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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