When your heart is tired, and your faith in humanity is low to nonexistent, try a binge watch dear Beanies. Whether you do it with friends or family to strengthen your bonds, or by yourself to recharge, it is a healthy choice, and one to never be ashamed of.

Hear Hear!!!
(also applauding your choice of images)

Thank you @hotcocoagirl... you are on a roll! :D

yasssssssssss! love this so much. everything you said 🏆🏆🏆

This made me happy and I agree, binging can be therapeutic and good for the soul ❤️ This was beautifully written.

Long live binge watching! I love what you said about a weekend binge watch (or any day actually) can serve as sort of a recharging system for when to face the real world. I do this quite often that I'm very familiar with the picture you've painted. Heh.

"Binge watching is often derided as a lazy practice, done by those who are antisocial or don’t have a social life." Yes.

Anyone who frequently engages in the practice of binge watching knows it resembles nothing to laziness!

Oh the flutter of hearts with these intense gazes! Oh one could die from all the cute display of petty jealousy! Oh the frustration of prolonged noble idiocy! Oh the non-sensible plot holes! Oh the inhumanity of second female leads! Oh the eventual story turn for the worse from episode 14.

Which leads to: Oh how dare the writer letting down such a great cast! Oh why such intelligent and experienced actors choose such terrible projects! (deep breath, Kimbap, deep breath)

Aigoo....We all know how much emotional and physical toll drama binge watching takes. Not lazy, No sir.

There, I just prove that I am not antisocial by leaving a ranting comment on my favorite social media platform after reading a lovely fellow Beanie's wonderful post. Great job, @hotcocoagirl!

I'm not good with binge-watching. I can only watch up to 3 episodes in a day, even when I have all the time in the world.
I never consider binge watching as a lazy practice. You need to focus for hours without giving or getting any feedback. It's definitely not easy.

I used to bingwatch something good like secret of forest. I don't want to wait in anticipation it's killing me! Imagine I watch the princess man when airing, i will be a torture. Bingewatching it's also make me more objective to judge at least for me. Not influence by hype. Haha

Amazing images and article, @hotcocoagirl!

I confess that it’s not often that I binge-watch. I find that I often don’t have the attention span even if I have the time. There are some exceptions, however. Ones that really had that inexplicable pull that had me glued to my screen for hours and hours.

I can only think of 2 shows that I properly binged in 1-2 days: Shut Up: Flower Boy Band and Circle, both of which happen to be among my favorites. And I watched those 2 years apart! Lol. So yeah, binging isn’t a common activity in my life.

Circle was just earlier this month over my winter break, and my dad actually watched parts of it with me! I was shocked. It’s very rare for him to even look at the screen when I am watching dramas on the TV in our family room. I think it’s because he loves sci-fi so he was intrigued and kept asking me questions! That was just an addictive show all around but I mostly was able to binge it because it was only 12 episodes and I had absolutely nothing else to do.

Shut Up: Flower Boy Band, though, was... an interesting experience for me.

SUFBB I watched towards the end of my most stressful semester of college, which was probably not a good idea but I don’t regret it in the least. I started it the Friday before an exam in my hardest, most hated class of my college career. At that point in the semester I was going a little—no, a LOT crazy. I may have been close to a break-down. I was incredibly stressed out and could not study for the life of me and needed SOMETHING to get my mind off of the incoming exam. I have never experienced test anxiety except for that class. My heart rate spiked every day I entered that room. It made me change my major. I HATED that class and that professor. Needless to say, it got to be too much for me and I ended up locking myself in my dorm room all that day and the next, drowning in teen rocker angst tears. That was the only time I was genuinely shocked when I got to the final episodes of a show. “What?! It’s over?! Already?! But I just started it?!”. It just swept me up in its story and the hours flew by. I love that drama to bits but I’ll be honest and say my memories of it are a little bit hazy (probably because of my stress) and a full, proper rewatch is in order at some point.

Everything I felt while watching that show was heightened because of the binge-watching experience, and it makes me wish there were more shows that made me go that crazy. To be fair, I think that particular case was a perfect storm of an awesome show paired with my desperate need for an escape. That show was my savior that weekend.

While I normally am the type of person that encourages people to get their work done first and THEN unwind with dramas, sometimes you just need that release, and binge-watching is the perfect way to get that!

Sometimes a specific show will be best to binge because it's too darn complicated. When I watched God's Gift 14 Days there were just too many suspect-of-the-week types and I couldn't remember what was going on from week to week.

