KDrama

I do not like film characters that I am supposed to like.

I'm watching this Korean Drama, popularly referred to as KDrama, and I cannot find complexity in the characters.

The King 2 Hearts                                        Rooftop Prince

See KDramas have this formula, in the same way a culture's movie's does: Hollywood, Nollywood, etc. The girl is weak, the guy is mean and needs redemption and he gets it through the girl. I got it. I just want some twist in it. I want a Romeo and Juliet type of thing, according to the way Shakespeare wrote it, where both main characters both die, there is a lot of comedy (a la my favorite character Mercutio), and most importantly the characters are dynamic and complex. There is a reason why Romeo fell for Juliet so quickly (Rosaline dumped him) and Juliet was the rebound girl.

I'd like to see a rebound girl/guy in a KDrama. And if there is already a drama with a rebound girl/guy, please let me know.

So in Rooftop Prince, which tries too hard to be funny, the characters are in some reincarnation twist similar to Once Upon A Time (USA show). While I do love the twist, the past explores the complexity of the characters more than the present does. In the past, it is shown why the female antagonist is the way she is: she wanted to be the bride of the Crown Prince but her father sidelined her for being older for her younger sister (and females are taller than males pre-puberty) and her mother gave her prized ribbon to her younger sister to look pretty for the prince. There is an accident with an iron, which may or may not have been intentional, and the sister is scarred for life. I get why she is evil to the sister, I do. Kids at that age, especially pre-teens and teens at that age are fragile. The younger sister could not help it but the parents could and they basically fucked up both of their daughters. Now it's up to the audience to decide whom to root for: the psychologically damaged older sister or the younger sister who just wants her unni's love?

And in The King 2 Hearts, another prince tagline, three members of both Koreas are combined for a WOC fighting-soldier-armed-forces tournament. That soldiers from North and South Korea are participating in the fictional WOC is meant for a unification of both Koreas. I do like the idea and given that the current tide is North Korea is undergoing a leadership change, this is good. The Crown Prince of South Korea is on the South Korea (SK) team to please the people who pay for his upkeep. Y'know, to make the taxpayers proud. On the North Korea (NK) team is a female and two guys. I love that the North team has the female, the symbolism of that is just beautiful. As usual, the Crown Prince is the one in need of redemption and his character gets complexity. He did not want to be king, even though he has the IQ for it. He is lazy and he does not like the added pressure from being in the royal family.

Now when the two teams get together, the pranks begin. The Crown Prince disrupts the team's campfire bonding because he's excluded (more like he excluded himself), and the NK team play one on him where they have him convinced he will be killed with a poisonous needle in his sleep. The Crown Prince comes back with telling the team and the entire faculty, where they are practicing for the WOC, that the female got dumped (ouchie), and he delivers a low blow telling her he does not see her as a woman. The two keep going back and forth, mainly between the main leads (crown prince and female) until the Crown Prince shoots the woman in an exercise.

Now I admit, that has got to be awful, getting shot by someone you are supposed to trust. But...where was the trust? Both of them are acting like little kids and it doesn't help that you have a gun in my face. Yes, the guy gave a low blow and so did the girl when she gave a psycho-analysis. However, I cannot connect with the female because by the 4th episode, there is no complexity to her. She seems like a strong person--physically and mentally--who uses both her fists and tricks to get what she wants. Except I never know what she wants. One minute, she's brave and fearless, the next she is coy and fearful. The abrupt switch between both traits is too jarring and uncomfortable.

A part of me was actually hoping her character died with that gunshot. Her teammates have more complexity than she does, and I cannot even remember her name.