Korean dramas! | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Korean dramas!

Joined
Aug 16, 2009
If they're like the telenovelas, they're kind of like soaps. But in Korea they might be shown as prime time programs, yes?
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
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Also, pitterpatter, a bit OT on this thread, but is there a huge Korean community in Vancouver? Obviously Vancouver has a lot of Asians (I remember being amazed that I appeared to be in a majority when I visited there) but I can't seem to recall how large the Korean community was. I know there's a large Chinese-Canadian and Vietnamese-Canadian population, particularly in Richmond.

BTW, I love Vancouver. :) I visited there a lot when i first moved to WA -- it is about a 5 hour drive for me -- but haven't been in a few years.
 
Joined
Aug 16, 2009
I think there's a huge Korean community in Seattle, so probably also Vancouver, right? I'd love to live in Vancouver. Or Victoria, on Vancouver Island. I spent a few days there once...a gorgeous, gorgeous city.
 

Mrs. P

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If they're like the telenovelas, they're kind of like soaps. But in Korea they might be shown as prime time programs, yes?

Yes, they only show the dramas in primetime hours, usually between 8 p.m. and midnight. There's a genre of K-dramas called melodramas that have some real over-the-top plot lines, but not all of them do.

I say they're more like novellas, strictly for the length of the drama themselves.
 

Mrs. P

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I think there's a huge Korean community in Seattle, so probably also Vancouver, right? I'd love to live in Vancouver. Or Victoria, on Vancouver Island. I spent a few days there once...a gorgeous, gorgeous city.

Yes, there's definitely a big community in Seattle -- actually what's interesting is that they tend to live in the suburbs. The Seattle suburbs of Federal Way (south) and Lynwood (north) have a sizable population, so I wouldn't be surprised if there was a big community in Vancouver as well. I just don't remember seeing a ton of Koreans in Vancouver, namely. (I recall that Toronto had a large Korean community, which I remember that Yuna Kim said made her feel more at ease when she was training there).

My brother lives in the suburbs of Atlanta,and there is a growing Korean community there. I got to experience my first Korean sauna there! It was so fun.

Yes, Victoria is gorgeous as well. I ran a half-marathon there a few years back and a good chunk of the course is by the water -- makes it easy to forget that you were getting tired in those later miles. :biggrin:

I find that Victoria is a bit more British while Vancouver is a bit more global. But both are great places to visit.
 

pitterpatter

On the Ice
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Oct 25, 2012
Also, pitterpatter, a bit OT on this thread, but is there a huge Korean community in Vancouver? Obviously Vancouver has a lot of Asians (I remember being amazed that I appeared to be in a majority when I visited there) but I can't seem to recall how large the Korean community was. I know there's a large Chinese-Canadian and Vietnamese-Canadian population, particularly in Richmond.

BTW, I love Vancouver. :) I visited there a lot when i first moved to WA -- it is about a 5 hour drive for me -- but haven't been in a few years.

There's a sizable Korean community here, but in the frame of Vancouver as a whole, I wouldn't call it huge - probably comparable to the size of the Japanese community. Wikipedia says the 2006 census puts the population at around 1.5%, but I think it's grown since then. It's hard to speak for the entire city though, because there are a lot of Korean students in Vancouver, some of whom are local and many of whom are from Korea and here to study. I also think the influence of Korean culture is disproportionate to the size of the population group, which can be said for a lot of the other Asian cultures too. K-pop, K-dramas, and Korean food are very popular among young, non-Korean Vancouverites, and there are Korean supermarkets, lots of Korean restaurants, Korean kareoke establishments, etc etc. Asian communities are very well established in Vancouver, but I think part of what makes this city so cool is how it not only has large Asian populations, but fully embraces the cultures as well. There are probably more Vietnamese restaurants in my vicinity than burger joints, and Japanese food is super popular - people in Vancouver look at you funny if you tell them you've never had sushi before.
 

Mrs. P

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There's a sizable Korean community here, but in the frame of Vancouver as a whole, I wouldn't call it huge - probably comparable to the size of the Japanese community. Wikipedia says the 2006 census puts the population at around 1.5%, but I think it's grown since then. It's hard to speak for the entire city though, because there are a lot of Korean students in Vancouver, some of whom are local and many of whom are from Korea and here to study. I also think the influence of Korean culture is disproportionate to the size of the population group, which can be said for a lot of the other Asian cultures too. K-pop, K-dramas, and Korean food are very popular among young, non-Korean Vancouverites, and there are Korean supermarkets, lots of Korean restaurants, Korean kareoke establishments, etc etc. Asian communities are very well established in Vancouver, but I think part of what makes this city so cool is how it not only has large Asian populations, but fully embraces the cultures as well. There are probably more Vietnamese restaurants in my vicinity than burger joints, and Japanese food is super popular - people in Vancouver look at you funny if you tell them you've never had sushi before.

