In Defense of "Unlikable" K-drama Female Leads

“When a man gives his opinion, he's a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she's a bitch.” 

― Bette Davis

I was scrolling through reviews for Producer (haven't gotten around to watching it yet, so don't ask my opinion), and I noticed a trend:

"I freaking hate IU."

"Gong Hyo Jin's makeup is dreadful...plus it's the same old narcissistic hard nosed female role again..."

Which reminded me of these kinds of reviews on Divorce Lawyer in Love:

"That girl should b fired"

"I don't like the lead actress. She is coming on too strong and annoying." 

"Can't stand the lead female part. Having trouble making it through ep. 2. Her character doesn't seem to be getting any better."

Etc. Etc. Etc.

I guess my main beef with these kinds of complaints isn't that people dislike the characters; it's that complaints about "selfish," "annoying," or "too strong" personalities seem to be leveraged against female characters to a disproportionate degree.

Pretty much all of the negative reviews I just cited came within the first 2 or 3 episodes of the series—you know, the part where they're still establishing personalities and setting the scene for the rest of the drama. That's why I find it odd that someone would complain about the female lead not getting better fast enough before the typical 2-episode drama intro is even finished. Why would she be getting "better" before we've even started? Isn't that what the other 16 episodes are for?

Sometimes I see similar complaints with male characters, but more often than not, there's an implicit understanding that the cold-hearted rich jerk isn't going to be a cold-hearted rich jerk forever. I've seen male drama characters get away with way worse in the introductory episodes than most female characters ever could, but since we're used to it, it barely even phases us.

Consider, for example, this scenario: Within two episodes, the lead character has physically pushed women onto the ground and into life-threatening situations not once, but twice. Neither woman actually died, but this character had no way of knowing that was true when making the choice to push them.

Pretty "unlikable" and "annoying," right? Nope. If it's Hyun Bin, all you care about his whether you like his hairstyle or how cute his dimples are.

So why is it that Hyun Bin basically gets a free pass, but people totally write off Jo Yeo Jung's character for a much lesser offense? 

I had a similar thought with the much-maligned female lead in Discovery of Romance. Back when everyone was saying "Why would a nice, handsome doctor like Nam Ha Jin want a horrible, selfish monster like Han Yeo Reum," I was actually thinking the opposite. Why would a smart, accomplished, fun-loving woman like her want a boring wet blanket of a man who keeps seeing another woman in secret against her wishes? I mean, really now.

Even if it's somewhat true, she's not the only one...

I have a couple of theories on this. The first is that we're so used to seeing male leads as rich jerks who gradually change that we're trained to accept and even expect churlish behavior in the first few episodes. The vast majority of female leads, however, are unwaveringly nice and selfless, so when we see them acting in mean or rude ways, we forget that they'll probably learn and grow over the course of the series.

Perhaps for female audiences, if you're identifying with the female lead, you want her to be someone for whom you can cheer from the very beginning. If you're fantasizing about how you could reform the wealthy bad boy with your sweetness, you don't want to imagine yourself being the jerk. It ruins the whole illusion.

Then, of course, we can't ignore the oppa factor. I think there's a definite subset of K-drama fans who just like to look at handsome faces and don't really care about character development. Oppa can be a serial killer, but if he has chocolate abs, he's automatically ranked higher than all of the women in the series.

Well, whatever the case is, here's my response: I'm tired of well-behaved, constantly kindhearted, docile women. I'm tired of hearing viewers clamoring for "sassy" female leads, but then seeing those same leads written off the first time they exhibit actual human weaknesses like selfishness or anger. I'm tired of doe-eyed sweethearts who would never hurt a flea. Give me some interesting, flawed women!

Guess what? Not all women are nice all the time. *Gasp!* And that means that if you care about character development, every once in a while you're going to have female characters who are self-centered in episode 1 instead of working 7 jobs and giving all of their hard-earned money to homeless cats or something. That's how you create a satisfying character arc.

Now, there are some ways that creating flawed characters can go wrong, but I think the rule applies equally for male and female characters. Audience members have to be able to connect to the characters, or there's no reason to keep on watching. This means that you can't write mean characters who are also boring. Why would we want to stick around to see them change if we don't even care what's happening to them? I get that sometimes, it's not so much that the characters are flawed as that they just aren't very interesting to watch, and that's a fair critique.

In addition to making characters we want to watch, dramas also have to be careful not to draw the unlikability out indefinitely. If the whole point is to watch characters learning and progressing, you can't spend 14 episodes on how terrible they are and expect people to feel satisfied with the end result. My classic example of this is You're Beautiful. I have been pretty vocal about my dislike for that drama, and a lot of it revolved around Tae Kyung's lack of progression. Yeah, he sorta got better, but he was so unbearable for so long, even after he confessed his feelings to, Go Mi Nyu, that being kind of nice for a little while didn't really cut it for me.

