“East Asianess”: The Aesthetic Resonances and Narrative Strategy of the South Korean TV-Drama LTNS

This article takes the South Korean streaming platform TVing 2024's TV drama LTNS (short for "Long Time No Sex") as the analysis text.In the form of black comedy, this series portrays the survival difficulties faced by young families in South Korea, who are facing marital crisis, heavy debt burden, and unemployment pressure.The deeper reasons for the difficulties faced by these individuals actually come from the deep-rooted problems of social stratification and wealth disparity.It offers a sharp critique of social realities and contemporary concerns, showcasing diverse values.As a typical representative of current Korean realism TV drama, it inherits the excellent tradition of realism in Korean dramas and draws on the aesthetic style of American and European streaming media films.Analyzing this work allows us to gain insight into the complex contradictions between the cultural traditions and contemporary social life of East Asian societies, as well as the public mindset when facing these contradictions.It also reveals why contemporary Korean critical realism dramas can have a widespread influence in East Asia.The East Asian characteristics of the story, the appeal of the narrative, and the sharp criticism wrapped in interesting stories collectively constitute the reasons for the influence of Korean dramas.