Food for Thought 5 [Hallyu Wave - from a Fan's perspective]

[Disclaimer: all images used in this post are obtained from Google image search.  None of these are my own.  For my personal encounter with stars and respective filming location visits, I will upload my own photos in another post.]

Once we mention the word "Hallyu Wave", many of us already knows its meaning - Korean Wave - the increase in global popularity of South Korean culture through performing arts such as drama, movie and music. There has been many researches and articles already written on this phenomenon since its such an unexpected development with the potential to challenge the monopoly dominance that Hollywood was enjoying in the entertainment industry, at least in Asia. 

BUT I wouldn't bore you with all these academic arguments. Instead, I will be reminiscing about my love affair with the Korean entertainment. I am actually surprised and glad to have witnessed the beginning of Hallyu Wave myself.

  

I was 13 then.  Taiwanse drama Meteor Garden has everyone (at least all the girls in my class) enchanted.  Among the 4 boys of F4, we each had our favorites.  I and my sister shared the same favorite Vic Zhou and we ended up watching the Mandarin Chinese speaking show, upwards of 10 times, despite the lack of subtitles and not understanding half of it.  Such was the meteor impact of an enormously phenomenal show.

Then came the Korean drama, and it caught us unaware.

   

The very first Korean drama I had watched was "Autumn In My Heart" (back in 2001). Before the advent of the Internet and social media, the weekly wait for each new episode was interminable.  Nonetheless, it was a collective effort that had the whole nation (majority anyway) talking and anticipating about it, during the wait. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and remembered ardently hoping for Song Hye Kyo to end up with the second lead, Won Bin. Like an old grandma, I am just so delighted for the three leads of the mega stardom that they are enjoying, post their outstanding drama. 

   

  

Afterwards, the local broadcasting companies found the appeal that these K-drama had over the Myanmar population so K-drama slowly and steadily replaced the Chinese dramas in prime time slots. But the only other drama that remained memorable for me was Kim Hee Sun's "Tomato" and Jang Dong Gun's "All About Eve". Then the only signs of these Korean stars popularity in Myanmar was sale of their posters at the roadside vendors.

In Nov 2003, I made the biggest move of my life, from Myanmar to Singapore, all on my own for my studies. I was pretty sad about not having a full access to TV (with cable channels like Arirang, KBS World and MTV).  

   

But one of my friends managed to download the complete series of Full House around 2005 - definitely like an oasis during entertainment draught.  While I already liked Song Hye Kyo, this light-hearted romantic drama turned me into a zealous fan of Rain.  Yeah, I know he wasn't the most handsome man with the usual standards, but he is charismatic and attractive, don't you think?

Imagine my surprise and happiness when I discovered that we could watch Korean dramas on YouTube for free?!! One of my friends introduced me to this show called "Winter Sonata" on YouTube, sometime during 2006. Now I know I was late to the party, but I was deprived you know. 

  

Of course I didn't know that was THE drama which further elevated Hallyu Wave to new levels, previously unseen. Without much expectations attached to the show, I was hooked after the first 2 episodes.   Junichiro Koizumi, the then Japanese Prime Minister, famously said that the lead actor Bae Yong Joon was more popular than himself in Japan.  I like the two leads - Bae Yong Joon and Choi Ji Woo well enough but never to the point of fan-girling though.

Nonetheless, this show made me put Nami Island on my must-visit bucket list.  After visiting Nami in Autumn, Winter as well as Spring, I enjoyed visiting this picturesque place.  There was another reason that Winter Sonata holds such a special place in my heart - we played OST "Only You" at the SYF 2007 Guitar Ensemble competition in junior college category.  I guess such a soothing romantic song swayed the judges to our side since we won Gold with Honors, a first in the short history of our school's Guitar Ensemble!!!

   

  

A few more notable dramas followed such as My Girl with Lee Dong Wook, Lee Da Hae, Lee Jun Ki, Park Si Yeon, My Name Is Kim Sam Soon staring Hyun Bin and Daniel Henney as well as Sassy Girl Chun-Hyang with Han Chae Young as its title character.

Then, it was 2009. You all know what happened yeah?  Boys Over Flowers took us all by a storm and we all went along for the ride happily. F4, Kim Hyun Joong in particular, grabbed my attention and I was sucked into the world of Korean entertainment.  

