The geniuses of K-dramaland
by javabeans
Musicians, athletes, doctors, chaebols, beast men, candy men: All have been, at one point or another, the hot drama trend of the moment. Now geniuses are taking their place as the favored stereotype, with examples seen in Sign, Midas, and Paradise Ranch, to name a few.
Well, that’s the stance proffered in the two source articles, at least — although I’d argue that geniuses have been a favorite of dramas for much longer than that. But perhaps they have a point about the increased visibility of such types in the last year or so. It’s one of the character types I don’t really like, and have been groaning to see more and more of them littering the K-drama landscape, because it seems like such a narrative crutch: How to make a guy (or girl) seem special? You could go for complex characterization or keen insight into human nature, or you could take an easy shortcut and turn him (or her) into a genius. Guess which one most dramas choose?
One recent entry into the pantheon is Jang Hyuk‘s Do-hyun character in SBS’s Midas (pictured above), who’s a fund manager who goes through law school at the top of his class and becomes a lawyer. He’s not just smart, though, and the drama makes it clear he’s a genius lawyer. As if we wouldn’t find him adequately impressive otherwise.
Even in a light romantic comedy like Paradise Ranch, we’ve got ’em: Lee Yeon-hee‘s Da-ji character isn’t a mere veterinarian, but a genius to boot, a member of Mensa who entered university at the age of 16, where she studied genetic engineering. Even though the main plot is the bickering romance between her and her ex-husband, Changmin.
Park Shin-yang in Sign
And you can’t leave out Ji-hoon, Park Shin-yang character in SBS’s Sign, who’s not content to merely be a well-educated top forensic doctor in Korea, but an internationally renowned genius. And the drama doesn’t let you forget it, does it? He cracks tough cases and finds murderers with his prodigious skills, while finding some time for romance, too. Like all good K-drama heroes.
Another genius currently on the air is played by Lee Chung-ah in the daily SBS drama Pure Pumpkin Flower; her Soon-jung graduated with top marks from a science high school who then chooses a culinary career rather than university. She isn’t just driven to be the best chef, but actually “develops new cuisine” (whatever that means) with another character (Jin Tae-hyun), gets work at a restaurant, and wins first place in a cooking competition.
Hm, come to think of it, those are all from SBS, so maybe it’s the broadcaster who’s got the jones for geniuses. A rep with the SBS drama department explained that they’ve opted with the genius types to “heighten dramatic tension” and to offer more detailed portrayals of the characters and professions, all in the name of greater viewer satisfaction.
Lee Yeon-hee of Paradise Ranch
As a viewer myself, I’d rather that dramas took a step back from this trend, since over-the-top brilliance is no longer quite so effective once it becomes so overwhelmingly common. It’s like the chaebol trend; those elite ranks are meant to occupy the highest rungs in the social and economic ladder, in the way of royalty, and the chaebol hero was a useful substitution for Prince Charming in early dramas, before he became so overutilized that it’s much rarer these days to see the Average Joe win the girl.
Sure, dramas carry an element of fantasy and wish fulfillment, and it’s fun to give our characters tons of money, awesome wardrobes, and superhuman brain capacities. But where’s the fun when they’re ALL like that? Why make a genius a genius for the sheer sake of it, rather than having a real dramatic purpose for his braininess? (I can think of a very few examples where the genius label actually served the drama well — Story of a Man is one — but most of the time, it’s pointless to the story.)
What’s wrong with being merely smart? I love a sharp intellect as much as the next girl (okay, a lot more than the next girl, actually), but I’d like a little more smarts in the writing staffs, and a lot less in the heroes. Because the genius crutch is a manifestation, most times, of lazy writing — and, I’ll argue, actually gets in the way of the whole fantasy-wish-fulfillment exercise. We want to believe that these fantastical drama happenings could, on some level, happen to us — in a parallel life, perhaps, but not in an alternate dimension — and if they only ever happen to the uber-rich, the uber-elite, and the uber-smart… well, what’s in it for me?
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1 diorama
March 5, 2011 at 9:11 PM
Ha, totally agree! I like smart characters...just not when they're ALL geniuses (Except when they're Chae Do-woo, of course).
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sogba
March 6, 2011 at 11:50 AM
I loved Cha Do woo, when I read genius in dramas, His character came to mind first!
