Seoul Town Road: Kdrama Vids (Vidukon 2021 vidshow)

[thuviaptarth]

Hi! I did a kdrama vidshow for Vidukon 2021. All of the vids except one* were available on YouTube, so here's a YouTube playlist:

Watch on YouTube

Direct link if you're having problems with the embed. If you have access to the show through Conline, I do recommend watching the show that way, for better integrated warnings and fewer ads.

Thank you to all the vidders who let me include their vids!

* The exception is ghost_lingering's Brave, which she graciously allowed me to upload for the con. It's currently in the playlist to allow for con replay, but I'll be removing it eventually.

Warnings
In addition to other triggers, many of the vids in this show incorporate source audio. This sometimes includes audio triggers that you may not be used to encountering in vids like gunshots and explosions. Please consult the show warnings list for details.

Playlist with warnings

The list also notes where you can stream the sources in the US. You may be able to find streaming information for other locations at a Mydramalist or Justwatch.

Notes
I wanted to do this vidshow mainly because there are a lot of cool kdramas and a lot of cool kdrama vids out there, and I wanted other people to appreciate them with me. I am very much a kdrama noob, and the vidshow is very much a product of what series I happen to know about and what aesthetics I happen to like, rather than a rigorous or comprehensive overview. That said, I wanted to showcase a few things:

• The breadth and huge generic diversity of kdrama
  
• The tendency of kdrama, like kpop, to creatively remix distinct styles into unique new combinations
  
• Aesthetics that seem, in my limited experience, to be common in kdrama vids/YouTube vidding, but which are rarer in my immediate vidding circles, like:
  
  • The incorporation of source audio
    
  • The incorporation of subtitles and type effects
    
  • Heavy usage of effects to accentuate beats and musical grace notes
    
  • The use of source soundtrack songs

I also prioritized vidders and vids I thought would be new to most of the congoers, or, in some cases (drawing heavily from the first few Festivids), at least vids that people at Vidukon hadn't seen recently. This ended up meaning I cut several of my favorite kdrama vids from the past 2 or 3 years, just because I assumed people would have encountered them elsewhere. I'm planning to post a list of the outtakes eventually, but it will take a while to put the warnings together. ETA: Outtakes.

Comments

[oracne]

Looking forward to seeing this!

[thuviaptarth]

Obviously I think it's a great show. :)

[oracne]

It was fun! Housemate feklar42 is currently partway through Vincenzo.

[bonibaru]

This was a great show!

[thuviaptarth]

Thank you!

[feklar42]

I loved this compilation! Thanks so much!
ETA: FWIW, I've found that these elements are common across all Asian vids I've watched:

The incorporation of source audio
(Me-->especially dialogue, sometimes it works for me, but sometimes I find it distracting. Like in this one, https://youtu.be/aESBwGR8xLA I liked the repetition of Tutor's "You like guys, right." is good, but I think it didn't need the other dialogue.]

The incorporation of subtitles and type effects
(Me-->I sometimes wonder if the type effects are also to make it easier for non-english speakers. A lot more people can read it, than understand the spoken word--especially with the distortions that come with singing.)

[thuviaptarth]

In my (limited!) experience, the use of dialogue, source audio, and heavy visual effects usage to accentuate beats are all very pretty common in YouTube vidding, including but not limited to Asian drama vids. The subtitles/type effects seems more specific to Asian drama vidding, though (I've seen it for Thai dramas as well as Korean and Chinese dramas).

I also tend to find the use of dialogue overkill/unnecessary/distracting, but I tried to find some where it worked for me to include, just because it is such a big part of the kdrama vidding aesthetic for many people.

[feklar42]

I have to admit I don't watch much YouTube unless it's a show. But heavy visual effects also seem common in professional clips and teasers for fans of Asian media. So it seems to follow.

I also find the dialog clips can work in moderation. I liked the "Aish!" in "Born Ready".

Thanks again for the compilation.

[thuviaptarth]

Thank you for letting me know you liked it!

[kate_nepveu]

I am intrigued by your ideas and have saved the playlist to my YouTube to watch later.

[thuviaptarth]

I'm glad! "Meet Ze Monsta" and "my strange addiction" may be too gory for you -- they are honestly over the edge of my tolerance, but I wanted to include the genres for the show.

[imbir]

Ah jeez, sorry for recommending those horror vids with no warnings then. I made some assumptions based on your interest in Ginger Snaps, but I'll make a note of that for the future.

[thuviaptarth]

No problem--I can tap out when things are too much.

I watched Ginger Snaps because of reviews and it was definitely worth it. But there are scenes I skip during rewatch.

[aurumcalendula]

I really enjoyed this show!

[thuviaptarth]

Thank you!

(Of the sources in this and the outtakes list, I think you might like:

- Painter of the Wind - this actually has a f/f romance! Although the lead also has an m/f romance and I think ends up with the man? I haven't seen most of these sources yet myself, unfortunately, although I would like to.

- Queen Seondeok - No canon queerness, but huge amount of the plot seems to be about the female lead vs. her (female) nemesis.

- Hotel del Luna - I have actually seen this! There is no canon queerness, but the female lead is amazing.)

[aurumcalendula]

Ooh! *adds to to-watch list*

[ghost_lingering]

Psssst, slight spoilers, but from what I can remember of painter of the wind, the end is very satisfying on the queerness scale.

[ghost_lingering]

Also I think it's up for interpretation the gender identity of the main character, thus up for interpretation if the various pairings are m/m, m/f, or f/f.

[aurumcalendula]

I've finally gotten around to it (I screencaptured it sans subtitles last month and am currently working my way through properly watching it) and I love how queer it is!

[skygiants]

I'm so glad you posted both the full list and the outtakes -- many of these are new to me and I'm very excited to watch!

[thuviaptarth]

I'm glad!