“I really enjoyed Kingdom on Netflix, can we talk about all the fancy hats in the show? I want to know about them.”, “Good acting, fancy traditional costumes, lovely visual beauty and zombies, all these things make this series worth your time!”. These comments are from SNS of foreigners after watching Kingdom. The Netflix drama Kingdom became a big issue not only in Korea but in foreign countries. What attractions of Kingdom triggered these hot reactions? Let’s find out!
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1. The props and costumes reflect well the image of tradition
First of all, foreigners are not familiar with the period, ‘Joseon’. So, when they watch the drama, they were amazed at the props (costumes, hats) that the actors wore. Among the props, one of the most popular items is the ‘°«(gat)’, a Korean traditional hat. Because people wear different ‘gats’ of diverse shapes and designs depending on their social positions and situations, many foreigners are curious about them. Gats were even registered and started to be sold on AMAZON, the world's largest online shopping mall. It is evident that Kingdom has had a great influence. Also, the costume team of the drama said that they really focused on the character’s appearances because of the historical background of the show. For example, ‘Hakju-Joe’, a prime minister of Joseon dynasty, wore dark red colored clothes to create dark mood since he is very greedy for power. And scholars’ white clothes emphasized their integrity.
2. Joseon + zombie = Awesome
Another successful point of Kingdom is the uncommon collaboration, Joseon dynasty with zombies. Unlike many zombie movies or dramas in other countries with a contemporary setting, zombies in the classic Joseon landscape are very unique and fresh for the viewers. Then, what does the drama intend with such an unusual plot? Eun-Hee Kim, the scriptwriter of Kingdom, said that she wanted to tell the story about ‘hunger’ and she thought that a “zombie” is a monster that only has an appetite. Therefore, she decided to use zombies, creatures full of hunger, making an insinuation to the extremely poor and hungry people in Joseon dynasty. Finally, so many people loved it as the scriptwriter's intention was well expressed in the drama.
3. Good acting and remarkable visual beauty
Lastly, there are actors’ good acting and beautiful visual style which were acclaimed by the worldwide viewers. Foreigners might have felt that the historical dialect was a bit awkward, but most of them were satisfied with the nice dubbing. Especially, many viewers commented that the actors who played the role of zombie acted so vividly that they could be immersed in the drama. Furthermore, Kingdom is a drama but it feels like a movie owing to its excellent quality of photography. It highlights Korean style beauty like many palaces and buildings of Joseon, and colorful images of Autumn.
Season 1 of Kingdom provided visual pleasure through the traditional background of Korea and the storyline also contributed to its popularity. Kingdom is not over yet. Season 2 is currently being produced, and will be on air later this year. In Season 2, not only the secrets of zombies, but whether a treatment for the plague exists will be revealed. So, I hope everybody gets a chance to watch this drama! < Copyright © The Gachon Herald All rights reserved > |