The Disappearance of Traditional Historical Dramas, 'Fusion Faction Sageuk' Fills the Void of Imagination KBS has opened fire with its ambitious new drama Dear Mr. Bandit to target the weekend home theater audience. It is not an exaggeration to say that we are currently in the golden age of "Fusion Sageuk" (Fusion Historical Drama). Heavy, traditional historical dramas that strictly adhered to historical verification, once represented by "Daeha Dramas," have now become a rare genre that is hard to find. Filling that void are "Faction" (Fact + Fiction) or fusion historical dramas that overlay the writer's infinite imagination onto a single line of historical record. This trend is the result of the convergence of creators' needs to be free from strict standards of historical accuracy and the viewers' preference for light, trendy stories over heavy, rigid history. Dear Mr. Bandit also rides this current, boldly mixing fantasy and romance against the backdrop of the Joseon Dynasty.
Unshackled from Historical Accuracy, A Smart Choice to Avoid Distortion Controversies One of the biggest risks when producing a historical drama is the controversy over historical distortion. If a real historical figure is portrayed even slightly negatively or if the content differs from historical facts, productions often face protests from descendants and fierce criticism from viewers. To avoid such risks, recent historical dramas have chosen to set "fictional kings" and "fictional eras," or to use real history as a backdrop but create fictional characters. Although this drama is set in the era of Yeonsangun, known as a tyrant, the main characters, surrounding figures, and events are thoroughly based on the writer's imagination. Thanks to this, the production team was able to unfold fantasy settings to their heart's content without being crushed by the weight of history.
Is a Prince an Essential Element? The Cliché but Effective Law of 'Palace Romance' If there is an unwritten rule that always appears in fusion historical romance dramas, it is that the male protagonist is nine out of ten times a "Prince" or "Crown Prince." This is likely because, in the status-based society of Joseon, it is nearly impossible to set up a character with higher power and charm than a prince. Dear Mr. Bandit faithfully follows this formula. However, an interesting point is that the prince, who should be confined to the closed space of the palace, roams freely outside the palace walls. Although realistic impossibility, this probability is tolerated in the name of fantasy for the sake of dramatic meetings and plot development. The meeting between the man at the highest place and the woman at the lowest (or shadowy) place acts like a cheat key that induces dramatic tension in itself.
The Unusual Meeting of Studio Dragon and KBS, The Power of a Verified Script Another reason this work attracted industry attention even before airing is the unique collaboration structure between the production company and the broadcaster. It is highly unusual for a prize-winning work from a drama script contest hosted by Studio Dragon, a powerhouse of drama production and a subsidiary of CJ ENM, to be aired on the terrestrial broadcaster KBS instead of cable channel tvN. This is interpreted as a will to deliver high-quality content to a broader audience through a strategic business agreement between the two companies. The title of "contest winner" implies that the completeness and fun of the script have already been verified to some extent, and the synergy effect is being created with KBS's weekend drama programming added to this. It is a point where we look forward to seeing what results the meeting of a solid story and a mass platform will produce.
Nurse by Day, Bandit by Night? The Joseon Version of Wonder Woman Portrayed by Nam Ji-hyun The female protagonist 'Hong Eun-jo', played by actor Nam Ji-hyun, deserves to be called a Joseon version of a hero. By day, she lives as a benevolent nurse treating sick people, but at night, she transforms into a righteous bandit, a "female Hong Gildong," who steals wealth from corrupt officials and distributes it to the poor. Nam Ji-hyun fully utilizes the bold and strong-willed image she showed in previous works like 100 Days My Prince to charmingly digest a righteous and active female character. The tension provided by the character living a double life combined with Nam Ji-hyun's unique healthy and bright energy seems set to present a refreshing sense of satisfaction ("Cider") to viewers.
A Prince Hiding His Brilliance, Moon Sang-min's Twist Charm 'Lee Yeol', played by rising rookie Moon Sang-min, looks like a slacker on the outside, but in reality, he is a prince with sharper insight and brilliance than anyone else. Amidst the bloody palace intrigues where revealing his abilities could endanger his life, he lives by thoroughly hiding his true self. Moon Sang-min shows perfect synchronization with the prince role with his tall stature and handsome appearance, and he is already making viewers' hearts flutter with the exciting height difference with Nam Ji-hyun. The gap between the clumsy appearance he shows when he sneaks out to the market in commoner clothes and gets entangled with Hong Eun-jo, and the charisma he shows at decisive moments, maximizes the charm of the character Lee Yeol.
A Relationship Started on Bad Terms, and a Sudden Kiss As with all romantic comedies, the first meeting between the two began as an unpleasant ill-fated relationship. Eun-jo mistakes Lee Yeol, dressed in shabby clothes at the market, for an ordinary commoner, while Lee Yeol suspects the identity of the bandit who appears every night and keeps an eye on Eun-jo. While they regarded each other with disapproval, the scene where Eun-jo suddenly kisses Lee Yeol to escape a moment of crisis was the highlight of the early episodes. For Eun-jo, it was just an apologetic act to evade the situation, but for Lee Yeol, it approached as the first shock and excitement he had ever experienced in his life. Triggered by this sudden action, Lee Yeol begins to harbor feelings for Eun-jo, and the "Tiki-taka" (banter) that ensues as Eun-jo, unaware of his identity, misunderstands his actions, drives the fun of the drama.
A Cliché but Always the Right Choice, The Beginning of the 'Soul Swap' The core setting of the drama and the biggest viewing point is the 'Soul Swap'. According to previews, a decisive event where the two people's souls are switched is expected to occur around Episode 3. The setting of a man and woman swapping souls is a familiar cliché used in numerous dramas from Secret Garden to Mr. Queen. However, just because it's obvious doesn't mean it's not fun. The chaotic episodes that unfold as a noble prince experiences the life of a righteous bandit of low status, and a rough bandit experiences the strict rules of the palace, induce laughter just by imagining them. The process of truly understanding the other person by being in their shoes, and further joining forces to defeat the real enemy, will provide emotion and catharsis beyond the banality.
The Fierce Weekend Battlefield, What the Rising Ratings Signify The weekend night time slot is truly a battlefield for viewership ratings. In this time slot where various genre dramas and variety shows pour out, Dear Mr. Bandit recorded a small but meaningful rise in ratings from 4.3% in Episode 1 to 4.5% in Episode 2. This proves that there is still viewer demand for fusion historical dramas and that the initial character buildup was successful. While recent dramas tend to be shorter at 12 episodes, choosing a long breath of 16 episodes is an expression of confidence that there are many stories to tell and the narrative is deep. As it has just passed the introduction, the upward trend in ratings is expected to become steeper once the soul swap begins in earnest.
From Drama to Webtoon, A New Model of IP Expansion An interesting point is that this work is being serialized as a Naver Webtoon simultaneously with the drama airing. While adapting popular webtoons into dramas has been the general formula, recently there are increasing cases of the reverse, 'Noble Comics', where original drama IPs are expanded into webtoons. This is a strategy to expand the fandom and create synergy by allowing people to enjoy the drama's worldview simultaneously through another medium called webtoon. The fact that behind-the-scenes stories or emotional lines that could not be fully covered in the drama can be checked in the webtoon will be another pleasure for fans. A bizarre story where the souls of a bandit and a prince are swapped—we will have to watch and see if Dear Mr. Bandit can write a new success formula for historical romance.
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