Unfortunately, I'm finding a lot more K-dramas picking up the "Western" trends. Hello?!?! The reason I…
Indeed, that is the case for most Westerners who switched to kdramas.
When you read, dont be black and white, and dont be literal. It shows exactly what I was talking about, the westerners' inability to handle paradox, contradictions, sopshitication, and depth.
I did NOT say that kdramas are exact copy of western shows. I said kdramas are WESTERNIZED. I did not specify the percentage of westernization :) so do NOT assign it yourself :) So kdramas are not the good old kdramas we used to have. They are using western tricks and plots and filming to make it simpler and more palatable to western audience and more sellable in the west. Now kdramas show on Sinclair TV network, which is super concervative a la Fox TV stuff.
So a newer kdrama is not the full blown western show, but it is NOT what kdramas used to be.
Have you watched older kdramas? Your answer makes it sound as if you did not? Well, in case you did not, then I recommend It's OK That's Love 2014 kdrama, or Kim Chi Family 2011 kdrama, or High School Return of a Gangster, 2024 kdrama that was copycat in a very butchered way to make Weak Hero Class 1 and 2. . If you had watched older kdramas then I would think you would have noticed the westernization trend
What is to be understood with DoDo's "situation with her mother"? DoDo is a masterful sociopath/psychopath,…
So DoDo grew up in evil and was trained in it... Well... so is he naturally evil or just trained? Based on her reactions though, seems like she is definitely naturally evil and then seems like her family helped her perfect it
So funny, lately I dropped .. See You At Work Tomorrow, Royal Nemesis, Filing For Love, No Tail To Tell, Judge Returns, Sold Out on You, Practical Guide to Love, Dynamite Kiss, Shining, Surely Tomorrow, .... ... etc etc etc etc etc I am dropping dramas left and right, just a few eps is enough to see it is a waste of time. I am now "watching" Love in Sync by fast forwards and ready to drop any second. and many I completed by fast forwarding just to make sure that it REALLY is trash, like First Man, Agent Kim, etc. And some completed by fast forwarding out of obligation, like Recipe for Love
But I am sticking to some dailies bc seems like only good dailies these days are real kdramas, they are not AS MUCH whitewashed, they kept the original flavor of real kdramas, they can afford to have no plasticized actors, older experienced skilled actors, many side stories, deep dialogues, exposing some social issues, character growth, and personal and community relationships, communications, and growth.
Like this drama Our Happy Days, and to some extent, even Pearl In Red. But overall, .... Koreans are gonna lose the edge if they keep producing whitewashed watered down SHALLOW stuff Seems like they are churning scripts that are just watered down shallow quick slop, both script and acting
So I am watching old iconic kdramas, just finished It's OK That's Love (2014) and yesteraday I watched High School Return of a Gangster, which was then repackaged as Weak Hero Class 1, 2 by reusing only the violent fights and skipping any deeper aspects.
The problem is shallow audience. They love stuff like Weak Hero - no real plot, no character growth, no social commentary, no meaningful messages, no real acting, ... everything is SIMPLIFIED to the very simple 1-dimensional CARTOON level. The cartoon level is what made ppl like Agent Kim Reactivated. I think kdramas are in crisis and in danger of becoming extinct
I do feel bad about Do Hee's situation with her mother BUT MAN😭 "It started as a joke." Please. She…
What is to be understood with DoDo's "situation with her mother"? DoDo is a masterful sociopath/psychopath, she is evil to the last bit, and no redemption is possible, she is cemented EVIL. So what did I miss about her mother too?
I hope Mai doesn’t blame her mother-in-law if her son’s illness is serious; She said that she’d blame hold…
Well... Mai is a very immature AND also nasty person, a real Anaconda, so of course she will blame and retaliate - and bail out if it is gets too difficult
Imo she might just abandon the kid and the husband
This is such a shallow and bland series. It is not a kdrama, but Kwood. It is labeled as rom com but there is NO com and honestly there is no rom either, except a little bit for second leads. First leads are two very shallow cowards. ML behaves like a robot, and FL behaves like a middle school teenager
The drama is whitewashed sterile neutral so that it does not piss off any audience and it is easy to understand even for dummies. In other words, it is completely watered down so that no flavor is left. Sure, it is "safe" and "politically correct" but it is BLAND BLAND BLAND BORING BORING BORING There is almost no meaningful deep dialogues that change people and resolve issues and problems. Two unhealed adults are so isolated in their own little world that they seem like they are floating in outer space. The sequence of gray scenes, gray scenery, stationary and unexpressive actors. Very Western, very Hwood, very * S H A L L O W * and thus BORING TO DEATH.
Like we are watching a senior home where people are deaf and demented so they never interact, move, express their feelings, talk to each other. THERE IS ALMOST NO DEEP TALKING WITH EACH OTHER nor deep self reflection.
