Which Asian Country Has the Biggest Entertainment Industry?
While browsing earlier this morning, I saw this thread in quora
https://www.quora.com/Which-Asian-country-has-the-biggest-entertainment-industry
I am supposed to answer on the thread but my comment became to long it fits to be an article so I decided to post it here.
As a fan of Asian Dramas, Music and Culture. this is my list of Asian Countries who has the biggest entertainment industry.
1 INDIA- undeniable fact that INDIA really has the biggest entertainment industry. Aside from the main Bollywood, they have other regional entertainment industries(i.e Tollywood and Kollywood). Their market range is also wide: From Central Asia(i.e India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, etc) to Europe, America, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Japan and even shown selected Bollywood movies in the Philippines. They also create awesome movies, and since 2010, many are breaking their comfort zones, making eye-opener movies such as Every Child is Special and 3 Idiots. I also watched Baahubali The Beginning and Baahubali The Conclusion, which is actually a Tollywood movie, is also beautiful as whole, from the story, cinematography, performance of actors, down to every last details.
2. CHINA- We all know CHINA is really popular in its CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS Movies loved all over the world(I’m a super fan of Jackie Chan Movies since childhood) and with the Chinese Dramas getting large fanbase again and the Chinese Cartoons, I really believe they have the second largest entertainment industry in Asia.
3. SOUTH KOREA- I can say SOUTH KOREA just recently surpassed the Japanese entertainment industry. With the sudden boom of the KPOP Industry in the west, and large fan base of both South Korean Music and Dramas, they are at the peak of the wave today. Kpop is long time accepted in the west, (BOA Kwon, Rain, Wonder Girls, etc) but the hallyu wave rise so much with Gangnam Style that Kpop was anticipated in many countries after. But it is not just that. Gaming community is also a part of entertainment industry and South Korea has lots of awesome free to play games with lots of servers across the globe. Back in high school, I became addicted(yes, addicted) player of a South Korean game called DANCE BATTLE AUDITION. There are other games more famous as well such as League of Legends. Some Kpop Idols also promote these games. Kpop group BTS or Bangtan Sonyeondan endorsed ELSWORD in 2016, with NEXON launching BTS based avatar(too bad its not available in my country). Collaboration drama between Japan and China/Taiwan are common.
4. JAPAN- JAPAN also has wide range market. With their Animes, Live Actions adaptations of animes, Japanese Drama, and Japanese Rock bands, they come in fourth on my list. Large fan base on both East and West, regular anime and cosplay conventions, Rock Music concerts(such as ONE OK ROCK), anime adaptations to dramas on their home country and other countries(such as China, South Korea and lately, even Hollywood) proves the strong demand. Most of all, Japan is great for making horror movies. Collaboration movies and dramas are also common between South Korea and also with China/Taiwan.
5. THAILAND- For those people who just know the mainstream, they might not have notice that THAILAND is actually in the scene for years now. Many awesome movies had became great hits in many countries not just in Asia. In my country, Thai Dramas came to notice since Crazy Little Thing Called Love and Mario Maurer. Back then, I never really joined the ride(as I was starting to be a fan of Bollywood movies that time) but I can say it is the mark of the Thai Industry sailing to other shores. Maybe South Korean Drama/Music fans already notice that some Thai Dramas are nominated in some drama award categories in South Korea along with Japanese and Taiwanese Dramas. Collaboration dramas such as Love and Lies(South Korean Actor Jung Il-woo and Thai Actress Mild Wiraporn cast as lead roles) which aired on Thai Channel True4u. Another is the Japanese drama Gata no Kuni Kara which Thai Actor Bank Thiti Mahayotaruk and Japanese actress and singer Mone Kamishiraishi cast in lead roles. Other than love stories, Thai Horror movies are also popular. On other genre, movies such as May Who? and Bad Genius are just few of the most notable movies in the Thai Industry.
6. PHILIPPINES- I’m not a total fan of PHILIPPINE dramas myself but I could not deny the fact that it is marketed in many countries as well. The Philippine adaptation of MariMar, for example was aired in Thailand, Malaysia, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Hawaii. Other dramas was also aired in Africa. It is also the most vital and economic cultural export of the country. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_television_drama) Some artist in the music industry are also well recognize. Example is Sarah Geronimo who won many international awards. Lea Salonga, Regine Velasquez and many other talented artist are well recognize abroad. There are also collaboration drama. The fantasy drama Sugo’s casted Taiwanese actress/singer Angela Chang as one of lead actor Richard Gutierrez love interest and an ongoing romance-comedy drama My Korean Jagiya has U-Kiss Alexander Lee as the lead role with Filipina Actress Heart Evangelista. Historical movies are great. I.e is Heneral Luna which tells the story about General Antonio Luna's (played by John Arcilla) leadership in the Philippine Revolutionary Army. The story and cast are awesome despite it's low budget as it is an indie film. The beauty of the film made it as the highest grossing Filipino historical film of all time.
7. INDONESIA- FIRST OF ALL, I WON’T SAY INDONESIA ARE MINORITY OVER PHILIPPINE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. It’s just that I have not explored it yet. I have seen THE RAID MOVIE and its sequels and I have high opinion in it. It was an awesome movie! Music regards, I only know Andra and the Backbone and they also produce good rock music. All in all, I still have to explore this part.
SPECIAL: TAIWAN- YES, YOU READ IT RIGHT! FOR THOSE WHO GENERALIZE CHINESE/MANDARIN DRAMAS, TAIWAN IS A SEPARATE COUNTRY SO I SHOULD PUT IT’S OWN PART OF THIS ARTICLE. HOWEVER, AFTER THE STRONG WAVE OF METEOR GARDEN(I WAS AND STILL A FAN OF THE DRAMA, I HAVEN’T CHECKED ITS ENTERTAINMENT SCENE SO I STILL NEED TO LOOK INTO IT.
Anyway, this is all my own point of view. (It’s embarassing I need to find reference to provide information for my own country). This is unbiased opinion from me and I welcome any other comments and suggestions for other Asian countries to explore and new asian dramas and movie to watch.