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2 tegami
March 5, 2011 at 9:13 PM
Hear! Hear!
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3 gala
March 5, 2011 at 9:15 PM
can i add some more?
Ha SukJin's character in the not-so-popular [among international kdrama fans, i presume?] Once Upon a Time in Saengchori. dude can solve complex mathematical and financial equations in his head. there's also the snarky BaekSeungJo from Playful Kiss, if anyone remember that drama. :p
i guess there's really a rise in the "geniuses" characters lately, eh - altho i do agree, they've always been there!
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Alvina
March 16, 2011 at 7:09 PM
Ahh! I saw the first episode of OUaTiS; how is it?
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4 lulupony
March 5, 2011 at 9:17 PM
Speaking of which, Dream High did a good job (IMO) dealing with Samdong's music genius. It wasn't a automatic win-all for him, as he had to work his way up the ladder, just like the rest of the students. I appreciated the theme of talent and hard work integrated together as the key for success.
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mooses
March 5, 2011 at 9:32 PM
samdong's prodigy ways were too much for me lol. like i'm supposed to believe that a country bumpkin mastered all this musical stuff after avoiding it his entire life for the sake of his mother?
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anon
March 5, 2011 at 10:00 PM
Samdong is possibly one of the few geniuses onscreen I've seen where seeming "out of nowhere" skills are possible. I've had several friends who could play piano, guitar, and percussion without any training (and I don't mean pick out a note but complex two-hand playing). They just played "what I hear in my head," as one friend put it. None of them could read sheet music to save their lives. The irony there is that all three of those friends also had perfect pitch, so when Samdong was shown to not have perfect pitch, that was the one part I found very hard to believe.
Actually, I had a harder time when he lost his hearing, because hearing damage of that sort is almost always accompanied by a loss of pitch. Oishii Man dealt with the specific problem with a great deal more reality.
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mooses
March 5, 2011 at 10:52 PM
wow, i am so jealous of your friends! D: that is really, really cool.
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autumnscribbles
March 6, 2011 at 1:15 AM
Does the loss of hearing really affects one's sense of pitch? I am curious. I mean we had people like Beethoven who performed, conducted and composed music even after he had gone deaf, so perhaps hearing and pitch does not necessarily correlate...?
by the way, people who has relative pitch can also play by the ear.
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autumnscribbles
March 6, 2011 at 1:23 AM
people who "have"... pardon my poor grammar.
Nhu
March 6, 2011 at 9:43 AM
I would imagine that composing and conducting is not quite the same as PLAYING (or, in samdong's case, singing) the music.
I've stayed an instrument for some years now (clarinet specifically), and with vocal and such instruments, a key thing my teachers have stressed is LISTENING to yourself as you play. It helps you adjust your pitch. Samdong, who can not hear, can't do that.
Beethoven I believe "heard" the music in his head, and then transcribed what he heard in the pitches that he heard down on paper. I suppose in terms of conducting and performances he trusted his musician. And his hearing loss also caused him terrible anguish, so I'm sure it was indeed a crutch.
But I don't think Samdong is fully a genius, just a great composer with good instincts - and knowing some musicians, that's not hard to believe. I appreciated the fact that he was the underdog and that the drama stressed that he lacked skills in other areas, and it was his hard work and ambition that earned him his place, and also that it's terribly lonely. It served narrative purpose, indeed "heightening tension". Some of the other things (genius vet, chef, etc?) not so much, and had nothing to do with the story. There can't be THAT many geniuses in the world. And it separates the viewer from the character. Remember Sam Soon? If she had been a genius, instead of just a great pastry chef, I would have personally not connected with her as much, and I think by making every character a genius, the stories run a risk of isolating the viewer (kinda like Javabeans says, what's in it for me?)
Beng
March 6, 2011 at 5:25 AM
technically, Sam dong lost hearing in one ear only, or am i wrong in my understand? i could be lost in translation =)
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Rina
March 7, 2011 at 9:57 AM
I thought he had partial deafness, I thought it came and went.
Anri
March 5, 2011 at 10:03 PM
Yes. :)
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5 meenuby
March 5, 2011 at 9:18 PM
I'd like to see a drama where the so-called genius gets outsmarted by justa regular smart person. Oh wait, that happened already in Story of a Man. Gosh, I miss that drama...
