GOKUSEN: Empowering women and teachers

Gokusen was a well-loved Japanese drama in the Philippines. But if you look closer into it, you'll find out that the drama teaches us life lessons as well as entertains us. 

 

It was adapted from the manga, The Gokusen, aseries by Kozueko Morimoto. The story follows Kumiko Yamaguchi, the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss and teacher at an all-male private high school.

The plot involves Kumiko Yamaguchi, the granddaughter of a Yakuza boss, Kuroda of the Kuroda Ikka. Her parents died when she was at the age of seven, and her grandfather had no other descendants, so Kumiko is next in line to head the family business with the title of Ojou. However, her lifelong dream has been to become a teacher. While her grandfather approves of her choice, others in the family want her to become the next boss.

Kumiko (known by her students as "Yankumi") becomes a teacher at an all-boys private high school. Her class is full of delinquents,

 but she tries her hardest to teach them not just about academics (her subject is Mathematics), but about lessons of life, much like any "dedicated teacher" story. Though she's forced to keep her family a secret from the public, her Yakuza upbringing gives her the strength and the experience to reach out to her students, while also providing comedic relief.

From this, we observe how difficult it is to be a teacher, but they always give their best to share knowledge to their students, and the more dedicated ones even impart life lessons based on their own experiences. 

 

It's great to know that some dramas become tools for social change in society. I hope that through Gokusen, we will be able to appreciate teachers more, and learn to see women as strong-willed people as well. Women can do anything if we are given the chance to prove ourselves and share our skills. And all women deserve to be respected, because like Kumiko proved to us, nothing is impossible, we can make good change and inspire others to live a better life and be better persons :)

 

K & J vs. Pinoy Telenovela

We have always been patronizing Korean and Japanese Dramas since the day it started airing here in our country. Does it ever occur to you guys why these dramas have huge effects on us? Bakit siya "patok na patok" sa atin? 

VS.

My own reason is that, the story line of these dramas are completely different than the story line of our dramas here in the Philippines. it's not the usual "sampalan and sabunutan" scenes. Or the plot wherein the girl is poor in the beginning of the story but due to certain circumstances, and by certain circumstances, I mean It's either the girl was the long lost daughter of a rich family OR she marries a rich husband for revenge :3 

In short, it is something different to what we usually watch for a TV drama. It's like a "breath of fresh air." That's why it is being patronized by so many Filipinos. 

I personally prefer Korean and Japanese Dramas than our own Telenovelas because it's not tiring to watch. In Korean and Japanese dramas, I am able to experience different emotions. These dramas can stir one's feelings through it's story. I laugh, I cry, I get nervous and sometimes I get excited.

This just only proves that sometimes, something different can become popular too. Well now, we can say that K and J dramas have become one of the mainstreams. But before it became one, it is something that is not of the usual TV shows of our culture. 

  

Up Top!

My TOP 3 Korean Novelas!  

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (top left); Rooftop Prince (top right); Princess Hours (bottom)

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho is definitely not one of your typical "Boy meets Girl" kind of drama. Cha Dae-woong is a normal college student, with ambitions of becoming an action star. Until one day, he accidentally releases a gumiho , a legendary fox with nine tails who was sealed inside a painting by Samshin Grandmother. Fleeing the scene, Dae-woong suffers a life-threatening fall and is only saved by the gumiho giving him her "fox bead" . When Dae-woong awakes and meets a mysterious pretty girl, he initially treats her as eccentric or mentally ill, before finally understanding that she is a gumiho in human form. According to myth, gumihos eat men's livers, so Dae-woong is scared , and the gumiho takes advantage of his fear by sticking by his side. He names her "Mi-ho."  Mi-ho wants nothing more than to become human, so they strike a deal: she'll lend him her mystical fox bead so that with his increased speed and strength, he'll be able to do difficult stunts, and in exchange he'll help her become human. As time passes, they get to know each other better and Dae-woong is charmed by how Mi-ho looks at the world with childlike wonder. 

Rooftop Prince is about a a prince from an ancient era called Joseon was transported to the present to find out the truth about the crime of his wife (the crown princess) that occurred in his era. They believe that the people during the Joseon era were all reincarnated to the present times so whatever happened in the past will also happen in the present. With this in mind, they started to find out the cause of the crown princess' death and as the story goes by,the prince fell in love with a woman called Park-ha which was the little sister of the crown princess during the Joseon Era.     