That is probably why it's hard to see. As I said, I noticed the large Chinese-Canadian population and plenty of Vietnamese people as well ( I am Vietnamese-American), but didn't see a lot of Korean people.

And I agree that Vancouver has embraced so many different cultures -- it's so global that it doesn't really feel like just a Canadian city.

Well in general, Korean culture has grown greatly among non-Korean -- hence the Hallyu Wavehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_wave (not to be mixed up with the Hanyu wave, LOL bad joke :biggrin:).

It does fascinate me how Korean pop culture has spread around the world. The only other country to do this -- and it actually did it first -- was Japan. The Korean wave now is probably similar toward the growing interest in Japanese culture in the 1980s and 1990s. You don't see much pop culture from countries like Vietnam or China -- in fact those nations probably have some of the biggest fans of K-Pop and K-Dramas.

I somehow wonder if the rising economic status of S. Korea has contributed to that? Japan's big wave to the international world -- namely through Magna and pop music -- came prior to their big recession in the late 1990s. Meanwhile S. Korea has been growing leaps and bounds.
 

pitterpatter

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Oct 25, 2012
Well in general, Korean culture has grown greatly among non-Korean -- hence the Hallyu Wavehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_wave (not to be mixed up with the Hanyu wave, LOL bad joke :biggrin:).

LOL! Nice one, although I think Hanyu could totally pass for a K-pop idol, he's definitely got the looks for it. Yuna should consider inviting him to one of her shows in Korea :laugh:

As for the spread of the Korean wave, economic growth probably plays a part, but I think the increasing prominence of the commercial music industry in Korean culture itself is a big reason. Pop culture is big in Korean society, I visited S.Korea briefly a couple of years ago, and they were way more into K-pop than I imagined. It's the trend among Korean youth, likely similar to the situation in American culture back when boybands were all the rage. The internet and the global thinking of modern times probably also has a lot to do with it; people are much more open to foreign ideas and can access it easily.
 

Mrs. P

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LOL! Nice one, although I think Hanyu could totally pass for a K-pop idol, he's definitely got the looks for it. Yuna should consider inviting him to one of her shows in Korea :laugh:

As for the spread of the Korean wave, economic growth probably plays a part, but I think the increasing prominence of the commercial music industry in Korean culture itself is a big reason. Pop culture is big in Korean society, I visited S.Korea briefly a couple of years ago, and they were way more into K-pop than I imagined. It's the trend among Korean youth, likely similar to the situation in American culture back when boybands were all the rage. The internet and the global thinking of modern times probably also has a lot to do with it; people are much more open to foreign ideas and can access it easily.

Hanyu could totally pass of a K-pop idol - he does have that look (I know os168 had made references to Hanyu looking like someone from the Japanese version of "Boys over Flowers)! K-pop has actually grown in popularity in Japan; that's been interesting to see. In fact some groups in S. Korea are spending more time in Japan then they are in Korea!

And I do agree with you that prominence does play a big part in the K-pop industry. Along with the million of music shows where artists can promote their new songs, they also show up everywhere else on television including variety shows and dramas. One of the stars of "King of Dramas", in fact, is Choi Siwon, who is a member of Super Junior, who is a well-known boy group. Yoochun, who used to be in a group called TVXQ and is now in another group called JYJ, is currently in "I Miss You."

I got to visit S. Korea a few years ago as well and that visit basically launched my interest in Korean culture. :) It was interesting to visit the non-Seoul parts of Korea-- I spent most of my month-long trip in North Gyeongsang Provance (southeast) and it was interesting how those towns were considered "small towns" in S. Korea but would likely be considered mid-size, even large cities in the U.S. If you ever have the chance, I recommend trying Andong soju, though I would not recommend drinking a ton of it -- that stuff is strong!

I did spend sometime in Seoul, mostly for a work project. Did you know that Koreans love Northwest sweet cherries? And they pay like $13 a pound for them. Whew! To convince my employer (a local newspaper) to let me off for a month, I got to report on this trend regarding sweet cherries in S. Korea. I got to talk to exporters, retailers and marketers. I even went to a Korean Costco. Fun times.
 

CaroLiza_fan

EZETTIE LATUASV IVAKMHA
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Wow didn't realise there are so many kdrama watchers here.