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Alvina
March 6, 2011 at 5:53 AM
I cant think of that drama without thinking of Park Yong Ha. It just adds another layer of bittersweet to an already tragic (?) drama
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sogba
March 6, 2011 at 11:57 AM
Me too! That dramas awesomeness was just...i cant explain.
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6 mskoloia
March 5, 2011 at 9:20 PM
I think the Lee Jin Soo character was served the drama by his genius writer status too.
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7 Rossi
March 5, 2011 at 9:24 PM
I like my genius actually showing his intelligence through actions rather than having a bunch of credentials throwing at us and having other characters proclaiming that s/he is totally the next Einstein. Then in all probability, in the next scene, the genius will do something completely idiotic. -_-
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Ina-sshi
March 6, 2011 at 1:20 AM
So True.
But I saw an american movie, really well written though, where the lead was also very intellectual but could not emphazise with other people. So in Playful Kiss it made for me total sense that we had a genius but without any sense of socialization. That's what they say they often lack. The ability to interact with other people. Like the people who can draw a hole town with one look but are afraid of other people touching them...or something like that.
Although in other cultures the hero usually can even do that the only prob is that other people don't let him be e.g. Bounre-Identity.
being a genuis must be tough!!
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Winterrose
March 6, 2011 at 8:47 PM
You may actually be talking of a high functioning autistic person here as the genius is sometimes just a catch all phrase .But the scriptwriters don't have the time to explain that to us . They are busy trying to write in what could tug at the hearts of the viewers.
I think most of the time they portray them as flawed character in spite of having an edge over us normal creatures in money ,social connection , high mental functions,etc . -there that is the leveling field and so the other characters must supply what they lack. Only in dramaland.
But I agree there should be a purpose for certain characterization and not just going with the trend .
Like will the viewers be happy to know life is still fair after ,all .
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Barbara Starks
March 7, 2011 at 4:09 PM
Most America movies tend to make they Genius Austic, most Austic people develop one area and that one thing alway on a genius level. The rest of the brain is shut down from the daily day to day function. They in they own world. In my newphew Ernie case in his world he a "GPS" because I will never get lost with him in the car. I said Ernie which way do I go and he tells me, he hasn't been wrong yet. Example Rain Main, Good Will Hunting, The Jerk so many great movies I don't get tried of this concept because it allow growth in other area that you can truely enjoy.
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Dafné
March 7, 2011 at 11:05 AM
I agree with you. I'm currently watching Paradise Ranch (out of boredom, the story nor the acting are great ^^) and I totally CANNOT understand how the main caracter is supposed to be a genius, because she sure doesn't act like one.
I think I would also like better someone smart or intelligent (who doesn't, and would like to identify him/herself with someone dumb?) but who would act like it.. And I'm not talking about being real good in EVERY thing, but at least in a field that would make us think: "ah, so that's why they told us the main caracter is a genius.."
but that would require some indepth plot I guess :D
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8 polinonae
March 5, 2011 at 9:37 PM
Agree!!..the "genius" label doesnt serve them any justice, for ex:JGS in Mary Stayed out all night, the fact he was a genious musician didnt brought anything new to the drama, the story was horribly written, and his character lacked common sense.
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9 Mia
March 5, 2011 at 9:38 PM
I appreciate the nod to Story of a Man - that dramas entirety was genius, and Chae Do-Woo MmmmmmM!
But it is getting a bit burdensome to have these "geniuses" popping up, when it really does not benefit (or help) the plot at all. Like a cherry on top....of a pizza - it doesn't really work.
(I miss the days of Attic Cat, where a character is smart, flawed, charming, egotistic, and very "normal"....maybe I just miss Attic Cat)
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10 hookedonmonix
March 5, 2011 at 9:39 PM
In Paradise Ranch, I had completely forgotten that Da-ji was supposed to be a genius. She seems like the hard-working bumbling type. Immature to boot. I like that show, but I sort of dislike her character. Or maybe it's just her hair. And her mooniness over ahjussi. (dang, why doesn't my spell check know Romanized Korean?)
Her supposed genius (I say supposed because she tried to cure a horse of don't-want-to-run by showing it photographs.) doesn't seem to have any bearing on her character, only her back story. Weird that they even bothered.
