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My first Kdrama of Autumn! A good, wholesome drama with huge ratings success and very decent robust story, very engaging but at the same time fast-forward button worthy and containing more information about baking than you need to know. In many aspects, it reminded me of “Shining inheritance”.
I tried the drama when it started airing but the pre-story made my stomach churn a little, so I left it for a while. After the dramas’ crazy unprecedented ratings (50%!) I felt compelled to find out what the fuss is all about. The story is still the same: it is build on a simple notion that it is good and fine and even advisable for a husband to have an affair when his wife can’t give him a male child – he needs an heir, but it is no way fine for his wife to have an affair in attempt to procure a male child – this is EVIL. A male hair (the son of the man of the house) is of paramount importance. It is all about Tak Gu, who is one true and light-bringing male hair. And Tak Gu's father is a saint, of course (even though he ignores his daughters and everyone else, really), but the father’s wife is EVIL reincarnate (because she is adulteress).
In short, the set-up is very traditional for a Korean drama. The gender-weirdness of it might bother you some or might not bother you at all. I ended in the second category because really, at the end it was all about Tak Gu (the light-bringing baker prodigy) and his not-so-brother Ma Joon. And they both are lovely, in their own way.
It is interesting to analyse the reasons for “Baker King”’s huge ratings success, and surely, all the usual elements of successful drama are there: fast-paced story with several twists, family orientation, interesting characters, and wonderful new actors. For me, the most squeeful thing about “Baker Kind” is that it shattered the staple (and the stumbling block) of Kdrama, Kdrama love triangle. The cracks in Kdrama love triangle have been visible for some time (Chuno), but “Baker King” is really the first drama where not only the secondary guy gets the girl, but also the secondary girl gets the guy. And no-one is vilified ** gasp **! No-one turns into a psycho! Everyone heals each other and eases each other’s pain! When I have found out what “Baker King”’s ending is, I could not believe it. The Kdrama love triangle is dead, and this makes me so happy!
In short, I loved the drama, fast forwarded quite a bit and felt good when it ended (my ratings - 7/10). If you need any encouragement to watch the drama (only 30 episodes!), here are three “Baker King”’s best scenes :
1. Male bonding (or call it what you want). As it goes w ith all OTPs, all this is happening just before some big revelation and complete break-up.
( Some more male bonding )
2. My favourite OTP’s best scene. Ma Joon /Yoo Kyung: two broken people healing each other. Yoo Kyung has a panic attack after meeting her abusive father after 12 years. Ma Joon comforts her and asks her to marry him. This is a rare moment when both of them have their masks off and stop playing their games with each other. They are so wonderful together, and there is no way Tak Gu/ Yoo Kyung could have worked, she could never allow herself to show all the terrible things inside herself to Tak Gu. This OTP is like "A love to kill" without dying in snowy wilderness. My heart is healed too.
( Ma Joon /Yoo Kyung screencaps )
3. M/M Hurt/comfort: OMPH!!!!!!!!!! Tak Gu is insanely cute and adorable, like 1000 of puppies in one. If I was Ma Joon I would have been seriously worried too.
( Hurt-comfort screencaps )
Ratings : 7/10
I tried the drama when it started airing but the pre-story made my stomach churn a little, so I left it for a while. After the dramas’ crazy unprecedented ratings (50%!) I felt compelled to find out what the fuss is all about. The story is still the same: it is build on a simple notion that it is good and fine and even advisable for a husband to have an affair when his wife can’t give him a male child – he needs an heir, but it is no way fine for his wife to have an affair in attempt to procure a male child – this is EVIL. A male hair (the son of the man of the house) is of paramount importance. It is all about Tak Gu, who is one true and light-bringing male hair. And Tak Gu's father is a saint, of course (even though he ignores his daughters and everyone else, really), but the father’s wife is EVIL reincarnate (because she is adulteress).
In short, the set-up is very traditional for a Korean drama. The gender-weirdness of it might bother you some or might not bother you at all. I ended in the second category because really, at the end it was all about Tak Gu (the light-bringing baker prodigy) and his not-so-brother Ma Joon. And they both are lovely, in their own way.
It is interesting to analyse the reasons for “Baker King”’s huge ratings success, and surely, all the usual elements of successful drama are there: fast-paced story with several twists, family orientation, interesting characters, and wonderful new actors. For me, the most squeeful thing about “Baker Kind” is that it shattered the staple (and the stumbling block) of Kdrama, Kdrama love triangle. The cracks in Kdrama love triangle have been visible for some time (Chuno), but “Baker King” is really the first drama where not only the secondary guy gets the girl, but also the secondary girl gets the guy. And no-one is vilified ** gasp **! No-one turns into a psycho! Everyone heals each other and eases each other’s pain! When I have found out what “Baker King”’s ending is, I could not believe it. The Kdrama love triangle is dead, and this makes me so happy!
In short, I loved the drama, fast forwarded quite a bit and felt good when it ended (my ratings - 7/10). If you need any encouragement to watch the drama (only 30 episodes!), here are three “Baker King”’s best scenes :
1. Male bonding (or call it what you want). As it goes w ith all OTPs, all this is happening just before some big revelation and complete break-up.
( Some more male bonding )
2. My favourite OTP’s best scene. Ma Joon /Yoo Kyung: two broken people healing each other. Yoo Kyung has a panic attack after meeting her abusive father after 12 years. Ma Joon comforts her and asks her to marry him. This is a rare moment when both of them have their masks off and stop playing their games with each other. They are so wonderful together, and there is no way Tak Gu/ Yoo Kyung could have worked, she could never allow herself to show all the terrible things inside herself to Tak Gu. This OTP is like "A love to kill" without dying in snowy wilderness. My heart is healed too.
( Ma Joon /Yoo Kyung screencaps )
3. M/M Hurt/comfort: OMPH!!!!!!!!!! Tak Gu is insanely cute and adorable, like 1000 of puppies in one. If I was Ma Joon I would have been seriously worried too.
( Hurt-comfort screencaps )
Ratings : 7/10
