Shopping King Louie (2016)

A Rom-Com that we've been searching for all our lives.

This drama was an absolute joy to watch. It was never boring or dragged. The writers really knew what they were doing with this storyline. Gotta give it to Seo In Guk for his acting chops and Nam Ji Hyun always comes through no matter what role she's playing.

While I successfully made it through the first 2 episodes, my anxiety had already hit the roof. I was always worried about the either of them getting scammed at any given moment, and guess who got scammed by the next two episodes *sigh*
The most lovable factor about this show was how they highlighted that money is important for survival but not important enough to let go of your principles.
Although it sounds like a heavy concept, every episode was outlined and overlapped with comedy. This subtlety has me in awe. This is the kind of drama I look forward to at the end of a stressful day.
Their kisses were magical and absolutely cute, although I will always hate the fact how the female lead is so shy, it grates on my nerves.
But then again it's a K-drama so I guess I'll just have to let it slide.
The second leads were good enough but I wish their character had some substance too. It would have been nice to see them evolve as well and not hung over one person, cause it sort of made me uninterested when it came to their scenes and how they pined over their crush.
The timing for unraveling the suspense was perfect, it didn't make me impatient enough to stop watching the drama or skip some scenes. The consistency of this drama definitely deserves an applause.
The last episode was way too boring though, as much as I'm a sucker for happy endings, this didn't make me all fluttery and happy, it seemed like just another episode. Since the other episodes were interesting enough maybe I expected more from the last one too.
All in all, this light hearted drama is worth watching and it'll make you wonder if watching it once was ebough.

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Skip to episode 11

Story idea/concept (8)
The idea is not groundbreaking, but the shopping concept is interesting.

Script (5)
The writer for some unfathomable reason stretched out the setup over 10 episodes, and then had to hurriedly wrap up the show.

Directing (8)
Was ok
Pacing (7)
Was weakened by the script writers choices

Acting (8)
Male lead always has the same facial expressions in every show I’ve seen him in, with limited range, but the other actors carried the drama.

Wardrobe (8)
Was well done and ok overall.

Sets/Locations (8)
Typical of Kdramas, thank goodness the product placement was not irritating as they can sometimes be in Kdramas

Skip to episode 11, in my opinion that’s when the show finally finds direction. Everything that happens prior is rehashed in subsequent episodes anyway so you don’t really miss much, because the male lead is highly irritating in the early episodes.

Episodes 1 to 10 should have been covered in 3 episodes, episodes 11 to 16 should have been spread out to 13 episodes.

Rewatch Value (2)

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I've just finished watching Shopping King Louis. This review is my personal opinion, judged by the divided mentioned factors.

What to expect from this drama:
This Drama has a few cliches I won't disclose in this review, however, none of them did I find harming to the show. You'll also be surprised by the fact that the good guy wins the girl, not the one who treats her poorly - is that a spoiler? Ugh, I guess you could guess it from the summary. The drama is lighthearted, simple, and easy to watch. Comedy and romance are the core genres and portrayed well. The romance is especially cute and unique.

My overall score of this show is 7, which is, in my opinion, an above mediocre score. Here's why...

My first area that I'll cover is the story. The plot is very simple, lighthearted and easy to watch. Of course, there are some cliches placed in some episodes but overall I think the plot handles it quite well. My personal opinion of the story is positive. Whenever I see something that has to do with amnesia I hesitate but this drama uses this element in a non-cliche/annoying way. The characters stay true to themselves throughout the drama and undergo individual character development. The characters, as well as the story, is well thought out without any major, story-destroying plot holes. In fact, I didn't find any plot holes at all.

The acting in this drama is good, but not the best I've witnessed out there. However, I must say Seo In Guk portrays his character adequately and stays consistent in his acting throughout the drama. The characters are fun and each actor does a great job to stay constant, hence my rating falls on 6.0.

