It feels like Pretty Boy is the drama that drama-watchers have forgotten about. I rarely hear anyone still watching it and its abysmal ratings isn’t balanced out by a rabid online fanbase that other lowly rated dramas in the past such as Playful Kiss or even Jang Geun Seok‘s own Love Rain had. On the flip side is that no one is complaining about how awful it is, and when I left off at episode 6 the drama was still quirky and charming and way better that its ratings would indicate. I’m just on vacation for the last few weeks so have pared down my drama watching considerably hence PB is on the backburner but I’m sad that the drama is going to whimper to a finish next week and disappear into the ether. Despite Jang Geun Seok sporting a variety of interesting but not very attractive hairstyles, with a cut that managed to evoke comparisons to a furry mushroom or upside down duster, in the latest stills he appears to have turned back the clock a few years to the You’re Beautiful days. Awful wardrobe that only he can pull off, a hairstyle that is funky but strangely attractive on him, and lots of charisma evident even in stills alone. I actually thought IU was the standout in this drama despite the title being about the male lead and it was the story that didn’t allow their characters to fully develop strong chemistry. They were really cute together and I quite like their interactions, with IU not being annoying or creepy stalkerish in the least and Jang Geun Seok turning his character’s narcissism into both an asset and something to overcome. In these latest stills, the two leads are off on an ice-skating rink date and reminds me of a similar sweet scene in Mary Stayed Out All Night. I think Jang Geun Seok + ice-skating is always going to bring a smile to my face. If anyone is still watching PB please share some updates and maybe it’ll induce more folks to jump in now. I’m planning to keep on marathoning the latest episode soon.
Ep 13 was intense… that Iron lady could cry, too, apparently. I’m proud to see MaTe’s improvement… yes, he started out as a ‘trash’ and look at what he has been achieving. another big blow comes to him… hope that he could go through this other ‘storm’. and his ‘relationship’ with Botong is so sweet… no need a lot of skinships to show how much they care about each other 🙂 . I don’t have any grunge towards Choi David and I see him as a fair man… I hope they don’t turn him into a bad guy… I actually love his teaming up with MaTe and Botong … they are like the three musketeers 🙂 . Now we ave only three more episodes… I’m curious to see how the story will end but at the same time sad because it’ll be hard to say goodbye to this drama. indeed a good drama 🙂
i love this drama so much and i was was so wrong about it , At first I thought this drama was lame but when i continued watching,, i mean OMG I totally changed my mind this drama is really funny IU’s acting is so sweet and her character is so original not like the rest of dramas when the lead actress is so innocent, hiding her feelings and playing hard to get besides the story is getting more interesting with all the unpredictable twists !! can’t wait to watch the next episode and i love botong with mate and i hate david
Im still watching and its actually not bad! But I am second lead shipping like mad..lee jang woo and IU are too cute together and I dont want david to get his heart broken after all he has gone through.
However one plot that I don’t like is (SPOILERS!) how there are TWO illegitimate sons..dok go ma te and choi david. Other than that the drama is quite watchable and certainly deserves better ratings than it has.
mate is not david brother , he is the iron lady son . it was on ep 13
i thot they are half brothers…same father, but different mothers. Also, dogko ma te seems to be the only legitimate son, i think. Otherwise, why would his mom try to ruin his older brother??…also, didn’t his father say that ma te took after him as a playboy in his younger days??
@lizzie, it is confirmed that David and Ma Te are not blood related at all. At the end of ep 13, the iron lady told Ma Te that he was her son. About she ruined her brother? Fight for MG throne perhaps? As her parents own MG, not her hubby’s.
But I expect to see more twist in ep 14. Who knows that the mastermind behind all these fight for thrones is her hubby? As his intention to ruin his wife’s brothers was to be the chairman of MG and leave it to his two sons later, Park Moon Soo and David Choi?
