You're Beautiful (2009)

A Beautiful Story

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2009 South Korean television drama that ran for 16 episodes (~60 minutes/episode). The female lead, Ko Mi-Nyeo (Park Shin-Hye) is part of an orphaned nearly identical twin pair. Both grew up in an orphanage but then pursued very different paths, she studied to be a nun and the brother pursued a career in music. The brother, Ko Mi-Nam is about to realize his dream to be a Korean pop star after winning a vocal audition that gives him the right to join the Korean band, A.N.Jell. To prepare for his rise to fame he gets plastic surgery which is unfortunately botched to the point he has to have it re-done. Not wanting to miss his opportunity with A.N.Jell he works through his manager to convince his sister to stand in for him. She must pretend to be her brother for the month it will take for him to get new surgery and recover. Slowly "Min-Nam" starts to win over the band members and you get to see through her eyes the different aspect of each Kang Shin-Woo (Jung Yong-hwa) is very kind and gentle, Jeremy (Lee Hong-gi) is very happy and always looking to have fun and celebrate and Hwang Tae-kyung (Jang Keun-suk) is the arrogant lead singer who is the most difficult to win over.

Spoiler 🚨 If you have seen the drama "Bromance" there are moments in this that are reminiscent of that. Embarrassing and cringy as you see how uncomfortable the characters are being attracted to someone that they think is a guy when they are heterosexual. There are some laugh out loud funny moments and I think I laughed more in this one than in the others I have watched thus far. I loved all of the characters in this and was sad when it ended because I so thoroughly loved the story and being immersed in the world. I enjoyed the music and looking it up after found that many of the lead characters are actually very talented, award winning, musicians. I enjoyed it the entire way through and it also ended well. This is in my top all time list and I will likely watch it again at some point.

Read More

"You were almost there... just one more step and you would have found me."

"You're Beautiful" was my first Korean Drama and to this day I cannot find a single flaw in it. I just rewatched it for the first time in 10 years and it had the exact same effect on me as it did the first time. I laughed like crazy, I cried, I squealed, I shipped, I yelled, I sang along... I could honestly watch it again and again and again.

The story is quirky and catches your interest from the very first scene. The pacing is really great - there is not a single episode that feels like a filler.

I know the character of Go Mi Nam (or I guess I should say Go Min Nyu) is not for everyone. My sister, for example, can't stand her. Personally, I find her cute and funny. Hwang Tae Kyung is a jerk most of the time but he is never cruel and he reveals his softer side throughout the course of the drama. To this day, I still think this is Jang Geun Suk's best role. His face was made for a role like Tae Kyung's. He can show so many emotions with just his eyes alone.

However, Hongki (my first Korean love) and Yonghwa are the ones that deliver the most emotional and scarring scenes that always make me cry my eyes out. It's hard to decide whether I find Jeremy's or Shin Woo's emotional scenes more tragic - they are both devastating in their own way. I always root so hard for Shin Woo and get my heart broken all over again.

And the OST... the OST is just genius! So beautiful, such great vocals of the cast, so fitting for the atmosphere of the drama. I could cry just thinking of "What Should I Do?" and "Without Words" (which was the first Korean song I learned the lyrics for - I practised in my room and everything.)

Apart from the genius OST, the beloved cast and the humor, "You're Beautiful" has some really unique and beautiful elements such as Jeremy's Magic Bus, which is a brilliant (and heartbreaking) concept tbh.

There really isn't any flaw that I could point out.

