International Viewers Upset Over Depiction of Middle Eastern Culture and Muslim Faith in MBC Drama The Man Who Dies to Live

Holy epic fail on the part of MBC with it’s latest Wed-Thurs offering The Man Who Dies to Live, a drama I wasn’t even planning on watching until the uproar over the first two episodes elevated interest. Now I still don’t want to watch it but for a different reason, the reason behind so much anger and offense taken by Muslim and/or viewers from the Middle East over how the drama depicts those cultures and practice of the Muslim faith.

In short, the drama has Choi Min Soo playing a South Korean man presumed dead for decades who in fact is living a wealthy comfy life in a fictional Middle Eastern kingdom until circumstances send him back to Korea where the rest of the drama is about his reconciliation with his now grown daughter. The first two episodes have understandably garnered the ire of some viewers for its offensive, incorrect, and/or stereotypical depictions of Middle Eastern life and certain practices of the Muslim faith.  Continue reading

Snap Judgment on the Weekend Showdown of A Gentlemans Dignity versus Dr. Jin

Oh boy. This isn’t going to be pretty. On a fairly flawless weekend where I wandered around the City in magnificent late Spring weather, eating and loling around to my heart’s delight and only stopping to girl talk left and … Continue reading

Part I and II of Allure Korea’s Peek Into Actresses Prepping for Year End Awards

The 2010 Year End Drama Awards for the major Korean networks were just a scant month ago, yet somewhere it feels like a year has passed. Allure Korea did a photospread on various actresses as they primped and prepared for … Continue reading