I googled (honestly thats what you do, when you got interested in something these days) about him and found out he was the leader of boyband, SS501. That was why I started listening to Korean music and got to know bands such as DBSK, 2PM, 2AM, Big Bang, Super Junior, Shinee, FT Island, CN Blue, Wonder Girls, Brown Eyed Girls, Kara, Girls Generation, F(x), 4Minute, 2NE1, Miss A, After School, T-ara. They are basically royalties of the second generation of K-Pop bands after Fin.K.L, G.O.D and H.O.T's era.

  

Kim Hyun Joong also appeared in several variety shows which offered us a glimpse of how he usually behaved when there was no script to guide him. I got acquainted with shows such as X-Man, Happy Together, Family Outing, We Got Married and Running Man, thanks to this handsome and funny guy. That was the second time I got really crazy about an entertainer though (First was Vic Zhou). 

When I was in Korea for a student exchange program, he was the brand ambassador for Face Shop.  There was going to be some type of fan meeting event for customers who spent a certain amount at the Face Shop branches but I found out too late.  There was no more ticket left but it didn't stop me from going to Myeong Dong store and standing for 3 hours outdoor during the chilly Seoul winter.  In 3 inches heels I wore to see him better in the crowd, nonetheless! I ended up being late to one of my classes in Korea University, oh well :D

  

As a loyal fan, I watched his drama "Playful Kiss" both on TV and on streaming site, even those YouTube special episodes. And that was the only drama I ever got to watch on TV as it aired, since I was in Korea in 2010. 

He was critized for his acting but I think he did pretty okay.  Plus, I love these light-hearted romantic comedies with happy endings. So if you are like me and haven't watched this drama yet, you can give it a try.

My attention was undivided on Kim Hyun Joong.  Any show that he appeared in, I would search and watch it.  The only other artist which I was following was KhunToria couple from We Got Married. Do you watch this show, where artists live out the make-believe married life?  There were missions to complete but no script for them to closely follow.  I thought Nickhun (2PM) and Victoria (Fx) made such a striking and compatible couple so I was shipping them. Too bad it didn't come true.

Years passed.  There were only a few shows I loved and remembered fondly - My Princess (2011), A Gentleman's Dignity (2012), Prime Minister & I (2013), The Heirs (2013) and My Love From Another Star (2014).  

Jun Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun's show was such a mega hit across Asia that producers even exhibited their filming set for ardent fans. Basically, many scenes were filmed in the 2 condominium units of our main couple but those were just condo set-ups in the studio. Fortunately for me, I managed to catch this set-up exhibition at KINTEX when I visited Korea in April 2015. It was a great experience to be able to be there physically inside Do Min Joon & Cheon Song Yi's iconic apartments including the library, elevator and balcony.

Then boom, you know what happened in 2016? That's right, Descendants Of The Sun with sizzling chemistry between Song Joong Ki & Song Hye Kyo arrived. And I couldn't be happier for it. I love that this show doesn't have messy love triangle or even quadruple.  The show dedicates itself to telling us the story of 2 people who are in love and who had to reach a compromise on their values and outlook on life in order to create a life together. 

Another major hit of 2016 was Legend of the Blue Sea, starring Jun Ji Hyun and Lee Min Ho. While it didn't exactly create a collective experience of enjoying the romance across Asia as My Love From Another Star (2014) and Descendants Of The Sun (2016) achieved, it was still a smash-hit in its own rights. 

Created by the same author as My Love From Another Star (2014), this Jun Ji Hyun-Lee Min Ho drama also has a other species element to it with the female lead being a mermaid, with superhuman strength and memory erasing powers.  Even with a different set of rules to accommodate the mermaid folklore in modern day Seoul, it was so easy to enjoy this show with fast moving plot and butterfly-in-my-stomach inducing romance.  Despite Jun Ji Hyun happily married with children and Lee Min Ho in a relationship with fellow actress and singer Bae Suzy, their chemistry was sizzling! This show makes me want to do a pre-wedding photoshoot wearing mermaid costume :D

As opposed to heavy-drama, I honestly prefer light-hearted shows with happy ending, which also does not compromise on logic. This post is just about me reminiscing on memorable shows which had made such strong impressions on me.

