Personal Taste
| Personal Taste | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for Personal Taste | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Personal Taste by Lee Se-in |
| Written by | Kim Hee-ju |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 16 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Han Hee |
| Original release | |
| Network | Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation |
| Release | March 31 – May 20, 2010 |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Kaeinui Chwihyang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kaein-ŭi Ch‘wihyang |
Personal Taste (Korean: 개인의 취향; Hanja: 個人의 趣向; RR: Kaeinui Chwihyang; MR: Kaein-ŭi Ch‘wihyang; lit. "Kae-in's Taste" or "Kae-in's Preference"; also known as Personal Preference) is a 2010 South Korean television series, starring Son Ye-jin and Lee Min-ho. It is adapted from Lee Se-in's 2007 novel of the same name about a furniture designer, Park Kae-in, who lives together with architect Jeon Jin-ho under the mistaken assumption that he's gay.[1][2][3][4][5][6] It aired on MBC from March 31 to May 20, 2010 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes.
Plot
Furniture designer Park Kae-in (Son Ye-jin) is kind, impulsive, clumsy, and a complete slob in her personal habits. She lives in Sanggojae (meaning "a place for mutual love"), a modernized hanok (traditional Korean house) designed by her father, a famous and reclusive architecture professor (Kang Shin-il). Naive and trusting, she has been dating longtime boyfriend Han Chang-ryul (Kim Ji-seok) for years despite the fact that he takes her for granted. One day, without so much as a word of explanation, he breaks up with her and all but disappears. Then Kae-in is invited to the wedding of her good friend and roommate Kim In-hee (Wang Ji-hye) and is horrified to discover that the husband-to-be in none other than Chang-ryul; the two had been cheating on her for some time. When she finally comes face-to-face with them, the wedding ceremony breaks out into utter chaos. Kae-in is heartbroken, and determined to never take a chance on a man again.
Meanwhile, to keep his small firm afloat, architect Jeon Jin-ho (Lee Min-ho) is desperately trying to win a project bid for the Dam Art Center against Future Construction, the prestigious company owned and operated by Chang-ryul's father (Ahn Suk-hwan). In order to win the favor of the Dam Art Center director, and win the moneymaking bid, Jin-ho has to find a way to dig up more information about the art center director’s favorite building: Sanggojae, which has never even once been opened to the public.
Knowing that Kae-in would never let a man (let alone a stranger) be her new roommate, the straitlaced (and straight) Jin-ho pretends to be gay to get access to the house — and all the information that he's sure is hidden within. At the same time, the DAC director (Ryu Seung-ryong), who actually is gay, finds himself attracted to Jin-ho. Once they start living together, Jin-ho gradually embarks on a mission to make over the inveterate tomboy/slob, but in all the mayhem of the makeover and hiding his true orientation, the unexpected happens and the perfectionist architect begins to fall in love with Kae-in. What will happen when the man who’s pretending to be gay and the woman who thinks he’s gay develop feelings for each other?[7][8]
Cast
- Son Ye-jin as Park Kae-in[9][10][11]
- Lee Min-ho as Jeon Jin-ho[12][13]
- Kim Ji-seok as Han Chang-ryul
- Wang Ji-hye as Kim In-hee
- Ryu Seung-ryong as Choi Do-bin
- Jo Eun-ji as Lee Young-sun
- Jung Sung-hwa as Noh Sang-jun
- Im Seulong as Kim Tae-hoon[14]
- Choi Eun-seo as Na Hye-mi
- Park Hae-mi as Jeon Jang-mi
- Ahn Suk-hwan as Han Yoon-sub
- Jang Won-young as Secretary Kim
- Kang Shin-il as Park Chul-han
- Bong Tae-gyu as Lee Won-ho (cameo, ep 1-2)
- Jung Chan as Groom (cameo, ep 1)
- Song Seon-mi as Bride (cameo, ep 1)
- Julien Kang as Joe (cameo, ep 7)
- Yoon Eun-hye as Yoon Eun-soo (cameo, ep 8)
- Kim Nam-gil as man sitting in cafe (cameo, ep 11)
Architecture
One of the production's main sponsors was Design and Arts Arcadia of Myungseung, and the storyline contains many references to DAAM as the project that all the architectural firms are competing to design for.[15]
The hanok used in the drama series (called Sanggojae in the script) is actually Rakgojae, a traditional guest house in Bukchon Hanok Village, Gye-dong, Jongno District. Meaning "a place to enjoy tradition," Rakgojae was renovated by master carpenter Chung Young-jin. It offers a glimpse of the lifestyle of Joseon-era scholars by incorporating fine art, music, dance and poetry through colorful cultural programs such as a tea ceremony, ink-and-wash painting lessons, Korean musical instrument lessons and kimchi-making classes.[16]
One of the locations frequented by the main characters is Kring art gallery, in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. The creative cultural space showcases a variety of arts ranging from architecture and fashion to installations and digital art. The unique facade of the building is itself a large-scale urban sculpture. Circles are a theme throughout the building, but the front wall is reminiscent of stereo speakers, hinting at the name of the building. "Kring" means "circle" in Dutch.[16]
Ratings
| Episode # | Original broadcast date | Average audience share | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNmS Ratings[17] | AGB Nielsen[18] | ||||
| Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | ||
| 1 | March 31, 2010 | 12.7% | 13.7% | 12.5% | 13.8% |
| 2 | April 1, 2010 | 11.4% | 11.9% | 12.5% | 14.2% |
