Coffee Prince is a light hearted Korean drama which is really popular in Asia after its airing. So what exactly made Coffee Prince a big hit in Asia? The cast, the characters, the really sweet lovey dovey moments between Han Kyul and Eun Chan and also the backgroud music which really suits the various scenes and bring out the mood of the scene contributed to the success of the drama. In most dramas, we often see the conflicts between a couple but the sweet moments of a couple during their dating periods is often not covered. However in Coffee Prince, we get to see the dating process of Han Kyul and Eun Chan and how their relationship grew and developed over time. It reflects the tiny but significant problems and situations which may be faced by many couples in real life and this made it easy for the audience to be connected to the show.
To admit it, I'm really a big fan of Yoon Eun Hye after watching her act as Chaegyung in Goong and the main reason I watched Coffee Prince was also due to her, but her acting is really commendable in Coffee Prince.You can really see her transforming and maturation as an actress from Goong to Coffee Prince. Her acting as the tomboy Go Eun Chan is really convincing. She managed to ditch the cutesy and feminine image which is commonly associated with her and totally transformed into the Go Eun Chan we see in Coffe Prince. She acted the character of Eun Chan to ever little details and all her actions and movements reflects Eun Chan's character. From the way she talks(she makes her voice lower pitched), the way she sits to the way she walks (she changed the way she walks too!) all shows Eun Hye's dedication as an actress. She even cut the long hair she kept so as to suit the image of Eun Chan. There were also lots of praises about her acting skills (both from the public, as well as insiders). Her dedication and professionalism is the reason for the popularity of Eun Chan in Korea, as well as the rest of Asia. It even created a Eun Chan phenomenon [credit: article as the clothes worn by Eun Chan, Eun Chan's hairstyle, the background music used in Coffee Prince and also the online searches relating to barrista increases in demand. Therefore its not too much to say that Eun Hye plays quite an important part in the popularity of Coffee Prince.
Besides Yoon Eun Hye, Gong Yoo, the male lead is also really important in the success of Coffee Prince. Gong Yoo is really suited for the character of Han Kyul. He managed to act out the deep and complicated feelings of Han Kyul when he had his internal struggle of falling in love with Eun Chan (whom he thought is a guy) and accepting himself as a 'homosexual'. Before Coffee Prince, I watched Gong Yoo's previous dramas and I find that the character of Han Kyul was quite similar to Tae In in Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy. Han Kyul seems to be the grown up version of Tae In as both of them are confident and certain of what they want, but they're also at the same time childish but cute. Han Kyul is more reserved as compared to more spontaneous Tae In, hence Han Kyul can be rightly considered as the more matured version of Tae In. We dont really get to see the acting skills of Gong Yoo when he was in Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy, therefore I thought he was juz an cute looking actor, with superficial acting skills. But he really surprised me with his ability to act out the perfect emotional struggle which Han Kyul was going through and he really touched me with his acting in Coffee Prince. His great acting brought Han Kyul alive and made Coffee Prince an enjoyable show to watch.
Besides the great acting skills from both Gong Yoo and Eun Hye, they also have an excellent on screen chemistry. The two of them make a perfect couple and I cant help but smile whenever there were scenes of Han Kyul and Eun Chan's sweet moments. Their interaction on screen seems really natural and convincing. Besides the sweet moments, the hot bed scenes as well as the forced kiss between them were really memorable scenes of them.
Apart from the 2 main leads, Lee Seon Gyeon character as Choi Han Seong was also nicely performed. Although Lee Seon Gyeon may not that good-looking as compared to Gong Yoo, he still has a charm in him which draws the audience. Choi Han Seong also may not be as interesting a character as Han Kyul, but Lee Seon Gyeon managed not to make the character dull. And did I mention Lee Seon Gyeon's voice?? I really like his deep and voice(i dunno how to describe them but his voice is so nice to listen to).
I think Chae Jung Ahn is pretty but I find her acting average. Up till now, I still dun fully understand Yoo Joo's character. Maybe that's how Yoo Joo was supposed to be like- carefree ,unconstrained and hard to fathom. Sometimes its hard to read her expression and understand exactly her emotions she was trying to convey.... I dunno, but this can also how the director wans Yoo Joo to be portrayed as....
Apart from the 4 main leads, the 3 Princes played an important role as well. The Princes each have their own unique character. Min Yeop- the strong muscular blockhead who is totally devoted and loyal to his angel Eun Sae, Ha Rim- the cute and adorable guy who always go "My Chan!!", and the cool waffle guy Sun Ki, who cant help but be infected by the warm-hearted Eun Chan, enthusiastic Ha Rim and silly Min Yeop. To add on, there's also Mr Hong, the other president of Coffee Prince. He's really disgusting and unhygienic with his actions but he's still a nice guy overall who is really supportive of Eun Chan. The development of the supporting cast also helped to make Coffee Prince more complete as a whole and brings a feeling of warmth into the drama as we see the interaction and strong friendship between all the characters in the story.
Besides the cast and characters in the story, the design for the setting of Coffee Prince is also nicely done. The design of the Coffee Prince cafe was beautifully decorated. Eun Chan's small and cluttered house always filled with dolls/boxes of food for work reflects how hard it is for her to earn money, Han Kyul's modern and sleek house reflects his decisive and confident character, Han Seong's simple house with the garden and greenery around showed his simple and sensible character. The recording equipments, cute music player which also acts as a decoration, the guitar and all the other equipments in his house also refects his job as a musician.
All of these required much effort and dedication. Therefore Coffee Prince is definitely a drama not to be missed because of its excellent production crew, actors and actresses and the refreshing approach.
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