MagnoliaCream

I started watching this series to find out why it is the most watched TV series in China with more than 50 billions views. I was hooked and have now watched it several times. It is truly one of the best dramas of all time. Mark Chao is the personification of a beautiful male god. Much more than a pretty face, his depth, elegant bearing, dignified air and acting chops elevated the quality of this drama.

My understanding is that one of the reasons SK viewers did not warm up to TKEM was that the romance did not follow the standard kdrama formula where it takes like 5 to 6 episodes before the male lead acknowledges his feelings and several more episodes for the female lead to do the same. Lee Gon and Tae-eul certainly did not abide by these standards. They are more forthright.

Apparently, replicating the grandeur of the British royalty in The Crown was expensive. They created a life-size replica of the Buckingham Palace, 7000 costumes including $35,000 recreation of Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown. Yeah, Sense8 was considered too expensive based on its less than enthusiastic reception.

Kpop appeals to the younger demographics. I don't know if young Americans would go for kdramas. I had thought IOTNBO would appeal to the US audience but seems not. What do you think of Stranger2? How good is it?

TKEM's love story actually reminded me of Pride and Prejudice - the bickering, how their exchanges showed their compatibility in terms of wit, intelligence and personality and how Tae-eul repudiated Lee Gon's first proposal , a stark similarity to Lizzy's rejection of Mr. Darcy's first proposal. I'm really interested in whether LG's theme song, Maze, has full-English lyrics even when shown in SK. This might indicate the drama was targeting an international audience.

Netflix is doing a good job of marketing kdramas. Their list of Netflix Originals have several kdramas in it. They have other categories like 'Asian TV Dramas'. Eventually, Netflix will most probably produce kdramas itself. The production costs of kdramas are much lower than shows made in the US. For example, the production budget of TKEM was made a big deal of ($25 mil for season 1; $1.6 mil per episode). This is peanuts compared to The crown ($130 mil per season), The Get Down ($120 mil per season), Marco Polo ($90 mil per season), Sense8 ($9 mil per episode), Stranger Things ($6 - $8 mil per episode), Altered Carbon ($7 mil per episode),

Now that kdramas like CLOY and TKEM have opened up kdramas to the international audience, it will be a matter of time before kdramas capture the US market. Producing kdramas would be profitable for Neflix then.

To clarify, 96% would be equivalent to 9.6 /10, rounded to 10/10. I had assumed you meant 1.4% as the counterpart (not 4% as written) at the other end, rounded to 1/10. This would be fair if the average is 5/10. However, from what I read here, a rating of 8.4 is considered good, and ratings below are considered bad, meaning 8.4 is the average. For simplicity, let's say the average score is 8. Since the highest is 10, 2 points above 8, the lowest would be 6. The counterpart of 9.6/10 would be 6.4/10. This is much, much higher than 1/10.

I read somewhere TKEM was actually made for the international audience. And it does have a feel of a Masterpiece Theater production, from the set design, the cinematography, soundtrack (the background ones) to the love story. (btw, does the song Maze have a Korean counterpart when shown in Korea? It's fully English in the US) Seeing as how it was successful internationally, the production succeeded in capturing its intended audience then.

I also read about the star power being the initial draw for kdramas, though this seems counterintuitive since most global viewers would not know Korean stars. I haven't heard of KGE before she was cast in TKEM. The only reason I knew about LMH was because Heirs was among the shows Netflix recommended I watch and its writer sounded familiar (i had just watched mr. sunshine then) I think this will be how most international audience will traverse the kdrama world - they will try a kdrama recommended by Netflix, get familiar with the stars or writer or director then try other movies of the same stars or writer or director. Word of mouth would also play a major role.

Apparently, there's a new Hallyu wave headlined by CLOY, IC, TKEM and IOTNBO where Korean stars' popularity has extended beyond Asia.

I'm not concerned about stars' popularity, so it's a non-issue with me as far as Umbrella Academy is concerned. I agree, emotional attachment is where KDramas excel compared to most western-made shows, though Disney and Masterpiece Theater shows still draw me in as powerfully as KDramas. I believe TKEM had the potential to be a global hit like UA had the controversies and Netflix effect not hobble its SBS ratings back when nobody knew yet how badly a surge in popularity of Netflix would affect local viewership. Because of lower-than-expected SBS ratings, people thought there was something excessively wrong with it and became excessively critical. Then the bandwagon effect took place. I haven't seen a more unfairly bashed show. I won't wonder if any of the cast suffers PTSD.

