer.

After watching Dream High, I followed KSH to You Who Came From The Stars, which became my all time number one favorite and the one drama I would want with me if stuck on a deserted island (heh) -- with internet.

You're Beautiful was the first one that came to mind. I watched it way back when it was airing live, and I remember checking the sub status on Viki several times a day, looking for that 100% to show up. It's all kinds of tropey, and requires a substantial amount of suspension of belief, but my love for it still lingers.

.. (embarassedly admit) that her very first recognition that TwDrama and KDrama are on different genre by watching Skip Beat.

Siwon is good enough, but Donghae is ... lets forget that he once try his hand in acting.

I'm still not sure what qualifies as an idol drama. Obviously My Mister or Weak Hero Class 1 are not idol dramas, because the lead actors were establishing themselves as actors separate from their music careers. Right? Is Semantic Error an idol drama? Because I think the whole reason that the two leads agreed to be in a BL was for exposure for their music, right? I love that show enough to rewatch it. Or should I just look for any drama with "flower boy" in the title for a hint about whether it's an idol drama?

what i gather from taiwanese idol dramas; when they say idol drama, it is a drama that the main casts are idols. and the word idol here is used quite freely as not only singers and member of boy/girlbands are categorized here, but also models, be it magazines, catwalks or tv ad. well, pretty much we call them influencers nowadays.

also when they say idol drama, it really is most likely that it is a light weight drama, and the idol casts' character would be similar with their own stage persona as an idol.

And there is a stigma attached to an "idol" actor, which I don't get. They are new actors so of course they are not always going to be great, but we see the whole process of learning rather than an actor, who goes to school or has training privately. I actually have more respect for their courage to put themselves in the ring.

Thankfully Junho, at least, is now respected as an actor.

@nilsche explained the source of my confusion, above. I couldn't figure out the classification based on the VIki.com tagging system, but that's apparently because they tag Korean dramas *with* idols in them as idol dramas (but not all of them?) but idol dramas from other countries are *about* idols. I have seen Korean dramas that are about idols though! Like (I had to google for the title!) "You're Beautiful" by Park Shin-Hye. I just usually don't watch those....

DREAM HIGH!!!!!! I still have the OST on my Ipod. I unapologetically love that drama without abandon. Suzy pooping in a shack with perfect pitch is hilarious, plus IU was so adorable. Then add on Kim Soo Hyun. In addition two out of five members of 2pm, what is not to love. I forgot to add Uhm Ki Joon as a good guy. Winning was all over this drama.

So we can only pick one! Well, I loved Shut Up Flower Boy Band. Dream High and You're Beautiful were fun! But, if I have to choose an idol drama it would be High End Crush. A story of a pop agency head with an array of pop star characters including Monsta X. So, you have fake idols and real idols wrapped up in a comical send up of the industry. Still on my watch list is Imitation and I Married an Anti-Fan. Given the recommendations, I think they will be next up on my playlist.

If Shut Up: Flower Boy Band is an idol drama then Shut Up: Flower Boy Band but I don't really seem to think of it as one.

(It is technically, yes in part, and it does that part pretty well to be honest, but like any good drama it's also many other things; it's also a coming of age drama, and it's also a drama about grief and loss and finding your way forward, and it's also about music and and memory, and much more besides.)

Kdramaland rarely, like practically never, probably never, except for SUFBB if we're counting it, does the idol drama (idol drama here meaning a drama ABOUT the Korean phenomenon of "pop idols" as the main focus, not dramas acted by idols turned actors lmfao) in a way that actually truly satisfies me since I have far too many thoughts, feelings and opinions about, and know too much about, kpop and everything related to it, and Korea isn't self aware yet enough to give them the idol drama I want, and as such the last idol drama I watched (Imitation), I hate watched and it drove me up the wall, so I've been avoiding any others for the time being lest I get too incensed... lol.

@sicarius I was wondering if I could draw on your expertise to ask what you would think a satisfying kdrama about kpop would focus on. The exploitation of the idols and the sordidness of the industry? Or the somewhat strange fan culture? Or the creativity of the music vs. the business considerations of the agencies? Imitation kind of touched on these, while others have done so with fan culture, while of course pulling back on any truly harsh critique. Is that the part of Imitation that you hate watched?

I feel its well nigh impossible to get a truly deep critique of the industry from within the industry. Its like the innumerable films from Hollywood about Hollywood. They focus on various negative aspects of the industry--the sexual exploitation of women, the way the industry's harsh capitalism damages creativity, the contrast between Hollywood fantasy and fan's reality, etc. etc. But they can hardly reject the film industry as a whole, unless they are just producing a totally amateur film which at most a few movie buffs would see.

I don't think its lack of self-awareness, then, that's preventing an idol kdrama that captures the depth of exploitation in the industry. In fact, I've been struck by how many kdramas have negative idol stories embedded in them--there's an acute self awareness. There's just an unwillingness to confront the system directly. Maybe that's partially defensible--because for all its flaws, the system and its artists have produced music that millions enjoy. (Want to stress in saying this, I'm not defending the exploitative aspects of the industry)

One other thing, I know that my assumption here that there is a common industry behind both kpop and kdramas simplifies the actual business arrangements, but the really close ties between kpop and kdramas is something that I think is somewhat unique in global entertainment. Of course, from the beginning of sound in Hollywood, with Al Jolson, on through Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Elvis Presley onto today--Ice Cube, Will Smith, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah you have successful singers becoming movie stars. But I have the impression that the U.S. music business has retained a separation from t.v. and Hollywood in a way that Korea, with agencies that handle both kdrama/movie and kpop stars do not. (I could be totally wrong here, though.)

And while many U.S. pop songs have originated as movie songs, and a few from t.v. shows, the whole phenomenon of the OST seems much more common with Kdramas. I would never think to say about U.S. pop songs that "I'm listening to The Bear OST" (to cite a recent U.S. t.v. show that I find really interesting).

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