Oh My Venus (2015)

I really wanted to like this drama more. I love Shin Min Ah and the premise sounded fun and unique. But show didn't quite do it for me. Honestly, I don't know why I finished this drama other than some weird compulsion to not leave things unfinished.

Anyway, lets start with the good. Shin Min Ah delivered an amazing performance as per usual. I definitely believed her as Kang Joo Eun. She delivered the weird and quirky personality so well. Yoo In Young was great as Oh Soo Jin. I especially loved when the two were on screen together. They worked so well as friends to rivals to friends.

I really loved Henry's character as well. He was fun and definitely helped add comedic moments to otherwise too intense ones. His acting wasn't amazing, but since he wasn't on screen too much it didn't really bother me.

The soundtrack was really good too. Several of the songs got stuck in my head and I never found them annoying. They cycled threw a few different songs so it wasn't constantly the same verse anytime there was an influx in emotion.

I also loved the cute, fluffy moments between the main couple. They were adorable and I'm pretty sure they're the reason I even finished it. I'm a sucker for really good fluff and Kang Joo Eun and Kim Yeong Ho provided tooth aching, cotton candy filled fluff whenever they could.

Now the not so good, the entire plot. I was extremely uncomfortable from the very beginning with how Yeong Ho was constantly shaming Joo Eun for her weight. An especially hard concept for me to take was the "your body is mine" thing he said throughout the first few episodes. I get that show was trying to promote being healthy but I think they went about it in a way that could be harmful.

It was too long. The last two episodes were completely unnecessary. the amount of repeated scenes from previous episodes had me skipping through them almost completely. And the two little "plot twists" they threw in in the last 5 minutes of the show were completely unnecessary.

Despite all this, I still mostly enjoyed watching the drama if only for the cuteness of the OTP, the side characters, and the general humor in the show.

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So Ji Sub had finally returned to our screens after his extremely popular drama, The Master's Sun, from 2013 (and his 2014 drama of One Sunny Day). We were anticipating a lot from the actor that just screams sexiness, and that's exactly what we got. Oh My Venus even went to great lengths to show us how sexy this man can be. A lot of people were excited for Shin Min Ah as well since she hasn't done a drama since 2012, and the only recent news we heard from her was her relationship status update with Kim Woo Bin. So let's say that this drama was very hyped and it came out quite well to how people wanted it to be.

The story itself wasn't that interesting when you read the synopsis, it could even be seen as boring. I don't think anybody started watching Oh My Venus for the plot, it was only for the actors. But I can say that the writers made this drama so much better from how it sounded. The amount of cute and sexy scenes between Kang Joo Eun and Kim Young Ho just made it so delightful to watch and it genuinely felt like a real love story. However, there were a few flaws to this series. Firstly, the relationship between Oh Soo Jin and Im Woo Shik felt absolutely pointless. I did not see a reason why that couple was necessary. They served no purpose. Secondly, rich guy-poorer girl cliche. Lastly, scenes with Choi Hye Ran and Choi Nam Chul were kind of idiotic.

Ah, the acting in this was brilliant. So Ji Sub knows how to impress and he's definitely got my attention for his future dramas. Also, his body. Oh. My. God. I had to give myself a moment when I saw him like that. Anyway, Shin Min Ah isn't the most perfect actress I've seen but she does her job extremely well, this drama gave her a boost in her career. Lau Henry and Sung Hoon are now on my to-look-out-for list because they are such great actors, especially Hoon. I want to see him in a leading role in the near future. The only acting choice I had a problem with was Yoo In Young. I don't know if I'm the only one who doesn't like her acting, but I never feel like she does her job to her best potential. I felt the same way when I watched Mask. Unfortunately, she's on my blacklist of actors and I just hope that her acting improves for Moon Lovers (if she does accept the offer).

I loved the music, especially the soundtracks of Beautiful Lady and Darling U. I had them on my tumblr dashboard for several weeks. The other tracks I didn't quite love as much as these two, but they are worth a listen for anyone interested.

I would rewatch Oh My Venus if I needed some sexy body and cute/erotic scenes to watch.

