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It's Okay To Like Korean Entertainment But Don't Give It Too Much Credit


I agree there's some Korean drama shows though as of late, I really find myself in the position of utter stupidity for simply wanting to watch "Uncontrollably Fond" because of Suzy Bae. In the past, I remembered how I really stuck through "Autumn in My Heart" and could have gone hospitalized over the tears when Song Hye Kyo's character died. I'll admit there's been a few stuff about Korean culture that I like over Japanese culture. Kimchi, kimbap and a lot of their foods taste better than Japanese food. But I could talk about Korean dramas.

Some South Korean shows like "City Hunter" (based on a Japanese Manga of the same name) or "Forbidden Love" do have great action. But before one can ultimately conclude South Koreans are the best with action scenes, one must think have they seen the other East Asian dramas or any Asian drama in general? Japanese have karate, Chinese have kung fu and Koreans have taekwando as their trademark martial arts. It hasn't been an issue of nationality or race but how good an action director is. There's been some Japanese and Chinese martial arts shows that have done better than South Koreans and vice versa.

I admit some Korean songs are really good. Suzy's "invading" Asia right now with her songs too. Rain "invaded" Asia with his songs before that. But I personally prefer the style of Japanese music and Chinese music. But it doesn't change the fact that there are also Korean songs that are that good. Korean singer Kang Ta and Vanness Wu really did a good team up. I think the Korean version of "Take Me to Your Heart" is really good. But like every other music, it depends on the artist. I'll admit that I have a soft spot for Filipino renditions of certain Japanese or Korean songs. Some Filipino artists could even sing better than Korean artists and vice versa. I like certain cover songs done by Filipino artists based on Korean songs. One good example is how the Korean song "Because I'm A Girl" has a really good Tagalog cover called "Kung Alam Mo Lang" or "Only If You Knew" in English.

It can't be denied South Korea is also localizing a lot of stuff and has its shows localized in other countries. I personally prefer Meteor Garden over the Korean version of Boys Over Flowers because of the acting. I prefer Shining Inheritance over its Taiwanese localization called My Splendid Life because the Korean version somehow made more sense in its casting decisions and the writing was better. The issue has never been about whether it's localized or not. It's all about execution that makes it better or worse. Meteor Garden is a localization of Hana Yori Dango yet I felt like its cast brought the cast to life better.

In the end, it's always about the quality of entertainment that truly matters. It's never been about Korean, Japanese, Chinese, etc. but it's all about quality.

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