I'm very lazy and impatient, so I've decided to do whatever I want to with the challenge that I found more than a month ago. I can't seem to get past numbers 7-10, so I'll start with #25. What the heck.
25. Your first Korean drama.
I was just thinking about this yesterday, determining in my mind what was the oldest drama I've ever seen. And, I came to a conclusion. It was "Dangerous Love," or 위험함 사랑. In the year of 2005, when I was ten years old, my parents and I (and sometimes my 7-year-old brother) watched the drama through KBS's website. I don't remember much from the drama, except the very ominous-sounding title. Then, soon after that, we picked up "Golden Apple," or 황금사과, which I almost fully remember, with the whole "경숙아~" and Ji Hyun Woo's "오빠, 화났다." I also remember Kim Ji Hoon's face, and the leading lady's face well. Finally, my third drama was "Pure 19," or 열아홉 순정, which I remember very well. I remember falling in love with Seo Ji Suk, and even having dreams about him, lol. Go Gwang Man is a famous character in my family, where my dad named one of our neighbors this, who has a wife that works and stays at home all day, tending to his family's house. "Pure 19" will remain a very memorable drama from my childhood, where I got to spend some great times with my parents, watching Korean dramas, the ultimate Korean pastime. Ah, the good old times...
Monday, March 25, 2013
Last Thoughts
Over the last few days of Spring Break, I finished two dramas that was hanging in my list, "Full House 2" and "Chungdamdong Alice," in that order. I just felt like doing it. And I'm glad I did.
First off, "Full House 2" isn't as bad as people have said. If you look past the very bad hair of the first half of the drama, and the kind of standard plot (nothing really happens), it's not completely horrible. The drama kind of reminds me of my relationship with "To The Beautiful You." I really don't know how I watched all of that drama. "Full House 2" isn't as bad as TTBY, but the whole "mindless cotton candy" was very similar. Both dramas was all about enjoyment and entertainment, with barely any thinking in the middle. Anyway, I'm glad I finished this drama. : )
Then, there's "Chungdamdong Alice." Wow, was I impressed with the last six episodes of this drama. I stopped after watching episode 10, I don't remember why. (10 seems to be my limit with 16-episode dramas, as I'm having the same problem with "That Winter, The Wind Blows," although I stopped getting completely immersed in it a few episodes ago. More on that later.) I'm loving how the Korean drama scene is slowly changing, with more dramas that seem to be thematically different that the standard Korean drama, and a few that are actually dealing with current issues in Korea. "Chungdamdong Alice" dealt almost fully with the whole concept of the 꽃뱀, or gold diggers. It wasn't completely believable that someone like Han Se Kyung might exist in this world (although someone who was "innocent" before and decided to change themselves might end up becoming like her), but the drama provided an insight into the current situation that many people in Korea are finding themselves in. What kind of "justice" should gold diggers like Se Kyung and Yoon Joo get? Are they any different from the rich, who deal with almost everything as business, as a source of getting more money, of going up the social ladder?
I feel like, in Korea, as of now, more than half of the population has been tainted with the idea that money is the most important thing, where they seem to have to link everything in their lives with money, including marriage. For most Koreans, money has become the key thing, the only motivation in life. Even the most pure, young Korean people are encouraged to look at everything with money in mind, where making a lot of money may make an average marriage candidate into the perfect one. One of the reasons there is a lot of matchmaking in Korea is that people want to marry into the best family possible.
Anyway, back to "Chungdamdong Alice," despite being occasionally reminded of Park Shi Hoo's recent scandal, I thought the main couple was very cute (and you have to admit, he's a pretty good actor). I really enjoyed the bits about the social wealth gap between the high and low ends of Korean society. A lot of foreign fans might have not been able to understand this situation that Se Kyung finds herself in, specifically the "no matter how hard I try, I won't not be poor" conclusion that she comes to in the middle of the drama. In the U.S., where there are so many opportunities, this is generally unimaginable, but in Korea, it is thoroughly understandable. To answer Se Kyung, I would have said that the system in Korea is corrupt. It is understatedly unfair, where, without money, you cannot live.
