The Korean drama "Descendants of the Sun" is taking Asia by storm. This Korean drama has not only achieved super high ratings in South Korea, setting a TV station's rating record for mini-series in recent years, but its simultaneous broadcast on Chinese video sites has also set off a viewing craze. After almost every episode is broadcast, relevant news will Appeared in Weibo trending list. Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo, the protagonists of the play, have once again attracted countless fans, especially Song Joong Ki, who successfully replaced Kim Soo Hyun, Lee Jong Suk, Lee Min Ho and other first-line Korean stars in the situation of "a Korean drama for a husband" and became the favorite of many girls. The new "husband".
The audience's obsession can't help but confuse others: The Mary Su model of Korean dramas has been around for so many years, how come people still eat this set?
It can be said that almost all Korean idol dramas are Mary Sue dramas. Why Mary Sue? It is a Chinese translation of the English Mary Su. It is said that in the 1970s, a foreign author created a fictional heroine named Mary Sue in a self-edited science fiction fanfiction. She not only saved all mankind with her talent, but also Beauty and sensuality captured all men, and finally died gorgeously after saving the world, sacrificing himself for great love.
Later, Mary Sue became famous and became a mentality term, that is, women's infinite obscenity towards self-charm, and Mary Sue dramas derived this mentality into a plot. Although the heroines in Korean dramas are not as exaggerated as in Mary Sue's novels, such as peerless beauty, all-powerful, talented, and omnipotent, they have one key thing in common: they are doted on by thousands of men. Come to think of it, the best men in the world are in love with me - is there a bigger lewdness than that? Therefore, Korean dramas do not use beautification of the heroine to show the charm of women. On the contrary, it focuses more on the portrayal of the image of the hero, and contrasts the charm of women through the hero's sincere and fanatical love for the heroine.
Although the Korean dramas are all Mary Su Terriers, but in fact, there are many changes hidden behind this "heritage". From the introduction of the first Korean drama "Jealousy" by CCTV in 1993 to the current hottest "Descendants of the Sun", in the past 20 years, the Mary Su model of Korean dramas has been constantly changing. Just like the popular topic of Weibo "A Korean drama for a husband" said, the evolution of Mary Su's drama is actually the continuous evolution of the charm of "husband"/male god, which is the fundamental reason why Korean dramas maintain their long-term appeal. So, how did male gods evolve?
【Evolutionary History of Male God】
The first generation of Korean male idols who became popular in mainland China were Ahn Jae-wook ("Fantasy"), Jang Dong-gun ("The Temptation of Eve"), Song Seung-heon ("Blue Life and Death"), Kwon Sang-woo ("Stairway to Heaven") et al, their roles in korean dramas make up the collective image of the first generation of male gods. The image of the first generation of male gods is closer to the Prince Charming in the traditional sense: being tall, rich and handsome is a must-have attribute. In addition, their biggest feature is their brotherly temperament. In "The Temptation of Eve", Jang Dong-gun is a senior, Song Seung-heon in "Blue Life and Death" is an unrelated brother, and Kwon Sang-woo in "Stairway to Heaven" is a childhood sweetheart's playmate. The Lord's subtle care. To use the current buzzword, the brother's temperament is "warm man".
The love of gentle wind and drizzle is long, but warm and warm, and it seems that there is less passion. The image of the second generation of male gods has quietly changed. Rain ("Full House"), Lee Dong-wook ("My Girl"), Joo Ji-hoon ("Palace"), Jang Geun-suk ("It turns out to be a beautiful man") and other male protagonists who came out of the popular Korean dramas, have lost their gentleness The temperament of a brother, the aura of a domineering president began to spread. They are still tall, rich and handsome, but domineering, arrogant, self-centered and self-righteous.
There is no such thing as love at first sight. Their first encounter with the heroine begins with unpleasantness, and of course, they will eventually be "tamed" by the heroine into obedience. The person who is more high on weekdays, but humbled to the dust because of love for you - this is indeed a plot design that can make the hearts of female compatriots burst even more. Therefore, so far, "Domineering President Falls in Love with Me" is still the favorite stalk of Mary Su's drama, and last year's hit "5 to 9: A Handsome Monk Falls in Love with Me" can also be proved.
However, the hysterical and stinking domineering president is not played by everyone. This is too challenging for the appearance and goodwill of the actor. Like a domestic drama "I want everyone to know that this fish pond was contracted by you". It attracted a lot of ridicule; what's more, if the screen is full of domineering presidents, the audience will be easily fatigued.
