It’s probably safe to assume that practically everyone has heard of K-dramas by now.
I’m guessing they could be neatly categorized under the following: those to love them (at varying degrees), those who look down on them as low-brow pursuits, and those who don’t watch, or are too busy for, TV.
It’s okay. I used to belong under the second category until I got sick and home-bound, and HBO had nothing new to offer.
Mind you, this was before smart TVs and wifi. Latest technology back then was cable TV.
My brother offered me his flash drive saying there’s downloaded K-drama there. “It’s very popular now, my co-teachers have gone crazy over Gong Yoo.”
No, thank you. Pass. I’m not doing another Probinsyano in Korean.
Well, in my defense, I really believed that Korean content could be dumped under the same pile where Philippine TV is stagnating.
I couldn’t be bothered with K-dramas. Being a Game of Thrones rabid fan, I just thought that everything that’s good and worth wasting time on could only come from the West.
But boredom could be very persuasive. I finally relented, and said to myself, okay, the title is Goblin anyway, so this could have western overtones. I’ll try one episode.
Well, guess what? I didn’t sleep until maybe 4 a.m. that day. I just couldn’t stop. The quality was cinematic, no rehashed music, but beautiful original soundtrack with full orchestral backing.
I never expected Korean celebrities to look like demi-gods. Fell head over heels in love with Gong Yoo, too! No mediocre acting at all.
And the plot! Haven’t seen anything that’s even close. And I realized I was sick, and close to drowning under all that needless sex scenes and violence in western TV. It was like a breath of fresh air.
So down the K-drama rabbit hole I plummeted head first. It didn’t take long for me to realize that historical/costume dramas were my favorite genre. There’s just something about the old world that’s irresistibly appealing to me. This is forgetting for a while their lack of running water and modern comfort rooms. I am stubbornly ignoring that part.
It was just a short leap to China and their historicals, wuxia, xianxia, and xuanhuan. These genres are all under the costume umbrella, and let me tell you, I adore their costumes!
I can go on and on for the next two paragraphs about how their elaborate costumes are a feast to my eyes, with timelines going back thousands of years through the various dynasties which ruled the country, and even reaching back to fantasy in the era of the immortals, but let me just settle with this: I love their costumes.
But that’s not just it. Their productions by itself are massive. There’s just no other way of describing it. They create movies and dramas at a scale so grand that not too many Korean dramas could hold a candle to.
The trifles that they incorporate into every furniture in every set that they shoot scenes in, are simply breathtakingly exquisite. It’s all about the details, people!
It’s like being transported back in time, living in the palace of the emperor’s favorite concubine, as the maid. Yes, just the maid. My ambitions are not that grand.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise because China has the Hengdian World Studios, among others.
Hengdian was built in the 1990s on farmland in China’s southeastern Zhejiang Province, and with an area of 330 hectares, it is easily one of the world’s largest outdoor film studios. It features full-scale replicas of the Forbidden City and Beijing’s Old Summer Palace, along with dozens of palaces, gardens, and streetscapes. They have sections devoted to China’s different dynasties with real buildings featuring architectural styles which are specific to that era. These are real buildings, not just facades, fully furnished, and decorated according to what was in style during that period.
To describe a C-drama experience in one word, I’ll just say “rich”.
At this point, I’d like to venture into the realm of sarcasm, but just a bit, and end this article with a note that more Filipinos should watch C-dramas so they’ll know more about this country, and its glorious past.
TBH, what so many know of China stops at the low-quality products the country is associated with. It’s probably why so many keyboard warriors were eager to start a war with them. Oh well.
So who wants a C-drama buddy?
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Author’s email: OlgaLuciaUy@gmail.com
