Goto page 1, 2, 3 Next
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
kobe23 Joined: 06 Jun 2006 Total posts: 736 Location: Melbourne, Australia Age: 29 Gender: Male |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
HanjaeJoined: 22 Nov 2005 Total posts: 141 Location: Australia Age: 19 Gender: Female |
 Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 1:20 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
 |
|
I think, rather than the Korean Wave waning, it's just the initial hype that's waning. I remember several years ago, when Dae Jang Geum came out, everyone across Asia was just in awe over it. I was in Hong Kong at the time, and seriously, people talked about NOTHING ELSE  Kids on the streets were all rushing off to buy hanboks, everyone was making DJG parodies, Lee Young Ae was practically worshipped and you can't go a day without hearing her (or DJG) mentioned on TV. It was crazy.
It seems it's died down now, but I think rather than the initial shock (Wow why didn't I ever get into Korean stuff before? etc) and interest, it's become more widespread. Notice there are many, many fans of Japanese dramas/idols, but you don't notice an all out crazy hype - that's because the initial wave has already crashed and it's slowly spreading to become a common thing to obsess over, so to speak. I think that's what is happening to Korean culture now. It's more and more common for people to say they're into Kpop stars and Kdramas, whereas a while ago, it was considerably less popular.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
groinkLocation: Hawaii Age: 41 Gender: Male |
| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 6:49 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| Hanjae wrote: | | I think, rather than the Korean Wave waning, it's just the initial hype that's waning. |
You're exactly correct. I don't think many of you remember what I'm about to bring up... Throughout much of the 1970s, Japan enjoyed their own Japanese wave of sorts. They didn't actually call it a "wave", but much of what you see with the Korean wave today occurred back then for the Japanese - and WITHOUT help from the Internet. The Japanese geinokai was paying visits around the world putting on concerts and appearing in movies. The Japanese junk food craze started during that time, with Cup Noodle being the biggest hit of them all. Groups like The Candies and Pink Lady entered American entertainment; Pink Lady even had their own TV variety show on NBC.
And, just like things Korean today, things Japanese didn't actually disappear. Rather, they stabilized and would eventually dip down just slight. But you still may scars of the Japanese 1970s, such as sentai tokusatsu shows like Power Ranger, karaoke and anime. American TV stations are showing more Japanese shows than they ever did. And, Japanese pop music is still big - probably bigger right now than any other Eastern Asian pop market. And let's remember symbolic trademarks like Hello Kitty and Glico.
The exact same thing is going to happen to the Korean wave. Everyone who would eventually feel the effect have already done so, so not too many more people are being introduced to things Korean as much as they did just one year ago. And in a few years, something else will come along... Maybe a Hong Kong wave or even a Malaysian wave. Think about it - if the Korean Wave were to last forever, it wouldn't even be called a wave but rather a permanent rise of the ocean level (and they'd probably blame that on global warming.)
--- groink
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kobe23Joined: 06 Jun 2006 Total posts: 736 Location: Melbourne, Australia Age: 29 Gender: Male |
| Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:03 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
Hmm...I dunno, did you guys even watch the videos I posted?  It seems to suggest the Korean Wave is not at its highest level yet and is actually starting to build up like a Tsunami. Especially when you consider there are many Korean artists entering the US market like Rain, Se7en, Lee Byung Hun etc. and numerous Korean movie rights have been purchased to be remade by American film studios.
As Hanjae said, the initial hype might have waned, but the actual wave has not, and looks like it will continue with its meteoric rise for a while yet. Something else will come along after that as suggested by groink, but a Hong Kong wave? Didn't we already have a HK wave in the 80s and early 90s? Back when hard boiled action/triad movies were extremely popular with legendary actors such as Chow Yun Fat, Tony Leung and Andy Lau. And of course, who could forget Jackie Chan and his martial arts movies? There definitely won't be another HK wave.
