Coffee Prince (2007)

I expected this drama to be so great but it ends up being good. The story itself was sort of weak from the beginning. But however, it had a certain charm in the initial episodes which was refreshing to watch. I thought it would hold my interest till the end and retain its appeal.

At first, it felt like the sub plots and other characters would get interesting eventually but it never happened. But the saving grace of the show was the character of Han Gyul portrayed excellently by Gong Yoo. I have no problems with the actress who played Eun Chan but I just didn't like her character. She seemed innocent and adorable in the beginning but turned downright selfish after that. However, when does admit she was wrong for lying to the Han Gyul, I appreciated her in that moment. But after the revelation of her being a girl to him, the story became boring. I felt like there was nothing left in it after that. Their relationship kind of became lackluster for my taste. I only enjoyed the homosexual angle of their relationship and that too got dragged unnecessarily.

I don't feel like it was a well written show. The characterizations were also lazy. Only good direction and great performances by the cast makes a practically terrible show into an almost very good one. Apart from the main lead pair, I didn't care for anyone. But they have some very strong emotional moments.I felt like Yoo Joo's character was underused and they kind of made her annoying by the end. Min Yeop provided with hilarity and I kind of found his acts cute.

And I don't know what to make of the rest of the show or even its ending. There is hardly anything there for me to say about it.

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One very funny and amusing drama. The story is rather interesting and the chemistry between actors just amazing. It was dramatic but I think it's the first korean drama which haven't made me cry, even due to it's saddest scenes. It's rather funny than sad drama.
At the beginning I thought I won't like the ending because I knew Eun Chan will leave at the end for two years.(I knew it because of the episode review.) But they played it out well - and eventually it's rather good thing because two years is enough time to prove their love to each other.
An amusing drama and I recommend anyone to watch it, who likes loveable, cute and funny romantic comedies.
I gave this drama 9 points because - it really was good, but I prefer that feeling in the end,- when I cry my eyes out because everything is just too messy and I have no idea how they will reach the happy ending.
This time it was too anticipating, so it didn't give me the feeling of surprising solution for the end.
And some questions arose.
What happens to Eun Chan's mom and the butcher's shop man ? Will they marry?
The story about some side characters seemed to stay a bit half for me..
On the other hand, I don't feel that something big is missing due to that.
Anyway, I'd still watch it :P
:) :) :)

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Story: It’s the perfect gender-bender, honestly. Go Eun Chan is so stubborn and tom-boyish it’s impossible to see her as a girl. She’s outrageously caring and willing to do what ever it takes to keep her family aloft. It’s not just her trying to keep her family out of debt that makes the story great: It’s the love triangle. Eun Chan likes Choi Han Sung (Han Kyuls cousin) who is still in love with Han Yoo Joo, even after she left. Han Yoo Joo still loves Han Sung but can’t seem to leave Han Kyul alone as well. There’s more love triangle drama later on where there hearts change but I don’t want to spoil it. It’s amazing how this is a comedy with all the drama that’s going on, but it is and it’s very funny.

For me it didn’t seem dragged out or as if they added random events just to make it longer. It was a perfect and very funny drama that you’ll love.

Music: Just like Antique Bakery the music here is classical and beautiful. Nothing over done or exaggerated. It all sets the mood perfectly.

Cast/Acting: Everyone was brilliant. Especially Yoon Eun Hye who looked and acted just like a boy. As for the other actors, nothing felt forced, exaggerated or over the top. I have no complaints.

Lee Un, who played Min Yeop, was great. His character was funny and sincere, just like his acting. May he rest in peace.

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Not My Favorite

I can see why this is considered a classic, can appreciate that it was ahead of its time regarding subject matter, and give props to the FL for the most convincing gender bending portrayal I’ve seen thus far.

That said, I struggled to finish this drama. I’ve watched and enjoyed several older dramas, so the hairstyles or early tech was not the issue for me. I think it was the lack of fruitful depth and thoughtful resolution that left me cold. The deception went on for too long and the initial reasons lost their empathetic draw. In no universe would your need for a job outweigh the psychological and emotional damage being inflicted on someone you claim to love. Then for the support cast to expect the ML to just get over it, I was astounded. Sure, eventually, he might get there, but it was painful to see him expected to just bounce back from what was ultimately an existential crisis.

Aside from the ML, his parents, and grandmother, I didn’t really see anyone grow into a better version of themselves. The FL became increasingly annoying just as she should have been appreciating and reciprocating the limitless love she was receiving. I also didn’t find the romance to be very believably passionate after the reveal. It felt forced. The other women’s characters remained rather stagnant. The other men and boys also seemed frozen or slogging towards the next stage of slow-motion maturity sometime in the distant future.

I’m glad I watched it just to say I’ve seen it, but I’ll never rewatch it. For me, it was too long, had too many redundant scenes, the ending was anticlimactic, and the OST was forgettable. Sorry, just wasn’t my cup of coffee.

