By Jae-Ha Kim
Substack
November 5, 2018
Min Soo-Jin (played by Lee Cho-Hee)
Goddess (played by Choi Ji-Woo)
Korean names denote the surname followed by the given name.
I have to 😂 because “7 First Kisses” is the K-Drama equivalent of an advertorial.
What’s an advertorial, you ask? It’s a newspaper or magazine ad that’s written to look like an objective news piece, but it was paid for by the client. There is always a small notation in the article, stating that it was sponsored or is an advertisement. But the point is to trick the reader into believing that the article is a researched piece of journalism.
This short series was created to promote Lotte Duty Free Shops and is meant to trick the viewer into thinking it’s a real K-Drama. And if the writers had put a little effort into coming up with a decent script, it could’ve been a really cute little series, because on the surface, it’s a normal K-Drama, with an innocent heroine being wooed by a dashing young man (OK, seven dashing young men) and has subplots that include kimchi slapping, switched babies at birth and even a tepid riff on “Healer.”
But without those men, this series would be unwatchable. The plot is nonexistent, other than to wait for the next male superstar to appear. Lee Joon-Gi, Park Hae-Jin, Ji Chang-Wook, Kim Jong-In (aka Kai), Ok Taecyeon, Lee Jong-Suk and Lee Min-Ho appear in succession to woo a woe-be-gone Soo-Jin, who is lamenting the fact that she is 25 and has never been kissed.
Soo-Jin helps a mysterious woman, who turns out to be a Goddess. Ms. Goddess wants to reward her kindness by granting a wish. Guess what that wish is? That’s right: Soo-Jin wants to get herself a boyfriend.
No! Wish for all your debts to be paid off or for a big-ass house in Gangnam that’s yours free-and-clear (including property tax being already covered). You can have your first kiss in your nice house!
Lee Joon-Gi is the first to show up. At this point, Soo-Jin has no idea what’s going on, but when he insists that she get in his car and GO TO HIS HOUSE … she agrees.
No. Girllllll! He could be a good-looking serial killer who uses his Joon-Gi-ness to ensnare unsuspecting women!
Anyhow, this goes on for each man, each more charming than the next.
Fact: I had no idea this series even existed. It popped up on YouTube when I was looking around for something to watch while I ate my late-night snack. (It was tteok-bokki and japchae, for those who have to know.) And even though I thought it was ridiculous, I stayed up and watched all the episodes because … Lee Joon-Gi, Park Hae-Jin, Ji Chang-Wook, Kim Jong-In (aka Kai), Ok Taecyeon, Lee Jong-Suk and Lee Min-Ho.
Airdates: Eight mini episodes (9- to 12-minutes long) aired from December 5, 2016 to January 5, 2017 on Naver TV Cast.
Spoiler Alert:
Plot twist: There is none!
I have to😂because #7FirstKisses is the advertorial of #KDramas. So why’d I watch this? Lee Joon-Gi, Park Hae-Jin, Ji Chang-Wook, Kai, Ok Taecyeon, Lee Jong-Suk & Lee Min-Ho.💫Also, there’s kimchi slapping, switched babies & a #Healer riff. My review⏯️https://t.co/EU26PAvyOs #meh pic.twitter.com/QNjHJBgCGM
— Jae-Ha Kim 김재하 (@GoAwayWithJae) November 6, 2018
© 2018 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved
I remember being so very disappointed when I realized it wasn’t truly a drama! =)