If you know anything about Korean dramas, you’ll know that they’re completely over the top; beautiful women falling off of ladders and into an equally beautiful man’s arms, sickly sweet opposites-attract story lines, and probably an animal.
My Only Love Song is a refreshing step back from the cheesy K-drama cliches, taking us out of bubbly never-been-kissed protagonists. The 20-episode original series debuted on Netflix on June 9th, 2017, and follows a famous South Korean actress and her manager who happen to be taken back in time to the period of the historical drama which they are shooting for. Together the two must escape execution, befriend royalty, and fight generals to make it back to the modern-day.
Famous Korean idol Song Soo-jung (played by Gong Seung-yeon) begrudgingly accepts an acting job for a period drama, a genre that she wouldn’t have gone near without the prodding of her manager, Byun Sam-yong. Playing the title role of Princess Pyeong-gang in a timeless romance, in which a princess chooses to revoke her upper-class status to marry a commoner named On Dal, Soo-jung acts like nothing short of snobby royalty on set. She insists that nobody in their right mind would choose to marry “Dumb On Dal” instead of a rich and powerful general of the king’s choosing. After hearing that another, equally famous idol will be encroaching on her turf as a new character, she promptly kicks the woman in the face (no, actually) and storms off into the only unlocked car she can find. The beat-up van, named Boong Boong, promptly flexes its somewhat sentient and magical powers, sending her and her sleeping manager back in time to the historical period of the drama being filmed. Thrown in prison by guards for being “crazy”, Soo-jung meets the real On Dal (Lee Jong-hyun), an attractive con artist in love with money, but more in love with the idea of helping out the needy. As she meets with other historical figures and discovers the real story of what happened, she finds herself drawn to Dumb On Dal, all the while knowing that it was his destiny to marry the Princess.
My Only Love Song does a great job of blending traditional tropes from Korean drama with more progressive storytelling of a more modern audience. Between the daily workings of the far past, Soo-jung introduces the gang to taking shots and playing truth or dare. While the time travel in the show isn’t anything close to science fiction, the mystical powers of Boong Boong and the appearance of the Korean crew begin to take a toll on the course of history. As they begin to meddle in the affairs of Princess Pyeong-gang (Kim Yeon-seo), her trusty guard Moo-myung (Ahn Bo-hyun), and the famous On Dal, problems with the history appear. When Soo-jung refuses to return to modern-day Korea, things get even more complicated, and Sam-yong has to try and salvage the past and present with the use of a history book and its changing account of the course of history.
One of the most striking aspects of the series is the development of the characters, whether they are in the main cast or otherwise. Actors from the present Korea are reused as characters in the past, and Soo-jung immediately recognizes them as an extra in the drama, the director, or her boss. She begins her journey through the past as what she started the series as: a selfish actress who believes that she is entitled to a rather royal treatment no matter where (or when) she is. As the story progresses, she maintains her cocky attitude, but she begins to realize her own flaws with the help of On Dal and her band of friends.
Each character has their own backstory and motives, which are explained as the narrative plays out. Princess Pyeong-gang has been locked in her room for years by the king, although she occasionally finds ways to sneak out and meet new people, like her silent guard Moo-myung. While he refuses to speak, his running internal monologue is understood by the Princess, and the two form a quick bond. On Dal, introduced as a broke con artist trying to use Soo-jung and Boong Boong as ways to make money, is fleshed out, when his motivations for his cash-loving ways are revealed to be less than seedy. The characters interact in such a way that they begin to change each other for the better, forming them into lovable personalities which are missed when the series ends.
I have watched my fair share of Korean dramas, all of which are completely over-the-top. These insane plot lines and ridiculous premises are part of what makes K dramas so intriguing; they’re almost like a PG-13 version of a Spanish soap opera. Rarely do characters actually swear, and the romantic leads often only kiss accidentally or once on purpose, as a final scene in the final episode. However, I immediately realized that My Only Love Song was different, as Soo-jung actually curses out people working on her set. She is a drinking, swearing, ass-kicking female lead, and while her language tones down throughout the series, her awesome actions do not. Her sacrifices, along with those of her friends, are ridiculous, which transforms the audiences’ first impression of her to a deep sense of admiration.
