Encantadora, Choon Hyang (2005)

The ML and OSTs are the best part of the drama

I finished the whole drama pretty quickly about a month ago and must admit, I still don't really know how to rate it (I'm stuck between 6-8). I'll try giving an honest and "short" review:

First Impression:
I discovered this drama in a FMV and didn't have many expectations, except that I read a bunch of good reviews, so I was hoping it would live up to them.
This drama is almost 20 years old (and even though I generally watch older movies, it really shows with asian dramas) and some effects and especially the intro video are kinda cringey, but you get used to them. Also I feel like the intro makes you feel like this drama is going to be a sassy lighthearted rom com, but that wasn't the case. At least not after ep 5 or 6 of the drama (only occasionally)
After completing this drama, I feel like it should be called "deceitful girl Choon Hyang" instead lol..

Story:
So this is based on an old Korean folk tale and I have skipped through Chunhyang (2000) and this drama follows the basic premise, only it adds a lot of annoying plot points. I won't spoil too much, but this drama has a very annoying love square and the sml and sfl are determined to follow the phrase "if I can't have you no one can!", because when the main couple finally decide to get married for real, you know that those two will get up to something. Also I thought they would make a good couple (sml+sfl) lol.

Not to forget that the SML meets Chunhyang when she's still in high school (and stays till the very end of the drama uchh)
and he looks like he's 30, so that's "a bit" questionable and he also seems to have a lot of free time despite being the chairman of an entertainment company and follows (stalks) her around a lot. He also just can't take no for an answer and doesn't really care about her feelings. All that to say, I hope I never come across a guy like him. Also..How much power does an entertainment company have for him to be able to frame the ML?? (idk how it works, but I'm guessing a lot)

Now onto the SFL she's really annoying up till ep 14 or 15, when she's trying to get between the main couple. Also the SFL is the ML's first crush and she rejects him in the beginning, but then when she finds out he's married she's suddenly all over him. But at least the SFL kinda redeemed herself in the end, when she got engaged herself and forgot about the ML, she even came to the main couple's actual wedding.

Marriage Plotline:
This kind of plot has been a bit overused and I think that it makes people take marriage/divorce pretty lightly.
But was nice seeing these two slowly fall for each other.

Main Couple:
After their marriage, the FL seems to fall first, but she doesn't tell the ML her feelings, because he likes the SFL at that point.
And so our couple break up, only to eventually get back together after the ML realises, he's loved her all along and after the stupid schemes of the SM/FL and they decide to get married for real BUT then the SML shows up as always and tries to "destroy" the ML's life and threatens the FL so she will have no choice but to go to the SML. So she pretends that she never loved the ML and leaves for Japan after getting forcefully engaged to the SML.

[INSERT 3 YEAR TIME SKIP]

ML is now working as a prosecutor and you can find out yourself what happens in the last few eps. happy ending, thank goodness!

OST/Music:
I liked most of the songs in this drama. Especially "emergency room" and "sarang hae yo" and a few others. They make this drama feel nostalgic for me.

Conclusion:
I'm not happy with how the SML got off the hook for everything he did in the end, but I am glad that he finally let the couple be together in the end.
This drama especially in it's later episodes gave me headaches. I guess I was pretty invested in the story, because I wanted to finally see the couple together!!
the FL kinda annoyed me in the 2nd half. I know she felt she couldn't go against the SML if she didn't want to see the ML hurt, but still..
I wish the couple would've had more sweet scenes together among all the sad ones.
Also..Where the heckos did the FL's mom ever disappear to in the last episodes?? I feel like they never mentioned her after that.
The FL's friend is annoying I gotta say, but Ji Hyuk is a good friend to mong ryong.

Rewatch Value:
I've edited this drama (into FMVs) so I have to rewatch a lot of it and there are a few scenes, I like rewatching.

Overall I'm not sure what to rate this drama.
Because of the ML being likeable I would give it an 8/10
but storywise more: 7-7.5/10

Would I recommend this drama?
I'd say it's not a terrible drama and I did like the ending, although I still wish their wedding was a bit longer. Also this follows the "add a random conflict to the last 15 mins of the drama" plot, so their wedding is very short and mixes scenes from their past lives into it.
If you like the ML actor I would watch it.
Maybe you'll be someone who loves this drama, because it has it's good points.
Just come prepared to get stressed out over this drama.

[also this drama made me get into the habit of saying aigoo too much lol]

Leia Mais

I watched this drama for the first time in 2018 and I'm not biased when I say that it has aged very well. Yes, the cell phones are enormous, and the fashion ridiculous. But other than that really, it holds up very well.
I think the story is really good, the show is packed with content: young love, delinquency, "forced" marriage, and most importantly the growth of this young couple into adulthood.
The casting is great, except for the second female lead. But I was simply blown away by Jae Hee' acting skills. He is great, and super handsome. I wish he would be in better productions nowadays.
The music was something special in this drama. I don't usually pay much attention to the music, unless it's horrible. But the OST for this drama is really good, from the kitsch opening credits song to the music throughout the show. It feels surprisingly contemporaneous and I will definitely listen to it often (if I can find it).
Overall a really good drama, not without flaws but endearing enough that I decided to overlook them in this review.

