Back in 2001, I remember making fun of my sister for watching afternoon soap opera. I found it extra funny that she still watched it despite the language barrier and was reduced to reading subtitles to understand the story. Pretty soon I found myself seated beside her, as equally curious to how the story will unfold.
It became very popular in the Philippines even to the point that the stars of the show came here and had sold-out concerts. One of them even starred in a local movie with a Filipina actress. There was a lot of merchandise being sold related to the TV show. The faces of the stars were plastered on t-shirts, mugs, caps, pins, towels, posters, stickers, pillows and any other form of memorabilia you can think of. The Philippines had gone over the top crazy for Taiwanese drama.
The story of Meteor Garden revolves around a poor girl named Shan Cai. She has to go to an expensive school because her mother wants her to meet a rich guy in the hopes of securing her daughter’s future. In the school, there is a popular group of guys called F4 who are supposedly the most eligible. The story chronicles Shan Cai’s daily dealings with them and the rest of the snobby, rich brats in school.
It may be shunned by people who prefer high culture entertainment but for most, it is a form of escape from the daily toils of life. What is it about Asian afternoon drama that makes it so appealing to the masses?
It’s because of a number of reasons. The story is simple enough that people won’t have to think about the plot too much for them to enjoy it. The main character is usually someone almost everyone can relate to—a girl of humble means with a good heart but a strong character. The supporting cast is filled with good-looking guys who all pursue the main character. Although at first the main character is terribly mistreated, the story unfolds in her favour eventually leading her to win at life. Not a bad story at all. I’m pretty sure everyone would want that to be the story of their life.
Nowadays, watching Asian shows such as Meteor Garden is normal all around the world. Streaming sites such as Hulu have a wide range of Korean, Taiwan, Japanese and Chinese drama available for everyone to enjoy.
