just talk
posted on 6/29/14
(edited, original post here)
When I was in college, after I discovered kpop with friends of mine, I watched my first Korean Drama (kdrama.) It’s a pretty interesting niche for Americans/westerners I think because of the short format and lack of serials. There are weekend and weekday dramas (essentially their version of soap operas) that are a lot more conservative in their presentation but have some of the wildest stories. The word “makjang” can be used as a pejorative for an over the top drama and insane storylines. When not used as a pejorative, the meaning is more complicated. I don’t think we have a word for this in english outside of melodrama or comparing the storylines to a Passions type deal. These can run from 50-100 episodes. Typically romcom, thriller, and melodramatic dramas run from 16-20 episodes.
I want to talk about why I was so interested and my likes and dislikes. My life is going through some adjustments, the past two months have been especially tough for me, and I have watched a lot of them!
For kdramas, I prefer romcoms*. I tend to stay away from melos (melodramas) because of all the heavy angst. Character deaths are pretty common or it’s so over the top I can’t deal with it. Funnily enough, when I was growing up, I loved soap operas.
I don’t like period pieces* so generally I prefer to watch modern pieces. I hate period pieces in any culture. I get bored, I am not a huge fan of history if I’m not talking about backgrounds for social justice or something, and I hate not seeing cell phones and computers. I am a very connected and modern woman and this explanation makes me sound ridiculous but hey.
The first thing I really do enjoy about kdramas is the clothes*. This is something that I also like in western media as well, of course, but when I began watching kdramas I think I was just finding a unique style for myself at the time and really growing into being comfortable with how I would project myself and not caring about anyone else (hard to explain I think.) I have always adored fashion and style trends happen on a global scale but it’s interesting to see how they manifest different in different countries.
I think the first drama that I watched was Reply 1997, a thoroughly enjoyable as a slice of life drama. This drama focused on 90s popular culture. A teenage girl who is an insane H.O.T. stan (as we would call them now!) H.O.T. is an old-ass korean pop/rap band. This song is one of my favs. The history of music and antiblackness etc is too much history to go into but old korean pop/rap is ridiculous in the most fun way.
I was reluctant to start the drama because I was working in school but after I did I was so thankful. I felt like I had grown up with the kids the drama was focused on and lived and laughed like them. The love story is stupid because for most of the drama the male protag is a “nice guy” but they’re cute. It got really popular because it was a good portrayal of fan culture and growing up at the time (or so I have heard.) It’s an enjoyable piece of work that can be understood and enjoyed cross-culturally.
Even with cultural differences the feelings of adolescence is universal. When Si-Won, the main character, flips out over her idols I felt that. When she argued with her parents, got on the bus with her friends, or got her first kiss—everyone can relate. Teenage angst and immaturity shine throughout the drama and even as the drama fast forwards to the present time it was made (2012) there’s still that touch of that with our band of friends.
Alternatively, a more adult drama Dal Ja’s Spring I found immensely enjoyable* (minus the fact that the two main characters kiss but don’t move their lips. Drama kisses are hard for me sometimes.) Pretty surprising considering the main character befriends and has a healthy and interesting relationship with the woman her ex cheats on her with. She also continues a friendship with her ex. All through this she develops her sexuality (she was a virgin..lol.)
Dal Ja is about 35 and still a virgin. It is not shameful, it is not unheard of, but it is uncommon. The hyper protected or virgin trop of women is a (sexist) recurring theme in (many) dramas. So, in a more sexually conservative society, when dramas discuss sex more it’s surprising. Generally, mature dramas in the romcom genre will feature more autonomous decisions.
So far in the romcoms I have watched I have been kind of put off by the purity themes. Jump to a completely different non-western country, Nigeria where my dad is from, and this is sort of the case. Purity in terms of my [non-American] culture is tied to religion and I wouldn’t be able to say the same about SK because I do not know. However, the default for a woman is to be saved, to live with your parents until you marry, to ask a father permission to marry, etc. But as the years pass it is frankly unrealistic especially as we (the collective we, not just Nigerians) move out of the packed village/small town lives and into the sprawling cities.
America can be hypersexual and sexually conservative–seemingly a “balance.” Of course, all of this ties into patriarchy and the different ways misogyny manifests in parts of the world and how it holds out. I digress. I think my main difficulty has been grappling with the purity consistency in dramas which oftentimes leads to awkward situations and potentially dangerous ones for the wellbeing of the female character. In another drama which I adore, City Hall, the protagonist was not a virgin (thank god, she was also in her 30s so obviously sex is easier to handle in dramas when they are a bit older which is understandable but I say that for another reason although teens/20 somethings are sexual as well.) She dated about three men I believe and her partner would give her shit for it, a bit of jokes about being easy slid in, but it was realistic.
This is obviously not just a drama problem and I want to reiterate not being the target demographic and the ways in which misogyny manifests differently in media all over the globe. But since we’re talking about korean dramas, I will stick with this. (MORE DIGRESSION.)
