Hallyu, AlDub you: The PHL’s hottest love team and the Korean Wave

The loveteam of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, a.k.a. Yaya Dub from Eat Bulaga’s “Kalyeserye,” has become not just a national phenomenon but a global one as well, with international news platforms reporting on its enormous effect on worldwide social media trends.

Now, AlDub has also become a relevant point of discussion in the academe, particularly in matters of media and popular culture.

Last Tuesday, the Ateneo Initiative for Korean Studies (AIKS) held a special lecture on how the Hallyu experience may have paved the way for the AlDub craze.

According to Ateneo de Manila University English professor Alona Guevarra, “A successful blending of local content and foreign content derived from the Philippines’ experience of another phenomenon, that of Hallyu (the Korean Cultural Wave), are the strongest ingredients that fueled the rise of AlDub.”

It was in the early 2000s when Korean pop music (Kpop) and Korean dramas first infiltrated the local Filipino television experience, drawing the country into the Hallyuwave.

This popularity is echoed by the AlDub phenomenon, which has created a huge and loyal following in a short span of four months.

The “kilig” factor

The Korean Wave was embraced by Filipino audiences immediately, with Korean dramas such as "Endless Love" and "Full House" garnering fans and Korean talents such as Dasuri Choi and Jinri Park crossing over to the Philippine showbiz industry.

Hallyu's qualities have universal appeal: its light and humorous content, its promotion of traditional family values, and its perfection of the “kilig” or thrill factor.

These qualities are also obviously important components in AlDub, which was accidentally created when the audience saw the immediate chemistry between Alden and Maine even when they were literally in two different places, brought together only by a split screen.

As with Hallyu, AlDub operates according to the desire of the fans and the audience in general.

“Kapag na-inspect mo isa-isa ‘yung components, mapapansin mo talagang may pagkakatulad, mula doon sa pagbihis ni Alden at ni Yaya Dub, pati sa pakikitungo nila sa fans at ‘yung motibasyon ng kanilang fans. Lahat ito, ginawa na rin dati ng mga Hallyu fans, abroad man o Pilipinas,” Guevarra said.

Aegyo and the pabebe wave

Korean pop sensations are also known for the “aegyo,” or the mannerisms and cute trademark signals they do that fans love.

Once again, AlDub proves to have learned quite a few lessons from Hallyu and have created their own aegyo, the “Pabebe Wave,” which has been mimicked by local and international celebrities alike. Even foreign diplomats and journalists have joined in the fun.

“AlDub is the start of us receiving a much-deserved response from the global market to our creative content. Hallyu made us realize that television shows can be something more than commodification of creativity,” Guevarra said.

Fan mobilization

While Eat Bulaga’s “Kalyeserye” has a storyline, it is loose enough to receive suggestions from the fans, therefore a lot of its twists and turns are based on the clamor of the majority.

In turn, AlDub fans' loyalty and devotion are akin to those displayed by Hallyu fans for their own idols, and the behavior is similar, including the creation of fan works and merchandise.

In fact, said Guevarra, many AlDub fans are most likely Hallyu fans as well.

Fan conventions and group actions are also not a new thing for Hallyu fans, who are known to gather for everything from album launches to stadium concerts.

This Hallyu influence can be seen in the recently concluded “Eat Bulaga: Sa Tamang Panahon,” which gathered 55,000 AlDub fans in the world’s largest indoor arena to witness a major occurrence in the pair’s fictional love story.

Hallyu fans have also used their networks to do good, such as blood donation drives and calamity assistance.

Recently, AlDub fans nationwide gathered donations for the victims of Typhoon Lando, and also organized a blood donation drive, which were both supported albeit not spearheaded by Alden and Maine.

Lack of government support

There is one big difference between Hallyu and AlDub, however:  the Korean Wave receives support from the South Korean government, as it positively affects the sales of Korean products and the number of tourists to the country.

According to Guevarra, the South Korean government looked at the potential of Hallyu when Koreanovelas were just starting to be exported to the rest of Asia. The downturn in their economy at the time pushed the government to capitalize on the young industry of Korean drama.

Years later, this risk has obviously paid off, as Korean dramas are seen all over the world, and Kpop has millions of international fans.

The AlDub phenomenon will never be as big as Hallyu unless the government or someone largely influential in the manufacturing of Filipino pop culture will create a model similar to AlDub and shape music and reinvent fashion, among others, that may be followed by the future generations, therefore making the phenomenon’s mark last in the entertainment industry, Guevarra said.

One important lesson from Hallyu that Filipinos can pick up is how it has not been ashamed of merging foreign content with local content, making a unique and perfect Korean entertainment model.

According to Guevarra, “Napakaganda kung, halimbawa, makita ng alinmang sangay ng gobyerno ang potensiyal ng AlDub para maging representative ng kabataan o ng pagka-Pilipino. Kung hindi AlDub mismo, puwede rin ‘yung mas matatandang mga Lola. Bago ang AlDub, wala tayong tinitingala na puwede nating sabihing Pinoy ito, ‘yung talagan Pinoy na representasyon.”

Guevarra believes that AlDub should be utilized while it is still a red-hot phenomenon.

“Kung ima-maximize ng gobyerno… kasi trend ito. Katulad ng lahat ng trend, may shelf life ito. Kung hindi gagalaw ang gobyerno, sayang ‘yung oportunidad na ma-reinvent mo ang sarili mo,” she said.

Guevarra also stressed that there is nothing to be ashamed of about AlDub. She strongly disagrees with the imaginary divide between what is “high art” and what is “low art.”

“Bago pa nauso ang Hallyu at AlDub, ang tatak ng mga Pilipino ay ang pagiging masayahin. ‘Yung humor, lalo na ng Eat Bulaga, talagang nasa AlDub. Hindi mo puwedeng paghiwalayin ‘yan. People watch Eat Bulaga kasi they want that humor—‘yung improvised, light, parang hindi mo kailangang mag-isip ng malalim. Kung lalaliman mo ng AlDub, hindi na ‘yan appropriate sa kaniyang audience,” Guevarra said.

She added, “Ang packaging niya is light. There is hope that family will deliver you from all miseries. Kung ‘yun ang ibig sabihin ng pagiging mababaw, okay nang maging mababaw. Kaysa malalim ka pero hindi mo nabibigay ‘yung mensahe sa audience.” — BM, GMA News