I know I already brought up Discovery of Romance in defense of the female lead, but I actually came pretty close to dropping the whole series after about 8 episodes. It wasn't just Yeo Reum who was the problem, though; at that point, Eric was the only one in the entire cast who appeared to be making progress, which got tiresome. Fortunately, we started digging into the back stories a little more thoroughly after that, so it got better. 

I will also say that sometimes characters do such terrible things at first that it's hard to root for them at all, regardless of what they do later. This response varies from viewer to viewer, but for me, the list of generally unforgivable flaws goes something like this:

1. Murder

2. Attempted murder

3. Sexual assault

I had to stop watching Bride of the Century when the male lead pinned the female lead in a bed against her will in order to intimidate her, and then two scenes later, she was gazing at him with lovelorn eyes. It was just too much for me to handle. On the other hand, I don't think having a bad hair day counts as an unpardonable offense.

I don't care if it's Hong Ki. That's an automatic DQ on my list.

I guess all I'm saying is that I get tired of the double standard on K-drama leads. If you don't like certain types of characters, that's fine; just make sure you don't like it across the board, regardless of gender. I, for one, find it refreshing when I see K-drama women who aren't just "sassy" sweethearts waiting around to be domesticated, but rather multi-dimensional women with character arcs of their own. 

To all of the "unlikable," "annoying," "too strong," "hard nosed" female leads out there:

Even if everyone else hates you, I'm on your side. Fighting!

Now that's what I'm talking about.

In Defense of "Unlikable" K-drama Female Leads

More K-drama Posters and the Messages They Didn't Mean to Send

About a year and a half ago, I wrote about some of the odd advertising choices I saw for upcoming K-dramas. Well, I don't know if there's something in the water at Korean advertising offices or what, but I have seen enough questionable posters recently that I thought the topic was worth revisiting. Here are some of the best (and by best, I mean worst) recent examples:

1. Blood

Source

What it should be about: A handsome young doctor seems like he has it all: looks, money, and love. But what his coworkers don't know is that he and his mysterious twin brother are hiding a dark past, filled with intrigue, murder, and some hinted-at-but-never-actually-confirmed incest. (This premise then goes on to inspire loads of fan fiction—all of it erotic.)

What it's actually about: A handsome young doctor seems like he has it all—too bad he's actually a VAMPIRE.

 If you want to sell your vampire show, you probably don't need to make it look more angsty than it already is. Did Vampire Prosecutor teach you nothing? Also, it's a pretty bad sign in the romance department when your male lead has more chemistry with himself than with his leading lady. 

2. Hogu's Love/Fool's Love

Source

This poster wouldn't be on the list, except it's very obviously the Pieta—you know, where the Virgin Mary holds the dead body of her son, Jesus. Even if the religious reference isn't weird, the whole mother/son thing still is.

What it should be about: A nun becomes pregnant after an unexpected clandestine night of passion. Imagine her surprise when she gives birth to an adult man who acts like a baby, Benjamin Button style! With the help of a sassy guardian angel, she tries to figure out what she's supposed to do (cue awkward attempt at breastfeeding).

What it's actually about: Kang Ho Gu is kind of a pushover, and he's always been unlucky in love. When the girl of his dreams re-enters his life, things get complicated really fast. (Spoiler alert—there's still a baby!)

3. King of High School/High School King of Savvy

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What it should be about: A tomboyish hockey player can't stand the thought of going to her five-year school reunion alone, so she hires a high-paid gigolo to pretend to be her boyfriend. As with all fake romance, they fall in love. The trusty school secretary helps.

What it's actually about: A high school student pretends to be his older brother, who just took a big job at a major company and then disappeared.

I think my premise is more plausible. Also, can she please not have her head in his crotch?

4. Witch's Romance

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What it should be about: A pair of grifters move to a small town and start an elaborate money-making scheme involving a disco skating business (because why else would Park Seo Joon ever wear that shirt?). What the con artists didn't expect was that the townspeople would worm their way into their cynical hearts.

What it's actually about: A woman and a man want to date, but she's 14 years older than he is! (Gasp!)

5. Shine or Go Crazy

Source

What it should be about: Oh, cool, it's The Night Watchman's Journal!

What it's actually about: Wait, it's not The Night Watchman's Journal?

Source

I'm not kidding when I say that I clicked on the poster for the wrong show while trying to find images for this post.

