Sep 15, 20205 min read

WHY I LIKE TDRAMAS

You know the drill by now...Continuing my mini introductory "Why I Like..." series with today's post of "Why I like Tdramas". Now compared to every other Asian country EXCEPT Thai dramas, I have not seen a lot of Taiwanese dramas. I still like them a lot though. There is just something special about Taiwanese dramas, as with any other country, where some of my reasons for liking Taiwanese dramas are unique to them and other reasons I share across the board with all countries. Taiwan sort of pioneered A LOT of dramas in drama-world today so it is always neat to see that and how dramas have changed over the years.

SOMEONE LIKE YOU - My first Taiwanese drama

1) HANDSOME ACTORS/BEAUTIFUL ACTRESSES. There is just A LOT of good-looking actors and actresses in these dramas...I just can't deny that NO MATTER what drama from whatever country I am watching, the actors and actresses are very good looking.

2) OFFICE ROMANCES (MY GUILTY PLEASURE). One of my guilty pleasures for dramas is an office romance drama. Taiwanese dramas have A LOT of office romances, especially between a boss and their employee. SO naturally, I LOVE TAIWANESE OFFICE ROMANCE DRAMAS - especially if it is a boss/employee relationship. It is just a trope I have always liked across any drama and when I want to watch that type of drama, I seek out Taiwanese dramas first.

3) AMAZING CRIME DRAMAS. Taiwan has some AMAZING crime dramas, especially in the most recent years. They always surprise me because I never see the twists coming. As I said in my "WHY I LIKE CDRAMAS" post, some of their crime dramas are more than just procedural crime dramas. China brings relationships into the mix. Taiwan is no different. Some of the best crime Taiwanese dramas turn more into a character examination or even a societal examination crime drama. I love when crime dramas grow into something more and that I am not expecting it when I click play. I think it has a bigger impact on me when I watch the drama because the drama discusses topics that are REAL societal problems and not just problems displayed for that one character in the drama. Using the drama as a platform to discuss topics and issues that matter to its audience!

4) THE SPAN OF EMOTIONS. If you get invested in a Tdrama, you will feel the ENTIRE spectrum of emotions. Taiwanese dramas are fantastic in telling a story where one moment you are happy then the next you are sad and then a minute later you want to throw something at the television. Taiwanese dramas create a good balance between all the emotions where you aren't feeling one emotion too long and it will quickly switch to the next Now that does not mean that Tdramas don't have angst CUZ THEY SURE DO but, in my opinion, Tdramas handle angst REALLY WELL!

5) SKINSHIP/SPAN OF RELATIONSHIPS. Compared to some of the other Asian countries, Taiwanese dramas tend to have more skin-ship. Couples physically interact more and that makes the kiss scenes SO GOOD! I think Taiwanese dramas have some of the best kiss scenes I have seen. Taiwanese dramas aren't afraid to also show controversial things as the main story such as 2 people who have an affair with each other. You know LIFE..stories that you see in regular life. I also love that Taiwan has dramas that show all kinds of relationships including LGBTQ+ which is forward thinking compared to some other countries so I always appreciate them for that.

GREEN DOOR - one of the most surprising Taiwanese dramas I have seen

6)ROMANCES ARE MORE REALISTIC. Because there is more skin-ship in Taiwanese dramas, I think the romances are more realistic and relatable to the audience. I'm not saying that every Tdrama is like this, there are plenty that have a fantasy, ideal almost Cinderella like romance BUT there are also a lot of Taiwanese dramas that are relatable and down to earth. Tdramas are a bit more mature (especially in recent years) and since they show more of a spectrum of relationships, they represent more of the audience and are relevant.

7)FAMILY FOCUSED. One of the major themes you see in Taiwanese dramas a lot is Family. A lot of different genres tend to have a family element to it. I love this because you can have some quite CRAZY and entertaining storylines going on because it is a big family with every member having their own contribution to the story. The family element can also bring in a break from a dark crime drama or even some bright moments in all of those dark crime themes. Family issues can be brought up and discussed which might reflect a bigger problem or issues in families in society itself. This also just means that there some Tdramas that are very heartwarming and also allows A LOT OF COMEDY to come in. If you love dramas about families and life, WATCH SOME TAIWANESE DRAMAS!

8) EPISODES. A lot of people like Taiwanese dramas because they range from 10 - 50 episodes depending on the year they came out. On average, the episode count is 15-25 which I think is very manageable and quite binge-able, with a lot of Taiwanese dramas having less than 15 episodes. Also, if you are watching a Taiwanese drama as it airs, it is usually only 1 episode a week so even if the episodes tend to run more than an hour, it is still quite manageable. THAT HOUR AND 15 MINUTE EPISODE GOES BY FAST!

9) OSTS. Taiwanese dramas have some of the prettiest and emotional original soundtracks I have ever heard. You know when you hear a song and immediately associate an event to it and then from then on when you hear that song, you will be reminded by that event? THAT IS WHAT TDRAMA OSTS DO TO ME! I will immediately remember a scene or character or the entire drama when a song from that Taiwanese drama starts to play. I think this is, for me, because Taiwanese dramas are sung with SUCH emotion in the voice.

10) ESCAPISM. I watch Tdramas for a realistic (and maybe QUITE STEAMY romance) or my guilty pleasure of an office romance...SO TAIWANESE DRAMAS ARE MOST DEFINITELY AN ESCAPE FOR ME! OH, also for some AMAZING crime dramas as well!