Hello, there! I don't usually comment on ongoing shows (since everything can change) but I think this deserves…
Thank you for your reply! I've been trying to keep my expectations low -- as I mentioned before, I think it all depends on how they develop this narrative from now on. Let's see where this story leads us (:
Last week, I wrote that my high hopes for this series had been somewhat dashed. I had planned on watching the…
Hello, there! I don't usually comment on ongoing shows (since everything can change) but I think this deserves a note.
I find it difficult to see the misogyny in this story for a few reasons.
1. The point of the entire premise is the gender role reversal. Often, in romantic K-dramas, you have a *male* lead who is rich and competent, but traumatised and aloof. It's only when he meets the female lead who is often kind-hearted and eager to help that he's able to improve. For instance, Her Private Life, What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, The Secret Diary of My Secretary, and even the super popular Business Proposal follow a similar formula (not saying it's necessarily bad, it depends on the narrative structure and development that are given to the show). I think it's refreshing to finally see a woman who is not someone sort of angelic being and, instead, is human. Right now, she's not being "saved". She doesn’t need a "man to fix everything". But it's okay to have someone who can show you a different approach, a different way to look at things -- and if you grow from that, that's thanks to your own willingness to change (and not only thanks to the person who helped you). After all, no one changes just because of others. You need to *want* to change in order to do so. Here, if he helps her find the answers she's been looking for and that allows her to fight her own battles more wisely and comfortably, there's nothing misogynistic about it. It's, in fact, sexist to think that a man is incapable of emotionally helping a woman. After all, drama comes from conflict and conflict only exists when characters interact. In a romance, it'd be better to have the leads interact so that their process of falling in love with each other feels motivated and natural. If this show were a business drama instead, you could just have the FL interacting with other characters (man or woman) and ignite her progress and character arc that way. But, once again, in a romance, it's natural that the leads (regardless of gender) ignite each other's dramatic progress. Now, if he starts fighting her battles on her behalf, that's another thing altogether. And that would be ridiculous -- here, I'd agree with you. But first, I need to see where this script takes us.
2. The ML has proven to be a capable, intelligent man whose skills were ignored at his previous job because of prejudice (sexism again). He never said that he disliked his job -- he only said that his daughter was more important to him than a project that could be completed by someone else. He's not saving or fixing the company. A company that is #2 in the country isn't falling apart but isn't perfect either. It can grow and improve. For me, it's exciting that her company can now benefit from his skills (that he's also making sure to hone, considering that he's been studying and everything). Would it be "less misogynistic" if he were stupid and she were super intelligent and she were doing him a "favour"? When we talk about gender equality, it's important to remember that it's not about criticising or dumbing down one gender in favour of another. It's about understanding that both genders have the same potential (for both talents and flaws) and are equally able to do great (and also terrible) things. It's also important to mention that gender equality doesn’t mean that women don't need help at all. Everyone needs help regardless of gender -- after all, no man (or woman) is an island.
3. I don't recall anything about 4 pm in specific but I do recall that one of the terms was that he'd have more time for parenting. Also, the little girl being at the bookshop alone isn't strange at all for an Asian drama. Kids are seen doing lots of things alone (have you heard of Old Enough?) but, in this case, the owner of the bookshop is his long-time friend and I'm sure he's also keeping an eye on her. Even though time is easily bent for dramatic purposes, we've seen him taking care of the kids. Didn't he send the boy's "mother" a video of him with the kids the other day? Either way, the girl can work from home so it's not like she's subservient in any way or is characterised as being only a mother. Some scenes are of course designed with romance in mind but I wouldn't say it's bad to the point of criticism.
