Completed
Yumei
23 people found this review helpful
Nov 24, 2013
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
What really caught my attention before watching this drama was the fact that this was not a usual girl dresses as boy gender-bender, but that the boy disguises himself as a girl this time. I loved the comedy and the characters, as well as how most of them progressed throughout the drama. It's a really refreshing story. Although its short, I loved the progression; while others might argue it was rushed.

The fact that the main character is so young really amazed me, I had no idea how old she was until after I finished watching Ma Boy, she does a great job and her acting skills are superb.

This is a very cute and light-hearted drama,and I will definitely be re-watching it sometime in the future, and recommend it to anyone looking for something short and sweet.

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Completed
biniBningPunkista
38 people found this review helpful
Oct 10, 2012
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Watching this drama and rating it would depend on one's mood and/or liking.

In my case, I was in a mood for a low-key-rom-com drama which does not require me to think too much. Ta-da! Ma Boy was perfect. I couldn't help myself from smiling from one episode to another.

I may like the drama but of course it is far from being perfect. There are scenes that made me want to cringe and fast forward due to unnecessary airtime of mischief but since this is supposed to be a light story... I sucked it all in and enjoyed the whole show for what it could offer.

Be reminded that this is a high school gender bender story where Boy Dresses up as a Girl while Girl keeps his secret for him. It's light, funny and cute. Not to forget that the boy is really good looking and dances so well. Music wise, as per young k-pop idol themed drama - you already know what to expect... but wait! There's more.

The drama may be light but the characters has their own story to tell. Thus making this drama more interesting than what the plot line let's us perceive. I also like the fact that the young actors and actresses suits their role. Who wouldn't fall for the plain looking girl paired up to pretty boy scenario without the perfect casting? Even the mean trio of male/female fans for each idol was the right fit. I couldn't imagine anyone else being casted for the roles, including the main ones.

I am surely recommending this for those who's craving for something light, cute and funny to watch.

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Completed
yankumicho
24 people found this review helpful
Sep 1, 2012
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Ma Boy is one of those feel-good, forget everything kind of dramas. The gender bender theme is a well-known one, but at least this one features boy as girl instead of the typical girl as boy.

I really enjoyed seeing some of the younger up and coming stars and the acting, while green, was cute and it was surrounded by a cute story and love triangle (which are commonly uncute).

Overall, I'll probably rewatch Ma Boy many times, because it just lifted my spirits with its sweetness.
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Completed
letmesleep
12 people found this review helpful
Mar 29, 2013
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Call me stupid, but when I first began watching this drama, I did not realize "Irene" was actually a boy. I mean, I watched this because I clicked on the first episode in youtube. And I don't know how I did not see Irene's body and realized he was not a girl... so you might imagine how I nearly died of laughter when I found out who he was.
And that was not the only time I was laughing.
There were some clichés that could have made my eyes roll, but I completely ignored them because I was enjoying this too much. I don't regret for a second watching this. It really cheered me up, and I was quite saddened by the fact that it only had three episodes.
The story itself wasn't really that original. As I mentioned before, really clichéd... except for the fact that this time around, the one cross-dressing is the boy. But, you know, it was super cute. And a large part of it was because of the actors' portrayal, so kudos to them (especially Min Hoo, whom I just loved dressed as G-Dragon). I really don't remember the music... so since it did not bother me, I gave it a 9.
I'm not a re-watch person, but I'd definitely watch this again! I can't really pinpoint a group of people to whom I'd recommend this. It might depend on your level of maturity, or what you want to watch that day. I mean, Ma Boy... I'm actually surprised that I loved it as much as I did! So, take a risk, and watch this. You probably won't regret it :P

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Completed
justinconfusion
12 people found this review helpful
Nov 16, 2013
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
I enjoyed watching this drama thouroughly. It was kind of refreshing and honestly it was the first drama I've watched where a guy dressed as a girl instead of a girl pretending to be a boy. All in all it was really good, but I still can't rate this drama higher, because I've watched many dramas that left me more breathless and were just awesome. And this drama can't really be compared to them.
Don't misunderstand me. I mean it was really good and very cute. I liked watching the characters interact with each other and I honestly wished that this drama would have been enlarged so that I could enjoy it more. It is an easy watch but I actually prefer dramas which are longer with fully developed stories and characters.

