Coffee Prince (2007)

I gave the story a 6 because I do enjoy gender benders; this score is solely based on this plot of the story. To begin with, gender benders, aren't a new concept, neither are romances though. The way this story was carried out however, makes the gender bender aspect give meaning to this romance. The way they deal with it is the thing that sets this drama apart from the rest.

I started watching this drama because I enjoyed watching Yoon Eun Hye from the variety show XMan (not Xmen). As expected, she was just as cute in this show. Some of the reviews state that she couldn't pass for a a boy. I, however, found her to be as believable as I think a girl could be while trying to pass for a boy. I actually could see how someone could mistake her for a boy. I liked that she didn't overact with overly masculine cheesy poses or by trying to deepen her voice, but used subtle movements instead. Although she did pass for a boy, I have to admit she looked like a young boy, which kind of made the romance brotherly, for lack of a better term - don't get me wrong, they're very cute together, they have plenty of "aww xD" moments, and I watched the entire show just for them.

Early on in the show, the chemistry between the two was apparent. I tried not to like the main guy (I'm not sure if it's obvious or would be a spoiler to name names so I'm just leaving it anonymous) because of what his character is like in the first episode, but he has a smile that is very difficult to not fall for - the guy has looks, you wouldn't be able to tell that from the pic they post of him on here, but he is GOOD LOOKING. I stopped watching for a little bit after the first 3 or 4 episodes because, while they do have a cute chemistry, it starts off pretty slowly and they add too much of the side romance of characters who seem grossly unappealing to me. One of those couples changes my view of them later and turns cute.

When I began to re-watch the show it began to pick up speed (you can tell by how often you think you see the Hulu commercials). There were still the parts with the side couples that I hated though. I really wanted to see the main couple; I'm not sure if that's good or bad. Anyways, the actors weren't bad actors; in fact, they were all believable. The best actor was the lead guy. His tears were my favorite moment in the show and what made the difference between giving this show a 1 and a 10. As you can see, I gave it a 7 overall because of his acting that made it so believable that he loved the main character so much. Even the sister was an amazing actor who turned what could be an annoying character into a clever and entertaining one. Also, in dramas, I hate when they pretend to be poor but their clothes and hair, etc... don't match. This drama was very believable from that point of view, right down to the make-up. The only negative thing I can comment on is YEH when she cries. She's cute and believable in everything but this aspect.

The show had one of the best, if not the best, romantic moments I've seen. I mean the dude really loved her to the point of tears. I would have given the show a ten if it ended there. The show started off slowly though, half the show was about another romance, and the show dragged on for half the season, that's why I dropped the score to a 7. In addition, the writers start to make you hate YEH by changing her character completely from its adorable innocence to a gold digging, selfish person. I don't think they meant to make her and anti-hero though. I could have dropped the score more but that one moment was too great to deserve any less and the reason I continued to watch for 7 more episodes.

I don't like re-watching shows, but I recommend watching this if you have the patience to watch through the side love stories, the first 4 or 5 episodes and the last half of the show. That seems like a lot now that I read it, but I didn't regret watching it. I think you can get by watching the first... I think 10 episodes, just till that moment without having to watch the rest. It actually brought me to tears. I liked that it was a new way of looking at these gender benders.

The music didn't really stick in my head. I can see what they were going for and it was fitting I guess. It just didn't stick in my head for days like the Secret Garden OST.

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This was supposed to be a comedy, but everything drowns in toxicity and disregard.

🔸️I can't say this drama was offensive for modern days LGBTQ, it's simply not intended for something mean, but gradually it starts to be. The way HanGyul treats EunChan is really disrespectful and toxic. I quit this on 12th episode where all the characters basically spell out to him their (I gonna use they/them here for EunChan) motivation and struggles they face, still HanGyul is irresponsible. With this said, I don't see that motivation to completely abandon EunChan and act like a dick from his side. All this performance feels extremely fake and disrespectful to the viewers, serving only to fuel the conflict, I tried to watch the 12th episode several times but never more than for 5 minutes.

🔸️The drama started out well though. If there was a comedy, it was in relationships between HanGyul and his fake boyfriend sprinkled with 2000s Korean fashion. The financial struggles of EunChan and their hard work were also the part of the good conflict.

