I think poster making is a true art form with very few people talented and creative enough to stand out from the crowd. With movies and television having been around for nearly a hundred years, the proliferation of posters has long ago reached a saturation point where it’s nearly impossible to do anything truly creative and the most one can hope for is to not suck. K-drama posters have been across-the-board dull for the last few years, and probably way longer if I bothered to check. Sometimes a sageuk will do something different or really exquisite, or a thriller can manage to pull off a stylized slick presentation that is memorable. In general I’ve long since given up on seriously critiquing drama posters since 99.9% of the time I’ll just be indifferent to it. A rom-com can do something cute enough to rouse the cute addict in me to liking it, but it still wouldn’t make it any good.
With that said, Missing You really took its dang time in releasing its official posters, and it dropped not one but four on the day it’s slated to premiere. Talk about cutting it close! When I saw the posters, it was like seeing every other melodrama poster in existence placed before me, except with different actors and different backdrops. These are so boring I almost nodded off just trying to take a closer look at it, though it’s way prettier than the most recent melodrama Nice Guy‘s batch of dull and not very pretty posters. In fact, the last time I saw a good set of posters for a melodrama was Bad Love and that was more than 5 years ago. It’s almost like the genre is wedded to the concept of placing its leads in positions where they project pain with their facial expressions while standing or sitting in awkward ways. I’m hoping poster makers can start using more props to help convey the mood and as a symbol of whatever the great melodrama conceit of this particular story is.
The poster I used to top this post is my favorite of the bunch. I think the kids one is the most “alive” one of the lot, but the pose is just so cheesy romantic that I just want to giggle at it. I really think the adult posters could be so much better with just a smidge more thinking outside the box, especially the one with all four adult leads. For example, since the leads played by Yoon Eun Hye and Yoochun are separated and looking for each other, the posters could use a door to convey a physical separation more. And Yoon Seung Ho playing the second male lead with the unrequited love, there ought to be more of the sense that he’s longing for Eun Hye, perhaps using his cane to tentatively make contact with her. I dunno, I feel like the entire K-drama production team for most every single drama is just coasting on the idea that if they slap the leads on a poster and allow them to be the pretty people they are, us audiences will be so blinded by the pretty that we’ll love the posters unconditionally. I think Eun Hye stands out the most in all the adult posters, she’s got the most visceral emotional expression on her face, whereas Yoochun looks rather stoned, Yoo Seung Ho is just a well-placed prop, and Jang Mi In Ae appears to have wandered onto the set from a Korean cop show and is looking for a perp. On the upside, I’m loving how well Eun Hye is really projecting in her first melodrama and I can’t wait to see her first appearance in MY!
By the way, posters have zero correlation with how good a drama will be, and in fact some of my fave dramas of all time have the worst posters ever created, while some truly shiteous dramas end up with the coolest posters.
agree…love how YEH convey her emotions on the poster… argh… my heart is already aching and all the angst… can’t wait… in 24 hrs I will get to watch the raw and come here for your recap! (right? at least the first two eps rights? )
I still am not impressed by Yoochun as an actor >_< seeing this poster again made me cringe while I was hoping to warm up to him. T_T Just imagine someone like Park Shi Hoo or Jo In Sung in his place – it would have been brilliant! it would have been amazing watching them emote those pained emotions that they already excel in. I have never seeing anything with Yoon Seung Ho but right off the bat I can intuit that he knows his craft. Well I have to watch this anyway for YEH, I love her too much. T_T
I am interested, I can’t wait to wait for the missing you drama
Have you seen the BTS’s video of MY’s poster making Mrs. K ? YEH’s really shed her tears when the pic’s taken
I get it, drama. This is Sad. Very.
But there’s no way I’m not catching the first few episodes of this for the people I’m fond of.
It’s funny how I noticed Jang Mi In Ae first in the posters, girl’s clothed and covered to the max lol look at the layers of clothing on her, way to go to appease the the disagreeing fans. lol
angst… angst… and more angst in the posters.
I don’t like the second poster…. looks wrong plus Ho Seung looks stiff in it. Still do not understand why Ho Seung took this project, he looks too much of a baby to be Eun Hye’s love interest!!! Dont get me started on Yoochun *rolls eyes*
mmm I do not like YEH acting she has not improved since her beginning always over-act…still do not get why those 2 idols decided to take this proyect together…. i will pay atention to Ho Seung this guy has 10 years od acting experience but why he has the same expression in his poster (his eyes and mouth expression are always the same)even in Arang and the Magistrate but he is so i will young check him….
I love love love YEH, Yoochun and Ho Seung!… I’m in heaven with this drama…I’m debating whether to wait and marathon it, in order to live and savor it to the fullest…or to get little doses week by week…uugh!!!!! excruciating decision…either way, the wait is going to be agonizing for me…I just simply adored YEH….
By the way episode 1 is already been posted raw on Yoochun’s webpage JYJ… and youtube: it’s brutal and powerful…oh boy, let’s get ready to cry buckets of tears for this drama.
“perhaps using his cane to tentatively make contact with her”
I lol’ed in the cafe line reading this.
I just hope it is more interesting than these posters.
I only like the kids’ posters….I agree YEH is conveying alot with her face while Yoochun’s face is more blank. I personally won’t jump to conclude that he won’t deliver on the acting front before I see him act in one scene in this melodrama. It will take the fun for me out of watching because I will go in with a negative bias that I’ll be looking to be reinforced.
I just watched episode 1 and I LOVE THIS DRAMA
first I wanted to see yocchun and YEH’s scenes ASAP but the kid actors are soooo goooooooood and sooooooo cuteeeeeeee!! I love the way its directed, sooo looking forward to next episode
where did you watch it?!! The kids scenes looked really, really good in the trailers and I hope YEH and Yoochun can keep the momentum going!