First Shop of Coffee Prince (MBC)

I can't believe it. Teddy and I finished watching the entire Korean drama, 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (17 episodes in all!) over a grand total of 3 days. It was, quite literally, insane. To achieve such a marathon feat, we were basically running a small-scale plant using the following resources: one PC, one laptop, and the full range of Just-In-Time factory assembly methods we have at our disposal (alright, I will leave out the details at this point).

Says something about the power of Korean dramas, doesn't it? I don't think I was ever so maddeningly obsessed by other diversions. Well, I hope not. It's not healthy lah.

But I have to say, it was worth it. :) Coffee Prince is the sweetest romance I have watched on TV as far as I can remember. Sure, there were times when it became inexplicably meandering; I even lost track of the plot towards the last second episode (but I'm inclined to blame that on the inhuman screening hours we put ourselves through). In the end, the whole thing hinges on the exceptional chemistry and quality of the cast, which is really bordering on the equivalent of a soccer dream team. Yes, the actors were that wonderful.

Then again, I'm probably biased. In my eyes, Yoon Eun Hye is always a gem. As Coffee Prince's heroine, Go Eun Chan, she truly shines. Just look at that cute, innocent face. This girl can't act evil in a million years. But of course, I could be wrong - her acting has improved by leaps and bounds since her debut in Goong (Princess Hours). See how I sneak in praises of my idol whenever possible? Haha.

Anyway the leading man (Gong Yoo) is a delight to watch too. Frankly, I never expected that much from this guy. I thought he was just a heartthrob - with a fantastic body. But he really got into the role and brought the cafe owner, Choi Han Kyul, to life, complete with his arrogance and boyish charm. I can just imagine all the teenage girls out there swooning over him.

Watching them, I can't help but feel the South Korean media industry is brimming with talent, almost unfairly so. Even their most typical 偶像派 is able to act so convincingly and sensitively. I don't mean to be blunt, but the top Singapore Star Award winners (whoever they are, cos I stopped caring years ago) can only eat their dust. How, in a million years, can any audience choose to go back to the bad old days after having their drama sensitivities teased this much?

To all non-Kdrama lovers, I can only offer, try a sip of this delightful brew. This is an easy, tender series to fall in love with. It doesn't demand much, and it has the magic to rekindle the embers of youthful romances in all of us. It reminded me, deep down inside, of what it's like to be very young and very passionate again. Both in life and in relationships. I relish that.

Have a Cuppa! The First Shop of Coffee Prince premieres on Fieldmarshal's Goggle Box

Something aromatic is wafting from my television screen. Sniff. Sniff. Smells nice, warm, delightful and a tad bitter. It reminds me of something. Oh yeah, it smells like a good cup of hot coffee made from the best roasted arabica coffee beans!

No, I am not behaving this way because of my coffee addiction, nor have I become a connoisseur of coffee, although I did have a stint of studying coffee consumption for an academic thesis before. The coffee-like 'aroma' comes from the new Korean drama - The First Shop of Coffee Prince.



After much agonising, my wife and I finally succumbed to the temptation of catching this latest drama offering from MBC. Our original plan was to hold out till the release of the dvds, which usually means around a year, so that we can get the version dubbed in Chinese. Guess our need for a Korean drama 'fix' was just too strong.

Korean dramas were just not the same after Flowers for My Life, which, in our opinion, is still the best Korean drama out there.

The First Shop of Coffee Prince stars the ever bubbly Yoon Eun Hye (Princess Hours and The Man in the Vineyard fame) and the oh-so-delectable Gong Yoo(One Fine Day). The First Shop of Coffee Prince is MBC's response to falling viewership for its drama as competition heats up for eyeballs in Korea and other parts of the world.



Based on what I see in the first episode, also known as the "1st Cup", I believe that MBC has recaptured the magic which we saw in Princess Hours. Filmed in a style akin to the Princess Hours and Alone in Love, The First Shop of Coffee Prince, in all its HD (or high definition) glory, is a slick, stylish and beautiful made drama.

Images are so crisp, that it beat the signals I get from my cable service provider! Alone in Lovewas the only other show where the images were so crystal clear and sharp, and I watched that on dvd mind you. This is another reason why everyone should upgrade to a HD-ready tv and download HD programmes off the internet. Doubt there's any infringement of IP since the drama was shown on free-to-air MBC channel in Korea. Yay to technolgy! Yay to all the hardworking fan-subbers out there! Yay! Yay! Yay!

