[HanCinema's Drama Preview] "Shopping King Louis"

If you missed cute romances with a good dose of amnesia and slapstick comedy in the form of physical engagement, "Shopping King Louis" is here for all your nostalgia needs. The drama could not look more cookie-cutter romance, but few will hold this against a yummy cookie, which is what the drama is being presented as. This comes with its own set of dangers, of course, but one can always hope.

Premise

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Louis (Seo In-guk) is a man who believes he can have anything with money. Go Bok-sil (Nam Ji-hyun) is a kindhearted woman who meets Louis after he ends up in a situation leading to loss of his memory and homelessness. The two find themselves living together.

The Worrying

Uninspired Premise

If we had a drinking game for every time a rich chaebol jerk meets a nice poor woman in a romantic drama, we would all be drinking as much as drama characters. Oldschool romances like this have been done a lot and not all of them well. Moreso, audiences might have already moved on and that usually leads to desperate writing, which is never fun.

New Writer

Writer Oh Ji-yeong-I is a first timer in drama and although her 1st place in a writing competition is promising, there is always the fear of the unknown. This can be especially problematic if my other big worry above is confirmed and audiences do not like what they see. Can a new writer enforce their creative vision if pressures rise?

The Reassuring

Easy Genre

Romantic comedy is a genre which largely relies on certain set notions and specific presentation. The good ones involve great writing, but even the ones for less demanding viewers can be entertaining, fluffy and fun. As long as the very basic elements for appealing to the audience's romantic needs are there, it is easy to make an endearing show.

Cute Promotional Material

I warn against trusting promotional material time and time again, but I can at least appreciate the consistent campaigns in recent years, when promotion often tries to cover all major genres and tones, ending up a confusing mess. "Shopping King Louis" is OTP and cuteness all the way, which is what rom-com audiences usually want and what they choose this genre for.

Final Thoughts

Embarassing track suits and physical violence aside, the series is looking like a throwback drama. This is not necessarily bad, as it may be a return to a time where we had less complicated and less convoluted plots. The cast looks lovely, the story looks sweet and the series can hopefully deliver some good ol' happy romance.

"Shopping King Louis" begins its run on September 21st and will air every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:00, on MBC. It is directed by Lee Sang-yeob-I, written by Oh Ji-yeong-I and features Seo In-guk, Nam Ji-yeon, Yoon Sang-hyun and Lim Se-mi.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'