Miss Mermaid
Miss Mermaid (Korean: 인어아가씨; RR: Ineo Agassi) is a South Korean television series starring Jang Seo-hee and Kim Sung-taek.[1] It aired on MBC from June 24, 2002 to June 27, 2003 on Mondays to Fridays at 19:50 for 256 episodes.
Miss Mermaid | |
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Promotional poster | |
Also known as | Little Mermaid Mermaid Lady Story of a Mermaid Irene |
Genre | Melodrama Romance Family Revenge |
Written by | Im Sung-han |
Directed by | Lee Joo-hwan |
Starring | Jang Seo-hee Kim Sung-taek |
Composer(s) | Oh Jin-woo |
Country of origin | South Korea |
Original language(s) | Korean |
No. of episodes | 265 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Lee Jae-kap |
Running time | 30 minutes |
Release | |
Original network | Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation |
Original release | June 24, 2002 – June 27, 2003 |
External links | |
Website |
Miss Mermaid became a nationwide hit upon airing, reaching a peak viewership rating of 43.6%.[2] The cast won several trophies at the 2002 MBC Drama Awards, notably the Daesang ("Grand Prize") for Jang Seo-hee.[3] The series led to Jang's pan-Asian popularity, particularly in China.[4][5]
But Miss Mermaid was also criticized for Im Sung-han's sensationalistic writing and unrealistic plot twists, as well as the show's multiple extensions.[6][7]
Plot
Eun Ah-ri-young is a successful television drama screenwriter with a past. Her father Eun Jin-sub had an affair and left their family for the other woman, and shortly after her autistic brother died and her mother Han Kyung-hye went blind. Ah-ri-young's unrelenting hate for her father throughout her childhood and adolescence drives her to meticulously plan her vengeance. Knowing that Jin-sub's new wife Shim Soo-jung is a popular actress, Ah-ri-young works her way up the ranks until she earns enough cachet in the TV industry. Then she writes a script that's a thinly veiled autobiography of her father's affair and its aftermath, and casts the unsuspecting Soo-jung in the role of the blind mother to make her feel guilty. To complete her revenge and cause the maximum amount of pain, Ah-ri-young also plots to steal the fiancé of her half-sister Eun Ye-young, the gentle-natured Lee Joo-wang. Helping Ah-ri-young in her plans is Jo Soo-ah, her mother's friend whose ulterior motive is that she wants Ah-ri-young to marry her son Ma Ma-joon. But Ah-ri-young finds herself falling in love with Joo-wang for real, and she eventually realizes that there is more to life than hatred and learns the true meaning of forgiveness.
Cast
- Jang Seo-hee as Eun Ah-ri-young
- Kim Sung-taek as Lee Joo-wang
- Han Hye-sook as Shim Soo-jung
- Woo Hee-jin as Eun Ye-young
- Jung Young-sook as Han Kyung-hye
- Park Geun-hyung as Eun Jin-sub
- Kim Byung-ki as Lee Sung-soo
- Yoo Hye-ri as Na-yeong
- Sa Mi-ja as Geum Ok-sun
- Kim Yong-rim as Geum Sil-ra
- Go Doo-shim as Jo Soo-ah
- Jeong Bo-seok as Ma Ma-joon
- Lee Jae-eun as Ma Ma-rin
- Sa Kang as Jin Kyung
- Choi Seon-ja as Dong-jin's mother
Awards
2002 MBC Drama Awards
- Daesang (Grand Prize): Jang Seo-hee
- Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama: Jang Seo-hee
- Excellence Award, Actress in a Serial Drama: Woo Hee-jin
- Special Acting Award: Han Hye-sook, Jung Young-sook, Park Geun-hyung
- Best New Actor: Kim Sung-taek
- Writer of the Year: Im Sung-han
- Best Couple Award: Kim Sung-taek and Jang Seo-hee
- Viewer's Choice, Actress of the Year: Jang Seo-hee
- Journalists' Choice, Actress of the Year: Jang Seo-hee
References
- Kim Sung-taek later adopted the stage name Kim Sung-min.
- "Likable or Not Reach Highest Drama Ratings since 2000". KBS Global. April 25, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
- "Jang Seo-hee to appear on the stage as main guest of a talk show in China". Hancinema. June 28, 2005. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
- "Actresses Jang, Yang, Lee Top Chinese Poll". KBS Global. May 11, 2007. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
- Park, Jin-hai (April 24, 2014). "Jang Seo-hee and hallyu in China". The Korea Times. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
- "Viewers Launch Massive Cyber Attack against TV Series The Mermaid". The Dong-a Ilbo. May 27, 2003. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
- Lee, Sun-min (April 24, 2015). "Censured drama writer to step down". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved April 24, 2015.