Read More

-This was my second ever drama, and speaking from experience, it's a perfect place to start
-The concept intrigued me (Nun crossdresses in a kpop band- I mean what's not to love?) and it turned out just as hilarious as it sounded
-It did surprise me with a lot of, well... drama. There's quite a bit of crying and "I can't be with you because of this reason" but that reason is totally stupid and also makes zero sense
-The side characters are the best part. Especially Jeremy. Lee Hong Ki will forever be my Kdrama first love.
-The awkward antics are also tied for the best part. Its 10 outta 10 worth it just for those
-The romance is just ok in my opinion, I'm not a fan of the actor for the male lead, because, yes I do believe there's such a thing as TOO broody-emo-mysterious-hot-boy, I feel like this is the part where I get disconnected with the drama. It is quite literally TOO dramatic. (+ I 100% believe she should have ended up with someone else)
-Also this is the only drama I've actually liked Park Shin Hye in
-OST is good, seems like they play the same exact parts of a couple of the songs a bit too much tho (my favorite track is Lee Hong Ki's version of "Still" - Still (lol) makes me feel the feels

Read More

Clichéd storyline, amazing performances, and heavy infusion of humor is what summarizes K-drama ‘You’re Beautiful’. This show appears on most of the ‘must watch’ K-drama lists and now that I have watched the series I know why it makes it to so many lists. The show was so popular that it was remade in Japanese under the title ‘Ikemen desu ne’ in 2011 and in Taiwanese under the title ‘Fabulous Boys’ in 2013 with Jiro Wang as its lead (Jiro Wang played Ah Jin in the show It Started With A Kiss and I simply loved him in it. I was surprised to see him look dapper and hot in this show. I could barely recognize him. I knew that boy was talented ;)). The show may be criticized for its faulty plot but fans have loved it for all the elements that make the show memorable and worth watching.    

Let’s weigh You’re Beautiful on our show beam balance and see if it is worth any praise or no.

Good Weights
Hilarity – The major plus point of this show is that it is so damn funny. The show may not be perfect story-wise but what makes it so appealing is its humorous screenplay. There are serious plot lines too but most of Mi Nyeo’s encounters with Tae Kyung are so amusing that I would be in splits.
Acting – Park Shin Hye played the gawky Go Mi Nam to perfection. She was so endearing that I was forced to ignore the fact that she didn’t sound or look like a boy at all.

Jang Geun Suk as the smug and bigheaded Hwang Tae Kyung was simply superb. Initially, his sneering and pouting (not to mention his pathetic dressing) irritated me but as the story progressed I accepted all of that and even started liking him as an actor.      

 
Bad Weights
Outfits – I don’t follow K-pop stars so I don’t really know their dressing style. But the wardrobe for the main cast was such an eyesore. Most of the stuff that Tae Kyung wore looked so feminine. Go Mi Nam is healthy so it must’ve been difficult to conceal her femininity and dress her to look like a boy, so they ended up layering her with multiple pieces of clothing that seemed way too much for a guy. And I don’t know why Jeremy was dressed in such loud colors. Was it to add to the comic element or just to further emphasize that he is the most vibrant of the three boys? Whatever the reason was it just didn’t suit him.

Storyline – Yes the story is heavily flawed. Few scenes here and there will leave you wondering ‘How did that happen?’ But then if you are enjoying the drama for what it is i.e. SIMPLY HILARIOUS then you will learn to overlook all of it. The only thing that disappointed me was that they never showed the real Go Mi Nam. I was looking forward to the reunion of the twins but that never happened. Of course, they did show a poorly shot scene of Go Mi Nam at the airport but nothing more than that. There was absolutely no interaction between Go Mi Nam and Go Mi Nyeo. Mi Nyeo helped Mi Nam to save his career and he couldn’t even thank her over the phone. Weird!


The number of weights may be equal on both sides but let me add that the weight of the acting and hysterically funny script weighs much more than the bad weights. If you are looking for some rib-tickling romance then do spare 16 hours of your life for this one.

Originally posted on www.alphagirl.in

Read More

I would like to start this review by saying that I know that this is, for a lot of people, the perfect cliché drama. For me, it is indeed very cliché but I don't think it's anywhere near perfect. I did enjoy it very much but it didn't really blow my mind. I know it's quite old so, for its time, I think it did fairly well. And I've always been curious about it so I'm glad I watched it. I'll now detail my review a little.

