A South Korean wave is sweeping across the world. The Hallyu as it is called, refers to the manner and the rate at which the Korean entertainment industry is gaining popularity on the world stage. Hallyu is a bundle of facets of South Korean culture including K-pop, manhwa, Korean language, Korean cuisine and of course Korean dramas - popularly known as K-dramas. Although Hollywood is still a dominant force and a leading pioneer in the movie industry, it's uncompromising inclination towards raunchy content makes it a distasteful option for conservative audiences.
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| Credits: MyDramaList, IMDb, The Ramen Swag |
That, coupled with regurgitated movie plots, has led to some emerging industries which have fresh and less lewd content to sip into the cracks. One such industry is the Korean movie industry, first gaining popularity in a very conservative Asia before overflowing to Europe and now America. Streaming sites, like Netflix, Viki, Kocowa, Hulu and others are awash with the best romantic K-drama series. With the Hallyu, K-dramas, especially romantic comedy, have sailed to the west, Australia, and Africa.
Of course if it's a romantic comedy, then we'd expect love
right? In a typical romantic K-drama's synopsis, two people meet, sparks fly,
and so on and so forth. Then they meet some hindrances which they confront and
ultimately overcome. The whole experience culminates in a happy fairy tale
ending.
Not different from Hollywood romance right?
Well... it's close, but compared to Hollywood romantic comedy,
there are fundamental differences: where the love springs from, and the little
things which are embedded in the relationship between the two protagonists
which help spur the love. In K-drama romance, things like family, home cooked
meals, honesty, and selflessness are the spices are ornaments.
In the eternity that exists between the two lovers' first
meeting, to the 'happily ever after episode’, viewers will have enjoyed the three
major elements that make K-dramas worth prime time slots.
1. Family
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Photo credit: Soompi |
In a classic romantic comedy, the families of the two protagonists occasionally get involved in the affairs of the two lovers. Hollywood likes to take parents out of the equation, especially when the protagonists are a bit old: in their 30s or 40s. That's not the case in most Korean romantic drama; focus is still on family ties.
There are elements of filial love and duty, coupled with astounding moral values. Some of the best K-dramas have focused as much on the relationship between the lovers and their families as the love story itself.
Some of the hindrances, from first sight to the
last episode often involve family's disapproval of the relationship between the
protagonists. But the families mainly play warm and supportive roles;
especially when there is a breakup.
2. Food
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| Photo Credit: Soompi |
If you've seen at least one Korean romantic comedy series, then you actually have seen Kimchi. That is so because in Korea, Kimchi — a staple in Korean cuisine — is served at nearly every meal, hence it is one of the most consistent features in these K-dramas. There are tons and tons of varieties of Kimchi and other delicacies in Korean dramas.
Usually, in the
K-drama series, one lover is good at preparing dishes while the other buff,
often times, is not trained in the culinary arts or is simply, a bad cook - but
is usually a binge eater. In some instances, it is the parents who are good at
preparing delicious dishes.
Steam-cooked short-grain rice, congee and gruel, rice cakes,
ramen, Tangpyeong-chae aka mung bean jelly salad, and noodles all have
made at least a cameo in at least one romantic K-drama episode.
Binging on K-dramas will make you look for chopsticks next
time you eat noodles. With all that Kimchi and whole lot of other
veggies, these drama series will surely turn a vegan on.
Read: Barbershop: The Next Cut — Eddie and Dante’s Dirty Scripts.
3. The G-rating
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| Photo Credit: MovieBabble |
The most determining factor in making the TV series family-friendly, is the cleanliness of the content. K-dramas do not particularly emphasize on sex in their plots. Unlike Hollywood, which is somehow fixated on the notion of "sex sells", romantic K-dramas rather focus on things like honesty and selflessness. The kissing is quite lite, and it's usually a peck here and there. The language used is mostly clean too. These things make the romantic K-dramas less lewd than other romantic dramas and hence pretty acceptable for family viewing.
But that doesn't mean that romantic K-dramas are boring and unattractive; they are full of elements of allure. The stars of these romantic dramas are very attractive, some of them, K-pop stars, and the fashion is quite trendy, almost fresh from the latest fashion weeks. The accoutrement is also voguish.
And so, the G-rating aspect of K-dramas has been vital in
making it popular across societies. The major successes which the K-dramas have
achieved outside of Korea, include some conservative Muslim countries: Jumong,
a historical drama with a pinch of romance, aired on Islamic Republic of Iran
Broadcasting in 2008, and enjoyed 85% viewership.
Link: How to Sell Your Screenplay
E xtra Juice.
· Unstable characters
More often than not, one of the lovers in a K-drama is
sort of an oddball. Sometimes, there are more than one unhinged character in a
romantic K-drama, after all, it's comedy right?
Or maybe it's just reflective of what love does to a person. Whatever
the reason maybe, crazy characters, make the romantic K-dramas much more fun.
· Educative
The K-dramas offer an extensive insight into the Korean
culture. You'd learn a lot more about Korean culture from movie rather than
some books out there. K-dramas also delve into history. Many historical pieces,
called sageuk, have wowed while educating audiences around the world. Sageuks
like Jumong, will leave you glued to your screen.
· The K-pop Influence
The Romantic K-dramas are filled with K-pop stars and
music which is spiced with some English lines. It is amazing how producers are
able to turn K-pop stars' into ordinary people especially in sageuks.
Next time you are with your family, and you want to watch
something together, why not try out some hanguk deurama. Click here to check out a list of some popular romantic K-dramas.
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ReplyDeleteThanks bossman
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