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Shopping King Louie korean drama review
Completed
Shopping King Louie
10 people found this review helpful
by manicmuse
Nov 25, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 8.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
Who likes cheese? *raises hand* Or rather, who likes sickeningly sweet candy? *raises hand again* This is how I would describe this drama and it's over the top appeal. This is not a drama with substance. It's listed as a melodrama, but it is a cartoon version of a melodrama. All of the characters are comedic and over the top, yes even the bad guys. I admit that this was a plus and a minus for me, because sometimes playing certain things up for the comedy made it frustrating to watch, and hard to take seriously. Once I let go of any type of expectations of seriousness, I liked this drama a lot more, but I should be honest... there is only one reason I kept watching in the beginning, and that reason is Seo In Guk. Seo In Guk as Louis is the main reason to watch this show. I've seen him, and liked him a lot, in other dramas, but I had no idea he could be so hilarious and silly. Louis is a character that could easily become annoying if played by the wrong actor, but instead I totally fell for him and his antics. He also managed to make him feel real in each completely unrealistic scenario this drama put him in, which sucked me even further into the story. Even when the plot let me down, Louis never did. He's matched with Nam Ji Hyun as Go Bok Shil, another super sweet and likable character who avoids being annoying. She is naive, yet brave, so her innocence wasn't a turn off for me. I also loved that although she is obviously the Cinderella of this story, this never changed the essence of who her character was. Bok Shil and Louis are so incredibly adorkable as a couple, and have such great chemistry, that it felt like watching a real love story in spite of the cheesy plot. Their love story is what the show is all about, so liking them made me automatically like the show, and look forward to each episode. There is also Yoon Sang Hyun as Cha Joong Won, another actor who I've loved in many other dramas, and he pulls off another memorable character. Playing totally against their sweetness, with each clearing of his throat, he became the hilarious third wheel to complete their love triangle. Although he is a classic "forever alone" character, watching his rivalry/bromance with Louis was fun. Honestly, the entire supporting cast is fun to watch. I can't really think of one bad cast member, and considering the cheesy dialogue and scenarios (a certain car ride comes to mind), the fact that they could pull off such over the top comedy so well shows how talented they all are. What I didn't love is the plot. There were way too many tropes/clichés, and certain scenarios were dragged out way too long. I got so frustrated waiting for Louis' memory to return, or for someone to reveal who he was. Then there was some extreme violence that felt out of place in this extreme comedy, and seemed to be more for shock value. I did love the side stories of some of the characters (their neighbors, the servants, the mom clique...), but the main story of what happened to Louis, and why, seemed really messy. The romance portion does have some sweet closure at the end, though unbelievable, but at that point I liked them so much I just smiled and accepted it. That's how I felt about most of the plot... smile, or laugh, and accept it, even if its completely ridiculous. Would I watch this again? Probably not, but maybe. Again, the cast is really cute, so maybe that's enough to justify a second viewing. Maybe Louis' goofy smile is enough. At least the OST is good. Overall this is a great excuse to watch Seo In Guk be as cute as possible, and a fun drama for those looking for more laughs than tears. It has too many flaws in the plot to make my favorites list, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it on someone else's. Who knew that amnesia, homelessness, robbery, assault, going missing, and family greed could be such hilarious fun? This was a great break from heavier dramas, and I highly recommend it for exactly that reason.
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