My Beautiful Bride (2015)

Kim Moo Yul is one of my favorite actors since I saw him in the “Bad Guys Vile City” (he was so cool!) and I really don't know why it took me half a year to find My Beautiful Bride.

One word: perfect. “My Beautiful Bride” is perfect!

This is for everyone who loves fast pace action, gang wars, thriller, very good script and outstanding cinematography. But there is something more: this is a beautiful love story about eternal love and trust and longing and sacrifice.
I didn't expect such a remarkable drama. There is no useless scene or word. All characters are deep and real: bank ajussi, the girl who wants to start over, corrupt policeman, gangsters who act only because of fear and greed, sensitive and beautiful detective, gangster women who are not afraid of anyone.

Music is unforgettable! It creates a dark mood of gangster world and a sweet one in lovers scenes.

I love everything in this drama! Especially adamant Kim Moo Yul! I give 10/10, of course.

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I'll start off by saying i came here solely for Lee Si Young, but i actually stayed for the story. This was a very solid action series, that can be easily watched and liked also by people who aren't fan of the genre (you see, usually crime/action shows target a specific audience, i talk from experience since i am more of a melodrama guy, this isn't what i'd watch by choice). Let me talk more specifically:

STORY
The meaning of story was about money, its power, how it rules over people's lives, not only by the literal meaning (using money to survive/live better, more comfortably) but how money can define us, make us ashamed of ourselves or proud with no particular reason. The slow revolves around loan sharks and the people behind them who do the dirty work the the debtors can't pay up. In this story with loan sharks the main couple gets sucked in. The fiancee of the male lead suddenly disappears and he tries to find her. The description of the show tells you like 10% of the story. I originally didn't have much interest in watching this because i wondered how can they drag an idea like that for 16 episodes.

Thanfully the show has SO much more to offer than just a girl who disappears. The story is complicated, everyone is connected somehow. What was really amazing was the development of the story. It gets developed as a mystery in the beginning, but the show doesn't make you question things for a long time. You get rewarded for your patience. You get 1 question answered and 2 pop up, so this keeps happening, combine the mystery element with the FREAKING AMAZING fighting/action scenes and you pretty much get an 10/10 first half. I read people saying the first episodes are boring, i beg to differ. The first episode is rather slow, yes, not boring though. It needs to demostrate quite a few characters and situations, this usually happens. It picks up big time by episode 2 and keeps it up until like episode 7.

I don't have many bad things to say about the show, which makes me wonder why i don't want to rate it higher than 8.5. The show never gets dragged. Yes, they manage to keep up the suspense, not the mystery so much, but the show never gets slow, it always has a goal and it goes for it. Episodes 8-11 were good, but not as *wowing* as the first episodes. Episodes 12-16 are also good, but they got repetitive imo. Not boring, or slow, just repetitive. I mean, at some point i felt like this was never going to end. There is a milestone the leads need to reach, and as soon as they get there, another one appears. It felt like a constant struggle to watch them (especially the male lead). However, i don't blame the show for this, as i said, it doesn't get boring, there is always progress, no unecessary conversations here (this shocked me), i rewinded the show quite a few times to re-read some conversations to understand what happens next. I need to congratulate the writters for a very well crafted story. The only tiny thing i may say is that the show sometimes gave convinient help to the leads to 'win', i mean for example, the male lead could have died 4237497247 times but they were always underestimating him. However, those convinient moments didn't feel forced, or stupid or ridiculous or unrealistic, so i went with them.

Overall, the story was very well crafted, and the development was magnificent, seriously, i loved it, and it had quite a few plot twists along the way. The fact that i got tired of it and i felt it got repetitive, i blame it on the fact that this is not what i usually watch. A fan of this genre wouldn't have any problem keep going at all.

ACTING
I've read so many bad comments about the acting (especially on the 2 female leads) that i was actually expecting some seriously bad acting here, but not at all!

