They're called "Mania" Dramas. TV Series that, for many reasons --including their competition with top rated shows, or lack of major stars-- fail to capture the masses, but manage to slowly build a faithful audience which supports the show until the end. Ruler of Your Own World might be one of the best examples yet. This is a different show, far away from the diabolical convolutions and contrivances of the prototypical TV melodrama --like, say Winter Love Song-- far away from the usual weepy, over the top atmosphere. Far away from stereotypical characters.
There are no major stars here, but everyone down to the smallest supporting character does an excellent job. If Shin Koo's superb performance as Bok-su's father is no surprise, the real find is Yang Dong-geun and his partner Lee Na-young. After a career as a child actor, Yang slowly built his acting skills thanks to important roles in films like Kim Ki-duk's Address Unknown, and started to become popular after appearing in the hit TV sitcom New Nonstop. Following his successful turn in the nostalgic dork comedy Bet on My Disco, he started to get recognition from both the public and critics. His portrayal of Ko Bok-su is fantastic. He swings between the character's innocent naivete and guilt for his past with ease. You can really relate with his problems, being a simple task like showing his parole officer that he's a changed man, or a big one like accepting Jeon Kyung's (Lee Na-young) affection. Yang shows impressive range here, and seems the perfect leading man for the series' ever changing mood.
The other surprise is relative newcomer Lee Na-young. If you're tired of super-pretty plastic beauties overacting at every chance they get, here's finally someone who can convey different emotions without making a fool of herself. Kyung's charming personality comes across impressively thanks to Lee. When she smiles, she does it with her whole face and it feels sincere, as much as the opposite evokes the same reaction. Her character is difficult to portray: Kyung is a simple young woman. She's not particularly attractive --at least compared to the conventional canons of beauty in this kind of set-up-- is rather shy and has a hard time opening herself to other people. As the series begins, the viewer will likely have a hard time connecting with her. Little by little though, as she begins her relationship with Bok-su, you'll start to relate to her, and understand her personality.
It would be almost criminal leaving Kong Hyo-jin out of the picture. Despite her charming personality and great raw talent, she's been underused for the past 3-4 years in both TV dramas and movies. 2002 was probably her breakthrough year, with her first leading roles in Emergency Act 19, Conduct Zero and A Bizarre Love Triangle. She's also a lot more active than usual on TV, lately starring in MBC's Snowman, with Cho Jae-hyun & Kim Rae-won. Her portrayal of Mi-rae is interesting, because it mixes a lot of elements from her supporting roles (lots of cutesy and quirky moments) with a more 'grown up' personality. This is the best performance of her young career, and it finally gives a new spin to the 'bad girl' character you often find in series like this. That's of course only the leading stars, because the supporting cast is equally good. Jung Doo-hung, for example, impresses once again with a role that basically mimics his real life occupation (action director). He's a tough, no bullshit man looking at him from the outside. But, he reveals himself to be one of Bok-su's best friends. Jung seems a natural for this kind of role, and he's been leaving a mark all year long. All his performances in 2002 (No Blood No Tears, Champion, Resurrection of the Little Match Girl) showcased his charisma and screen presence.
Second, the writing. Fans of TV Dramas often put up with a lot more bad writing than those who only watch Korean movies can tolerate. After all, if you're a sucker for melodrama, you can sometime forgive sappy music, manipulative plot developments, and stereotypical characters. I think most of the people who enjoy these dramas do so for their emotional content (remember, the major target demographics here are Ajumma's), they're not trying to find great writing. Instead, Ruler of Your Own World features some of the best writing I've seen on a TV drama. Characters seems stereotypical at first glance, and actually trick the audience with the usual set-up of the genre (boy 1 likes girl 2, girl 1 is pissed at girl 2 because she loves boy 1, dysfunctional families galore, and so on), but emerge from that set-up as multidimensional and realistic. Ko Bok-su is neither a simple thief nor a perfect man. Kyung's emotional state often gets the better of her and she avoids problems instead of facing them. Mi-rae can be pretty egotistical and short-minded, and that's just scraping the surface. There is never the feeling that things are rushing to the usual mega-convoluted cliffhanger, or that a mysterious sickness or death will come out of nowhere to further the plot. Whatever happens here does so for a reason. I never got the sense of urgency felt on other melodramas. This series shows a good mix of lighthearted, even silly moments with more serious and touching ones. And, the most important thing, it's successful in hitting the right notes. Even when things get a little manipulative, it's that kind of manipulation like in Lee Jung-hyang or Hur Jin-ho's films. One you can happily live with, because you care about the characters.
With a fantastic ending and lots of questions left to the viewer after the conclusion of the story, Ruler of Your Own World does something I haven't seen for too many Korean TV series. It takes the most overused plot device (a fatal disease) and actually uses it to convey something. It's not just a facade to bring tears to your eyes, no matter how successful at that some TV dramas are. Up to the last episode, the atmosphere never goes the usual way, there's no tragedy here. Bok-su builds a beautiful life out of his last days on Earth. He tries to make life better for him and the people he knows. He makes new friends, makes his parents' life meaningful again, and why not, he lets people who love him enter his life. The only flaw of Ruler of Your Own World is that, sadly, it eventually has to end. The best TV drama of 2002.
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