It was definitely Winter Sonata for me. I was still in middle school and started watching it with my mom. I remembered crying my eyes out by the end of the first episode. The beautiful actors and music totally drew me in. Afterwards, I started watching Autumn Love Story and now I'm a drama addict.

Boys Over flowers brought me to the dark side. I ended up watching all the episodes in the span of 2 days. I have never lost so much sleep in my life. Now I don't know what sleep is anymore.

First Love for dramas? Gosh... that's hard. I'm Korean so I was practically born watching them but as far as I'm concerned, the first drama that got me hooked was Emperor of the Sea. When I was young and had A LOT of time, I was so captivated by Yeong Moon's ill-fated one-sided love for Jung Hwa that I watched that drama a whopping SEVEN times. Now I don't have time like that anymore. It's safe to say that Yeong Moon's the reason for my Second Lead Syndrome though lol.

Coffee Prince~~!!!!

Believe it or not, I watched bunch of KDrama before but once I started with Coffee Prince.... around 2008 or something, I'm totally fall in love with it and you could say that's my first love..^^

When I think about my crossover to the dark side, I have to trace it back to Daniel Henney. I had seen his picture on someone's Myspace profile (I feel old as I write this). I thought to myself: "Wow, he is really attractive. Where can I find him?" So I dug-this is how I arrived at "My Name is Kim Sam Soon." Within a couple days, I have become acquainted with a spunky, loud, hilarious woman named Kim Sam Soon. I remember feeling the highs and lows of Sam Soon as she was determined to be herself and do what she loved.

After finishing the series, I watched Delightful Girl Choon Hyung, Full House, Rebirth, My Girl, Dal Ja's Spring...my thirst for dramas during this period was relentless. The reason I continue to watch them now because it feels so refreshing to have entertainment with Asian faces-it was different. When done right, dramas can make you feel so many different things and they continue to do so for me.

Of course, who doesn't enjoy the occasional love triangle/rectangle, underdog story, bromance, and fantasy? I've come over to the dark side and I'm staying.

There was this drama I remember watching w/ my family when I was younger: "6 Children" (육남매).

I think the naive part of me thought it would be fun and glamorous to have such a big family, you know, if it weren't for all the strife of post-war single parenthood with the hunger, anxiety, and uncertainty.

I feel like the kids in that drama were precursors for the great kids in "Stars Falling From the Sky": lovable, endearing, and earnest. Having grown up as one of the only Koreans in a Jewish neighborhood, the show helped me appreciate my roots and brought my family together during a time when my parents struggled with making ends meet and my sister and I felt the widening gap that separates 1st generation kids from their parents.

That opened the gate to my 2nd drama: "Models" with Chang Dong Gun being the very first Korean I crushed on. That is, until I watched Autumn Fairy Tale and felt the first tug between 2 loves: Won Bin and SSH.

Then I took a long hiatus until I landed upon MNIKSS, a reunion that has since stolen many an hour from grading, lesson planning, and other daily chores/tasks.

1% of Anything was the first kdrama that really got me hooked! I don't know why, but I just fell in love with it. I think I finished the entire series within 3 days.

Wow, happy 5, DB!

i dont think i really want to win anything--just wanted to share my story as well! :)

i started watching k-dramas having been referred to Personal Taste from Hulu (i know right? haha). what really caught my attention and kept me in even before Lee Min Ho's looks was the innocence of love that has sustained in nearly all the dramas I've watched. I love the romance and the drama that comes in a k-drama--the longing and the anticipation that mark a relationship between the two main characters--the innocence and charm of love that has been sadly lost from most of the Hollywood and even Bollywood movies.

that's why i love k-dramas...and the k-hotties and humor and learning about a new culture just kept me hooked. it's been a year since I've been watching and I'm so grateful to be a part of the k-drama watching community :)

Happy Birthday Dramabeans! I have to say I absolutely love your website. My first drama love would have to be Coffee Prince. I stubbled upon it after my korean foreign exchange student mentioned how addicting korean dramas can be. Now there is not enough time in the day. I don't think I could get through school without reading recaps to hold me over. Thank you for the recaps!

9 End 2 Outs! It's still one of my faves.

Happy Birthday, dramabeans!

The 1st Shop Of Coffee Prince was my first and all the other
small shows in between. i watch little "american" tv......
i'm hooked and so enjoy dramabeans for some laugh and tears with all the recaps.
dramabeans the first thing in the morning with my
coffee.