Image quality aside, Yoon Eun Hye plays the role of tomboyish girl - Go Eun Chan- really well. We all know that she's a girl and one can't help but feel amused that all the men and the women in the drama seem blind to her delicate feminine features. Their ignorance is played out to the maximum effect as Eun Chan and Choi Han Kyul(Gong Yoo's character) are put in some gender-awkard positions.



As for Gong Yoo, he plays the role of Choi Han Kyul. Han Kyul is a happy-go-lucky epicurean who does nothing all day apart from partying and getting his mum and granny all worked up. Female fans would be glad to know that he has gamely bared (for the benefit of female readers and fans) his upper torso for a few scenes in the 1st Cup.



I have to hand it to Gong Yoo for maintaining such a well-sculpted body. As a guy, I can't help but admire a beautiful specimen of my gender within the species. Makes me wonder what I should do with the excess flab on my own body. hehe... ...

Anyway, I have not laughed so much, or so hard, for some time. The First Shop of Coffee Prince is a great drama to lighten the mood after a hard day's work. What's more, there's eye candies in the form of Yoon Eun Hye, for the guys, and Gong Yoo, for the girls. If these are not enough, the supporting actress - Chae Jung Ahn - is also another pretty face to look out for.



I am already itching and urging my PC to burn the next episode on the dvd. That way, I get to watch the drama on the big screen! Here's a toast to the drama that's giving me the reason to stay addicted to, coffee, well actually Korean dramas. I am already looking forward to the next serving of coffee.

Eun Chan! Where's my cup of coffee? I need it now!!!

(This post first appeared in my personal blog - Fieldmarshal. So don't be alarmed if you come across the same piece in 2 different blogs! Aja!!!)

Watched the final episode of Flowers for My Life with Mydaemon earlier in the week. We were unsure of what to expect since this drama is so "un-stereotypical" of Korean dramas. Just like the real world, Flowers for My Life unfolds in a orderly yet chaotic way reminisence of our daily lives.

The realistic yet fluid way of storytelling meant that the series is likely to end "happily" with Hosang (Cha Tae Hyun) surviving his pancreatic cancer (with a 98% fatality rate) or "less happily" with the passing of Hosang. However, the wonderful part of this series is that despite our hope for Hosang to survive against the odds, we are already at peace for an alternative ending.

Why should I be contented with a less than fairy-tale ending?

Simply because the director and scriptwriter have both done a good, if not great, job in telling a story of how a dying man and his love learn to understand that death is no obstacle to love and that a life lived is indeed a life fully experienced.

This drama is about the meaning of what it is to be truly alive. My lack of vocabluary do great injustice to the sensitive and rich manner in which the story for Flowers for My Life was told.
I highly recommend this series to anyone who is handling a difficult situation where a loved one is sick as well as those who wants a wake up call to the daily drone which we call life. Do be prepared for a roller-coaster ride of emotions as moments of joy will be interspersed with moments of grief and sadness. Do not be too worried that you will be left an emotional wreck at the end of the drama as all emotional aspects of the drama was handled in a highly sensitive manner.

Everything that happened in the drama happened for a reason. Expect no fluff and superficiality associated with most other Korean dramas. This is a drama about 'humanity' from the beginning to the end. I have no regrets about the accidental manner with which I stumbled across this drama while channel surfing a month or two back. Guess this is one of life's little surprises and ongoing lessons for me.

Watch this as it is even better than Alone in Love - a drama which is also highly rated.

Poll results out

Goong won the top position in our previous Readers' Choice for favourite K-drama.

My Name is Kim Sam Soon was a distant second, with The Snow Queen right on its heels.

So I've put up a new poll - check out the sidebar. :) This is a new Blogger page element. I hope it works. Cheers, and have fun voting.

First Shop of Coffee Prince Tops Viewer Charts in Korea

The First Shop of Coffee Prince has taken the national top spot in TV ratings on the Monday/Tuesdays prime time drama slots. On 9 Jul, Coffee Prince garnered a whopping 18.2% viewership while rival SBS' rival drama Catch A Kang Nam Mother came in a close second with credible 15% viewership rating.

Sigh, reading about how good the drama is can be really painful. Will have to make do with what I get over at KBS World for now. Thankfully, Flowers for My Life and Scandal in Old Seoul are pretty good dramas. Actually, having yet to view the Coffee Prince, I have to say that Flowers for My Life is by far the best Korean drama I have seen so far. Next week will be an important week as the final 3 episodes will be screened. It will be a bittersweet moment to finally know what fate has in store for Hosang (Cha Tae Hyun) and Hana (Kang Hye Keong). Going by what I have seen so far, I am sure the scriptwriter has planned a wonderful way of ending the series.