🔸️I can't understand what the drama is about because it doesn't hold on the themes it introduces. The challenge to maintain the business is abandoned, the challenge to earn money for the family is abandoned, the challenge to stay in the closet turns into something bogus. Please, tell me, why does EunChan suddenly starts to dress up and act feminine when their biological sex is revealed in the most offensive way? They didn't dress up like that before, so why now?

🔸️I can, of course, put this on the shelf of 2000s. I could, but the rest of the drama is just as inept as the approach to LGBTQ theme. As a non-binary person, I'm offended not by the weak representation of it but of the overall incompetent approach to writing.

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This drama has the best acting i have ever seen in a kdrama so far. And its a good example how outstanding acting can elevate a series into new heights.

Amongst all the "girl pretends to be a boy" dramas this is the most believeable one and the actress does an outstanding job. The story itself is very hilarious and fascinating till episode 12. At this point with other dramas i would get bored but this drama has such strong chemistry between the actors that it kept me watching even the back and forth romantic battle between the main leads which felt quite refreshing for some reason.

Yoon Eun Hye does a terrific job, give it a shot.

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This drama is like what a breathe of fresh air is to a suffocating man..this is the kind of drama that reminds me why kdramas really win so many hearts

This drama has an amazing cast from Gong Yoo to Eun hye.All are at their best acting in this drama.Eun Hye who is so feminine,its hard to imagine her as a boy but she pulls off the role amazingly making us realize that she's a good actress who knows how to act.
coming to gong yoo.that guy has a screen presence where its impossible not to notice how he acts to the way he looks in aviators..:D
He really pulls us in on his daddy issues and his confused love with the lead and the 2nd lead.
The plot may seem very mediocre initially but as one proceeds further into the drama we can see the plot is not the main question but basically the growth of the characters.Throughout the drama the characters grow which makes them seem more human with human follies and vices.

the chemistry between the lead is taut with tension where we dont knw if the next moment they are gonna shout at each other or staring at each other with longing.Gong Yoo and Eun Hye really know how to get those tears falling because in this drama there is a lot of angst involved because of the gender bender and other situations.

the music score simply is superb.one could rewatch the show just for the songs.the songs are picked very selectively telling us about the moods the characters are in and since most of them are in english it makes it more amazing because instead of goin online and checking the english lyrics for korean songs we just understnd what the songs are saying

i give it an 8 for the story because everybody has atleast sampled one drama where there is a girl disguising as a guy.The love story of the second leads is equally engrossing and has its highs and lows.There is noone who is as vicious as Se Na(the villain from Rooftop prince) so this drama is a bit light on the nerves where one doesnt feel like killing the ex.

the only thing i found flawed was the extension of the drama by 1 episode which really hurt it beacause the ending was not satisfying to me.the drama does feel a bit dragged in few episodes but if one has the patience im sure they'r not gona regret continuing it.

so go and watch this amazing piece of drama if you havent seen it yet..

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Very nice music

Music was iconic, SML sung that song at his wedding afaik.

On SFL, my opinion (not sure if shared, but I would say factually correct) is that the show *did* kind of shy away from the wreckage she left behind her, for example by not showing flashbacks of HS bearing with her lies for more than a year, or imagining her with her lover, etc. This was all mentioned, but then it was either dropped or brushed aside, so it was:
1. Kind of brought up in single occasions and then not mentioned again
2. Ignored as if phychological trauma and emotional damage simply disappeared when convenient, as if by choice, like one could flip a switch rather than go to therapy
3. Minimized, or muted/dampened reactions compared to the true pain and emotional damage and wreckage that going through such experiences would have caused, which is why I never suspected a betrayal until he brought it up at the airport... I would say, for example, that his adverse reaction to DK was tamed even if you consider he played it cool while being hurt and disturbed, but it was I would say not even, or barely, the level of insecurity one would feel for her running away with the guy, not what I would expect if she had actually been seeing him behind his back for more than a year prior to running off with him. Also him meeting the guy and shaking hands, and putting up that atrocious conversation about a project with the guy that couldn't even remember how many time he had met him, as if everything was okay.