Or did I miss something thanks to the subbers not-quite-awesome subbing? (at least on the version I'm watching.)
The genius thing doesn't bother me really, or not any more than the chaebol thing. I think "Can't he just be regular rich? Why Mr. Darcy rich?"
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Schmazel
March 5, 2011 at 11:20 PM
I've been watching the raw episodes of PR and I totally missed this bit of information. I wouldn't have guessed that she is a genius from the way she acts. What you said about why bothering is so true. Her genius doesn't really add much value to her character.
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Fall
March 6, 2011 at 3:19 PM
oh wow.. yeah i didn't know she was a genius either and i've watched all the episodes out. -_-
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estel
March 6, 2011 at 12:08 AM
That's exactly what I was going to say. "...You mean, Da-ji's a genius...but she's a really crappy equine vet? Shoulda stuck with genetic engineering."
For some reason, I'm still watching Paradise Ranch, but I'm pretty positive it's more for Changmin than anything else. I like him and his character much better than Da-ji. Actually, I'm tired of the "poor-bumbling-but-honest-and-clever-not-to-mention-spunky" heroine trope. It's becoming waaay too overused these days.
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stee
March 6, 2011 at 4:32 AM
Exactly. I'd like to see a different kind of heroine as well, not the “poor-bumbling-but-honest-and-clever-not-to-mention-spunky”, as you well put it.
In that sense Han Ga-in's character in Bad Guy was refreshing, because she was more real, with flaws and bad sides as well, instead of being the regular innocent and noble, but spunky type. She could have been more developed as a character, though, and had more use in the plot, but at least she was believable and not completely generic.
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Selcaqueen
March 6, 2011 at 4:41 AM
I love Joo Sang Wook, but the reason I stopped watching PR is because of the not-so-good subbing. I dunno what episode it was, but the subs made me really confused with the story. And I gave up. </3 T_T
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hookedonmonix
March 6, 2011 at 10:20 AM
sometimes it seems like its just random words patched together. I wonder if it's machine translated, without any human editing.
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Selcaqueen
March 7, 2011 at 5:29 AM
The subbers probably used google translate. XD
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legalisfun
March 6, 2011 at 12:06 PM
glad to know i'm not the only one hating da-ji's character "And her mooniness over ahjussi"...
she is an idiot, but nice and spunky so she is the heroine.
i much prefer her sister, she should have been the genius...
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11 Auntiemame
March 5, 2011 at 10:07 PM
I totally agree that it is an easy cop-out to make the character a genius. Then, the character's actions can be attributed to the his/her genius; without having to explain and support the action via the plot or the script.
BTW, whenever I meet a new baby, I say a silent wish that the child will grown up to have good common sense.
Geniuses are brilliant only in a limited number of things. Otherwise, they don't even have the common sense to come in out of the rain. Let alone feed themselves. The geniuses need the people with common sense to take care of them.
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12 SpongeBob
March 5, 2011 at 10:14 PM
That's what Korean idea of geniuses who knows very little about survival skills, except perhaps their trades. It is not the fittest who will survive in a crisis situate, it is the most adaptable!!
Going off topic here, Mubarak will more likely turn out a winner in 100 years time, whereas, it is a matter of time that gaddafi, the fittest man in Libya will die a disgrace man for centuries....
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13 SpongeBob
March 5, 2011 at 10:16 PM
That's what Korean idea of geniuses who knows very little about survival skills, except perhaps their trades. It is not the fittest who will survive in a crisis situation, it is the most adaptable!!
Going off topic here, Mubarak will more likely turn out a winner in 100 years time, whereas, it is a matter of time that gaddafi, the fittest man in Libya will die a disgrace man for centuries....
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ktb
March 5, 2011 at 11:28 PM
"gaddafi, the fittest man in Libya"
Whoa, what?
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SpongeBob
March 6, 2011 at 1:41 AM
Hehe...Fittest for the last forty years!! ^^
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14 sweetert tea
March 5, 2011 at 10:24 PM
Speaking of geniuses, oh how i miss the naive samdong... writers, if you happen to read this, plz be informed dream high is NOT a done deal. give us season two please.
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15 shiii
March 5, 2011 at 10:25 PM
I rather prefer the oh so rigid and mighty scholar Lee Sun Joon of Sungkyunkwan Scandal.
