Drama leading ladies, oh how you’ve changed
Kim Sun Ah as Samsoon
Anyone’s who’s been watching kdramas for a number of years has probably, at some point, noted the same thing as the following article. Early Hallyu kicked off the hallmarks of The Korean Melodrama (And Boy Do I Mean Drama!), and I think more recent offerings are unfortunately still colored (dare I say tainted?) by the tropes established in the early stuff. For instance, the impoverished but virtuous female, the Prince Charming who rescues her, the evil and jealous second female lead who’d do anything to sabotage the main romance, the second male lead who never had a shot, the cancer, the tears, the angst. Consider: Autumn Fairy Tale, Winter Sonata, Stairway to Heaven, Star In My Heart, Glass Slippers, All About Eve…
Judging from those early dramas alone, I wouldn’t blame people outside the culture for thinking, “Boy those Koreans sure have a lot of young rich studs and poor beautiful damsels in distress. Imagine how productive the country would be if everyone stopped trying to futz around with each other’s love lives and just got their act together.”
Anyway, many dramas these days still play on the old stereotypes, but the tenor has changed. The stage is gradually shifting, perhaps most notably in the female roles:
Female Characters, Boundless Transformations
Where’s the end to actresses’ transformations? Nowadays, female characters in every kind of drama and film are evolving. In particular, with the success of projects depending less on plot than character, actresses are taking “meaningful risks” in going for a different image or acting that evokes audience sympathy.
TV miniseries in the ’80s and ’90s employed the “Cinderella story” formula in search of success, and brought about a general trend following the “Candy”-esque [the manhwa] philosophy: “Though I’m loney, though I’m sad, I don’t cry.”
In these stories, a kind and obedient female would overcome all sorts of adversities to realize her success in the form of love with a successful man. As a result, popular actresses cultivated innocent images that would elicit a protective instinct. Typical examples include Shin Aera of Love In Your Arms [Sarang eul gudae eui poom ahn ae] and Choi Jin Shil of Star in My Heart.
SONG OF THE DAY
My Name Is Kim Sam Soon OST - “She Is” by Clazziquai. This song makes me totally nostalgic every time I hear it. [ zShare download ]
My, how dramas have changed >>
Tags: Bulhandang/Robbers, Gong Hyo-jin, Kim Sun-ah, Lee Da-hae, My Name Is Kim Samsoon, old-school dramas, Thank You
With the start of MBC’s new drama Air City, my somewhat dormant crush on Lee Jung Jae woke up in full force and slapped me in the face. Sure, I’d seen (and enjoyed) some of his movies, like 2001’s Il Mare (시월애 / siwole) with Jeon Ji Hyun, but I’m a drama series freak at heart, and it’s been nine whole years since his last one.
