I really don’t want to “criticize” so much as to make suggestions to the plot in hopes that writers all over perhaps could take the frame of the story and add their brilliant touches for the masterpieces to come. There is a Chinese version already, garnering pretty good reviews, that I now must check out to see what their writers have done.
I agree with those that say the arc of the story finishes in 12 episodes, with the last four episodes mainly to wrap up everything and tie in all the loose ends. I wish that the arc would branch out further and use all that white space at the end to detail more instead the beauty spots of the story. For example, the friendship between Hye-Jin and Ha-Ri needs to have more hurdles to prove the strength of the girls’ soul sisterhood. Ha-Ri as a character needs more development because the way it is, she’s a major character of the story not to have more background. We know she’s well-off from her dad, but with a broken family due to a missing mother and a mean stepmother, Ha-Ri is ripe as a character for more complex internal interplay. Her sole anchor in life is her friendship with Hye-Jin but her relationship with her dad has poorly influenced her perception of men, to the point where she’s simply using most men for short-term flings, to be discarded once she becomes bored.
This is a person very useful as plot device to build bitter tension between the main couple only because she is quite capable of doing both good and evil. Her heart is different from Hye-Jin’s, whose inner beauty always shines through and very willing to suffer self-sacrifice for her friends and family. Ha-Ri should’ve been more daring, manipulative, greedier, all the time being confused over what she could potentially lose in order to gain the love of the one man so different from all the rest she’s had before. At what point does Ha-Ri realize that her need for this man is more a possessive act due to her miscast feelings about the sexes as the result of her upbringing? At what point does she recognize that she will lose her life-long friend just by standing in between them, keeping them apart, and thus breaking the hearts of two good-hearted people in love? These questions can be quite interesting to explore for the drama just by adding a few more calculated mishaps caused by our confused catalyst.
Then there’s the character of Sung-joon. I may upset a lot of star-gazers but PSJ looks simply too polished as a male model to play a character like Sung-joon, a chief editor of a fashion and style magazine, whose hobby is life sketching, and who has introverted pursuits like secretly drawing Hye-Jin biting on sea-weed at the seaside. PSJ looks too sharp and white-collar chic, gawky as a male specimen belonging in the photos of The Most rather than one of those in the shadows making it. It’s the difference between Shin-Hyuk as Editor Kim and Shin-Hyuk as Ten photographed in that last issue of the magazine. The two can be equally amazingly handsome but style-wise, PSJ does not behave like a frenetic, work-absorbed man bordering slight-autism whose awkward aloofness melts away next to the spunky, child-like Hye-Jin.
The role is difficult because in many romantic comedies, the male lead is put on a pedestal and his personality is pretty much written in stone to be unbendingly arrogant, tough but suave in order to attract and sustain female desire. Sung-joon is a hardcore romantic, who frequents art galleries and prizes a jigsaw puzzle because it’s a leftover from his childhood. It is difficult to get through to Sung-joon since he lives in his own world most of the times, people can’t read and understand him, and more importantly he doesn’t allow many to enter in that world - that is, unless it’s Hye-Jin. He has never forgotten his childhood sweetheart because she alone was able to break past that thickly woven layer of disassociation from reality having lost his mother at a young age.
The two of them together felt right as rain to him, and he seeks to recapture the spirit of their romantic friendship the same way he keeps listening to Carpenters’ bluebird song. That is why it is all the more compelling to him that a complete stranger, a new intern in office who looks nothing like the Hye-Jin he knew and loved, could so easily give off that familiar vibe and make him feel at home again. The drama is most fun when the two of them are together, recognizing each other but pretending not to. There should’ve been a few more escapades of the lovebirds struggling over how to behave and contain themselves as they walk the line separating work and enjoying each other’s company in order to fulfill another deadline. It is only because Sung-joon is quite abnormal personality-wise , and not just another handsome face, that in time, the heart wins over the head to validate his suspicion that Hye-Jin is his Hye-Jin all along despite the evidence otherwise presented by Ha-Ri time and again.
