CONTRASTS BETWEEN KOREAN AND CHINESE DRAMAS

My first time watching K-dramas and C-dramas was a while ago, I remember holding a bag of popcorn and watching Hwarang (a 2016 Korean drama) with my aunt and uncle as it was released, watching it for the entire day. 

As a BIG fan of Asian dramas, I have binge-watched K-dramas (Korean dramas) and C-dramas (Chinese dramas) in one sitting many (perhaps too many) times ever since I was a kid. Despite the possibility of my being biased, I'll always choose K-dramas over C-dramas any day. These are a few of my reasons why.

Korean dramas have spread their popularity worldwide, especially in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines). According to a survey conducted by Statista across 18 countries from ages 15-59 year olds in late 2021, over 49% of the respondents stated that Korean dramas were very popular in their countries that year. As of Squid Game's release, which debuted on September 17, 2021, it helped Korean dramas become more well-known, climbing to the top of Netflix's rankings in 90 countries in just 10 days, from Qatar and Oman to Ecuador and Bolivia.

Comparing K-dramas to C-dramas, Korean dramas have lighter narratives, which are less common in Chinese dramas. Moreover, Korean dramas frequently overemphasize the emotional bit and place greater attention on aesthetics. By slightly changing the story, Chinese and Korean dramas practically have the same plot, even while their actors and actresses are incredibly skilled at tugging at your heartstrings. Korean dramas excel in many different genres, such as action dramas, historical dramas, school dramas, medical dramas, legal dramas, or even horror comedies, they are mainly famous for their romance-comedy dramas (Hotel Del Luna, My Roommate Is A Gumiho, Strong Girl Bong-soon, My ID is Gangnam Beauty)

The C-drama The Untamed was released on June 27, 2019, and just like Korean dramas, Chinese dramas have seen a huge increase in viewing since then. On December 28, 2021, The Untamed became a hit drama and the most-watched series/movie in Asian television history with over 10 billion views. The Untamed's publication has contributed to a growth in Chinese dramas throughout Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand. WeTV, an app for watching original and popular shows, dramas, and variety shows, has been downloaded roughly 150 million times worldwide because of the success of Chinese dramas. Thailand, a country with a population of about 70 million, is the source of about 30 million downloads.

Chinese dramas typically concentrate more on historical subjects and include subgenres including historical fiction, historical reenactment, wuxia (a genre of Chinese fiction about martial artists in ancient China), police and politics, comedy, and the more modern family conflict drama, but they are mainly famous for their fantasy romance dramas (Eternal Love, The Legend of Chusen, The Untamed, and Journey To The West). Most Chinese dramas are dubbed by professional voice actors, unlike Korean dramas. This is a result of the excessive background noise on set and the need to adjust the dialogue in post-production because of the directives from Chinese media regulators, as many Chinese actors have an accent, depending on the region the actor is from. Even though, the Chinese drama still needs to be aired in the standard Chinese dialect (Putonghua). 

Another contrast between the two dramas is the number of episodes and length: Chinese dramas typically have 35 to 70 episodes that last up to 40 to 55 minutes, whereas Korean dramas typically have 16 episodes that last up to 70 to 90 minutes.

But so far, K-dramas and C-dramas both improve at different rates each year. Nowadays, many Korean dramas are made with high production values. A lot of Korean dramas are made with production values that are comparable to those of films. On the other hand, the C-drama genre has recently become a significant player in the Asian entertainment market after rapidly gaining ground.

To conclude, if I were to suggest a drama, I would have to suggest Korean dramas since they feature original and non-repetitive themes, brilliant actors, and high-quality production. Some of their dramas incorporate aspects of their culture, making them extremely addictive to watch. C-dramas are also worthwhile to watch, as they have brilliant story plots and amazing actors, but in my experience, I find their episodes to be too stretched out.