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Drama Review: Oh My Venus

Oh My Venus

Oh My Venus

Oh My Venus had me hooked from the first episode. The diverse cast of characters sealed the deal. However, the show had a few fatal flaws I can’t ignore. Oh My Venus sets the bar high, so it pains me a little to tear it apart. Perhaps if there were four more episodes, the show would have done everyone justice.

There are spoilers in this review, so don’t go beyond this point if you plan to watch Oh My Venus and haven’t already.

Characters:
Most of the supporting cast helped carry the show. Young Ho’s two sidekicks, Kim Ji-woon (“Ma’am!”) and Jang Joon-sung, a professional boxer, were a hoot and I loved them so much. They brought so much comedy and adorableness to the show and were equally great during more dramatic scenes. Henry Lau, who played Joon-sung’s manager, had the best acting for sad scenes. When Young-ho got hurt in an accident, his meltdown had me in tears. Joon-sung’s storyline with his past and quest to find his mother was touching. Their unique personalities and stories made them memorable characters.

However, on the other end of the spectrum, Young Ho’s stepmother and half-brother’s story lines were unnecessary. Perhaps if their stories had more attention and background story, other than a few scenes, I would have connected with them and felt sympathetic. Was it for plot convenience they were even in the story? For example, Young-ho’s half-brother, Kim Young-Joon, tried to commit suicide. I did not care (sadly) because he was a one-dimensional character with too little screen time. I also had a lot of questions. Why did Young Ho’s dad remarry if he was just going to be a jerk to his new wife and son? Hye-ran’s brother said it’s so her husband can give Young-ho all of his fortune. This is the only time it’s mentioned and that fact, if it’s true, was never addressed. No one, except Hye-ran’s brother, cared about her efforts to please everyone, as she got treated like a pest. No wonder Nam-chul became so murderous later. I also do not recall a significant moment between Young-ho and his stepmother and half-brother. Young-ho, an overall nice guy, seemed ignorant of their treatment by relatives.

Ko Min-Joon, a young elementary school student, had more impact than both Choi Hye-ran and Kim Young-joon. Min-joon was the son of Joo-eun’s best friend and divorced mother, Lee Hyun-woo. Min-joon’s interactions with Young-ho (almost anyone, really) were cute. I am not saying he was cute because he is a kid, but they cast the right child for the character.

Shin Min Ah as Joo-eun.

Shin Min Ah as Joo-eun.

I love that the heroine, Kang Joo-eun, was intelligent. She did not do dumb things (like withhold crucial information) for plot convenience. Despite Young Ho always coming to her rescue, she was not a damsel-in-distress. She handles conflict with her ex-boyfriend, Im Woo-shik, and ex-friend, Oh Soo-jin, well, as she refuses to let others walk over her. She is jovial and funny, and I think a lot of that has to do with Shin Min Ah’s excellent acting. I am a huge Shin Min Ah fan, and I love the personality she brings to her characters. Her character was the polar opposite of Soo-jin, a successful and gorgeous woman plagued by her past and self-doubt.

Soo-jin’s insecurities were understandable. Joo-eun, a popular girl back then, had good intentions but patronized Soo-jin. For example, Joo-eun set her up with an intelligent, yet unattractive guy who treated Soo-jin like crap and called her ugly. Soo-jin felt pitied for being shy and overweight. I think that’s why she had resentment toward Joo-eun. Woo-shik’s response to Soo-jin’s hardship, both when they were in school and as accomplished adults, was touching, but frequently overlooked. The show waited too long to show the hints of a developing relationship between Woo-shik and Soo-jin, missing the chance to make them relatable, sympathetic characters. I think it is because Soo-jin was set up to be the “mean girl” as an adult. Woo-shik’s handling of his breakup with Joo-eun did not help (he was awkward with poor timing) and neither did the late explanation of how he and Soo-jin got together. Hint: It wasn’t as devious as the show makes you think. I hope it was not intentional negligence to downplay other characters for the sake of the near-perfect primary couple.

I wanted to hug him during this moment. He looks so devastated about Young-ho's accident.

I wanted to hug him during this moment. He looks so devastated about Young-ho’s accident.

Plot:
I will not go in-depth about the plot, but I want to point out a couple of things. The main storyline was good. Until the last few episodes, I gave it five stars. Sure, the supporting characters were a significant reason, but overall it is a good show. I’d still recommend it. With that said, I had issues with the show’s execution. One of the major plot points of the start of the show was Young-ho’s alternative identity, John Kim. While in the United States, he was in a high-profile scandal with an American celebrity. Considering his position as the heir of the Gahong bloodline, his activities as John Kim could not be tied to his real name. While a little trite, the idea could have made the main couple’s lives more difficult. Out of everyone in the story, Young-ho and Joo-eun’s problems were the equivalent of first-world problems. So I was disappointed when what could be a dramatic point in the show, fizzled. Once outed, things settled a little too neatly. Young-ho went into hiding to ride out the media storm. Even the bad people who outed Young-ho, Producer Go (the ex-husband of Lee Hyun-woo) and Woo-shik, got off easily. Now that I think about it, Nam-chul, the “villain” and Young-ho’s step-uncle, got off easy (a settlement and firing) considering he tried undermine Young-ho, and eventually was the reason for Young-ho’s devastating accident. Oh, and I am not sure what happened to Choi Hye-ran and Young-joon at the end. Maybe my eyes were glazing over at that point. Regardless, neither Young-ho or Joo-eun seem to care, so I guess I should not either.

Joo-eun after running into Young-ho. She thought he was only from her imagination after not having seen him for a year.

Joo-eun after running into Young-ho. She thought he was only from her imagination after not having seen him for a year.

Now for the ending. As I said earlier, Young-ho and Joo-eun’s storyline could have ended sooner, especially since the couple had NO resistance from Young-ho’s grandmother. I like that they subverted the situation. Instead of the mean matriarch opposing the couple, she was all for it. I liked the scene where Joo-eun danced for Young-ho’s family, to his horror, but his family loved it and laughed. They took pictures together, trying to do cute poses. Even though I was done with the show by episode 15, those moments still made me smile. Despite all the criticism, I liked Young-ho and Joo-eun’s interactions. They were a cute couple that worked, and I was rooting for them. I only wish the writers of the show loved all the other characters too.

Heart of Manga Rating: ♥♥♥

Oh My Venus started out strong but was frustrating with its treatment of supporting characters. The story’s ending fell flat after such a great set up. Nothing worse than a great story with a terribly done and anticlimactic ending. That is why I cannot rate this show very high. You can find Oh My Venus on DramaFever and Viki.

Adrienne
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