K-dramas about toxic relationships: a video essay

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 16 ноя 2024

Комментарии • 59

  • @holdencaulfield4385
    @holdencaulfield4385 10 месяцев назад +36

    Thank you for the work!
    Nevertheless webtoon is so much better than kdrama and it actually talks about red signs in relationship and has a different realistic ending.
    While they tried to create a backstory to justify love interest behaviour, I wish the writers of the show would stick with the original concept

    • @kdramaresearchinstitute
      @kdramaresearchinstitute  10 месяцев назад +14

      Yeah, in the webtoon he is a legit villain, but in the k-drama he is a bad boy who fell in love, not the same character. When I was editing the video and cutting out all the scenes with Jae Eon I noticed that if you watch Nevertheless without sound he looks super caring and like a great boyfriend, this is what Song Kang was playing, not the character from the webtoon. I feel like a lot of times they change endings of webtoon adaptations to keep everyone interested, so the webtoon readers are not bored...

    • @ttsiaras
      @ttsiaras 10 месяцев назад +1

      And I as I commented same with Doona (in regards to the ending) where it ends beautifully in the webtoon, but thrown out in the show and we are left with anguish.

  • @mimisbook
    @mimisbook 10 месяцев назад +58

    OMGGG I’m so happy that you posted a video! I have been LOVING your channel! Video essays and kdramas together ??? LOVE IT ! Keep up the good work! I’ll support you !

    • @kdramaresearchinstitute
      @kdramaresearchinstitute  10 месяцев назад +8

      Thank you for your support :) The next video essay is going to come out in around 5 weeks or so, I am already working on upcoming videos!

    • @mimisbook
      @mimisbook 10 месяцев назад +3

      @@kdramaresearchinstitute Oh great I’ll wait ! ❤️❤️❤️

    • @ttsiaras
      @ttsiaras 10 месяцев назад +1

      One topic I have been pondering is the cementing of the hierarchical society as opposed to true revolution. For example there are so many videos that show hateful 'chaebol-like' families, but often they are 'redeemed' by a 'good son' or the introduction of 'free-spirited/kindly girl'. The implication is that there is nothing wrong with the power structures, but just a few bad apples. I disagree. The structures lead to abuse. The narrow clutch of wealth is never really criticized, but excused as some money-hungry old people, while the young ones will come to save all society. Nope! @@kdramaresearchinstitute

    • @kdramaresearchinstitute
      @kdramaresearchinstitute  10 месяцев назад +1

      Oh, that's an interesting one! I kind of already started working on two separate videos about that topic, one where I analyze the way women and money in k-dramas are depicted, where I touch on the way the "Rich CEO Male Lead" talks about money; and one about "the real villain is the system", where characters try to fight an invisible "system" and the way it is depicted.

  • @badlilthang2
    @badlilthang2 10 месяцев назад +22

    i can never get enough of ur kdrama analysis vids like u hit the mark so perfectly on each one!

  • @loveislove3432
    @loveislove3432 8 месяцев назад +6

    I can't wait to see another kdrama trope to be analyzed

  • @hobaby
    @hobaby 10 месяцев назад +53

    "the toxic crush is depressed in the aesthetic, Lana Del Rey Tumblr post way" i seriously LOVE your videos
    I was searching for good kdrama essay videos and stumbled upon your channel and I'm SO glad i did! sometimes you put into words exactly what I think, and sometimes you point out things that make me go 'aha!'
    Your kdrama stalking video was a masterpiece. Please keep making these videos!
    Also, i would love to know your most favourite kdramas...do you plan to make a video about them?

    • @kdramaresearchinstitute
      @kdramaresearchinstitute  10 месяцев назад +5

      Haha, glad you appreciate my little jokes :) my favorite k-drama is Strangers from Hell, i already made a video about that one. Mask Girl is also great, I might do a video about it and some other similar shows in the future. I like thrillers most! What's your all time favorite?

