Log 2

We are expecting to hear from the actors’ management company in Korea on their final decision this evening…. It certainly took a long time.

I think we experienced difficulties in the negotiations due to reasons we did not anticipate – not only concerning matters such as the translation of the scenario, but our differences of sensitivity toward dramas.
I feel that Korean films and TV dramas strongly reflect the ethnicity of its people. Koreans seem to have a strong liking for things that are intense, and move one’s soul.

In the process of writing this scenario, I talked to many Korean students studying in Japan. There was a topic that came up frequently among them. They claimed that they reconfirmed the fact that the emotions they had inside them was a lot more intense compared to that of the Japanese.

“We are very passionate, you know.”

That’s what all of them told me passionately. Even students who were seemingly quiet stressed this. They told me that coming to Japan, they could not understand why the people of their own generation were so quiet – they could not tell whether they were acting cool, or they lacked passion. They also could not comprehend why they were so indifferent to matters surrounding them.

Japanese who believe that not openly expressing one’s emotions is somewhat a virtue… Koreans who enjoy in being open in their expression of feelings... The difference in sentiment seen between the people of the two countries resembles that between the people of Osaka and Tokyo. This difference also influences their preference in the types of drama they enjoy.

Putting the results of this research aside, we will now start the rewriting process of the scenario. I’m sure an interesting discussion with our Korean writers awaits us.

I hope to report on this process later.

(Originally posted in Japanese on Aug. 23, 2005)