My Only Love Song

My Only Love Song

6.5/10

My Only Love Song

Genre:                              Episodes: 20                          Year: 2017

Romance

Comedy

Synopsis:

Song Soo Jung is a top actress who is known for swearing and throwing tantrums. After one of her outbursts on set, she is transported back to the Goryeo era where she meets On Dal, a man who is recorded in history as marrying the Princess and becoming a general despite his low birth.

Cast:

Lee Jong Hyun (On Dal)

Gong Seung Yeon (Song Soo Jung/Nan Nyeon)

Lee Jae Jin (Byun Sam Yong)

Kim Yeon Seo (Princess Pyonggang)

Ahn Bo Hyun (Moo Myung)

Park Joo Hyung (Ko Il Yong)

General Thoughts:

This drama is so fun. I loved it, and I loved everyone in it. The whole draw is the leading couple (who were on ‘We Got Married’ together), and boy oh boy do they deliver. The story itself is pretty simple, but it’s a lot of fun and somehow never becomes too predictable.

I love this couple, I love this show, I love this couple together in this show

Although the series was a bit heavy handed with its humour at the start, once it settled into its rhythm it was really quite funny. There is loads of comedy to mine from a van taking its driver into the past, and the writers used it well.

Simply adding a car to historical Korea is way funnier than I thought it'd be

Items from the future were never overplayed but bought in every now and then to remind us of our heroine’s world and to add an extra dose of light-heartedness. The visuals themselves are just too funny- I never knew a car in historical Korea could be so funny- or onesies, or drinking games, but they were. But the show could also take itself seriously when it wanted to as well. Gong Seung Yeon was a little better than Lee Jong Hyun at bringing in the sadder emotions, and she did an excellent job at gently shifting the mood in scenes so that we weren’t getting tonal whiplash. The show managed to balance the idea of Goryeo life-and-death situations while still maintaining its light, fluffy feel. There were moments that had a hint of darkness in them and created conflict for our characters, so the show remained interesting from start to finish. What really made this drama such great fun was truly its characters and the actors that played them. I’ve not seen Gong Seung Yeon in much but she slayed it as our heroine. I often find that dramas that go for bratty, arrogant female leads can have them come off a bit harsh, but Gong Seung Yeon’s interpretation of Soo Jung was delightful and very likeable.

I lover her so, so much

While she might not be the type of person I’d want to be friends with in real life, she was a lot of fun to watch, even when she was acting out. I think a nice balance was struck between what caused Soo Jung’s outbursts (they were often situations that warranted a bit of a smackdown) and the seriousness of her retaliation- her rants at Sam Yong and On Dal were more like the way a kid whines at their Mum or nags the kid they like, and it showed that she didn’t have ill intentions.

The comedy was pretty on point

I liked the she didn’t let anyone step on her- not the director, not a General, and not On Dal. Lee Jong Hyun did a great job as our hero as well. I’ve not seen him in a comedy before, but he suited it really well. This wasn’t the type of drama that required absolutely perfect acting, so it was nice to see him relax into the character and have fun filming. He had good comedic timing with Gong Seung Yeon and their bantering dialogue was always good value. His reactions to futuristic objects was always hilarious- particularly his treatment of the female-voiced GPS. The supporting cast were all as good as the leads, with Park Joo Hyung being a particular standout. I tend to find characters that are over-the-top and ridiculous pretty unbearable, but I really enjoyed his take on Ko Ill Yong. The story set up his character as someone with power who should be feared, and he had just enough serious moments that we could see this for ourselves as well, rather than just having it explained.

His developing crush on Soo Jung was done so smoothly

However, Il Yong was of course, super arrogant and very silly. And yet Park Joo Hyung handled his silliness in a delicate way so that he felt like a realistic whacko rather than a completely cartoonish character. He completely embodied the character, and made excellent use of gestures and small facial movements to really sell his performance.

The most well-acted numbnut

He never dropped out of character even when he was only in the background of a scene, and the way he moved his hands, his head and his mouth were all a part of his very quirky take on the character Il Yong. Because he was able to sell Il Yong’s weirdness in such a believable way, Il Yong was never a character that became annoying when he was on screen (unlike those whack-job characters in ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’). Il Yong was often outlandishly funny and it was enjoyable to watch how he handled situations and how his oddness came out. It also helped that other characters knew he was weird and the writers weren’t trying to portray him as someone normal- this prevented Park Joo Hyung from seeming like he was overacting, as everyone was aware of what a whacko he was, but because of his power they had to play along. Lee Jae Jin also did a fabulous job with a character who was primarily for comedic effect. He played the young manager perfectly, and he and Gong Seung Yeon really sold the sibling relationship with their constant bickering and protective instincts. I loved Sam Yong as a character and Lee Jae Jin added a lot of innocence and sweetness to the character, and made him truly loveable.

