Rooftop Prince: SeNa

--SMTOWN-B2ST-INFINITE SUBS

I watched Rooftop Prince at about the same time I watched Fashion King. I preferred Fashion King over Rooftop Prince, even with its crazy ending. 

Unlike most of the viewers, I thought Sena with how evil she was, was the saddest character. She was as sad as Jae Hyuk in Fashion King, and thankfully both characters were just as complex (Jae Hyuk wins in complexity). The saddest part for me was when Sena's real mum meets her adoptive mum (her aunt) and the adoptive mum made her favorite dishes and the floodgates open when she burned herself trying to carry a hot pot. That moment hit a nerve because it was absolutely realistic. Sena never really liked her "mum" and she was not a caring daughter. Yet her "mum" gave her everything a mum could--Sena's foods cooked in that picky manner, and as much love as a mum could give. Sena did not return the favor but the "mum" was her mum.

Sena played by Jung Yoo Mi

"mum" played by Song Ok Sook

Biological mum played by Na Young Hee

From Left to Right: Choi Woo Shik, Jung Suk Won, Lee Min Ho

KDRAMA SUMMER VIEWING CHALLENGE

I love villainous characters and Fashion King, so far, is the only one to give me a good one. I do not like typecast roles, they are simple and boring. My favorite characters would have to be the "Power Rangers," the King's 3 men,  and the antagonist SeNa. The Power Rangers are hilarious and adorable while SeNa is just beautiful to watch, her acting is just amazing.

Green Ranger (the smart one) played by Lee Min Ho

Yellow Ranger (the adorable one) played by Choi Woo Shik

Blue Ranger (the bodyguard) played by Jung Suk Won

King played by Micky Yoochun

I do not pay attention to main characters unless they stand out, exceptions: Hyun Bin, Kim Sung Ah, Lee Seung Ki among others. The main characters in this drama are actually pretty good but the "loveness" of it all is just not my cup of tea. I do have to say that Micky Yoochun did exceptionally well here.

I like Sena because she was such a bad character (in the literal meaning and the Michael Jackson meaning) and played by a really good actress. I wanted a reason behind why she hated her sister but the writers/directors never gave one. Something must have spurred that hate. In the past it was because her family put her aside for the Crown Princess (which does serious damage to a kid's psyche). But in the present, there is nothing concrete. Other than her real mother abandoning her with her aunt, which could explain why she was never close to her adoptive mother.

What I really really really loved about this drama is that for once, the characters had common sense--the main male lead that is. The King, along with his Power Rangers, had to solve a mystery and they were pretty smart. It is pretty rare to find a drama where the lead characters apply real life common sense so that was refreshing to watch. Also, this drama did the time travel bit excellently. I watched Secret Garden and the body switching was so underplayed and underutilized but in this one, the writers got it oh-so-right.

The drama was definitely about love but I liked the mystery aspect of it as well. Oh and the power rangers and the food---KDrama and food is something else. And those rangers were absolutely darling.

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.