In most dramas the first few episodes are usually a dud for me. I suffer through them until something happens to grab and hold my attention (often around the 3rd or 4th episode). This drama, on the other hand, had me the moment Gong Yoo's Choi Han Gyul stepped out of the shower in EP1! :) What can I say? I'm shallow when it comes to my drama men. I want them to look damn good and in that department Gong Yoo sure didn't disappoint! Besides that the lead characters and main story lines were introduced with a bang. As just one example, Eun Chan was a great character from the start. She was a girl just trying to make the most of the hand she was dealt. She had spirit, she had gumption, she wanted to be self-reliant and make something of herself.
I didn't waver in moving on to the next episode for a minute. I haven't seen that many dramas so with Coffee Prince I also experienced a lot of firsts: first time seeing second leads kiss in a K-drama, first time seeing authentic intimacy between the characters in a K-drama, first time seeing (and coming across) a drama which tackles the risque topic of homosexuality in a K-drama. It was all unexpected, but wonderfully refreshing.
I found the main premise of the story to be a bit far-fetched given that the girl was clearly a girl & situations and circumstances in the drama should have alerted the hero to her rightful gender. But to go on this sweet, romantic journey with a pair of very likable leads is to suspend belief. Coffee Prince was otherwise delightful in its cuteness. I enjoyed the side story of Han Seong & Yoo Jun, even if Yoo Jun worked my nerves with her often selfish, manipulative ways.
The acting for me was not top-notch, but it was acceptable. From behind the scenes footage I understand that this was the lead actress's first major role. I could tell because at various points I felt she struggled with her character. She wasn't able to lose herself completely into the role and it showed. I loved Gong Yoo's interpretation of Han Gyul in the first several episodes, but somehow in the latter ones it felt like his character transformed. He became juvenile, a bit whiny even.
Overall I give Coffee Prince a 7 because even while I enjoyed it, there were a few significant flaws I couldn't overlook. First and foremost, Eun Chan & Han Gyul's relationship, though sweet, had a very strong teacher/student/sister/brother vibe to it. There's no denying the chemistry between them, but it waned significantly after they went steady (the final episode being the only exception), and their interactions, from where I sat, lacked the passion of two people in love.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the show dragged in more than a few areas. There was a lot of meaningless exposition, (filler) scenes with characters who had little significance to the plot. I had to fast-forward on several episodes just to keep myself interested.
My third and final complaint is that I didn't really like how the men were portrayed in this drama. Pretty much all of them were in a state of distress over women who treated them poorly. There was a lot of unreasonable behaviour from the women going around (Yoo Jun, in particular, but even Eun Chan took her deception to point where I began to question how sincere was her love for Han Gyul when she saw how he was suffering & did nothing to ease his distress). This is a general issue I have with female led productions no matter where in the world they're made. There's a tendency to reduce the men to pathetic chumps. Some women may enjoy this, but I'm not a fan. Male or female, I just can't stand to see characters act like doormats, esp in love.
I'm satisfied with this drama, though. I don't know if I'll watch it again, but I'll certainly remember many scenes with fondness.
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I'll give it to the writer of Coffee Prince for being able to deal with the topic of homsexuality in such a refreshing manner - especially when one considers how touchy Koreans are about the topic. Choi Han Gyul's struggle was believable and was dealt with much tact. The free and relaxed intimacy between the couples was commendable as well. However, there wasn't much going for the drama plot and execution wise.
The acting was hit or miss. It started off pretty decent, but even Gong Yoo's performance seemed lacklustre by the end of the whole parade. Yoon Eun Hye was clearly worse than she was in Goong, and asides from her crying scenes, she came across as incredibly concious of everything. I generally preferred watching the supporting cast as their performances were small doses of natural entertainment.
As with all shows about females who disguise themselves as males, one has to suspend an element of disbelief and just go with the flow when it comes to believing that Yoon Eun Hye could actually pass for a 24 year old male (she looked more like a pre-pubesecent elementary school boy if you ask me). So, I'm not going to criticise Coffee Prince for such a far-fetched premise; although, I would have much preferred for the big reveal to happen earlier rather than as late as it did, but more on that later.
