rooftop prince: flawed but fun
The fun part is what matters. Thank God we've got loads of it because the makjang/chaebol parts were kinda slow and derivative.
But these four time travelers are amazing. Heroine Park Ha is one lucky (or unlucky?) woman.
Thoughts on episode 1
The first episode provides the backstory for both the modern and Joseon-era characters, which meant lots of inter-cutting across time. I thought it was done rather well; I wasn't confused at all.
All in all, I enjoyed the Joseon backstory more than the modern one. Kid!Bo-kyung playing another usurper to Crown Princess position aside, I find the supposed similarities to MoonSun minimal and unobtrusive. Rooftop Prince managed to spin a unique tale on the murdered Crown Princess/thwarted young love thing. I love that the Crown Prince who wanted a beautiful wife finds himself drawn to the smart but disfigured sister. I also love that Lee Gak still loves his pretty but dim (BUT deceptive) wife, if only because I tired of the whole strangled by fate thing. Lee Gak and Bu-young (Joseon!Park Ha) may be suited for each other, but it would take more than trading poems by the pond to make him fall in love with her. Fate (represented by a butterfly; this is the third drama I've seen that uses the Butterfly of Fate) does play in bringing these characters across time together, but fate does not mandate their feelings.
The mystery behind the Crown Princess's death was done just right: dark and spooky, with some suspicious coverup by her own father. Lee Gak recruiting those fine, fine men (whose talents were about to be wasted by vagrant living/execution/prostitution) to investigate the death of his wife was both hilarious and awe-inspiring. The four of them doing the fearsome foursome strut across the palace yard was inspired. Too bad the TARDIS masquerading as the moon swallowed them up just as they this close to solving the murder.
OTOH, I have very mixed feelings about the modern-day setup. I loved Park Ha immediately, but her sister Se-na was such a cardboard cut-out villain I wanted to slap her. And then there's Tae-moo, the chaebol heir who appears to be more complex but still lives comfortably off his cousin's death/disappearance. Tae-young (modern!Lee Gak) and Park Ha's first meeting and his initial attraction to her because she's pretty makes me both sad and giddy. Sad because his taste for pretty faces hasn't changed at all, giddy because it's like he and Park Ha were both offered a chance to get to know each other again and perhaps fall in love this time around. Too bad he drowned.
Thoughts on episode 2
HILARIOUS. Just plain effing hilarious. While episode 1 gives us nothing but setups, episode 2 doles out the laughs like there's no tomorrow.
It's in this episode that we get to know more about bodyguard Yong-sool, eunuch Chi-san, and tutor Man-bo. Not their backstories (those get approximately one line each in episode 1) but their personalities. Each of them react differently to the change in setting. Yong-sool, the brawny one (not exactly dim, but not the brightest of the three servants either), reacts to "threats" like arrow shots in the tv by drawing his sword and kicking it down. Chi-san plays the delicate pretty-boy card, fainting before Park Ha to win her sympathy. Man-bo uses his photographic memory to track her down, and he's the first one who understands what Park Ha plans for them.
Lee Gak, of course, orders them around and does nothing because that's what a Crown Prince does. His imperious manner is so hilarious because Park Ha's responses (eye-rolls, facepalms, and this-people-are-insane gestures) are so appropriate and real. Lee Gak and Park Ha have so much chemistry. I'm happy that they're so annoyed with each other (Lee Gak imagines torturing her in chibi form) and then bond over soju and whipped cream (no, there's nothing remotely kinky about that; the scene was very cute and PG). This is one kind of romance lacking in kdramas nowadays: the guy and girl become friends first before lovers.
This is the episode where I began to truly love our heroes and heroine. Park Ha is such a bossy boots when it comes to her "delusional" boys, but she takes them in and cares for them anyway. I love that she orders them around and calls out Lee Gak on his inactivity, AND THEY OBEY HER. Prime Queen material or what? Her vulnerable side appears when she's around Se-na (who should be set on fire, seriously), but otherwise she seems happily annoyed with the four strapping lunatics who keep her distracted.
I admit I'm afraid the whole chaebol company thing will take over the show and reduce the cuteness factor. I find the company conflict (and any scene with Se-na and Tae-moo) dull. I do think the writers know that scenes with the time travelers and Park Ha being cute are the show's strongest points, so I hope they bring out more of that and less of the makjang.
Btw, is Tae-young still alive? And if he is, has he gone back in time to Joseon? Will he be the one who gets to the bottom of the Crown Princess's murder? I saw one preview where he opens his eyes underwater. So... maybe?
