Fan service is a term that originated in anime and manga fandom, but k-dramas are very good at it. And some are better than others. "High Society" is a good example of a k-drama that, besides having a fun plot, is definitely out to provide fan service.
Fan service means giving fans what they want and in k-dramas this often translates into showing off the well-defined abs belonging to leading men.
There are several ways this is accomplished and so far the first three episodes of "High Society" have used at least three of them for full cinematic effect.
The drama stars two attractive leading men, model-turned-actor Sung Joon and Z:EA member and actor Park Hyung Sik. And viewers have seen a lot of them already.
Scenes that feature showers, dressing and grooming are fan service set-ups used in k-dramas. "High Society" has already shown Sung Joon, post shower and preparing to return to work while swathed in a towel.
Swimming pool scenes are another way to show off abs.
"High Society" had a swimming pool scene. Sung Joon is swathed in that towel, getting ready for work, because he already had a swimming pool scene with Park Hyung Sik. Park pulled him into the water fully clothed.
And lastly, "High Society" found another creative way to show off Park's abs when a very drunken Lim Ji Yeon accidentally rips off his shirt as he is trying to get out of a car they are parked in. That means for the next scenes he can sit there talking to his co-star Uee with his jacket on and no shirt.
"High Society" is not the only drama with this type of fan service. Many dramas have shower scenes, including Kim Soo Hyun's in "You Who Came From Another Star," Lee Min Ho in "Boys Over Flowers," "Personal Taste" and "City Hunter," and Gong Yoo in "Coffee Prince." In historical dramas shower scenes may be substituted with bathing scenes such as the one Ji Chang Wook did in "Empress Ki" or the one Kim Hyun Joong did in "Inspiring Generation."
Getting dressed is a common fan service scene too. Think Lee Soo Hyuk in "High School King of Manners" or Hyun Bin in "My Lovely Kim Sam Soon."
And there are also swimming pool scenes in several dramas. Jung Il Woo swam in "Flower Boy Ramen Shop" and in "49 Days." Hyun Bin showed off his strokes in "My Lovely Kim Sam Soon."
But so far, "High Society" is doing a great job at offering a variety of fan service scenes. Will there be as many as there are episodes? Are you watching this drama? Are we exaggerating?
