Given the enormous popularity of Korean drama in the region and beyond, a drama that captures the behind the scene stories, especially when starring by two of the 'most beautiful' actors/actresses, should sell like hot potatoes. Yet that has not been the case.
The drama, World Within, is punctuated by some fine details of how a typical drama was created, with the sequence where a playwright falling far behind schedule is distracted by some domestic duties being one of the most humorous. Following mainly the lives of three 'PDs' of a television station, it was also far more 'realistic' than most of the Cinderella stories, the fuel for continuous 'Korean wave' across the globe.
So what is lacking? I wonder if it suffers from too many parallel stories lines - most of which feel more like fillers; and the story of the protagonists too mundane. I also wonder if the script suffers from its eagerness to please the general public and therefore filled with too many small jokes rather than a reflective look on the making a popular cultural phenomenon.
Postnote: Clear of acne, Hyun Bin looks even better in this drama, but I am glad that I watched My Lovely Sam Soon first. To me, he still looks the best in that old drama - besides a good story, he has great chemistry with the two leading ladies.
April 22, 2011
April 18, 2011
My lovely Sam-soon
I wasn't particularly interested when I read that it was a Korean version of Bridget Jone's Diary. It sounded to me to be lacking in creativity.
I am thrilled now that I have not let that remark to stop me from checking out what it is like. Within just one week, I have watched this 16 episode (1 hour each) twice.
Different from all three other Korean dramas that I have watched so far (Coffee House, My Girl and Full House), this one is a breath of fresh air. The heroine, though not embraced with a plastic surgery perfect face (or body, for she is plumb), is a strong lady that knows what she wants in life and will not let anything to get in her way. When she realises that she has fallen in love with the man of not her type, she chooses to tell him and later on, questions him if that feeling of hers is reciprocal. When she is asked by his soon-to-be-former girlfriend to give him up, she tells her (despite her plead and a 35% of chance to survive her illness) that it is up to him to make the decision whom he would like to be with, and that for her part, she is never going to give up just for her sake. When she thinks that she is being fooled (again) by her boyfriend, she goes out with another man to seek happiness rather than moaning on the loss of a true love... At the end of the film, we also learn that the mum of her boyfriend objects to their relationship but that they are still seeing each other and that despite the occasional worry if they will fall out, she is not going to let this concern to bother her too much and that she is getting on with her life as her heart is taking her to.
In short, different from those 'angelic' figures (usually in their late teens or early twenties with a perfect face and modern figure) who is willing to sacrifice their true love for the sake of his family or his career, this Sam-soon of no particular beauty or wealth, stands up for herself and fights for what she deserves. And where no physical relationship seems to be involved in those dramas focusing on first love, this one features a man (though with a perfect face and body but not a perfect character) who constantly desires the physical contact with his beloved and is sent out late at night to find 'it' by his girlfriend only to find her fast asleep when he returns.
It is not just the characters though that has made this drama stand out from the rest of the comic romance. The incredible performance, especially that from Kim Sun-ah, the leading lady; the comic scenes (Hyun Bin is getting better in later episodes), the romantic scenes (especially the 20 minutes sequence where Sam-soon sings a love tune when her then boss playing the piano), and the music, etc, also work extraordinarily well and magically to give it an exceptional quality that outshines its competitors. This is a drama of a real woman in the street with a scriptwriter that understands how it feels to be a 'plain looking' woman over her 'sell-by' date in Korea and knows a secret or two of how to lead a happy life ('Love, as if you have never been hurt; Sing, as if no-one is in the audience; Dance, as if you are on your own...'); and the words of wisdom from her father in the dream sequence when she meets him for the final time - to live happily everyday and not let any concerns to get in the way). All these make it little wonder for its huge success with its native audience (a 50% viewing rate for its finale) and the international ones.
If you have time for only one Korean drama, this is certainly one you cannot afford to miss.
I am thrilled now that I have not let that remark to stop me from checking out what it is like. Within just one week, I have watched this 16 episode (1 hour each) twice.
