So I’ll leave it to viewers who have watched both dramas to make the objective assessment but a brouhaha is going on with K-netizens upset about what they consider a blatant case of plagiarizing. Modern C-drama Meet Yourself with Liu Yi Fei, Li Xian, and Zeng Shun Xi is getting an award at the upcoming Seoul Drama Awards and with this attention comes broader attention on the allegations that the drama copied popular K-drama Hometown Cha Cha Cha. From main lead set up to set design to character details, K-netizens have assembled a long list of same or similar elements. If Meet Yourself got a license as a remake that would be fine but it’s not a remake and the similarities while many isn’t a beat by beat replica. C-netizens are responding that it’s not that similar and the idea of a city working professional leading lady going to the countryside and meeting a local charming man is not all that unique.
I don’t think it’s Korean netizens I saw the article it wasn’t published by a Korean newspaper or publisher or anything like that it’s more a gossip site than anything they publish trash takes on Asian entertainment as a whole in general
My comment didn’t get posted the first time so I’m going to post it again sorry if it gets double posted but I don’t think it’s fair to call it Korean netizens complaining I saw the article and it’s published by this trash gossip site that likes to stir up rumors about Asian entertainment all the time. I haven’t seen it reposted anywhere else.
Lol I’m with C-netz on this one. Plus Zeng Shunxi was just a cameo, his screen time wasn’t even for an episode. By these pictures, it seems like he was a 2ML, nope he wasn’t. LiXian’s character is the only one that could be said is similar but even that is pretty different, he was no Chief, yes everyone’s go-to man in the village but he came back to invest in his town. His and Chief Kim’s story was completely different, no tragedy involved for Xie Zhi yao. Also, the reason for both FLs to go to a small town is very different. I don’t know why I’m even giving explanations because these are two completely different dramas. HomeCha3 was actually a stronger script whereas Meet Yourself had the best couple I have seen in a while.MY was much more about the ensemble cast living in the homestay. HomeCha was about the villagers. But yeah there is no comparison because they are not even similar.
As someone who has seen both dramas can truly say they are nothing alike in fact Meet Yourself is a million times better than HomeCha which is just a generic romcom. Meet Yourself is both insightful and healing with one of the best male leads ever written. HomeCha was another typical kdrama after the first half but Meet Yourself was about self discovery and growth with an ensemble cast who each had their own journey and scare to heal from. The friendship of the three female characters was one of the best parts of the drama along with the couple. Knetz are reaching with their comparisons. There is no 2ML in this drama and that guy was just a cameo he barely had any screentime and was not a romantic rival. If anything people should watch Meet Yourself over HomeCha if you want a sweet healing drama set in a quiet picturesque countryside.
Totally agree
@Yenz Absolutely and totally agree with you! Both are different dramas and I also think Meet Yourself is a much better one. Meet Yourself is not a romcom but a healing story and in my POV, a much better made drama, with a strong and consistent theme, script and storyline. I felt healed just watching it, both the amazing sceneries and the character/ relationship developments.
Someone above said the article was by a gossip tabloid, so maybe it’s just someone trying to create fire out of nothing…
*some gossip media trying to create fire out of nothing…
How are they so similar? FL goes to town because her BBF died and it was their dream to travel to ML’s town. She ends up living as if we all wished we were lol. ML goes back to help his town. They fall in love. Its not THAT similar.
This is my first time hearing about this and I can’t seem to understand where the similarities are. The only similarities I can think of is that they both have small village settings.
Sorry for HTCC fans but Meet Yourself is not like a remake/copycat/plagiarized version of the Korean drama. In my opinion, MY is way better than HTCC. HTCC was like a venue to show how KSH can easily cry.
Anyway. I would also suggest and recommend that people should watch MY. It’s a nice, healing drama. Wish to visit Yunnan in the future ❤️
Not the same drama at all. Not remotely the same unless the K-netizens want to put on a copyright on all travel dramas which is the only both dramas have in common. Have watched both and I have to say Meet Yourself is the superior drama, has more depth and deals with more realistic issues. K-netizens are just making a great deal of noise over nothing.