I think (hope) the Korean Wave is still in its infancy, and when you consider the wired world that we currently live in, the message being spread is of a much grander scale than that of previous waves.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bellezaJoined: 21 Jan 2007 Total posts: 705 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 5:37 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
differentiates Hallyu from other Asian waves is that Korea has a missionary sense of their culture. It's not just business; there's an intense sense of national pride that comes from other cultures (Jewel in the Palace is the #1 show in Iran!!) enjoying their shows, music, food, whatever.
That said, there is Chinese and Japanese backlash over Korean product. The formulaic plots. Emphasis on short-span bubblegum pop. Jumong/Legend. Some bad international press from A-list celebrities. And in Korea itself, there's been a kind of Japanese mini-wave in music and dramas. A lot of Netizens would rather watch J-dramas and TW-dramas than K-dramas now.
The growth has been in going beyond Asia. The truth is, that is on the bubble right now. You have Rain/Jang Dong Gun/Lee Byung Hun/Jun Ji Hyun all trying to cross over here into film at the same time. You have Se7en trying to cross over musically. And so on. It could all blow up in Korea's face all at the same time.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
groinkLocation: Hawaii Age: 41 Gender: Male |
| Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:40 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| kobe23 wrote: | | Hmm...I dunno, did you guys even watch the videos I posted? It seems to suggest the Korean Wave is not at its highest level yet and is actually starting to build up like a Tsunami. |
I watched the video. But that doesn't mean it is fact. Has anyone considered the possibility that this Korean stuff just isn't as great as you guys keep thinking it is? I mean, the previous HK and Japanese waves didn't have this "in your face" level of publicity. Seriously, no one even noticed that the Japanese wave even occurred until years after. The major reason for the backlash with things Korean is that the country for some reason or another has this major obsession that they're the best thing on Earth. And, like religion and politics, NO ONE likes it when the Korean culture is pushed. It makes them look ethnocentric. Seriously, it does! This Korean pride gives the impression that they were pushed around for centuries and only NOW are they trying to tell the world they're no longer going to be bulled.
I saw this exact same thing with the hispanics. Throughout the 1990s, there was this huge hispanic wave in America. Selina, Mark Anthony, George Lopez, the Latino Grammy, the macarena, tex-mex... There was just too much of it!!!! And that wave pretty much died down as well.
I really can't phantom why people fall in love with stuff just because it belongs to the Korean culture. IMHO, it just shows how dissatisfied these people are with their own cultures. I like each and everything because of how it stands alone, and NOT because it is associated with something much bigger like the Korean culture. I like BoA, but not because she's Korean. I like Matsuda Seiko not because she's Japanese. You guys are proposing the idea that just because the product comes out of Korean that everyone will love it despite the quality of it. To me, that form of logic is messed up and ethnocentric. And it is going to burst SOON!
We're things Korean so you gotta love us!!!! Yeah, right. For every guy who loves things Korean, there are ten of us who are disturbed and turned off by it.
--- groink
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
bellezaJoined: 21 Jan 2007 Total posts: 705 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 8:30 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| Quote: | | I mean, the previous HK and Japanese waves didn't have this "in your face" level of publicity. |
Yeah, there's both good and bad sides to it. Korea's been aggressive with marketing their pop culture (and Korea's Netizen community is best at spreading the stuff around), and it's a big reason why Hallyu has come so far. BUT, again, then there's been backlash in China and Japan over that marketing, partially because it sometimes implies their product is perhaps superior to the domestic brand. This is especially piquant between China and Korea, and this side is not represented in the video. Some feel that there's a lack of self-awareness coming from the marketing. Kobe23 -- remember that scene from All In when Lee Byung Hun teaches TKD to the cholos? That's Hallyu marketing right there! 
If we're just talking about the drama format, many Korean producers want to try out a shorter J-drama style format with more original storylines. Partially because the younger Korean viewers are mostly watching non-Korean shows (esp. American and Japanese dramas.) And partially because their marketing has also suggested it would be easier to market their product internationally if the shows were shorter and, you know, not all soaps. So from business and artistic standpoints, they want to do more shows like Hello Franceska, Soulmate, White Tower, Time of Dog and Wolf, etc, but they keep fighting inertia from the primary ajuhmma viewing audience that prefers the longer, soapier style shows with more conventional storylines. (Not necessarily a bad thing BTW. That same audience is also why idol dramas will never take over Korea in the same way it has in Taiwan and Japan. Even adults who grew up on Shinhwa don't necessarily all like Eric as an actor.)
