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Characters Trump Clichés
The last time I watched a Korean romcom (King the Land), I was ready to burn my eyeballs out forever. The only reason I watched this one was because Moon Baek, aka Kim Young-Kwang, was in it.
Surprisingly, I liked it. I first thought it was because I like the male lead, but when I think about it, despite the liberal use of clichés from every other Korean romcom (what’s with renting out an entire amusement park as a standard date for all of these shows???), I liked it for two compelling reasons: 1. These characters are very well-crafted, and 2. They’re open about the romantic cliché issue, making it as close to meta as you can get.
Na Bo-Bae is a romance writer, which is just perfect for the meta narrative woven into the clichés. The best use of the romance writer trope, however, is that Na Bo-Bae is often reimagines romantic tropes as the cliché they are, while the show’s reality is often the opposite, effectively placing the subversion front and centre for the audience.
Some clichés were just really well-managed. There’s the mega star third wheel who’s a really, really great guy instead of a douchebag that the FL needs to be saved from. There’s the family matriarch of the ultra-rich ML who does NOT interfere with the relationship. There’s a trusted sidekick who is blunt and overly truthful (he’s really a robot who does a great impression of a human being). And the villain is villainous without overshadowing the main leads (which is my hangover from Kim Young-Kwang’s “Trigger”).
Because of her special power and the fact that she is a writer (a solitary profession), the FL is never decked up or stylishly dressed—the complete opposite, in fact. She’s usually layered and covered up and her electric charge shows up in the static frizz of her ‘rat’s nest’ of hair all the time. The one time she does her “Pretty Woman” impression, the ML never gets to see her that way. So the ML falls in love with who she is, not what she looks like.
At the same time, while he’s always well-groomed, Ho-Rang has a weak heart, which is the entire premise of the story. So he’s not in peak physical shape (though he’s referred to as ‘buff’ at least once), and is not always her saviour.
Unlike other romcoms, the two characters are whole and able to function independent of each other (except for the plot device of the draining heart, of course). It’s not like in “King the Land”, where the hero had no life of his own, and basically fused into the heroine’s life. In “Take Charge of my Heart”, the main characters have their own friends, their own concerns, their activities that the other may never know about.
They’re equally empowered, which is such a relief. Two fully-formed adults come together and fall in love with the person they meet, not the person they evolve into (yeah, I’m still annoyed about that).
I also appreciate the fact that the ML’s power and money are irrelevant to the FL’s reasons for loving him. There’s none of the splash or constant product placement that I’ve seen in other such shows. Except for his home, in fact, his wealth is incidental to the romance—his position feels earned and like he actually works for a living. (Though, I have to say, his money and status are directly responsible for the most egregious clichés of the show. I wonder if they could have avoided them if they'd made him a middle-class kid with ambition?)
Perhaps the scenes I enjoyed the most were the casual conversations the two have sitting in Ho-Rang’s courtyard. You can clearly see their closeness growing in these scenes. They’re not dramatic, nor are they overly emotional. But they’re insightful and deeply intimate, highlighting a budding awareness and love. The chemistry of the two actors is lovely to see and makes their ultimate union believable.
Over all, this is truly a well done romance, because the characters are exquisitely drawn.
Surprisingly, I liked it. I first thought it was because I like the male lead, but when I think about it, despite the liberal use of clichés from every other Korean romcom (what’s with renting out an entire amusement park as a standard date for all of these shows???), I liked it for two compelling reasons: 1. These characters are very well-crafted, and 2. They’re open about the romantic cliché issue, making it as close to meta as you can get.
Na Bo-Bae is a romance writer, which is just perfect for the meta narrative woven into the clichés. The best use of the romance writer trope, however, is that Na Bo-Bae is often reimagines romantic tropes as the cliché they are, while the show’s reality is often the opposite, effectively placing the subversion front and centre for the audience.
Some clichés were just really well-managed. There’s the mega star third wheel who’s a really, really great guy instead of a douchebag that the FL needs to be saved from. There’s the family matriarch of the ultra-rich ML who does NOT interfere with the relationship. There’s a trusted sidekick who is blunt and overly truthful (he’s really a robot who does a great impression of a human being). And the villain is villainous without overshadowing the main leads (which is my hangover from Kim Young-Kwang’s “Trigger”).
Because of her special power and the fact that she is a writer (a solitary profession), the FL is never decked up or stylishly dressed—the complete opposite, in fact. She’s usually layered and covered up and her electric charge shows up in the static frizz of her ‘rat’s nest’ of hair all the time. The one time she does her “Pretty Woman” impression, the ML never gets to see her that way. So the ML falls in love with who she is, not what she looks like.
At the same time, while he’s always well-groomed, Ho-Rang has a weak heart, which is the entire premise of the story. So he’s not in peak physical shape (though he’s referred to as ‘buff’ at least once), and is not always her saviour.
Unlike other romcoms, the two characters are whole and able to function independent of each other (except for the plot device of the draining heart, of course). It’s not like in “King the Land”, where the hero had no life of his own, and basically fused into the heroine’s life. In “Take Charge of my Heart”, the main characters have their own friends, their own concerns, their activities that the other may never know about.
They’re equally empowered, which is such a relief. Two fully-formed adults come together and fall in love with the person they meet, not the person they evolve into (yeah, I’m still annoyed about that).
I also appreciate the fact that the ML’s power and money are irrelevant to the FL’s reasons for loving him. There’s none of the splash or constant product placement that I’ve seen in other such shows. Except for his home, in fact, his wealth is incidental to the romance—his position feels earned and like he actually works for a living. (Though, I have to say, his money and status are directly responsible for the most egregious clichés of the show. I wonder if they could have avoided them if they'd made him a middle-class kid with ambition?)
Perhaps the scenes I enjoyed the most were the casual conversations the two have sitting in Ho-Rang’s courtyard. You can clearly see their closeness growing in these scenes. They’re not dramatic, nor are they overly emotional. But they’re insightful and deeply intimate, highlighting a budding awareness and love. The chemistry of the two actors is lovely to see and makes their ultimate union believable.
Over all, this is truly a well done romance, because the characters are exquisitely drawn.
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