Kim-Park-Lee
Los Angeles
That being said, I do admit I had dropped it at first after two episodes, as many other people seem to have done - I can't recall what those first two episodes were like since I watched them months ago, but if you are looking for a drama without clichés and with a poignant romance, give this drama another chance! I know how common the give-this-drama-a two-episode-chance-you'll-see-it's-worth-it rule is, but it seems to me that it is more true for Protect The Boss than any other drama I have ever watched.
Perhaps this drama is more suited for experienced drama watchers, which I wasn't when I started it. Every typical cliché you find in a rom-com drama is cleverly used and turned around, which makes it a refreshing experience. Many of the main characters are "knock-off" stereotypes, and therefore end up being both comical and very relatable. For example, I have never seen a chaebol father/son relationship depicted quite this way: the father loves his son deeply, which, sadly enough, is a rare thing in dramas. Or else, the second female lead that turns out to be more than the typical spoiled, petty, beautiful rich girl.
Maybe another reason people often give this drama up is because of the female lead - I remember finding her loud, ugly, stupid and a bit too old for me to relate with. She ended up being one of my all-time favorite female characters though, not only because she's strong and talks back and blablabla, but because she's a normal, nice person with a lot of common sense - which is much is easier to like than the usual excessively nice, blindly self-sacrificing female protagonist... And I found her pretty too, in the end :)
It's so agreeable to watch... nice people for a change. Sure, this drama is light, but that doesn't mean it's stupid: on the contrary, I felt like for once the writers didn't just feed the viewers over-used drama formulas, as if they weren't aware of these tropes. It felt like all the main characters were carefully developed. And there were barely any misunderstandings, for once (a few towards the end, but they weren't completely absurd...) The drama was intelligent not because it gives some lesson, but because it was intelligently written.
I decided to give this drama another chance because I had posted a forum question looking for dramas where the male lead was obsessed with the female lead. Even though I love that plot, I also felt that kind of drama often winds up bad, because the girl ends up being too passive, and the guy too... stupid (in my opinion, Boys Over Flowers or The Heirs are examples of that). However, in this drama, I was able to watch my favorite kind of obsessed protagonist without grinding my teeth - the romance was the kind that made my heart flutter without it being unrealistic or silly, but on the contrary, very down to earth.
The major flaw may be the last episodes - I liked them, but they're probably the weakest compared to how strong the rest of the drama was. Oh well, I'll take 14 excellent episodes for 2 mediocre beginning ones and 2 nice ending episodes anytime.
Try this drama if you're looking for characters that you can truly like! The friendships and love stories that develop are sweet and unexpected :)
p.s: ah yes and the guys are handsome ;)
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P.S: I actually dropped this show several times in the first couple of episodes because it was perhaps a bit too goofy for me, though I really started to feel invested around episode 3 when the leads start to connect more.
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Now, with a little distance, I see the flaws in it. This is a drama where the character development was rich and quick, but the plot dragged on too much. That's why I rated the story 7.5, because while the central questions were very intriguing, notably the cause of Soon Ae's death, they were only really addressed in the last episodes of the drama. But still, while I felt that on the whole this drama's themes weren't well balanced, the quality was pretty consistent from start to end.
I think this has to do with what really stood out in this drama, which were the characters. Chef Sun Woo, shy Bong Sun, brash Soon Ae, the policeman Sung Jae, Sun Woo's sweet sister Eun Hee, the cool and likeable second female lead Lee So Hyeong, Sun Woo's meddlesome but endearing mother, the reluctantly friendly shaman, Soon Ae's brother and father, and of course the hilarious crew at the restaurant: all these 14 characters were perfectly cast, and it really felt like the director managed to bring out what was special about each one of those actors, down to the more minor roles. Somehow Oh My Ghostess managed create a world of characters that felt very alive, all while keeping a strong focus on the romance between the leads.