    • @hobaby
      @hobaby 10 месяцев назад +1

      @@kdramaresearchinstitute i did watch your video on Strangers From Hell! I'd never contemplated watching it because I do not watch thrillers, but your video made me want to. I'll definitely give it a try!
      Some of my top dramas are Pinocchio, Goblin, Sky Castle, The Good Bad Mother, Extraordinary Attorney, Memories of the Alhambra. But my most favourite would be Hospital Playlist. In my opinion, it was flawless and i enjoyed every single moment of watching it.

    • @kdramaresearchinstitute
      @kdramaresearchinstitute  10 месяцев назад +2

      Those are all classics, great taste!

  • @justwizdein
    @justwizdein 10 месяцев назад +11

    Oh my holy gosh. I just noticed that Jaeon's mom in nevertheless is the Secretary of Dohee in My Demon where Song Kang is the lead.

  • @nessarichi
    @nessarichi 10 месяцев назад +7

    Another video!! I’ve been a silent viewer of your channel for a year now and I always love hearing your analysis, I’ve watched both Nevertheless and Doona, so it’s so interesting to hear a comparison between the 2 of them and into words why I didn’t vibe with either story.
    I recently watched both Death’s Game and Daily Dose of Sunshine, both trying to raise awareness for mental health but shown in completely different ways - I’d love to hear your opinion on the different ways kdramas try to encourage this discussion about mental health, the positives and negatives and how the viewer interprets their meanings.

    • @kdramaresearchinstitute
      @kdramaresearchinstitute  10 месяцев назад +1

      Thank you for supporting the channel and thank you for the topic suggestion, I might do that one in the future! Both shows were super good, although they didn't discuss these topics perfctly.

  • @JaveriaYousuf
    @JaveriaYousuf 9 месяцев назад +3

    I'm afraid you did it again 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 such a great essay.

  • @ttsiaras
    @ttsiaras 10 месяцев назад +6

    I can tell from others comments that they feel the same way about your videos as I do. You don't need to post weekly because the quality of your videos is incredible! Take your time and we will be waiting. I love Kdramas, but at the same time a thoughtful critique is needed. Of the 3 shows highlighted, with Nevertheless probably the most famous of this genre, I love that you included In the Interests of Others. Such a maddening show! As to Doona, to me what is interesting is that if you read the Webtoon the ending is conclusive and satisfying. It shows the growth of Doona and that she made a choice to not pursue a relationship with Jun in order to be fully happy with her career. It was a very enlightened viewpoint. And she maneuvered it so Jun could move on and love someone else. Even though she was still in love with Jun. But she knew that it would turn out poorly and resentful in the end. But for the Show instead we get this ambiguous ending that threw out the mature motivation and gave the viewers an unsatisfactory (and toxic) ending. So it was maddening to see that they twisted the Show away from a healthy and beautiful direction to a path that carried on the toxicity. Why?? Anyhow thank you for a great video once again. You deserve so many more followers.

    • @kdramaresearchinstitute
      @kdramaresearchinstitute  10 месяцев назад +3

      Thank you! You know whats interesting about the shows? In Nevertheless the webtoon the ml is more toxic and is a full on villain and they softened him in the adaptation, now he is just a bad boy who is in love. But in adaptations where this character archetype is a woman the adaptation makes her more toxic. In The Interest of Love, which is based on a book, the fl does not just randomly decide to pretend like she cheated with the third guy, her "perfect" boyfriend cheats first, so she does it to get back at him. And as you say in the Doona webtoon, the adaption is making the ending less clear and more toxic...

  • @ThandoNdlovu-zr3ld
    @ThandoNdlovu-zr3ld 10 месяцев назад +4

    Oh My God I had no idea you released a new Video I have been waiting for this.