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16 belleza
March 5, 2011 at 10:55 PM
165 IQ, 5% bodyfat Lee Byung Hun smirks at your mediocrity!!!
Look people -- we're Asian. Genius, looking 18 when you're 30, and overbearing parents -- embrace who you are!!
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Beng
March 6, 2011 at 5:32 AM
does LBH has 165 IQ really? oh wow!!!
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17 Schmazel
March 5, 2011 at 11:03 PM
My favourite tv genius comes from American TV: Matthew Gray Gubler who plays Dr. Reid on Criminal Minds! :)
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dom
March 6, 2011 at 3:47 AM
the GUBE!!! *squeel* his character is an example of good use of the genius gimmick!!
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Selcaqueen
March 6, 2011 at 4:44 AM
Yesss!!! I fell in love with him the first time I watched that TV show. He can really be awkward and lack social skills but his intelligence makes him really hot for me. XD
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mskololia
March 6, 2011 at 7:34 AM
Reid's the reason I started and keep watching CM....
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legalisfun
March 6, 2011 at 12:19 PM
he is hot...
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18 jyyjc
March 5, 2011 at 11:06 PM
what?? lee yeon hee's character's a genius?? maybe i missed it cuz i skimmed some parts..but.. she sure doesn't seem like a genius, in fact i find her rather ditzy and dumb in PR.
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19 ohemgee
March 5, 2011 at 11:08 PM
"We want to believe that these fantastical drama happenings could, on some level, happen to us — in a parallel life, perhaps, but not in an alternate dimension — and if they only ever happen to the uber-rich, the uber-elite, and the uber-smart… well, what’s in it for me?"
HEAR, HEAR!!!
i'm with you 100% jb.
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Mia
March 5, 2011 at 11:38 PM
JB has a flare for great conclusions.
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20 gyal
March 5, 2011 at 11:21 PM
I prefer the genius and street smart skills of Kim Tak Gu combined with his sensitive and empathetic character brought to life by Yoon Shi Yoon's sincere acting.
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21 ninsarama
March 5, 2011 at 11:51 PM
Jisung's character in Royal Family is a genius lawyer. The drama seems loaded with possibilities. I can't believe it's only 16 episodes (for now). He plays the character of an orphan convicted of murder when he was an adolescent, then he proves himself innocent after becoming a lawyer to the t. This is just the first episode. The drama really captures the not so perfect life of a chaebol family.
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22 xylophonic
March 5, 2011 at 11:52 PM
I think JB pretty much said it all. I've never actually consciously been aware of this trope until very recently, and it's probably because I've been so desensitized to this kind of character device. Characters who are rich, famous, glamourous, genius and are chaebols on top of that, they're so common now that I think I almost expect them, unconsciously. That's kinda scary. ><
I think writers believe that a character has to be special in society in some way to make them a unique, original character but it's been done so many times that it's not the case anymore. Like JB said, show us what you can do by making an ordinary person special by highlighting their human flaws and how they deal with them, because that is actually the case for 99.9999% of your viewers and what better way to help us connect to the story through the characters? I am much more ready to love a troubled, ordinary character plagued by everyday problems like all of us than a super-smart genius whose conflicts are for the most part, external. Who can relate to that kind of thing?
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23 Meera
March 6, 2011 at 12:05 AM
thanks jb,
possibly, I might be wrong , there is status conscious in the korean society today ? that the writers are reflecting it to the citizen now ?.
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belleza
March 6, 2011 at 1:02 AM
The genius aspect is just the inherent fantasy part of the soap/telanovela genre, whose main audience are women who already live with or dating the "average guy". Criticizing it is like criticizing why rom-coms always have "spunky" heroines of utterly mediocre anything that somehow gets amazing guys because they are "real." It's just trappings of genre, and it's part of the wish fulfillment. No need to burst the bubble.
There are shows like 9 Ends 2 Outs and My Sweet Seoul that kinda play down all that. And those shows are typically aimed for 20/30-something audience, especially those who enjoy watching American TV.
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24 Purpleclouds
March 6, 2011 at 12:06 AM
Without eye candy, geniuses are equivalent to watching the Discovery channel programs. I vote for eye candy first.
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25 ditdut
March 6, 2011 at 12:10 AM
I do enjoy the genius characters when it's clear that their awesomeness is balanced by their glaring flaws.
