For others, this Kdrama calls to mind Boys Over Flowers - especially Gu Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo. Except for the fact that this series also flaunts hot guys and they can sing (Kim Hoon Jung and Kim Joon), the similarity ends there for me.
The arrogance of Tae Kyung (Jang Geun Seok) may be reminiscent of Gu Jun Pyo, but you'll have to agree that Tae Kyung was not violent and bratty. While Tae Kyung struggles with his pride and even hides and denies his feelings for Min Nyo (Park Shin Hye), Gu Jun Pyo was very vocal and all out on his everlasting love for Geum Jan Di. And Gu Jun Pyo has curly hair, while Tae Kyung's got ironed straight hair, LOL. [don't get me wrong, I still love Gu Jun Pyo dearly].
Shin Woo is only similar with Ji Hoo because of the way he secretly loves Min Nyo and how he protects her [from Uhee, the Fake Fairy], but this is typical of the Second Guy in dramas. Plus, he doesn't wear white, hahaha! [I was taken aback at first when Shin Woo rode a bike earlier in though. It's so Ji Hoo, I have to admit].
Jeremy!?! Omo, omo, omo, the looks of Wo Bin and Yi Jung do not compare to the charm of Jeremy (Lee Hong Ki)! Jeremy has that charisma that draws me to him and brings out the youth in me. He made my day with his priceless expressions which turn out so natural and spontaneous. I'm a fan of FT Island now.
So, why do I love this series?
- It's light, fresh without (wanton) angst. I really hate the angsts in dramas especially if they are prolonged and unnecessary. You're Beautiful might suggest several tensions coming that even I was getting ready for the inevitable, but the tensions were quickly resolved, mostly with humor in good taste. There were a few approaching conflicts like Min Nyo being discovered, like Tae Kyung vs. Shin Woo (vs. Jeremy) over Min Nyo, like probable misunderstanding of Min Nyo on Tae Kyung - Uhee fake relationship, like probable misunderstanding of Tae Kyung on Shin Woo - Min Nyo fake relationship, like Tae Kyung's mother vs. Mi Nyo's mother, but what felt like angsts coming did not all materialize. Those which did, were resolved curtly and not exagerated until the end. The only conflict leading to the climax was that of Tae Kyung's mother - even then, it was just brief and did not bring out frustrations from the viewers - the break-up of Tae Kyung and Mi Nyo was only less than two episodes. Remember how frustating it was to watch the repetitive angsts brought by Jun Pyo's mother? How we already wanted to pull our hairs from annoyance that Jun Pyo and Jan Di were separated for almost five episodes (with Jan Di moping in the corner secretly, pathetic)! I love Boys Over Flowers but would you believe I have never re-watched it because just thinking of the angsts turns me off.
- The plot is simple, focused, straight, direct. I also avoid dramas with too many sub-plots which tend to lose sight of the main story. These branches in the story take up time and always almost drag the spiel until the end, leaving us breathless. Here, the scriptwriters surely created the story with the end in mind. They kept it simple and uncomplicated and stuck to what it was in the beginning. I was even amazed how the conflict of Tae Kyung's mother and Mi Nyo's father/mother was only confined to the three of them - Tae Kyung, Mi Nyo and Tae Kyung's mother. It would have been easy to have a third party (Uhee I bet!) to know of the "affair" and used it to manipulate the leads, but it was not the case. In fact, the conflict was also resolved among the three too.
- The dialogues and the symbolisms/metaphors. The dialogues of this drama were superb. I'd go open mouthed after reading the subtitles and the scripts. "I grant you permission to like me" (TK when he accepted Mi Nyo's love), "I don't need YOU here, I need YOUR EYES to guide me" (TK when he asked Mi Nyo to watch the movie with him - he has night blindness), "I give you the same score" (TK saying he feels the same way - since Mi Nyo previously told him she likes him 100%), "I will lose some points" (TK talking to himself, when he was afraid that if he gets the remaining food of MN in the Japanese restaurant-since MN took his crabs and shrimps that his allergic to-, the 100% might slip), "I told you not to be where I can't see you" (TK calling and looking for Mi Nyo in the press conference because it was dark - night blindness thing), "Don't be where I can see you" (TK breaking up with MN after discovering the latter knows about his mother). The dialogues used and played with "the star" (symbol) in relaying the (double) message across the leads is also commendable. MN always says TK is her star conveying that he is the love of her life but realitywise, TK is indeed a "star" being a popular celebrity. During their night in the province under the stars, MN was looking intently at TK saying she really likes one particular star. TK who was looking up the sky [though not seeing a thing] thought she was literally liking the starry night but to MN, she was already confessing her feelings to him. She said "can I like this star?" while she stared at TK and the latter replied "do you need permission to like a star?" [that's why later when TK understood he was her "star" he told her he gave her permission to like him. TK once said that being a "star" he could not see MN at night (due to night blindness) because from where he is, it was so bright, he couldn't see beyond the light. Thus, my heart broke when TK said "I can't see her because it's dark, not because she's not here anymore" when they broke up. There are just so many well written dialogues, I'd write them all if I could. [this leaves me thinking, what was the relevance of the star in Meteor Garden/BOF again?]
- The OST. This is a given because this was about an idol band and just by the fact that the leads truly sing in real life, it's already a giveaway that the soundtrack will be excellent. The OST did well in terms of sale as well. I read somewhere that OSTs of dramas average only at 5,000 copies sold, but last I heard, this drama's OST already sold 30,000 copies. I can relate why. The voice of Jang Geun Seok carries so much soul, I'd be melting if I were an ice cream listening to him sing. Not to be taken lightly is the voice of Lee Hong Ki (of the idol group FT Island). Wow, his voice is powerful and impressive but understandably because he is really a singer (JGS is primarily an actor who sings) thus, the cultured tenor voice. However, even beyond the songs being good, what makes me like it more is that the songs were carefully handpicked to suit the storyline of the the drama. "Without A Word" and "What Do I Do" hit it big time. The songs were injected in the drama at the right times. The OST of BOF is also a favorite, but my ears are still ringing with the remnants of "Paradissssseeeee".
That said, I just realized that my year began with Boys Over Flowers and it's ending with You're Beautiful. - my top two favorite dramas of this year.
I'm already missing A.N. Jell and Manager Ma and Jolie. What do I do?