Different from all three other Korean dramas that I have watched so far (Coffee House, My Girl and Full House), this one is a breath of fresh air. The heroine, though not embraced with a plastic surgery perfect face (or body, for she is plumb), is a strong lady that knows what she wants in life and will not let anything to get in her way. When she realises that she has fallen in love with the man of not her type, she chooses to tell him and later on, questions him if that feeling of hers is reciprocal. When she is asked by his soon-to-be-former girlfriend to give him up, she tells her (despite her plead and a 35% of chance to survive her illness) that it is up to him to make the decision whom he would like to be with, and that for her part, she is never going to give up just for her sake. When she thinks that she is being fooled (again) by her boyfriend, she goes out with another man to seek happiness rather than moaning on the loss of a true love... At the end of the film, we also learn that the mum of her boyfriend objects to their relationship but that they are still seeing each other and that despite the occasional worry if they will fall out, she is not going to let this concern to bother her too much and that she is getting on with her life as her heart is taking her to.
In short, different from those 'angelic' figures (usually in their late teens or early twenties with a perfect face and modern figure) who is willing to sacrifice their true love for the sake of his family or his career, this Sam-soon of no particular beauty or wealth, stands up for herself and fights for what she deserves. And where no physical relationship seems to be involved in those dramas focusing on first love, this one features a man (though with a perfect face and body but not a perfect character) who constantly desires the physical contact with his beloved and is sent out late at night to find 'it' by his girlfriend only to find her fast asleep when he returns.
It is not just the characters though that has made this drama stand out from the rest of the comic romance. The incredible performance, especially that from Kim Sun-ah, the leading lady; the comic scenes (Hyun Bin is getting better in later episodes), the romantic scenes (especially the 20 minutes sequence where Sam-soon sings a love tune when her then boss playing the piano), and the music, etc, also work extraordinarily well and magically to give it an exceptional quality that outshines its competitors. This is a drama of a real woman in the street with a scriptwriter that understands how it feels to be a 'plain looking' woman over her 'sell-by' date in Korea and knows a secret or two of how to lead a happy life ('Love, as if you have never been hurt; Sing, as if no-one is in the audience; Dance, as if you are on your own...'); and the words of wisdom from her father in the dream sequence when she meets him for the final time - to live happily everyday and not let any concerns to get in the way). All these make it little wonder for its huge success with its native audience (a 50% viewing rate for its finale) and the international ones.
If you have time for only one Korean drama, this is certainly one you cannot afford to miss.
April 12, 2011
Full house
It is official: I am addicted.
For the third Korean drama that I watched, I was so compelled to find out what happens next that I paused only for a few hours of sleep and a small breakfast. Not only my eyes felt sored, my stomach revolted as well.
So was the power of a gripping Full House, starring Korea's 'most beautiful woman' Song Hye-kyo and the then a new comer Rain, whose success in the drama would make him an international icon.
In order not to repeat what I did with My Girl, I returned the DVD straightaway so that I won't skip swimming for another viewing. When I revealed how I had enjoyed the drama, and felt a little bit childish for my behaviour, the owner of the DVD told me, to my relief, that she had watched it for no less than ten times.
Yeah, now I understand how come some Americans could watch Sound of Music for 66 times. It is an addiction.
For the third Korean drama that I watched, I was so compelled to find out what happens next that I paused only for a few hours of sleep and a small breakfast. Not only my eyes felt sored, my stomach revolted as well.
So was the power of a gripping Full House, starring Korea's 'most beautiful woman' Song Hye-kyo and the then a new comer Rain, whose success in the drama would make him an international icon.
In order not to repeat what I did with My Girl, I returned the DVD straightaway so that I won't skip swimming for another viewing. When I revealed how I had enjoyed the drama, and felt a little bit childish for my behaviour, the owner of the DVD told me, to my relief, that she had watched it for no less than ten times.
Yeah, now I understand how come some Americans could watch Sound of Music for 66 times. It is an addiction.
April 04, 2011
My girl
Television drama can be addictive. Even when they are silly, nonsensical, and when you struggle to suspend your disbelief. Back in the early 1990s, the whole population in China became hooked by Desire, the first soap opera in China...
Then there is Grey's Anatomy... which I never seem to have enough of.
I made a point not to follow television drama in the 1990s. Life is too short to spend hours on end to follow the multi-episode dramas, or to reschedule one's everyday routine to stay tuned. I much prefer listening to music or radio, activities that allow you to walk about and multi-task.