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
groinkLocation: Hawaii Age: 41 Gender: Male |
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:34 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
Let me say this....
It is a good thing for an artist to have dreams and aspirations. But he should achieve greatness because he is very good at something, such as acting, singing, dancing, juggling, playing a sport, or whatever else. What he should NOT expect is for people to like him just because he belongs to a culture.
That's what I'm trying to get at. The Koreans think that all they have to do is be Korean, and push and push their way all over the planet so that people will like them. Earlier, someone said that Korea may be just as mainstream as America. I have a huge problem with this train of thought. First of all, many things American are not popular because they're associated with America. Each artist is popular because of HIM, not because he's from America. Again, when Koreans and their fans say something bold such as Koreans are just as good as Americans, that's ethnocentrism and elitism.
Why now? Why didn't Korea become mainstream decades ago? Don't say that X or Y prevented them from reaching out. Korea had just as much of an opportunity as any other nation in Asia. The Japanese did it in the 1970s without all the hoopla behind it. And they didn't even plan it. Think about it - the Japanese aren't exactly trying to reach out to the rest of the world. As a matter of fact, there are many thing they've done in the last 10 years that prevent them from becoming mainstream. If something Japanese become popular, it is purely by accident and not because you have a bunch of hot-blooded Japanese nationalists running around knocking on everyone's doors and mailboxes. That's basically how I see the Koreans - just a nation filled with "Look at me! Look at me!" folks. I mean, why can't they be like many other nations and just enjoy the fact that they're big in their own country? Fricking bunch of posers if you ask me!
--- groink
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kobe23Joined: 06 Jun 2006 Total posts: 736 Location: Melbourne, Australia Age: 29 Gender: Male |
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:28 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| groink wrote: | | kobe23 wrote: | | Hmm...I dunno, did you guys even watch the videos I posted? It seems to suggest the Korean Wave is not at its highest level yet and is actually starting to build up like a Tsunami. |
I watched the video. But that doesn't mean it is fact. Has anyone considered the possibility that this Korean stuff just isn't as great as you guys keep thinking it is? |
Let's backtrack to about 1990. If someone suggested to you Samsung would be right up there with Sony in the consumer electronics market within 20 years time, would you not have questioned their sanity? The fact is, Samsung is now #1 in the electronics industry and recently overtook Motorola to be the 2nd biggest mobile phone manufacturer only behind Nokia. Korean cars such as Hyundai and Kia have also made giant leaps and it won't be long before they can rival the Japanese brands. All this progress over a relatively short period of time is quite remarkable if you ask me, and certainly from any neutral perspective.
| Quote: | | This Korean pride gives the impression that they were pushed around for centuries and only NOW are they trying to tell the world they're no longer going to be bulled. |
That might well be the case, but what's wrong with standing up for yourself? Koreans now have the confidence in themselves and their products and now they have a story to tell, or a product to sell
| Quote: | | I saw this exact same thing with the hispanics. Throughout the 1990s, there was this huge hispanic wave in America. Selina, Mark Anthony, George Lopez, the Latino Grammy, the macarena, tex-mex... There was just too much of it!!!! And that wave pretty much died down as well. |
I haven't really followed things in America over the past 2 years (washed up by the korean wave!), but I thought Latin-American stuff is still as strong as ever. Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria, Shakira ... yeah I know the first two were American born & raised but there's a huge Latino influence in JLo's work at least.
