Jewel in the Palace has been aired in several countries, and the highlights DVD has been subtitled in several languages (English, Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Spanish), so it is clear that this Korean drama is reaching a wide audience outside of Korea. I find this somewhat puzzling, as the show, at least initially, seems to focus primarily on Korean food preparation in a Korean historic setting (story of quasi-historical Jang Geum, set in the Joseon Dynasty). Furthermore, the leading actress’ portrayal of Jang Geum is remarkably plain. So if the show is not drawing in a wider audience with beautiful characters, and the show is focusing on something so uniquely Korean, what exactly is so appealing to the wider audience that has led to its success?
1 Comments:
Everyone eats food, right? So, I would think that food, especially beautiful, appetizing food, would definitely have cross-cultural appeal. You don't need subtitles to appreciate good food. Also, I think that the story of Jewel in the Palace is quite good, so I would think that people watched it for its plot and characterization. Jewel in the Palace tells the story of a woman who gained a good deal of power and authority during a time and in a place when women weren't really part of the public sphere. With women being the primary audience for dramas, I think Jewel in the Palace has special appeal to the majority of its audience base. Even now, women aren't socially equal to men, so a story that has a strong female lead is especially welcome.
There is a link to an article in one of the posts above that talks about women who wanted to get plastic surgery to look like the lead actress from Jewel in the Palace, so there must be at least some people who thinks she's attractive. (Personally, I think that the standard for female beauty set in dramas is not only unrealistic but also unhealthy.)
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