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Still holds up in 2022

First: I avoided this for a really long time because I was scared of the story being homophobic. A lot of popular kdramas can be a little homophobic, Vincenzo(2021) for example has multiple unnecessary low-key homophobic scenes. So, I was very scared about watching it since it was made in 2007. But it is not homophobic at all! I am amazed and delighted that they made something that doesn't make fun of anybody. Also, my respect for Gong Yoo has now reached Mt. Everest levels. He did this show when he was just starting, and it must have been such a risky show in 2007- it is a risky show even in 2022. Amazed how it stands the test of time. There are actual BL shows which have more homophobic/transphobic scenes than this one. I have written this simply for other people like me who are avoiding this show- you don't need to!

Second: Ofc one needs to suspend belief to swallow the premise, but Yoon EunHye is somehow believable as a guy! Except for her lack of facial hair, she nailed it. She really gave her all to this show. (In comparison, Park BoYoung in "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon" is not at all believable as a weightlifter. She is thin, and I was constantly distracted by how many layers they dressed her in sometimes to make her look bulky. her mannerisms, nothing matched the character. I quit that show since it was so ridiculous to me that we were supposed to pretend that guys didn't like this thin, pretty girl lol.) Yoon EunHye did amazing here, didn't care at all about looking pretty/beauty standards. Really great actress. (Also great makeup artists, whoever dressed her character, etc. Did a great job.)

Third: The show is really funny. The plot is actually engaging and every character pulls their weight. It is slow paced but no more than a typical Kdrama show. I usually skip the second couple, so I skipped a lot of scenes here as well. One reviewer warned about not eating while watching this- 100% agree. Some of the scenes are just revolting lol. It does get boring after ep12 though, because once the secret is out, there isn't a lot to the story. Honestly, they could have wrapped it up by ep13. But till ep11 at least, it is a great show.

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*sigh* Gong Yoo *heart eyes emoji* like seriously how can he be like this!! This drama was really cute and fun and I really enjoyed the whole plot. The romance was just like the perfect cup of coffee, bitter but the perfect blend. She did a great job in passing off as a guy that I actually was convinced most of the time that she is even though I knew. Also the fact that he fell in love with her not knowing the truth just proves how innocent and pure their love was from the very start. And the side characters were really fun and interesting which was a definite plus. I can't of course forget about coffee cause who doesn't like coffee and if someone doesn't I'm sure they'll like it after they watch this. I had a bit more of higher expectations though but I definitely was not disappointed!

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A light watch

This was one of my first K-Dramas and it was also my first female to male cross-dressing K-Drama. I have re-watched it a few times over the years and it still remains the best cross-dress drama for me and I continue to be fond of it especially for light watching.

The acting is good from all performers so that as I looked at the FL on screen, no matter how ridiculous I personally thought it was that everyone thought she was a boy (with her features) apart from one person, the story really carries in a way that made me binge watch it to the end the first time. The drama touches on real life issues and concepts but these are not explored in real and heavy depth and I don’t think it is the intention of the drama to do so. All four main characters go through a journey to explore their feelings and desires to find out where they are meant to be and with whom.

What I liked with FL character was that she was unapologetically a tomboy in the first place and remained so till the end. I liked that we went on the journey with the ML exploring his feelings and sexuality which was emotive, with frustrating and really funny moments.

If not taken too seriously, the drama is enjoyable one with a little bit of anxt that is not overly drawn out and tiresome, lol moments and you may need the box of tissues for maybe one or two moments.

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Of course I had to watch Coffee Prince after falling in love with  Gong Yoo's acting. Of course. But one of my friends warned me that old dramas aren't that good, that they're less relatable and some even have horrible production value. Despite that, I watched Coffee Prince. And, oh boy, I'm so glad I did. This is obviously a classic in the drama world. I watched it ten years after it came out, but the humor and some problems are still relatable. Gong Yoo had amazing wardrobe choices (if you have a preference for good fashion, watch him in Goblin). And the subject of gender bending is tackled really nicely.

STORY
Girl dressing as a boy trope is my guilty pleasure. Naturally, I really enjoyed it in this drama because Yoon Eun Hye really looks like a cute boy. I don't want to go too deep into the story, but I'd like to point out that for a 2007 drama, it's an original concept. I would've wanted to know more about the side characters and less about the romance between Choi Han Seong and Han Yoo Juu (I found them to be a boring couple tbh). The angsty romance and quirky characters made it so enjoyable. The ending was cute, but left me with a lot of questions as well.

ACTING/CAST
I really have no complaints about the actors. All of the main roles done their jobs really well. There were some annoying characters and overly acted scenes, but I'm brushing that aside. Gong Yoo's chaebol character was my favorite. He frustrated me so much, but I loved him for it. Also, Kim Chang Wan's character made me die of laughter.

MUSIC
I was too engrossed in the story to pay much attention to the music, but listening back to the OST made me remember some scenes with fondness.

OVERALL
It takes some time to get involved in the story, but I promise it's worth it. It doesn't have tragic parts that make you so sad, I didn't really cry while watching, but I had so much fun and laughed so much. If you're looking for a fluffy romantic comedy and you're also able to watch them use flip phones without cringing, then this is the drama for you.