I would also say definitively that she wasn't really willing to face such damage and was not even asked to, and in fact did not, despite her wanting to have another chance with Han-sung. When he unloaded the pain he felt at knowing and putting up with her more than year long daily lies when she told him she was working while meeting DK behind his back, and then run off ignoring his pleas and begging for her to stay, she brushes it aside and absurdly assumes that now that he had could be with her after all that pain and effort (on his part) he should not even think about feeling love for anyone else... Can one get more delusional than someone that assumes that humiliating and deceiving your partner for more than a year, then running of with your lover for two without a single word, makes for someone that one would want to have around? Anyone sane would have told her that he would leave the "honor" and "privilege" of dating her to someone else, and the true question is not how he could love someone else, but how couldn't he love anyone else (including nobody, i.e. staying single). Not that this is ever discussed again in any serious manner, it's brought up in a creepy fashion at the end where HS is made to listen to her minimize and brush aside flippantly this horrific betrayal and try to compare it with his onesided and short lived mini-crush and unreciprocated little kiss, which is about as serious a comparison as one's pimple and Mt. Everest. One then wonders why he didn't open up about his insecurities about DK, who he understandable hates, as he says, and played it cool while not being okay, something she knew and exploited -mentioning their NY home in front of him, trying to make him jealous with a man she cheated with for more than a year, and telling him DK loves her still and she might be starting to feel the same when she threatened going to NY... is this the behavior of someone that cares about their partner's psychological health and emotional well being or of someone that is self centered and doesn't put any weight in the (impossible) task or rebuilding trust (not that she is ever asked to, it's an issue that by magic does not make an appearance, again the consequences of her actions being brought up only when convenient for the plot). Making a joke out of his insecurities with DK and her betrayal after witnessing his emotional breakdown at the side of the road to the airport? And listening to that and still being concerned only with what she felt, daring to talk about feeling pathetic when he confessed to having lived through the hell of knowing of her betrayal for more than a year, forgiving her and begging her to stay, only to be left when she run off with her lover and he didn't hear from her again for two years? How self absorbed and utterly shameless do you need to be to prioritize yourself?

I don't know if this would be considered a wicked woman trope, to be honest none of the characters were flat, but she as sure as anything is true was toxic in the extreme, I would say even up until the end we have her talking about wanting to escape the damaged pride of having HS leave her by running away first (and therefore lying about it being about giving him a choice -she was strong arming him and not giving him space, after he was willing to wait for her for years -not that he should have, he should have tried to move past it, given that despite the delusion of imagining some mystical connection, the reality of the situation is that she had been lying to his face for more than a year and then run off, and only came back after she and DK broke up, which absolutely nothing guaranteed would happen... and if you think someone would never stab you in the back and then deceive you for more than a year, maybe it's time to consider that you don't know them as well as you think you did, and the person worthy of such loyalty, respect, honesty and trust existed only in his head, while the real person did not deserve any of those things, having shown herself to be disloyal and untrustworthy. One would reevaluate their judgment (and in the case of anyone sane with a shred of love and respect and self dignity, conclude that they didn't deserve him, or his loyalty, respect and trust, having shown him none of the former two and broken the latter -his trust-.

