PrettyCarEye

My friend, no. We're not in the minority. Actually this isn't even a minority/majority issue. It's about not treating viewers like total boneheads who'll just accept whatever nonsense you feed them. Factor out western audiences & I'd still bet money that viewers in SK have far more cognitive ability than most drama writers give them credit for. In fact even if you're as dumb as stump if you see something out of place you're gonna wonder why the heck it's there.

There is no evidence to suggest that ratings would drop drastically if writers tried new angles of telling a story instead of the same recycled BS. In fact, on the contrary. There is evidence to suggest viewers DO want a variety. You can still have the basic structure of boy meets girl blah blah blah ... but the actual trajectory of the story need not be the SAME drama after drama. Yes as you create new formulas you might lose some old fans but you're also likely to gain new ones in equal numbers or more. Remember SK doesn't have the 'season' system like in US so there's a lot less risk involved in their productions. They have more leeway to experiment since their shows can't get cancelled. Once a show starts to air it does so until the end even with poor ratings. Maybe they'll cut it 1 or 2 eps short but the show goes on. So they have no excuse really. No excuse.

Look, given that I write as well (albeit for film & not TV) I understand the appeal to write to formula; it sure makes your job a lot easier & more structured if you can tick off all those boxes that ensure you have all bases covered. However, the formula works only for so long until it becomes tired & cliche. Then it's time to develop a new formula! As artists - if we aspire to be anything more than sub-par - that's what we do. We innovate!

I completely agree & that's what I've been saying, the content is always the same formulaic nonsense, but Koreans have a wider variety of genres whilst the Japanese stick mostly to the 3 I mentioned.

As for romance, I'm not sure I agree with you there. The desire for human connection is quite indelible to the human condition. Romance can & do pop up in the most bizarre of scenarios so while some dramas perhaps don't need a romance, if it is there it isn't a big deal. Not for me, at least. In fact, sometimes a romance will help me empathize more with characters because in the face of one's lover all the masks come off & you see the characters at their most vulnerable.

From what I've observed you only ever get a 'true' romance in specifically romance or family related dramas, though. Usually when romance is incorporated with other genres it is hardly ever satisfying. There's lots of hints at the potential of a romance, the characters may have bucket loads of chemistry but it never develops much beyond that. In such cases I'd prefer they leave out all signs of romance rather than tease us with the possibility yet never deliver on it. A good example? Golden Empire.

The interesting thing about me & romance is that it's my fall back genre. While I enjoy watching a variety of genres a romance keeps me invested when everything else goes south. I finished a lot of otherwise mediocre dramas all for the sake of the 2 characters in love. I usually want to see them get their happy ending (yes, I'm a romantic :). Case in point: Time between Dog & Wolf. A rather unconvincing crime drama in most aspects, but I was invested in the relationships so I kept watching even while I rolled my eyes at some of the most incompetent gangsters I've ever seen!

No reason other than a desire for variety! :)

PrettyCarEye was my original nick until I became so besotted with Lee Seo Jin that I started to bear his name. But I thought it's about time I reclaimed my identity.

Omo, I've heard soooo much about Princess' Man that I've decided to make it my next drama! :) I hope it'll have the same impact on me.

I haven't seen Kingdom of the Winds but I'll look into it. Thx for the rec.

As for Lovers, hopefully you'll give it a chance soon. I don't know your tastes but based on the type of hero you say you like I can not see how you won't end up falling for Kang Jæ. Anyway, I hope whenever you do get around to watching it'll be good! :p

LOL! K-drama bitch haha ...
Well, I guess that makes the two of us because I seem to be a slave to them too! And good point about the Japanese not being able to suck you in while the Koreans do. It's so true! In Japan I find they use the same slow paced format in both their TV & cinema. I do love Japanese cinema, esp their classics, but man you've got to have the patience of a predator to allow the story to pull you in. Which isn't a bad thing per se ... but we come back to this issue of variety. Too much of a good thing & suddenly I'm an anti-fan because I feel bombarded. This DOES happen with k-dramas too, but when I talk about variety in reference to k-dramas I'm talking about genre, not content. You'll find horror, thrillers, romance, family, melos, action, crime, detective, comedy, rom-com & the list goes on. In j-dramaland it's predominantly school, detective & comedy, that's it. None of which are absolute favs so I get bored pretty fast even if the stories in & of themselves are quite good. Once in a blue moon they'll do a romance & Japanese romances are good, but then they do a show I can't watch, like Last Cinderella, & we're back to square one. Sigh ...

