Updated Review 2022:

I finished my first rewatch of Shopping King Louis this past weekend, and I'm so happy I decided to watch it again. First of all, I loved it my first watch through. The story and the characters were effortlessly charming, and the story was great fun to watch. It was a feel-good drama from beginning to end. Upon rewatching, however, I've realized that this drama is so much better than I remembered it being, and now I love it even more. Truthfully, I'm surprised at how incredibly well-crafted this drama is and how well it still holds up. Kdramas from its time tended to have problems with plot consistency, particularly towards the end, but this drama kept itself in check the entire time. There's not a single dropped or unsatisfactorily wrapped up plot point to be found here. And the story itself isn't just fluffy entertainment (although it is certainly entertaining in a delightfully fluffy way). Shopping King Louis has some real meat on its bones, something I don't think I particularly appreciated the first time I watched it.

For example, the writers never rely (not even once) on drawn out conflict or misunderstandings (like most dramas of its time) to keep the plot moving and the audience interested/watching. When issues are introduced, they are summarily addressed in an appropriate manner at an appropriate time. There are no nonsensical misunderstandings or randomly added conflicts that serve to do nothing more than frustrate the viewer. Everything is there for a purpose, and everything ties together in realistic and valuable ways. What's better, the drama has a consistent habit of bringing back small moments from early in the drama to give them greater meaning in the overall story. Nothing is superfluous or wasted.

And the one part of the story that would have been the easiest to mishandle, the leads separation after learning what happened to the Bok Shil's brother and how that connects Bok Shil and Louis to each other, is done to superb affect. I initially went into the break-up and separation kicking and screaming, because like most drama lovers who've been watching dramas for a long time, we've been down this road many times before and have the trauma to prove it. But they utilized the cliche/trope So. Well. in Shopping King that I had to change my mind. I do wish Bok Shil and Louis could have come to the conclusion on their own that they wanted to stay together, because they ultimately love each other and there's clearly no anger or hurt towards each other over what happened so what are they separating for anyway, but I have to give the drama the credit it is so obviously due and admit that the break-up/separation was used really well and furthered the story in a meaningful way.

In closing, this is a total comfort drama, perfect for when you when you want a story that will make you feel good. I absolutely stand by everything I said in my original MDL review and then some, so I'll just add it here:

The romance is bubblegum sweet, the story is gentle and heartwarming, the twists smart and unexpected. The characters make you smile and laugh and cry and smile some more. It's basically like one big, exhilarating, endorphin releasing shopping trip, but without any regret. Everything you bought is exactly what you wanted for exactly the right price. This is going in my list of favorite drama's, Pronto!