I wouldn't really say the show treated every character with mercy and understanding and nuance, I really felt that HS's insecurities and trauma was swept under the rug, I would have liked much more focus on the more than year long deception and the whole background: she said she loved DK. Did she not love HS? And now she loves him again? And doesn't love DK? What happened? How did it come about? Can they please address her betrayal without making a joke about it (and forcing HS to go along with the joke the same way they were joking about HS and FL, namely not really a joke)? And maybe his insecurities around DK, without him feeling unable to open up and having to play it cool, with her mocking him when she knew about how he felt towards the guy and still teased him, talked to him on the phone and had one on one meetings and lunch with the guy, and used him, the person she had been betraying HS with for more than a year and run off with for two more, to make HS jealous, something that appears insanely cruel. I mean, think about the pain when he brought up the more than year long string of lies she told to his face on the side road on the way to the airport, which she brushed aside in the most insulting way possible, and with the most revolting moral equivalence -really, more than one year of hell where she cheats on someone that would never even take coffee with another girl, and for which she was his whole world and would have never thought her capable of such a betrayal, followed by running off with her lover to another continent without a word for two years, talked about in the same phrase as a one sided mini-crush with a small unreciprocated kiss? Messages with someone that rejected him that he read on the side? When she is someone that deceived him in such a manner for more than a year, and shows no respect or consideration for his perspective, minimizing and making a joke out of his understandable insecurities, flirting and meeting up with someone she cheated on HS with for more than a year, and that still has feelings for her (and is creepily ambiguous and touchy feely, the intimate head caress taking on a whole other feeling after her betrayal and considering that, contrary to the cousin who put his head on her lap, DK did get between her and HS). Nothing about this is her taking responsibility in any mature sense, or in any sense of the word at all, in fact she merely showed up after more than a year of lies and two years where he didn't heard from her and knew of her through the press, and he basically took her back immediately. None of the issues are discussed after being brought up, his insecurities and the betrayal are made into a joke, rather than taken seriously and actually addressed, and she does absolutely nothing to gain his trust back (or not lose it further, for example by meeting up with a still smitten man who she cheated on HS with while not only fully knowing his insecurities after she had completely destroyed his trust, but even exploiting these insecurities to make him jealous, throwing DK's love in his face and telling him she might be loving him back again, and threatening to leave, despite his pleading, rather than giving him space -in the end, she doesn't give him space, it's him that is reduced to begging and then she comes back after going missing without saying anything-). Not that I think in real life it would be possible for her to rebuild said trust, but it's interesting to note that she does not even try, and the show basically brushes everything aside and she is taken back immediately, her using a men she cheated with to coerce HS into begging her not to leave turns into mocking his insecurities around DK, and talking about wounded pride (one of, but certainly not the main reason he would not want to hear his name, and more than enough to make his blood boil, given the more than year long betrayal, her callousness and lack of consideration in talking with him on the phone and meeting up one on one, having lunch together, and explicitly making use of him to make him jealous, without any consideration for how he might have felt, despite playing it cool, after she had lied to him for more than a year and run off for two... again, the threat makes it clear she knew exactly what buttons to push, and the flirting with the cousin might not be threatening because he doesn't have a chance -but still inconsiderate all things considered for her not to put down boundaries-, but the intimate interaction with DK, not putting down strong boundaries as he tried to flirt with her, but rather cleverly retorting while meeting up together to reminish about their first meeting, him touching her head intimately, etc., while he was the man she cheated on HS with, and she is supposed to try to make an attempt to heal the emotional wounds, rebuild trust, address his insecurities with care, concern and respect for his point of view -not necessarily agreeing, but at least taking it seriously and not turning it into a joke-... she is doing the opposite of that, not that imho in reality she would have a chance to rebuild trust even if she tried, but the show does not even require her to, she is taken back and he is the one begging her not to leave a second time, kimtchi takes up more time than working through the betrayal).

Bottom line, she barely apologizes, contrary to My Mister the actual consequences of the betrayal are not really shown -to the point that until the episode with the breakdown at the side of the road to the airport I was convinced she had simply left him, not lied to him for more than a year, which has totally different implications... dumping him would have been a choice that treated him with respect and honesty if she didn't love him, and loved DK, given that the alternative was doing what she did, namely humiliating and deceiving him for more than a year are quite another matter-. My Mister talks about how dramas romanticize or minimize affairs, and in this case we conveniently are not shown flashbacks of the pair of discovering the betrayal, or thinking about her with her lover behind his back, etc., we are only shown, impossibly, happy memories, which given his outburst in the beginning and at the side of the road were not the only thing on his mind... but if we were show it, then we would be forced to face reality and wonder why would anyone with a shred of self respect and self dignity pine after someone like that or want to take her back, same reason, I guess (in addition to shock value) to make it clear that she actually was lying about working and seeing DK behind his back for more than a year so late in the game, increasing the chances that the viewer is already committed to the pairing (in fact the betrayal is not brought up in a serious manner ever again, despite the obvious pain HS felt when he brought it up, and it being a raw issue that would realistically have needed to be discussed together with the DK elephant in the room, and her using his pain at her betrayal to make him jealous, weaponizing the wound she had inflicted in a sociopathically cruel and sadistic fashion. Again, good thing that at least she was jealous (the reason she did this) because at least she cared, then again when she talked about the pride of not letting him leave her, when he was begging her to stay after more of a year of lies back in the day, and is now begging her again after her repulsive ultimatum and power play on his emotional wounds tied to DK, threatening to leave him for DK, or when she mentioned feeling pathetic when he watched messages (platonic ones) from FL after hearing him confess the heartbreak of more than a year of her lying to his face and abandoning him among his pleas, not to be heard from for two years... I mean, does she have any shame, any sense of perspective? Is it possible for her to not even acknowledge that what she is feeling is a billionth of what he had felt, than what he had done is a billionth of a fraction than what she had put him through, a hell that lasted for a long time? How could she be focused on herself and talk about this without acknowledging *his* pain, humiliation, wounded pride, broken self dignity and self respect (he resorted to begging and was ignored), broken trust... I mean, to hear this and not want to disappear in shame at the very notion of talking about yourself, given the magnitude of the difference in what she had done to him.... this is not taking responsibility in any sense of the word. The definition of toxicity.