That is why PSJ, although he’s fine in the drama, falls short somewhat – because he hasn’t delivered a Sung-joon that has been lovesick his whole life and bumbling over how not to be a fool standing in his office as the boss. PSJ shows us his cool and collected, while Sung-joon is really a floppy mess, but they can both be very handsome men still, right?
And what about Shin-Hyuk, who is like a Joker thrown into the mix. His role is not unlike Ha-Ri's by way of effecting the relationship of the main leads. Another plot device, he mainly exists to pull on Hye-Jin and create a love quadrangle of sorts for the drama. For the amount of white space available, why not add another layer of complexity by giving his particular friendship with Hye-Jin more detail? Like Ha-Ri, Shin-Hyuk is underused as a character, whose flair comes in none other than as comic relief with signature jokes and poignant lovesick stares. Indeed, precious little is said - albeit purposely - about his unique personality and background until the very end. The character grabs so much of most viewers' sympathy, so why not more of viewers' memory too by slowing down the transition of his feelings from friendship to that something more. Rather than the abrupt disclosure at the end, give more room all along the way to spotlight him as a personality in need - someone who realizes himself through his quasi love friendship with Hye-Jin the atypical quality of his own family or upbringing - such that viewers understand - gingerly - his impulses to fight tooth and nail to hold on to the thing he's got with Hye-Jin. He could still be a character shrouded in mystery - following the path the writer's set up - simply because he loses his will to wreck the main couple and advance his own fantasy, as he confronts something new to himself little by little: Hye-Jin's own waking feelings for Sung-joon.
Finally, there's Hye-Jin, our bubbly protagonist whose force of personality holds in orbit the other characters. Here, I have to compliment HJE as an actress. She adds such vivacity to her character, with loud squeals, cackles, and tons of quick facial expressions that are a delight to behold but nevertheless would be a concern for someone keeping up a goddess face. She got my attention early on with her energy and comic timing, which is so lacking in female leads since many have such boring body language, either at best lounging themselves on the men or at worst just sitting or standing pretty. Instead, she is so game to play for laughs and go against type that for me, the show became a love at first sight. I want so much to see a heroine who can be silly, awkward, and ugly – in adorable ways. HJE delivers just that.
Now, I must mention a fundamental flaw in the storytelling I believe with the character of Hye-Jin. Her attraction to Sung-joon was too quick and easy, it was like she was ready and willing as soon as he started his pursuit. Exactly what was his record in the story other than acting boss-like, yelling condescendingly “You Intern!” everywhere like she was his servant, and generally being the stoic, arrogant alpha male to stoke female desire. Yet, for a woman like Hye-Jin, who sees past this kind of thing and is more unencumbered by superficiality (supposedly she lost her childhood pretty face and was used to playing second fiddle to Ha-Ri her whole life in attracting male attention) Sung-joon for much of the first half of the story offers little of the qualities that reach deep into her heart other than the stereotypical fancy of a trophy boyfriend. Another example, Ha-Ri gives her a really expensive and fashionable pair of shoes, which doesn’t interest Hye-Jin at all. To Hye-Jin, beautiful though they may be, the shoes are uncomfortable and just don't fit her kind of person. In a way, Sung-joon is no different from those brand name shoes that only Ha-Ri seems to desire.
Nothing is explained about why or how Sung-joon becomes special in her eyes, other than their sharing a childhood past at one point - a past that initially Hye-Jin was ignoring despite a stream of emails from him asking for a catch up but that midway into the story suddenly became a past for which she was beholden, one where he was now quite meaningfully her childhood sweetheart. It would have been much better storytelling to have Hye-Jin not fall so quickly in love, to be more on guard, to have her even avoid or hide wearing those unfit shoes so to speak, to have the two of them stumble over antics and mishaps in order for them to confront growing feelings that they are in fact perfectly matched, just like they once were. Hye-Jin should have resisted Sung-joon a lot longer – first because of barriers set up by Ha-Ri and Shin-Hyuk and later because of Hye-Jin’s own wrongful, preconceived notions about Sung-joon from the beginning. The moment she sees him as "her" comfortable Sung-joon - the same, pudgy but lovable boy of her childhood - she accepts him wholeheartedly despite the changed appearance.
