The premise behind it is incredibly juicy. We know the cliche, we've seen it in Sungkwankyun Scandal, Hana Kimi and You're Beautiful, not to mention in Hollywood movies (She's the Man, Shakespeare in Love, Mrs. Doubtfire, Mulan... we can go on...). But here, we can't help but to add that it's different by the fact that the female lead doesn't set out to be perceived as a man. She's just a tom boy who gets mistaken for one and plays along because it's beneficial.
Our male lead, is the stereotypical asshole who has too much free time and money. His grandmother acknowledges this and sets out to correct him. Like most elderly women, she wants to see him married and settled down. Thus, she sets him up on blind dates (yes, I'm sure that in this paragraph, I'm describing most, if not all, Korean dramas). Ah, but this male lead is creative in trying to get out of it. He tells his grandmother that he is gay. His grandmother doesn't take him seriously and gives him a ultimatum; go on the blind dates or I take away your shiny car and other things you treasure. So now, the male lead needs to find a gay lover.
The acting was solid and well done. The female lead is played by Yoon Eun Hye (seen in Princess Hours/Goong and My Fair Lady). One of the coffee princes is the famous Kim Jae Wook (Bad Guy, Mary Stayed Out All Night and Antique Bakery) and the second male lead is Lee Sun Gyun (Pasta).
The characters themselves can get a little annoying, why are the male leads(who are cousins) so in love with a woman who left a ten year old relationship to be with some other guy in New York, only to come back and expect that nothing happened and keep going where she left off?
17 episodes and it's inevitable that it would have its priceless moments.It has the 'makeover', it has the confusion, it has the 'why does something so bad, feel so right?' aspect, it has the hate turn to love, it has the tears, it has the characters evolving and it has the Cinderella story that all drama lovers love.
And what I like most from this (and other gender bending stories) is that in the rush of confusion about sexuality, there comes to a point where you can't deny the love and attraction you feel for someone and regardless of what society thinks of it, you know you can't be away from them. It's what is so attractive in the 'poor vs rich' cliche, but this just seems to step it up a notch and being the hopeless romantic that I am, I can't help but to love the idea of loving someone for who they are inside.
So yes, it brings the butterflies to my stomach. And you should definitely watch this romantic comedy.
Title: 커피프린스 1호점 / The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince
Also known as: Coffee Prince
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 17
Broadcast network: MBC
Broadcast period: 2007-Jul-02 to 2007-Aug-27
Dramafully: 5/5
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