Korean Hana Kimi *groan*
Mar. 10th, 2011 08:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
And I am back!
I'll try to make this as coherent as I can because I am on hell of a lot of meds (not opiates - allergic to those, the thought of people developing painkiller addiction is as incomrehensible to me as someone chopping off his own foot for fun) and some pain.
I am sure a lot of you are already aware, SE entertainment is going to produce a Korean version of Hana Kimi, a popular manga (and later a twdrama and jdrama) about a girl who cross-dresses as a boy to get into an all boys' school to be close to her idol.
UGH
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
WHY?????
I am going to make it clear - I lieke the manga a lot. It's not going on my fave list, but it's cute, funny, and full of likeable characters. While nobody bothered much with acting in twdrama, it was rather cute until the WTF ending (which was in place because they were planning a sequel until it fell through). But the jdrama was an unmitigated disaster - shrill, ridiculous, miscast, and mainly created to showcase various scrawny idols and idol wannabe. Mizuki, the heroine, often felt like a cameo in a drama that was supposed to be about her, And funny-wistful-tender vibe of the manga was turned into OTT, jarring idiocy. Don't get me started on Horikita Maki and Oguri Shun as the leads - I adore them in other projects and I think they could have done a decent job here, but due to the script, they came across as singularly, wooden, unlikeable, and miscast.
I am pretty sure the kdrama is going to follow the jdrama version since it's produced by what is an idol-producing house, not a drama company. Say what you will about Group 8, but at least they have adopted many a manga, some well and some not so well - this is their bread and butter as opposed to a sidelike to showcase their newest, shiniest, most wooden properties.
They are going to stuff this with a bunch of pretty people who cannot act to save their life, make the plot so it would showcase those boy-wonders' amazingness and further wreck the delightful manga - in execusion and premise.
The fangirls will eat it all up, it will probably do well, and we'll be doomed to more of this. Kdramas are starting to remind me of jdramas of a decade ago an awful awful lot - when jdramas were still making a lot of quality dramas full of genuine (sometimes *gasp* older) actors which told nuanced stories, but were at the cusp of the great idol deluge which turned jdramas into what they are today - some adult dramas, but not too many, and the rest are half-baked idol projects which are not only full of acting that is mediocre at best, but also have simplistic/unrealistic scripts to satisfy those fans of idols who are 12 (in body or in heart) and because said idols couldn't act in a nuanced drama if their life depended on it. I really do not want kdramas to get dumbed down the same way.
Final note - if you must, must, simply must adapt a graphic medium, how about manhwa? There is a great deal of wonderful manhwa out there and it rarely gets adapted, instead kdramas just regurgitate manga stuff, often not too well.
I'll try to make this as coherent as I can because I am on hell of a lot of meds (not opiates - allergic to those, the thought of people developing painkiller addiction is as incomrehensible to me as someone chopping off his own foot for fun) and some pain.
I am sure a lot of you are already aware, SE entertainment is going to produce a Korean version of Hana Kimi, a popular manga (and later a twdrama and jdrama) about a girl who cross-dresses as a boy to get into an all boys' school to be close to her idol.
UGH
NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
WHY?????
I am going to make it clear - I lieke the manga a lot. It's not going on my fave list, but it's cute, funny, and full of likeable characters. While nobody bothered much with acting in twdrama, it was rather cute until the WTF ending (which was in place because they were planning a sequel until it fell through). But the jdrama was an unmitigated disaster - shrill, ridiculous, miscast, and mainly created to showcase various scrawny idols and idol wannabe. Mizuki, the heroine, often felt like a cameo in a drama that was supposed to be about her, And funny-wistful-tender vibe of the manga was turned into OTT, jarring idiocy. Don't get me started on Horikita Maki and Oguri Shun as the leads - I adore them in other projects and I think they could have done a decent job here, but due to the script, they came across as singularly, wooden, unlikeable, and miscast.
I am pretty sure the kdrama is going to follow the jdrama version since it's produced by what is an idol-producing house, not a drama company. Say what you will about Group 8, but at least they have adopted many a manga, some well and some not so well - this is their bread and butter as opposed to a sidelike to showcase their newest, shiniest, most wooden properties.
