Title: Lovers
Lee Seo Jin as Ha Kang Jae (LSJ)
Kim Jung Eun as Yoon Mi Joo (KJE)
Jung Chan as Kang Sae Yeon (JC)
Kim Kyu Ri as Park Yu Jin (KKR)
Synopsis: from (AsianFanatics forum)
Yoon Mi Joo (KJE) a pragmatic and cheerful plastic surgeon meets Ha Kang Jae (LSJ) a mafia leader who is tough on the outside but vulnerable inside at a chance meeting in Hainan Island. After he got injured and received treatment from her, they get closer and start falling in love. Sae Yeon (JC) is Kang Jae's stepbrother and he is always competing with Kang Jae for their father's trust and attention. He also has his sights set on Mi Joo, thinking that he deserves her more than Kang Jae. On the other hand, Kang Jae has a long-time girlfriend Yoo Jin (KKR) a bakery owner who is an innocent woman worrying about her lover's safety and health only.
How I Came to Watch the Series: Need I say it? Ica again!!!
What I Like About It: It’s a hard choice getting the last addition to my top 5 (just want to share that My Name is Kim Sam Soon and My Girl came close). But I feel that I should include a dominantly melodrama to my list, and this drama has it all – action, a bit of comedy (it’s hard to imagine a KJE drama w/o it), and enough heart-wrenching moments that would reduce any full-blooded female to tears (ahem…me).
It was so well casted. LSJ at first wasn’t attractive to me, but damn, he pulls off the head gangster role perfectly (and a dimpled gangster at that!). KJE manages to look cute and serious at the same time, and I prefer this role compared to Lovers in Paris. She also has this very believable crying ability that makes me want to shout: I can feel your pain girl! The chemistry between the two leads was undeniable (literally see sparks fly)…no wonder LSJ and KJE dated after that :D The supporting characters were great, the bad guy (Nam Chang Bae played by Kim Reo Ha) really made me hate him…very effective, and at the same time made me empathize w/ him at the end knowing that he was severely disillusioned.
Lots of tender moments (w/c is probably the trademark of any Lovers franchise). Most may say that this drama is unrealistic and circumstances fuel the fact that they shouldn’t be together (I mean come on, a pregnant girlfriend!), but somehow I still find myself championing the two leads, however absurd it may seem. It nonetheless sparks up an interesting take on what true love should entail how would situations ultimately lead to a person’s choice.
OST full of songs that will tear your heart out, and prepare to be thoroughly in pain when you get a version wherein the songs are also subtitled: favorite song is Go Hae/Confession by Chiyul
Of course it will all work out in the end, and this is the only serious drama that I was able to digest (since I generally steer away from too serious series).
What I Don’t Like About It: The plot is sometimes bizarre, but you’ll never know since it’s the gangster world that we’re talking about. The first few episodes when they talk about gangster politics can be confusing—you don’t know who is plotting against whom, or what the grand plan is; the bit about the Parliament still renders me confused till now but I don’t think it matters much, hehe.
Also w/ KKR losing her baby, sure she was in pain w/ the though of her longtime boyfriend having feelings for her neighbor, but I feel it’s too contrived—a situation that makes the audience less guilty of accepting the leads’ attraction to each other. Well, it worked.
Favorite Moment: I’ll cite two (but there are a lot!!!)
Kilig part – When KJE lied to LSJ and asked him to drop her off a distance away from her apartment (where LSJ was going to see his gf played by KKR) to buy some chestnuts. Of course she lied and she just wants to avoid an awkward meeting w/ her neighbor (KKR). LSJ relents and KJE thought she evaded the situation, hehe. Next scene shows KJE emerging out of a pharmacy (obviously there are no chestnuts there), and suddenly brought up short by no less than LSJ. Of course, he confronts her saying that how can chestnuts be bought from a pharmacy. While KJE babbles her way out of it, LSJ thrusts a –voila– bag of chestnuts to her arms and suddenly leaves. Hay….
Major Ouch moment – When LSJ was ringing KKR’s doorbell in hopes of convincing her that nothing’s wrong, and she’s not answering. KJE, unlucky as she is for falling for a guy w/ a pregnant gf, was a few feet away fumbling her lock because she was too nervous to be around LSJ. Then LSJ, in a burst of desperation, said to the voice monitor of his gf: “Let’s get married.” (Of course matching entrance ng super depressing song from the OST) KJE, to her shock, drops the bag that she is carrying full of – gasp – chestnuts! (If I wasn’t too depressed I would’ve been hungry!) She didn’t realize that she lost her chestnuts as she was frantically trying to open her lock (wc took a looooong time) and w/ LSJ, just a few feet away, obvious that he’s trying to restrain himself from even glancing at KJE’s direction and therefore stares determinedly at his gf’s door. JJE at last opens her door (she was trying desperately trying to contain her tears to that point) and cries the moment she’s in her room. Did I mention that the blasted depressing song is still playing? Huhu… (screencaps c/o soompi.com)
Whoa! That’s it! Finally able to finish my Top 5. There’s a big likelihood that it may change (Coffee Prince is still airing in Korea and so far I love it!) sooner or later, hehe. Took a while to finish it because of a major influx of new titles (including the Lovers drama) that I want to watch before rounding up my list (actually I still have some titles I haven’t finished yet…).
