I was thinking about stopping my Netflix subscription again. Try as I might, I couldn’t find anything new that I wanted to watch. Why do I even have this account? I browsed different categories, and it was more of the same. I clicked the thumbs-up icon to “like” certain shows to try helping the algorithm, but still nothing new. It actually recommended Twilight to me. Okay, so I’m good with fantasy and shape-shifters and such… maybe I can help refine the results a bit?
So I searched for “vampire” to see if I could find some vampire shows that I did like and let Netflix clue in a bit better.
What I got was something unexpected. It was mostly Korean and Chinese Drama shows, None with vampires, mind you. Among them, however, was something called Love Between Fairy and Devil.
My first reaction: Netflix, your algorithm is drunk. Go home.
But curiosity got the better of me, and I opened up the first episode. The intro was beautiful, so I kept viewing. Then the first scenes played, and I found myself asking, “What am I watching here?” It seemed like a combination of a comic book, a stage play with elaborate costuming and background scenery, and some CGI. Not just the visuals, but the acting too. I allowed myself to let go, be curious, and just take it in.
It was cute, silly, cheesy… and I cringed a bit at first. However, it was also beautiful and interesting, and I found that I couldn’t look away. I kept watching. It required that I let go of preconceived ideas, not expect familiar visuals or tropes, and watch the characters’ reactions to things that were said or done (because I couldn’t rely on my own interpretations of how meaningful a certain action was). By the end of the show, I felt I understood those expectations a bit more. That’s right: I watched the whole thing, all the way to the end. I have all the songs stuck in my head now, none of which I understand the lyrics for, but I found that I enjoyed them too.
Netflix noticed that I watched all of the episodes. Now my account shows me almost only shows I need the captions on to understand. There’s a whole other world out there, and apparently I have found entry to another small part of it. Perhaps, once I explore the current recommendations, I can see where else a key word search can lead me.