[Halftime Report] "My Lovely Girl"

Oct 13, 2014

[tv]Thanks for supporting us by watching “My Lovely Girl” on SoompiTV![/tv]

Now that “My Lovely Girl” has aired half of its episodes, let’s evaluate how it’s doing so far. Personally, I’m really enjoying this drama—and here are 6 reasons why:

The setting. Maybe this is helped in part by the scandals currently plaguing the K-Pop world, but I find the storylines at AnA absolutely fascinating. The relationships between managers and trainees, the negotiations with idols, the process of developing a song, the way that scandals are handled… I’m not sure how realistic anything we see onscreen is, but it feels realistic, and I find that really cool. (The presence of so many idols in the cast helps add authenticity as well!)
The love triangle. I’m not sure how much I can actually call this a love triangle, since, as of episode 8, Se Na (Krystal) has a huge crush on Hyun Wook (Rain), which leaves poor Shi Woo (L) in the cold. But I do love these central relationships. Se Na and Hyun Wook’s easy, casual chemistry is a lot of fun to watch, even though it’s complicated by the knowledge that Hyun Wook isn’t being entirely honest with her. And I absolutely adore Se Na and Shi Woo’s interactions. She challenges him as few people do in his life, and the ways that he reacts to that, and then tries to show her that he’s better than she thinks he is, are just wonderful. I can’t decide which couple I’m rooting for, which is the sign of a good love triangle, in my book.
The dog. I cannot say too much how important Dal Bong is. This dog is adorable, and any scene he’s in is automatically elevated. In the first episode, which I did not really enjoy, I cried when Hyun Wook found out that Dal Bong has cancer. That’s how quickly this dog found his way into my heart.
The best friend. Sung Jin (Alex) is always available to listen to his friends complain about their problems, and to give them good advice. His advice is always ignored, but his common sense, combined with his dry sense of humor, makes me happy whenever he’s in a scene.
The humor. A dead girlfriend/sister, idol scandals, a cheating dad, unrequited love, a dog with cancer… There are a lot of heavy material in “My Lovely Girl”. But I have a lot of fun watching it anyway, because it always remembers to be funny. A lot of this is thanks to Se Na, who is wonderfully straightforward and honest, but the entire cast is game. Even Hae Yoon (Cha Ye Ryun), a normally cold character, gets to do some physical humor as part of her attempt to get Hyun Wook to return her feelings. I often find myself laughing out loud while watching this drama, which is a great feeling.
The music. Appropriately for a drama that takes place in the K-pop world, the OST for “My Lovely Girl” is really good. From Krystal’s sweet and sad “All of a Sudden” to Jooyi’s dance-floor confection “Pray” to Kim Tae Woo’s lovely and emotional “Only You” (which, in the drama, is the song that Se Na wrote), all of these tracks are gorgeous and fun to listen to, both during the drama and on their own.