A post from a smart beanie (@fatcat007) inspired me to ask you this question: Which k-drama ‘Mandatory Tropes’ annoys you the most! I know that we’re all frustrated of Nobel Idiocy, Truck of Doom, Accidental Kiss, but is there anything besides those obvious ones that makes you infuriated?!

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    We were talking about tropes on another (by now very-long) thread and I have a deep-felt hatred for pulling drips out of veins to show how urgently a character needs to get out of the hospital.

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      Lol: “A hospital stay should always involve having an IV attached to the patient (so they can Pull the I.V.), and a humidifier by the patient’s head.”

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    When the writer doesn’t make our characters (especially the OTP) communicate and talk and use that as a plot device for the sake of it being a plot device and not character or plot development

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    amnesia ? sorry I don’t recall the others pwahaha x)

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    Wrist-grabs, wrist-grabs, wrist-grabs. I’ll never not feel annoyed when I see them. They seemed to be disappearing with some great dramas in the last year or so, but I see them emerging again…

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    I don’t know exactly why some plot devices have used so often in K-dramas that they almost look like a ‘mandatory trope’, but I personally find ‘love rival’ the most annoying and unrealistic one… It’s like men always need to get extremely jealous before starting to like someone… this trope gets even more annoying when the love rival is their brother or their closest friend…

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    The jerk or semi-jerk male leads or even villains who have been starved of love because they have a “Dark Past” or “Abusive Parents/ Sibling”.

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      Looking at this list, I found Mr. Fanservice too overused as well! “In order for a guy to qualify as Mr Fanservice, just being attractive isn’t enough. He needs to be shown in scenes intended as fanservice for girls…”. “He needs to be subjected to at least one Shirtless Scene.” As much as I’m sick and annoyed of seeing naked women on HBO and Showtime, I’m tired of naked men in k-dramas too…

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    Oh thank you Rose ^^ 🌹
    I might as well answer your question too.
    Although there are lots of tropes that I dislike, there is this ONE thing that irks me just too much. And it’s not limited to k-drama. No. I see it everywhere.
    And that is…. more than one minutof eye-to-eye contact of the leads.
    I just don’t know how one can silently look into another person’s eyes for what feels like eternity (usually happens after the “accidental” skinship), & that happens in the early stages of falling in love.
    Even watching them makes me cringe & I just fast forward because it feels very awkward to me.

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    IKR, isn’t it so annoying?! How can someone romance the first and second male leads indecisively and call it LOVE?

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    Second leads that refuse to accept the lead’s different preference. Once that girl (usually) says no, leave her alone. Just because you think your better for her doesn’t mean you actually are.
    Especially bad/irritating when the second lead has no comprehension of the real sides of the lead.

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      Haha, obsessive love rivals are the most annoying ones!

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        I mean, seriously, there are ways to respectfully pursue a romantic partner that you’re not sure of or who has said no; things that keep the door open but respect the decision.
        Be like Eric Cho from My Husband Oh Jak Doo, or RiOn from Kill Me, Heal Me.

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          I LOVED Eric Cho!! He (and OJD himself) were the main reason I did not drop MHOJD in the earlier episodes… But Oh Ri-on was still an annoying character in my book! I mean how can you develop a romantic feeling for someone who is like your twin sister?! Why the k-drama writers always need a love rival, in the most unconventional way!?

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            Annoying in that sense, yes, but good in how he stepped the heck off and supported her in her romance.
            Love rivals could actually be another hated trope of mine …. How often does someone have two people vying for their affections anyway????

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        The crazy bitch second female lead earns my deepest disdain. Extra points if they’re ex-girlfriends.

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    This one’s not so bad, but it makes me roll my eyes every time I see it: that overused multiple-angles camera shot of characters passing each other on the street/car, etc without seeing one another. 🙄

    I also really really hate the amnesia trope.

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    1: Bumping into someone to make them drop things.

    2: Being nosy and going thru somebody’s stuff.

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    Overall, love triangles frustrate me the most (except for Eric Cho, who’s #secondleadgoals).

    Runner-ups:

    #1. The relationship montage.

    #2. The flashback of something that just happened. (Which Beanie pointed this out last week?)

    #3. The multiple views and angles of a slow-motion skinship moment (kiss, embrace, accidental fall on the lips).

    #4. “Innocent”characters in their 30’s. (And they’re not ace—they’ve just been living in their childhood bedrooms for the past 35 years.)

    #5. Post-coital-girl-wears-the-boy’s (giant) dress shirt. Recent example: Hwayugi‘s Seon-mi wearing Son Oh-gong’s shirt like a dress. It was huge.

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      I recognize that some of the items on my list are more critiques of K-drama production styles rather than classic “tropes.”

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      Love triangles are the most annoying for me too! That’s why I really appreciate the dramas that completely eliminate the love triangles and love rivals, or at least make it more creative (Eric Cho)

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        Eric Cho was such a sweetie. My re-edit of My Husband Oh Jak Doo would give him a proper love line (and dump the horrid siblings). 😉

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      Character in their 30s who never date or kissed someone is more than frustrating! It’s like dramas want to say being a clueless virgin is so attractive!!! This trope is totally against human nature…

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    @pakalanapikake we were discussing some mandatory tropes under this post as well 😉

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    Stomach growls.

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    That would have to be the amnesia plot devise. Dont get me wrong. I am a huge Goblin fan and in that case it worked because the actors were so good. I’m just saying there is an awfull lot of amnesia going around.

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