Oh My Venus, I would say, was a success and I look forward to seeing more from the writer and most of the actors. The only things that ruined it slightly was Yoo In Young (again, my opinion) and the writing errors. But I would definitely recommend to anyone wanting an adorable romcom.

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WHAT A SHOW.

It was just one of the all round best shows I have ever seen. There is not one one thing I can pick out that I would have wanted to be different. The acting, the development, the twists and turns were just perfect. I have a habit of reading many reviews before watching the show and I read many mixed reviews but decided to give the show a shot anyway. Thank god I did. After watching the show I just can't understand and relate to any of those faults they found. I genuinely found the show just amazing.

Story: The main complaint in the negative reviews was the lack of story. I am not one for melodrama's so a story like this that is light but intense of the romantic side and extremely focused on main couple is something I am very content with. I don't believe you need major second lead jealousy, manipulative parents and all the crazy K drama go to cliches for the story to be interesting. I quite enjoyed this break from the typical angst. Something I was personally worried about before watching was the 'health' concept. I really didn't want it to be too preachy and to make you feel really pathetic for not being motivated like her but that god they approached it in a light enough matter.

Characters: This show made me realise the importance of chemistry. Honestly there could be nothing else and just the main couples interaction and the show wouldn't be boring because the chemistry was electric. It was like nothing i've seen in any drama or movie before. I didn't for a second feel like they were two actors playing a part.. I recently watched and dropped 'My lovable girl'.. A show that also showed me the importance of chemistry but in the opposite way.. This has lead me to make the hypothesis that chemistry between the main couple is what can make or break a show. Can we now mention the eye candy? How hot were all 3 of Kang joo eun's men? Cutie pie ji woong, Mouth water-ingly hot Joon sung and of course our flawless coach-inim

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This is one I binge watched throughout. Its so good, the OTP's chemistry was amazing and they were pretty adult about it. I loved So Ji Sub in this (even though he looked like a hobo half the time which is not surprising for a trainer) and Kang Joo Eun was pretty even in her fat suit. The comedic moments in this was spot on I definitely laughed out loud several times whilst watching this. I loved all the characters in this specially puppy like 'kids'.
The story itself was quite straightforward and I loved the overall message of living a healthy life. It inspired me to take up jogging. Nothing really stood out in terms of OST but the cinematography and editing made the show flow quite well.
Definitely worth a rewatch. Don't hesitate.

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The road to self-esteem is full of dimples

After watching four depressing dramas in a row, I definitely needed something silly and with a happy ending. Most of all I needed something horny.
Someone suggested OMV saying it was full of skinship yet a bit problematic and, in the end, Shin Min Ah convinced me.
Oh My Venus! is indeed horny and silly but I didn't find it as problematic as it may seem at a first glance.
Yes, there are fat suits (Shin Min Ah is adorable even without dimples) and the discourse around body image, just like the whole "you can if you believe it" message are a bit too simplistic.
However, I feel like the underlying moral of the story is an uplifting one, nonetheless.

Shin Min Ah is Kang Joo-eun, this woman who was once Daegu's Venus and, for a number of reasons we just get a glimpse of (like the death of her father and a difficult workplace), has gained a bunch of weight and lost a bunch of self-esteem.
Her boyfriend of 15 years breaks up with her on their anniversary and she finds out he is dating her former friend. Said former friend was once very fat and is now very slim and, also, her new boss (and a bit of a bitch).
Joo-eun is, understandably, distressed by her life.
But fate rescues her in the form of an extremely fit and sexy man that soon becomes her personal trainer.