They are going to stuff this with a bunch of pretty people who cannot act to save their life, make the plot so it would showcase those boy-wonders' amazingness and further wreck the delightful manga - in execusion and premise.
The fangirls will eat it all up, it will probably do well, and we'll be doomed to more of this. Kdramas are starting to remind me of jdramas of a decade ago an awful awful lot - when jdramas were still making a lot of quality dramas full of genuine (sometimes *gasp* older) actors which told nuanced stories, but were at the cusp of the great idol deluge which turned jdramas into what they are today - some adult dramas, but not too many, and the rest are half-baked idol projects which are not only full of acting that is mediocre at best, but also have simplistic/unrealistic scripts to satisfy those fans of idols who are 12 (in body or in heart) and because said idols couldn't act in a nuanced drama if their life depended on it. I really do not want kdramas to get dumbed down the same way.
Final note - if you must, must, simply must adapt a graphic medium, how about manhwa? There is a great deal of wonderful manhwa out there and it rarely gets adapted, instead kdramas just regurgitate manga stuff, often not too well.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 01:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:04 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 01:42 am (UTC)I'm all up for it. I loved the manga and i never thought the two dramas (japanese and taiwanese) did it justice.
I hope the kdrama will be good.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 01:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 01:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 03:41 am (UTC)That cast is dreadful. >.
(no subject)
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Date: 2011-03-11 02:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 02:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 07:32 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 02:41 am (UTC)I was wondering went they would get around to adapting this one! Given Korea's enjoyment of cross-dressing females, I thought it was strange that Playful Kiss and Boys Before Flowers came out before they attempted to adapt Hana Kimi.
I actually enjoyed the J-drama... mostly because it appealed to my totally warped sense of humor. (See also Sexy Voice and Robo.) I never really cared about the plot making sense. I loved it because it was weird for weird's sake. Though I do give the drama credit for giving Mizuki a non-stalkery reason for dressing up as a boy and entering into an all boys school. Because without those feelings of guilt and obligation, she's the world's biggest stalker. She's lucky Sano fell love with her instead of taking out a restraining order like any sane person would do.
The TW Drama was by far more faithful, but that doesn't necessarily make it better in my mind. But then, as much as I liked Hana Kimi, it's not one of my all-time-favorites. I did enjoy it, though, which is saying something since Ella really doesn't do it for me. And yes, the end totally stank and made me believe that TW Dramas should never, ever be allowed to make up their own endings to manga adaptations.
And I hear you about the lack of manhwa adaptations! You'd think the success of Goong would have prompted a whole slew of other manhwa adaptations. Though Mary Stayed Out All Night probably has guaranteed that no manhwa will be adapted again for quite some time.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 04:40 am (UTC)Maybe they did BOF and are doing Hana Kimi to try and get more followers from Japan and other countries?
(no subject)
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From:no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 02:43 am (UTC)As for Hana Kimi - I guess we'll have to wait and see but I'm not feeling particularly optimistic. And I'm usually very glass-half-full about these things.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 07:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2011-03-11 03:36 am (UTC)It makes me more than a little worried. :/
If I wanted to watch a drama with idols who can't act, I would watch a j-drama with one of the Johnnys.
I don't want to see k-dramas lose their heart.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 03:39 am (UTC)Btw, finished Jade Palace. It was yummy goodness but i felt the ending was too rushed.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 03:39 am (UTC)Speaking of Group 8, they bought the rights to "Gokusen".
no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 07:36 am (UTC)o.o
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
(no subject)
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Date: 2011-03-11 03:59 am (UTC)I'm pretty sure the "boy in a girls' school" rumour is bs but in some aspects I agree - this doesn't look to be good. Hopefully idol company producing doesn't mean just idols being cast, despite how much fangirls want it.
I'm pessimistic but maybe just maybe they'll see how fun the manga's storyline is and be faithful to it.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 08:36 am (UTC)And yet - I'm always up for another adaptation! The other two never clicked with me, but I always saw something I could really potentially get behind.