Princess Hours focuses on the life of a commoner Chae-kyeong and the crown prince of Korea, Shin. The series starts off with the news that Shin's father, Emperor Lee Hyeon of Korea, is seriously ill. There is a grim outlook on the King's health, driving the imperial family to find Shin a suitable consort that will allow him to ascend to the throne if the situation requires. Despite being in love with the ambitious and talented ballerina Hyo-rin (whom he initially proposed to and was rejected), Prince Shin eventually marries a commoner to whom he was betrothed by his grandfather, the late Emperor Seongjo, in an agreement with the girl's grandfather. His new wife is the headstrong yet lovable Chae-kyeong, and despite initially feeling nothing for each other, love eventually blossoms between the couple. 

The common thing about these three was that they all shows a lot about the country, Korea. The culture of Korea is very evident. You can see and know a lot about their food, practices, clothing, myths and folktales and even their history. I would definitely suggest you to watch these three dramas. They were able to merge their old culture to the popular culture of their society today,which somehow made it interesting. Happy watching asianovela peeps! =D 

The F4 Craze

All those who do not remember F4, please.... NO, HOW COULD YOU? THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!

Now I would like to ask you, HOW POPULAR WAS F4? 

Answer: F4 WAS SO POPULAR THAT THE SERIES HAD 3 VERSIONS, namely Taiwanese, Korean and Japanese, and even an Anime version of it... And the inspiration of them all, was Boys over Flowers, a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Yoko Kamio.

 Here in the Philippines we were able to watch all three live-actions adaptations of it, and based on my experience, all versions of it have made a huge impact on the mass society. 

 

 Meteor Garden is a 2001 Taiwanese drama starring Barbie Hsu, Jerry Yan, Vic Zhou, Vanness Wu and Ken Chu. This was the first live-action adaptation of the manga. And most Filipinos went crazy over the love story of Dao Ming Si and Shan Chai. 

 

Hana Yori Dango, aired in 2005, starringMao Inoue as Makino Tsukushi, Jun Matsumoto as Domyouji Tsukasa, Shun Oguri as Hanazawa Rui, Shota Matsuda as Nishikado Soujiro Tsuyoshi Abe as Mimasaka Akira,was the next TV adaptation of the manga. Until now you can hear teenage girls talking about this , or even watching episodes online! That's how much we loved this cute story. 

 

 Boys Over Flowers is a 2009 South Korean television series starring Ku Hye-sun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Hyun-joong (of SS501), Kim Bum, Kim Joon (of T-Max) and Kim So-eun. This is the latest TV adaptation of the manga and probably has the cutest members of the F4,thus making girls all over the world swoon and love K-POP music along with this series, because some members of the F4 are also members of popular Korean boybands. 

Because of the F4 craze, somehow I can infer that the mass society really does define what becomes popular because all of these versions of Boys Over Flowers had a massive following in various countries. Some factors of the series' popularity include the actors, 

 

 

Take your pick! Which F4 group was your favorite? Share your thoughts with us :)

I'd like to believe that the target audience of the series was teenage girls, and they seem to have done a good job at making girls fall in love with F4! Everybody wanted to be Shan Chai, or Makino or Jan Di!  

Did I mention the influence of Jan Di in hairstyles? I'd be amazed if someone would tell that she was never ever tempted to cut and style her hair like this during the Boys Over Flowers craze.

And of course, the merchandise. 

 

We all wanted to feel like we're Shan Chai, and out of demand, "Meteor Garden" necklaces became popular as well!

 

Post cards of F4 became all the rage at some point as well!

You can tell that something is popular when it's all over networking sites, and media. I believe Boys Over Flowers has left quite good "feels" to its viewers because until now, they're still one of the most loved asianovelas ever.

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho

For 500 years, the legendary nine-tailed fox is said to be trapped inside a painting. One stormy night, Cha Dae Woong hears a mysterious voice telling him to go near a painting of an eight-tailed fox. The voice commands him to draw another tail on the fox. The hesitant young man’s fingers shakes as he draws the ninth tail, and when he does – dogs started barking, the storm was furious as the place gets even darker. Dae Woong runs away from the painting, and accidentally falls from a cliff that almost ended his life. When he wakes up, a beautiful lady stands in front of him, probably hungry enough to eat his liver.