There is one exchange in these first episodes that convinced me this wasn't a chauvinistic male power-trip about saving women by making them hotter and thinner and it occurs when Joo-eun is venting to her friend about her former friend/boss and she says "I should've said that I was happy to see her. It's something I should've said, and it's not hard to say, why didn't I think to say that until now? Even if I couldn't tell her that she looks great and that she got prettier I should've at least told her that I was happy to see her. She is a friend I haven't seen in a long time. She underwent a total transformation and I turned into this. We could have laughed together about it. Why am I becoming meaner and meaner?".
She is acknowledging that her weight is not the root of the problem. She is so unsatisfied with her life to the point she has become bitter. And she doesn't want to be bitter, nor envious.
She wants to be able to laugh about her misfortunes with the friend she missed.
Joo-eun wants to regain control of her life, of the person she is and she wants to like herself again.
In a way, her body is the easiest starting point for this journey of self-rediscovery.
The aim of Joo-eun's transformation is becoming healthier, rather than looking as thin as she was at 15, and her personal trainer soon becomes the person she trusts her life with and to whom she will show the things she is ashamed of. He comes to know her at her lowest, at her worst and falls in love with her regardless of it.
While he takes care of her body (the whole concept of "your body is mine" is more cringe than cute for me, but I'm starting to think it is a trope in k-dramas), Joon eun will take care of his mind and show him the sweetness of life (mainly in the form of sugary food and lazy days he never allowed himself before).
They heal each other… except for when he refuses to see her for the whole year it takes to recover from a terrible car accident (she accepted his help at her most vulnerable and he can't accept to be seen at his weakest! … The mother-in-law tries to reason with him on this point in the last episode, though).

The main couple has outstanding chemistry and cute kisses and horny moments and, most definitely, carries the whole show. The other characters are not really developed but I liked the attempt at making a parallelism between Joo-eun and Soo-jin, whom still doesn't like herself despite having lost weight (this is to reinforce the message that the weight itself is not the reason behind unhappiness). I also liked that they apologize and make up.
The ex-boyfriend also proves not to be a total asshole. Another aspect I appreciated, in fact, is the lack of truly evil characters. We get only one scheming uncle whose every attempt at harming the male lead proves ridiculous.
On the other hand, there is no angst whatsoever and that is mainly because there isn't much of a plot to begin with.
The little bit of plot we get is absolutely ridiculous. For example, the scandal about (!?!) John Kim's double life as chaebol and fitness trainer, which becomes the reason he starts training Joo-eun, doesn't seem scandalous enough to ruin a CEO (I've come to learn that Koreans are easily shocked, though, especially if t comes to celebrities dating), nor it seems plausible that the slightly-evil uncle decides to embark in a kamikaze mission in order to provoke a car accident and kill said CEO.

In short, the plot is risible and, consequently, the pacing is uneven throughout the 16 episodes. The story could have done with half of them, really.

I like the ending. It felt realistic as the journey toward self-love is never-ending and there are ups and downs along the way. Also, pregnancy wreaks havoc on a woman's body. But Joo-eun looks happy in the end, even without her dimples.

Female Empowerment Score 5/5

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Story: This is a very straightforward and simple story of how an obese woman eventually lost weight but gained the love of a chaebol guy. The saving grace of this drama is not the storyline (which was nothing special or new) but the quirky and witty conversations and interactions between the characters. This drama has ups and downs - tears and laughter - all rolled in one. My only beef with it is how towards the end, the drama dragged a little with many re-plays and 'fillers' in order to make it into 16 episodes. It ended with a scene between the two children (representing the two leads) and how they had actually met in childhood - using a retrospective scene as ending - a method popularized by Secret Garden, but when used here in this drama, was unnecessary. Honestly speaking, episode 15 was a total waste of $ and time with many re-played scenes and not much progression in the story. If it's not for the draggy parts towards the end, I would have ranked this drama higher. I think a nice and concise 13 eps offering would have strengthened its ranking.

Acting/Cast: Generally great acting from everyone, including newbie idol-actor Henry. I do not know why but I'm not entirely sold on the main couple of this drama. Sure - I enjoyed the witty conversations and exchanges between the two of them - even their playfulness....but I'm not entirely convinced of them as a couple desperately attracted and in love with each other. The relationship felt more of best friends turned older brother-sister rather than the passionate and hot attraction of lovers. Maybe because they are an older couple, therefore the love felt more of a simmering sort rather than burning? Anyway, the chemistry between Shin Min A and So Ji Sub was not entirely the kind that made my heart go thump thump or sigh sigh...if you get what I mean.

Music: Quirky, silly and upbeat but not my cup of tea. Suitable for the drama though.