  • @antonvalkenberg
    @antonvalkenberg 10 месяцев назад +3

    Ah, I really liked watching Doona!; there is a lot in it to learn from and reflect on 😅Very well made show, just like your video essays 🥰 Thank you for your excellent analysis 👏🙌

  • @Crypticakes
    @Crypticakes 10 месяцев назад +9

    Your essay explains to a T why I LOVE these type of shows. These shows are not supposed to portray healthy beautiful relationships, but messy ones, and a well done mess is entertaining. The Interest of Love was a bit disappointing because I did want the leads to be endgame but the characters were so memorable and painfully real. Nevertheless gets too much hate for glorifying toxic relationships, which is not the case. First the show is meant for adult audiences that knows it is watching fiction and therefore can separate that from reality. Second, in almost every episode Nabi reminds the audience and herself that Jae-eon is bad for her. She doesn’t glorify his actions nor is she blind to them, so I don’t see why folks think it’s encouraging such relationships.
    Lastly, a show that has a slightly similar vibe to this that I loved was Somebody. Slow paced, beautifully shot but lacking the ethereal visuals, it explores falling in love with a “bad” person. What I love about this show is that they refuse to give the ML (the bad person) a back story that goes back to his childhood. His back story is like from a year or two from the actual events of the show.

    • @kdramaresearchinstitute
      @kdramaresearchinstitute  10 месяцев назад +2

      Yeah, not everyone can appreciate a mature show that isn't a fairy tale! I feel like somebody is more of a thriller, it is much more upfront about how dark it is and it is more artsy than these 3, that do look like they could be simple love stories. But I agree, Somebody does a good job exploring attraction to a person who is obviously the villain. And he has no voiceover, so we never figure out what his motivations are at all, this is such a cool approach to a villain!

    • @petrichor_and_fire
      @petrichor_and_fire Месяц назад +2

      I highly disagree with your point on Nevertheless. The fact that they both ended up together is clearly an indicator that the show glorifies relationships like these. Also, just because it is meant for an adult audience doesn't mean that adults cannot be impressionable and be influenced by it.

    • @Crypticakes
      @Crypticakes Месяц назад

      @@petrichor_and_fire if I remember correctly, there’s a sort of prologue after the leads end up together. Jae-eon is standing with a bunch of girls asking for his number. He declines but leaves out that he has a gf. Nabi is waiting for Jae-eon and she spots potato boy. She keeps looking at him and it seems like she’s asking internally, “what if?” For me, the creators of show are telling us something about this relationship. Even after they end up together Jae-eon is still very much the man that he was before and so is Nabi. Even if they are now together, they are flawed, and therefore their happily ever after won’t be so happy after all. The creators of the show constantly use Nabi to tell us that she is aware of how much of a red flag Jae-eon is, but she still hangs around him, which happens irl.
      In addition, if a someone makes a show where the serial killer gets away with their crimes, does that mean that the person glorifies murder and crime? Talking about a particular theme in fiction does not necessarily translate to being in agreement with it.
      Lastly, I always wondered whether the kdrama world would have been ok with a Song Kang character not being endgame. I wonder if people would have actually been satisfied if Nabi chose potato boy or even to be single.

    • @petrichor_and_fire
      @petrichor_and_fire Месяц назад

      @@Crypticakes i do not remember the scene that you mentioned at all so ig that's why i (along with a lot of others) misinterpreted that show (must be in the end credits, ig?). in its webtoon, though, it is very clear that the author doesnt encourage toxic relationships (cuz nabi ends up with potato boy and everyone liked it lol).my response to your point on that serial killer show is: there's not a set rule to that, execution in art matters very much and in nevertheless (from everything i have watched of it), i found it to be glorifying it because it really makes you root for the two main leads to end up together (those romantic and emotional scenes, etc.). and they do. so when i watched it (as someone who had read the webtoon before watching it), i was sitting there for a full minute trying to process "what was the point?" lol. imma go look for that end scene you mentioned now-

