A Cute, Gender Bending Love Story

NOTE: This is a re-watch drama for me. When I watched it for the first time during its airtime, I rated it a 9. This current rating is based off of my second watch.

The story is a cute, new, and refreshing love story. At the time this drama came out, you didn't see too much of the female lead dressing up as a male, etc. That wasn't until after this drama that they really started taking off. The drama focuses on several different stories to the point where I questioned who the main leads were because we were constantly being tossed around the cast of characters.

Coffee Prince starts off strong, but by Episode 11/12 I was bored. I wanted it to end and was mortified to see how long the episodes were and how many more I had left. Everything sort or changes so suddenly. You spend 10 episodes developing this relationship and deciding whether you love or hate the characters, it all comes to a head so quickly and then deadpan. It's just ... boring.

The secondary leads have a goodness awful story. You immediately want to skip through it every time they come on the screen. I never understood through both watched how these almost 30 year olds act more childish than high schoolers.

My opinion on the acting is 100% biased because I am such a fangirl of Gong Yoo. I mean, watch the drama! The man's smile is just 🥵. Lee Sun Gyun is also a favorite of mine. His voice is just meltworthy. I have enjoyed other dramas with Eun Hye, but this one doesn't do it for me. I wasn't a fan of her acting the first round and even now, I couldn't relate, feel bad, or want to hug her character.

The music was not memorable for me. I cannot remember a single song from it. Even watching it a second time, I asked myself if there even had an OST playing because I didn't pay attention.

The re-watch value isn't there for me. Again, the first 10 episodes really draw you in, bit after that it's fluff, and not the cotton candy kind.

If you have never seen this drama, I suggest giving it a whirl. It truly is a good drama for a first watch, with a cute love story and what I feel carries the message of "Love doesn't see gender". You really root for the main couple and the success of everything they're fighting for.

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A Cute Mini Series That Had More Potential

I started up Oh! Youngshim when I saw that it was staring Lee Dong Hae. I have followed him since his trainee days and he is one of my favorites.

The story started off with so much potential. The backstory abs building blocks of the drama had so much potentially and definitely hooked me with the first episode. Unfortunately, it was a bit flat after that. The character development was lackluster and the relationships/love triangle became boring, quickly.

I didn't want to judge too harshly on the cast because I am not familiar with any of the actors other than Lee Dong Hae. I will say the acting itself was a bit boring. I wasn't convinced of the relationships and even the antagonists/love triangle participants were underwhelming. Everything was dry and monotone almost.

The music was not memorable at all. At one point, it was so unfitting and oddly placed that I turned it down and read subtitles because I couldn't focus on the scene because of the wrong tone the music was setting.

I honestly would not give this drama a second watch. I don't mind that I watched it. it had its cute moments and appeal, but it didn't provide any re-watch value.

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What Was This Drama About?

I started this drama back when DramaFever existed and it was on air. I'd wait the week for DF to get it and would watch. I could remember the first episode clear as day and only bits of the second episode. At first, I thought I had watched the whole drama and my aging mind didn't remember. I looked back at my notes (aka, my old school K-Drama tumblr), and realized that I had stopped because I couldn't get through it. Painfully finishing this drama, I now realize why.

The story ... what even was the story? With a title like "The Heirs", you'd think you'd get some sort of family or conglomerate battle for owner of the company when Appa kicks the bucket. IF NOT THAT, than a conglomerate war where they two mains started as BFFs (or lovers), but could no longer be because their companies were at war for the top. You get absolutely NONE of that. Instead, you get a bunch of angsty teens fighting each other for each other in a weird "coming of age" type story, but it even failed at that. On top of all of that, they tried covering all of these characters, but then lost them by trying to go back to others, which leads to a terrible ending of explaining what happened to each character, in a very poor manner.

I don't have much to say about the cast. I watched it for Lee Min Ho because I was just coming off of the Boys over Flowers high at the time. To me, the drama is so terrible, the acting matches it, so it could be that the acting is great because for what terrible writing was fed, the actors delivered it perfectly? I didn't feel the chemistry between Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye at all. The relationship was awkward and forced, almost. Kim Woo Bin and Kim Ji Won definitely deliver as the antagonists. As terrible as the writing was, you still wanted to strangle their characters.