In regards to the music in this drama, I'm fairly surprised. Whether it's the magic touch of Monsta X or something else, I don't know. What I do know is that I love the music in this show - and not only the main ost. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as well.

My rewatch value is 5.5, which is based on the fact that I rarely fully rewatch dramas. If I'm rewatching something I only watch few certain episodes. So, I've set it to 5.5 as an "Maybe I'll return but I'm not sure" kind of score. Vague but true.

You'll like this if...
- You want something unique/fresh in the romcom (romance/comedy) genre.
- You enjoy a simple lighthearted story that comes in a complete package.
- Seo In Guk acting like the cutest kid ever.
- You enjoy a unique story from time to time.

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One of the best romantic comedies that I've ever seen!

I found this series on viki.com and once I started watching it I couldn't stop. People talk about having a Netflix Marathon hangover...well, I had a Shopaholic King Louie hangover. It was so good. Every episode has supremely funny parts and the sad parts are so sincerely acted that I felt for every character, even the ones that weren't the "good guys".

The main leads did an amazing job with the acting. The actor portraying Louie showed Louie's character as a well loved but protected grandson with sincerity. I felt for the poor rich boy and felt even more once he loses his memory. The relationship that develops between him and the main female lead is heart warming and tender. Both are innocent in the ways of the world and very trusting of others. The supporting characters were also well acted out and gave this series a real ensemble feel, each contributing to the success of the show.

The script was well written with funny scenes I had never seen in other shows I've watched. It felt very unique and warm. It was really a joy to watch. I loved how the American music that was selected fit each scene so perfectly. The playful scene dancing at the beach was filled with fun, wonder and innocent pleasures.

For anyone who contributed to the making of this series....thank you from the bottom of my heart. You really made me happy. Signed, an American Fan.

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cringe but adorable

if you are looking for something joyful with no complicated story. then you must watch this one, the plot is typical and predictable, they put some plot twists but they were ridiculous to me, but the characters, even the side ones are very enjoyable and funny, the older women in this drama is what kept me watching, not your typical evil judgmental women, they all very nice and hilarious, the main couple are both dump, i loved them so much, even the third wheel man is cute. but there is so many scenes that does not make sense, just be prepared for ton amount of cringe

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A ne pas rater !

Une excellente rom-com drôle (les personnages n'hésitent pas à montrer leurs défauts et leurs aspects ridicules), très mignonne (la romance dans le CL est très très cute) et qui dégage des émotions positives.
Le contexte est actuel : addiction au shopping, vente en ligne, influenceurs, etc. La réalisation est dynamique et efficace. Les effets spéciaux sont judicieux et bien dosés.

Ce drama permet à Seo In-Guk de montrer toute l'étendue de son talent (et il en a beaucoup !! ❤❤❤❤), mais les personnages secondaires sont également bien développés et très attachants.

En bref (inutile de faire un roman sur un drama de cette qualité), un drama feel-good, cute, avec un mix bien dosé de romance, d'humour et de suspens.
Ne passez as à côté !

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MY PRECIOUSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Shopping King Louie was an interesting watch, for sure. Despite the cliches and the obligatory break-ups, I still really loved the drama and its over the top humor. The less interesting parts like the politics and evil schemes happened extremely quickly and were over before I could remind myself that I usually hate those kinds of scenes. During the gloomy part of the drama, the atmosphere was still really fluffy and light, which was a very big plus for me, and I tend to feel very down when the atmosphere in a drama is depressing. While I was extremely annoyed by the “I’ve always hated your guts” speech that Bok Sil told Louie, it was never brought up again, to my great relief and extreme confusion. I have to commend the writers for pulling the double amnesia stunt, because the episode that followed was so entertaining and cheesy that my insides practically melted. The main leads themselves were extremely entertaining, especially Louie, who proved to me that femininity can be extremely attractive in a guy. While the last 4 episodes were mainly filler and contributed pretty much nothing to the plot, I somehow still enjoyed myself watching them. This drama had my absolute favorite most incompetent viillain and one of my favorite second lead romance, if only for the extremely childish farting scenes that happened between the characters. I would recommend this drama because of the pure joy I felt watching it. As long as you don’t take it too seriously, you can have lots of laughs while viewing this wonderful drama.