My first drama was Autumn Love Story. I cried so hard when Song Seung Hyung died at the end.

My DRAMA FIRST LOVE must be Stairway to Heaven! I also think this is why I've been hooked to Korean melodramas a lot. I watched almost every single Korean sad drama that's out there since Stairway to Heaven. Loved Park Shin Hye when she was casting the young Jung Suh. Too bad nowadays Kdramas shifted away from the melodrama genre. The last one I enjoyed watching was probably Bad Love, and coincidentally Kwon Sang Woo is in it! LOL

My very first drama I watched was Stairway to Heaven. I watched it with my mom. Back then, I was around 8 and that drama made me realize that there will always be backstabbers and betrayers in this world... :( But! I think I fell in love with the first drama I watched by myself, which was Full House. From then on, there was no turning back :)

My first love was Princess Hours,although it wasn't my first drama, it was definitely the first drama that made my heart flutter..XD.and I also consider it as my true love, that's where all my drama fandomness started...

Hmmm... My first drama ever was My Love Patzzi with Jang Na-Ra and the oh so sexy Kim Jae-Won (not to mention the adorable Kim Rae-Won). I stumbled across it accidentally (yay for the awesomeness that is youtube) and just fell in love with the spunky, adorable heroine. The story-line really wasn't the most original at the time, but I've always been a sucker for rom-coms and I loved the look into another culture (at the time I might have thought it was the wrong culture, since I assumed it was Chinese... But, you know how all Asians are Chinese, right?). Now, 61 fully-watched dramas later (don't even ask me how many dramas I've given up on half-way) I still love it and am still delighted with the shows that Korea is churning out. I also love how much I have learned about not only Korea, but also Taiwan and Japan and I know I will forever think back fondly on all the time I spent watching Kdramas (because I surely will kick the addiction at some time... Right? Right?!)

Full House - hooked, line and sinker. Converted me from a HK drama tragic to a kdrama one, have not looked back since (and rigtfully so)!

Congrats Dramabeans for turning the mighty 5!

My first k-drama love was one of those first loves that makes you cringe a bit to remember: Boys Over Flowers. It was the (slightly vapid) bad boy, the one you knew was bad for you, but the crack laced through the chaos sucked you in. Definitely the one that drew me over to The Dark Side. But damn if those boys weren’t pretty...

wow. my first drama love?

you know, i guess it would have to be goong back in 2006. i was in middle school and joo ji hoon was the ultimate dreamboat.

embarrassing now that i think about it.... no regrets, though <3

My drama first love was Personal taste and it was love at first watch most likely because of Lee min ho. How could it not be because of lee min ho?! The man changed my life. I followed him to BOF which started the spiral which led me to Shining Inheritance with lee seung gi. THAT led me to my my first crack drama obsession, my girlfriend is a gumiho!!! God, that kiss, still my favorite. But I still can't forget my first love PT, which is why I will follow LMH to the ends of the earth... among other reasons ;)

My first Kdrama I saw and got me hooked forever was Save the Last Dance for Me with Eugene Kim and Ji Sung. It also has yummy Ryu Soo Young.

Full House..and it became my stepping stone towards my korean addiction... And I'm what you can call Ajumma..but Unnie will be much better...Happy Anniversary

My first ever drama was "Bad Boy".
I had just given up cable tv and recovering from a painfully long 6 seasons of LOST. I instantly fell in love with Kim Nam Gil. There are no other ways to put it!!! The ending...the ending... was so terrible, but it did not stop me from looking up every drama has was featured in... Funny enough, I stumbled upon Dramabeans while doing a search for "Bad boy", I have been hooked ever since!
HAPPY 5TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY, DRAMABEANS!

elomeyram@gmail.com

I just started watching Korean drama obsessively in 2011 and what reeled me in was City Hunter -- action, romance, suspense and awesomeness. From then on, it was a love for Lee Min Ho(t) as well as all things Korean entertainment! Oh yes, and some sporadic blogging of all things Asian drama related.

What bring me to enter the spiraling kdrama land?
It was You're Beautiful -- and this blog!

I somehow stumbled to it on the net. I used to dislike kdrama because the ones I sometimes glanced past on the tv were those melodramas with totally crazy plots.