Verdict: Cute, hilarious, and very appealing. If the story doesn't veer too much into makjang territory, I think we'll be alright.
But these four time travelers are amazing. Heroine Park Ha is one lucky (or unlucky?) woman.
Thoughts on episode 1
The first episode provides the backstory for both the modern and Joseon-era characters, which meant lots of inter-cutting across time. I thought it was done rather well; I wasn't confused at all.
All in all, I enjoyed the Joseon backstory more than the modern one. Kid!Bo-kyung playing another usurper to Crown Princess position aside, I find the supposed similarities to MoonSun minimal and unobtrusive. Rooftop Prince managed to spin a unique tale on the murdered Crown Princess/thwarted young love thing. I love that the Crown Prince who wanted a beautiful wife finds himself drawn to the smart but disfigured sister. I also love that Lee Gak still loves his pretty but dim (BUT deceptive) wife, if only because I tired of the whole strangled by fate thing. Lee Gak and Bu-young (Joseon!Park Ha) may be suited for each other, but it would take more than trading poems by the pond to make him fall in love with her. Fate (represented by a butterfly; this is the third drama I've seen that uses the Butterfly of Fate) does play in bringing these characters across time together, but fate does not mandate their feelings.
The mystery behind the Crown Princess's death was done just right: dark and spooky, with some suspicious coverup by her own father. Lee Gak recruiting those fine, fine men (whose talents were about to be wasted by vagrant living/execution/prostitution) to investigate the death of his wife was both hilarious and awe-inspiring. The four of them doing the fearsome foursome strut across the palace yard was inspired. Too bad the TARDIS masquerading as the moon swallowed them up just as they this close to solving the murder.
OTOH, I have very mixed feelings about the modern-day setup. I loved Park Ha immediately, but her sister Se-na was such a cardboard cut-out villain I wanted to slap her. And then there's Tae-moo, the chaebol heir who appears to be more complex but still lives comfortably off his cousin's death/disappearance. Tae-young (modern!Lee Gak) and Park Ha's first meeting and his initial attraction to her because she's pretty makes me both sad and giddy. Sad because his taste for pretty faces hasn't changed at all, giddy because it's like he and Park Ha were both offered a chance to get to know each other again and perhaps fall in love this time around. Too bad he drowned.
Thoughts on episode 2
HILARIOUS. Just plain effing hilarious. While episode 1 gives us nothing but setups, episode 2 doles out the laughs like there's no tomorrow.
It's in this episode that we get to know more about bodyguard Yong-sool, eunuch Chi-san, and tutor Man-bo. Not their backstories (those get approximately one line each in episode 1) but their personalities. Each of them react differently to the change in setting. Yong-sool, the brawny one (not exactly dim, but not the brightest of the three servants either), reacts to "threats" like arrow shots in the tv by drawing his sword and kicking it down. Chi-san plays the delicate pretty-boy card, fainting before Park Ha to win her sympathy. Man-bo uses his photographic memory to track her down, and he's the first one who understands what Park Ha plans for them.
Lee Gak, of course, orders them around and does nothing because that's what a Crown Prince does. His imperious manner is so hilarious because Park Ha's responses (eye-rolls, facepalms, and this-people-are-insane gestures) are so appropriate and real. Lee Gak and Park Ha have so much chemistry. I'm happy that they're so annoyed with each other (Lee Gak imagines torturing her in chibi form) and then bond over soju and whipped cream (no, there's nothing remotely kinky about that; the scene was very cute and PG). This is one kind of romance lacking in kdramas nowadays: the guy and girl become friends first before lovers.
This is the episode where I began to truly love our heroes and heroine. Park Ha is such a bossy boots when it comes to her "delusional" boys, but she takes them in and cares for them anyway. I love that she orders them around and calls out Lee Gak on his inactivity, AND THEY OBEY HER. Prime Queen material or what? Her vulnerable side appears when she's around Se-na (who should be set on fire, seriously), but otherwise she seems happily annoyed with the four strapping lunatics who keep her distracted.
I admit I'm afraid the whole chaebol company thing will take over the show and reduce the cuteness factor. I find the company conflict (and any scene with Se-na and Tae-moo) dull. I do think the writers know that scenes with the time travelers and Park Ha being cute are the show's strongest points, so I hope they bring out more of that and less of the makjang.
Btw, is Tae-young still alive? And if he is, has he gone back in time to Joseon? Will he be the one who gets to the bottom of the Crown Princess's murder? I saw one preview where he opens his eyes underwater. So... maybe?
Verdict: Cute, hilarious, and very appealing. If the story doesn't veer too much into makjang territory, I think we'll be alright.