kdrama: Vineyard Man eps 1-16 (complete)

[meganbmoore]

Vineyard Man is a less-known romantic comedy from a couple years ago. I’m not sure why it’s unpopular as it stars Yoon Eun Hye of Goong ,and is one of the few modern kdramas I’ve seen where the hero actually isn’t a jerk. Then again, heroes who act like jerks seem to be a requirement for most kdramas, so maybe that’s it.

YEH plays Ji Hyun, a young

Comments

[dangermousie]

Well, anything in a story is 'made' by the narrative. So yes, e.g. the Tennis Girl in My Girl is 'made' by the narrative to be selfish, but if we assume the fictional world is real in the story, then she *is* shelfish otherwise the meta-Moebius strip is going to make my head hurt.

Of course the 'other girl' would be demonized. In a melodrama narrative, we need obstacles for the heroine (which is why gal friends or Moms are OK). But then seeing how psychotic Other Guy usually gets, I think the more accurate thing to say is "Other Person" is usually a total psycho. Other guys in Winter Sonata, Resurrection, ChunHyang, Goong, One Fine Day, AllIn, East of Eden, Stained Glass, Beautiful Days etc etc are all nasty pieces of work that make Tennis Girl look quite nifty.

other 'working women' which are not demonized are in Capital Scandal, Robbers, Coffee Prince, All In, Love Story in Harvard, Winter Sonata, East of Eden, 9 Ins 2 Outs, etc. I confess to not being fond of many office dramas, so I probably tend to see less of that subset than is average for a Korean viewer (I would include Seosono in Jumong or Yeon in Kingdom of the Winds as ambitious and undemonized working women, but period dramas are a separate thing anyway).

[meganbmoore]

Demonizing the romantic other, IMO, is rarely anything other than lazy writing. "I need conflict...ah, I'll just create a horrid Other to attempt to interfere." *yawn* It's also why so much shoujo loses me. Too many "conflicts" aren't real conflicts, just shallow shortcuts meant to avoid any conflict that actually takes effort and complexity.

Saying "of course the other girl has to be demonized" is the same as saying "of course you have to hate all female characters if you like slash." Neither is true.

Part of why I prefer period dramas is that they are far superior in characterization and conflict, both romantic or otherwise. Every one I've seen has had the opportunity to take the easy road, and avoided it.

ETA: And while I can't say much about the others you listed off because I either haen't seen them yet, or tried them and was bored (the melodramas and i are very much not friends, though I enjoy peoples' posts on them) i do know the Goong expected us to sympathize with Yul, which isn't true of Tennis Girl.

[dangermousie]

Saying "of course the other girl has to be demonized" is the same as saying "of course you have to hate all female characters if you like slash."

Perhaps I should have expressed myself better. "of course the other person has to be demonized if you are setting into a melodrama mode" is what I meant. Gender is irrelevant, only their status as an obstacle matters.

I think our basic difference stems from the fact that I adore melodrama, the more melodramaish the better: evil exes (of whatever gender), horrible parents, amnesia. I lap them all up. You don't seem as keen on it. It makes sense. I came to dramas from Bollywood, which is basically melodrama condensed so that is what I look for (which is why our drama likes rarely match). In fact, a drama too realistic loses me (9 Ins 2 Outs might be excellent and quite a feminist dream but I gave up because I was so bored).

And of course, Korea is still a very conservative and gender-traditional society (women are expected to retire from the workforce once they have kids) and their dramas usually reflect it. Seeing more stereotyped gender roles that I might not like in my own life doesn't bother me any more than when I am reading a Victorian novel or watching a Bollywood flick.

Re the ETA: Goong expected us to symathize with Yul? Then they failed miserably, because I loathed the little git. I felt bad for his living situation, but even though you know my dislike of HyoRin (or any marriage breaker, on principle), I still liked her better than Yul.

[meganbmoore]

Actually, I like melodrama (It's what Higuri You lives on, and I adore her manga, and I essentially survived high school through melodramatic romance novels, though I do admit that they also contribute to my being fed up with some of the things that irritate me these days) I just don't like the form it takes in most romantic fiction.

I'd say Shin was the "marriage breaker" in Goong, really. It was originally his plan to eventually divorce Chae-Gyung and marry Hyo-Rin, and he didn't exactly keep it a secret. Didn't advertise it, but they both pretty much knew. But yes, I'd say Goong wanted us to sympathize with Yul. The only ones I could sympathize with were Chae-Gyung, Hyo-Rin, and Shin's mother in that show, though. I kind of hated every male in the show.