First Aid Kit: Dramas To Watch When You're Sick

I don’t know about my fellow MDL users, but I’m the type of person who always goes for a certain type of dramas and movies whenever I get sick, (especially with seasonal flu) and have to cuddle myself in my bedsheets, calling it a sick day.

On one of these occasions, I was lacking enough ability - and patience - to search for new titles, so I asked for recommendations from my MDL feeds and got pretty good feedback. So much so that Steph suggested me to create this article and, by now, I’ve watched enough to talk about the recommendations I got.

These are organized from least to most recommended but don’t be fooled, it doesn’t mean that I completely disliked the first couple of them.

title: Seventeen | type: web-drama | # eps: 8 | my rating:  8.0/10

Main concept:
A group of friends meet for a nostalgic night where they remember their high school days, and that includes all the love and friendship stories, typical of such a bittersweet era that can only be explained after it's gone. All the while, one of them tries to get back what was lost.

What does it have in store for you?
The story is as simple as you can imagine for a short-run web-drama that has 5 minutes per episode but doesn't mean the show lacks stability or quality.  Actually, it's quite incredible what this supposed-to-be fast-paced web-show, does in so little time, showing good stories with enough emotions and consistency.

Well, we all know South Korea is a master on the art of rom-com, right? And they do have experiences in short series alright, but it's not easy to show a solid story with a start, middle and end in less than five minutes. It also features a mainstream soundtrack that is not awful or painful to hear, the acting is not all that bad either. But, be warned! There's nothing new or untold in the stories, but not everything is completely predictable.

Why should you have in an emergency kit?
That has a very simple answer really. If you're sick and looking for something easy to watch, with no big commitment, and with little to no emotional involvement with the characters, then I highly recommend this to you.

It's cheesy for anyone who's into dramas - even for a short while -but it's still entertaining and fun to watch, and if you're into an easy-to-impress mood, you can laugh at it, because even if the jokes aren't anything exceptionally new, they might just work.

title: Splash Splash Love | type: short drama | # eps: 2 | my rating:  6.0/10

Main concept:
Here we're talking about a time-travel, teenage crisis, love story. 

What does it have in store?
Nothing, except an over-the-top, impossible and sometimes quite ridiculous story. In fact, it's far less original than the one I just wrote about above.

Why should you have it in an emergency kit?
With all I just said above, you must be wondering why would I recommend this as a secondary choice right after Seventeen that has a far more real, solid, and believable story to go with. Are the rest of the recs worse than this? By all means...

Stick around, my fellow MDL-er, because there are far better ones to come right after.
Then, why the heck did I second the list with this one?

Honestly, it's all because of its simple, over-the-top cringe-worthiness, actually. Since we're talking about shows that are easy to watch, with little to no commitment we might just expect this. The main reason why I didn't choose this one to go in the first position is because each episode has 1 hour and 20 minutes of run-time. Which is nothing if you can sit around and watch mindlessly, but if you're not in the mood nor have the patience to watch it all in one go at that moment for being sick or... whatever, it's a downside.

But, don't let this little fact take your thoughts from this one because it's not like the story really needs you to pay close attention to it.  Mostly, because, bottom line, it's not good or that much interesting and if you think Seventeen might have a predictable story for your taste... Then, be ready for Captain Obvious.

Also, the more I like Highlight, I gotta say Doo Joon isn't the best actor I've seen. Not only his acting but others' acting too are very cringe-worthy.

All in all, I had my fun watching this, and I bet you would too if you're looking into something similar.

title: Paradise Kiss | type: theatrical film |  my rating:  7.0/10

Main concept:
This is a make-over chick flick. Basically.

What does it have in store?
A cheesy manga to anime to movie story. Is it faithful to the source material or, at least, the secondary material? I have no idea. I didn't read the manga, and I dropped the anime on the first episode, in fact, I couldn't even finish the first episode despite trying over three times.

I know, it's a pity. The animation is pretty appealing - hence the reason why I tried so often - and the story seems somewhat interesting. Also, it has great reviews all over.

But I know some of you couldn't care less about animation, so I'll move on...

Why should you have it in an emergency kit?
Well, are you into chick-flick at all? Then, this is your thing. Especially if you're looking for something familiar and easy to watch. The downside is the length. For being a movie, and depending on how much you actually want to see the story unfold, you might feel tempted to keep your attention to the screen. The story can be somewhat engrossing for some people, so it's far more engrossing than the other two.

As for the rest? Nothing new to the market nor that much good either, in fact, this live-action is filled with recycled lines and god-awful fashion sense. Yeah, I get it how the anime fashion was, but for all that is worth... This is a freaking live-action film!

title: The Happy Loner (aka Individualist Ms. Ji Young) | type: special | #eps: 2 |  my rating:  7.0/10

Main concept:
A woman who prefers being alone, and a man that always needs company.

What does it have in store?
It's a take on the personal point-of-view of each character and although the story focuses mainly on her story more than his, it's not like he becomes a perfect stranger or anything. Again, it's a cheesy chick flick, but this one is well-played, actually. The acting actually pays off more than the ones I've cited so far - but it's not award-worthy or incredible in any way, it's just-- good for what it supposed to be.

I've read something about the first episode being too slow for most people's liking. But I actually appreciated the fact that the story doesn't rush Ji Young, the loner, into rapidly accepting the guy in her life, showing her motives and her hesitancy that lines pretty well with her traumas and personality.

I'm not saying that his character deserves less attention, but we all saw the happy-go-lucky character before, the clingy type, and the needy type and that's him. We get to know him better as the story progresses, but an open and loud character like him will always be easier to figure than someone who is so closed like Ji Young is.

Why should you have it in an emergency kit?
It's true that this special requires more attention and engagement from the audience because it has some serious sad moments, and since we're dealing with a loner who is trying to open up, guess what comes into play? If you think I'd say heartbreak then you're absolutely right.

This one is not so easy-going to watch and it might just need your patience because the pacing is, in fact, slower than the others. You might need some tissues, but it's satisfying for a day in bed.

title: Kyou wa Kaisha Yasumimasu | type: tv drama | #eps: 10 |  my rating:  8.0/10

Main concept:
How's life for a woman who never knew romance when she finally finds it? And how does that change her going-by-the-book lifestyle?

What does it have in store?
It's a concept that has been used a lot: a woman who has no experience in love suddenly finds one and so on, but this is one of those cases where it's not about the story itself, but how it's told. It becomes clear for some experienced viewers that this drama is based on a manga just by looking at the first episode, but the director really made it work, saving the over-the-top approach that is so common in these types of dramas to a minimum, which helps anyone enjoy the story regardless of the fact that they read the manga or not and - I dare to say - whether they like manga adaptations or not.

Why should you have it in an emergency kit?
Although this one is much longer than the previous ones, with ten episodes - each one with about an hour or so - yet is the perfect gate-away for anyone who just wants to enjoy some good story, good acting. This is a j-drama that is enjoyable and can be watched mindlessly without being dull.

Well, these are some of my recommended First Aid Kit dramas, and I'm sure at least one of them will make you feel better just by watching. Once again, I'm very thankful to Steph for suggesting me to write this article and I'm very sorry for taking so long to do so.

There are other dramas that were recommended to me that I'd like to recommend as well, but maybe I'll leave that for a part 2 (?). Thank you very much to everyone who recommended me those dramas and to those who took interest in this article.

Let me know what you think about the article, and if you have a First Aid Kit drama as well.