![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
karenedI was randomly blog surfing and found this post on one of the most popular kdrama review sites, Dramabeans.
There’s an article in the Korea Times (in English) that points out some issues in Korean drama production and what could be improved by looking at the Japanese drama production model. I won’t reprint the whole article here, but the gist is:
Korean dramas have higher actor fees, which leads to inflated budgets and smaller profit margins (or losses); twice-weekly broadcasts keep ratings and buzz high but adds to frantic pace of production. On the other hand, Japanese dramas hand out lower salaries; once-weekly episodes have shorter running times, which gives production more time to ensure higher quality.
Below are some interesting comments to this post. Bear in mind that most readers of that website are kdrama fans:
Better for the production team but worse for us!!!
Since we have 2 wait for 1 ep a week!~! And believe me it is SOOO annoying!!!!!
The korean productions is all about keeping the viewers happy and b/c we like
two eps a week they r goin 2 keep that!!!!
Why not just start filming earlier instead of one ep per weekkarened says: I agree, 1 ep per week is painful, and that's why I always wait till the entire drama has finished its run before starting. And that also means that even the longest Jdorama (12eps?) is shorter than the average mini-drama of Korea (16 eps).
As for the twice a week thing: There are kdramas out there who manage to put out decent quality work even with the long twice-a-week episodes they have to prepare. Jdramas are shorter so the entire series run would usually be about 3 months. If a kdrama released episodes once-a-week, the series run would be too long. Imagine East of Eden lasting an entire year!
karened says: True true. Given the length of Kdramas, having 1 ep per week would draw the run out to the point that it gets boring trying to follow. (I've felt this way for some Kdramas, despite it being 2 eps a week). But the thing is, is there even a need to have such a long drama? I notice in Kdramas that long, long, long (i.e. >30 eps) dramas aren't that surprisingly. We almost never see that in Jdoramas.
dramabeans, do you watch j-dramas? I watch them sometimes, but they are such a different feel and style from k-dramas that I can only watch a few and then take a break before I watch again.
karened says: This is so amazing. I've been a strict Jdorama fan since the beginning and although I've started on Kdramas, I can only watch a few before I need to take a break from all the drama. An entirely opposite view.
Many are, but some aren’t — take 2007’s Mixed-up Investigative Agency, which was written entirely before airing, which explains why it’s so tightly plotted and intricate with the mystery. However, that drama also averaged something like a 4% rating (OUCH!) so there’s always a downside with putting all that effort into something that doesn’t translate to the audience — NOT that I think pandering to audience whims is a good idea. And Return of Iljimae was written as it was airing, but had a lot more time — Jung Il-woo interviewed that he studied one particular episode’s script for two months before shooting it.
I’ve watched a couple jdramas and really enjoyed them, but they are a wholly different experience for me (kdramas feel “home” to me and therefore are more likely to grab me emotionally, whereas jdramas, no matter how well done, feel more like a foreign entity).
Dramabeans
karened says: The opposite is true for me. Kdramas, IF well done, feels addictive but can never feel home to me.
However, I have to say that lately I have been enjoying Japanese dramas more – maybe because I feel that in those short 10-12 episodes (which time-wise break down to maybe 9 kdrama or tw drama eps since Japanese ones are only 45 min generally) they just cover so much more. Time isn’t wasted – the story is told in a quick and concise manner. Of course sometimes this ends up with a rushed ending, but after watching many jdoramas, kdramas, and tw dramas, I almost prefer a slightly rushed ending to an overly drawn out ending.
Whereas kdramas and tw dramas are being aired and produced at the same time and based off ratings they can decide to extend the ending, I think jdramas are produced before being aired (correct me if I’m wrong because I’m not positive about this). If the ratings are high enough, jdramas then produce an SP (special) and air it a few months to a year later to give the viewer a little more and wrap up the story.
karened says: That is very true ne. There are many Jdoramas that end too abruptly. However, because of the tight plot, I get a sense of resolution at the end where everything played out throughout the drama ties in together, when all minute detail means something. This is different from Kdramas where the plot proceeds mainly to build the story up, instead of developing characterisation and self-realisation. Hence, usually the change in character happens after a series of incidents leading up to the 'main event' compared to the Jdorama where it happens throughout the series. I am generalising, but I'm comparing the average of what I've watched. Slingshot (K) and Gokusen (J) are not taken into consideration. =P
I disagree that Jdrama are better written than Kdramas. Jdramas don’t have the time to explore the plot they way Kdramas do. I notice that Jdrama are more concerned about character development and dialog and less about the action. So, that’s why they need specials because they leave so much of the story untold. There are very few Jdrama that have ended without me saying what was that? What about this person or that plot line?
