A Story of a K-pop Fan and Two Male Students
A new TV drama inspired by Korean drama storytelling has emerged in Mexico, a country known as a "drama paradise."
On October 24, Yonhap News reported that Canal 5, part of Televisa Univision-one of Mexico's two major nationwide broadcast networks alongside TV Azteca-will air the first episode of the drama "Love Contract, You and Me" (Contrato de Corazones, Tu y Yo) on October 27 (local time).
Poster of the Mexican TV drama "Love Contract, You and Me." Provided by Televisa Univision. Photo by Yonhap News.
Canal 5 introduced the series as "a show inspired by K-dramas, which have become globally renowned." The drama is set in an elite school and follows the stories of its male and female protagonists. Notably, the show features plot elements related to K-pop.
The female student, "Peri," is an avid K-pop fan who enters the prestigious school with the dream of studying fashion design in Seoul. She hides her humble background, but when "Sebastian" accidentally discovers her secret, they enter into a contract to pretend to be a couple at school.
"Sebastian" is a character who keeps his distance from others due to guilt over his mother's death. He is in conflict with his former friend "Mateo," from whom he drifted apart over a girlfriend. "Mateo," the charismatic and popular captain of the basketball team, becomes captivated by "Peri," leading to intense competition with "Sebastian."
As the plot suggests, the series evokes memories of youth melodramas that were popular in Korea. Director Eduardo Murgu?a also referenced K-dramas when describing the show. He stated, "While maintaining the traditional structure and virtues of melodramas, we incorporated features characteristic of K-drama formats," citing examples such as increasing the use of dreamlike scenes and actively inserting slow-motion sequences during editing.
He also emphasized that props inspired by Korean-style logos or icons were used in the set design to appeal to both long-time drama fans and younger viewers. The series will be exported to more than 100 countries, including Brazil, Colombia, the United States, and various European nations, and translated into over 30 languages.
Mexico is known for having a massive fan base for TV dramas. It is also a powerhouse of "telenovelas," a globally popular TV genre. The term "telenovela" is a compound word from "tele" (television) and "novela" (the Spanish word for novel). At the International Emmy Awards, it is used to refer to dramas produced outside the English-speaking world.
TV dramas in Mexico enjoy extremely high viewership ratings. For example, the final episode of "Las hijas de la senora Garcia" (The Daughters of Mrs. Garcia), which ended in March, reportedly attracted an audience of 7.5 million viewers, according to local industry media.
In the past, a Mexican remake of the Argentine original "Chorus of Angels" gained widespread attention both globally and especially within Mexico, serving as a catalyst for the popularity of Mexican dramas.
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