Critique Compilation #1

She's Dating The Gangster

Disclaimer: The following are all based on the published book and NOT the movie adaptation.

Based on my own looking glass, the story is about a typical school girl (Athena Dizon) who unfortunately and unwillingly builds a connection with their school's "bad boy" (Kenji de los Reyes) due to a mistaken identity. Because of several consequences that allow the two protagonists to be together at all times, they start brewing certain feelings for each other. As time goes on, their feelings grow stronger. In the end, fate gives them one final test which constitutes a rather unexpected ending.

Other critics seemed to have noticed certain elements within the story that are debatable. In the next few paragraphs, I'll try to explain some of these using my own perspective.

First off, let's talk about the word "gangster." Some critics and other common people always say that this term is a hyperbole, and is therefore inappropriate for the character and the title. Perhaps we should not just focus on the denotations of the said term. There are certain connotations that match the characterization of the male protagonist. Since he is not a member of a real "gang" within the story, then it can be established that he is not a real gangster. Rather, the said term is just used as a description and generalization of the behaviors of the character (such as smoking cigarettes, using cuss words, and engaging into brawls). "If he's not a real gangster, then why the hell did the author use the term?!" - This is the usual question that we hear from others. Try replacing the word "gangster" with "bad boy" such that She's Dating The Gangster would become She's Dating The Bad Boy. Don't you think the former sounds more appealing to readers? (No offense to those who actually used the latter as their stories' title. It's also catchy, but I'm just trying to explain the topic at hand). If you're still bothered by the term within the title, then think of it as the author's way of taking poetic license.

Let's now talk about the association of Korean culture within the story, including several Hangul characters embedded within it. Some critics say that this is another factor which makes the story "informal" as it follows the format of Korean drama series. Perhaps that's how others view it, and such format may have been followed by the author (who knows what the author's real intentions are?) but it must not be a reason for them to debase the story itself. Just because some are not interested in Kpop or Korean culture doesn't mean one can already degrade something that includes its concepts, elements, etc. in its contents. It is actually a fresh perspective for readers especially since they get several hints about a different culture. Take Carlos Bulosan and his novel for example. Bulosan's (1998) All The Conspirators became internationally acclaimed even if it features the Philippines and its culture during the end of World War II (I'm stating this in such manner with an intent to explain the possibilities. Clarifying this in terms of semantics, it is not my intention to actually degrade the country just because of the description and word choice). By "internationally acclaimed," this indeed means that the novel is being sold worldwide and therefore became popular throughout the world.

Let's now put everything into a conclusion by dealing with the structure of the story. People who said that it is poorly structured must have not considered the fact that we are now living in a modern time where a lot of improvements have taken place. What could be their basis for saying so? The text messages and emails within the book that are enclosed in boxes? The association of other people's culture? The use of inappropriate words? First of all, In my own understanding, those parts of the story with text messages and emails are isolated to give emphasis to each one, and it's also for the reader to be able to recognize them apart from the other paragraphs or lines that constitute the whole story. Second, utilizing the concepts and terms from other people's culture is just a simple way of showing that we have been learning about the other parts of the world in the modern time and in a contemporary manner, that we have been acquiring some knowledge about them, and that we are applying what we have been learning through literature. Lastly, these nuances shouldn't be dubbed as "poorly/improperly structured." These changes are rather innovations or what are simply called "new styles" for contemporary literature. Thus, it should not be frowned at. Instead, we should take into consideration the mere fact that CHANGE is inevitable, and that the only thing that doesn't CHANGE ...is CHANGE itself.