My primary problem with the show was how the relationship and feelings between the leads developed and progressed. It was clear that Choi Han Gyul was totally, madly, selflessly in love with Go Eun Chan, but I never got the same vibe from Eun Chan herself. I understand that it is difficult to tell someone "Oh, hey, by the way I'm a girl" when they've thought you were a guy for several months, but Eun Chan's refusal to tell Han Gyul she was a girl went on for too long and her reasoning behind not telling him was selfish and self-serving. Her behaviour was unreasonably deceptive and she did nothing to ease Han Gyul's distress, everything she did was for herself and for no one else. It was difficult to believe that she actually loved Han Gyul when she continued to behave in a selfish manner after they were going steady. I get that she's poor and wants to prove her independence, but she never actually gave anything to the relationship and kept leaving Han Gyul hanging. The same thing goes for the other couple in this drama.
The second major flaw of the drama was how easily the men could be reduced to puddles of absolutely worthless misery. ALL of them were incapictated and emsaculated by the women who had them wrapped around their little fingers. Not one of them ever had a relatioship of mutual understanding with the woman that they loved. It was unbearable to watch such an unrealistic and exaggerated portrayal of male love.
Thirdly, the drama was meaninglessly long. I came to love for the fast-forward button on my remote control during the last 6 episodes. Needless exposition, supporting character story arcs that never developed and repetitive scenes where a change in scenery was the only difference all led up to an essentially fruitless finale. What was the point in having a two year time skip if the characters remained in exactly the same position as they had before? (Save for a few.)
I know that many people - especially women - will love this drama, and I can understand why it's considered a K-Drama classic because it has the makings of one (cliché + cliché + timeskip = classic), but I didn't like it as much as I liked other classics such as Goong. In my opinion, Coffee Prince is totally worth skipping. If you want a cross-dressing, reverse harem drama that is a whole lot of fun go you're better off watching Sungkyunkwan Scandal.
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Special credits to the hotties of Coffee Prince. I would love to work in a Coffee house one day! ^^
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Overrated and boring
I'm sorry if my review annoys people. I know this show is considered to be a classic and has a cult following like goblin or boys over flowers but I could barely keep my interest while watching this.I don't know if it was because the FL lead pretending to be a guy was so far fetched and unbelievable or if it was her acting that I didn't like. Maybe it was the second lead syndrome? I can quite pin point it, but this show came HIGHLY recommended and for ME, personally, it was one of the worst I've ever seen. I was so utterly disappointed in this. I expected more.
I have this thing where I literally FORCE myself to finish dramas that I start. No matter how bad they are, I will make sure that I watch it all so I can judge it as a whole. I think this drama took me a few months to finish. I am not even lying. I would watch increments of 20 mins a day and then tune into other more exciting dramas.
Again, don't take my word for it and by all means watch it for yourself because you may love it like the majority on here who rated it 10 stars. For me, it is something I will never put myself through again.
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Of course, no drama is perfect, and Coffee Prince isn't either by virtue of belonging to the category (of a more broader category, which is - all things in life). But does it stand head-and-shoulders above the other things I've seen so far? Damn straight.
The first refreshing thing about it was the absence of villains/antagonists who stole valuable screentime with their sleeked up hair and inane filler intrigues. No such filler here: all the characters were loveable (more or less so), the story got you invested in their arcs and you genuinely cared about them as much as they seemed to all care about each other. Though I liked all of them, two stood out particularly - Gong Yoo's Han Gyul and Lee Sun Gyun's Han Seong. I literally could not decide whom I liked better: I have thus far never fallen prey to the second male lead syndrome, but in the beginning of the drama I was all about Han Seong (possibly because he reminds me so much of my own boyfriend). As the story progressed, Han Gyul caught up in my affections and they ended basically tied. Both actors inhabited the roles flawlessly. My heart broke for Han Gyul when he found out about the deception, his pain and disappointment was so genuinely portrayed, with such evident vulnerability, I felt like hugging my laptop. On the other hand, I smiled every time Han Seong smiled because.. how could you not? That smile!
