Do You Prefer Aspirational or Relatable Characters
Added 2022-01-09 22:24:01 +0000 UTCDo you prefer watching dramas that feature characters who are more "relatable" or "aspirational." We can chat about the reasons why in the comments.
Comments
Hospital Playlist was both for me… the 99ers face the same kind of stressors that I do every day (relatable) BUT never do any paperwork (fantasy 😂). I did find it aspirational as their fictional doctors’ interactions with patients make me try to be a better real life doctor. When I get frustrated at work I think, “be Jeong-Won” 😄
Heather Linebarger
2022-01-11 02:37:07 +0000 UTCAlthough there is a fair amount of angst, I love stories where people have jobs, go to school, love and break up. I've found Taiwanese shows are often very slice of life - In Time With You is my alll-time favorite. Any of the itinerations of The Fierce Wife (Japanese, Taiwanese or Thai) are equally relatable.
Humbledaisy
2022-01-11 01:26:47 +0000 UTCYes that makes sense and relatable can also be personally independent. What is relatable to me might not be same for someone else. Superman is more aspirational than Spider-Man and while I’d say most ppl would find Spider Man more relatable, not everyone would… it’s fun to discuss
Megan Erickson
2022-01-10 16:25:01 +0000 UTCThis is an A+ assessment in my opinion. Relatability could be an entire series of convos too and what it means for heroines in books or drama to be “relatable” and how that can be so different to heroes. We should def talk about that in Patreon soon!
Megan Erickson
2022-01-10 16:23:13 +0000 UTC“Making the ordinary extraordinary is a skill indeed.” Wow I LOVE that and agree 10000%. I’m watching Fated to Love You too and love it so so much
Megan Erickson
2022-01-10 16:21:24 +0000 UTCMmmhh - I am going to assume that you don’t mean fantasy in terms of actual fantasy because I don’t get on with that genre at all. But fantasy/aspirational in terms of totally out of my sphere of everyday life - no problem with that at all. But at the same time I do like the dramas that include everyday life … so possibly where they incorporate both is where I am at! Eg Fated to Love You - he is a multi millionaire, she is post it office girl. Similarly Oh My Venus … I really do like seeing realistic everyday life. But if I had to choose, I would come down on the side of relatable. One Spring Night for example or Rain and Shine. Making the ordinary extraordinary is a skill indeed.
Elizabeth-Claire
2022-01-10 12:59:21 +0000 UTCI think it's a mix of both, a good character has to be both relatable and aspirational. That said, "relatable" is very broad - no one has ever turned into a wolf, but a werewolf can be very relatable to anyone who has had a condition they can't control, like ADHD or depression. So I think it's actually hard to write a character who is NOT relatable. However, it is very easy to write a character who is not aspirational. I personally think that people basically only want to follow characters who are "aspirational" - or, rather, to have an outstanding quality or two about themselves. They can be extremely beautiful, smart, kind or hard-working, have powerful kung-fu or a magic ability, but whatever it is, there has to be something exceptional about them, otherwise why even be a protagonist?
Barisbi
2022-01-10 07:40:57 +0000 UTCDepends on the type of drama I’m watching. If it’s a more realistic story I tend to go for relatable but for fantasy or supernatural aspirational makes more sense to me.
Kate
2022-01-10 04:03:17 +0000 UTCI love all of these answers so far. I also think that it’s not a very clear cut question (even though I posed it) because there are so many variables. Like take Captain Ri and his 24 tunnel crawl…totally aspirational and unrealistic but amazing. But then in CLOY I’m pulled to the Solider Ducklings in Seoul who are all super relatable. I do love slice of life stories, but even then my preference is when it leans into aspirational…like Hospital Playlist where they are all immensely talented and GOOD people. So sorry not sorry for asking the question. I like to think about this stuff lolol -Lia
Megan Erickson
2022-01-10 03:51:23 +0000 UTCI like both, but I think the fantasy characters I love most are the ones that feel relatable even though the world they live in is fantastical.
Lauren Cohen
2022-01-10 00:25:37 +0000 UTCI think it depends for me on what I’m watching and what the story is. A lot of the time I do appreciate when our leads are living a very flawed realistic life BUT I am a sucker for fantasy and I think the reason a lot of us turn to kdramas and other shows (or part of the reason) is that we need to escape from reality. I think that Kdramas don’t normally feel like real life and often I’ll have a “yeah right” moment and then realize it’s a kdrama and I need to be accepting of kdrama logic lol 😂 basically what I’m saying is yes I like relatable characters because it makes me feel seen but watching kdramas is completely escapism for me and I’m not looking for more of what I experience in real life when I’m watching.
Tal A
2022-01-09 23:32:20 +0000 UTCGive me fantasy! I have enough realistically flawed humans in my everyday life! Myself included.
Lorna
2022-01-09 23:02:58 +0000 UTCLove a slice of life that involves people literally slicing onions or whatnot. There's a total lack of urgency AND total immersion in the story.
Hannah
2022-01-09 22:34:32 +0000 UTC
