I feel exactly like your parents but the way you've expressed the need for realism is convincing me that realism might not be so bad after all. :-P
The concluding sentence is my favorite part. Thank you, this was a good read :-)

Choi Ae-ra's line really hit me in the gut. I was lucky to land the jobs that I got and am able to have a pretty good resume, but I know there are so many that aren't and have been and still are in Choi Ae-ra's situation. And the millenial generation in south korea are having it even harder.

It was a great moment where escapism and realism met and where the fictional character acknowledged this reality that is being endured by so many young people.

Thanks @yjgclone, your article is close to what I feel about drama watching. I don't necessarily go back to catch the words that strike me, but I too watch knowing that I want is a drama that offers both escapism and realism. Even in the supernatural, certain things have to make sense, and in realistic dramas there must be hope for growth and improvement, for positive steps and minor successes at least.

Thanks for putting these thoughts out here for us. 😄

Thank you, @yjgclone, for your thoughtful essay on escapism and realism in drama.

Like you, I often need and want a hybrid viewing experience. Easing up on stark reality with a bit of escapism becomes the “spoonful of sugar” that “helps the medicine go down, in a most delightful way,” in the words of Mary Poppins. On one hand, I need enough realism for characters and plots to be believable. On the other hand, I would like a little break while suspending my disbelief, just enough to grease the skids. Real life can be enough of an uphill battle that I do not want to be hit over the head with too-raw a slice of life every time I tune in to a drama. Call me a wimp. Or maybe just someone who has lived long enough to want to pick her own time and place to face painful Universal Truths through drama.

On occasion, a full-blown fantasy can be therapeutic, especially if it operates as a satisfying allegory. By the same token, tragedy also has its place, albeit in limited doses. A steady diet of SEVEN DAY QUEEN-calibre tragedy would be too much for me to handle.

We share another similarity as drama fans. I always have my ear attuned for memorable turns of phrase and inspiring bits of dialogue or song lyrics.

Even more important than words, however, are feelings. Kdrama attracts me because it conveys and evokes emotions in a way that is different from American TV shows. I can't quite put my finger on how that happens, I just know that it does. To me, emotional veracity may be the most important aspect of realism in a drama.

Thanks again for a lovely read. ;-)

I loved everything you wrote. I noticed that I,also, always search for quotes that fit my situation at the moment.
I actually was a fantasy-dramas watcher, I didnt like realistic dramas as I thought it was boring and depressing, but as I started college about a year and half ago and things aren’t going easy and part-time jobs only makes it harder, my way of escaping life became non other than those slice-of-life dramas. It gives me a feeling that many suffers through life and good things happens to those who wait.
So I like to believe that, and think maybe we’re only on the first episodes and good things are coming soon.

I especially loved that quote from Ae-ra as well, because it was so heartfelt and sincere, and it really encapsulated how frustrated she felt at that moment because people who were privileged enough to live the life they wanted couldn't understand her.

Also, my first thought when I saw this title was... a Taylor Swift song, haha!

Love your post @yjgclone!
I'm all for realism. But then, as much as I love Misaeng, I couldn't finish it till now. The reality depicted is too true to life it hurts.

Misaeng was painful to watch but always had a space of appreciation in my heart. It was a realistic depiction of working class struggles and frustration like being stuck in a job you hate or working to death but not getting anywhere. The show was a rare gem among all the rubble of chaebol stories in k-dramas.

I love your writeup. It is so similar to what I feel about slice of life dramas and fantasy. Even if I watch fantasy to escape from reality at times, i am always drifted back towards real dramas because they are so relatable. Those lines from Misaeng and FMW, I remember them thoroughly, thats how deep they represent the struggle of a human being. I specially loved your last paragraph, you wrote it beautifully and aptly.

Thanks everyone for the read. It flutters my heart. Haha.

I agree that too much binge watching of slice of life dramas can be toxicating. We are getting too tired rooting for our heroes.

And it is so true about Kdramas vs others. KDrama really have this warm feeling even the show is about winter. 😂

Here's some cheers to all Choi Aera and Jang Geurae striving in the real world. 🍹

Choi Ae-ra is probably one of my favorite k-drama heroine in years (in addition to Jang Hye-Sung from IHYV, Cheon Song-yi from My Love from the Star, Cindy from The Producers and Oh Ji-young from Miss Korea). Ae-ra, in a way, reminded me of the struggles that I had to go through in pursuing my dreams. It is why I really appreciated Dong-man's advice for Ae-ra to follow her heart because anywhere she likes being will be the major league for her. It was a eureka moment for me and sort of felt like a validation for the decision that I made about 3 years ago to step away from my ultimate dream, which caused me heart ache, into another career that turned out to be better and more fulfilling. (Let's just say that I have my own Dong-man too only that I don't see us ever getting together eventually. LOL.)

A+++

This is exactly my drama watching take on escapism vs realism. I like my unrealistic dramas to have moments of relatability - it's grounding - and my realistic dramas to give me hope, otherwise facing reality can be too depressing. Now if only there was a way to tell beforehand whether or not a drama will fulfill these expectations...

im actually kinda agree with your parent but i watch drama based on my situation.. if i was in hard situation i wont watch smth so realistic but i will watch tht drama later when everything getting better.. but i get your point bcs if drama doesnt have something tht the viewers can relate on, the drama will be less entertaining..

In love with the last paragraph!