The Coffee Prince is a Korean TV show I was lucky enough to come across and enjoy. It turns out that the Coffee Prince is quite reminiscent of Felicity and Happy Days.

 

The Setup

 

Eun-Chan, 24, holds multiple small jobs to support her shopaholic mother and younger sister.

Her jobs range from milk drop-offs and taekwondo to Korean food delivery on a rented scooter. Her life is extremely busy, tiring, and full of humorous mishaps. On one of her food deliveries, she meets Han Gyul, a young bachelor rich with his grandmother’s earnings.

One day Han Gyul has a date with a long time friend of his named Yoo Joo. On that date, Eun-Chan saves Yoo Joo’s purse from a thief. Despite the good deed, Han Gyul suspects that Eun Chan came up with the skit to earn money.

Eun Chan later approaches Han Gyul for money for this favor, although she really just needs money for her family.

Han Gyul decides to use Eun Chan to chase away blind dates that his grandmother constantly sets him up with. The catch is that Han Gyul thinks Eun Chan is male, and his blind dates think they’re a gay couple.

Through numerous episodes that are outrageously comical, Han Gyul and Eun Chan form a real friendship.

Midway through the series, Eun Chan begins to fall for one of her milk delivery customers named Han Seong. It turns out that Han Seong is Han Gyul’s cousin. His girlfriend is also Han Gyul’s childhood crush, Yoo Joo.

 

Love Triangles

 

The love triangles begin, as Eun Chan confesses her crush on Han Seong, while Han Gyul loves Yoo Joo.

Meanwhile, Han Seong and Eun Chan begin a true friendship where they confess to each other their daily activities. They share laughter, tears and heartache with each other. One day, they even share an off-handed kiss and things become awkward for Eun Chan, Han Seong and Yoo Joo.

When Yoo Joo and Han Seong finally become serious again, Eun Chan and Han Gyul’s friendship takes a twist.

When Han Gyul’s grandmother is tired of his blind date disasters and irresponsibility, she forces him to take over one of her coffee shops. She makes him promise the profits will triple in just a few months.

Han Gyul, Eun Chan and a hilariously heartwarming staff of three young men, transform the coffee shop into a trendy and popular café.

 

The Awkwardness

 

The humor is intertwined with drama as Han Gyul realizes he likes Eun Chan, a boy. Han Gyul sees a doctor, thinking he can’t possibly like men. Eun Chan’s feelings also develop for Han Gyul, but she is ashamed of admitting to him who she really is.

Meanwhile, Eun Chan’s sister and one of the Prince Café staff members (the thief who attempted to steal Yoo Joo’s purse) develop a funny relationship.

As the story progresses, the truth eventually comes out. Han Gyul is outraged, ashamed, and humiliated. Still, he learns that their love for each other is true and he forgives her.

Eun Chan travels to Italy to become a trained Barista, while Yoo Joo and Han Seong’s form a life together.

In the end, Eun Chan reunites with her beloved Coffee Prince staff and Han Gyul, and the two live happily ever after.

 

My Take

 

I loved Coffee Prince for more than just the romantic comedy.

The trials that Eun Chan faces are real and heart wrenching because her family has no money. The disasters she faces everyday because of her clumsiness, tomboy looks, and financial needs are appealing to the everyday human condition.

Getting up everyday, she confronts these same difficulties and even becomes a heroine when she asks Han Gyul for money.

The Coffee Prince staff consists of three men who each have their own comical and romantic stories. Their friendships with Han Gyul and Eun Chan are true and touching. Each one eventually learns that Eun Chan is female and the twists tested loyalty is hilarious.

When Eun Chan leaves for Italy for two years, I teared up watching her say goodbye to her mother and sister, and her Coffee Prince coworkers. Watching the long distance relationship and the decisions everyone makes to follow a dream, is again appealing to reality itself.

Perhaps the most appealing is the array of intricate love triangles. The crushes constantly form, dissipate, and transfer from one person to another. Although it seems complicated and ridiculous, the way the story unfolds is potentially realistic.

Having regular male and female friendships without feelings forming is unrealistic and rare. Eventually Eun Chan and Han Seong become platonic friends, while Han Gyul and Yoo Joo also learn to appreciate their friendship.

The show’s simple humor allowed an introduction to Korean pop culture without the need for vulgarity which is persistent in American drama.

 

Themes

 

When Han Gyul’s grandmother learns of Eun Chan, she disapproves of her plain looks and a lower class family. But the respect that Eun Chan maintains for Han Gyul’s grandmother is humbling and admirable. It shows that love really does conquer even the most difficult of people.

The show also allowed for universal underlying themes to remain intact. These include respect for elders, pursuing dreams independently, and the fine line between friendships and relationships.

 

photo credits: Feature image and picture above from www.sprudge.com