Miss Mermaid

Miss Mermaid
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-min
Composer(s) Oh Jin-woo
Country of origin South Korea
Original language(s) Korean
No. of episodes 256
Production
Executive producer(s) Lee Jae-kap
Running time 30 minutes
Mondays to Fridays at 19:50 (KST)
Broadcast
Original channel Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Original run June 24, 2002 – June 27, 2003
Chronology
Preceded by Everyday with You
Followed by Swan Lake
External links
Website

Miss Mermaid (Hangul: 인어아가씨; RR: Ineo Agassi) is a South Korean television series starring Jang Seo-hee and Kim Sung-min. It aired on MBC from June 24, 2002 to June 27, 2003 on Mondays to Fridays at 19:50 for 256 episodes.

Miss Mermaid became a nationwide hit upon airing, reaching a peak viewership rating of 43.6%.[1] The cast won several trophies at the 2002 MBC Drama Awards, notably the Daesang ("Grand Prize") for Jang Seo-hee.[2] The series led to Jang's pan-Asian popularity, particularly in China.[3][4]

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.[5][6]

Plot

Eun Ariyoung 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. Ariyoung'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, Ariyoung 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, Ariyoung also plots to steal the fiance of her half-sister Eun Ye-young, the gentle-natured Lee Joo-wang. Helping Ariyoung in her plans is Jo Soo-ah, her mother's friend whose ulterior motive is that she wants Ariyoung to marry her son Ma Ma-joon. But Ariyoung 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

Awards

2002 MBC Drama Awards

References

  1. ↑ "Likable or Not Reach Highest Drama Ratings since 2000". KBS Global. 25 April 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Jang Seo-hee to appear on the stage as main guest of a talk show in China". Hancinema. 28 June 2005. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "Actresses Jang, Yang, Lee Top Chinese Poll". KBS Global. 11 May 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Park, Jin-hai (24 April 2014). "Jang Seo-hee and hallyu in China". The Korea Times. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "Viewers Launch Massive Cyber Attack against TV Series The Mermaid". The Dong-a Ilbo. 27 May 2003. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Lee, Sun-min (24 April 2015). "Censured drama writer to step down". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 24 April 2015.

External links