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Subverts from chaebol meets poor girl story and puts in interesting and quirky twists and characters

They have good chemistry but not amazing chemistry.

They don’t have the slow build up of romantic feelings. I feel like they already broke the wall of romantic gestures from the get go. So when they kiss, it doesn’t feel as romantic.

There’s a lot of funny scenes so I was never bored. But they weren’t laugh out loud funny. It was just little chuckles.

They revealed everything too early. 2nd half felt like it dragged a bit.

However, the good thing about this drama is that it always manages to be funny throughout a lot of the show because all the characters even the evil ones are somehow really quirky. The ending made me cry because it was so heartwarming.

I would not rewatch because I now know what happens and the romantic scenes were not romantic enough but overall it was a good watch.

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Funny and catching drama, describe the most Shopping King Louie! I start to watch this drama in 2016 but ending giving up, and so I decide to finish this year and I enjoy the experience.
The characters are so funny and I love them all,I don't feel the chemistry between the main couple,but this doesn't matter much 'cause the characters are so cool that I keep watching even though this.Louie and Joong Won are the best in this for me,I could watch an entire drama just with these two LOL. About the story,I really like it,has a lot of cliches but they go well with this type of rom-com drama,what I like the most,was that the couple doesn't break or fight all the time,always they will resolve a hard time quickly. The childhood plot is not my favorite,and I think SKL doesn't need this plot,but at the same time, this plot is so cute,that I will pass this time!
The actions are the best,the quest really did a good job!!
So,if you are searching for a fresh drama that will make you forget the reality,this is a good option,is really easy to start linking this one and I highly recommend it to rom-com lovers! you will laugh a lot with this drama too,so get prepared

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I thought it will be very amazing drama
But with sorrow it disappointed me a lot
The story was ok
The romance was cute the comedy was nice
EXCEPT the character of the two main leads

There is a huuuuuuge different between being kind and being foolish
And a huuuuuuge different between pure, innocence and mental retardation
Specially in guk actions and attitude
There is no conflict in being kind and have a strong character
Both were very weak in a very annoying way

For the first time I saw a chaebol with that weak character
How could he deal with his business that way
And as a man he was depending too much on his girlfriend

I continue hoping there will be character development at some point

But when I reached Ep 10 I lost hope already

And the end was very frustrating
For no reason the writer decided to make the grandmother die
And the end was Open for every side story except the main leads
The writer left them all running in a circle
Endless hope of love with someone who loves another one

😭😭😭😭
REALLY ANNOYING

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I'm a very harsh critic when it comes to actually reviewing dramas but I have to say this is one of my favorite ones I've seen. While the story and plot is predictable like most dramas and the whole "amnesiac" trope is played to death, this was enjoyable more for all the characters than for the story. Each main and supporting role is delightful to see interact with each other. Most importantly: the love is not abusive and the plot pain points are not based upon lies, deception, or miscommunication. I have no idea why Korea likes to normalize those types of shitty behaviors and relationships but it needs to stop.

No one is cartoonishly evil with no hope of redemption. The main girl is strong and delightful till the very end; she suffers no lack in dimension nor does she become a wet napkin over time. Louis is depicted as painfully spoiled yet never acts like he is superior or entitled; that is super refreshing to see when dealing with rich boy/poor girl love trope. The love and affection they have for each other is innocent, pure, and adorable. Most of the loose ends are tied up nicely at the end. The music added to the scenes perfectly, and often played up for comedy.

Overall, it's not some amazing and unique story BUT the characters are refreshing, hilarious, and endearing and it will be very hard to say goodbye to them at the end.

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