Loved your defense! I actually prefer binge watching to live watching because then I don't have too much time to dwell on why a character made a particular decision(especially if its stupid) and lose sleep over it...and also I hate waiting for answers till next week...nowadays even though I Live watch more..still I do binge watch some old dramas which are highly recommended...
Also you're absolutely right-it's not a lazy activity at all- it requires stamina, after all you need to sit in one place for 16-20 hours straight and concentrate-not easy at all HEH. Its just that you tire your eyes out so much that it's difficult to binge. But I loved your article...goes to show that I'm not abnormal or crazy

Ah, Reply 1997, my favorite binge! ❤️💛💚 I do it at least once a year.

I loved all your points but specially about how you need to be invested in the lives of the characters if you are binging a drama. While I watch current dramas raw, I love binge watching intense dramas like melos or good rom-coms. I find that when binging dramas, the emotions you feel for characters and plot intensify with the more episodes you watch at once. What would have been otherwise casual viewing becomes a more intimate process. The characters that you might have otherwise returned to once in a week, become the sole focus of your universe during those 16-20 hours. You care about them, their choices, their relationships, their lives. And at one point you become so invested that the ending becomes all the more important. A good ending would makes the whole process so cathartic that you emerge from your binge session refreshed and ready to take on the world.

When your heart is tired, and your faith in humanity is low to nonexistent

So. True. Great write up!

aww :) nice way to round up a month of good defenses. thanks for a good, relatable read!

What a nice write-up @hotcocoagirl!

I used to binge watch everything, like you, my sisters and I would decide on a show, choose a day and spend it all finishing that one show, we've always been close but those days were so much fun, we'd laugh together, cry together and get dark circles together, LOL!

These days I find it hard to binge-watch, if I'm not live-watching a show then I'll most probably never watch it, my to watch-list is ever growing but life is so busy that I can't pick anything up! Now, that JBL is over *cries* I'm thinking to actually check some of those shows from that list!

Doesn't everybody dance to the theme tunes? There is one part in my house where nobody can see me from the street and that's where I dance to the opening music of my favourites. It's multi-tasking you see: drama watching and exercising at the same time!

I totally recognise 'When I’m too busy, overwhelmed with work, friends, family, or just plain living, I need a binge watch.' I had surgery last year and when I got back home I binge-watched for a week. Yup, seven dramas in a row. I don't think I would have been capable of doing anything else. I didn't have the energy and concentration needed for reading even the most fluffy of books and I didn't want to see any people. I just rolled myself in my duvet and let k-drama saved me from death by boredom.

So thank you so much for this write-up. I loved your defense @hotcocoagirl !

In my early twneties, I loved binge watching dramas, mainly because I have little patience with waiting. Now I am in late twenties I still do love binge watching, but my body cannot withstand long hour of staring at the screen anymore. Plus with my work where I usually look at my screen and read a lot of articles, my eyes tire so easily so binge watching has add another strain to my eyes. Thats why when I want to binge watch I have to wait for weekend, when I can solely focus on dramas and not my work.

I agree with this post. Binge watch allows me to understand the characters motivations faster. More importantly, I dont have to wait for next episodes for that long and it is the best feeling ever when I know I can continue watching and I dont have to wait.

I love it how you described bingewatching as some sort of detox and recharge when life gets exhausting. Stories have always done this for me, as my faith in humanity can persist as long as there are people out there that can create something this beautiful, and there are people that enjoy watching it.

I have less time now I can no longer hide in a college dorm room by myself, but an occasional bingewatch still does wonders.

This is amazing @hotcocoagirl! I'm so envious about your binge-watching with your family. Nobody in my family watches anything, the TV stays off six days a week, until my father turns it on for an hour or so on Sunday afternoons. LOL my family thinks my K-drama obsession is evil.

Regardless, I used to binge-watch a lot in College, and occassionally do so on weekends now. ^^; Binge-watching in healthy doses is, I agree, such a nice balm for the aching soul. But one must not let the balace tip over to the crazy side.

💕💜💜💜💜💜💜💕
It's not that I don't have anything to say, I just don't need to. You said it all. No defense needed here.

Great write-up! ♥ This binge-watcher here agrees with everything you said! ^^

I've only ever watched a handful of dramas (semi) live - Reply88, Signal, OHY Again, Lucky Romance, and lately Wise Prison Life; semi 'cos I'd binge watch like half of it to catch up.

