Types of Conflicts in Kdramas

There are 4 ways of classifying Kdramas based on conflict.

Traditional: The conflict comes from major villains who cause all the problems and sufferings that our leading characters go through. These villains may be the chairman, the chairman's wife, the legitimate heir, the politician, the prime minister, the boss or the envious friend or relative. These are the dramas which drag the heartache from beginning to end. It's tiring to watch because no matter how our leading characters try their best, the villain is always a step ahead. The win lies only in the end. I really stay away from these kinds of dramas because it just takes too long that by the time it is resolved in the end, I feel that the one victory after 16 episodes of failures is anti-climactic, predictable and just not worth it. I always find myself wondering "Is that it?" Examples of this are Moon Embracing Sun & Remember.

Multiple Victories: There are multiple minor villains who cause problems for our leading actors. These problems are easily resolved within 1 or 2 episodes of the series. This gives the viewers multiple small victories along the way. I like these types of dramas because they make me feel good at the end of each episode. The leading characters are strong-willed, intelligent and always ahead of the game. These are the ones which hook your attention and are to blame for those long night kdrama marathons. Examples of this are While You Were Sleeping & Hwarang.

No Villain: There are no villains, just ordinary people living extraordinary lives. These are my kinds of series. These dramas are very difficult to pull off because there are no bad guys. Presenting the day to day life of doctors (Hospital Playlist), publishers (Romance is a Bonus Book) or ordinary families (Reply 1988) and making us feel attached to them afterwards is no easy task. Its success comes from gifted writing and equally inspired acting usually from an ensemble cast with chemistry that comes so naturally. 'Heartwarming' best describes these kdramas.

Traditional with Multiple Victories: There are dramas which combine traditional with multiple victories. This is a good formula since having only one villain tends to become monotonous and tiresome after a few episodes. Introducing minor villains gives the main characters a chance to show more facets of themselves thus becoming more 3-dimensional to the viewers. There are more small wins all throughout and one big win in the end. A good example is Love in the Moonlight and Dr. Romantic.

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