Ten reasons to watch Coffee Prince

I found out that 8TV will be airing Coffee Prince this week. I first watched this last year and totally fell in love with the drama. I watched bits and pieces of the drama again during CNY, especially those scenes that I love so much. This blog was one of the backlog from 2007, so I guess it is appropriate for me to finish it now :)

SPOILERS AHEAD

Here are my ten reasons why I love Coffee Prince so much.

1) Gong Yoo

Gong Yoo plays the extremely good looking and charismatic Han Kyul in Coffee Prince. By the end of the drama, he immediately became one of my favourite Korean male actors (sorry Hyun Bin). Unlike some of the male leads who are cold, sullen and wooden, Gong Yoo brings life to this drama through his character.

2) Lee Seon Gyeon's voice

Ok, when the series first started, I fell for Lee Seon Gyeon's deep, sexy voice and his sweet smile. You gotta listen to the Korean version to understand what I mean. I also love his character as Han Kyul's cousin Han Sung although in the end, Han Kyul's charms still wins my heart.

3) The Coffee Princes

One thing that sets back Coffee Prince with the rest of the dramas is that they have more eye candy! The drama cast includes two sexy models - Kim Jae Wook (as Sun Ki the waffle guy) and Eun (as dim-witted Min Yeop) and Kim Dong Wook (as the very adorable Ha Rim).

4) Interesting and unconventional storyline

Coffee Prince drama was adapted from a novel of the same name. The story also evolves around boy-girl relationship, but with a twist : Eun Chan is a tomboy working in Coffee Prince, currently run by Han Kyul. She does not disclose her true gender to Han Kyul and the other Coffee Princes as the shop only employs male waiters and she was desperate for a job. Things become complicated when she realised she had feelings for Han Kyul. Not only that, Han Kyul had mixed reactions about expressing his feelings to Eun Chan, thinking that he has become a gay. Will Eun Chan and Han Kyul sort out their feelings for each other?

Not only the storyline is interesting, it translates very well in the drama, although I'm not sure how close is the storyline in the book as compared to the drama.

5) Great music

Coffee Prince is one of the rare K-dramas that do not have one song being played over and over again until you wanna go crazy and throw the remote at the TV the next time the song is being aired during the drama. They also have a great selection of both Korean and English songs which I enjoyed througout the entire drama.

Click here for a comprehensive list of songs from Coffee Prince, courtesy of Dramabeans.

6) It's all about relationships

I think what set Coffee Prince apart from the rest is how they tackle relationships. We have Hang Kyul battling his feelings for Eun Chan vs his confusion whether is he a homosexual; Eun Chan in a dilemma over her feelings for Han Kyul vs her risk of losing her job in Coffee Prince cafe.

There's also the relationship between Han Sung and his on-off girlfriend Yoo Joo. Things get interesting when Han Kyul tries to shake off his feelings for Yoo Joo (as how she puts it - "just a habit") and jealousy when Han Sung also fell for Eun Chan (as he knew Eun Chan's true gender). I also love how Yoo Joo is potrayed as such a different character whereby when she found out Han Sung had feelings for Eun Chan, she does not go all out to destroy Eun Chan (unlike the characters in most dramas). Instead she took it on Han Sung, blaming him for 'swaying' when she herself left him many years ago. In the end, it was her who actually proposed to Han Sung, despite the knowledge that she is not ready for marriage (but this comes with a surprise element)

There's also a battle for Eun Chan's mum's attention between Mr. Hong and the butcher; Min Yeop vying for Eun Chan's sister affection; the relationship among Han Kyul's family members, and so much more. Each have their own issues to contemplate with, yet is relevant to our own relationships.

7) Great chemistry

A great drama doesn't just rely on a good producer, A-list actors/actresses, or good scripwriting. I always believe that the chemistry between the actors must be good.

I'm glad to say Coffee Prince is that and so much more :)

Great chemistry means one can literally see the sparks fly of the main characters as they reflect/react towards their feelings for each other. It seems as if Hang Kyul and Eun Chan are a real life couple throughout this drama, so much so it was not a surprise that they are romantically linked after the drama (although denied by both parties)

Not only the chemistry between the two leads Gong Yoo and Yoon Eun Hye are very good, it is also reflected in Lee Seon Gyeon and Chae Jung Ahn (who plays Yoo Joo) as well. While Han Sung and Eun Chan are youngsters just falling in love, Han Sung and Yoo Joo's relationship is quite the opposite - they have been together for more than 10 years. Hence the chemistry displayed between these two must be somewhat different, a little more comfortable with each other, which is well played by Lee and Chae.

8) Excellent acting
Great acting throughout the drama, not only the four leads, but also the Coffee Princes and the rest of the supporting cast. It is this that contributed to why I enjoyed this drama - no wooden acting :)

9) Yoon Eun Hye

It's funny why I put YEH as reason #9 compared to Gong Yoo #1 or Lee Seong Gyeon #2. Reason was that I'm not really a fan of hers after watching Goong and Vineyard Man. However, I respect her decision to cut her hair short, look and dress like a man all for this drama. It shows her commitment for Coffee Prince. I was also impressed with her acting - no more bimbo perception on her!

Even more amazing was how fast she shed that tomboy image to her sexy self again, even with short hair. Just like a real star.

From left : YEH pre-Coffee Prince; during Coffee Prince; post Coffee Prince with her dog

10) Happy ending Need we say more?

Coffee Prince is definitely in my all-time favourite Korean Dramas list. I wonder will they have Coffee Prince 2?