For a show that makes much ado about breaking with image, I think the end would have been sweeter to have the he’s and she’s recognize that for all their prettiness it is still the heart that matters most - gorgeous appearances included, of course.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Great Office Romance - Love it
9/10 is my rating. This is a 2015 South Korean Drama with 16 episodes (60 minutes/episode).Kim Hye-jin once had it all - a wealthy family and beautiful looks. However, her family's business goes bankrupt and she quits taking care of her appearance due to the hardships associated with surviving. As a child she befriended Ji Sung-joon (Park Seo-joon) who was a hefty kid with few friends. They become best friends but eventually are separated when their families go their separate ways. When Sung-joon returns to Korea he wants to unite with his childhood friend she panics at her current state and asks her attractive best friend and roommate Min Ha-ri (Go Joon-hee) to pretend to be her. As fate would have it, Min Hye-jin winds up working for the same magazine where Sung-joon has just transferred in as deputy chief editor. Kim Shin-Hyuk (Choi Si-Won) is Hye-jin's immediate supervisor and befriends her early on.Spoiler ? I enjoyed the entirety of this. I liked how she evolved and how things in her life improved. I loved the relationship she had with her best friend/roommate. When she got the job at the magazine it was fun to watch the interplay between all the characters. The romance was believable and the story wrapped up nicely. Park Seo-joon starred in "Fight My Way" and I enjoyed his acting and character in that one. This was a very different role where he was not Mr. Nice Guy all the time. Kim Shin-Hyuk, Hye-jin's supervisor is hilarious. That character made me laugh a lot and reminded me of some of the pranksters in my life.
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This review may contain spoilers
The leads make the show a good watch! but all the other scenes are meh.
The chemistry between the main leads was great and their emotions toward each other was good to watch at first. Their love for each other was strong from start to finish and their conflicts with their love due to misunderstandings was done well. Problem is they did not really focus on their relationship at all. Finally when they get together, they still show the SML chasing after the FL which makes no sense. Also you did not even get to enjoy the leads relationship because when things stabilize, melodrama comes in and the ML has to move to New York while the FL stays. All the other side plots were not interesting and got old after awhile. A lot of the plot was on the SML, i guess they wanted the actor to get a lot of screen time but it really made me go from liking the show to hating it.The triangle wasn't annoying at first because the FL only ever considered the SML like an uncle or older brother, but they kept making it a part of the story even up til episode 15. The SML is a nice guy, but it is just weird to see an older guy chasing the FL when it is clear she does not like him romantically. He comes off as a creep to me and completely ruined the show for me. Like he confesses to the FL early on and she rejects him but he still keeps acting annoying. Eventually, I had to skim through the scenes with the SML because it was just too annoying and creepy. He knows she loves the ML and the ML loves her but will not give up. Even when the leads are having an emotional moment about finally reuniting he has the nerve to say "dont go" "if you cant go to him just give me a shot" "just give me a try". The FL never lead him on and only treated him as a friend, but he acts like a creep. All the scenes with the SML and FL were just creepy. The SFL was good and she was a real friend. She did the normal thing when she knew the ML and FL loved each other and let the ML go. The SML however does not care about anyone else but himself and keeps being a creep. And finally when he steps aside we are supposed to think of him as a good person for doing the right thing and that it was a good moment? She clearly stated she likes the ML and has no feelings for the SML so what other choice does he have? why flip a coin to say whether or not he will give up? SHE DOES NOT LIKE YOU BRO, end of story. And even after "he let her go" they still show scenes of him being sad while looking at cute moments between the leads. He took advantage of FL being a good person to constantly harass her. It was absolutely disgusting to watch. The SML chases the FL til episode 15...even though there was no deep connection between them. He just had a crush on her and slightly helped her with her career as a mentor, but for some reason the SML keeps acting like a creep even when the FL dismisses him multiple times. Like even after the ML and FL are dating and kissed, the SML basically kidnaps the FL lying to her and then he takes her to dinner and an amusement park and they walk romantically down the street. like wtf is going on. The FL is too nice but cmon, what BF would want their GF going to an amusement park with another man, especially when that man has explicitly said he likes her. AND THIS IS AFTER HE SAID HE WILL GIVE UP ON HER. I get that they made it seem like oh they are going on a friend date before he says goodbye, but then he comes back and hugs her again the next episode! Like make up your mind writer...he says he gave up on the FL like 3 times and still keeps harassing her until the last episode. It is ridiculous. And they have the nerve to put on sad music during his goodbye scenes. How is it sad? She does not like him, get over it. She loves her childhood friend who also loves her back. Why is it sad that she does not like some creep?
