Food, fists, and funny first encounters for Legend of the Blue Sea

86 October 25, 2016November 4, 2016

Food, fists, and funny first encounters for Legend of the Blue Sea

by javabeans

The promos are flying fast and furious—and so are fists and feet, in this latest teaser for Legend of the Blue Sea. I’m happy to see that the tone is lighter and funnier in this teaser; not that I mind melancholy and romantic dramas, but I’d been expecting more comedy, particularly when we have the You From Another Star writer at the keyboard, creating another memorable, quirky heroine for Jeon Ji-hyun.

The teaser gives us a glimpse of Jeon, first as a mermaid, and then in human form—although it looks like she’s still got a ways to go in acclimating to the ways of humanfolk. Her eccentricities are on full display as she confronts the genius scam artist played by Lee Min-ho, who doesn’t know what to make of her. It reminds me of that stretch in Disney’s Little Mermaid where Ariel finds herself newly human and combs her hair with forks and raises eyebrows, which I always thought would have been cute if we’d gotten to see more of it. Seventeen years later, my wishes are answered!

In the teaser, Jeon’s initial voiceover says, “You will not be able to remember me anymore. But still… [they’re] pretty. They sparkle. Your eyes.” Then Lee Min-ho jolts awake in bed in the morning, and finds his place littered with remnants of food, and finds her huddled among his clothes. She kicks him back, and he warns that he won’t go easy on her just because she’s a woman… just before she sends him flying across the room. And then, she quietly “hangs” herself back up in his closet, heh.

The dynamic reminds me a bit of the oddball-fantasy-creature feel of My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho, which I loved because the character was such a lovable weirdo who saw the world in new and interesting ways. It looks like Jeon is going to be as adorable and feisty as ever, and she’ll likely overturn our hero’s life, in all the best ways. The show is looking cuter and funnier as we see more of it, so my fingers will be in permanently crossed position until it finally launches next month.

Legend of the Blue Sea premieres on November 16 on SBS.