You're Beautiful ~ Korea's Answer to EVERYTHING
Ok, so while writing my thesis I need a lot of downtime and since the downtime is usually of the “OMG I need to stop thinking, like right this second” variety, I’ve started watching A LOT of J-Dramas and (thank you very fucking much michanna) all the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai I can get my grubby little fingers on (it’s like 3 am fanfic, it’s so horribly good all the time).
This is going to be the first of the reviews for these shows that I write, since as I mentioned I was heartbroken that there were no reviews that dealt with the things that I cared about in a show, i.e. does it make me squeal / make dolphin noises? Are the actors hot? Are the actresses kickass? Are there awkward and endearing social situations? Will I want to cut myself off from doing anything else so I can finish it?
The answer my friends is to all of these is YES, if we’re talking about
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You’re Beautiful (미남이시네요)
This K-Drama is quite possibly the most entertaining thing I have seen in … ever, you know what most entertaining thing ever. I’m just going to put it out there, I haven’t had this many feelings since Kamen Rider OOOs and even that took me a bit to get into. This show has owned me since the first episode.
I have to admit that I’m surprised at how much I’m loving it, but I will tell you that I’m currently writing this review and going to start another episode instead of starting KH: 3D, which I pre-purchased when it first came out and have been drooling over like it was a Chris Evans truckstop hooker fic. So this is me loving it. I’m also writing this only ½ through the series, ‘cause I had to, so I might update with more later.
I am not usually a fan of K-Dramas, having tried unsuccessfully to watch both Coffee Prince and Bad Family (reviews to come later!), and I found the humor… Well, not. I also tried first watching this in the J-Drama remake Ikemen desu ne (美男ですね) and found the characters blah and the story unconvincing and as someone who frequently watches shows where the villains have ‘second deaths’ and characters have serious life affirming talks with each other about underwear, if I’m saying the story is unconvincing, that’s a bit of an issue.
This is not the case in the Korean version, which is everything I could have ever wanted to see in a series, it’s like if Hana Kimi were about a boyband. A really adorable, incestuous boyband.
The story starts off introducing Go Mi Nyu (Park Shin Hye).
She’s adorable, and in training to be a nun, like for realz.
Her and her twin brother Go Mi Nam (yeah, you see where this is going), were dropped off at a convent and growing up Go Mi Nyu has only ever considered becoming a nun. She sucks at it though and although she’s planning on travelling to Rome to start her “official” training, her mother superior (who’s awesome) kinda thinks that maybe she should you know… not.
While going to pick up her ticket, Go Mi Nyu gets accosted by Go Mi Nam’s manager. Who is the most hilarious side character to grace the tv ever (His solution to the trainee nun moving in with 3 teenage boys? A taser).
He’s in a bit of a pickle, since Go Mi Nam was set to sign a deal with the band A.N.JELL and make his big debut, but Manager thought he could use a little "work" and now he’s gotta fly secretly to the USA for emergency corrective surgery and Manager is going to get killed (or fired). Rather than confess, Manager decides to seek out Go Mi Nam’s twin sister - who as a nun is all about the helping people - and get her to sign the contract in her brother’s place.
Of course, shit happens and she is “trapped” pretending to be Go Mi Nam (basically that becoming famous might lead to finding their parents), and does a pretty (in comparison to other heroines) good job at it.
Once she has the right equipment, that is, courtesy of the band's most excellent, if slightly abusive, stylist.
But who cares about all of that right? ‘Cause if you can choose one pairing to throw your support behind,
there is no love in your soul.
Hwang Tae Kyung (Jang Guen Suk - he’s hugely popular and will appear in other reviews) is the neurotic lead vocalist / song writer for A.N.JELL, it’s like if someone took Sano (Hana Kimi) and Kyoya (Host Club) and a blender.
He is a bastard, he doesn’t try not to be. It is his way, he is better than you, why are you still talking? Of course, this is to hide that his insides are warm and gooey… Kinda? He is not happy with their psycho producer deciding they needed a fourth and is less happy when he learns she’s a chick, or when Go Mi Nam accidentally drowns him, destroys his room, sends him into anaphylaxic shock, or casually mentions that his new hair cut sucks and he’s not as attractive as he used to be (but thank god she does!).
Suffice to say he loves her and it is breaking him ‘cause to him - that shit is not ok. Those are feelings and he hates feelings like he hates puppies and kittens.
My favourite scene so far? The main antagonist (KDrama JLo wannabe) calls him to a park to taunt him and when she mentions that she parked away in case he wanted to scratch up her car (he’s a bit of a bitch), he then steals her shoes and throws them into a river forcing her to wander barefoot through the streets of Seoul. Serious, he's just better.
Oh, and he might, just might, be Go Mi Nam's half brother... But probably not, I'm just going by cheek bone structure here.
Kang Shin Woo (Jung Yong Hwa) plays an instrument in the band? I’m sure of it, but mostly he stalks Go Mi Nam.
He finds out pretty early on what’s going on and unlike Hwang Tae Kyung, spends the series trying so hard to find the perfect way to let Go Mi Nam know that he knows she’s a chick and keeps being unintentionally cock-blocked by Hwang Tae Kyung. It’s adorable, because he’ll tell Go Mi Nam that he’s going on a date with this awesome chick and that he really, really likes her and then will take her out for lunch, and then Go Mi Nam will accidentally almost kill Hwang Tae Kyung and have to take him to the hospital, and then she will go back to their dorms and console Kang Shin Woo that his girlfriend didn’t show up, since he’s so awesome and any girl would love to be his. He makes her pinky swear on this.
There are adorable sneak dates and OMG how does she not get it and at several points I was screaming at my tv to just let them all be happy together and sing about their love. He is the most excellent creepy stalker since Dr. Horrible, he- he just wants her to be happy… Hopefully with him. Update to this is that he is smart and isn't afraid to let Hwang Tae Kyung stab himself in the foot.
The last member of the troupe is Jeremy (Lee Hong Ki), he is ADORABLE. Like the cutest, most confused twee boyband member you could ever think of. If this is where all this talk about One Direction comes from, count me in.
He doesn’t know that Go Mi Nam is a girl (he’s a special little snowflake). All he knows is that there is something fishy going on and that it translates into the other members being all weird and in compromising situations with the new guy. He seriously thinks Go Mi Nam has a secret plan to seduce them all, and he won’t be taken in by his big eyes, soft girlish skin and adorable mannerisms, it won’t work! NOT AT ALL! HE’S TOTALLY STRAIGHT LIKE 100%.
This would be less hilarious if he weren’t obviously crushing over Kang Shin Woo and ready to scratch that bitch up for moving in on his man.
As far as I can tell, the band only has 1 song (it’s ok, it’s no Gravitation though) and they are getting by on the fact that they are hot, hot, hot and Hwang Tae Kyung glowers like he’s a sparkly vampire (it’s called his “duck face” it’s a thing).
One more time, let’s watch Hwang Tae Kyung fucking with people!
Sorry Princess, care to have your tantrum on CCTV?
What do we think, should I bother doing another?