CaroLiza_fan:

If you are big fan of Korean historical drama, Dae Jang Geum aka "A jewel in the palace" is a total must seet!
It is the EPIC drama that started the Hallyu wave in Asia and then took it beyond. It will also makes you craving for Korean food. Watch it and you will see what I mean. IMO, nothing has surpassed it since even if we are almost an decade on.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409546/combined
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dae_Jang_Geum

Right, I just read the Wikipedia article, and it definitely sounds like the kind of thing I am interested in. So if I can find videos of it with English subtitles, I will look it up.

And, it doesn't matter that a programme is 10 years old! As long as it is good, that is the most important thing. For goodness sake, my favourite programme of all time is over 50 years old!!! ("The Phil Silvers Show")

Out of the Korean dramas I have seen, I would definitely recommend “Franceska” (also known as "Hello, Francesca"). Although it is a “modern” drama, it is not your typical love-triangle story that so many of the dramas seem to be about.

This one is a comedy about vampires! And, unlike a lot of comedies nowadays, it is actually very funny! ;) :biggrin:

CaroLiza_fan
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
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Right, I just read the Wikipedia article, and it definitely sounds like the kind of thing I am interested in. So if I can find videos of it with English subtitles, I will look it up.

And, it doesn't matter that a programme is 10 years old! As long as it is good, that is the most important thing. For goodness sake, my favourite programme of all time is over 50 years old!!! ("The Phil Silvers Show")

Out of the Korean dramas I have seen, I would definitely recommend “Franceska” (also known as "Hello, Francesca"). Although it is a “modern” drama, it is not your typical love-triangle story that so many of the dramas seem to be about.

This one is a comedy about vampires! And, unlike a lot of comedies nowadays, it is actually very funny! ;) :biggrin:

CaroLiza_fan

I always get so annoyed when my romantic comedies become melodramas. :p That has happened to a few of the dramas I've been watching lately.

Thanks for the recommendations, CaroLiza_fan! That Franceska show sounds fun! Looks like it will be hard to find. Viki only has a few episodes and Drama Fever doesn't have it, so I'm going to have to go into some other sites and look for it!

Anyway, the drama I'm watching now is Flower Boy Next Door, which is currently airing on one of Korea's cable stations (I'm watching it on Drama Fever). It's actually a wonderful story about a girl who is very introverted and is happy just being locked out from the world in her apartment, but is forced out of those confines with a wacky group of neighbors including a video game designer who arrived from Spain.

The character development is wonderful and there are none of the cliches you see with other dramas. I highly recommend it!
 

sather

Rinkside
Joined
Dec 15, 2012
Anyway, the drama I'm watching now is Flower Boy Next Door, which is currently airing on one of Korea's cable stations (I'm watching it on Drama Fever). It's actually a wonderful story about a girl who is very introverted and is happy just being locked out from the world in her apartment, but is forced out of those confines with a wacky group of neighbors including a video game designer who arrived from Spain.

The character development is wonderful and there are none of the cliches you see with other dramas. I highly recommend it!

I'm watching that show too. It's AWESOME :love: There's no typical evil characters that Korean dramas often display. Each of characters is so lovely. Most of Korean dramas on public tv channels have trouble with delayed scripts coming out on the shooting day, which makes the quality of dramas sloppy as it towards the end but because this one is on cable they don't seem to have such problems. So sad that it's not popular enough because it's on cable though. :( My sister and I are recommending this to our friends.

And tomorrow the 11th episode is coming :yay:
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
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Dec 27, 2009
I'm watching that show too. It's AWESOME :love: There's no typical evil characters that Korean dramas often display. Each of characters is so lovely. Most of Korean dramas on public tv channels have trouble with delayed scripts coming out on the shooting day, which makes the quality of dramas sloppy as it towards the end but because this one is on cable they don't seem to have such problems. So sad that it's not popular enough because it's on cable though. :( My sister and I are recommending this to our friends.

And tomorrow the 11th episode is coming :yay:

I appreciate the lack of "evil characters." Rather you have very conflicted people who do mean things at time.

I hear you on the live shooting stuff -- it annoys me when they have story arcs that never get tied up because they run out of time.

In general, the cable shows seem to be much stronger, IMO. I loved the other Flower Boy series -- Flower Boy Ramuyen Shop -- as well as Reply 1997.

Anyway back to Flower Boy Next Door -- it's getting quite good -- I love the character development in this show. I especially like their work on the female lead and the actress work on that role. Often time the female leads in dramas tend to be over the top. I like that we have a door into someone who is the exact opposite -- introverted and closed to the world.
 

