Mayad pa ang RomCom, masarigan..
- Graziella Sigaya
- Nov 28, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 21, 2021
RomCom is basically a "comfort food" para ka naton nga mahuyugon mag-consume ka dya nga ralantawon ukon barasahon. We just love this ever-charming, always idealistic genre that guarantees a happy ending. Masami nga ginapamangkot kun ano gid bala ang manami sa romcoms hay sulit-sulit lang man ang dalagan ka estorya kag man-an mo run nga sanda man angud madayunay sa urihi... Exactly! Amo gid dan ang manami sa romcom hay makasarig ikaw sa "happy ending". Bisan ano pa ka raku ka paraagyan nga "obstacle course", you can be assured nga malagpasan man angud tanan... And that reliability is something we need to make sense of our crazy world.
Mayad pa gani ang romcom, masarigan...
So what makes romcoms reliable? The RomCom Formula, of course! This formula is so effective nga waay pa gid kita matak-an asta tulad... bisan kis-a cliched to death ang iban nga tropes. Basta romcom gani, expected dun nga ang OTP would start at odds with each other, may contrived meeting, major conflict/s, zany side characters & reflective friends, the "grand" romantic gesture, kag syempre ang happy ending.
More or less amo dya ang narrative structure kang mga romcom according to Billy Mernitt in his book, The Anatomy of a Romantic Comedy:
Meet: The protagonist encounters the love interest.
Lose: A separation occurs between the protagonist and love interest.
Get: The protagonist and love interest reunite in true romantic fashion!
Pay kun nagakumod ikaw sa mga romcoms nga nalantawan mo (because they make you feel oh-so-single) kag nauyunan mo magsulat ka mga "love stories" or gusto mo lang himay-himayon ang narrative structure hay mauti gid man timo nga laon... I'm sharing Lynsay McCaulley's story beats. In her article Anatomy of a Romantic Comedy: Seven Essential Story Beats she breaks down the classic three-act structure of Mernitt (Meet, Lose, Get) into seven essential beats.
THE CHEMICAL EQUATION — SETUP
As all great romantic comedies begin, the protagonists are missing something important in their lives, amo dya ang anda unfulfilled desire ukon handom kag dumot. Waay to karon ti estorya nga matabo kun waay may ginahingabot ang aton bida. After all, longing is in the heart of every story.
Beat #1 is Character Goal Setup. This is where readers/viewers get to know our OTP as people and get to know their individual goals, (shirtless/shower scene for the ML optional, but yes please). They may have different personal viewpoints, an unequal social status or a cultural conflict. They could be individuals who would not ordinarily meet, much less stay together... but they could be people who could potentially be attracted to each other.
MEET CUTE— CATALYST
The meet-cute is an iconic scene for romantic comedies. Our OTP meet and sparks fly. Their clashing personalities contribute to the comedic aspect of the genre as their "meeting" would also involve hilarious scenarios of mistaken identities, strange accidents or a social faux pas that leads to (sometimes mutual) dislike or embarrassment. Basta ang anda meet-cute will establish a conflict between them. However, ang clashing personalities kang aton OTP foreshadows the character development that they have to undergo hay kamaan kita nga they will eventually become love interests.
A SEXY COMPLICATION — TURNING POINT
As the two characters spend more time with each other, one or both of them begin to see one another through a different lens, amping up the romantic tension. Cue in the tropes of contract/arranged marriage, cohabitation, trapped in an island (kun sa mga lakorn), anything basta makaimaw lang gid permi ang OTP.
This beat is a breeding ground for increased conflict. Circumstances being what they are (e.g. conflicting goals, significant others, meddling secondary characters — whatever the case may be), our couple's relationship isn’t all that smooth. You can say that their original lives eventually catch up to them, causing a stir in their budding relationship.