Story- Probably the worst part for me. So cliché and not even done well. But I do have to admit it was entertaining. Unfortunately, the ending was not for me. Not because I was upset with who she ended up with but the last scene was quite bad, in my opinion. The plot is extremely unrealistic which makes it boring at times and I did skip some seconds every now and then. But, again, it's quite entertaining and at least it made sense in a way. The dialogue was a hit or miss for me. To sum it up, I've seen worse.

Acting/Cast/Characters- Unlike many people, this was my first impression of every actor in this show. I had heard of them before but it's my first time watching them act. In this, they weren't outstanding, even though they were very likeable. The characters were just... too much? I did like all three guys and Minam wasn't unlikeable but she was pathetic at times, I must say. Jeremy was so so so cute! His bus' scenes were heartbreaking and probably my favorite in the show. Shinwoo was such a gentleman... I do think he pushed Minam a little too hard but after all he had good intentions and I suppose it's really hard to be in a position like his. I would have chosen him! Now, Taekyung... ahhh he's in a whole different world. The other characters were quite good but forgettable. I did like the president though. I don't think the chemistry was that good but it wasn't terrible either. I really like the cast but it could have been better. I'm sure their other dramas are a way better representation of who they are as actors because this one was probably one of the first works for many of them.

Music- My favorite part. 10000%. It felt so nostalgic! The ballads are my favorite.

Rewatch value- Because it didn't really touch my heart, I don't think I will rewatch it anytime soon but I don't completely exclude the possibility! It was entertaining after all.

Even though this wasn't my favorite, I can see why this drama is very important to many people and also its contribution to the drama world. I'm really glad I watched it, even if it took me like... 3 months?? Oh well, I will definitely watch more dramas with this cast!

Watch it if you want to feel nostalgic. ^^

Read More

Toxic Male Gets Ultimate Reward ... for being a bullying.

The amount of demeaning, bullying, and nasty behavior Hwang Tae Kyung gets away is not cute, or funny. He's a really hurtful person. I don't think it makes sense for Mi Nye to fall for the guy who is the most cruel to her. What is this saying about women? "Treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen" ?

In order to have earned her love, he should at least have undergone some MAJOR changes, which he didn't. He barely got over his own ego enough to go after her in the end ... and only because everyone else told him to do it. He learned nothing. She was a sap, from beginning to end.

And when she found out Yoo He Yi was now bullying and threatening her brother, as well, Mi Nye should have finally found her courage and slapped the troublesome snake-lady. But no, she was a sap right to the end.

My third complaint is that they should have cast the brother properly, using an actor, as also slight-framed, for credibility's sake. Using a buff male body, with Shin Hye's head, was stupid, and obviously - could not be mistaken for the same person. It's not believable that the two were not just siblings, but TWINS - who had gone through a horrific ordeal together ... and yet, Mi Nye barely ever mentioned her brother, worried about him, missed him, and barely showed any interest in seeing him again.

The acting was fine - Lee Hong Ki was fantastic (as always).
The music was good.

The script? Very shallow, and disappointing.
Still, it was a good romp, and was worth it just for Lee Hong Ki's character, Manager Ma, and Kang Shin Woo, who (although the character made poor choices), was played well by the actor.

Read More

Cult Classic

I think that is the easiest way to explain this drama concisely. It's a cult classic. If you read some of the critical reviews, I'd tend to agree with them, but the thing is it's what makes it a cult classic in my opinion.
The acting isn't perfect and the dialogue can be weird at times, but that makes it even funnier.
I think if you go in knowing it's not a serious tv show, you will better be able to enjoy it. You can't compare it to highly choreographed big budget tv shows of today because that's not what it is. But if you go in and just accept it for what it is, a lower budget old funny spoof on some cliches, I think it's pretty solid and has pretty good rewatch value

Read More