The background music blended well with the story, only what was truly nice were the songs sung by the two actors. Park Bo Young's song was especially pretty, and I felt the sweet, slightly melancholic mood of that song matched the drama perfectly: Oh My Ghostess is truly a gentle drama, where one can wholly empathise with the characters because of some hidden flaw, weakness or insecurity -- and this goes from the leads to the villain. Something that touched me was the way this drama sometimes showed the gap there can be between a person's inner life, and the image that person projects exteriorly to other people. Bong Sun was a person with passion that came across as dull, Sun Woo was someone very unsure about himself, but who learned how to appear confident, Soon Ae was a very sensitive and caring person behind her loud antics, Sung Jae was someone deeply troubled with a happy mask, and the list goes on with Joon, the mother, the shaman, Eun Hee...
Despite the blurry romance line for a couple episodes (was it Soon Ae or Bong Sun the chef loved?), it was very touching from the three points of view. It was nice that all characters involved were ultimately respectful of one another other, and never turned petty or jealous. I loved how Sun Woo was so open about his love, not only was it written allover his face but he also expressed it a lot through words, and in the way he touched her so affectionately. Those are definitely scenes I could rewatch over and over. It was also very agreeable to see a drama where the role seemed tailor made for an actor, since there were many references to Park Bo Young's size and many things very specific about her (often in dramas characters just fall in love, but neither one ever talks about specific things about the other person, so to me their love doesn't feel real, but rather like a script with interchangeable actors). The fact that Park Bo Young and Kim Seul Gi were both as short one as the other was also a nice touch, and it made seeing them together quite funny and endearing.
So overall, that the mystery plot could have been more evenly distributed along the show doesn't bother me too much, because I'm much more into character development -- and there sure was a nice collection of very unique characters, as well as a romance that felt like the actors were in love for real. Park Bo Young was of course amazing, as everybody says, Jo Jung Suk was completely charming, and Kim Seul Gi managed to be both comedic and deep.
I definitely think this drama is worth a try, but stay away from it if it's a fast-moving mystery plot you're looking for! In terms of events, this drama is sloooooow (though I do like that)...
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As everyone says, the story is nothing new: huge star falls for normal girl. I actually like that kind of cliché story, but have seen many, many of those types of stories go wrong. But the story isn't whant made me love this drama, it was the characters. They were so very relatable! I keep reading the acting was poor, that there was no chemistry... I don't understand that at all!
Chen Momo was an unusual character being so consistently quiet (yes, consistently, because there are so many dramas that feature "shy" female leads that lose their"shyness" by the middle of the drama), but I loved her for being so stable and upright. I appreciated that the drama wasn't about her overcoming her shyness, because it's not a flaw -- she talked when she felt the need to, and with the people she wanted to talk to. Simple. Unlike what many people say, I actually thought her character was strong, but not in the loud way a lot of korean female leads are, for example. I also thought she was really cute, with her kinda dorky hairdo, long skirts and fun t-shirts.
I adored Mars too, because he was so kind to Momo. He's the talkative/annoying/superficial/arrogant type with most people, but with her he was always gentle, attentive, sincere, caring... I loved that he was very protective of her, but not in a macho way, because she supports him just as much. He loses his popularity, and because of this becomes quite vulnerable at times, which is why he touched me so much.
As for the music, I loved the song Mars writes during the drama (you'll hear it at the end), it's so sweet!
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This review may contain spoilers
It has been a couple months since I watched this drama, and it has truly stayed with me - for my first drama review, it's fitting that I should write about I Hear Your Voice, the last drama that really struck me, no?For anyone who wants to read a long review ;)
So, in general, what interests me most in a drama is the romance. But for that romance to touch me, I need the characters to be well-developed - this drama fills the bill by far. The characters and the actors that impersonate them were endearing and alive (this being said without being a fan of any of the actors before watching it). For once, I found the love triangle to be rather interesting and justified. Neither of the two men she had to choose from was without flaws, and after all, strategically speaking, her final choice may not have been the safest/most profitable one. In other words, none of the three main characters were stereotypes, they were all very human and relatable. Jang-Hye Sung is funny, although at the beginning she may seem irritating. Eventually, she comes to be both brave and sensitive/feminine, mature and childish, which makes her a female lead one can easily understand and like. Park Soo Ha, as well, was an amazing character - the drama shows how he matures intellectually. From the start, he is a character one gets attached to - and the drama plays on that. Being both a kind/intelligent young man and a moody teen with nothing to loose, there is a tension all along on whether he will throw his life away for revenge or not that is truly gripping. The parallel made with the villain at the end was well-done as well - I don't think it's spoiling to say that the drama shows how easy it is to become monstrous when you are attached to no-one, that no-one is naturally a monster and anyone can become one, which is really a strong message when a drama portrays characters that are so likeable.
