Japanese dramas vs Korean dramas

My opinion might be biased but even after watching some Korean dramas, I still prefer Japanese dramas. Korean dramas to me are the equivalent of soap operas. I've had to sit through soap operas (American) from time to time and Korean dramas are exactly like that, down to the production values to the muscular chiseled actors. K-dramas are filled with numerous plot twist, love triangles, and they throw everything at you (hospital stays, illness, accidents, past lovers returning, treachery, backstabbing, etc.) which is what I feel soap operas did. Soap operas were supposed to keep you tuned in everyday so they have all of these plot twists and crazy characters. I guess that's the appeal of them. J-dramas on the other hand aren't so...dramatic? They definitely are shorter so there's that. I also think J-dramas are more down to Earth and realistic. The main appeal is the raw emotion and realness of the characters as opposed to different shocking plot twist and conventionally good looking actors. I can see why k-drama fans can classify j-dramas as "boring" since they don't keep you hanging on to your seat most of the time. And that's the beauty of them. But on the other hand, many j-dramas also have this over-the-top brand of weirdness that you can only get from Japan. That can turn people of as well. People who aren't familiar with j-dramas or Japanese media in general tend to think it's two dimensional, when there's so much more to it than that. I don't think one or the other is better. They both come from two completely different countries and have their own brand of storytelling, aesthetics and appeal, so it all boils down to personal preference. We could sit here and argue all day about it, but there will always be those that prefer one or the other.

Both has its own charms. To me, it's not about prefering one or the other. In the end, it all depends on the story, the characters, the performance of the actors and the general execution of the drama. From what I see here are some differences: - Korean drama tend to be more romantic. Let's face it, for some reason, Korean audience just LOVES romance. Of all Korean drama that I've watched, and mind you, I've watched quite a few, around 99% of them has romance as its main ingredient. No matter what the themes or the plotlines are; be it about cops, gangsters, medical, lawyers, crimes, yadayadayada, romance is ALWAYS in the centre. And a common storyline goes like this: rude, grumpy (and sometimes just downright mean) rich/genius/privileged guy meets a less privileged girl. Girl hates guy at first but falls in love with him. It may or may not take a while before guy falls in love with girl too. But once he does, guy goes all out -sweet and romantic- to girl. But guy will stay mean to everyone else. - Romance, however, is not the centre of most Japanese drama. I don't know why, but it seems like the Japanese audience are generally less romantic than the Korean audience? This gives the producers of these drama more creative freedom and allow them to be more experimental with their drama plot lines. If romance is the main theme of the drama, the execution is usually done in a more subtle way than its Korean counterparts. - Japanese drama can be quirkier than Korean drama. Since most of their drama are based on manga and anime, exaggerated actions and movement are common in Japanese drama. Korean dramas are more predictable and similar in plot, but sometimes it's exactly what I need when I am not in the mood for a surprise or a rollercoaster ride. I appreciate these aspects more, because I know exactly what I'm expecting by reading the synopsis of the drama. If you want romance and certainty, then go for Korean drama. If you are more into unpredictable and experimental stuff, go for Japanese drama. But again, in the end, it's not the genre that matters, it's the story, the execution of this story and your ability to relate to it.

If you look into my list you will find more Korean dramas which mean that I enjoy them but they’re not captivating to me the way Japanese dramas are. I like Korean dramas but they tend to fall under the same category most of the time. Korean dramas are all about melodrama, romance and romantic comedies which are the genres that I tend to not enjoy especially lately. Korean dramas are mostly same plot written storylines without much creativity in characterization except rarely while Japanese dramas are all about creativity; I may not like the Japanese sense of creativity on certain ethical believes but I still think it’s awesome to provide that variety of choices. Japanese dramas are more interesting to me because of the amazing language and the variety of genres: the best crime, detective, mystery and suspense dramas are made in Japan without doubt; they know how to make things creepy and thrilling unlike Koreans who don’t focus on those genres which are my favorites. What I also like that Japanese don’t make romance the center of everything except rarely, there’s always something going on that makes romance comes second with a better taste unlike Koreans who make romance the whole core which make things fall into annoying dragging and make the romance dragging most of the time. I am sure romance, romantic comedies and melodrama lovers would prefer Korean dramas and that’s pretty understandable but dark, twisted dramas lovers like myself would naturally prefer Jdramas.

