00:00K-dramas are now more popular than ever, but many fans think they're being completely ruined by a
00:04ton of cliches, overused tropes, and other controversial elements that are pushing viewers
00:09away. One of the most discussed and frustrating characteristics of K-dramas is how many plot
00:14points and tropes appear over and over again without adding anything new. Many of these themes
00:20happen in romantic dramas, such as the typical story of parents or other family members disapproving
00:25of the relationship of the protagonists. While things like these often happen in real life,
00:30we don't need to see them in every show, and at this point fans are tired of this trope,
00:35with some even saying it's toxic and annoying. This element gets even more frustrating when added
00:40to another typical cliche of K-dramas, the love story between a common person and the air of a rich
00:45family. Adding these tropes together, the idea of disapproving parents becomes linked with classist
00:51and elitist views, and that's what makes it toxic. This often results in the couples splitting up
00:56and then fighting to get back together, with the parents doing everything to keep the lovers apart
01:01from each other, only to have a sudden change of heart right at the end. This feels very unrealistic,
01:06as in real life these problems are solved slowly over time. The disapproving rich parent trope became
01:12especially popular with dramas such as Boys Over Flowers and The Heirs, but these series aired more than 10
01:18years ago and we're still seeing similar stories to this day, most notably in Queen of Tears. Speaking
01:24of Queen of Tears, this series got a ton of criticism for its overuse of cliches that have appeared in
01:30K-dramas
01:31way too many times. One of the most controversial of these is the story of one of the main characters
01:37having a terminal illness. What often happens in K-dramas is that at some point every problem seems to be
01:43solved, only for a sudden tragedy to strike and change everything. This tragedy often takes the
01:48form of a terminal illness, which makes the story more serious and adds another level of tension.
01:53This element is also sometimes used as a storytelling device to make the plot feel more like a rush
01:59against time. However, fans are getting tired of this trope for many reasons, but mostly it's because
02:04they're uncomfortable with some not wanting to see it explored in any way in K-dramas. Writers these days
02:10seem to be taking the easy route with this one, using the same old tricks to stir up drama and
02:16tension
02:16instead of crafting something fresh and exciting. It's starting to feel repetitive and predictable,
02:22especially in newer shows. Of course, a realistic portrayal of a serious illness could still make
02:27for an emotional story, but that's not what happens in Korean series. Quite the opposite, the diseases
02:33always seem very unrealistic, with the ill person keeping their perfect appearance to the point that
02:38it's hard to believe that they're really in pain. The terminal illness trope has recently appeared
02:43not only in Queen of Tears, but also in another one of the most popular series of this year,
02:47Love Next Door, and in both cases, the illness affected the female lead. This has caused a lot of
02:52frustration and disappointment among viewers, with many fans feeling upset that they have to see
02:57another main character with a serious disease so soon after Queen of Tears. Some said that they would
03:03stop watching after this reveal, wondering why writers can't find more unique plot twists.
03:08Netizens have called this storyline unnecessary, saying that a terminal illness plot was the last
03:14thing they wanted to see in this drama or even in any kind of rom-com. Others went as far
03:18as to argue
03:19that K-dramas are losing viewers because of the overuse of cliches like this one. Staying on the topic of
03:24overused tropes that appear in Queen of Tears, another element that fans are tired of seeing is amnesia.
03:30Once again, a medical condition that could be very serious is used as a plot device to add a level
03:36of suspense. This often happens in love stories, with the characters confessing their feelings for
03:41each other, only for one of them to suddenly forget everything. This is already very unrealistic,
03:46but it gets even more unlikely when a simple bump on the head causes a character to forget their entire
03:52life, as sometimes happens in K-dramas. The storyline, which has appeared in series like
03:57100 Days My Prince and Her Private Life, has been so overused that it's now almost treated as a joke.
