Legend of the Blue Sea

This was recommended to me because of its star factor. The female lead, Jun Ji-hyun  is one of the top actresses in South Korea. She also starred in the first Korean movie that I watched more than 15 years ago—My Sassy Girl.

Lee Min Ho, also a top Hallyu star because of his successful drama series, Boys Over Flowers (which I have yet to watch), played the male lead. 

The story was inspired by an old Korean legend about a mermaid and a human falling in love. It had scenes from the Joseon period where the leads reincarnated to their modern selves (somewhat).

Another series from 2016, this was shown on November to January 2017. 

WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT

The point that it took me time to write this down is enough proof that this is not one of the best dramas that I’ve watched (hey, it was just my third).

Probably one thing that made me finish this series was that I was introduced to Lee Min-ho for the first time. When I started watching Kdrama, his name was the most familiar as he had visited the Philippines previously for Bench. I finally figured out why females are going crazy about him. He has this innate charm and he really is beautiful. He does however, look like Lucky Manzano especially when he’s in his Joseon attire (I don’t know if that’s good or bad. Like how Gong Yoo resembles Kuya Kim).

I also like how they pulled off their heists/capers. It was just so smooth that it will put the Oceans 11 cast to shame. To think there were only three of them in the team.

WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT IT

The series started off quite slow. I judge a drama based on the first episode. If it doesn’t hook me in, I’d put it aside and watch something else. I’ve always had the habit of not finishing what I started and I wanted to wean myself  out of it. Watching Kdrama helped as even if I didn’t like the start, I forced myself to finish it. I didn't see it as wasted time as I always learn something from all the dramas I watch. For this instance, it introduced me to Lee Min ho. 

I was also not satisfied with the ending maybe because though it ended happy, I didn’t see much chemistry between the two leads. As such, it felt a bit drawn out especially with 20 episodes.

I also felt that Jun Ji-hyun was too mature for the role. I liked her better in My Love from the Stars which really showcased her personality (which I will write about in my next post). Maybe that's what contributed to the lack of chemistry between the two. 

I didn’t cry at all in this series (even when he found his mom and sobbing like crazy). It could mean that I was not that invested in the story or the characters. 

RATING

I was supposed to give this a one tissue box rating but I'm giving it two tissue boxes because of Lee Min-ho. It made me search for his Meet and Greet videos here in the Philippines. He is indeed charming. Here's one clip that I found in Youtube uploaded by crellosa12345.

Watched: June 15-20, 2018