[And now for Dahee Fanel's comprehensive take on the past year! --javabeans]

First of all, I’d like to bow my head in deep gratitude to Javabeans, the highly esteemed writer of this blog, for inviting me to post a few thoughts here. I hope she won’t regret her decision after reading what I have to say, hehe.

2007 was an interesting year, at least for me, particularly when it comes to Korean dramas. I’ve watched dramas on a regular basis since I was old enough to walk and talk (I am, after all, Korean), but I’ve never undergone such a transformation in terms of how I approach dramas as I have in the past couple of years…although I suppose you could argue that it’s turned me into nothing but a picky bitch. (But weren’t you always a picky bitch, Dahee?)

Still, despite my pickiness, I managed to watch quite a handful of dramas this year, although I certainly didn’t manage to finish them all (blame school and the crappy work that some PDs and writers dish out, putting off viewers like me). In fact, I watched so many, I can’t possibly talk about them all here. So I’ll just pick a few notables and dish out some kudos, as well as one or two boos. Because boos are just as fun as kudos, if not as well-received.

DAHEE’S SONG OF THE DAY

Jo Kwan Woo - “천년애” (chun nyun ae), from the soundtrack of the drama The King & I. [ zShare download ]

In which I am embarrassingly long-winded

Tags: Coffee Prince, Dae Jang Geum, Dal Ja's Spring, Devil, guest bloggers, Insoon Is Pretty, King and I, Legend, Madam Ah Hyun Dong, Mixed-up Investigative Agency, My Man's Woman, Surgeon Bong Dal Hee, Taereung National Village, Thank You, Time of Dog and Wolf, White Tower, year in review, Yi San

Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by Dahee_Fanel - 43 Comments →

The set of “Yi San”

“Circle lenses in the Chosun era?”

Viewers’ sharp eyes are making sageuk drama producers sweat under the scrutiny.

Sageuk fans following MBC’s Yi San have voiced a complaint about a part of the drama’s set. That’s because Yi San, which is set in the Chosun era [from 1392 to 1910], is using the sets from the SBS drama Seo Dong Yo, which deals with the Baekje nation during the era of the Three Kingdoms [57 BCE to 668 A.D.]. Using the internet, viewers have compared the photographs of the palace sets appearing in Seo Dong Yo and Yi San, noting, “I might not have known otherwise, but I wonder if it negates certain aspects if a drama set in the Chosun era is using Baekje-era sets.”

SONG OF THE DAY

Ex - “Marionette” [ zShare download ]

Continue reading >>

Tags: King and I, Yi San

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Moon Sori

 
I haven’t seen many of the dramas mentioned (they’re mostly historical dramas, which I’ve noted is not something I regularly watch). Some of the reasons are downright silly, but it also seems there’s a grain of truth in some of the grumblings. What do you think?

Criticism for Drama Miscasting; How Far Will It Go?

It’s time for a star news briefing. Watching the current dramas, it occasionally seems like this role and that actor don’t quite match. It’s surely discouraging to hear this kind of casting for the actors who are working so hard. However, it’s uneasy as well for the viewers watching along. Today, I’ll examine the criticism of this kind of drama miscasting. No Cut News’ reporter Oh Min Jung is on the case.

Who are these actors most recently criticized for being miscast?

(Random) SONG OF THE DAY

Jaurim - “Truth.” It’s been a while since I’ve listened to some Jaurim, but I really should listen to them more. They’re very rockin’. [ zShare download ]

Miscast? Find out who >>

Tags: Bae Yong-joon, Gu Hye-sun, Jumong, Kim Mi-ryeo, Kim Myung-min, King and I, Lee Seo-jin, Legend, Moon Sori, sageuk dramas, Yi San

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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

Filed under: Drama Reactions & Reviews by javabeans - 36 Comments →