Coffee Prince (2007)

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9/10 is my rating. This is a 2007 South Korean television series that spanned 17 episodes (~60 minutes/episode).
Go Eun-chan (Yoon Eun-hye) has always been a tomboy and is often mistaken for a man. So when a job with a new coffee cafe becomes available but is only open to men it is an easy role for her to fill - pretending to be a guy. Choi Han-kyul (Gong Yoo) has always been a rick playboy. His grandmother forces him to start a business in order to get him to take things more seriously. A "bromance" turns romance develops between the two main leads.

Spoiler ? I liked this one a lot. I felt incredibly bad for the male lead as he struggled with having feelings towards what he thought was a guy. I also liked all the supporting characters and their reaction to the "female" lead. It was well acted, well scripted, just all around enjoyable. For me a 9/10 just because I did feel like there were some slow parts.

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Oh wow! Coffee Prince doesn't disappoint, and the thing that gets me - is this drama is from 2007!

Coffee Prince was such a delight and played on one of my favourite concepts - girl mistaken for a guy! Yoon Eun-Hye does such a wonderful job transitioning from her normal gorgeous self into the adorably tom-boyish Go Eun-Chan.

The story itself is compelling - it takes the concept of Rich Guy / Poor Girl, but it doesn't shove it down your throat like witnessed in The Heirs or Boys Over Flowers. We are made aware that Gong Yoo's Choi Han-Gyul is the Heir to a major corporation, but his wealth isn't thrown into your face with flashy everything and this is helped with the setting of the coffee shop.
True friendships blossom and we see varying struggles with love - with the two sets of main characters and our supporting cast as well - what I found quite enjoyable was the diverse nature of romantic relationships across the cast and that it wasn't limited to the main four.
In saying that, one of my least favourite couplings was with Hwang Min-Yeop & Go Eun-Sae; I often felt sorry for Min-Yeop and I didn't like the way Eun-Sae behaved towards Min-Yeop, I continually felt conflicted about their 'relationship'.

There is really a lot to love about this drama - the character relationships are intricate with a lot of depth in emotion and story. You become so invested in these characters that when you're nearing the final episodes, a sense of sadness looms.

There are issues tackled in this drama that are incredibly real & relatable & so important to be dealt with on-screen.
This drama could be considered ahead of its time with the way it tackles some of the topics in its story line - they are beautifully handled, and the evolution of the characters is natural as well as their response to the concerning topic at the time.

The drama also tidies up in a really sweet way, it leaves you both happy with how it ends and wishing we could have just one more episode.

I could happily rewatch this drama and really fell in love with this story - I think it's well worth the watch, and could be enjoyed as a beginner drama (although it sets the bar high) or after watching a variety of others.

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The storyline is exciting, a tomboy works hard to make ends meet due to her irresponsible mom and clingy sister, including disguising as a man to be able to work in a male-only coffee shop. Yoon Eun Hye did an excellent job impersonating a tomboy although too cute to be guy. Her chemistry with her annoying boss played by Gong Yoo is natural in every phase of their relationship. However, the second couple relationship is uninteresting, IMO just a filler to add love triangle spice in the drama. They should instead add deeper side stories about the life of the cafe's employees.

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My first K-drama - Coffee Prince...where to start with this one?

STORY 8/10
The show consists of some popular rom-com tropes (girl disguised as a boy, love triangle/square, wealthyXpoor background, parents disapproving of a relationship etc.) but somehow it all feels new and genuine. I was surprised by the 'mature' feel of the series, the characters are in their 20's/30's and their actions are (mostly) very reasonable . There weren't many moments when I would feel embarassed for the characters (a welcome change if you're tired of J-drama characters' antics).
For me, the biggest flaw of this series was its pacing. Really, the first couple of episodes are ok but the second third of the show is seriously boring - I almost abandoned it altogether. Luckily, the last third of the series suddenly becomes fast and entertaining again and the ending is great.
I wish the coffee making and the actual running of the coffee shop were more prominent in the series. And I wouldn't be mad if the three 'princes' had more space than the beta couple (with their endless communication issues).

ACTING/CAST 10/10
They were all very good but the main couple - Gong Yoo as Choi Han Gyul and Yoon Eun Hye as Go Eun Chan - stands out for me. They were both flawless.

