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Can K-dramas be adapted for U.S. audiences?

Could we be seeing American adaptations of Korean dramas on our screens in the near future? While there have been a few Hollywood remakes of Korean films, we have yet to see any of our beloved k-dramas get the Hollywood makeover. That’s about to change, as KBS just struck a deal with Kapital Entertainment, optioning the rights to Resurrection [부활] and The Devil (Lucifer) [마왕] to be remade for U.S. television.

Both dramas happen to star Uhm Tae-woong, which is perhaps a coincidence, but maybe they love him as much as we do. The main draw is actually in the genre, as Uhm plays a detective in both dramas, and well, just flip through a few prime-time shows on American TV. ‘Nuff said.

Resurrection was a 24-episode revenge thriller starring Uhm Tae-woong and Han Ji-min that aired in the summer of 2005. At its peak the ratings were at 22.9%. The Devil was a 20-episode revenge thriller starring Uhm, Joo Ji-hoon, and Shin Mina. It aired in the spring of 2007 and only hit as high as 9.3%.

Despite the low-to-middling ratings domestically, Kapital is interested in the dramas because of their stories, which they feel will adapt well for an American audience.

Kapital Entertainment CEO Aaron Kaplan told The Korea Herald, “I’ve been fascinated by the Korean market. I think Korea is an epicenter for all that can work in Asia.”

The shows are currently in development, searching for writers to rework the source material, and Kapital will then shop them around to networks.

I have two very conflicting reactions to this news. One is: yay, Korea! The other is an immediate cringe-factor when considering a k-drama with all its koreanness taken out, and then repackaged in a formulaic Hollywood way. Not that K-dramas aren’t formulaic; of course they are. They’re just a different formula, and somehow, I feel like if you take a burger and change out the meat for a frankfurter, it’s no longer a burger…that’s a hot dog in burger’s clothing. Just sayin’.

Via The Korea Herald

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hmm, I haven't seen either of these dramas but perhaps the genre might translate well. I can't ever imagine other dramas, such as My Girlfriend is Gumiho or Playful Kiss getting adapted to American tv- as like you said, Java, you can take the drama out of Korean but you can't take the Korean out of kdrama

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Oops, correction, not Java but GF!

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I like both stories, and these two stories are not all that Korean and do have an international appeal.

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they certainly know what's popular in america? but there's so many detective shows on television, I can think of ten that are still on the air. the screenwriters would really have to distinguish this show from all of the others, past and present.

and it's just my luck that the korean import in development is in a genre that I can't stand watching.

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Thanks for the heads up, GF, but I for one, will be very skeptical. I have a feeling the mighty hand of the U.S. television money-making production dynamo will erase any semblance of the k-drama from these shows, IF they make it to air.

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agree. another thing is that dramas have a point where they actually just end unless there is a sequel to the drama whereas in the america, shows never ever end. they just keep going until they loose the story and their audience. then they cancel it making the show a complete confusion. there are american shows that have been around for like 50 seasons (maybe exaggerated) but still, they never end and the story just gets old since the writers cant think of anything more original.

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You are correct. I wish a US network would take on the one season formula, but they can't because of greed. I live in Hollywood and people are DESPERATE to work on shows that lasts for seasons even knowing that it can get cancelled right away.

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I think it'll be a very loose adaptation...coz the K cultural elements are too different from America's....and...just cannot be easily translated into a Hollywood remake. Even within Asian cultures, it's difficult, what more a Western one.

And I'm not really looking forward to it.

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if kdrama remakes will be as bad as kmovie remakes (and of course they will) , it's sad news.

but i'm happy for korea, the korean wave will grow even more

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Kindof sucks how those are two dramas I happen to not like :(

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I think the problem is that they always want to make everything more western friendly even if it means changing important details.
It seems so many asian especially japanese and korean movies are being remade and not always so succesfully.
But I'm not sure I'd like to see a US remake of the devil I think the british might do a decent adaptation.

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Didn't they say the same thing a couple of years ago about Kim Sam-Soon being remade?

Anyway, I love Resurrection but it would suck as an American show. It would go on for like 4-5 seasons, the plot will become bloated and then it'll end up with low ratings and a rush to the finish.

Like you said, I'm not too sure how well the Korean TV formula will translate to American TV.

