25 February, 2011

The Korean drama formula

Female lead
  • exudes carefreeness, slightly forgetful/clumsy/messy
  • at the beginning of the series, she will have something important (house, female identity) taken away from her. Recovering this will be a theme of the series.
  • plain looks
  • likes eating, yet remains slim

Male lead
  • relationship with female lead: ranges from indifference to conflict
  • will be forced into a living arrangement with the female lead (stay/work together) 
  • may be forced into a sham marriage with the female lead for various reasons (parents, media pressure)

Other male characters
  • more caring than the male lead
  • better status than the male lead - has more money or a better job, but the male lead has a cool factor (is an indifferent musician or actor). Possibly represents fantasy of finding a partner with a risky, exciting job.

Female antagonist
  • looks better than female lead, although female viewers will disagree
  • holds a higher status than female lead
  • shamelessly throws herself on male characters
  • has some form of control over the male lead (blackmail, boss), forcing him to reluctantly do her bidding

No comments:

Post a Comment