Title: 커피프린스 1호점 | The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince | Coffee Prince
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 17
Broadcast Network: MBC
Broadcast Period: 2007-Jul-02 to 2007-Aug-27

Synopsis:

Go Eun Chan is spunky woman who do odd jobs in order for her to get out of her financial troubles. Along the way, she met Choi Han Gyul, an independent, chaebol and a playboy, who tries to avoid the wishes of his grandmother to already marry. He has to manage a coffee shop as per instruction of his grandmother as well. To get out of being tied down to get married, when he accidentally met Go Eun Chan, who he thought to be a young guy. In dire straits, Go Eun Chan pretended to be a boy in order to be able to work at the coffee shop and pretended to be Choi Han Gyu’s lover. However, Choi Han Gyul ended up really getting attracted to Go Eun Chan. These created a lot of challenges between the two and journey to find each other.

Characters:

• Yoon Eun Hye as Go Eun Chan
• Gong Yoo as Choi Han Gyul
• Lee Sun Gyun as Choi Han Sung
• Chae Jung Ahn as Han Yoo Joo
• Kim Ja Ok as Han Kyul’s Mother
• Choi Il Hwa as Han Kyul’s Father
• Kim Young Ok as Han Kyul’s Grandmother
• Park Won Sook as Eun Chan’s Mother
• Kim Chang Wan as Hong Gae Sik
• Kim Jae Wook as No Sun Ki
• Kim Dong Wook as Jin Ha Rim
• Lee Un as Hwang Min Yeop
• Lee Han Wie as Mr. Ku
• Yoon Young Ah as Go Eun Sae
• Kim Jung Min as DK
• Ban Hye Ra as Han Yoo Joo’s Mother
• Choi Eun Seo as The Girl Who Wants to Learn How To Make Waffles)
• Nam Myung Ryul as Han Kyul’s Real Father
• Min Seo Hyun
• Yoon Seung Ah
• Jo Hyun Sook
• Han Da Min as Han Byul
• Lee Joon Ha in Cameo Role of Child Character
• Ha Ye-In as Ko Eun Sae
• Lee Ji-Wan as Younger Ko Eun-Chan

My Review:

This is one of the best K-Drama romcoms I’ve ever seen. It is totally refreshing to watch characters portrayed and feel connection with them from the lead down to the supporting roles. It is funny and totally not boring in all of its 18 episodes. One of the K-Dramas I would recommend if you haven’t seen any Korean dramas yet. The premise of a girl pretending to be a boy is not unique but this K-Drama made it so enjoyable and real. It is also one of the K-Dramas that you will see a real kiss between couples. It was done in a way that’s so different from the usual K-Dramas you will see. By doing that, it removes certain frustrations of K-Drama addicts like me to finally see something natural in a romantic relationship and done in a manner that doesn’t make the conservatives raise their brows to it.

So, What do I Like About this K-Drama?

(1) Yoon Eun Hye played the role of Go Eun Chan so great that she can actually pass as a young man. She did her part so beautifully that made this K-Drama so fun to watch. Normally, I looked more on the guy playing the lead. I can’t help sometimes to swoon over their deliciousness but this time around I appreciated the leading actress.
(2) The chemistry between the Yoon Eun Hye and Gong Yoo are undeniable. You can feel their attraction and enjoyment with each other as if you were friends with them. So, you root for them to succeed in their relationship.
(3) The supporting casts are also not card board boxes of characters that when they are on the screen you maybe tempted to fast forward it. They are delightful to watch in their own sub stories.
(4) The OST is wonderful. It matches the tone of the scene and played beautifully in the background without distracting you to the emotions being played on the screen.
(5) The last but certainly not the very least, my most favorite on this K-Drama is the portrayal of a real kiss between two people who love each other. It doesn’t make excuses, it just shows what happens in real life. If you are not a K-Drama addict, you’ll be wondering what’s the big deal about the kissing scene? Well, K-Dramas are notorious of trying to evade the necessity of having a real kissing scenes between the lead actors. They either express their love through hugs, holding hands, and if there’s a kiss the camera pans out of the couple because the lead male actor is actually just kissing the lead female actor’s cheeks instead of her lips. I’m all for the Korean style of making you feel and imagine love rather than actually showing it literally but sometimes there’s truly a need. So, this K-Drama gave all the ingredients to make me feel that it is truly worth spending so much time in watching it.

