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Hi everyone :)
This is the first part of my “Why you should try: ...” article series. ^-^
Today’s topic is THAI DRAMAS.
We want to bring more variety to y’all, and I’ll be introducing dramas from all MDL countries! So maybe if you haven’t checked out one yet and are hesitating, or maybe are out of other dramas to watch, you could give these a try and broaden your horizons by discovering new dramas. :) Or perhaps you already watch dramas from this country and are just reading for fun.^^
► But convincing you to try dramas from a different country than usual of course is not an easy task. So that’s why I brought my reinforcement:
Mel: Hi, everyone reading Tine-chan’s article! I am Mel. I started watching dramas since I was twelve years old. Started with the iconic Taiwanese dramas, got on the Kdrama wave, always had been watching Chinese dramas (mother tongue) and then started watching Thai dramas since 2016.
Brownie: I’m Brownie aka MDL’s pickiest drama watcher, lol. I watch Thai dramas the majority of the time. I have been watching Thai dramas for 3 years now.
Shalmali: Hey there, I’m Shalmali. :) I was introduced to this Dramaworld by Thai dramas coz they are the ones I’ve watched first. So the country from which I’ve watched most dramas is of course: Thailand!
Me: ^^ Hi, I’m Tine-chan, and I am hosting today’s article.^^ I actually watch mostly every country’s dramas, but lately, I’m more into Thai and Chinese dramas. :) So... let’s start:
Mel: Every country’s drama has its unique points. Their strengths would be their main couples chemistry, natural skin-ship between the leads, the down-to-earth vibe and the interesting plot. Some really good lakorns (not-all) have their main couple’s love relationship written very well, it has depth and character growth. And good-looking actors and actresses.
Brownie: I love the language, culture and how they dress in some dramas, like their historical ones or how they are always sarcastic even in serious situations. Unpopular opinion but: I also love those noises that play in the background every 5-10 seconds or so, lol. I think Thai specialise in Slap/Kiss, which I personally do not like or watch, but I love their revenge plots. I haven’t watched a whole lot of them, but I liked most of the ones that I have. I also like their cohabitation and love/hate plots.
Shalmali: The evolution of the content of Thai dramas is gradually becoming better, and that is what surprises me every time. I personally feel Thai dramas are short if compared to other countries. Some Mind-blowing plots, great acting and soothing OSTs. What else do we want?
Me: They are a lot more forward with BL dramas, which I love. They may not be the most realistic... but then I’m not watching dramas for their realism. ;) Thailand is also good at doing emotional revenge dramas, which I also love to watch from time to time. :)
Mel: I think people hesitate because it’s unusual/not the norm/niche. Thailand is a beautiful country with a beautiful culture, and Thai dramas are not as bad as you think, give it a try! ► Start with those highly recommended rom-com genre Thai dramas, I would recommend Full House (Thai remake), and I Wanna Be a Superstar.
Brownie: I think people don’t like the style of Thai dramas. Most of them only watch for the BLs, but I personally prefer lakorns. ► I never got any advice about Thai dramas when I was a newbie, so when people ask for recommendations, I always recommend either series first or the less dramatic lakorns because they may not like to be thrown at the deep end like I was, lol - my own doing of course! Coming from Korean to Thai, I didn’t really know what to expect, but I didn’t think it was gonna be as bad as it was. If you like the darker themes, then you can always jump straight in.
Shalmali: People nowadays turn to Thai dramas only for BLs. But they need to know that Thai dramas are not limited to only BLs, and we can get a lot of good stuff apart from them. Lakorns, short series, variety shows are all a part of Thai drama culture. People need to look out for them too. Life is too short to start a new drama. ► Being able to try it, for the first time, is actually a step taken towards a good beginning. Thai dramas are indeed enjoyable and mostly needed when we want something related to our mood.
