Why "Twilight" Is Really A Kdrama
Now that the last of the "Twilight" saga movies, "Breaking Dawn II," has been released on DVD, some of my twi-hard friends are looking for another form of entertainment to enjoy with equal enthusiasm.
Why not kdramas, I suggested, because if you think about it, "Twilight," really is a kdrama.
Now I'm not suggesting that author Stephanie Meyer watches kdramas, but many of the elements are there. Here's the evidence:
1. Twilight's hero, Edward Cullen, is the very image of a chaebol. He's rich and powerful. When he first walks into the cafeteria, he and his family turn heads, much like Goo Jun Pyo and the rest of F4 did when walking into school in "Boys Over Flowers." Goo JunPyo and Edward have a lot in common.
2. The heroine, Bella Swan, can't hope to have anyone like Edward Cullen because she is poor and ordinary. She's a Candy girl who (at least in the books) cares for her father and puts others needs before her own. She works hard in school, is brave and generally fearless, like Geum Jan Di in "Boys Over Flowers." She is clumsy like so many kdrama heroines. Think Park Gae In in "Personal Taste."
3. Their relationship has an element of forbidden love. Instead of turning out to be siblings, from different social backgrounds or the children of enemy clans, as is the case in many kdramas, Bella is human and Edward is not
4. Family is important in "Twilight." Edward's family means everything to him. So does Bella's. When Edward and Bella get married, they live with his family. That's also, a plot element in kdramas. Fortunately, Edward's adoptive mother Esme is not the overbearing evil kdrama mother-in-law.
5. There's a love triangle. It's cold and distant Edward against warm, supportive Jacob. And of course, in true kdrama fashion, the heroine will choose the bad rich guy. How much badder can you get than being a vampire?
6. Edward is mean to Bella but she perseveres in loving him. This goes on for episodes in about every romantic kdrama.
7. There's a considerable amount of fan service. Jacob does keep taking off his shirt. Okay, it's "a wolf thing," but it reminds me of all the gratuitous shower scenes in kdramas.
8. Jacob gives Bella a piggyback ride. This is what finally clued me in to the kdrama connection. The piggyback ride is so essentially a part of kdramas and Korean culture and it's unusual in American culture.
While many of these story elements do appear in other kinds of fiction, this comparison did make me think. What do you think of the possibility of Twilight being inspired by kdrama? Do you think Twilight is a poor imitation? Or does it make the grade?