I love City Hall but there is one glaring issue that will stick with me. A husband slaps his wife during an argument. She’s a fun foe throughout the drama but she’s a pretty shrill, small, selfish person to the detriment of those around her. Regardless, this is one out of two times I have seen this (the other was in a drama I attempted to watch when a woman’s boss slaps her for an oversight on her job) and it is incredibly gross and irresponsible.
I mentioned putting the women in uncomfortable positions by not fleshing out their sexuality or personality within that sexuality. In dramas I have seen the men they are in love with display machoism and tell them they can’t do things but in a very casual manner that denotes a familiarity of these demands between men and women. It is casually rape culture but very jarring as a person who has not had a choice to do something when I needed to at a very young age. It is not a normal thing to say or do to someone you love. EDITED: I’m not sure if this made complete sense. I know my writing is very stream of consciousness. Specifically in City Hall they are in his car and he says, “are you going to cry foul if I have my way with you?” or something like that and when they were alone in his hotel room (not sexually) and he said, “we’re alone, I can do whatever I want, aren’t you scared?”
Men in kdramas tend to grab/push/get in women’s faces. Another something that is triggering just by the sheer force of it, not to mention a lot of these women are very thin and their characters can seem powerful but when a man puts his hands on her to stop her from leaving make them shrink down via masculinity. There is also the issue of random kisses without permission.
The main character in City Hall, Mirae, is played by Sun Ah Kim (who I adore.) Sun Ah is about 5’7 and “bigger” in terms of actresses in the industry (she’s lost a lot of weight since because she specifically gained for her roles.)
She’s pretty tall and large (??) compared to her colleagues and in a previous role of hers she gained 15 pounds–very visible on her frame. I wish I could link to this post about how Americans(/westerners) believe that Asians (especially East Asians/PI?) are intensely critical about looks while we are not as bad. The writer went on to debunk that and basically we have the same issues but of course approach them in a different way. My whole experience with being fat and my weight is a testament to that. Perhaps one of the hardest things to watch is this happening. While a female characters looks are picked apart, her weight, etc by the man she wants to love or how the men (who are never gonna be as good looking as women. Fact.) have to get over that to continue their love.
Uh what else. Casual racism. Enough said*.
Those are the more feminist peeves. Storywise there is a formula to romcoms for dramas: love triangles…which I hate. Sometimes they’re not intense and sometimes they are annoying. We mostly always know who will end up with who and sometimes it’s nice to see character growth. Sometimes it’s pathetic. Sometimes the women get shafted for the men and I tend to find a lot of women in dramas are not as great as they could be although when they take time with them and when the actress is amazing it gets blown out of the park. Usually the women and actress always ALWAYS make the drama.
So you have the love triangle, you have how the people meet, generally they get together and admit they like each other, and then there is ANGST. Something happens. Usually the man won’t communicate and sometimes he stops being near her for her safety. Then they get together. Sometimes there’s sex (!!!)
They can get trite and the angst when we can all use common sense is annoying.
I haven’t really watched a drama since Reply 1994 (which I loved more than the original 1997. My favorite character was actually the male lead but it was honestly relatively very pleasant.) I’m starting one now and the guy is a fucking dick but I’m holding out hope. You never know what you’re going to get and you have to wait about two months for the whole run. It can start good and go badly or vice versa. But there are many upsides. The ones I have watched have all mostly been very well done, written very well, good production, use of music etc all the things one would like in a show. And I think a common theme in most of them is the heart and amount of effort being put into them. They have all made me happy and sad and care about the characters and the feel of it and that is what I look for in a show.
(7/23/19) ETA: The portrayal of friendships is something I envy about kdramas comparatively to our portrayals. I believe that more intimacy and vulnerability is supported as well as a sense of community.
I hope to find more that grip me like the ones I have watched but I am very glad I’ve watched as many as I have. And they are SHORTER THAN OUR TV. What makes it fun is watching my favorite American shows, and dramas, and reality tv.
A rec: White Christmas. It’s actually a thriller and most of the people in it are hot. But it is literally one of the best shows PERIOD I have watched*.
(7/23/2019)
I do not prefer romcoms. I find most pedantic and misogynist. Can’t deal with that anymore.
Sageuks, historical dramas, are very interesting. Seems like anything but old-ass british history is A-OK with me. I love history and I love learning. It’s amazing what 5 years can do.
I still love style and fashion but there’s body politics in this. But styling is important.
I probably wouldn’t care about it now.
I do not agree. Cultural relativism is irrelevant. The problems in the west are massive in terms of bodies and fat bodies. It is oppressive and stifling. The problems in the east are much stricter and “worse” in the sense of outsiders as well. There’s a 42kg “rule” in SK. A woman being 42kg is PERFECT instead of unhealthy and almost not sustainable.
At the time I really loved WC. Now I love Secret Forest the most. A political thriller. I also prefer thrillers and crime dramas now since they have way more meat to them than romcoms.