ML and FL teach at a hagwon which is a private fee-based tutoring center. They make lesson plans for different…
Different genres have different tropes. It has a lot of melodrama tropes like disapproving parents, taboo relationships, nostalgia for an ideal past and moral/class struggle. But it's a melodrama so that's kinda expected.
I'm just hoping it avoids the second half breakup and get back together together trope which unfortunately both romcoms and melodramas overuse, even though it almost never has a satisfying or believable resolution.
Can someone explain why: Teachers Seo Hye Jin and Lee Jun Ho teach at a certain high school. Why do they also…
ML and FL teach at a hagwon which is a private fee-based tutoring center. They make lesson plans for different schools and clases to help the students get or maintain a higher class rank. With the free lecture they were trying to entice students away from the White Haired Witch's hagwon that specializes in tutoring for an elite private school.
Cheong Mi (the other new teacher) wants to teach a class for the school FL specializes in tutoring for because she's familiar with that teacher and knows their style. But for a work junior to compete with a senior like that is a bold move.
For the ones who hesitate to watch it because of teacher-student relationship, that is not the case in here. When…
Not that it makes a big difference but the age gap is 6 years - ML was 18 and FL 24 (she took time off from uni for reasons we don't know yet) when they were tutor and student.
hard drop.This one is horse manure.Eye candy pure virgin ML falling in love with FL crying over her ex boyfriends.Kdrama…
Bro, you wrote a similar comment here last week and on a bunch of other dramas too. Either you're just trolling or you're way too obsessed with fictional character's sex lives.
TLDR: Confucian values emphasize excellence in education and a college degree marks you as middle class, so everyone wants a college degree. But South Korea's economy doesn't have enough white collar jobs to employ graduates. So the competition for jobs gets higher, which makes competition for universities higher, which makes competition for the CSAT and high schools higher, which creates a demand for hagwons.
It's a cultural and economic problem with no immediate solution. South Korea is currently the most expensive country in the world to raise a child because of the cost of education and it's a large factor in the declining birth rate. So ironically the hagwon bubble is expected to burst and self-correct in the next decade or two - less kids, less competition.
So far the main focus of the show is the politics of education - there's little romance and the leads have only…
My main criticism of Ahn Pan Seok is the dramas he directs are heavy handed with their moralism and simplistically one-sided in the portrayal of heroes vs villains. Showing both sides of a story isn't necessary in all genres but if you're going to examine societal issues in a slice of life I'd consider it absolutely necessary. Otherwise it's just a pantomime of real life, not actually realistic.
I guess the main problem I had with this drama is I don't understand more than half the things related to the…
These are dramas, not documentaries - everything is exaggerated.
Placement exams determine your class rank and your class rank + CSAT score determines what universities and programs you can apply to. One wrong question might demote you to a lower class which lowers your chances of getting into prestigious schools.
The public school teacher hates hagwons because they challenge the authority of the school system and what it teaches. You can see him as a tyrant, a zealot or a symbol of authoritarian government-controlled education which was an issue in South Korea.
It's also a symbolic class struggle because public school teachers need specific degrees and credentials to teach while hagwons tutors don't. But hagwon tutors are better paid and the top tier are basically celebrities. Upstarts vs status quo, public vs private.
ML's parents are in a class struggle too. ML points out his family climbed as high as they can on the traditional social ladder and hit a dead end, so now he's going after money and status by a different route. But it doesn't have the same prestige or stability as a corporate job and that reflects poorly on his whole family not just him.
So far the main focus of the show is the politics of education - there's little romance and the leads have only…
Even if you personally see the academy system negatively the drama has portrayed it mostly positively, whereas public education has had nothing but negative portrayal. When FL confronted the public school teacher she didn't criticize him personally but the institution of public education in general.
1. When FL criticized the test question she didn't say "Your teaching is outdated" she said "What the school taught you was outdated".
2. When FL criticized his teaching style, she didn't say "You're a poor teacher" she said "The school uses its authority to rule by fear".
3. In response the public school teacher resorts to violence, ruling by fear just like she said. For South Korea - which is only a few decades removed from authoritarian rule - that's powerful imagery with no matching critique of the academy system.
There's also a scene of students listening in on the argument where they comment they can't understand the vocabulary the two Korean language teachers are using, implying they're very poorly educated.
I feel like I have to defend this series for the ones who probably will bash it for being about the academies…
So far the main focus of the show is the politics of education - there's little romance and the leads have only been on screen together maybe 10 minutes. It's kinda ridiculous to tell people not to discuss the issues brought up, especially since the stance is currently "private = good" and "public = bad" with a farcically villainous public school teacher antagonist. While there are no wrong portrayals in the sense that it's fiction, if both sides of an issue aren't fairly represented that's an obvious bias people will react to and critique.
