Legend of Chun Hyang and My Sassy Chun Hyang

Legend of Chun Hyang by CLAMP and the TV drama My Sassy Chun Hyang are derivatives of the tales of Chun Hyang. Although the two works integrated the folktale as the underlying plot line, they present the story from different views.

While I was reading the manga, I could not disengage from the inherent “Japanese”-ness of the book. Despite the adaptation of a Korean folktale as the foundation of the story, I thought that CLAMP’s version of the legend engendered a different. The manga, in my opinion, used the story only as a vehicle to propel the story forward. In other words, I felt like most of the emphasis was placed on the martial and supernatural abilities of the characters rather than engaging in the essence of the folktale itself. All the fighting sequences and elaborate drawings of the dance are the all I remembered after reading the manga. In this case, the folktale came secondary to the actual activities that the characters endured/performed. Although the manga did contain comical drawings, this one differs from the manhwa we read for last week. The emphasis on martial arts and mystic and magical abilities of the characters seemed to trump the comical spin of the manga. Therefore, the focalization of this manga differed from Goong because Goong not only dealt with more lighthearted subject but also utilized lighter shades of black.

In the TV drama, it focused more on the development of romantic relationships among the characters than the resurgence of cherished Korean folktale. Hence, the folktale was at the backdrop, once again, similar to the manga. Although the parodies of the actual story at the end of each episode did provide a comic touch, I also felt that it diminished the value of the story because they focused on the character flaws. It portrayed Mong-ryong as an incompetent Am-hang-osa who simply pretends to be an honorable official.

After reading the manga and watching the drama, I felt that the artists and producers used the folktale as a vehicle to propel the stories with different agendas forward. Although the usage of the tale helps brand the folktale as a cultural object, it could leave distorted images and representations of the tale for those who are unfamiliar with the story. Hence, it is important to market and package Korean culture in a way that preserves the integrity.