I have found my people.

I suppose I can stop feeling bad for having absolutely no interest in some dramas despite them being popular, well-received, and successful. Dramas that come highly recommended but for which I just cannot seem to make it past the first episode. Dramas like War of Money, Jumong, Lobbyist…

Mixed-up Investigative Agency, for example, is underperforming in the ratings, being caught smack in the middle of two well-performing sageuk dramas — SBS’s King and I and MBC’s Yi San (which is produced by the PD who made Dae Jang Geum into a monster hit). However, its “quiet popularity” has amassed the drama enough of a devoted fan base to earn itself “mania drama” status, or what is in the Western world probably better described as a cult hit. As I pride myself on being more of a cult-hit fan than a mainstream one in general (come on, that’s where all the truly cool kids hang out), I’m not too disappointed. (Low ratings + no fans = sad. Low ratings + devoted fan base = I don’t care that nobody is watching, it’s cool anyway.) Let us Mixed-up fans console ourselves with an annoying air of superiority for finding something cool despite being unrecognized by the masses, shall we?

Star News reports on the topic:

“What are ratings anyway?” grumble fans of “mania dramas”

“Why do all the dramas I like always have low ratings?” office employee Mr. Lee complains. It’s because the dramas he enjoys watching tend to flop in ratings. He’d watched KBS2’s eight-episode fusion sageuk Conspiracy in the Court [Hansungbyulgok], MBC’s Merry vs. Daegu Battle, and others with bated breath, but they haven’t been able to break the 10% ratings threshold. …

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Julia Hart - “JH Loves You” [ zShare download ]

Read on: Mania dramas and their devoted fans >>

Tags: Conspiracy in the Court, Legend, Lobbyist, Mixed-up Investigative Agency

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(This cap from Episode 1 of The Story of Hyang Dan cracks me up. Choi Shi Won’s expression here is priceless as his Mong Ryong ignores bimbotastic Chun Hyang for the sweet and plucky Hyang Dan.)

 
Yunno, I might just have to rethink my opinion on the whole sageuk thing. And by “rethink,” I mean “start watching.”

I’ve never been a fan of historical “sageuk” dramas. The Adults In The Family watched them all the time when I was growing up, and they’re consistently solid ratings performers among Korean viewers. But I didn’t get the appeal. Maybe it was the antiquated speech, maybe it was the (generally) low production values, maybe it was a culture gap thing. Maybe it struck me as old granny dramas since my grannies watched them. Even in light of recent, well-produced sageuk blockbusters (Dae Jang Geum, Jumong, Dae Jo Young…), I’ve remained staunchly anti-sageuk.

 
(Jumong)

 
I asked my parents a while ago what the appeal of sageuk dramas were, since they both watched them, although neither are huge sageuk fans. My mother (the literary buff) agreed that sageuks aren’t very fun, but they’re familiar and reliable, stories she’d grown up hearing. My father (the history buff) had a different interpretation, and that was that they are an important aspect of Korean people reclaiming their own histories.

After all, Korea has for ages resisted its conquerors who tried to rewrite its storied, rich history, and had to fight the marginalization of its historical importance. Hallyu is a great source of pride for Koreans for a great many different reasons — there’s the simple sense of pride in a job well done, seeing such overseas popularity of domestic products — but I’ve got to think part of the satisfaction must also stem from a sense of ownership, of one’s own folklore and history, that its achievements are finally being recognized outside its own insular culture. On a more visible platform than previously, at least.

My mother watches sageuks because they’re familiar entertainment; my father watches them because they’re important. As for me……

 
(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

Leeds 리즈 - “그깟 사랑” (That kind of love) [ zShare download ]

More STORY OF HYANG DAN, HONG GIL DONG, CONSPIRACY IN THE COURT >>

Tags: Conspiracy in the Court, Dae Jang Geum, Hong Gil Dong, Jumong, King and I, Legend, sageuk dramas, Story of Hyang Dan

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