Personal Taste (2010) User Reviews

Cute couple dragged down by story line...

[fprefect-685-281084 · 7/10 · 5 November 2013]

Personal Taste is a 16 episode 2010 kdrama where the two leads strive to make this drama work but the story line eventually stymies' their efforts leaving a B-grade drama.

Our male lead, Jin-ho, lies to our female lead, Kae-I that he is gay so she'll rent a room to him in her father's house which he wants to study for an architecture design that will make or break his company. They fall for each other but the lie stops their romance. He eventually confesses, she is a doormat and accepts this huge deceit with ease. Their romance is the best part the show. They have chemistry and work hard to be likable. The middle episodes are their best. Unfortunately the story line is littered with annoying characters and plot decisions that pull entire series down.

What I liked about Personal Taste:

1. Lee Min-ho as Jin-ho. He has loads of appeal and the camera loves him. His character starts out as a cold fish in the initial episodes, warms up nicely in the middle, then is an idiot in the home stretch until the final episode epilogue where he sparks up again.

2. Son Ye-jin as Kae-i. She has excellent chemistry with Lee Min-ho and they clicked as a couple. Her doormat character was annoying in the initial episodes, cute and charming in the middle, then a bit sad in the final episode where she offers him blind trust in the form of herself. The emotional payoff is in their epilogue scenes.

3. Jung Sung-Hwa as Sang-Jun. He is Jin-ho's friend. He is funny impersonating Jin-ho's gay lover. I was horrified that the writers pair him with the despicable In-hee in the final episode, lazy storytelling.

4. Ryu Seung-ryong as Do-bin. As the quiet, lonely director, this actor embodies this character with human kindness and is an emotional touchstone.

What I did not like about Personal Taste:

1. Wang Ji-Hye as In-Hee. Supposedly Kae-I's friend but she is selfish, willing to use and abuse to get her way. This annoying character had no growth during the series.

2. Ahn Seok-Hwan as Yun-Seop (Chang-Ryeol's Dad). I loved this actor in Delightful Girl Chun-hyang but here he portrays a one dimensional annoying character that sneers, bribes, and bullies his way through life.

3. Choi Eun-Seo as Hye-Mi. Another annoying character that believes she has a chance with Jin-ho. Worthless and whining, the script this character was given was a waste.

Good romance with interesting plot

[leahcubed · 8/10 · 27 January 2020]

Park Kae-in (Son Ye-jin) is kind, impulsive, and clumsy. Architect Jeon Jin-ho (Lee Min-ho) pretends to be gay so that Kae-in will accept him as her roommate in the house he hopes to redesign.

Park Kae-in (Son Ye-jin) is the daughter of a famous architect and is an aspiring furniture designer. She trusts quickly and completely. She grew up without a mother and does not spend a lot of time on her personal appearance. Romance has been an issue for her as her sweet nature is compelling but her lack of feminine whiles make maintaining a relationship more challenging. Jeon Jin-ho (Lee Min-ho) is an architect with a struggling business who desperately needs to win a big bid over a major competitor to keep his business afloat. His competitor does not play the game cleanly so he knows he has to go above and beyond in providing the perfect proposal to meet the desire of the customer that could be his saving grace. He finds out Park Kae-in so happens to live in a house designed by her father that represents a majority of the design elements the client is after. The problem is few have ever been given access to see the inside of the house in any detail. A series of comical misunderstandings leads Kae-in to think that Jin-ho is gay. Some impulsive and poor financial decisions have led her to be in the market for a renter and Jin-ho sees that as an opportunity to get a closer look at the architecture of the design that is so desired by the potential client. As a young woman living alone (her father is abroad), she is unlikely to let a single male move in. However, thinking Jin-ho is gay, she does not feel threatened when he proposes to rent from her. He does not say he is but lies by omission letting Kae-in believe he has no interest in women.

