K-drama: Bel Ami/Pretty Man/Yeppeun Namja after thoughts

Are you a huge fan of shoujo manga or manhwa? 

Are you a fan of bishounen/flower boy/pretty boy?

Are you a fan of rich family stories? 

If you have shoujo manga in 2 out of 3 choices, then this drama is for you.

I just finished this drama and I thought I should just write a bit of my thoughts and maybe do this drama a justice. I watched this drama with a shoujo fan mindset and this is a very light heart-ed drama.

If you heard of this drama, you probably checked the ratings and it is unexpectedly low. I gave it a gamble and went to watch it since the cast were a few of my favorite actor/actresses. It's been long since I last watched a Han Chaeyoung drama and I've been a huge fan of hers since Chunhyang days and also Jang Geun Suk since You're Beautiful. IU was a new lead so it was quite interesting and sorry, I have no idea who Lee Jangwoo was. 

This drama was adapted from a popular manhwa so you will expect dramatic scenes and reactions and unrealistic story. 

Jang Geuk Suk is Dokgo Ma Te while IU is Kim Bo Tong. Ma Te is a pretty boy who uses his pretty face to win heiress's heart to get what he wants (house, car, money... etc) and one day, he bumps into Hong Yoora, who seems to be "stalking" him. He approached her and she knows of his "password" that he needs in order to meet his mother and the answer of his password lies in Yoora's hands after Ma Te's mother sudden passing from an illness. In order to retrieve his password to reunite with his father, Ma Te has to conquer 10 women sent by Yoora to help her kick MG Group's Vice president, her mother-in-law, off her seat. 

Through the 10 women Ma Te meets, he learns and acquire skills needed to surpass MG group's power. However, the women that Ma Te dated, he manages to mature as a better person and take life lessons and values and through his experiences with them, the women also knows more about themselves, especially their flaws. 

The Pros:

I've learned a lot from this drama based on the different women and I must say The Art of Networking was the best takeaway. 

"Rule number three: Gifts given at the beginning is a bribe, but given later is a gift." 

Also, the 10 women in life that you need to conquer/overcome, the final one will eventually be your mother. 

The drama is also not your typical mainstream story probably 'cause it's from a manhwa, however, it is pretty fun to watch as you do not have those unique kiss scenes that the entire nation will go crazy over. Spoiler, the only kiss in the show is on the last episode at the last minute! 

I also thought the actor and actresses were pretty good, especially when IU and Lee Jang Woo are both new actor/actress. The chemistry between all the cast were also smooth and not awkward and I'm actually quite comfortable with the female lead to go with the 2nd male lead, aka Kim Botong x David Choi (Joon Ha)! 

I managed to tear in this drama, which was so surprising, and it was fun to watch because it reflects on how we fangirls behave towards our oppa and you laugh a lot at how stupid botong is. Like, "how come there's such a stupid person in this world?!?!" 

There is also a love triangle between the leads and it was already beginning in the start. The best thing was the leads were not very jealous over their love triangle and they are pretty cool with each other being friends,colleagues,roomies and yet be in a problematic love triangle. I think what makes this drama awesome is also how they are able to create plot twist within the chaebol family like who is who's illegitimate son and it turns out he is not the son but another person's son. 

Music was so-so but not so memorable and catchy like the other dramas. 

Not really part of the pros but JGS hair transformation in this series is just *A* i looooooove his hair near to the back and yes, it is good!

The Cons:

The drama is very slow with it's humor and for people like us who loves are the kind to decide if we will carry on watching within the first 5 minutes of the first episode, you have to be patient because the humor doesn't start till episode 3. I skimmed through the first 2 episodes. 

JGS acting is still the same. I still see his inner "Hwang Taekyung" in Dokgo Ma Te minus the pouting. But he was still good with his facial expressions and that is what I love about his acting! Han Chaeyoung in this drama was a bit disappointing because she is supposed to be scheming and be that rich lady giving pointers but the way she portrayed it seemed to be just "sit-there-and-be-pretty-with-her-smirking". 

This drama as the potential to be A LOT MORE evil!!! One thing I didn't like about this drama is how the plot is on-the-surface, quite shallow as compared to the mainstream dramas where you cringe and mentally torture the evil mother-in-law. I feel that if the drama did not follow 95% according to the manhwa (i read it somewhere) and they've written their own spin-off, i think this drama's rating will be much much higher. 

Finally, I hope people can give this drama a go and maybe skim through the first 2 episodes :) I think this drama is a bit related to real-life, i dont know, and I hope someone who has read the manhwa can share some of their thoughts. 

I'm giving this drama

7/10 

because IU is so adorable and her acting was really good! She deserves her Best Newcomer Award! Yay! Go IU!