“It has to be catchy, and it has to frame for the audience the context of the show.” - MTV Programming chief David Janollari on finding and creating the right title for a show or series. Asides from the cast line, genre, or production agencies behind the series, oftentimes, the titles of a drama are what make people decide to watch them in the first instance. Just like every aspect of a film or production, the title of a drama often makes a difference as it sort of gives a sneak peek or almost encapsulates the storyline and makes a potential viewer have an idea, assumption, or understanding of what the series could be about. Often times drama titles are sort of an introduction to the plot of a series while also sparking a sense of intrigue and desire in the minds of potential viewers. A good drama title has to be able to hook its audience, while it does have a link to the series, it should not be too vague, it is often preferably short, catchy, and something easily remembered. While there is a power that the cast or synopsis of the drama holds, we can never overlook the power of a great name or title. “If a title really contextualizes the tone of a show, that’s a big factor in helping you launch a show and market and position it to an audience.” - MTV Programming chief David Janollari In K-Dramas much like every other genre of dramas globally, the title is just as important as every other aspect of its production. It’s so important that there are so many K-Dramas whose title names have been changed just a couple of weeks before their airing date. Dramas like “Goodbye Miss Ripley” was changed to “Ripley”, and “My Love By My Side” was formerly named “Nice To Meet You”. While there are never clear-cut reasons for name changes in K-Dramas, one can assume some probable answers like:
- There is already a successful project with a similar name, hence that would dampen the possible positive response the series would’ve gotten. 2) As production develops, it would seem that the direction of the script or its tone might change hence the need to affix a title that suits its plot. 3) It is simply too long, doesn’t test well with focus groups, or it is not memorable enough. All this is to say that there is a tough, precise, and intricate process that goes into the decisive moment of naming a drama. As we mentioned earlier, many K-Drama titles serve as an insight or sneak detail into the plot of the series. While there are some titles that perfectly match the plot and storyline of their series like “Ghost Doctor” which literally had a Ghost who was also a doctor and had the ability to possess another person’s body and perform surgeries, or “Business Proposal” which had many scenes that conceptualized its title, and then we have a “Penthouse”, which by its title alone, leads to an assumption that this story will be about the rich and affluent and probably in a quest for ultimate power and control. “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay”, a title that alludes to the fact that the series might be about or give insights into mental health issues, and “He is Psychometric”, a drama that literally centers on a young boy with psychic abilities. Titles like these are clear-cut, not generic, and speak directly to the storyline of the series. However, there are some that are simply just ambiguous or in complete contrast to the theme of their series. Perhaps set to instill a deeper meaning or spark conversations about some of the realities or context of the plots and stories they try to tell. Regardless of the reasons, these titles do not seem to match the plots or lessons of their series and are often tagged as “misleading”. In this fun article, we will be sharing some K-Drama titles that fall under this category and why.
1. “Happiness”
The tvN thriller drama is perhaps one of that perfectly falls into this category. Again, there might be an underlying statement or lesson here that even in the midst of turbulent times or when the world is on a brink of a catastrophic end, a sense of happiness can be felt from being with someone who would stay by your side till the end. Or perhaps it even speaks to how the state of Happiness can also be fleeting experience and we should cherish it as much as we can.. However, as far as plain titles go, this is perhaps very misleading. The thriller drama had viewers on the edge of their seats eagerly waiting to see what would happen to their budding couple whose chemistry was beyond flammable. With a plot that centers around the release of a drug that could very well lead to the apocalypse, the term “Happiness”, seems like a far-fetched idea to name this series. In a series where people are turning into crazed zombies, looking for the nearest human to bite, where the surviving humans in the apartment are either being classist, misogynistic, stealing, or outrightly murdering each other, and where the main character actually turns into one (although he was cured at the end), the term “Happiness” doesn’t seem to go well with the plot of the series. However, despite it being abit misleading, it does its trick of being a memorable name that carries a great storyline.
2. “Sweet Home”
This is another series title that is in clear contrast to its plot. Whereas “Happiness” could be tagged as a light at the end of the tunnel kind of series (because of its happy ending), the title “Sweet Home” in our opinion doesn’t have any positive correlation to the plot of the series. With monsters looking to overrun an apartment building and kill every human in it, causing the occupants of the building to fortify themselves and fight for their survival, that home is clearly far from being sweet. It will be quite shocking to wake up one morning and find that the world outside your home has been turned upside down as monsters roam about. And later to find out that these monsters are actually the manifestation of human desires and there is perhaps no other stimulant that causes this apocalypse than the human mind itself. Perhaps it connotes the fact that before the city was overrun by hellish monsters, this was a sweet home, or the eludes to the residents’ strive to defend their home in a quest for survival, or even perhaps it is tagged as sweet home because it is the last known building occupied by humans who were yet to turn to monsters. All of these assumptions may or may not be the reason behind the title but in plain view or in the concept of matching the plot to the title, this is perhaps wrong. Well, producers might have had no other choice than to name the drama “Sweet Home” since it is an adaptation of a webtoon with the same name.
