Park Min-young’s latest K-drama, “Marry My Husband” is receiving positive reviews for a plethora of different reasons
After two weeks of airing, the K-drama “Marry My Husband” has become a sensation in its home country and various countries worldwide. Despite being initially criticized for “mismatch casting” compared to the original webtoon, “Marry My Husband” has since won over the audiences with elevated elements and a pleasant balance between drama and humor.
Below is a “Marry My Husband” review for those who are pondering on whether to watch this drama!
Masterful revenge with a humane touch
Similar to the webtoon, “Marry My Husband” begins with a somber atmosphere, portraying the heart-breaking life and demise of female lead Ji-won (Park Min-young).
In particular, Ji-won was raised by her single father, only to later lose him to cancer and had to single-handedly support herself. However, she got married to a despicable person, Min-hwan (Lee Yi-kyung), who is not only lazy, untalented, and a “mama boy”, but also does not love Ji-won. Min-hwan marries Ji-won simply because she fits his ideal image of a perfect wife. She is hardworking, patient, skilled in family care, has no family left, and, above all, doesn’t spend a lot of money.
After 10 years of marriage, Ji-won faces a death sentence due to cancer, only to be abandoned by her husband and mother-in-law. Due to having spent all her money to support her husband’s family over the years, Ji-won doesn’t even have any savings for her treatment.
On her way back home from the hospital, however, she encounters a peculiar taxi driver who takes her home through a new road full of cherry blossoms and even gives her money to spend. After this encounter, Ji-won discovers her husband and her best friend being intimately involved in bed. They even discuss plans to enjoy the insurance money from Ji-won’s death, leading Ji-won to confront them. Min-hwan then pushes Ji-won, causing her to die on the spot, and later unexpectedly travels 10 years back in time.
After such a grim opening, it seemed “Marry My Husband” would enter a dramatic revenge stage, similar to other works of the same genre. However, the series is actually quite gentle with many humorous situations and positive messages.
In particular, Ji-won doesn’t embark on a crazed revenge but rather refines herself, takes care of herself, and changes her destiny step by step. Leveraging the foreknowledge she has gained, she even invests in stocks, striving to make herself wealthy, successful, while avoiding her disastrous marriage. When realizing that certain events are inevitable and can only be shifted from one person to another, she decides to entrust her fate to someone else, pushing Min-hwan and her tragic marriage into the hands of her back-stabber best friend, Soo-min.
On top of this, Ji-won’s revenge is cleverly executed. She exposes her best friend, making her feel the isolation she once experienced, and humiliates both Min-hwan and Soo-min in front of her company while still maintaining a nice image.
In the first four episodes, viewers witness Ji-won’s gradual transformation as she receives genuine care from many people. From making a new sincere friend, Ji-won also forms close relationships with a wise senior and a supportive boss who recognizes her abilities and tries to protect Ji-won.
Additionally, although it is a revenge drama, “Marry My Husband” offers a “healing journey” as Ji-won gets a new life, new relationships, a cherished love, and lives in accordance with her true human values. The drama does not overly emphasize on intense and suffocating scenes, especially as the antagonists, Min-hwan and Soo-min are crafted in a somewhat humorous direction. Particularly, Min-hwan, played by Lee Yi-kyung, a renowned comedic actor, brings comedic elements to the screen just with his facial expressions.
Under the hand of director Park Won-gook, a harmonious blend of tension, drama, humor, and humanity was brought to life. The fantasy elements in the drama, such as time travel and reincarnation, also make everything more interesting.
Elevated from the original webtoon
The decision to combine multiple genres makes “Marry My Husband” significantly different from the original webtoon. The drama’s source material is a heavy revenge work with plenty of drama. However, this innovation brings a more pleasant feeling, and the revenge scenes full of humor contribute to the drama’s virality on social media. Notably, several iconic plot points from the webtoon have been changed, sparking some controversies.
Since her reincarnation, Ji-won is determined to change her lifestyle to become more positive and indulge herself more. She plans for financial independence, changes her eating habits, and accumulates knowledge by reading books. Especially in episode 3, Ji-won undergoes a spectacular transformation with the support of her new friend, Hee-yeon. She cuts her hair, puts on makeup, and wears elegant, sophisticated clothes. In reality, Ji-won’s new appearance has become a hot topic of discussion. Some viewers feel disappointed that Ji-won chose short hair instead of the long hair as in the original webtoon.
However, others believe that the production team made a wise decision by having Ji-won cut her hair short, as this creates an entirely new Ji-won with a new life. Furthermore, cutting her hair short provides Park Min-young with a completely new image, distinct from her “career woman image” in the hit drama “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim.”
Another change in the K-drama adaptation is the early revelation of the male lead’s secret and the how he died in his previously life.
In particular, at the end of episode 4, male lead Ji-hyuk (Na In-woo) is revealed to have also reincarnated and knows everything about Ji-won’s tragic fate. Compared to the webtoon, this crucial plot point is revealed way earlier than in the original webtoon. Additionally, the K-drama Ji-hyuk died in an accident instead of committing suicide like in the webtoon, eliminating a drastic decision and reducing negativity in the drama.
Of course, fans of the webtoon do have some qualms about these changes, but many other agrees that the differences shifted the K-drama’s mood into something more hopeful and more fitting for television.
A feast of convincing acting
From the moment Park Min-young revealed her drama transformation, viewers were amazed by her incredibly dramatic weight loss, reaching only 37 kg to portray Ji-won during her cancer battle. However, due to this, even when her character Ji-won is healthy, the actress still appears quite thin. Nevertheless, praise must be given, as Park Min-young perfectly pulled off the initially reserved Ji-won and the “new Ji-won”.
Meanwhile, Na In-woo’s casting drew huge controversies before the drama aired, as his appearance did not give the impression of a cold and distant CEO like in the webtoon. However, after just a few episodes, the actor completely convinced the audience, dispelling all doubts with his extremely convincing performance. Viewers get to witness the actor’s in-character warmth, kindness, and, above all, the love that his character has for Ji-won.
Furthermore, the chemistry between him and Park Min-young is truly commendable. Despite their age difference, the two match perfectly, and just seeing them smile at each other creates a sense of an explosive couple.
Finally, the antagonist couple, played by Lee Yi-kyung and Song Ha-yoon, bring distinctive and vibrant colors, skillfully stealing the audience’s attention. They make viewers unable to hate them even though their characters are detestable. Lee Yi-kyung, in particular, adds a humorous touch to his otherwise scummy role.
“Marry My Husband” Review Conclusion: 4 Out of 5
In general, “Marry My Husband” is an excellent entertainment work. The drama incorporates all the elements of an intriguing story, interesting storytelling, and a high-quality cast. It also carries a lot of messages about cherishing oneself.
Source: K14