THE HOOK — MIDPOINT
The OTP are still committed to their goals, which conflicts with their burgeoning emotions for one another. One or both are also experiencing a healthy dose of guilt because what they believe they want doesn’t align with how they feel about the person they could hurt in the process.
Para may sabad-sabad pa gid, secondary characters, though they may not always be aware of their part, may serve to remind the couple of the stakes at hand. Pay urugtasan kun ang ex or existing significant other intentionally try to thwart the burgeoning romance as well. Cue love triangle trope, or crazy exes, meddling parent kag iban pa nga ramu-ramo.
SWIVEL — SECOND TURNING POINT
Conflict mounts as the relationship between the OTP develops, despite any misgivings the love interest or protagonist have. Each is working toward their respective goal, but the romantic tension between them is almost unbearable. Amo dya ang hambal nga "mapunggan ang suba, indi ang (biga!) gugma." This beat is typically where physical romance comes into play (a kiss, a sleepover, whatever romantic element the story allows). Cue skinship, wink wink. It’s a milestone for our characters and for readers/viewers (FINALLY, THEY KISSED), and the OTP’s mutual feelings seem to take root, until…
THE DARK MOMENT — CRISIS CLIMAX
The OTP confront one another over a serious point of conflict and break up. Such hardships drive the characters to make a choice, whether or not they want to continue being in a relationship. Cue tears and hurtful words...(kag uran kun sa mga Cdrama) Raku ang pwede mangin source of break-up; vindictive exes causing trouble, miscommunication, lies or lies of omission, tragedy, doubt that leads one or both characters to retreat from the relationship… or basi indi "tawo" ang isa kananda kag kinanlan na magbalik sa kung diin tana naghalin. This moment also allows our characters to view themselves apart from the relationship and the breakup. Where are they in their lives? Are they on the path they wish they were on, or do they want to be somewhere else? What can they do to seek out this new, readjusted goal?
JOYFUL DEFEAT — RESOLUTION
The consequences faced bring our characters to experience an epiphany, usually resulting in the two of them professing their love for one another. Namuragmuragan sanda and come to realize how idiotic they’ve been (with the miscommunication, the lying, with not realizing their vindictive S.O. was behind it all — whatever the case may be), and one or both apologize. Cue happiness, fireworks, perhaps another kiss (na may fireworks sa background kun sa mga dorama). Optional ang kasal kag kabataan... but of course, we appreciate a nice epilogue.
Sa romcoms makasarig kita sa happy ending because they almost always end in finding love. Pay bukon amo lang man dya ang aton, the real “meat” of the genre is the journey of the couple, ang OTP that we root for, ang anda ups and downs at work, their private doubts, and struggles, their nutty escapades with friends. Often, the biggest obstacles the romcom main character needs to overcome are internal.
A common critique is that romcoms are unrealistic, hooking us on the potentially damaging myth of a perfect soulmate.. a love destiny. But in spite of this, romcoms can also be extremely relatable, tapping into the longings and hang-ups we all experience. And who doesn't want a sprinkle of romance in their lives, bisan imaginary lang?
Te ano ang imo favorite romcom story beat? Ano nga romcom ang imo nasulit-sulit?
References:
Pics grabbed from the web (pinterest, tenor, giphy)
Huod, sagud gid kita ka mga romcom growing-up. Duro nabasahan ko nga analysis sa mga romcom movies ka Hollywood te nag focus dlang ko sa dramaverse ka Asia. Lain tuod ang epekto ka bitsin hahaha
May duha ka dorama ko nga ginsal-ot ah. Mas hapos bi makakita ka gifs from kdrama sangsa iban nga asianobela. Kag daw sikat gid man mga romcoms ka Korean.
Lain gd ang flavor ka asian romcoms, sa bitsin ra siguro!
Dw I grew up watching romcoms ni meg ryan-tom hanks. Fave ko mn Reality Bites kag Clueless. Di ko rn ma lista tna ang asiandramaverse hihi
Baw sa kdramverse c dakswerd?😅