By the way I sooo agree with what you wrote about J vs K dramas above! J - dramas DO tend to be better written & less contrived. The only issue I have with the Japanese is that they don't have the variety of genres & the faster pace of k-dramas. The Japanese drama season is often heavily dominated by episodic detective series almost without fail. Though I've not invested much time watching them I know they'll get old pretty fast. I need variety to keep me interested & entertained. That's why I find myself staying in k-dramaland even whilst their dramas get me irate more times than not!

Love your review of Legal High. Now it's going on the list!
I've been hearing about it for the longest while from people who's opinion I don't trust so I've been hesitant all this time.

I hope you enjoy Lovers!

Pat, came across your comment on Alex's page. Get adblocker! It removes all those pesky ads from Gooddrama, making for a more pleasurable viewing experience. I seriously have no idea how I managed without it before. Re: Autumn's Concerto ... story was nice but the production value on that drama was so poor it really hampered my enjoyment of the show. All that bad editing & repetitive theme song ... ugh. However, I agree that little family was sooo cute! I loved Mars, too. Far more so than AC actually. Tell me more about Fated to Love You. I've been wondering if I should watch it...
Is the story mature in tone or is it more geared toward a younger audience?

Noooo, not at all! That came out a bit wrong perhaps. I'm of course quite appreciative that you took the time to give me your thoughts! Didn't mean to sound ungrateful, Rosie dear! :D

Ok, I don't mind historicals at all (in fact I've been wanting to watch one ever since I discovered dramaland a year & a half ago) so Princess Man it is! :)

By the way, have you seen Tree With Deep Roots? You don't have to evaluate whether it'll suit me or not, just tell me your thoughts. How did you like it?

I disagree completely. It makes no sense to me to have 2nd leads just because. If a certain device is wholly unnecessary & non-integral to the story at hand ... why include it? And you mentioned entertainment. Yes, indeed, entertainment! What's so entertaining about a pair of characters who serve no other purpose than to annoy viewers? Do you find being annoyed entertaining? If the STORY is built around a premise which depends on 2nd leads (like it is in LOVERS) then by all means have 2nd leads, but if not then they shouldn't be there.

Furthermore, I never said 2nd leads have to be antagonistic or anti-heroic. In the drama I mentioned the 2nds weren't antagonists at all. They were well thought out, sympathetic figures whose presence the story depended upon to move forward. Without them you wouldn't have a story because along with the leads they WERE the story. Remove this kid & that woman from CSL & you'd still have ample amount of MORE credible conflict to hinder JW & AR's reconciliation. Their inability to communicate effectively is just one of them. Exploring that would've made more sense than dedicating so much screentime to those 2, imho.

This doesn't have anything to do with cultural references - which by the way I'm perfectly aware of otherwise I wouldn't be watching Asian dramas. It's about the integrity of the craft & styling viewers with a bit more cognitive ability than that of a horse.

Is it possible that my opinion is influenced by my western values? It's possible, however, I also work in the creative industries where this sort of thing is my business. I can't just let it slide. I can't just switch off my brain & accept foolishness. I'm sure many people in South Korea roll their eyes in frustration at the sheer absurdity of 2nd leads as much as I do.

LOL, you must not have seen my update on the feeds where I informed everyone that I'm reclaiming my identity. A woman can last only so long and no more under the full weight of a man's name. Rest assured, however, mr. Lee & I have NOT broken up! I love that short guy too much! hehe

So your reply didn't really tell me much, except for info I already know, Rosie dear! You told me why you liked the dramas but given that our tastes are somewhat hit & miss ... haha ... I think you have to give an independent opinion. Don't worry, I won't blame you if I end up hating whatever you suggest! You have my word as a woman. :p

So think about it ... you accurately predicted I wouldn't appreciate MYDSY and SG based on what you know of my tastes. You're like the first among my friends to do that. I'll probably end up watching Giant anyway ... (I've already made up my mind to watch it at some point) so that leaves SL & PM. Which is more likely to annoy me like MY DSY & SG did? :)

By the way fyi ... want to write long posts??? You can write up to 899 characters OVER the 1800 character limit!

I have, but I don't know yet if I'm going to watch it. I'll wait and see what the buzz is like. What about you?

Golden Empire brims to the top with anti-heroes. It is by far one of the best, most twisted dramas I've ever seen, Asian or otherwise.

