FRIDAY NIGHT DRAMA: Oh My Venus

This weekend’s drama to marathon is a really good one. I was so into it while it was airing, the wait between new episodes was brutal! Lucky for you, the show has finished airing so you can watch the entire thing in one 16 hour stretch and never have to suffer as I did. Hooray!

Originally airing on KBS2 from November, 2015 – January, 2016, Oh My Venus is the story of Kang Joo Eun (Shin Min A), a 3o-something lawyer who has spent so much of her life focused on supporting her family she’s neglected to take care of herself, and Kim Young Ho (So Ji Sub), a runaway chaebol heir who has spent the majority of his adult life as a personal trainer for Hollywood stars and champion UFC fighters. Through a series of very bad events happening all at once, Joo Eun finds herself indebted to Young Ho. As one who has a weak spot for those who suffer, Young Ho agrees to help Joo Eun better herself and the two set out on a journey that will change both of their lives forever.

I’ll be the first to admit I went into this drama highly skeptical of the premise as the story of an over-weight slob of a lawyer being whipped into shape by a cold-hearted drill-sergeant sounded anything but fun. To me it sounded like a bad excuse to make fun of the overweight people in the world and I just wasn’t okay with that. However, I decided that with such a cast lined up for the drama, I’d give it a try and I’m so happy I did! The way Joo Eun’s weight and health issues were addressed was, for the most part, acceptable. Yes, there were a few things they missed the mark on but in the grand scheme of things, everything was handled tastefully and really, the story wasn’t so much about weight but about love and the power it has to bring about real change in people’s lives.

When I think about it, I think that’s why I love this drama as much as I did. The characters all started off with problems that were seriously hindering their health and happiness but as the story moved on, the characters began to learn, grow and change in ways that positively affected their lives and the lives of those around them. I’d like to say every character in this story grew in positive ways but sadly, they did not. Joo Eun’s long-lost friend and work supervisor, Oh Soo Jin (Yoo In Young) suffered from severe depression, eating disorders and a horrible attitude, which made her awful, sad and pitiful for the duration of the drama. It was sad to see so much positive happening in the Joo Eun’s life while her “friend” is caught in a downward spiral that will ultimately destroy her.

On a happier note, watching Joo Eun and Young Ho together brought endless moments of bliss to this warm-fuzzy lovin’ zombie. So Ji Sub and Shin Min A had such fantastic chemistry, they made the show the incredibly addicting squee-fest that it was. Okay, the shirtless So Ji Sub moments didn’t hurt any either… Neither did the shirtless Henry and shirtless Sung Hoon scenes, now that I think about it… But I digress. Young Ho and Joo Eun are easily one of my favorite drama OTPs ever and I could have easily gone on watching them together forever.

If you’re looking for a drama that will make you laugh, make you cry, make you squee and make you swoon all at the same time, you can’t go wrong with this one. It’s just a whole lot of fun to watch and if you haven’t already watched it, you need to. Like, now. Of course if you have already watched it, I want to know what you thought so be sure to let me know in the comments below!