Why do you watch Asian dramas?

[alexandral]

This comes from a comment by blueocean80 . She mentions an article discussing "Why do non-Asians watch Asian dramas". It seems that the author's opinion is that because non-Asians are not a part of Asian culture, they can detach themselves and don't take everything personally, so they can just ignore stereotypes and clichés and enjoy dramas.

I don't agree with the writer's POV . I can never detach myself from anything I watch, be it Asian or non-Asian shows, I usually get easily deeply involved (obsessive even). I know exactly why I personally like Asian drams:

1) I personally love my stories with a start and a finish and not very long (something I must invest 7 years of my life into = no thank you). Also the format of 10-20 episodes, which is usual in Asian entertainment but not so usual in USA shows (where seasonal shows seem to be prevailing) reminds me of what we used to have in Russia.
Perpetual continuousness and lack of proper endings are my less favourite things about USA shows. A show (take Battlestar Galactica) can start with one set of premises but there is no guarantee that these premises won't be changed willy-nilly along the line (take Battlestar Galactica) and there is no guarantee that the ending won't be horrifyingly idiotic (Take Batterstar galactica). These shows aren't written as one piece, so anything can happen. So all 5 years you invested into watching a show can go to complete waste.

2) I particular enjoy the themes of romantic love, family life and period costume stories. Remind me of any single non-soap-opera or non-multiple-season USA or UK show that is about love and family? I don't remember any. There are soaps, there are multiple-season shows but I don't particular like this format (back to number 1). But there are some good short period dramas in UK, and I love them too.

3) I enjoy the "morals" in Asian dramas, I like people being serious about love, I like people who are committed to their life partners, I like stories about people being non-selfish, I like stories about people wanting to succeed in their work, etc. USA shows: in terms of love they are often about partner swapping, in terms of altruistic/selfish outlook on life there is usually more emphasis on personal achievement than on helping others or on family values.

4) I have been always interested in Asian and European cinema, ever since I was at school and our most fabulous "Culture" teacher exposed us to some of the masterpieces of that time, European and Japanese. I guess - big thanks to him!

What about you? Why do you like Asian dramas?

Comments

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

I think I watch Asian dramas because they offer me things Western TV doesn't. I mean, Western TV doesn't do epic, fangirly OTP too well (imo) and sometimes I want to watch something sappy and squee about it. Plus no one can do crack like Japan. I also like learning a bit about the Asian cultures. I just think dramas are really fun.

Oh if you like family dramas I totally recommend you try out the new show Parenthood. It's a really good family drama and I think you'll enjoy it. It's pretty sweet.

And I think you should stay away from Bangladeshi dramas. The people are NOT good looking. Like at all.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Plus no one can do crack like Japan.

This is so true. SO many times I thought "Ok, this is the craziest concept I have ever heard about" , only to find that the next concept down the line is even crazier. And they somehow manage to make things work in Jdrama which I would have never thought are possible.

Oh if you like family dramas I totally recommend you try out the new show Parenthood. It's a really good family drama and I think you'll enjoy it. It's pretty sweet.

Thank you so much! I love family dramas. The only problem is that they tend to be over 50 episodes long. I prefer the shorter ones.

And I think you should stay away from Bangladeshi dramas. The people are NOT good looking. Like at all.

Heeeeeee!

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

Ikr! I will never forget the talking fake deer in Fantastic Deer Man. You wouldn't think something like that could be pulled off but they totally did.

Parenthood is actually American. It's really good though. The relationship between the siblings and the dynamic between the actors is really wonderful. I haven't seen a lot of Korean family dramas (because of the 50+ eps thing) but the one I saw (Assorted Gems) I really hated.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the clarification!

I haven't seen too many family dramas too, and the ones I have seen are the shorter versions. I loved "Family's Honour" to bits and kind of disliked the most of "Three Brothers".

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

Family Honour is the one with Park Shi Hoo right? It's on my list to watch but I don't feel like making a commitment to watch something that long after Assorted Gems.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's the one. It is all sorts of good, though. Lots of strong ladies. The new wife of the father makes me chuckle - she is trying to start a feminist revolution in their old patriarchal family. LOL.