karened says: Definitely. With the exception of the recent flood of trendy, comical Jdoramas (eg HanaKimi, Nodame, Zettai Kareshi), Jdoramas tend to make use of more silence than Kdramas. Many of the Jdoramas also uses voice overs by one of the characters to provide an opening or closing to each episode, highlighting the 'theme' of that episode. In contrast, there is ALOT of talking in Kdramas. Yet, the lack of dialogues doesn't mean that the story is untold. Of course, the underlying main plot if felt stronger in Kdramas. But if you were to watch close enough (if you even bother to watch the drama properly in the first place), you'll find clues that close up side plots. But the downside is true. Many times I want to know more about a side character. But you can't say that this lack of side plot development is unique to Jdoramas. Even in Kdramas, the same problem exists, such as the very hyped You're Beautiful, Shining Inheritance. Of course, with the much longer running time, they do have more time to develop those side plots, and hence the problem is not as pervasive.
I’ve heard the arguments that J-drama ratings don’t accurately reflect the actual watching (same ones used in respect to Korean viewing habits.) However, polls has shown that the average viewer only watches maybe about 30-60 minutes of TV on weeknights. In other words, they watch news, they may watch bits from a variety show, but they come too late to catch up on primetime dramas. The only ones who have time are the schoolkids. Because of this, some critics have argued that the J-drama industry largely turned their back on 35+ and started programming almost exclusively for the <21 set. The J-drama became a remake factory for successful movies, manga, and a front for Johnny Entertainment.
karened says: What's with that? While I do agree that many Jdoramas feature JE idols, and perhaps more than half each season's offerings feature some JE idol, is that an issue? Does that mean that dramas with JE idols are likely to suck (in terms of acting due to the cast and in terms of plot as the drama becomes just 'a front for JE')? No! There are many JE idols who cannot act, but there are those who can. I'm biased but, look at Nino. Toma. Jun (?). Ryosuke (?). Don't make me throw in KimuTaku. And the other half that don't have a JE idol in the cast. Innocent Love. Jin. UtaHime. Ooku. Please don't tell me that those are particularly targeted at the young fangirls. It's true that recently there has been many Jdoramas that are manga/novel-turned dramas. But I think those dramas did the originals fair. Given the pervasiveness of manga and anime in Japan, there are many many sources of good story readily available. Well, Kdramas are starting to do the same, I feel. Personal Taste is remade from a novel. The upcoming Kimi Wa Petto movie is a remake of Japan's.
I must be in the unpopular group for believing that Korean dramas have very little to learn from Japanese productions. Hell, I can’t even remember the last time I’ve genuinely enjoyed a Japanese television program that wasn’t a direct homage to an animated series, or better yet, cared enough to deliver an original plot with a strong cast. As tiring as the old love triangle/square gets with Korean dramas, I very much prefer that over the contrived coming-of-age story in a school-based setting.
Given that, I think it’s hilarious that the article mentions how the Japanese production staff are given six months to a year of preparation before recording, as way to secure deliverance of ‘their best work’ on set. That came as a surprise to me, since I’ve always felt that a lot of Japanese dramas, particularly the most recent, are unprepared – sometimes in a combination of two or more of the mechanics that makes a show: direction, editing, casting, script & dialogue, setting, sound and others.
karened says: Obviously this commenter hasn't watched enough Jdoramas to notice how good Jdorama do their cinematography and background music.
