Why do you watch Asian dramas?
Mar. 29th, 2010 06:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alexandralThis comes from a comment by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
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?
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?
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Date: 2010-04-03 02:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-04-03 03:41 pm (UTC)