To the Beautiful You

To the Beautiful You

5.5/10

To the Beautiful You 

Genre:                                   Episodes: 16                                   Year: 2012

Romance

Comedy

School

Synopsis:

Gold medallist high-jumper, Kang Tae Joon, has entered a slump in his sporting career after an injury. Rumours start to spread about his inability to continue with the sport, and his company begins to contemplate pushing forward his retirement. Koo Jae Hee is an avid fan of Tae Joon. In order to encourage him and help him get over his slump, she disguises herself as a boy and enters the all-boys high school that Tae Joon attends.

Cast:

Sulli (Koo Jae Hee)

Choi Minho (Kang Tae Joon)

Lee Hyun Woo (Cha Eun Gyeol)

Kim Ji Won (Seol Ha Na)

Kang Ha Neul (Min Hyun Jae)

Ki Tae Young (Dr Jang Min Woo)

General Thoughts:

The drama starts off fairly well- a sparkly cast and cross-dressing hijinks set the scene pretty well, but all too soon it becomes evident that that’s all the drama really has going for it. Which isn’t even close to enough substance to stretch over 16 episodes.

The star-studded cast

Sigh, yet another drama doomed to gradual decline after the mid-way point. I’ve seen enough idols acting to know that many of them can act well enough. Unfortunately, I just don’t believe that Sulli and Minho fall into this group.

I adore you- but I wasn't buyin' it

While I wouldn’t go as far as saying Minho was straight up bad- he was just drastically outshone by the two professional actors playing support characters. It’s hard to blame Sulli for the weak performance as Koo Jae Hee, as the character herself is just so bland and poorly constructed. Would a more experienced actress have been able to breathe more life into our leading lady? Maybe. Or maybe the boring Jae Hee was going to be a flop no matter what poor, innocent actress took her on. The plot was equally as weak as the acting. There is no sufficient reason given (until halfway) to why this young girl has gone through all the trouble of entering an all-boys high school- except that she’s a massive fan. Even when we’re given a snippet of the motivation behind our leading lady’s actions- the reasoning feels weak, forced, and totally unrealistic. While the whole drama seems to want to centre around Jae Hee reigniting Tae Joon’s passion for high jump…it doesn’t actually crop up that often, except whenever Jae Hee needs to formulate a reason to stay in Korea.

We'll just ignore that it's glaringly obvious that she's got a V where there
should be a P

Instead, the drama chooses to focus on the budding relationship between the two main leads, and our second main lead’s homosexuality crisis (which is actually hilarious and endearing). This shift in focus may not have been as boring as it was, had there been continuous development. Alas, once Tae Joon discovers Jae Hee is a girl all development screeches to a halt and we spend a substantial amount of episodes rehashing old information, and begging someone to tell poor Eun Gyeol that his crush is indeed a lady. At the end of the series, I was relieved it was over, as the second half seemed to serve no purpose other than to infuriate its viewers. The whole drama reeked of wasted potential and ‘if only’s’.

If only this muppet got the girl

What Was Great:

Pretty People:

It was like playing 'Where's Waldo Woo Bin'

I don’t doubt that the point of the star line-up was to jag the attention of fans. I, myself, fell victim to this ploy. Being rather new to K-Drama and the K-pop culture scene, I was pretty excited to see a cast line-up where I knew not only the two main leads, but a handful of the supporting cast as well. I was surprised however, to see that Kim Woo Bin did not play a large role, but merely an extended cameo, considering that when you Google (yes I Google K-drama casts, don’t judge) this drama- Kim Woo Bin is one of the first cast-members noted. For the first half or so of the drama, the writers successfully manage to cover the rather lacking plot by simply dragging its stars into the spot-light and saying “Ooo! Look who it is!” We were all fooled.

Bromance:

The bromance turned out to be a bit of a double-edged sword for this poor drama. I’ll tell you right now, it’s not the very minimal bromance between lead character Kang Tae Joon and Cha Eun Gyeol that won hearts- but the sweet, heart-melting friendship between Cha Eun Gyeol and Min Hyun Jae. It was truly a wondrous thing to behold. While it may have taken a while to kick into gear, it’s definitely one of the highlights of the drama. From the moment Hyun Jae so easily accepted the potentially gay inclinations of his roommie, we all knew we were in for a treat.