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I've watched similar type of dramas before where the main girl character disguises herself as a guy. And I got to say, this acting was probably the most believable so far. I mean let's admit it, in real life probably one could tell that she is a girl, but for the fun of it we just have to go along with the play. It is sort of bothering though when it's way too obvious, but here it wasn't really. It's very admirable that it was the best girl pretending to be a guy acting I've seen in a drama. She was tough, strong, hard-working, and never got into comedic, overacted situations like entering the men's room while other guys were using it and freaking out or stuff like that. So I really liked both how the character was written and the acting.

Another very strong point is how this show even though it's kinda cheesy, it's NOT AT ALL cheesy as other shows, and NOT overacted. I'm not against "cheese" of course, (or I wouldn't watch these shows) but I gotta say it was very nice to watch something like this and not getting sidetracked by how awkward a scene is with all the cutesy effects and so on. Of course it has your average misunderstandings from time to time, but not too much.

The most precious thing about it in my opinion is how the romantic scenes are acted out. It's so well made! It's not parodic, it's not super cheesy, no sound effects or silly camerawork, tasteless music and so on... It's so PURE. I can't be sure but I'd guess some of the scenes are actually the results of accidents and improvisations, and how the actors go with the flow is just amazing to watch. There are so many little details they do, which are so personal, playful, and amazingly cute, and those are being acted out with such genuine, lovable feelings.

If you are like me who loves to watch sweet couple moments with a little bit of drama going on, I really recommend it!

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Whenever I asked someone which drama they recommended for me to watch, Coffee Prince was always somewhere in that list. And I can finally understand why. It's a lighthearted drama about gender confusion, issues on homosexuality and status, and deception. It's just so enjoyable to watch, and you can get extremely intense and involved while watching this, you could even throw tantrums and fits about fictional problems. That doesn't sound like a good thing, but that only shows how well done the drama is.

Although the story is the most lacking thing in the entire drama, it's still brilliant. The gender confusion was definitely the best part and how people eventually found out that Go Eun Chan was never a guy. It is slightly cliche that the female lead's love interest found out last, but I guess it wasn't as cliche back in 2007 as it is now. One thing about the story of Coffee Prince that I wasn't pleased with as the amount of attention that was drawn to Choi Han Seong and Han Yoo Joo. I honestly felt that they didn't need as much screen time (and didn't need to be named as the main protagonists) as Eun Chan and Choi Han Kyul. Their story was just made up of arguments and lovey-dovey stuff. I'm sure they could have still fit in a marriage and miscarriage if they were supporting characters instead. Also, with the miscarriage, I think a lot of people were confused as to what happened with that, so that could have been explained better. But despite all of that, Eun Chan and Han Kyul's relationship throughout the entire series was amazing and I absolutely loved watching it.

