Headless paupers and princes for Ruler–Master of the Mask posters

85 April 10, 2017May 10, 2017

Headless paupers and princes for Ruler–Master of the Mask posters

by tineybeanie

Preeeetty posters for upcoming Joseon-era drama Ruler–Master of the Mask have just been released. Granted, they do lack something critical: Yoo Seung-ho’s (Remember–Son’s War) beautiful face. But the contrast between the two figures in the elaborate blue and red ceremonial robes, without knowing who they are, does stir curiosity and lend an air of mystery.

Ruler–Master of the Mask is about a crown prince who’s forced to wear a mask as he fights a political war against a powerful hidden faction in his government that seeks to control the nation’s water supply. In the midst of this dangerous internal strife, the crown prince falls in love with a woman who only seeks him out to wreak her revenge on him for executing her father. Kim So-hyun will be playing this character, and I’m so excited to see her in sageuk clothes because she was absolutely gorgeous in The Lonely Shining Goblin.

The recently released posters do not feature her, but center around the enigma surrounding the masked prince. In the first, two figures with dragon emblems adorning their robes face away from each other, while both holding iron masks. Traditionally, red is the color for the king while the crown prince usually wears blue. So does this signify the relationship between the father and son, or is it showing the prince’s past and future juxtaposed together? The copy says, “What can I do to change this corrupt world?”

The copy reads the same on both of the posters below: “I am this Joseon nation’s crown prince, Lee Sun,” but they show completely different stations in life. In the second poster, a pauper walks along a dirt road with peasant huts in the background, while holding the red ceremonial robes in one hand and a mask in the other. The third poster is a closeup of the left side of the first poster, showing a figure in the crown prince’s blue robes with the magnificent palace in the distance.

Perhaps these posters are alluding to L’s (She’s So Lovable) story arc, because he’s supposed to be the prince’s double, whose origins come from the lowest of the low. He’s highly intelligent, but as the son of a butcher, his status in life limits his options and opportunities. (People who dealt with animals and blood on a daily basis were considered to be “dirty,” and were regarded to be on a lower social tier.) I’m not quite sure how this relationship will work out, but I can’t wait to see it soon.

MBC’s Wednesday-Thursday sageuk Ruler–Master of the Mask will premiere on May 10.