So I Married the Anti-Fan Korean Drama Premiere – Weekly Reviews 5/1/21

The drama atmosphere heats up with a bunch of drama premieres this week, including So I Married the Anti-Fan Korean drama, Dark Hole, and Bossam: Steal the Fate. I also tried Netflix’s rom-com The Baker and the Beauty at the recommendation of some friends.

May will be a really hot drama month once Imitation, Doom At Your Service, Mine, and My Roommate Is a Gumiho premiere later this month. I hope I can keep up!

Korean Dramas

So I Married the Anti-Fan Korean Drama

The 2016 Chinese movie version of the Korean webtoon So I Married an Anti-Fan caught the attention of audiences with its charming storyline and quirky characters. Naver released the Korean drama version on Friday.

Choi Soo Young of Girls Generation plays Lee Geun Young, a reporter whose chance encounter with Kpop idol Hoo Joon (Choi Tae Joon) results in losing her job. She protests his company and gains fame as his “anti-fan”. Geun Young is invited to star in a reality show that sets up a phony contract marriage between her and Hoo Joon.

The first episode is fairly predictable except for one scene when Geun Young goes to surprise her boyfriend. Geun Young is cheerful and completely taken for granted by the people in her life. Hoo Joon lives a very different life and yet also struggles against similar issues. Perhaps these two will come to realize how much they have in common?

Soo Young usually manages to play bubbly and endearing quite well and I find Geun Young much more believable in the first episode than the other characters, including Tae Joon as Hoo Joon. Hoo Joon is a fairly typical celebrity tsundere persona that I imagine we will come to see beyond as the series continues.

A few interesting aspects of this drama stuck out from the rest. The opening song immediately catches attention for its kooky rhythm. The track is very different from most drama tracks and far away from a traditional Kpop style. The second element that I noticed was that the drama opens with a journalistic montage with webtoon influence. I have seen this done before, but they carried it a little bit longer than most would. The boyfriend scene gave me hope that we’re going to get some surprises, but I haven’t read the webtoon or seen the movie.

So I Married the Anti-Fan Korean drama premiered on April 30th, and streams on Viki.

Other Media

The Baker and the Beauty

I gave The Baker and the Beauty a try on Netflix after seeing several people who recommended it. This show is a lot of fun!

Daniel Garcia (Victor Rausk) works for his family’s bakery in Miami. After rejecting his long-time girlfriend’s very public proposal, he ends up on a wild all-night spree with famous model Noa Hamilton (Nathalie Kelley). Starstruck Daniel wonders if he’s being taken for a literal and figurative ride. Their lifestyles are very different, but their chemistry is sizzling.

There’s a lot more going on than the romance between the leads. Daniel’s parents Mari and Rafeal are always embarrassing their kids (something none of us identifies with, right?) but have no shortage of love for their family. His younger brother Mateo is trying to become a DJ and sings through many situations. Youngest sister Natalie (Belissa Escobedo) is weighed down by her parents’ expectations as the only “smart one”, but also her romantic inclinations. I think Natalie is my favorite character of the show and I’d love to see a spinoff about her.

Noa’s entourage is funny too but doesn’t get quite as much screen time. Dan Bucatinski plays Noa’s manager Lewis, and the character is a near clone of Stanley Tucci’s Nigel from The Devil Wears Prada. He tries to stop the relationship but warns Daniel that Noa adopts random men after breakups and Daniel is just one more that will be gone soon. But Noa’s friend Piper is a fan of Daniel and encourages both Noa and Daniel to pursue their relationship.

One of the best things about this drama for me has been the setting. The Baker and the Beauty‘s Miami is bright and bold and full of Latin music. No doubt it’s a bit outside of reality, but the relationships between the characters give a more down-to-earth feel. The music is really a star in this show, including the infectious track “Calle Ocho Guy” by David del Rio as Mateo.

Did you catch So I Married the Anti-Fan Korean drama this week?

Watch the first episodes of So I Married the Anti-Fan Korean drama? Are you going to keep watching? I think I will keep watching for now, banking on Soo Young’s charm.