Re-watch value: Considering that there are many excellent KDramas in the romance and comedy genre out there, this drama has a pretty low re-watch value for me. Maybe because there were no scenes that I would like to re-watch or maybe due to the lack of burning chemistry between the main couple? It's an okay drama to pass the time with but not one that'll make me re-watch it again and again. It's a tick-I've-watched-it-and-it's-okay-but-now-let's-move-on-to-the-next-drama type of drama.

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Get your toothbrush out..... cause

THIS DRAMA IS SO SWEET! (~^-^~)

No joking. This is a perfect drama to make you laugh.
AND it will give you some good vibes about yourself and add some boost to your determinations
for... whatever (e.g. doing sports).

Personally, I wasn't interested in the plot with her boss/old friend/the-bitch-of-the-series at all,
so I just focused on the good stuff.

Love the crew around Young Ho, his two pals and his "butler" (lol).

And now I know - I totally need a "You bastard", too!

Ahhhh, this was so cute and entertaining... I feel content like after eating a sweet cupcake

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One of the best OTPs you will ever see

As are all my drama watching forays - I watch dramas purely because of the synopsis and try my very harderst to not let hype , acclaimed actors etc influence my drama watching however I do admit that my intentions with this drama were not as “pure” in that respect. Why do I say that? Mainly because once upon a time I picked up this drama and watched the first 5 minutes and immediately dropped it after those 5 mins and declared myself not to be in the mood to watch OMV.

Fast forward months later and I hypocritically declared myself in the mood because , *ahem* I wanted to see the fuss about So JiSub nation and this particular drama of his was readily available at my disposal. Sigh.

Now for the review.

These were my first impressions : The title is tacky , plot is unoriginal albeit cliche and my senses were telling me that this was going to be a shallow drama. Perhaps ,in hindsight ,that’s why I initially dropped it. However ,I stand very corrected. All those first impressions actually all have a deeper more profound reasoning over the course of the show which was a gift that kept on giving .

Admittedly slow start but after three episodes: I was fully sold . By the fourth episode I was giddy . I’m fully in Oh My Venus universe . I want to work out , start watching UFC fighting and wear some hoodies with the hood on a la John Kim . Heck , I wanted to sign up for a fitness program and eating plan beacause this show had me feeling got damn HEALTHY !
Moreover there’s chaebol elements ! And I’m a sucker for a chaebol trope.So already 10 out 10 in all facets because this show is undeniably fun. Its actually one of my few binge watches and I don’t binge. So fun is definitely a 10 out of 10 in my book.

So why does the story score a 7 you may ask ? It was ambitious and didn’t follow through. It does look like the writers themselves were trying their hardest to not be cliche and not emphasise the whole losing weight to get back at an ex and that’s fine because this drama was all about self confidence and that being “healthy is sexy”. And they did nail that but in nailing that ,some subsidiary stories were not so fluid . One point gone.In fact they were flat and dragged along a perfectly sound story line and momentum accentuated by the two main leads. It ruined the show in the end because the story got side tracked and then affected the overall ending in my opinion. 2 points now gone.They did so much on the side for the others - that they also added too much salt in the end for the OTP story line. Moreover , continuity factor was not as strong as premised and the editing was a bit suspect especially towards the end specifically after episode 14.To then fully remove 3 points from the 10 out of 10 it had - the plot holes were glaring and plot resolution was curious.One curious example that’s not too much of a spoiler but can illustrate what I mean is when Korean Snake is being pursued by Jan ji In that bordered on harassment and sexual assault but on the juxtaposition , the main character Kang Ju Eun had a stalker issue that was quite serious. I would never have expected more of this show but they offered more and didn’t execute.

But on the flip side - the show touched on some serious important issues like domestic abuse , depression and family. And a big major plus and why it has a solid 7points is because the two romantic leads storyline was absolutely majestic. Such a mature , realistic , communicative and awesome couple. None of that miscommunication and statue kisses polluting KDrama land but super realistic romantic scenes that left me so impressed. The light and fluff of the two was superbly done and their progress was so believable .Plus it’s a very honest relationship , no secrets so no baggage on the viewers on having the onus of knowing a truth and all that dramaland drama.A Seriously perfect OTP of all dramaverse.

