My Girl

My Girl Review
Ju Yoo Rin is a tour guide on Jeju Island. Her father is an addictive gambler, and because of him, Ju Yoo Rin often has to pay back his debts. Since Yoo Rin and her father have had to move to many different countries to escape their debts, Yoo Rin learned many languages and uses her talents to entertain tourists from many countries. Seol Gong Chan, the wealthy director of a top hotel, happens to be looking for a translator at short notice, and because he has no other option, he hires Ju Yoo Rin. After being hired as a translator, Ju Yoo Rin takes advantage of Seol Gong Chan's wealth and stays in his beach house to escape the debtors that are looking for her. She also steals the oranges in Seol Gong Chan's orchard in order to make a profit by selling them. When Seol Gong Chan finds out that she has been swindling him this whole time, he tries to get as far away from her as possible. At the same time, however, Seol Gong Chan's grandfather wishes to see his long-lost granddaughter before he dies, and Seol Gong Chan decides that he must use Ju Yoo Rin as a fake substitute in order to fulfill his grandfather's dying wishes. The more they interact, the more it seems that Seol Gong Chan and Ju Yoo Rin are falling for eachother. Yet there's still Seol Gong Chan's ex-girlfriend to consider, and Seo Jung Woo, who seems to really have the hots for Ju Yoo Rin.

My Girl is more of a comedy than a drama series. The characters, especially Ju Yoo Rin and Seo Jung Woo, have incredibly funny personalities. Although the storyline was slowly paced at the beginning, the series really began to pickup during the middle. I didn't really feel the urge to finish the series like I did with Full House, but this is probably because My Girl is less dramatic and more light-hearted than Full House, which is also a good thing. Still, sixteen episodes felt a bit too long for this series. It seems that most Korean dramas like to span this length, and although it's satisfactory, I would have liked the series to speed up to the "good parts" instead of focusing on some small details. There were a number of extraneous sub-plots and events that seemed to detract from the main storyline. Seriously, I could care less about the relationship between auntie and Mr. Jang or Jin Gyo and Secretary Yoon.

I thought the characters were great in this series and there wasn't one character that I thought was poorly developed. Lee Jun Ki, the actor who plays Seo Jung Woo, was one of my favorite characters because he had some very funny parts and a charismatic personality, or maybe I just liked his hair, either way, I thought he was one of the best sub-characters in this series.

There couldn't have been two better lead stars in this drama series. Lee Da Hae has an exceptional talent to make you laugh and to make you cry. She is wonderfully versatile in her portrayal of Ju Yoo Rin, and her role is arguably the most diverse and deep in this series. She's pretty, but not quite as pretty as some other Korean starlets, and instead, she radiates an aura of cuteness that is undeniably attractive.

The other lead, Seol Gong Chan, is played by Choi Dong Wook, who is definitely a very handsome guy. He's not only eye candy for the ladies, but his acting is also very impressive. Although his personality is more reserved, we get to see different sides of him as the series progresses.

The other supporting cast members don't really play a huge role in this series. Although Park Si Yeon's character, Kim Sae Hyun, is the girlfriend of Seol Gong Chan, I didn't feel any bitterness against her character. The same can be said about Seo Jung Woo, who is a competitor for the love of Ju Yoo Rin. Although Kim Sae Hyun and Seo Jung Woo are both antagonists, they are still very likeable, which is another reason I enjoyed this series so much.

My Girl has an interesting soundtrack. One of the tracks sounds like a mix of western rap and k-pop. Unlike other drama series, however, the soundtrack in this one isn't so extraordinary that I would consider listening to individual songs. The music is appropriate for this series, but it's not quite good enough to warrant listening to over and over again.

All things considered, My Girl is one great Korean drama series. To compare, it's not quite as good as Full House, but it's still better than 90% of the Korean drama series I have seen. It's also very lighthearted and not quite as sad as many other series, which gives it a much broader appeal. This series is a definite must-watch.

Download all 16 Episodes with English subtitle (soft-subbed):

http://www.megaupload.com/?f=DL37TIJI

mms://aod.mylisten.com/aod/2/60/070260_0908663.wma
to
mms://aod.mylisten.com/aod/2/60/070260_0908674.wma

01. chum boo tuh - Yun Woo
02. Never Say Goodbye - Mario & Nesty
03. suh reun bun jjeum - KYO
04. Alone - Lim Jae Wan
05. sang uh reul sarang han in uh - Jo Kwan Woo
06. neul - Tree Bicycle
07. My Girl - Park Yong Suk
08. sarang eun him deun ga bwa - Lee Ji Soo
09. Alone (Female Ver.) - Kara
10. sang uh reul sarang han in uh (Female Ver.) - Park Hee Kyung
11. Happy Happy - Song Bo Ram
12. sarang ee shim shim hae suh - K2

additional songs
Lee Da Hae - dang shin ee won ha shin da myun
Bae Il Ho - dang shin ee won ha shin da myun
Lee Da Hae - dang geun song
V.A - dang geun song
Lee Dong Wook - nan nuh eh ge
The Dandelion - nan nuh eh ge
Johannes Brahms - Hungarian Dance No. 5
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G minor K.550 : Molto allegro
Tae Jin Ah - sarang eun ah moo na ha na
Rod Stewart - Sailing
Daze - Together Forever
Tata Young - Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy
Max Raabe - Sex Bomb
911 - That's The Way
Georges Bizet - Habanera from Carmen - Suite No. 2
Lee Ja Yun - dang shin eh eui mi
Michael Learns To Rock - Blue Night
Donna Summer - Hot Stuff
Sade - By Your Side
Danielle Licari - Les Parapluies De Cherbourg
mms://211.234.113.202/world/2207/track_018.wma
Sting - Shape Of My Heart
Ivy - oh neul bam il
Deep Purple - Anthem
Donna Lewis & Richard Marx - At The Beginning
Leon Russell - A Song For You
Cassandra Wilson - Love Is Blindness
Hyun In - ggoom sok eh sarang
Jang Yoon Jung - uh muh na!
Alexia - Happy
mms://media.hottracks.co.kr/session2/5/5/8/226655800107.asf
Ennio Morricone - Piano Solo (from Movie 'Love Affair')

Episode 1
Part 1 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5TZ4MGMT
Part 2 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=FZKTFTGW

Episode 2
Part 1 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SKY5WDSX
Part 2 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=BB8OMPS1

Episode 3
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JHZ9CPQ3

Episode 4
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5PNKSP4T

Episode 5
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=RNCPMZJL

Episode 6
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9AHFL0SR

Episode 7
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SE5SVZWI

Episode 8
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=1NTWTEXZ

Episode 9
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MHKIW55G

Episode 10
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=G2FQW22Y

Episode 11
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=MW78HKEV

Episode 12
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=XQP5SYGZ

Episode 13
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=JIOT7ZW3

Episode 14
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=THBQT489

Episode 15
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZU01P2K3

Episode 16
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DRFX7338