I couldn't give the story full marks though, because there definitely were some loopholes - the whole courtroom plot part was sometimes irrational, too obvious or just plain stupid - I'm certainly not a law expert, and am usually terrible at figuring out mystery plots, but (to avoid spoilers) the solution to the most dramatic problem Jang Hye-sung had to solve as a lawyer was so evident even I had seen it from the start.
But the courtroom scenes are not that terrible either, and the rest of the story flows pretty well. As it often happens with me, I personally preferred all the moments "outside" and useless to the plot - and this drama is great for that, with all its domestic scenes that are both heart-warming and funny. The relationship between Park Soo Ha and Jang Hye-Sung is so warm and casual from the start, and seeing them doing various chores together just makes them feel so true...
In terms of tragedy and comedy, this drama has its fair balance of both. There were times it was so funny I had to pause the video and laugh for a few minutes before starting again - which is pretty rare for me. I also appreciate when a movie/drama tries melodrama, since it's such a tricky genre - here the tragedy worked pretty well, and I actually liked the whole "fate" aspect around the main couple. In fact, somehow it erased the weirdness of the age gap, and it suddenly felt extremely romantic that a boy, no matter his age or circumstances, would love and desire to protect the same woman unconditionally. In the end, there's a nice feel to the main couple - like they can be the victims of any kind of tragedy the world throws to them as long as they're together to support and protect each-other. What is nice, also, is that despite the horror around them, there aren't too many tears - on the contrary, a lot of smiles and laughter that make the tears all the more touching.
As for the music: well, in general in dramas I either don't notice it or it gets on my nerves. Except at this moment, I still remember the strange futuristic bleep bleep song which annoyed so many people - I actually liked it. It had this mysterious feel to it, and it fit perfectly well with the image of the aquarium, which, even though its appearance was brief, was striking, as it fit so well with the general feel of the drama - weird, both subtle and a little supernatural, dreamy...
On the other hand, I never rewatch dramas - and in this case, since the drama is based on a mystery plot, I guess the surprise factor would disappear. On the other hand, i still do rewatch certain scenes occasionally.
And to finish: this is a very unusual drama, I had never really seen anything like it... And, despite some flaws, i think it's fair to give a drama that honestly tries to be new (not just re-using themes/stereotypes that are usually appreciated) a chance, no?
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To start with, I liked the main couple a lot - this may sound absolutely ridiculous, but I have a very time with the fake brunette wavy hair that girls have in k-dramas. Yes, I know how superficial this is, but I hate it when a drama portrays a girl that is supposed to pay little attention to her appearance/be shy has her hair dyed and curled... Think of the time it takes! So yes, I was thankful to see ONE drama heroine (Qing Luo) with natural, straight black hair.... So beautiful! And her ears were adorable :)
Aside from that, one thing that disturbed in this drama was that the change between shy/practically mute girl to normal/relatively talkative girl was too brutal... From one episode to another she just became normal, as if the whole shyness thing had become a nuisance and the drama didn't bother to treat it correctly. Same for a few other characters: a girl that almost crushes the heroine's hand with a rock suddenly becomes her best friend the following day... Oh well...
Also, characters just came in and out too often - especially in relation to the hero, whose demons come to haunt him for an episode or two and just disappear. This was the case for the 3/4 of the drama, but towards the end the drama focused more on the secrets of the hero's (Chen Ling) family, which surprised me in being well-done and interesting.
I'm very sensitive to aesthetics, and on that aspect, this drama was terrible. It was SO. UGLY. And one could argue that the images are not as important as the story, but I'm sorry, a movie/drama is not a book. It's supposed to tell a story with images. There were times this drama was just so careless, bad filming, bad editing, bad framing... Apart from ONE image that, given the rest of the drama, amazed me - it was actually really beautiful, but I can't tell more so as not to spoil... (in the last episode). If I may continue ranting about aesthetics (there should be a category for this, it's just as important as, say, the music!) the clothes were fine (although I wonder who sponsored this show?... Hmmm, Fila, maybe, give the fact that all 4 most important characters have it written somewhere on their clothes, sometimes when they're all together, which is highly suspicious), but the art?... Bleeeeeeeeeeeeeergh. That portrait of Chen Ling, bare-chested in front of flames was simplistic and silly - looked like some cover for a trashy romance book. On the other hand, the last drawing we see of hers in the last minutes of the drama looked very interesting and nice, actually.
