What's the opposite of a bromance? Officially it's a womance. And while k-dramas feature many bromances in which the two male leads are so close they have chemistry, the womance is less frequent. That's why the womance in "She Was Pretty" is so appealing.
The strong female friendship between the characters played by Hwang Jung Eum and Go Yoon Hee is heartwarming.
Hwang's character Kim Hye Jin and Go's character Min Ha Ri have been friends since they were children and they continue to support each other. They are roommates, drinking buddies and best friends, Min Ha Ri even refers to Kim Hye Jin as her "wife" in one of the earliest episodes, spurning her male suitors to go home and hang out with the person she is closest to. That's Kim Hye Jin.
Female friendship is rare in k-dramas as female characters are often pitted against each either in competition for the man or the job or the power to lead. A few dramas have focused on female friendship. "Discovery of Romance" featured a womance between Jung Yu Mi and Kim Seul Gi's characters. In "Personal Taste," Son Ye Jin has a supportive friend played by Jo Eun Ji. And in "The Woman Who Still Wants To Marry," three friends played by Park Jin Hee, Uhm Ji Won and Wang Bit Na, are there for each other no matter what.
But dramas require conflict not cooperation to move the story along.
Kim Hye Jin and Min Ha Ri may soon have to put their friendship to the test. Min Ha Ri has been pretending to be Kim Hye Jin because Kim Hye Jin asked her to. And she has been spending time with Kim Hye Jin's first love Ji Sung Joon, played by Park Seo Joon. More time than she was supposed to. And she has not told Kim Hye Jin. Min Ha Ri has also been falling in love with Ji Sung Joon. Obviously, this is a problem. Viewers may soon get to see how strong the womance really is if Kim Hye Ji and Min Ha Ri must compete for the same man.
While the childhood friends are close, the competition may help them reexamine their friendship and make it even stronger. Or it could end a wonderful womance.
What do you think? Do you like seeing female friendships in k-dramas? Do you have a favorite?