I’ve been a long-time Kdramas fan and I don’t follow Cdramas that often. However I have to agree with everyone here, there’s nothing similar between the two dramas, and Meet Yourself is way better than HTCCC.
The series offers depth, calming atmosphere, healing moments, beautiful scenes, a healthy and mature couple. ‘HTCCC’ was only good in the first half and eventually lost its steam in the later half. I was so disappointed with ‘HTCCC’ that I felt it’s unfair that people fail to recognize the sheer brilliance of Meet Yourself. While both dramas have their merits, ‘Meet Yourself’ stands out for its sincerity, whereas HTCCC falls short in this regard.
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Lmao it must be someone jealous of Meet Yourself buying this article, they’re nothing alike. The only similar things about them is they shoot it in village lol
The elements that are allegedly the same:
– FL’s phone dies right after arriving at rural seaside town
– FL loses her shoe and ML gives her slippers to wear
– ML used to work in the investment business in the city
– ML is the “everyman” in the rural village, and shows up whenever FL is in trouble
– Title card of the C-drama mimics the title card of the K-drama
Yunnan isn’t seaside. Lots of rivers though. The FL didn’t so much lose her shoe as stepped in poop and needed a spare pair of shoes. Let’s not forget that both FLs are gorgeous and the village has charming old ladies and children. 😉
Your opinion isn’t popular here. But I sorta agree with you in terms of context in general. I’ve been exposed to both Kdrama and Cdrama for a while. My observation (may not be generalized to all cases): There’re a lot of copying ideas going on in Cdrama. That’s part of the reasons why I can’t get to finish most of the C dramas since storylines are mostly so predictable. It’s annoying to see recycled ideas repeatedly being used in C dramas, some of which were borrowed from British period dramas, some were from Taiwanese dramas, and some were from K dramas; list goes on.
I did not watch HCCC. But I watched a few eps of Meet Yourself and then dropped it due to its slow pacing and daily mundane not interesting to me. Nonetheless, I’m not sure how much of borrowing (or copying) ideas can be legally considered plagiarism though. Is drama content legally copyrighted in general? This kind of concern about intellectual property has beyond the knowledge of lay people outside legal practice, me included.
Plagiarism does not mean that the copied work must be identical to the original work. In the K-drama, FL is a dentist. In the C-drama, FL is a hotelier (or so I read). One takes place by the ocean, the other by a river. The characters probably have different names. I’m sure there are plenty of other differences. None of that proves anything.
_Hometown Cha Cha Cha_ itself is a remake of an older Korean movie called “Chief Hong.” There were changes made in the drama.
And if you think that the copied work is superior to the original, that’s great. But that has nothing to do with whether it’s plagiarized or not.
The Chinese are notorious for appropriating Korean culture and falsely claiming it as their own.
Agreed with you on your first sentence but not the last sentence. Chinese knot, chinese new year, traditional chinese medicine, mythical creatures like nine-tailed fox etc all originated from China, yet Korea still claimed them as their own just because they appropriated the Chinese culture many years ago.
It boggles my mind how anyone can watch all of Meet Yourself and think it’s a rip-off of Hometown Cha Cha Cha. The motivations of all the characters and main themes are different. Meet Yourself highlighted existential hardships of living in a small village that is lacking in economic opportunities – which is an issue facing most small towns. Families either are torn apart or drift apart because of these challenges and the male lead’s goal was to always come back and revitalize his town. It’s a lot about preserving cultural heritage while modernizing. There was a share-house sort of situation where visitors can do longer stays and heal and we got to learn more about them as the drama went on.
HCCC was definitely a fun rom-com and is probably stronger as a traditional rom-com, but Meet Yourself is more of a human drama genre and more universal themes.
