A lover for great and riveting stories that a drama can tell, whether it's an American, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, or Austrialian version. A good drama is defined to move one's heart. In my case, I prefer, emphasizing in prefer, happy endings and open to imagination of where a drama is willing to take this viewer.

Stereotypes of Asian Dramas (tired of the same plotlines - it gets old fast)

• Poor girl and rich guy (I'd like to see rich girl & rich boy romance!!)
• Monster-in-law
• Female love rival (yuck!)
• Love Square (whatever happened to a really good love triangle btw 2 guys & one gal?)
• Why is it always-- ALWAYS the girl chasing after the guy?? Does she have no backbone? Needs to have more of a balance out there
• The guy is always engaged to another girl. When is it the heroine's turn?
• Why does the main female lead to have terrible taste in clothes? And always a tomboy? 
• Time Jump (with couple separated) at the end of the series *thumbs down*
• Lead Couple are separated with obstacles till the very last episode. Boring. There is such a thing as too much drama!

My Opinion:
You can usually expect k-dramas to have the villains in the end be unrealistically redeemed. In a way, I think these kind of dramas that have the villains be redeemed is not accidental, but more of trying to teach the younger audience a moral lesson: to forgive. While that may be good advice, realistically-- a happy ending doesn't happen for the victims. Not a lot of people with strength and good will to overcome and forgive someone murdering a loved one. I guess you could say dramas are a gateway to fantasy fiction where at the end of the story, everything will turn out all right. I think that's what we, the audience, want to believe desperately when the bad times happen.

I'm still waiting for a drama writer and director to write and focus on a strong female lead character. We got our wish with k-drama "I Hear Your Voice," but that happens rarely and not too often enough. Yeah, asian TW & Korean male leads are hot and have a commanding presence, but why are they always getting all the storylines? I see a lot of dramas start off with the female lead, but ends all about the male lead's angst. There needs to be a balance between a teary whiny female lead and a badass strong female lead.

We need more cultures to appreciate and value women. Please let there be more asian dramas centering around the female lead, not the male lead actor.

I know Asian cultures value the men over the women, but that is not right and unfair. Women are not just for background purposes. They are important, too, to the world. Is that why all the female leads' storylines are very superficial and never focused on even at the end of the series?

Fave Japanese Actors

Inoue Mao
Oguri Shun

**** Chinese dramas need to be english subbed FASTER!!