I really liked the development and evolution of the characters. The plot was predictable but in a good way, the complexity resided in the evolution of the character's personalities. Good romances to me paint the picture of how each has something that completes or compliments the other.

Good enough

[PennyReviews · 8/10 · 30 May 2016]

Classic, classic, classic!! I loved this show from episode one!! Though towards the ending, it wasn't as good as the first episodes, it was still funny and interesting. Well, the story is a mess at the beginning, but it gets better after the third episode and the humour is good enough to keep you entertained. The romance is so cute, as the chemistry between the two leading roles is great. You can sense it from the beginning that those two are either going to kill each other or fall in love. And they almost do kill each other! The side stories weren't that great, as they were there only to fill the gap between the scenes and they merely helped the development of the story. The performances were good as well (well, most of them) and I liked the development of the characters, as they changed each other gradually. All in all, one of my favs so far and with a great soundtrack!! So, 8 out of 10.

One of the better rom com dramas

[phd_travel · 9/10 · 4 July 2020]

Lee Min Ho and Son Ye Jin are so good at acting in love that the chemistry is one of the best in all of the rom com K dramas. There is a top 10 kiss scene in episode 10. Son Ye Jin is great at acting goofy in this show. The comedy is quite funny with all the gay jokes and innuendo. But the obstacles dramatic part before the end is slightly draggy but at least there is a nice conclusion.

The soundtrack is nice. Like a Fool is outstanding.

One of the better rom com dramas.

Romantic, Edgy, Funny, Game Over

[PalmBeachG · 9/10 · 12 December 2022]

10 stars to Lee Min Ho for the lead male who I admit I usually give 10 stars to. Again, he fits perfectly in the romantic handsome edgy male role lead. To be true to my reviews I have to deduct a star for the FML and script that always write in a dowdy FML to star with him - and I think they go too far with the wardrobe trying to make her look unfashionable with sweats and slippers and ugly clothes. I thought the gay situation humor was hilarious however I didn't think the FML dressed as a boy was portrayed very good by the FML. Also didn't care for episode 16 very much, which included the ending. But Lee Min Ho brought the romance again and did a great job in the role of architect who got caught in a lie.

#LeeMinHo #GameOver #PersonalTaste.

Too often in Poor Taste.

[AJ_McAninch · 7/10 · 17 July 2021]

I watched it again after many years, and though I love the leads, esp. SYJ, and the series has sweet moments, for me, it definitely has cringe-worthy scenes and others that simply do not hold up well.

LOVE IT !!

[Afi_vaqar · 10/10 · 14 October 2020]

Omg this drama was soooooooo good !! The story was amazing !! The way lee min ho was dressed.. omg I was in love !! Absolutely loved this drama !! I laughed aloooot !! Love love love it !!!

A series of Misunderstandings.

[jaseemp · 7/10 · 16 December 2020]

The reason I watched this drama is because of the leads. But it has one of the worst writing. The writers always used accidents to tell the story. It was really frustrating. A series of childish misunderstanding between the leads and second leads makes the story lot worse. Had the writers paid a bit more attention this could have been lot better drama. Whenever anyone was to reveal anything important there will always be an accidental happening or someone else listening to it, who is not supposed to be. For me it is one of the worse drama in terms of story telling. Also there was a scene in which the camera man's legs and camera and some other setups are clearly seen, meaning the editing was awful as well. Felt like they paid very little attention to the drama and rushed everything. But because of the leads, acting, good comedy scenes, okay story (although ruined by bad writing) I gave it 7/10. If you want to to have some laugh and don't mind the bad writing and common kdrama cliche then watch it.

Jinho The Perfect Husband All men should follow his example

[elizabeta-75468 · 10/10 · 7 March 2018]

He listened to her and comforted her when she was sad. He took care of her when she was sick. He never cheated on her. He felt for her mother's loss. He was helpful to her in cleaning and cooking. He gave her strength to not dwell in the past but for a brighter future. He defended her and protected her when she fell into states of weakness. He supported her when she fell into financial troubles. He slept in a bed with her without even touching a finger of her in the beginning of their romance and waited for her consent.