Regarding your last question, when he heard his butler told him that Ma Te was having a scandal with Myomi, he said: a fruit will never fall far from the tree. He was referring to his wife, not himself. As we know, his wife, the iron lady, also had scandal in NY, thus she had Ma Te. Though he must mirror himself for having 2 illegitimate sons also, before he laughed at Ma Te and his wife.
Now the question is: how could Ma Te end up at Kim Min Sook’s hand? the woman who raised him and he regarded as his beloved mom? we know that Kim Min Sook was close to the chairman (david’s father). Did the chairman stole baby Ma Te from the nanny appointed by the iron lady? Did the chairman told Kim min Sook that he would not harm Ma Te as long as Ma Te never revealed himself to the iron lady or anything related to MG?
About the clock, in ep 12, we see that the MG cared more about the watch than Ma Te. What did he want to do with the clock if Ma Te gave it to him? to destroy evidence?
I just love this drama!
no mate father is not david father , david and mate are not half brothers or brothers at all , he was the iron lady son who was taken away from her when he is young , david is moon seo brother
and yes miss kola you should keep watching it gets alot more interesting after ep 6 and take a hole new side and omg JGS is gorgeous with his new looks every single ep ep 11.12.13. and IU is soo adorable and not like any other drama i have watched its has its own unique world and seriously unexcpeacted and if you think their is no chemistry between the lead you are wrong! its just they dont have many romantic scenes and the story is not foucsing about their love but about the growth of mate botong and david so plz keep watching 🙂
sad to say that i had to refrain myself from getting tired of it. I guess i just need to push a marathoning thingy just like what i did with Love Rain.
The first few episodes were neither here nor there. It gets my attention yet it doesnt get me excited enough to look forward for the following episodes that i eventually settle more for other series that leaves me craving for more.
OK, i’ll find time to watch it. Maybe i might find episode 6 onwards engaging enough…
im still watching this i love jang geun seok iu and lee jang woo
I can’t wait for tomorrow’s episode to know how the secret will be perceived by everyone. I love this drama. I love Bo Tong and David togetherness. Bo Tongis good to both guys. I think she has more chemistry with David than with Ma Te
Agree. IU has more chemistry with Lee Jang Woo. Not the intense passionate kind, but the very warm, fuzzy, in-sync kind. The writer hasn’t really given me enough time spent on Bo Tong and Ma Te for me to really even ship them as endgame since Ma Te’s out on his own mission. For David? I could name several.
It’s sad because Bo Tong/David shenanigans should really just be the subplot while Ma Te is “conquering” women and unlocking the password/mystery but frankly, the shining moments are spent when we genuinely see two very alike people fall in love. And i find Bo Tong to be way more likable with david anyways.
i watch YTBLSS and i know every stills that coming out from that drama. KBS once release a stills like this before only with different feel. same color of OTP outfit (mint green) and same hug. the ironic is IU staring in both drama.
Miss Koala, thanks for posting this article. However, I would like to inform you that it’s not true that only few people watch this drama. As per drama fever article, our of all 2013 dramas, this drama ranks no. 2 though it’s not ended yet. International drama viewers love this drama, they watch it online, thus not contributing to korean rating.
The fact is that neither your blog or dramabeans do the recap for it. Dramabeans did to the recap for the first ep, and the response were great. 200+++ comments for it, most of it are favorable. Allkpop also barely promoted this drama, allkpop is only amazingly motivated when they talked about the low rating, or the OST, nothing more.
The soompi forum for this drama is quite hot, many viewers like it. I start to visit there now 🙂
typo. revised: As per drama fever article, out* of all 2013 MOST WATCHED drama, this drama ranks no. 2
I’m in love with this drama too. It is actually more fun and smarter than it looks. Hope what you said about its relative popularity is true. I feel that good dramas with solid plot like this should be supported. There’s already too many bad dramas with stars/hot cast but no plot.
omg IU is sooooooooooooooo lucky JGS is fu*ing gorgeous XDXDXDX
This is actually a pretty good drama and usually i hate political/company power struggles but this one is pretty exciting, many twist. I just want more romantic scenes with the OTP. Doesnt feel like a rom-com when the girl thinks the guy cant like her more than a friend and the male lead is busy with fighting on company struggles to think about Bo Tong who he shows only the viewers that he has feelings for.
