Catching the Sam Soon Syndrome

If you feel like you're starting to care less about being overweight or not being as flawless as a commercial model or being a single woman in your late 20s or 30s; if you feel like your imagination is running wilder than usual; if you often find yourself humming or singing Jolina Magdangal's catchy "Maybe It's You"; and if you feel more empowered as a woman since you started watching GMA Network's newest Asianovela hit "My Name is Kim Sam Soon"-then you've probably caught the Sam Soon Syndrome. I most certainly have.

The "Sam Soon Syndrome" was first spawned in Korea by the funny series which was also hailed as the No. 1 Korean TV Drama for 2005: women began to feel more empowered, for the series served as a reality check that a woman need not be slim and gorgeous to snag the rich, handsome guy next door, for in reality, there really are more ordinary-looking and working class women than the archetypal rich and pretty girls.

The series has been on Philippine television for only three weeks, and yet a lot of Filipino viewers (most of them women) are already hooked to this hilarious series about a chubby, unglamorous, tactless, vulgar, and outspoken pastry chef who still manages to charm her way into viewers' hearts with her witty remarks and side-splitting antics (not to mention her outrageous imagination that would give Britain's Bridget Jones and US TV's Ally McBeal a run for their money). I won't be surprised if sooner or later, women would be quoting her to each other or to their estranged or potential lovers, trying her interesting and non-conventional recipes and tips for pastries, or following the latest trend in expressing love-that is, cupping one's hands into the shape of a heart, as Sam Soon did when she was trying to convince Cyrus' (Hyun Bin) skeptical mother that she truly loves him.

But that's just the thing: the story and Kim Sam Soon's character are so close to a lot of women's own experiences that is why it is so much easier to imagine oneself in Sam Soon's shoes and empathize with her joys, pains, small victories, uncouthness, and not too rare bitching. She may not be someone you'd want for a friend, but you must admit that you see yourself in her in more than just a few occasions.

I guess that accounts for the proliferation of all these romantic comedy series with an unattractive lead character that snags the rich, handsome guy in the end. Female viewers could identify more with someone who is not so perfect, in terms of appearance, status in life, and even in personality, and relish the fact that she still ends up in love in the end.

My Name is Kim Sam Soon is truly a joy to watch, for while it dared to defy all conventions and is not the typical Korean drama, it still delivers the laughs and the romance, with a bonus of useful cooking and baking trivia. The series airs weeknights on GMA's primetime block after Encantadia, Pag-ibig Hanggang Wakas.

* * *

Consequently, a Korean dramedy with a not-so-perfect heroine, Snow White, Sweet Love, would premiere on Monday, March 6, in GMA Network, replacing Hong Kong Flight 143. In this amusing series, Kim Jung Hwa portrays 26-year-old Nikki, an "unattractive girl" with unbelievable physical strength, who has had a crush on her best friend Robin (Yun Jung Hoon, who plays Brix in the tear-jerker Sad Love Song) for many years. However, just when Robin is starting to reciprocate her feelings, she suddenly turns her attention toward his younger brother, Steven (Lee Wan, who appeared in the top-rating primetime Koreanovela Stairway to Heaven as the young Tristan), when he starts to live in her house. Nikki will go through all lengths, even deciding to drastically improve her appearance, just to win Robin's heart, but who would she end up choosing when Steven starts to edge his way into her heart?

You may email comments and suggestions to trixie.reyna@gmail.com