His constant 3rd wheeling was pretty great too

Kim Yeon Seo and Ahn Bo Hyun played their parts of the Princess and bodyguard well, though technically Ahn Bo Hyun didn’t really have a lot of lines to remember as his character didn’t speak.

I do question whether Princesses ever wore pants in Goryeo though...

The relationship development between the two was cute and believable, and they had some pretty good chemistry. Kim Yeon Seo did well at bringing in the more emotional beats of the story with her impending marriage to the show’s villain, and her small heartbreak over On Dal. I also loved that the car, Boong Boong, was treated as a character. Giving the car motivations and certain emotions added a cute and interesting element to the story, and actually made the magical time travel element more grounded. It also added a load of humour to the series as it showed the different responses of our characters to Boong Boong’s decisions of when and where to move. Having various characters talking to Boong Boong as if he were alive added a sense that the car was a character all his own, while also providing insight into the thought and motivations of the human characters. 

Boing Boong is Korea's best matchmaker

The whole cast were just perfect and I wouldn’t change a single actor. The group really seemed as though they were having a blast filming, and that itself made the show more enjoyable. The writing and the acting hit the perfect middle ground between being too serious or too silly. 

What Was Great:

Dat SIZZLE:

So basically Lee Jong Hyun and Gong Seung Yeon have got some killer chemistry. I’ve only seen snippets of their ‘We Got Married’,

Hyunie's been waiting a looooooong time for this

but I’m so tempted to go and watch it all now because these two are so insanely cute together. They seemed happy and comfortable around each other, and their characters’ bickering and play-fighting were always fun to watch. I still kind of believe that they secretly (or not so secretly) have the hots for each other, because the way they were looking at each other all series long just screamed adoration. And the kissing, oh man, the kissing was just fab. They were just so into it. I hardly expect to see proper kissing in full-length, high budget K-Dramas, so it was unexpectedly awesome to have one of my favourite off-screen couples getting in some excellent snogging on-screen. I love the rapport between Lee Jong Hyun and Gong Seung Yeon and this show has just left me wanting to see more of them together. I would (and will) watch anything, and I mean anything, that has these two as a romantic couple in it.

It is taking all my effort to not have every picture in this review be of these two snogging

Neat Progress:

Short series tend to either A) have a story that is painfully predictable, or B) make no sense at all. ‘My Only Love Song’ had a story that followed a certain amount of logic, had a clear path and goal in mind, and most importantly was fun to watch.

Enough to spark jealousy without taking away from the main romance

The overarching story was the romance between the leads and Soo Jung and Sam Yong’s attempts to return to the future. However, the drama had a whole heap of smaller plots that slowly added up and led us to the finale. None of these smaller moments felt out of place or forced, but fit into our characters’ journey smoothly. Having Il Yong chasing both the Princess and Soo Jung added a bit of tension to the series, and gave reason behind the group’s constant movement. As the characters moved around together, it made sense that their relationship grew as well, with On Dal becoming fonder of Soo Jung, and Soo Jung growing jealous of On Dal and the Princess, as history tells that they get married. It was clever the way our heroine’s knowledge of these events helped shape and change the story. Her belief that On Dal was going to marry the Princess justified why she wouldn’t be more open about her feelings with him, and gives her jealousy cause even when there weren’t huge signs that On Dal was interested in the Princess in a romantic sense. It also gave the finale more punch as through the changing history book we can see how Soo Jung’s actions in the past influence and change events.

Legit thought they might kill off Moo Myung

It also let me become very curious about what would happen to Moo Myung- he was the one the Princess was in love with, but the history book never changed to say that those two got married. The history book just got me more and more curious as to how the show would pull off a satisfying ending- it can’t just blatantly go against its own rules, but it also kind of couldn’t marry our hero off to someone else.

Because we all love our happy endings

On Dal gifting his name to Moo Myung after their battle with Il Yong was certainly something I didn’t expect, and allowed the show to tick all the boxes for a satisfying finish. Our villain got brought down, history remained the way it was written, and our leads got to stay together.

What Wasn’t:

Whacky Editing:

The true gold of this series comes in the form of its characters and the cast.

Please no

Early on the show was relying heavily on effects that were edited in, and I found that it took away from the enjoyment of the show rather than enhancing it. While the show could be silly at times, I always wanted it to take itself a little bit seriously, as there were loads of interesting aspects. However, early on the heavy-handed editing almost made the show feel like a bit of a joke. The wackiness of the characters never ventured into immature territory, and they added humour in a way that was fun for adults, but the over-the-top editing made the show seem more juvenile than it really was. Thankfully the editing toned down as the show progressed, and the series relied more on its characters, their situations, and their reactions for its humour. 

Recommend?

Of course! This drama isn’t all that serious, but it’s loads of fun. It’s appropriately cute and Lee Jong Hyun and Gong Seung Yeon are a match made in heaven.

Be happy forever you two