Korean title: 커피프린스 1호점
Aired on MBC
From 2007 July to August
17 episodes
Main cast:
- Yoon Eun Hye as Go Eun Chan
- Gong Yoo as Choi Han Kyul
- Lee Sun Gyun as Choi Han Sung
- Chae Jung Ahn as Han Yoo Joo
- Kim Ja Ok as Han Kyul's mom
- Choi Il Hwa as Han Kyul's dad
- Kim Young Ok as Han Kyul's grandmother
- Park Won Sook as Eun Chan's mom
- Kim Chang Wan as Hong Gae Sik
- Kim Jae Wook as No Sun Ki
- Kim Dong Wook as Jin Ha Rim
- Lee Un as Hwang Min Yeop
- Yoon Young Ah as Go Eun Sae
Notes:
- This is the very first drama I watched back in 2007! I watched all of it in one day in one sitting after coming back from watching the sunrise, on the recommendation of Korean friends. It's the first time time I've rewatched it since, so it was funny to see what I remembered and what I had totally forgotten.
- It has Wikipedia pages in several languages!
Review: +
Title: Most of the drama revolves around reviving and working at "Coffee Prince" so it's appropriate.
Girl: She's boyish looking and acting so Boy thinks she's a boy. She's hard-working, strong-willed but also warm and she makes people feel at ease.
Boy: He's from a rich family but doesn't feel like marrying and working for the family business. He's a bit older than Girl but can behave quite like a child. He's affectionate and intense in his feelings.
Other boy: He's a composer and Boy's cousin. Unlike him, he knows from the start that Girl is... well a girl. He's more laid-back and friendly.
Other girl: She's a painter and she's in love with Other boy. Maybe flighty is too strong a word to describe her but she's a bit of that.
Plot/Relationship: Building the relationships and going through the hurdles. The plot is good but then gets less intense. I was less in a hurry to watch the next episode but I was caring for this couple so I would still watch it to the end. And when it was the end... i felt some withdrawal. The chemistry between Girl and Boy is strong and they feel perfect for each other. They are so cute together. Apart from finding each other, they also both find careers they like.
Families: I appreciate that his family wasn't the typical cold, affectionless rich family. And her sister was less annoying that I remembered!
Other characters: Mostly the guys who work at Coffee Prince. They each have their personality and their interactions are interesting and funny.
Main cliché: Girl pretending to be a boy.
Funny factor? Not really but cute bantering: yes.
Music: understated but nice.
What the...? One character is quite gross (like "please, I'm eating!") and I will never understand why Korean dramas insist on showing us people on toilets.
Bottom line: It's an excellent drama. I actually started watching Cyrano Dating Agency and I thought of rewatching Coffee Prince. Result: I completely stopped Cyrano Dating Agency to watch all of Coffee Prince. It deserves the success it has had (+)
Your review of Coffee Prince makes me want to give it a try again. I started watching it a while back because I love Gong Yoo, but I had a hard time getting past the one really gross character (and even the lead female does a few gross things herself), so I dropped it around episode 5. The gross stuff just really put me off of it, and I don't know if I can get past all that stuff for the sake of Gong Yoo :(
ReplyDeleteHi! I understand, I also have a very low tolerance for gross stuff and I don't find it funny at all. I was able to bear it because I was engrossed in the story. Especially if you like Gong Yoo, I hope it will be the same for you!
DeleteMaybe I should do a rewatch and be like "Episode 7, skip from 23'10 to 25'45" :)
Thanks! I think I'll give it another try then. I'm surprised that more reviews don't mention being put off by the gross stuff. In fact, since this is a series that seems to be primarily aimed at females I'm surprised there is so much gross in it. So much toilet humor!! If I remember correctly, within the first 20 minutes the lead female character is uncloging a toilet and talking to the guy about how to "go" while he talks about not being able to control it like he used to, then the next scene has her sister in the bathroom with the door open! Then there's the female leads rather unpleasant eating habits. And of course Mr. Hong (I think that's his name) being gross over and over. It's kind of strange. But if you have a very low tolerance for gross stuff too, and you were able to enjoy it anyway, maybe I can too. Thanks!! :)
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