So, the screenwriters came up with new characters: What if a super-powered man fell in love with you? As a result, new male gods such as Ji Hyun Woo ("Queen Inhyun's Man"), Lee Jong Suk ("I Hear Your Voice") (2013), Kim Soo Hyun ("You Who Came From the Star"), and Ji Chang Wook ("The Healer") appeared. . They either come from ancient times with superpowers, or they are gifted with extraordinary talents, and no matter how bad they are, they will try to jump over the wall... Fresh characters bring a lot of new ideas to the old plot. However, the superpower terrier is gradually unable to satisfy the audience's taste. I heard that "human animal love" will become popular in the future (please refer to the currently very popular Russian movie "He is a Dragon").
[Birth of the Goddess]
As mentioned above, Korean dramas contrast the charm of women in a way that highlights the charm of men. Therefore, in the three stages mentioned above, the image of the male god continues to evolve, while the image of the heroine has been in the original Step by step, most of them are "Cinderella". Either both parents die, or they are transferred and adopted; if they are accidentally born into a wealthy family, the screenwriter will also make an unexpected turn: the father's company goes bankrupt, the family has a car accident and both parents die. In short, the family is lost. So the impoverished heroine was self-reliant since she was a child. She worked several jobs during the day and night, delivering milk, working as a hotel cleaner, and working as a waiter in a cafe... The embarrassed family upbringing did not make the heroine depressed. On the contrary, they were hard-working and strong. , optimism, self-esteem. Under various coincidences, they met the male protagonist, inexplicably attracted the male protagonist's attention and made them fall in love with all their hearts. In the end, fly to the branches and become a phoenix, and live a happy and wealthy life from now on...
Mary Su's drama is about a "daydream", so the character of Cinderella is actually reasonable. Thousands of ordinary women have a sense of substitution. However, viewers with a strong sense of feminism gradually became dissatisfied: why does the heroine look like "silly white sweet"? Why do the female protagonists always wait for the male protagonist to save them, their subjectivity?
In this context, the fourth generation of male gods appeared. The screenwriter still highlights the charm of the male god again and again, but at the same time, the image of the heroine has been greatly improved. They are no longer weak women waiting for the rescue of the male god, and the two sides are in a state of equal power. Jo In Sung ("It's Okay, It's Love"), Ji Sung ("Kill Me, Heal Me"), Song Joong Ki ("Descendants of the Sun") and other new male gods appeared at the same time, Gong Hyo Jin ("It's Okay, It's Love") , Huang Jingyin ("Kill Me, Heal Me"), Song Hye Kyo ("Descendants of the Sun") and other independent, capable and wise goddesses also appeared.
In "It's Okay, It's Love" and "Kill Me, Heal Me", the screenwriter set the male protagonist as a "patient". The former is schizophrenic and the latter has multiple personalities. The condescending look down on the poor woman, the two are patients and healers, equal, heal each other, and grow together in the process of running-in. At this time, Korean dramas finally gave birth to the concept of love in the modern sense.
In "Descendants of the Sun", the screenwriter improved this relationship more thoroughly, no longer relying on the shell of "patients and cures". The roles played by Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo are adults with sound mind and body. You are handsome and I am beautiful. You tease me and I tease you... Love comes quickly, directly, and strongly, and most importantly, it is based on equality love. Both parties are rational, mature, and successful adults. Their love is free from the mysteries of life experience, love triangles, parental opposition, family infighting, and other bloody and vulgar scenes. It is just two adults who see it right. Eyes, and then began to fall in love!
So, is this show still Mary Sue? of course. Let’s not talk about the career of the tall, let’s take a look at the appearance and personality of the two, the romantic encounter between the two, and the witty mutual teasing of the two – which is not the perfect setting? Just like our male audience imagines Song Hye Kyo as a dream lover, female audiences will also lick the screen at Song Joong Ki's muscles. We all substitute ourselves in the process of watching the drama, and along with the plot, we fantasize about having a conversation with the protagonist. field love.
As a consumer culture, Mary Sue has nothing to be ashamed of. However, the off-screen audience, don't blindly fall into fantasy and obscenity, always thinking that the domineering president will take a fancy to the ordinary you, really not! (If it's important, please make it three times automatically.) You see, the screenwriters of Mary Su's drama have all grown up, and they know how to implant modern love concepts in Mary Su's drama: Why does Liu Shizhen love Jiang Muyan in "Descendants of the Sun"? ——Not because Jiang Muyan is a Cinderella, but because she is an independent, opinionated, capable, smart, cheerful and interesting doctor.
So, you want Yoo Shi-jin to be your husband? Instead of holding the screen and licking the screen, it is better to work hard to become an attractive Jiang Muyan.
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