One example would be Ha Sukjin's character in Once Upon a Time in Saengchori who's got a superhuman math whiz skills. But then we know that compensating his genius brain, he lacks the human touch, operating on the basis of obligation everyday. I love how the drama not just takes the genius part as a given but actually delves deeper and works out of that.
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26 shar
March 6, 2011 at 12:48 AM
I whole heartedly agree with anyone who has good things to say about Once Upon a time in Saengchori. It is plain brilliant!
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27 okitokki
March 6, 2011 at 12:55 AM
My favorite genius characters are the ones who are intensely flawed. Like Shawn in Psych, and the guy in It Started With a Kiss...
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Alvina
March 6, 2011 at 5:58 AM
Psych!! The reason why I appreciate the way they wrote his character is that it's never explicitly stated that he is a "genius". One always assumes that he just developed those skills through his father's training and his antics kind of force us to remember that, yea, he is in fact, awesome! lol. I miss that show... come back soon :(
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ar_arguably romantic
March 6, 2011 at 8:58 AM
I love Shawn and Psych!
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Jadielaw
March 8, 2011 at 8:53 AM
I just loved loved Zhi Su as the genius in It started with a Kiss and They Kiss Again. I'm doing a rewatch of both dramas right now.
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28 omo
March 6, 2011 at 1:27 AM
Now, that's why I liked City Hall. Both hero and heroine were from humble backgrounds. Although hero had to excel in everything he did in order to get the attention/acknowledgment of him father.
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legalisfun
March 6, 2011 at 12:23 PM
yep, city hall was great
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annie
March 6, 2011 at 2:17 PM
Yep, and both of them had different difficulties to overcome and the beginning of the show - neither started out perfect. CH was all about the journey they took, together and separately, not just towards each other but as people.
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29 Elllen
March 6, 2011 at 2:59 AM
I did not like the role Lee yeong hee acted in East of Eden...forcing to appear mature was not appealing to me. Now she is a genius...she's the reason I'm not watching Paradise Ranch yet.
Sign, yes its believable genius. Honest, brilliant, gutsy man to speak for the dead, to catch their killers.
Midas I like the lead actors so I'm watching that. With Jang Yuk as the genius...makes me keep watching!
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30 Carinne
March 6, 2011 at 3:10 AM
Maybe we all need geniuses overload to balance all the fools in life. Which one is reality anyways?
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31 raver
March 6, 2011 at 3:10 AM
cant help but think of sam dong. . how i miss the naive samdong. i lurv the character so much cant seem to get over it. To the writers behind dh, i just want to be clear with one thing, DREAM HIGH IS NOT A DONE DEAL YET.
jyp-shi give us season two. PLEASE
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32 Sojuboy
March 6, 2011 at 3:56 AM
Is it a crutch or fact. Koreans have the highest IQ in the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ_and_the_Wealth_of_Nations
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janna
March 6, 2011 at 4:55 AM
Geniuses, chaebols, Genius-chaebols. I think they're all just masking the archetype of rich vs poor.
I would rather see a "genius" who had earned their status through hard work/squandered youth (and perhaps resented it) then someone who is just a prodigy. But if we must have prodigy characters I do like a hand off of in an area of street smarts. Now, all smart people aren't Sheldon, but I like a little more depth to a character.
It can be said that J-dramas usually work in reverse. It's the simple, working class person working their way to the top of [fill in dream, usually involving food].
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janna
March 6, 2011 at 4:57 AM
(er sorry that came out as a reply, I just pressed the regular comment button)
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Alvina
March 6, 2011 at 6:02 AM
yes! Because it is sort of a reverse fantasy, I suppose. K-dramas show what the population aspires to be; gives hints into the life of the successful so we, the viewer, can live vicariously through the character.
J-drama tend to be set at the extremes. They are not concerned with sticking to the "happy-ending" or "fulfilling-ending" mode that most k-dramas stick to (and often times, it's frustrating for me watching j-drama because I CANNOT stand an unhappy ending lol). It's easier for them to have a leeway with their characters; as a working population, they want to see that hardwork amounts to something. That the middle class can overcome society's structure.
I guess you can argue that both ways though...
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belleza
March 6, 2011 at 8:34 AM
"It can be said that J-dramas usually work in reverse. It’s the simple, working class person working their way to the top of [fill in dream, usually involving food]."
