My Lovely Girl is one of the most hyped shows of 2014. And you could probably tell why because of the cast. This drama is Rain's comeback series after his military training. It starts f(x)'s Krystal Jung, her first lead role. Infinite's L is also in the cast. Hoya, another member of Infinite is there and Fiestar, an all-female K-pop band. The show gained this hype because of its popular cast. Rain is probably a household name in Korea. Rain knows what's he doing. He's been in the industry for long. I think he was able to act out his character well. Krystal Jung, in my opinion, is such a very flexible artist. In The Heirs, she's able to play a rich, sassy girl. When you look at her photo shoots, she transforms into a high-fashion model and here she plays a funny and laid back girl-next-door. Infinite's L is adorable and funny. So what I mean to say is that the actors INDIVIDUALLY are talented, no doubt. However, addressing the issue that Rain and Krystal having no chemistry, I think they have chemistry AS actors (like brothers and sisters). But romance chemistry? NO. None at all. It's not only because there's an obvious age gap (12 years) but the fact that Rain is just so...big and huge, it doesn't compliment Krystal's character. Which is why I'm suffering from second lead syndrome because L (or Myung Soo) has greater chemistry than Krystal that every time Hyun Wook (Rain) and Se Na (Krystal) have romantic scenes together, I just can't help but cringe. Yes, Rain does hug like a drama which makes it worst. There's no romantic tension AT ALL. Hyun Wook is a character that's very bland. His prominent personality trait is just the fact that he's in so much pain from losing his girlfriend. Does he develop? I'm not even sure. He does have those moments when he tries to pull a joke or try to be funny but it doesn't suit Rain. It just makes me laugh not because it's funny but it looks pathetic. Se Na on the other hand doesn't have much characteristic to be called "lovely" or "lovable" so I don't even know why the title of the show is that (it could've been related to music). She's a character that's a mess with not solid foundation. (I may be biased here because Shi Woo, played by L captured my heart) but to me, he has more foundation than the two who eventually become canon. At least his character was explored, mommy-issues, outcast, lack of confidence thus, he uses his witty (or not so witty) jokes to look cool but he's scared deep inside. My only problem is sometimes it doesn't suit him because L looks tiny compared to Rain, it doesn't suit him trying to act all cool. The lack of flashback in the drama also drag down the character's foundation, even the hate between Hyun Wook and Producer Seo is only evident because of his bantering but the lack of flashback doesn't create much tension or dynamic. Not to mention, Producer Seo isn't an effective of a "bad" guy enough. The show lacks that bad guy to keep the viewers excited about. Realistically though, will a songwriter like Se Na make it especially in this age where education is valued so much more than talent? (especially in Asia even?) I don't know but you can judge that for yourself. That magic cellphone device was terrible too. And then it was forgotten later on. Which made is much more terrible. Plot wise though, I find it rather pathetic that accidents have to play such a big role here. It's a plot cliche. It's also a plot cliche that Hyun Wook blames himself and punishes himself for it. It's also a plot cliche that Hyun Wook and Se Na are alone. It makes Se Na seem pitiful if she wasn't such a character who's hardworking then she'd probably will wallowing in self-pity. However, I find appreciate that the drama didn't go down the rabbit hole of complicated family issues of this actually being the father of whoever the hell this is cycle. At face value, it is indeed just a very simple and straightforward plot using music and the entertainment industry as a back drop but the romance becomes the driving force though sloppy. And then there's that annoying cliche of breaking-up-going-back-together that I really hate. I also find the romance rather pathetic. (As I mentioned, the lack of chemistry is one reason) The other reason is the fact that I don't even know if Hyun Wook fell in love with Se Na because of who she really is or because she's like a rebound for the sister. I wish this issue was addressed more OR this could have been the struggle of their romance. After the "big" secret was revealed. The plot just declines especially Se Na's stupid reason to leave. The Big secret was a better reason to leave THAN her own reason for leaving. And using time skips suck. It started out really well and interesting given the conflicts that were presented to Rain's character for him to develop, hopefully. Then the pacing became sloppier later on. Did music play a big role? Yes and no. I think it played a bigger role for Shi Woo and Se Na rather than Hyun Wook and Se Na. And I didn't like that though. But still, I like the soundtrack and Se Na's music style. And that was a terrible ending. I get it if films want open-ended endings because it's just 2-3 hours short. But a 1-hour run of 16 episodes to have that kind of "open-ended" ending is terrible, there is not resolution at all. And it doesn't give justice to the characters. But my favorite in this drama is none other than Dal Bong. Dal Bong is the one that captured my heart.