Seven First Kisses (2016)

Also known as: First Seven Kisses, First kiss for the seventh time
Country: South-Korea
Format: mini-drama in 8 episodes
Genre: romance
Cast: Lee Cho Hee, Choi Ji Woo, Lee Joon Ki, Park Hae Jin, Ji Chang Wook, Kai, Taecyeon, Lee Jong Suk, Lee Min Ho, Kim Hyun Jung, Lee Chung Mi
Synopsis: It is Min Soo Jin's 25th birthday and as usually she is spending it alone without boyfriend. In fact, she has never had a boyfriend and never shared a kiss. This year her birthday wish becomes reality when she is granted to pick a perfect partner for her first kiss from the goddess of  fate.
Rating: 2/5
The first reason why I wanted to watch it was, because as I mentioned in one of my comments before - I want to watch all Lee Min Ho's dramas and movies. It just aired and it is a mini-drama, so it is fast to watch it. Another reason was that just this weekend I had a BIRTHDAY (and Yanne also as we still after all these years are twins..), so I thought that there might be something proper to watch as Min Soo Jin is having her birthday in the drama too and I am just one year younger than she.

I think that Min Soo Jin already had become desperate of having a boyfriend and having her first kiss, though I am still surprised that are there really so many women in South-Korea who by age of 25th have not dated even once? It happens way too much in dramas. If we are talking about Min Soo Jin's professionalism at work, then she definitely lacks in it when it comes to hot guys. With other costumers she is very good, but as soon as she sees a hot guy, she falls into daydreaming and starts drooling over the guy - that's why I say that she has become desperate of having a boyfriend.

At the same time, we can also see from the drama, that she has set her standards really high, which also might be the reason that by 25th birthday she is still single. About Lee Cho Hee, I really enjoyed her face expressions. It definitely marked her out and it was interesting to see her acting in diferente situations. I guess out off all the cast she was the only one able to show her acting ability with this role.

The first story with Lee Joon Ki did not make me so interested of continuing as for me this kind of childhood love already seems to be turning into obsession. Taking photos on since she was little etc. and thinking that this was all past that she actually did not have, is weird. How do you be with a person, who should be your childhood best friend and in reality not know anything about this person? Is not it similar of having an amnesia?

Park Hae Jin is playing the most average type of male-lead in dramas - rich guy in powerful position who puts his work in first place, so he seems really arrogant and it is almost impossible to talk to him, but he ends up falling for one of his employees that is somehow suffering at work. There are way too many dramas like this.

I think Ji Chang Wook episode was the most unreal as if it was true then Min Soo Jin's life in past would have been way too different from what she had in reality. In addition, this story does not match much with their age. I would have believed it maybe more if she had her 30th birthday. On the other hand - who from us has not wondered what it would be to be a secret agent and do some undercover stuff?

EXO's KAI was the only idol who kept his true identity even after the change. The story has student-tutor theme and you can feel that the whole atmosphere is young and a bit naive. I was really annoyed how most of the time they kept running from one place to other and having this fake amusement on their faces. In addition, the dancing part was really a crime as it was so bad. But I must say that I liked KAI's acting and I am supporting his decision to take up more acting, whatever the fans and anti-fans are telling him.

The episode with Taecyeon might have been the funniest, because Min Soo Jin also understood how ridiculous it all is, yet it is perfect fast-based synopsis of many Korean dramas. It is interesting to see these stories without knowing the background and it is even funnier to see that Min Soo Jin is also totally oblivious about the things happening before that moment. I guess this story is one that really needs the "Ending" to have the cherry on the top of the episode. This episode was great for the comedy-purposes.

For some reason I am not a big fan of Lee Jong Suk - something in his face makes him look more alien than human and most of the screen time I am trying to figure out what it is and not pay attention to the storyline. I yet have not watched any of his dramas, but I hope that after watching one, I stop doing it. In a way, this episode was the most realistic, even though I do not think that they would take an average information girl to fill model/actress position in commercial. Yet, it definitely was one episode that I really enjoyed. I just remembered that he also kept his true identity.

I admit that I was disappointed and also confused by Lee Min Ho. It definitely was the "easy-money-role" as he almost did not have lines to say or much acting to do. And what the heck is "free-spirited travel writer" when he is actually made into "Nobody-really-cares-about-the-things-he-writes-but-he-looks-damn-hot-so-he-will-have-fans-and-be-famous-whatever". If you think I am exaggerating, then he also has a line: "This is the main thing I wanted to say with my book, but people mostly over-watched it..". The meaning what I wanted to say is that Lee Min Ho once again is not acting much and he is just filling the screen-time to show his face and put some money to pocket - not that I mind it - I actually really like to see him on screen. but just it has nothing to do with acting. In addition, Lee Min Ho was added to the cast later, so he did not even participate on the press conference and his episode was labeled as "extra". I wonder if they thought that adding the ultimate king of drama make more people watch it?... well at least it made me watch it so I guess adding him served its purpose.  

Overall the drama shows different scenarios that some Korean women daydream about, no matter how weird these are. Also, all the stories are based on the most famous story-lines of Korean dramas. I bet that about every episode you can name few other dramas that have this storyline in it. Thing that I definitely did not like about it was that all male characters were still made into "rich handsome men who are way out of league for her", even though she herself admits it too. Just as I usually say about this kind of long advertisements, it is just a "quick-money" for the actors.

We are dealing with very famous actors and artists with huge fan-base. This means that not only this is viewed by many people, it also makes an influence on them to actually go to the store "just to be in the place were it was filmed". We all know that LOTTE has a lot of money to but into these kind of advertisements, unfortunately I think that most of the fans of any of the idols do not have enough money to put into LOTTE..
The end of the drama was confusing as the extra-endings messed up my order of watching and in the end I could not understand what really happened or how things went on.
To finish the review, I just say that I had great birthday and spending birthday with a boyfriend is actually a great thing to wish for, because my boyfriend definitely saved my day from it being a disaster.
All the episodes are available on LOTTE DUTY FREE Youtube page and in ENGLISH.