Cinderella's Sister (2010)

Cinderella’s Sister
신데렐라 언니
(Mar – Jun 2010)

who’s in it
Moon GeunYoung (Painter of the Wind)
Chun JungMyung (What’s Up, Fox?)
Seo Woo
Taecyeon (2PM – member) 

what’s it about
Seo Woo depicts a child who has lost her mother to cancer at a young age and lives with her withdrawn but loving father, who is the head of a rice wine brewery at a gorgeous community of traditional Korean buildings. Seo Woo plays the recognizable Cinderella, a nice girl who is full of optimism despite the loss of a parent.

This drama, as we all know by the title, is not about Cinderella, but her sister. This sullen role is fulfilled by Moon GeunYoung who attempts to shed her pure and innocent image with a shower of raven black hair and fierce eye anger, not too dissimilar to the types of rancorous glares I often shoot at bad drivers who are one wild swerve away from killing someone. Back to the show: Moon GeunYoung’s rock of burden is her mother, an insecure and unreliable woman who has a history of picking up deadbeat men, and like Atlas, Moon GeunYoung’s teenaged sufferer is unable to just shrug everything off. The latest faux-father figure is a beater, and no ordinary basher, but one who enjoys the feel of a home run on a woman’s backside. He has a son, a chubby but good-hearted kid (who will later grow up to be hotstuff Taecyeon) who loves Moon GeunYoung—the implication is that his affections reach beyond platonic sisterly worship.

In his comeback role (after the obligatory military service in Korea), Chun JungMyung plays a secretive employee at the brewery who develops an interest in Moon GeunYoung’s broken character. Again, his long gazes indicate feelings beyond mere neighborly concern.

Moon GeunYoung becomes Seo Woo’s older stepsister when their parents marry. When Cinderella’s father dies…well, we all know the Cinderella story…

commitment 
20 episodes

network
KBS2

wildcard factor
Let’s say on a scale of 1 through 10, if we’re to measure melodrama, 1 being floor and 10 the ceiling, then Cinderella’s Sister sat right in the middle. It’s not as dark as I’d expected and made a definite effort to tell its story with one hand on the rope of sanity—and this was the type of story that could definitely have fallen into the swamp of despair. How hard you fall for Moon GeunYoung’s brooding character will mostly certainly determine how much you will love this one.

And, of course, there is 2PM’s Taecyeon. No doubt his fans will see the drama through to its very last millisecond.

first impressions
I guess it’s true, the cheese really does stand alone…but in the end, as D.H. Lawrence advised, we must go as we are impelled, and with that in mind, I proudly proclaim my lack of love for Cinderella’s Sister. Yes, it was winning the ratings battle in Korea in its timeslot and yes, fans seemed to love it passionately. I don’t think the fans were wrong to enjoy it. Individual acting seemed above criticism, including Seo Woo’s depiction of a chirpy Cinderella, who, by the way, was an actress that did not seem to deserve the loads of petty cruelty directed at her in the press and by viewers regarding her appearance. Anyway, acting appeared good, the story seemed original enough (to an extent, as the twisted sister story in itself was not a new concept), and the chemistry between the characters seemed alright. It all seemed…alright.

Perhaps I was just not that interested in the story concept, I’d always been more of a Beauty and the Beast type of girl, not Cinderella.

Possibly I was too enraptured with the other dramas I’d been watching to be seduced by another one, my plate already full and my emotions bucket already at the brim.

Likely my distaste for romances between adults and teenagers in their charge also tainted my initial gut reaction to the show.

Conceivably, my ambivalence for actor Chun JungMyung was making it more difficult for me to fully engage with his good guy character and therefore made it hard for me to sink into the flirtation between the two leads. Normally I do love dark and broken characters like Moon GeunYoung’s…but try as I might, she did not break down my cynical barrier to find that spark between what was on screen and in my heart.

I guess there’s no way to sugarcoat it…I was bored.  

gave up
So…I do regret stopping before the time jump happened, where 2PM’s Taecyeon made his grand ab-tastic entrance. I had looked forward to his acting debut. With the drama scene crowded with pretty idols in their respective comedic roles, I thought his sober character had the potential to be a real star-making vehicle. So why didn’t I just grit my teeth and go on for a few more eps, you ask?

I’ll tell you why and the answer is simple: because I don’t have to.  ; )

Dramas come and go and it’s not all that unusual to find my Personal Taste veers away from the unanimous fan favorite (heh, yes, I was actually enjoying Cinderella’s rival Personal Taste very much). Mr. Lawrence was divinely right, you know, it’s best not to deny the direction one’s instincts guide. Not to mention, there really aren’t enough hours in the day to linger at every pit stop, especially ones that don’t suit.