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Friday, 12 January 2018

How Netflix Upsets Me (As a Drama Lover)

I got Netflix about a year ago - what I've noticed since getting it is the massive growth in their investment in western media since I joined. At first there were only a few little jtbc shows on their platform - now, they're working harder to make the drama we so love into something mainstream? Is that a good thing? Well...

Image result for drama shock faceDrama has been making leaps and bounds towards becoming more mainstream over the last two decades, but I think Netflix taking more interest in the industry has given it a massive push forward.
  Firstly, by uploading asian drama in bulk. They have a good selection of Taiwanese drama, like Refresh Man and Bromance, and the Chinese selection isn't small either.
  The matter gets a little more complicated when it comes to Japanese and Korean drama. At first, the Korean selection consisted of jbtc drama (I imagine because cable drama is cheaper to buy the rights to) and a few movies. There was barely any Japanese shows.

My issue is mainly with Korean shows, since this is primarily the country that Netflix is clinging to. I also can't speak quite as well for other dramas, since Korean is the language I understand best.
  On that note, one of the reasons I'm annoying is because the subtitles are lazy. Rather than providing additional subtitles to explain Korean terms like 'oppa', they just generalise the lines because that's easier. Surely those willing to watch Korean cinema would be willing to learn a little about how people address each other. Sometimes the changes made are just plain confusing. 
  Moreover, they often change the titles. Sometimes slightly, but often completely. I realise that occasionally the titles will be punny, or make more sense to actually native Korean people, so perhaps they can't be accurately translated. But sometimes the new titles they use are so generic it hurts - like when they changed Miss Temper and Nam Jung-ki to My Horrible Boss, or Age of Youth into Hello My Twenties. if the translation is difficult. It frustrates me more than it should.

The biggest problem, of course, is when Netflix licenses a show, claiming it as a 'Netflix Original', and then doesn't release it until all the episodes have aired. Now, obviously this is fine for future viewers who and no prior knowledge of the show, but internationally fans who had anticipated it for now have to wait around eight weeks to watch it. Subs aren't available anywhere else - I mean, I watched all the episodes of Age of Youth 2 raw because I was not waiting around for Netflix to get its ass in gear. Which is a good thing, because it took months for them to release it.
  They're getting better at Simulcasting, which they've been doing with Prison Playbook and Hwayugi, but again there's some frustration there. Two episodes are released a week, and Netflix then uploads them the following week, likely so they have time to subtitle them first. This is infuriating if  you belong to communities that are watching the drama, because it means avoiding spoilers is very difficult and can the overall enjoyment of the experience.
  I could be a good thing for Netflix to encourage the spread of Asian culture - although many people have stigmas against Asian media, and people reluctant to watch anything with subtitles, but there are definitely gems that everyone could enjoy. But considering how many times that Netflix has held something back from us, I think it's quite clear that Netflix doesn't particularly care about any of these shows. Still, I'm looking forward to it where it will go it the future, and how far it'll go in making the line between 'mainstream' and 'unknown' dissappear.

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