As for the acting -SPELL BOUND. Literally - I was bewitched by Shi Min Na and So Ji Sub’s portrayals of their characters . In fact everyone was perfect though they were given inconsistent plot hole glaring storylines. Loved the chemistry between the male friends / housemates and special mention to Jin Kyeong who acted perennially sad , Choi Jin Ho for being the perfect stand in guardian of the chaebol and Jo Eun - Jin for being the best best friend. By the by - where is So Ji Sub nation and where can I apply for citeznship because yesssssss I sooooo get it and I want in. So Ji Sub dramas here we go!!

Music was okay . My favorite song was Tei’s I’ll Be There . I liked the instrumentals too and the Beautiful Lady song was perfectly inserted. I would listen to the songs whilst watching those YouTube fan videos but I genuinely liked like one song.

As for rewatch value - I would probably watch from episodes 6 to 14 on a serious fast forward tip because I would want to see the OTP. I did not particularly care for the last episode to be honest as it was badly edited and just a time filler. Episode 14 felt like a finale in my opinion ...but whatever - the overall overarching storyline is the main focus and that’s what matters. Plus So Ji Sub is the rewatch value ! Swoon.

As for the overall - I give a solid 8. I LOVED watching this show and actually binge watched ( I don’t binge watch by the way) and I think that counts for something in my book. It had one of the best proposal scene I have seen in dramaland and a really moving love declaration scenes. The romantic motifs were soooooo good. And I would really watch any of Shi Min Na and So Ji Sub’s dramas because they were so spectacular in this. I won’t lie that it’s problematic but It’s a great watch and the overarching storyline is really good . Go for it.

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Storyline – I thought that this was a good storyline. While it may seem on the surface to be just a typical makeover rom-com, it goes a bit deeper than that. Kang Joo Eun’s transformation is not even really about physical beauty, but about being healthy – which is a better thing to focus on than outward looks. She realizes that she is the same on the inside as she has always been, even if her looks have changed. This story is also about healing, particularly from those scars we have on the inside. Everyone carries something with them that others can’t see. The romance is a mature one where the leads actually communicate with each other.
The secondary romance, while it is a slower tone from the rest of the drama, still tells a story that is relevant and a contrast to the main leads. I initially thought the secondary romance was a little draggy, but upon further reflection I see deeper meaning in it and see why it was done the way it was. I'll still fast forward through them for re-watches. (They are the reason I docked it half a point)
And there is a third, much smaller romance that is very cute.

Acting/Cast – The chemistry between the main leads was off the charts. I became a So Ji Sub fan watching this drama. This was also my first time watching Shin Min Ah, and she also did a great job. I loved the bromance with the characters that were played by Henry and Sung Hoon – they added comedy and heart to the drama. The actor that plays Secretary Min is also adorable (the secretaries are always awesome aren’t they??)

Music – I loved the songs Beautiful Lady and Darling U – very fun. There were also some nice softer songs that I couldn’t name, but went well with what was happening on screen.
My biggest criticisms are that Kim Young Ho/ John Kim’s family relations were not explained very well, and it took a while to sort them out and understand some of their interactions and motivations and the slowness of the secondary romance.
Other than that, this is one of my favorite dramas and it has a good re-watch value. Each viewing is just as good as the first.

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Let me start off this review by saying this was the first Korean drama I seriously thought about dropping. At first, I enjoyed the story and the actors were cute so I kept watching but after episode 9... I just couldn't take it anymore. I watched the last 4 episodes by skipping A LOT of scenes (I watched those 4 episodes in less than an hour). The main character lost her charm after a few episodes, the male lead had the same expression ALL THE TIME (you know what I mean, those eyebrows...). The side characters were cute but not impressive. Even the music started annoying me after a while. I honestly can't understand why so many people love this drama. I'm starting to think I have some kind of problem with hyped shows hahaha. Oh well, I'm glad I finished it. I'll be able to sleep tonight.

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