Louie

I recently got hooked to watching Asian dramas again. This is all my sister's fault. When she told me about Hana Kimi (the Taiwanese version) being aired on ABS CBN, I just got into it. It is just so fun to watch. I think it is amazing for a girl to cross continents and go through the hassle of pretending to be a boy in order to get close to her idol and love interest. A lot of people may have entertained such thoughts but very few would actually do it. The characters are just cute and hilarious especially Jiro Wang who plays the role of Xiu Yi or Wesley. Wu Chun who plays the role of Quan or Brian is such an eye candy and Ella Chen who plays the role of the girl who pretends to be a boy to attend an all boy's school named Rui Xi or Joey is so adorable. I bought a DVD copy of the series and finished watching it a couple of weeks ago. My interest in the show and the characters has not ended though partly because I feel the show needs a sequel. I also have a lot of spare time which leaves me nothing else to do but to watch and even research about the thespians. (Sorry. This is one of those fan girl moments again.)

I did find out a lot of things about the actors. Ella is part of the popular girl group S.H.E. while Chun and Jiro are members of the successful Taiwanese boyband Fahrenheit. But more than learning about the lives of the thespians, I have also realized why Filipinos and even those that come from other Asian countries become engrossed in watching Asian dramas. The explanation can be summed up into one word:context. In a way, it is easier for us to relate with the situations depicted in Asian dramas than those in Western shows for our cultures are more similar. Taste in fashion is one of these similarities. The funky hairstyles of the characters in Asian dramas are very noticeable regardless if what you're watching is a Japanese, Korean or Taiwanese drama. The portrayal of love and the regard for sex also show how we can relate with Asian dramas more. In Western shows, affection is always displayed through people kissing and it is normal for people, even teenagers to copulate. It is a different case with Asian dramas though, for in these shows, there are minimal torrid kissing scenes which is not very far from reality. The same is true for the value for the family. Asian dramas tend to show closer family ties and greater respect for parents and elders and such may also be observed in real life.

While we may relate more with Asian dramas, it does not mean that Western shows are not entertaining at all. Such shows are addictive too and pretty interesting for such allow us to learn more about the other part of the world's way of life. Learning something new is always good. But right now, I am much in the mood to watch shows closer to my culture.

I have started watching the two episodes of They Kiss Again, the sequel to the romantic comedy It Started with A Kiss. I cannot continue watching however for the succeeding episodes with English subtitles are not yet available on Youtube. I have no choice but to wait until a kind soul uploads the other episodes. Maybe I should go check if a DVD copy is available. Or better yet, find other relevant things to do.