Leia Mais

I watched this drama without any knowledge of the folklore the story is based upon nor have seen any previous dramas the main leads have starred in. I picked it based on the recommendations from past titles I’ve already watched. I had no biases going in, I simply wanted wanted to be entertained without investing too much time and this drama cleanly ticked all of the above.

Viki did not carry this title in my country and as this was an old drama I had a hard time looking for it on the net so I could not really enjoy the prologue/epilogue sageuk scenes. Apparently they were funny and would have been fun to watch. I liked the plot and the fast pace although it slowed down quite a bit in the last 5 episodes. The main characters were introduced and the heart of the story was revealed in the first 30 minutes. Two things I disliked: too many brooding scenes of the 2nd lead in the final episodes and the confusing messages the FL kept giving 2nd ML . I get that he is deeply reflecting and contemplating his next steps but how many “drink alone” , “look at the window” and “stare at the necklace” scenes do we really need to get the point?

The actors did a wonderful job, special mention to male best friend, dad and Chun-hyang. Best actor definitely goes to Jae Hee who played Mung-ryong. He might be over the top sometimes but in a forgivable cute sort of way. He reminds me of the actor who played the lead role in Chief Kim (aka Good Manager), Namgung Min. I will be on the lookout for his other works. This drama touched my heart in a special way and will be in my re-watch and recommended list.

Leia Mais

История начинается, когда родители Lee Mong-ryong в очередной раз переводят сына в другую школу. На этот раз из Сеула в Намвон. При первой же прогулке он случайно знакомится с Chun-hyang. Слово за слово... короче не понравились они друг другу. Однако вскоре произошло недоразумение, которое грозило большими неприятностями нашим героям. И единственным выходом оказалось - поженить их, чтобы присечь кривотолки. Поженили. Дети успешно закончили школу, поступили в университет и переехали в Сеул. Однако, на личном фронте у них все разладилось, появились всякие бывшие и другие поклонники. Треугольники, четырехугольники и прочая радость корейского дорамопрома. Причем все это заняло солидное время. Годы. Но от судьбы не уйдешь.

В целом, сериал по настоящему очень смешной, так искренне я давно не смеялась. В конце серий идут маленькие зарисовочки, в которых герои сериала разыгрывают сценки из "Сказания о Чхунхян", просто бесподобно!

Leia Mais

The first couple episodes were really good, the middle episodes were either frustrating due to too much indecisiveness on the male lead's part, and the latter episodes were ok although they still made me a bit frustrated. Also the CEO going after CH was just wierd and how manipulative he was made me angry and creeped out.

This is just an ok arranged marraige drama when compared to Sweet 18, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

The acting was fine as the characters all had their strengths, flaws, and unique presonalities without an excess of overacting. I don't think I'll watch this again because there are dramas I enjoyed more that are less frustrating which equals a no go for me on rewatch value.

Leia Mais

It's not the meme, its how you use the meme --the first Hong Sisters' script

2005; 17 eps at 1hr ea. 10stars because it is a classic, not bec it is perfect. Apologies in advance for a series of longer reviews of early Hong Sisters' shows (getting ready for can this love be translated).

The first HS script. Comedy predominates. The internationalization of kdrama has meant the slow disappearance of toilet jokes and most of the continual threats of slaps and punches amongst family members, but they still form part of the broad-comedy style here. The soundtrack is much less intense than a super romantic drama too.

It's not the meme, it's how you use the meme. Pouting, slouching bad-hairdo teens in the boonies end up in a contract marriage after an innocent (in every way) drunken mistake. Frenetic and weird, but honest and familar teen-stupid behavior.

Then..they endearingly almost immediately bicker and protect each other like a decades-long married couple, and this remains the central joke and plot point while they work through eternal problems of miscommunication and the backwards joke of contract-marriage-before-confession. The hairdo etc styling is the contrast to the adult problematics of true love.

Classic self-referential meta touches from the H-sisters. The real Korean legend of Chunyang, a smart cool heroine, involves a tardy almost-too-late return of a scholar-family-son from his career-exam-appointment in the capital to fulfill his promise of marriage to a country-girl-daughter of a gisaeng, rescuing her from death and a bad guy, an oppressive-magistrate-son.

Here the girl and the guy are in a silly highschool setting usually seen with more angst in romances. The end-of year school play is always Romeo and Juliet. If the actors really kiss, the teen legend is that they will stay together forever. The play ends in chaos of course, the kiss lands and the drama goes on in high gear from there.

Most of the original premise of the legend undergoes funny reversals and enjoyable transformations in really quick tightly constructed dialogue. The girl isn't left behind, her guy is a bit dim or, more charitably, immature, etc. Lots of hullabaloo and plenty of angst somehow resolve, in the musical sense, sweetly into love by the end of the series.

first posted August 2024 on Viki

Leia Mais