So far, 2015 has been a far better year for Korean dramas (often shortened to K-dramas) compared to last year. For those who do not remember, only one K-drama really raked in monumental ratings last year, and that was My Love From Another Star (maxing out at an unheard of 30 percent). The other popular K-dramas of that year such as Fated to Love You and Pinocchio , did earn double-digit ratings, but only around 11 to 13 percent average. This year, there have been multiple dramas to reach the teens in ratings, but the true standouts started with Producer followed by Yong Pal .
Now, the third standout K-drama is She Was Pretty . Starring a spectacular cast, which includes Hwang Jung Eum and Park Seo Joon (both from Kill Me, Heal Me ) as the primary main leads, and Goh Joon Hee ( Queen of Ambition ) and Siwon (from K-pop group Super Junior) as one of the secondary main leads, She was Pretty appealed to viewers for its simple, yet satisfying plot with candor in its direction. Siwon’s performance was highly-praised too, which resulted in discussions of extending the series. Such would have been successful if it weren’t for Siwon’s upcoming military duty .
Now, She Was Pretty has officially concluded and it ended on a pretty note. By the end of the 16th and final episode, the K-drama beautifully concluded with double-digits in the ratings.
According to the TNS Media Korea (TNmS) and AGB Nielson ratings (AGB) provided by AsianWiki , viewership ratings for Seoul, South Korea alone almost reached 18 percent for the final episode. As for nationwide viewership, it was around 15.5 percent. To be fair, the viewership compared to the prior episode was somewhat of a drop, but not one of significance per se. On TNmS, there was only a 0.1 percent drop for Seoul while nationwide viewership stayed the same. AGB is the one that recorded somewhat of a drop as both their Seoul and nationwide viewership saw about a one percent drop. However, if one were to analyze the percentages of the last five episodes, She Was Pretty remained consistent in double-digit ratings. On TNmS, the last five episodes averaged 17.6 percent for Seoul and 15.3 percent nationwide.
As for the final episode, it pretty much wrapped everything up nicely for all four main characters. Kim Hye Jin (Hwang Jung Eum), and Ji Sung Joon (Park Seo Joon) could not wait any longer to get married and they finally tied the knot. Despite this, Hye Jin was able to fulfill her dream of writing a children’s book. Min Ha Ri (Go Joon Hee) finally found her purpose in life and pursued a career in what she truly was good at without the help of her father’s money or influence. The only disappointment per se was the lack of Kim Shin Hyuk (Siwon). From what is shown, Shin Hyuk did return to Korea after he exposed his identity as Ten, but that is all that was shown.
In the end, She Was Pretty was a wonderful K-drama that everyone thoroughly enjoyed. As a means to put closure to the adventure that it was, Hwang Jung Eum met with reporters on November 12, 2015 to share her feelings of the beloved series and what she endured to act in it, as reported by KdramaStars .
“ She Was Pretty was so well-received, so I am thankful and happy. Over the past two months, I have not slept more than a few hours per day. Almost to the degree of insanity.”
The K-drama Sweet Family will take over the She Was Pretty time slot. It is about a man named Yoon Tae Soo, a gang boss who dominates the adult entertainment district in Daejeon, South Korea. However at home, he is a normal “head of the household” father. He lives with his wife Kim Eun Ok (who nags him constantly) and a model student son and his mother. Yoon Tae Soo will be played by Jung Joon Ho and Kim Eun Ok will be played by Moon Jeong Hee. Both have previously appeared in the K-drama Mama .
For those who have not seen She Was Pretty , it can be viewed in its entirety on Viki . Right now, it is three episodes behind on DramaFever but will eventually have the entire series available.
[Image via She Was Pretty /MBC Promotions]