When it comes to movies and TV shows, the romantic genre is not really my cup of tea. I often actively avoid watching them. I have watched the classics of course - I mean who hasn't, but that's about it for me when it comes to the romantic genre.
I was particularly prejudiced against the Korean Romantic dramas, mainly because of the stuff most people watch in my country - it just didn't suit my taste.
So when my wife suggested that I watch this Korean Rom-drama called "Legend of the blue Sea," I delayed it for the longest possible time until one night we had nothing else to watch.
I was pretty sure I'd just watch one episode and be done with it for good. So here I am, 10 episodes later - feeling the need to write a mid season review before I get back to watching the rest of the episodes! Prejudice huh!
So why do I like Legend of the Blue Sea?
I don't know.
That's it, that's the review. Thanks for reading, bye!
Seriously though, I don’t know.
The main plot is strictly based on the improbable love developing between two individuals - one is a human, the other a mermaid. Typical - exactly the type of plots I find cheesy and don't like. Yet, I find I just cant watch enough of this show. It's a strange predicament!
But what really sets the show apart from the typical Romantic dramas is that it's not just a romance based show. Almost every episode got a few solid laughs, the comic reliefs - which could very well lead to one mistaking the show to be of the Comedy genre. And I love the comedy genre. Most of my favourite shows are of the comedy genre!
And then there are those few episodes that seems straight out of the pages of a thriller novel. Scratch that actually! The entire show has a constant side running thriller plot under development from the get go that will keep you on your toes for sure!
Most importantly, the romance plot isn't too cheesy like a lot of the other dramas of this genre. This would have been a deal breaker for me. But the way this show kept the romance part very lightweight to the palate, despite it being strictly a romantic plot based show is applaudable!
And of course there's more - a plot based entirely on family drama and separation of kins and jealousy between step siblings and step parents.
And then there's of course the fiction part of the story. I will not reveal too much of that because that will serve as a major spoiler for the first 10 episodes. I can say only this much - the story runs parallel in two different timelines, with fate tying them together over the tides of time.
The story opens when the Mermaid Shim Cheong entangles herself in the room of the witty con artist Heo Joon Jae. Being a con artist, the only thing about Shim Joon-Jae is interested in is an ancient bracelet she was wearing - which is supposedly worth 6 billion Won (korean currency, I think). He is quick to hand her over to the police for breaking and entering to her hotel room - but after finding out the worth of the bracelet Joon-jae goes to bail her out. And soon to his own surprise, and annoyance Joon-Jae finds himself starting to care for the mermaid.
Joon-jae is a very typical guard-up character - barely willing to show any signs of emotional attachment and unwilling to entertain the fact that the he actually starts to care for someone - masking it under the pretext of only "business" and "good human nature." It all becomes evident later as we are shown Joon-Jae's childhood neglect from his father, and separation from his mother has made him keep his guard up all the time to avoid getting hurt again, getting left behind again.
Shim Cheong, well she is the source of most of the comedy and I will not spoil any of the fun of watching her make a fool out of herself!
Apart from the story, what else did I like?
I have lived in China for a very long period and have grown to love their culture, the cities, the ambience in short! It has a very nostalgic spot in my heart and while I understand that the actual lifestyle in China and Korea might be vastly different, watching on screen was eerily familiar. It was like re living those fond memories in the beautiful cities! This is definitely one of the major driving factors for me to be so hooked into this show, it reminds me of the good old days. This might not be the same for everyone, so you probably may not like it as much as I do.
And I absolutely adore the instrumental soundtracks of this show. Again, reminds me so much of the traditional chinese music that I grew so fond of over the duration of my stay there.
The Legend of the Blue Sea, beside its gripping plots is like a walk down the memory lane for me.
