Milliemay's Korean Movie Picks
WHY YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING SHE IS WOW
It seems that every week or so, a new drama is released in Korea. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Some do seriously well, and others don’t seem to perform or deliver. And then occasionally you get these absolute little gems of dramas with fantastic and original plotlines and acting; refreshing stories and complex characters that keep you gripped to the TV each week. She Is Wow is one of those dramas.
It captivated me from the first episode, with it’s multiple plots weaving in and around each other and a rather controversial main story.
There will be a few spoilers for episode one in this introduction, but they won’t ruin the experience for you!
Without further ado, let me introduce you to some of the characters in She Is Wow:
JO ARA played by OH HYUN KYUNG
Jo Ara is an aging but still beautiful actress, who is starting to lose popularity but was once very famous and loved by the Korean public. She’s tough, fussy, bossy and quite brazen in her approach to everything.
Pure sass.
On the outside, her life appears to be perfect. She is married to a handsome, popular news announcer, has a son who is off studying in America... She seems to project an image of absolute happiness and contentment. But all is not as it seems. What will we see as Jo Ara’s well constructed façade begins to collapse around her?
GONG JUNG HAN played by PARK SUNG WOONG
Married to actress Jo Ara, Gong Jung Han is a well known and beloved news announcer. He is charismatic, handsome and absolutely adored by the public, who often vote for him as the most popular face on TV.
The happy couple...?
His marriage with Jo Ara is played out in public as a fairy-tale romance. But behind closed doors, is all well in paradise?
Min Kyu is the 21-year-old son of Jo Ara and Gong Jung Han, who has been kept abroad and out of the eagle eyes of his parents’ fans for years. He has dropped out of high school multiple times, and flies home in the first episode due to almost being kicked out of yet another school in the States.
He just slobs around eating pizza. That's the life.
He is a born troublemaker and is really cheeky and mischievous; it seems obvious why his parents have attempted to erase his existence completely – he does not fit in with the lifestyle they like to portray to the world.
JI SUNG KI played by KWON SE IN
The former tutor of Gong Min Kyu, Sung Ki comes into the story in episode two. But why has he returned on the scene years after Min Kyu was sent to the US? What is his relationship to Gong Jung Han? And how will his appearance affect the lives of this family?
While Min Kyu is out with a friend, he spots the most beautiful ‘super, uber pretty’ girl he has ever seen: Yoo Nan Hee. She seems to be completely out of it, and is dressed in tight, short clothes. There’s something about her that makes Min Kyu think he’s fallen in love at first sight. But will he be able to find her again? And even if he does, will she fall for him too?
CHOI GO YA played by HAN JUNG SOO
This army general lives in the house next door, and seems happily married to his wife, who desperately wants a child. He’s handsome, well built and tempting… Jo Ara definitely likes to look at him. But will she go further, and put her fragile world at risk?
She Is Wow is absolutely one of my favourite Korean dramas of recent years. It has a refreshingly different formula to other dramas (which I still love, don’t get me wrong) and by the first few episodes there’s already a massive twist that has you thinking “Whaaaaat?!”
The dialogue is punchy, witty and fast paced; each character has a distinctive voice, and the acting really is excellent. I know many people can be put off when they see that an idol is starring in a drama, but I can honestly put my hands up and say: I didn’t even know Jin Young was in this before I started watching, and he really does an amazing job. His portrayal of Min Kyu is at times hilarious, and at others serious and heart-wrenching.
This drama takes a controversial subject, which is seen as taboo even in modern Korean society, and doesn’t actually make an absolutely huge deal out of it. Yes, the twist of it is integral to the plot, but I don’t think it’s over-done or over exaggerated at any point.
All in all, this drama is well worth a watch. It’s on it’s 11th episode at the moment I’m writing this (I’m waiting for the subbed version to be put up), so you can start watching and won’t find yourself waiting too long for new episodes!
The dialogue is punchy, witty and fast paced; each character has a distinctive voice, and the acting really is excellent. I know many people can be put off when they see that an idol is starring in a drama, but I can honestly put my hands up and say: I didn’t even know Jin Young was in this before I started watching, and he really does an amazing job. His portrayal of Min Kyu is at times hilarious, and at others serious and heart-wrenching.
*starts to weep uncontrollably*
This drama takes a controversial subject, which is seen as taboo even in modern Korean society, and doesn’t actually make an absolutely huge deal out of it. Yes, the twist of it is integral to the plot, but I don’t think it’s over-done or over exaggerated at any point.
All in all, this drama is well worth a watch. It’s on it’s 11th episode at the moment I’m writing this (I’m waiting for the subbed version to be put up), so you can start watching and won’t find yourself waiting too long for new episodes!
So, what are you waiting for? Go watch it now!
