Nineteen-year-old Go Ara (Who Are You) is taking on not just one, but two new drama roles. One has already been announced, which pits her opposite U-Know Yunho in the soccer drama Heading to the Ground.
The other is the Japanese series Karei naru Spy, which just began airing on July 18 and stars Nagase Tomoya and Fukada Kyoko. She’ll appear in the third episode, which airs on August 1, playing a Korean actress who connects with Nagase Tomoya, a swindler-turned-government spy, and talks with him about his painful past. She has already filmed the episode, which marks her Japanese television debut.
Meanwhile, Heading to the Ground features Ara as a sports agent and premieres on September 9.
This is an interesting article, in that it looks at the low numbers faced by current Monday-Tuesday drama The Man Who Can’t Get Married and analyzes it from a cultural perspective. Most low-rated dramas (that aren’t disasters of writing/acting) tend to explain their disappointing numbers in terms of being too complicated for the average viewer or lacking in “makjang” (convoluted, unrealistically dramatic) qualities, but The Man Who Can’t Get Married is a bit different in that it’s also adapted from a Japanese series that enjoyed quite a lot of popularity. So why is the Korean version faltering?
The Man Who Can’t Get Married can’t attract popularity
Hidden birth secrets, mother/daughter-in-law conflicts, a handsome chaebol who falls for an ajumma without reason — it has none of those. All it has is the “man who can’t get married” who has reached the age of forty as a bachelor because of his extremely fastidious temperament.
KBS’s Man Who Can’t Get Married, remade from the popular 2006 Japanese drama of the same name, has been unable to shake off its low single-digit ratings. Compared to other dramas that have been remade from Japanese series like White Tower and Boys Before Flowers, it’s a disappointing result.
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.
I think most of us here are savvy about drama production, particularly since the problems are highlighted whenever a high-profile series becomes known for its behind-the-scenes scrambling (ahem, Boys Before Flowers, East of Eden). Already we’ve had similar discussions in many threads here, but still, it’s an interesting read.
The Korean Foundation of International Cultural Exchange is working with the Japan Broadcast Writers Association in a joint “TV drama project,” which was announced at the TV Drama Writers’ Conference of East Asia, held in the city of Sasebo in Nagasaki Prefecture on June 10 and 11.
Plans were announced for a drama series in which eight Japanese drama writers will each be responsible for scriptwriting two hours’ worth of material, to be produced by a Korean production company and air as early as December. Writers include Inoue Yumiko (Pandora, First Kiss) and Oishi Shizuka (Kunitori Monogatari, Komyo ga Tsuji). Casting is unconfirmed, although the names being thrown around for consideration include Lee Byung Heon, while director Yoon Seok-ho of Winter Sonata has given his informal assent.
Given the success of Winter Sonata (and by extension, Yonsama) in Japan, I suppose the director was an obvious choice. There have been other joint-production attempts to capitalize on the Hallyu craze, but they haven’t had the success they were aiming for. There was the 2004 short drama Friends pairing Won Bin with Fukada Kyoko, and, more recently, Tokyo Shower. (I believe 2006’s Japanese drama Rondo with Choi Ji Woo fared better, although it perhaps didn’t live up the hope of becoming a runaway hit.)
Meanwhile, production house Olive Nine is already working on a drama to be filmed in Japan, tentatively titled Lovers in Asuka. The 20-episode series is set in the town of Asuka in Nara Prefecture and will be written by Kang Eun Jung, one of the writers of Lovers in Paris. I suppose they figured they hadn’t milked the “lovers in [insert city]” concept enough yet.
I’m not sure about Asuka, but I’m curious to see how Japanese scriptwriters bring (or don’t bring) a different feel to a kdrama production. (Also, the rotating writers thing worries me — although it’s not an automatic detractor, it’s a risky move.)
I’m a little late to this info, but this news gets me excited. And apprehensive. But excited!
So the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango has been made into an anime series, a Taiwanese drama (Meteor Garden), and a Japanese dorama. The Japanese versions are already popular in Korea, but now a kdrama adaptation of the drama has been announced, with the tagline that “Third time’s the charm!” But really, when every version has enjoyed immense popularity throughout Asia (and the world), the tagline is a bit misapplied, methinks.
The production team behind the series is none other than Group Eight, who did Fantasy Couple and Goong S, and says they were selected by the copyright holder Kamio Yoko (the original manga writer) and Japanese publishing house Shueisha based on the strength of those prior drama series.
I could go into a whole long post about why I really dug Hana Yori Dango, but OH LOOKY HERE you mean I already did? I just love when I do my own work for myself. (Btw, that link doesn’t have any substantial spoilers, but there are screencaps and I mention, in a vague way, some of the larger plot elements.)
So the immediate question on everyone’s mind becomes the casting, particularly the fearsome foursome “F4″ who rule the school as quasi-celebrities, and the Doumyouji character in particular, its hard-hearted (and -headed) leader. A Group Eight rep explains, “Rather than casting based on popularity alone, we’re going for actors in the Korean F4 who fit the original characters best,” and intends to scour talent from already famous stars to unknowns in search of the most suitable F4 candidates.
I actually think going with unknowns can be a good move, because a super-popular series casting super-popular actors can overshadow what’s already a compelling, time-tested story. (But, might I suggest: Choi Shiwon would make a great Doumyouji, wouldn’t he? He’s got the right mix of popularity and freshness, and if he can manage the character’s mix of brutish assholery and thick-headed charm, he might just be perfect.)
Still, I think the big concern ought to be how to make the Korean version a series in its own, and yet remain true enough to the original story to please its existing (sizable) fan base. Also, how do you top the excellence of the Japanese version, made so recently? The dorama version was superlative in its adaptation, its casting, its music, its lighting, its production. Every aspect of the series was handled with great care, and it was rewarded with large success. Furthermore, the current Wikipedia news (so take with a grain of salt, obvs) indicates the Japanese series is planning to wrap things up with Hana Yori Dango: The Movie, to be released in the summer of 2008. Group Eight is certainly no stranger to expensive, gorgeous-looking sets with Goong S, but they’ve got their work cut out for them.
The series is set for a 24-episode run and, for now, aims for an airdate in the latter half of 2008. Dude. I am so there.
(And now all this Hanadan talk makes me want to rewatch the drama. Weekend marathon!)
Anamu & Maki – “ひとつだけ” (hitotsu dake / only one). Neither the song nor the group have anything to do with Hana Yori Dango; merely an excuse to post a Japanese song. [ zShare download ]
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