BTLIOF late episode 11 kiss after the unexpected episode 1 kiss (or should I say peck huh Se-hee) was sooo fulfilling. And perfect! Still the best kiss scene of all time for me. 😘

I’m all for the episode 8 kiss if the characters relationship have progressed enough and their interactions from 1-8 lead them up to taking that next step in their relationship. I think earlier dramas were better paced with their romance as it seems slow burn was a thing then, compared to recent dramas, but the rare romance dramas with good pacing definitely do a good job of implementing the said episode 8 kiss.

For me, it's more about if all the conditions are reunited : the kiss makes sense with the evolution of the characters' relationship, the kiss looks good, the actors have chemistry than the timing at the 8th episode.

I don't mind if the kiss scene happens before or after. In She Would Never Know, the first kiss happened in the 10th episode but after it, they gave us more kiss scenes to be forgiven :p

Its gotta feel right and the leads have a certain something then it works. Sometimes the story builds up the circumstances for that just right moment and sometimes the surprise kiss works very well.

One my favourite couples of all time didn’t even get a kiss. AGE OF YOUTH, between Park Eun-bin’s chaotic, foul-mouthed and charming character Song Ji-won and Mister stoic who is completely smitten, Im Sung-min. I shipped them so hard and I barely got an acknowledgment of their mutual feelings.

Yes we got a written glimpse into their future, where they are married and have a child. However, since this is written by Park Yeon-sun it’s still bittersweet as we find out Ji-won died quite young. This highly suggests a certain death, especially with Ji-won’s past demons all coming out in Season 2.

Not to mention Answer Me 1988. This is such a slow burn romance and a love triangle that to this day beat all other love triangles in my opinion.

And while I do love my kisses, INTEREST OF LOVE being the latest example, damn that kiss was something…
But I love confessions more imo

Just like with kisses themselves, it really doesn't matter when and how it happens as long as it FEELS right in that very moment. Because if it doesn't, then no amount of logical reasoning could save the situation. For example, a certain drama I've finished recently, everyone here probably knows which one - OTP finally gets there in the last 2 minutes of the last episode, and while there is a solid explanation to why they waited for so long, it lacked the impact needed to reward the audience for 20+ hours of unfulfilled expectations. Delayed timing wasn't the only reason for lukewarm reaction, but it was one of the main ones. Guess it depends on writer's priorities - that drama succeeded in telling a somewhat interesting story about rather admirable characters... but at the expense of romance, making leads' love and HE together feel more like an afterthought. Which, again, is totally fine, as long as you DON'T promote your show primary as a romance. Then no excuses, sorry^^ Compare to another show of the same lead actor that also had a kiss only in the finale, but it was executed perfectly - thanks to better pacing overall and completely different genre pack. Romance there was pivotal, but neither overwhelming just for the fanservice nor manipulative by promising viewers one thing since the start and then never delivering it until it was too little to late. It's one thing to surprise audience with twists and thrills, but completely another to scam them.

That's why I tend to stay away from romantic melos - most of them are terribly imbalanced, with melo part outweighing romance by mile. And I'm not into watching people suffering because of love without seeing them properly experiencing said love first. Many others probably are, though, which is why this cursed genre isn't dead yet)))

A lot of this is classic dramatic structure - an inciting incident that launches the action (in a rom-com, the "meet cute"), rising action where the couple overcomes obstacles to be together, a central turning point right in the middle that shifts the direction of the plot (that standard episode 8 kiss in a 16 episode show), a new set of problems that must be overcome in the falling action (noble idiocy, anyone?), and then a resolution at the end (the couple is finally happy and back together). Most shows more or less follow this, romance or not, as it tends to provide a feeling of "completeness" at the end (scientists doing brain scans have actually found this story structure is uniquely satisfying, which is why it keeps popping up across cultures and time periods). I do think it's a bit problematic though when romance is the central plot element because it depends on some sort of problem, break-up, serial killer, amnesia, etc. in the second half. Some shows find ways to make this feel organic, others, not so much.

I agree on call it love. The kiss didn't feel forced or mandatory. The air was there and the charge was there even the conversations that led up to the kiss didn't feel contrived ,it just felt right.

I'm for kdrama kisses whenever and however they occur if I feel the show has adequately built up the tension between the characters. I always want them to inspire both excitement and a sense of relief in viewers, like we've endured the wait and buildup and now it's time for payoff.

But when it comes to the ep. 8 kiss, I often get nervous because when it appears, it usually means that down the line the couple will go through the breakup/separation trope within five episodes after the kiss. This is partly why I also felt relief when "Call it Love" put off the first kiss, but then we got hit with another trope--the one where the characters have sex for the first (and often only) time before the ending episodes--that signaled the impending breakup.