When the person you truly love wants your liver, you have no choice but to make sure she is never hungry. Dae Woong accidentally freed the legendary Gumiho out of the painting, the creature also happens to save Dae Woong’s life by giving him her most precious fox bead. In order to live, he accept her bead with one condition, Dae Woong must help her become a human.

In order to become a human, the sly nine-tailed fox lives by eating the livers of people. Taking the appearance of beautiful lady, she seduces men and turns them into her prey. Because of her bloodcurdling way to survive, men became aware of her true nature, thus in return she has never found a husband. After her great Grandma Samshin heard about this, she trapped Gumiho inside a painting to no longer cause problems among the town’s citizens.

Half of it was just a rumor. The 500 year old beauty with superhuman strength is actually a victim of the women’s jealousy hundreds of years ago. In reality, the sweet Gumiho would be satisfied just by eating beef, beef and more beef. Which probably placed a huge hole inside Dae Woong’s pocket.

 CHA DAE WOONG

Cha Dae Woong lost his parents at a very young age, eager to make him happy, his grandfather and aunt gave him everything he wanted. The spoiled brat lived life according to his wishes, but when his grandfather decides to transfer him to a more humble school far from his hometown, the wannabe actor runs away and instead got into a more life changing situation.

During his little adventure, he meets the Gumiho, the one that both saved and endangered his life. She follows him everywhere he goes and eventually declares to be his girlfriend for 100 days, in exchange of the fox bead that restores his strength inside him. Even if he tries to run away, he always keeps coming back to her, despite the fact that beef is probably one of the most expensive types of meat in the market.

not-so-hot-but-cold-blooded Veterinarian

Half-human and Half-goblin, Park Dong Joo has lived in the Human world for hundreds of years. An immortal being who is supposed to capture Gumiho. But when he learns that Miho's appearance made up of his ex-lover’s remains, Kil Dal’s fire, he tries to fulfill her wish to become a human being. Calm but possessive, he attacks his rivals from their behind. When he asks Miho to drink his blood and keep the bead inside Dae Woong for 100 days so she can be human, he did not tell her that doing so would kill the bead’s receiver.

His aggressiveness conceals his intense dark aura. He loves and cares for Miho, but does it in a subtle yet peculiar way. Sometimes, He's cruel, but his intentions are purer than it looks. He became the reason for Dae Woong’s childish jealously, as Dae Woong even went to his office for some dog related consultation just see if Miho is with him.

 He cares about her, and would do anything to save her life, even if it involves killing someone else. He wants her to live. He’s protecting her so he would not repeat the same mistake he made a hundred years ago.

Miho follows Dae Woong, obeys him and clings to him. Dae Woong feeds her meat, asks her to stay at one place and even makes her guard their home. Miho is loyal to Dae Woong. Dae Woong becomes her caretaker, teaching her how to do human-like things, brushing and not eating everything included.

-----

My Girlfriend is a gumiho become popular here in the Philippines, I think Last months of the year 2011 or early 2012. Since I'm a kpop / kdrama fanatic, I already watched it before it was aired here in Philippine television.

This drama is very different from the past kdramas that we used to love. It's a combination of historic, legendary, and modern setting. They did not use conventional style of writing, which is very tricky.

If we will look at it very closely, it is just a legendary story of a fox that have 100 days to be human, but they looked outside the box and conceptualized an extraordinary twist for it. Some of the lines in that drama is very very inspiring yet heartbreaking.

my favorite line :3

"Think of all of this as a dream. From the time I appeared before you and right now as I disappear from you; think of it all as a dream. If you think these are all dreams, when you open your yes, it won't hurt you at all. forget all the scary memories and just think of me a really really really good dream" . - Miho

Quiz: Americanization on K&J Dramas

Is it possible for Americanization to penetrate the way Korean and Japanese dramas are being presented to us now?

I think it's possible :-)

But I think there's really nothing bad about it because now, Korean and Japanese dramas are becoming more easier to relate to, thus explains their popularity here in the Philippines. And I think the evidence of Americanization in K&J Dramas are caused by the continuously developing and improving way of living life in other countries. Of course everyone has to adapt, because it's by adapting that we are surviving.

