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This review may contain spoilers
There's a Love Story Somewhere Between Trauma, Beautiful Locations, and a Killer Zombie
I was ready for a modern romcom, and Can This Love Be Translated? gave a psychological twist to the genre which I enjoyed. Cha Mu Hui (played by Go Young Jung) was driven by trauma to succeed, but she was hindered by her lack of self esteem. A devastating accident put her in a coma, and when she woke up her first movie had gone viral and rocketed her to fame. Ju Ho Jin (played by Kim Seon Ho) was an interpreter whose rigid rules and private angst had trapped him in a suffocating existence for years.
The Good:
• After Cha Mu Hui's coma, she began having hallucinations involving her role as a killer zombie, Do Ra Mi. The zombie was relentlessly hateful, critical, and demoralizing. Mu Hui was understandably frightened and alarmed with each appearance. Do Ra Mi was outgoing, fearless, and dismissive of Mu Hui's inability to cope. Eventually, the hallucinations morphed into Do Ra Mi taking over Mu Hui's body for longer periods of time. Do Ra Mi was the best part of the show as the most interesting and original character. It was rewarding to watch her styling and attitude slowly change as Cha Mu Hui began to face some hard truths about her life with Ho Jin's support. Now, I want to watch a drama starring Do Ra Mi!
• I enjoyed the different languages.
• The locations were stunning: Japan, Canada (magnificent mountains and dramatic landscapes), Italy, and South Korea.
• Hiro, the Japanese actor, cracked me up by referring to Mu Hui as "Zombie" as if that were her name.
The Bad:
• This could have been a fun romcom with Do Ra Mi, but it ended up being light on comedy and romance and veered into a melodrama with serious topics like murder, mental illness, and child abandonment, etc. Do Ra Mi was fun, but dissociative disorders aren't. It didn't feel like the right ratio of romcom to angst.
• I think it was at a Farmer's Market in Canada where a stand featured pineapples. Don't think pineapple growing is a thing in Canada!
• For being a drama about languages and translations, it was frustrating that only Korean was subtitled. I wanted to know what the Italians and Japanese were saying, too.
On a less serious note, Mu Hui fell off a several-story building and was in a coma for six months. My devoted drama watching has taught me that Koreans and Chinese fall off terribly tall cliffs and walk away with just a scratch or two. This has been well documented.
I've added a half star for Do Ra Mi, that crazy zombie killer.
The Good:
• After Cha Mu Hui's coma, she began having hallucinations involving her role as a killer zombie, Do Ra Mi. The zombie was relentlessly hateful, critical, and demoralizing. Mu Hui was understandably frightened and alarmed with each appearance. Do Ra Mi was outgoing, fearless, and dismissive of Mu Hui's inability to cope. Eventually, the hallucinations morphed into Do Ra Mi taking over Mu Hui's body for longer periods of time. Do Ra Mi was the best part of the show as the most interesting and original character. It was rewarding to watch her styling and attitude slowly change as Cha Mu Hui began to face some hard truths about her life with Ho Jin's support. Now, I want to watch a drama starring Do Ra Mi!
• I enjoyed the different languages.
• The locations were stunning: Japan, Canada (magnificent mountains and dramatic landscapes), Italy, and South Korea.
• Hiro, the Japanese actor, cracked me up by referring to Mu Hui as "Zombie" as if that were her name.
The Bad:
• This could have been a fun romcom with Do Ra Mi, but it ended up being light on comedy and romance and veered into a melodrama with serious topics like murder, mental illness, and child abandonment, etc. Do Ra Mi was fun, but dissociative disorders aren't. It didn't feel like the right ratio of romcom to angst.
• I think it was at a Farmer's Market in Canada where a stand featured pineapples. Don't think pineapple growing is a thing in Canada!
• For being a drama about languages and translations, it was frustrating that only Korean was subtitled. I wanted to know what the Italians and Japanese were saying, too.
On a less serious note, Mu Hui fell off a several-story building and was in a coma for six months. My devoted drama watching has taught me that Koreans and Chinese fall off terribly tall cliffs and walk away with just a scratch or two. This has been well documented.
I've added a half star for Do Ra Mi, that crazy zombie killer.
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