Introducing: Weekly OCDrama Digest, 22-28 October

You may have noticed that I’m neither particularly prolific nor lengthy on this blog. Sometimes, I can barely squeeze out enough brain fart to reply coherently to a comment, let alone a long insightful post. Which is why I’ve been collecting half-written reviews of long-finished dramas like no tomorrow. And I often enjoy reading much more than writing, which is a squeezing-water-from-stone situation these days. And I seem to spend way more time reading instead of writing. Words don’t come easy to me.

Which leads me to this new feature which is as much an exercise to get out of my slump as trying to introduce some regularity to the blog. It’s what the professionals do, I’m told.  So here’s a roundup of drama-related (and maybe not-so-related) reads–be it news, think-pieces, commentary–from around the net that I’ve liked this week which I’ll be posting every weekend. If I come across something that’s particularly noteworthy and a keeper, I’ll move it to my Readings section on my Useful Stuff page.

Weekly OCDrama Digest

1. An American remake is in the works for Boys Over Flowers. Hurrah..? Personally, I’m neutral about adaptations or remakes of any kind as I often believe that everyone deserves a fair shot at creating something, but it seems that a great many people believe differently. Kdramafighting had a great take on the some of the debates surrounding this.  And speaking of US remakes, apparently Nine is getting one too. Now that, I’d be interested to see.

2. Blogger Orion at Orion’s Ramblings has just started writing regularly at Hancinema. I’ve always liked Orion’s thoughtful and articulate comments on gender when I’ve come across them on blogs or forums. Here is Orion’s take on the K-drama kiss and it’s various incarnations (‘The Alien Octopus’ gets my vote for most icky). Ah, writing about kisses is a k-drama blogger rite of passage, one I have yet to take part in because my list of favourite kisses is very very short. at a grand total of three. Maybe some day I will lose my k-drama kiss post virginity but that day is not today.

Credit: Koreanfoodgallery.com

3. I read alot about food. That’s because I like to eat and I like reading about eating and food and the making of said food. Some of my favourite books have been exclusively about food. So when my twin interests such as Korea and food collide, I perk up. This news article mourns the decline in popularity among young people of traditional soup Seolleongtang in favour of burgers and other fast foods such as pizza. The price of progress? But if Koreans are anything like Malaysians, no burger or pizza can ever erase the deep and abiding love for a good old fashioned local specialty. It’s like part of your DNA. And Seolleontang looks like a beefy version of ramen tonkotsu broth. It’s times like these I deeply regret being an aspiring vegetarian.

 4. Hollywood film Gravity took first place at the Korean box office this week. If you haven’t seen this Sandra Bullock and George Clooney vehicle, RUN! NOW! And nothing less than 3D will do. Preferably 3D IMAX if you can afford to splurge. It’ll be well worth it, trust me. It’s no mere movie, it’s an experience. I say that in all seriousness. A film like this is the reason why we go to the cinema–to be moved, transported, and awed by what cinema can do.

5. Beyond Hallyu takes on the difficult subject of cultural appropriation in K-pop, if indeed that is what the issue is. Which I’m not entirely convinced it is. The post doesn’t offer any conclusions but does pose some important questions that is worth a read. Although I am clueless about K-pop, I do know that context is key and what is cultural appropriation in one context may not be necessarily so in another.

 

• Boys Over Flowers
• George Clooney
• Gravity
• K-drama kiss
• K-drama news
• Nine
• Sandra Bullock
• Seolleongtang