| Quote: | | I really can't phantom why people fall in love with stuff just because it belongs to the Korean culture. IMHO, it just shows how dissatisfied these people are with their own cultures. |
That might be true, but once again, what's wrong with that? If our own cultures produce inferior products, should we not seek something better? Why do you think Americanization is happening all over the world? For some of us though, we're a bit fed up of American pop culture and have discovered that Korean stuff is a great alternative.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
kobe23Joined: 06 Jun 2006 Total posts: 736 Location: Melbourne, Australia Age: 29 Gender: Male |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
groinkLocation: Hawaii Age: 41 Gender: Male |
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:29 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
I didn't think electronics was a part of the Korean wave. I still don't think it is. Again, you're labeling by association. If everyone at Samsung or LG were Korean nationalists, then that's one thing. But from my sources, there are many engineers there that originate from places like the Phillipines, India, Japan, America... Rain is a product of Korea and the wave. Don't assume that corporations are. Same goes with Sony. Same with Microsoft. Same with ANY corporation in this world. If there's any one company that is a part of any wave, that would be Apple Inc. And the things I hear coming out of those Apple fanboys are no different than this Korean wave movement.
My whole point here is quite simple: People like yourself think that just by association things Korean are not only going to get better, but that other cultures, traditions and entertainment industries are going to be pushed aside because of it. THAT'S what I mean by people pushing the movement as being elitists. BoA, the TV dramas, and any other forms of art coming out of Korea compete against others based on their QUALITY. The whole wave movement is based on a bunch of people who, for example, watch a TV drama and then start eating the food because of the TV drama. This train of thought is so much near that of sheep. So YES, you are correct in that I'm insinuating that Hallyu fans are in fact mindless drones who follow everything Korean. THAT'S the entire foundation of the Hallyu!
Based on logic alone, if something else in this world comes along that's just as addicting as things Korean, those Korean things will be pushed aside - along with things Japanese and American. So that would blow your theory. But you believe that things Korean are going to keep increasing in quality and popularity regardless of what might happen in the future. Elitism and ethnocentrism - big time!
--- groink
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
joykimleeJoined: 10 Mar 2007 Total posts: 119 Location: Hong Kong Gender: Female |
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:54 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| Was totally into kdramas since 2001. But since 2006, i ditched kdramas for jdramas. Kdramas have outdone their melancholy romantic plots. Jdramas on the other hand have much more interesting plots condensed into 10 eps. Nevertheless i still enjoy Korean food n fashion.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:03 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
While I can't state for everybody that the Hallyu wave is waning since there are new people being introduced to Korean films and dramas everyday, I can say that my own interest in Korean films/dramas have dissipated over the years.
Not that anyone is interested, but from my own experience:
I first stumbled upon D-Addicts in search of Korean dramas (some of the more household well-known ones in the early 2000's) because at the time the Hallyu Wave was at its strongest with the release of "Winter Sonata", "Stairway to Heaven", and the likes. However, given time, I gradually grew bored and sometimes even annoyed with them to the point that I have almost virtually stopped downloading them. Now I only watch the older ones that I've hoarded or re-watch the ones that I have enjoyed in the past. (with the exception of Hong Dil Gong which I have to say is pretty great!).
What constituted for the Hallyu wave in the early 2000's? It was probably the "Bae Yong Jun craze" all across East Asia (and in particular, Japan "Yon-sama") after "Winter Sonata" aired and the Korean film, "My Sassy Girl" probably had some influence then since it was a well-received success.
We don't see a lot of Bae Yong Jun or Jun Ji Hyun in many of the more recent kdramas nowadays.
On the other hand, I eagerly await on the arrivals on new jdramas because somehow they've become much more appealing to me and have quickly replaced my kdrama obsession in the last 3 years.
_________________
watching: Ryusei no Kizuna, Miss No Good, Bloody Monday, Room of King
next: Team Batista no Eiko, Innocent Love, Oh! My Girl!!
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
marie_23Joined: 29 Nov 2006 Total posts: 255 Gender: Unknown |
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:31 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| lilswtangel wrote: | While I can't state for everybody that the Hallyu wave is waning since there are new people being introduced to Korean films and dramas everyday, I can say that my own interest in Korean films/dramas have dissipated over the years.