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This - American shows do tend to run way too long; even in the cases of HBO series. Ugly Betty got cut short - but I think there are other reasons to think about that series and why it failed (it had to do with the sets being expensive, fighting w/production, and there's a new president at ABC this year who promises not to cut shows so rapidly)

I don't think these remakes could be that bad (if they didn't run on forever) I'm not really sure what can be said about "losing their korean-ness" as they are not sageuks. Sure, there will be no outdoor drinking tents, but there's a level of poverty that can balance out any "I live in a crap neighborhood" that seems to pervade many dramas.

This year, the tv broadcaster AMC (who makes mad men) is making a zombie themed show. A zombie themed show. I think trying something new might help liven up the TV scene.

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This year, the tv broadcaster AMC (who makes mad men) is making a zombie themed show. A zombie themed show.

The Walking Dead!!! I'm eagerly anticipating this show. I haven't been watching any American tv series since I've been hooked on K-dramas. But TWD is a must-watch for me this coming season.

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Sounds like Being Human or Dead Like Me or Vampire Diaries....

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Zombies seem to be The Thing here in America. While I'm all for something replacing the endless vampires and werewolves contaminating all the books, movies and tv shows, I just don't know if zombies is the way to go.

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Well, not to be too off topic but Zombies allows more of a thriller/what would you do in an apocalypse demographic, whereas vampires as usually romanticized and werewolves are... for 80s comedy movies.

What else do we have? Frankenstein? Mummies? There's not really much to the horror genre. Things get milked to death and then pushed aside. It's a revolving door.

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yey for that!!! I looooove zombies...i'm a fan! haha...that would be great for an american series...and i'm hoping i wouldn't ever see vampires in television...ugh, why do a lot of people like vampires?

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There will be a clash of 2 very different cultures and values.When you make one more American, you lose the Korean in the drama, or vice versa. Part of the reason kdramas are doing so well overseas is that it is a Korean drama. If they would just show the good dramas as is with the subtitles, they will do well. Look at how well received the dramas were in places like India, etc.

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Korean dramas have been well received in other parts of Asia...but the US is a tough nut to crack.

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Let's not forget the 1994 TV show "American Girl" with Margaret Cho...I loved the show but got cut short rather quickly...And I LOVE Margaret Cho!!!...She went through hell and back with the show...

I loved the movie "The Lake House", the American remake from the Korean movie "Il Mare"...A warm reception by Americans, but not the "OMG!" factor they were looking for...

JGS was interviewed about acting in American movies, I think he's aware of how hard it is....

Then there's a new TV series coming up "Outsourced", a show with employees from India being managed by Americans...how is that going to be received by both cultures?...

Unfortunately, there is a "stereotype" factor here in the US. It would take extremely strong leads (asian, Korean, etc...) to break the sterotype. Probably it will take a generation or 2 for "that" to be broken and to be accepted....and respect the difference in cultures...

There are some asian breakthrough actors/actresses coming around, but I believe it's the "generation factor" that will be willing to accept them full force.

Please, crack the US nut...Show!!!

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I wish people would just watch the originals of things. We are a global village now after all and subtitles really aren't that bad people! LOL

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If only it were that simple. I wish we really were a global village where people could respect and enjoy the good parts of other cultures. Unfortunately, I don't think the general American public is ready to watch original kdramas in the numbers that would be needed to support broadcasts on regular tv. They are just too culturally different and probably wouldn't resonate with American/non-Asian audiences like they do in Korea.

And I say this as a white American.

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i cudnt have said it better. but im a korean born and bred in america.

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Agreed... :(

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What's about the other side of the coin? Do American dramas with subtitles resonate with Asian audiences?

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Good question. I have no idea. Anyone?

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Japan really likes CSI/24/overly dramatic cop dramas - from what I've dealt with. I heard the OC did alright with the younger set. You know, real American shows with real American cultural value.

See what I did there? If a lot of people watched Korean dramas they'd first ask: Are all moms this mean? Do you get plastered in public venues all the time? Does everyone die of cancer there?

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American TV shows are shown on Korean mainstream television. This morning I watched TV here in Korea and saw Sex and the City with subs, lol. I've also seen Gossip Girl and The OC on the channel 'Style On' that is very American in flavor.

