Rooftop Prince is a Korean Drama that aired on South Korea's SBS network. A Joseon (1700's) Crown Prince is transported to the modern city of Seoul while investigating the death of the Crown Princess. Hilarity Ensues.
The series contains examples of:
- Amusement Park: Park Ha takes the Crown Prince to one, where they eat cotton candy and play some of the games.
- The Art of War : A strategy is mentioned when Yi Gak's team is competing against Tae Moo. While available in Joeson, it is still used today, especially in business.
- The Big Damn Kiss: At the end of Episode 12. There were a few red herrings in between.
- Blood from the Mouth: Bu Yong spits blood after eating the poisoned persimmons.
- Butt-Monkey: Woo Yong Sul, every time he tries to join in, he end's up regretting it.
- Cain and Abel: Yon Tae Mu is jealous of Yon Tae Yong's assumption that he will be in charge of the family business.
- Chekhov's Gun: Yon Tae Yong's cellphone from two years ago.
- Also, Park Ha's baby picture.
- Color-Coded Characters: The boys first outfits in the modern world are different colored tracksuits with matching sneakers. Even when they change clothes, they still mostly use the same color scheme.
- Dark Secret: Tae Mu knocked Tae Yong off a boat in a fit of anger while they were both in New York City, then made it look like a drowning accident.
- Doppelgänger Replacement Love Interest: Yi Gak pursues Se Na because she is the exact duplicate/reincarnation of his wife from 300 years ago.
- Eiffel Tower Effect: Namsam Tower shows up in Episode 10.
- Also, shots of Wall Street and the Statue of Liberty established the New York City story arc.
- Family Business: A Home Shopping Network.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: The boys are from the Joseon Era approximately 300 years in the past.
- Five-Man Band:
- The Hero: Crown Prince Yi Gak, who wants to find the murderer of the Crown Princess in Joseon.
- The Lancer: Do Chi San, a eunuch who helps collect gossip as part of the investigation.
- The Big Guy: Woo Yong Sul, a mercenary pledged to help the investigation.
- The Smart Guy: Song Man Bo, an illegitimate son of a aristocrat, he is logical and intelligent.
- The Heart: Park Ha, an orphan making a living in Seoul as a produce distributor.
- Genki Girl: Park Ha, who almost always can find a positive spin.
- Genre Blindness: Park Ha, gets in a car with Tae Moo after he just trashed her home saying that he knows who her biological mother is.
- Genre Roulette: It's a period murder mystery! No, it's a Fish out of Water fantasy romantic comedy! Or a corporate espionage drama!
- The Glomp: When Yi Gak backhugs Park Ha and pulls her from the edge of the roof. He won't let go until she promises not to commit suicide.
- Hello Again, Officer: Trying to go back to the palace is more complicated than the Joseon Power Rangers had anticipated.
- Identical Stranger: Everyone in the modern time believes the Crown Prince is Tae Yong who disappeared in a boating accident two years before.
- Instant Sedation: When Tae Moo kidnaps Park Ha, he uses a cloth over the nose and mouth. Park Ha is knocked out virtually intantly.
- K-Pop: Much of the background music.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Subverted in that Yi Gak is pretending to be Tae Yong with a gap of two years in his memory.
- Manly Tears: When Yi Gak gives in to the inevitable and admits his attraction to Park Ha.
- Never the Selves Shall Meet: The Crown Prince's doppelganger is mysteriously absent from the present world. Or is he?
- Not Blood Siblings: Park Ha's dad married Se Na's mother. Subverted Trope since it turns out that Park Ha and Se Na have the same biological mother.
- Orbital Shot: When the Crown Prince confesses to the Princess in the Joseon arc.
- Race for Your Love: Yi Gak chases down Park Ha, who is in a bus. He catches up with her, yelling out of the passenger window of a delivery truck, which has the perfect backdrop of a tropical island in the truck bed.
- Also, when Park Ha is in trapped in a burning building, he races to the scene, then leaps into the flames to pull her out.
- Ramen Slurp: The ancient boys discover the joys of instant noodles.
- Shirtless Scene: When the time travelers mistake an elevator for a changing room.
- Shout-Out:
- The main group of characters have been called The Joseon Power Rangers due to their tracksuits.
- Showgirl Skirt: Downplayed When Tae Moo confronts Se Na in Episode 12, Se Na is wearing a long skirt that is draped over a shorter one.
- Standard Female Grab Area: Used frequently, both by Joeson and contemporary male characters on contemporary women.
- Time Skip: The modern story begins in 2010, then jumps to 2012.
- Wild Card: Se Na
- Year Inside, Hour Outside: When they return to Joseon, the boys have only been gone one temporal day.
