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        From Thailand To Korea What Are The 4 Main Differences Between The Two Versions Of The BL Drama "Why R U"

        Adaptations always differ from their original work, and it's also the case for the BL drama "Why R U". Check out the 4 main differences between the Thai and Korean version of the drama.

        Ash, Kpopmap Editor
        4 min to read  ·  Published : Oct 10, 2023
        From Thailand To Korea What Are The 4 Main Differences Between The Two Versions Of The BL Drama "Why R U"

        Heavenly's Instagram

        In 2020, the Thai BL drama "Why R U", inspired by the Eponim novel, was released and experienced great success. The cast was on point and the plot and acting were intense. For all BL drama lovers, this series became one of the most iconic ones, a classic to watch. But what no one saw coming was the Korean adaptation of this drama that aired only a few months ago. Indeed, three years after the release of the original work, Korea announced that they were adapting the iconic Thai drama. Expectations and excitation rose amongst BL fans, and after months of waiting, the final product was out.

        Even without being a professional, anyone can guess that making an adaptation of any kind is hard. It requires good knowledge of the original work, and a good choice of actors, locations, and music. Just like any adaptation, "Why R U" (2023) was a challenge, but the crew did a great job. Yet, as it is an adaptation, it is not an exact copy of the Thai drama there are a lot of noticeable differences between the two works. So let's see what changes have been made in the Korean version of the Thai BL drama "Why R U".

         

        1. The characters' names

        From Thailand To Korea What Are The 4 Main Differences Between The Two Versions Of The BL Drama "Why R U"

        Heavenly's Instagram

        As the original works, both drama and book, are from Thailand, the original names of the characters were also in Thai. Even though the production team could have kept the name to make it a similar series, they decided to change the characters' names to Korean ones, that way it is a full Korean adaptation. That is not a bad choice, because thanks to that, the second the drama starts and you get to know the characters, you realize that the universe of the show is slightly different from the original. Which allows a better acceptance and understanding of other differences seen in the drama. As it is an adaptation, there are common points with the original work, but it is also its very own show due to all the changes added by the crew.

         

        2. The length and number of episodes

        From Thailand To Korea What Are The 4 Main Differences Between The Two Versions Of The BL Drama "Why R U"

        Heavenly's Instagram

        The Thai BL industry has been growing in Thailand for many years, compared to Korea where the genre is slowly, but surely, rising. Because of that gap between the two countries' industries, the duration of the drama varied widely. The original Thai series included 13 episodes of around one hour each, while the Korean version of the show only has 8 episodes of 25 minutes each. This influenced a lot the progress of the story and the ability to develop the characters in the Korean version, compared to the Thai one. Nonetheless, the core of the story remains and we can still enjoy a cute love story for both main and secondary characters.

         

        3. The relationship development

        From Thailand To Korea What Are The 4 Main Differences Between The Two Versions Of The BL Drama "Why R U"

        Heavenly's Instagram

        As mentioned previously, the length of the drama drastically changed in the Korean version, so the relationships couldn't be as developed as in the original series, and even if the outcome is the same, the process of how each couple is created also differs from the Thai show. For example, the main couple characters, in the Thai series Saifah and Zon, are supposed to be in a love-hate relationship and slowly fall in love, it is almost like a slow burn and we can really see the changes in their feelings slowly. While in the Korean version, the main characters, LeeWon (Lee JungMin) and JiOh (Lee YeHwan), have a change of heart way more quickly, it's almost like JiOh was actually in love with LeeWon from the beginning, the evolution of their characters and their closeness is less detailed than in the original version. The secondary couple also saw various changes in their relationships and iconic scenes. All those changes are what gave the biggest impression of watching a whole new show instead of a simple adaptation. The production team really made changes in accordance with the Korean culture and film industry making the whole universe of the story merge with Korea, and in this sense, it was an amazing adaptation.

         

        4. The love scenes

        From Thailand To Korea What Are The 4 Main Differences Between The Two Versions Of The BL Drama "Why R U"

        Heavenly's Instagram

        Because the duration of the drama didn't allow us to see much of the characters' relationship after they got together, a lot of love scenes disappeared from the original show. Also, because Korea is only opening its horizon in terms of queer relationships, the industry cannot yet produce revealing scenes as much as there was in the Thai drama. And even if the drama isn't less good without those, it does take away part of the identity of the original drama. This enhanced this feeling of having an adaptation that is more of an original show inspired by the Thai show than an actual adaptation that would just copy the story. While many people felt a bit disappointed to not see all the original iconic scenes of the drama, those who watched the drama from a new perspective did enjoy it as it is. Instead of pursuing deep relationships and character development, the Korean team went for a lighter approach to the work, and it wasn't bad at all.

         

        There are many little details that changed in the Korean version of the BL drama "Why R U" making it look more like a whole new series rather than a simple adaptation, and it was quite refreshing to see. If you still haven't watched this drama, you can binge-watch it right away, and remember to see this work in a new light!

         

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