What other terrible posters have you seen lately? Or am I totally off and these posters are awesome?

More K-drama Posters and the Messages They Didn't Mean to Send

Noona vs. Noona: Witch's Romance and King of High School Kdrama Reviews

I'm happy to report that there were no actual metallic shirts in Witch's Romance.

I finally got around to the last episode of King of High School/High School King of Savvy, and as I thought about the review, I kept thinking about it in comparison to Witch's Romance. Because I'm really lazy  the shows are similar (noona romances airing back-to-back on the same network), why not just review them together?

Noona Romance 1: Witch's Romance

Overview

Ban Ji Yeon (Uhm Jung Hwa) is a single, 39-year-old reporter who her co-workers call a "witch" behind her back. Yoon Dong Ha (Park Seo Joon) is a 25-year-old part-timer with a kind heart and a secret past. When they cross each others' paths, they find mutual love and healing (or something equally corny).

Noona Romance 2: King of High School

Overview

Lee Min Suk (Seo In Guk) is a high schooler who--for some absurd reasons--has to pretend to be his older brother and play the role of a high-power director. He works with Jung Soo Young (Lee Ha Na), an oddball temporary employee.

We've already talked at length about the age difference in both of these dramas, so I'm actually going to ignore that part and review the other parts of the shows instead, Okay?

The Leads

Frankly, both of these dramas had stellar male leads. In the case of Witch's Romance, Park Seo Joon was a pleasant revelation. I had never seen him in a drama, and I ended up loving him in this role.(I know I wasn't the only one--just look at the header love at Samsoon Down the Rabbit Hole.) Is it just me, or does he have kind of a Song Joong Ki vibe about him? 

No? Is that just my wishful thinking because Joong Ki still has another year in the military?

In any case, I'm loving the current trend of male leads who act like second male leads. He was kind and caring, and I only wanted to punch him in the face once (I'll gt to that in a minute).

Similarly, King of High School's male lead broke the typical male lead mold. He was a little rough round the edges at first, but he always had a caring heart. Most importantly, Seo In Gook killed this role. He was a convincing 18-year-old, but not in an obnoxious way. As I watched him, I felt like I was watching a complete person, which is a change from the typical one-note chaebol lead. That guy has some acting chops, and I'm excited to see what he does in the future. 

The two female leads are basically complete opposites. Ban Ji Yeon is assertive and pretends to be cold-hearted, while Jung Soo Young is a dorky pushover. Between the two of them, I think I preferred Ban Ji Yeon, although the writers did damped her character towards the end to the point where I felt like she forgot about her personality. Uhm Jung Hwa seemed to have a lot of fun in this role, and that always goes a long way. 

I didn't mind Jung Soo Young's quirkiness for the most part, but I did feel like the writers struck this weird balance between infantilizing her and making her act like a mother figure. It's like they couldn't quite figure out how to navigate the age gap, so they had her oscillate as a way of maintaining balance. I kind of liked that they didn't decide to give her the obligatory makeover and tone down her personality, though I would have liked to see a bit more character development over the course of the series. It's important to note, however, that Witch's Romance was a female-centric story, while King of High School revolved around the male character. I guess you're only allowed to develop one character at a time?

Plotting (Not the scheming to kill people kind of plotting--the narrative kind)

Uggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggh. Just thinking about the middle six episodes of Witch's Romance gives me boredom-induced amnesia. (Is that a thing? If not, I bet some drama writers will use it as a plot device soon!) That being said, thinking about the first six episodes makes me swoon. I started watching this series because the comments on this post about balanced relationships recommended it. All of those people were right. The friendship and comfort between the two lead characters was my kind of K-drama for sure.

Sadly, I guess you can't have 16 episodes that just revolve around two people falling in love (But whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?). Instead, they had to toss in a love triangle that was short by K-drama standards, but it felt eternal in the context of this drama. To be blunt, Shi Hoon's character had no depth. What did we know about him as a person? We know that he takes pictures of lions and war and stuff, but what about his personality? Wait, photographing lions isn't actually a personality trait? I guess someone forgot to tell the writers. It's really hard to devote 6+ hours to caring about a cardboard cutout.

The love triangle is just one case where the writers tried to attempt something good (filling 16 episodes with some plot), but executed it poorly. This same problem appeared multiple times throughout the drama, and one of the other most egregious examples has got to be the bedroom scene at the end of episode 2. The purpose of the scene is great. It establishes amazing chemistry between the two leads early in the series, it allows a female character to take the lead in the physical relationship (a rarity in K-dramas), and it also shows that Dong Ha doesn't care about the age difference even from the beginning. 

