“You want me to erase you from my heart? That’s what you truly want? Sorry…I’ve tried, but forgetting you is impossible to me.” Many of you will remember a TV drama series, <The Moon Hhugging the Sun.> This drama went off the air at last May 15th and became a national topic of conversation. It was a matchless drama on Wednesday and Thursday with high viewer rating of 42.2%. These days 20% is said to br high rate.
    Nowadays, a new type of historical drama catches a popularity. Although it is set in a historic period, its content depents on writer's imagination. This type of drama is what we called fusion historical drama. Not only <The Moon Hugging the sun> but also <Damo>, <Dae Jang-guem>, <Scandal of Sungkyun kwan>, <The Painter of wind>, <The Deep Rooted Tree> and <The crown Price at the Attici> belong to the historical drama. 
    What is hot drama is changing as other all trends. Although historical drama is in common, detailed feature is changing. Authentic historical drama was popular in early days. This drama is true to historical fact except special situation. Fusion historical drama wins popularity after that. It pursuits fresh things, irrespective of the historical truth. What is most characteristic thing in these days fusion historical drama is romance historical drama. Romance is ancillary story in old days, but it is a main story now.
    When is the beginning of the fusion historical drama? Many people say that Heo Jun being telecast in 1999 is the first fusion historical drama. This drama put a modern ingredient in composition of dramatis personae and dialogue. It also added an up-to-date OST. The work directing by Lee Byeong-hun like <Heo jun>, <Dae Jang-guem>, <Dong-I> belong to the first generation of fusion historical drama.These works are much closer to the truth than nowadays works.
    Historical drama more and more focuses on the fiction. The author’s imagination is vital. There exists no real character in history in the case of <Scandal of Sungkyun kwan>, <The Moon Hugging the sun>. <The princess’ Man> was created from only one passage, from an unofficial history. <The Crown Price at the Attic> event removes a batween historical drama and modern drama by using a time-slip.
 
    If you know the difference between historical drama and fusion one, you can understand fusion historical drama trend clearly. Authentic historical drama was booming in the seventies and eighties. The writer’s imagination and fictional ingredient minimizes and follow the historical fact. Unlike this, fusion historical drama also comes from historic fact; however it only use big case. Other materials reinterprets neoterically. Therefore background is the past, but action of characters is not much different to nowadays’.
    How much did fusion dramas guatanteed money? Through an economic interest, you can feel the popularity. In the case of <The Moon Hugging the Sun>, MBC made money about 13 billion won by commercial sponsors alone. All advertise time related to the drama sells out. In addition to this, advertiseris willing to pay additional fees for getting good advertise time. Plus, you had better include about the involved actors’ personal advertise contracts and PPL effect of the appearance items.
 
    Except the profit of advertise, OST, and PPL, the interests from viewer itself is huge. The manufactures gain money through contracts with abroad market. <The Moon Huggingthe Sun> make more than 20billion won by drawing contract to Japan and Southeast Asia.
    What is appealing to the viewers? The answer is that historical fusion dramas create a reasonable fantasy. Lee Young-mi, the public culture critic, says “Now everyone know it is an impossible fantasy that plutocrat’s son falls in love with poor girl like a Cinderella story. Viewers enjoy the drama that it is a fantasy at a glance with an ease. It is a way that preparedly concedes reality.” Plus, you can feel attraction by characters saying modern tone. Also you can feel the homogeneity from modern ingredients.
    Meanwhile, some people worry about a distortion of historical which is very common in the production of historical drama. According to a survey, 42.3% people believe that in drama' historical facts are usually true.
    No one can stop the changing course of the historical drama. The borderline between reality and fantagy becomes blurred. HIstory is colored by imagination. The imagination is getting outspoken more and more. The modern viewers are thrilled by histirical drama. The popularity of fusion historical dramas is expected to rise.

 

By Moon Hye-lin CP reporter
chole7@cnu.ac.kr

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