XOXO Gossip Girl: America's take on the many Asian dramas about elite society?

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I know... this show is old news.  6-years-old to be exact.  But on Netflix, there is one nice thing about old TV shows and that is the older they are, the more seasons are listed.  As of now, the entire series is up for the taking.  That totals to a daunting 121 episodes that are roughly 42 min each.  This is gonna take a while but I'm up for the ride.

What I first found fascinating about this show was the small, yet significant similarity to Boys Over Flowers.  Or perhaps it's closer to Heirs..  Regardless, both have rich and elite teens plotting against one another in high class society.  I was very curious to see America's take on this material.

I find it fascinating to see the cultural differences between the two shows.  One can learn plenty about culture through media.

Some major differences between Asian and American television is the sexuality.  At least, in the comparison of Korea vs. America, the sexuality is far more intense in American television.  Sex appears to be a light topic among teens in America where simply kissing is a big deal in Korea.  And not french kissing.  No, no, that appears to be forbidden territory with the high school teens of Korea.  It takes forever to build up to that light kiss on the lips and by the time that happens, the American teens are already taking it to the bedroom.

I also noticed that I have never seen any of the Gossip Girl characters actually in the classroom.  And I'm already into season 2...  Most of Gossip Girl takes place in the homes of characters or at parties/events.  If they're in school, they're making out in the courtyard.  In the Korean dramas, at least 50% of the show takes place on campus.  Hmm... that says a lot about Asia vs. America's emphasis on school, lol.

Another major difference is the bullying.  Boys Over Flowers is full of mean to sadistic bullying schemes and makes Gossip Girl bullying look like child's play.  Actually, in Gossip Girl, most of the misdeeds are fairly straightforward with most people being quite confrontational about it.  This is an interesting topic because it says a great deal about Americans and Asians.  It's sort of like how Japanese people tend to be non-confrontational compared to Americans in general being confrontational.  

So far, I'm having a great time watching the show.  It's extremely entertaining and I love the differences between all the characters.  I especially enjoy watching Chuck Bass...


What can I say?  I have a thing for the bad boys; they've always got the best character development. ;)

Comments

SilverPixieFly said…
Comparing the same genre between countries is a pretty neat idea. I like your analysis.
December 1, 2013 at 3:28 PM
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