Now, the acting in this was superb. I couldn't have asked for a better casting job. I'll start with Han Kyul's actor (as he was my favourite character), Gong Yoo. I just want to say that he is super, amazingly hot, and people could just watch Coffee Prince for his looks. And whenever he smiles, it's the cutest thing. Anyway, Yoo's acting skills are the best and he was completely in character the entire time. Next is Eun Chan's actress: Yoon Eun Hye. Half of the time I was watching this, I would completely forget her character is a girl because she's that convincing. Give or take that her character is annoying when persistent, but still extremely lovable. Last is Lee Sun Gyun as Choi Han Seong, and Chae Jung Ahn as Han Yoo Joo. I won't say much about them because I didn't pay much attention to their time in Coffee Prince, but they were extremely good actors. The only acting choice I didn't like was Yoon Young Ah as Eun Chan's sister: Eun Sae. Not only was her character so annoying, her acting was inconsistent and she didn't show more than five facial expressions.

I can't say I enjoyed the soundtrack all that much during the series, it was never my sort of thing. But it does suit well with the theme and atmosphere of the series. My favourite song would most definitely be Polly by The Melody (I think the song is called Polly anyway). Not much else I can say about the music, but it makes sure to keep in tone with the scenes.

Oh my god, yes, I would definitely rewatch. I need to see those scenes with Han Kyul and Eun Chan again. Those are just the best scenes to watch when I need cheering up.

Overall, besides the issues previously mentioned, Coffee Prince is definitely worth anyone's time, especially those who love romcoms and extremely hot actors and actresses.

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binged it in 2 days

I was a bit hesitant about watching it since it is an older drama and the oldest kdrama I've watched is Boys Over Flowers which I found to be quite average but Coffee Prince truly did exceed my expectations. I binged it in 2 days because I was that obsessed with it, and I barely binge, but I genuinely could not get enough.

I'll start on what I disliked before I go on my huge rant about how much I love this. The second couple wasn't very appealing. Their loveline was just so messy, getting mad at each other for basically cheating but then doing it themselves and all that. I didn't particularly care about their problems and ended up watching their scenes at 2x at one point. When I rewatch this (and I definitely will), I'm gonna straight up skip their scenes entirely because they felt like such a drag. Another subplot I didn't like was the FL's mother's loveline. The mother isn't very likeable so again I didn't care about her romance with that one uncle. It just felt like a filler.

Now onto what I liked, which is the main couple. Their chemistry was absolutely everything, I could watch a whole other season of them just existing and bickering together no plot needed. It's crazy how well they fitted onscreen, the casting director did an amazing job. I was especially impressed by Yoon Eunhye who plays Go Eunchan. She was so natural playing a tomboy, it did not seem forced at all. The character herself didn't feel like she was forcing her personality to act more like a boy, she was just being herself and everyone else saw it in a male light. Even though it isn't completely believable for us as viewers, I can see how the characters saw Eunchan as a boy, from her appearance and behavior. Gong Yoo's Hankyul, although annoying at times, wasn't the typical arrogant emotionless rich snob that a lot of male leads end up being and I'm so glad for that.

I really enjoyed their love story develop too. Eunchan had to hide her identity/gender because she needed the money and at one point it did become too scary to reveal the truth. A lot of people are like "she could have told him sooner and saved all that trouble" but she got close to Hankyul fast and didn't want to risk losing him, so she kept lying. In times like this it does feel easier to lie, especially something so big that could make them hate you forever. Also I personally LOVED the angst. It was just so good, them getting feelings and trying to avoid each other, making the other person confused.. too good. I understand this isn't for everyone but yeah the angsty scenes happen a decent amount and each time I was yelling at my screen because I loved it that much. The high tension and passionate confessions? Amazing. Couldn't get enough of it. I think we deserved one more episode of them just being a happy cute couple though.

The 'princes'/coworkers were really fun too. I didn't like how easily they let slip the truth about Eunchan's gender to each other considering it was her secret, but other than that they were my second favorite part about this drama. They all have their own individual personalities but when they're together it's a very entertaining mix. They all care about each other. Lee Eon's (rip) character, Minyeop, was my personal favorite. He's so dumb but so sweet you can't help but like him. I loved how he kept looking out for Eunchan and tried to protect her as best as he could.

Overall, this was an amazing drama. I can't stop thinking about it, especially the main couple. Can't wait to rewatch this in a year or two.

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