I don't think JE is thinking in abstract terms of West's approval. I think they just want to keep a really tight control on their marketable stars and not let them go anywhere which would make the more financially and career independent. Ugh. Maybe it stems from the really tight connection between music and entertainment industry? While Korea (and Taiwan) have plenty of singer-actors, a lot of them aren't but that is much less so the case with Japanese dramas.
Also, Korea is trying to make its products more generally accessible. Almost all even remotely successful kdramas have dvd box-sets with English subs. I can't think of any Japanese ones that do (even Taiwan puts subs on its most successful series, but not Japan).
And I had to check the ending. I wasn't going to watch 16 eps of gorgeous angst with characters I adored without either finding out it ended OK or bracing myself for the ending (the ending made me giddy so you can guess which of the options it turned out to be).
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Re: P.S.
Date: 2007-01-26 09:20 pm (UTC)Also, Korea is trying to make its products more generally accessible. Almost all even remotely successful kdramas have dvd box-sets with English subs. I can't think of any Japanese ones that do (even Taiwan puts subs on its most successful series, but not Japan).
And I had to check the ending. I wasn't going to watch 16 eps of gorgeous angst with characters I adored without either finding out it ended OK or bracing myself for the ending (the ending made me giddy so you can guess which of the options it turned out to be).