I’d heard a lot about Coffee Prince before I finally saw it, and I understood what the fuss was all about after I saw it.
Coffee Prince is undoubtedly a staple for modern Korean culture. (Anyone who knows anything about K-entertainment: If you’re a fan of K-dramas and K-entertainment, you must have already seen Coffee Prince. This is not to state that this series defines Korean culture, because it doesn’t. Rather Coffee Prince has come to be known as a modern sensation, re-defining K-entertainment before series like Boys Before Flowers and IRIS even saw the light of day.
“A pioneer to modern love stories hinting on progressive views on homosexuality in Asia.”
The Rundown
Behind the name: Also known as Coffee Prince. Based on a book.
Country: South Korea, 2007
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Broadcast by: Munhwa Broadcasting Company (MBC)
Director: Lee Yoon Jung
Compare to: Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Personal Preference
Hate it or Love it? Love it!
Synopsis in a Sentence: Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, problem is boy thinks girl is a boy, which makes him… *gasp* gay?!
Coffee Prince attracted about 30% of the South Korean viewing population, was aired in 11 countries including Singapore, Israel, Peru, and Zimbabwe, and is used by the Korean government to promote tourism in the country — Now you know a series has made it big when foreign fans flock into a country simply to experience the feeling the series left them with.
On Writing: The Plot
Think love: fun, unconditional, real love. But it’s not a love story you’ve seen or read before. The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince is unique and original and works its magic while slowly opening up the minds of its viewers to a topic seldom touched in Asian entertainment — homosexuality — well, sort of. Coffee Prince does its thing by touching on the delicate topic of homosexuality without anyone in the series actually being homosexual. Like in Personal Preference, the topic is addressed, but mildly evaded.
However Coffee Prince deserves acclaim for being ahead of its time within that cultural space. The first film to directly address homosexuality in South Korea was not released until late 2009. This one was three years ahead. Overall, the writing is very good. It’s a love story true to its core, and you’ll find yourself sharing the love.
And there’ a fair bit of coffee loving too.
(4/5)
On Acting: The Cast
There’s nothing like a good cast, and this one was good no…great! The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince boasted with the talent of:
Yoon Eun Hye, our lead actress who plays Go Eun-Chan. She’s the star of this series, skillfully highlighting the essence of a true tomboy. And she looked like one too! Judge for yourself. ↵ See pic.
Gong Yoo, our lead male portrays Choi Han-Kyul, the carefree thirty-year old pampered by wealth. He plays the doting boyfriend very well, and though I might find that portrayal quite annoying, you just may find it effortlessly charming.
* Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo won the MBC favorite on-screen couple award for 2007. Both actors also won numerous awards for their roles in Coffee Prince.
Lee Sun-Gyun, who plays Choi Han-Sung, is a talented music producer and
Chae Jung-Ahn plays Han Yoo-Joo, the independent woman who can’t be tamed. And then there’s our semi-Japanese import and token eye-candy, actor/model Kim Jae-Wook, who plays the recklessly lovestruck emo, No Sun-Ki.
Altogether, a great cast. Must have been fun to work with.
(4/5)
On Production: The Creativity
It’s all about the music. There’s great, great music infused into the production of this series, with excellent original scores and songs you love, but you forgot existed like the “You & me Song” by the Wannadies and “Back for Good” by Take That, and even much more.
The production was about making you feel the love, and indeed, every episode stayed true to that element. The camera work wasn’t particularly fancy, but the writing and music production took charge of the creativity with no harm done to the overall production. Kudos to good coffee and music!
(4/5)
On Resolution: The Conclusion
If it were Hollywood, there’d be a climactic conflict before the lovers live happy ever after.
If this were Bollywood, the lovers would suffer separation until the very end.
If it were Nollywood, there’d be some major scandal/betrayal before love conquers all.
But this is — what should we call it — Kollywood? LoL. No, its K-drama, and Coffee Prince is an extremely doting love story where there’s not much conflict, or climax, or scandal in this series… well, there’s a bit, but not much of what we’re not already used to. Regardless, the end is good. It’s all about love after all. ;)
(4/5)
The Verdict: A classic collection of love stories that will make you want to dance in the rain… with a cup of coffee at hand.
Overall Score = 16/20
Cuddle up, get a cuppa coffee, and watch The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince on Hulu, in HD [http://www.hulu.com/coffee-prince].
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