Prințul Cafelei (2007)

Wholesome, Nostalgic & Feel Good Drama

Ah, I completed this drama in 2 years. Yes, I started it in November 2021 and watched 15 episodes, and then in January 2024, I completed the other two remaining episodes. And I can say it is one of the best dramas you see. If you're someone with a low attention span or ADHD, you probably won't like it.
Because it's like a slow melody, like how Korean dramas used to be back in the day. The acting, cast, and story are all fulfilling. Gong Yoo is hands-down the best Korean actor for me.
I really wish it would have had 20 episodes because this drama has potential. But nonetheless, I recently finished it, and I recommend it to every human being to watch these wholesome 17 episodes. You can have a better story, you can bring a better cast, and you can bring better directors, but still, nothing beats this 2007 show, even after 17 years. I'm so ecstatic, and I thank God every day for introducing me to Korean dramas. I love you, Gong Yoo!!

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Classic for a reason

This is such a massive underhanded criticism of homophobia that uses heteronormativity to make its point, I love it.

Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun-hye. They're so cute! No wonder the former became such a big star in Korea.

The secondary leads are the main reason why I can't give this a perfect score. The character played by Lee Sun-kyun (RIP…) was annoying and the actor didn't do a very good job in my opinion. He was over-acting his scenes and he never came across as believable to me. That was one of his first roles though, as he would go on to have much better roles in the future, namely in Parasite.

However, the others did a good job.

I love it when people mistakenly answer the phone with something other than the phone itself. This time, it's a toy cube. If I remember correctly, the other times I've seen this so far are in Dreaming the Reality (1991) (Sibelle Hu answers a Coca-Cola can) and The Stunt Woman (1996) (Michelle Yeoh answers a brush). These are the only other such instances I can recall right now. Fun gag.

It's strange because, although the writing is a bit forced, contrived and overly dramatic sometimes, I would still praise the writing in this show, mainly because they managed to make realistic, believable characters that feel human and unique. They all have quirks that make them endearing, even if sometimes the story forces them to act in a certain way. It's an odd dichotomy but it is what it is. Imperfect writing can still manage to be absolutely great when it sets its aims high enough.

If you're trying to flee the soap-opera cliché nature of kdrama (especially the OST, this one is refreshingly silent in all the dramatic moments), then this should be your next destination.

I'm not queer and/or LGBTQ+ so it's hard for me to say whether it's good representation.

But it's a killer gender-bender story for sure. Hella hard to beat on that front.

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I found this drama rather simple but refreshing in a way. I specially liked the dynamic between the characters since I haven't seen many dramas were the girl is a tomboy. I honestly thought the fact of the female lead being mistaken for a boy would make the show unbearably clichéish. But thankfully the way that aspect of the story was used made the show funnier and more heart-warming. Also, all the characters are very real and go through legit struggles.
I can totally understand how this show influenced the drama world, as it has that iconic feeling, despite the simpleness.
I looooved Gong Yoo in this, although it wasn't my favorite performance of his; his character was so funny!! I saw real development. Honestly, I loved every character. Usually, female characters in older dramas are difficult to like but "My Chan" (lol again haha) was really likeable and a good character.
It has its flaws and it isn't a drama that I would rewatch (at least for now), but I can see its quality and value, specially since it was released 12 years ago!
Don't regret watching it at all.

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I've wanted to pick up this show because I kept hearing about how this kdrama has one of the best kiss scenes in kdrama history and BOY ARE THEY RIGHT. IT's not only the kiss scene though, the romance was very very well done. It's probably of my favorite couple. Their dynamics, their bond, it's really cute and fluffy and makes me squeal like a little girl.
Marathoned this series.

Of course it was slow and boring at times, and I didn't really like the side characters romance because it quite annoyed me a bit. Except for that japanese guy, that guy was awesome. Anyway, it's still worth the the slow parts, also because of how lovely the actors are, especially the main girl!

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I actually took a break from this drama in the middle of watching because it did drag, but overall this drama is one of my top 15 favourites. To be honest i might just like this drama because Yoon Eun Hye is brilliant in these circumstances with kissing/affectionate scenes.This drama doesn't shy the romance,for example in other dramas, when the actors kiss it doesn't seem like they are enjoying themselves (i just call that bad acting), it really looks as if they are forcing the kiss which makes it seems less 'wow' than it should. I also liked the different storyline,I TIRED OF THE SAME STORYLINE AND CHARACTERS.

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The Worst Cross Dressing/Gender Bending Series I've Seen

**Disclaimer... This is just my opinion. Everyone has one and they are all valid. I know that I'm in the minority when it comes to this series. I appreciate all of the hard work that goes into making these dramas.**

I watched this series because I liked Gong Yoo in Goblin. I had high hopes for it because of the positive reviews I had seen. Unfortunately those hopes were dashed almost immediately. The acting was good but the writing wasn't.

The female lead character is so uncouth that I can barely find words to express it. She didn't grow up starving alone on a deserted island but she acts like she did. She takes gluttony to the extreme with a complete lack of table manners and common decency. One or two scenes of her eating would have been more than sufficient to get the point across but there are far too many of them. She is aggressive, rude, selfish, arrogant, ignorant and ultimately, to me, unlikeable that I found it very difficult to care about the main couple. Yes, she is hard working, tough and loyal (in a sense) but that isn't enough to balance out the rest.