That's due to the manga influence the past decade. J-dramas LOVE the RPG-style tourney stuff that Korean sageuks also love.
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Arhazivory
March 6, 2011 at 12:26 PM
True. Jdramas are very unique in going against the grain. Sometimes you even have to search for the romance. Geniuses are rare and most times, its a regular person who's fighting to get to the top.
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come2noona
March 6, 2011 at 12:08 PM
bazinga!
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Lea
March 7, 2011 at 10:04 AM
And you believe everything that book says?
Over the years, researches on the relationship between nations and IQ are not the target of criticism and controversy for nothing. Yet still some idiots take reference from those books and state it like a matter of fact.
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33 Kimys
March 6, 2011 at 5:25 AM
the worse is when they choose to portray "genuis" characters and at the end they're just the dumbest (talking about you athena!).. this trend annoys me too, but i can give it a shot if we can see at some point of the drama how good they really are.. not only to save the day after some bad cliffhanger..
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34 Alvina
March 6, 2011 at 6:07 AM
I dont mind the genius; it may be a writer's crutch when structuring the character's personality, but it doesnt necessarily have apply to the storyline. And when it does, it gives us a hint as to what the character does and what he uses his powers of intellect for lol.
It's the CHAEBOL that I think is the biggest writers clutch. Why does the character have amazing outfits, hot cars, a great house, daddy problems and/or a controlling mother?
Why, he's a Chaebol of course. All rich guys have those problems -__-
It's like they dont even have to state a character's motivations or anything anymore. The character can be a slacker, playboy because he's rich. The character can be a brooding bully, because he's rich.
Maybe I should hate the game and not the player? I mean, I love my yummy hero as much as the next person, but...
It's so annoying.
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35 maria
March 6, 2011 at 6:39 AM
hear hear! i do believe that writers think it's shorthand narrative AND a supposed selling point, putting "special" people like these in dramas... it's like they don't have time to flesh characters out, so they take a stereotype and run with it, someone they have fun trying to break him out of the stereotype and it becomes a zippy plot point, but one i'm never really satisfied with.
i like even less how THE STORY itself revolves around the evolution of some special person from high and mighty to erm.. not-so-high and mighty. i MEAN: BOF? lady castle? oh my lady? etc etc... it's nice when it's done right (coffee prince, kim sam soon, my girl, MGIAG) but when not utilised right, it's so annoying!!! weak plot points, crazy antics, too much ridiculous drama, slapstic humor.. tsk tsk. dramas that don't get the charcater evolution right just shouts BEEN THERE DONE THAT to you...
which only goes to further prove that drama shorthand really only gets you so far. you're so right-- i wish dramas would stop being so lazy!!
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36 Pink
March 6, 2011 at 7:05 AM
The current trend of geniuses highlights an issue that goes beyond the fantasy land of kdramas. It points to the constant struggle towards perfectionism in the Korean society and Asian communities throughout the world. Being smart is not enough because anyone can be smart. But to be a genius and to be the ultimate genius among all of them, well that is something to be proud of.
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Nuts
March 6, 2011 at 10:19 AM
This is so true,but it also seems tied to the struggle for money,status and power as well. This has been around for centuries and will continue to be around for more centuries.
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37 dami
March 6, 2011 at 7:24 AM
i so agree with this. I want the other guy to win the girl every once in a while.
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38 antonia
March 6, 2011 at 8:39 AM
The truth is: you can only be a genius in maths or music. other kind of genius doesn't exists in real life. but of course in dramaland anything could happen ;)
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39 clichique
March 6, 2011 at 10:16 AM
The genius trope really is becoming like a writer slacking method. It's the lazy way out. Or, I've noticed, it's sometimes just become a "convenient fact" that writers just throw out. Like, "oh, and so and so is a genius too." In most cases, the writer merely says the person is a genius to sometimes explain motivations, which is a really lazy out. Most times the real essence of "being a genius" isn't actually being explored by the writer.
I'm okay with the genius trope, though, as long as the fact that said person is a genius is explained and used thoroughly. It's not supposed to be just a fact you throw at the audience. And it makes no sense when said geniuses act like idiots in the plots, because they are supposedly geniuses.