The ML and FML make the show and their scenes were beautiful to watch in the beginning. It was refreshing to see leads so in love like that with nothing coming in their way. The misunderstanding was nothing to them due to their love. I was so glad they did not make the reveal melodramatic. The ML loved her so much he blamed himself and not the FL for lying to him which was so nice to see.
By the end though you kind of disdain the FL. She was very selfish herself and did not really acknowledge the ML's feelings. It felt like she did not love him as much as he loved her.
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Let’s weigh She Was Pretty on our show beam balance and see what is ‘pretty’ and what is ‘ugly’ about this drama.
Good Weights
Hwang Jung Eum: Kim Hye Jin, the goofball, is the reason why this show is hilarious. Actress Hwang Jung Eum’s comic timing and natural acting are laudable. I loved her weird expressions that flit from excited to bewildered to bemused to annoyed to God knows what not in nano seconds. Hye Jin is crazy and I mean it. She has no inhibitions whatsoever and often ends up making a fool of herself. This is the reason why I found it difficult to relate to the younger Hye Jin who looks sorted and sophisticated, unlike Hye Jin who is completely cracked in the head. Her tiffs with Seong Joon are funny while her weird encounters with Shin Hyeok are hysterical. Yes, she does tend to overact in certain comical scenes, but she does it effortlessly which is what I like the most about her.
Park Seo Joon: I have seen Park Seo Joon in Hwarang and I wondered why he was the main lead in the drama because I wasn’t very impressed by him. In fact, I liked everybody on the show except him. However, She Was Pretty changed my opinion about him as I loved his portrayal of Seong Joon. Seong Joon is a perfectionist who believes in pushing his employees hard to get the best out of them. I felt that Park Seo Joon does not have that ‘boss’ look and he was not very convincing with the stern boss look. But he was not horrible because I genuinely liked his character and Park Seo Joon has evidently played the character with a lot of sincerity. I probably still feel that Aaron Yan is the best ‘boss’ out there and maybe in comparison to him Park Seo Joon seems to fall short. Park Seo Joon does play the ‘lover boy’ well and looks as lovable as a male lead should in a romantic drama. His chemistry with Hwang Jung Eum is good and I loved the couple’s love scenes.
Choi Si Won: If you are not aware of my love for second leads then click here and here to know of my adoration for them. Choi Si Won’s wacky character Kim Shin Hyeok made me laugh and cry. His crazy antics at pulling Hye Jin’s leg used to crack me up. I especially loved to hear him call Hye Jin ‘Jackson’. The most painful moment on the show for me was when Hye Jin talks to Shin Hyeok and receives a call from Seong Joon asking her to meet him as he now knows the truth about her. Shin Hyeok begs her not to go but she cannot help it as she has answers to give Seong Joon. He repeats ‘gajima’ (don’t go) so helplessly it pained to see him like that. It was the most heartbreaking scene I have seen of a second-lead. Actor Choi Si Won is absolutely adorable in his eccentric role. He looks the part with his dimples adding to his character. I hope I do not have to see a character like him as a second-lead ever again because I don’t think I can bear this kind of pain once more.