We never see ML reflecting and changing. We see FL doing stupid things. Neither one communicaates and both keep secrets. .
It is totally lacking the sophistication, depth, humor, satire, jestering, social commentary, community work, self introspection, character growth, deep dialogues, and community growth that is the signature of all real kdramas.
The poker faced , mostly stationary ML and his unwavering dedication to FL is just BORING TO DEATH, and the immature flakey FL is just disgusting sexism - of all things that are characteristic of kdramas, only that one rare fault of kdramas, the sexist portrayal of an immature loser women, was kept.
I switched to watch old kdramas such as It's OK That's Love. Once I finish watching iconic old kdramas I havent seen yet, there might be nothing left to watch.
Love love this drama! Love Seo Inguk and his dramas. But even tho I love this drama something feels off. Don’t…
This is not a kdrama, but Kwood. It is whitewashed sterile neutral so that it does not piss off any audience and it is easy to understand even for dummies. In other words, it is completely watered down so that no flavor is left.
It is totally lacking the sophistication, depth, humor, satire, jestering, social commentary, community work, self introspection, character growth, and community growth that is the signature of all real kdramas.
I can't understand one thing..! 1.He (The King) was a Gay..! and he desperately wants a Heir..! for his throne.!…
EXACTLY this is just a political move from the start - a powerful person (king) picks a boy toy and forces him to serve as a s.x slave, and then King and Queen just used s.x to produce kids to help them get ahead in the power ranks, And this boy toy slave had to do his slave job, and he also tried to have some fun while he was free for 10 mins to be himself. That is all.. The sentimentality happens when Quieen and BoyToySlave start having fantasies of actually living their little free-of-jail time as their life. They are JAILED and there is no escape. The society is essentially JAILING AND TORTURING ppl of "lesser status" e.g. women and poor. The evil elite king and his kind are just using BoyToy and the Queen as inseminating bull and cow.
PATHETIC SOCIETAL JAIL packaged as "interesting" by shocking and/or erotic scenes
The main thing to think about is - why do elites still exist and essentially enslave people, and why slaves CONSENT to live under the elite ruling - in this case, Queen and BoyToy were enticed to live a luxury life at the expense of selling their soul
So I aint' wasting time to watch this pathetic jail bs,
I just rewatched Dude In Me, kmovie which is a very fluffy fun version of this drama. Also, a high school student falls on a gangster and they swap. Then comes this drama HSROAG - which has amazing plots and subplots, lots of character growth, diaalogues, lots of great acting, very complex issues addressed, ... and then its copycats trashy Weak Hero and Study Group, and almost entirely trashy One High School Heroes which is just fights from this drama and nothing else. OHSH has a teeeny tiny bit of character growth and dad-son relationship but it is miniscule.
So out of all those byllying/fights male-centered dramas and movies, HSROAG is the most complex and most well done.
I aint watching this. THe King And THe Clown was enough, and that one at least has a meaningful deep plot, personal dilemma, art discussion, and social commentary
this drama is just a political move from the start - a powerful person (king) picks a boy toy and forces him to serve as a slave, including being a s.x slave - everything for the King as the center of the universe - that by definition is JAIL, and then King and Queen just used s.x to produce kids to help them get ahead in the power ranks, And this boy toy slave had to do his slave job, and he and the Queen also tried to have some fun while they were free for 10 mins to be themselves, AS IF there was no jail. That is all.. The sentimentality happens when Quieen and BoyToySlave start having fantasies of actually living their little free-of-jail time as their life. But they are JAILED by social norms and there is no escape. Someone - the male power King - is just using them as inseminating bull and cow, and they are consenting bc in that society there are nothing more than just SLAVES, they are handled in the same way as domestic animals. .
So I aint' wasting time to watch this pathetic jail bs, This drama makes me salute to 21st century and personal freedom and independence of women and all people to choose paths in life they want, and the blessings we have that these dictator Kings are not AS prevalent as before. They are still there, the psychopaths, the power hungry, the takers. Sure they are. Luckily it is not as bad as back then - well for some of us. For some, this movie is still a reality
So,,,, enough high ranking power sexual predators and psychopaths who use ppl as slaves, and any little act of disobedience is met with rage, hatred, and retaliation
This story is ... meaningless.... the same old egoistical bs, there is nothing learned here, just a shocking bloody power struggle real life story .
THE KING NEVER LOVED THIS DUDE AND WAS NOT EVEN HIS FRIEND, if he really cared for him as a friend and/or lover, he would let him go and be happy. First of all he would not force him into being gay lovers. THe dude didnt like that. And THE DUDE NEVER LOVED THE KING - he wa just a low slave servant to a powerful man. The king was maybe a fun and imposing, flattering company - wow he picked me out of all ppl to share all this wealth and fun - BUT THAT IS NOT LOVE .
