Shopping King Louie (2016)

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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Funny and Awesome

I love everything about this series, funny, innocent love and dramatic all in one... love watching it all over again... Seo In Guk is a great actor I love his facial expressions, and so other actors... This comedy romance Drama made me relax , laugh, cry like crazy... thank you to the writer, production and actors and crew... hope to see more of this kind of series... funny, dramatic and with lessons to be learned...
Jan - Los Angeles, I love everything about this series, funny, innocent love and dramatic all in one... love watching it all over again... Seo In Guk is a great actor I love his facial expressions, and so other actors... This comedy romance Drama made me relax and laugh, cry like crazy... thank you to the writer, production and actors and crew... hope to see more of this kind of series... funny, dramatic and with lessons to be learned...
Jan - Los Angeles

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Una vez el sadomasoquismo coreano

La escritora busca los medios para hacer que la historia tome el rumbo que les gusta a los coreanos.
Por ahí la abuela habla a la heroína, o los parientes se entrometen, o la otra niña quiere casarse con el héroe, lo que sea, para que no se de algo que es NORMAL.
La bella actriz en este drama, Nam Ji Hyun, una vez mas tiene que hacer el ridículo, como en tantos otros dramas, para tomar una posición IRREAL .
Aplica la misma tontera que usan en muchos otros, dicen algo y se dan vueltas y se van sin dar explicación alguna por su imbecilidad. ¡En ese momento, lo ODIAMOS y decimos ¡Que buena actriz!
De ahí en adelante todo es falso y lo protagoniza una persona tonta.
SUFRE ELLA, SUFRE EL y los espectadores estamos hartos de estas jugarretas coreanas.
No soy tonto, se que es con el objeto de agregar varios capítulos mas. Solo que en el caso de este drama no se justificaba. ERA GRATUITO.
Me quedo viendo las bellas piernas de Nam Ji Hyun y me importa un rabano lo que venga.

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Too cute to miss

I absolutely adore this k-drama, its just too cute to ignore!

The main couple are so refreshing to watch and louie is so sweet and adorable like a sugar cube!

The acting in this is very well done and the story is something I had not watched before this one (for once amnesia DOES NOT RUIN EVERYTHING!!!). Even the supporting roles stories kept me wanting the next episode ASAP. Although very unrealistic to real life it is low key what everyone would want to happen to them. I love the fact the main couple persist through all the difficulties they face and continue to strive!

It is one of the very few k-dramas I have rewatched, I cannot praise this enough go and watch it now!!

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This drama has a nice feel to it. The first episodes starts so aesthetically and it’s super cute right from the start. A different kind of cute. Everyone in this show is a child. The characters don’t put on airs and they are kind just because. It’s better than being mean just because. They are nice to each and very forgiving.
Both the main characters are new to living life like ordinary people.

I enjoyed aspects of this drama that I usually wouldn’t highlight (sad times, separations, secondary characters). In comparison, I didn’t enjoy the usual factors such as bromance, romance and family in this drama. Louis’ shopping talent entertained me and Bok Shil’s simple personality also made me smile. I wasn’t interested in the main couple all that much, but was more keen on the overarching story. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns of the story. I found the secondary characters (Ms. Heo, Mr. Kim, the office workers and even the mothers!) worthwhile and was interested in the bad guy schemes and machinations. The good thing about this show is that it wraps up each character and each concept neatly so it feels the drama comes full circle. A lot of this show is really natural. Things actually make sense.

Seo In Guk
Louis is a spoiled but a trapped character. And more so that the usual obligations of a male heir. He obviously compensates for his lack of living with shopping. He’s sad, he’s like an object that he buys. I liked the parallel. He doesn’t have a rebellious personality.

“I can’t make grandma sad.”

He just had no opportunity to mature with everyone spoon feeding him.

“Why does my grandma keep me locked in?”
“It’s because you’re precious.”

Louis lives in France so I’m glad he keeps talking in a spattering of English, French and Korean.
He reminded me of a puppy. His scared whimpers is particularly hilarious.

Bok Shil
This character gets a gold star for never being fazed. She is probably one of the few heroines that doesn’t make a fuss about skinship.
She’s also a wonderfully tragic actress. Her brother was a brat but her love and sorrow for him had me in tears.

Romance
“Why are you so timid?”
“I’m afraid of being alone.”

Oh my gosh. These two are hilarious and cute and dynamic. They’re funny because they are both so over the top at simple pleasures such as the sauna and the market. The best thing about this couple is they’re not shy about skinship. They’re snuggly and cuddly as friends. The couple really excels in doing romantic things without drama. They’re so comfortable with each other whether it be dancing, or holding hands, piggyback rides, or any close proximity. They’re not awkward at all and just smile at each other brightly like the whole world is awesome. Their first kiss was the best.

“I love it here.”
“Me too.”

It’s refreshing to have an innocent hero.
The pair have a simple trusting friendship that is straightforward and honest. It gives the show a lovely vibe without any contrived fights.

“It feels awesome to have someone on my side.”

BONUS: Their kisses were very mutual.

Cha Joong Won – second male lead
Despite his peacock tendencies, Joong Won is a decent person.
As the drama goes on, you can see how he doesn’t put people into a box and how if someone has the audacity to ask him for a favour, he’ll do it. It was amazing to see as much as he hated Louis’ sense of entitlement he also understood it so perfectly.