I’m an American and have been into Jdramas for a number of years, probably seen 100 or more. I’m just now getting into Kdramas and I find them a refreshing break from Jdramas. Kdramas tend to have an EPIC feel to them, given the length, so the melodrama is really turned up. Which I actually like. Many of the love stories are very good, if incredibly tame. The thing I don’t like about Kdramas is that many times I feel like they are drawn out unnecessarily. They take 20 1 hour episodes to tell a story that could have been much better in 15 episodes. Jdramas seem to have more variety though, which is nice. The problem I find with Jdramas is that they put so many of the Johnny’s boys into them. While a few are good or decent actors, some of them are average or below average and far too many of them are awful actors (Yamapi, I’m talking about you), Jdramas would be much better with less use of these young, good looking guys who can’t act at all.
karened says: So the length goes both ways. Definitely. but I'd rather watch a short and concise Jdorama with clues and hints dropped here and there to allow my imagination to paint a fate for some characters than to watch a long and repeating Kdrama with unnecessary drama. Of course, not all Kdramas are like that. I've found a few that totally rocked in terms of plot and the ability to make me think, mainly the more recent ones. Regarding the can't act issue, I have an issue with that too, but the good plot usually makes up for it.
I confess I prefer kdramas to jdramas almost uniformly – kdramas might get draggy (but that is what the fast-forward button is for) but I find the characters well fleshed out and the interactions and atmosphere much more to my liking. I emotionally connect to kdrama characters and it’s rare for me to emotionally connect to jdramas. And with few exceptions (such as Hana Yori Dango 2), I actually find production values for kdramas much more pleasing and higher than that for jdramas which sometimes look like a very well-funded school play.
Even with jdramas, with some exceptions, such as Utahime or Karei-naru Ichizoku, I prefer older jdramas – the new ones seem to be an endless parade of barely-plotted “wacky” humor starring underage and scrawny stars and starlets, and I am rather too old for that sort of thing. Plus, I think the Japanese sense of humor doesn’t really work for me – I heartily disliked Nodame Cantabile, Hana Kimi etc etc. Even for manga adaptations I prefer twdramas – the pacing is slower and there is more room to develop the characters, and the actors and actresses usually look more appealing to me.
karened says: For me, it's the other way. I may love a character, but I never found myself emotionally feeling for the Kdrama character. In contrast, in most human-themed Jdoramas, I connect very well with the main character. The Japanese brand of humour. HAHA! I do agree actually. Nodame was a hit ne. But forgive me for saying this... I disliked the over-exaggerated manga style acting/directing. It was refreshing, but after a while I got tired of the outwards display of emotions. HanaKimi was the same, but it was not so overly done so I could accept it.
I definitely like the variety in story lines that j-dramas provide. Also, I like how each episode will deal with a specific thing (basically like American series).
However, that episodic nature also makes the entire series a little less cohesive. It almost feels like I could watch a few of them out of order and still understand what’s going on.
karened says: That's one very unique feature of Jdoramas ne - The episodic nature, which is very obvious when you check out their webpages and find a title for each episode. If handled poorly, it does lead of the lack of cohesiveness between episodes. For most of the Jdoramas I've watched, a few had major issues with this, most had no obvious problems although it would have been better had they done something to link 2 consecutive episodes, and a few that did extra work to make sure everything gels. Jin is one example. In comparison, because the main plot underlying the drama is more focused upon in Kdramas, they tend to feel more cohesive.
I love Japanese drama more and find that I’m hard to be satisfied with Korean drama no matter what a great cast they is. The basic problem is Korean drama script writing. Korean drama tend to do more episodes then Japanese drama did but somehow they failed (in general ) to put a more depth, value and meaningful storyline. Except the well-written K-dramas of course. I.e Ruler of Your Own World, Rebirth, Mixed Up etc. Even J dramas known to be not so melodramatic love drama yet it has a simple yet strong message even in their corny or comedy dramas!
karened says: And that is one reason why I love Jdoramas so much. They are simple, yet easy to relate to.
I usually watch 15 K-productions to 1 J-production. I find the affectations and mannerisms sometimes portrayed by Japanese female characters to be entirely too deferential for my tastes. Granted, every female protagonist doesn’t act that way, but it is a predominate artifice. Additionally, these “characters” converse in high pitch tones, combined with soft speech patterns, that literally hurts my ears. And I mean literally.
karened says: This comment is so amusing, that I'm putting it here just to poke fun. Yeah, so Japanese girls are 'known' for their high-pitch-nasal-like-act-cute-voice. And what? You prefer chauvinist males yelling at their girl, crazy ahjummas shrilling at everything that is against their wishes? Oh, and what's that about Japanese female characters being to deferential. This is so double standards. Aren't Korean female characters very deferential as well? Btw, soft-spoken doesn't equate to deferential.
