Popular South Korean TV drama series including “Crash Landing on You” and “Itaewon Class” became massive hits in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, a Japanese TV drama is returning the favor among South Korean viewers, who can see a familiar face and similar high-quality production values. 

In the romance drama “Eye Love You,” Fumi Nikaido plays the protagonist who can read people’s minds.

However, she finds it impossible to understand what an international student from South Korea, played by Chae Jong-hyeop, thinks, because his thoughts are in Korean.

Korean comments in the character’s mind are voiced in the drama without Japanese subtitles, attracting considerable attention.

Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc. (TBS) aired the drama serial co-starring Japanese actress Nikaido and South Korean actor Chae between January and March this year.

The title is available on Netflix, too, becoming one of the rare Japanese dramas to rank high on the list of the most viewed programs among South Koreans for two months.

“I was surprised but satisfied at the same time,” recalled producer Keisuke Nakajima about the feat.

The collaboration in joint Japan-South Korea productions is accelerating in the TV drama business.

Actors from South Korea are making appearances in Japanese drama series, while commercial broadcasters in Japan are joining hands with leading entertainment agencies in South Korea.

BLENDING S. KOREAN, JAPANESE SHOWS

After seeing the popularity of South Korean dramas in Japan, Nakajima suggested developing a TV drama starring actors from both Japan and South Korea. His project started around the summer of 2021.

The first difficulty involved casting actors for the drama. The global South Korean drama boom had resulted notably in soaring performance fees for actors from the country.

“Wages for South Korean actors are five times those for their Japanese counterparts with the same level of skills,” said an insider of another drama series.

Nakajima thus sought a “talented actor who is still rarely given the lead role in dramas.” He discovered Chae in that fashion.

At shooting venues, difficulties emerged due to misunderstandings from the script’s translation and the depiction of a South Korean’s style of thinking and life.

Nakajima held discussions each time with the director and other staff members to make adjustments.

Nakajima devoted much effort into improving the visual quality of the program, with the hope of making it more appealing to fans of South Korean dramas.

“Dramas with intriguing stories would not be watched these days if viewers deem their visual appeal to be substandard,” said Nakajima. “We examined the visual quality of recent South Korean dramas with the director, cameraman and other staffers responsible for lighting and color adjustments, so that watchers would be content with our title’s quality.”

The popularity of “Eye Love You” in South Korea was so immense that it sparked a movement for fans in both Japan and South Korea to interact with each other.

“I want to continue digging up new genres and schemes from now on, but I know so many cannot be developed,” said Nakajima.

BENEFITS FOR S. KOREAN SIDE

Teaming with the South Korean entertainment industry provides the Japanese side with a golden opportunity to learn its techniques and win over viewers who enjoy South Korean works the world over.

A mid-level employee in charge of drama development at a commercial TV station pointed out the collaboration can “bring merits to the South Korean side, too, when they cooperate to create Japanese shows.”

Skyrocketing fees for actors in South Korea have lately led to a decline in the number of titles released. This means performers and other staff members have fewer chances of showcasing their skills.

Such South Koreans are reportedly finding hope in Japanese dramas.

TBS announced on May 10 that it will tie up with CJ ENM, a general entertainment provider affiliated with South Korea’s mid-level financial conglomerate CJ Group, to make at least three dramas for terrestrial channels as well as a pair of films over three years.

TV Asahi Corp. signed a cooperation agreement with major South Korean studio SLL on May 17 for their future development of mainly TV dramas.

A spate of plans have alike been unveiled recently to pitch drama shows featuring actors from Japan and South Korea.

Netflix announced on May 31 that it will create the drama title “Romantics Anonymous” starring popular Japanese actor Shun Oguri and noted South Korean actress Han Hyo-joo.

A project has also been announced in South Korea to make a story inspired by “Ai no Ato ni Kuru Mono” (Things That Come After Love), authored by Japanese writer Hitonari Tsuji and South Korean novelist Gong Ji-young, on a video distribution site.

It will reportedly star Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi and South Korean actress Lee Se-young.

Movie producer Mataichiro Yamamoto, who is famed for his film “Taiyo o Nusunda Otoko” (The Man Who Stole the Sun) and serves as chairman of Tristone Entertainment Inc., a talent agency to which Oguri and Sakaguchi belong, has built connections with the South Korean entertainment industry for more than 50 years.

Yamamoto said he was impressed by the fact that the South Korean entertainment industry succeeded in breaking racial barriers for Asian-derived creations across the world.

He had found it difficult to overcome the challenge on his own in pitching his productions to Europe and the United States.

“Japanese works are currently drawing far more attention thanks to the success of titles from South Korea,” Yamamoto said. “South Korea is our colleague.”

Scriptwriter Daisuke Habara, who is well known for the movie “Hula Girls” and other titles, became the Japanese side’s representative of the Asian TV Drama Conference two years ago.

The conference aims to promote exchanges of screenwriters and dramatists from Japan, South Korea and China.

Building links with drama business insiders in South Korea, Habara noticed firsthand the bilateral difference.

“South Koreans share the notion that entertainment productions fall under the export industry,” he said. “They have the know-how to combine the Hollywood system with emotions and social issues unique to South Korea.

“As we have an exceptional model right at our doorstep, the Japanese side should soak up everything thoroughly for now.”