I've been eagerly waiting for the next Hong Sisters' drama ever since I fell in love with You're Beautiful and My Girlfriend is a Gumiho this last fall. Both dramas were full of wit, charm, and funny moments that there was no doubt in my mind: I'm a fan! So now Best Love/Greatest Love has made it's appearance and Mother's Day has passed, I finally have a chance to review it! However, it definitely wasn't what I expected...Honestly, the first episode bored me. I found myself pausing every five minutes to do something else like laundry, dishes, etc. which is always a bad sign. But I couldn't be pessimistic on that basis--even Secret Garden bored me and I still ended up being addicted to it. So I pressed on, and only a few minutes ago did I finish the fourth episode. While the story has gotten better, I still find myself slightly bored. Maybe my expectations were too high or maybe I really don't understand all of the humor that is going around, but I'm not exactly buying into this drama.
Here is why:
1) I really thought the set-up was going to be more like "We Got Married" which I thought was more interesting. Instead, it was set up more like "The Bachelor" (a show in the US that annoys me to no end), which I found less appealing.
2) The characters in the drama really aren't very interesting. I don't mean to say that I don't like the characters, but Dokko Jin is a familiar character that we've seen before (like Hwang Tae Kyung in You're Beautiful) and frankly, I don't find Gu Ae Jung's at all attractive. I know that her appearance is supposed to make her look like the "has-been" compared to all of the prettier celebrities and that's supposed to add to her charm, but her personality so plain. Yes, she's sweet and persevering in the face of criticism and I applaud her for that, but there's nothing else that makes her special.
3) For being a K-Drama fan for about 7 months, I am not up on all of the meta that goes flying. Some of it goes right over my head. I know it's supposed to be funny, but I don't get it. That also could be just me because I know that this is supposed to appeal to the Korean audience and since I don't speak Korean and I'm not totally immersed in their culture, I can't blame this "con" on them--it's simply a cultural difference.
4) Se Ri, our second female lead and always known as the evil ----- in disguise, is a very typical villain. We can smell her a mile away and already cringe when she's not on screen. Maybe the plot plans on doing something with her, but if the Hong Sisters are true to their formula, we can expect her to be the same as Yoo He Yi and Eun Hye In in the past two dramas.
Here is what I do like about the drama:
1) The second male lead is quirky. Yay! Honestly, I love that he's so oblivious and that while some might consider this his weakness, it's not a bad one to have. I also love how he's nerdy and obsessed with his work that this even pushes women away. Telling a date that her butt will be crooked if she wears high-heels? LOL!
2) While I don't necessarily love Dokko Jin, I do love what they've done with him. I love his reactions and obsessions, his mean attitude towards Ae Jung, but then turns a happy smile to any fans walking by. I love that he has such a range of characteristics and he doesn't get to be the perfect guy, but so flawed and yet so adorable that it makes you laugh. I don't see the chemistry of Dokko Jin and Ae Jung, but neither did I for Tae Kyung and Mi Nyu, so I'll keep hoping!
So, with all of that in mind, it's not a terribly impressive drama, but I will keep watching it until the end out of hope that it will turn into something I love. Right now, I'm leaning towards giving it a 2/5 stars, but this rating may go up or down in the future.
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