The problem? The one teensy weeeeeeeensy problem? Oh, yeah. She was drunk out of her mind, and he knew it.

First of all, there's the whole issue of consent. He knows that she's doing things she probably wouldn't agree to do sober, and he goes along with it anyway. Second of all, the entire scene flies in the face of Dong Ha's core characterization. He's always harassing his friend for being a womanizer, and then he has a one-night stand with a drunk woman? Let's not forget that he's also still grieving over his dead girlfriend, too. I was pretty torn because the scene had great chemistry, but it also made me a little uncomfortable and made so little logical sense that I actually thought it was a sexytime fakeout like in I Need Romance 3 and Marriage, Not Dating. (Seriously, tvN, stop doing this to us!)

Okay, so let's talk about King of High School. Again, I was much more engaged during the first half of the series. Sure, the whole premise was nonsense (either that, or being a director is a waaaaaaay easier job than I thought), but it moved at a nice pace with delightful characters. Once the couple got together, I found myself fast forwarding or reading my phone during scenes. I guess business machinations just don't interest me very much, especially when you build up an entire series with a mysterious scheming brother, only to resolve his storyline so easily that it might as well never have happened. Why was hyung even there?

You mean he had a purpose other than to show us what Seo In Guk looks like in lenseless glasses?

Side characters

This was an enormous strength in King of High School. It wasn't until the very last episode that I realized just how attached I was, not just to the leads, but to almost every side character, as well. From the high school buddies to the coworkers to Min Suk's dad, they all seemed like real people who I grew to love over the course of the series. 

There were two main standouts here who I have to mention in particular. The first was gramps, who made me laugh and cry on more than one occasion. The second was Jung Yoo Ah, who just might be my favorite second female lead of all time. She was playing a high schooler, but she handled rejection waaaaaaay better than most second female leads do. I was still able to root for her at the end of the show, unlike some other second female leads-turned-murderers I could name (Trot Lovers, I'm lookin' at you).

While Witch's Romance had kind of flat side characters in comparison, I adored Ban Ji Yeon's mother and Dong Ha's best friend. I appreciated that Ji Yeon's mother had a life story of her own outside of trying to find her daughter a husband, and every time I see him in a supporting role, Yoon Hyun Min grows on me more and more.

Conclusions

Both dramas were fun to watch at times, and both were incredibly frustrating at times. In both cases, charismatic male leads really pulled the shows together.

Where to watch:

Witch's Romance

Kdrama.com

Viki

King of High School

Kdrama.com

Noona vs. Noona: Witch's Romance and King of High School Kdrama Reviews

Is Age Just a Number? Kdramas and Noona Romances

I've been going through phases with King of High School. Sometimes, the age difference doesn't really bother me. Other times, it's harder for me to see past it. Based on the debates that have been raging on Dramabeans and elsewhere, it looks like I'm not the only one who's a little conflicted. On nearly every episode, you have some people saying that it's icky for them, and then you have other people telling them to shut up about age already and just enjoy the show.

The debate over noona romances definitely aren't confined to this drama. Witch's Romance and I Need Romance 3 are two of the other dramas I've watched just this year that feature an age gap between the female lead and the male lead. Since it looks like older female leads are here to stay, let's take a look at what makes noona romances really work:

Benefits of an older female lead

At their best, noona romances allow writers to give female characters some power in the relationship. Given the emphasis on seniority in Korean culture, having a woman who is older than the man offers a balance to the control that rude chaebol-type leads tend to have. Noona leads have established lives. They have careers. They know who they are as people. Oftentimes, they aren't total novices at romance, which means that they also have a sex drive of their own (not that they're just hopping into bed with any random man, but it means that they reciprocate kisses instead of staring blankly ahead). All of these things are beneficial not only to having well-rounded relationships, but also to having well-rounded characters in general.

At their worst, noona romances ignore these possibilities and make their female leads extra infantile to make sure that the guy still gets to be the boss of everything. When noona romances go wrong, they go very, very wrong. It's like adding insult to injury if the writers have an easy option for writing a competent female character and then immediately let it go to waste. 

The case in point would be I Need Romance 3, where the female lead was headstrong and great at her job--but had the emotional development of a turnip. Sung Joon's character was a gentle second male lead type, and yet he still spent the majority of the show telling his lady love how she did and should feel. 

How old is too old?

Sure, noona romances can be great, but that still doesn't answer the question of whether there's some kind of limit on love. It's nice to say that age is just a number, but I don't really have much interest in watching a show where an 18-year-old guy is macking on an 87-year-old woman. (Or DO I? I'm imagining the old lady from Titanic with the curly-haired guy in One Direction, and it's slightly fantastic.)