TORN.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 11:01 am (UTC)THIS.
I DEFINITELY AGREE. Same goes for Hana Yori Dango, a lot of ppl would say that the Korean version was better, but really. I still think the japanese version is way better.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:12 am (UTC)And don't get me started on kdrama take on BOF. They mutilated and then set on fire any remnants of what made Hanadan what it was and what made the core of Makino and Domyouji.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 12:15 pm (UTC)the sad thing is production companies can actually spend money and effort in doing a proper adaptation, i mean, how many adaptations have there been, and will be of RCOK, LCOH, et_al from Jin Yong's back catalogue of novels, but no one gets tired of them! Why? Cos most of them have been well-made, it's almost as if the production companies wouldn't dare incur the wrath of fans by peddling crap. but somehow, all this gets lost when it's manga!
i have yet to see a good adaptation of anything come out of kdrama land. someone needs to send their PDs, and scriptwriters to study how pple do those Jin Yong adaptations!
hamster428
Date: 2011-03-11 05:30 pm (UTC)re: original entry, i don't think idol dramas are going to take over kdrama land. teenage fangirls make up a rather small portion of the drama watching population. there might be more of the genre popping up, but i wouldn't lose my sleep yet.
as for Hana Kimi itself i've never read the manga. could not stand the twdrama. laughed like silly while watching the jdorama and then promptly moved on with life. i guess if they ever butcher Fruits Basket then i'll have the same sentiment but as i haven't read Hana Kimi i was entertained enough by the drama.
Re: hamster428
From:Re: hamster428
From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2011-03-11 11:35 pm (UTC) - ExpandRe: hamster428
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 12:42 pm (UTC)Korean dramas aren't the epitome of creativeness, either, but at least they keep me entertained and there are still quite a few that keep me on my toes.
I'm not sure what to think about the Korean Hana Kimi and honestly I don't care. I wasn't really crazy about the Japanese version and while the Taiwanese version was cute, the ending wasn't really satisfying. One of these days I should really read the manga :D
no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 02:09 pm (UTC)In the case of hanakimi, Wu Zhun can't act and Ella she's a good actress but looks like a doughnut, Jiro was the reedeming fact in that version.
The dorama was entertaining and I think it was a shame that they made it so slapstick and wacky. Maki has acted a boy before and been incredible convincing in Tokyo Shounen(she acted a girl with split personality, the other personality male)Ikuta Toma as Nakatsu though was wonderful and Shun of course is a talented actor but he was a waste here.
I'm scared about the korean adaptation because SM most likely want all their idols in the roles instead of taking new fresh faces who can act.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 05:47 pm (UTC)Are you sure ? Because you the first site I read that
Ella is one of "actress" I wouldn't watch the tvshow even though this was the only one on the earth. She compete with Gu Hye Sun as the actress who overracts the most. I give her she looked like a boy but she was pretty much unattractive and uncharming. WuZun needs acting classes. The saving grace was jiro but still his voice was sometimes irritating. Plus sorry but the soundtrack doesn't even compare to the jdrama. No comment about the way they did stop zooming on Ella face...
I am not specially a fan of jdrama version because I don't like Maki as an actress but the atmosphere felt more classy.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 05:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 10:10 pm (UTC)That being said, being as annoyed as I am with around 80-90% of the idols from SME, the cast will probably irrationally annoy me.
Even worse is that they sound like they want to let netizens vote on who they pant in parts. UGH.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-11 11:44 pm (UTC)And even if Korea remakes Japanese dramas/mangas a lot, they still put a lot of depth in it, so I'm sure that even if they focus on the Japanese drama version and forget the Taiwanese or the manga, Korea will still find a way to make me blubber in its mindless fluff.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-14 02:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-15 02:23 pm (UTC)SM already had this manga adaptation idea for months, but I guess Dream High's success pushed them to go through with this. However, Dream High was not based on any manga/manhwa so there wasn't any built-in expectations when JYP decided to produce that show.
For now my reaction would be "Nooooooo!" because SM will definitely overload this with idol stars who can't even act.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-15 02:35 pm (UTC)