You're Beautiful (2009)

One of the few starters kdrama I watched. At that point in time I thought it was a really good drama since I was young, but then as experience of kdramas grow, I gain to learn what is a good drama. Definitely is one of the classic gender blenders (along with Coffee Prince, Hana Kimi) and will recommend those who are starting out with kdramas.

The plot line of it is interesting but story fails to really intrigue people. Many minor story loopholes and illogical moments (can be ignored easily). Definitely did enjoyed it when I was 13/14 (I'm 20 now). The story flows well and can be easily understood.

Acting was awkward, or maybe its just how the characters should be.

I will recommend this drama as starters, because this is really a classic piece of drama with many typical story in one: gender blender, mean male lead with innocent female lead, gentle and all-good second male lead, mean female second lead, cohabitation, birth mysteries...

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Forgive me. I'm writing this all from memory since I watched it in February 2011. Look at my individual marks for the "Story/Acting/etc etc"...none of them are 10. But yet my overall score is??

Well, gather round folks. I will explain it one time, and one time only. If you miss it...well tough. Happily go read a review where this drama is rated "Poor." Find a like-minded sprit and write OVERRATED all over your wall, so you get 13 likes & maybe a smiley face.

Because now we're entering a hater-free zone.

YB was a drama I entered with low expectations, because one of my frenemies liked it, and anything SHE liked, must be cr*p. The first 3 episodes did enough to keep my watching, though I didn't take an immediate shine to Park Shin Hye. Pretending to be a nun...pff. Anyone can tell that girl is durrty ^_^ (Don't believe me? Watch how she dances)

I desperately didn't want Jang Geun Suk to be the lead (wanted Shin Woo instead) because he looked like a grease monkey...but one surly look, and I resigned myself to fangirling. ;)

There were points in the drama I wanted to quit (because Hwang Tae Kyung was freaking me out by operating on pig-rabbits) and it looked like no-one was going to confess, and we were getting nowhere..

But then episode 10 happened. Suddenly things were HAPPENING, yo. Jeremy finds out she's a girl (JEREMY IS THE BEST COMIC-RELIEF BTW) and Shin Woo confesses but sounds so stalkerish/mean doing it, I went right off him...Lovely bloke otherwise!

Special highlights were when Go Mi Nam was shooting her/his music video and Jang released this really gorgeous smile. Jang (again) being chased by a wild pig after miming to "Breathless" by Shane Ward (bet he WAS breathless after that debacle). Any scene with Jeremy in it!

Still hoping for season 2, but it's fading each year. Oh well. I'm sure the Hong sisters wouldn't know what to write next anyway :P Or that's at least what I keep telling myself...

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This drama was great, the music, acting even the cast it's self. It was funny,the chemistry wasn't had to look for. Geun suk us un amazing actor. I liked the mean yet so lonely personality. And the way park shin hye portrayed this role was so great that every version of this story tries to mimick exactly how she reacted to every thing. I simply loved it. However I think mio in the japanese version sang the song better than gu minam.other than that it barely had any other flows.but the storyline was perfect,the humour was there. I have watched it over and over again. It was SUPERB

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If you want to see something funny to pass the time, this show is a good option.  
The story is ok, another gender blender one, funny at times.  I watched it because I knew it was from a manga., and I wanted to see something lightful. 
 But sorry, nobody would think the main actress is a guy. On the other hand there were some hole plots in the story (for example, if Go Min Nyue was a good singer as a boy, wouldn’t she be too as a girl? Couldn’t she work in the music industry after that? Why she couldn’t see her brother? What kind of relationship did they have (if they have any)? 
Acting
In the beginning I though it was too exaggerated, but later I remembered it was from a manga, so it was ok. But, anyway, though the main lead was more or less ok, the No Min Nyue girl was sometimes unbearable. Why was she always crying and telling everybody “I’m sorry”? I was tired of it.
Music: it’s ok. I have listened a lot the songstress before watching the show...
Rewatch: perhaps some parts of the show.
Conclusión: it’s funny, drole, entretenida... you should watch it if you want to have fun.

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Not for Korean Drama first-time viewers

This is my first review. I had to write this to warn others of how much "drama" and exaggeration this series contains only for the sake of creating "drama".

Although Korean drama is known for its overdramatic and stretching of events that could be wrapped quickly, this series is way too over the top that it left me angry most of the time especially from the middle all the way towards the end.