Friendship: Hye Jin and Ha Ri are best friends and inseparable. They trust each other blindly which is why Hye Jin sends Ha Ri to meet her love Seong Joon without feeling any kind of insecurity. Ha Ri becomes a little selfish and tries to keep Seong Joon by her side despite knowing what Hye Jin feels for him. When Hye Jin discovers Ha Ri’s truth, she does not attack her with accusations but instead gives her a benefit of doubt. Ha Ri too feels guilty of her wrong actions and makes it up to Hye Jin. I liked the fact that the writers did not turn Ha Ri into an evil friend just to make her a villain. Ha Ri is a good character who loses her way but then regains the lost love with her repentance. I like Ha Ri and Hye Jin’s friendship and the fact that they really are loyal supporters of each other. The are several dramas showcasing bromance but very dramas promote sisterhood and I am glad that this drama did it in a very believable way. I liked the fact that the writers did not turn Ha Ri into an evil friend just to make her a villain. Ha Ri is a good character who loses her way but then regains the lost love with her repentance. I like Ha Ri and Hye Jin’s friendship and the fact that they really are loyal supporters of each other. There are several dramas celebrating bromance but seldom do they promote sisterhood and I am glad that this drama did it in a way that is relatable.
Sweet Moments: This drama is high on comedy and does not have a lot of hard-core romantic moments. However, there are enough of saccharine moments that make the drama endearing. The drama has several of those lovey-dovey moments that romance lovers savour the most. For instance, Seong Joon and Hye Jin find themselves alone on an overnight outing. On their way, they happen to eat at a restaurant but are unable to pay for the food so the restaurant owner makes them do some labour work to recover the money. Now Seong Joon is a rich guy who probably has never even seen cow dung, unlike Hye Jin who has faced a tough life. He cribs about touching manure and cries when he accidentally touches fresh cow dung with his gloves on. So, he basically strongly detests manure. While working in the cowshed, Hye Jin loses her employee ID card which she treasures a lot considering she landed her dream job. She returns to retrieve her ID card but is unable to find it. Seong Joon knows how important the ID card is for to her so he searches through the manure for her ID card and hands it over to her lying that he found it fallen on the ground. Seong Joon cringes at manure but for her sake, he does something that he dislikes the most. Similarly, there are back-hugs, piggy-back rides, soft kisses, forehead kisses and a lot of love that you would want to see in a K-drama.
Bad Weights
Faulty Details: The script has loopholes that are way too glaring to be ignored. For instance, Shin Hyeok chances upon Seong Joon’s house access card when he helps to drop an unconscious Seong Joon home. After that Seong Joon never asks him for his access card. Shin Hyeok thereafter enters Seong Joon’s house as and when he likes and Seong Joong does not question even once of how he gained access to his apartment without his permission. Also, I found it difficult connect with the young Hye Jin who is calm, civilised and nerdy which is very different than the restless, hyperactive and effervescent older Hye Jin. Yes, people do change with time but when they showed flashback scenes of Hye Jin with Seong Joon, I found it difficult to believe that it is the same girl because nothing about young Hye Jin gave a vibe of the older Hye Jin. It is quite possible that the difference in personality was deliberate so Seong Joon does not identify her easily but still, isn’t he supposed to be conflicted with what he believes and what Hye Jin wants him to believe? Also, the supposed ‘suspense’ factors in the drama were too easy to predict. I couldn’t help rolling my eyes when the suspense was finally revealed as I could bet my life on my guesswork.
She Was Pretty has more of good weights than bad weights which means that it is a treat to watch. Despite its gaping plot holes it never ceases to entertain so do not miss it for anything. It ends on a sugary sweet, positive note that will make you miss the drama terribly after it has concluded.
This drama has a good start and a smooth ending which left me with sweet memories of the show. If rom-com is your genre, then go for this one without thinking too much. It is highly entertaining and worth your time.
