[Hot Takes from the Noonas] The Liar and His Lover teases at young love

"The Liar and His Lover" teasers feature appealing close-ups of a smitten Lee Hyun-woo and Red Velvet's Joy's inviting smile. Will the show live up to its sweet promise?

"The Liar and His Lover" is adapted from a Japanese manga about a genius composer going through depression and in hiding. A high school student with a beautiful singing voice falls in love with him at first sight, and eventually helps him overcome his mental illness. From what little has been revealed about the Korean adaptation, it appears that the drama will follow the same plot.

Advertisement

Since the female lead is supposed to have a great voice, this would explain the casting of Red Velvet member, Joy. This will be her first professional acting job, which raises concerns for such a high profile role. At least, Joy demonstrates that she has charisma in the teaser, which will go a long way in playing a supportive Candy character.

"The Liar and His Lover" also marks a first for Lee Hyun-woo: it is his first romantic lead role. As a former child actor, there is no concern about Lee Hyun-woo being a capable actor. So, it's just a matter of Lee Hyun-woo proving that he can carry a drama. The pressure is on since his co-star is a drama rookie.  

I have a few reservations about "The Liar and His Lover". First, the age of the lead couple. In the Japanese film adaptation, the female lead character is 16 years old while the male lead character is 25 years old. Romance between an underage teenager and a grown adult feels icky to me, and was a barrier to me fully enjoying "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God". Unfortunately, it appears that Joy will play a high school student in the Korean drama. Hopefully, she's on the verge of graduating?

Second, the main purpose of the female lead of "The Liar and His Lover" seems to be to help the male lead battle his demons while overlooking his propensity for lying. It would be nice to have a female lead who has her own life and dreams that are separate from the male lead's. Apparently, the female lead gets scouted by a producer, so hopefully, she has some ambition and gets her moment to shine.

tvN did a good job with those teasers though. They sure are pretty.

Love,
JK of Noonas Over Forks