Weirdly You're Beautiful too has crazy plot, but somehow it felt these things should totally happen. The drama was so absurdly funny. The combination on Hwang Tae Kyung, Go Minam, Jeremy and Minam' manager made my stomach hurt from laughter. The random imaginary scenes like 'sorry, sorry scene' was really things that pulled me out from near depression.

Then I searched for more info on the net and stumbled upon Dramabeans, which fueled the obsession. Your witty comments made watching kdrama even more enjoyable, and sometimes help me make sense of some Korean culture-related scenes.

Thank you, Dramabeans. Happy New Year. Happy birthday.

congratulations and happy birthday dramabeans !
wow, 5 years old :D
honestly, i can't imagine doing what javabeans n girlfriday gang's doing week after week. so i'm definitely amazed it's been 5 years !

thank you very much !!!!

reading other folks' comments on their 1st korean drama ... i think i must be super duper old :p

the 1st korean drama to bring me into the land of kdrama is .... autumn in my heart.
hmm, i've definitely watched other kdrama before that, but they never seem interesting till autumn in my heart.
that drama definitely overturned my previous insight of kdramas being long, windy, shouting matches (lol, there are still quite a few shouting matches in kdramas these days too), etc.

autumn in my heart let me know that hey, kdramas can be quite modern and has interesting storylines too. since then, i think it's been hard to turn my back on kdramas though i have to admit, i'm getting more picky and critical of kdramas these days too.

Sorry I Love You! The kdrama that left me with the deepest impression and also a broken heart for So Ji Sub's character inside.

First love never dies and so does my undying love for ALL ABOUT EVE!!! :D

I fell head over heels with Jang Dong Geun's character and hated Kim So Yeon's role to death. This is my first Korean series, the vehicle that brought me to dramaland ^^

Note : I was only 12 when I watched it on our local channel dubbed in our own language and now, I'm 19 already!

Endless Love Autumn in my heart. It was around 2003 back when I was in high school so I used to come home early to finish my homework just so I can watch it every night. It was dubbed, there were lots of crying, too much melodrama, too many pretty people (despite Hye-kyo looking sickly) but these didn't stop me to fall in love with this show. I don't think I'd want to go through the 16 episodes again, but I will never forget this show because it was my first Korean drama.

I saw the picture and got super excited because I miss Coffee House :(

But this is exciting too!!!! I have no clue how I found out this website, but the name stuck with me, and I've been a regular reader for at least 4 years now, if I remember correctly.

Anyway, I started watching k-dramas because of mi madre, and I remember seeing this one drama with a girl who was deaf and mute, and she had a brother who was a big trouble maker, and would get jail and all that shenannigans. And then there was this cop who had to hunt down her brother time after time, and of course the cop and the girl fell in love, and for some forgotten reason on my part, she attempted suicide via drowning in a river. It was an unsuccessful attempt, and she was brought to this church, and the nuns nursed her. Then she found out that she was pregnant, and then the cop found her, and I THINK they live happily ever after. I have ABSOLUTELY no clue what the title of this drama is because I saw it when I was like 6.

I'm not sure if I could call it my first love, but that was my first official k-drama.

My first drama was 별은 내가슴에 (Star in My Heart), which I watched with my mom and sister, always asking them to translate some of the harder to understand Korean lingo, etc. I haven't been the most consistent drama watcher, but every one in a while I will go on a drama binge and shamelessly declare my obsession to all who will listen :)

Boys Over/Before Flowers with Lee Min Ho, Kim Bum etc. YES! What a fabulous story of one girl who is most UNlikely to be sought after by so many "elite" loves. It touches the Cinderella wannabes but filled with much angst until we reach the "happy ending" episode

Congratulations on 5 years!
I've never commented before but have been a faithful reader.
My first Korean drama was Coffee Prince, it just captivated me.
I watched it in a blur over two or three days with very little sleep.
It made me fall so hard for Gong Yoo.
I watched it in 2008 and I do a re watch every year.
It was also what lead me to your blog.
I downloaded the unofficial soundtrack and read your recaps and that gave me even more of an appreciation for the show.
It started my obsession with Korean dramas and after I found your blog it opened up a whole new world and gave me so many new shows to watch so thanks.

Well, Coffee Prince was the first Korean drama I ever watched, but it was my second drama--Dal Ja's Spring-- that hooked me. To me, Dal Ja was the perfect heroine, and Lee Min Ki was Lee Min Ki. I think that guy is reason enough to get hooked on the show. So to me, this show is awesome sauce.

