|
''Takki'' is a Saudi Arabian drama web series that premiered in February 2012. Mohammad Makki, a 25-year-old male, directed this series. Since no cable channel would air this show, it was put exclusively on YouTube. It also became so successful because Saudi Arabian people are of the worlds most avid watchers of YouTube. With Saudi society being one of the most conservative societies in the Middle East, Takki Series depicts its monarchy and strict Wahabbism. The comment section gives Makki an easy way to get feedback from the audience. "Its presence on YouTube works to emphasize that it’s a product of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA’s) youth." The series has 1 season with 14 episodes, each episode airing between 10–20 minutes. UTURN Entertainment produced Takki Series, making it one of their shows that is posted on their YouTube Channel. This series aims to target the Saudi Arabian youth by showing the daily lives of 6 young adults. In an interview with Arab News, Makki said, "We want to bring our culture to life and narrow the gap between our different backgrounds in Saudi Arabia and, at the same time, show our Saudi society to the world. To show women wearing hijab, praying, Saudi youth problems and issues and narrow the gap between different mindsets as well as give an image about our culture in a jovial way." This show aims to bend the societal rules that are present in Saudi Arabia. The series focuses on depicting issues in Saudi society. These issues are: gender relations, family dynamics, friendship, poverty, racial tensions, and drug use. Addressing these issues is one of the main reasons why Takki Series is one of the most popular web series to the Saudi Arabian youth. The series also takes place in Jeddah, a famously liberal, at least in the Saudi Arabian context, seaside city. Such a series would most likely not be produced in a conservative city like the capital, Riyadh. Jeddah has been known for its liberality going back to the oil boom in the 1970s. The slogan of the city even highlights its special status in the country: 'Jeddah is different.' The government has a less noticeable presence, and the police forces are much less stringent than they are in other areas. Jeddah also serves as a vacationing spot for the majority of Saudi Arabian citizens. Women are allowed more freedoms, from walking through malls and sitting in smoking bars to uncovering their faces. Jeddah hosts concerts of both classical music and rap. Public relations manager Rayyan al-Dahlawi reiterates the freedoms enjoyed in the city by stating, "For people in Riyadh, Jeddah is their breathing space if they can't afford to go abroad."〔(【引用サイトリンク】author=Hammond, Andrew )〕 ==Reception== With millions of views on each of its episodes, it is clear that Takki is one of the most popularly received YouTube series coming out of the Middle East. As stated above, Saudi youth are particularly interested in the series, in large part because they are a generation who could find no reflection of themselves in the foreign-created films and TV shows that they were able to view up to the point of Takki's release.〔(【引用サイトリンク】author=Sunderland, Celeste )〕 Blogger Nikhil Nandigam also offers his own list as to why the series has been so well received:
While Takki still has a long way to go in terms of garnering widespread international appeal, it has still made quite the splash for coming from such humble beginnings. In particular, ''International Business Times'' wrote a large profile piece about the series. In it, Arie Amaya-Akkermans, a writer on Middle Eastern cinema, is quoted as saying that "The handling of the whole relationship topic is very graceful and that's where I think 'Takki's' success lies. It also has an ambiguously positive portrayal of society, not as in flattering, but as in showing what is usually not shown."〔(【引用サイトリンク】author=Abou-Alsamh, Rasheed )〕 There is also considerable talk about the series providing momentum for Saudi Arabia's long-dead film industry. Takki proves that there is significant talent in the country, many stories to be told, and a large audience ready to see such stories. The director of photography on Takki, Hashem Ainousa, was interviewed about the prospects of a film industry in Saudi Arabia by the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, the school he attended before receiving a call from Makki to be the cinematographer for this series. They claim that "Ainousa is confident that Saudi Arabia will become open to a film industry, and he plans to be one of the pioneers. He’d like to start a production house that will eventually become a major studio for the production and distribution of feature films and series in Saudi Arabia. He’d also like to establish a filmmaking institute."〔(【引用サイトリンク】author=Sunderland, Celeste )〕 The ''International Business Times'' also offers that local cinema may find a backer in one of the more liberal princes, Prince Waleed ibn Talal, who owns the entertainment company Rotana. Either way, Makki himself appears to be optimistic, claiming that "There are many young Saudi filmmakers rising. It's contagious, when one starts, others are inspired. I know several filmmakers here in Jeddah, Madinah, Riyadh and the Eastern province. There are not that many, but those who do it are dedicated."〔(【引用サイトリンク】author=Abou-Alsamh, Rasheed )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Takki (web series)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|