I could watch a whole drama about these two

The two boys absolutely shone in whatever scenes they were in, so it came as no surprise to anyone that the scenes with the two together were shiny, sparkly gold. Unfortunately, this did lead to the unintentional downside of Tae Joon looking like even more of a bland, emotionless robot. While we’re on the subject, both Lee Hyun Woo and Kang Ha Neul rocked my socks off in this drama.

Eun Gyeol > Tae Joon

I felt more connection to these two side characters than I ever did with our two main leads, and I can’t help but wonder if it really was poor construction of the main couple, or simply an obvious difference in acting ability. Cha Eun Gyeol was an easily likeable character, and his character arc was enjoyable enough even if it did become a tad repetitive. He bore a striking similarity to Gong Yoo in ‘Coffee Prince’- willing to switch up his sexual preferences for the ‘man’ he loves. But unlike Gong Yoo, poor Cha Eun Gyeol reaps none of the rewards for his bravery and unshakable heart. Sadly, this also makes Koo Jae Hee come across as a bit of a selfish, heartless b*tch. Yet another unintended drawback of making a side character far too loveable. And Kang Ha Neul- I was already predisposed to love Kang Ha Neul’s character because (surprise) I love Kang Ha Neul. He displays his brilliant acting chops as an angry high jump rival to Kang Tae Joon, while also carrying problems of his own. Despite his few scenes in the spotlight, Kang Ha Neul grabs whatever chance he’s given on screen to completely own his character. Through his excellent displays of emotion, we always knew there was more beneath the surface of the disgruntled, hard-working rival, and it was easy to sympathise with his situation and understand his actions. And these actions just opened the gateway for so much boy-bonding, whether it’s between himself and Eun Gyeol, or himself and Tae Joon. Surprisingly, Min Hyun Jae was the driving force behind a lot of the quality moments in this drama. Poor Minho, Lee Hyun Woo and Kang Ha Neul really left him in their dust.

We totally watched for the 'plotline'

No Dramatic Flip-out:

While there is a lot this drama didn’t do well, this is one moment that really must be applauded. I was unbelievably happy when Tae Joon didn’t lose his sh*t upon discovering that Jae Hee was a girl. Instead, he set out to watch over her and protect her secret- a much more pleasing relationship turn than getting irrationally angry at this ‘betrayal’.

Way more fun than fights

Granted, we did have this moment with Eun Gyeol- but unlike Tae Joon, he had fallen for Jae Hee thinking she was a guy and not a girl, and literally so many people already knew her secret that it was drastically unfair not to tell him. Oh well, Tae Joon handled it well. Snaps for Tae Joon.

Minho’s Dedication:

Personally, I didn’t find Minho to be the most convincing actor, but I have nothing but respect for his complete dedication to the role. It would be easy enough to let a stunt-double do all the high jumping scenes, but Minho put in a huge deal of effort to do much of the jumping himself, and worked hard to be physically fit for the drama. Who wasn’t amazed by the 105 camera spin-shot of Minho high jumping in Episode 1?

It was top-notch

What Wasn’t:

Zero Chemistry:

Awkwaaardddd

There was NO believable chemistry going on between Koo Jae Hee and Kang Tae Joon. None. This is surprising seeing how Sulli and Minho seem to get along extremely well off screen. While there were plenty of cute moments- it was all in the set up, and not much oomph came from the execution. And yet there seemed to be so many sparks with Lee Hyun Woo. Granted, he was playing a much more open character, but I felt much more connection between Jae Hee and Eun Gyeol than I ever did with her and Tae Joon. Perhaps the awkwardness between two stars from the same agency was too much to squash completely. Perhaps the acting experience of Lee Hyun Woo made Sulli feel more comfortable. Who knows? All that’s obvious is there wasn’t a whole heap of zing between Minho and Sulli on our screens.

Plot Disintegration:

Boy did that storyline slow to a crawl. There wasn’t much going on plot-wise to begin with, and with no new conflict introduced, the series was heading for disaster. For a few episodes the writers seemed to think they could ride on the dramatic lead-up heading towards Jae Hee’s discovery with a bit of pitiful, gay (or so he thought) Eun Gyeol thrown in. But no, this is not enough to sustain several episodes of drama.

