Fool’s Love
8/10
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| Fool's Love |
Genre: Episodes:
16 Year: 2015
Romance
Comedy
Family
Family
Synopsis:
Kang Ho Gu
always has his sweet, generous nature taken advantage of by girls who get
close to him, but never end up dating him. His friends and relationship expert
twin sister, Kang Ho Kyung, are constantly mocking him. Do Do Hee is a swimmer
on the Korean national team, but always wins silver medals and never gold.
She is well known for not only being pretty, but also her cursing and
aggression. Ho Gu and Do Hee went to the same high school, where Kang Ho Gu had
a crush on the popular, beautiful swimmer. Ho Gu goes to his high school
reunion, seeing it as a chance to meet Do Hee again. After reuniting with his
dream-girl, Ho Gu soon discovers that she is hiding a secret. Do Do Hee
is pregnant, possibly by Byun Kang Chul- their high school class president, and
Kang Ho Kyung’s long time crush.
Cast:
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| Choi Woo Shik (Kang Ho Gu) |
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| Uee (Do Do Hee) |
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| Lim Seulong (Byun Kang Chul) |
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| Lee Soo Kyung (Kang Ho Kyung) |
General Thoughts:
A surprisingly
good drama. It started out very comedic, with lots of editing and slapstick humour,
which actually set the mood very well. Amazingly, the drama was able to explore
some highly controversial material (such as abortion, single mothers, abuse,
and homosexuality) without becoming uncomfortable, heavy, or losing any of its
comedic value. I was very impressed at how the drama was able to constantly
continue its manhwa-like style even as it tackled these huge issues.
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| Don't be a fool, cover your tool |
Originally, I
wasn’t too keen on either of our main characters. Kang Ho Go was weak, naive
and easily taken for a ride. Do Do Hee was mean and rude. HOWEVER, as the drama
unfolds, we see that these traits and shortcomings give our characters so much
room to grow and develop as people- which was fantastic. While some faults are
never overcome (which is super realistic), it’s touching to see how the two
care for each other regardless, and use their individual strengths to cover
each other’s weaknesses.
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| Not exactly a face that breeds confidence |
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| Best comedic couple |
Another
highlight of the drama was the slow reveal of the characters’ history. As each
flashback gave us a little bit more information, it was a gradual process in
finding out how our characters’ relationships got to where they are now. And
yet this process somehow never touched on boring or dragged out- it was extremely well
written. Kang Ho Kyung
and Byun Kang Chul were delightful support characters, their own storylines
were cute and funny, but never took too much screen-time away from our main
couple. This series was
exactly what it promised to be: a humorous, light-hearted drama about an
unexpected pregnancy.
What Was Great:
Lee Soo Kyung
as Kang Ho Kyung:
Oh my goodness,
this girl was perfect. I think she has to top the list of my favourite female
support characters. Lee Soo Kyung did an excellent job of portraying both sides
of Ho Kyung- refined, elegant intellectual, and sloppy, lazy sister. Kang Ho
Kyung as a character was just so perfect. What an accurate representation of
girls. The sad truth is, girls don’t look fantastic all the time. We don’t (often)
wake up gorgeous, and it takes some effort for girls to be as presentable as
the world expects them to be. It was hilarious to watch these two sides of Ho
Kyung, and see which people she presented each appearance too. It never felt
like either persona was horrendously fake- they were both equally true to
herself, and she simply chose which self she would portray at what time.
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| Am I pretty? |
She also
delivered one of the most insightful, and accurate suggestions of what true love
was to a girl. True love is someone a girl can comfortably show her bare face
to without fear of rejection or disappointment. Amen.
Character
Growth:
A main point of
this drama was the relationship between Do Do Hee and Kang Ho Gu. I was a
little taken aback when we met our two leads, because they were so
obviously flawed. So rarely in K-Drama do we have two regular, imperfect people
in our main couple. Usually, at least one of them has God-like perfection. But
it’s refreshing to see two normal people as the stars of our drama. Granted, Do
Do Hee is a national athlete with alarmingly good looks- BUT her temper,
restrictions, and defensiveness keep her from becoming an unrealistic presence,
even if Kang Ho Gu sees her as flawless.
With Kang Ho Gu, he’s really presented
like a nobody. Only later in the drama do we see his characteristics that have
been overlooked, ignored, and even taken advantage of, really start to shine.
It’s the very same characteristics that made him a nobody (his shyness and
selflessness) that also make him such a strong presence and sense of support
for Do Hee. Through the
whole drama we see our characters realising what aspects of their personality are
interfering with their relationships, and how they must change certain parts of
themselves to coexist with another person.
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| Not your average wallflower |
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| We all love K-Drama girls that make the first move...even if she is drunk as a skunk |
Deep Issues:
I adore dramas
that are able to comment on heavy social issues without becoming overly dark.
In regards to these issues, this drama was executed perfectly. I mean, sexual assault
is a frigging huge deal. It was a wise choice not to make the assault itself,
but the reactions and responses, the main focus. This choice is a huge reason
why the drama was able to maintain its comedic feel, even when discussing such
distressing topics. The way victim-blaming was addressed was also spot-on. It
was so smart to bring in the victim-blaming after Do Hee had gained so much
support and addressed a lot of the issue on her own. If the blame had been
introduced right at the beginning, it would have all been too depressing, and
Do Hee’s strength and choices would have been a little unrealistic, in a drama
that is so solidly based in reality.
As it is, Do Hee’s decision to stop
blaming herself and move forwards is a major turning point in the drama. Seeing
her flaws and weaknesses earlier on in the drama also made the impact of this
moment so much more intense. There were also
beautifully subtle lines, and scenes in the drama that just totally completed
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| Who sues for money when their boyfriend is this loaded? |
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| Her two favorite boys |
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| Want a cute drama? Put a baby in it |
What Wasn’t:
Gay Cop-Out:
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| I'm supposed to believe this man is straight? Please. |
Kang Ho Kyung
and Byun Kang Chul had a hilariously delicious love-line. I was so conflicted
when it was resolved. Ho Kyung is superb and it was fantastic to see her happy,
and it felt like the whole drama I’d been waiting for that glorious moment when
Kang Chul realises it had been her all along. And yet, this moment was marred
by the sudden ‘it’s okay guys, he’s not actually gay’ kind of vibe. They’d done
SUCH a convincing job of making this man gay. He’d even admitted it and was
facing the consequences- parents’ anger, prejudice, isolation in his workplace.
It was in no way surprising that he wasn’t gay. From the second we knew the
kiss was Ho Kyung and not Ho Gu, we all knew where this was going. Even though
I was so thoroughly on board the Kang Chul- Ho Kyung train, it still felt a
little like all that work the drama had done questioning responses to homosexuality
in South Korea was undone in the last moment, when they made Byun Kang Chul
straight.
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| Though it was nice to see our girl get the guy |
Re-watch?
Potentially
worth a second go. A lot of the joy from this drama comes from the slow reveal
of past relationships, so it may drag if you already have this information.
Would definitely be keen to watch the hilarity and sweet moments for a second time
though.
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| Hard won happily (most of the time) ever after |
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