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Interview

ARCADIA PAGE p3

Comics artist Arcadia Page discusses what she likes about Korean dramas...

READERSVOICE.COM: What are some good Korean dramas you’ve liked and what is it about them that stands out from other dramas?

ARCADIA PAGE: My favorite Korean dramas right now are You’re Beautiful and Dream High. I’ll also add Rooftop Prince to that list. I’m still in the middle of watching it, but it has been very, very entertaining.

What stands out to me about these dramas is that although they are dramas–full of family intrigue and hospital visits–they can be very funny at the same time. I also like how the stories really highlight the emotions of the characters. For example, if there is a moment where the character is showing a very strong emotion, there is more than one camera shot of their expression from different angles to really highlight their reaction. It’s very similar to how in a manga at a dramatic moment, the character’s face may be drawn in multiple panels from different angles to give the reader time to soak in what that character is feeling.

I also like how the relationships don’t progress very quickly. It takes a long time for the characters to even start liking each other. So by the time they come around, I’m really involved and can’t help rooting for them. It’s neat watching two people fall in love from ground zero. A lot of the dramas deal with that awkward point in a romantic relationship where both parties like each other, but they are not totally confident about if the other person likes them yet.

RV: What’s your weekly routine in Deltona, Florida?

AP: I do so many different things that my everyday routine is rarely consistent. But on Sunday, I usually sit down and make a very long to-do list. This list is usually long enough to take a whole week to finish. From there I split the list into what I want to get done each day of the week. I try to leave Sundays empty so I can finish what I didn’t get done and enjoy myself. I’m working on dedicating Saturday evening to creating posts for my blog.

Every other Saturday I’ve been teaching children how to draw so maybe in the future they can make comics and graphic novels of their own.

Also, I write in my journal every morning. I started doing that this past December, and I’ve found that keeping a journal helps me to organize my thoughts and not get overwhelmed with ideas. That used to be a big problem. It’s also a great place for me to stick my sketches.

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– copyright Simon Sandall