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Underdog story as an old-fashioned melodrama in the cutthroat world of fashion.
Fashion King wasn’t well-received here, but it was appreciated in Korea. And while I’m not particularly a fan of The Penthouse, we owe dramas like it to shows such as Fashion King and What Happened in Bali, both written by the same team. Those two set a certain tone and storytelling style that dramas like The Penthouse later picked up on and took further.
So, what is Fashion King? A makjang-style drama filled with pathetic characters. The writers are clearly drawn to complex, often messy love lines, morally ambiguous or outright unlikeable characters, relentless misfortunes, and the classic underdog-vs-rich dynamic. What’s good about it? Everything. I won’t go into too much detail, but the cinematography is worth highlighting—especially the use of color in the first episode and how it develops throughout. The characters’ styling also aligns closely with the story. Well, overall, what Fashion King did couldn’t be done today.
To me, Fashion King is the first drama that comes to mind when thinking of antihero and underdog stories. It’s emotional, thought-provoking, and never boring. It earned its 20 episodes. Sure, the last few were harder to watch, but overall, it was an impressive and genuinely fun experience—at least for me, even if others disagreed.
And the music? Even if we don’t agree on the plot, I bet we can agree on the soundtrack. And the cast, chemistry, sets, and color palette, too. The OST blends classical music with a Spanish flair and early-2010s techno—which works perfectly. “Standstill” and the Japanese track are standout pieces, and Lee Jehoon’s version of one of the OST songs near the end is another highlight.
How to enjoy it? Drop the usual black-and-white perspective and just watch.
-- In defense of Shin Sekyung, other than her being appreciated in Korea and even having received top excellence awards and more, even nominated for Daesang (and being called the Sageuk queen): Whatever people will say about this drama - Fashion King was the one which let me look closer at her acting. I was surprised. I first watched Run On, and later on The Bride of Habaek had me more intrigued about her. Then Fashion King came and I became a fan. Some viewers will say, don't watch it, because she's a "doormat" as they say. But have they tried to look at her character being the youngest of the main cast, her personality and her story? Which contains far more emotions than being a mere doormat, like in Coffee & Vanilla for example. In the end, this label is unnecessarily harsh and in this drama, used as an excuse to hate on the woman because no one wants to criticize the men. For me, her character was realistic and relatable. Then I watched When A Man's in Love (my favorite performance of hers and I'm so glad she got a top excellence award for it). While it was similar to Fashion King, it offered a new side of her. I don't care that the ratings on MDL are low, I loved them.
-- Ending note in the comments / Standstill's lyrics (I really like them)
Playlist I made for the drama: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVlEiYP-9el7bpWy00vzk5ywUdunsQJxz
My favorite edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewyVz9lRCR4 - I'm not surprised Russians loved it due to the intense love line, high drama, unfortunate circumstances and societal aspect. Interesting how it resonates differently to such audiences, right?
Posted some pics recently: https://kisskh.at/3228-fashion-king/photos
So, what is Fashion King? A makjang-style drama filled with pathetic characters. The writers are clearly drawn to complex, often messy love lines, morally ambiguous or outright unlikeable characters, relentless misfortunes, and the classic underdog-vs-rich dynamic. What’s good about it? Everything. I won’t go into too much detail, but the cinematography is worth highlighting—especially the use of color in the first episode and how it develops throughout. The characters’ styling also aligns closely with the story. Well, overall, what Fashion King did couldn’t be done today.
To me, Fashion King is the first drama that comes to mind when thinking of antihero and underdog stories. It’s emotional, thought-provoking, and never boring. It earned its 20 episodes. Sure, the last few were harder to watch, but overall, it was an impressive and genuinely fun experience—at least for me, even if others disagreed.
And the music? Even if we don’t agree on the plot, I bet we can agree on the soundtrack. And the cast, chemistry, sets, and color palette, too. The OST blends classical music with a Spanish flair and early-2010s techno—which works perfectly. “Standstill” and the Japanese track are standout pieces, and Lee Jehoon’s version of one of the OST songs near the end is another highlight.
How to enjoy it? Drop the usual black-and-white perspective and just watch.
-- In defense of Shin Sekyung, other than her being appreciated in Korea and even having received top excellence awards and more, even nominated for Daesang (and being called the Sageuk queen): Whatever people will say about this drama - Fashion King was the one which let me look closer at her acting. I was surprised. I first watched Run On, and later on The Bride of Habaek had me more intrigued about her. Then Fashion King came and I became a fan. Some viewers will say, don't watch it, because she's a "doormat" as they say. But have they tried to look at her character being the youngest of the main cast, her personality and her story? Which contains far more emotions than being a mere doormat, like in Coffee & Vanilla for example. In the end, this label is unnecessarily harsh and in this drama, used as an excuse to hate on the woman because no one wants to criticize the men. For me, her character was realistic and relatable. Then I watched When A Man's in Love (my favorite performance of hers and I'm so glad she got a top excellence award for it). While it was similar to Fashion King, it offered a new side of her. I don't care that the ratings on MDL are low, I loved them.
-- Ending note in the comments / Standstill's lyrics (I really like them)
Playlist I made for the drama: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVlEiYP-9el7bpWy00vzk5ywUdunsQJxz
My favorite edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewyVz9lRCR4 - I'm not surprised Russians loved it due to the intense love line, high drama, unfortunate circumstances and societal aspect. Interesting how it resonates differently to such audiences, right?
Posted some pics recently: https://kisskh.at/3228-fashion-king/photos
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