“HELLO! MISS” (aka “Hello! Baby”)
I was really looking forward to the new KBS Monday-Tuesday drama Hello! Miss (헬로! 애기씨), and probably like most other people, it’s because of its star, the sparkling LEE DA HAE, who was made a household name by her star turn as effervescent Yoo Rin in My Girl. Since then, she’s been seen in numerous CFs, but this is her first drama in just over a year and everyone’s curious to see her back on television.
It’s also because of Lee Da Hae that I think expectations are high for this drama. I was mildly disappointed by the first hour, but the second more than made up for it.
(By the way, this drama is being subbed in English by WITH S2 — go team! I’m not going to be recapping Hello! Miss, as ripgal is doing a lovely job over at soompi. And I’ve got my hands full…)
BACKGROUND
You know, I’ve been seeing a lot of comparisons between Hello! Miss and Witch Amusement, which is a bit odd because they aren’t ratings competitors. They’re also on different stations (KBS and SBS), and don’t share the same writer or director, which are usually the instances when the “A is better than B!” and “No way, B is totally way more bester!” arguments tend to come into play. Maybe the comparison is to be expected; both are bright, fun romantic comedies. Also, perhaps both are contenders to be the next big My Girl-like offering — which Lee Da Hae starred in and Witch Amusement’s director directed.
In any case, I’d rather people not compare the two, since somehow, fans seem to put down the other series when praising their favorite. I like both, and I don’t want to put down either one.
Anyway. A note on the title — it can be read as Hello! Miss or Hello! Baby. The Korean title reads “hello aegisshi” — “aegisshi” is the southern pronunciation for the word “agasshi,” which means “young miss.” Agasshi is a generic term that can be used on any young female, like ajusshi is for men. In this case, though, Su Ha is referred to as Aegisshi as a respectful title, akin to “young mistress” as she is the owner of her historical home, Hwa Ahn Dang. Her loyal family and neighbors refer to her as Aegisshi while other young ladies are simply agasshi.
Also, the word “aegi” means baby and “sshi” is the suffix attached to names to make it Mr. or Ms. (so therefore, “Ms. Baby”). Normally, I wouldn’t think the wordplay is significant enough to comment on, but the KBS official website uses the URL with “hellobaby,” which indicates the pun is intentional.
CAST
Like I said, Lee Da Hae is the big draw, and she’s adorable in this (not to mention a beautiful, and realistic, cryer). She’s much more na�ve and childlike than Yoo Rin was in My Girl, so I don’t buy the argument that she’s replaying the same character. Su Ha is delightfully incongruous with her surroundings, and that makes her endearing. It also definitely evokes the protective gene in her leading man, LEE JI HOON. Normally, on a purely superficial level, I wouldn’t be drawn to Lee Ji Hoon… He isn’t my idea of traditionally handsome, and I can think of better-looking actors out there. But, I am totally in love with him in this series. Usually I look at the leading males with a detached eye of appreciation as eye candy, and I root for their characters to get the girl, but with Lee Ji Hoon’s character Dong Kyu, it is LOVE.
For instance, Su Ha, being the sheltered country girl that she is, calls cell phones “hand telephones” (sohn jeonhwa), and instead of laughing or making her feel bad, Dong Kyu adapts and calls them sohn jeonhwas as well. He even buys her one, and how does he program his “name” into her phone? “Please Sell Your House”! (Since he’s trying to convince Su Ha to sell to him.)
Another moment of cuteness to look forward to: In previews for Episode 3, Su Ha becomes annoyed with Dong Kyu (동규) and nicknames him “Ddong Kyu” (똥규), where “ddong” means poop. In a clip where she talks to a dog, she decides to name him Ddong Kyu as well, which is both immature and adorable. (Because! She has a dog named after him! Even if it’s meant to be an insult!)
As for the second leads, HA SEOK JIN is very good-looking and plays his conceited model role with enough humor to make him funny rather than annoying. I wish I could say the same for YEON MI JOO, though, playing the “natural-looking (but not natural) beauty” Hwa Ran. Formerly a fashion model, Yeon Mi Joo made her acting debut in last fall’s SBS drama Lovers, playing a supporting role as the conniving assistant/secretary Yoon. Neither role (in Lovers or Hello! Miss) is very demanding, and she’s not necessarily bad… she’s just got no range. She’s like a robot stuck in its “bland and snooty” setting. And her English is embarrassing.
Su Ha’s friend Jeong Sook is pretty much a caricature, and I hope they dial her back a bit, because she can be really amusing. I just think it’s funny to make her someone who’s so clueless she’s racked up $30,000 in debt in pyramid schemes.
I also like the fact that for once, they’re not beating around the bush and have the lead guy already falling for the girl as early as the first episode. And the way Lee Ji Hoon plays Dong Kyu, I totally buy it, and wish him success! He’s so sweet and caring, and funny at the same time. As much as I’m a sucker for the typical ice-man-thawed-by-warm-hearted-girl story line (My Name Is Kim Sam Soon, My Girl, Full House), this is a refreshing change.
Official KBS site: http://www.kbs.co.kr/drama/hellobaby/index.html
It’ll be interesting to see how this will continue to fare against its time-slot competitor:
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SOURCE:
www.dramabeans.com/2007/03/week-round-up-hello-miss-et-al/