Hope for better ending for the OTP than in Mary him if you dare……
i guess, its just me….i really dont feel JKS hairstyle in this drama 🙁
I’ll throw in my 2 cents. I’m really enjoying this drama. Today I marathoned episodes 10-13. KBSWorld is several episodes behind and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I had to know how MaTe would find out his birth secret. I was actually surprised in the way it played out.
Yep, I like it too….the three main characters are wonderful together….just watched Ep.13….hmmm very interesting. I kinda think JGS is trying out every hairstyle to find the ONE, that makes him look cool.
At first I think JGS acting was a little stiff, now he seems to be getting back into the swing of things. So far when he cries it has never been as good as in YB, which always made me cry with him. I dont know he seemed more relaxed in YB. He needs to stay in dramas…..deep down inside he is a good actor.I do like LJW, I think his character is adorable, loved him in I Do I Do as well.
It’s not a great drama…just a good one. I just hope the three of them stay together and open their own conglomerate. That would satisfy me 🙂
Here’s what i’ll say about it since i’m still watching it:
I’m mainly watching for Bo Tong and David Choi. The first 10 episodes episodes were chock full of their cuteness, so that’s mainly what held me through. The first 6 was a decent/light/breezy watch. That isn’t the case anymore, since SPOILERish alert — there has been more focus on a sort of makjang scope that i could care less about. It’s revving up in the latest episode since we’re nearing the end, so I’m sort of losing interest since i could care less about the whole chaebol-half-brothers business. I mainly FF all of the mystery stuff and skip straight to the David/Bo Tong moments.
That said, I think this writer really does enjoy bo tong and david as the OTP. There’s lots more of development towards their relationship whereas I felt it remained stagnant when she was with Ma Te. You’ll see what i mean when you catch up. Honestly, those ice skating stills is practically the FIRST we ever see them actually on a date and acting cute. Kinda too late imo, since for 13 episodes Bo Tong and David were just pitch perfect so i guess i’m just gonna have to suspend some belief for the last 3 episodes as this writer tries to make them endgame when all along David/Bo Tong shared the most heartwarming moments.
Indeed, I had seriously and totally forgotten all about this show until you posted this! Thanks for the reminder! ;D
I’m waiting and following every episode with abated breath. Totally enjoying it and Keun Suk is acting fabulously. Can’t be bothered to understand or if its really true as described that no one is watching or paying attention to it.
Even hubby says the story is interesting. Nevermind what others say, those you scheme me, I scheme you and twisted family relationships are never our cup of tea anyway. We just continue to have fun and be happy with our Pretty Man drama!!! The drama makes us smile and that’s the most important thing.
I stopped watching because I didn’t feel drawn to the plot. But I will marathon the episodes now since I have heard that the story line isn’t too crazy and I like IU. I just didn’t like YTBLSS lol.
oh ep 14 ending was the sweetest scene ever !! i really teared up when mate huger botong ant the end and when yura said that mate password and the hole slow motion made me cry for real 🙂 so touching indeed
The storyline is pretty boring, so I just skip to Botong, David, and Mate. IU was really shinning how I wish she gets more screen time. Botong and David are very cute BFF. I hope for the last 2 episodes Botong will spend more time with Mate.
I really enjoy Pretty Boy from the first episode up to now.Never thought is boring and I had some good laughs watching it.Too bad it finishes next week.
I’m torn over this one.
On the plus side, I like all three leads. IU should be considered one of the breakout stars of the year even if the shows she’s been in have been flawed. She’s so effervescent on screen.
Ma Te’s hairstyles didn’t bother me because there was a point to them…how he changed them with each woman that came into his life. There’s a lot of character growth in his character, too…how he goes from being almost a gigolo in the beginning to not wanting to have affairs with the women and trying to figure out how to avoid that in each situation. How he discovered that working with his co-workers to create a business was far more satisfying then to be simply handed money and stuff.
