Saeguks, I think, are partially about essentialization (as are the Chinese and Japanese dramas, of course) and partly about... hm, there's an element of exporting education in there. A lot of kdramas are geared towards eventual export/distribution in other countries, so it makes sense that there's more historical authenticity (at least attempted) because they're aware someone other than themselves will be watching, so it's taken as a chance to educate. At least, that's the impression I get. The Chinese and Japanese dramas aren't trying to gain converts, if that makes sense?
Although for the most part, at least the Chinese dramas (like saeguks) do have fairly decent battle scenes. I can't recall the last time I saw "four guys in a field" being passed off as "entire battalion" like I get in Japanese dramas, and I'm pretty sure Chinese and Korean history-dramas would laugh themselves silly at the idea of presenting "fighting" as the haphazard, awkward, so-obviously-fake fighting you get in Japanese dramas (and even some movies). Granted, Chinese dramas often have fighting so pretty it's practically a dance (K-dramas are much better for introducing some grittiness), but still. Not just random flailing that's supposed to stand in for, y'know, fighting. And large armies. And stuff.
Also: I'm a little surprised that a taiga (or any major Japanese pop-culture work) would go that far to make Nobunaga a good guy. Normally he's always, always the Big Bad -- which alone might make me interested, except I'm all out of interest this week in milksops who were once decently badass intelligent fighting ladies. But... was there a bird? on her shoulder? and did she start SINGING? because that was the point where I was pretty sure either I was watching a total farce that was intended to be a farce, or I was watching something that everyone else took seriously except for a handful of people cynical enough in the production to go totally whacked in hopes that someone would realize the farcial nature of the work and rescue them so they could be free to work in something decent. Like, say, a saeguk.
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Date: 13 Mar 2012 03:23 pm (UTC)Although for the most part, at least the Chinese dramas (like saeguks) do have fairly decent battle scenes. I can't recall the last time I saw "four guys in a field" being passed off as "entire battalion" like I get in Japanese dramas, and I'm pretty sure Chinese and Korean history-dramas would laugh themselves silly at the idea of presenting "fighting" as the haphazard, awkward, so-obviously-fake fighting you get in Japanese dramas (and even some movies). Granted, Chinese dramas often have fighting so pretty it's practically a dance (K-dramas are much better for introducing some grittiness), but still. Not just random flailing that's supposed to stand in for, y'know, fighting. And large armies. And stuff.
Also: I'm a little surprised that a taiga (or any major Japanese pop-culture work) would go that far to make Nobunaga a good guy. Normally he's always, always the Big Bad -- which alone might make me interested, except I'm all out of interest this week in milksops who were once decently badass intelligent fighting ladies. But... was there a bird? on her shoulder? and did she start SINGING? because that was the point where I was pretty sure either I was watching a total farce that was intended to be a farce, or I was watching something that everyone else took seriously except for a handful of people cynical enough in the production to go totally whacked in hopes that someone would realize the farcial nature of the work and rescue them so they could be free to work in something decent. Like, say, a saeguk.