I have to mention Yoon Eun Hye here as well: she was believable as a boy, and I found myself even forgetting on several occasions about the whole gender-swap plotline, it was that realistic. The way the story progressed between Eun Chan and Han Gyul was consequently also realistic: from their interactions, I could see why he became attracted to her even up to the point of being ready to accept that he was in love with a male person. (Can someone say swoon? That scene in the coffee shop, HEAVENS. The tension between them was palpable, and organically built up to that inevitable moment.)
The final solutions for both female characters were also something I appreciated in this drama that I rarely see. They made their own choices, grew as independent people, and were the better for it. Kudos to the writers for this. Another separate kudos goes for the realistic depiction of adult (kind of) relationships, with all the s-e-x and other stuff, even if with the added cuteness/drama that I wouldn't expect to see between a 24-y-o and a 30-y-o or however old Han Gyul was supposed to be. They still followed through and I was both amazed and extremely happy that they did.
Lastly, as a side note: I loved the music in this drama, it had a great vibe, from the Kings of Convenience I heard (if I'm not mistaken now) to all the rest of the soundtrack, it got me to discover some great music.
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STORY------ 9/10 ?????
This is one Korean show that had a story line based on gender bender genres of mangas and manhwas (as far as I know). I think it is by far one of the most successful or the most successful one to date. The story is basic, if you're familiar with this sort of plot, what I fancied is the attention to detail that they had, for you to take this kind of scratched framework and make it interesting for viewers is really a skill. I loved the way each of the subs-plots unfold with every episode,the sequence of events and how it was presented, the conflicts were showed in a way that you will laugh but at the back of your mind you'll think that it's hard to be in that situation. However the ending was a bit weak for me, I just wished there was a bit more to it. Just a little dash of sparkle will do. But it satisfies the curious mind never the less.
ACTING/CAST------ 10/10 ?????
I was very much satisfied with the cast,this is a role I didn't imagine Yoon Eun Hye (Eun Chan) would actually take, if you remember her form "Goong" she was as feminine as ever then a sudden transformation, she played this part so well I was amazed. This was the first time for me to encounter Gong Yoo (Han Gyul), I was fond of his style in this drama sense of fashion, etc. He embodied the character of Choi Han Gyul, he owned that character like it was made for him (even the writer of this drama agrees. The supporting cast was superb so perfect 10 for this.
MUSIC------9/10 ?????
The musical score was pretty, I still sing the opening theme up to this point whenever I remember it, then again rating all of the show's background songs, instrumentals, you don't recall all, there are these few that you still have to go though your memory palace to remember from what scenes was it used.
REWATCH VALUE ------ 10/10 ?????
Oh you'll rewatch this for sure, It has a very high charisma for rewatch, it's very invigorating, a feel good show. It's the kind of show that you instantly remember when you sit on your couch one lazy afternoon, and there's nothing good on the TV and when you want to activate your inner love bug, just for the fun of it, even during you're bitterly single days. :))
OVERALL ------ 10/10 ????? *Clap Clap
Overall it's very much OUTSTANDING AND IS A TWO THUMBS UP ON RECOMMENDATIONS, Like a summer chick flick :P
P.S
Try looking for a copy that has good subs, I've seen some with crappy subtitles it will ruin your day. The Tagalog audio dub is also good for those who speak in this native tongue, although they modified the dialogue a bit, it made it more funny, I swear. :)
Thanks for reading I hope this is helpful enough for you guys ;)
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I absolutely loved it. It was a re-watch for me. I'm not much of a re-watch anything person, but this drama was totally worth it.
The first time I watched this drama I was too new to the Korean Drama world. Even though I liked it, I felt that there were too many things that I did not understand and did not allow me to enjoy it as much as I did this second time. This time, it has moved up to become one of my all time favorite.
