Thank you, @leetennant for an engaging thoughtful piece with so many great ideas to absorb. I completely agree with leaving it open ended.....

Whoa @leetennant, thanks! That was a great read. You're so right in your comparative analysis of North American shows and South Korean dramas. Its partly why dramas appeal to me so much - characters live their lives in the context of the world around them. They make the best out of events, rather than influencing events. Much more relatable. In addition, J-doramas, imo, put ordinary people living ordinary lives, in extra-ordinary situations. Just for a little bit, before they go back to their ordinary lives.

Great read @Chingumode @leetennant
That was so poetic!

Something you said reminded me of Healer and how the writer may have said that she left the ending without a big revolution of 'changing' or healing the larger world, the way the parents' group with their illegal broadcasting had tried to do, because it was meant to be about how one person took the steps to do the little he could to change and heal his own world.

It's more true-to-life and relatable and offers hope that we too can effect those changes that are in our control. This actually was the topic I discussed with children: how we can make a difference and bring about great good. Little by little, drop by drop, over time, we would have contributed to the great transformations of the future. Ahead there's so much hope. 😌 😃

Thanks, @leetennant ChinguMode, for a lovely essay. I haven't seen any of the dramas you mentioned, but I like what you've written about the underlying philosophical differences between American TV shows and Kdramas. Those differences are what attracted me to Kdrama in the first place. Give me a good story with memorable characters and a lot of heart. So much the better if it culminates in a relatable, realistic ending. While I enjoy a good fantasy as much as the next person, I live on planet Earth, and appreciate uplifting tales that feel like they could happen in real life.

Thanks again for writing. ;-)

Beautifully written @leetennant. The American in me is often frustrated by the openendedness of many Korean and other Asian dramas, but I do think what keeps drawing me in is the truthfulness of small groups of people drawing together and finding their way to surviving despite the corruption and hellishness around them. Much of North American entertainment is about success and winning, with a clear and happy ending, but this is a mythos that props up and sustains a culture ridden with inequality. Though much kdrama is formulaic, and I now can see and even anticipate when the expected beats will happen within the sixteen episodes, it is the stories of people just doing their best to live. And frustrated as I sometimes am with a story, they still resonate, and they keep pulling me in for more.

Chingumode, I wish there's a like button for article in DB. A very thoughtful read. And yes, there's no end to this fight which is exactly why we need to continue living our life and fight back, and find our contentment and small victories there, whatever it might be.

This was such a delightful read. Thank you! And I totally agree on 'kdrama being the one telling us to stay and fight with the underdogs we like'.

I expected you would come up with something thoughtful and unique, @leetennant, and you don't disappoint! It feels like this should be the post to cap off this month.

@leetennant This was brilliant and beautiful thank you for the amazing read!! Makes me want to watch Forest of Secrets even more.

@leetennant
Chingu, can you please bless us with these at least once a month?

"These characters don’t need to be limited, any more than you and I. Their lives continue, as do ours. And maybe, just maybe, we too can create a few new paths through our flawed world for others to tread behind us.

And through our dreams of their unfolding, imaginary lives, we can dream our own dreams too."
This was my favorite part, especially since we all connect to these stories and characters in a different way. Sometimes it's nicer to have *my* mind run wild with an epilogue in my head and not have the writer's displayed differently than what I'd hoped.
Thanks for sharing! <3

Thank you sooooooooo much for such a nice and well thought reading. Plus, your English is just classy! 😍
I haven't watched forest of secrets nor Angry mom, but Strongest Deliveryman yes... very good. And very true what you say..
You could have add "My Ajusshi" to your list, by the way. A very realistic drama with a very subtle and open relatively happy end, where the rest is or could be however we want to imagine; but with an improvement over a specific situation for both of our main characters. I love that I found them almost dead and left them full of life, it gives me hope. But again, like you say, for small changes that bring writhin a measure of happiness.
I don't watch American shows, but thanks for give me more reasons not to 😂😂😂😂
I don't have time anyways. I barely watch one or two kdramas at the time.

So, anyways... thanks for your great article..loved it!! 😍

*applause and a standing ovation!*

This was a superb read. Thank you, Chingumode.

Lovely!

Over the years I have grown away a lot from American movies and TV, especially the super hero genre. Not because they are bad, but because I find them boring and 99% unrealistic. They don't deal with real people or the real world with few exceptions, such as Gladiator. American movies now it seems are very similar to Chinese movies - a hero, or a few heroes, save the world - but ignore the fact that "the world" they know is a tiny little slice of the real world - and 99.9% of that goes on as usual. In the end they have really done almost nothing, but the problem is neither they nor the audience seems to catch onto that fact.

This was a great and thoughtful read @leetennant! This is such a rich topic to analyse and discuss that it would've taken you a while to write down! I'm so impressed!! :D Thank you for writing!

I really like this. Lets keep their options open and let them live their lives. 😊

This is a great post @leetennant.

I really liked the ending of Life - where they didn't get to defeat the Big Bad, but made the decision to keep trying and to keep doing the best they possibly could. That seemed a much more powerful and realistic (and maybe hopeful?) message than anything else that could have happened.

Thanks for writing this.

This was an awesome post @leetennant! *clap clap clap* I used to hate open ended endings before but somehow that changed over the years of watching dramas. Could relate more to it rather than the fairy tale endings.

Excellent!

Heh, I really liked Angry Mom. It did sort of seemed unfinished in some ways, like you said, a nice epilogue would have helped. But in and of itself the show was so quirky and funny that it always brings a smile to my face when I think of it, in spite of the serious subject matter and the not entirely happy ending.