You’re Beautiful is another classic k-drama that I decided to review after reading Unbothered Unnie’s post on second lead syndrome, because this drama gave me my very worst case of it. I heart Kang Shin Woo and wouldn’t be single if I met a guy like him in the real world (I haven’t 😢 – yet).
In my opinion A.N.JELL bandmaster Kang Shin Woo was the best thing about this drama. His character was smart, talented, thoughtful and oh so cute. Of course the lead girl couldn’t see it because we like what we like…
The gender bending plotline where a girl who plans to be nun pretends to be her brother to keep his spot in a Korean boys music group is right up my alley. I love gender benders, makeovers and dance competitions movies because I’m cheesy like that. There were also a lot of great parts to this drama. There were funny moments, including the faces the character Jeremy made during the first half, some really sweet parts and most of the characters were interesting.
BUT…
I also had some serious issues with the lead girl Gemma/Go Mi Nam and with some of the plot holes. First off, Gemma was planning to become a nun, but other than a statue of Mary she was essentially unreligious the whole time she was in the band. She was also supposed to be helping her brother but never once called him or even mentioned him, except to talk about her own gender bending plans to other people around her. And worst of all she became the Yoko of the group, getting the attention of all of the males and being so self absorbed that she didn’t even notice or do anything to make them feel better. In the real world a band could break up because of a girl like her. Cough. The Beatles.
Another issue was that the lead kept calling the rich famous mean girl who wanted him a fraud for faking a relationship while he was a party to actual fraud, pretending to the world that the groups new group member was a male when he knew that they weren’t. It might be fiction, but it’s still no excuse for the pot calling the kettle black.
Although it was generally good, the negative things made what would otherwise be a great drama a little bit irritating, and made my support of the leads less enthusiastic than it could have been.
For these reasons I give this a 7.7/10.
SHAN SHANS JACKET 
Aww… now I am thinking of Lee Hongki’s riding home on the bus with her, so sad because the normally clueless guy is bad-smacked by feelings for her (and she’s oblivious). But she can’t be Yoko because she doesn’t break up the band, Jung Yong-Hwa and Lee Hongki both care not just about her, but the band and feel loyalty to their bandmates’ brotherhood (good thing they weren’t tested by the IRL issues of bandmates involved in alleged spycam porn sharing/etc that the 2 singer/actors find themselves in today).
And while Gemma was studying to be a nun, was she really religious to begin with? I think her ‘vocation’ was one of being in that place at that time — perhaps she and her brother were orphans and she was raised in that convent (whereas he rebelled). There was always a “Maria and the Sound Of Music ‘How do you solve a problem like Maria?’” vibe to her time there. 😉
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There was one line that led to the conclusion that Gemma was becoming a nun just because, not because she had a pull towards it, but it seemed weird to me that one day she was all set to go marry God and the next she was like “God who?” I know I’m being picky I just like my i’s dotted and t’s crossed which drama’s aren’t always the best with. As far as the Yoko part, I thought that once she knew all the guys had the hots for her, she should have moved out as a courtesy, out of respect for their feelings. I know I’m begging for realism where there isn’t any but I just didn’t end up liking the character Gemma as much as I could/should have because of the small things like that.
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You could say that she was kind of a piece of driftwood, letting decisions be made for her (for the good of other people, because it was expected of her, etc.) and flowing where the current took her, rather than be someone with strong principles and character.
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That is totally fair
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