Legend of the Blue Sea ended a while back, but I'm only finishing this show now since it's something I've been watching with my Mum (and watching without her means instant death). As soon as it was announced that the writer of rom-com hit You Who Came From the Stars and the director of City Hunter (which I haven't watched, but now need to) would be working together for a drama about mermaids, the hype was massive. Can a drama so widely anticipated, especially when it stars two of the hottest celebrities, ever live up to that kind of hype?
In Joseon, a mermaid Se-hwa is washed up on a beach after a violent storm and captured. Greedy Lord Yang knows that mermaid tears turn to pearls, so he intends to exploit her as much as possible before killing her. But the new town head Dam-ryung appears, and with one look at the girl he orders that she be set free. The bond between these two is even deeper than this, but when the love between them is tragically crushed, their fate is carried into a different lifetime.
Modern day. When Heo Joon-jae, a conman who wishes he could be a little more ruthless, takes a holiday with some swindled money, he meets a very weird girl (later named Shim Cheong). She appears in his villa, eats all the food, and seems completely incapable of speaking. What Joon-jae doesn't realise is that this girl is a mermaid. He starts to care for her, while she falls head-over-heels in love with him. A mermaid only loves once, so when the circumstances send Joon-jae back home to Korea, she swims after him.
Okay, I'm going to start with everything about Legend of the Blue Sea that disappointed me, just to get it out of the way. It often felt like it was trying to be a little too much of everything. Classic drama tropes that I completely loved in other places were used here, but it often felt like these were being crammed in wherever possible to compensate for the dwindling plot. I had no issues with how slow the wheels of this drama turned - when you have compelling characters, it doesn't feel slow at all - but it also meant that Legend of the Blue Sea didn't have the addictive qualities that made You Who Came From the Stars so amazing. Furthermore, I was disappointed with the textbook-villains, who were sadly too bland for me to hate them to the degree I would have liked. I'm reminded of the villain from You Who Came From the Stars, actually, because it was his battles with alien Do Min-joon (which he could never win) that made the conflict in that show so delicious. I should stop comparing, it's making me sad. Anyhow, I came for the romance, not the murder-mystery. I like thrillers, but there wasn't enough unpredictability for me to feel a whole lot of thrills; nearer the end, especially.
But enough of that, onto all the good stuff. I'm always talking about how I like quirky ensemble casts - well, writer Park Ji-eun knows how to make a great group of characters. I'll spell it out for you: Three savvy con men, two grumpy police officers, a giant brat, a little girl, a homeless woman, and one mermaid. The characters are what made this drama shine, more so than the pretty sets or fantasy plot. They were unique and charming, and all their interactions were what made Legend of the Blue Sea great. I would be lying if I didn't say that I definitely liked the happier side of the story than the more melodramatic one. It's a shame the bromance between our con men wasn't utilised to it's full extent, because I got a taste, and I crave more.
Cheongie and Joon-jae alone, though, were definitely the highlight of the show (you have no idea how difficult it was to find good images of anything except them for this review). I mean, it's Lee Min-ho and Jun Ji-hyun - you know from the get-go that it's going to be good! Their chemistry was adorable. Frankly, I'm very happy that Lee Min-ho chose a good drama to star in, because after Heirs I was starting to think he'd lost the magic touch. Joon-jae is my favourite of his characters yet. But honestly, it's Cheongie who stole the show. Her character was everything that endeared me to Shin Min-ah for life after My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. She also starred in You Who Came From the Stars, and it's obvious at this point that Jun Ji-hyun knows how to pick the female leads with the biggest and brightest personalities. Trust me, this woman is enormously popular for good reason.
To conclude, it's evident now that I'm disappointed in Legend of the Blue Sea for one reason - it didn't live up to my huge expectations. Maybe if I'd started the show without any prior knowledge of the actors or the team behind it, the flaws in the show wouldn't have bothered me quite as much. The characters are fantastic, and the drama could be as utterly heart-wrenching as it is completely hilarious. And not to mention the noona romance side-plot, which I wish I'd had more of! So I'll recommend it.
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