[PREVIEW] KBS TV series "Baby Faced Beauty" (working title)

Cast of KBS' TV series "Baby Faced Beauty" attends press conference in Seoul, South Korea on April 27, 2011. [KBS]

Main Cast
Jang Nara - as Lee So-young, Choi Daniel - as Choi Jin-wook, Ryu Jin - as Ji Seung-il, Kim Min-seo - as Kang Yoon-suh
Hong Rok-ki - as Jang Ki-hong, Hyeun Young - as Ji Joo-hee, Oh Yeon-seo - as Lee So-jin

In Five Sentences
All that 34-year-old So-young has inherited is poverty, a troublemaker younger sister, and a baby face. And after being fired because of her old age from a fabric factory which she worked for at 14 years, she gets hired at the company she went to work for part-time thanks to her memory of being able to make an item of clothing that she has seen only once. Of course, she does get mistaken as being nine years younger than her actual age because of her baby face. Then appears a CEO who secretly help So-young, a team manager who likes that CEO, and then another man.

Preview
A comeback in six years. And she may be 30 now but she is still the same. The acting she shows for her role as a haphazard and reckless yet cheerful girl has seemed to have reached a prime. The comical acting Choi Daniel shows as the managing director of a fashion company who has no sense of fashion, stands out as well. Hence, the synergy that will be created from the two's chemistry as their characters run, fall, get scolded, and fight with each other from the very first episode onward, will also be worth looking forward to. The indispensible acting that Hyun Young will show as baby-faced So-young's old-looking friend and Hong Rok-ki will display as a colleague on So-young's design team, are additional elements worth anticipating.

To Watch or Not To Watch
To Watch: It is exciting to think that a cheerful romantic drama will return to the Monday and Tuesdays primetime slot which has been dominated by serious and gloomy shows for a while now. It will also be exciting to see Jang Nara for the first time in six years and Hyun Young, who is always on television yet in a drama for the first time in five years. It will be easy to watch Jang's already well-reputed acting as a cheerful girl but it will also be worth looking forward to the charm and wit Choi will show as a cheerful yet incompetent MD of a fashion firm will show to overcome moments of crisis. "Baby Faced Beauty," premiering on May 2, will be for you if you want a light and cheerful stress-reliever at the end of the day.

Not to Watch: In the end, this is a Jang Nara drama. So this may end up becoming the 2011 version of her 2002 series "Bright Girl's Success Story." The story of a cheerful and smart yet poor and uneducated girl who succeeds at both love and work with the help of a rich and tall guy is cliche. The plot also seems to have carried over the structure from trendy dramas in the past composed of a Candy (nothing-can-bring-me-down)-like character, a Mr. Daddy Long Legs and the evil woman. The only variable that probably exists is Choi's character who is from a wealthy family but volunteers to be a salaried employee. But there are many channels to turn to if you are not looking forward to his performance. It just so happens that serious dramas will be on a break. In just a few weeks, MBC too will run a new drama starring Park Yuchun, Lee Da-hae and Kang Hye-jung. Hence "Baby Faced Beauty" will have to make use of its head-start.

※ Any copying, republication or redistribution of 10Asia's content is expressly prohibited without prior consent of 10Asia. Copyright infringement is subject to criminal and civil penalties.

Reporter : Kim Myung-hyun eighteen@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@