However, as far as I know, American TV shows are a far cry from Korean dramas in terms of viewership, for a number of reason - one being because Korean dramas are still a bit of an ajumma front. Though I do have many young friends who like dramas, the woman of the house generally decides what gets watched in the evening, and well, I don't think many middle-aged people of any culture can do much with foreign shows in a foreign language and foreign values. I do, however, have a lot of college-aged Korean friends who download American TV shows with fan subs and watch them, just like the international Korean drama fan base does with KDramas, so perhaps in a few decades, when those same college-aged people are the new ajummas and ajeossis, we'll see more American shows on TV here. I doubt, though, that they will ever really rival the popularity of Korean dramas - it's not just the ajummas unwilling to watch American solve murders and have sex with everything that walks, it's also that the Korean TV net works are of course trying to market domestic products and develop the industry.

Koreans do love American movies, though, and watch them with subs, as do the Japanese. I think they've just been so used to looking at white people on TV that they don't think much of it. For the average non-Asian American, however, I don't think they'd really be interested in watching a bunch of pretty Asians and their love woes. Americans on the whole are terribly unused to non-American entertainment (even the many, many young people watching anime with subs are a minority still, really).

But who knows, maybe in 50 years or a hundred, we'll be a truly global village with no one thinking twice about watching an Asian drama with subs. But I don't think that time is now. :/

(Seems to me like many Americans still distrust subs, and claim that they want to watch a movie, not 'read' it. To be honest with you, I always used to sneer at that comment and think they were admitting to being illiterate ignoramuses, but since I've learned enough Korean to watch my KDramas without subs, I can sympathize. It's only since I started watching without subs that I realize how much of a better viewing experience it makes not to have to read while watching, and how many subtle shifts in facial expression I must have missed, not to mention a lot of untranslatable nuances in certain Korean expressions and words).

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American companies do not have cooperation to broadcast their television programs on mainland-China television. No matter, fans go to the internet to access a selection of American TV shows with fan-subtitles online within hours of their original broadcasts or view entire seasons from purchased DVDs.

Interestingly enough, American TV shows are well-received due to its many "differences" from Chinese program... such as, a story per episode, a regular run of seasons, culture, lifestyle, cast, settings, music, posters, and production.

How about that, eh?

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American companies do not have cooperation to broadcast their television programs on mainland-China television. No matter, fans go to the internet to access a selection of American TV shows with fan-subtitles online within hours of their original broadcasts or view entire seasons from purchased DVDs.

Interestingly enough, American TV shows are well-received due to its many "differences" from Chinese program... such as, a story per episode, a regular run of seasons, culture, lifestyle, cast, settings, music, posters, and production.

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I agree. Why reinvent the wheel? Subtitles are good for the brain, anyway.

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I'm conflicted. I'm a fan of both series, especially The Devil. And both are plots that are doable in a US setting.
But I'm generally not a fan of Americanizing shows, with the exception of a few British shows that went well (Archie Bunker, The Office, etc) I think it's not a great idea.

Problem #2 is that part of the great beauty of k-dramas is that they are what Americans would call mini-series. Short of making a Masterpiece Theater type of thing, I can't see stretching either show beyond 20 eps. Many shows that try that just blow up - The Fugitive, Heroes, etc.

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Why? The Korean version of everything is great! If I wanted to watch American TV I wouldn't even know what these dramas are, but I prefer the Korean. Why do that to our Korean dramas? The American version will wind up sucking. And the cast? Will the cast be made up of American actors? Again, why?

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At first glance I was happy to see a couple of kdramas getting Hollywood notice...but the more I think on it, the more I agree with the rest of you. Once Hollywood gets through with them, the bare bones of the plots might exist but that's about it. I'm hooked on Jdramas and Kdramas in part because of the cultures represented, but also because of the actual details of the stories themselves. None of that would be left. What, then, would be the point of watching?

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I really like Resurrection, but not The Devil. I thought TD was too slow and boring.

I don't think it will make a good American version drama though. But.. heh.. who knows..

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I always thought that Pasta would make a great US TV show!!!

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Nooo, can't people stop remaking things and think of their own stories!!! XD

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I've seen The Devil (and I loved the tarot cards part, as well as Shin Min-ah's ability, and Uhm Tae-woong's character) but...I mean, the Japanese already remade it! XD I'm really all for thinking of NEW stories, or even adapting books, of which there are a lot, many of which could easily be turned into TV series! I don't think I'll like the remakes much, but I admit that I'm prejudiced.