What I do Not Like About this K-Drama? There’s nothing much I didn’t like to the point I will make an issue out of it. Of course, through the course of watching K-Dramas so many times I already expect certain flaws due to probably their financial restraints or change of writers or director or censorship when it comes to televised programs but Coffee Prince was so successful in making it to not matter to a lot of audience including myself. I think this K-Drama is one of the K-Dramas of all times that will NEVER be NOT included if you asked any K-Drama addicts to name a list of their top K-Dramas they’ve watched. It’s simply categorically speaking a classic .

Would I recommend this K-Drama? 110% YES, in Bold Letters.

My Rating to this Drama
( See My Rating System: ) 5/5 Stars

OST:
01. White Love Story – As One (애즈원 )
Play Me:

02. Noreul Saranghae – Han Dong-Joon
Play Me:

03. Good Bye – The Melody
04. May – Belle Epoque
05. “Again” (Acoustic Ver.) – Cloud Cuckoo Land
06. “A Desired Confession” – Casker
07. Gazer Razer (Studio Live Ver.) – Tearliner
08. “Making Up” – Eun Chan & Han Kyul’s Dialogue
09. Make up – Adult Children
10. I’ll Be A Virgin I’ll Be A Mountain – Maximilian Hecker
11. “November” – Fanny Fink
12. “Eun Chan Cries Out Loud” – Eun Chan’s Dialogue
13. Rain Coat – Tearliner
14. “To the Top” – Misty Blue
15. “Han Kyul Decides to Send Eun Chan Overseas” – Eun Chan & Han Kyul’s Dialogue
16. Alien – Arco
17. “Han Kyul’s Confession” – Han Kyul’s Dialogue
18. Sad Thing – Adult Children
19. “Brotherhood” – Eun Chan & Han Kyul’s Dialogue
20. “I Messed Up The Relationship” – Low-End Project
21. “Oh My Gosh!” – Kim Chang Wan
22. Coffee is – Cloud Cuckoo Land
23. Running – Donawhale
24. “A Maturing Love” – Eun Chan & Han Kyul’s Dialogue
25. “A Good Person” – Fanny Fink
26. Wishy-Washy Boy – Tearliner
27. Last Arpeggios – Bluedawn
28. “The Discovery of Love” – Eun Chan & Han Kyul’s Dialogue
29. Balloons & Champagne – Ephemera
30. Novaless – Tearliner
31. “Eun Chan, Come Quickly! Eun Chan, I Miss You!” – Han Kyul’s Dialogue
32. Perfect World (Restraint) – Arco
33. Space Island (Moon Version) – Tearliner
34. It’s Love | Rallala, It’s Love | La La La, It’s Love (랄랄라) – The Melody (더 멜로디)
35. Love Is Weaken When It Comes Out Of Mouth – Low-end Project
36. Keopi Hanjan Eottae? (커피 한잔 어때?) | How’s the Cup of Coffee? – Humming Urban Stereo feat. Yozoh (허밍 어반 스테레오 feat. 요조)
37. Go Go Chan (고고찬) – Tearliner feat. Yozoh (티어라이너 feat. 요조)
38. Keopihyang Seolleim (커피향 설레임) | Coffee Aroma Excitement – Tearliner (티어라이너)
39. For A While – MNI (민재) | MNI Min Jae
40. Mocha – Casker (캐스커)
41. Badayeohaeng (Choi Han Sung Ver.) [바다여행 (최한성 Ver.)] | Beach Trip (Choi Han Sung Ver.) – Lee Sun Gyun (이선균)
42. Haessal Han Jogak (햇살 한 조각) | A Ray of Sunlight – Tearliner (티어라이너)
43. Polly (더 멜로디) – The Melody
44. Alkongdalkong (알콩달콩) | Life – Tearliner (티어라이너)
45. Badayeohaeng (바다여행) | Beach Trip – Tearliner feat. Han Hee Jung (티어라이너 feat. 한희정)
46. Double Shot – Casker (캐스커)
47. Joheun Gieok (좋은 기억) | Good Memories – Tearliner (티어라이너)
48. Barame Salmyeoshi Andda (Badayeohaeng) (Piano Ver. Oh Soo Kyung) [바람에 살며시 앉다 (바다여행) (Piano Ver. 오수경)] | Gently Sitting In the Wind (Beach Trip) (Piano Ver. Oh Soo Kyung)
49. “A Reunion and a Bagel” – Yoo Ju & Han Sung’s Dialogue