Title: 마보이 Maboi
English Title: Ma Boy
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean
Year: 2012
Episode: 03
Cast:
- 김소현 Kim So Hyun
- 선웅 Sun Woong
- 민후 Min Hoo
SYNOPSIS
Jang Geu Rim dreams of becoming a pop singer. She transfers to a well-known arts high school to fulfill her dreams and to get closer to her crush Tae Joon, a popular commercial model.
Geu Rim becomes roommates with Irene, a popular commercial model, and she tries to become friends but Irene is cold and distant. Irene is actually a boy and his real name is Hyun Woo.
REVIEW
I don't really know what made me watch Ma Boy since I don't really like the cross-dressing concept, I don't really know the actors, and it's not really a production that targets my age range (a nice way of saying I'm too old for this thing!). I suppose I wanted to check if the drama is interesting and it seemed like such a small commitment to watch a drama with three episodes, so I did.
I was surprised to find out that I enjoyed watching the drama and it's probably because all the lead characters are endearing. The lead actors' portrayal of the characters are not exceptional but quite acceptable considering their lack of acting experience.
I like Jang Geu Rim because she's a nice person but she's not a pushover. I like that she's not a damsel in distress who needs a hero because there are times when she was bullied by other people and she stands up for herself.
I like Hyun Woo because although he had to pretend to be a girl as popular commercial model Irene, it wasn't something that he accepted as a given. He is seriously questioning who is the real him and what is his real identity.
I like Tae Joon and it's nice that he is also presented as a good character. He's really funny because he thinks he is God's greatest gift on earth and that the world revolves around him. He's very self-involved but he has a good heart deep inside so he's not irritating or frustrating. Honestly, I'm still wondering why I liked the character even though he sounds so irritating on paper.
It's nice that the drama only has three episodes because I don't think it would have been good otherwise considering the simple story and lack of plot development.
I think most Korean dramas are suffering in quality because of the need to satisfy the usual 16-episode drama even though these dramas don't have enough content to fill up all the episodes. I think it's better to have a shorter drama that is well-written than to have an average-length drama that is full of fillers. Of course a longer drama that is well-written and well-executed would be best.
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마보이 Ma Boy