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hhm.. im not so sure about this...i lkie the format of knowing ahead of time how many episodes im in for. that's what made me love Kdramas sooo much. I know there's a beginning, middle and end....
if this is remade into a US primetime even cable network drama....i'd have to wait years and years to see the end...and in the process 1. lose the storyline and 2. lose the interest of fans.

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"I have two very conflicting reactions to this news. One is: yay, Korea! The other is an immediate cringe-factor when considering a k-drama with all its koreanness taken out, and then repackaged in a formulaic Hollywood way....."

Hmmm... can't think of any koreanness that makes the shows different. What's interesting about them is not that they are korean but that the stories are good. And a good story can be told in many languages and set in many different ages.
If these shows ever get remade for US TV, I just hope that they will be with good quality and miniseries. I can't watch long tv shows. I usually never get past season 1.

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I agree that this are good stories, and the Resurrection is actually an adaption of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas; as for the Devil it is an original script by the writer. That is why the Japanese wants to produce their own version in less than a year after the Devil broadcast. Resurrection and the Devil are both good shows and both have very high production values. You don't always see shows with this kind of directing, acting and writing daily, not to mention the supreb camera works and the beautiful lighting and art directing e.g. the Devil, the ceiling of lawyer's home, the camera's shooting angle,I can see why the US producing company wants them. I do not mine an American production if they can reach the level of how Resurrection's adaption to the original Monte Cristo.

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As to Koreanness. for example;
Kdrama adults don't defy their parents. They try to persuade them.
American adults on TV don't even have parents and pay no attention to their opinions if they do.
How many people over 60 are important characters on US TV? The cultural differences are many as to what is
important and what is not.

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while i admit the removal of the "koreanness" in these remakes is a bummer to those of us who have watched and loved the origina...l it may be essential to have the show connect with the larger american public....i dont thing this is necessarily a bad thing if they stick to the original concept and story.... but as all american shows go they are going to strech it to several seasons if the show gains any amount of popularity and before you know it the story may be twisted and tweaked in ways making it unrecognizable from the original...that being said i am extremely curious to see hw this works out...that is if it does work out

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Ugh, I hated MAWANG. The concept was different and interesting but the overall execution was very poor from its acting to its storyline.

Very dissappointing.

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I think one of the best things about Korean Dramas is a factor that doesn't much exist in American Television: finiteness. They END. American dramas don't end unless ratings become unbearable or writers run out of ideas. Even when integral stars leave the show, they try to carry it on and embarrass themselves and everyone else by trying to patch it up (See Scrubs and , possibly, Th Office). That's why I always thought the Korean formula couldn't work in the US. Because that formula is only bearable for 8-12 weeks.. or, in the case of a very good family drama, 5-6 months. You've got to change the plot fundamentally in order to get it to drag on for years in the annoying American fashion.

Think of Lost, which the writers contend was never meant to go on forever. Essentially nothing happened over the course of the show (at least nothing that made any sense) and they still managed to drag it out for 6 years. When Hollywood starts to experiment with true series drama, then I think Korean works will be ripe for the picking.

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The finiteness is one of the reasons I love kdramas, and why I don't watch much American tv. I like having the end in sight, and knowing that there will be a definitive conclusion which was planned from the beginning.

I also like the miniseries format. The entire series has one main plot and climax that it's building toward. American shows tend to have more of a loose story and be episodic - that is, each episode has a story which is resolved at the end, and which may or may not be related to any possible longer stories. I'm so much a fan this.

I wonder what it would take for American televisions makers and viewers to show genuine, sustained interest in the kdrama format, regardless of where the story originates.

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oops, second paragraph should read "I'm not so much a fan of this."

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Omg I agree. The thing I love most about Asian dramas is that. They end. American dramas tend not to have an overall storyline, just individual ones for each episode. Any overall plot goes ridiculously slowly. Asian dramas have an overall plot, but no episode plots. And Hispanic telanovelas? They manage to combine the two in the worst way possible. Take the length of the American one and the plot of the Asian ones. It's ridiculous! I got through 5 episodes of one and hadn't even gotten past the 2nd sentence of the plot summary.

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Exactly couldn't have said it myself. You can also include ER in that list, that show ended up going for 13 years even though most of the integral characters left half way through. The reason why I watch any asian drama especially kdramas is because they have a beginning and then an end and its over. Which makes me wonder how this will work. The goal of American dramas is to have multiple seasons and avoid cancellation which is why many if not all of them lack that finiteness , yet it is that finiteness that make korean dramas as great as they are. It will be quite difficult to stretch a drama that has a definite beginning and end to fit the american tv system unless they forgo the possibility of multiple seasons and show it in a mini-series type of format.

