Thanks for writing this article. I happened to discover C dramas by chance and my first one was Cruel Romance...I was absolutely fascinated by the time period represented and by the sceneries and the costumes too.
Out of the dramas that you listed I also watched Battle of Changsha, Too Late to Say I love You and most of Lady and the Liar (which I couldn't finish as complete subs were missing). All of them are amazing dramas.
I will keep an eye on the two new ones that you mention, mostly because the subbing situation is always a little tricky.
This is a drama that I struggled to finish as I wasn't enjoying it particularly. What kept me going was mostly the revenge theme as I wanted to understand how it would all unfold. I have to say that it was a little bit unrealistic as it is really not believable that after so many years of hate felt by many of the characters their feelings could suddenly change so drastically.I understood what message the writers wanted to convey to the viewers but I could never believe this would happen in the real world.
Also I wasn't particularly keen on the main couple as the female lead was typically weak and with very little self-respect and the male lead was again typically bossy, detached and arrogant and I could really feel very little chemistry between them.
I only appreciated a few side characters in the story like the mom cook, the male lead's best friend, and both the fathers as most of the other characters were too extreme in one way or another. This drama was rather a disappointment for me and I wouldn't recommend it.
This drama reminded me a lot of other two recent Jdramas in which dialogues were their main focus which are Saikou no Rikon and Date.
The story here was not particularly original as it dealt with the usual theme of women having the only goal in life to get married and they have to do so possibly in their early 30ies maximum (unfortunately I believe that in Japan this could be quite a common way of thinking still).
What was original here was how relationships between men and women were described (with lists of dos and donts) which was interesting although totally unrealistic.
The ending was rather vague...I felt as though the viewers were left hanging and wondering what happened the last 5 minutes and how the future for the leads would unfold.
In any case both Nakatani Miki and Fujiki Naohito were pretty good which for me is not surprising as they are amongst my favourite Japanese actors.
I usually try to avoid giving low ratings to dramas most of all because I appreciate all the hard work that is involved in their production (writing, directing, acting etc.) However I was really disappointed by this drama which had started out fairly well for a few episodes after which it started going downhill and there was no stopping it.
After having seen so many Korean dramas (182 up to now) I have to say that having a dumb female lead is typical and in this drama she managed to be sillier than most of the leads I have seen so far...the way she acted and the way she talked most of the time (not to mention the hideous wig she wore for so long) really got on my nerves as IMO not even 5 year olds nowadays behave like she did throughout this drama.
Something else I couldn't get over is how they expected us to believe that people can just stay still whilst they see a car/truck racing towards them without batting an eye lid...does the Korean audience really buy this... as it really infuriates me.
Yes Nam Gung Min's performance here was funny and relaxed for about half of the drama and then he went back to his usual self righteous/arrogant type character which was a pity.
This was yet again a drama which would have had a great potential if developed in a much cleverer way and with less clichès but I guess this might be what the Korean audience prefers.
I enjoyed watching this lighthearted drama. It was indeed a typical romcom in many aspects but it did have the original idea of dealing with superstition which is unfortunately still quite popular all over the world. The acting was pretty good and it had some funny and entertaining moments. Hwang Jung Eum has shown yet again to be an amazing actress who can play equally well both dramatic and funny roles. Also Ryu Joon Yeol is proving to be one of the most interesting new actors in K dramaland.
I am glad that this drama is being more and more appreciated by the viewers here. It is truly a very original and heart-warming drama with excellent acting and a very well written plot. It deserves all the praise that it is having. Thanks for writing this article.
I am so glad that I finally managed to watch this drama which I now consider to be one of the must see milestones of Chinese historical dramas. What I loved most about it was that it was typically Chinese in the story, the settings, the costumes and the acting. The plot itself was extremely poetic, delicate and the same time interesting and very well written. Whenever I watch a Chinese historical drama I feel like I am reading a live novel and this is what happened to me here too. I don't think I will easily forget this drama and in a way I hope that the Korean remake will be totally different as I consider this Chinese Scarlet Heart to be unique.
