One of my guilty pleasures in life is watching a lot of television series. Two particular genres I look for in a TV series is comedy and romance. I have to admit that I have followed through many TV Series from Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Fox, ABC and many more. There is one type of TV series format that I am fond of, mainly because of my heritage, which is Asian television.
Okay! Okay! How are Asian dramas different from the American ones?
Many, many, many, many ways different!
They are basically part of our lives.
Since majority of the shows are on Primetime spot, each household are at least watching two shows a night. Episodes from last night would probably be one of the subject of the conversation the following morning. People who rides an air conditioned bus every night would encounter a show or two while beating the rush hour traffic in the city.
Generally, everything is not divided into seasons.
There are new episodes everyday from Monday until Friday. One series last for about half a year. By the end of the series, you roughly would have watched around 200 episodes. But a popular series always gets extended for about a year more. A more popular one would have a spin-off or a Book Two after a year.
Closeness to reality
How? You cannot solve your problems in one day! So is the same with the Asian TV series, everything is not resolve in a single 25 minute episode. A problem might be resolved somewhere in the middle of an episode days later. Another problem will arise somewhere else in the middle of another episode.
Cliffhanger
Oh did I mentioned that each episode ends with a cliffhanger? That will just put you at the edge of your seats when it happens, right? At least you would look forward to watching the episode for the next day.
Our society have availed us of instant gratification. We wanted things to happen right away. We want to immediately find out what happened. But sometimes cliffhangers are what we needed in life. We need to pause, breathe, wait, and look forward on what is to come.
Actors
Let me be more specific, love teams and in-demand actors! We Asians, specifically Filipinos, are a bunch of suckers for hot actors and actresses and love teams that will make us giddy all over! The more projects an actor or actress does, the more angle of acting can fans see in him or her. For example, an actor would portray a rich guy in one series but a year or so after, he would portray a poor guy in another series.
Interaction
Personally, I interact on what I watch. What I mean is I don't simply laugh on funny remarks or cry on those intense scenes. I literally react and talk to the characters!
You would literally catch me saying thing like: "Oh my goodness! Say it! Say it" or "Slap her back!" or "You're such an idiot, man!" or "C'mon! Just kiss her already!" in my native language in front of the screen.
Okay! Fine! I know that there are some American TV Series that may contain some of the same elements I mentioned. But there had been lessons that Asian TV Series can teach anyone about life.
So, here are a few of my favorite Asian Television series.
1. Dolce Amore
Italian for "Sweet Love"
This is still an on-going series as of the writing of this article. The series is all about two people, both orphans who grew up in two different parts of the world on two different kinds of family. Monica who got separated from her birth family as an infant when the war broke out in the Middle East found a home with a rich Italian couple who are childless for so long and was named Serena. Simon, on the other hand, was an orphan who was left at the gate of an orphanage in Manila and had a speech impediment. He spent most of his childhood in the orphanage without anyone to adopt him until he found a home with a family employed by the nuns in the orphanage. Though coming from different part of the world, fate had made ways for them to cross each other's path.
2. Princess Hours
It is more known in South Korea as "Goong" (Palace)
Imagine South Korea having a monarchy in the modern era.
Janelle, a commoner, was betrothed Gian, the crown prince. Their marriage was arranged by their grandfathers. Their first few encounters in school were all unpleasant. Without their marriage, Gian will not be able to fully succeed as the emperor if the situation requires it. At first, their marriage is just to fulfill the wish of their grandfathers. But as time went by, they had developed true feelings for each other.
Just last year, as I was reading the first three books of The Selection Series, I have realized that there had been some parallels between The Selection Series and Princess Hours. I wonder if Princess Hours was part of the inspiration behind writing The Selection Series.
3. On The Wings of Love
Oh yeah! I went crazy over this! I Honestly would say that I followed this series out of curiosity. And I love watching this so much!
Leah, who intends to continue her late mother's American dreams, found herself in the most desperate of situations. She has to find a way to continue staying legally in the United States. In her dire need came Clark, the cousin of her ex-boyfriend, who agreed to marry her against both of their will in order for her to acquire a Green Card. What was supposed to be just a temporary arrangement has turned into real feelings for each.
So, please tell me about your thoughts about all these in the comments section down below!