Great topic and analysis missvictrix! Yes, those Kdrama tropes keep us engaged, don't they? It is a winning formula.

The familiarity and comfort of a structured story in Kdramas reminds me of Hallmark movies, which also have a highly structured pattern. Anyway, my brain has now been programmed for Kdrama patterns so I like the anticipation up to episode 8 but I am irritated when we have to wait until episode 11-12.

Dramas that break the mold (Dr Romantic's episode1) are exciting, but often there is a trade-off, like waiting longer for the first "real or meaningful" kiss (Dr Romantic episode 14)

This only happens in plot-driven dramas with a side of romance, but I prefer Episode 16 kisses Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 2, Vincenzo (Episode 20 kiss), The Good Detective (no kiss, just whistle) because then I know that they won't break up and I can use my imagination on their happily ever after. (Unless there's a second season, which sinks my ship.)

I totally agree with you.
For me the kiss isn't the important thing itself but what it represents, so the timing/pacing is what really matters.
I need the writer to make it natural, to make it logical (even if it is in a weird/wrong way).

I would say that romcom writers really know what they're doing most of the time. Even with shows were things go a little bit faster, W for example, everything feels right according to the circumstances. That show was crazy but still knew how to get the romance right. Iconic.

Sometimes you're watching the typical Hollywood movie were the leads with zero chemistry start to kiss in the middle of an apocalypse zombie or wtv and you're like "the f are you doing? You gonna get killed, and just for that pal/gal? Ain't worth it."
But I feel like Kdramaland handles that problem better, you know. Even if the timing isn't completely perfect and they could get killed, most of the time, it's worth the risk 😉 (watch Happiness/W if you don't believe me) LOL jk.

Anyway, for me kdramas are really good at building that momentum or wtv. Love them for that. <3

Can I talk about the opposite? When everything lines up perfectly for that perfect kiss/show of affection and NOTHING happens? It's undercut by an interruption. Or there's simply nothing, they stand 5 feet apart and just smile at each other when they're reunited or whatever. Ugh. Doom at Your Service had me FUMING after he came back and there was absolutely NO hug, kiss, nothing. I mean, really! I will say that DAYS was the worst offender in all the dramas I've watched, but there are others that have come close.

Probably have an essay on this in my head somewhere.

I still want to watch the kiss part over and over again lol crazy me but I think that moment when they sing their lungs out, I think they already felt something between them. I like the part where they thank each other for just being there for each other :) They play well with their feelings. I wonder what excuses Bora will give Su Hyeok this time lol

I like the episode 8 kissing more when it's the historical or saeguk drama

I agree 100%. If you're not feeling desperate for the kiss to happen by the time it happens, it's too soon in the drama.

It all depends upon whether the kiss is due to a confession and/or the beginning of a relationship (which inevitably means they will break-up or time skip or contrived plot point whatever) before Episode 16.

OR. . . OR. . . is it spontaneous, unplanned and perhaps even fake ("Crazy Love" and "Bora! Deborah") where the couples are not yet couples but they are both affected by the kiss. This is probably my favorite.

If they confess/kiss at Ep. 8 - it almost inevitably means we must go through some contrived break-up or time skip before the end.

If it's spontaneous (and perhaps fake) - it deeply affects them both but then they take a step back/retreat and still no confession.

I hate the contrived break-ups. Just script the show at 12 episodes, kiss in ep 8, work through issues/problems and get it done.

I can't actually remember in what episode the first kiss occurred in Do You Like Brahms? but I do recall the lovely slow burn romance of the characters played by Park Eun Bin and Kim Min Jae. They actually communicated with each other!
Honestly, the second half angst-on-steroids writing really killed a wonderfully natural depiction of a budding relationship. What a waste of a stellar cast.

tbh, i'd rather kisses just happen naturally. whether that be sooner than episode 8, episode 8 itself, or after episode 8. each story/couple has its/ their own perfect time frames.

To be honest, I've grown tired of K-dramas reliance on always having to be 16 episodes and have everything play out in the same general way from drama to drama, which is why I've been watching more J-dramas lately. They're a little more relaxed with their rules around when things have to happen in a romance, which I appreciate, and you get to see more romance dramas where there's actually some romance earlier in the story, which I also really like. Definitely still enjoy romances that take their time to come to fruition, but I also like romances where we get to spend time watching couples actually be couples and maybe face challenges that don't involve them getting together.