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My Only Love Song (2017)

I don’t like time travel shows but this was an amusing little joyride!

 

One of the best things about this show is that each episode is only 30 minutes long!  The story moves along well, although it manages to throw in that detour to the bandit village in spite of its brevity.  Never mind, still better than beating about many bushes.

 

I didn’t know the story of Princess Pyeonggang and On-dal, and found this show’s twist interesting.  I’m not sure if people find its creative take on history palatable though, especially On-dal bestowing his identity on bodyguard Moo-myung, just so the plot can allow him to marry Pyeonggang.  



Another interesting thing here is that some actors play double roles – they are different characters in the modern and historical eras.  Only Soo-jung (Gong Seung-yeon) and Sam-yong (Lee Jae-jin) travel through time as themselves, which makes for another successful element in the show.  Both of them look and behave like moderns in period costume, whereas the characters in the historical era feel like they belong to the past.  I think the actors generally do this well, portraying their historical characters differently from their modern selves.



Seung-yeon is well cast as brash, loud, foul-mouthed, arrogant ‘top star’ Soo-jung, who matures and becomes a calmer, empathetic person after her experiences in the ‘past’.  She is beautiful as Soo-jung, and switches well between modern/historical, happy/sad, funny/emotional, hopeful/downcast.  


Jae-jin is alright as her assistant, and so are Jin Ye-ju as Pyeonggang and Ahn Bo-hyun as Moo-myung.  I found Bo-hyun the best of the three in portraying emotions, especially when he is non-speaking for most of the episodes. Inexplicably, he can read Pyeonggang and communicate with her without talking, and suddenly starts speaking towards the end of the show.  No explanation given.  

 

Some of the secondary characters are hilarious, especially Ko Il-yong, the bad guy (played superbly by Park Joo-hyung), the movie director/magistrate (Lee Cheol-min) and his sidekick official.  It was cute to make Boong Boong the van a ‘character’ too.


not easy being a funny, likeable villain... and he does it!


I didn’t think Lee Jong-hyun did a good job with On-dal.  Such a pity.  Of course, he is nowhere near Seung-yeon’s level but many secondary actors did better than him.  I didn’t like his character either – I don’t know what Soo-jung sees in him and on top of everything, he abandons his mute mother (okay, she does indicate that she will be fine, and he can go and do what he wants, but still…) to be with Soo-jung and eventually leaves to search for her.  Also, what was with his pasty complexion?!



Couldn’t quite tell if On-dal really reached modern-day Seoul.  It seemed to me that their reunion was virtual but I think it was supposed to be a happy ending…

 

There is very little about music and song here, apart from Soo-jung dancing to K-pop (and Jong-hyun and Jae-jin being from K-pop groups!), so I wish the show had a better title.

 

Overall, it was still fun, not least because of her.



20 episodes, Netflix


photos from hancinema

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