Drama Spotlight: Pride
Bending the space-time continuum for love seemed like it would be a lot more fun than this. There were a few times while watching this that I looked like that guy up there! Operation Proposal definitely has scenes where it feels more like a melodrama than a romantic comedy. Still, it's littered with sweet moments and the actors do a great job of making you care about their characters. It also gets points for being the only time travel of the year to keep things strictly post-industrial revolution.
Alright, I know no drama can be perfect but then why does it feel so perfect? Queen In Hyun's Man definitely casts a spell on its viewers. Maybe it was the chemistry between the leads, (who have since started dating) maybe it was the witty story and spectacular character development, maybe it was the Beanie Magic*. Whatever it was, Queen In Hyun's Man took the time travel rom-com concept and made it say "Uncle!" There's not much else to say about this besides, go watch the drama, and if you already have, go watch it again!
*Beanie Magic - the ability possessed by 99.9% of Asian people to look amazing in a beanie. Really, it's a thing, look it up.
What Rooftop Prince lacked in consistency and storytelling, it made up for with aegyo and villains who were so villainous (heh..) they don't even have good reasons for it--they were just born that way. Seriously, both the "evil" and "adorable" meters broke on this one. Mickey and the rest of the Joseon Power Rangers are a laugh a minute while Han Ji Min brings a refreshing comedy to the "innocent heroine" archetype. Rooftop Prince probably won't win any awards (I hear that Yoochun guy already has a bunch anyways), but it made me laugh and it even made me cry, so mission accomplished! This is one of the best Time Travel dramas of 2012.
I resisted the urge to use a picture of just hero, Jae Joong, in period costume. You should be proud. The second remake of a Japanese drama on our list, Time Slip Dr. Jin came barreling out of the gate with so much excitement, that I wasn't sure if I would be able to contain myself between episodes. By episode 7, those of us who were still awake were a little disappointed. It ended it's run with middling reviews on MDL, but hey, you got to see Song Seung Hun operate on a bloody nerf ball and pretty, pretty JJ try to break bad, so it wasn't a total loss.
If this were a contest, Faith would have won it! This show got my 60 year old uncle who has never paid any attention to Asian culture hooked on saeguks. Lee Min Ho, Kim Hee Sun and the rest of the cast were all spectacular. In fact, I'm going to say that for me, Faith had the best supporting cast of any drama all year--and that's not all it had. Adventure, romance, political intrigue, a title that had nothing to do with the show! None of the big stones were left unturned. Unfortunately, that meant that a few things got less time than viewers would have liked. Why would you give Lee Min Ho lightning hands and only have him use it a couple of times?! And the romance, though spectacular when it appeared, often took a back seat to political machinations. Even with those nitpicks, still a fantastic show.
Some years, it seems certain concepts gain a lot of popularity in Asian drama. This year was time travel--this year it was cooking--I wonder what we'll see next year.
What did you think of this year's dramas? Comment below or look forward to the next YIR :D
Up Next: 2012 RomComs