So this is new to me: after some mixed experience with Korean dramas barely a week ago, I found myself watching My Girl - for the third time in a row, well into the wee hours. Indeed like one of the reviews has it: it was well-written with good performance from all involved. A classic rom-com!
The heroine lies as freely as she breathes, and combined with frequent close up shots and monologues from her relating explicitly her inner thoughts (as if we cannot follow the plots without them), it was a total put-off for me at the beginning. But I was curious enough to persist - in the hope to work out how come such silly nonsense had been churned out at all, and I ended up watching the whole series with a fast-farward remote control in hand.
The last two episodes though changed my mind, and when I watched it a second time - this time, in normal play mode, I realised that once you could get over the initial shock (which takes about two episodes), it wasn't difficult to laugh all the way through with the heroine, while admiring the multi-talents of its actress - Lee Da-hea, who is capable of changing her facial expressions within the split of a second and seems to specialise in girlish charms of all kinds. And as if to reward those who, like myself, find the leading man a bit bland, Lee Dung-wook's character is transformed, in the last two episodes, into another man: one that knows exactly what he wants for himself and goes all his ways to get it. Despite his lack of athletics appearance, he looks manly in the last two episodes, and well deserves what he is after in the end.
My Girl relies heavily on stock of stereotyping in plots and characters; a dying grandfather whose wish rules the household; a gambling father who brings but debts to his daughter; a jealous girlfriend who cannot tolerate the sight of another pretty girl. Yet there are many elements which I find fascinating. Besides Lee Da-hea's versatility in appearing sweet, innocent, charming, yet mischievous and naughty almost all at the same time, Korean fashion, the way it projects its hero's image, use of western music throughout, hilarious references to popular Hollywood films/television dramas (such as 007 and X-file) , the status of woman in the modern society... are all subjects that can be looked into.
But perhaps the best thing is that there are only 16 episodes. Despite all the laughs that come with it, it is tiring to have to give up one's routine for too long. My Girl knows when to stop.
Then there is Grey's Anatomy... which I never seem to have enough of.
I made a point not to follow television drama in the 1990s. Life is too short to spend hours on end to follow the multi-episode dramas, or to reschedule one's everyday routine to stay tuned. I much prefer listening to music or radio, activities that allow you to walk about and multi-task.
So this is new to me: after some mixed experience with Korean dramas barely a week ago, I found myself watching My Girl - for the third time in a row, well into the wee hours. Indeed like one of the reviews has it: it was well-written with good performance from all involved. A classic rom-com!
The heroine lies as freely as she breathes, and combined with frequent close up shots and monologues from her relating explicitly her inner thoughts (as if we cannot follow the plots without them), it was a total put-off for me at the beginning. But I was curious enough to persist - in the hope to work out how come such silly nonsense had been churned out at all, and I ended up watching the whole series with a fast-farward remote control in hand.
The last two episodes though changed my mind, and when I watched it a second time - this time, in normal play mode, I realised that once you could get over the initial shock (which takes about two episodes), it wasn't difficult to laugh all the way through with the heroine, while admiring the multi-talents of its actress - Lee Da-hea, who is capable of changing her facial expressions within the split of a second and seems to specialise in girlish charms of all kinds. And as if to reward those who, like myself, find the leading man a bit bland, Lee Dung-wook's character is transformed, in the last two episodes, into another man: one that knows exactly what he wants for himself and goes all his ways to get it. Despite his lack of athletics appearance, he looks manly in the last two episodes, and well deserves what he is after in the end.
My Girl relies heavily on stock of stereotyping in plots and characters; a dying grandfather whose wish rules the household; a gambling father who brings but debts to his daughter; a jealous girlfriend who cannot tolerate the sight of another pretty girl. Yet there are many elements which I find fascinating. Besides Lee Da-hea's versatility in appearing sweet, innocent, charming, yet mischievous and naughty almost all at the same time, Korean fashion, the way it projects its hero's image, use of western music throughout, hilarious references to popular Hollywood films/television dramas (such as 007 and X-file) , the status of woman in the modern society... are all subjects that can be looked into.
But perhaps the best thing is that there are only 16 episodes. Despite all the laughs that come with it, it is tiring to have to give up one's routine for too long. My Girl knows when to stop.
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