The term “slow burn” always grabs my attention when I’m shopping for a new drama; I think I like this descriptor so much in dramaland because K-dramas are so totally obsessed with tracking the journey of the OTP. As obsessed as I am! Because yes, I truly need 16 hours to enjoy watching this relationship go through its permutations.
In fact, I feel rather spoiled with all the narrative space that K-dramas provide their lovelines. They give so much primary space to their characters, and how they interact with each other, that if you’re watching a reasonably well-written show, by the end you will know what these characters need as much as they know it themselves. It’s also why watching movies has become practically unbearable for me: they’re too short on narrative space.
But what else is it — outside of the time taken and space given to let a romance unfold — that makes the slow burn romance so enjoyable to watch? I would argue another important part is that in encourages us to travel with the characters. While we watch a couple navigate their relationship, closeness, attraction, and obstacles, we go on that slow burn journey with them. We feel the feels with them. And for me, that’s so much more fun than watching a love line that bursts through the doors with its suddenness. The journey makes the story, and I want the journey, even if it means 16 agonizing hours of it.
What do you love (or not love?) about a slow burn romance, and what are some of your favorite dramaland examples?