The figures in this drama were so cute and so fun to watch. I would've liked to cuddle with a lot of them (not with Tackle, Ackle or whatever).
At the beginning I thought that Tae Joon would be annoying and vain but he turned out to be a very fun person who made me laugh more than once. And I loved how he gave his best to win over Irene, haha.
Irene on the other hand was kind of strange. I wonder how she survived in school without talking. Didn't anyone find her behavior somehow suspicious or anything?
Actually I liked "Irene" more when she was Hyun Woo and when Geu Rim found out about "her" identity (ääh, confusing, haha). "She's" really such a gorgeous guy. "She" looks good as a girl as well as a boy. That's something, eh?
And the ending was so cute.

Guys, you should definitely give this drama a try. I don't regret watching it even a bit and I can imagine rewatching this very well. Have fun!

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Completed
Roxy
13 people found this review helpful
Feb 11, 2013
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 10
Story: Okay, let's get this over with, it's no secret that Ma Boy takes the usual gender-bending storyline on a different level. This time it's the boy pretending to be a girl! Finally, right? That's the thing that first caught our eye but we all know by now that the gender-bending storyline cannot carry the drama alone (for instance, TTBY and K-Pop - The Ultimate Survival). I thought Ma Boy held up well, managing to achieve its very simple goal: keeping a silly grin painted across my face the whole ride.

This drama was toooo cute! Considering the fact that this drama was aimed at younger audiences, hence airing at the cable network Tooniverse, and with a very limited number of episodes with only 3, I advice you to adjust your expectations accordingly when planning to watch this drama. Its story is as simplistic as can get. The conflicts are far from crossing dramatic territory and that's just very refreshing to watch. I'm so used to watching dramas and immediately expect the worse for the characters when something big happens. I even caught myself during the drama thinking, "Oh crap! Irene will get outed!" But not with this drama, the conflicts are very simple and then tied neatly in a simplistic way just like the way it was first introduced.

I loved the fact that no one is all bad in this drama. The only one closest to being the villain (can I really even call him that?) was pretty harmless. I do have to add that, even with all the cute and light-heartedness, this drama never forgot to have a plot.

I do have to say that I never got emotionally connected to the characters in any way, but really, that's just one of the disadvantages of having limited episodes. I do remember craving for more after watching finishing it but I'm pretty sure I would've been bored if it had more than, 5? I'm just estimating how much more episode I could've watched and still enjoyed it wholeheartedly. So in my opinion, the number of episodes is just perfect for this type of series.

Acting: Kim So Hyun was soo cute in this drama. She had good comedic timing and she's one of the up-and-coming actresses that I'll be looking forward to in the future. She also had a cute chemistry with Sun Joong despite the age gap which never really bothered me. And I just have to get this out, she looks exactly like a young Son Ye Jin. Right?! O.O As for the rest of the young cast, Sun Joong and Min Hoo, I admit they made me cringe sometimes. I guess part of it is cause I had to adjust a lotsince my last 3 dramas had such amazing acting (NG, KoD, CA). But they're not really bad per say, just serviceable and enough for the role.

Music: Nothing stand-out really, it was just okay. Nothing I'm gonna download or that's gonna stick, it just fitted the scenes of the drama. I kinda perked up when I heard the song Suzy and Eunjung sang in Dream High though.

Rewatch Value: This drama have a high rewatch value in my opinion, I rated it 10. With only three episodes, there is no major time commitment required. It's a miniseries that just simply makes you feel good. Whenever you're feeling down, you can just go through this drama easily and come out with a huge grin.

