International Remake Dramas! J-drama vs K-drama

I am a TV junkie, and my main TV shows are Korean dramas, Japanese dramas, and US/UK TV series. As much as I love my Korean dramas, I am also diligent in catching up with my Japanese dramas. They are both Asian, but there's definitely a different vibe between the two.

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Since both countries have a huge fan base for each other's dramas, a lot of good, popular dramas have been made into a remake version across the ocean.

It's fun to watch both original and remake versions, comparing the two. Some backgrounds and stories are the same, and it's fun to see how different actors/ actresses will portray that same situation. On the other side, it's also fun to see how some of the stories have been changed from the original version. It gives an unexpected twist!

Here's my personal opinion on which version I liked better, feel free to add in your two cents if you watched both versions like me! (:

(Pink is Japanese ver. & Blue is Korean ver.)

 

"Boys over Flowers"

As much as the Korean version of "Boys over Flowers" is many foreign K-drama fan's introductory show and favorited for that reason, I found the Korean version utterly cheesy. It's ironic since the Japanese version of this show was MY introductory show for the J-drama world. It will always be one of my favorite drama. (Perhaps I'm being a bit biased, but as I mentioned, this is my personal opinion
(: You can go ahead and share your opinion on the comparison below!)

 

"Tomorrow's Cantabile"

Again, I will have to favor the original J-drama version for this one. The chemistry between the main couple was a bit stronger with the J-drama version.

 

"The Queen of Office"

For this one, I liked the Korean version more. Of course, all hail Queen Hye-soo. Haha. I felt that the transition between the characters were a bit more smooth on the K-drama version.

 

"He Who Can't Marry"

I liked J-drama version for this drama. The main actor on the original version is what created the character to begin with. Actor Ji Jin-hee was great in K-drama remake version too but I kept comparing it to the original character.

 

"Master of Study"

Ah, this one's got to be equal. I liked both J-drama and K-drama versions. In fact, I watched the J-drama version few years before and when they announced there will be a K-drama version, I was quite excited to watch it. After watching the show, I was quite satisfied and thought both versions had their own colors.

 

 "Devil"

For "Devil", I want to say the original K-drama version. Not everyone was fond of the ending of this drama and the viewing rate wasn't as high, but it definitely received a good reaction as long as the story and the acting of the cast went.

 

By. Lily Lee