Finally watched the highly-anticipated “Encounter” (also known as “Boyfriend”) and it was a light sweet watch though nothing particularly spectacular given that it ought to do well with its strong cast and expensive budget.
It lived up to my expectations though this is not saying much cos I wasn’t holding very high hopes to begin with – somehow the pairing of Park Bo Gum and Song Hye Kyo doesn’t excite me and I am not really into older woman and younger guy pairing.
Boy meets girl who will end up being his future boss
The story stars the ethereally beautiful Song Hye Kyo as Cha Soo Hyun, the CEO of a hotel, a beautiful but lonely divorcee who grew up under the limelight, used to living the way she was told to live and not the way she wishes to live.
I personally find it a rather boring role for Song Hye Kyo as I can’t help feeling that I have seen her in similar roles before – beautiful but subdued characters – and it can get kind of stale after a while. (Actually I also wonder, is Song Hye Kyo a boring person in real life? )
Park Bo Gum portrays the role of Kim Jin Hyeok, a carefree but principled young man who is able to appreciate the true beauty of life without all the materialism.
The story unfolds when the two of them, from such different worlds, meet in Cuba and enjoyed a pleasant night getting to know each other.
When they return back to Korea, Park Bo Gum realises that the beautiful woman he met was in actual fact the CEO of a hotel chain where he will be starting his new job soon.
I think this can be an interesting concept with potential to intrigue viewers if it is fleshed out properly.
Can’t Feel The Chemistry and Love in the Air
The production team focused a lot on “creating” the romantic feeling by playing up the random encounter between two strangers and the exotic location which are all ingredients for a budding romance. However watching scenes of Park Bo Gum and Song Hye Kyo together just doesn’t give me the fuzzy feeling of witnessing two characters possibly falling for each other, or perhaps it is still too early to tell.
Above Average but pales in comparison to other currently airing dramas
For such a highly-anticipated drama of the year, it was actually less interesting than the other two December dramas which I have watched – The Last Empress and Sky Castle
I am watching because I adore looking at Song Hye Kyo and also because of the hype so that I know what people are talking about but it doesn’t reel me in.
May continue watching it after I’m done with other dramas.
What are your thoughts on this drama?
Chasing Carefree 