The music was surprisingly catchy. I did find myself humming along when the intro came on, sang along when the dramatic pauses happened, and jammed out when the ending came. The intro reminded me of an early 90's sitcom.

There is zero rewatch value for me. The whole thing was absolutely painful to get through. Knowing that I had tried to get it through it one time and couldn't, definitely solidifies the no rewatch.

Overall, for me, it was a big pile of fluff. There was no substance. I was not given a reason to relate or fall in love with the characters because the drama was going everywhere, but nowhere at the same time. There wasn't a strong story, the love triangle was poor and the main protagonists relationship was even worse.

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I Don't Know What I Was Expecting ... But ...

I honestly don't know what I was expecting in this second season. I didn't like the first one and the only reason why I got through this one is because I was in the middle of crocheting and didn't want to get up to rummage through my "Plan to Watch" list.

What is the story? I understand the title, but I don't understand the story. I was really hoping for more development and some closure leading into this second season and I still got absolutely nothing. The characters are dull, boring, and completely unrelatable. There is so much nothing, I wasn't at all surprised, let down, or even baffled by the end. It was just ... oh, ok? ... that's it ...

The acting was exactly the same as Season 1? Did they continuously film this or was there an actual gap? The acting is dry and forced. It's almost like they didn't even enjoy the character they are portraying.

The music is lackluster. Nothing memorable that makes me want to hesitate skipping to the next episode because I want to continue singing the theme.

There is no rewatch value ... literally none ...

Overall, I do still want to check out the webtoon to find out if there is some semblance of a plot. The drama does nothing in any way shape or form. I think this was the first drama that I was not cheering for a single character. I sighed a breath of pained relief when the final credits rolled.

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It's Dry ...

I watched both seasons for the sake of trying to understand why the heck this was popular enough to get a second season and I don't understand it.

The Story: It had so much potential. it really did. I have not read the webtoon and I don't know if it differs or goes more in depth, but for eight hour and a half episodes, I really expected more substance. There's zero character development. You're just assaulted with characters and their trauma and expected to know who, what, where, when, and why. It makes for a very awkward and dull drama. You don't get a chance to love, hate, learn to love a character.

The acting seems forced and fake. I didn't feel there was any chemistry among any of them.

The music was OK. It seemed a bit out of place to me, but it was decent.

There is zero rewatch value for me. Even as background noise, I'd tune it out.

Overall, I am curious to read the webtoon to see if I'm missing anything that would make the drama make more sense or give me a sense of the character/story. As for the drama, it's not it.

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A Better Watch The Second Time Around

I watched this drama while it was airing. I was also watching it while the web took was at it's peak and was actually good. I originally rated this drama 6.5. I was bitter they changed so much to the original webtoon and everything could not compare. Watching it a second time and with the web took being over (and disappointed how it ended), I really enjoyed this one much more. Unlike the webtoon, the characters, especially Ju Gyeong, have more development than the webtoon. You get to know more about them and why there's strained relationships or they are the way they are. The story had somewhat of a plot to follow. Yes, that plot is the love story, but they do sprinkle the self-confidence bit. It wasn't like the webtoon where it was always, "woe is me Ju Gyeong. No one else is important.

I think for the genre that the drama is, the acting was good. It's meant to be that over-exaggerated dramatic high school close-up with pained facial expressions style. It's supposed to be leagues more animated than the normal drama. Did I personally care for it? No. Would I have watched the drama if it was more serious? No. It was the right balance.

The drama circles around constantly to one song. Naturally, you hear that song a million times because of it. I don't blame the writers and there was other music, but you really take away remembering that one song.

Would I rewatch it? I'd be lying if I said no. Technically this was a rewarch because I couldn't remember a lot of what happened and wanted to give it a proper rating. With that aside, I honestly would not watch it again. It's not my genre, so there's no need to continue to force myself to try to enjoy it.

Overall, this was a cute drama. They stray from the webtoon in a clear, cohesive way that leaves it open to really develop the characters and understand what they're going through in that moment

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Lackluster Story for a Star-studded Cast

What immediately drew me to this drama was the cast. Go Ara has been a personal favorite for years, and Park Seo Joon is droolworthy eye candy and he delivers a great brooding type character. Being a SHINee and BTS fan was a huge factor as well.

