Monday, 20 July 2009

  • Why Are Korean Movies And Soap Operas So Emo?



    If you've ever watched television during the day in the states, you would know that American soap operas are well known for their drama, tragedy, twists, and turns. Fan or not, I'd be willing to bet you've heard of Days of our Lives, General Hospital, or As the World Turns. And of course, you're probably familiar with the common storylines such as evil twins, love triangles, and plenty of backstabbing. Even with all this drama, these American soaps still have nothing on Korean soap operas.

    Korean soaps are among the saddest things I've ever seen. If you've ever seen one, you would know that it's almost guaranteed that a character gets cancer, dies in a car accident, loses a limb or use of a body part. And when it comes to death, these characters really stay dead unlike American soaps where some characters have died two or three times.

    This drama isn't just limited to Korean soaps but also to their movies and music videos as well. Here's a perfect example of one. Watch it all the way through. The song is nice and the video is quite touching and I didn't expect the ending at all when I first watched it. (Don't worry, I don't know the Korean language either, but I still enjoy it.) If you want the full English version, you can watch the second video below.




    Why do Koreans like to be sad? I have no idea. I like to be touched or emotionally moved as much as the next person but I don't think I could watch too many Korean movies or television shows in a row.

    Have you ever seen a Korean movie, television show, or soap opera?

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Comments (63)

  • absurdlyHANdaft@xanga

    because koreans have crazy mood swings, to tell you the truth! it's all too dramatic...
  • d0llh0use@xanga

    but i dont like american soap operas...they just dont catch my attention.  i like cantonese dramas cause its not always about love and it has good plot (great storyline).  dont know why korean dramas are usually about love but i take it as something thats filling in for reality.  some of us dont get it in reality so we tune in to korean dramas.  im like that sometimes but i dont watch korean dramas often, only saw endless love, sad love song and paris lovers.  some have plot...some dont.
  • MauTimHoaSim@xanga

    Unlike many of my friends, I was/am never a fan of Korean dramas.  I saw a few when they started gaining popularity in the early 2000s; however, I got sick and tired of the same, recycled plots.  Some Taiwanese series are like that too.  I'm still a huge of TVB (HK) dramas though...=)
  • kimtendo@xanga

    It's nice to cry once in awhile. After, don't you feel refreshed?
  • taaru@xanga

    I LOVE korean (& japanese) drama!
    it feels nice to see cute, romantic dramas once in a while. And the crying adds more to it. =]

  • Blueberry_xh@xanga

    that's not true. Most Korean soap operas I've watched have happy endings.

  • soberheartss@xanga

    of course ! I love kdrama ^__^
  • mewithoutu77@xanga

    i love watching korean movies and dramas, especially the sad ones.  they're my favorite.  i guess it's because i just like drama and tear jerkers.
  • d0llh0use@xanga

    p.s. korean movies arent so bad...if you know how to pick them.
  • Cultur3sh0x@xanga

    Of course I watch Korean dramas/movies. They're better at expressing their emotions, dammit!!
  • mr_faust@xanga

    everyone should watch My Girl
  • Meowmeowkimmaee@xanga

    They're tear-jerkers, for sure. It's always fun to poke at their ridiculous tragedies and the commonplace patterns in many dramas [i.e. cancer, car accidents, amnesia], but some dramas really do give "tragedy" a whole new meaning, such as "One Liter of Tears" - I cried every single episode because it was sad, but also a true story.
  • ReeserTheShadow@xanga

    My sister and I used to watch them sometimes...and we had no idea what anyone was saying, but they could get pretty amusing. For instance, in one show, a man and a woman were fighting with each other in a darkened flower shop, and the woman picked up a vase in a most threatening way...my sister and I were unabashedly cheering, "hit him with the case! HIT HIM WITH THE VASE!"

    We were so disappointed when she set it back down on the counter and ran out of the room, crying.
  • roseleiry@xanga

    Even me I wonder why they have to die in the end..look at 'stairway to heaven' the girl still dies after all the sacrifices..and same goes for 'tree of heaven'...but I am still a great fan cos they show their emotions so well..especially the tears...and the dialogue delivery is so nice..
    Request all of you to watch 'Boys over flowers'..happy ending,just a few tears and beautiful songs..^^
  • Esty@xanga

    i love that song so much! and that girl is hot!!
  • lesprit__descalier@xanga

    they're not ALL that sad.. granted, there's more in the sad category than the western ones.

    i don't know if it's just me, but it doesn't linger with me. i'd be sad watching it, but then i get over it.
    watch One Litre of Tears =) Japanese and quite sad. almost refreshing really.
  • ordinary_gir1@xanga

    i watched a korean movie called "200 pounds of beauty" and it totally broke the korean tragedy stereotype barrier for me

    But i think they are sad because they want to be different. Because happily ever afters dont always happen.

    But man "i'm sorry i love you" sooo depressing, but one of my favorite series of all time 
  • youngvan@xanga

    I like the funny Korean dramas. They sure can get funny and cute. But I stay away from the sad ones. It's depressing!!
  • the_meadow_kite@xanga

    i love k-dramas! Almost none of the ones I have watched had much tragedy extending beyond 'your love not loving you back' but maybe those are just the ones I've been drawn to. I tried Taiwanese dramas once, and it was all about rape and kidnapping and total terror and heartbreak and... it was addicting, but awful and depressing. I kept being like.. WHAT THE HECK?!?!
    But I guess that means I'll just have to watch more k-dramas now... ha..
  • the_meadow_kite@xanga

    My faves so far are definitely Full House (although that was also my first one, so Idk how it really lines up now) and My Girl, and Boys over Flowers is OK but I like the japanese version better, I think.
  • nooitzben@xanga

    omg old school kiss song..thats not emo..its just an very well written old school korean song.
  • mseloisanadine@xanga

    Seducing Mr. Perfect -- really cute Korean Movie. I highly recommend it.

    as of the video, It was sang by KISS--because I'm a girl. They decided to hire actors for their music video. I think it's pretty great to watch once in a while.

    the saddest most emo show I've seen is 1 litre of tears, it a japanese tc series.... it was SOOO SOOO SAD. I think it happened in real life.
  • mseloisanadine@xanga

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW-h8cctu2s
  • bayoumoon@xanga

    HAHA! korean soaps are so funny, but i think all soaps are, no matter what the language, telenovelas are HILARIOUS
  • aliceeatcow@xanga

    @mseloisanadine@xanga - Ｓｅｄｕｃｉｎｇ　Ｍｒ．　Ｐｅｒｆｅｃｔ　ｉｓ　ｏｎｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｗｏｒｓｔ　ｍｏｖｉｅｓ　Ｉ’ｖｅ　ｓｅｅｎ．

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