Reasons to watch 'King the Land', 'Celebrity', the modern version of Cinderella even if it's obvious

Even in 2023, the public is still enthusiastic about the 'modern version of Cinderella' story. It is the chaebol male protagonist who always saves the commoner female protagonist who is in danger even after bickering with each other. It's time to get tired of this cliché story, but why is it still popular?

JTBC's 'King the Land', which started airing last June, and Netflix's 'Celebrity', which was released on the 30th, depict a typical Cinderella story.

'King the Land' is the story of a man who despises laughter (Lee Jun-ho) and a smile queen Cheon-rang (Lim Yoon-a) who has to laugh to create a day where they can really smile brightly at the VVIP lounge 'King the Land', the dream of hoteliers. 'King the Land' broke its own record with 12.6% in the metropolitan area on the 2nd and took first place in the TV-OTT drama topical category, proving the popularity of the 'modern version of Cinderella' story.

It is an 'obvious' story that predicts the development and ending just by looking at the plot. The reason why a story that only worked in the 20th century still works in the 21st century is the 'chemistry' between the two lead actors, Im Yoon-ah and Lee Jun-ho. As director Lim Hyun-wook, who was in charge of directing at the press conference, said, "It seems that three generations have accumulated virtue," the two actors show perfect harmony. Due to their perfect chemistry, Yoona Lim and Junho Lee actually went through dating rumors.

'Celebrity' is a drama depicting the glamorous and fierce bare faces of celebrities faced by Ari (played by Park Kyu-young), who has jumped into the world where becoming famous can make money. Celebrity' ranked 4th in the Netflix TV show category as of the 4th, showing hot popularity globally.

In the play, Park Kyu-young grew up as the daughter of a wealthy family, but after her father's business collapsed, she played Seo-ari, a 'commoner' who runs a cosmetics door-to-door business. Han Joon-kyung, nicknamed 'Princess Maker', shows the aspect of a typical 'Prince on a White Horse' who helps Seo Ari grow into the influencer she wants and also saves her from crisis.

It depicts the life of a rising aristocratic influencer and boasts spectacular sights. Park Kyu-young said, "It was to the point where bodyguards were attached to wearing expensive jewelry." Director Kim Cheol-gyu, who directed the film, mentioned that he actually spent a significant part of the production cost on purchasing numerous luxury goods and supercars.

Some might say it's an obvious drama. Boring characters, a development that seems to have been seen somewhere. However, the modern Cinderella story, which adds newness to each different element in the banality, still seems to be enough to fascinate viewers.

Reporter Kim Se-ah, Ten Asia haesmik@tenasia.co.kr