Star power but weak story

[mjkarlin · 6/10 · 26 July 2020]

16. That's the number. Well, sometimes, it's 20. But that's the standard number of episodes in Korean TV series. It's a challenge to fill and this drama, like many, doesn't quite do it. There was enough material here to make a decent 2-hour romcom movie but 16 hours was far more than could be filled up without recourse to a relentless cycle of rinse and repeat.

What makes this drama bearable, indeed more than bearable, are two tremendous performances from the stars, Lee Min-ho and especially Son Ye-jin. The rest of the cast and the stock characters they play could easily have been recruited out of the chimpanzee enclosure at Seoul Zoo, but Lee and Son are just otherworldly in their performances and chemistry, enough to blow up the labs at MIT. Son has such terrific comedic range just within this show, able to display vulnerability and strength, naivete and common sense, kindness and, when necessary, backbone, and you never fail to believe her. What is asked of Lee is more limited but he delivers without holding back.

The plot line, the single woman who mistakenly believes the guy she ends up living with is gay and therefore "safe", is a little forced and acceptable (just barely) only because the show is 10 years old and predates more widely accepted norms about the place of homosexuality and other non-"straight" orientations in society. But even there, most of the characters are quite tolerant of divergence from the norm of the time and Son at one point offers up a heartfelt declamation that love, straight or gay, is love. There is one interesting secondary character, played with some finesse by Ryu Seung-ryong , whose struggles with being gay and finding a way to express his love to Lee (whom he not unreasonably believes is gay - after all, Lee actually says he is, er, straight out) are depicted with some delicacy.

The problem is that the magic number means that Lee must be made to miss chance after chance to set the record, er, straight about his orientation in ways that are increasingly forced and sometimes lame beyond belief. Similarly, just as the writer finds idiotic excuse after excuse for Lee not to explain things properly, he (or she - not sure which) is forced in scene after scene to portray Son as clueless long past belief. The deception is enabled with the usual tropes of untimely interruptions by phone calls, people barging in, non-emergency emergencies, and an endless series of manufactured lies told by everyone and his mother, all so the moment of discovery can be delayed long past the moment the audience's patience has been exhausted, all so that the magic number of 16 can be reached.

Similarly, the second leads, played by Kim Ji-seok and Wang Ji-hye, must replay their same basic scenes over and over. Kim, in particular, is a creepy character whom both Wang and Son rightly reject and yet he cleaves first to one then the other with essentially the same nauseating sophistries and, unfortunately, the absolutely loathsome arm grabbing that pervades Kdramas.

Tertiary characters are equally repetitious and even less interesting. Lee's right hand guy, played by the forgettable Jung Sung-hwa, is merely insufferable and Son's best friend, played by Jo Eun-ji, manages to detract from every scene she's in.

These dramas need to be shorter or more inventive. Not all of them have the maximum luminescence of stars like Lee Min-ho and Son Ye-jin. I could watch Son forever and I can see why female (and perhaps male) fans could do the same for Lee. But it would be great if the material were a little deeper, a little richer or, to put it more precisely, a lot deeper and a lot richer.

A must watch RomCom drama.

[iftekharhaque · 10/10 · 20 April 2020]

Though the boy isn't gay, but at first he lied that he's a gay to achieve a thing. But he falls in love with the girl and tells he's not gay. Proves it. When he's proving it he has to go through a tough time.

Superb story except for ending

[gata86 · 13 October 2011]

This was a stellar series. I have seldom watched anything that gave me as much true enjoyment. Right up till the ending...

