kdrama critique links

[kaigou]

50 Things You Learn from K-Dramas - reposted by tashiichaan from a d-addicts thread

Archetype and Stereotype Writing Prompt by Christina Chang, Jaehong Park, Nina Lim

As Korean audiences ourselves, we realized that most Korean dramas have certain stereotypical ideas and values in their basic storylines. It is apparent that most of Korean dramas implement stereotypical formulas because those formulas usually guarantee success, as certain things are more likely to attract audiences proven by ratings of different dramas and stereotypes that were shown before. Although Korean drama industry has remains very conservative and reserved compared to many Western, American, or even Japanese dramas, we could cleary see that the Korean drama industry did make quite a bit of progress, becoming much more expressive. While many of the ideas and genres for a certain fixed audiences will continue to prevail in Korean dramas, with the sign of progress that has been shown, it is fair to expect innovative, more expressive, and exciting themes to be introduced in Korean dramas for a wider range of audiences for the future.

Why Everybody Should Watch Korean Dramas (Even If You Can't Speak Korean and Hate Kim Chi) by Homegrown Social Critique

The joy of the Korean Drama lies in the lingering look, the hand that almost touches, but never does, and the enjoyment of an experience through the repetition of flashbacks. Wallace Stevens once wrote, "I do not know which to prefer, /The beauty of inflections/Or the beauty of innuendoes." In Korean Drama, it is definitely the latter.

Shafted, shafted, shafted: A Story of Female Second Leads by sevenses

This is just something I’ve noticed, but the amount of hate towards female characters almost always beats the hate for male ones. And while on one hand it’s seriously not cool, on the other hand I think the tired old tropes women keep being thrust into have something to do with it.

Comments

[taithe]

Thanks for linking!

A lot of my friends watch kdramas. I rarely do. The style of argumentation/confrontation between Korean characters hits too close to home. When you come from a family who's constantly fighting one another, kdrama becomes sort of stressful to watch. I can see why it appeals to other people but there's something within the narratives of kdramas beyond confrontations that I find bothersome. Hmm. *scratches chin*

[kaigou]

Do you think it's because the presentation in dramas is too close to how-it-is, or because they're distorted just enough off (ie exaggerated) that it's too much? I find the latter is true for me, when it's a movie or show that tries to show Southerners... it's like, they got some, but what they got wrong is just enough off that it sets my teeth on edge.

Of course, I think being exposed to constant familial arguing -- and thus not caring to be exposed to more of it -- might be a big part, too. At least, it is for me. Even if a movie/book/show gets it just right, if it's a just-right that I didn't enjoy experiencing first-hand, then I sure don't enjoy seeing it repeated on the screen or page. (This is also why I hate comedy that's based on a character's physical humiliation, especially if it revolves around klutziness.)

[taithe]

The exaggeration makes it worse somehow. It's close enough that I'm instantly pulled back into old memories, but certain things -- like the harshness in tone, the expressions, the amount of restraint a character expresses, the type of wording/phrasing used, and the crying sound simultaneously fake and real. It has the odd effect of immediately pulling me out of the story and into someplace else.

You make a good point about avoiding certain experiences in fiction. I find that Japanese media and Western dramas have (generally) a different kind of style when it comes to familial arguing. Although I wonder if by avoiding kdrama I'm missing out on some potentially great stories.

[kaigou]

Although I wonder if by avoiding kdrama I'm missing out on some potentially great stories.

If I find any, I'll let you know. Heh, okay, let's see... I've found a few, but that might be my taste (and my total dislike for the Stupid Girl character), so I don't know if my likes would translate.

The strange thing is, I don't mind familial arguing in the Taiwanese dramas. Maybe it's the language, but there's a great deal more straightforwardness -- both in the sound of the language, and in what people say. Maybe that's also cultural, to be so forthright, since all of the Chinese women I've known will tell you exactly what they think, and in so many words. Kdramas... well, they do like to put the "drama" in drama. Especially when you get into the Noble Idiot Sacrifice Syndrome.

But I would say that Dalja's Spring is possibly one of the few kdramas that I'd rec, almost unconditionally. (There are parts that are heavily conservative-culture, that had me gritting my teeth because I don't like seeing women pressured with those traditional roles, but it did work within the story, and ultimately the heroine still had agency.)

The only other one that gets an absolute rec is probably Grade 7 Civil Servant, where the gender roles are flipped very nicely, and the woman kicks total ass and the story doesn't bring her down at the end and put her in her place -- her place is definitely on top. Plus, Kang Ji-hwan is a definite master of the physical humor and the startled reaction.