04:04For example, in Crash Landing on You, one of the characters, a North Korean soldier, says,
04:09If you watch South Korean dramas, 9 out of 10 are suffering from amnesia. In any case, when used
04:13seriously, this trope feels lazy and overdone, and many dramas have been ruined by useless amnesia
04:19storylines. Memory loss and terminal illnesses are only two of the common themes used by writers to
04:24create unexpected plot twists. Another overused element is the sudden reveal that the two lovers,
04:30who are apparently strangers, actually have some kind of connection in the past. In so many dramas,
04:36two people seemingly meet for the first time and then fall in love, but then it turns out that they
04:41already knew each other in the past, usually as children. This happens, for example, in Cinderella and
04:46The Four Knights and What's Wrong with Secretary Kim. This would already make for an implausible
04:51coincidence, but some K-dramas take even more steps to make the story more dramatic,
04:56often adding that one of the characters saved the other's life as a kid, like in weightlifting fairy
05:01Kim Bak-ju. While it might make for a fun story, in some cases, the sudden reveal of a secret
05:07connection from the past often feels forced. Some have even pointed out that romance is actually more
05:12meaningful and relatable if two people meet and fall in love for no particular reason, with no destiny
05:19involved. Similarly, school dramas don't necessarily need violence to tell an interesting story,
05:24but it seems like nowadays every series that has teenagers as protagonists is centered around
05:29harassment and conflict. At this point, we know very well how the story goes. A new student gets into
05:34the school attended by rich kids and has to face entitled brats and a ton of harassment, with no
05:39teacher intervening to solve the problem. Just in the past two years, this has basically been the plot of
05:44and rich pyramid game and hierarchy. Many viewers are worried about how school dramas have turned from
05:49innocent romances between teenagers to depicting a lot of disturbing content that goes way beyond
05:55simple mistreatment. Also, these dramas can get even worse when they include explicit scenes,
06:02especially because the protagonists are supposed to be minors. In fact, with Netflix entering the Korean
06:07market, inappropriate scenes have become more common in all the dramas produced by the streaming platform.
06:12This aspect has disappointed a lot of fans, as many viewers gravitated towards k-dramas exactly because
06:17they were more clean than western shows. Another unnecessary element that's appearing more and more
06:22often in k-dramas is the addition of a mystery side plot in rom-com dramas. This is once again
06:28a trope
06:29that writers use to make the connection between the lovers more deep and powerful, or even to spice up an
06:34otherwise uninteresting story. Also, writers might choose to add an element of mystery to attract more viewers who
06:41aren't interested in simple and bland rom-coms. However, many netizens have pointed out that if
06:46they're watching a rom-com, they don't expect violence and mystery, and this ruins the whole story for them.
06:52Others also argued that not every love story needs an added element of mystery, tragedy, or suspense to be meaningful.
06:59Most viewers want to see a romance develop organically between two lovers without them having to chase some
07:05criminal and risk their lives in dangerous situations. Nevertheless, in some dramas, like Summer Strike,
07:10the romance ends up being completely overshadowed by the mystery side plot, while in others, Crash Course
07:16in Romance, for example, it doesn't add anything to the story. Some have commented that both these dramas
07:22have been ruined by the unnecessary addition of a mystery side plot and would have been much better
07:28without it. Sometimes, the opposite happens, and more dramatic series get ruined by a romance
07:33storyline that feels forced and useless. Probably the most notable of these is Itaewon Class, which
07:39already had a compelling plot without needing a love story. Finally, an annoying feature that has been
07:44ruining more and more K-dramas lately is how an entire show filled with twists and turns ends with a
07:50cliffhanger, leaving a lot of unanswered questions. Sometimes this is a result of K-dramas moving away from
07:56their typical TV format, in which the stories were self-contained and second seasons didn't happen
08:01often. Now that many shows air on streaming platforms, some series get split into several
08:06parts, and viewers have to wait months or even years to see the end of the story. This has happened,
08:11for example, with The Glory, Hellbound, and Sweet Home, all of which were split into two or three parts.
08:17What's even worse is that some series end with a cliffhanger and no indication if there's ever going
08:22to be a second season, leaving fans confused and dissatisfied. Several dramas, like Vincenzo and
08:28Extracurricular, suffer from this problem. And even though many fans loved these shows up until the very
08:33end, viewers were left with questions that might never be answered. This cliffhanger ending is sometimes
08:38enough to ruin an entire show, no matter how good it was.