The first 2/3 were pure heaven. Gae In mistakenly assumes Jin Ho is a homosexual, and he allows her to continue thinking that so that she will feel comfortable renting out a room to him. The two overcome their differences, becoming friends, and eventually develop romantic feelings for each other—much fun ensues. This section of the series had endless amounts of charm, warmth, comedy, and romantic tension. It always kept me guessing and avoided clichés like the plague.

Then, in episode 11, the cat came out of the bag—Jin Ho was not gay, he loved Gae In, and wanted be loved by her. At first I thought, "This is good; we get to enjoy seeing them together." However, I found that "Personal Taste" lost a lot of its peculiar charm at this point— it became another when-will-they-have-sex story. Still, it gained another kind charm. It became the story of a man and woman who were trying to make their relationship work, about two lovers who were trying to figure out how deal with past wounds and personality flaws, about two people respectfully combating parental disapproval, about a man lovingly waiting for sex until his woman was ready. Again, the series steered clear of clichés.

And then we spent the last three episodes on a completely unnecessary clichéd plot twist—guy decides he should convince girl not to care about him, so guy treats girl worse than he ever treated his enemies.

One of the things that made this series really great was the way Gae In and Jin Ho argued. They would get upset and say things they didn't mean, but then later apologize. It was realistic and compelling, but in the end the creators threw this away with both hands.

Another thing that was great in this series was that Jin Ho spent a lot of time teaching Gae In to respect herself and not let people trample on her. However, in the end Gae In goes to Jin Ho and finally sleeps with him, though he has treated her like dirt, saying "I will trust you no matter what, even if I get hurt." This completely went against everything that came before. I personally think that it is good to wait until marriage to have sex; however, I realize I am in the minority. Still, the series had led me to hope that the consummation would at least be happy and loving, but it was just sad and depressing.

To add insult to injury, the creators left most of the subplots hanging in order to spend three episodes on this ghastly cliché, and then wound everything up quickly, saccharinly, and unrealistically. A very, very poor finish to a great story.

Yes, I understand this is a romantic comedy, but there is no law stating that romantic comedies have to be dumb; and this one had constantly shown itself to be so much more. A sad waste of excellent writing and acting.

So, if you read this and think you are like me, you might want to stop watching this series after the first 20 minutes of the 11th episode.

Good for goofy entertainment

[hanalisss · 6/10 · 13 August 2023]

The chemistry between the two leads is undeniably electric, creating a magnetic dynamic that draws viewers in from the very beginning. Lee Min-ho's charisma and Son Ye-jin's charm shine through, adding depth and authenticity to their characters' interactions.

The drama's premise, centered around mistaken identities and housing arrangements, provides a delightful mix of comedic situations and romantic tension. The humor is well-balanced with moments of heartfelt emotion, making the viewing experience engaging and satisfying.

This excels in portraying the growth of its characters and the development of their relationships. The evolution of the lead characters' feelings is portrayed with subtlety and depth, giving the romance a genuine and relatable quality.

Overall, Personal Taste is a classic for a reason, with its strong cast, engaging storyline, and the perfect blend of romance and comedy. If you're a fan of Lee Min-ho, Son Ye-jin, or simply looking for a drama that offers a delightful mix of emotions and entertainment, this series is a timeless choice that continues to capture hearts.

A real stinker

[Stinkerspotter · 2/10 · 7 February 2019]

This series really hovered between being so bad its good and being just plain bad. Visually this looks appalling, this looks like someones high school project. The plot is just a series of misunderstandings and two-dimentional irrational characters doing stupid stuff for 16 hours. The best part of this series is the awful execution of an even worse script leading to this series unwillingly having some really funny moments, especially when delivered by the male lead which does not know how to act for his life. The reason this does not get a lower score is because the soundtrack was decent and the female lead actually made an effort.

Awsome!

[aregep · 10/10 · 23 January 2019]

Overall review is awsome! As usual, his acting skill do not fail, so he is not only a handsome face on screen. The ideea of the drama and what you can learn from it is not bad . Also the funny moments actually maked me giggle.. which doesn't happen often for me. Also, the number of episodes are not 2... maybe multiplied by 10. I was so captivated by this drama that I finished it in less than 2 days 🤣.