I’m glad that the writers haven’t pushed David into the evil second lead trap (yet). And I hope they don’t.
The only thing I would have liked more of is more interaction between the OTP (if they are indeed the OTP..I’m not 100% convinced that the writers aren’t going to pull a switch here and send Bo Tong off with David).
I agree with you totally 🙂
With the latest CPI (Content Power Index) measurement (developed alongside AGB Nielsen and it aims to combine standard viewer ratings with mobile streaming views, internet portal searches, hits on news reports, and mentions on social network to formulate an all- encompassing “buzz factor”) developed to measure how much each TV program has an INFLUENCE OR A VALUE — Pretty Man has made it into TOP TEN ENTERTAINMENT TV PROGRAMS HAVING HIGHEST CPI in 2013. Even surpassing those KBS dramas with high vr like Good Doctor & Secret.
Oh where can we see the cpi?
@rhinodino sorry I can’t post the link here, mskoala does not allow me he he he. The original source of this info korean website news nate. Later if you want I can post those top ten tv shows (korean) that made it to the list.
I’ve given up on watching full Korean dramas but did check out episodes here and there after year-end drama awards. Jang Geun Suk’s screen presence in ‘Bel Ami’ is like Jun Ji Hyun in ‘My Love From Another Star’. Ms. Jun has the advantage because of that red lipstick. I have not paid attention to IU until this drama and she stands her ground here and even stands out. It is good to see Jang Geun Suk choose a drama that is away from his recent entertainment persona (maybe except for that goofy hairstyle but for some reason, most Korean actor haircuts are wanting).
I honestly stayed away from this drama because of the bad rap it has been getting coupled with poor rating and no one recapping it. BUT curiosity got the better of me. I decided to check it out and got hooked! The story is interesting and watching it is truly enjoyable.
I’ve often read complaints about poor character development in other dramas…i don’t think it is the case with this drama. There is a lot of character growth in Ma Tae which is why I like this drama. There is really something that you can draw out from his interactions with each woman has he has to romance. It would really be interesting to do a character analysis of Ma Tae – why he became the way he is and what he is becoming.
It would have been nice if the writers brought in more romantic interactions between Ma Tae and Bo Tong earlier in the story. BUT then it is understandable given that Ma Tae is supposed to be so focused (dare I say, obsessed – and who wouldn’t?) with finding out the secret of his birth/his true identity that anything else become less significant. And now that he has discovered who he is? Well, we have to watch how he will storm it out. I think it will be icing on the cake if Ma Tae end up with Bo Tong.
Just reading the above comments has made me want to watch it 🙂 So I’ll be starting the 1st ep tonight! Thanks everyone!
This is a good drama. South Korean viewers are missing something good. There is an actual story here interwoven in the shenanigans and power struggle. Ma Te is not really a playboy. He’s actually helping the women he meet to find themselves, teaching them valuable life lessons contrary to his task of befriending 10 women and learning from them. The execution for the learning process were subtle but leaves a mark. Take the bratty heiress who now realized she had to make a good impression, and the impact of Ma Te’s friendship with the prosecutor.
David Choi/Park Joon Ha seems to be the only legitimate son of the man since David told Bo Tong his father left them to marry Na Hong Ran. So where did Park Moon Soo (Yoo Ra’s ex-husband) come from? David also thinks that Ma Te is his half-brother that is why he was looking for him at the lunch/family introduction thingy. So Ma Te, if he is Hong Ran’s own son, then he was the one she abandoned to become MG chairman. So many birth secrets…but I love the story since it is easy to follow. If the dad, Park Gi Suk knows that Ma Te is Hong Ran’s son, then he must have entrusted Ma Te to a former girlfriend or close friend, the woman that Ma Te knows as his mom. The characters are very interesting and the OST is good, with Hwa Nee, Lee Jang Woo and IU contributing.
