Korean Blog Review: Why in the world does the Crown Prince fall into the rooftop?

Jung Deokhyun, as known as Thekian, is a very famous Korean blogger. He runs his own drama preview blog TheKIAN.NET and he is also one of the writers of  EnterMedia  , a group of columnists on culture & entertainment.

[posted by thekian 2012/4/13 08:58]

The encounter between the premodern and the modern, ‘Rooftop Prince’

Why in the world does the Crown Prince of Chosun fall into the rooftop? ‘Rooftop Prince’ is a drama which utilizes so called ‘timeslip’ through leaping the time as its genre device. While Lee Gak, the Crown Prince of Chosun (Park Yuchun) and his retainers were chased by the assassins, they suddenly leaped the time and fell into the rooftop where Park Ha (Han Jimin) was living. Since someone who lived in the past, particularly as the Crown Prince came to the present, his every move within an unfamiliar environment must become a comedy. His way of talking is so absurd and the behaviors of his loyal retainers are overly exaggerated. Their experiences of modern Seoul per se are linked to the humor such as ‘what this is for.’

At its early stage, it has been called as the drama funnier than ‘Gag Concert.’ Then, a more complicatedly entangled melodrama started. Lee Gak has a feeling on Park Ha which has evolved before he is aware. At the same time, he is trying to get Hong Sena (Jung Yumi)’s heart because he believes his Crown Princess was reincarnated in her. The fact that Hong Sena is Yong Taemu (Lee Taesung)’s lover, who can do everything to achieve his goals makes this four-cornered relationship more complex, however, the framework of this drama on who will be connected to whom in the future is not uncertain. This drama clearly identifies Lee Gak and Park Ha as virtue, on the other hand, Sena and Yong Taemu as evil. If a happy ending will be pursued (it is difficult to have a tragic story line in the genre of comedy), it can be unquestionably seen that Lee Gak and Park Ha eventually open their hearts each other.

In appearance, this drama seems to be nothing more or nothing less than a romantic comedy due to comic features and definite melo lines. However, if we uncover a layer of   such appearance, we can find an interesting point inside. This again comes back to the question why the Crown Prince of Chosun fell into the rooftop. This drama shows that the premodern state of Chosun turns into a comedy per se when it encounters the modern society. It grasped a premodern master-servant relationship as a comedy via showing such features as shouting “his highness” in the street and persisting that they rather have their head cut than their long hair. Therefore, this kind of comedy per se satirizes the premodern   relationship (Is this only the state of Chosun period. In modern world, there is also a hierarchy generated by money) and accommodates the intention to overcome it.

If so, how is the modern world which surpassed the premodern period and became rational and cool like. The state of the modern world where Park Ha is living has its own absurdity as well. Owing to the rationality brought by modernization surpassing the premoderniny, individuals who had subordinated to their groups and status could obtain freedom via money. But, this also made people willing to sacrifice. That is, after money functioned as a medium, good values such as intimate relationships between people have disappeared. Yong Taemu and Hong Sena are such characters who genuinely represent the harmful effects brought by the modern rationality. They make their friends die for their desire and even turn their face away from their family who are in danger.

The reason why the Crown Prince fell into the rooftop derived from the intention to simultaneously view the values of the premodern and modern periods. Indeed, premodern values do not have to be necessarily discarded while modern values are not always better. The important point is to keep good values and to get rid of bad values regardless of premodern or modern periods. In this sense, Lee Gak, the Crown Prince who fell into the rooftop is a character who is standing in a very delicate position. He gradually comes to understand the irrationality of a premodern master-servant relationship through experiencing commoners’ lives and, on the other hand, pathetically looks at contemporary people who are absorbed in money.

‘Rooftop Prince’, therefore, is not a kind of drama dreaming of the revolution in which the present drives out the past. It is just a drama in which the present and past meet and reconcile each other. Then, all the bad things will be pushed away and all the good things will be embraced. Of course, this drama is using timeslip as its genre device. Nevertheless the reason why such comedy-like drama make viewers laugh, cry, and sometimes warm their hearts can be found in the above facts. The point in which the Crown Prince fell into the rooftop and has experienced and viewed the modern commoners’ lives and desires, that is the point where the premodern and the modern meet provides a unique interest to the viewers. Moreover, we need to think about the fact that it is also very significant.

 Source: TheKian +Entermedia

Translated by uttunfan@6002Sky

Edited & Shared by 6002sky

I have been hearing some other dramas’ fans saying that our drama is silly and meaningless. It is just that they have not watched it yet to give any judgement. Rooftop Prince deserves more than just a title romantic comedy.