"Is that our plot? But...where's it going?"

As loveable as Eun Gyeol was, his constant whining and depression did start to grate on nerves. Also, whatever happened to Woo Bin? Talk about an abandoned plot-point.

America:

What. Is. This. Rubbish.

Okay, why the hell was it necessary for Jae Hee to return to America? Was it that inconceivable an idea that she attend a girl’s school or a co-ed school in South Korea? Apparently so. K-Drama’s just love their long separations and what-not, so though it was massively infuriating and a wildly bad end to a drama that wasn’t all bad- off to America she goes. Oy.

Re-watch?

Absolutely bloody not. I still maintain a lot of love for the stars of this drama, and there were definitely points that were enjoyable to watch. But the second half was excruciating and more than slightly maddening, and I just don’t think I could ever do it again.

What is lacked in substance, it (almost) made up for with pretty

Virtual Bride

Virtual Bride

5.5/10

Virtual Bride 

Genre:                                   Episodes: 12                                   Year: 2015

Romance

Comedy

Family

Synopsis:

Oh In Young is a pop-idol whose popularity is plummeting. To boost her image and gain attention, she reluctantly joins a variety show called “The Daughter-in-Law Experience”. She is paired up with the eldest son of a very traditional Korean family, who has an extremely strict mother.

Cast:

Dasom (Oh In Young)

Ryu Soo Young (Cha Myeong Seok)

Ko Du Shim (Yang Choon Ja)

Kim Yun Seo (Kim Se Mi)

Kwak Hee Sung (Cha Dong Seok)

Son Eun Seo (Cha Young Ah)

Kim Bo Yeon (Jang Mi Hee)

Ki Tae Young (Kang Joon Soo)

General Thoughts:

The show is exactly what was promised- a short, goofy drama without much depth. I didn’t expect anything out of this drama, so I wasn’t disappointed, but I wasn’t surprised either.

Fun, but not spectacular

Dasom does a good job as the rising star- not afraid to embarrass herself in the least, which ensures some hilarity for sure. Ryu Soo Young is believable enough as the dorky math professor- though it did seem like the writers forgot about who his character was supposed to be. He had waaaaay too many smooth moves and romantic (if not horrendously cheesy) lines.

All things an awkward math-man should not be

There were enough secondary characters that we were never bored with what was going on in the main pairing- it quite often took a backseat to other family happenings. The drama really should be called ‘Mother-in-Law’s from Hell’ though. Like seriously, that CEO’s mum is just bat-shit-crazy. There’s no other way to put it. At least our main Mother-in-Law had enough redeeming qualities that she was pretty likeable towards the end. While all (but one) of our characters were likeable enough, and avoided becoming irritating, spiteful ghouls, they also didn’t have enough personality to connect with emotionally.

Watched for the cute, not the story

Rather than watching out of undying love for a character, it’s more like watching in trifling amusement during free time to see how everything will tie up. The plot is, uh… not riveting. There’s always something happening so it’s not exactly boring, but there’s not enough going on that you’d actually care what happens. The main couple’s differences were touched on in the first episode or two, before promptly being ignored. Because love. Apparently. Obviously being in love overshadows any issues differences may cause. Duh. How did they fall in love? Hmm, well looks like we’ll just ignore that one. They just did okay, they just did. Things happen between both families, but basically all problems are solved when someone decides to stop being a giant d*ck. It’s a cute, fluffy drama that manages to avoid being bad, but also hasn’t got enough in it to warrant being good either- but it’s enjoyable as a simplistic watch, and a break from more mentally-draining, emotionally-invested dramas.

What Was Great:

Variety Show Style:

The fact that large portions of the beginning of the drama were shot as if watching a variety show was delightful. It was fun, comical and in-tune with the drama’s light-hearted nature. Much of its humour came from this choice of filming style as it was able to add in effects and jokes that wouldn’t be possible had it been shot like a regular drama.

Successfully different style

I was a little disappointed when the variety show segment of the drama ended, as this meant we were back to more conventional ways of filming, and a lot of the quirky humour faded.