I heard that Parasite got to that level because they showed it to foreign market first before SK. It seems the creators knew that if they had shown it in SK first, it would not be well received. Studio Dragon should have done the same with TKEM.

Umbrella Academy 2 is lighting up the screen - so far, #1 in 32 countries and top 10 in 72. Based on Flixpatrol standards it's about 3 times more popular than TKEM. I like it, though my emotional attachment is still not as high as with TKEM

Expounding on what I said so it doesn't get misunderstood or twisted, "The aggregate (Flixpatrol) numbers represent the RANGE of a drama's popularity, not the DEPTH. A drama that made it to the top 10 list of several countries will have a higher mark than one that is as popular in only one heavily-populated country."

For example, say you have Drama1 that made it to #1 in two countries with small populations, and Drama2 that made it to #1 in one heavily-populated country. Even if the total population of those two countries where Drama1 reached #1 is less than the population of that one country where Drama2 reached #1, Drama1 will have more points. This is what is meant with RANGE vs DEPTH.

Flixpatrol made it clear their numbers are Top 10 data, not raw views. They are adequate in proving a show attained some level of popularity, i.e. not universally disliked, which is what I had asserted in this post and a previous one. It has been mentioned several times that data are incomplete, so taking these numbers or rankings as absolute truths is naive, The most one may take away from these numbers is that a show that is in the Top 10 list, especially if it is #1, does not deserve to be considered universally disliked or a flop.

Read my comment very well before replying. I specified "TKEM fans" at the start of the second sentence so obviously, "our", "we" and "us" after that mean "TKEM fans". And it's well known this comment section is negative, even other comment sections know about it. That's precisely why I suggested it be called Anti-The King Eternal Monarch. I have found it useless arguing with somebody who doesn't read my comments well enough to understand them but is just prepared to misunderstand and twist them. Stop the harassment already.

This comment section should really be renamed Anti-The King Eternal Monarch so newcomers are forewarned. It seems TKEM fans risk being taunted and our words being twisted when we post positive comments about it. 'Doesn't matter. Nothing can stop us rejoicing that TKEM proved to be NOT universally disliked and definitely NOT a flop.

Here's another testament to TKEM's success:
"In a report released on August 6th detailing Studio Dragon's financial performance over the second quarter, the drama production studio revealed a record-breaking 135 million dollars in total sales. This represented a 26% increase over the same time period the previous year... Three dramas in particular have driven much of this growth - Crash Landing on You, The King: Eternal Monarch, and It's Okay to Not Be Okay, all of which have been very successful internationally on Netflix. The King: Eternal Monarch likely deserves most of the credit, as it is the only one of these dramas to have aired entirely during the second quarter..." (https://www.hancinema.net/hancinema-s-news-studio-dragon-posts-best-ever-second-quarter-earnings-off-of-strong-drama-performances-143958.html)

Even with no Flixpatrol data for at least 6 countries before 6/25 (two weeks after finale aired), TKEM defied detractors by being in Top 10 list of most watched Netflix TV shows in at least 28 countries. With information from other sources, the coverage is at least 30 countries (https://twitter.com/moviege05527549/status/1293363015694323712). There are those who scoff at Flixpatrol data out of ignorance of what the data represent. Flixpatrol data are top 10 lists, not raw views, thus should be interpreted as such. Flixpatrol never said otherwise. The aggregate numbers represent the range of a drama's popularity, not the depth. A drama that made it to the top 10 list of several countries will have a higher mark than one that is as popular in only one heavily-populated country.

After months of frustration and heartbreak over the drama's low TV ratings when the Netflix effect was not yet fully grasped, after months of hearing this drama being bashed left and right, these news are music to fans' ears. So keep the music playing...

no problem voicing your opinion. it's actually mostly the detractors who attack fans' comments

I don't know how many times I stressed the point - my post was to show that the drama was not universally disliked and was not a flop - light years apart from saying it's globally loved. And me harassing people? Tell me who else i harassed while I have seen you do this to other people.

Somebody who does not have a clue what prime numbers are or why patterns in number series are derived is hardly in a position to say whether one is strong in math or not. If you didn't get the logic why that point was made, let me repeat - numbers need to make sense in the context of the discussion. Putting a lot of numbers in your post just as you did in the prime number discussion doesn't increase the strength of your argument, just as your mumbo-jumbo about getting the pattern of a series of numbers did not make sense in the discussion about prime numbers and just made me realize you didn't know what you were talking about.

