Nail Shop Paris (2013)

(Read the full review over at my review blog, remaaarkable.dreamwidth.org!)
What. The. Fuck. Drama?

I almost feel bad writing this so soon after completing the unusually 10-episode kdrama Nail Shop Paris, since I'm still feeling sufficiently wounded.

But I'll try my best.

Show, why are you taking yourself so seriously? It starts as this weirdly episodic series where each episode involves helping some client with their problems, so then we get weird moral-of-the-story endings with super serious messages to the viewer. Even the novel Yeo Joo's writing about Alex, acted out in a ridiculously exaggerated style, starts off funny and then tries to reflect the seriousness of the love triangle plotline. Basically, this whole show SHOULD have been a comedy, but clearly wasn't.

Unevenness all around. I stuck with it when I thought I understood, finally, what I was in for, but even that is left by the way side with the slapped together nonsense of the final episode. Basically the whole thing feels like a bad fan fic as written by Yeo Joo.

There are two upsides, of course: Jin and Ji Soo are totes adorbz, and by far the best thing about the show despite there being too much weight given them for a supplementary plotline. And Song Jae Rim is super handsome and clearly the better actor of the group, so it was fun to watch him be silly in love for a while. He gets very little to work with plot-wise, and there's zero chemistry between him and Gyuri (who frankly has chemistry with no one in this show), but I'd probably watch him do nothing for 10 episodes and still feel I got something out of this.

Basically, listen to everything you've heard about Nail Shop Paris and skip it.

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Just one word: disappointing. I have to say that at the beginning of the drama, I got really excited because it was so different than other dramas. But I would have liked it better if it was one of those cliched dramas. I think my hopes were set too high for this probably because Cheondoong was in it (A+ here). Well, that serves me right for watching a drama only for one actor. But I know I'll do it again in a heartbeat.
The story was different than what I usually watched, so it grabbed my attention right away. The whole girl disguises herself as a guy has been done quite a few times, but I don't recall any where there are a bunch of flower boys painting nails for a living. However, the whole gumiho concept just didn't do it for me. It was introduced and carried along through the first like 3 episodes. After that, it just became irrelevant. And then out of no where, it shows up again in the very last episode. Not acceptable. Sorry, but NO. Also, I found myself drawing further and further away from the main couple. I found the love story between Jin and Ji Soo much more interesting and cute. I was more worried about them than I was for Bunny, Kay, and Alex. They are now officially my favorite side couple! (\(^-^)/) They are the only reason my rating is a 6. without them, it would've been a 4.
As for the acting, it wasn't horrible, but... it wasn't all that great either. I feel like there were only a few of the actors that portrayed their roles well. That would have to be (in my opinion. no hating) Kay, Jin, and Ji Soo. They may have not been excellent, but it was much better than the others. The others' acting was good at times, and was just a ship wreck the rest of the time. But they tried; I'll give them credit for that.
The music was nice. There was a song or two that I didn't really like and some that I thought were over played, but overall, the music was good.
I highly doubt I would re-watch this. Maybe if I was pointed a gun at my head or if I literally have nothing else to watch besides this (pretty much impossible).
All in all, it wasn't anything special like I expected it to be. If you want to watch a cross-dressing, fantasy, confusing, rushed ending, short drama, then maybe you'll like this. If not, then turn away and look for another drama. Hope I didn't spoil anything. If I did, I'm really sorry. Bye!

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