Otherwise, I looooove binge watching! Mostly because the emotions the drama makes me feel is continuous and I feel I appreciate it more that way. The butterflies from awesome romances, the creeps and excitement from the thrillers, even the frustrations from characters or the plot itself, gets played out with all the episodes and they don't get interrupted.

Also I binge-watch cos I love to read reviews about the dramas first to make sure they'll be worth the hours I invest in..hehe

And as you said, it's a great way to break away from the real world and just get lost in them - either to recharge or to just take a break from life ♥

loved ur post. actually I prepare binge watching to live. I like waiting for recommendations so I don't get disappointed and don't like waiting for d next week wit suspence.....but I make exceptions to dramas that am impatiently waiting for dere premiere like
this life is our first

I binge watch with my husband! Last one we did this with was Weightlifting Kim Bok Ju, and had Soju shots while doing it! SO. MUCH. FUN! It's hard to get us on the same schedule though, so we haven't been able to do any others since. It's been fun for our relationship though. Unfortunately, binging by yourself might alienate you from said relationship as well, so please be careful with this!

Thank you soo much for this @hotcocoagirl. I remember when I do binge watch with my sister....Your apt description fits ours except we sometimes snack on popcorn.....i miss those late night binges. I now watch alone too as my sis and I are now both in different countries studying....Once again Thanks.....

Binge-watching FTW! ^^
I binge-watch dramas when I want to get myself out of a drama slump, or when I need a good laugh or cry, and it’s my cure to drama widrawal symptoms. I once binge-watched 9 dramas and 4-5 movies in one month, after months of not watching anything. Crazy but it’s worth it. Lol

Binge watching is a guilty pleasure that requires such little effort! Is there anything more delinquent than staying in one's pjs, eating cereal out of the box, and skipping showers (that takes too much effort) for days on end all for the love of badk-to-back kdrama episodes? How else is a poor soul supposed to catch up with the years worth of kdramas? And watch currently airing kdramas? I did recognize on my own, mind you, that my binge watching (only at night, geez! - I still have to work and pick up cereal at the store and stuff like that) was serious. Controlled binging is how I'd describe my k-viewing these days. But an all-nighter of Moon Lovers, Dalja's Spring, of FBRS can still ignite that guilty pleasure desire in a k-spark!

binging is almost like reading a book in one sitting for me. Sometimes you just need to do it and get lost in a world that is not your own.

This is amazing and you are so right!!! My first 6 months of watching k-dramas were done by binge watching. I remember I did the binge watching with my mom a long time ago, It was with a Lee Min Ho drama (Personal Taste) and It was so much fun... ah the past!!

I don't do that anymore though, becuase I don't have the time or the strenghts, despite of that, It's something I miss to do and I hope I get to do it someday again.

I think binge watching is healthy for the soul. I mean, at least you don't spend a whole week going insane whilst waiting for the next episode and depending on what happened prior the waiting, you could be dying in pain, drowning in sadness or hyped on excitement or a combination of all of the above and more. I'm pretty sure my family think I have an ongoing emotional problem with the current weekly drama watching I've been doing. At least if I binge watch, the only thing that I suffer from is sleep deprivation.

Wow!! exactly what I feel. I can only watch ongoing shows during the school year. But during break and vacation, I honestly make the time to binge watch kdramas. I don't know, there's something rejuvenating about it. It's kind of like my vacation is not complete unless I've binged a show. Also, i feel like binge watching shows allow me to see a show in a new light. Because waiting every week allows me think over a show and all it's faults, whereas binge watching all at once makes me see the story as a whole. thank you for your piece :)

... Whether you do it with friends or family to strengthen your bonds, or by yourself to recharge, it is a healthy choice, and one to never be ashamed of.

yes. yES. YESSS 🙇🙇🙇 I agree with all the points you made, especially this last bit of advice <3 I remember binge-watching a whole season of Vampire Diaries with my younger brother in the past. We didn't get along well but I felt the shift in our relationship in those hours of watching Elena pull the noble idiocy act, the Salvatore brothers do crazy, stupid things for the sake of keeping the girl, and ohhh, Klaus and the rest of the vampire population raise havoc in town. Heeeh. Good 'ol American TV shows era.