PB is watchable in small doses ( one episode at a time). The good part about it is IU’s chemistry with Lee Jang Woo. It’s just not believable that JKS and IU can be a romantic OTP. That’s a big problem when they’re supposed to be together. Something is off with JKS here too. It feels like he hasn’t really gotten into the role of Mate at all. Love Rain bored me to tears but JKS’ characterization there was so much better than here. I am overall sad to feel this way about PB and JKS since it was JKS that brought me into the wonder world of Hallyu. But really, I hope this is the end to his string of bad choices in drama. He also needs to stop partying, because his face looks tired and haggard. So when they refer to Matte as PB, it’s not really that believable. Actually Lee Jang Woo is more PB and has that “shine” emanating from him–and I don’t even like Lee Jang Woo! What I’m trying to say is that JKS looks like the life was sucked out of him.
Firstly JGS has more filming schedules than the others considering he has more screenspace which leaves him tired and restless. Secondly if you noticed his face closely they hardly put any make up on his face , the eyeliner is gone too. He looks absolutely natural while it’s clearly distinguishable LJW has nicely layered make up in every scene.
and I’d like to disagree that he is not into the character or watever , how many episodes did u complete watching ?? His acting is really good not in any one particular scene but many , his facial expressions , some quirky expressions are great which am sure LJW can never match up to .
I watched every single episode from start to end out of loyalty to JKS. Btw, I have also been an official member of JKS’ fanclub for a couple of years now, and I have seen every single work he’s done so far. Even in Love Rain, he was more invested in that role compared to PB. I am also NOT Lee Jang Woo’s fan.
@ Haru Out of loyalty to JKS? How could you say that he was more invested in his role in Love Rain compare to PB? Are you a first hand witness to every single shoot JKS did? I think you are being presumptuous with your comment. Many may say JKS made a wrong choices, but I do believe that he has worked very hard with all those choices & a kind of actor that will think of what is best & needed for his role. If he is not that kind of actor/celebrity, I don’t think so that he will last this long in showbiz. But the fact that he is still here & doing his utmost best for his character despite not getting all the positive boost for the PB I can’t help but admire this young man more for his strenght, resilient & for always turning the sad point in his life into something positive.
The last episode of Pretty Man has made me admire Jang Geun Suk more as an actor, for me he has conveyed all the right emotions his character must have been feeling, the pain, the shock, the realization. Up to now just thinking about it gives me this squeezing pain in my heart.
@j kriss
Watching any type of drama is subjective. Based on my subjective opinion which I am expressing, I find JKS’ performance in PB lackluster compared to his other previous dramas. Of course, you are entitled to your opinion. Of course, I am personally not able to witness how much effort JKS has put into his activities, neither can anyone else for that matter, but I do not think PB is high up there in the list of works he has made so far.
Am still watching this. I think the storyline is very clean and have a feel good effect.
the iceskating scene reminds me of the iceskating scene in boys over flowers.
this drama is a surprise. It was actually good and interesting to watch. JKS is pretty good here and IU is unexpectedly adorable here. That girl can act! I will watch this over Love Rain anyday! Love the chemistry between David Choi and BoTong but i get d warm fuzzies more when Dokgo Ma Te tries to show some affection to BoTong. There were also some laugh out loud moments! I love how DMT can be serious, funny and childish sometimes all at the same time :))
This drama is okey. It’s on the easy-watching-bin, it’s just light, funny, but ofcourse the acting are all commendable.
The quirks and feel are understandable because it’s from a manhwa.
The storyline is okey, other dramas had been worst.
And i’m glad IU agreed to do this drama, she got to meet and work with Lee Jang Woo.
CD-BT scenes are so sweet and warm, you just feel you want to cuddle up just by watching them.
@Haru
I agree, there were scenes that JGS looked tired, and i really thought that he’s the type to look always youthful, but his age is actually starting to show.
There were scenes in which his face seems bloated.