My Love Patzzi is about a woman (Jang Na Ra) that tends to get into trouble a lot because of her hot temper who takes a job at an amusement park and draws the affections of the park owner’s wealthy son (Kim Jae Won) and a seal trainer (Kim Rae Won). But her scheming “friend” (Hong Eun Hee) is constantly plotting to keep the guys from liking her.
I took the opportunity to work in an older drama in the form of the classic 2002 series My Love Patzzi. And it turned to out to be pretty cute! It’s a simple romantic comedy, but it’s still fun and romantic with a dash of angst. Plus, with only 10 episodes, it’s quick and easy.
We see an adorably young Jang Na Ra as Yang Song Yi. This role was quite different from anything I’ve seen Jang Na Ra in. Song Yi is rough around the edges with a sharp tongue. She doesn’t really hold back with anything, but she has a good heart. And to her frustration, her so-called “friend” is constantly causing her trouble and trying to mess up her life.
Kim Jae Won is the park owner’s wealthy son Kang Sung Joon. After Song Yi saves his life, he takes a liking to her. He also really enjoys her straightforward and honest personality. But a secret she is hiding threatens the relationship.
Then we have Kim Rae Won as Kim Hyun Sung. And I fell victim to some serious Second Lead Syndrome because of him! He’s the one who starts off not really liking Song Yi, but then develops feelings for her. Of course, he downplays them and pokes fun at her while he pines away and watches Sung Joon win her heart. Ah, it was so bad!
Hong Eun Hee plays Eun Hee Won. She is that classic second lead that you can’t stand. She puts on a show of being a very sweet and considerate woman, but in reality, she is jealous and manipulative. She is always plotting to make sure she gets all of the attention and orchestrates many scenarios to further her agenda. Nobody needs this kind of friend!
My Love Patzzi is a very simple drama as it just focuses on the relationships between our four main characters. It’s two guys falling for Song Yi and then Eun Hee always plotting her downfall. Even though it’s something we’ve seen countless times before, it presents the story in an enjoyable fashion that I liked seeing play out. The characters are interesting with a great dynamic between them.
All of the actors were fun to watch, and it was really neat to see some familiar faces in the earlier days of their acting careers. Jang Na Ra was really fantastic, both Kim Rae Won and Kim Jae Won were each charming in their own way, and Hong Eun Hee nailed the scheming second lead.
While the story is nothing revolutionary, I really enjoyed it. It just had this simple charm that I found to be light and fun. We watch the guys develop feelings for Song Yi and see her trying to adjust to the attention.
Her bluntness and sharp temper make her a little awkward and always gets her into trouble, but that trait is something both guys actually come to like. But then she has to fend off Eun Hee as she constantly tries to mess things up for her.
I particularly liked that there was a true love triangle in this drama. Going in, I didn’t even know who was supposed to be the main male lead (I only found out after I watched it). And then the drama really develops Song Yi’s relationship with each guy.
It really felt like each man had a shot which is something I loved since most dramas have a very clear cut main pairing. If you don’t like there be confusion around who the girl will choose, this drama may not be for you. Fans of love triangles should appreciate this one though!
Of course, Jang Na Ra was the highlight of the drama. I always love her, but she was such a delight in this show! I loved her spitfire attitude and how different she was from most of the roles I’ve seen her in. The animated faces she made were hilarious, and I really got such a kick out of her.
I also tend to really like the atmosphere and laid back feel of older dramas like this. They just seem kind of cozy and have this charm that newer dramas frequently lack. Although the story is very cliched and predictable, it’s just fun seeing things play out. The music is something that really sets the tone of the time period too.
So while the story of My Love Patzzi has been done before, it’s good to keep in mind that this drama was doing this kind of story in its early days. It really nails the overall execution to give us a classic romantic comedy with romance, humor, and some relationship angst. It was cute and charming and just an enjoyable trip back in time.
My Rating: 7.5/10
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