Kdramas in May 2011

Baby-Faced Beauty

(May 2) Jang Na Ra, Choi Daniel. A 34-year old woman has a baby face and is always getting mistaken for being 25. When her current employer finds out about her real age, she’s promptly fired. She gets a new job where she once again hides her age, and meets fellow employee Jin-wook (Daniel Choi) who gave up the family business in order to follow his dreams of being a fashion designer. Impulsive and short-tempered, he quickly  begins falling for Na Ra’s character.

The premise sounds fun but not earthshattering and I haven’t seen the leads in anything memorable, so I won’t be checking this out, but it could be a light, enjoyable watch.

Best Love

(May 4) Gong Hyo Jin, Cha Seung Won.  Cha Seung Won is a top celebrity beloved by everyone, while Gong Hyo Jin is a struggling actress with a bad reputation. When they’re thrown together on a celebrity dating show, sparks (of anger) fly.

If Gong Hyo Jin and Cha Seung Won do not make magic together on screen in this drama, I will conclude I know nothing about dramas. Leaving plot entirely aside, both are incredibly skilled, loved actors who have proven themselves versatile in both comedic and dramatic roles and who possess unfair amounts of screen presence. They also both have a great track record of chemistry with their co-stars (Seung Won with – in City Hall and Gong Hyo Jin in Pasta, in particular), so I am pretty much counting on that in this drama also.

The premise also sounds fantastic - so much potential for comedy there, and let’s not forget that it’s a Hong sisters’ drama. While their plots are often flawed, they do generally have great main couples, and in particular seem to have a gift for choosing those with great chemistry. This is my most-anticipated drama in months.

Lie to Me

(May 9) Yoon Eun Hye, Kang Ji Hwan. – second most-anticipated drama. Kang Ji Hwan is a chaebol heir and hotel CEO, who somehow gets entangled with Yoon Eun Hye when she sets in motion a lie that he is her fiance.
It’s been far too long since my darling Yoon Eun Hye has been on my screen, and I’m pretty sure the rest of the world feels the same way. Add on Kang Ji Hwan, whom I don’t love but who has great comedic timing and the same kind of quirky charm that Yoon Eun Hye does, and this is set to be an absolutely delightful drama. The camera loves both of them, and like the leads of Best Love, they tend to have great chemistry with their co-stars.

Romance Town aka Maids

(May 11) Jung Kyeo Woon, Sung Yuri. Sung Yuri is a bright, cheerful girl who becomes a maid to chaebol heir Jung Kyeo Woon. Min Hyo-rin and Kim Min-Joon co-star. The only thing that could tempt me to watch this drama is that it’s written by the writer of Pasta, which I enjoyed probably more than it deserved. But Pasta had a weak plot which was saved only by the intense chemistry and screen presence of Gong Hyo Jin and Lee Sun Kyun. Jung Kyu Woon and Sung Yuri possess both less skill and less experience, so unless the writer drastically improves, I see no reason for this to be any good. I was also amused to note that they had cast two of the only actors in all of Kdrama-land whom I don’t particularly like – Jung Kyu Woon is pretty in an overgrown-boy kind of way but I find him to be entirely lacking in either charisma or nuance, and Sung Yuri is always hit or miss. So unless this becomes a smash hit the likes of Shining Inheritance, I wont’ be touching it with a ten foot pole. (At least I can thank the drama gods that they’re not dragging down another project with a more interesting premise or better co-stars, no?)

City Hunter

(May 25) Lee Min Ho, Park Min Young – based (loosely) on a manga about a womanizing detective. The premise sounds uninteresting and I’ve never really jumped on the Lee Min Ho train – he’s talented and good-looking but lacks some extra spark in my opinion.


 

Ripley

(May 30) Kim Seung Woo, Lee Da Hae, Micky Yoochun – Inspired by a true story of a woman who lies, forges and steals to get a job as an art curator. Again, while this premise may be interesting to some – and it is unsual for a drama to adapt a real-life story – I’d really just rather not watch a drama about a woman who spends her life deceiving others. This also wins the award for oddest pairing ever - Lee Da Hae is tall, beautiful, and generally acknowledged as one of the top actresses of her generation. Micky Yoochun is an inexperienced, rising-at-best, idol singer-turned-actor with only one leading role under his belt (Sungkyunkwan Scandal) – and he’s younger. I know he’s not the only male lead – Kim Seung Woo is the other – but still, bizzare.