So with the king - a flattering life of luxury and seeming "friendship" of a powerful man, and no lust and with the woman, no deeper connection, only lust? on his side - and love on hers? - but - if they COULD spend real time together, ... would that love grow bigger and more real, beyond lust? We dont know since the King rained on that party.
THE KING IS NOT A MAN IN LOVE, HE IS AN EGOISTICAL TYRANT AND MURDERER AND THE DUDE IS A MAN IN LOVE WITH THAT WOMAN
The essence of this story is not about being gay, or "a man can have true love only with a woman"/ The essence of this story is that there are lovers A and B, and then B falls for C, and A hatefully retaliates. By definition, when we love someone, we do NOT retaliate and hurt them. By definition, when we are in a real relationship. we are free to say NO, to leave, etc and our loved one has to take it. The King never left space for his lover, never gave him equal treatment and freedom, so really, King never had any real love. And the dude never had any real love. He was just following orders
Was his love for the Queen "real love"? We do not know until we see them in some deeper scenes. I would say he loved her since he was happy she escaped to safety
So really this drama is all about what love is NOT.
1
When you read, dont be black and white, and dont be literal. It shows exactly what I was talking about, the westerners' inability to handle paradox, contradictions, sopshitication, and depth.
I did NOT say that kdramas are exact copy of western shows. I said kdramas are WESTERNIZED. I did not specify the percentage of westernization :) so do NOT assign it yourself :)
So kdramas are not the good old kdramas we used to have. They are using western tricks and plots and filming to make it simpler and more palatable to western audience and more sellable in the west. Now kdramas show on Sinclair TV network, which is super concervative a la Fox TV stuff.
So a newer kdrama is not the full blown western show, but it is NOT what kdramas used to be.
Have you watched older kdramas? Your answer makes it sound as if you did not? Well, in case you did not, then I recommend It's OK That's Love 2014 kdrama, or Kim Chi Family 2011 kdrama,
or High School Return of a Gangster, 2024 kdrama that was copycat in a very butchered way to make Weak Hero Class 1 and 2. .
If you had watched older kdramas then I would think you would have noticed the westernization trend
and many I completed by fast forwarding just to make sure that it REALLY is trash, like First Man, Agent Kim, etc. And some completed by fast forwarding out of obligation, like Recipe for Love
But I am sticking to some dailies bc seems like only good dailies these days are real kdramas, they are not AS MUCH whitewashed, they kept the original flavor of real kdramas, they can afford to have no plasticized actors, older experienced skilled actors, many side stories, deep dialogues, exposing some social issues, character growth, and personal and community relationships, communications, and growth.
Like this drama Our Happy Days, and to some extent, even Pearl In Red.
But overall, .... Koreans are gonna lose the edge if they keep producing whitewashed watered down SHALLOW stuff Seems like they are churning scripts that are just watered down shallow quick slop, both script and acting
So I am watching old iconic kdramas, just finished It's OK That's Love (2014) and yesteraday I watched High School Return of a Gangster, which was then repackaged as Weak Hero Class 1, 2 by reusing only the violent fights and skipping any deeper aspects.
The problem is shallow audience. They love stuff like Weak Hero - no real plot, no character growth, no social commentary, no meaningful messages, no real acting, ... everything is SIMPLIFIED to the very simple 1-dimensional CARTOON level. The cartoon level is what made ppl like Agent Kim Reactivated.
I think kdramas are in crisis and in danger of becoming extinct
Imo she might just abandon the kid and the husband
The drama is whitewashed sterile neutral so that it does not piss off any audience and it is easy to understand even for dummies.
In other words, it is completely watered down so that no flavor is left.
Sure, it is "safe" and "politically correct" but it is BLAND BLAND BLAND BORING BORING BORING
There is almost no meaningful deep dialogues that change people and resolve issues and problems. Two unhealed adults are so isolated in their own little world that they seem like they are floating in outer space. The sequence of gray scenes, gray scenery, stationary and unexpressive actors. Very Western, very Hwood, very * S H A L L O W * and thus BORING TO DEATH.
Like we are watching a senior home where people are deaf and demented so they never interact, move, express their feelings, talk to each other. THERE IS ALMOST NO DEEP TALKING WITH EACH OTHER nor deep self reflection.
We never see ML reflecting and changing. We see FL doing stupid things. Neither one communicaates and both keep secrets. .
It is totally lacking the sophistication, depth, humor, satire, jestering, social commentary, community work, self introspection, character growth, deep dialogues, and community growth that is the signature of all real kdramas.
The poker faced , mostly stationary ML and his unwavering dedication to FL is just BORING TO DEATH, and the immature flakey FL is just disgusting sexism - of all things that are characteristic of kdramas, only that one rare fault of kdramas, the sexist portrayal of an immature loser women, was kept.
