4 8 15 16 23 42

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

4 8 15 16 23 42
4 8 15 16 23 42
I have admitted to being a TV junkie on more than one occasion here. I can watch hours of mindless J-dorama relatively guilt-free... unless I have a stack of papers to grade. And one of the reasons why J-dorama--that's Japanese TV drama to the uninitiated--can be easy to watch is that they are short, in terms of number of episodes.
In Japan, production and/or broadcast companies will develop a story, pitch it to potential sponsors and when the money is ready, they will create a series that will run for nine to twelve weeks--the average show being about eleven. Watching one dorama is like reading a novel. You meet most of the characters in the first chapter, characters develop as the plot unfolds, they reach a climax and the last episode is a kind of denouement. If the story is good, then there is a degree of satisfaction, you put down the "book", and life goes on.
This is not the case here in the US.
We live in a Flash-Gordon, Saturday-matinee kind of world over here, where each episode ends with the main character in a dreadful situation, and every viewer is left hanging there, wondering until the next Saturday, what will happen to our hero. In the world of TV, this has been extended not only to the end of an episode, but to the end of a TV season. Blame Dallas. After "Who Shot J.R." waaaaaaaay too many shows use this hook in the season finale to hold their fans in suspense over the summer.
Well, the summer is over! And tonight is the season premier of "Lost". Woo hoo! I can't wait. What happens when Locke, Mr. Eko and Charlie fail to enter the code and push the button in the computer? What was that eerie light shining on everyone's face? A nuclear explosion? (Well, hardly. That would mean the end of the show.) And what of the "Others"? What will they do with Jack and Kate? Will Michael come back to rescue them? Personally, I have faith that Sayid and Sawyer/James will come through and save the day.

recommend
recs 0
give stars
votes 0
email
sent 0

Give eProps or Post a Comment

Comments (12)

hmm.. very similar to C-dramas and series too..
- 10/4/2006 7:19 AM
- starberri92 (message)
- reply
c'mon some of the nippon dorama lets you hang too between each episodes
but yea even with multiple seasons in Cdrama, there are 'Who shot JR' type of cliffhanger between each season
- 10/4/2006 9:11 AM
- potatohead127 (message)
- reply
They really don't leave you hanging? I had to watch Hito natsu no papa in one weekend because I felt like I had to see what happened next!

p.s. No more J-dramas for me until I leave for winter vacation.
- 10/4/2006 9:32 AM
- EnderSatomi (message)
- reply
Oh, and I am not allowed to listen to J-music anymore because it keeps me up at night (I ended up singing Ano ko to scandal in my head for half an hour last night)
- 10/4/2006 9:36 AM
- EnderSatomi (message)
- reply
umm for some reason i just stop watching tv...and i haven't watched one episode of lost, ever! can u believe that? while other are talking about it, i'm always like.."huh?"

currently i'm watching taoyou no uta...reminds me so much of ichi ritoru no namida...
- 10/4/2006 10:21 AM
- PiscesTiff (message)
- reply
There are pros and cons... I mean, there's the occasional anime or drama that I wish could've continued on and on, like some series do here. But then, there's the occasional US TV show that should've just ended 3 seasons ago.

Definitely looking forward to Lost tonight, however. KF
- 10/4/2006 11:22 AM
- kizyr (message)
- reply
yes, time to get lost on lost again!
- 10/4/2006 7:10 PM
- PaikyPoo (message)
- reply
i get lost by watching 'lost'... enjoy the new season though!
- 10/4/2006 7:49 PM
- aznquarter (message)
- reply
Oh no way, you're hooked on that show too?! hahahah I just finished watching Nobuta Wo Produce and though it's high school kids, it's cute. :)
I am a little disappointed how everyone turned into a ho in season 2 of LOST but perhaps there IS nothing better to do on an island....
- 10/4/2006 8:36 PM
- Superbunnyfluff (message)
- reply
I'm not sure which style I like best. Sometimes American shows continue past their prime, and they become tedious to watch. But on the other hand, sometimes a Japanese show is so good that you want more. My favorite Japanese shows of all time are Kitano Kuni Kara, Daichi no Ko, Tombo, and Abarembo Shogun, hahaha.
- 10/4/2006 9:45 PM
- SammyStorm2 (message)
- reply
There's this new show on NBC that seems really promising. It's called "Heroes" and there's this group of people, each one with some special power, and they're trying to cope with how it's changing their lives.

I love the fact that they have a pretty diverse cast. :D If you're interested, you can go to the NBC website and watch episodes of it there.

Do you know what determines whether a dorama is 9 episodes, 10 episodes, 11, or 12? I've been wondering about that. Shouldn't they all have the same amount of episodes? Like in anime, the majority of the shows are either 13 or 26 episodes long.
- 10/4/2006 11:00 PM
- onigiri (message)
- reply
clearly the best thing to watch to avoid the end of season hang is cartoons. they provide fun and entertainment without the heart-wrenching issues.

let me know if you still want to see wedding pics....
- 10/5/2006 12:35 AM
- hanazakari (message)
- reply