As I started watching "Woori" I also began watching the series it is based on ( "Jane the Virgin") and the first few episodes play pretty close to the original. Woori (whose mother had her out of wedlock) promises her grandmother to stay a virgin until she gets married. Her long term boyfriend, a policeman named Lee Kang Jae, is supportive of her promise. This is all upended when Woori is accidentally artificially inseminated with the sperm of her boss, Raphael. During the course of the series, Woori meets her birth father, Kang Jae attempts to track down a mysterious criminal called Director Kim, and Raphael divorces his avaricious wife, Lee Ma Ri. It all gets pretty complicated as these storylines entangle (which is again similar to "Jane the Virgin).
I found "Woori" to be more laugh out loud funny than "Jane" which is definitely amusing but more at the chuckle level. I prefer Sung Hoon (Raphael) and Sin Dong Hook (Kang) to their American counterparts. Kang is more admirable and Raphael is more charismatic and even kind of goofy at times. But Woori is a pale imitation of Jane. Jane is a good-natured, outgoing and principled young woman and guided (at least in the episodes I watched) by a decent amount of common sense. So when confronted by the incredible situation of being pregnant sans intercourse, her reactions seem appropriate. Soon Hyang-Im plays Woori as wispy and introverted and while her dramatics are more in line with the Korean context she's in, she just isn't as appealing a character and her behavior at times seems inconsistent.
However, in fairness to the actress, I feel this is more due to the script rather than her acting. For example, Woori's reasons for breaking up with Kang seem shallow and superficial (particularly given they've had a long term relationship). And later when she breaks up with Raphael, it's because he proposed to her (?). (I didn't get it either). These decisions make Woori seem a bit self-righteous which weakens our sympathy for her.
And the ending will DEFINITELY be controversial. I THINK that Jane ends up with Rafael in the original series (haven't watched the whole thing). In this one, Woori ends up marrying Kang. It actually makes sense given that Kang is one heck of a nice guy and their relationship is long term but it feels like Raphael is short-changed particularly given that he's such a positive and funny character. We don't even get to see his reaction to Woori's decision. We just cut to a celebration with the baby and everybody's happy. So "Woori the Virgin" is a bit of a disappointment.
I found "Woori" to be more laugh out loud funny than "Jane" which is definitely amusing but more at the chuckle level. I prefer Sung Hoon (Raphael) and Sin Dong Hook (Kang) to their American counterparts. Kang is more admirable and Raphael is more charismatic and even kind of goofy at times. But Woori is a pale imitation of Jane. Jane is a good-natured, outgoing and principled young woman and guided (at least in the episodes I watched) by a decent amount of common sense. So when confronted by the incredible situation of being pregnant sans intercourse, her reactions seem appropriate. Soon Hyang-Im plays Woori as wispy and introverted and while her dramatics are more in line with the Korean context she's in, she just isn't as appealing a character and her behavior at times seems inconsistent.
However, in fairness to the actress, I feel this is more due to the script rather than her acting. For example, Woori's reasons for breaking up with Kang seem shallow and superficial (particularly given they've had a long term relationship). And later when she breaks up with Raphael, it's because he proposed to her (?). (I didn't get it either). These decisions make Woori seem a bit self-righteous which weakens our sympathy for her.
And the ending will DEFINITELY be controversial. I THINK that Jane ends up with Rafael in the original series (haven't watched the whole thing). In this one, Woori ends up marrying Kang. It actually makes sense given that Kang is one heck of a nice guy and their relationship is long term but it feels like Raphael is short-changed particularly given that he's such a positive and funny character. We don't even get to see his reaction to Woori's decision. We just cut to a celebration with the baby and everybody's happy. So "Woori the Virgin" is a bit of a disappointment.