I could definitely name a few but they wouldn't be Asian dramas. That is my whole point, Asian dramas really suck at giving us a good reason why 2nd leads are even necessary. They simply follow a formula. Romance? Well then there MUST be a love triangle even if that's not the best creative method to execute the story! They do the same thing in other genres too. Crime drama? Well, the hero HAS to die at the end ... almost without exception.

The one Asian drama where I thought 2nd leads were a significant & driving force of the plot was LOVERS. That's because the story itself called for 2nd leads. They weren't just thrown in there because the writer wasn't imaginative enough to come up with a plausible source of conflict.

1) Jang Tæ-Joo, Golden Empire
2) Doctor's Son, Cruel City
3) Sun Woo, Nine
4) Bang-ja, The Servant (this is a movie)

The latter two aren't as morally ambiguous as the former two, but they had certain atypical qualities that I appreciated. The way they interacted with the world around them, how they processed information, was for me rather novel & interesting to watch.

Rosie, I wrote you a long response the other day & lost it. I was so pissed I couldn't bring myself to write another reply until now. Glad to get SG done & over with. I hope KES returns to her usual form of creating mature, engaging dramas with fully fleshed out ADULT characters. I just couldn't bear it if she reverts permanently to the juvenile nonsense that is SG & Heirs.

Anyway, moving on ... what do you think of Giant, Secret Love & The Princess' Man? Do you think I'll like them?

That is NOT true! I can think of several ways this story could have worked without the annoying 2nd leads! It's not the first time this story has been done, afterall, so there are definitely better ways it could have been executed.

Yes, it's partly due to broadcast restrictions & partly due to the conservative nature of Asian cultures, in particular Korea. Most actors want to maintain an on screen imagine of chastity, esp actors under 30.

I also think it's due to sexism. I perceive Asian cultures to infantilize women a great deal (at least on screen). Women are expected to act 'cute' & innocent and any outward show of sexual aggression (like responding to the male lead as he tries to mow his way into your mouth!) is deemed as too forward & behaviour unbecoming of a 'decent' woman. I don't know if I'm right, but that's the perception I have.

There are dramas out there that cater to a more mature audience but they're not as abundant as the ones for a younger demographic. Basically you have to stumble upon them rather than expect them as the rule. When I first discovered Asian dramas I was so giddy with happiness. I thought I'd have a steady supply of great adult dramas to watch but I was soon in for a very rude awakening.

Anyway, have you seen Coffee Prince? So far it's the only gender bender I've liked & that's because it's a bit like Lovers in terms of the maturity factor. The chemistry between the leads is top notch & the drama has some of the most realistic kissing/physical interaction I've ever seen in dramaland. Even though it's a bit draggy I'd definitely recommend you give it a try. I think you'll like this one.

I want to watch Iris something bad! I love me some Byun-honey! haha However, I know how it ends & that really bums me out! :/

I know of lots of good romance movies. On your list I don't see:

Season of Good Rain
Chunhyang
The Servant
3-Iron
Addicted - LBH, yummy!
Never Forever
Midaregumo

I agree. A well-written love triangle can be interesting, WELL-WRITTEN being the operative word here. 3/4 of the love triangles in Asian dramas are NOT well-written by any stretch of the imagination!

Now, granted, I haven't seen that many dramas, but of the few I've seen I can only think of ONE (1) where the use of 2nds were necessary & integral to the plot.

Where I'm concerned no matter how much of a jerk the lead is & no matter how nice the 2nd is in comparison, if he's just there to create cheap conflict & slow down the pace of the plot, I hate him (or her)! That's just sloppy writing & that's 99% of dramas (including this one). I really don't care how 'nice' he is. He can go hang & stop popping up in places/scenarios he doesn't belong.

I in fact prefer the jerks, as much as they may infuriate me. At least they have a personality, rather than these cartoonish, perfect 2nds who is supposedly God's gift to our female/male lead. I hardly know any man who is perfect or nice all the time. Rather I know men who have a jerky side & a sweet side. Moreover, nice guys can be bastards too (as the 2nd here has proven)!

I agree with doc on this one. If you know someone has the hots for you & you do not reciprocate don't lead them on by spending time with them. You might think you're just being friendly, but they WILL start to get the wrong idea. Best to just cut it in the nerve & let that person deal with their own emotions. Of course all this is just too inconvenient for these silly drama writers to consider. I'm so fed up with them.