Review:// One More Happy Ending

One More Happy Ending is a 16-episode romantic comedy about a group of ex-idols, now 30-somethings, who are looking for fulfillment in their relationships. The story centers around Han Mi Mo (Jang Na Ra) who owns a matchmaking company for divorcees, and who is desperate to marry for the second time herself. Song Soo Hyuk (Jung Kyung Ho) is a single dad and gossip rag reporter who had a one sided crush on Han Mi Mo in elementary school. The two run into each other while Song Soo Hyuk is pursuing a story, and discover that they live right across the hall from each other.

The Good:  There were a lot of charming scenes that make this a very likeable drama. The two men in our romantic triangle were heartfelt, and then there was Conan O'Brien whose Korean was painful to listen to, but I applaud him for doing it. 

As a bonus, there were period scenes parodying other dramas that poked fun at our triangle. The flashback scenes from Han Mi Mo and Song Soo Hyuk's childhood were also cute and touching. Child actors, Lee Young Eun and Choi Kwon Soo did a great job.

There was bromance! Emotional and hilarious bromantic scenes between Song Soo Hyuk and Goo Hae Joon (Kwon Yool) in addition to their college-days flashbacks made for a painful conflict when they both went for the same woman. 

Aside from our triangle (and Conan), the rest of the characters are compelling. Go Dong Mi (Yoo In Na) is a style-challenged elementary school teacher, desperate for love, but her relationships always come with complications. Baek Da Jung (Yoo Da In) is trying to keep her family together, but her husband wants out of the cold marriage they have. Hong Ae Ran (Seo In Young) struggles with business and aging, and is hesitant to settle down with the man she's dating. Each character grew and changed as they learned from their relationships, and there were some twists and turns along the way making the story somewhat unpredictable.

The Bad:  Our leading and second leading man were attractive and evoked sympathy while they were single, but once they were in a relationship, they were completely obnoxious. I really couldn't stand either of them. And once Han Mi Mo stopped being a vapid goldfish, the obstacles thrown in to trip up the main couple's pairing were superficial and silly. The side characters had storylines that were more interesting and meaningful. If some of that authenticity could have been applied to the main couple, especially towards the end, I think the drama would have come together better.

The lack of substance and cohesiveness with the main storyline is what probably hurt its ratings. One More Happy Ending finished with a nationwide AGB Nielsen rating of 3.0%, though it averaged 5.2% overall. Despite the drama's flaws, it was entertaining and ended in a satisfactory way, so it's worth watching once you're caught up with your other dramas and want something to pass the time. 

First Impressions:// Fated to Love You (Korean)

The Korean remake of Fated to Love You has certainly retained the spirit of the original. The one glaring difference fans of the Taiwanese version will notice is the change in the male lead's personality. While Ethan Ruan played a more serious iceberg, Jang Hyuk is flamboyant and dramatic. It's quite a twist, but it works, and helps to give this remake its own voice.

The story is about a man who keeps getting propositioned by male couples. Okay, not really, but there were a few scenes in the second episode that got my imagination going.

Lee Gun (Jang Hyuk) is an eccentric chaebol heir with great abs, which he so graciously displays repeatedly.  He's exaggerated, diva-ish, and you never know what he's going to do next. Having only seen Jang Hyuk in dramatic roles lately, I was delighted to see him perform such comedic antics. He's definitely upped his game from his past comedies.

Seeing that our leading man is getting older without securing an heir, the family puts considerable pressure on him and his grandmother, Chairwoman Wang (Park Won Sook), to get him married as soon as possible.

Kim Mi Young (Jang Na Ra) is the "Post-it Girl" played similarly by Chen Qiao En in the Taiwanese version. Too nice for her own good, she gets taken advantage of at the office where people pass work onto her via post-it notes.

Lee Gun and Mi Young's first meeting turns into something hilarious, with Lee Gun alternating between failing to be a gentleman, and going into chaebol mode. Mi Young is meek, but with an inner strength that briefly surfaces. This start to their relationship is a nice anticipatory appetizer.

Now if you've seen the Taiwanese version or read the synopsis of either, it's not spoilerish to say that these two end up having an accidental one night stand. Though much of the leading lady's forays into Imagination Land from the Taiwanese series are cut out, we still get the benefit of silly symbolism and animation in the Korean drama. Cheesy? Yes, but it fits right into place.

Though Lee Gun is an over the top type of guy, Jang Hyuk also brings subtley and tenderness to the role. Jang Na Ra is beautifully adorable as usual, and the two of them have a great rapport and undeniable chemistry.

 

It doesn't hurt that they've already established themselves as an endearing couple in the 2002 rom/com, Successful Story of a Bright Girl. Since then, they've both enjoyed much success in their busy careers. Seeing them come back together as more refined and complex actors is amazing.

Choi Jin Hyuk is Daniel, and if the script sticks to the original where he's concerned, Daniel will be our sweet and caring Second Leading Man. We don't get to see very much of him in the first two episodes, but he seems like a pleasant scoundrel so far. Wang Ji Won is Kang Se Ra, Lee Gun's ballerina girlfriend who has been avoiding marriage due to her career.

And then we have the men who are trying to stop Lee Gun from closing their soap factory and putting everyone out of work. Jung Eun Pyo and Im Hyung Joon make a perfect comedic duo as President Park and Mr. Choi (who also happens to be Mi Young's brother in law).

 

It took two episodes to tell the story that the Taiwanese version told in one. Being that there are 24 90-minute episodes in the Taiwanese series compared to 20 one hour installments in the Korean drama, I'm guessing that a lot of extraneous storyline and dragging action from the original will be pared away to create a more concise and satisfying story.