But despite the evidence of Americanization, I admire how the preservation of culture is still evident in Korean dramas...

 

In a Korean drama entitled "Dong Yi" we have observed the use of traditional costumes bopth for men and women, but doing so did not harm the popularity of this drama in the Philippines, which I think is a good sign that we are still somehow appreciative of culture. 

Admit it, we all love "Princess Hours". It's the reason why it's being aired AGAIN on Philippine Television! The setting of this Korean Drama is not all traditional and historical, but a part of the series was the traditional Korean wedding :)

Now on to the Americanized side of K Dramas...

We can't really argue about the massive influence of the Americans on most parts of the world and this can be observable even on the Korean Dramas that we love watching :-)

"City Hunter" starring the ever charming Lee Min Ho!

Of course asianovelas would somehow have to evolve to violent and action-packed ones because we love watching those too! And action flicks are mostly common in American Movies, and now even in series, like Beauty and the Beast which is also aired in the Philippines. Though, it's actually nice to see our favorite Korean stars go for the "rough" image.

--Heartstrings--

 This would probably be the best example. The Korean Drama "Heartstrings" which is probably one of my favorites :)

In Heartstrings, we observe Korean teens gearing towards Rock Music more than the traditional Korean instruments and music. There was one scene in Heartstrings when there was a contest between a rock band and a traditional instruments-playing group. The Rock band won but the spirits of the traditional instrument players were not dampened. I think it's a good way to tell us that it's still alright to appreciate traditional music even amidst the extreme popularity of other genres. :) 

Overall I think that Americanization won't be a bad phenomenon as long we don't forget about our own culture. Different countries have diverse cultures and it would be nice if the next generations will still be able to know that their own culture is still alive and being appreciated. Like in Heartstrings, yes, it's more difficult to learn to play traditional instruments, but it made the girls more responsible and grounded, unlike the rock band who was an image of who everyone wanted to be, but never became.

 

Quiz 1: mass culture

Who defines popular? The powerful structures or the people?

k-drama and J-drama is popular because of the people. Without the viewers they will not succeed in getting high ratings and without them, it will never be the talk of the town and it will not be recommended by others so that they will watch it too.

For example; "Princess Hours" it is popular here in the Philippines. And due to its popular demand it is being aired again here in the Philippines and I still hear my classmates talk about it in class, and social networking sites which continuously creates the buzz. The Koreanovela fan base here in our country is quite massive, so we can expect unwavering support for our favorite actors and dramas. 

And are popular products actually good or substandard?

They are actually good because why would someone recommend something that is not worth watching, of course we don’t want to waste time on the stories that don’t interest us. And it is also good because k-drama and J-drama have an awesome story plots, from that little conflict, they can create an awesome twist that excites the viewers to watch.

like Okuribito, directed by Takita Yojiro, portrays the life of a mortician in rural Yamagata Prefecture. His various duties, such as cleaning, clothing, shaving, and applying makeup to corpses before enclosing them in their coffins, provide the subject matter for a moving and beautiful portrayal of traditional Japanese rituals associated with showing respect for the dead. Through their interactions with the families of the deceased, the film's protagonist and his wife are prompted to question the mysteries of life, death, and love. It has won the Grand Prix at the Montreal World Film Festival and has been selected as Japan's entry for Best Foreign Language Film in the next Academy Awards. The picture also won awards for best film and best director at China's Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, and star Motoki Masahiro took the prize for best actor.

We can infer that more often than not, popular dramas are of good quality; directed by the best, has a good concept and it affects the viewers. We'd like to believe that there are still people who make good dramas and are not just in the industry to make money, but also to teach their viewers life lessons.

K&J Craze

Lovers in Paris

Boys Over Flowers

 Hana Yori Dango

Full House

Princess Hours

These are just some of the popular Korean and Japanese dramas that was aired in the Philippines about a couple of years ago. How is it popular? Well duh?! Almost everyone was talking about these dramas during its airing days and almost everyone knew how these dramas started and ended, as well.

Highschoolers would talk about these during free time in school; Housewives would stop whatever they are doing just to watch half of the episode ( "HALF" since there are a lot of commercials -_-); Some would even ask their friends or relatives to record the episode that they weren't able to watch! Watching korean and other asianovels somehow became the "bonding time" of some Filipino family. Well, with the exception of the daddies of course =D.

