Kim Min Ho (So Ji Sub) is a rich chaebol son who has been moonlighting as a physical trainer in the United States. He meets Kang Joo Eun (Shin Min Ah) on the way back to Korea, and his life becomes entangled with the overweight, former beauty. Though she has physical problems, and Min Ho has emotional scars from a traumatic childhood, they each have strengths that the other needs to heal.
The Good: This drama contained a veritable laundry list of every cute thing a drama should have. The leads gave amazing performances, watching So Ji Sub be shocked and cute and frustrated was the ultimate fangirl dream, there was a trademark kiss, sexy workouts, an adorable three-way bromance, a cute chubby kid, the stern but caring assistant, the stereotypical date full of cute activities, warmth and fuzziness, and a handmade gift (of course). Even the soundtrack is cute and upbeat.
Though the plot basically revolved around a fat girl getting skinny and reclaiming a happy life, it was nice that health over appearance was stressed. More important than Min Ah looking better, were the results of her blood test and physical examination. Min Ho repeatedly tells her that good health is pretty and sexy. The drama also conveys that becoming thin and beautiful doesn't automatically bring happiness.
Jang Joon Sung (Sung Hoon) and Kim Ji Woong (Henry) gave endearing bromantical performances as the MMA fighter and manager working with Min Ho. They were such a pleasure to watch, I want them to have their own spin-off drama. Though Joon Sung did have a sub-plot, more time could have been spent on it, in addition to further developing Ji Woong's character. Though they weren't cultivated to their fullest potential, the fact that they were so lovable as to make me want more of them is still a good thing.
Oh My Venus was captivating enough to be marathon worthy up to episode 14, with anticipation for the problems that would arise in the home stretch. Although they dropped the ball in the last three episodes, in my opinion, the final scene was so perfect, it made up for it.
The Bad: Some might like a feel-good drama from start to finish. I prefer to have a decent amount of pain and strife to maximize the impact of the sweet scenes. There was lots of potential for conflict to be developed, but it was all diluted, and negative situations were quickly cleared up. The biggest obstacles they faced were themselves, and because it was all their own choice, there was no question that everything would be resolved .
Im Woo Shik (Jung Gyeo Woon) and Oh Soo Jin (Yoo In Young) represented one of the main sources of conflict in the drama, but their relationship with each other was portrayed as a bit depressing to the point where you have to wonder if there was ever any spark between them. It was sorely underdeveloped to begin with, which made them difficult to relate to as the drama progressed.
The last three episodes started to drag with continued happiness and lots of flashbacks. Where the story could have had more tension and meaning (and attention to the side characters) all the way to the end, it was filled with slow paced feel good moments. There were about a dozen scenes that could have been the happy ending. Despite my love for all the characters, I was ready to rate this drama a seven, until that final perfect scene bumped it back up to an eight. With better writing, it could have been a ten.
Oh My Venus received an average Neilsen rating of 8.7% nationwide, and 9.5% in Seoul. Yoo In Young received a Popularity Award at the 2015 APAN Star Awards. So Ji Sub won for Best Actor at the 2015 KBS Drama Awards, where Shin Min Ah won for Excellent Actress in a mini-series, and together they received the Best Couple award.
