Title: 옥탑방 왕세자 Oktabbang Wangseja
English Title:
- Rooftop Prince
- Attic Prince
Language: Korean
Year: 2012
Episode: 20
Cast:
- 한지민 Han Ji Min
- 박유천 Park Yoo Chun
- 정석원 Jung Suk Won
- 이민호 Lee Min Ho
- 최우식 Choi Woo Shik
- 이태성 Lee Tae Sung
- 정유미 Jung Yoo Mi
SYNOPSIS
In Joseon times, Crown Prince Lee Gak was engaged to Bu Yong but he marries her older sister Hwa Yong. The Crown Princess was suddenly found dead and he suspects murder so he orders an investigation.
He is suddenly catapulted 300 years forward into the future in Seoul 2012 with his entourage Song Man Bo, Do Chi San and Woo Young Sool. They mysteriously find themselved in Park Ha's home and she helps them adjust to living in the modern times.
In the present, Lee Gak finds a girl who looks exactly like his beloved crown princess..
REVIEW
Some important plot points in the Rooftop Prince are not explained properly. It's not clear why Lee Gak had to go to the future in order to solve the mystery surrounding the the crown princess' death. It's not clear how he traveled through time from the past to the present, and then from the present back to the past.
It was fun to see Lee Gak, Song Man Bo, Do Chi San and Woo Young Sool try to adjust to modern living, from learning slang to using modern gadgets. The scenes were played up for comedic purposes because in reality, if a person doesn't know how to do something, he would probably either check how other people are doing it or ask other people how to do it.
Lee Gak and Bu Yong are fated to be lovers in the past but they didn't get together for some reason. Yong Tae Yong and Park Ha are their reincarnations in the modern times but they didn't get together because Tae Yong died. It seemed that Tae Yong's death was the reason why Lee Gak traveled through time. Of course, since their souls are meant for each other, Lee Gak and Park Ha developed romantic feelings for each other even though they are not specifically meant to do so since they are from different times.
Lee Gak is an important historical figure so he had to go back to the past and Tae Yong's death was not meant to be so he came back alive. Park Ha is heartbroken because she is separated from Lee Gak but she is comforted by the fact that she can 'continue' things with Tae Yong whereas Lee Gak has to deal with a broken heart throughout his lifetime because Bu Yong has already died.
I really don't like how the characters are taken as counterparts or replacements of other characters. Even though the characters are supposed to have the same soul or essence, I would like to think that they are still different persons. For instance, Lee Gak and Tae Yong may have the same soul but they are still different persons.
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옥탑방 왕세자 Rooftop Prince
