KDrama: You're Beautiful and OST 1 & 2 Reviews

As the drama that exposed me to Korean culture, You're Beautiful has always been one of my favorite dramas. This 2009 drama stars Jang Geun Suk, Jung Yong Hwa and Lee Hong Ki as they find a replacement singer for the idol group, A.N.Jell. Their ideal replacement, however, is in the hospital and his twin sister, played by Park Shin Hye, must take his place and pretend to be a boy band member for the time being. But what happens when she starts developing feelings for one of her band members? And what happens if someone finds out she is in fact a girl?

The Pros

• The music, both performed by members of A.N.Jell and the background music, is phenomenal
• Flower boys Jung Yong Hwa and Lee Hong Ki steal the show
• A.N.Jell is such a cute and creative band name
• The stuffed animal Pig Rabbit is so adorable
• Cute story line that allows the audience to get a glimpse into idol lifestyle
• 16 episodes is a perfect length for this light-hearted drama

The Cons

• Jang Geun Suk is always a pain for me to watch because of his ugliness (sorry)
• The romantic scenes were creative, but the stiffness and non-chemistry feel between the actors made these would-be cute scenes into awkward scenes

Overall: This drama is in my Top 5 favorite dramas because of its music, story line and Yong Hwa and Hong Ki.

OST Part 1 (Chinese Edition)
[UPDATE: On a trip to Hong Kong three years later, I found this shop again! It's called Swan & Co., and I wrote about it here. This will make more sense once you read the next sentence.]
In the summer of 2010, I traveled to Hong Kong and found a hidden shop that sold kpop CDs. This was the time that I had just started watching You're Beautiful just a month before, so I was ecstatic to find You're Beautiful OST Parts 1 & 2!  Inside each album comes with a lyrics book adorned with photos from the drama, as well as four bookmarks of each member of A.N.Jell.  Each part also comes with a DVD of special features, including the concert that A.N.Jell had to perform for the drama's last episode!  Oh, how I treasure these goodies so <3

Part 1 focuses A.N.Jell's two main songs, "Still (As Ever)" and "Promise," in two versions, each sung by A.N.Jell's lead singer Jang Geun Suk and by Lee Hong Ki.  Geun Suk offers a flowy, angelic voice while Hong Ki gives a more raw, edgy version to both songs.  This CD also includes two versions of "Without Saying," an emotional song sung by Geun Suk and Park Shin Hye.  Part 1 also offers Shin Hye's fun and uplifting song, "Lovely Day."

OST Part 2 (Chinese Edition)

This CD covers songs from You're Beautiful that are more emotional and deep, including "Song For a Fool" (unfortunately not sung by Jung Yong Hwa), "Without Words," "What Should I Do" and "Goodbye."  Part 2 expresses songs that reflect when Geun Suk, Yong Hwa and Shin Hye were feeling heartbroken.  These songs aren't as catchy as the upbeat theme songs of Part 1, but Part 2 offers a completely different tone that is still worthy of checking out.

I hope you watch You're Beautiful and fall in love with it as much as I did!