Skip to main content

3.16 - A Conversation with Professor Ernabel Demillo

We’re in between seasons 3 and 4! Today, Joanna has a conversation with Professor Ernabel Demillo, Department Chair of the Communication and Media Culture Department at Saint Peter's University and host of the Emmy-award winning "Asian American Life" show on CUNY-TV. We talk about:

  • The many different genres of K Dramas.

  • The K Dramas we’re watching now: Tomorrow, Business Proposal, The Glory.

  • What Ernabel thought about Mr. Sunshine, including the cinematography, the characters, the music, Korea history, and culture.

  • The process that Sung Hee and Joanna use to create our episodes.

  • The K Drama elements that we find in most K Dramas, e.g., umbrella scene, piggyback ride, back hug, deep lean.

  • How Asian American Life is still the only monthly magazine show on broadcast TV devoted to the Asian American diaspora.

  • How Asian American Life explores social issues through the Asian American lens, but also celebrates Asian-American achievements and milestones.

  • The themes that “Asian American Life” covers: identity, Asian-American “firsts,” food, entertainment.

  • How Asian American Life covers the rise in hate and crimes against Asian-Americans in the US.

  • The Hallyu wave.

  • Netflix’ investment in K Dramas.

  • 25, 21, the K Drama that K Drama Chat will recap and analyze in Season 4.


Next week, Sung Hee, Joanna and Jeanie (Sung Hee’s sister) will talk about K Drama elements, Korean language, and why subtitles on K Dramas often don’t quite match what’s being said. 


After next week, we will begin our analysis of 25, 21, so please start watching or come back and rewatch episodes with us!


References:


### 

K Drama Chat is a weekly podcast where we take one Korean (K) Drama each season and and recap and analyze each episode. K Drama Chat is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comment on this episode!

Popular posts from this blog

5.4 - Review of Episode 4 of Mr. Queen

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 4 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jung-hyun as King Cheojong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. We discuss: Then songs we played during the recap: Conspiracyby Kim Deuk-su  and Lost Memory by Howl.  Last week’s episode was so funny, while this episode is really dark and there are bad guys everywhere.  The Queen has figured out that it was the King who tried to kill her in the alleyway.  The King is still desperately trying to figure out what the Queen knows.  The many plots to frame someone for the Queen falling into the lake.  The Queen accuses the King of going after her because she’s weak; this makes him wonder if the Queen is plotting against him or if she really is someone different.  Jo Hwa-jin goes to Grand Dowager Queen to confess they she pushed the Queen into the lake When the King tries to defend Jo H...
1 comment
Read more

11.1 - Podcast Review of When Life Gives You Tangerines

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 1 of When Life Gives You Tangerines , the hit K Drama on Netflix starring IU as Oh Ae-sun and Park Bo-gum as Yang Gwan-sik. We discuss: The song featured during the recap: Midnight Walk by d.ear. The song feels nostalgic and represents Ae-sun’s longing for the past. The deeper themes of family, love, and survival that make this show feel unique compared to other historical K Dramas. The emotional opening with an elderly Ae-sun reflecting on the word "eomma" (mom) and how it carries deep significance throughout her life. The realistic and historical setting of Jeju Island, which makes this drama feel different from the more fantastical K Dramas we have covered before. The contrast between the English title, When Life Gives You Tangerines , and the Korean title Pokssak Sogatsuda , which means "You’ve worked hard" in Jeju dialect. The introduction of young Ae-sun and Gwan-sik and how their childhood relationship sets t...
17 comments
Read more

10.1 - Podcast Review of See You In My 19th Life

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 1 of See You In My 19th Life, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Ban Ji-eum, Ahn Bo-hyun as Moon Seo-ha, Ha Yoon-kyung as Yoon Cho-won, Ahn Dong-goo as Ha Do-yoon, and Cha Chung-hwa as Kim Ae-kyung. We discuss: The songs we featured in this episode: Remember by Kim Jin ah Silence by Sunwoo jung-a The reaction of our listeners to our choice of show for Season 10 The characters we first get introduced to: Ban Ji-eum, Moon Seo-ha, Ha Do-yoon and Kim Ae-kyung. The concept of reincarnation. The Korean concept of inyeon, which roughly translates to providence or fate. The three elements of flamenco. When Kim Ae-kyung began to believe that Ban Ji-eum was the reincarnation of her uncle. The story of how Yoon Ju-won met Seo ha, got to know him, and died on his birthday. Ban Ji-eum’s mission to see if Moon Seo-ha is alive and ultimately be with him. The ages of our characters in the different timeframes. The importance of pools to Moon Seo-...
25 comments
Read more