First, the female lead actress was unconvincing in being able to infiltrate a boy band and fool almost everyone without getting caught. Her voice, face, and body structure are too girly to be convincing.

Second, while she is represented as a nun with no life experience and naivety, that doesn't mean she has to be ignorant about the world as well. Examples lie mostly in her conversations with Tae Kyung about the stars and the moon. I wonder, don't nuns read books or study?

Third, Go Mi Nyeo is way too dumb to not be able to deduce or form a certain judgement. No, she has to be spoon-fed the info so she can understand or confirm something. On many occasions did Tae Kyung mention the word "fake fairy" in front of her when he has to deal with He Yi in order to protect her identity. He also told her many times to stay close to him when He Yi was around. And yet, she couldn't at least sense that he is not interested in that singer and is trying to draw Go Mi Nyeo close to him. Here I wonder if she deserves all this sacrifice.

Fourth, even after all the obstacles - which included the He Yi, Shin-Woo, and Tae Kyung's mother - to forming a successful relationship between the main female and male leads are lifted from their way, Go Mi Nyeo still insists on not seeing Tae Kyung and wants to leave him although she says she "loves" him and is hurting. I wonder if feeling hurt when seeing your loved ones is considered to be "love". She took a break and left him for a while after all the drama with his mother ended and yet she is still hell-bent on leaving him for Africa. The other characters make Tae Kyung feel guilty about not holding on unto her until the end although he spent half the series running after her and looking for her while the fans follow him around. The question is, why does she still feel in pain when she sees him after all the conflicts end in episodes 15 and 16? Here, I am sure the writers were thinking about a way to make the series more dramatic than it already is to the point of making it illogical and boring. I just ended up by the end of the series being unable to root for Tae Kyung because the female protagonist is too stupid, undeserving, and emotionally dull. She doesn't make much effort for him especially in situations where she has to and instead decides to go away from him. Exactly what does she expect from Tae Kyung in order to come back to him?

The only redeeming point about her is when she tells Tae Kyung's mother that abandoning her son for the sake of her lover is not love, and then in another situation she advises her to ask for forgiveness from her son herself instead of asking Mi Nyeo to tell Tae Kyung about that. Even this point, however, is inconsistent with the character makeup as all of a sudden she becomes expert in love when she does not know a thing about it as I explained before.

Now the very good thing about this show is the high sense of humor it got with the imaginations that often occur in the series. Also, the pig scene is very notable and memorable. The other thing redeemable is the high quality of acting especially Jang Geun Suk's portrayal of Tae Kyung. He makes the series more tolerable. The music is good although repeating it makes it annoying. There is nothing spectacular about the scenery but it's good that they all live in an apartment that overlooks a mountain.

I don't recommend this series for those who are watching Korean drama for the first time as it will make you very angry especially if you prefer to see strong, confident, or independent women with clear-cut personalities and mind of their own. I only recommend it to those who want to watch comedy and don't mind the overdramatic scenes that dominate the show and dampen the comic part, unfortunately.

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You’re Beautiful (2009) - probably one of the earliest Korean dramas that I have watched overtime. This drama has that typical over the top comedy which I liked watching before (*but not a fan anymore nowadays). Hongki’s portrayal of Jeremy is my favorite since I have the second male lead syndrome in this drama. This drama has a really good cast, the actors are well picked and they suited the image of the characters portrayed. Predictable storyline and yeah totally not convinced with Shin Hye as a guy. Not one of my favorite dramas but it still is one of the reasons why I continued watching Korean dramas up until today.

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There are literally so many adaptations of this drama, but this still remains a favorite of mine. This was my first drama, and I think if at the time I had rated it, it would probably have scored higher. Present me however, has had my fair share of drama to know as good as the drama is, it however isn't exceptional. You have a gender-bender plot line, music and romance at time chaotic, at time sweet. In terms of gender-bender, it's not the best out there, but still bearable. The music is probably my favorite part of the whole drama, especially the OST and well the romance- I admittedly had a soft spot for the main couple, but again nothing extraordinary.

