The director explained how this idea came to be. There's the press conference with the cast on YouTube and articles.…
Thank you for the links! I don't think it's wrong to be horny over those drawings 😅 but there's clearly a deeper message about how women's desires are thwarted by the social constraints they are under and it's a very positive message in terms of women fully owning their sexuality and enjoying and having happier relationships as a result.
ETA: I like these quotes from the director and Go Ara (machine translated so it's a bit awkward, I think level of water refers to how explicit it is):
"Director Kwang-young explained about the control of the level of water in “Chunhwayeonsam,” “I didn’t film it because I thought the level was very important. Although I did use the unconventional material of a pornographic painting, the reason I did is because the story started from the question of who would have written a story like this back then.”
Go Ara, who plays Princess Hwari, explained, "If you look at the entire piece, there is something it wants to say and a message it wants to convey," and "I think it got the R-rated title because it had to include a love story to convey that message. I was very attracted to the message the piece was trying to convey, including my character and the other characters."
People are complaining about Western influence on Kdramas but that's not accurate. For context, Chunhwa was erotic art in the Joseon era: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunhwa (images NSFW)
Also, older dramas had sex. No nudity of course but it wasn't until a right wing conservative Christian was elected president in Korea in 2007 that there began to be a clampdown on sexual content on TV. Even with that clampdown we had scenes like these:
Also if you watch Korean films you would know that explicit sexual content has always been present. The Handmaiden, Empire of Lust, A Man and a Woman, A Frozen Flower (gay male sex with the ML as well as straight sex).
You don't have to like The Scandal of Chunhwa or sexual content but saying it's because of Western influence is completely wrong.
Also if you watch Korean films you would know that sexual content has always been present.
Older dramas had sex, it wasn't until a right wing conservative Christian was elected president in Korea in 2007 that there was a clampdown on sexual content in the mid 2000s.
You don't have to like the drama or the sexual content but saying it's because of Western influence is completely wrong.
For now I love the second couple more than the main couple! But that can change later on.. its just 2 episodes..…
I feel the same way, the second couple is too cute and she had a good reason to be angry with him and to make him work to win her back and the fact he was willing to kneel down for her means she got a good one. The constant sexing is adorable
Yeah without the drawings this would probably be TV-14 in Canada I think. It's no more explicit than Buffy or…
The illustrations are a clever way to get really explicit and stay historically accurate because I've seen some historical drawings and they really were that raunchy
If you just look at the sex scenes with actors this is only mildly spicy with a topless woman in one scene. But…
I really like the second couple with the prince and his fiance who was rightfully angry that he never asked her if she wanted to marry him and instead went to her father first to arrange it. Once they got it sorted out their sex scenes were incredibly sweet and funny.
The third couple of the crown prince and princess having obligatory sex that she obviously hated was very sad and I hope they are able to find a way to be intimate that gives them both pleasure.
I'm not sold on the leads, Hwa Ri is just a spoiled brat who has an all access pass to leave the palace whenever she wants and Choi Hwan comes across as a little smarmy but their kiss was legit. I'm hoping I become invested in their relationship in future episodes.
Regarding the peeping scene, it's a historical fact that people in the Joseon era would poke holes in a screen to peep at couples having sex so they were having a bit of fun with it. I did get weirded out when I realized that Hwa Ri was peeping at her brother, that was excessive and a bit creepy.
Overall I'm really enjoying the portrayal of women's sexuality as in they are interested in sex and want to enjoy it but it's societal expectations and constraints that prevent them from achieving sexual fulfillment. It's nice to have an 18+ show that focuses on the female gaze and women's pleasure instead of whatever mess we got in Queen Woo.
If you just look at the sex scenes with actors this is only mildly spicy with a topless woman in one scene. But the illustrations are where this drama is earning its 18+ rating. Absolutely nothing left to the imagination. The opening illustration especially killed me because you have to look closely to see all the tiny people having sex in various parts of the screen. As for the plot, spoilers threaded below.
Btw is there any good sci fi kdrama out there? Or all of them failed?
These are films not dramas but try Alienoid with Kim Woo Bin, Kim Taeri and Ryu Jeong Yeol and Space Sweepers with Song Joong Ki, Kim Taeri and Richard Armitage
ETA: I like these quotes from the director and Go Ara (machine translated so it's a bit awkward, I think level of water refers to how explicit it is):
"Director Kwang-young explained about the control of the level of water in “Chunhwayeonsam,” “I didn’t film it because I thought the level was very important. Although I did use the unconventional material of a pornographic painting, the reason I did is because the story started from the question of who would have written a story like this back then.”
Go Ara, who plays Princess Hwari, explained, "If you look at the entire piece, there is something it wants to say and a message it wants to convey," and "I think it got the R-rated title because it had to include a love story to convey that message. I was very attracted to the message the piece was trying to convey, including my character and the other characters."
Also, older dramas had sex. No nudity of course but it wasn't until a right wing conservative Christian was elected president in Korea in 2007 that there began to be a clampdown on sexual content on TV. Even with that clampdown we had scenes like these:
Coffee Prince (2007): https://youtu.be/C5fjXpTkMVI?si=Erj5MheJ0oI60Gca&t=47
Bittersweet Romance (2008): https://youtu.be/BtOhq9irsAs?si=6Ky9JrJ0zWxEGyN1&t=307
Witch's Romance (2014): https://youtu.be/xtxu6jjxWDI?si=3TuB_GOuGMk2jXIo
When A Man Loves (2013), Episode 12, lovemaking scene starts at 56:00, Bare Butt sighting at 57:25: https://www.viki.com/videos/226224v-when-a-man-falls-in-love-episode-12
In Need of Romance (2012), 2:40-4:16, woman pops open a man's jeans: https://youtu.be/DSZPrNhFDtQ?si=y9rCGOSz4odl0Zc2&t=154
Also if you watch Korean films you would know that explicit sexual content has always been present. The Handmaiden, Empire of Lust, A Man and a Woman, A Frozen Flower (gay male sex with the ML as well as straight sex).
You don't have to like The Scandal of Chunhwa or sexual content but saying it's because of Western influence is completely wrong.
Also if you watch Korean films you would know that sexual content has always been present.
Older dramas had sex, it wasn't until a right wing conservative Christian was elected president in Korea in 2007 that there was a clampdown on sexual content in the mid 2000s.
You don't have to like the drama or the sexual content but saying it's because of Western influence is completely wrong.
The third couple of the crown prince and princess having obligatory sex that she obviously hated was very sad and I hope they are able to find a way to be intimate that gives them both pleasure.
I'm not sold on the leads, Hwa Ri is just a spoiled brat who has an all access pass to leave the palace whenever she wants and Choi Hwan comes across as a little smarmy but their kiss was legit. I'm hoping I become invested in their relationship in future episodes.
Regarding the peeping scene, it's a historical fact that people in the Joseon era would poke holes in a screen to peep at couples having sex so they were having a bit of fun with it. I did get weirded out when I realized that Hwa Ri was peeping at her brother, that was excessive and a bit creepy.
Overall I'm really enjoying the portrayal of women's sexuality as in they are interested in sex and want to enjoy it but it's societal expectations and constraints that prevent them from achieving sexual fulfillment. It's nice to have an 18+ show that focuses on the female gaze and women's pleasure instead of whatever mess we got in Queen Woo.