As a woman myself, I think saying that the show has "misogynistic" undertones that haven't been noticed because audiences are focusing on "how the ML looks" is a bit offensive. Misogyny isn't a joke and so far the show has been trying to explore certain themes differently. It may not be perfect but I appreciate the fact that someone is finally trying to change things up. I also appreciate the fact that, as a single father yourself, you feel that the show isn't portraying reality as it is -- and I would join you in the complaint that single fathers should receive more accurate representation. But that and misogyny are two completely different things. Once again, I may be wrong -- after all, we still have 8 episodes to go. But so far, I haven't seen anything absurdly problematic.
have they announced where this is going to air yet? please tell me somewhere that will be easy for international…
According to DramaOtaku/official website (https://loveintheair.jp/), it should be released on FOD (Fuji TV On Demand). Internationally... it's a bit trickier (as usual when it comes to J-dramas T-T)
I think the idea that K-dramas are losing their charm is a myth but we do need to be careful with how the industry progresses. I worry (a lot) that future K-dramas will start tailoring to Western ideas and tastes which will definitely impact the quality and approach of future works. One thing that I've always appreciated was the fact that K-dramas were a complete story told in one single season -- and as you mentioned, that has started to change.
However, the more you watch K-dramas, the sharper your evaluation of them becomes. You mentioned the whole What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?, Business Proposal, and King the Land situation. I loved, wholeheartedly, What's Wrong With Secretary Kim? -- because of the performances, the soundtrack, the cinematography, and the perfect mix of comedy, romance, and drama. I remember some of its lines by heart. I also think that WWWSK approached some themes very well: familial love, work-life balance, self-respect. Even though I enjoyed Business Proposal, I found the script to be a lot simpler and King The Land had its charms but also presented a much weaker script. What I'm trying to say is that just because plots are similar, it doesn't mean that they are delivered in the same way. And I believe that the more one watches K-dramas, the more they identify these weaknesses -- whether they realise it or not.
Even though I've been watching K-dramas for almost... 10 years, is it? (I might be a newbie compared to some of you here), I still think that K-dramas offer a range of stories that is difficult to find somewhere else. You can find people doing all sorts of jobs, in families of all shapes and sizes, and living completely different kinds of lifestyles. I often relate to K-drama characters easily as they are often people struggling with their jobs, their family and their love life. They feel so real sometimes that it's cathartic to witness their growth. If they can grow so can I. If their lives can get better so can mine. From My Mister to Mr Sunshine, from Itaewon Class to Hotel del Luna, from Vicenzo to Move to Heaven, just to mention a few, K-dramas have a certain colour and spark that I hope will never fade.
Love the second lead 😭. Dang. Now I need to watch a romance where that actor is ML.
Me too! 🩷 If you're looking for something with Nakagawa Taishi as the main romantic lead, I'd highly recommend "Today's Kira-kun" (Kyou no Kira-kun). It's a few years old now but he's absolutely adorable in it!
I find it difficult to see the misogyny in this story for a few reasons.
1. The point of the entire premise is the gender role reversal. Often, in romantic K-dramas, you have a *male* lead who is rich and competent, but traumatised and aloof. It's only when he meets the female lead who is often kind-hearted and eager to help that he's able to improve. For instance, Her Private Life, What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, The Secret Diary of My Secretary, and even the super popular Business Proposal follow a similar formula (not saying it's necessarily bad, it depends on the narrative structure and development that are given to the show). I think it's refreshing to finally see a woman who is not someone sort of angelic being and, instead, is human. Right now, she's not being "saved". She doesn’t need a "man to fix everything". But it's okay to have someone who can show you a different approach, a different way to look at things -- and if you grow from that, that's thanks to your own willingness to change (and not only thanks to the person who helped you). After all, no one changes just because of others. You need to *want* to change in order to do so. Here, if he helps her find the answers she's been looking for and that allows her to fight her own battles more wisely and comfortably, there's nothing misogynistic about it. It's, in fact, sexist to think that a man is incapable of emotionally helping a woman. After all, drama comes from conflict and conflict only exists when characters interact. In a romance, it'd be better to have the leads interact so that their process of falling in love with each other feels motivated and natural. If this show were a business drama instead, you could just have the FL interacting with other characters (man or woman) and ignite her progress and character arc that way. But, once again, in a romance, it's natural that the leads (regardless of gender) ignite each other's dramatic progress. Now, if he starts fighting her battles on her behalf, that's another thing altogether. And that would be ridiculous -- here, I'd agree with you. But first, I need to see where this script takes us.
