I'm so excited for this class, as it brings so much nostalgia from my childhood. Being first-generation Mexican, and being surrounded by all sorts of telenovelas since I could remember, I greatly look forward to this class every Wednesday. Coming from a very traditional Mexican household, telenovelas and Vicente Fernandez were always in the background. Thinking back at it maybe that is how I grew to be very passionate and slightly over dramatic.
The first tevenovela I can remember watching, Rubí, is still one of my favorite productions to date. I will always remember my mom eagerly rushing to get home in time to watch every second of each episode. Then came the remake, Teresa, which at the tender age of 10, I could actually understand just how unlikable and gravitating the characters of Rubi and Teresa were. Another one of my favorite telenovelas is Corazon salvaje, every night my sisters and I would gather around the television and immersed ourselves completely to what was on the screen.
Surprisingly, I chose not to watch a telenovela, but a Korean drama. I've had my fair shares of Korean dramas and one thing I know for sure is that they do not keep a simple, and straightforward story line. Their production value and development is known to compare with that of a Spanish and Turkish dramas. The Korean entertainment industry is very well making itself known to all parts of the world, especially with Korean pop or k-pop. I have very well fallen victim to k-pop and have had my share of fan-girling over their boy groups and girl groups. Having visited South Korea twice, one is guaranteed to see at least 10 ads a day for several different dramas, whether it be cardboard cut out of the main character or the main couple on the plastic wrap of your water bottle.
The Korean drama I chose to watch is called Kill Me, Heal Me. Just by the title you know it's going to be full of ups and downs for the protagonists.
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| Left to Right: Oh Ri On, Oh Ri Jin, Cha Do Hyun |
Cha Do Hyun, is the heir of a business that owns several other businesses, the main one being a entertainment company. Coming from an extremely wealthy family, he is surrounded by pompous people who are all trying to ruin him and his chances of eventually owning the business. Being very kind and humble, he is not interested in the money, let-alone inheriting the conglomerate. He suffers from dissociative identity disorder, which means that he has several different personalities that live within his head that can come out when least expected. He has 4 personalities that we've met so far. The main one being evil and brutal to everyone and is conspiring against Cha Do Hyun's wishes, and calls himself Shin Se Gi.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkLlJk2hsoc (this is a link to the trailer where you can see a preview of his different personalities)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkLlJk2hsoc (this is a link to the trailer where you can see a preview of his different personalities)
Oh Ri Jin, is the main female protagonist and will eventually become Cha Do Hyun's love interest. She is on her first year of residency under the psychiatry unit. Upon meeting Cha Do Hyun, he is under the impression that she is a patient at the psychiatric ward, due to her loud and eccentric personality. Eventually, he figures out that she is a doctor and someone that can help him get better. She comes into contact with Cha Do Hyun when he's under the influence of Shin Se Gi, this aggressive personality falls in love with Oh Ri Jin, which in turn causes more of a mix up when she met the true Cha Do Hyun.
Oh Ri On, is Oh Ri Jin's twin brother, and this I don't believe. There is something unclear about him, and I can't seem to figure it out. We will see as I continue watching. What we do know is that he is a writer that publishes mystery stories under the alias, Omega. He also seems to be researching on wealthy families such as Cha Do Hyun's family. I can't tell whether he is doing it under good intentions or to expose their secrets that could be hiding behind closed doors.
Other characters include the obligatory evil family member which is Cha Do Hyun's grandma, who is currently chairwoman of the wealthy business. As well as Cha Do Hyun's first love, who will most certainly create a bridge between Do Hyun and Ri Jin.
One thing I quickly noticed is the elitist mindset that is present in all of Cha Do Hyun's family and friends. They care a lot about how other's view them and their reputation that can be ruined by simply arriving a couple of minutes late to a meeting. The theme of the "rich heir falling in love with a regular girl' has been the theme in almost all Korean dramas I've watched before. Except, what makes this drama different is the character of Cha Do Hyun. It isn't the fact that he has multiple personality disorder but the fact that he is a kind person. Many of the time times we'll see the main protagonist be the heir to a multimillionaire conglomerate but be a total jerk and extremely rude to anyone of a lower class. It's usually the female protagonists (lover-interest) job to change them and make them better people.
One thing I quickly noticed is the elitist mindset that is present in all of Cha Do Hyun's family and friends. They care a lot about how other's view them and their reputation that can be ruined by simply arriving a couple of minutes late to a meeting. The theme of the "rich heir falling in love with a regular girl' has been the theme in almost all Korean dramas I've watched before. Except, what makes this drama different is the character of Cha Do Hyun. It isn't the fact that he has multiple personality disorder but the fact that he is a kind person. Many of the time times we'll see the main protagonist be the heir to a multimillionaire conglomerate but be a total jerk and extremely rude to anyone of a lower class. It's usually the female protagonists (lover-interest) job to change them and make them better people.
That is all I have for now, and I'm super excited to see the story unfold.
Thank you,
Suley Rostro
Rubi was a good novela. It was not my favorite though. I did not fall in love with the protagonist like I should have, but the people around her. I will definitely be adding corazon salvaje to my list. Thank you for the recommendation!
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