There have been several discussions on this site about this topic, so I found the following article pretty timely. I both agree and disagree with the points outlined below, but regardless of my personal take on the matter, I’m certain there is enough room for convincing arguments on both sides of the issue…

“Who’s to blame when characters are criticized?”… “Incomprehensible” lead characters, damaged dramas

“I can’t understand my character myself, so how can I act in a way that viewers would sympathize? It’s disappointment upon disappointment.”

This is the confession of Ryu Shi-won, who was thrown into confusion at his incomprehensible character in SBS’s Style, which ended on September 20. With twenty years of acting experience, he found his character’s sudden changes difficult to handle. And it’s not just with Ryu Shi-won. Jung Il-woo, who is currently appearing in KBS’s My Fair Lady, expressed disappointment for similar reasons.

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I stopped watching Style a while ago (I couldn’t take it anymore, it got on my nerves), but I’m still keeping an eye on the news about it, since it’s holding steady in the ratings in the mid-upper teens. (It hasn’t yet broken 20%, and has recently slipped into second place behind KBS’s weekend drama Iron Empress.) It doesn’t surprise me that the drama is now being criticized for its excessive shilling of products — as the article below points out, product placement in and of itself is fairly common these days, but when it crosses the line, viewers will notice that the drama starts feeling empty of actual story.

“A magazine 100% free of advertising? Are you joking?”

That’s a line of dialogue that magazine editor Park Ki-ja (Kim Hye-soo) fires at Seo Woo-jin (Ryu Shi-won) in SBS’s drama Style. Replace the word “magazine” with “drama” and you’ll hit the mark regarding Style.

Watching Style, with its fancy visuals, is like watching an hour of advertising. To some extent, it’s unavoidable to show what the characters like to drive, wear, eat, and use. However, Style is also coming under fire for this display and the characters’ conspicuous dialogue.

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I tend to agree with viewers of SBS’s Style that, despite its title, the fashions and feel of the drama lack a certain stylish flair. (Kim Hye-soo is looking fierce, but everything and -one else feel somewhat bland.) However, the drama sure isn’t skimping on the parade of luxury cars, and are adding yet another in this weekend’s upcoming episode.

Thus far, Kim Hye-soo’s fashion editor character, Park Ki-ja, has been seen driving around a Maserati Quattroporte S, valued at approximately $130,000. Her romantic interest, the famous macrobiotic chef played by Ryu Shi-won, has equally fancy wheels with the Maserati GranTurismo S, valued at approximately $140,000. However, as though that’s not enough, one of the Maseratis gets upgraded in an upcoming episode to a Ferrari.

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Kim Hye-soo with 2NE1’s Park Bom

As announced, weekend drama Style has some upcoming star cameos in the works, and it looks like they’re using them all up in the same episode. The crew shot the scene (a party for the fictional Style magazine’s 200th issue) on August 10 and has released some behind-the-scenes images. As we know, Kang Ji-hwan is one of those stars, but joining him on the faux red carpet were members of pop group 2NE1, singer Bada, actress Cha Ye-ryun, and others.

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Aww, craaaap. Now I have to keep watching Style!

I’d pretty much decided to put SBS’s Style on the back burner — not because it sucks, but because I’m just not interested enough to invest that many more hours into it — but I may have to stick around long enough to catch Kang Ji-hwan’s cameo appearance. He’ll be playing what sounds like a version of himself, in the role of a big-time movie star.

Kang’s appearance comes about through his relationship with the director, Oh Jong-rok, who directed him several years ago in the tearjerker drama series 90 Days’ Time to Love. He is also slated to appear alongside Style lead Lee Jia in the telecinema project, which airs on SBS this fall, so his appearance here is in support of both.

Kang explained taking on the part: “Style is a fun drama and I was going to visit the set in support of the director, but he suggested, ‘If you’re going to come, you should appear in it too.’ That’s how it came about. It’s a party scene, so I had fun filming it.”

The scene takes place as Kang’s actor character attends a party celebrating Style magazine’s 200th issue, which doubles as the inaugural party for editor Park Ki-ja (Kim Hye-soo). The scene will take place in Episode 6, which broadcasts August 16.

Via My Daily

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