This drama is getting a high rating from me because I enjoyed the warm feeling it gave to the viewers throughout the story.
I also found the plot quite original but what made it special was the amazing acting which was so natural and spontaneous. Yes sometimes the female lead's reactions where excessively loud and out of control but I found it quite easy to put myself in her shoes and relate to what she was feeling at that precise moment.
I absolutely loved the parents here who also represented very well how lost parents can sometimes feel in reality when facing their children's life choices. In any case this is a little gem of a drama which somehow came as a very pleasant surprise.
I will keep an eye on Seo Hyun Jin from now on as her acting was absolutely perfect here.
I finally managed to see this movie which I waited for a long time. My opinion is never objective when it comes to Gong Yoo as I am always a little biased. I can say that I enjoyed it because it was simple yet effective in delivering a deep love story. I would have preferred it if the writers had the courage to make it end in an unconventional way which wasn't so. The sceneries in Finland were truly beautiful. In any case it was a pleasant watch which left me with a warm feeling.
This is a very interesting article so thanks for writing it. Like many viewers here I also started out with J dramas (and watched about 80 in one year) and then moved on to K dramas (and lately on to C dramas too). I have to say that I quite agree with a few of the reasons for which people prefer Kdramas over Jdramas and disagree with a few others:
1) I don't agree with the statement that K actors are better looking than J actors as there are some really handsome Japanese actors (who have less likely undergone plastic surgery compared to K actors)
2) I don't fully agree about strange acting in J dramas as I have seen some wonderful J dramas with brilliant acting (Soredemo, Ikite Yuku comes to mind as an example). But I do admit that many times their acting is rather stiff and not as spontaneous as acting in K dramas especially when it comes to romantic relationships.
3) Again I partially agree that in some J dramas the cinematography is not of such high quality as in K dramas but I can think of a few J dramas with incredibly good cinematography (Tonbi comes to mind).
4) The fact that J dramas are shorter doesn't bother me at all. If the story is good it doesn't matter to me how long it lasts.
5) The fact that J dramas lack escapism is actually one of the few reasons with which I totally agree. I personally watch dramas to escape from reality which is why I don't enjoy watching fiction that shows what happens in every day life. On the other hand I enjoy watching J dramas only once in a while when I need a break from the exaggerations of K dramas.
6) The fact that J dramas are not romantic can be argued in accordance to the years of production exactly like you stated. In fact dramas previous to the year 2000 were incredibly romantic and then suddently afterwards they started producing very little romantic dramas and moved drastically to other genres.
7) Too many idols in J dramas don't bother me at all...if their acting is good I appreciate them as they are with whatever background.
8) Lastly I wouldn't really know if Japan is stuck in a time warp. But I know that lately I have been watching less and less J dramas because they offer mostly the same genres which are detective stories/medical dramas /school dramas/horror dramas/manga based dramas all of which don't attract or interest me.
I have the feeling that they are obviously trying to follow the tastes of Japanese viewers who don't seem so keen on dramas on the whole (I read that ratings have dropped consistently throughout the years).
In any case overall I don't consider K dramas better than J dramas...I just choose according to how I feel whenever I want to watch a drama knowing what to expect from both nationalities. Aren't we lucky to have such a wide variety of choices?
This was a heartwarming drama for me. Similarly to Shut up Flower Boy Band I enjoyed the path of all the different members of this band to overcome their difficulties and be successful together.
Ji Sung shone as usual although I agree that his role here was not as effective as in his past dramas.
The best aspect for me was definitely the great friendship amongst all the characters and I also appreciated the very subtle romance between the two main couples without being bothered at all by their age differences. I hope to see many of these actors in future projects soon.
