Sunday, January 12, 2014

116. Fated to Love You 운명처럼 널 사랑해 (2014) Korean

Jang Na Ra, Jang Hyuk, Choi Jin Hyuk, Wang Ji Won

Drama Rating: 9/10     Neck Score: A

I was so loyal to the Taiwanese original, that I put off watching this one, especially since his hair was so bad.  Also I heard he had an annoying laugh.  But then, I heard enough good things to make me give it a chance.  Omo.  I loved it!  That's one thing that can be said for remakes, they do have a chance to polish and fine tune, it doesn't always happen that way, but it is a possibility.  This version is very Korean, so that is already going to make it different.  Also, the main couple is much older.  Instead of a pair of 26ish year olds, we have some 30s to late 30s peeps.  This gives it a whole different flavor because instead of accidents, mistakes, and coercion there is a lot more conscious decisions.  Cun Xi was a sweet, but hot tempered and immature man who didn't know what he wanted, while Lee Gun is a sweet, childish, and self-sacrificing man.  He takes responsibility and doesn't flip flop around, which is one of the things that drove us crazy in the other version.  Just make up your mind Cun Xi!  Well, as bad as Lee Gun's hair was at the beginning, I fell in love with him so completely!  I don't think I have ever fallen in love with a male lead quite as much as I did with Lee Gun.  He's handsome (when he got his hair cut... whew!), dorky, sweet, and just generally awesome, even when he makes some dumb decisions like lying for his love's sake (oh Korea and their noble idiocy).  Then there is Choi Jin Hyuk as the other man, Daniel Pitt, who is also sweet, handsome, and generally awesome, and you have an overload.  Seriously, both men were so well dressed!  (Those vests and open necked button ups!  Ah!)  Even when it was pulling at our heartstrings (it literally made Lizabreff cry, and she never does) we loved it.  So many feels!