Years later, we've moved to watching Kdramas along with my other family members (My mom is a sucker for anything rom-com and boy, did she go crazy watching #INAR) Even though my brother and I watch separately now, we still occasionally get together when we're watching the same show or testing out a pilot episode to check whether we'll invest time and feelings for the drama or not XD

Anyway, I'm getting a bit chatty now. Thank you for writing this awesome piece. I'm glad you came up with this defense. You rock, @hotcocoagirl 🤘

This speaks to my soul @hotcocoagirl. Your argument is legitimate and so damn true. Binge watching is a form of escapism for me from the pressures of adult life and allows me to immerse myself in a world that is not my own! Love this piece!

Your defense seems to have resonated with lots of beanies, myself included. I too binge watch when I need to escape from stress and recharge. Watching dramas has been particularly helpful, because needing subtitles, I must fully concentrate on the screen; therefore, my mind cannot wander back to the stressors I'm trying to avoid. I used to be able to do this with books, but at the moment reading is my work, and I struggle to do it for relaxation. Kdramas, have been a much needed replacement, and, as a bonus, have been a great deal of fun.

So, while I don't think the binge watch needed to be defended, I do think you did it beautifully.

i hate to disagree slightly with this beautifully written essay, but for me, i feel that when binging, i don’t get as emotionally invested into characters as compared to watching currently airing episodes twice a week? having to survive the cliffhanger for another 6 days really does keep the drama stuck on my mind, and theories & predictions naturally form. however, when binge watching, i don’t really question anything, i’m kinda in the meh mood, because everything just feels like a click away.

Awww, I am soooo touched! It makes me so, so proud of being a Beanie, K-drama fan!

I also love all of your choice of images! Awesome!
Thanks @hotcocoagirl! :)

I recall someone commenting 130 years ago about young women being too wrapped up in novel reading. Wasting all that time cooped-up in their room while they could be out doing undefined other things of a more salubrious nature (140 years ago people used words like 'salubrious').

Late to the party, but I wanted to say how much I enjoyed your defense @hotcocoagirl. All of my favourite dramas were indeed marathoned. The only drama on my top 10 list that I have not binge-watched is a slice of life/comedy (Chief Kim). I also really looked forward every week to sitting down with my dinner to watch Drinking Solo (similar genre). But overall, I'm a hard core binge watcher.

Usually I become too critical of a show when live-watching because I see its flaws, and I end up forcing myself or dropping the final episodes ('analytical watching'). In contrast, binge-watching makes me much more forgiving on a show and on myself ('just one more episode and I'll sleep..."). So, it's much more about the feelings created and lasting impression ('visceral watching').

I'm not sure it's ultimately really healthy for me, but thank you so much for making me feel better about my binge watching habits @hotcocoagirl!

I started as a binge watcher, when recuperating from a potentially life-threatening infection. Five + years, and 3 more surgeries later, I still appreciate the ability to engage in all the feels, and still rest easy when I sleep after a kdrama binge, an experience I don't get with American tv.

I don't remember which drama I first live-watched, but Dramabeans played a large role in that. In a way, watching with other beanies makes a solitary experience into a social one, and we are all the richer for it. I imagine us figuratively cuddling on the worlds largest couch, sharing our snacks.

Ooh I didn't see this post last week which is odd because I thought I scroll through the whole page. Ah well.

I remember back in college, I always used to binge watch My Name is Kim Sam Soon right around Christmas time (because the very first scene is the main lead catching her bf cheating on Christmas eve) and back in college I'd get a whole month for winter break so it was perfect because I could lose all the sleep but still have plenty of time to rest.

Now I feel like binge watching a drama. It has been a long time since I have done that. I used to binge all the time, but now I feel like I have less time (no four months of summer break like I had when I was in college). But I do love how when I binge watch, I kind of live in that drama world. Like you've said, it can be very restful taking a break from real life's issues.
Maybe I'll convince my sister to binge watch a drama with me this weekend for old times sake :)

i am very late to comment..
i am one of the worst person to binge watch a drama cause i lack the most important thing i.e. Patience. The moment i select a drama to binge watch i had to control my heat a lot to not to fast forward the scenes (as mostly i FF 50% of
the drama irrespective of its total length).
and that frustrates me too... i want to enjoy it but my heart just wants to know more and more in less time... and i am trying to best to overcome this bad habit.

Shark was the only drama where i did minimal FF just 10% (or may be less).
Reply 1988 everything related to Taek was FF so here too just 20% i guess.
AOY 1 n AOY 2... very less too.

so see i am learning to Binge Watch in correct way....

and yes thanks for the lovely article. you have interesting writing style to keep people hooked till the end.