The Devil is in the Details

It’s the little things in life that make you happy…
When it comes to Asian drama I find this to be especially true. Let me show you what I mean!
(Please be advised that the article contains minor spoilers.)

Sometimes scriptwriters spice up a well-used and tired storyline by making the most of what is there. For example by…
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USING PROMINENT FEATURES OF AN ACTOR
For anyone who has seen Lee Seung Gi smile, it’s not hard to understand his appeal. You just want to grab those cheeks of his and squeeEEeeze, don’t you?

That’s why, when it comes to a scene in King2Hearts, I suspect that a behind-the-scenes conversation may have happened along these lines:

- We have a tedious dialogue in the script between Jae-ha and Hang-ah.
What can we do to make it more interesting and create some intimacy?
- Couple’s SPA?
- Ok, I’m listening.
- We can have them talk while they’re getting facials.
- Facials?
- Yeah! That way we can zoom-in on their faces and make Seung Gi’s chipmunk cheeks look even more chipmunky. Maybe he can even add a bit of a lisp…
- Brilliant!

I also love how Seung Gi’s character stuffs his face with donuts every chance he gets.
It adds a bit of comic relief to a drama and subject matter that, at times, can be quite serious and heavy.

Another way to work with what you have is to…

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MAKE A META-JOKE
A wonderful example of a self-deprecating meta-joke is in Park ”Micky” Yoochun‘s drama Missing You. Micky is well known as one of the members of the popular K-Pop group JYJ.
And let me assure you; this guy’s not just a pretty face. He actually can sing.

So… how is his character in "Missing You” introduced? By singing his little heart out at a Noraebang (karaoke place)… off key.


(Watch 0:03 to 0:38 for the lulz.)

I don’t know who dreamed up the idea to have Micky shriek out of tune like that – but they pretty much made my year!

How invested Mickey’s character is in the SingStar-type game… and how upset he gets when his failed vocals give him a mediocre score… made me cry with laughter!
Kudos to Yoochun for going along with this screwball idea and giving it his all.

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PLAYING WITH A WELL ESTABLISHED MYTH
Next we have the writers who take a myth or story that everyone knows and put their own spin on it. Take My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, for example.

A gumiho, according to Korean legend, is a nine-tailed fox that can transform itself into a beautiful woman in order to seduce men and eat their liver or hearts. (Jikes!)

In MGiaG the beautiful woman (played to perfection by the plucky Shin Min Ah) thankfully doesn’t want to eat the male lead. But she is completely obsessed with meat.



Oh, she threatens to eat the guy… But it’s only so that the steady stream of delicious and juicy meat won’t run dry. Kekeke!

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PLAYING WITH A WELL ESTABLISHED CHARACTER
Along the same lines… What’s more fun than taking a character who is set in their ways and pushing them out of their comfort zone? Not a whole lot. Take the bodyguard-character in Rooftop Prince for example.

Here’s a guy who has probably spent his whole life in the military. Training for the prestigious assignment of protecting none other than the crown prince of Joseon himself.
This guy probably didn’t have much time for fun and games growing up. And now that he’s guarding the prince – he’s dead serious.

What happens if you pluck this stiff macho man out of the past and make him pose for a camera?



He can’t smile. He never learned how!
(Oh god. I really must re-watch Rooftop Prince. It just kills me, in so many ways!)

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USING PROPS
Unemployed Romance was a bit of a mess… wasn’t it? But there is one scene that will stick in my memory forever. That’s in episode 6 when the male lead (played by Nam Goong Min) loses faith in humankind and finds a new friend to talk to. A friend that only talks to him about things he likes, and always gives him reassuring answers.



If it wasn’t for this ingenious use of a prop (and Goong Min’s adorable interaction with it), I suspect that this entire series would soon be forgotten. However, thanks to this – I think I’ll never look at a rice cooker in the same way again.

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USING MUSIC
Last on today’s list of fun drama details is an example of using music for comedic effect.

The Japanese drama Nodame Cantabile is a feast for the eyes and ears! This manga-inspired drama uses slapstick for laughs. And it shines even brighter when it employs its classical music soundtrack to its advantage.

In one scene, our heroine (Noda Megumi) is put in a difficult spot when a dirty old man (Franz Stresemann) wants to give her a kiss, in exchange for something she wants.

Stresemann approaches Megumi, with his lips puckered… And here’s the kicker; he walks towards her to the ominous tones of Mozart’s "Don Giovanni."



You don’t have to be a classical music enthusiast to appreciate the fact that Don Giovanni sounds menacing. (An opera which is rumored to have been composed whilst Mozart was in the throws of depression and death angst.)

This music is all about the doom and gloom. So we get it, don’t we? Slapstick and music in perfect harmony. Creating one heck of a funny scene.

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THAT'S ALL FOLKS!
For this reason, and sooooo many others, I have come to love Asian drama script writers for their attention to detail and mischievous sense of humor. Keep it up!

Got a similar example that made you laugh? Please share in the comments!