All That Cute:

Because we don't like to be serious all the time

While there wasn’t a lot of plot, there sure was a lot of cuteness going on between the two leads. While I wouldn’t exactly say the relationship was sold believably, it was simple and whimsical- much like the rest of the drama. The overused love-triangle was avoided in favour of the slightly less-overused controlling mother’s disapproval- but it was never made a huge issue out of anyway. The fact is, the writers didn’t try too hard to create problems for our main couple- some stuff crops up which they overcome with cheesy lines and snogging. Rather than focusing on all the negatives of a having a crazy mother-in-law, the plot regarding the main couple focuses more on cute side-effects. Like trying to sneak peeks at each other in front of the whole family with no one catching on. Or hiding in ridiculous places when Mum unexpectedly swans in. All the ‘drama’ in the household involves other family members, leaving our main couple to be as naïvely adorable as they wish.

They just chucked in the cute whenever, wherever

What Wasn’t:

Spineless Men:

Okay, this was a bit of a downer. Literally none of the guys in this series have any balls. It may just be a major culture difference, but you’d think that if it got to the point where your wife was ready to up and leave you because of your psycho mother, you’d stick up for her, right? Apparently not. The whole drama is basically clueless, idiotic men being completely bewildered at their wives’ growing dissent. This may have been saved by the crazy mother-in-law’s finally getting their comeuppance, but somehow they manage to make it away mostly unscathed. CEO Kang Joon Soo is a whipped little puppet. His rather sickening adoration of his completely dislikeable witch of a mother does him no favours, and when he finally snaps it’s super unbelievable because we’ve spent the whole drama watching him throw his gorgeous wife under the bus in unashamed attempts to please his mother.

2 men, 0 balls

And then there’s Cha Deong Seok. Ohhh good lord. Dumbest man ever. Despite being repeatedly told by his wife that she hates living with his family and that his mother is making her life miserable, he does nothing. No attempts to help his wife with the mother-in-law relationship, and no attempts to get a job. I was in total agreement with Kim Se Mi when she wanted a divorce, because Deong Seok is basically the most useless thing ever.

Be free you strong, independent woman

The only thing that kept him from being unbearable to watch was his nice face and bumbling attempts to help our main lady, In Young. Our main man Cha Myeong Seok was surprisingly spared from this ‘useless man’ label, as he mysteriously disappeared off-screen whenever Mum went on a psychotic rampage.

Lack of Focus:

The show basically doesn’t have any direction. The main couple get together pretty fast and don’t encounter too much believable resistance. The short fiascos between different family members are short-lived and carry no real continuing developments. Right up until the end, the writers didn’t focus specifically on either the lover relationship or the daughter/mother-in-law relationship, leaving both storylines feeling a little halfassed.

This B*tch:

This woman is unbearable. She’s basically the fakest, most manipulative being that ever existed. She does all these insufferable acts- and then makes it out unharmed. The whole drama I was waiting for her glorious downfall…but it never came. Instead we are given a very short, unbelievable, last-ditch attempt to redeem her miserable character.

Nobody wanted to be at this poorly planned pity party

Honestly, no one cares that her husband left her. That happens to lots of people and THEY don’t turn into Satan-incarnate. All I wanted was for her to reap what she sowed- and have her son and in-laws ditch her and leave her crying in her soup of well-deserved isolation. Which she probably didn’t even cook herself. Lazy ass woman.

This Other B*tch:

I don't even know

Who even is this? I thought that she was another sister until she confessed to Myeong Seok. I get that she was adopted(?) into the family or something, but why? Our main mother-in-law doesn’t really seem like the type of person to take in a random kid. The character herself I don’t have a problem with- she had her moments in the story, it’s the ridiculously vague explanation of why the hell she lives with this family that was the issue.

Re-watch?

No. It’s nice enough as a fluffy, unsubstantial watch, but it’s definitely a one-off. The characters are cute (if unrealistic and underdeveloped), and despite the practically non-existent plot, the drama somehow manages to make it to the end without turning into the total shemozzle it was highly likely to become.

Randomly cute-free end to a cute-filled drama