Dramabeans is an
English-language
English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...
website
A website (also written as a web site) is any web page whose content is identified by a common domain name and is published on at least one web server. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, educatio ...
that features in-depth reviews and analyses of
Korean drama
Korean drama (), also known as K-drama or Koreanovela, refers to Korean language, Korean-language television shows made in South Korea. These shows began to be produced around the early 1960s, but were mostly consumed domestically until the rise ...
s, and also serves as a fan forum for those programs featured. It was founded in 2007 by the blogger Javabeans.
History
Dramabeans began as a blog by
Korean American
Korean Americans () are Americans of full or partial Korean ethnic descent. While the broader term Overseas Korean in America () may refer to all ethnic Koreans residing in the United States, the specific designation of Korean American impli ...
"Sarah",
better known by her online
pen name
A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
of "javabeans" in 2007 as a site to recap and debate Korean dramas. As the popularity of the blog increased, she registered the domain name. In 2010, Dramabeans reader "Jen", better known as "girlfriday", became a second regular reviewer-contributor to the site,
and the two were able to make the site their full-time job. Jen and Sarah have both left their roles at Dramabeans as the costs of running the site outgrew the online advertising revenue. The site is now funded and run by a Korean-American
James Sun who has solely supported the financial maintenance and growth of the site since 2015.
Methodology and impact
The core of the site is an archive of recaps of each episode of selected dramas, with comments serving as a forum on the episode reviewed. Most new miniseries from the big three (
KBS,
MBC and
SBS) will receive a recap of the first episode,
with those which the recappers find most interested in having every episode in its 16 to 24-episode run being reviewed, longer dramas are not covered. Both javabeans and girlfriday are professional writers and deconstruct each episode as both writers and as ethnic Koreans with an understanding of the Korean entertainment industry, Korean story telling
tropes
Trope or tropes may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Trope (cinema), a cinematic convention for conveying a concept
* Trope (literature), a figure of speech or common literary device
* Trope (music), any of a variety of different things in m ...
, and mores and customs. The popularity of Dramabeans has paralleled the growing popularity of Korean dramas as part of the
Korean Wave
The Korean Wave, or ''hallyu'' (; ), is a cultural phenomenon in which the global popularity of South Korean popular culture has dramatically risen since the 1990s. Worldwide interest in Korean culture has been led primarily by the spread of K-p ...
in the West, serving as a primer to Korean mores, culture and attitudes to Western audiences.
The site also features articles regarding casting and preproduction of upcoming dramas, and behind-the-scenes news of airing dramas.
Awards and nominations
Publications
References
{{Reflist
External links
Original javabeans blog
*
Entertainment Internet forums
Internet properties established in 2007