Season 1 |
Episode Guide
Episode 1 -|Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 2 -|Review Score – 4/5
Episode 3 -|Review Score – 5/5
Episode 4 -|Review Score – 4/5
Episode 5 -|Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 6 -|Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 7 -|Review Score – 4/5
Episode 8 -|Review Score – 3/5
Episode 9 -|Review Score – 4/5
Episode 10 -|Review Score – 3/5
Oh! Youngsim (also known as Oh! Young Shim, Oh! Young-shim, and Oh! Youngsimi) is a lighthearted romantic comedy series. It is based on a popular comic and animated cartoon and is meant to portray Young-sim as an adult, with the backstory that the cartoon and comic were written about her own childhood. The first half of the K-drama leans heavily into comedy, while the latter gets slightly more serious.
The overarching plot is pretty decent. Young-sim’s childhood crush moves to another country without saying goodbye because he thinks she mistreated him. 20 years later, they have a difficult time reuniting, and they have added tension because they were both put in a cartoon that Young-sim’s dad made about her childhood.
One of Young-sim’s co-workers is in love with her too. But the episodic plot details—the little things that come alongside and help pad the overarching plot—are sometimes not executed well, especially in episodes 8 and 10. Episode 10’s plot is all over the place, and the events are very unrealistic. The characters’ reactions to events are also very unrealistic, and not in a good way.
However, Song Ha-yoon, who plays the female lead, is a great fit for the role. Though her portrayal as Young-sim is similar to roles she has played before, her acting, the faces she makes, and her character’s childish antics usually have the desired effect and make her really enjoyable to watch.
The acting is very over-exaggerated and comical, but it is completely meant to be that way. Young-sim is supposed to still have cartoonish antics or there would hardly be a point in making a live-action show about her. Young-sim also perfectly embodies a middle-child persona, adding an extra layer of relatability to her character.
Young-sim’s family members pop up every now and then for some added interest to the storyline, and it pays off well. Seeing all of their different personalities diverge is amusing. If you push aside Young-sim’s love life, it would be easy to imagine a comedy show centred around the whole Oh family.
While there is definitely an effort to keep some comedic elements in each episode, the show would have been more consistent and of better quality if it carried the same amount of humor throughout the series. At times, when comedy is more of the focus, the episode is really a lot funnier and feels more like what viewers signed up for.
Overall, Oh! Youngsim has a cute theme, a nostalgic feel of older dramas, and is full of cheesy romance and humor. It is an acquired taste for many, but it’s interesting to see the cartoon version of Young-sim come to life, and Song Ha-yoon does her job well.
What are your thoughts on Oh! Youngsim? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Verdict - 7/10
7/10
I really enjoyed this show though it wasn’t perfect. The good: The use of the cartoon in the show was skillfully done. There’s a love triangle and it was well done. It kept me guessing well into the middle of the series as to who would win her heart.
Not so good: The romance between the lead characters was good, especially in the second half but they just didn’t have the chemistry to make it one of the great rom/com Kdramas. Lee Dong-Haeas, the CEO, (male lead) seemed to be playing his role without a lot of energy thus his performance was lacking. I’m not familiar with this actor so I’m not sure if this is his performance style or the director dropped the ball. Another issue, The separation and his return towards the end. And finally there was the soft open ending. What was there relationship at the end? Did she propose to him? What is it with Kdramas with non-definitive endings and long separations?