Like Liar Game. LOL. Because I just finished watching that. I can understand and SEE why Akiyama is actually a genius, because he is a genius to boot.
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40 mira
March 6, 2011 at 10:39 AM
dramabeans!! pls do the new tales of gisaeng! its very good as far as i watched~
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Elllen
March 7, 2011 at 12:34 PM
I 2nd that! New tales of Gisaeng is enjoyable to watch...got my attention when the 4 pretty girls blinddated 4 good looking guys...The lead actor & actress are new to me ...they're good together. I like the character of the lead actor...genius!
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41 come2noona
March 6, 2011 at 12:13 PM
BTW... I not just a Noona... I am a genius Noona!
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Shin mi rAe
March 7, 2011 at 7:01 AM
Lol. Same here. I am a chaebol genius noona with daddy issues.
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42 ar_arguably romantic
March 6, 2011 at 12:22 PM
and why is the genius usually the hero while the heroine gets to be the incompetent one?
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legalisfun
March 6, 2011 at 12:27 PM
its due to patriarchy
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43 Tenshii
March 6, 2011 at 5:52 PM
One of the main cast is either a chaebol or a genius LOL
If you get two poors together, then you get something like I'm sorry but I love you. And if you have 2 chaebols, then there are cats/dogs fights even one genius/chaebol with one poor. With average people, the plot might not be wow (Dr. Champ, The Man Who Can't Get Married)? XD
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44 cathy
March 6, 2011 at 7:25 PM
I like Midas , i like smart characters as in Behind the white tower .
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45 Shin mi rAe
March 7, 2011 at 6:58 AM
They are all geniuses. Baek Seung Jo in Playful Kiss, Park Hae Yeung in My Princess ( who is a lawyer, cpa, diplomat on top of being your uber rich hot chaebol), Sam Dong in Dream High, Jo Gook in City Hall ( who was 1st in their class and youngest In their class level), Lee Sun Joon in SKKS and Joo Won in Secret Garden (whose talent is making money).....hey, why is it that only the heroes get to be geniuses. Kdrama overlords, time to make girl geniuses. Why is it girls are always poor, dumb and clumsy but with happy personalities with hearts of gold? How about a drama where the girl is rich, hot, genius and successful and let the boy be poor, dumb and clumsy and still hot. Boys dont really have to be geniuses for us to watch them, we only need them to look good and oozing hot (rawr).
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cathy
March 9, 2011 at 5:04 PM
In Midas the rich girl is genius too , 3 main leads are impressive in acting , love this drama .
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46 maryta
March 7, 2011 at 10:08 AM
I SO SAD THAT MY FAVORITE ACTOR TO GO TO THE ARMY!!!!!!!!!!
I LOVE YOU Hyeon Bin
BE CARE OF YOURSELF
WE WAIT FOY YOU
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47 Lilian
March 7, 2011 at 1:44 PM
Another genius was in Mischievious Kiss =) but that was 2010 K drama!
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48 MP
March 8, 2011 at 2:09 AM
But you have to realize that this is the part of reality and how the society runs in Korea:A few geniuses leading almost every area of Korean society. Koreans call those geniuses "dragons from a lake." Korea grew so quickly after Korean war, and geniuses played very important part for that. They really do exist and they really reflect Korean society. I think this kind of analysis could come out because you haven't really experienced what it's really like in Korean communities. Park Shin Yang's role just reflects Han-gil-lo, who is a pioneer in Korean Forensic science. Almost every part of Korean society has at least one genius-pioneer. Because Korea became so messed up after the war, they had to start everything again. To get out of those mess quickly, few geniuses was NEEDED to built foundations. For very visible example, Yu-na Kim in figure skating, Seo taiji in K-pop, Song Yoo Geun in science, Kim woong yong who was in NASA and etc.
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49 CAnjell
March 8, 2011 at 3:12 AM
Another genius is Jang Geun Suk "Hwang Tae Kyung". He can compose and sing the song. He also can make a famous pig rabbit doll.
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50 houstontwin
March 10, 2011 at 3:08 AM
Did anyone mention Snow Queen? It had a lot of plot weaknesses - including getting confused about which tragic illness the heroine would die from. Still, the genius element of the plot was really central and as a viewer, I loved seeing Hyun Bin's mathematical gifts slowly revealed.
By the way JB, don't be modest, you are plenty uber!
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