My Girl (2005) | ★★★★½ [Korean Drama TV Series]

Genre: Korean Drama, Romantic Comedy.
Stars: Da-hae Lee, Dong-Wook Lee, Jun-ki Lee, Si-Yeon Park, Seok-Hwan Ah, Hie-bong Byeon, Ran Choi

My Girl is up there with the funniest Korean dramas I’ve ever seen. It was so refreshing to watch, breathing life into a genre that I was starting to find repetitive and unexciting. It contains many of the things I love about Korean dramas, and cuts out almost all of the things I hate about them. It’s just a perfect show for me! Words cannot do justice to how immensely joyful I felt whilst watching My Girl. The characters were hilarious, the story was hysterical, and the romance had everything I wanted and more. Each episode made me laugh, swoon, and more than a little emotional. I couldn’t ask for anything more than that. If it weren't for the sub-par ending, I'd call this the greatest romantic-comedy I've ever seen. 

"A female con-artist, Joo Yoo-rin, finds herself in a predicament with a young rich man, Seol Gong-chan, which leads her to fall in love. But as she falls in love with him she also is intertwined in a love triangle with his cousin, Seo Jung-woo and ex-girlfriend, Kim Sae-hyun." - IMDB

What I love most about this show is the leading lady, Yoo-rin (Da-Hae Lee). She is a fire-cracker, a free-spirit, she’s one tough cookie. I’m so used to seeing the same thing from leading female characters in Korean Dramas. Most of them are sweet, subservient doormats that occasionally show a spout of self-respect. Not this time, not in My Girl. Yoo-rin is a street-smart, confident, damned funny woman that always seems to get into mischief. When I saw her display in the very first episode, I literally breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, I had found a female character with a range of emotions, an interesting history, and plenty of depth. First and foremost, she’s the funniest lead I’ve ever seen in a K-drama. Secondly, you can’t help but like her even though she’s not exactly a good person. Thirdly, and most importantly, she happens to be quite intelligent and witty. These three qualities perfectly blend to make her story so much fun to watch. Of course, none of this would have been possible if it weren’t for the unforgettable performance of Da-Hae Lee. I couldn’t imagine anyone better for the role.

Another thing I loved about My Girl was the leading man, Gong-Chan (Dong-Wook Lee). First and foremost, he’s absolutely my type of guy. I’d go as far as to say he’s the most gorgeous lead I’ve ever seen in a Korean Drama. My sister didn’t share my enthusiasm though, for she called him a “boof-head”, because his cheeks are much wider than his forehead. Oh well, I thought he looked amazing. I loved his character too, which happens to be quiet, intelligent, and steady. I’m used to seeing ass-hole leading men, so it’s a welcome change to have a nice-guy win the girl. I loved the banter between Yoo-rin and Gong-Chan. Their chemistry was fantastic, for she’d say and do crazy things, whilst he’d react in a charming and sometimes unpredictable manner. I couldn’t have asked for a better leading man. He just made me smile every single episode. My favourite line of his occurred when he was talking to Yoo-rin, for she was about to leave for good. He inquired as to whether she would call him after she leaves, and she said “But you don’t like me.” That’s when he said it. “I’ve never disliked you. There may have been times when you were annoying, but I’ve never disliked you.” It wasn’t cheesy or anything, it just felt sadly natural. It was a wonderful scene, all because this show built up to it perfectly.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Choi Ran in this show. I know her from the world-wide sensation that is ‘You’re Beautiful,’ a K-drama about a girl that joins a boy-band in the guise of a male. She played an aunty that is both detestable and lovable, making her one of my favourite characters in that show. Here, she plays yet another aunty, but this time a rich, sophisticated aunty that is caught up in her own little romance. She’s a marvelous actress, so it was a joy to see her light up the screen in My Girl.

There are some great musical moments in the show too. I adored the up-beat, 1990s style music that played every now and then. The usage of “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer was hilarious when they all played pool together. It was really cool that the snow-globe bought by Gong-Chan played the tune of ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles. My favourite of all was when the song "Life is a Road" from the animated movie Anastasia (1997) started playing. There was always something new and exciting in the soundtrack to My Girl. 

The ex girlfriend of Gong-Chan, Seo-hyun (played by Si-Yeon Park), was so unbelievably annoying! This woman is just like a tick, or a severe case of herpes. She just keeps coming back! There always has to be a villain in a Korean drama, and she had the dishonour of taking that role. She did a great job at making me want to scratch my eyes out, because she just wouldn't go away! All in all she didn't take the enjoyment out of the show, because there was more than enough entertainment to combat her presence. Oh, she's also supposed to be a professional tennis player. 

Talk about the hilariousness of the fact that they know nothing about tennis. The crowd goes wild because she won a minor tournament, then there’s nothing about her making it to the quarter final of a grand slam. Also, grand slams go for about two weeks, and it’s pretty much impossible to travel out of the country and make it for your next match during that period of time. Somehow, she managed to make it to South Korea when she was due to play a quarterfinal. Matches usually happen within a day or two, so I find it pretty impossible for this to occur. I love The Hong Sisters, but they need to brush up on their tennis.

Jung-Woo Seo (Jun-ki Lee) took the honour of being my absolute least favourite character of the show. He was the third wheel of this love-triangle, and was nothing but an obstacle in the way of a happy ending. His entrance into the show was cheesy as f#ck, his personal style was the most unattractive thing I've ever seen on a man, and his actions were at times honourable, and at times absolutely loathsome. In the end, I found he was nothing but a tick that sucked bits of enjoyment out of the show for me. That was the role he had to play, and he did a great job at it. 

My absolute favourite character was none other than Secretary Yoon (Eon-jeong Lee). She was the nicest, most beautiful character on the show. Her seriousness was intriguing, her vibrance when happy was heart-warming, and her actions showed she had more integrity than all of the characters. I couldn't help but grin like an idiot every time I saw her. Although she really wasn't that big in the show, she became the person I looked most forward to seeing. 

The comedy in My Girl is unmatched by any Korean Drama I've ever seen. There are so many hilarious moments in this show that I couldn't possibly do justice describing them. Take my word for it, if you love cheesy comedy, then you HAVE to watch this show. 

Once again, my description of the romance would only fall short of doing it justice. It's one of the most heart-warming, entertaining relationships I have ever seen. Just thinking about Yoo-rin and Gong-Chan left me feeling nothing but excruciating excitement for the next episode. 

If you like Korean Drama's, then you must see this show. If you like romance, then you must see this show. If you like comedy, then you must see this show. I cannot praise My Girl enough. It's my favourite Korean Drama of all time, and I know for a fact that many others share my enthusiasm for it.