Originally posted on www.alphagirl.in
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To be honest, a lot of things remind me of BP, from the trigger of the conflicts is the 1st & 2nd female leads who do somekind like swap identity to trick the 1st male lead, or the 1st male & female lead just goes on a business trip, it reminds me of BP but still provide a different experience.
I had a great time watching this series, there are also a lot of social comments delivered here, especially those regarding work really hit my heart. If I say, this series is only fun until episode 12, after that it feels draggy, like Shim Hyuk who feels bored around these episodes, I also start to feel bored a lot.
As for the characters, I honestly like Shim Hyuk, played by Siwon of Super Junior, if he is with his group members he is the saneest but here he seems to be venting the madness of his members which he has absorbed for a long time, also he's provided the 2nd lead syndrome here. For the other characters, I feel they are standard, more than enough to run this series.
So this series is entertaining, i just found it run too long.
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This review may contain spoilers
What makes this show so special?It's really not your typical Cinderella story, where an unattractive (???) girl gets a makeover and suddenly the man she likes, swoons over her. It's a realistic and believable portrayal of the struggles a person faces in realizing what makes her beautiful to herself.
With a trend of female hating female existing in K dramas, Ha Ri and Hye Jin's relationship is serious friendship goals. Though they see a few downs in the show, they still support and love each other regardless. Their friendship is goals and absolutely adorable. Jun Hi played the role of Ha Ri really well and I loved her chemistry with Hye Jin, she was really cute and I wish she was given more screen time at the end of the show.
I also, loved how Hye Jim's transformation was not too drastic. She was already gorgeous, but she simply tidied herself up more and did what she did, not because of a man, but because of her goal. It was awesome seeing her back to her old self, showing how she truly accepted herself by embracing her looks and Jung Eum was absolutely a treat to watch! Her comedy skills were mind blowing, she is a wonderful actress.
I have had waay too many second lead syndromes than I can count. However, most crack by the time the respective dramas are ending since these men are either made to be less cooler than the first leads / turn out to be evil / their screen time is taken away from them. However, Reporter Kim - Choi Siwon was incredibly charming, I am not the one saying it, look at the comments lol. Reporter Kim was a total clown, annoying and to others he looked like a wacko, yet he cared a lot for Hye Jin. Even till the end, he did everything to stop Hye Jin from crying. Not because he expected her to come to him, but because he genuinely wanted her to be happy. Even Deputy Chief agreed that he couldn't do anything, so everyone agrees that the second lead was much better, how many shows do we see with such realistic writing?
*Spoiler*
A lot of people, give Deputy Chief flak for being obsessive about his childhood friend Hye Jin and call him a loser. However, I would like to disagree since without knowing the real HJ he became attached to her and started loving her. To him, whether she was HJ or not didnt matter, since he came to truly love the beautiful person he met and spent time with. This is the strength of the story line. Also, Park Seo Joon played the role really well! From a rude Deputy Chief to a doting, clumsy, cheesy person, he made us accept the result of him being first lead. I loved his acting much more than Hwarang and if you want to watch him in more shows, watch Fight My Way, Kill Me Heal Me and a few others!
So, in short. This show deserves to be seen. It's now in my top list of K dramas because it's an extremely refreshing, realistic and funny show. Do give it a watch, you won't regret it!
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A pleasant watch
This was a lighthearted drama that served its purpose as a welcome relief in-between other dramas with more heavy content. That said, it was a mixed bag of sorts.The good:
I like the message of looking past your flaws and learning to stop underestimating yourself as the FL conveys. Other highlights would be an outstanding second lead in Choi Siwon. I didn’t experience SLS but his character was easily my favorite. A little crazy, a little annoying but lovable and a great friend to FL in their time of need. The other positive was the female friendship. There are countless shows with bromance but not enough with a female bond. I loved seeing the two friends as they navigated through their own journeys, while supporting each other and remaining close despite various conflicts.
The bad:
FL in the second half of the series. I can’t tell if it was Hwang Jung Eum‘s acting or just the way her character was written but she got more and more loud and obnoxious overtime. I also hated typical cliche makeover that was far too sudden and thus unrealistic. I was planning to give the show a lower rating because of how annoyed I was, but thankfully, the last episode was more like the first half of the series and managed to redeem some of the negatives.