I especially loved Se Kyung's conclusion around the end of the drama, where she says that being an adult seems to be "living with your eyes half-closed, even though you know that when you open your eyes, reality will come." Being an adult is believing in the fantasy, even though you are fully (or somewhat) aware of the realities of life. Because then, you have some hope and something to look forward to. : D
First off, "Full House 2" isn't as bad as people have said. If you look past the very bad hair of the first half of the drama, and the kind of standard plot (nothing really happens), it's not completely horrible. The drama kind of reminds me of my relationship with "To The Beautiful You." I really don't know how I watched all of that drama. "Full House 2" isn't as bad as TTBY, but the whole "mindless cotton candy" was very similar. Both dramas was all about enjoyment and entertainment, with barely any thinking in the middle. Anyway, I'm glad I finished this drama. : )
Then, there's "Chungdamdong Alice." Wow, was I impressed with the last six episodes of this drama. I stopped after watching episode 10, I don't remember why. (10 seems to be my limit with 16-episode dramas, as I'm having the same problem with "That Winter, The Wind Blows," although I stopped getting completely immersed in it a few episodes ago. More on that later.) I'm loving how the Korean drama scene is slowly changing, with more dramas that seem to be thematically different that the standard Korean drama, and a few that are actually dealing with current issues in Korea. "Chungdamdong Alice" dealt almost fully with the whole concept of the 꽃뱀, or gold diggers. It wasn't completely believable that someone like Han Se Kyung might exist in this world (although someone who was "innocent" before and decided to change themselves might end up becoming like her), but the drama provided an insight into the current situation that many people in Korea are finding themselves in. What kind of "justice" should gold diggers like Se Kyung and Yoon Joo get? Are they any different from the rich, who deal with almost everything as business, as a source of getting more money, of going up the social ladder?
I feel like, in Korea, as of now, more than half of the population has been tainted with the idea that money is the most important thing, where they seem to have to link everything in their lives with money, including marriage. For most Koreans, money has become the key thing, the only motivation in life. Even the most pure, young Korean people are encouraged to look at everything with money in mind, where making a lot of money may make an average marriage candidate into the perfect one. One of the reasons there is a lot of matchmaking in Korea is that people want to marry into the best family possible.
Anyway, back to "Chungdamdong Alice," despite being occasionally reminded of Park Shi Hoo's recent scandal, I thought the main couple was very cute (and you have to admit, he's a pretty good actor). I really enjoyed the bits about the social wealth gap between the high and low ends of Korean society. A lot of foreign fans might have not been able to understand this situation that Se Kyung finds herself in, specifically the "no matter how hard I try, I won't not be poor" conclusion that she comes to in the middle of the drama. In the U.S., where there are so many opportunities, this is generally unimaginable, but in Korea, it is thoroughly understandable. To answer Se Kyung, I would have said that the system in Korea is corrupt. It is understatedly unfair, where, without money, you cannot live.
I especially loved Se Kyung's conclusion around the end of the drama, where she says that being an adult seems to be "living with your eyes half-closed, even though you know that when you open your eyes, reality will come." Being an adult is believing in the fantasy, even though you are fully (or somewhat) aware of the realities of life. Because then, you have some hope and something to look forward to. : D
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Trends
There seems to be a whole different vocabulary in Korean dramaland. Particularly, there's a whole list of popular sayings, phrases that always come up in dramas. For example, there's the "you must have saved the country in your previous life," most commonly used when some heroine is blessed with the love of not one, but both of the male leads, who just happen to be dashingly handsome.
There are also the recurring themes that seem to show up in almost all Korean dramas. The top three would be the fated love triangle, chaebols, and birth secrets. They show up most in dramas. Then, the stereotypical highlight scenes in dramas:
There are also the recurring themes that seem to show up in almost all Korean dramas. The top three would be the fated love triangle, chaebols, and birth secrets. They show up most in dramas. Then, the stereotypical highlight scenes in dramas:
- First fated meeting of the lead couple.
- Lead girl is saved by the third wheel guy.
- Lead guy finds lead girl in arms of third wheel guy.
- Lead girl gets makeover from lead/third wheel guy.
- Lead girl discovers feelings for lead guy, and cries in front of third wheel guy.
- Lead guy confesses to lead girl.
- Lead guy finds out lead girl's secret.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)