If you’ve been around watching Kdramas for a few years, then you know that silly and ridiculous plots are not new or innovative. I remember finishing my very first kdrama episode, and was left wondering what on earth I’d just watched. I had a very smilier feeling when I finished Mama Fairy. But, I gave it one more episode and by the end I was hooked on the cute little cat and her sweet mama fairy.
Among the Fangirls most of them watched the first two episodes and passed because it was just too cheesy. I personally need a good amount of cheese right now. Join me and Kdrama Jen as we tell you all the cute reasons to watch, and maybe a few reasons you may not like this particular drama.
The Boys
Drama Geek : They are a professor and teacher’s assistant who live together. Gotta love me some cohabitation and bromance smashed together. Yoon Hyun Min is not a stranger to comedic roles. In fact, I fell in love with him in Witch’s Romance where he played Park Seo Joon’s bff. He’s overacting a little bit in this, especially in the first 15 minutes of the drama, but he smooths out a bit, and it seems to be the directing style since I think a lot of characters are that way. The two men bicker a little like The Odd Couple. Once they calm down the slap stick a bit, they are pretty funny. Seo Ji Hoon plays the younger of the two and I’ve liked him since Signal and Solomon’s Perjury.
Kdrama Jen: Not gonna lie, I was not a fan of the over-the-top acting, and I was about one poop joke away from not continuing to watch, but they seemed to find their groove a bit. I like the bromance potential and I am completely smitten with Seo Ji hoon. I loved him in Solomon’s Perjury as well, and after that he just kept catching my eye. He was great in School 2017, Prison Playbook, and was amazing in Misty. I am falling for his sweet and caring character in this drama. Is it weird that I am shipping him with the cat? I am still waiting for Yoon Hyun Min to really grab me in this drama. I fell hard for his bromance in Cruel City (AKA Heartless City), so I know what he is capable of bringing to the screen. I am waiting for him to really shine, though.
The Tiger
Drama Geek : The two men happen upon a coffee shop on their way to Kim Geum’s (Seo Ji Hoon) house and find a grandma and her cat. The cat ends up being one of my favorite characters. She’s, of course, not a normal cat (you know right away because it’s horrible CGI) and ends up being Mama Fairy’s daughter. She writes Boy Love stories in her spare time and when she does, her whiskers and tail grow. I’m personally cheering on a love line between her and Kim Geum. He can talk to animals and reads her thoughts when she’s in cat form, and even though he’s currently crushing on the fairy, I think it will be easy to shift his affections.
Kdrama Jen: I love the tiger/cat/girl who pens Joseon-era erotica in her spare time. Her character just feels fresh and fun to me. I am definitely on Team Tiger-Geum!
Grandma Fairy
Drama Geek : The fairy switches between her older self and the younger fairy version. The grandma fairy is ridiculously sweet, and a big part of why I’m sticking around. She is old fashioned since she’s been waiting around for 699 years for her husband to be reincarnated and still wears hanbok and speaks in the more formal speech. She makes coffee that will give you… um… gasims? or at least that what is seems like when the owner of the campus coffee shack drinks it.
Kdrama Jen: Ko Du Shim looks flawless in this as the 699 year old fairy; in real life she is only 67 years old. Right, she is 67 years old and she manages to be stunning! She is just glowing, and she has an amazing screen presence. I am also here for her!
Young Chae Won Fairy
Drama Geek : Moon Chae Won has not had luck with the last few projects she has picked, and this may go down as another commercial dud. But I love her as this ethereal innocent fairy who is waiting around for her husband to return to her. The scenes with Chae Won and her cat daughter are actually very touching. They have a nice chemistry with one another. The boys are both gobsmacked when the tiny and sweet old grandma transforms into the young and beautiful Chae Won. She glows with effervescence every time they see her. You can’t blame either of them for being intrigued by her.
Kdrama Jen: I definitely agree that she seems to struggle picking the right projects, but the younger version of the fairy does seem to suit her. Again, I plan to keep watching to see if she is not only able to have chemistry with her female co-star, but with the male lead as well.
Fun (and Odd) Side Characters
Drama Geek : The Fairy and her daughter have other fairies they live by, and they are quirky and are definitely in the over acting group.
Drama Geek : Our main guy has sleep issues (nightmares that seem to be memories of his past self) so he seeks out the help of a campus counselor. I’m currently watching Descendants of the Sun so seeing Jeon Soo Jin pop up in the role was a nice surprise. I’m loving her haircut, and her character doesn’t seem like she’ll be an annoying second lead or anything.
Kdrama Jen: I am fine with Jeon Soo Jin’s character, but I am not a fan of the side-fairies. When they are around, the story tends to veer into the slapstick kind of cringe-fests that make me want to hide behind my pillow until they are done with their over-acting.
Drama Geek : Speaking of haircuts. The owner of the campus coffee shack is another magical creature and watches over places. She’s a gamer and pretty over the top, but I find her fun and a nice addition to the show.
Drama Geek : The lab where our main guys hand out is also full of a few familiar faces and will probably be a fun place to hang out. The zombie coffee gag had me laughing pretty hard.
Kdrama Jen: I do like the coffee shack owner for some reason, maybe it is just that I can relate to the way she realllly enjoys her coffee.
Final Thoughts:
Drama Geek: While I don’t think this show is for everyone, I do believe that a good cheese filled fantasy rom-com may be just what your heart may desire right now. I suggest giving it a full four episodes and then decide (I’m about to fire up episode three if the subs are complete).
Kdrama Jen: I am planning to keep watching, but right now I am more invested in the kitty and the man who can hear her thoughts than the main couple. Still, there is enough here that I will be joining you in just a few minutes to watch the next episode.
Until the next time, we remain-
Kdrama Jen & Drama Geek
Dramas With a Side of Kimchi
I have been hard-core anthrogeeking on this since I found out about it. Obviously it’s based on a Korean fairytale… but this fairytale is actually one of the world widest spread tales in the history of humanity! There’s some debate about whether it arose independently in different areas or spread from one (probably somewhere in Asia). It exists pretty much everywhere there are people, in some version. Regardless, if you grew up on European fairytales, this is the Swan Maiden.
The Swan Maiden was the inspiration for my first (failed, and terrible) Nano novel. Mine was a sort of dreary literary thing where a woman slowly discovers why her mother abandoned their family…. I LOVE that they are making it modern with a comedy bent, though. I love the twist that the woodcutter died before the fairy finds her wings and goes home, and then she’s stuck waiting around for him.
In the third episode we start to see a bit of the celestial world, and I won’t spoil it, but it looks like the fairy in this particular version is being given a lot more agency than in the more male-focused versions of the story. Which is another win. And the coffee backstory only gets better in episode 3.
I don’t mind the cheese at all. Funny folk tales are often full of over the top characters and ridiculous situations, so this feels in line with that. I feel like their take on supernatural beings, while cheesy, really lets us believe in a supernatural world that exists easily along side a recognizable one. The non-humans are all deeply weird… but in a way that we can believe we’d pass by not taking much note of.
Oh! And the grad students… are awesome. Adequately poorly dressed, groomed, and slept for me to feel represented ;P
Last note, in the first episode, I felt like the prof and the grad student had such an OTP vibe that I kept reminding myself this wasn’t a BL. It makes me feel like having the Kitty writing BL wasn’t a coincidence, and frankly I love it! Anyway, I’m all in for cheese. 😀
I love fairy tale retellings! However, I hate cheese with a passion, so I’m not sure I can pick this one up.
It’s hard to say, then. I find the cheesiness falls on the “delightful camp” side and not the “corny cringe” side…. but I have a pretty high tolerance for cheese 🙂