Song Joong-ki’s “Reborn Rich,” Park Min-young’s “Marry My Husband” And More: Rise Of “Resurrection” Dramas
Two years ago, Song Joong-ki‘s “Reborn Rich” took over Korea, and now Park Min-young‘s “Marry My Husband” is gaining popularity as it is about to surpass double-digit ratings, proving the rise of “resurrection” dramas.
The popularity of “resurrection” dramas
JTBC’s “Reborn Rich” was broadcast at the end of 2022, and is a fantasy drama in which a secretary of a chaebol family is killed and wakes up in the body of the youngest son of this family. Song Joong-ki and Lee Sung-min played the two male leads. The drama beat “Sky Castle” with 26.9% of ratings, ranking second among JTBC’s dramas, and sweeping all the attention.
Park Min-young’s return film “Marry My Husband” is a recent pride of tvN. Like “Reborn Rich,” it is based on a popular webtoon of the same name, and it is a full-fledged resurrection drama in which the protagonist is murdered the day she witnesses the affair between her best friend and her husband and returns to 10 years ago.
At the center of the story is Kang Ji-won (played by Park Min-young), a miserable woman who was diagnosed with cancer and even witnessed her husband’s affair. Perhaps due to stimulating stotyline, the drama has reached the highest rating of 9.4% in the seventh episode, and is about to hit 10%.
In addition, Seo In-guk and Park So-dam’s “Death’s Game,” which was released on the streaming service TVing, is another resurrection drama in which Lee Jae-jae experiences 12 deaths and lives just before falling into hell. Sung Hoon’s MBN drama “Perfect Marriage Revenge” also attracted viewers’ attention by adding the romantic revenge drama to the genre of resurrection.
Watch out for the unexpected ending
Amid a flood of resurrection dramas on the small screen and steaming services recently, some productions of this genre has to face harsh criticism from viewers for their sluggish ending.
Most of the resurrection dramas are based on popular webtoons and web novels of the same name, but if the original story is not properly utilized or if it has a disappointing ending, criticism is inevitable.
“Reborn Rich” was also a huge success, with an audience rating of nearly 30%, but fans’ opinions varied. This is because of the last episode. Main character Yoon Hyun-woo, who was shot after being betrayed by Soonyang Group in the first episode, woke up from his dream, came to reality, angering viewers. Complaints erupted, saying, “Was this all Yoon Hyun-woo’s dream?”
On the other hand, “Death’s Game” was well received for conveying the emotion of the original, and “Perfect Marriage Revenge” proved its popularity with a viewer rating of close to 3%, even though it was broadcast on a cable channel.
In the second half of the recent drama “Marry My Husband,” singer BoA will act as the fiancé of Yoo Ji-hyuk (Na In-woo), grandson of U&K Group chairman, who was not in the original webtoon. Attention is focusing on how BoA acting as a villain character will affect storyline and whether viewers will get a satisfactory ending.
Source: OSEN
