Annyeong chingus and welcome to yet another edition of “Hallyu Zombie Drama Review!” I’m super excited to introduce this particular review to you for two reasons… First, because this drama is one I’ve been dying to watch for months and this week it has FINALLY started to air (squee!) and second, because two amazing ladies have agreed to join me on this particular drama reviewing endeavor. Who are these lovely ladies, you ask? They are none other than Shai from k-dramacentral and Tanya from HallyuKnow? *round of applause* You can find all three of us writing for our individual blogs as well as writing for some of DramaFever’s more recent Drama Clubs. *hooray!* And now that the introductions are over, let’s dig into these first two episodes, shall we?
Okay, right off the bat I have to tell you that one of the biggest reasons (okay, the only reason) I’ve been looking forward to watching Bride of the Century was because Lee Hong Ki was starring as the male lead. Ever since watching Lee Hong Ki perfect his aegyo in You’re Beautiful I’ve been longing for the day he could take on a more important and mature role. Not that his character, Jeremy, wasn’t adorably lovable in You’re Beautiful (because let’s face it, he was) but to be honest, it wasn’t an exceptional role to play and I could see the potential for something greater hidden behind Jeremy’s over-the-top cuteness. At last, my dreams of seeing Lee Hong Ki star in a drama of his own have come true and I have to say, two episodes in, I’m not at all disappointed in the results.
Not only is Hong Ki’s acting as good (or dare I say, better) than I was expecting (and if you’ll allow me one brief fangirl spazz here… The indignant little squeak he does from time to time is totally adorable!!!) but the story-line is intriguing, engaging and slightly creepy which, in my book, makes it an instant winner. I know we’re only two episodes in but I’m totally obsessed with this story and I want to know everything there is to know… NOW! What is the history of the Choi family? How did they become cursed? Why? Is it something along the lines of Penelope, where there was a jilted lover somewhere who sought revenge by cursing the family? Is it something worse? How many generations have had to suffer? It’s obviously been a lot but I’m not a judge, skilled enough in the area of period fashion, to pinpoint an exact date. I have so many questions, about this curse alone, I could write a book but there’s so much more to this story, so I’ll move on.
Is anyone else both terrified of and amazed by the Choi family ghost? Who is she exactly and why does she feel the need to bring about the untimely end of every first wife of every firstborn son? Is she really the first victim or is she something (someone?) even more sinister than that? It’s obvious she’s not confined to the Choi estate (as evidenced by her being seen with/in the girl who tried to kill herself and as an unannounced visitor at the fortune-teller’s establishment) so why does she keep coming back? Does she enjoy killing first wives or does she have to kill survive? Why does she want to survive anyway? Wouldn’t she want to “move on” at some point? See? I have so many questions and I haven’t even gotten to any of the living characters yet!
Beyond the curse and the ghost lies an entire cast of characters who, despite their easily predictable roles, are deep enough characters to pique my interest. I’ll start by delving into the Jang family as they seem to be the most screwed up at the moment. Why is it so many wealthy families, in DramaLand, find themselves in dire financial situations and are forced to marry off one of their children to a cold and unfeeling chaebol heir to save their skin? Wouldn’t you think the wealthy would have some sort of financial planning committee to keep themselves from such a disaster? I guess that’s just not how the moderately wealthy roll… 
Whatever the reason, the Jang family has found themselves in need of a financial miracle and they’ve agreed to marry off Yi Kyung to secure their financial future. Oh joy. Yi Kyung is the epitome of the spoiled rich girl. She’s whiny and self-centered and flat-out determined to one-up her “best friend,” Roo Mi. At this point, I honestly wouldn’t mind if she were the victim of the Choi family curse because I don’t care two snits for her in the first place. Obviously Choi Kang Joo doesn’t either, which is why he has no problem treating her like a puppet. *ouch!* Lucky for us, Yi Kyung decided it’s better to run away from her problem than face them which leaves room for Na Doo Rim to enter the scene. *hooray!*
I have to say, I really like Doo Rim; she’s everything a down-and-out DramaLand female lead should be. Honest, hard-working, chipper, determined, tough, a little rough around the edges but sensible, with a strong sense of responsibility and a strong devotion to her grandmother, Doo Rim couldn’t be a more perfect candidate to clash/mesh with Kang Joo! Add to that a suddenly desperate financial crisis and the fate of her grandmother resting on it, you’ve got a perfect recipe for instant DramaLand heroine! *yes!* I think that what really sold me on Doo Rim was watching her (and watching Kang Joo watch her) at the memorial service… The way she interacted with everyone and won them all over with her smile, charm and hard-work, it made me like her, a lot. When you add to her character an absolute lack of fear when it comes to Kang Joo, she’s simply irresistable and I have a feeling I’m not the only one to notice. Already I can see Kang Joo taking an interest in Doo Rim, despite himself and I just love that! There’s nothing like the first faint inkling of affection to keep me coming back for more!
Oh there are so many more things I could talk about right now but alas, if I keep going, there will be nothing left for Shai, Tanya and I to talk about later so I’ll stop for now. If you want more, be sure to come back for part two of this Hallyu Zombie Drama Review of Bride of the Century! Until next time!
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