FTnoona

Final Flight
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Dec 26, 2009
This isn't Kdrama related, but I just found out the Misha Ge is a huge fan of Kpop! wOw! At first I thought he liked Gangnam Style b/c it was in trend. He's such an effervescent character too!

Anyway back to Flower Boy Next Door -- it's getting quite good -- I love the character development in this show. I especially like their work on the female lead and the actress work on that role. Often time the female leads in dramas tend to be over the top. I like that we have a door into someone who is the exact opposite -- introverted and closed to the world.

The drama seems very slice of life, and caters to the older fan girls that aren't as into idols. Kinda like Gentlemen's Dignity. I am glad that Park Shin Hye's character isn't like her character in You're Beautiful. For me it was cute at first, then it got annoying. Love that although her character seems meek and gloomy, she still has the guts to stand up for herself when needed.
 

loopy

Final Flight
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Nov 13, 2012
My daughter (10) and I LOVE the teen romance/teens shows. It started with <3 Coffee Prince <3. We loved Boys Over Flowers. We are now watching a very silly Baby and Me. It takes us a long time because I have to promise not to watch ahead and she has very little tv time.

Adding - I was surprised about the editing. There is some language, some adult situations, but in BOF, when guns were seen, they were blurred. At first we thought it was the video. You can show blood, but apparently not guns! I find even with all of that the violence is never gratuitous. And the "respect" issue between parents and their children is almost never seen on the Disney channel.
 
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FTnoona

Final Flight
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Dec 26, 2009
For those of you who haven't watch Flower Boy Next Door, you've got to watch it!
For once there is no over dramatic scenes where there is some crazy misunderstanding which could be solved by simply having faith in the other person and not jumping to conclusion. I think this was only possible because of the sheer optimism and confidence exuded by Enrique's character. The character development for Dok Mi's character was good too and seemed almost realistic given the length of the drama.
The ending was the best ending of any K-drama that I've watched. For me it didn't leave anything hanging.

Loopy what do you mean by the "respect" issue between child and parent?
 
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loopy

Final Flight
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Nov 13, 2012
In Korean dramas, the young people never roll their eyes or act sassy to their elders. If they disagree, it is because they feel firmly about an issue or right and wrong, not that they want to get their ears pierced because it's cool. There is a clear definition between parent and child, young adult and elder. It is missing on most shows aimed at kids 7 and up on networks like the Disney Channel.
 

FTnoona

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 26, 2009
In Korean dramas, the young people never roll their eyes or act sassy to their elders. If they disagree, it is because they feel firmly about an issue or right and wrong, not that they want to get their ears pierced because it's cool. There is a clear definition between parent and child, young adult and elder. It is missing on most shows aimed at kids 7 and up on networks like the Disney Channel.

Oh ok. At first I thought you meant that the kids in the Korean dramas were disrespectful. I totally agree with you on your opinion on Disney Channel. I first noticed this with the main character of Wizards of Waverly Place because to me it seemed like it was supporting the fact that children should ridicule and be sassy to their parents. When my cousin comes over, I ask her to avoid watching those Disney Channel shows.
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
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Dec 27, 2009
For those of you who haven't watch Flower Boy Next Door, you've got to watch it!
For once there is no over dramatic scenes where there is some crazy misunderstanding which could be solved by simply having faith in the other person and not jumping to conclusion. I think this was only possible because of the sheer optimism and confidence exuded by Enrique's character. The character development for Dok Mi's character was good too and seemed almost realistic given the length of the drama.
The ending was the best ending of any K-drama that I've watched. For me it didn't leave anything hanging.

Loopy what do you mean by the "respect" issue between child and parent?

:love:

I'm so behind, though! So much going on in life, I'm still on episode 12. Trying not to read the spoilers! :)
 

Mrs. P

Uno, Dos, twizzle!
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Dec 27, 2009
Okay, I finally finished Flower Boy Next Door last week. I didn't like where the show was heading on Ep. 15, it appeared that the K-Drama cliches were starting to seep in, but luckily they were just faking all of us out. I thought the ending was quite lovely.

FTnoona, I do agree that the nature of Enrique's character is a big reason they were able to avoid the cliche. Enrique is clearly not one who is into doing things for one's good and in fact gave Dok Mi a hard time for trying to play the "noble idiot" card.

So I'm now going through Civil Level 7 Servant, which is a spy comedy. It's pretty good so far. It has the star from Ghost Mask, which I loved. It's fun to see a different side to him in this drama!
 
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