The characters and their relationships are unhealthy. There is lying, cheating, using, abusing, stalking, etc. but a general lack of what most people would define as real love. That and a lack of chemistry between the main characters. For all of those reasons I couldn't get invested in this drama and couldn't wait to be done with it.

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Interesting premise but slow pacing

I have to say I watched this 12 years after it was first released so I'm comparing this drama to all the good dramas that have come out in the recent years.

I was really excited to watch this drama because of the hype. Everyone was giving it 10/10 which made me want to watch it even more. The first few episodes had so much potential. I was laughing and was very intrigued but to my disappointment, it only lasted for the first few episodes. The pacing is way too slow. They showed unnecessary scenes to fill out the episodes.

There was so much angst between the main leads. The male lead was a jerk. He was treating her like a piece of trash. That's not how you treat someone that you like. But still she liked him. If I was her, I would have dumped him. She was still very patient with him.

I would shorten the episodes to have a better pacing. I couldn't finish it. Just very boring.

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I recently watched this drama. This is quite a hyped and famous drama, so I wanted to see it for some time. I haven't watched a lot of old dramas, I usually prefer new ones. Let us get to the review ...
The drama has a good start. It has an adorable male and female. They have a lot of cute scenes together. Their bond evolves from friendship to love.
There are not a lot of cross-dressing modern-day dramas so I was very excited to see it. The story is nice and the acting of the cast is great. Everyone did an amazing job.
The one thing I did not like was the pace of the drama. I felt the drama was quite slow with a lot of fillers. Even though there were some moments I enjoyed in the episode, the drama felt too long. Hence I dropped it.

To summarize, it is an enjoyable drama that you can watch if you like slow-paced dramas.

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A drama full of toxic characters

First of all, I was intrigued by this Drama because it sounded like a Korean version of the Japanese amine Ouran High School Host Club. 😂 Sadly, it was way lacking in terms of plot and relatable characters.
At the beginning, the Drama was fun and interesting, with her trying to live by as a guy and not getting found out. And although there were some scenes where I was thinking to myself “ok damn that shit js homophobic as fck”, I was considering that maybe it was a realistic presentation of how old people might view homophobia (yes the doctor scene).
However it got kinda boring after her real gender was being revealed and even more boring after it turned all lovey-dovey.
Many people were getting annoyed at Eun-chan for keeping her gender a secret for so long and i guess even if it wasn’t neccessary in the end, I can kinda understand why she did that in order to keep her job. I found the way that Han-Gyeol was treating Eun-chan way more toxic tbh. Especially when he was trying to manipulate her not to go to italy bcs he stayed in Korea bcs of her so she cannot go either 🤦🏼‍♀️ I was facepalming myself so many times! Oh and also Inwas getting mad and annoyed at him for trying to force her into marrying him after only knowing each other for like 3 months, and then the majority of that time was even based on a lie too…
Also I gotta say: Almost all the men in this Drama were toxic AF!!!! Including the main lead!!!! Getting angry at him/her all the time, bossing her around and trying to control her. He was very manipulative and I seriously dunno why she fell in love with him so much… I kinda wished she would have gotten together with Han Sung and Yoo Joo with Han Gyeol…
And Yoo Joo herself was toxic in different ways as well. Super egoistic and self-centered, being with Han-Sung but kept on flirting with Han Gyeol knowing very well he had a crush on her! In general their interactions were just cringe af!!! They were literally acting like a couple and at the beginning I was actually confused about who she really loved. I realized it when she found out about Han-Sung’s crush on Eun-chan. And the way she reacted to it. Like I get it what he did was wrong af but what she was doing with Han Gyeol all the time wasn’t much more different either… And then also after she got pregnant she was still acting like a teenager. Like Why tf are you drinking alcohol when you are pregnant??? Idk but I really had the ick toward her…

However the worst character of this drama was probably Jin Ha-Rim the worst kind of wanna-be fckboy ever!!! He was so annoying and istg he deserved a good beating! i hated him so much!!! like it’s none of your business if a girl has a flat chest, doesn’t wear make up or has or doesn’t have sex with her boyfriend!!!! Him and Han Gyeol were one of the main reasons I started hating this drama towards the end…

Min-Yeop was lowkey annoying too. A pathetic clingy gorilla baby who then went on and listened to the suggestions of a playboy. And Eun-Sae wasn’t better! What a toxic bitch!!! If I had a sister like that I would have slapped her! what an embarrassment! no seriously tho, who came up with these characters??? I have never seen so many toxic characters and relationships in one Drama alone!!!
Seon-Gi was the main reason why I kept watching it and I wished he had more screen time 🥺
Also the fact that Eun-chan looked like a young Jungkook was hilarious 😂 To be honest I think she did kinda look like a guy, but more like a 15-year old teenage boy rather than a 24-year old grown man 😂 At the beginning it was funny how everyone treated him like a kid bcs ngl she really looked like a teenage boy, but it kept on getting annoying when they were still treating her like a child after her gender reaveal. Especially when Han Gyeol was still calling her “kiddo” while they were dating… it gave me the pedophile ick tbh ngl! Even she was still calling him boss in the 16th episode! Like come on girl, he is your boyfriend! But in general Seon-Gi, Eun-chan plus Han Sung were the only characters I liked, but I still couldn’t relate to anyone in this drama… A total fail!!! would not recommend.

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