I liked the banter between the two main characters, funny at times or otherwise completely ridiculous, but it works considering it's literally a story about a nun becoming a rock-star, a male one at that! You may regard this as an over the top teen drama, but I think to me what remains most memorable apart from the music is the cast- not of course always in good ways. They were not the most notable in terms of acting at the time, but the drama did introduce me to a cast of actors, that I would meet again in other dramas, so much so that it biased for a while in terms of my search of drama to watch.

I think you enjoy this the most, when you watch it once, the second watch believe me is never quite as enjoyable as the first one and it's almost impossible not to notice the quite blatant flaws of the drama.

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I rewatched lots of dramas lately and was pleased with how enjoyable You're Beautiful still is.

STORY
The only original part of the story is the fact that the girl dressed as a boy is part of a Kpop Group. It's well-written by the Hong sisters and the only weak point for me, as always with their dramas, is the ending. They know how to create a story and how to create problems but never really know how to resolve the said-problems and finish the story, the ending was just meh.

CHARACTERS/CAST
Loved the characters and their dynamic.
Jang Geun Suk is perfect as Hwang TaeKyung, this actor is so underrated for some reason and it's a pity. His character is hilarious and endearing, touching as well and I loved it.
Not gonna lie, I'm not a Park Shin Hye fan but I find her tolerable in this drama considering the very (very very) naive and innocent character she plays.
As a big FT Island & CN Blue fan I just cannot express enough my love for Lee Hongki & Jung Yonghwa.
It's Yonghwa's first role so of course it's not flawless but it's acceptable. His character is pretty much gazing much of the time.
Hongki as Jeremy is the highlight, the comic-relief. His character is the most tolerant, a pity he's not more developed. The "chuka-party" are cult & he made me laugh so many times.
Gotta hate Yoo HeYi and love UEE.

MUSIC
I'm pretty sure ANJELL was many fans' first kpop group aha. With two main vocals in the cast, the music couldn't get any better.

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i can see why it's so popular!

first of all, i must thank Jung Yong Hwa oppa for being one of the casts in the drama LOL, he's the reason i feel compelled to watch this. if not because of this drama, most likely i would not have found Jang Geun Suk oppa who then became my ULTIMATE bias in kdramaland ever, kekeke.

in terms of story, i think the story is really lacking. i have not watched Coffee Prince, and i am not someone who actually would ever choose gender bender love stories. i mean the story would be quite standard all-across, a girl for some reason had to pretend to be a boy and live with a group of boys, and slowly the male lead discovered that she's a girl and eventually fell in love with her. the writers would try to introduce some conflicts or tensions to separate the two apart, but the ending is always a happy ending LOOOOOL! i could be a writer-nim too if the level of story-telling is always this simple and shallow.

and that's exactly what this drama has given us. but i think what really stands out most particularly in this drama is the three male leads, especially Jang Keun Suk as Hwang Tae Kyung. MAN, HE'S SO FCKIN GORGEOUS! his deep voice, the way he portrays the character of a superstar, his gorgeous face, his spiky hair LOL i love everything about him. this is definitely one of the weak-to-average scripts that is really lucky because they managed to secure the perfect casts to play the lead characters.

with regards to second and third lead syndrome, they left me with bitter taste in my mouth. especially the second lead syndrome with Kang Shi Woo, i am mad because the writers really just put him on the main love triangle to screw him over and play with us. that feels so sh*tty. he was repeatedly stood up and that was so uncomfortable to watch. i mean he seriously deserved better. the writers should have given us some moments where Go Mi Nam sincerely relied on Shi Woo, so that our memory of the second lead syndrome was not that he was always rejected and cast aside. that was painful!

also the third lead syndrome with Jeremy, wow i salute Hong Ki's acting on the bus when he finally found out that the girl liked their hyung. he's such an angel, a breath of fresh air in the midst of our heartache observing kind-hearted Shi Woo who was always dejected and Tae Kyung who's always grumpy, moody and arrogant LOL.

i have said this in many places but i will write here one last time. Jang Keun Suk would have made THE most perfect Gu Jun Pyo in BoF. his portrayal of someone with deep/intense and dark charisma of a true tsundere is really spot on, and is really similar to how Matsumoto Jun played Domyouji Tsukasa. gahh one can wish~

any dramas with Jang Keun Suk oppa has perfect rewatch value for me, JUST FOR THAT SMILE. yeah i live for it. gosh oppa, you're so fckin perfect and i discovered you so late. I LOVE YOU.

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