Filipino filmmaker Jose Javier “Joey” Reyes could not help but compare Pinoy teleseryes and K-Dramas.
In a Facebook post dated November 18, 2020, Direk Joey mentioned the storylines of K-Dramas he has recently watched.
These are: Start Up, It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, Life, Itaewon Class, Sky Castle, and Record of Youth, which are all available on Netflix.
These K-Dramas made it to the Top 10 most-watched content on Netflix Philippines.
He wrote (published as is), “START UP is about setting up businesses. IT'S OK NOT TO BE OK is about mental health. LIFE is about health care and business. ITAEWON CLASS is about dignity in ambition. SKY CASTLE is about parents and education. RECORD OF YOUTH is about choices in life and the sacrifices you make.
“THIS is KDRAMA TODAY.”
Direk Joey then pointed out how the stories of Pinoy series have become stuck in their usual formula.
Reyes continued in his post, “Eh, tayo nagkakapalitan pa rin ang mga babies sa ospital, may nawawalang diary, may kabit na kampon ni Satanas , kulot pa rin ang buhok ng kontrabidang babae habang banat ang inaaping martir na bidang babae, laging late pa rin ang pulis sa krimen, palpak ang lahat ng kidnappings, alagad ng kadiliman ang lahat ng mga mayaman, hindi nilikha ni Lord ang mabait na biyenang babae at stepsister at laganap pa rin ang hindi magamot-gamot na amnesia na mas masahol pa sa COVID19.”
The writer-director ended his post with: “DIYOS KO, 'DAY!”
At press time, Direk Joey’s post has already 10K reactions.
CELEBRITIES AGREE ON DIREK JOEY’S POST
Industry insiders and celebrities left comments on Direk Joey’s Facebook post, and most of them echoed his sentiments.
Ina Feleo quipped, “My curls are shaking.”
She sports a curly hairstyle for her kontrabida role in GMA-7’s Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit.
Janice de Belen and Carmina Villaroel also agreed with Direk Joey’s post.
Actor Christian Bables posted a GIF that said “YES!”
Actress Maila Gumila wrote, “High time to venture outside the box. Tendency is to stick to formula that has worked for ‘hundreds of years’ Takot mag experiment!”
K-DRAMAS AND PINOY TELESERYES
The comparison between the production of Pinoy teleseryes and K-Dramas is consistently a hot topic online.
In April 2020, filmmaker Erik Matti said that “movies and TV are doomed” because of the popularity of K-Dramas.
His tweet read: "The daily top ten most viewed on #Netflix shows us how our movies and tv are doomed in the future. K-drama galore. Faux cinderella stories with belofied actors whiter than white. And it’s all about love in the midst of this pandemic."
A lot of netizens did not agree with his opinion, pointing out the wide variety of genres and good production quality of K-Dramas are the main reasons why Pinoy viewers choose to watch and patronize K-Dramas.
GMA-7 creative writer Suzette Doctolero also opened up about her observations on why Pinoy drama productions are falling behind these glossy K-Dramas.
First, she cited how indie films and other TV shows with rich storylines did not receive much box-office returns and TV ratings.
She said viewers—especially the masses—choose to watch feel-good movies or teleseryes that feature campy yet entertaining fight scenes.
It was also in April 2020 that Direk Joey first shared his opinion about Pinoys falling in love with K-Dramas.
At the time, he surmised that it was because of the following reasons: (1) genres are varied (2) scripts are well-written (3) these K-Dramas are more story-based than actor-based.
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