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Another difference is that American shows do not cast a newbie actor/idol as a main lead.

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Oh my!
KBS World had just reaired The Lucifer a month or two ago and I thought "This show would be great adapted for the US!"

I think any show could be adapted in the right hands. Certainly the cultural aspects will be different, but there are plenty of premises on Korean television that are universally appealing.

I agree though that one of the positive aspects of Korean dramas are that they have a set beginning-middle-end. Could be great for a big miniseries treatment in the US.

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I LOVE both of the shows, i wonder how they will be able to change it to more american

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I do not know the dramas or actors. This may never see the light of day with American audiences unless it becomes a LIFE miniseries and those are just b.a.d.

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UTW on american tv--yummy! oh.wait.that's not what you said . . .

now i want to watch these two dramas just to see how they'll be different in the american versions. besides just sucking because all the korean-ness got sucked out. what? no ramyeon or nose bleeds? why bother?

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all hollywood is gonna do is pack it full of sex, throw some glitter on it and sell it like a $2 hooker. i watch very little american tv because i hate all the sexual overkill. the whole reason i love k-dramas is because its less in your face with sex and humor. i laugh more at korean tv than i do american for sure.

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Funny. I was expecting to find 'Iris' in the list of adaptations. That drama was as American as unf pie.

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Korean dramas are uniqe in their own way and fresh and different to me at least. So I dont think it is good idea to adapt to US tv. Yo know nobody likes American 'My Sasy Girl' remake. They are out of new ideas I believe so Korea is perfect source in fact far east is great source but I dont suppor this action.

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I agree! as much as i sometimes enjoy american movies/shows, i cannot imagine it being redone american style. part of what gives kdrama's their zest is the culture too.

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I can totally see these particular dramas adapted to American, because they are more "professional", with not as much of the family, romance, or comedy elements. Too bad I didn't like The Devil, but Resurrection was pretty good.

Of course, the American versions will probably be so different that we won't even recognize them.

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^^~
My 2 most favourite Korean dramas!!!~~ and Uhm TaeWoong is my fav. actor >..<~~ LOL....he's changed and improved so much over the years^^

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half of my post got deleted? its so funny that only the first and last part got posted....
lol I mean Go JuWon has improved so much over the years >.<~~~

and an Uhm TaeWoong drama without Uhm TaeWoong is just different...........

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I love korean drama because it is korean. After 4 decades of watching American and British television, it is a pleasure to visit a different culture. I would much prefer that Americans get used to watching Kdrama with subtitles.

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Ummm....haven't Korean dramas been adapting or basing their dramas on American shows/movies for years?? If it can be done one way, I'm sure it can be done the other.

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That's my frenchness speaking but I'm sick of american remakes.
If something is good enough so that you're interested in it and actually liked it, why a remake why ?
Just take it as it is and subtitle. Just avoid dubbing that's lame. [It spent like a semester in Saudi Arabia, try and watch a k-drama dubbed in arabic, and i'm used to french dubbing, but ever since it's like a massive shock in my life. ]

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oh gosh.. I really dont want that to happen. We would totally ruin the shows. I havent seen the dramas yet but beacuse america shows are so different from Koreans... its going to be a mess. :(

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I agree that the formulas are super different. Detective shows in the US tend to be sort of focused on one case each episode- like Criminal Minds- not the drama as a whole, which I assume these are. Plus US series are so long.
I haven't seen these dramas so I can't make a judgement over how well they will translate but I am kind of sceptical. It's awesome for Korea, but a kdrama is a kdrama, I don't like the idea of taking it out of its context, the stories are structured so differently.
I believe that remakes can be good within Asia, but elsewhere is just too too different- the audiences want different things so I think the unique flavour/culture would be lost.

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Resurrection Had NO revenge what so ever. Most K drama people like that But not me. The Devil at least people got what they deserved. So they should remake devil

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I have started watching the devil and it does seems to have a storyline which can be adapted to American TV.

Most dramas with their korean perspective won't really suite the American tv, in my opinion. But I think The Devil will be pretty good in it. I will watch it.

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I no longer watch American TV. After LOST went off the air, that was it. The shows either run forever or they air for a few episodes and are gone. Not interested in investing my time anymore.
I would rather see actual Kdramas on TV than an American remake. I have my doubts if this is a good idea.
Americanized kdrama? No handsome Korean men? Integrity of the plot completely unrecognizable? Ugh. I think I'll pass.

