This review may contain spoilers
True love that trancends time can crack reality in a entertaining way
Even though my favorite genre are thrillers, after watching “Rooftop Prince” I am more convinced that time travel dramas capture my attention more deeply than other genres.
“Rooftop” IMO has it all, Comedy, romance, intrigue, betrayal, fantasy elements, and a blend of historical and modern culture. I will start with the setting. Time travel. Mixing the Joseon era with modern day times or characters are not new. But most of them that have been made have been successful. What captured and kept my interest was the characters. This unit was great. Not perfect, but great overall.
The idea of not only the crown prince travels to the future, but a few of his scholars and security followed along with him. The travel element just doesn’t have them transform for general purpose. There are auras of reincarnation after a tragic death and vow for revenge.
Noted performances –
Park Yoo Chun as Crown Prince Lee Gak. The guy lead with a serious tone mixed with comedic and leveling undertones. His three assistants provided a hearty comic relief after some tense and sad moments. They were pivotal in reminding us how one may act or adjust to life 300 years in the future. (Toilet bowl LOL) Just to name a few.
- Han Ji Min as Park Ha. Han Ji Min’s performance was adorable and convincing.
Her various emotions throughout the series were heartfelt. Her character was so likable. I wanted the best for her. Her character was “dragged through the mud” at times. Even though some situations are fueled by her own gullibility. I did find this a little frustrating. Mostly because I wanted her to lock in at critical moments. Overall, it was the performance. One she won a few awards for including the SBS top excellence.
The Antagonist or villains were okay. Hong Se Na and Tae Mu were just as crooked in their past lives. Hong Se Na got on my nerves on many occasions. Later in the series she foils chances to leave it all behind, but she chose to make dumb heartless decisions after another. I found the lack of karma for all of her devious moves throughout the series unsatisfying.
Ha’s friends Becky and Mimi were a nice small addition for supporting characters. IMO, they made the right number of appearances. Not too many, just enough to make a small amount of “supporting” impact. If that makes sense.
The story involving the truth and the disappearance of Tae Young was okay. The side story of Chairman Jang’s quest to find her missing daughter was also okay but drawn out too long.
I feel the series at times played out like a soap opera. And that is not a terrible thing, knowing it was produced over 14 years ago. However, the OST (for me) was average. The loud singing at times where an instrumental may have made a deeper emotional impact was evident. However, there were at least some OST choices that were on point.
Obviously, many of the elements kept me engaged. But it was the interaction between Prince Gak and Park Ha that sealed it. Their relationship wasn’t forced; it was a slow burn. One that was not easy to come by. But the chemistry was there, even with the “idiot” bickering lol. Maybe because I was so engrossed with Park Ha’s character, I knew that being with Gak would make her happy.
Each episode after about episode 10, (after the oops! Text message) I could not help but wonder “how is this going to end?” There was no way Park Ha was traveling back with him, right? So, I geared myself up expecting a letdown at the end. What I got was wedding vows of love and a heart wrenching realization that more of a miracle would be needed.
Overall, despite some small nick picks, I enjoyed “Rooftop Prince” It motivates me to seek out other gems I have missed over the years. I realize some do not like it, while others adore it as much as I did. It is all personal preferences. Example - I had issues with “Destined with you” (My rating 4.5) Another fantasy type series. While a few others loved it with 10’s. But at least I even wrote a long review of why and how I would fix the things that made me rate it so low.
If you are open about fantasy genres with a comedic historical twist, I highly recommend “Rooftop Prince.”
“Rooftop” IMO has it all, Comedy, romance, intrigue, betrayal, fantasy elements, and a blend of historical and modern culture. I will start with the setting. Time travel. Mixing the Joseon era with modern day times or characters are not new. But most of them that have been made have been successful. What captured and kept my interest was the characters. This unit was great. Not perfect, but great overall.
The idea of not only the crown prince travels to the future, but a few of his scholars and security followed along with him. The travel element just doesn’t have them transform for general purpose. There are auras of reincarnation after a tragic death and vow for revenge.
Noted performances –
Park Yoo Chun as Crown Prince Lee Gak. The guy lead with a serious tone mixed with comedic and leveling undertones. His three assistants provided a hearty comic relief after some tense and sad moments. They were pivotal in reminding us how one may act or adjust to life 300 years in the future. (Toilet bowl LOL) Just to name a few.
- Han Ji Min as Park Ha. Han Ji Min’s performance was adorable and convincing.
Her various emotions throughout the series were heartfelt. Her character was so likable. I wanted the best for her. Her character was “dragged through the mud” at times. Even though some situations are fueled by her own gullibility. I did find this a little frustrating. Mostly because I wanted her to lock in at critical moments. Overall, it was the performance. One she won a few awards for including the SBS top excellence.
The Antagonist or villains were okay. Hong Se Na and Tae Mu were just as crooked in their past lives. Hong Se Na got on my nerves on many occasions. Later in the series she foils chances to leave it all behind, but she chose to make dumb heartless decisions after another. I found the lack of karma for all of her devious moves throughout the series unsatisfying.
Ha’s friends Becky and Mimi were a nice small addition for supporting characters. IMO, they made the right number of appearances. Not too many, just enough to make a small amount of “supporting” impact. If that makes sense.
The story involving the truth and the disappearance of Tae Young was okay. The side story of Chairman Jang’s quest to find her missing daughter was also okay but drawn out too long.
I feel the series at times played out like a soap opera. And that is not a terrible thing, knowing it was produced over 14 years ago. However, the OST (for me) was average. The loud singing at times where an instrumental may have made a deeper emotional impact was evident. However, there were at least some OST choices that were on point.
Obviously, many of the elements kept me engaged. But it was the interaction between Prince Gak and Park Ha that sealed it. Their relationship wasn’t forced; it was a slow burn. One that was not easy to come by. But the chemistry was there, even with the “idiot” bickering lol. Maybe because I was so engrossed with Park Ha’s character, I knew that being with Gak would make her happy.
Each episode after about episode 10, (after the oops! Text message) I could not help but wonder “how is this going to end?” There was no way Park Ha was traveling back with him, right? So, I geared myself up expecting a letdown at the end. What I got was wedding vows of love and a heart wrenching realization that more of a miracle would be needed.
Overall, despite some small nick picks, I enjoyed “Rooftop Prince” It motivates me to seek out other gems I have missed over the years. I realize some do not like it, while others adore it as much as I did. It is all personal preferences. Example - I had issues with “Destined with you” (My rating 4.5) Another fantasy type series. While a few others loved it with 10’s. But at least I even wrote a long review of why and how I would fix the things that made me rate it so low.
If you are open about fantasy genres with a comedic historical twist, I highly recommend “Rooftop Prince.”
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