Secrets of Success For ‘Heirs,’ Banal Cinderella Story

At first we thought it was the courage of drama scriptwriter Kim Eun Sook. When she decided to tell the love story of the 18 year old high school students, it seemed as if drama scriptwriter Kim Eun Sook wanted to show, after her successful story of the middle aged men's love in "A Gentlemen's Dignity" succeeded, that her dramas are going to be successful regardless of the age of the characters.

The title of the drama is "The Heirs." The people who have inherited the innumerable wealth of their family are the protagonists. Although the audiences would think of them as manipulative businessmen wiling to do anything to protect and expand their wealth, the protagonists are, surprisingly, young, 18 year old high school students. To them, the inherited wealth is not a enjoyable blessing but rather a burden that pressures their lives.

The story of "The Heirs" is, quite frankly, boring. It is a stereotypical Cinderella story with the poor female protagonist Cha Eun Sang, played by Park Shin Hye, who is being oh so much loved by the wealthy men, Choi Young Do, played by Kim Woo Bin, and Kim Tan, played by Lee Min Woo. The rich boys start to fall in love with the poor girl. To the people who say they cannot be together because the girl is poor, Kim Tan keep arguing and protesting against. While he does this, his love for Cha Eun Sang gets deeper and deeper. This, also, is a very stereotypical and foreseeable story progression.

However, what differentiated "The Heirs" from the stereotypically foreseeable storyline was that the drama was very mature. The lines were fresh, witty, and the story progressed logically. In addition, the drama applied the advantages of a hip and young Cinderella story. The production team of "The Heirs" casted idol stars and made drastic measurements to cast new face actors as the main protagonists, in order to show the audiences new visuals from the drama "The Heirs."

Above all, the fact that each of the supporting roles, in addition to the main roles, had their unique characteristics must have put "The Heirs" on the road to success. The triangle love relationship of Kim Tan, Choi Young Do, and Cha Eun Sang was possible only because all of the other characters shined in their spots.