Overall: This is a feel-good and heart-warming drama that knows what its strength is and never straying away from it, nowhere near going too dramatic with its plot and conflicts. The acting could have room for improvements though but it's not really noticeable when you're too busy squealing over the cute. I remember watching this in youtube and coming across a comment saying "they confessed already?! Too fast!". I remember thinking, "just wait 'til you find out it's actually the last episode", and nearly busting a gut laughing when I got to the last part of the episode and came across her other comment when she corrected herself. SO really you'll enjoy it more if you're aware that: it IS targeted to younger audiences and it only has THREE episodes so try not to get too attached. Just adjust your expectations and you're in for an entertaining 3 hours.

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Completed
fwaaaah
10 people found this review helpful
Oct 23, 2012
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
Let me as an intro say that I did enjoy watching this short drama. But I do have some complicated feelings about it. Even though I did like it (like many people would), I also noticed a LOT of things that had the ability to be improved.

SHORT VERSION
Good story, I like that the guy is dressed as up as a girl, for once.
Acting/Cast is okay, but the girl is too young for the part I think. But I also think she was the best actor. She was the one who was best at expressing emotions while acting. And the guy who was supposed to look like a girl, indeed looked like a girlish-faced guy (with a masculine body) with a wig.
The music is kpop!:D
I enjoyed watching this a lot, but the feeling afterwards was and is a lot different. Looking back, it lacked a lot. This drama had a lot of potential, so hopefully, someone will be inspired to make something similar (and longer)

STORY
Even though cross dressing isn't original (the reason it didn't get 10 points), I have a weakness when it comes to it. And if you like cross dressing dramas, this is a must watch because we always see the girl as a boy, not opposite like in this. In this short drama, I don't find anything out of the place.


ACTING/CAST
I don't complain about the acting (I never notice bad acting while watching dramas/movies, only "over acting" - sometimes it is acceptable, sometimes it's not. The "over acting" in 'Ma Boy' by Tae Joon, fit his character, so I'm okay with it.), but I still feel that some of the cast could be changed. Even though I did like the acting of the character Jang Geu Rin (Kim So Hyun), I think she was too young for the character. 12 years old? Is that why we don't see too intimate moments? x) I missed that...

When Sun Woong (who is goodlooking *-*) acted as Irene, he lacked a lot of... femininity. He could have practiced a lot more "girly walking", for instance. (Like when Yoon Eun Hye practiced male traits, like walking, before acting in Coffee Prince.)

Last mention about the acting (it could also be the script writer). I really missed some feelings. I felt like this drama was just... a story, barely any emotions but into it. The main actress (who I complained about being a 12 year old) was the one I felt nailed it the most, actually.

MUSIC
About the music? You like kpop, right? I know I do! I have to include this somewhere: The scene when Jang Geu Rim performed Twinkle by TaTiSeo... That was... bad. She just stood there doing nothing.

REWATCH VALUE
I barely feel like rewatching dramas, because it takes a lot of time, and there are plenty of other dramas to watch. But since this is so short, it isn't impossible for me to watch it again. But I probably won't. Why? As already mentioned, this drama lacked emotions. Yeah, there was some, but I wished it was much more.

OVERALL
It felt like a mix between a drama and a movie. I really dislike Korean movies (not all of them, but most of the ones I've seen), because they seem to rush everything hastily, with no emotions (they obviously don't have time for that "nonsense"). I felt some tingling in my chest at some parts, but not that much. But it do have some very fun parts. I did like Tae Joon's character, and the two trios who root for Tae Joon and Irene.

If you're looking for a lighthearted and short drama, watch this. If you're looking for some huge "kyaaaah" and sweet moments, look somewhere else.

But it was, in fact, a cute drama.

Still giving it a 6, though. Lol. But it was close to 7, but while writing this, I somehow changed my mind. But while watching it, I would probably give it a 8, because, like already mentioned, I enjoyed WATCHING this drama. But afterwards, I don't feel anything (those dramas and movies that makes you think about them for days because it was good, those are more than good - they're great. I know dramas that I felt was okay while watching, but like masterpieces when they're done).

I hope that someone will make something similar to this, but as a drama. That is something I would watch.

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Completed
LucyLee
7 people found this review helpful
Jun 16, 2013
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 10
(sorry for bad english~)

I really like the drama. The Story was better then these usual gender bender dramas. I think it is just sad that the drama only has 3 episodes, because the main story is really upgradable.