Having seen so many saeguks up to now I can say that this one was not outstanding but it wasn't too bad either. The aspect that I appreciated most was certainly the top notch acting by all the cast and in particular by the two leads (and the King father). What I appreciated less was the writing as the story started to drag in the second half and became unrealistic in many parts towards the end when characters miraculously kept on surviving death at the last minute. Also I didn't appreciate the excessive (and IMO sometimes perfectly useless) violence in the very first episodes.
Still it was a great performance by both Jang Geun Suk and Yeo Jin Goo (who was incredible in his facial expressions even though talking very little). I also liked the OST of this drama very much indeed.
I have mixed feelings about this drama. On the one hand I appreciated the original idea of the friendship between the women living on the same floor in Shanghai (which certainly took quite a lot of inspiration from Sex and the City...without the sex) and how the story dealt with real life issues making their friendship ties become stronger and stronger.
On the other hand I didn't like how some problems really dragged on for too long: I would have given much more space to the relationships between these women and their possible partners. For example the friendly relationship between Andy and her boss could have been exploited better and also I didn't think it was fair that there was not so much focus on Guan Guan's personal relationships as for the other women.
So overall this was a good drama but it could have been better with a more carefully written plot.
I enjoyed reading this article and yes, there have certainly been many times in which I thought that some of the main leads of a drama were pathetic. I admit it is more often doormat type of characters exactly as you described which makes me very frustrated and I generally keep on telling myself that it is a cultural difference so I should go with the flow...
I also admit that I can't bear dramas with excessive crying (Missing You is a perfect example!) as it's true that some situations are tragic and sad but there is really no need to express this so litterally and so often as I am sure the viewers get the message anyway.
Unfortunately I get the feeling that Asian writers (mostly Koreans I have to admit) believe that viewers need to be constantly spoon fed in order to understand exactly what the characters are going through which is not the case at all.
This was overall a watchable drama for me. There was nothing particularly original or intriguing in the story but it was well acted and it flowed well even though there were quite a few plot holes towards the end. I preferred the very first part with the Thailand setting as the Korea part was rather predictable. In any case I have certainly seen worse dramas than this one so a rating of 7 seems fair to me. I hope to see the leads in more engaging projects in the future.
Out of the dramas that you listed I also watched Battle of Changsha, Too Late to Say I love You and most of Lady and the Liar (which I couldn't finish as complete subs were missing). All of them are amazing dramas.
I will keep an eye on the two new ones that you mention, mostly because the subbing situation is always a little tricky.
Also I wasn't particularly keen on the main couple as the female lead was typically weak and with very little self-respect and the male lead was again typically bossy, detached and arrogant and I could really feel very little chemistry between them.
I only appreciated a few side characters in the story like the mom cook, the male lead's best friend, and both the fathers as most of the other characters were too extreme in one way or another. This drama was rather a disappointment for me and I wouldn't recommend it.
The story here was not particularly original as it dealt with the usual theme of women having the only goal in life to get married and they have to do so possibly in their early 30ies maximum (unfortunately I believe that in Japan this could be quite a common way of thinking still).
What was original here was how relationships between men and women were described (with lists of dos and donts) which was interesting although totally unrealistic.
The ending was rather vague...I felt as though the viewers were left hanging and wondering what happened the last 5 minutes and how the future for the leads would unfold.
In any case both Nakatani Miki and Fujiki Naohito were pretty good which for me is not surprising as they are amongst my favourite Japanese actors.
After having seen so many Korean dramas (182 up to now) I have to say that having a dumb female lead is typical and in this drama she managed to be sillier than most of the leads I have seen so far...the way she acted and the way she talked most of the time (not to mention the hideous wig she wore for so long) really got on my nerves as IMO not even 5 year olds nowadays behave like she did throughout this drama.
Something else I couldn't get over is how they expected us to believe that people can just stay still whilst they see a car/truck racing towards them without batting an eye lid...does the Korean audience really buy this... as it really infuriates me.
