Ok, I admit it, I am a total dork! Lately my life has been less going out, more watching TV and YouTube webisodes. I'm in a nasty reality tv rut and need to bust out, but these shows keep sucking me in! Maybe this is a desperate cry for help. Who knows....
The latest obsession is "K-Town." It's a YouTube show produced by the Loud channel about Asian Americans hanging out in LA's Korea Town. It portrays the life of an Asian American that is quite different from the asian stereotype. Instead of striving for straight As in college, being home to help the family, and going to Korean baptist church, these people get drunk, catty, and are completely obsessed with their looks, materialism, and drama. And you know what? This is really what Asian Americans do. Well...SOME of the popular asians do. Nevertheless, I am pretty impressed that even though this show may or may not be scripted it does portray what some of the more Americanized Asians are doing.
I'm 31 years old and I do remember my time in my late teens to early 20s where most of my friends were asians and we would down Hennessy like it was water. I probably drank more shots with my asian friends than anyone else. I would be back at school the next day all hungover trying to study and running to the bathroom to throw up in the college library. Drinking games with cheap beer were a staple at all parties. A typical night out in Seattle would include a Chinese 4th meal (only thing available after 2 AM in Seattle at the time) to soak up all the alcohol before your drove home. The shit you see on this show isn't newsworthy. Asians love hooking up and partying just as much as any of those characters on the Jersey Shore. The only problem is that most asians want to keep that a secret. Some don't really want other races to see this because the stereotype that's been long-upheld has benefited us in many ways. Are all asians good at math? No...but it's nice for people to think you have a propensity to figure out how to split a dinner bill six ways.
"K-Town" blew this door to asian stereotypes wide open for anyone online to view. My favorite characters on the show is Scarlet Chan and Jasmine Chang.
Scarlet (girl on top) gets a lot of shit for being incredibly loud, rude, and all up in everyone's business, but she keeps it real. I love her brute honesty about any topic and she's only voicing the opinions of what many of the viewers are thinking even though she's doing it completely drunk. I love that she will never give the time of day to a guy that's shorter than her. I never did either. Hello!!! Just because I'm 5'2 that doesn't mean I am interested in a guy who's only 5 foot tall! Find someone who is 4'11 or shorter! She's hilarious and I would love to watch this girl on a date with a guy she thinks is good looking. So far nothing in K-town is impressing her. Everyone's been a "Konguru" in her eyes.
Jasmine Chang (the blond asian on the bottom) is considered the jokester, and she's really witty with her words, and knows how to laugh and have a good time. One time I also tried dying my hair blonde when I was younger but it came out green and orange and made me look bald like a cancer patient. Jasmine can pull it off and she has a fun sense of style. These two characters together make Youtube gold in my book. All they need to do is go to grocery stores and go out and it will be fun to to watch them get into trouble and make fun of Colonel Sanders again.
The other character are alright and have their small shining moments. I really enjoy watching Young Lee because I think he's the most real out of all of them. He's not really trying to get in front of the camera but he knows how to be a good presence. His storyline about making it in Hollywood while trying to marry the love of his life is fun to watch. Joe Cha is the dude from Seattle and I used to see him around at the same places I used party at. He was very popular, knew everyone, and a lot of girls thought he was super hot. The show hasn't really given him much of a chance to shine. Steve is the drunk guy who likes to instigate a lot of things. He reminds me of a couple of my old guys friends who would always trying to get everyone wasted. Cammie, Violet, and Jowe are interesting sometimes, but the show hasn't spent too much time really developing their characters. Quite frankly, if they did a Scarlet and Jasmine spin-off show I wouldn't miss any of the other cast members.
The one thing I think this show is missing that even the Jersey Shore has is the element of family. As a fellow Asian American a lot of who we are are influenced by our families and if they had a chance to film these people interacting with their family members I bet you the ratings and viewership will skyrocket. I want to see Joe talking to his mom about his career, Scarlet to talk to her family about her life decisions and what their expectations are. Don't you think what happens within their family influences what they do on K-Town? Yes, for sure! Why does Steve like to drink so much? You got to wonder if his family has anything to do with it. I have some Korean friends and have dated a few Korean guys in my life and I know that the family unit is very strong and if the family doesn't approve, all hell will break loose. Maybe one day these cast member's families will allow us to see this.
I know what you are thinking: What does this review have to do with conscious marketing? Television or webisodes is a type of marketing. These people are edited and portrayed in a way that the Loud channel thinks is interesting and will drive viewers to the show. The fact that they are not playing it safe with the typical Asian American type cast is worthy to note. I haven't seen too many asians on tv get as drunk or crazy as these guys. This is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but if you grew up like me you will will definitely relate to a couple of situations when you watch the show. Sure, it doesn't put asians in the best light, but seriously, this is what's happening out there and there should be a show about it.
So scripted or not, this is my guilty pleasure I have to watch every Wednesday on YouTube.