The craze started with the drama entitled Full House which received the title of THE highest rated koreanovela.  After these kinds of dramas receive so many positive feedback from the viewers, TV stations started to air them one after the other which then furthermore boost its popularity. It is well-liked by so many people that it somehow affected the regular lives of us Filipinos. 

How? Well, during my high school days, I remember some of my classmates would go straight home after school (which is not a regular thing because they would often go to different places before going home) just to watch their favorite korean or japanese novelas. Some would even save up their money just to be able to buy a DVD of it.  But my most favorite of all is that.......they even imitate the hairstyles of their favorite character in the show! A very perfect example for  this is the famous "JAN DI" hair. I think we all know the shoulder length hairstyle and the full bangs and stuff?  haha! But anyway, those are just my own observation upon how these K and J novelas are affecting our lives.  

If you have any thoughts or opinions or you want to share your own experiences about it, just feel free to share it! =)))

Our favorite Korean drama love triangles!

Recognize them? 

Love triangles we've swooned over in Full House and I miss you!

do you have other favorite love triangles? Share your thoughts. :-D

I Miss You

(Han Jung-woo, Lee Soo-yeon/Zoe Lou, Kang Hyung-joon/Harry Borrison)

 Full House

(Lee Yeong-jae, Han Ji-eun, Yoo Min-hyuk)

 

 Are you getting giddy *feels* all over again? :"-))))))

All about K and J drama

Korean drama (Hangul: 한국드라마), k-drama for short, refers to televised dramas, in a miniseries format, produced in South Korea. Many of these dramas have become popular throughout Asia, with growing interest in other parts of the world. K-dramas have contributed to the general phenomenon of the Korean wave, known as Hallyu (Hangul: 한류), and also "DramaFever" in some countries.

There are two kinds of prime time drama

    1.)   Stories set in modern South Korea ( e.g boys over flowers, Full house, Endless love, Dream high, He’s beautiful, Love rain)

Full house

boys over flowers

love rain

    2.)   Korean History ( e.g Jewel in the Palace, Queen Seondeok, Moon Embracing the Sun, )

Queen Seondeok

But there are some dramas where we can observe  this two kinds (e.g Sungkyungkwan scandal, rooftop prince)

The Format:

The Flagship drama run from 16- 20 episodes

The Historical epics run from 50 – 100 episodes

But some other dramas it run for about 200 episodes above ( e.g tale of two sisters) .

An episode runs for 60 minutes. So in 16 episodes we have 960 minutes of airtime. 

Japanese Drama (テレビドラマ terebi dorama)

Also called dorama (drama).

Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy,detective stories, horror, and many others. For special occasions, there may also be a one- or two-episode drama with a specific theme, such as a drama produced in 2007 for the 60-year anniversary of the end of World War II. Japan produce a variety of drama series including romance, comedy,detective stories, horror, and many others. For special occasions, there may also be a one- or two-episode drama with a specific theme, such as a drama produced in 2007 for the 60-year anniversary of the end of World War II.

Japanese drama series are broadcast in three-month seasons, with new dramas airing each season.  They have  four television seasons: Winter (January–March), Spring (April–June), Summer (July–September), and Autumn or Fall (October–December). Some series may start in another month though it may still be counted as a series of a specific season.

One characteristic of Japanese drama that differentiates it is that each episode is usually shot only a few (two to three) weeks before it is actually aired. Many fans have been able to visit their idols shooting scenes even as the show is still airing.

BACKGROUND MUSIC / THEME MUSIC

There is a sub-genre of Japanese drama fans that are also huge fans of the drama's original soundtrack. Most television networks work with music companies to produce original soundtracks. Most opening and closing theme music is written especially for the drama series, while other theme music is licensed from other sources that previously existed. Once the library is put together, the television network will release the original soundtrack compact disc, usually a few weeks after the start of the drama. Closing themes are often sung by a popular J-pop singer or band.

NHK produces its own theme music and is one of the only Japanese television networks that has its own orchestra. Most of the theme music heard in their taiga and asadora dramas were written and produced in-house.

Hana yori dango

Gokusen

Taiyo no uta

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