I'm Sorry I Love You (Misa)

Many reviews have been written of this show, but I cannot help but put my two cents in.

Main Cast:
Cha Moo-hyuk: So Ji Sup
Song Eun-chae: Im Soo Jung
Choi Yune: Jung Kyung Ho
Kang Min-joo: Suh Ji Young
Jo Mal-bok a.k.a. Oh Deul-hee (Yune's mom): Lee Hye Young
Yoon Seo-kyung (Moo-hyuk's twin): Jun Hye Jin
Kim Kal-chi (Seo-kyung's son): Park Gun Tae

Brief Synopsis:

After a mishap in his adopted country Australia that resulted in a bullet lodged in his skull, streetsmart con artist Cha Moo-hyuk goes home to Korea to die in his native land and find his poor mother who has 'abandoned him', just so he could give her the good life.

Only, it turns out that his mother is former actress Oh Deul-hee who is still as famous (and filthy-rich) as her dear son, pop star Choi Yune.

Choi Yune is sweet, but a spoiled brat, too. His coordinator/stylist is Song Eun-chae whom he has grown up with and is considered his best friend. Unbeknownst to him, Eun-chae has been holding a torch for him all those 20 years, hurting in silence even as he pursues actress Kang Min-joo, who also happens to be Eun-chae's high school friend.

Their lives collide when Moo-hyuk goes back and realizes that his mother is not the desitute poor woman he thought she was. He plots revenge, wanting only to destroy his mother and his popular brother. Adding insult to injury is the discovery that he has a twin Soo-kyung, who is 'not normal' and lives with a son whose father she does not know.

What complicates things? When Moo-hyuk and Eun-chae fall for each other. Skilfully Moo-hyuk plots to bring about the downfall of his mother and brother, using any means necessary. The clock is ticking. His time is running out. He thirsts for vengeance but his love for Eun-chae reaches great heights. And the bullet in his brain is slowly killing him.

Review:

I will try to look at this initially from a writer's POV.

Excellent story.

What I liked about this drama is its take on the typical K-drama. Sure there are still the underlying themes of selfless and sacrificial love, but here we see different faces of that love. First and foremost this is about the love of a mother for her son, and the son for a mother. Different levels, different circumstances, but same burning intensity.

Amazing characters.

Many of the characters here are ones I wished I'd created. Cha Moo-hyuk, for instance, he is a hardened street thug, a betrayed lover, a sacrificing boyfriend, an angst-ridden abandoned child, a brother who worries over his sister, a caring uncle, a seducing playboy, and, in my opinion, the deepest aspect: a lonely son longing for a mother's love.

He sports a lot of looks here, but he still looks good. Yeah, I admit that I find him gorgeous in an 'under-the-radar' sort of way.

Song Eun-chae. Seemingly weak and gullible, a literal pushover. But her strength comes out in different ways. I like that her pity and guilt over Choi Yune's plight does not push her to lie about loving him. She sticks to what her heart tells her.

Choi Yune. It is hard to hate this guy. Spoiled brat, but he is still adorable. There is still that goodness in his heart that simply is endearing. When he tries to manipulate the circumstances to his advantage, one would feel a slight annoyance, but I am telling you, it is hard to hate him.

There is also the fact that this show has no villain. No antagonist. In the beginning it would seem that a character is hateful, but as the story progresses, our expectations are turned around drastically. There is no black and white when it comes to the characters.

The mother, Oh Deul-hee, for example. She initially appears as an evil and superficial character, but that perception takes a complete turnaround as we find out more.

The shots are precious. The camera positionings and subtle undertones of longing (ex. Moo-hyuk standing before a portrait of his mother and Yune, blocking Yune) dispenses with the use of words to convey what is going on.

Flawless performances.

With this series, So Ji Sub now ranks at the top of my list of actors that are 'real actors'. Although this is an ensemble effort, I'd have to admit that he carried most of it. No one else could fit the shoes of Cha Moo-hyuk better than he did. Perfect, just perfect. He can dole out a dozen emotions with his eyes with just a single look, and that is quite a feat.

His chemistry with Im Soo-Jung is also strong. They have only a handful of scenes together (except towards the end where they spend more time) but they make each of those scenes precious.

I am glad they did not get a 'drop-dead gorgeous' girl to play Eun-chae. Im Soo-Jung is beautiful, but not what you'd rank with the likes of Song Hye-gyo or Son Ye-jin or Han Chae-young in the looks department. However, she played her role to the hilt that her beauty shines through with the way she acts.

I watched the mother and I went, WHO IS SHE? Why haven't I seen her before? She is AWESOME! Hands down, I loved her. Her hysterics, her devotion to her son, her cruelty to Moo-hyuk, her guilt trips, even her complaining. She is just fabulous!

'Marking' scenes.

Many scenes in this show, again, I wished I'd written. Among them:

- Moo-hyuk bathing his sister Soo-kyung
- Eun-chae standing in the middle of the street, Moo-hyuk coming up behind her and wrapping her inside his jacket
- At the bench, when Moo-hyuk laid his head in her lap while she sang to him. He gets another attack of the pain, and she urges him to simply scream with the pain
- Kal-chi (great performance from this kid!) finally realizing that his uncle is dying
- The drinking session of Moo-hyuk and Yune, when another revelation pops out from Yune
- When Moo-hyuk was eating the noodles his mother cooked for him. He is crying as he silently pledges his love for his mother...

I could go on and on.

I do not mind the end. It was masterfully done. In the end, Eun-chae's father was punished. Eun-chae finally got to decide for herself. Moo-hyuk will no longer be lonely.

It only pains me that Moo-hyuk still did not seem to get the recognition that was due him. But at least he got closure.

A must-see. Truly a must-see. In my opinion the best K-drama I have ever seen. Ever. And I do mean. EVER.

6 out of 5. No kidding.