One of the important differences, however, is that melodrama uses stereotypical characters in order not to have…
No problem, I really enjoyed chatting with you! I'm not a career critic or anything - just an amateur - so mea culpa in advance if I've made any mistakes.
One of the important differences, however, is that melodrama uses stereotypical characters in order not to have…
Lol, now we're getting technical.
Critical taxonomy is weird because comedy, tragedy, drama and romance can all be considered base genres with their own traditions. You could argue melodrama is a sub-genere of tragedy, drama or romance (or all three) depending on context. The OG French and British melodramas were considered trashy populist romances at the time.
One of the important differences, however, is that melodrama uses stereotypical characters in order not to have…
Nope, Romeo and Juliet is a basic tragedy of circumstance with leads born into warring families who can never be together. Melodrama can be considered a sub-genre of tragedy but not the other way around.
Shakespeare is credited with developing the modem romcom format though with works like As You Like it and Much Ado About Nothing!
One of the important differences, however, is that melodrama uses stereotypical characters in order not to have…
Not quite. Melodramas focus on the main conflict - that's private vs public education - instead of individual character growth. If the villains stay villainous, the leads stay heroic and the rest of cast doesn't develop beyond supporting or obstructing the leads that's consistent with melodrama as a genre.
Social problems are an important part of melodrama. The modern genre came out of the French Revolutionary period and provided a pop culture way of dealing with the class strife and issues that society experienced at that time - along with escapism from the leads triumphing over the villainous oppresive status quo.
For those arguing over what is and isn't melodrama, the characteristics of the genre are:
1. Stereotypical Characters - Ahn Pan Seok dramas have OTT stock villainous characters that represent Tradition and Conformity like FL's mom and the psycho ex in SITR and FL's dad and the psycho ex in OSN. Here it's going to be ML's parents and the psycho teacher.
2. Exaggerated Emotional Appeal - FL was roughed up emotionally and physically while standing up for a student and ML quit his corporate job to start over as a teacher with no training. The audience is meant to feel sympathy for them and hate for the villains from the get go.
3. Sentimental Dialogue or Vibe - Retro 60s folk music, grainy sepia flashbacks, nostalgia for the past plus lots of flowery exposition about the power of education already in play.
4. Moral or Class Conflicts - The main plot of SITR and OSN is a middle class FL choosing a lower class ML instead of the upper class SML and the issues it causes. Here the class conflict is going to be private vs public education and made vs inherited wealth.
This is 100% classic melodrama formula and tropes, same as Ahn Pan Seok's recent dramas. What it's not is a makjang which is basically a melodrama on steroids.
TLDR: A genre of media defined by exaggerated emotional appeal, sentimental dialogue, stereotypical characters and simplistic moral or class conflicts.
MDL likes to pretend melodramas are somehow superior to romcoms but in reality they were a trashy pop lit/stage format that came out of the French Revolution. There's a reason why "melodramatic" is still used as an insult.
From the first ep it looks like a repeat of the heavy handed formula from the director's previous work:
1. FL and ML are trapped by societal constraints and their relationship is what frees them. 2. The characters that represent Tradition and Conformity are 2D baddies with no redeeming features who only exist as obstacles to be overcome. 3. The ensemble cast are 2D allegorical extensions of the main conflict and have no depth or agency outside of supporting or obstructing the leads.
Honestly the story and dialogue is so similar to Something in the Rain/One Spring Night that it's kinda sus. Are we sure Ahn Pan Seok isn't just ghostwriting all these dramas for newbie screenwriters?
Knets are saying that these are Pure-hearted male leads in kdramas who have loved the female lead for over 10…
OG champ Park Suha at the top of the list. ♡♡♡ I Hear Your Voice is unbeatable in the devotion department, ML and FL would legit do anything for each other.
FL adjusts her skirt in front of SML after a wardrobe malfunction. It's not flirty it's situational comedy, she does it in front of one of the judges too.
Unpopular opinion but none of the leads were great. Lee Jong Suk was okayish but he does his best acting when…
I thought he was best in I Hear Your Voice and Hymn of Death which have older or same age FLs so maybe? But I meant a FL with good technical skills or able to really embody a character - Suzy acts like an idol actor in this one.
I'm just hoping it avoids the second half breakup and get back together together trope which unfortunately both romcoms and melodramas overuse, even though it almost never has a satisfying or believable resolution.
