Drama Comparisons: Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese/Chinese and Thai
Hey everyone! For anyone who was kind enough to check out my journal, thank you! You may have noticed that I had a single entry titled recommended dramas. Unfortunately due to time committments I haven't been updating that post. Can't believe it's been so many years though!
Anways, I thought it was time to make a new post. Over the past few years I've been experimenting with dramas from different countries and thought I would share my observations. Please note that these are only my personal reflections so I might be wrong about some things.
A. Japanese Dramas
I will start off by admitting that since Japanese dramas were my first and because I also greatly admire their language and culture, I'm probably biased towards jdramas. Something I really like about them is that they're realistic. Now some people may scoff when thinking of the shoujo/shounen adaptations. Yes, they tend to be silly and overly dramatic but generally, the plots and characters in Japanese dramas are relateable and realistic. The pacing is sometimes slow in the beginning but it picks up later on.
One complaint I have is that they don't tend to focus on romance. This might have to do with the Japanese audience since for some reason the ratings for romantic dramas aren't that high (have no idea why). Take Ando Lloyd for example; it was a great concept with a unique story. It wasn't just romantic but also had sci-fi elements. But the rating was low. What I do like is that when they focus on romance, it isn't just about romance, there are usually other elements to the story.
I have many favourite jdramas but if I have to choose one, it would probably be the Hana Yori Dango series. It was my first jdrama and Asian drama in general and I'm so happy that I started off with the one of the best. The romance and cast are great! For me, it would always be the best adapation.
B. Korean Dramas
Recently there's been a huge hype over kdramas so everyone probably knows about them. What helped with the popularity was how accessible these dramas tend to be. Unfortunatley the copyright laws in Japan are so strict that it's really hard to find raw versions, let alone subbed versions. This doesn't seem to be the case with kdramas. These days the production, direction, and music of kdramas have been great. Some stories are also quite unique and there's romance in almost all the dramas.
Something different from jdramas is that sometimes they can be unrealistic. This is not to say that this applies to all kdramas but this is just a general observation I have made. An example is Boys Before Flowers, the Korean version of Hana Yori Dango. Even though the girl's family is supposed to poor, you see them having access to the latest technology. Even their house doesn't look poor. Kdramas also tend to have a great start but then the plot drags near the end or there are just too many episodes.
I have started many kdramas but didn't finish most because they're long and I had other stuff come up. A drama I would recommend is Healer. The romance, cast, suspense, and story were all great!
C. Taiwanese/Chinese Dramas
I know the two are different but sometimes I have trouble distinguishing them lol. I would have to say the actresses are the prettiest in Taiwanese/Chinese Dramas. I haven't seen enough to write about them but generally they have the same plots with a few that are unique. The female characters tend to be annoying and immature (although I guess you can say the same about most dramas in general). These dramas also seem to have many kiss scenes if you're into that kind of thing lol.
For a drama that I would recommend, it would have to be Lady and Liar. I was OBSESSED when I first started this series although I admit that I haven't finished watching the final episodes (they weren't subbed at the time and they focus on war and fighting). I will finish it soon though! It has all the classic storylines like the mafia, the guy obssessed about the girl, amnesia, working to pay off your debts, vicious lying villain...etc but it's done so well! The cast was just too good!
D. Thai Dramas (Lakorns)
I have recently started watching Thai dramas, otherwise known as lakorns. They're not as highly publicized as the other ones but I think they're slowly starting to get recognition. Again, I haven't watched enough to make accurate generalizations but I've noticed that the relationship between the guy and girl tends to be physical. By physical I mean there's a lot of manhandling and forced kisses but then again, this is only from the few dramas and fanvids that I've watched. There are sometimes wedding scenes and I really like how you get to have a glimpse of a traditional Thai wedding.
I would recommend Full House (Thai version), which was the first Thai drama I watched. I was drawn to watching it because I'm a fan of the original (Korean) and I watched a fanvid of the Thai version where the leads were just adorable. I was greatly suprised by this version and have to say I liked it better than the original. The characters were more realistic and I really liked how they wrapped everything up in the ending.
