An American K-Drama Fan Talks About Why He Loves "Bloodhounds"

Where are you from? Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Dylan and I’m from California, United States.

What is the 1st K-Drama you've watched, and when? How did you happen to come across it?

My first K-Drama was “Strong Girl Bong-soon.” My mother just had it playing one day, and I watched it all the way through with my family.

JTBC

Are you mostly watching K-Dramas or not? If you are watching series from other countries, let us know.

I enjoy films from all over! I am also an enjoyer of various animated shows and cartoons, some new and some that I grew up with, including but not limited to “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “Samurai Jack,” and “Invincible.” But with live-action series, I always tend to gravitate towards K-Dramas.

What genre of K-Dramas are you mostly watching?

It’s hard to say. These days, I’m mostly enjoying suspenseful action thrillers. I’m a big fan of well-choreographed fight scenes and stories that show life at its bleakest or darkest, such as “My Name.” However, I will always enjoy some good romance or comedy all the same, like “Hospital Playlist” and “Crash Landing on You,” especially since that’s how I first got into K-Dramas.

Netflix

tvN

Would you say you are a K-Drama addict? How many do you watch a week? Do you prefer ongoing dramas or binge-watching?

I wouldn’t say that I’m an addict, but I think I could easily become one. When it comes to TV shows, I always try to regulate how much I watch. There will be a show that I want to watch but procrastinate starting for weeks because I know that once I start, I’ll binge it all the way through. This is how I am with most K-Dramas, and because of this, I haven’t really caught any dramas as they air.

For Kpopmap readers who are not familiar with Korean dramas/movies yet, please tell us what makes Korean actors and Korean dramas/movies attractive to you.

As I mentioned before, one big thing I look for in action K-Dramas, or action-related media in general, is the fighting. “Bloodhounds” is a series that goes all-out with its fight scenes but manages to keep them grounded and realistic-feeling. But fighting is not everything; another thing “Bloodhounds” does very well is balancing the action with the lighter moments that display the camaraderie between the main characters and the sincere moments that show how they handle their hardships. I think this is really what I watch K-Dramas for—they’re generally really good at balancing plot with fun, serious scenes with light-hearted ones. A rom-com drama will have some tragedy or action, and an action drama will have some romance and comedy.

Netflix

Do you feel there has been more interest in K-Dramas in your surroundings? Or were people surrounding you already interested?

Outside of my family, not so much, unfortunately. Most of my peers in highschool that watched TV, or the ones that I was close to, anyways, tended to watch American shows or Japanese anime.

Have you ever made a new friend because of K-Dramas?

Not yet! But I undoubtedly will in the future, as I continue to get more and more into K-Dramas. Though I watched my first dramas back in middle school, I’ve only really started getting into them over the last couple of years.

What makes you watch a drama? The cast, director, writer, summary, poster, etc.

The poster is usually the first thing that catches my interest, especially if I’m browsing on a streaming service like Netflix. It helps me to know what the drama is going to be like and if it’s the type of thing I’ll be into. Then, I’ll read the blurb to get a feel for what the plot is going to be. If it interests me, I’ll make note of it. It’s a funny thing, but when I browse, I’m typically not looking for something to watch at that moment. I just pick out a few that make me go, “Oh, I’d like to watch that at some point,” and the next time I want to watch something, I’ll think back to my list. I don’t really let the cast, director, or writer dictate my choices but there will always be some actors/actresses that grab my interest.

Can you give us your top 3 K-Dramas and why you love them?

If I had to choose… I’ve mentioned all of these already, and it’s hard to rank them for me, so I guess I won’t. The first one that comes to mind is “Strong Girl Bong-soon.” I really enjoyed the romance and the comedy, and it was coupled with a compelling plot. It’s one of those dramas that makes me happy to think about, and of course it was the first one I remember watching, so it has its own little place in my heart. “My Name” is another one; it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The action was incredibly entertaining and the plot twists kept me hooked. It’s one of those pieces of media that are truly gut-wrenching and leave you thinking at the end. Finally, there is “Bloodhounds”—some will say the ending wasn’t as strong, and though I may have to agree, I think the series as a whole was still incredibly well-done. No one can deny that the action was fantastic, and the atmosphere it built completely immersed you in its world. The first episode of “Bloodhounds” is probably the best that I’ve seen in a long while in terms of setting and characterization; it gets you settled into the kind of world in which the drama takes place and it perfectly displays the qualities of each of the characters.

Who are some of your favorite K-Drama actors/actresses and why?

It’s hard to say since I don’t really follow any actor/actress too religiously, but of course, there are some that I enjoy watching every time I see them on screen. One is Yoo JaeMyung, who played Do BongSoon’s loving father in Strong Girl Bong-soon. I was really pleasantly surprised to find him as the main villain of “Itaewon Class” since it was so different to that previous role. Then, there was “Stranger,” which I watched later, that further proved his acting prowess and ability to stretch himself across different roles and genres. Han SoHee is another one of my favorites, mostly for her lead role in "My Name." She is another K-Drama star who has shown an impressive versatility in roles. Her stoic, vengeance-fueled Yoon JiWoo in "My Name" differs heavily from her romantic artist Yoo NaBi in "Nevertheless,". I also really like Han YeRi. She was great in “Hello, My Twenties!,” though admittedly, while not a drama, I loved her acting in the movie “Minari,” one of my all-time favorites.

JTBC (Strong Girl Bong-soon/Itaewon Class)

Netflix (My Name) / JTBC (Nevertheless,)

Plan B Entertainment

Do you have an all-time favorite scene? Can you describe it or share a video?

I don’t know about all-time, but the first thing that comes to mind is the scene in “Bloodhounds” after Kim GeonWoo (Woo DoHwan) defeats Hong WooJin (Lee SangYi) in the final round of a boxing tournament and GeonWoo asks WooJin if he’d like to eat with him. WooJin is shocked and offended at first at the offer, but eventually decides to go with him. The scene sees them sit down at a samgyeopsal (pork belly barbeque) restaurant, and they quickly develop a strong bond despite their contrasting personalities. I’ll sometimes re-watch the first episode of “Bloodhounds” just for this scene, which becomes even warmer knowing the context that is the rest of the series.

Netflix

Do you feel there are any misunderstandings, things that are not well known, or any prejudices about your K-Drama?

I think K-Dramas get looked down on by many foreigners because of the name, “drama.” When people hear that word, they tend to associate it with more soapy shows, the kinds of shows that don’t give you much to think about and that don’t warrant much acclaim in the public eye. While some may be like that, the truth is that K-Dramas spread a far wider variety of genres than people realize. I feel that if many of these shows were made in America rather than in Korea, the “drama” title wouldn’t be slapped on them solely because of the stigma that that word carries with it. However, because they were made in Korea, foreigners absentmindedly stamp them all with that “K-Drama” label since that’s what they’re used to doing, making it easy to disregard every show that comes from Korea. In that way, I think the “K-Drama” label is not representative of all that it has to offer.

Do you have predictions about the future of K-Dramas? Do you think K-Dramas can be mainstream all over the world?

Despite the many people writing off K-Dramas as a whole, I think K-Dramas are, in a way, mainstream all over the world already, or at the very least, are on track to be. They are in a similar place right now as K-Pop was perhaps a decade or two back. Like how there were a few worldwide sensations, like Psy, BigBang, and BTS who paved the way for many other groups and idols to become mainstream, K-Drama has been experiencing a similar phenomenon as of late in shows like “Squid Game,” "Kingdom," and “Crash Landing on You.” Though the stigma of watching K-Dramas may never fully go away, it’s definitely becoming more and more accepted.