Attic Cat

attic cat

Cast:
Kim Rae Won
Jung Da Bin
Lee Hyun Woo

In the modern age, living together with the opposite sex before marriage seems to be a common story to tell. But is it a bitter or sweet experience for young couples?
Like a cat that charms its master and disappears without notice, the MBC television drama "Cats On The Roof" raises the questions and leaves the answers to the audience. Dealing with the controversial idea that concerns contemporary attitudes towards love and relationships with a light and comic touch, this internet novel-based miniseries written by Kim Yu-ri has gained much popularity with audience in their 20's and 30's. It succeeds to point out exactly what young Koreans think and want in the early 21st century. It has also won a competitive match with another most-talked-about drama "Scent of Summer" that starred Song Seung-hun and Sun Ye-jin.

The story revolves around Jung-eun(Jung Da-bin), a sturdy and independent girl who shares her small room on a rooftop with a guy named Yung-min(Kim Rae-won) due to her economic difficulties. Their separate normal lives are put to a hard test after Jung-eun starts developing feelings of love for Yung –min

This is what I really like when it comes to Korean dramas: metaphors and symbolisms. They just don't name a TV series or a movie out of a hit song or a catchy tune. They really prepare something that would encapsulate the whole story and that would give the audience something to look forward to.

In this series, I actually was attracted first by the title and to Kim Rae Won. After seeing him in the unconventional story in "My Little Bride", I kind of have this strong affinity to see him more in other movies and series. On the other, the title "Attic Cat" was somehow no that new and captivating. But since my best friend likes cats (a lot), I thought about what does a cat have to do with Kim Rae Won? Weird thinking, really.

Anyway, I thought the story and scenes were just rip-offs because most of them resemble that of scenes in Full House. But realizing that this TV series was aired in 2003, I thought wrong. There are a lot of similar scenes with that of Rain and Song Hye-Kyo's great TV series but I still think both has some good points and factors that would make them unique to each other.

If I would compare both series, I say in Attic Cat, the "saying of I Love You" or telling each other of what one feels is not prolonged. Unlike in Full House wherein it is only during the last episode, one can hear Lee Young Jae (Rain) saying the magic words to Han Ji-Eun (Song Hye Kyo).

Character-wise, I like the father of Nam Jung Eun (Jung Da Bin). He also played the father of Rain in Full House). I like his way of thinking. He is a conservative father but I like how he gauges and reasons out, especially when it has something to do with his family.

Good thing about this series, it has a lot of comedic scenes and actually no overly done dramatic lines that can make one really sick. I like the metaphorical approach to the relationship of Jung Eun and Kyung Min (Kim Rae Won) using the cat.

And lastly, I like Kim Rae Won here physically. He reminds me of how Dao Ming Si looks a lot. I guess the 16 episodes of visual feast make the series more enchanting than I have expected.