MUSIC 7/10
A lot was said about the music score in the other reviews and in the comments. For me, this soundtrack will not become my top favorite or anything, but I would recognize its main themes anytime.

REWATCH VALUE 5/10
Due to the slow second part of the series (ca. episodes 5-10), the rewatch value is quite low (I don't think I would get through that again). Though I will definitely rewatch my favorite scenes in the future.

OVERALL 7.5/10

WHAT KIND OF FEELS THIS SHOW GAVE ME
Happy and dying-of-all-the-cuteness feelz :). The ending was especially awesome - not many dramas have such a satisfactory ending.

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I expected this drama to be so great but it ends up being good. The story itself was sort of weak from the beginning. But however, it had a certain charm in the initial episodes which was refreshing to watch. I thought it would hold my interest till the end and retain its appeal.

At first, it felt like the sub plots and other characters would get interesting eventually but it never happened. But the saving grace of the show was the character of Han Gyul portrayed excellently by Gong Yoo. I have no problems with the actress who played Eun Chan but I just didn't like her character. She seemed innocent and adorable in the beginning but turned downright selfish after that. However, when does admit she was wrong for lying to the Han Gyul, I appreciated her in that moment. But after the revelation of her being a girl to him, the story became boring. I felt like there was nothing left in it after that. Their relationship kind of became lackluster for my taste. I only enjoyed the homosexual angle of their relationship and that too got dragged unnecessarily.

I don't feel like it was a well written show. The characterizations were also lazy. Only good direction and great performances by the cast makes a practically terrible show into an almost very good one. Apart from the main lead pair, I didn't care for anyone. But they have some very strong emotional moments.I felt like Yoo Joo's character was underused and they kind of made her annoying by the end. Min Yeop provided with hilarity and I kind of found his acts cute.

And I don't know what to make of the rest of the show or even its ending. There is hardly anything there for me to say about it.

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One very funny and amusing drama. The story is rather interesting and the chemistry between actors just amazing. It was dramatic but I think it's the first korean drama which haven't made me cry, even due to it's saddest scenes. It's rather funny than sad drama.
At the beginning I thought I won't like the ending because I knew Eun Chan will leave at the end for two years.(I knew it because of the episode review.) But they played it out well - and eventually it's rather good thing because two years is enough time to prove their love to each other.
An amusing drama and I recommend anyone to watch it, who likes loveable, cute and funny romantic comedies.
I gave this drama 9 points because - it really was good, but I prefer that feeling in the end,- when I cry my eyes out because everything is just too messy and I have no idea how they will reach the happy ending.
This time it was too anticipating, so it didn't give me the feeling of surprising solution for the end.
And some questions arose.
What happens to Eun Chan's mom and the butcher's shop man ? Will they marry?
The story about some side characters seemed to stay a bit half for me..
On the other hand, I don't feel that something big is missing due to that.
Anyway, I'd still watch it :P
:) :) :)

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Story: It’s the perfect gender-bender, honestly. Go Eun Chan is so stubborn and tom-boyish it’s impossible to see her as a girl. She’s outrageously caring and willing to do what ever it takes to keep her family aloft. It’s not just her trying to keep her family out of debt that makes the story great: It’s the love triangle. Eun Chan likes Choi Han Sung (Han Kyuls cousin) who is still in love with Han Yoo Joo, even after she left. Han Yoo Joo still loves Han Sung but can’t seem to leave Han Kyul alone as well. There’s more love triangle drama later on where there hearts change but I don’t want to spoil it. It’s amazing how this is a comedy with all the drama that’s going on, but it is and it’s very funny.

For me it didn’t seem dragged out or as if they added random events just to make it longer. It was a perfect and very funny drama that you’ll love.

Music: Just like Antique Bakery the music here is classical and beautiful. Nothing over done or exaggerated. It all sets the mood perfectly.

Cast/Acting: Everyone was brilliant. Especially Yoon Eun Hye who looked and acted just like a boy. As for the other actors, nothing felt forced, exaggerated or over the top. I have no complaints.

Lee Un, who played Min Yeop, was great. His character was funny and sincere, just like his acting. May he rest in peace.

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