Korean Media News

As Spock would say, they are “highly illogical”. But this does not make One HD’s new drama series Rooftop Prince and Fashion King any less fascinating.HOW greedy can one get? Well, when it comes to “Flower Boys”, one can never be too greedy, methinks.And not when the Mat Bunga in question are the Jalgeum Quartet ofSungkyunkwan Scandal – Micky Yoochun, Yoo Ah-in, Song Joong-ki and Park Min-young (who played a girl impersonating a male scholar).
Ever since the fusion historical drama ended its run in 2010, fans have been hankering for another chance to see the “coveted foursome gang” on the telly. Unfortunately, a sequel is not on the cards, not with the same cast anyway.

But thanks to One HD (and definitely SBS), fans can now whet their appetite with two new dramas featuring two of the quartet – Yoochun in the Rooftop Prince and Yoo in Fashion King – on our small screen. In Rooftop Prince, Yoochun reprises his haughty, stiff-collared character as Joseon dynasty Crown Prince Lee Gak. After his beloved wife is found drowned, he finds himself drawn into a web of political lies and deceit.However, just as he is about to get to the root of the conspiracy, he and his three-men posse are transported 300 years into the future, landing right in the centre of modern-day Seoul. The four Joseon noblemen are rescued by struggling grocer Park Ha (Han Ji-min), who helps them navigate the strange new world until they can find their way home. One day, however, Lee Gak catches a glimpse of his late wife in the bustling streets of Seoul.It is interesting how much humour you can eke out from the fish-out-of-water premise. Of course, there is an endless list of modern idiosyncrasies versus ancient awkwardness jokes to play on, but they can also easily wear thin fast if not treated well. Somehow, Rooftop Prince manages to keep things fresh and funny. There are the cliché drama moments, of course – Lee Gak’s modern day doppelganger, for one, is caught in his own office political conspiracy with a fight over the chaebol throne, yawn …Luckily, these moments are kept brief and breezy. An equally smart decision is to explain the complex time-travelling element well early in the series. This allows viewers to relish to their heart’s content the most important aspect of the romcom – the characters.Even though Lee Gak in many ways is no different from his earlier roles, Yoochun here shows how his acting repertoire has improved. His sharp comic timing and expressive face makes his Lee Gak adorably hilarious, especially when his lame idiocy cracks through his obnoxious aristocratic veneer.Yoochun’s cute chemistry with Han, meanwhile, gives their love-hate rapport that extra spark. And when you throw in the rest of the Joseon “Power Rangers” (the nickname given to the time-warped noblemen due to their colour-coded tracksuits) it’s a real lark with their crackling energy.The laugh-every-minute vibe of Rooftop Prince is unfortunately something that Fashion King is devoid of but could have sorely done with. Not just because both are highly makjang (over-the-top and absurd) but because Fashion King’s unrealistic plot will drive you crazy with frustration if you can’t see the funny side of things.And Fashion King pushes its makjang way over the hilt. After mere two episodes, you get everything you can imagine under the sky: evil “stepmother”, cruel boss, fire, mugging, mobsters and human smuggling. There is even a shipwreck! But I digress. In Fashion King, aspiring fashion mogul Young Gul (Yoo Ah-in) of Seoul’s “Sungei Wang”, Dongdaemun, meets talented fashion designer wannabe Ga Young (Shin Se-kyung). Together, they try to break into the high fashion world but haute couture couple Jae-hyuk (Lee Je-hoon) and Choi Anna (SNSD’s Yuri in her acting debut) stand in their way.I guess, for many fans, what irks most is the unmet high expectations they had of Yoo in his comeback drama. To see such a talented actor lost in this illogical mess of a series is a big disappointment. To me, however, it is the eccentricities and lack of direction of the show that is the most endearing. Like Yoo’s Young Gul, Fashion King may be an acquired taste with its rough edges, but if you are patient, you will be rewarded as the frayed seams are finally sewn together. With so many cookie cutter dramas around, I find it refreshing to be taken on their wild flight of fancy. And like Rooftop Prince, it is the actors in Fashion Kingthat keep me going back for more (so I am biased…).I’m not alone though – one delirious fan even mashed-up the two series into a short bromance clip that went viral instantly. The parody video received the seal of approval from the SBS folks, who then hinted at future drama possibilities with the two. They had better not forget Gu Yong-ha and Daemul!Rooftop Prince airs every Monday and Tuesday on One HD (Astro Ch 393) while Fashion King airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 9.05pm.
Credit: The Star + @ChewyAlmond