So this is the end of my review. Again, these were just my personal reflections and I apologize for any inaccuracies.
Happy Drama Watching!
Anways, I thought it was time to make a new post. Over the past few years I've been experimenting with dramas from different countries and thought I would share my observations. Please note that these are only my personal reflections so I might be wrong about some things.
A. Japanese Dramas
I will start off by admitting that since Japanese dramas were my first and because I also greatly admire their language and culture, I'm probably biased towards jdramas. Something I really like about them is that they're realistic. Now some people may scoff when thinking of the shoujo/shounen adaptations. Yes, they tend to be silly and overly dramatic but generally, the plots and characters in Japanese dramas are relateable and realistic. The pacing is sometimes slow in the beginning but it picks up later on.
One complaint I have is that they don't tend to focus on romance. This might have to do with the Japanese audience since for some reason the ratings for romantic dramas aren't that high (have no idea why). Take Ando Lloyd for example; it was a great concept with a unique story. It wasn't just romantic but also had sci-fi elements. But the rating was low. What I do like is that when they focus on romance, it isn't just about romance, there are usually other elements to the story.
I have many favourite jdramas but if I have to choose one, it would probably be the Hana Yori Dango series. It was my first jdrama and Asian drama in general and I'm so happy that I started off with the one of the best. The romance and cast are great! For me, it would always be the best adapation.
B. Korean Dramas
Recently there's been a huge hype over kdramas so everyone probably knows about them. What helped with the popularity was how accessible these dramas tend to be. Unfortunatley the copyright laws in Japan are so strict that it's really hard to find raw versions, let alone subbed versions. This doesn't seem to be the case with kdramas. These days the production, direction, and music of kdramas have been great. Some stories are also quite unique and there's romance in almost all the dramas.
Something different from jdramas is that sometimes they can be unrealistic. This is not to say that this applies to all kdramas but this is just a general observation I have made. An example is Boys Before Flowers, the Korean version of Hana Yori Dango. Even though the girl's family is supposed to poor, you see them having access to the latest technology. Even their house doesn't look poor. Kdramas also tend to have a great start but then the plot drags near the end or there are just too many episodes.
I have started many kdramas but didn't finish most because they're long and I had other stuff come up. A drama I would recommend is Healer. The romance, cast, suspense, and story were all great!
C. Taiwanese/Chinese Dramas
I know the two are different but sometimes I have trouble distinguishing them lol. I would have to say the actresses are the prettiest in Taiwanese/Chinese Dramas. I haven't seen enough to write about them but generally they have the same plots with a few that are unique. The female characters tend to be annoying and immature (although I guess you can say the same about most dramas in general). These dramas also seem to have many kiss scenes if you're into that kind of thing lol.
For a drama that I would recommend, it would have to be Lady and Liar. I was OBSESSED when I first started this series although I admit that I haven't finished watching the final episodes (they weren't subbed at the time and they focus on war and fighting). I will finish it soon though! It has all the classic storylines like the mafia, the guy obssessed about the girl, amnesia, working to pay off your debts, vicious lying villain...etc but it's done so well! The cast was just too good!
D. Thai Dramas (Lakorns)
I have recently started watching Thai dramas, otherwise known as lakorns. They're not as highly publicized as the other ones but I think they're slowly starting to get recognition. Again, I haven't watched enough to make accurate generalizations but I've noticed that the relationship between the guy and girl tends to be physical. By physical I mean there's a lot of manhandling and forced kisses but then again, this is only from the few dramas and fanvids that I've watched. There are sometimes wedding scenes and I really like how you get to have a glimpse of a traditional Thai wedding.
I would recommend Full House (Thai version), which was the first Thai drama I watched. I was drawn to watching it because I'm a fan of the original (Korean) and I watched a fanvid of the Thai version where the leads were just adorable. I was greatly suprised by this version and have to say I liked it better than the original. The characters were more realistic and I really liked how they wrapped everything up in the ending.
So this is the end of my review. Again, these were just my personal reflections and I apologize for any inaccuracies.
Happy Drama Watching!