MEDIUM RARE
Jullie Y. Daza
Korea’s Halyu wave of entertainment has found fans and admirers in Hollywood. Korea the Hollywood of the East?
After Parasite won an Oscar for best picture in 2020, it’s now the turn of Squid Game to make history, courtesy of Hollywood. Its star is the first Asian to win an Emmy for best lead actor in a drama series. Its director had his own trophy to take home, which was not much of a surprise (?) considering that the series copped six awards out of the 14 it was nominated for, including visuals in a single episode, stunts, and production design.
On the other hand, the very popular Extraordinary Attorney Woo was ranked No. 8 among the most-watched non-English shows screened in 51 countries, including the Philippines. During the first 28 days that it was shown, Netflix reported viewership of 288.6 million hours. The actress playing the character of Attorney Woo — a brilliant lawyer whose autism makes her not only extraordinary but also extremely lovable – has just announced that she’s coming for a visit next month.
What is it about Korean movies and TV serials that makes them so highly entertaining and riveting? Considering the actors’ impossible names and the hard-to-read English subtitles, viewers cannot seem to tear themselves away from the screen, not even when a serial is as long as 16 or 22 episodes.
The obvious answer is that they are immensely watchable, whatever that includes and implies. Credible acting, pleasant scenery, original themes, keenly twisted plots, uncommon characters. An attorney like Woo, for example, who memorized the Korean penal code as soon as she could read, in spite or because of her autism. An old man determined to pursue his childhood dream of dancing on his toes, yes, ballet. A cranky doctor who performs autopsies helps the police find the killers. A fishing village portrayed as a character, in fact the main character.
The Halyu phenomenon is a component of South Korea’s goal to promote Koreanization in the world, with Winter Sonata as its first big hit worldwide: the Korean lifestyle, cars and cuisine (kimchi, shoju), K-pop, patriotism (Descendants of the Sun, Mr. Sunshine), economic and technical progress (Forecasting Love and Weather), community bonding (Hometown Cha Cha Cha).
Enjoy, no need to binge-watch.