Asian cinema has undeniably become popular in recent times. The global audience is particularly hooked to Korean series, their exciting characters, and stories. The success of Korean drama has paved the way for drama from other countries like Japanese series, which are seen to be as engaging as a Korean drama.
Subject and Genre
Japanese drama takes up subjects that are considered taboo in K-series. Japanese drama is more revolutionary in their subjects; their stories may involve a woman having sex with multiple partners, a man and a woman having sex because their real lovers do not provide them with the “comfort,” and many more.
Korean drama is restricted to three genres: historical, family, and romance, which can be attributed to the historical pride of Koreans in their history and their desire to educate Asians and, ultimately, the world about Korean culture. However, Korean drama is driven by romance. Even in non-romantic genres, there is an element of romance in the story. Mangas are the source of the Japanese series, which is comedic and light-hearted. There will not be any romantic elements in a Japanese series unless the series is in the romance genre. The most common Japanese series genres are detective, mystery, and crime.
Korean series have a utopian, fairytale-like setting that resonates with the audience. However, a Japanese drama has a more real-life setting. Some characters in a Japanese series are considered outcasts because of their intelligence or appearance. Japanese drama seeks to educate the global audience about the Japanese social scenario and create a specific image of Japan.
Actors
Actors in Korean series have the upper edge over the actors in Japanese drama as the actor train for years before making an appearance. Nevertheless, the Japanese actors put forth an impressive performance, and they make faces appear funny and connect with the audience, making their performances more interesting.
Storyline
Korean series focus more on the romantic element of the storyline rather than the story itself. For example, it is possible to see two doctors falling in love in a hospital in a Korean series. This series emphasizes a romantic angle more than what is required. The morals of a Korean Series are realized at the end of the story as they are full of twists and turns, which keep the audience hooked.
A Japanese series focuses on the story and does not let deviations take over. The series can go on without the introduction of another genre in the story. Like Korean Series, Japanese series are also unpredictable and have interesting twists. The moral story of each episode drives its message, and each story or episode has a lesson about family, relationships, and others. Nowadays, Japanese series are beginning to resemble Korean series.
Duration
A Korean series takes 16-20 episodes per season with a few filler episodes, each running from 40 minutes to one hour. Nevertheless, the series does not fail to engage the viewer. Japanese series, however, run only for 10-12 episodes per season with no compromises on the quality of the action. Each episode of a Japanese series runs from 30 minutes to one hour.