Lee Si Young. I came for her, and she was as flawless as expected. Guys, it isn't her fault her character was naive. Yes, her character was naive and too good of a person for her own good (although, i understand why she was acting like that, considering the circumstanses she was under). LSH gave a wonderful performance again, in a not-so-well-developed character. All i'd wish is for her character to have been more linked to the plot. Her character had almost no impact, and it didn't really feel like a 'lead' character at all. The other female lead (who is listed as 'supporting') had more screen time, and was more important to the story.

Kim Mu Yeol. I didn't know him before this, but he really earned my respect. Amazing actor, his action/fighting scenes were FLAWLESS!!! Better than expected, the guy really was perfect. His emotional and dramatic scenes were also believeable, he was overall great. His character was borderline crazy, but lets say we understand why he was doing what he was doing....

Go Sung Hee. The amount of hate for this actress is beyond me. It just proves that hate is popular. 'Hey a bunch of people said this actress sucks, lets all hate her so we can be accepted by the dramalist society'. GSH won't win any awards for her performance here, but none of the actors will. Maybe i have too low expectations when it comes to acting but, as far as i'm concerned, she gave a solid performance, she was believeable, i've definately seen worse, i don't understand what people didn't like, she was great, i actually liked her a lot, and rooted for her character a lot. She certainly didn't bring the show down at all.

RECOMMEND/REWATCH
If you are a fan of this action/crime/suspense/thriller genre, you will love this. You should definately watch it. If you are more of a rom-com or melo fan like me, thinking about watching it, i'd still recommend it, but don't expect any romance here. There is romance, but plays only a small part in order for the story to progress... Get ready to watch a lot of violence, a lot of bad guys, money talk, nothing cute whatsoever and whatever good and bad comes with this.
Would i rewatch this? Well, the fighting scenes, definately, but overall, it is a tiresome show. Since i am not a fan of this genre i can't say i'd watch it again, but i can see why some people would rewatch it.

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I loved how this drama started. The build up and everything. And Kim Moo-Yul, who I wasn't familiar with before, caught my attention right off. The awkward guy with military training who rampages against everything and everyone for his lovely bride. I really liked his character. But well I hated the second dragging half of the story. To me, this drama would have done great if it'd taken a different narrative with Moo-Yul's character just shooting through as the absolute badass like the movie "The Beast" with Jung Suk-Won. But it didn't. Rather Moo-Yul's character kept taking beatings after beatings. And by the second half, I was beginning to hate his beautiful bride for being an airhead. I get what she was doing but still, it was nerve grating.

Overall: Good start. not so good second half.

Rewatch: Once is good enough.

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the first two eps are totally slowburn, i mean i kinda understand it necessary for the world building but its still a little bit too much. fortunately im familiar with this kinda thing. the cinematography, the tone keep me going. the flashback help me to understand where and how the characters stand.
i like how this show slowly getting darker and more violent as it goes. another interesting part is faction. this story isnt a straightforward two way fight between our hero and the villain. tho im a bit disappointed in the last fourth of eps. they fricking tune down the dark tone. seeing how hero was built till that point i thought we would get more rage, violent and vengeance. instead the put too much emphasize on money and conspiration. sigh.

music were all on point. totally fit the mood of this show.

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first part - greatest, second part - good, becomes quite repetitive

