First Shop of the Coffee Prince
Go Eun-chan is a bright young girl who works multiple jobs to help keep her family afloat. Yet thanks to an immature mother and a clueless sister, she often finds herself in need of more work. One day, a great opportunity lands in her lap, it's the chance to work at a café - but there's a catch. This coffee shop only hires good-looking males. Strapping down her chest, Eun-chan takes on the disguise of a male, causes misunderstandings among her co-workers, and discovers her dream of becoming a barista.
Choi Han-gyeol owns the coffee shop. Good-looking, smart and heir to an extremely rich grandmother, he is a bit of a slacker with no intention of being tied down to one career. In an effort to anchor him, his grandmother orders him to take over and expand the coffee shop. He does so reluctantly at first, but soon discovers the charm and attraction of the gourmet coffee business. The problem is, he's starting to doubt his own sexual orientation because of a certain feminine boy, and it's driving him crazy! (crunchyroll.com)
Choi Han-gyeol owns the coffee shop. Good-looking, smart and heir to an extremely rich grandmother, he is a bit of a slacker with no intention of being tied down to one career. In an effort to anchor him, his grandmother orders him to take over and expand the coffee shop. He does so reluctantly at first, but soon discovers the charm and attraction of the gourmet coffee business. The problem is, he's starting to doubt his own sexual orientation because of a certain feminine boy, and it's driving him crazy! (crunchyroll.com)
Number of Episodes: 17
REVIEW:
Plot: 4.5 out of 5
The main driving point of the story was mostly character development. It was watching the two main couples grow together, apart, and then stronger together. The story mostly follows Eun-chan and Han-Gyeol’s relationship but there were four other couples that had a major impact on the story. The second main couples were Han Gyeol’s cousin Han Sung and his on again off again girlfriend Han Yoo Joo. Their relationship complicates and rivals Eun-chan and Han Gyeol’s. There is a good balance off serious and comedy in this drama. For every time the main character cries there is another scene that makes you laugh. The characters make you want to know if they are going to have a happy ending and what will happen next. The majority of the people (including myself) watched this drama within two days because the story just catches a hold of you. The only reason why I don’t give it a five out of five is because it is slightly stereotypical of the girl disguised as a man story line.
Characters: 5 out of 5
The characters are the main selling point of the drama. There is a wide range of types of people in this drama. The way that all of the characters interact are hilarious and adorable. Although the characters are slightly exaggerated you can still relate to them. It was easy to understand why Eun-chan hide that she is a women and to feel her pain. She is a strong and determine person but because she had to work from an early age she is very naïve in the case of relationships. Han Gyeol the other main character is an interesting character. He starts off as very much as a man child but throughout the show you get to see him mature but still retain his boyish charm. The four other members of the coffee shop are highly entertaining. They each hide a part of themselves from their coworkers that once reveled they grow not only as a person but as friends. Other characters that really influence the story are Han Gyeol’s parents and Grandmother. The Grandmother is very much the head of the family and is the reason why Han Gyeol is running the coffee shop against his will. She is stubborn but in her own way comical All of the characters were really easy to like except for Go Eun-san and Han Yoo Joo. Both of these characters were really selfish. Eun-san was a spoiled brat that basically abused her boyfriend and Eun-chan’s coworker Min-Yeop. Han Yoo Joo on the other hand basically had both cousins wrapped around her fingers and still didn’t know what she wanted. She was also a huge hypocrite and held it against Han-Sung that he was crushing on Eun-chan when she had cheated on him in the first place.
Acting: 5 out of 5
This mostly gets this sore because of Yoon Eun-Hye. She had the hardest role of basically playing that of a woman who in order to survive has taken on the aspects of a man. So in general she is basically playing a man and it is always difficult for actors to swap genders. She basically gave up looking even like a girl for this drama. If you look at any picture from this drama you really wouldn’t be able to tell that she is a girl. She is very strong but because she had have to work from a young age she is very innocent when it comes to men and Yoon Eun-Hye portrayed this perfectly.
The other actors where at the top of the game too in this drama. The other actor that really stood out for me was Kim Jae Wook. His character is half Japanese and often speaks in Japanese a lot during the drama. He did this perfectly in fact at first I actually thought that he was Japanese.
Setting:
I’m not sure how I can really rate this section but the setting was well thought out. The drama took place in six main areas: The coffee shop, Eun-chan’s House/ street, Han-Kyul’s house, Han-Sung’s house, Han Yoo’s place and Han-Kyul’s parents place. All of these places are located in Seol and its suburbs. Eun-chan’s house looked like a poorer family’s house and Han-Kyul’s looked like a manicured Bachelors pad. Each place was distinctly their own spot that suited each of its owner’s personalities.
Overall Feel:5 out of 5
This is a feel good drama. Although there are parts where you feel sad but that is because this drama makes you feel the way that the characters feel. Overall the characters make you smile and it’s a drama that you can watch whenever you are feeling sad and it will cheer you up.
My rating:
5 out 5
This is my personal favorite drama and the only one that I have watched multiple times.