Of course, I had watched several other shows (below) during these years (2001-2020) and  many of those were exceptional but they were just not my cup of tea.  

Year	Name
2002	My Love Patzzi
2003	All In
2003	Dae Jang Geum
2003	Sang Doo! Let's Go to School
2003	Stairway to Heaven
2004	Love Story in Harvard
2004	Something Happened in Bali
2006	Princess Hours / Goong
2007	The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince
2008	Beethoven Virus
2008	Iljimae
2009	Iris
2009	The Return of Iljimae
2009	You're Beautiful
2010	Athena: Goddess of War
2010	King of Baking, Kim Takgu
2010	Mary Stayed Out All Night
2010	My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox
2010	Personal Taste
2010	Secret Garden
2010	Sungkyunkwan Scandal
2011	49 Days
2011	City Hunter
2011	Dream High
2011	Poseidon
2012	Arang and the Magistrate
2012	Cheongdam-dong Alice
2012	Dream High 2
2012	Faith
2012	Love Rain
2012	Moon Embracing the Sun
2012	Queen In-hyun's Man
2012	The Innocent Man
2012	The King 2 Hearts
2013	Bel Ami
2013	Gu Family Book
2013	Iris II
2013	That Winter, the Wind Blows
2013	Wang's Family
2014	Birth of a Beauty
2014	Bride of the Century
2014	Cunning Single Lady
2014	Emergency Couple
2014	My Lovable Girl
2014	Pinocchio
2015	Oh My Venus
2015	The Producers
2015	Yong-pal
2016	Doctors
2016	Goblin
2016	Love in the Moonlight
2016	Uncontrollably Fond
2016	W

[Update:
2017   While You Were Sleeping
2017   Good Doctor
2018   A Korean Odyssey
2018   Encounter
2018   Memories of the Alhambra
2018   Sky Castle
2018   What's Wrong with Secretary Kim
2019   Hotel Del Luna
2019   The Last Empress
2019   Vagabond
2020   Crash Landing On You
2020   Itaewon Class
2020   The World of the Married]

As time goes on, I realize these shows are getting better. The angle and coloring of each scene manage to invoke appropriate feelings in viewers.  OST soundtracks are no longer just background music, they have become hits on their own. Even productions are bigger with many overseas filming locations (think Greece in Descendants of the Sun & Spain in Legend of the Blue Sea). 

I, however, must say the best changes are in storylines.  With around 80-100 shows aired per year across all television channels, viewers are bombarded with too many choices.  Among them, some were outstanding with unique storyline, free from the usual love triangle, mean girl or control-freak mother.    Time travel, other species elements (alien / mermaid / goblin), and action definitely make for distinctive and quirky storylines which are refreshing for viewers.

Of course, the way viewers consumed these productions have evolved with time as well.  TV channels are no longer the only venue with the advent of streaming platforms like Netflix. With the option to watch shows at any time convenient for time-crunched modern day spectators, TV dramas are no longer part of the communal family time at home. Audience has progressed from passive viewership to taking on more active roles. Even the Korean Tourism Organization promoted multiple tours organised for fans of the blockbuster productions, to give fans a chance to tread the same path or to enjoy the same delicacies as their favourite Hallyu actors. (My Love From Another Star) Cheon Song Yi's lipstick was out of stock for months and waiting time lasted more than 6 months!

My Biases (Not that long of a list :D)

1/ Vic Zhou (Meteor Garden)
2/ Won Bin (Autumn In My Heart)
3/ Rain (Full House)
4/ Kim Hyun Joong (Boys Over Flowers, SS501)
5/ Nickhun (We Got Married, 2PM)
6/ Song Joong Ki (Descendants of the Sun)

I like Lee Min Ho and Kim Woo Bin though not the point of crazy fan-girling!

Do we share similar taste in drama and variety? :D

Adios!

xoxo

Miss N

P.S. I am currently quite sad with the news of Gary leaving Running Man.  I mean RM was the only variety show I have religiously watched from the very first episode in 2010 (because I was a big fan of Family Outing) till the end in 2016.  I had seen the cast slowly building their characters and sneaking their ways into viewer's' heart. Sigh... I do wish them the best for their future endeavors and looking forward to Season 2 and new members...