Park Yoo Chun has hit his stride as an actor in Sensory Couple. Where he was wooden in Sungkynkwan Scandal and Rooftop Prince (which, admittedly, was a part of the Joseon nobleman characters he was playing), Park Yoo Chun delivers a shining comedic performance in Sensory Couple, expanding on the hints of his comedic ability that could be seen in the much-more-serious I Miss You. Watch Sensory Couple just to see him do over the top accents and physical humor; it’s well worth it!
Sin Se Kyung (you know her from Blade Man) plays Oh Cho Rim, a young woman with a tragic past—not that she can remember her past. Everything before the car accident she had in high school is a blank. Now she’s trying (and failing) to make it in a sketch comedy troupe. She also gained a new ability from her car accident: the ability to see scents as colors and patterns. The character of Oh Cho Rim was originally given to Suzy Bae (you know her from Gu Family Book, or if we're being honest, you know her from the buzz surrounding her and Lee Min Ho's recent relationship announcement). But touring with her girl-group apparently conflicted. I'll be selfish and say I'm glad Suzy Bae was too busy because Sin Se Kyung lends just the right amount of sweetness to this role, and she has great chemistry with Park Yoo Chun. She comes across as earnest and outgoing, strong enough to survive tragedy but someone who is still trusting, someone you want to protect from the big bad world. For this character, it's just the right mix.
Oh Cho Rim’s path crosses with that of Choi Moo Gak, a police officer desperate to make detective, and he’s not adverse to using Oh Cho Rim’s unconventional abilities to track and identify suspects in his investigations. But Choi Moo Gak has his own quirks: he can’t feel pain and he’s perpetually hungry. Bring on the scenes of him downing bowl after bowl of enough super-spicy food to make even a grown Korean man cry.
The two become an unconventional but effective crime fighting pair.
Based off a comic, the comic nature shines through, both in the visual representation of “seeing scents” and in the ridiculous and light hearted nature of the investigations.
Of course, there’s a bigger drama at play.
Choi Mook Gak’s past is just as tragic as Oh Cho Rim’s and they’ll need each other to find the culprits of their personal tragedies as well as solve the big case the detective team is working on: the serial murders committed by someone called the Barcode Killer.
Sensory Couple is a delightfully goofy drama that satisfies both my desire for Korean romantic comedy and drama with a little bit more going on than just the romantic comedy. I highly recommend to kdrama fans. I’d endeavor to say it’s one of those underrated-but-awesome gems that’s definitely worth checking out. It’s going on my “Top of 2015” list.