5 reasons why one K-drama has ‘fought its way’ to viewers’ hearts

Some Korean drama fanatics think 2016 as one of the best years of K-dramas. Writer Kim Eun-sook came back with two successful series, which are “Descendants of the Sun” and “Goblin”, alongside other hits like “Uncontrollably Fond”, “Scarlet Heart: Ryeo”, “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo”, among others. Yet, one drama this year is showing that viewers can also consider this year a good one.

“Fight for My Way”, which features Park Seo-joon and Kim Ji-won, is about young adults who once had big dreams but who now struggle to reach those dreams, faced with society’s views that they only got below-average potential.

Beginning with a viewership rate of 5.4 percent, “Fight for My Way” has steadily climbed the charts and is now the most popular TV drama in Korea for Mondays and Tuesdays. Wondering how it’s slowly becoming a household hit? Here are a few reasons:

1. There’s chemistry between the lead characters

Some viewers were a bit hesitant at first if the chemistry would work between the two leads. Seo-joon recently led a pack of warriors in “Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth” and was paired with Go Ara in the series. Ji-won played one of the second leads of “Descendants of the Sun” and was paired with Jin Goo. Yet, the two managed to fight their way out of their former images in the previous roles and effectively played their parts in the new series.

2. The storyline is fresh and realistic

While the drama is not the first romantic-comedy drama ever, it offers a fresh plot to its audience.

Dongman, played by Seo-joon, is a former taekwondo prodigy whose sports career was temporarily halted due to an accident. He ended up working for a company that sprays pesticides at offices and residences. Aera, played by Ji-won, works at an information desk of a department store, temporarily forgetting her former dream of becoming a TV anchorwoman. They are childhood friends who both moved from a provincial town to Seoul for their high school education. After attending school, they remained neighbors, looking out for each other during bad times.

3. You can relate to the characters

Lee Gun-joon, the chief producer of the drama, once said that he wanted to focus on the stories of average people.

“There are no chaebol (super rich personality) in our drama. The focus is on ordinary people,” Lee said. “I wanted our characters to go through the hardships imposed on them by the people considered superior to them according to social standards, but (be able to) occasionally yell back at them, too, when they receive unfair treatment.”

Some dramas back up their plot by using a Cinderella complex to appeal to viewers, but in “Fight for My Way”, the characters are all struggling in their respective lives. They are all trying to resolve how their hopes don’t quite match their reality.

4. Of course, there’s the funny scenes

An added factor why the drama is popular is because it tells the stories in a funny and not heavy way, yet still letting the viewers feel the magnitude of each character’s struggles.

Some viewers believe it’s all because of the excellent scriptwriting and directing of the drama.

5. Lastly, deep inside each of us, we root for the underdogs and want to see them succeed

The drama successfully hooks viewers with all the reasons stated above. As the story unfolds, everyone is getting more excited to find out what will happen to the characters. Will they finally reach their dreams? Will they finally prove to society their worth as individuals? Will they end up together in the end?

No matter what, one thing remains true: those watching “Fight For My Way” want the best for Dongman and Aera, because underdogs deserve the best endings after all their struggles.

Catch “Fight For My Way” which is available now in Viu. You can also upgrade to Viu Premium for only 30 pesos, exclusively in Load Central outlets nationwide. JB

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