Another part of what makes this series so special is the fact that you never really know what’s going on. Due to the fact that the main character is an actress, there are times where you can’t exactly discern whether or not she is pretending. On Dal is also a master of acting, and uses his skills in such a way that even Soo-jung does not know what the truth is in the grand scheme of things. Most of the characters are just as unaware at the viewers, which make the reveals that much more exciting.
My Only Love Song is a heartwarming story of a Korean idol, her manager, a con artist, a Princess, her bodyguard, and a magic car going on a road trip through time and space. It’s equal parts hilarious, sad, and action-packed, and you won’t want to stop watching until the last episode. Even then, you’ll probably want more, a wish only the gods of Netflix can grant. I would heartily recommend this series to anyone, whether you’ve seen a Korean drama before or not. If you have the time and can put up with reading subtitles, this is the perfect show for you.
Netflix’s “My Only Love Song” Review
Thanks for the wonderful review..Im a huge fan of the main lead couple, individually and as an onscreen couple. how nice it is for you to appreciate its being simple compared to the the usual korean drama’s magnificent stories and productions. MOLS is also delivered in a very unique way, the main couple were never timid and full of flaws. You might want to try their We Got Married show, where they literally first met. You’ll understand the history of their chemistry…MOLS feels like a continuation of their WGM 😉
I agree! Some of the characteristics in MOLS resemble to what they showed in WGM. I really love them both!
Fun, silly show. Something bugged me: It’s in 6th Century Goguryeo which begs the question how could people in the 6th century read a book published in 1968? The modern Korean alphabet didn’t exist then.
Hav3 just started and I’m loving it😊Will be sad to see it end.
looking at it there is some chinese characters in it.
I’m completely stunned that you gave this piece of crap a good review. I stopped watching after the fourth episode.
Sounds like a review written back in the early 2000s. You have to get with the times, because Korean Dramas have been “taking steps back from the cheesy K-Drama cliches” since 2010, and Korea has already been producing hundreds of brilliant TV-shows, I mean we’re talking about the type of solid film-making that we rarely get to see from other countries’ TV shows. These days K-Dramas are known for their diversity, their extremely clever and well-written stories, solid directing and cinematography, solid acting, I’d say Korea produces the most extraordinary TV Shows in the world right now. Comparing K-Dramas with soap operas is not only a blasphemy, but also a sign that you don’t have a minimal sense of art, and that you don’t have what it takes to appreciate all of those brilliant thrillers, medical dramas, historical dramas, war dramas, sci-fi dramas, epic dramas, and all the great stuff that the K-Drama universe is delivering on a regular basis.
I didn’t compare it to a soap opera. I did go back and watch the rest of the show, and it did improve, but the initial four episodes were rubbish.
However, as to KDrama’s overall, I have watched over a 100 of them in just the first 9 months of this year, and I have to agree that overall the standard of Kdramas, versus the standard of many US shows, are brilliant.
I much prefer watching KDrama’s to anything that the US has put out recently. And I have to laugh with the rave reviews that everyone gives The Good Doctor (US version) yet they scoff at KDramas – few are aware of where the idea for the US show came from.
I’m watching this show for the 2nd time. I just love the chemistry between the two leads. All the characters are likeable , including the “baddies” who are just hilarious. I absolutely love General Ko, he is just a scream (in Ireland a scream means very, very funny) and very well played by the actor. It’s nice to see a K drama where the bad guys are comic relief rather than out an out baddies and also to see a proper kiss scene. It’s so tiring watching kiss scenes where the girl stands like a stick with her lips closed and eyes open. Well done all on this drams and I’m sure I will watch it again.
It was torture watching this show. I gave it a couple episodes try. The girl was annoying AF. I get how her character is, but it was tried too hard and the face and voice was so ANNOYING. Even though it showed some 5second vulnerable scene, the Overacting and the acting was ridiculous. She screams and shouts throughout the episodes it gave me a headache.The best actors to me was the real princess and Mooyung.
Try watching her in Are You Human, she is so good in that and you can then see how the overacting in MOLS was intended. I wasn’t impressed with MOLS and preferred both leads in their other dramas, LJH in That Man, Oh Soo, and KSY in Are You Human. Both excel in those dramas.
very disgusting nonsense kdrama ive ever watched. disappointed