I hope the stupid outrage lures some people into watching Meet Yourself and loving it as much as I do.
This just gave the drama extra publicity because I am interested in watching it now when I had no idea it existed before lol.
I did not like Hometown ChaCha at all but from the comments here this drama sounds much better. I agree the whole cosmopolitan woman moves to rural area and finds love is a very common romantic trope.
I cannot finish HTCC… like most K-dramas, it starts off strong and interesting, then become so draggy and very boring… Yawn!
I am not a korean or a chinese but I am a fan of both their dramas. It is just so unfair comparing both these drama without watching it. The plot is very different. I like Hometown Chacha but I LOVE MEET YOURSELF.
It is very relatable and I love all the characters. The story itself stands out, there is no major problem like the Hometkwn Chacha. What I LOVE most about Meet Yourself is discovering your ownself that even you didnt know it exist. The healing process, cinematography and the main leads! LOVE ALL OF IT!
Im sorry but hometown Cha Cha Cha and Meet Yourself are Waaay different. For one Hometown Cha Cha Cha heavily focuses on the leads while Meet Yourself is more like Our Blues in that it shows the contrast of city life versus small-town living while exploring the background story of various characters.
In hometown cha cha cha the FL was practically chased out of her industry by a vindictive boss.
In Meet Yourself, the FL is taking a break from life to grieve her best friend and gives herself a 3-month timeline to return to her career which she was thriving in.
There was no childhood meet-up in Meet Yourself nor was there a enemies to lovers cliche in Meet Yourself. It’s such a slow build-up romance that begins as a friendship although it’s obvious the ML is crushing big time.
The Sismance formed between the FL and the other women in the town is incredibly touching considering the friend she lost. In Hometown Cha Cha Cha while the FL’s best friend gets her own love line, their friendship is not deeply explored.
Yes the ML in both shows is successful and depended upon by the whole town however they don’t suffer the same trauma. The ML in Meet Yourself is not hiding from the past but rather he is striving to prove his success with limited resources.
Its always very cute how he uses his grandmother to court her and the relationship she develops with the grandmother as a reflection of her own grandmother who is no longer living.
The storytelling is all-encompassing and leaves a deep impression. Like when they are on a walk by the lake and he tells her the story of him going fishing with his grandfather and how time feels like it passed by too fast.
the town in the show is not a town that suddenly exists because she visited but rather she becomes part of a story of a town with its own DNA that has been existing. We begin to feel familiar with everyone in the town while still getting to know her personality.
Knets think everything is about them sigh. I’ve watched both dramas but i love MYs more. It was deep and beautifully written. It’s not just about ROMANCE but about life as a whole. And so many quotes, i love it.
Just bcuz someone moves to countryside nd find someone s/he loves do not mean the stories copy HTCC… duh…
Only thing similar between the two dramas, older actresses pairing up with the young actors of this time and the zero chemistry both couples exhibited.
I did not watch the K drama but I watched a few eps of the C drama. The OTP in the C drama looked awkward together. Agreed! They had little (if not zero) chemistry, at least for the first few eps.
Meet yourself is a good drama and better than HCCC for me. I just love how the lead couple’s romance progressed. I just can’t stop watching it from their very first scene together. Male lead nailed the smitten look and they just look great together. The confession scene by the lake was really heartfelt. Grandma is really cute here and it’s a good thing they did not kill her character off like the grandma in HCCC. Why does the ost have a strange saddle song just because of the setting?
HCCC is ok but Meet Yourself is great. In saying this, i normally enjoy kdramas over cdramas. MY clearly deserves the win and is a rare healing cdrama that never once was boring.
I usually don’t follow kdramas (with the exception of currently watching Moving because of Jo IN sung) but I’m putting MY on my list because of this article. I read about it when it was filming but forgot about it. I’m in for pretty leads and sceneries. Plus I loved LYF in Draam of Splendor.
*Dream of splendor