Really great news reached my ears for the first time in a long while, and I found myself perking up without even realizing it. The legendary sitcom that once took South Korea by storm, Hello, Francesca, is finally returning with a brand-new look. Back when it originally aired, it had a rather bizarre and unique black comedy vibe with its vampire theme, but thanks to that freshness, it was incredibly popular with the public. It was broadcast all the way up to season 3, which is a true measure of popularity. I still vividly remember the late Shin Hae-chul, who no one expected to act, making a massive splash by appearing in a role that perfectly matched "Anseong-daek."
Naturally, since the iconic word "Francesca" is right there in the title, many people, including myself, firmly believed it would be an authentic sitcom continuing the glory of the past. Moreover, when I briefly saw the drama's introduction, I completely thought it was a sequel bringing back the beloved original actors. But when I actually opened the lid and watched the show, I realized it was a spin-off sharing a completely different universe than I had expected. It wasn't the hilarious family sitcom of the past where the whole family could gather in the living room and laugh out loud, but rather a teen romance drama dealing with the stories of fresh-faced youths. The genre itself had completely changed.
I was a bit flustered by the genre change, but as soon as the first episode kicked off, I was genuinely thrilled to see actress Park Hee-jin, a familiar face I hadn't seen in a while. She is the legendary figure who enjoyed even more popularity than the vampires as the iconic, bouncy "Anseong-daek" in the original Hello, Francesca. Even in this spin-off drama, she appears right at the start with her signature exaggerated acting and intonation. Although it's just a fleeting moment, that unique, cheerful sitcom vibe from the past came alive instantly, naturally bringing a smile to my face.
The first episode begins quite abruptly and absurdly with a giant coffin flown in from Europe being casually delivered by a moving company worker. Actress Park Hee-jin appears as this moving center employee, giving the viewers a hearty dose of nostalgic welcome with her signature comical acting before coolly making her exit. Looking it up, I found out that the beloved original actors who played active roles in the past Francesca will make surprise cameo appearances throughout this spin-off. For fans of the original, it will be quite fun trying to spot them like a hidden object game, wondering when and how they will pop up regardless of the main plot.
Naturally, the protagonist lying inside the delivered coffin isn't actress Shim Hye-jin, but a newly introduced vampire girl named Pi Na-young. Even the character's name, "Pi Na-young" (which sounds like "bleeding" in Korean), feels familiar, showcasing a naming sense that keeps the punny sentiment of the original sitcom. The role of Pi Na-young is played by actress Han Su-a, who recently made a proper impression on the public with her memorable acting in the popular weekend drama Beauty and Mr. Romantic. While the original Francesca boasted a chilling and expressionless charisma, Pi Na-young leads the story with a completely different charm.
The vampire played by Han Su-a in this spin-off feels somewhat clumsy and full of eccentric, naive charm, which suits the teen genre quite well. Since she suddenly dropped into a Korean high school and a complex human society after living in Europe, the main comedy point is seeing her act clueless and absurd in every moment as she tries to adjust to the cultural differences. But she's definitely not a pushover character who just gets picked on. Being a born vampire, she hides immense superhuman strength and physical abilities that cannot even be compared to humans. Thanks to this, there are quite a few satisfying scenes where school bullies trying to assert dominance are left entirely helpless in the face of Na-young's overwhelming power.
The male lead who gets entangled with this eccentric vampire girl is a character named Jang Woo-ju, who is Na-young's classmate and the reliable class president. Actor Kim Hyun-jin takes on the role of Jang Woo-ju, excellently pulling off the textbook "tsundere" male lead of a teen romance—prickly on the outside but deeply caring on the inside. Jang Woo-ju is the son of a prestigious family of doctors, from his grandfather to his parents. He is a pitiful youth who suffocates under the immense pressure to live up to his family's expectations, dedicating himself solely to studying so he can get into medical school.
One day, a bolt from the blue strikes Woo-ju, who was always just sitting at his desk studying sensitively, when his homeroom teacher gives him an unavoidable special mission, sparking the connection between the two. The instruction was for the class president, Woo-ju, to take exclusive charge of the new transfer student Pi Na-young—who is hiding her vampire identity—help her adjust to school life, and even tutor her after school. Woo-ju, for whom managing his student record is essential for medical school admission, has no choice but to volunteer as the eccentric Na-young's tutor. As they bicker and spend more time stuck together, a strange attraction and pink-tinted romance slowly begin to bloom.
Adding tense suspense to their romance and the vampire universe is a new, secretive character named 'Yoo-hyeol', played by actor Lee Seung-gyu. Yoo-hyeol, whose very name evokes blood, officially makes his appearance around the second episode. It turns out he is a fellow vampire like Na-young, but one who despises humans and blindly believes in vampire superiority. He disapproves of Na-young getting close to the human Woo-ju and adapting to an ordinary school life. He takes on the role of a dangerous tempter, trying to detach her from human society and pull her into the dark world ruled by their true nature.
For those expecting a sitcom heavily laced with the black comedy of the original, the slightly childish and detached genre might be disappointing. However, the fresh fun unique to teen dramas—watching the clumsy Pi Na-young, who knows nothing about the rules of the human world, stumble her way through adapting—is quite entertaining in its own right. The drama is concisely structured into a short run of 4 episodes without any filler, and with a running time of just around 30 minutes per episode, it's not burdensome at all to binge-watch over the weekend to kill some time. It is currently streaming exclusively on the Wavve platform, so if you're curious about a light romantic comedy or the nostalgic feel of the old Francesca, it wouldn't be a bad idea to watch it casually while having a meal. What do you guys think would happen if a vampire transferred to a Korean high school?
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