At first, my interest was piqued. You see where the love triangle starts, the tension of the groups and the friendship that'll blossom into something great before crashing and burning because of the love triangle. None of that really happened. There were SO many plot holes. It was like the writers forgot what they were writing and were just scrambling on getting the cast as much screen time as possible. I finished the drama with so many questions.

The casting is wonderful. Everyone really seemed to mesh well and played their character well. There are the characters you love and the characters you hate. The eye candy did not disappoint, of course.

The OST is pop-y and catchy and what you'd expect with the cast they have. Some of the songs have been on my playlist for quite some time and this is my first time seeing the drama.

I would not re-watch this drama, unfortunately. The plot holes bother me. I mean honestly, it is really like they just forgot what they wrote and introduced something new. No amount of rewatching will answer the questions I have because the sloppy writing never answered them.

Overall, as a watch in the background while you knit, type, or do something mundane, it's a great drama. Have you seen the gorgeous cast? As a drama to get drawn into with a compelling story that wants you to quickly press next episode, this one just doesn't cut it.

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It started with great momentum ...

I added this drama to my queue because of Park Min Young. I absolutely adore her. The first episode did not draw me in. Despite the comedic tones of character introductions, it really didn't catch my attention. It was not until the end of the second episode that I held out hope for this drama.

The story and character development flowed beautifully. You learned a lot and fell in leave with all of the characters, main and support. It all comes to a head at the end of episode ten and you're left with this sense of closure. Unfortunately, you don't get that in the last six episodes. While the last six episodes are adorable, they're fluff. You forget about everything that happened in the first ten episodes because it is just sort of written off. I was left with a few questions and this want to find out how things were mended.

The acting is great! You do have to keep in mind that this drama has a comedic aspect to it. Parts are expected to be delivered animated and overdramatic. I personally feel the execution was amazing and left me drawn to the characters.

The music wasn't all that memorable. The songs fit the scene where a song became more prominent, but I didn't feel the need to run to Spotify or look up every song in the OST.

I could see myself watching this drama again, but only until episode ten. Again, nothing against the last six episodes, but I felt there could have been so much more than what was presented.

Overall, this drama is cute.The love story, characters, and comedy mesh really well and make for a bingeworthy drama.

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A Cute Watch For What It Is

As a long time K-Drama fan, I pick my dramas on actors I like, or if it's a general genre I enjoy. I am an absolute sucker for rom-coms. Rom-coms are such a hit or miss in the K-Drama world. I walked into this one with zero expectations and actually enjoyed it. If you take it for what it is, it's a cute drama.

With that said ... ONTO THE REVIEW!!

Story wise, I thought it was an absolute mess. it started off with this cute build up to the idea of "Cinderella" and a quirky montage/backstory of each of the characters.

The first three-ish episodes of what I thought was the story that would carry the drama quickly fizzled out to unrequited and awkward one-sided love hexagons? The whole premise of "become a family" gets lost, but magically is perfect at the end.

Hye Ji made for a terrible "love triangle antagonist". Her backstory was stale and she was such a third-wheel character with no real potential.

The acting itself, I thought was as good as it can be. Each actor made their character believable and shaped them to the best of their ability and it goes to give them credit to that.

The OST was my jam! Not only did I run and add all the main songs to my spotify, but absolutely sang along each time they made the tune hit during the dramatic scenes.

As for rewatch value, I wouldn't be opposed to playing this in the background while I knit or crocheted. I'd definitely opt to skip some of the fluff episodes.

Overall, coming into this drama with zero expectations and an open-mind, it was cute, quirky and I appreciate the fact that the FL wasn't a helpless, fragile, pretty face.

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More Than Just A Boy Loves Girl

Admittedly, the first 2 episodes of this drama had me bored. I was ready to drop it. You are assaulted with the relationship and it's easy to get into that, "I'm a professional K-Drama-er" mindset and have yourself convinced you know exactly how the story is going to go. Then it really starts taking a dive into the story and it becomes one giant rollercoaster of emotions that have you questioning all the things.

While the acting was dry at some points, the actors were amazing. I know that doesn't sound right, but I don't know how else to explain it. The parts were played well, they were believable and relatable. The story was beautifully portrayed by the cast.

Was there music? I know there was, but I honestly can't say that it was super memorable.

