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[HanCinema's Drama Preview] "The Girl Who Sees Smells"

From mental illnesses to senses, 'The Girl Who Sees Smells' is here with a premise which is at the very least fresh. Not everything is as sugary as its promotional material, however, and it is very difficult to really get a feel for the actual work due to how its marketing and probable story tone will differ. Even so, there is promise here at the moment.

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Premise

Choi Moo-gak (Park Yoo-chun) and Oh Cho-rim (Shin Se-kyung) are connected to the same case. Moo-gak became a police officer after losing his sister to the Barcode Murderer and Cho-rim is the sole survivor of the murderer's attacks. While the incident has left Moo-gak with dulled senses and emotions, Cho-rim can visualize smells, but has no memory of her life before it. Together they try to crack the case which changed their lives.

The Worrying

Moo-gak and Cho-rimCho-rim and Moo-gak

Premise vs. Promos

Korean drama productions being dishonest about what they will be offering is nothing new, but it is still a very bad practice. Trust is very important when it comes to products of entertainment. While the promotion so far has been cute and bright, this is still a series about loss, murder and crippling superhuman conditions. Making the series the promotion has shown will be hard, given the premise.

Entering the Unknown

Because the promotion has focused on how cute the main pair look together, which they do, very little has been shown about the main story and the less pleasant and romantic parts of it. This means viewers are entering a show without knowing what it will deliver after all the happy fun times are gone, an inevitable development in most series. Promotion obviously needs to excite, but it also needs to inform.

The Reassuring

Moo-gakCho-rim and Moo-gak

Intriguing Pairing

Bubbly women and colder men is a common concept, but while temperament and differences in status is the way most go, 'The Girl Who Sees Smells' offers two people who seem to be in more or less the same place in society and whose differences are more profound than character. Be it in the romance itself or in the case they will handle, their unique abilities, but also shortcomings can make for interesting interactions.

Pleasant Cast

Shin Se-kyung still has many to convince, even if she has shown promise in this type of character with her recent "Blade Man". Nevertheless, the overall cast is good and easy to trust. A good cast should be a given for any show, but especially in the last couple of years, viewers know all too well that it is something which is becoming more rare and therefore more appreciated.

Final Thoughts

'The Girl Who Sees Smells' is doing all the right things for a romantic comedy. It is piling on the cuteness and couple chemistry, it has created some bright and easy on the eye promos and its story sounds fun and like a good mystery. At the same time, its creators and the dark nature of its premise are reminders that this lightness might be but a mask. Like every work, only time will tell.

'The Girl Who Sees Smells' begins its run on April 1st and will air every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:00, on SBS.

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Character Poster - Moo-gakCharacter Poster - Cho-rimCharacter Poster - Jae-heeCharacter Poster - Yeom-mi

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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