I decided to re-watch it mostly because I felt that watching Gong Yoo in "Big" twice a week, was not enough. I needed a higher dose and more exposure to that face and talent and *cough body cough*. It was during this re-watch that I discovered why this drama is so popular, timeless and overall a star making drama.
This is what I would call an "slice of life" drama. Nothing big or major happens. There are no huge plot twists, evil second leads, plotters to set the main couple apart or anything like that. The story is very subtle and deep at times, poignant at others and over all very funny and heart warming. These characters really make you feel like they are so real you might see them walking down the street -or maybe working at their coffee shop.
The acting is SUPERB. Sometimes I wondered if they were adlibbing. The conversations, the reactions seemed so realistic and flowed so well, it gave it an extra layer of believability.
The main couple is of course one of the major reasons to watch this drama. Ah- to be loved that way. The way Gong Yoo portrays it and smiles....(I'm fanning myself already :). That is all great and all, but really, this drama is an ensemble drama. What gets you and sucks you are the interactions these characters have with each other. How they become better persons from when they met, thanks to knowing each other, working together and caring for their job and each other. Even the grandmother and relationship between the main characters and their respective families was awesome. There was character development all around. I liked that.
The music was awesome too. The whole drama and the music itself gave me a very Indie feel. It reminds me of Juno, 500 Days of Summer, or books such as "Whatever Happened to Goodbye" by Sarah Dessen. All of these stories get you so involved in the subtleties of these characters' daily life that you feel a bit of a voyeur, a friend or someone who comes to care so much about them, that you do not wish the story to end.
Lastly, as sweet and romantic, well acted, funny and great music as it had, I do not think that this drama should be taken lightly. As subtle as it was it did feel very adult like in it's themes. They touched upon sex before marriage, gay relationships, cheating and forgiving, etc. I did not know before how many of the topics dealt here are not ones that -at that time specially- were usually touched upon. If you want to, this drama makes you think and analyze it.
I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good story. Like stated before, don't expect a lot of action or plot twists, but this drama is really worth watching. This drama absolutely deserves the title of "all time classic".
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Try watching it since its not that bad to begin with and it gets even better as you get to know all the people.
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(Review originally from my blog)
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This review may contain spoilers
The only pros this drama has are the main couple's chemistry and the characters of the guys working at the coffee prince.Now I'll list the many cons.
-FL acts like a toddler all the time;
-ML is immature and unnecessarily rude to the FL during the time he doesn't know she's a woman, I guess because liking a "guy" hurts his macho pride;
-ML kept bullying FL as a supposed form of love which is super fucked up and not cute at all;
-It's impossible to sympathize with the leads, him being a rude prick and her selfishly hiding her real identify;
-The drama has a overall weird aura;
-There were unnecessary disgust inducing scenes for humor but I guess that kind of humor is not my taste;
-Tedious love quadrangle, I couldn't understand who any of them really liked at the beginning, everyone seemed like they were two-timing for a while;
-Didn't get why FL needed to keep her secret for so long, everything could be resolved if she just told ML she was a girl, why the unnecessary drama;
-Really dude? seeking psychiatric help and the doctor prescribing the ML medicine to treat homosexuality? the disrespect, I cringed;
-Treating homosexuality as this alien thing that's forbidden didn't sit well with me at all;
-When they tried being Hyung and Dongsaeng, oh God so weird;
-FL's reason for not telling ML that she was girl all that time didn't make any sense;
-Idk why they thought we would care about the annoying plot of the butcher old guy chasing after the mother;
- The second leads' relationship is confusing as fuck and I didn't care about it at all, I even found myself fast forwarding through their scenes after some episodes;
-When ML discovered that FL was a woman he kept saying how he was glad that she was woman and was acting almost like he was committing a sin back when he told her he liked her even thought she was a man, and now that he found out she's actually a woman everything is fine;
Conclusion: I feel like this drama could be somewhat more enjoyable if you skip from the episode FL starts working at the coffee prince (I think it was episode 4) to episode 11 when he discovered she's a woman. But nope I don't recommend this drama.
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