How "Fight My Way" Achieved Remarkable Viewership Rating Success

KBS’s Monday-Tuesday drama “Fight My Way” is a drama with a storyline that isn’t as glamorous as another trendy drama. However, it was able to pull in viewers to achieve impressive ratings of 11 percent after a slow start of 5 percent. Its brand ranking is now third overall and first among dramas.

The most prominent reason why it was able to achieve such success is likely its realism. Many previously dramas relied on the Cindrella complex within viewers for their popularity, but there isn’t a second generation chaebol character in this drama that is so easy to see in other ones. The four main characters in the drama are 29-year-0ld friends who are struggling between their dreams and reality, which are quite different from one another. Everything from their glamorous dream careers to the harsh reality is relatable and realistic.

Gong Hee Jung, a drama critic, said, “Before, dramas portraying the joys and sorrows of underdogs as well as their eventual success were loved. ‘Fight My Way,’ on the other hand, is popular because it takes reality into account and tells its story, not in a depressing or sad way, but in a funny way.” She added, “The stories of the main characters who are fighting their way against reality are relatable to the viewers, who were previously stricken with emptiness after watching romantic comedy dramas with second generation chaebols as main characters.”

The excellent scriptwriting and directing of the drama are also part of the reason for the drama’s popularity. The staff have taken to producing the drama after a solid understanding of the main characters’ emotions, and wrote lines that are natural and alive. This is very different from what is common in previous dramas.

The actors themselves are also able to relate to the characters, which is integral to the drama’s success. Park Seo Joon plays Go Dong Man in the drama, a tick exterminator who once dreamt of being a taekwondo athlete. The actor mused about his past, saying, “I left the military with dreams of being an actor, but I was met with the harsh wall of reality and realized that my existence in the world was like a particle of dust.” He added, “I was able to relate to the line that said, ‘Even if I don’t have a dream, the world goes on turning just fine.'” Kim Ji Won plays Choi Ae Ra, a character who works at an info desk at a department store but dreamt of becoming a news anchor. She said, “I think I can relate to my character in how she found her way in life. I am focusing on those parts when I’m acting.”

Lee Gun Joon, the chief producer of KBS, said, “Since our society nowadays is struggling with youth unemployment and difficulty finding permanent jobs, the viewers are able to relate to stories of youth who have dreams but are defeated by reality.” He explained, “While there were lots of dramas recently with lawyers, doctors, and chaebols as main characters, this is a drama that deals with everyday life, and is especially popular among viewers in age groups between 20 and 49 years old.”

“Fight My Way” airs every Monday and Tuesday. Watch the latest episode at Viki!

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