Read my discussion again about what the rankings show. If you noticed, I used numbers minimally yet what i said is more relevant to the topic than your numbers. I had pointed out in my discussion that Flixpatrol data are not complete but adequate to prove that TKEM was watched in other countries.

If you don't want others to bother you, don't try to discredit others' posts as you just did to mine. Even now, you just called me a harasser when you obviously was harassing me by posting a comment that attacked mine and calling me a liar besides. Take a hard look at yourself before projecting what you are to others.

it's my favorite kdrama and i'm having a hard time moving on. Other dramas I watched after it pale in comparison

If you can't see how you're harassing those who are defending this drama, you're a lost cause indeed. I've been watching this comment section and noticed I'm not the first admirer of this drama you have crossed words with. And you haven't answered my question - if you hate this drama so much, why bother setting up tent here? Are those who like this drama not even allowed to feel good that it is being appreciated outside South Korea as the reports from IBtimes, Korea Times and Koreboo showed? The point I was making - that TKEM is not universally disliked and is NOT a flop - was immediately distorted to mean "TKEM is globally loved". Please at least try to understand other people's comments before trying to shoot them down.

By the way, numbers need to have meaning in the context of the discussion. If you think merely writing numbers down is going to impress or intimidate others, think again. You didn't fool me when you started getting the differences between prime numbers in that useless argument about prime numbers. I didn't call you out when I realized you didn't know anything about prime numbers or even number series because I didn't see any need to. You get the differences between numbers in a series when you want to find a pattern or formula you can use to get the next number in the series. The pattern in the list of prime numbers is already in the definition of prime numbers. There was no need to get a pattern, no need to get the differences between numbers because we already have the formula for the next prime number based on its definition.

The reports from IBtimes, Korea Times and Koreboo show how popular a drama is in different countries, where popularity is based on the Top 10 rank of the drama on Netflix in a country. It is not based on viewership numbers. Netflix has not released aggregate viewership numbers yet; they'll probably release them at the end of the year, if ever. In the meantime, the top 10 data for each country is available and that is being used to give an idea of the range of popularity of a drama, which is much much better than blindly saying a drama is a flop with no basis at all. This much is known, that TKEM went to #1 in at least the following countries: Hongkong, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand. It was in the Top 10 in the following countries: Algeria, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Peru, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam. There are reports that TKEM went to #1 in Vietnam and was in the Top 10 in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, probably Bahrain, Iran and Brazil, but the database is missing data for some countries before June 25 and don't have data for some countries at all, meaning TKEM is missing ranking points, yet still managed to make it to the top 10. So, this at least is known - TKEM is appreciated in several parts of the world. What is wrong with knowing this information that it has to be shot down? If this isn't harassment, I don't know what is.

Don't mistake harassment for freedom of speech. You're not defending anything (unless you mean your idol KSH?) You're harassing those who come to this comment section who had hoped to talk about a show they like with (mostly) like-minded viewers. As many admirers of this show had said, they don't mind negative comments about it, that's to be expected. We just don't want to be harassed to such extent that it seems any good thing we say about the show is met with hatred.

i think ksh fans are sneaky enough to know not to let others know of their agenda. i just found out about this one fan accidentally . TKEM bashing is so bad, i wonder why moderators haven't tried to get to the bottom of this

Yes, TKEM comment section is hounded by haters. They go on and on about alleged flaws of TKEM. I've been wondering why they don't leave the comment section of a show they hate so much alone. I just found out that one of the lead haters is a fan of Kim Soo-hyun. Did you happen to notice the same thing; are those who bash BR fans of KSH? I had been at awe with the comment section of IOTNBO because it seems much more peaceful than that of TKEM. Now I wonder if it's because fans of other actors leave IOTNBO alone, unlike what fans of IOTNBO do to other shows. This might also be the reason the MDL ratings of BR and TKEM are so low, while IOTNBO is high. I have been deliberating whether to report this to the moderators of this site but wanted to get more data.

for the umpteenth time, read this article where it says, "And local viewership is no longer a key metric." http://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.asp?newsIdx=293689

Don't you have better use of your time than bash this show? I refuse to fuel that hatred of yours any longer.

i'm not going to be drawn into another senseless, useless war of words with somebody who for some reason hates this show but can't leave it alone. i have better things to do with my time

If you read my comment well, you will note I just compiled articles from IBTimes, Korea Times and Koreaboo. You should answer that question, "What's your excuse for doing what you're doing?" I'm not the one hounding the comment section of a show I hate. And you can deny you hate the show but your action (not leaving the show alone) speaks louder