    • @Crypticakes
      @Crypticakes Месяц назад

      @@petrichor_and_fire I’ve read the webtoon and love it so much more than the show. We really were rooting for potato boy on there 😅 However, the webtoon ends with Nabi overhearing Jae-eon talking to a girl and saying that butterflies find their way back to the path they usually take or sth like that. I interpreted that as Jae-eon obviously choosing to go back to being a f*ck boy/player, and Nabi, if her path ever crossed with Jae-eon again, choosing their little dance again.
      For me the point of the webtoon and show are not whether the creators approve or are against the obviously toxic relationship. It’s more about how flawed and messed up human beings can be, how even when a person is a walking red flag, humans can romanticise this person and choose to date/love them over and over again. I think that’s why, as the essayist says, the show is stylistically created to feel ethereal, which does not match Nabi’s internal conflict around Jae-eon.

  • @Slm99
    @Slm99 10 месяцев назад +3

    Love the analysis, especially the Lana line I almost choked on the water that I was drinking. The relationships aren't aspirational and the green flags are hazy at best, but if I am honest besides the ending of Nevertheless I didn't have a problem with the rest my bigger problem is how long they felt.

  • @aubreewithaextrae
    @aubreewithaextrae 10 месяцев назад +11

    i was trying to find a clever or smart way of bringing this up but i just wanted to say that we cry together by kendrick lamar is a super good song that really represents how toxic relationships like the ones shown in this video work and also just the complexity of the relationship between men and women in our society in a extremely raw way. it's a different way of showing toxic relationships than these kdramas but if you're still interested analyzing or just understanding toxic relationships better i would definitely recommend giving it a listen and or looking into the lyrics and their meaning. great video btw i really enjoy your channel!! 🩷

  • @Κων-φ8ι
    @Κων-φ8ι 10 месяцев назад +1

    Another excellent video, congratulations! I agree with everything mentioned, I sometimes enjoy realistic kdramas that don't have the perfect/expected fairytale ending

  • @sopeyul
    @sopeyul 2 месяца назад +1

    When are you going to post again? Luv ur perspective on everything.

  • @saraamiri3123
    @saraamiri3123 10 месяцев назад +2

    I love your channel ❤️

  • @Irisbarryallen
    @Irisbarryallen 3 месяца назад

    i love how you manipulated nevertheless into fitting the toxic trope
    5:05
    Park Jae-eon never have crossed his lines or come to nabis home uninvited she was talking to him on phone and coughing and telling him that she is sick and in between her phone died he was worried for her got to her apartment but she wasnt opening the door turns out she wasn't inside because she went outside to get the medicine and he called the emergency thinking she fainted.

    • @cathenlea
      @cathenlea Месяц назад

      Park Jae-Eon is not a serious dater. That scene you mentioned is toxic because of the way Jae-Eon resists women in his life, drawing his lines when they want to get close, but has no problems showing warmth and sympathy to them. Hence why the narrator of the video says "1 step forward, 2 steps back". When Nabi has her period and refused to come with Park Jae-Eon, she draws a line because she has a STAIN on her butt, it makes him confused. He doesn't understand the REASON, but gets frusterated when she pulls away. Women are normally all over HIM, so when someone else sets bounderies, even if he doesn't know the reason, he doesn't expect it. Because HIS bounderies are the only thing that actually counts for him. Everytime she draws a line in the series, he calls her cold and gets upset. Even though he makes it clear, he is not looking for a girlfriend. It is just blatant hypocritical behavior.
      He treats her like a possessive object, with the affection of a boyfriend, but acts weird when she shows that same energy to him. He called 9-1-1 for her ready to knock down her DOOR. Sure he was concerned, but, why didn't he go after he saw she was alright? They literally have sex that same day. You can understand why we use a negative connotation for someone who can do all the lovey things like get in bed with Nabi, but gets scared to call her his girlfriend. That's.. literally the bare minimum. They danced in the kitchen together, ate meals, spent time together. But he can't show her off in public. We call that toxic.