I switched to watch old kdramas such as It's OK That's Love. Once I finish watching iconic old kdramas I havent seen yet, there might be nothing left to watch.
It is totally lacking the sophistication, depth, humor, satire, jestering, social commentary, community work, self introspection, character growth, and community growth that is the signature of all real kdramas.
and then King and Queen just used s.x to produce kids to help them get ahead in the power ranks, And this boy toy slave had to do his slave job, and he also tried to have some fun while he was free for 10 mins to be himself. That is all..
The sentimentality happens when Quieen and BoyToySlave start having fantasies of actually living their little free-of-jail time as their life. They are JAILED and there is no escape. The society is essentially JAILING AND TORTURING ppl of "lesser status" e.g. women and poor. The evil elite king and his kind are just using BoyToy and the Queen as inseminating bull and cow.
PATHETIC SOCIETAL JAIL packaged as "interesting" by shocking and/or erotic scenes
The main thing to think about is - why do elites still exist and essentially enslave people, and why slaves CONSENT to live under the elite ruling - in this case, Queen and BoyToy were enticed to live a luxury life at the expense of selling their soul
So I aint' wasting time to watch this pathetic jail bs,
Then comes this drama HSROAG - which has amazing plots and subplots, lots of character growth, diaalogues, lots of great acting, very complex issues addressed, ...
and then its copycats trashy Weak Hero and Study Group, and almost entirely trashy One High School Heroes which is just fights from this drama and nothing else. OHSH has a teeeny tiny bit of character growth and dad-son relationship but it is miniscule.
So out of all those byllying/fights male-centered dramas and movies, HSROAG is the most complex and most well done.
this drama is just a political move from the start - a powerful person (king) picks a boy toy and forces him to serve as a slave, including being a s.x slave - everything for the King as the center of the universe - that by definition is JAIL,
and then King and Queen just used s.x to produce kids to help them get ahead in the power ranks, And this boy toy slave had to do his slave job, and he and the Queen also tried to have some fun while they were free for 10 mins to be themselves, AS IF there was no jail. That is all..
The sentimentality happens when Quieen and BoyToySlave start having fantasies of actually living their little free-of-jail time as their life. But they are JAILED by social norms and there is no escape. Someone - the male power King - is just using them as inseminating bull and cow, and they are consenting bc in that society there are nothing more than just SLAVES, they are handled in the same way as domestic animals. .
So I aint' wasting time to watch this pathetic jail bs, This drama makes me salute to 21st century and personal freedom and independence of women and all people to choose paths in life they want, and the blessings we have that these dictator Kings are not AS prevalent as before. They are still there, the psychopaths, the power hungry, the takers. Sure they are. Luckily it is not as bad as back then - well for some of us. For some, this movie is still a reality
So,,,, enough high ranking power sexual predators and psychopaths who use ppl as slaves, and any little act of disobedience is met with rage, hatred, and retaliation
This story is ... meaningless.... the same old egoistical bs, there is nothing learned here, just a shocking bloody power struggle real life story .
THE KING NEVER LOVED THIS DUDE AND WAS NOT EVEN HIS FRIEND, if he really cared for him as a friend and/or lover, he would let him go and be happy. First of all he would not force him into being gay lovers. THe dude didnt like that.
And THE DUDE NEVER LOVED THE KING - he wa just a low slave servant to a powerful man.
The king was maybe a fun and imposing, flattering company - wow he picked me out of all ppl to share all this wealth and fun - BUT THAT IS NOT LOVE .
So with the king - a flattering life of luxury and seeming "friendship" of a powerful man, and no lust and with the woman, no deeper connection, only lust? on his side - and love on hers? - but - if they COULD spend real time together, ... would that love grow bigger and more real, beyond lust? We dont know since the King rained on that party.
THE KING IS NOT A MAN IN LOVE, HE IS AN EGOISTICAL TYRANT AND MURDERER
AND THE DUDE IS A MAN IN LOVE WITH THAT WOMAN
The essence of this story is not about being gay, or "a man can have true love only with a woman"/ The essence of this story is that there are lovers A and B, and then B falls for C, and A hatefully retaliates.
By definition, when we love someone, we do NOT retaliate and hurt them.
By definition, when we are in a real relationship. we are free to say NO, to leave, etc and our loved one has to take it.
The King never left space for his lover, never gave him equal treatment and freedom, so really, King never had any real love.
And the dude never had any real love. He was just following orders
Was his love for the Queen "real love"? We do not know until we see them in some deeper scenes. I would say he loved her since he was happy she escaped to safety
So really this drama is all about what love is NOT.
The issue is the core issue of love itself - when one lover falls for another, and then the second lover retaliates.