Mssankacoffee wrote:
Finally OLD BOY (wierd *__* it's a korean movie that reminded me of a Japanese drama in it was a bit harsh and gritty and strange). I watched Old Boy once, as for some reason I found it disturbing...even gave the DVD away. Maybe I'll try it again to see if I have the same reaction.

That's because Oldboy is an adaptation of a Japanese manga of the same name. :D Of course the manga does not contain the *WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILER*incest*END-SPOILER* thing, but it still loosely follows the same storyline and still contains the same notion of suspense and darkness. Spike Lee's remake of this movie is said to follow the manga more closely than the Korean one.

For me, Korean cinema is a whole different ball game. It is not comparable to their drama scene. Of course they are still good at the romance genre, and there are a lot of typical and predictable Korean romantic/rom-com movies. But in general, the Korean film industry is much much more experimental than their drama counterpart. Their directors are among those most respected in the film industry, not only in Asia, but in the world. Take a look at the other works of Park Chan Wook (Oldboy's director), or the works of Kim Ki Duk, Lee Chang Dong, or Bong Joon Ho.

Oh and lily_b, I'm biased since this was my first korean drama, but I recommend "My Name is Kim Sam Soon"! I watched it for the first time around 7-8 years ago, yet it's still one of my favourites :)

realdeal wrote: 3 types of films in japan

1. Manga-ish
2. Serious type
3. Gory type

Manga-ish type is unique in japan, but they are better when it comes to serious type and gory type.

ex. of serious type
( departures, nobody knows THOSE FILM FEST MOVIES)

ex. of gory type
takeshi miike, sion sono, takeshi kitano movies

ex. of mangaish type
SIMPLE.....If there is no IDOL in the cast its not a manga-ish type of drama

you forgot laid-back, super-realistic movies with no or little conflicts, i.e. Sukida, Bread of Happiness, or Halfway
I don't think any country has ever made this type as much as Japan has

and I think these categories also apply in dramas, lots of drama themes to choose from. Some channels like TV Tokyo even specialize themselves on making non-mainstream dramas. It's the thing I've never seen so far in Korean drama scene and that's why I very rarely watch them. I won't mind watching K-dramas if they do it someday, though

cantiara wrote: OCN is a Korean cable channel that specializes in non-mainstream dramas. You should watch their drama production such as Special Affairs Team TEN, The Virus, Hero, Vampire Prosecutor.

9-10 episodes for each drama? That's good! Virus and Special Affairs Team sound decent, but these themes are already become mainstream in Japan. Perhaps it's the production quality that would make a difference. Hope that those OCN dramas good enough to make equal comparisons to Japanese WOWOW dramas. Anyway, have you ever watch WOWOW-made dramas like Soratobu Taiya, Suitei Yuuzai and Marks no Yama? If you don't, go watch them coz it's worth watching (perhaps they have the same vibe as the OCN's)

lontongstroong wrote: 9-10 episodes for each drama? That's good! Virus and Special Affairs Team sound decent, but these themes are already become mainstream in Japan. Perhaps it's the production quality that would make a difference. Hope that those OCN dramas good enough to make equal comparisons to Japanese WOWOW dramas. Anyway, have you ever watch WOWOW-made dramas like Soratobu Taiya, Suitei Yuuzai and Marks no Yama? If you don't, go watch them coz it's worth watching (perhaps they have the same vibe as the OCN's)

No I haven't watched these. All their synopsis seem good. Thanks, gotta put them on PTW list. Since both OCN and WOWOW are respectable cable channels, I think their drama production are comparable in terms of budget and quality. :)