  • @JaveriaYousuf
    @JaveriaYousuf 2 месяца назад +1

    why you haven't uploaded any video for 7 months 🧍🏽‍♀️ I miss your video essays!! i hope you're doing well. 🩷 stay safe

    • @kdramaresearchinstitute
      @kdramaresearchinstitute  2 месяца назад +2

      Took a little break, but I am working on several videos, so I am still planning on uploading more :)

    • @JaveriaYousuf
      @JaveriaYousuf 2 месяца назад

      @@kdramaresearchinstitute omg yessss!!!!! that sounds great. and I hope your break was relaxing.

  • @loveislove3432
    @loveislove3432 9 месяцев назад +1

    You are soo talented

  • @loveislove3432
    @loveislove3432 9 месяцев назад +1

    I can't wait to see another video❤❤❤❤

  • @helenamariabs
    @helenamariabs 6 месяцев назад

    I love the interest of love

  • @loveislove3432
    @loveislove3432 6 месяцев назад +1

    Hey , when are going to upload a new video-essay?❤❤

    • @kdramaresearchinstitute
      @kdramaresearchinstitute  6 месяцев назад +5

      I am working on some research heavier topics, so there will be more stuff coming up :)

  • @isabear478
    @isabear478 10 месяцев назад +1

    one thing though the people they hurt aren't good people in my opinion except nevertheless the fl isn't bad from what i've seen but in interest of love and doona why did they even like the female lead if it wasn't for their looks and doona oversexualizing themself who would they attract i watched interest of love and that guy was not it i don't understand why the fl even liked him and then doona i read the webtoon only and the only reason he liked her because he felt sexually attracted the her and she knew that that's why i feel the relationship was not that serious she knew she would exit out

    • @kdramaresearchinstitute
      @kdramaresearchinstitute  10 месяцев назад +2

      Well in The Interest of Love the male lead is very toxic, he just thinks of himself as a Nice Guy™. I feel like in both Doona and Nevertheless they played down the toxicity in the adaptation and made the relationship more sincere and loving than in the webtoon. In the Doona k-drama the two leads are both in love with each other, she is not even that toxic in the show. Nevertheless webtoon shows the L as a full on villain, but in the k-drama he is a misunderstood bad boy who falls in love.
      In The Interest of Love it is the other way around - that show is based on a novel and as far as I know Su Yeong in the novel doesn't just randomly pretend like she cheated on the third guy, she does this, because her boyfriend cheats on her, which is hinted at in the show that this might be happening but not spelled out. So in the k-drama version she is more of a villain...

    • @isabear478
      @isabear478 10 месяцев назад

      @@kdramaresearchinstitute thank you cuz I only read the webtoons for most of these it's very toxic

  • @finansalozgurlukplatformu8452
    @finansalozgurlukplatformu8452 2 месяца назад

    Please stop forcing your agenda on K-Dramas. If you don't like Korean culture, which mostly reflects Confucian ideas, then don't consume it. It's funny that you and people like you want to remove all the elements in k-dramas that you don't like. The moment you remove them, it will no longer be the dramas we loved in the past. The beauty of kdramas is that they contain their own culture. You are trying to ruin everything because of your own ideology. But the funny thing is that many people who considers themselves feminist, like Korean dramas more than western romantic series, even though k-dramas reflect patriarchy much more. Because romance is something instinctive and you can't control that. Queer feminist love stories are boring.

  • @dayacomic
    @dayacomic 10 месяцев назад +5

    I discovered your channel recently and i'm addicted, great videos please post more🥹

  • @ayoubboufous
    @ayoubboufous 4 месяца назад

    Hello, i’m a video editor, I watched some of your content and thought maybe I could help. i couldn't find your email

    • @kdramaresearchinstitute
      @kdramaresearchinstitute  4 месяца назад +1

      Hey I am not going to outsource editing

    • @ayoubboufous
      @ayoubboufous 4 месяца назад

      @@kdramaresearchinstitute thats ok, i wish you the best👍