A love so strong that not even arthritis could keep them apart...

What I've noticed in discussions about age gaps is that people tend to break down their views in three different ways:

1. Literal age difference

For some people, what matters most is the actual age difference between the leads. I don't know how they draw the cutoff, but at some point, there are too many years between the characters, and that's when it starts to feel uncomfortable. Is it that old rule of being allowed to date someone half your age plus seven years? I don't know. It seems to vary person to person, but usually if you're in the age camp, the ten years between the leads in King of High School is less offensive than, say, the fourteen years in Witch's Romance.

A quick note on gender bias

Before moving on, I want to pause for a second and mention gender bias. I'm a pretty big fan of gender equality, and that extends to noona romances. To me, the best test for whether or not an age gap is "creepy" is to think about whether or not it would feel uncomfortable if the genders were reversed. If it were an ahjussi romance instead of a noona romance, would it still be okay? If not, why is it okay if the woman is older?

I have heard the argument that in the traditional setup, men domineer women, so having an older man just makes that domineering worse, whereas having an older woman makes it more equal. A few paragraphs ago, I said something similar, but I think this argument only extends so far. I like having female characters who are old enough to feel confident in their own identities, but that's very different from using age to bully or dominate the other party. To assume that men can use an age gap to manipulate and domineer but that women can't is not only shortsighted, but also a little condescending.

Regardless of gender, there may be a point when an age gap creates a situation where one party has control, and that's where it becomes a problem for me.

2. A difference in life status

This is generally where I fall. I don't know that there's some magic number where you're too old for the other person, but I tend to feel a little iffy cheering for couples who are in completely different stages of life. For me personally, there's a pretty firm line drawn with high school students paired with established adults--especially if that adult is a teacher or other authority figure. The big objection is that high school students aren't adults (and yes, we can quibble about consent laws state to state, but that's not the point). 

King of High School is the perfect example here. Yes, Min Suk is mature for an 18-year-old (but we need to note that it's 18 in Korea, which means that he's only 17 by western counting), but he still has a full year of high school left. Soo Young, on the other hand, has been out of college for several years, which means that her life experiences are very different from his. Not only is she an established adult, but she acts as the primary mother figure for a girl Min Suk's age. That's why, when she comforts him at the end of episode 12, it was hard for me to see it in a non-maternal way. I could go on about brain development and stuff, but you get the point.

That's not to say that cases like this don't or can't work out. It's also not to say that I dislike this drama or the actors in it (because I love Seo In Guk in this role). It's just to say that it's more likely to make me, as a viewer, hesitate before being able to cheer them on wholeheartedly.

On the other hand, Witch's Romance boasts a larger age gap that bothered me much less. Both were consenting adults. Both had lived independent lives for several years. Both had previous dating experience that put them on equal footing. Both of them also knew about the age gap from day 1, so they entered the relationship with eyes wide open.

If we apply the gender-reversal rule here, it still applies. A 27-year-old man dating a 17-year-old girl would give me pause. A larger age gap between adults (like the one in Prime Minister and I) doesn't really bother me. Even though I haven't seen it, the 20-year age difference in Secret Love Affair was also fine by me for the same reason.

3. The actors' actual ages

Now this one's interesting to me, and I'm curious to hear what all of you think about it. Some people worry less about the ages of the characters and more about the literal age gap between the actors themselves. Seo In Guk is only five years younger than Lee Ha Na in real life. He's also 26 years old, not 17. 

To give a contrasting example, there has been some recent controversy over the casting in High School--Love On, where Nam Woo Hyun is 23 in real life, but his costar, Kim Sae Ron, is only 14. In the drama itself, both characters are supposed to be 18 (though she's an angel, so her technical age is probably older).

 

If the characters were 14 and 23, that would definitely be too much (even worse than 17 and 27, for the reasons stated above), but should actor ages be a factor? I can see why actor ages would impact our feelings about the onscreen couple, but I also feel like we should give the actors credit if they can play a convincing role. Seo In Guk has been incredible at capturing the mannerisms of an 17-year-old boy. Should viewers discount that effort because he's 26 in real life?

This isn't a perfect comparison, but in some ways, it reminds me of the complaints in romance movies when a gay actor plays a straight character or vice versa. If they're acting out a fictional story either way, why should their real life make a difference in how we view the characters?

Conclusions

Like I said at the beginning, I go back and forth in my feelings about King of High School, and I'm genuinely curious to hear how everyone else feels. Does age ever matter? Do you have a hard time watching certain dramas? Or do you wish everyone would shut up and let your favorite characters fall in love in peace?

Is Age Just a Number? Kdramas and Noona Romances