It's really great drama, but not greatest. in the beginning episodes you will think you found one of hundreds level drama, though second half isn't that level. in first part there is real tension, twists and turns, unexpected turns, every element of really high quality greatest drama, but in second half kind of nothing new, same and same "searching saving her" and "madly in love ML". in the beginning I thought it even could compare (not same level but could be close) to Cruel City, but at some point it becomes repetitive, by episode 10(+/-) I already knew there wont be anything new and big anymore, he will search her and love her till the end.
I'm not saying ML should give up on her, but after first few episodes you have expectations that this isn't usual action or usual romance, you expect more, because first half is really great and different, and you think second part will show also great plot and unexpected events, turns of story and character, like in "Cruel City" or "Kairos". just "saving girl he loves" becomes repetitive and for me disappointing, I was waiting something like it was in Kairos, when at the half way ML realizes she wasn't who he thought, or dynamic changes of situation like in "Cruel City"... but here actual "status" kind of stays same for 16 episodes: lost girl, searching/fighting for her ML, madly in love ML and modern Romeo/Juliet vibe.
Drama has one of greatest potential in first half or at list first episodes but then it's just another good action/saving FL/revenge drama.

I'm not saying not to watch it, on opposite it's really good and way better drama then 70-80% of kdramas, I'm just saying it could be better then 90-95% of kdramas.

p.s. I can forgive rom-cos for cliches, but high level dramas, when will you stop showing ML's like almighty supermans and bad guys with "evil laugh"???

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Story:
Kim Do Hyung: "joo young please wait a little more." "i will find joo young."
Detective Cha: "i'm sorry kim do hyung, we lost (x person)", "i'm sorry kim do hyung, (x person) is dead."
Yoon Joo Young: " i don't have right to do that.", "i'm sorry do hyung, it's all because of me."
Seo Jin Ki: "yah, banker ajusshi."
Chairman Kang: "will you (do that)?"
Detective Park: "stop talking cr*p."
Although the show was full of promises and potential in the beginning, i regret to say that the whole story can be summarized in the lines above.
A not so regular bank employee with special military skills going after the unlaw organizations to find his lost fiancee was a rare plot line by 2015 (although people going after baddies for a loved one is nowadays almost overused) so i remember being really interested in the project when it was first announced. plus it is written by Cruel City's capable writer. But unlike that one, the supporting roles were criminally underused and poorly written, i think this is the main problem of this series. the whole story revolves around one person (or maybe two - with Seo Jin Ki) and everyone else is just a side character to appear once in a while to create new challenges for Kim Do Hyung. Although Cha Yoo Mi is listed as a lead,  i beg to differ. She was such a frustrating character, she had no depth, never ever did something worthy on her own, always put herself in danger and always lost important witnesses or suspects. I could let it pass if she was a rookie detective but she is suppose to be a chief detective. I could say the same thing for almost everyone else minus Kim Do Hyung. Yoon Joo Young was such a mystery to me. She started badass, going after the mob boss she was working under and daring to co-operate with a detective. Then turned into a complete damsel in distress, then surprised me so much in her car scene in episode 5 and turned back in damsel in distress mode once again to suddenly go (pretend) badass in the last episodes. She is a major character for sure, but i think the 'show' did not love Yoon Joo Young, herself, but the idea of her.
I'm not saying the drama was bad, it is still superior to (most) dramas of the same genre, but it is a pity how much more it could have been. You had so much time to focus on the relationships between Kim Do Hyung/Cha Yoo Mi, Cha Yoo Mi/Yoon Joo Young, Seo Jin Ki/Hak Soo, Seo Jin Ki/Son Hye Joung , literally every one and anyone else. Just half of the writing in the Cruel City would do, but instead you just put Joo Young in danger repeatedly to rescue her repeatedly for 16 episodes.
Acting:
Kim Mu Yeol hard carried the show. His performance was followed by Ryu Seong Soo who was just as awesome. Both Lee Shi Young and Lee El are my favs but they were so underused that i'm hugely disappointed. I won't count every one, one by one but in short the whole cast was perfect in acting aspect. It was just that the characters were superficially written.
Music:
Love the soundtrack. The series is a part of my "on the treadmill" dramas, and the soundtrack plays a big role in this alongside the action scenes.
Rewatch Value:
I enjoyed the series over all and would rewatch it, maybe in 5 years once i forget the details.
Overall:
Again, the series was an enjoyable ride. But it is a huge '-could have been'.

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