My main problem with jdoramas is that pretty often they tend to use “formulas” as in the eps tend to be repetitive: usually the lead character has a catch phrase that gets said over and over and over and OVER again or how the ep develops, always in the same way. Mind you, not all of Jdoramas do that (I’m thinking Nobuta wo Produce, Akai Ito, HYD, etc), but many (way too many imho) slip into that routine and…it gets old fast, no matter how much you like the overall storyarc.
karened says: Not true of all Jdoramas, but I can easily think up a few that fits here. Gokusen, anyone?
I prefer japanese dramas though just because korean dramas are way too supeficial sometimes.
there’s a lot of choices in dramas, whether a family drama or a school drama or a work drama.
there are dramas where the story flows and there are episodic dramas where the characters mainly resolve issues in each episode (yasuko to kenji, gokusen, gto, oh! my girl). but essentially, most jdramas have mini-closures in each episode.
the plot is well-written, pacing is okay and it’s probably because everything is planned well in advance.
it is also a plus that the cinematography is almost always amazing and they really take good care of the music.karened says: That every episode provides some closure is good, but like someone pointed out, they can watch an episode without watching previous ones and still feel like they know what's going on. Perhaps this is a result of the short recap/flashbacks we sometimes have in each episode? Although this is true, I think to get a true sense of character development, one has to watch everything from start to end.
However, I feel like Jdoramas seem to like to “pack a punch.” They’ve got limited time and limited resources, so they’ve got to utilize everything to get their message across. This usually makes for more fast-paced stories and, sometimes I feel, stronger, more clear messages. It’s difficult for me to cry about ordinary stories, but I feel like that’s the power Jdoramas have for me. They can turn a bland, ordinary life story turn into something greater, something more emotional. And in that sense, it’s touching because it is so relatable to everyone. I mean, for god’s sake, I cried my eyes out for ordinary stories about friendship and hardship and passion for life dreams. In that genre, Jdoramas excel superbly. They just are so human at times. And the messages are usually so touching that they’re inspirational – like, it makes you believe in the good in the world. On the other hand, I feel like Korean dramas do not usually approach these sorts of topics – at least from what I have seen.
Of course, it’s not easy to always find some of these dramas. Lately, a lot of Jdoramas seem to be full of, well, random romantic comedies that are funny and humorous. But that’s it. *cough* Hana Kimi *cough* I mean, they’re good for a laugh once in a while, but it gets old.
Some people mention the JE boys acting, and while I admit there are some that are not great at acting, others are actually very amazing. Like Nino from Arashi. Just watch “Marathon,” which was a special that aired. I was crying throughout. Truly touching. And Ueno Juri from Nodame Cantabile [yeah I know she's not JE] is an exceptional actress. Watch “Last Friends.” Touchy subject, but phenomenal acting.
Korean dramas, on the other hand, tend to be more dramatic. I like dramatic too, but lately I’m getting sick of some of the overacting and exaggeration. I find that while Japanese dramas tend to bring me to find the good in the real world, Korean dramas give me a sense of escapism. I can escape into these situations and sympathize with the characters. The storylines tend to deviate farther from our own lives than Japanese dramas do. But I like the sense of escapism that I can get from Korean dramas.
But like I said, there seems to be an infiltration of some dramas with less perfect acting and “meh” cast. But occasionally, you do find the rare gem. Sometimes, I find the problem is also the extreme length of Korean dramas. When I’m a little more ADHD, I find it difficult to concentrate on the lengthy run time of Korean dramas. Which makes Japanese dramas the alternative, because they are shorter and more fast-paced. Of course, sometimes the Korean dramas are paced well. These also tend to be the “rare gems.” And, like the bad JE actors [which I don't think there really are THAT many], there are the equivalent of such in Korean dramas. But, of course, there are awesome actresses & actors.
So, essentially for me, Jdoramas = more real, more ordinary, but more easy to connect to and clearer message. Kdramas = more dramatic, more “extra”ordinary, and more escapist than anything.
karened says: I really loved this comment, coz it outlined the essential uniqueness of Jdoramas. Essentially, it's the relatable plot. Everything is so simple, and you feel like it can be taking place anywhere around you, perhaps to a neighbour, a friend, or maybe even yourself. But how many of us have first loves that never bloomed and are now returning as a second chance? Or a mother who has remarried many times and hence ended up in the current family which has a son you're feeling something for? Or the luck to meet an idol in the supermarket or something?