Not that anyone is interested, but from my own experience:
I first stumbled upon D-Addicts in search of Korean dramas (some of the more household well-known ones in the early 2000's) because at the time the Hallyu Wave was at its strongest with the release of "Winter Sonata", "Stairway to Heaven", and the likes. However, given time, I gradually grew bored and sometimes even annoyed with them to the point that I have almost virtually stopped downloading them. Now I only watch the older ones that I've hoarded or re-watch the ones that I have enjoyed in the past. (with the exception of Hong Dil Gong which I have to say is pretty great!).
What constituted for the Hallyu wave in the early 2000's? It was probably the "Bae Yong Jun craze" all across East Asia (and in particular, Japan "Yon-sama") after "Winter Sonata" aired and the Korean film, "My Sassy Girl" probably had some influence then since it was a well-received success.
We don't see a lot of Bae Yong Jun or Jun Ji Hyun in many of the more recent kdramas nowadays.
On the other hand, I eagerly await on the arrivals on new jdramas because somehow they've become much more appealing to me and have quickly replaced my kdrama obsession in the last 3 years. |
You found D-addicts similar to how I stumbled across it. I was originally just looking for Meteor Garden becuase I was a big fan of the manga Hana Yori Dango and wanted to see a film based on it. So, I search the web and D-Addicts came up at the time I think the wave was going on for Korean dramas. I noticed people talking about "Full House", Sassy Girl, My Little Bride, Winter Sonata etc... So, I watched them too.
I was hooked to Korean dramas after watching "Full House"  However, after three years of Korean drama watching I grew bored also. The plots started to seem like long repeats the same old stuff. Now, I still like Korean dramas but not as much as I use to back when I got into them. I've started watching other asian dramas shows and some have turned out pretty good.
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Puppet Princess Joined: 03 Sep 2006 Total posts: 1498 Location: Hawaii Age: 19 Gender: Female |
| Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 7:27 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0 |
|
|
| lilswtangel wrote: | | We don't see a lot of Bae Yong Jun or Jun Ji Hyun in many of the more recent kdramas nowadays. |
*cough* Legend..... lol And Jun Ji Hyun does movies not dramas.
I admit I stopped watching a lot of Kdramas for a while for the same reasons. They got old. I usually only watch a few fully each season because only a few are actually that good.
But Kdramas have evolved in the past couple years. There used to be A LOT of extremely tragic stories where everyone died. It's what sold. But then the "OMG I have cancer?!?!" story grew old. Sure it's great the first couple times but then.... it's predictable and depressing.
These days when a show tosses in cancer it seems to be the kiss of death. Bad Couple for example, was great until.... half way through cancer killed the cute and funny love story that people were baited with.
More Korean shows are becoming comedies and more are having happy...er endings. Even some recent tragedies ended on up notes, like Snow Queen. Instead of making it the depressing cliched tragic ending everyone expected.... they turned it around at the last minuet to surprise you with a bittersweet happy ending.
As far as the wave goes. What with Asian networks in America being more common now I feel Korean entertainment has become more... normal. Less people are surprised when you mention Kdramas. Back when Dal Ja was airing I was IMing with a friend. He asked what I was doing I told him "watching Dal Ja" expecting to have to explain what that meant when he gave a confused reply. But what did he say? "Oh, Dal Ja's Spring? I was watching some of that at someone else's dorm room the other day. It's pretty good." I was floored. This came from one of the last people I ever expected to have seen a Kdrama.
So whether Kdramas and Korean Pop stars are still popular or not the initial "OH! What's this?!" excitement has died down some. That doesn't mean the entertainment will stop coming. It just means it's more normal for it to come.
And about Korean's being full of themselves.... so what?
America is worse even if you try to deny it.
American movies and TV shows are shown in almost every country that has an entertainment industry. And not on special "American Entertainment networks."
America shamelessly exports all their entertainment and have been since forever. Yet it isn't until more recently that we have imported entertainment and even close to the same volume. (it still isn't even close) And what is imported isn't aired on the main networks still. It's special networks or local channels.
So, who are we to put labels on them for pushing crappy shows on us when we do the same thing with our crappy shows?
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You can attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum
|
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group • Forum skin developed by Volize
|
| |
|
|