Yes Nam Gung Min's performance here was funny and relaxed for about half of the drama and then he went back to his usual self righteous/arrogant type character which was a pity.
This was yet again a drama which would have had a great potential if developed in a much cleverer way and with less clichès but I guess this might be what the Korean audience prefers.
I also found the plot quite original but what made it special was the amazing acting which was so natural and spontaneous. Yes sometimes the female lead's reactions where excessively loud and out of control but I found it quite easy to put myself in her shoes and relate to what she was feeling at that precise moment.
I absolutely loved the parents here who also represented very well how lost parents can sometimes feel in reality when facing their children's life choices. In any case this is a little gem of a drama which somehow came as a very pleasant surprise.
I will keep an eye on Seo Hyun Jin from now on as her acting was absolutely perfect here.
1) I don't agree with the statement that K actors are better looking than J actors as there are some really handsome Japanese actors (who have less likely undergone plastic surgery compared to K actors)
2) I don't fully agree about strange acting in J dramas as I have seen some wonderful J dramas with brilliant acting (Soredemo, Ikite Yuku comes to mind as an example). But I do admit that many times their acting is rather stiff and not as spontaneous as acting in K dramas especially when it comes to romantic relationships.
3) Again I partially agree that in some J dramas the cinematography is not of such high quality as in K dramas but I can think of a few J dramas with incredibly good cinematography (Tonbi comes to mind).
4) The fact that J dramas are shorter doesn't bother me at all. If the story is good it doesn't matter to me how long it lasts.
5) The fact that J dramas lack escapism is actually one of the few reasons with which I totally agree. I personally watch dramas to escape from reality which is why I don't enjoy watching fiction that shows what happens in every day life. On the other hand I enjoy watching J dramas only once in a while when I need a break from the exaggerations of K dramas.
6) The fact that J dramas are not romantic can be argued in accordance to the years of production exactly like you stated. In fact dramas previous to the year 2000 were incredibly romantic and then suddently afterwards they started producing very little romantic dramas and moved drastically to other genres.
7) Too many idols in J dramas don't bother me at all...if their acting is good I appreciate them as they are with whatever background.
8) Lastly I wouldn't really know if Japan is stuck in a time warp. But I know that lately I have been watching less and less J dramas because they offer mostly the same genres which are detective stories/medical dramas /school dramas/horror dramas/manga based dramas all of which don't attract or interest me.
I have the feeling that they are obviously trying to follow the tastes of Japanese viewers who don't seem so keen on dramas on the whole (I read that ratings have dropped consistently throughout the years).
In any case overall I don't consider K dramas better than J dramas...I just choose according to how I feel whenever I want to watch a drama knowing what to expect from both nationalities. Aren't we lucky to have such a wide variety of choices?
Ji Sung shone as usual although I agree that his role here was not as effective as in his past dramas.
The best aspect for me was definitely the great friendship amongst all the characters and I also appreciated the very subtle romance between the two main couples without being bothered at all by their age differences. I hope to see many of these actors in future projects soon.
Still it was a great performance by both Jang Geun Suk and Yeo Jin Goo (who was incredible in his facial expressions even though talking very little). I also liked the OST of this drama very much indeed.
On the other hand I didn't like how some problems really dragged on for too long: I would have given much more space to the relationships between these women and their possible partners. For example the friendly relationship between Andy and her boss could have been exploited better and also I didn't think it was fair that there was not so much focus on Guan Guan's personal relationships as for the other women.
So overall this was a good drama but it could have been better with a more carefully written plot.
I also admit that I can't bear dramas with excessive crying (Missing You is a perfect example!) as it's true that some situations are tragic and sad but there is really no need to express this so litterally and so often as I am sure the viewers get the message anyway.
Unfortunately I get the feeling that Asian writers (mostly Koreans I have to admit) believe that viewers need to be constantly spoon fed in order to understand exactly what the characters are going through which is not the case at all.