My Girlfriend Is The Man! Episodes 3-4 Review: Sleepovers and New Rivals

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The gender-bender confusion, chaos, and comedy continue in the Korean romantic comedy ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man!’ starring Yoon San-Ha as Park Yun Jae, whose girlfriend Kim Ji-Eun (Arin) wakes up as a handsome young man (Yoo Jung-hoo), turning their dating life upside down.

Recap of ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’ Episodes 1-2:

College student Kim Ji-Eun is horrified to find herself transformed into a man, while her older sister Kim Ji-hye (Choi Yoon Ra) initially mistakes her for an intruder. However, thanks to matching tattoos and flashbacks revealing that their mother had warned them about a generational curse, one that temporarily turns the women in their family into men, Ji-hye soon accepts that the man before her is her younger sister. Park Yun Jae, on the other hand, struggles to come to terms with the change, so the couple decide to remain friends until she turns back.

To avoid confusion, Ji-Eun names her male version Ji-Hoon and confides her secret in best friend Choi Yu-ri (Park Joo Won). Comedic complications arise when Yun Jae’s sister Yun-a (Lee So Won) develops a massive crush on Ji-Hoon and asks her brother to play cupid. Meanwhile, Yun Jae’s friend from work, a playboy called Min Hyeok (Hur Hyun Jun) also begins to get too friendly with Ji-Hoon. Episode 2 ends with Ji-Hoon joining Park Yun Jae and Min Hyeok for a boys’ sleepover, only to wake up the next morning in her female form once again.

Episode 3-4 of ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’

Okay, this series isn’t generating the kind of laugh-out-loud comedy its plot is capable of. Although, Episode 3 does start on a hilarious note: with Yun Jae punching the living daylights out of Min Hyeok to keep him from realizing that Ji-Hoon oppa has turned back into a woman. This quick transformation helps erase any doubts Yun Jae might’ve had about his beloved Ji-Eun turning into a dude, but unfortunately, she soon goes back to being the taller, stronger, hotter Ji-Hoon.

The new episodes also introduce actor Chuu as Kang Min-Ju, a junior who has just returned from abroad and wants Yun Jae to be her boyfriend. This sparks jealousy in Ji-Eun, who can’t really stake her claim on Yun Jae while stuck in her male form. While Chuu is undeniably cute, the character comes off as quite annoying, bordering on vamp territory, even though the creators use light, playful music to frame Min-Ju as an adorable, funny addition.

Park Joo Won as Ji-Eun’s nerdy writer BFF Yu-ri had the funniest scenes in these episodes of ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’. She turns bright red every time she’s around Ji-Hoon, unable to handle her bestie’s unexpected hotness as a man, with her heart practically leaping out of her chest whenever they get close. Joo Won nails the role with spot-on comedic instincts. And much to Yoon Jae’s annoyance, his friend Min Hyeok is suspiciously clingy with Ji-Hoon. Basically, a lot of comedy hinges on jealousy, envy and insecure moments of the lead pair.

A subplot involving Yun-a’s crush on an old classmate isn’t particularly engaging and only slows down the pace of ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’. Yun-a’s antics are more entertaining when her sister is involved in the chaos. Interestingly, the sisters finally come clean to their parents about what’s happening, but not before a mildly funny scene where the parents mistakenly assume Ji-Hoon is Yun-a’s new boyfriend.

Yoon San-Ha is super endearing as the confused Park Yun Jae, and Yoo Jung-hoo plays the part of a woman stuck in a man’s body with casual flair. That said, it does sometimes feel like they should’ve just switched roles, since San-Ha has the soft, cutesy vibe down, while Jung-hoo has this naturally manly edge. But well, that’s kind of the whole point, right? Ji-Eun’s supposed to be too dashing and awkwardly masculine in her male form in ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’.

Overall, these two episodes of show are quite entertaining, but the writers aren’t maximizing the comic potential of the plot.

Watch ‘My Girlfriend Is The Man’ on Viki.

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