As I mentioned in a previous post, I started watching this drama quite a while ago. After the third episode, I felt myself become increasingly disillusioned with the series as it bore a striking resemblance to two different Japanese dramas I have seen before (it was like a kind of hybrid of the two).
However, thanks to my sister's enthusiasm to see Lee Hong Ki's acting, I decided to give it another chance, pushing aside my previously accumulated issues with its somewhat unoriginal narrative.
You're Beautiful features the apprentice Nun (is that even a correct term?!) named Go Mi Nyeo/Nyu (Park Shin Hye). She lives a simple and pious life as one might expect a Nun to do...until a man called Ma Hoon Yi (Kim In Kwon), claiming to be her identical twin brother Go Mi Nam's manager chases after her in an effort to convince her to stand in her brother's place as an idol in a new group.
Manager Ma explains that her brother, under his Manager's instruction, underwent some cosmetic eye surgery that went wrong. He was rushed to a hospital in America to correct it and won't be able to work for at least a month whilst her recovers.
This is at a crucial point in Mi Nam's career, as he is due to sign a contract to become a vocalist for the immensely popular idol band A.N.JELL.
Although Go Mi Nyeo/Nyu originally completely refuses to play along in this deceptive scheme, she soon comes round to the idea based upon the fact that she would be helping her brother achieve his dream in his time of need. After all - What Would Jesus Do? ...I'm not so sure about this one though. Ah well...
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GOOD POINTS
- I loved the casting for this series! Most of the reason why I tried it in the first place was because Lee Hong Ki was in it. I also think that the role of Tae Kyung (Jang Geun Suk) was played really well...of course, as Suk tends to play angry characters very well indeed!! Jung Yong Hwa also provided a surprisingly good emotional role, given the fact that this drama signalled his acting debut.
- Park Shin Hye was not nearly as annoying as she could have been for me. I get the feeling that she is a pretty good actress and pushes her way even more in my good books as she doesn't play the stereotypical cutsie-cutsie girl that I find is oh-so-common in Asian dramas.
- I am not just being biased when I say that I was really impressed with Hong Ki's acting. I originally saw his character as very two-dimensional and therefore, not worth reading too much into at first. However, one scene in the latter part of the drama totally kicked that idea out the window. Jeremy is the happiest and bubbliest individual you could imagine (it's almost sickening), but you find out that he has a lot of problems just like anyone else, but finds a special way to deal with them which was very heart-wrenching.
- I think that drama did very well in balancing funny and silly moments with deep and sad ones.
- Dare I say it...Uee (from Girl group After School) acted really well in this, and was able to be the very horrible character Yoo He Yi, whilst still being slightly comical.
- I love the frequent references to Super Junior and other Kpop elements. The producers were very savvy in their use of these signifiers to help secure more audience interest.
- I LOVED the ending!!
- I found myself drawing worrying similarities between myself and the angry, OCD-suffering and irrationally-thinking Tae Kyung and he ended up being my favourite character...along with Jeremy.
- Despite the fact that I was ready to accuse Jeremy of being a two-dimensional character, it transpired that the character Kang Shin Woo (Jung Yong Hwa) that was guilty of this. I feel it was the writers fault that this character was not given anywhere near enough depth or personality. I can understand that room needs to be made for the protagonist's storyline, but Shin Woo ended up looking like the slightly annoying guy that couldn't take a hint when he was rejected. He had a lot of opportunity to be made into someone with more substance, but this moment never really came.
- I suppose most Asian dramas are guilty of this, but I really felt we were treading the same ground in the narrative and not really getting anywhere at some points.... - He loves her, she doesn't love him, someone gets rejected, he's upset, she goes to leave but doesn't at the last minute -- and repeat...!!
- I am used to pretty ridiculous plots when it comes to dramas...but this teeters on the edge of complete craziness in terms of its realism. However, if you push that aside, it is quite a fun set up, designed to make girls squeal at the possibility of it happening to them... it doesn't work on me though...(eeeeee!! *wiggles*)
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OVERALL
For all my moaning about its unoriginality, I am going to be the world's biggest hypocrite and say that I really enjoyed this drama.
I thought it's funny bits were very funny and it's emotional bits very....well, emotional. (Which is, as I have said before, a great achievement...as I don't get emotional very easily!)
It is undeniable that most of this dramas high success was due to it's great casting choices, but the narrative was good enough to make it an all-round entertainer. (for me!!)
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