My Girlfriend is the Man: Episode 1 (First Impressions)
by SailorJumun
Ah yes, the age old question — would Oppa still love me if I was a worm guy? The latest gender bender drama My Girlfriend is the Man puts one couple to the test when the girlfriend in question wakes up in a man’s body. And with no idea of how long these effects will last, they’re not so sure how long their relationship will last either.
EPISODE 1
If you’re looking for some silly rom-com fluff with a good amount of cringe, you’ve tuned into the right show. The playful tone is immediately established, as we see a young man named PARK YOON-JAE (Yoon San-ha) pouting in a cafe, looking longingly at a picture of a girl. Another young man in a hoodie enters, shyly approaching him, and hands over the IDs of the same girl from the picture. The hooded man is teary-eyed as he admits that he’s Yoon-jae’s girlfriend.
We backtrack to a few days before, when Yoon-jae and his girlfriend KIM JI-EUN (Arin) are planning their first overnight trip. Yoon-jae is a passionate astronomy major, and he can’t wait to stargaze with her aaaall night. Ji-eun assumes that this is a euphemism for sexy times, but uh, I think homeboy is referring to actual stargazing. The two are cutesy together, very much in that honeymoon phase, but I will say that they feel more like high schoolers than college students.
The couple later walk over to Ji-eun’s home, sharing a goodbye kiss before they’re interrupted by Ji-eun’s older sister KIM JI-HYE (Choi Yoon-ra). Ji-hye and Ji-eun live by themselves, the show hinting that their parents aren’t in the picture. They seem like your average sisters, Ji-hye being very nosy when it comes to Ji-eun’s love life.
Later, we also meet Ji-eun’s writer friend CHOI YOO-RI (Park Joo-won), who’s surprised to learn that she’s going on a trip with Yoon-jae. Making the same assumption, she gives Ji-eun a condom. Ya know, just in case. Meanwhile, at Yoon-jae’s, his family also gives him the wink-wink-nudge-nudge, but he insists they won’t be doing that.
The morning of the trip, Ji-eun wakes up and heads over to the bathroom, facing the mirror to see… she’s transformed into some random guy (played by Yoo Jung-hoo). She initially thinks she’s dreaming, slapping herself, but quickly realizes that this is real. Just then, Ji-hye comes in and freaks out to see him/her.
Ji-hye attacks the supposed intruder with the shower head, only to go all googly-eyed seeing him/her with wet hair. Girl, are you thirsting after your sister? No, better question — are you thirsting after who you believe to be the pervert in your house? What is going on here?
Once the chaos subsides, Ji-eun explains the situation, showing the tattoo on her shoulder to prove her identity. Apparently, they expected something like this to happen (um, what??), so they got matching sun/moon cat tattoos in order to recognize each other.
However, Ji-eun never told Yoon-jae about this condition and has no idea how to tell him now. She cancels their trip with the excuse that she’s sick, and she sadly watches her sister turn him away. Days pass, and Ji-eun stays holed up in her room, while Yoon-jae drops off gifts at the door. Getting tired of this, Ji-hye suggests that Ji-eun either tell Yoon-jae the truth or break up with him.
We’re back to the opening scene, with Yoon-jae and guy-version Ji-eun at the cafe. Yoon-jae doesn’t believe Ji-eun is who she says she is, so she starts listing off information only she would know. Yoon-jae assumes this stranger is lying and punches him/her to the ground. Oof.
With no other choice, Ji-eun brings Yoon-jae home to her sister to explain together. According to the sisters, this kind of phenomenon is a genetic condition in their family, and it’s even happened to their mother. And though Ji-eun knows she’ll change back eventually, she can’t say when.
It’s a lot for Yoon-jae to take in, and he asks that Ji-eun give him some time to process. Before he leaves, Ji-eun desperately asks if they’re over, and for a second, he’s able to see Ji-eun as Ji-eun. As crazy as it might be, he knows that the person in front of him is indeed his girlfriend.
The next day, Yoon-jae is called over to Ji-eun’s to teach her how to shave her face. He’s still pretty awkward with Ji-eun as a guy, constantly switching from formal to informal speech. As he shows her how to shave, though, they’re both flustered by the closeness. I’d find it sweet if I wasn’t so focused on the fact that Ji-eun’s face has no hair to shave.
Afterwards, Yoon-jae heads to the cafe for work, where he confides in his co-worker and friend LEE MIN-HYUK (Hyunjun). He asks, strictly hypothetically, what Min-hyuk would do if his girlfriend turned into a man — a man who’s more good-looking than he is, lol. Min-hyuk answers that he’d have to figure out what made it happen and what will reverse it. Or, when in doubt, use the “cheat key” and kiss her. Because, sure, kissing solves everything.
A man on a mission, Yoon-jae marches straight to Ji-eun’s place. He throws her up against the wall (damn, okay), and says that he’s using his “cheat key.” With that, he leans in… And, of course, that’s how the episode ends.
Things are moving much faster than I expected, and while it’s certainly keeping me on my toes, it’s also giving me whiplash. In one episode, we’ve already had the girl transform into a guy, the boyfriend find out, the boyfriend accept it, and… I don’t know. It felt like everything was being rushed, especially with the explanation of Ji-eun’s condition. Like, what the heck is it? What happened to her mom? I get that it’s still early on, but the way they brushed over that was just plain confusing.
At the end of the day, the show is giving juvenile. The characters are juvenile, the humor is juvenile — even the more emotional beats feel oddly shallow. It’s like the younger, more immature sibling of Beauty Inside. But, hey, immature can still be entertaining. If they can keep things fun with the gender-bending hijinks, I can see this being a decent casual watch. And if they’re able to get me more emotionally attached along the way, all the better.
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