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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