Director Choi

[elsamirre · 8/10 · 22 January 2023]

I don't know that my rating is acurate. After watching so many Kdramas, I think I've seen most of the very good ones. Since I couldn't let go of this passion, I lowered my expectations a while ago. That's how I found myself watching something with Lee Min-Ho in it, although this should have been enough to deter me. Someone wrote "If I ever see the Male Lead actor in a show again I'll stop watching immediately" It was really funny because his performance in this drama is actually the best I've seen from him so far.

So. Cons. REPETITIVE SOUNDTRACK. (Pabo choleoooom....) WEAK PLOT. POOR ACTING. POOR DIALOGUES. NO CHEMISTRY. No chemistry of course, with the leads behaving so awkwardly around each other, hardly touching, as if they were both contagious or something. I remember SHJ in Something In The Rain. It doesn't even compare.

Pros. LMH. Ah, I can't help it, his beauty is really from another world. Er... What else... Yes. Director Choi. If memory serves, he is now my second favourite character in the entire Kdrama world. First one is Mister Ma, the lawyer in I Hear Your Voice. My admiration for him is immeasurable.

Director Choi melted my heart. If such a man existed in the real world, I would want to meet him and stay by his side forever. He is handsome, classy, dignified yet humble, selfless, thoughtful, caring, sensitive. His one-sided love story was the one beautiful thing in this drama. My heart ached so much for him. I'm grateful if only for that part. The actor's skills stood out beside all the poor performances. Such pain, and at the same time, such kindness in his eyes... I will never forget him. I'll seek out more dramas with this actor, maybe it's something about him? There. 8 stars just for him.

Quality translation from Paramount to the ground

[seveneleven-44269 · 6/10 · 27 October 2019]

This can be better , if writing team did a better job. The lead actors were good. This has such a low rating because it was sometime boring and repetitive.

Worth to watch it

[Mr_Avenger · 6/10 · 23 July 2023]

A humorus and realistic drama with interesting plot and nice characters. The main leads have excellent acting skills and ugrade the whole drama. The supporting roles are sometimes annoying but I think that was the point. I really like the psychosynthesis of lead woman. The way she express her feelings and her thoughts was awesome. To my mind she was the absolute star of this drama. The ost was catchy too. I never got bored during this drama . The funny moments were good enough and makes you laugh. The gay story is also touched with a very careful way , without offension or vulgar dialogues and scenes.

Definitely worth to watch it !

Bad

[SofiCastle · 3/10 · 16 June 2020]

This is a show with a weak plot, corny (and cliché) script, extremely annoying secondary characters, a male lead who couldn't act if his life depended on it, and to top all that, it can get pretty insulting for gay people. Only redeeming quality, Son Ye-Jin who I guess needed a break from all the melodrama she normally plays.

Fetishizes Gay Men

[gracechrista · 4/10 · 5 March 2023]

The title is the review. This is not a good Kdrama and has aged poorly. Besides for the amazing kiss scene which you could watch on its own, there's nothing special besides the regrettable fetishization and objectification of a gay man, played by Lee Minho, to keep the plot going.

Beyond that, it's boring and lackluster with very forgettable side characters. Truly just the romance and the lies it's built on is what drives this show forward. This is one of Lee Minho's worst, in my opinion. Even though I was a young teen when I watched this, I still knew it wasn't good, appropriate, or kind to the LGBTQ community.

REALLY BAD STORY BAD SCRIPTWRITING BAD ACTING!

[ljansen-87682 · 2/10 · 15 August 2023]

This was so bad it was embarrassing!

The FL has a relationship with a guy who cheats on her with her Housemate of 10 years to the point of walking down the aisle and she still didn't know! Like Really!