Japanese dramas just do not develop emotions well, and more than that, they do not show emotions. Everybody is so STOIC and reserved! There is just no love or passion and no overt displays of emotions. It’s like watching various versions of Ji hoo emoting love, and OMG, that’s torture.
I watch K-dramas because I want to see romance and drama. I want to see men crying and people longing and yearning and wanting and needing. I hate how STERILE Japanese concept/representation of love is. I mean, even a sappy-sap story like Absolute Boyfriend was so ridiculously PROPER. I felt the same way about Orange Days and just about every freaking J-drama I have watched.
That is NOT to say that I don’t enjoy them, but I would not trade K-dramas.
Note to J-drama: LOVE IS MESSY. EMOTIONS ARE MESSY. BE BRAVE AND LET YOUR CHARACTERS FEEL. Take risks. Don’t over think it. Don’t over produce your shows.
karened says: I definitely take subtle over drama. And I enjoy it when an apparently emotionless character bursts into a rage. Or when hints, symbolism and whatnot point to a particular emotion.
Really? I’m surprised that you find J-dramas so stoic. I feel like most of the times the actors do a wonderful job of portraying everything more subtly. In that sense, you have to pay a lot more attention to what’s going on to figure out what the characters are feeling. I feel like in Jdramas there’s a lot more acting with the eyes, the little actions, the focus on small details, whereas Kdramas sometimes seem to focus more on the dialogue.
Again, I keep going back to “Last Friends” [because I really do love that drama]… how can you say that there is little emotion developed? You can see Ueno Juri’s conflicted feelings, Nagasawa Masami’s own fears, all portrayed in their actions. I mean, the thing is just exploding with emotions!
karened says: She speaks out all that I want to.
And so here ends the very long Kdrama v Jdorama saga!
Btw, there's a reason why I wrote my comments in blue...
----------------------------------------
Comments transfered from vox
Apr 13, 2010
You totally let yourself out here huh? =D Well I'm not an avid K-drama watcher, so any comments I make is probably going to be absolutely biased but still...
From the few K-dramas I watched, it just tends to be repetitive. They have this certain phenomenon... Love Rectangles, I call them(dunno what's the real term, love square?). Guy Likes Girl who likes Other Guy who likes Other Girl who likes Guy.
I loved a K-drama or two, but it doesn't change the fact that it got highly draggy and at the end of the day, you just feel superbly tired watching. It's like a heavy weight is pulling you down.
Whereelse in a Jdrama, it might be short. Too short sometimes since there's only a number of episodes. But indeed, sometimes the shortness is nice compared to the long heavy dragging and the forever unsolved love rectangle. Yes, Jdramas are short, but they always manage to wrap the story up nicely, and at the end of the drama, you feel refreshed. Well, okay maybe there's a few endings that made me go "WTH??" but there ARE still plenty of good ending Jdramas.
There was this comment that kinda pissed me off a bit though:
"Everybody is so STOIC and reserved! There is just no love or passion and no overt displays of emotions."
I'm sorry. I say, BULLSHIT. I say this person has not watched Hana Yori Dango, refused to watch Hana Yori Dango, or for biased reasons, thinks BOF is Da Bombz compared to HYD.
Despite given the short amount of time they had per season, my biased person thinks that they've portrayed love quite well enough!
Okay, I admit, there's not much love stories in Jdramas as in Kdramas, but thats what divides those two. Jdramas prefer to explore unique ideas, stories that will not only pull romance-loving females. I'd say they were aiming for a larger target audience. Look at all the stuff they're making!
Orthros No Inu, Nodame Cantabile, Hana Yori Dango, Voice, Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, Nobuta Wo Produce, Seigi No Mikara etc etc.
All these are absolutely different areas being explored for the viewers. Things different from the same olde romance stories with love rectangles(I do like love rectangles, but too much is too much). I find that sometimes, when I've had enough of romance, there are plenty of other things I can watch with Jdramas covering on stories I've never even thought of before that. Stories that intrigue the human mind.~
Phew! I let myself out too XD; A bit~ Hope you don't mind XD