The acting was quite good. One character was just a little bit exaggerated. (i don't know if i could say now who it was for me...)

Music... This was one of these dramas where I haven't concentrated on music.. So actually I couldn't say much about it.

Overall I really enjoyed the drama and I would watch it again and again!
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Completed
ELF12
6 people found this review helpful
Sep 2, 2012
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
Ok, this was probably the CUTEST show I have ever watched! This is one of those sit back, relax, and just enjoy type of shows. It has a great story but not too obvious. I love the fact that this time it was the boy dressing up as a girl rather than the typical girl dressing up as a boy. I mean, don't get me wrong, I really love those plots as well. But I felt like they gave a different feeling to it. As for the cast and the acting, I just thought it was amazing! In my opinion, I didn't see anything lacking. And I just have to say that I really did question myself whether the boy was really a boy and not a girl. The music was great, but not outstanding. I felt that they probably should have included more songs and some of the songs weren't even theirs. Like "A Goose's Dream". But I still loved their selection of songs whether it was theirs or not. It completely fit into the story-line. I would completely, hands down, re-watch this show! It pretty much forces you to re-watch it with all its' cuteness overloads. If you haven't watched this yet, I suggest you watch it NOW! Also, this had such a cute ending! I just had to add that!

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Completed
Sone4Life
6 people found this review helpful
Jan 19, 2013
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
I enjoyed Ma Boy. It first caught my attention because it's not like your typical "Girl dresses up as a guy". This time, it has a twist..The boy dresses up as a girl! Since the drama was only 3 episodes long, it doesn't have much of a real story to it so there's not much to say about the story part. It's a cute drama :)
I love Kim So Hyun. Her acting is always awesome. However, I sort of found it kind of awkward since Kim So Hyun is 13 and Sun Woong is 21...I wonder how Kim So Hyun felt filming with people almost double her age. For that reason, the acting and cast is very good.
Since this was a short drama there wasn't much OST songs. (I think that there's actually only 1..) The song was still pretty good.
I rewatched this drama I think about 2 times. THE CUTENESS MADE ME WATCH IT AGAIN. With only 3 episodes, it's very easy to rewatch it.
Overall, this drama was actually better than expected. At first, I didn't know it only had 3 episodes so I kept searching for more. I died when I found out there was only 3 episodes. Anyways, it's definitely worth your 3 hours. Give it a try!

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Completed
kdramamad
6 people found this review helpful
Dec 7, 2012
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
What I like about this story is that instead of your usual girl dresses as a boy, you have a guy dressing as a girl? I really like the fact they switched around its refreshing seeing this rather then girl dressing as boy or looking like one. I really love how cute sappy and full of life this drama is. Its refreshing from your usual drama triangles. This was not thing like that although in the end there was a triangle there was no real drama involved but only cute young love. It's really refreshing when you have been in a drama slump for a while. It lifts your spirits and warms your heart.

If you happen to have a drama slump this is defently worth watching to get yourself out of that slump. Or even if you are sick of the teary heart jerking love dramas ( who gets sick of them anyway right?)we all do occasional looking for something different that isnt drama.

The actresses/actors was incredible they all played there parts really well they made it so believeable and they was young and refreshing. and very cute!

Overall if i ever get in a drama slump again, I well rewatch thi. Actually scratch that I will watch it again at anytime i want to. A feel good drama like this can lift anyones moods!

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Completed
pktljames
4 people found this review helpful
Aug 22, 2018
3 of 3 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
This show is a cute twist on what you usually see in the gender bender dramas. This time it's a boy having to pretend he's a girl. Oddly enough though, where the girls pretending to be boys tend to do everything they can to seem like a boy, the opposite is not true in this drama. He basically tries to just stay away from everyone as much as possible and doesn't talk so that his low voice won't be heard.

There isn't a lot of story here since it's only 3 episodes long, and it is definitely better once the female lead is let in on the secret. If you are looking for an unusual gender bender drama that is cute and more fluff than dramatic, this might just fit that bill for you. :-)

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Ma Boy (2012) poster

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