Overall, this was a show that had more positives than negatives. It was not a novel concept, nor was it particularly memorable. However for the most part it kept me entertained so no complaints.Watch if you want something fun, just don’t set your expectations too high.
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About the story, I have a problem with "Ugly Betty" romances, but even when the story goes to that a little, it is so irrelevant that didn't change almost nothing. Did I think that was forced at this point? Yeah, a little bit, but nothing that was a big problem. The most disturbing part for me was to deal with Min Ha Ri (Go Joon Hee) attitude. I really don't buy a friendship so strong being disturbed by a so stupid act. I know, they are friends, good for them, but I really didn't understand people who do such a thing, even with the "love excuse". Maybe I'm being a little rigid here, but it's my point of view when we talk about real friendship. It was a lie too big for me.
About the actors, I will maintain what I said in "first impressions"... Park Seo Joon, my handsome and amazing actor even performing a tree. Hwang Jung Eum as Kim Hye Jin was a great thing! Her expressions and exaggeration were in the right place this time. I love Kim Shin Hyuk (Choi Shi Won)! I hate love triangles, but I think he was incredibly good at this. He was so fun and cute, I really appreciate the character!
I have to say... THE OST! Guys, the thing that I love the most on dramas is the OST's, no doubt! The songs were amazing and delivered emotions just right! I love hearing "Close to you" and this made me want a song theme for my relationship, hahaha.
So... For me, this was a PRETTY GOOD ONE! ( ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★) As Kim Ra Ra would say... BRAVO, AMORE MIO! haha If you wanna laugh and watch something without thinking too much or suffer too much, this is your drama! Go for it!
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This review may contain spoilers
This was a very entertaining romcom. The entire cast was great, Park Seojoon did not disappoint & Hwang Jungeum was especially great, this was my first time seeing her in a drama, but I do remember her from Runningman, she turned out to be a surprisingly skilled actress.This drama is very similar to Fight for My Way & Secretary Kim, not because of the main male lead, but rather it has a similar vibe overall. Here unlike in the 2 mentioned above there is stronger triangle/square, but luckily compared to other kdramas they didn't overdo the makjang & the second leads gave up before I lost my patience with them.
I loved episodes 13-16, essentially we've gotten like a 4 hours long happy ending, they didn't even overdo product placements, most brand names were taped over.
I'm detracting a point from my rating, because the big misunderstanding took way too long to resolve... Sure the story is a bit of mess at times too, but it's not like we watch this genre for the story, right?
(The foreign actors were terrible as per usual, even the English phone conversations were embarrassing to listen to, but this is the same in all kdramas...)
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She Was Pretty (2015)
A decent to alright show at best. For a romantic comedy, the romance was just alright and the comedy was, again, just alright. The 'long lost childhood friend turned lover' trope is very sweet and endearing but it lacked a certain oomph to really sell it as a top tier romance. The show has a bit of a rough start and the ending sequence felt a bit off pacing-wise. An ending sequence that was annoyingly fulfilling despite how average everything else was prior.The worst sin committed were some of plot devices abused to conveniently and awkwardly move the story along.
- Male lead has PTSD triggered by driving in the rain but the plot has him constantly doing so. Why can't the guy occasionally check the weather app so he can take a cab or something? Can't the guy take the bus or train?
- Female lead halfway through the series finally decides to clean up her look after years and years of looking raggedy. Why? Just because she visited her father's workplace one day and saw how much labor and abuse he was going through? You mean to tell me only _now_ she notices it?
Character wise, the male lead's character, while fine, had too much leeway in the story. The secondary characters felt much more enjoyable to watch especially the secondary male lead. Such a fun character who at times felt like an extension of the audience. The female lead's acting was... a bit too pathetic. A bit too cringe. A bit too over the top. A bit too goofy. A bit too unrealistic. Which is a bit of a bummer because the supposed charm of the show was showcasing the fact that all this time, she was pretty.