Shoutout to all my Asian drama friends out there: Thanks for the contributions and enlightening discussions throughout the years. To those who fansub for free and for my friends who are always updated.
Should I make a Taiwanese and Japanese drama list too? Hehe, my archive is not as extensive compared to Korean. Currently watching Why Why Love, which is still airing in Taiwan, and so far I’m head over heels gaga over Mike He (I know, Grace and Ica, naunahan niyo ko). Also watching Hanazakari no Kimitachi e or Hana Kimi currently airing in Japan and loving it more than the Taiwanese version (although Wu Chun is still HOT!). Maybe I’ll just make a Taiwan vs. Japan assessment on manga adaptations i.e. Hana Yori Dango (Meteor Garden vs. Hana Yori Dango) and Hana Kimi (TW vs JP)…lemme think about it…
OST full of songs that will tear your heart out, and prepare to be thoroughly in pain when you get a version wherein the songs are also subtitled: favorite song is Go Hae/Confession by Chiyul
Of course it will all work out in the end, and this is the only serious drama that I was able to digest (since I generally steer away from too serious series).
What I Don’t Like About It: The plot is sometimes bizarre, but you’ll never know since it’s the gangster world that we’re talking about. The first few episodes when they talk about gangster politics can be confusing—you don’t know who is plotting against whom, or what the grand plan is; the bit about the Parliament still renders me confused till now but I don’t think it matters much, hehe.
Also w/ KKR losing her baby, sure she was in pain w/ the though of her longtime boyfriend having feelings for her neighbor, but I feel it’s too contrived—a situation that makes the audience less guilty of accepting the leads’ attraction to each other. Well, it worked.
Favorite Moment: I’ll cite two (but there are a lot!!!)
Kilig part – When KJE lied to LSJ and asked him to drop her off a distance away from her apartment (where LSJ was going to see his gf played by KKR) to buy some chestnuts. Of course she lied and she just wants to avoid an awkward meeting w/ her neighbor (KKR). LSJ relents and KJE thought she evaded the situation, hehe. Next scene shows KJE emerging out of a pharmacy (obviously there are no chestnuts there), and suddenly brought up short by no less than LSJ. Of course, he confronts her saying that how can chestnuts be bought from a pharmacy. While KJE babbles her way out of it, LSJ thrusts a –voila– bag of chestnuts to her arms and suddenly leaves. Hay….
Major Ouch moment – When LSJ was ringing KKR’s doorbell in hopes of convincing her that nothing’s wrong, and she’s not answering. KJE, unlucky as she is for falling for a guy w/ a pregnant gf, was a few feet away fumbling her lock because she was too nervous to be around LSJ. Then LSJ, in a burst of desperation, said to the voice monitor of his gf: “Let’s get married.” (Of course matching entrance ng super depressing song from the OST) KJE, to her shock, drops the bag that she is carrying full of – gasp – chestnuts! (If I wasn’t too depressed I would’ve been hungry!) She didn’t realize that she lost her chestnuts as she was frantically trying to open her lock (wc took a looooong time) and w/ LSJ, just a few feet away, obvious that he’s trying to restrain himself from even glancing at KJE’s direction and therefore stares determinedly at his gf’s door. JJE at last opens her door (she was trying desperately trying to contain her tears to that point) and cries the moment she’s in her room. Did I mention that the blasted depressing song is still playing? Huhu… (screencaps c/o soompi.com)
Whoa! That’s it! Finally able to finish my Top 5. There’s a big likelihood that it may change (Coffee Prince is still airing in Korea and so far I love it!) sooner or later, hehe. Took a while to finish it because of a major influx of new titles (including the Lovers drama) that I want to watch before rounding up my list (actually I still have some titles I haven’t finished yet…).
Shoutout to all my Asian drama friends out there: Thanks for the contributions and enlightening discussions throughout the years. To those who fansub for free and for my friends who are always updated.
Should I make a Taiwanese and Japanese drama list too? Hehe, my archive is not as extensive compared to Korean. Currently watching Why Why Love, which is still airing in Taiwan, and so far I’m head over heels gaga over Mike He (I know, Grace and Ica, naunahan niyo ko). Also watching Hanazakari no Kimitachi e or Hana Kimi currently airing in Japan and loving it more than the Taiwanese version (although Wu Chun is still HOT!). Maybe I’ll just make a Taiwan vs. Japan assessment on manga adaptations i.e. Hana Yori Dango (Meteor Garden vs. Hana Yori Dango) and Hana Kimi (TW vs JP)…lemme think about it…