Cheong Mi (the other new teacher) wants to teach a class for the school FL specializes in tutoring for because she's familiar with that teacher and knows their style. But for a work junior to compete with a senior like that is a bold move.
https://time.com/6292773/south-korea-crackdown-hagwons-cram-schools-competition/
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/01/asia/south-korea-college-exam-fertility-pressure-intl-hnk-dst/index.html
TLDR: Confucian values emphasize excellence in education and a college degree marks you as middle class, so everyone wants a college degree. But South Korea's economy doesn't have enough white collar jobs to employ graduates. So the competition for jobs gets higher, which makes competition for universities higher, which makes competition for the CSAT and high schools higher, which creates a demand for hagwons.
It's a cultural and economic problem with no immediate solution. South Korea is currently the most expensive country in the world to raise a child because of the cost of education and it's a large factor in the declining birth rate. So ironically the hagwon bubble is expected to burst and self-correct in the next decade or two - less kids, less competition.
Placement exams determine your class rank and your class rank + CSAT score determines what universities and programs you can apply to. One wrong question might demote you to a lower class which lowers your chances of getting into prestigious schools.
The public school teacher hates hagwons because they challenge the authority of the school system and what it teaches. You can see him as a tyrant, a zealot or a symbol of authoritarian government-controlled education which was an issue in South Korea.
It's also a symbolic class struggle because public school teachers need specific degrees and credentials to teach while hagwons tutors don't. But hagwon tutors are better paid and the top tier are basically celebrities. Upstarts vs status quo, public vs private.
ML's parents are in a class struggle too. ML points out his family climbed as high as they can on the traditional social ladder and hit a dead end, so now he's going after money and status by a different route. But it doesn't have the same prestige or stability as a corporate job and that reflects poorly on his whole family not just him.
1. When FL criticized the test question she didn't say "Your teaching is outdated" she said "What the school taught you was outdated".
2. When FL criticized his teaching style, she didn't say "You're a poor teacher" she said "The school uses its authority to rule by fear".
3. In response the public school teacher resorts to violence, ruling by fear just like she said. For South Korea - which is only a few decades removed from authoritarian rule - that's powerful imagery with no matching critique of the academy system.
There's also a scene of students listening in on the argument where they comment they can't understand the vocabulary the two Korean language teachers are using, implying they're very poorly educated.
Critical taxonomy is weird because comedy, tragedy, drama and romance can all be considered base genres with their own traditions. You could argue melodrama is a sub-genere of tragedy, drama or romance (or all three) depending on context. The OG French and British melodramas were considered trashy populist romances at the time.
Shakespeare is credited with developing the modem romcom format though with works like As You Like it and Much Ado About Nothing!
Social problems are an important part of melodrama. The modern genre came out of the French Revolutionary period and provided a pop culture way of dealing with the class strife and issues that society experienced at that time - along with escapism from the leads triumphing over the villainous oppresive status quo.
1. Stereotypical Characters - Ahn Pan Seok dramas have OTT stock villainous characters that represent Tradition and Conformity like FL's mom and the psycho ex in SITR and FL's dad and the psycho ex in OSN. Here it's going to be ML's parents and the psycho teacher.
2. Exaggerated Emotional Appeal - FL was roughed up emotionally and physically while standing up for a student and ML quit his corporate job to start over as a teacher with no training. The audience is meant to feel sympathy for them and hate for the villains from the get go.
3. Sentimental Dialogue or Vibe - Retro 60s folk music, grainy sepia flashbacks, nostalgia for the past plus lots of flowery exposition about the power of education already in play.
4. Moral or Class Conflicts - The main plot of SITR and OSN is a middle class FL choosing a lower class ML instead of the upper class SML and the issues it causes. Here the class conflict is going to be private vs public education and made vs inherited wealth.
This is 100% classic melodrama formula and tropes, same as Ahn Pan Seok's recent dramas. What it's not is a makjang which is basically a melodrama on steroids.
TLDR: A genre of media defined by exaggerated emotional appeal, sentimental dialogue, stereotypical characters and simplistic moral or class conflicts.
MDL likes to pretend melodramas are somehow superior to romcoms but in reality they were a trashy pop lit/stage format that came out of the French Revolution. There's a reason why "melodramatic" is still used as an insult.
1. FL and ML are trapped by societal constraints and their relationship is what frees them.
2. The characters that represent Tradition and Conformity are 2D baddies with no redeeming features who only exist as obstacles to be overcome.
3. The ensemble cast are 2D allegorical extensions of the main conflict and have no depth or agency outside of supporting or obstructing the leads.
Honestly the story and dialogue is so similar to Something in the Rain/One Spring Night that it's kinda sus. Are we sure Ahn Pan Seok isn't just ghostwriting all these dramas for newbie screenwriters?