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Detailed:
Last time I saw a drama with Hwang Jung Eum was Kill Me, Heal Me - and honestly I wasn't the greatest fan of the over the top shrieking so I went into this one looking to see more from this actor and how she is in other roles. Have to say, thoroughly enjoyed her work in this one, rather than the shrieks in the car of the other drama, this one has much more comically timed reactions and she plays the comedic role well. The counter play between her and Choi Shi Won's character is brilliantly written and brilliantly portrayed and they provide a really nice mischievous comedy element. The comedy tends towards the usual type i've seen in K-drama, a bit over the top, but there were numerous laugh-out-loud moments and most of them were this pair.
The premise of the drama is that as a young girl she was beautiful and was best friends with the boy who lived next door, an overweight lad with some issues, they bond supporting each other and have a great friendship until his family moves away. Many years later, there is the opportunity to re-unite, but as she no longer feels she is the same pretty person she was, she asks her best friend to stand in for her. It's just a recipe for things to go wrong really!
There's a couple in her workplace who I found really entertaining to watch, I'm a fan of Shin Hye Sun's work anyway so I always enjoy seeing her on screen but really found her character development to be fun to watch.
Overall, this one is quite light hearted, some really funny moments, but also some loud ones so if you're watching this one late at night on the main TV be prepared to be as shocked as the FL is and ready to turn the TV volume down :)
It's also one of those dramas that has the really nice long ending so you get to enjoy some of the happiness that was worked for so hard during the main part of the story. Very nicely done.
There's a really nice overall message about self confidence in this drama, the title and description presents it as being potentially superficial - but, hey, you should know better by now, that's not how these things work, there's a lot more to it :)
Great fun, been hooked watching it from start to finish!
Highly re-watchable too, there are some clever reveals and secret identities but honestly I can't see it being any less interesting even if you know the answers to those questions.
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Rich, handsome boy meets in the office the humble and unpretty worker: a combo that no one would think could work. I feel like I have seen many shows with this plot, and the strongest point of all of them is the incredible chemistry between the two lead actors that prove the audience they were wrong. She Was Pretty is not an exception, but I think its strongest point is rather the unexpected events and the countdown to see the truth being unveiled than the chemistry of the leads. I loved the early episodes because of the thrill of Sung Jun finding out who Hye Jin was, and I also loved the second half of the drama for the romance. All in all, She Was Pretty did quite well with the execution of its plots, even though you can feel it is kind of slow-paced sometimes.
I love it when fictional characters prove they are humans by making mistakes and making up for them afterward. The characters of She Was Pretty are all very realistic in a way that all of them are near to the actual reality, but what makes them more realistic than anything is how they gradually change for different reasons: they realize they mess up, they realize it is not that bad to change for someone you care, etc. I truly love this, and I think She Was Pretty has done this better than most of the dramas I have seen so far; especially with the friendship between Hye Jin and Hari.
Was the cast a fit for this drama? I think so. I think Park Seo Joon and Hwang Jung Eum did exceptionally well with their roles, some goes with Go Joon Hee and the co-workers at the office, especially for Hwang Seok Jung, and except for Kim Shin Hyuk / Choi Siwon; probably because he was a character that constantly got in my nerves for his sudden changes in personality and the empty scenes he was involved most of his time in the drama.
The soundtrack from this drama still makes rememorate scenes from the drama, and it is great when a song creates such a special link with the drama. Having among more artists Kihyun from Monsta X, Soyou, or Park Seo Joon himself as the lead singers for the songs of the OST, every track work well for She Was Pretty.
She Was Pretty is a cult drama for many reasons. Great cast and superb acting, well-defined places, a good script, and exceptional chemistry between the leads, whether it comes to the main couple or the friends, can be translated into an 8 out of 10. It is usually pretty hard to make a drama of this genre work if we keep in mind the number of cliches that can be found in it, but She Was Pretty meets all the expectations by far.
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