Romance

Romance (2002, MBC miniseries)

After watching Romance, the success of teacher-student comedy My Tutor Friend (over 4.8 million admissions) seems easier to accept. Perhaps it was Kim Ha-neul's performance in this series prompting the producers to cast her in the film (an adaptation of an online story, retelling the struggles of a poor tutor having to deal with a spoiled rich brat who forces every teacher they throw at him to quit). She plays the young teacher who's still too inexperienced for her profession very well. And, with a few exceptions, her performance considerably improves the series.

Kim Chae-won (Kim Ha-neul) is a bright young teacher in her mid 20s, but she still has a hard time adapting to her profession. She accidentally meets young singer and high school senior Choi Kwan-woo (Kim Jae-won), and they instantly form a bond. Of course, they're lying about each other's age: Kwan-woo says he's a college senior, and Chae-won doesn't reveal she's actually a teacher, and considerably older than him. When Kwan-woo is forced to move to Seoul because of a family problem, their lies start to produce consequences. Kwan-woo has to enroll in Chae-won's school, and she'll be one of his teachers!

The setup is familiar, and even if a little controversial, it's well played out. The series thankfully doesn't rely excessively on the typical themes of 'impossible romances.' Parents are kept at a distance until the main characters are developed enough to let us care about them, and it's not until their relationship becomes serious that the usual obstacles are put on their way. The first part of Romance is very good TV: the chemistry between Kim Jae-won and Kim Ha-neul is excellent; the supporting characters, while certainly stereotypical, are fun to watch. Also, with the exception of Kim Hae-sook's predictable typecasting as the troubled ajumma, the parents are actually a little more colorful than expected. Chae-won's mother runs a jeans company, and is a bit of a nut, shouting 'Oh My God' at random and sporting wild haircuts. Her father is obsessed with the formalities of the father-daughter relationship, such as insistence on deferential tone. He will later play a big part in Kwan-woo and Chae-won's future as a couple, and is a well developed character.

What helps the series in its first part is the fact there's very little urgency. The writers feel no need to reveal a major plot development every week, which usually forces viewers to keep tuning in to understand. The drama is introduced slowly, and doesn't completely upstage the comedy, which makes for better viewing. Characterization, at least by TV drama standards, is quite good, although a few missteps along the line don't allow this drama to reach the depths of shows like Ruler of Your Own World. For example, the 'bad girl/guy' character isn't played out like a constant obstacle to the main characters' romance. The writers try to make a case for those characters as well, and most of the time --at least for the first half-- they succeed.

Then, things suddenly change when the series moves 3 years ahead. It's clear they couldn't go anywhere with Chae-won and Kwan-woo anymore, without becoming repetitive. While the focus on secondary characters is understandable given the main couples' forced division, their complete takeover of the show ruins the pace and atmosphere. Kwan-woo's sister (Kim Yoo-mi), and Chae-won's former love affair and soon-to-be husband (Jung Sung-hwan) become centerpiece, and the parents' importance grows exponentially. The relationship between the main characters is updated slowly, every week building to the big finale. In theory, it's good writing, but when acting isn't there, the series is likely to become dull.

Kim Yoo-mi is pretty good, given her character's development and the way her problems come into play. But Jung Sung-hwan is terrible. He's not able to go beyond the same facial expression, no matter how important his reaction is to make the scene compelling. As a result, even if his character is not played out as a caricature, he doesn't allow it to come alive, and hurts the series' middle portion. Also, the constant use of fatalist, ultra-emotive mothers who faint at every sign of difficulty feels out of place for a breezy, lighthearted series like Romance. Kim Hae-sook is a good actress, and has become reliable in portraying this type of character, but she disappoints here.

I admit I liked the rather predictable and quasi cop-out finale, but in light of the final 2-3 episodes leading to it, I can't really say they built it as well as they could. The urgency level was upped by 300% in the series' third act, only to make it more conventional. Romance is a good series, marred by little inconsistencies and a mediocre supporting cast. If you need any reason to watch this show, it's the chemistry between newcomer Kim Jae-won (who's great as Kwan-woo) and Kim Ha-neul. Every time they're together the series improves a few notches, and even if Kim Jae-won understandably shows inexperience -- and Kim Ha-neul still overacts on occasions -- at the end they make this show worth watching. (Review by V. "X" Naldi)

source:koreanfilm.org