The ML pretends to be gay (and yes its Lee Min Ho), so he can get inside the house designed by a famous architect. Coincidentally the FL is this architect's daughter. BTW the ex boyfriend of the FL is also into construction and design but NEVER knew that the FL dad was this famous architect! HIS dad finds out and is all for them getting back and getting married, because it would elevate his status and connections.

The FL's Best Friend that has loads of fairly good reasonable advice apparently never gave the FL this advice when she was with the cheating ex boyfriend.

The FL is still communicating and opening her door to the ex boyfriend AND the ex housemate who ran off together - Pleeeeeze!!

The repeatedly mentioned naivety of the FL wasn't naivety, it was just immaturity and childish - who would date a girl like that not the son of a major construction company! Actually maybe a narcissist possibly!

The ML is sooooo stiff and pan faced I really couldn't believe it was Lee Min Ho as the acting was just so bad.

The clothes, particularly Lee Min Ho's vile cardigan type things, are all absolutely all terrible. The costume designer and the script writer should be sacked! Wouldn't even put this on a resumé.

Way too many characters that flitted in and out. E.g. The ML ex girlfriend. Pointless.

Someone wrote "If I ever see the Male Lead actor in a show again I'll stop watching immediately" Well just want to say that Lee Min Ho acting skill have improved greatly (maybe he took classes?) but this must make him cringe to look at now.

Two weird things that haven't aged well in this series: 1. She wouldn't sleep with the ex although they had been a couple for absolute ages and 2. The ridiculous fuss about a grown ass man and a full blown woman house sharing - unless he was gay! So disrespectful to Gays!

Hung in to the end to see it this would get better. It didn't.

The House designed in the traditional Korean construction and style was the best bit of the entire series.

Some good, more bad

[john-norman-244-877068 · 5/10 · 2 April 2024]

Ok, the plot is a ham handed but I want to find out how it ends- at episode 11. This is Lee Min Ho worst role. The FL is good. SML nearly ok, SFL pretty good, hopes she breaks a leg. But that's the role. The script is crap. The action is crap. The suspense is crap. The real problem is the script and the total losers that are secondary characters. They are jokes. The easiest solution for this show is for the Lee Min Ho to fire all is employees and find qualified, ethical people. SML is meant to be a jerk that comes to Jesus. Ok, he's doing that. Korean Dramas do that well, they know how to turn a jerk into a human being better than anyone.

Only finished it because I had too

[wouter-strydom · 4/10 · 13 June 2022]

The only good thing about this show was the Female Lead actress and the Female antagonist. If I ever see the Male Lead actor in a show again I'll stop watching immediately. He (and his wardrobe assistant) should get out of show business. The story line itself isn't the best but also not the worse.

Full House: Resurrections

[Park_Min · 5/10 · 6 May 2024]

Core part of the plot was the male lead pretending to be gay as described in the synopsis, however, I'm not sure if this was intentional or not but naming the female lead 'Gae In' was seriously tripping as it was pronounced very similarly to how the characters saying the word gay. Anyway, the drama followed the typical romcom formula of the early 2010s while having a play around the cohabitation of opposite sex and pretending to be gay. This setup spawned all kinds of predictable shenanigans yet they were somewhat entertaining, solely thanks to the leads. While sometimes irritating but they had a good dynamic going on between them. The character Jin Ho was written as a reserved guy who doesn't open up or show his feelings but Lee Min Ho in this drama was way too subdued and static beyond what the characterization mandates for his character, combined with sometimes questionable production, it had created some awkward scenes and deliveries. The drama featured a love square to anchor the drama but this love square was plain stupid. It served its purpose to kick start the story but any involvement after that was a poor decision. I found the ending to be a little bit weak and boring, they played it safe and predictable. Both parents of the leads were brushed off quickly to wrap it up despite being a reasonable point of tension prior to that. Overall, it's a decent watch with nice moments here and there but lacked a lot to be recommendable or rewatchable.