3. “The Liar And His Lover”
“The Liar and His Lover” might have a sort of correlation between the title and its plot but that could be tagged as a stretch. Judging by the title alone, “The Liar and His Lover” either sounds like a sappy rom-com drama where the main lead is a typical rich playboy who spends his days squandering his money and nights with different women. His lie here would be that he tricks different women into dating him and being with him, promising them he would love and take care of them. He continues on his whirlwind journey of mischievous acts until he meets someone who is just as charismatic as he is or even more so, and ends up falling in love with her. Or it could readily be about a con man who tricks people for money as he sees there is no other way to make ends meet or has been trained to be like this right from a young age. He, however, eventually meets someone who perhaps has been a victim of a con or been jilted by her lover, while trying to win her heart, he has to hide his past from her, even though there are many situations or events that make it come to light. These kinds of rough stories, perhaps speak more to the title of this series than a story about a genius musician who has to hide his identity following a heartbreak and a loss in confidence to perform. Even though the fact that the main lead seemingly living a double life would perhaps make him being tagged a liar almost sound plausible, it isn’t until the story progresses that we get a view into his trauma and why he had to hide his identity. Although it wasn’t really hidden as many already knew who he was before the big reveal.
4. “Healer”
Again, judging by the title, at first glance, one would not think that “Healer” would be about a courier with great fighting skills who sees his fate intertwined with a reporter and a journalist as they embark on a thrilling journey to uncover the truth behind a past incident and a string of murders that follows suit from there. One would however think it is a medical drama or even at a long stretch, could it could be a fantasy or mystical drama. But not a crime-fighting thriller drama that has no correlation to what the term being a “healer” actually means. If we are looking to really stretch and find a sort of semblance between the meaning of the word “healer” and the character in the series, we could say “Oh, he gets paid to carry out unconventional tasks and saves people as well.” Perhaps it is the fact that he is able to use his smart and skills to get people out of precarious or life-threatening situations that makes the name “Healer” sort of makes sense but then again, this is all done because of money (well, in the first couple of episodes anyways) and as the story progresses, perhaps the plot even strays further from the title as he becomes more of a “Protector” than a “healer”.
5. “Imitation”
The term imitation can be defined in layman’s terms as “copying”, “mimicking”, or “impersonating” a person or thing. With the title of an idol drama being “Imitation”, one would expect a case of two different idols, where one copies the other so well, they somehow become even more significant or popular than the original. Perhaps to the extent that the original falls out of grace and popularity as well. However, as the drama unfolds, you see the original is just that, original, and eventually claim back their rightful position. This does sound more dramatic and also matches the title of the drama more than its plot. While the drama does have a couple of scenes that address a “copycat” situation, there wasn’t a full-fledged story around it. Meaning, it wasn’t centered around the case of being a mimic or copy-cat, rather, it focused more on the struggles that idol trainees faced, it gave a glimpse of the realities of dating cultures in the idol world, the abuse that many idols face, and the journey towards achieving their dreams of being on stage. While all these sub-plots served as an interesting eye-opener into the idol world for many viewers and makes the drama an instant favorite with a high rewatch value. However, when it comes to matching the title to the storyline, despite this being catchy or memorable it is, it also borders on misleading as well. A similarly themed drama that matches the title to its storyline is “MIMICUS” which gave us a story about students in an arts high school who strive to be real in a culture where mimicking has become a norm. Its story centers on 2 characters Han YooSung (played by Yoo YoungJae) and Ji SooBin (played by Kim YoonWoo). Because of his lack of fame, Han YooSung is being branded as the mimic of Ji SooBin, who is a famous idol trainee and the son of the CEO of an entertainment agency. But unbeknownst to the public, the case is reversed as Ji SooBin is the actual mimic. The story covers the underlying effect of trying to imitate or expressively be like someone else, the toll it takes on your mental health, and how you invariably lose your own identity in the process. Do you think these titles are misleading? Which other K-Drama titles do you think fall into this category? Let us know in the comments section below. 7 Top Upcoming Korean Web Dramas To Have On Your Watchlist This December 2022 KDRAMA STORIES|Nov 25, 2022
