@unit Thank you this is great, and it had a few tips I had not considered like the speed as it avoids missing important things which is a con of FF. You must be a pro at speed reading as I sometimes have to rewind and pause some lines at normal speed as they cover so much.

The plot summary can sometimes take some serious researching to get a sense of all the genres included as multiple sites seem to cut and paste from the same source. I am getting better at reading the posters and knowing that they will often drop the mystery element in quite early so if it’s not in the summary and turns up in episode one walk away.

Can't relate more to the speed point.😂😂
That was an interesting post with many interesting points that I will try to merge into my routine.

@unit This will be a good checklist for newbies. As a long time Kdrama watcher, my only wish is to master point 7, but so far 2023 Kdramaland has been dull enough for me to not get much practise on the skill. All have been quick drops!

I can't agree more with your 8!
Watching dramas should be and stay fun. And discussing on Dramabeans adds to the enjoyment.

Points #7 & #8 I can really relate to-I don’t know how many times I tried to watch Alchemy of Souls. I just couldn’t stick it out and finally dropped it without looking back.
I feel the same way about rom-coms. Goofy characters, the meet cute plot lines and the occasional mismatch (in my view) of stars paired together that I feel have zero chemistry, will usually quickly drive me away. I really struggles with Jeon Do-Yeon in Crash Course in Romance, but she was outstanding and perfectly cast in Kill Boksoon.

@unit thank you for your tips on thriving and surviving. They were quite relatable.

champagne to celebrate the kiss scene at Episode 8. This can never be wrong. There's a reason why I must watch dramas while having meals. They both work hand in hand for a delicious taste, and great feeling to your brain.

I found wanting to join in the conversation every week leading into drama burnout. Once I contented myself with commenting on the ones I've watched prior to recaps or have seen parts of the week's episodes, I got better. Plus, not catching up affords you to binge through them in one go ahead of the finale week. This tip worked for me a few weeks ago. The cons are deadly though. So made it mental note to follow the weecaps peradventure I do not go back to them. I'm still staring at Through the Darkness in the face.

Point 1 is a must for survival for every beanie. I can't count how many dramas I dragged myself to finish simply because of the cast. And the many I've saved myself the stress from watching thanks to the cast.

Watching a drama when you're hungry is the worst! They always eat and food I can't eat myself >_<

I don't really understand how we could enjoy something with speeding. The voices are different, the OST are awful... For me, it doesn't make sense. I can skip little bits or some characters. If I don't like it, I just drop the drama.

Dramabeans is the best to talk about dramas !

I am happy to read that others watch KDrama on FF. For me my method is everyone starts at 1.5x and then some stay there, but if they are good they move to 1.25x and if they are excellent down to 1X. And if they are bad heavy skipping forward or even to the very end or drop completely.

And you are so right that once you do this it is hard to go to 1x for all. Reason I can't watch the Kdramas on Prime is no FF feature. Too bad.

2X is hard for me, so hats off to you.

I can never speed watch. It is just weird, everything feels weird. Anything more than 1.25 feels very artificial. I usually FF is I want to skip some parts, but I never speed watch. Occasionally, I do watch some c-dramas in 1.25x if its a part I dont care much for but I need it for the plot.

Drop = Yup!! I drop ruthlessly. Even at ep 13.

DB = I probably won't enjoy dramas as much if not for this community and discussion. It doubles the fun. Be is spazzing together or ranting together.

I always watch dramas during lunch and after work while having dinner! looks like it was a sound strategy, though not intended..

There are solid suggestions here. Thank you for sharing your ideas.

I can't believe I never thought of double speeding rather than FF-ing! And I exclusively used to watch Uni lectures on 2x speed too (which had more to do with being several weeks behind on content and having x days before an exam to learn said content 🤡) so it's a feature I'm well accustomed with, but just never ever thought to apply to dramas :O Thanks for sharing all your wonderful types and enlightening me with the speed one in particular!! I'm going to try it out with the next drama that drags a little/has one too many episodes.

I rarely FF but sure wish I’d thought of it for King the Land 1 😝

The mere thought of listening to Woo Do-hwan at anything else than his normal 1x cadence gives me the screaming heebie-jeebies!! NO WAY!!!

I do, however, feel free to hit that “10 second skip” button with reckless abandon, and in the case of Bloodhounds, even, manually and quickly scrub past any/all scenes I don’t want to see or that are boring (or that don’t contain Woo Do-hwan).

Lessee if I have any additional tips…ah, yes! While you may wish to eat along with your favorite characters—and I have certainly done that joyously—PLEASE do not try to match them drink for drink.

You’re welcome.

Probably No. 7 ‘Dropping’ or as I say to myself ‘pulling the ripcord’ is the most important. In 2023 my drops have been:
STRANGERS AGAIN (after eps 7)
OUR BLOOMING YOUTH (after eps 14)
TRUE TO LOVE (after eps 2).

I have really erratic habits with drama watching.
1) Sometimes I watch the first few episodes and then the last one, then skip back and fill in what I've missed.
2) I have many dramas that I have watched the first two or three episodes of, but haven't officially dropped as I plan to go back and finish them at some point (eg Move to Heaven, It's OK to not be..., Prison Playbook, Our Beloved Summer, Mr Queen...)
3) I don't watch zombies/horror.
4) There are a few dramas that I have rewatched too many times, trying to recreate the emotional hit.
5) The best dramas are actually better the second or third time round, for all the nuances/info/plot you miss the first time, because you looked away/fell asleep momentarily and missed crucial subtitles. And also because a character that you didn't know or like initially can become beloved by the end, and it's great to start again and dwell on everything they did and said.

One thing @unit mentions to help with bingewatching dramas, has helped me WITHOUT watching, and that is joining the conversation. To me that means reading the always excellent recaps on DB and then reading the comments. Since I have watched enough kdramas I can picture many of the actors, and since there are very few kdramas that are just strikingly original in plot, scene setting, and cinematography, I find I can enjoy some dramas much more by reading them than by actually watching them!

Especially medical dramas, which as a non-medical person in an extended family of nurses and doctors I've always disliked watching. But reading @dramaddictally recap of Dr. Cha, and @alathe's hilarious recaps of Romantic Dr. Kim #3 I really enjoyed "watching" them even though I know actually viewing would have irritated me so much I'd have to shut them off.

I don't know if I'll be able to even do that for Romantic Dr. Kim season 23, though--even if @alathe is recapping!

Speed watching is the greatest advantage of iqiyi. Netflix has the same feature but I feel voices are off somehow. On Iqiyi everything is just the same, only quicker. It's amazing how much better some OSTs are as well, as a bonus. ^^

Watching on double speed is an idea I have never tried, because I don't really want to watch drama's faster, but reading this article make me think about a Wuxia (Cdrama) I've been very slowly watching for what MyDramaList says has been the last two years (that doesn't seem correct to me, but it might be true), and I kind of wish I Could watch it on double speed.

Before anyone asks, the reason I've kept watching is because everything about the drama is solid, Except the pacing is the speed of a snail. Like the scenes are actually elongated by the actor's line delivery and these incredibly long shots. It's all very beautiful, but it's also incredibly frustrating.

Unfortunately, I don't think you can watch episodes on Viki in double speed. I'm halfway through the drama right now, so that means it will probably take me another two years to finish it, lol.