The first drama I ever watched was Coffee Prince. My friends had been trying to get to watch K-Dramas for years but I wasn't sure I could sit and watch something in another language. Boy was I WRONG! Coffee Prince had it all humor, heart, hot guys and an all around great story. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of TV that I just couldn't stop watching.
I think what hooked me the most though was all the cultural elements that were so different than what I'm used to as an American. The show intrigued me and made me what to learn more about customs in Korea. I think I'm as much obsessed with all the shows out there now as I am about learning more and more about the culture.
Who knew that while looking for some mindless entertainment I would actually want to learn something. Anyway that's my story Coffee Prince was the hook that reeled me in and I haven't turned back since.
(Ironically its only been less than 6 months since I've started and I've already watched a boatload of dramas. I just can;t stop)

My drama first love was Full House, I felt in love with the whole drama, the script, the OST, and the actors. Now I watch almost all the korean dramas and movies. I was 13 years old when I flipped through the channels and came across Full House, and rest was history :)

"Feelings" it is!!! The glorious 90s!! Curtained hair, Lee Jung Jae, Son Ji Chang, Kim Jong Min, anyone??? Oh boy, how that opening song is stuck in my head even now. And how old was I when that drama is made....?? please tell me I'm not that old....

The first korean drama I watched was Hotelier but it took Coffee Prince to really tip me over the edge!

Happy 5th Birthday Dramabeans!! I didn't realize that when I first visited your site you were barely 1 yo. My, how you've grown!

My love affair w/ k-drama started w/ Dae Jang Geum in the summer of 2005, introduced by a friend who was already a k-drama/movie addict. How I managed to stomach 54 epis of this show is a testament of how captivating the story is.

However, my real k-drama journey didn't start until 2007 when I was yet again introduced by a different friend to another sageuk, Seo Dong Yo. I was smitten by Jo Hyun Jae, which leads me to discover you in my attempt to find out more about him. And that's when my love affair w/ u started!! You've introduced me to contemporary k-dramas and opened my eyes to the vast array of k-dramas out there.

So thank you Dramabeans for your insightful reviews/recaps that help me be more selectively in my drama watch (and hence get more sleep). And thank you for providing us k-drama lovers a safe haven that allows us to share our differing opinions w/o fear of being bashed by crazy avid blinded fans of the mainstream opinion (most of the time at least). The writers at Dramabeans are articulate, entertaining and fun and you've got a great community of readers here who are mature in conduct and diverse in opinions.

*Hugs* Happy Birthday again!!

Save the Last Dance for Me was my first kdrama. I'd never forget how much I cried for the love story. So it makes sense Ji Sung was my first crush among some gorgerous Korean actors I admire. He'll always has my heart.

The culprit who made me lose loads of sleep since was none other than You're Beautiful. I kinda of stumbled over it while browsing on youtube. The comments had me completely hooked and I couldn't help myself but watch. What more surprises will the dramas 2012 bring.

May I lose more sleep this year ;)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

My first drama love is and will always be Coffee Prince. Even though I have seen snippets of other dramas before, my first completed drama is Coffee Prince. Three words: Choi Han Kyul.

**Thanks Dramabeans...reading your blog is one of my favorite hobby. You're my 3rd favorite web page after my email and my facebook. You guys are funny, original and so entertaining. All the best for 2012!
**I'm a french girl from Montreal. When I told my friends I was watching japanese and korean drama, people thought I was crazy. They were talking to me about american and canadian tv shows and I was like....borrrring, you guys should watch Full House, My Girl, Coffee Prince, Kim Sam Soon...those a great tv show :)
**Reading your blog and all the comments from all your followers and fans make me feel less lonely and I hope you guys will continue this blog for a long time.
Thanks Dramabeans!

Boys Over Flowers, which is like a gateway kdrama drug! Hana Yori Dango filmed some scenes in midtown New York not far from where I was working at the time, and the signs warning of car towing for the shoot referred to the production as Boys Over Flowers. I had no idea what that was, and never watched HYD when it came out; then my Korean-American staffer/BFF started watching BOF on her PC during her lunch breaks and told me she thought I would like it; I remembered the name and thought it was the same show. A year later when I had some free time, I remembered, watched it, couldn't stop watching it, fell for Lee Min Ho, branched out from there and the rest is history! (I still have to finally see HYD and check out the locations!)