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This: "No handsome Korean men?" haha

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Lolol agreed.

There are men other than Korean men in this world...? O.o

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LOL

KOREA, how do you breed your men? Tell us.

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All of you --> LOL. I can not possibly more agree with this.

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I have seen both dramas and I do think they will adapt well to American TV. The story of both dramas can stand on their own even if the "Korean-ness" in the dramas is removed.

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It will def go good if they do it. I mean americans love that thriller especially for tv shows. I heard The Devil has lawyer things in it too so, def. But how long will it go on for?

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If I don't see a single hot korean guy, let alone hot asian guy, I don't think so. I wonder how they can adapt it when korean dramas are about 20 episodes long? American shows run forever, its annoying sometimes, oh wait, it IS annoying. It might work since most detective shows are solved by the end of one episode, but this kind leaves you anticipating what happens next. They better get some hot guys cast! I rather just have drama airing here so there are more handsome korean guys to drool over!

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the reason why kdrama does not work with the americanisation is that they lose the nuances of the culture that brang about the drama and laughter

a classic example is my sassy girl
it worked well in korea
but as soon as they translated into a american film
it lost all the love that was present in the old movie
what might be normal in korean society is totally different to american where they might see the main female character as spoiled

i hope it works there are some things that might just get lost in translation

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I have to agree with many of you! Just leave it alone and show it with subtitles! Maybe the American public would *gasp* accept it the way it is... Ok, I know some wouldn't, but some would. I did! I am a (white) American girl living in China, and I started watching Asian drama because I wanted to get my ears used to hearing Chinese. So I watched "It Started With A Kiss" and that was the beginning of a love of Asian dramas that is now reaching its 2 year anniversary... I thought it was refreshing to watch TV shows that didn't have all the smut and sex of American TV. I also like the definite ending of each show rather than dragging it out for 20 years.

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Yay K-drama, I wish that these programs were more readily available on dvd, or via the web. I don't want to see an Americanized version of Resurrection----there was such a strong thread in that show about family responsibility, and destiny. It will probably be rewritten in the US version as a generational cop story, my father was a police officer, and I'm following in his footsteps, requiring a wholly different emphasis on brotherhood both the boys in blue variety and the relationship between the twins.
Besides what American actor could replace Uhm Tae Woong?!?

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quite frankly, i agree with a lot of people here. i hate the way Hollywood butchers Asian remakes with a chainsaw. i mean, i saw the trailer for Tekken and some Korean horror movie remakes and almost bashed my head into the screen.

also, i really wonder if Hollywood WILL stretch these 2 dramas out. i'm really fond of the episodes having a "definite" end (with maybe an extension which i shudder at). i have issues watching long series, which is why i dont even watch a lot of saguek.

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! The last movie I saw Hollywood remake was "My sassy girl"....can I just sayyyyyyyyyyy, "TORTUREEE"......
Yes, they tried to keep the korean-ness in that movie but totally killed it...OMG... please NO!!!!!

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This is sad news to me. Most American TV/movies are remedial. They explain everything because the audience is only used to 8 or 10 minute segments then 10 minutes of commercials... I do not need to be told that somebody farted. But most Amer TV is like that. That is why I don't watch much of it. And very seldom in real time because after 20 minutes I am angry at having my focus disrupted numerous times.

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I think that's an unfair criticism. Depending on who the target audience is, all drama, regardless of country over explain things (sometimes) in their dramas. I can't tell you how many times I've rolled my eyes in a K-drama where a character talks to themselves to explain why they are calling someone, the many other actions that do not need explanation. American daytime soaps also do this.

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I'm also wary about any kind of adaptation really, especially one that requires re-working some cultural aspects which very seldom translates well. But, I have thought of late that American TV should start adopting the one season format of Korean dramas. Not this multiple season format that often crash and burns toward a pitiful end. I guess we'll see what happens.

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I don't think so. I mean, for me, there's a particular perspective you have to be when you watch kdramas. Like you said, there's a certain 'koreanness' in dramas that are hard to translate into American audiences... and the fact that Korean/generally most Asian cultures have more collectivist societies than the more individualistic societies of Western society. So the family dynamics (which is a major part of many dramas) would be hard to translate for Western audiences.

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