I don't know if I'd rewatch this. Yes, I absolutely enjoyed this drama, but I don't think I could handle the emotional curves your constantly thrown, even if I do know what's going on already.

Overall, once I hit E3, I was hooked to this drama. The story is captivating, the settings are perfectly Tim Burton-esque, and how relatable it all was really hit home. Yes, it's a love story, but it's a different kind of love story, it's a mental health exploration, it's a put yourself first type story. I'm here for it.

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I Enjoyed More Than S1

Hear me out: My issue with S1 was there was so much fluff. They went 20 episodes in what could have been 10, and they proved that with S2.

The story to me is essentially a remake of S1. Yes, it is technically a continuation, but the overall love story and outcome is the same, but without all of the time filling nonsense. I read some reviews where they complained about the two lead love story and how quickly he got over Mu Deok, but if you pay attention to the story, you'd see that it's a sense of familiarity vs "here's someone new. I like her". My biggest gripe of S2 is how rushed the last episode was. Here you have these one hour-one and a half hour long episodes, and they waited until the last one to try to close everything. It was silly and unnecessary and made me meh the ending instead of fully enjoying it.

The casting is GREAT! Yes, it is unfortunate the entire cast couldn't return, but Go Yoon Jung really stepped up to the plate and I felt her chemistry with Lee Jae Wook was so much more natural and convincing then his chemistry with Jung So Min in S1.

The OST was of course fitting for the drama, catchy, and memorable. It tugged at your heart strings at the end of each episodes and made you belt out the lyrics while you quickly skipped the countdown for the next episode.

I would give this drama a rewatch on a cleaning day or something like that. I can't say I'd consistently rewatch it outside or a wanting something on in the background scenario.

Overall, I enjoyed S2. There were some plot holes, and to me, it really seemed like a condensed remake of S1, but it made the execution better in my opinion. It's worth a watch if you enjoyed S1 but felt like something was missing.

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A Magical Love Story

I added this to my list from the high rating on here. At the time that I went on a K-Drama adding spree, this was one of the ones that sat on the top. I dove right in hitting a wall with some of the current dramas I had on my list.

The story, I thought was great. At least Jang Uk's story. I want to say his is the only story, but unfortunately there are so many filler episodes and it's like they really try to push the entire cast into a main lead role, which gets very boring fast. I found myself almost wanting to skip to get to the stories I wanted to follow. I'm not saying the side stories weren't good, but I didn't find them necessary and they really could've just condensed the drama to 10-16 episodes vs the full 20, especially with each episode being an hour and a half. I really wish they would have spent more time developing Mu Deok's story. I think they spent too much time on trying to bring everyone main character energy that she got lost in translation.

The acting was done well. Everyone had great chemistry, although I do question the chemistry of the two main leads. It felt forced and unnatural compared to the way all the other cast seemed to mesh. The casting was great on all fronts! I can't imagine a different cast to play those parts.

The music was well orchestrated and catchy. The cliffhanger ending ment definitely had me screaming (because of the cliffhanger), but enjoying the song at the same time.

I did add this to my list of rewatches while I do other things and don't necessarily need to look at the screen because I already know what's going to happen. I can't deny that Jang Uk's story is intriguing and you really connect with the character throughout the drama.

Overall, it is a good drama. The antagonists really make you despise them and you call their bluff out loud in hopes the other characters hear you. It had re-watch value and I was definitely excited for Season 2.

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A Nice Adrenaline Rush to Break the Typical K-Drama Lull

Naturally, I hopped on this drama for Song Joong Ki. I mean, honestly, that should be it. Because I refuse to input spoilers, I'll keep it simple.

Story: The story had some major plot holes, yes, so why did I rate it so high? In all my K-Drama watching career, I can confidently predict the ending and 9/10 get it right. I was so far off on my ending prediction, I spent the last hour of E16 with my jaw to the floor. I'm not sure why everyone hated the ending. I tipped my hat to it. It was creative, not what was expected and the ending still played to the protagonists favor.

Each episode is an adrenaline rush of, "will he get revenge"? I definitely spent a few late nights convincing myself one more episode would satiate all of the twists and turns. Instead, I convinced myself I needed one more episode.

The characters, I will say, were a but much. I understand that the focus is on this family, but they would bring in a family member, peak interest on how this family member ties into things, and then toss them aside like they didn't exist. Dragging them out only when they needed them to appear again with no explanation of where they were or how they really tie to anything. This goes for the female lead. They spoke so highly of her, but whenever she had a scene it was lackluster and short-lived.

