Great article! I really enjoyed all of your well argued points. For me personally, I enjoy both Jdrama, Kdrama, and TWdrama and have been watching them all for more than a decade. All of the countries' dramas have their own unique style and it just depends on my mood for what I am looking for in my present entertainment. But lately I have been watching Jdramas again because Kdramas have been slightly frustrating for me (again, it just depends on my mood for what I want at the time):
1) Unique and original storylines are a rarity in Kdramas right now. Most of them are the same rehashed stories modeled off of their older, more original predecessors. Kind poor girl falls in love with rich jerk- how many times have they done that before? Seriously, everything feels too familiar with Kdramas. The writers and studios need to be more creative or start hiring new talent. Japan is not afraid of trying new things and being bold. Of course some Jdramas do have similarities between each other, but for the most part Japan wins against Korea in terms of creativity and taking risks with their characters and stories.
2) Kdramas tend to draw things out and do a lot of flashbacks. Sometimes I just want to have the story flow without any interruptions and not constantly fast forward things. Like you said, Jdramas have perfected the "short and sweet" style and I love them for it! Going along with this, their 10-12 episodes series are perfect for me because I just don't have the time and attention span for a 16-24 episode series anymore.
3) A lot of times Kdramas are trying to portray normal people but do it the most absurd way: giving a poor or average financially girl the latest smart phone and designer clothes, miscasting main roles more suited to normal looking actors rather than K-idols or models, everyone is PERFECTLY styled to a T without a hair out of place, and always making the main girl have a heart of gold with no faults whatsoever (you can be a good person that still has issues). [A perfect example of Japan hitting all the right notes is the Jdrama "Date" (2015).]
Overall, I can relate more to Jdramas more because they tend to reflect real life better than Kdramas. Sometimes life isn't filled with extreme romantic gestures or finding out a loved one has deathly illness or got into a freak accident. And Japan recognizes that. They can make a series entertaining portraying real life in a simple and sweet way through the charm of the characters. I LOVE Kdramas and they were the first country to get me into Asian dramas, but its important to try Jdramas and watch with an open mind.
1) Unique and original storylines are a rarity in Kdramas right now. Most of them are the same rehashed stories modeled off of their older, more original predecessors. Kind poor girl falls in love with rich jerk- how many times have they done that before? Seriously, everything feels too familiar with Kdramas. The writers and studios need to be more creative or start hiring new talent. Japan is not afraid of trying new things and being bold. Of course some Jdramas do have similarities between each other, but for the most part Japan wins against Korea in terms of creativity and taking risks with their characters and stories.
2) Kdramas tend to draw things out and do a lot of flashbacks. Sometimes I just want to have the story flow without any interruptions and not constantly fast forward things. Like you said, Jdramas have perfected the "short and sweet" style and I love them for it! Going along with this, their 10-12 episodes series are perfect for me because I just don't have the time and attention span for a 16-24 episode series anymore.
3) A lot of times Kdramas are trying to portray normal people but do it the most absurd way: giving a poor or average financially girl the latest smart phone and designer clothes, miscasting main roles more suited to normal looking actors rather than K-idols or models, everyone is PERFECTLY styled to a T without a hair out of place, and always making the main girl have a heart of gold with no faults whatsoever (you can be a good person that still has issues). [A perfect example of Japan hitting all the right notes is the Jdrama "Date" (2015).]
Overall, I can relate more to Jdramas more because they tend to reflect real life better than Kdramas. Sometimes life isn't filled with extreme romantic gestures or finding out a loved one has deathly illness or got into a freak accident. And Japan recognizes that. They can make a series entertaining portraying real life in a simple and sweet way through the charm of the characters. I LOVE Kdramas and they were the first country to get me into Asian dramas, but its important to try Jdramas and watch with an open mind.