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Gong Yoo

It's mandatory you see this cult classic drama! As a die hard Gong Yoo fan, I am yet again not disappointed in his performance. I had to re-watch it to give a fresh and proper review.
Anyway, if you love Rom-Com this is the drama for you! It's inspired several sequels in fellow countries proving it's worth in Top Tier Early 2000's K-Dramas. Speaking of early 2000's keep in mind this is a seasoned drama so if you're expecting camera graphics to be 'flawless' like now days, beware. Now, that doesn't mean it's tacky or poor quality but it's something someone might wanna be informed about lol
The storyline is amazingly accurate for so many hard working/blue collar citizens and I can assure you this "Rich Guy Poor Girl' theme is in a league of its own. As much as I love Gong Yoo...there's several times I wanted to slap him, along with the rest of the cast lmao So there's plenty of relatable content with some heart warming and even heart breaking moments. But don't worry, there's comedy for days!
If you love K-Drama's, are new to the Asian Drama world or simply want something cute and fluffy, you've come to the right place!
Enjoy...

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やった！
I was finally able to finish up Coffee Prince. The last show I watched shared the plot point of a rich guy falling in love with a girl who was hiding a big secret. Kinda funny how similar the storylines were.
I'm not going to go into a comparison (and no, it was none of the remakes), but I'm just glad that I was able to finish it up.
I feel like I'm making myself sound bored and relieved of the shows ending...
(Guess the gloomy weathers getting to me)
In actuality, It was a sweet show that I would recommend to anyone.
Here's some more about it...

Story 〆(・∀・＠): I'm not going to review the synopsis since... you know... it's right up there. I'm going to admit that the love story is so refreshing, and I adore it so much. It's not just about a guy loving a girl but two people loving each other despite their gender. Yeah, I know that it's still a story about a male and a female, but they started liking each other before one found out. They tackled the struggle some people have of same-sex relationships as well as not relying too much on the rich guy/poor women trope that is practically plastered in every show. The side characters were also lovable. All the staff at the Coffee Prince were unique and defined, which allowed you to grow attached easily. Each had their own desires and problems that didn't center around the leading duo. Even so, they had a connection with each other that made it seem like they're really just friends going through love troubles.
They were also pretty cute, so the girly side of me very much approved.
I wasn't a big fan of all the side stories though. Sometimes it felt like the writers wanted to keep side plots going along with the main one but didn't have enough material to do so. Therefore there was a feeling of repetitively to them. I would've loved it if the stories were a bit more diverse and exciting so that I wouldn't have had lost interest.
This problem started to affect the show in the latter half too—just the constant sense of being repetitive. But the show made up for it by providing cute squeal-worthy romance moments and friendly interactions that made you just want to sit and watch for hours.

Acting ｡゜(｀Д')゜｡: In my last review, I spent waaaay to much time talking about the actors, so hopefully I can keep this short and sweet. The two leads fit their characters perfectly. I'm already a huge Gong Yoo fan, so I had high expectations for him. Expectations that he met quite easily. He has a knack for playing characters that develop over time. His expressions and mannerisms match Choi Han-gyul to a tea. Yoon Eun-hye was also perfect for her role. She really was able to pull off the whole fake manliness thing. I've seen shows where the girl pretending to be a boy but looks too feminine and unbelievable. But Eun-hye had the body language, looks, and personality of someone truly resembling a male. But when she needs to, she can end up looking like a beautiful woman. Just the vast amount of possibilities with her appearance fits the character. Together, the two leads had fantastic chemistry and showed what love truly is. The side characters, as I mentioned earlier, all were interesting in their way. That's all thanks to the actors. I could see how comfortable they were with each other, which made the show feel more real.

Music ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪: Duh Duh DAH!!! Music time baby!
I'm not going to say I liked all the music. It was all average sounding to me. But the reason I'll give it credit is because it matches the setting so well. It wasn't just happy and sad music that played when needed. It had somewhat of a calming sense to it, which is something you'd actually find in a coffee shop. I'm sure there were different types of songs that I'm just not remembering, but that usually means that they were nothing special. The opening song was light and cheery, but one line kind of sounded like something else. Nothing terrible but every time I heard it I thought the singers were saying: ♪ Just how much did that mustard pray for you ♪
It doesn't make sense and isn't relevant to this review at all... but I nonstop thought of it, so now I shall spread the confusion. :)

Other (ง°ل͜°)ง: I usually use this portion of the review to voice my opinion on the show's topic. For example, I talked about the supernatural part of the show when reviewing Oh My Ghostess. I've never worked at a cafe or had a job in that type of business. But I'll admit that its nice to see the coffee shop rise from nothing. It's like watching a kid grow up (maybe not as life-changing, but still an enjoyable growth sequence). The show is pretty overdramatic with a few things, but it never makes it feel like too much. It's a very down to earth relaxing show that you never have to tear your hair out about. So a toast to that!

For the first time, I feel like my review is at a decent length.
Will that happen again? Let's hope so!
In all fairness, this show is nothing surprising and doesn't have much of a heavy bone. The romance is cute, and the characters are sweet. A perfect show if you just want to relax..... with... let's say a cup of coffee.
I recommend it to anyone interested in romance.
As for me, I'm gonna go catch up on some much-needed crime thrillers.
Happy Watching <3

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