Me: I hesitated at first because of the language. The Thai language sounds quite different, also the way of speaking/pronouncing may look like bad acting at first. But that’s definitely not the case. Also, I think some people might have the wrong impression because there were a lot of Thai dramas, including abuse. But there are a lot of normal/good ones too… ► I just pulled through it, and before I knew it, I got used to it and now I even love the language. You just need to find the right drama for you or get some recommendations. ^^
Like these ones, for example:
 | My Husband in Law My current favourite. It is the package, it has everything you need in drama, friendship, family, romance, intense and emotional aspects all merged in one drama, they did exceptionally well in portraying the main couple’s love story, along with character development, you could really see how and when the male lead fell for the female lead. |
Not my utmost favourite lakorn tbh, but I feel like this drama needs more recognition. Plus, it is beginner-friendly. This is a time-travelling drama where a modern-day policewoman and a general’s daughter switch places in time. Some scenes are hilarious when they try to fit-in to each of the time eras, and credits to the main actress for doing a wonderful job portraying 2 different characters. — Mel |  |
 | It’s about a girl who was living in the jungle, but when her father died, he asked the male lead to take his daughter to the city and look after her. I liked this because the female was written really well, great character development, had survival skills and rescued the guy (many times) whilst they were in the jungle. |
Which is about a couple that was forced to marry to fulfil the male lead’s fathers will. I really liked this one because both leads were strong, funny and cute. This is also one of the few where the mother in law was more on the female lead’s side than her own son and the icing on the cake - she was really nice. When you watch as many lakorns as I have, you’ll know how to appreciate such mothers, lol. — Brownie |  |
 | Happy Birthday Consisted of a young girl who died at an early age and been visible even after death to her teen brother who was born on the same day she died. A drama with a heavy subject was so well executed. Fantastic acting by every character. The OST supported by it was the healer to my ears. |
One of my favourite Lakorns. Revenge turned love story between a popular celebrity and a young lawyer. Enemies turned lovers might be a cliché, but this drama was an exception! The leads had amazing chemistry, and the acting was awesome. — Shalmali |  |
 | I also love My husband in law, and then one of my favourites is: Hua Jai Sila It’s a typical revenge drama except that the ML isn’t directing the revenge at the FL this time xD It’s very emotional I think, and the leads have amazing chemistry! :3 — Tine |
Mel: ... binge-watching/marathon watching.
Brownie: ... when you want to take a break from all the fluff. They’re not especially known for their “cute and fluffy “like say Chinese so if you want a bit of OTT plots and lots of shouting, lol, then this is where you look for them. Not all of them are OTT and shouty.
Shalmali: ... short and cute love stories. ^e^
Me: ... a cute and/or hot BL ^^ or for some frustrating but emotional revenge plots. ^^ This might sound bad, but I mean it in a good way. ^^ Sometimes, I just feel like letting all my feelings out in Thai dramas. ;)
Last words:
Mel: Note: ALWAYS ensure that the Thai drama you are going to watch is all out/subbed before starting as some dramas do not have stable subbers and you might encounter subtitles to stop halfway through the drama.
Brownie: Final words would be that you shouldn’t be afraid to watch a lakorn, you don’t know if you are gonna like it or not if you don’t try it, because after all, we all started watching dramas from somewhere. It may take a while to click, but eventually, you’ll get there. :D
Shalmali: This article was definitely needed, for me at least, to prove my love for Thai dramas. Having started my drama journey with them, they indeed have a special place in my heart. Thai dramas need to get some love and appreciation. If you try once, you’ll try next and continue... Thanks! :)
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Me: I hope you had fun reading our answers and are maybe now motivated to start a Thai drama if you haven’t yet! Stop hesitating and try! My next articles topic will be on Japanese dramas, so stay tuned. XD
Big thanks to these lovely people, who participated:
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I don’t own the pictures: the drama covers were taken from the MDL sites. The other pictures are screenshots from the original dramas on YouTube (LineTV, MyEngineerOfficial) and Google. - credits to the rightful owners. The pictures might be resized for better fitting. The headers are made by myself.