The main couple was strong, both characters went very well together and the actors were great. On the other hand, I felt that most of the interesting parts had faded by the middle of the drama and the couple just became repetitive: in general, some horrible thing was revealed about Chen Ling, and Qing Luo supported him despite it... in fact, most of the supporting came from her, i found, and very little from him. Now that I think of it, the crucial moment when she needed support for real, he faltered (but of course came back after a short break up). That was a bit annoying.
I feel that I have talked only of the negative aspects of the drama when I didn't even rate it that badly (7 is actually quite good, no?). To sum up the positive aspects: endearing, good-looking (very much so!) main couple and good acting from their part (they truly carry the drama and are the reason this drama, in my opinion, deserves a "good" grade), a pretty interesting plot (especially towards the end), some pretty nice music (although it is repeated so much, and sometimes awkwardly cut then played again) and... being a classic! (its "old" age makes me overlook what I would've condemned in a more recent drama).
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Many point out the plot was very thin, and I totally agree. It was the same thing that was streeeeetched out throughout the 16 episodes. But I didn't mind that: in real life, things often aren't so fast-paced, and though I enjoy plot-driven dramas it often feels like it comes at the expense of time spent on the characters. Good plot-driven dramas compensate by making their characters vibrant by the writing, but in this one, I wouldn't even say the characters were exceptionally well written: rather, we really spent a looooot of time on them, on their developing relationships, and that, with the excellent acting, made the characters extremely touching for me, in a way that felt natural.
It was my first time seeing both Do Joon and Kim So Hyun. Do Joon (Su Ho) was perfect, and so expressive in subtle ways. Kim So Hyun (Geu Rim) was wonderful as well, in a surprisingly mature way. Geu Rim got under Su Ho's skin from episode 1, and it was thrilling (for me, more thrilling than watching epic action scenes or CGI) to watch all his poorly repressed attraction and affection. Su Ho's villain mother and PD Lee were complex, unusual and endearing characters, as well as a handful of other smaller characters. I must say the casting made it all: Yoon Park, Oh Hyun Kyung, Ha Joon, Kim Ye Ryung and Kwak Dong Yeon (but his talent was wasted!) all struck me as very very good actors, and without their talent their characters would've been one-dimensional and flat. What I appreciated about the drama was that all these characters relationships evolved, but in a way that didn't feel cheaply dramatic. I mean there were no epic misunderstandings, the characters remained coherent with themselves... I always admire characters that resolve conflicts without betraying themselves, and without creating too much damage: there was plenty of that in this drama, to the point that some found it boring. Most characters didn't go off their rails at a conflict. I liked that. Song Geu Rim especially fit the bill in terms of what we want in a modern female romantic lead: sensitive, resolved, competent and grounded.
This drama should really be watched purely as a romantic show. As a romance junkie, I was delighted, but if that's not what you're looking for there's no reason to watch this drama. Radio Romance took a lot of time to detail the different stages in a romantic relationship, pre and post dating. Angsty looks, tender looks, jealousy (and even a little sexual innuendo) galore! Yayyyyyy! They certainly didn't skim the romance in this show, and it was both grand (all that love! all that intensity! all that longing!) and realistic (learning to deal with the possessiveness in the early stages of the relationship, needing some space...). This is what sailed me through the show, despite its flaws, such as: Jason was an odd character played by a talented actor that never truly made sense in the story, there were good but small characters that were sort of dropped along the way (Geu Rim's mom, DJ Moon were great characters that had more importance in the beginning), and there were some pretty cringy lines (but this is an emoooooootional drama hehe, so I can deal with the corniness).
On a purely superficial note, I was in love with Do Joon's style from beginning to end, despite many protests -- I guess I just have bad taste like that :^)
I loved this drama! But not everyone will, hehe :^p
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