I am a cat person through and through. And I am on the eternal crusade of searching, watching and reading all sorts of stuff that involve cats.
A Cat-Lady. That’s me!
I am more inclined towards J-drama and anime since I can understand Japanese in bits (more recently as I got myself enrolled into a Japanese Language class! 😀 ). I have heard great reviews about K-dramas (Boys Over Flowers anyone?) but barring a couple of stray episodes of BOF, my exposure to Korean shows have been unfortunately limited.
Last week as I lurked in KissAsian, I came across a new K-drama which I couldn’t possibly ignore. Why, you ask?
How can I ignore a drama which has a cat in the lead?
Isn’t she adorable???
Imaginary Cat is the story of an aspiring webtoon comic artist Hyeon Jong-Hyeon (Yoo Seung-Ho) and the relationship he has with his cat Bok Gil. It is a slice-of-life show peppered with light romance and comedy but it doles out warm fuzziness in large ladles. It is impossible to watch an episode of this and not smile.
The best part of this series is the way Bok Gil’s viewpoint is conveyed. We viewers get to hear her views as she tries to nudge Jong-Hyeon for food, especially when he comes home drunk in the first five minutes of episode 01. The cat and her human have a wonderful relationship which is conveyed in a convincing and beautiful manner–something which proves how much behind-the-screen work had to be undertaken per episode. Yoo Seung-Ho is undoubtedly amazing but Bok Gil steals the show. Her eyes, her actions…I am so jealous of Yoo Seung-Ho! He gets to hug her so many times!
Also instead of panning the camera to show Jong-Hyeon’s and Bok Gil’s expressions, the director simply divided the screen into two–thus showing us both the characters at the same time.
This works wonderfully, since Bok Gil’s got an arsenal of expressions to reduce us viewers into a gooey puddle of mushiness. Yoo Seung-Ho is a cat-lover himself and so stepping into Jong-Hyeun’s shoes wasn’t hard for him. It is pretty apparent that he is enjoying playing this role.
The story pace is slow, but not boring. It’s like taking a leisurely walk up the forest path one afternoon–it’s quiet, it’s good and strangely fulfilling.
There are also indications of dark past in case of Jong-Hyeun’s, someone who had died before he could confess his feelings to her. He had supposedly stopped drawing after her death, and resumed only after Bok Gil came into his life. But the circumstances of her death seem a bit fishy to me at the moment…let’s see what happens!
The other female character in the series is Oh Naa-Woo played by Cho Hye-Jung.
She also seems to be a cat-lover like Jong-Hyeun but cannot keep a cat in her home due to her sister’s allergy. She too has a mystery around her–a mysterious missing cat named Haru.
I am just two episodes deep in this eight-episode long drama and I must say, I am hooked. Those who want a change in pace without sacrificing content, who want to experience the warm mushy fuzziness in the December months or those who simply love cats (like me!), I would recommend this show.
4 out of 5. I agree I am slightly biased but after giving this show a go, you will agree with me wholeheartedly.
The Nerdy Author 