Legend of the Blue Sea: A Mermaid Tale Even Malcolm Gladwell Could Love
“A mermaid from the Joseon period ends up in present-day Seoul, where she crosses paths with a swindler who may have ties to someone from her past.”
Legend of the Blue Sea (Viki)
I just finished watching Legend of the Blue Sea a couple of days ago. Again. Honestly, I can’t tell you for sure how many times I’ve seen this K-drama. That’s how much I like it. This viewing was with my daughter Taylor, who absolutely loved it. As in LOVED it! With five episodes to go, I left for 2.5 weeks to the West Coast. While in the Bay Area I started watching it with my sister-friend, her husband, and two nephews at my younger nephew’s request. Sadly, I had to come home after we’d only watched six or seven of the 20 episodes. When my flight arrived Taylor picked me up at the airport around 9PM, took me to her house to eat, and then we binge-watched three episodes! I didn’t even go home until almost 3AM—AFTER being gone for nearly three weeks! Yesterday my 10-year old nephew excitedly told me they were going to binge-watch three episodes later that evening. Taylor and I finished the last two episodes the latter part of the evening on July 4th and it provided all the fireworks we needed! I get so much joy watching it with others because I get to see their reactions and it confirms why this is one of my favorites.
Taylor’s not into K-dramas the way I am. In fact, sometimes I think she’s just humoring me by watching with me. But it’s become somewhat of a bonding time—she understands the journey I’ve been on this past year as a Korean adoptee channeling my “inner Korean.” Korean dramas have given me a curiosity and desire to know the country I come from in a way nothing else ever has. If you want to know more about that journey check out my post: Crash Landing On You: How K-Dramas Changed This Korean Adoptee’s Life.
Taylor loved CLOY and the Goblin, enjoyed The King: Eternal Monarch, and finally gave in the other night and said she’d finish Itaewon Class even though she really doesn’t like the two main women characters (she stopped after episode nine). She’s declared LOTBS her favorite! She did the same after watching Goblin, but this is different. She was literally laughing, maybe even squealing through various scenes with Jun Ji-Hyun, and said she felt really connected to her character. Taylor went so far as to say she wanted the pink octopus plushie featured in this drama (I told her maybe she needs to win it from one of those claw machines in Korea) and she literally gave me a 10-minute summary of why this was the best K-drama ever.
I can’t say I disagree with her, even though CLOY is also in the running with me for that top spot. Time travel, past life, and a mermaid with a storyline that bounces between the Joseon period and current-day—what more could you ask for? Malcolm Gladwell, are you listening? The Revisionist History podcast creator disliked Disney’s Little Mermaid so much he did a 3-part series on the subject. While Sim Cheong has a lot to learn about the human world, we see how smart she actually is. And even though it may have the classic “fall in love with a human” storyline—this damsel is not in distress and doesn’t need a man to rescue her—quite the opposite. Sim Cheong also pushes back and challenges Heo Joon-Jae to think about some of his questionable ethics and/or behavior. Her influence on him is front and center.
But let’s start with the chemistry between Lee Min-ho (Heo Joon-Jae) and Jun Ji-Hyun (Shim Cheong). Literally off the charts. And not just in a romantic sense, but—헐 (OMG)—they definitely have that too! The comedy scenes between the two were hilarious. The facial expressions, physicality, and timing are so on-point. It was especially fun to watch my nephews (10 & 12) giggle and laugh and know they understood the humor (even while reading subtitles).
LOTBS has a great ensemble cast beyond the two leads which I think is an indication of any really good K-drama. It’s fun to discover the modern-day counterparts in the Joseon period. Tae-O doesn’t say much but his facial expressions are off the chart. He’s so adorable Taylor wanted to know if he has played any lead roles. The typical bad guys aren’t so typical. I think there’s only one character who we felt deserved what they got—everyone else had enough development you could find yourself empathizing—maybe even sympathizing—with why they were the way they were. That’s good character development. If there’s one complaint it would be a lack of explanation regarding Heo Joon-Jae’s father and stepbrother. I don’t feel they gave us enough to fully understand why they did some of the things they did.
Another thing Taylor and I love about K-dramas is the fashion. If it’s any indication of the fashion in Korea I can’t wait to go see it for myself. I particularly Iove how they style the men. When it comes to hair, clothes, and even makeup, I feel males aren’t as limited to the lanes we’ve constructed for guys here in the West. Lee Min-ho looks good in pretty much anything they put him in. He must be a stylist’s dream. Same goes for Jun Ji-Hyun. The department store scene where everyone was looking like a “crazy rich Asian” was pure eye-candy. Here are a few other honorable fashion mentions:
Heo Joon-Jae’s beautiful pink coat
Jo Nam-Doo’s plum suit
Tae-O’s long coat over the hoodie
Sim Cheong—pretty much everything—including the styling of the clothes from the donation bin!
I recently featured Legend of the Blue Sea in my TikTok KISS ME: K-Drama Edition series. I’m a nobody on TikTok but the views and likes surpassed all the other videos in that series within a day or two of posting. It currently has over 39K views and almost 5K likes. The next closest in my KISS ME series has 26.4K views (What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim) and the next most liked KISS ME video has 1,391 likes (It’s Okay to Not Be Okay). The comments are hilarious to read. Heo Joon-Jae and Sim Cheong have the sparks flying!
I don’t normally like to rate K-dramas, but LOTBS would get five stars if I did. Once again it has a little bit of everything. Romance, mystery, comedy, and historical flashbacks. From start to finish it was a pure joy to watch and it’s one of the most satisfying finales I’ve seen. So, is there anyone out there who likes this K-drama as much as me? If you haven’t seen it, what are you waiting for? Let me know what you think in the comment section below.
What other Lee Min-ho K-drama is Heo Joon-Jae’s dad in?
What other Jun Ji-Hyun K-drama is Heo Joon-Jae’s mom in?
What K-drama does the victim of Heo Joon-Jae’s elevator con, play Lee Min-ho’s mom?
Which two LOTBS actors both appear in 2018’s Korean TV movie, Hymn of Death?
Released: November 2016, Episodes: 20
Cast: Lee Min-Ho (Heo Joon-Jae / Dam Ryung), Jun Ji-Hyun (Sim Chung / Se-Hwa), Lee Hee-Jun (Jo Nam-Doo), Shin Won-Ho (Tae-O), Shin Hye-Sun (Cha Si-A), Sung Dong-Il (Ma Dae-Young/Mr. Yang), Lee Ji-Hoon (Heo Chi-Hyun), Na Young-Hee (Mo Yoo-Ran), Moon So-Ri (Ahn Jin-Joo), Hwang Shin-Hye Kang Seo-Hee), Choi Jung-Woo (Heo Il-Joong), Shin Rin-Ah (Yoo-Na), Lee Jae-Won (Cha Dong-Sik / Sam-Dol), Park Hae-Soo (Hong Dong-Pyo / Kim Hyun), FULL CAST