The acting was beautiful. The exaggeration of the rich family members to the hurt and deceit of the poor side characters. Everyone did beautifully. They truly made you either love their character or hate their character accordingly.

The soundtrack was great and tied into everything beautifully. I absolutely LOVED the flashbacks and getting a taste of the 90s and early 00s nostalgia.

This drama would definitely go in my pocket as a "safe show" playback. For those of you that don't know, it's a show that you just feel comfortable watching when you can't quite decide what you want to watch next and you're not ready to committ to a brand new show.

Overall, I enjoyed the drama. I did have my moments where I felt bored, and it took me about two weeks to finish the last two episodes, but the ending made it worth it for me.

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Quirky & Adorable

I started this drama back during its original airtime and stopped at Episode 12. I honestly have no clue why, by that episode things are interesting and you want to continue. Unfortunately for me, revisiting it in 2022 left me with zero clue what happened prior to E12 and had to start over.

Story-wise, it is a slow moving drama. I learned that when I got to E16 (what I thought was the last episode), and couldn't understand why there had been ZERO character development. I would say the first 5-6 episodes are a bit painful to get through. yes, you're getting back story and a bit of a feel of how the relationships develop, but it's BORING. When things do finally pick up, you've either already formed your opinion of the drama or you're just meh about the characters because it's taken this long to develop.

The main love triangle is a complete dud and cringey, and just awkward. The support character love triangle is way better to invest in. I loved it.

The acting is ok. Being a romantic style comedy, everything is naturally over dramatic and exaggerated, but if it was without it, I think it would have been a complete dud. The ML & FL do a convincing job in wanting to make you sob with them. Toward the end, I definitely got a bit choked up during parts.

The music is not memorable at all. Aside from the ending theme song, I cannot tell you much about the OST. it didn't stand out.

Re-watch value is non-existent for me.

Overall, I'm glad I went back to finish this drama. It was adorable, the story wasn't uncomfortably cringe, and the characters actually show growth vs the whole "I can't be with you because several unbelievable reasons before we finally get together." For a one and done watch, it's great if you can tough through the first several episodes of fluff.

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It Was Great During Its Time

If you have watched/read "Hana Yori Dango" (Meteor Garden was also a great adaptation, but comes almost a decade later), you expect to watch a social hierarchy struggle with an adorable love triangle giving you false hope for relationships and daydreaming your HYD life. That doesn't happen with "Boys Over Flowers".

I watched this during its air time in 2009. At that time, I screamed a perfect 10 rating. Any human that even hinted interest in K-Drama's I shouted this is a must watch. AT THAT TIME it was the perfect representation of what K-Dramas were. overdramatized high school love stories where some sort of social status affected the relationship. The actors were gorgeous, the love triangle kept you on your toes. It deserved a 10.

Re-watching it 13 years later had me cringe, roll my eyes, and scoff every episode. It hasn't aged well (especially in America), and I can't seem to understand how I glorified the terrible relationship all the characters had.

The acting is AWFUL! Another shock when re-watching because I remember praising the main actors for a beautiful portrayal of the characters. Watching it again and it was a total cringefest. I couldn't believe at how terrible the lines are delivered, how stiff and awkward they all seem on camera. The terrible, "I'm sexy, but brooding" or "I'm cute, but sad/hurt" looks made them all look constipated.

Granted, I no longer suggest this to my new K-Drama fans, I DO mention it to them as a should watch, or at least attempt to because of the impact it had DURING ITS TIME. I stress quite a bit that it just does not age well.

The OST still stands as one of my favorites! I'm heartbroken "Paradise" is no longer a featured song in every episode during every happy moment (it only plays as the intro), and the replacement "Bang, Bang, Boom" is lackluster in the spots where "Paradise" should have been. The OST is addicting and a beautiful mix of bops and ballads. Most of the songs still make their appearance on my Spotify lists, today.

I based my ratings off of my recent watch. I said it previously and meant it. Watching it during its run, I absolutely rated it a 10.

If you are curious or want to be able to say you watched a K-Drama classic, I say go for it. I will add not to expect much, and definitely be aware that in this current time, it's problematic.

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