| 3 | April 7, 2010 | 12.9% | 14.5% | 11.5% | 13.0% |
| 4 | April 8, 2010 | 12.8% | 14.0% | 10.9% | 12.7% |
| 5 | April 14, 2010 | 13.0% | 14.3% | 11.8% | 13.6% |
| 6 | April 15, 2010 | 12.2% | 13.1% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| 7 | April 21, 2010 | 13.6% | 15.1% | 11.6% | 14.0% |
| 8 | April 22, 2010 | 13.0% | 13.9% | 11.9% | 13.2% |
| 9 | April 28, 2010 | 14.2% | 15.8% | 13.1% | 15.1% |
| 10 | April 29, 2010 | 13.9% | 15.0% | 12.1% | 13.7% |
| 11 | May 5, 2010 | 16.2% | 17.6% | 12.6% | 14.4% |
| 12 | May 6, 2010 | 14.3% | 15.8% | 12.3% | 14.0% |
| 13 | May 12, 2010 | 12.1% | 13.1% | 10.9% | 12.6% |
| 14 | May 13, 2010 | 13.2% | 14.3% | 10.2% | 11.8% |
| 15 | May 19, 2010 | 12.4% | 13.0% | 10.7% | 12.1% |
| 16 | May 20, 2010 | 14.3% | 14.9% | 11.1% | 12.4% |
| Average | 13.3% | 14.4% | 11.7% | 13.3% | |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Excellence Award, Actor | Lee Min-ho | Won | |
| Best New Actor | Im Seulong | Nominated | ||
| Popularity Award | Lee Min-ho | Nominated | ||
| Son Ye-jin | Nominated | |||
| Best Couple Award | Lee Min-ho and Son Ye-jin | Nominated | ||
| Best / Most Shared Foreign Drama | Personal Taste | Won |
International broadcast
Despite middling ratings in Korea,[22] overseas rights to Personal Taste were sold to The Philippines,Japan, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand.[23][24]
The series aired in Japan on cable channel KNTV beginning March 31, 2010.[25] Reruns aired on TBS beginning February 16, 2012;[26] it shared the same timeslot with another Lee Min-ho drama City Hunter, which was airing on Fuji TV.[27]
It aired in Malaysia on 8TV dubbed in Mandarin with Malay subtitles, currently on NTV7
It aired in Thailand on Channel 7 every Saturday and Sunday at 9.15 a.m. beginning March 5, 2011.[28]
It aired in the Middle East on MBC 4 (dubbed as "الذوق الخاص") beginning February 16, 2014.
References
- ^ Hong, Lucia (January 26, 2010). "Son Ye-jin to star in new drama with Lee Min-ho". 10Asia. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
- ^ Lynn Kim, Lee Ji-hye (March 26, 2010). "Son Ye-jin says relieved Lee Min-ho "not young-looking" (1)". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ Lynn Kim, Lee Ji-hye (March 26, 2010). "Son Ye-jin says relieved Lee Min-ho "not young-looking" (2)". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ Yoon, Hee-seong (April 16, 2010). "On the set of MBC TV series Personal Taste". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ Yoon, Hee-seong (April 16, 2010). "Personal Taste will gain flavor, says Son Ye-jin - Part 1". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ Yoon, Hee-seong (April 16, 2010). "Personal Taste will gain flavor, says Son Ye-jin - Part 2". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ "Personal Taste". Korea Tourism Organization. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
- ^ Lee, Ji-hye (March 26, 2010). "PREVIEW: MBC TV series Personal Taste". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ Han, Sang-hee (February 8, 2010). "Top Actresses Heading Toward Small Screen". The Korea Times. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ Han, Sang-hee (March 30, 2010). "Younger Men, Power, Money Fill Dramas". The Korea Times. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ Kang, Myoung-seok (May 4, 2010). "10LINE: Actress Son Ye-jin". 10Asia. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Garcia, Cathy Rose A. (January 1, 2010). "Lee Min-ho to Star in New MBC Drama". The Korea Times. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ Ko, Jae-wan (May 10, 2010). "STAR DIARY: Lee Min-ho - Part 10". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ Kim, Jessica (October 12, 2010). "PIFF: Interview - 2AM member Im Seulong". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ "MBC 수목드라마 '개인의취향' 소재 다암예술원 눈길" (in Korean). Kyeongin Ilbo. April 6, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ a b Kang, Michelle (August 8, 2011). "Seoul shows its dramatic side". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
- ^ "TNMS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNMS Ratings (in Korean). Retrieved March 31, 2010.
- ^ "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Retrieved March 31, 2010.
- ^ Hong, Lucia (December 31, 2010). "Kim Nam-joo, Han Hyo-joo win grand prize at MBC Acting Awards". 10Asia. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ "Personal Taste Wins Best Foreign Drama Award in Japan". Soompi. November 21, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Sunwoo, Carla (November 21, 2012). "Personal Taste claims a Japanese award". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ Hong, Lucia (April 16, 2010). "No competition for Sister of Cinderella in TV ratings". 10Asia. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Kim, Lynn (April 1, 2010). "Personal Taste already stirring Asia". 10Asia. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Ko, Jae-wan (October 29, 2010). "Lee Min-ho wins more hearts in Asia with Personal Taste". 10Asia. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ http://www.kntv.co.jp/prog/detail/?p=25300
- ^ Hong, Lucia (February 2, 2012). "Lee Min-ho, Son Ye-jin TV series to air in Japan this month". 10Asia. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ Ko, Hong-ju (February 2, 2012). "City Hunter and Personal Taste to Air in Japan: Lee Min Ho vs. Lee Min Ho?". enewsWorld. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
- ^ "เรื่องย่อ รักไม่เก๊ จัดเต็มหัวใจ Personal Taste". Kapook.com (in Thai). March 3, 2011. Retrieved January 13, 2016.