“Louis lived apart from his family for a long time, so he needs love and care more than average people. Treat him well.”
My favourite thing was how all the other characters made fun of him by imitating his throat clearing habit.

Ma Ri
“You’re the Mother Theresa of Goldline.”
Ma Ri's suffering at the hands of In Sung was funny for me too the way she was so freaked out by him but kept hanging around him.

Ms. Heo
This lady that I only knew from the gentle character in Reply 1988 is actually a really great personality in this show. So much fun! I probably only liked her because she was the sweet Sun Young and I find it hilarious to see her being called Ms. Double Axe in this drama. The flashback to when she was young is perfect and really shows how Grandmother Choi is such a great person that can see past people’s outer layers.

Mothers
I appreciated the silly spin on the mother’s perspectives of how they viewed people.

“You should also get a nickname so we can hang out.”

The mothers’ schemes in this one were more innocent and funny rather than evil mean-spirited. They are not set in their ways. The drama also showed their relationship with their respective husbands and it felt more real and meaningful that most other dramas I’ve seen.

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This drama is very close to my heart, but I'll try to be as objective as possible. First things first, if you're not a fan of cliches or very cheesy romance then don't even bother start watching it. If you are, though, this drama is everything you're looking for.

Louie had everything to be the emotionless, brooding chaebol, but fortunately he steers away from that trope and is actually a very cute, clumsy and adorable lead. I praise Seo In Guk for his performance here, because if not played well this character could've easily turned into a spoiled, petty brat, but the actor really portrays him with a lot of charisma. Bok Shil is also nice, she's a bit too naive sometimes, but she's also not just a doormat who lets everyone walk all over her. There's some annoying secondary characters, the only ones I liked were the butler, his love interest and Louie's grandma.

The story flows nicely most of the time, but I'll admit it gets a bit boring at some points towards the end. The plot was also full o cliches, although I wasn't too bothered by them. The OST is okay, I didn't really think Tiger Moth fit in well in the scenes it was played and although there's some disney songs that I love, I think it lacked more of an original, quality track.

Overall this show is pretty good, specially if you're looking for a light rom-com that you can just shut your brain off and appreciate.

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Loved this so much (ugh Seo In Guk is an adorable puppy)

I LOVED THIS AND BELIEVE EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH IT IF THEY HAVEN'T ALREADY.

^ that's my opinion of this kdrama in a nutshell.

Story: Honestly I had a lot of fun (and emotions) watching this drama. Watching the friendship and relationship grow between the leads was beautiful and so wholesome. I know a lot of people get fed up with how childish the ML is (esp when it comes to money) but I never once got annoyed. And a childish lead would easily annoy me. This one didn't. Louie was adorable and very puppy-like, he was extremely kind and loyal. Sure, he was childish and had no clue how to value money, but that's to be expected considering how sheltered and babied he was growing up. He was never made to do anything himself and he wasn't allowed to really go anywhere because his grandmother was worried he would somehow hurt himself or die - so she isolated him in a mansion in France with a lot of maids and his butler. And that's how he lived most of his life. So he goes from the life of having limitless money and help to losing his memory and belongings and waking up on the streets by himself. Anyway, I loved the whole story really, there was barely a moment I didn't enjoy and I rarely skipped. Obviously it's not the most unique, mind blowing drama but it's still unique in how it was executed and the quality. I loved the characters and was very attached to their stories.

Acting/Cast: Love the cast for this! Especially Seo In Guk (Louie), this role was really perfect for him because he even looks like an adorable puppy. I think all the actors did great and I adored the chemistry between the leads. They were so fluffy and cute and I loved their kisses too. Plus they appeared really natural with each other, which I think is important. Nothing worse than sensing awkwardness/stiffness between the lead actors during romance scenes.

Music: I don't have an actual rating for this because I believe the version of this drama I watched on Viki didn't have the original soundtrack (maybe due to copyright reasons idk) because the lyrics that would display at the bottom of the screen were completely different to what I was hearing. Even so, the replaced music was fitting enough which is good.

Rewatch Value: I make sure to say this in ever review - I rarely rewatch dramas. I only rewatch ones I've absolutely loved/would be worth a rewatch and therefore, I rarely give this section a 10/10. But, I would 100% rewatch SKL in the future. Seo In Guk was just too cute in this.

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Interesting plot with a mindless story

The plot interested me, but the story itself seemed kinda mindless. However I really like Seo In Guk, so I was bound to check this out. But as I got further into this I kinda lost interest. I stopped around episode 7. I just never bought Louie's amnesia. oftentimes amnesia or forgetfulness is used in dramas when the writers are too lazy to write a real story. And even if it was believable, the main event of a drama is supposed to bring out change in the main character but I didn't really see any development with him. I've read other reviews that say Louie stays the spoiled undisciplined brat he does even after he gets his memory back, so for me that was a sign to drop this. I like the idea of this drama, I just could never really get on board. I really did try to like this one though. Overall 6.5/10.

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The drama was slow paced in my opinion. The storyline was odd and had a boring plot, nothing against the cast or the acting but it had very annoying main characters, who milked the joke dry. Apparently you will need great patience skills with the male lead and some sort of empathy with the female lead. I tried, I really did, but nothing came from it, no progress no improvement. The acting was done well according to the characters, so nothing against the cast, it was just the character itself that was just horribly written, dumb naive stupid arrogant narcissistic main guy and dumb naive submissive motherly female lead. Watched due to recommendation but regret wasting my time
There was no excitement on looking forward to the episode unfortunately
Shame

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