| The original work should probably be perceived as a classic story about the transformation of a loser into an ideal person with appropriate social criticism (how good is a separate question), but throughout the viewing I constantly had the feeling that I was watching some kind of near-fascist social system. Where your value and "quality" as a person depends only on how handsome and popular you are. Is this just the result of artistic exaggeration, or is Korean pop culture really so obsessed with looks, popularity, and social status that it makes American or Japanese pop culture look plush by comparison? What do you think of it? Did you feel similar discomfort while watching this show? |
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Dibrummmmm said: RobertBobert said: The original work should probably be perceived as a classic story about the transformation of a loser into an ideal person with appropriate social criticism (how good is a separate question), but throughout the viewing I constantly had the feeling that I was watching some kind of near-fascist social system. Where your value and "quality" as a person depends only on how handsome and popular you are. Is this just the result of artistic exaggeration, or is Korean pop culture really so obsessed with looks, popularity, and social status that it makes American or Japanese pop culture look plush by comparison? What do you think of it? Did you feel similar discomfort while watching this show? I don't really know what is "near-fascist social system" but my thought on anything happen in this series is just a story that make you see point of view of a popular guy and unattractive guy and i don!t really feel discomfort about it. For the korean pop culture that really obsessed with looks, maybe it have some connection with that producer say in final eps(sorry, i really forgot how to hide the spoiler part). I didn't see any POV on this show, probably because of the exaggeration. This show actually directly connects appearance with the value of a person. |
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RobertBobert said: is Korean pop culture really so obsessed with looks It really is, and that's what held this series back. It focuses far too much on fat people because Korean society has very high body standards compared to the west where obesity is more common and accepted. The actual message of the show changed from the struggles people face based on their looks to why being fat equates to social rejection, which I believe is related to Korean culture, because in the west you'll rarely see someone being able to even harass a person 2-3x bigger than them. They'll get pummeled instantly. I might be wrong in this assumption, but compared to other series, this doesn't portray bullying well, and maybe that's because the author hasn't actually been bullied or have actual bully stories to draw inspiration from, and so he diverges from his original theme. The message it's trying to promote isn't correct and that just didn't overall sit well with me. There are a lot more layers to this problem that have been completely untouched. (Such as how personality plays a big part in being bully prey.) |
PriinceYukiDec 16, 2022 5:37 AM
  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ Don't try and get me to cook I can take care of anything else but not that ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ |
PriinceYuki said: RobertBobert said: is Korean pop culture really so obsessed with looks It really is, and that's what held this series back. It focuses far too much on fat people because Korean society has very high body standards compared to the west where obesity is more common and accepted. The actual message of the show changed from the struggles people face based on their looks to why being fat equates to social rejection, which I believe is related to Korean culture, because in the west you'll rarely see someone being able to even harass a person 2-3x bigger than them. They'll get pummeled instantly. I might be wrong in this assumption, but compared to other series, this doesn't portray bullying well, and maybe that's because the author hasn't actually been bullied or have actual bully stories to draw inspiration from, and so he diverges from his original theme. The message it's trying to promote isn't correct and that just didn't overall sit well with me. There are a lot more layers to this problem that have been completely untouched. (Such as how personality plays a big part in being bully prey.) Well, I know that Asian youth are quite violent and that in Korea girls are even given plastic surgeries for coming of age, but intentionally or not, the show is too steeped in the spirit of social Darwinism. I also agree about the lack of disclosure of bullying issues. But I'm more confused that the show says "stop being fat so you don't get bullied" instead of "criticizing the bullying because of the physique per se. |
RobertBobertDec 16, 2022 6:00 AM
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