2. The ML has proven to be a capable, intelligent man whose skills were ignored at his previous job because of prejudice (sexism again). He never said that he disliked his job -- he only said that his daughter was more important to him than a project that could be completed by someone else. He's not saving or fixing the company. A company that is #2 in the country isn't falling apart but isn't perfect either. It can grow and improve. For me, it's exciting that her company can now benefit from his skills (that he's also making sure to hone, considering that he's been studying and everything). Would it be "less misogynistic" if he were stupid and she were super intelligent and she were doing him a "favour"? When we talk about gender equality, it's important to remember that it's not about criticising or dumbing down one gender in favour of another. It's about understanding that both genders have the same potential (for both talents and flaws) and are equally able to do great (and also terrible) things. It's also important to mention that gender equality doesn’t mean that women don't need help at all. Everyone needs help regardless of gender -- after all, no man (or woman) is an island.
3. I don't recall anything about 4 pm in specific but I do recall that one of the terms was that he'd have more time for parenting. Also, the little girl being at the bookshop alone isn't strange at all for an Asian drama. Kids are seen doing lots of things alone (have you heard of Old Enough?) but, in this case, the owner of the bookshop is his long-time friend and I'm sure he's also keeping an eye on her. Even though time is easily bent for dramatic purposes, we've seen him taking care of the kids. Didn't he send the boy's "mother" a video of him with the kids the other day? Either way, the girl can work from home so it's not like she's subservient in any way or is characterised as being only a mother. Some scenes are of course designed with romance in mind but I wouldn't say it's bad to the point of criticism.
As a woman myself, I think saying that the show has "misogynistic" undertones that haven't been noticed because audiences are focusing on "how the ML looks" is a bit offensive. Misogyny isn't a joke and so far the show has been trying to explore certain themes differently. It may not be perfect but I appreciate the fact that someone is finally trying to change things up. I also appreciate the fact that, as a single father yourself, you feel that the show isn't portraying reality as it is -- and I would join you in the complaint that single fathers should receive more accurate representation. But that and misogyny are two completely different things. Once again, I may be wrong -- after all, we still have 8 episodes to go. But so far, I haven't seen anything absurdly problematic.
However, the more you watch K-dramas, the sharper your evaluation of them becomes. You mentioned the whole What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?, Business Proposal, and King the Land situation. I loved, wholeheartedly, What's Wrong With Secretary Kim? -- because of the performances, the soundtrack, the cinematography, and the perfect mix of comedy, romance, and drama. I remember some of its lines by heart. I also think that WWWSK approached some themes very well: familial love, work-life balance, self-respect. Even though I enjoyed Business Proposal, I found the script to be a lot simpler and King The Land had its charms but also presented a much weaker script. What I'm trying to say is that just because plots are similar, it doesn't mean that they are delivered in the same way. And I believe that the more one watches K-dramas, the more they identify these weaknesses -- whether they realise it or not.
Even though I've been watching K-dramas for almost... 10 years, is it? (I might be a newbie compared to some of you here), I still think that K-dramas offer a range of stories that is difficult to find somewhere else. You can find people doing all sorts of jobs, in families of all shapes and sizes, and living completely different kinds of lifestyles. I often relate to K-drama characters easily as they are often people struggling with their jobs, their family and their love life. They feel so real sometimes that it's cathartic to witness their growth. If they can grow so can I. If their lives can get better so can mine. From My Mister to Mr Sunshine, from Itaewon Class to Hotel del Luna, from Vicenzo to Move to Heaven, just to mention a few, K-dramas have a certain colour and spark that I hope will never fade.