Sensory Couple

Hangul: 냄새를 보는 소녀 / Naemsaereul Boneun Sonyeo
Literal: The Girl Who Sees Smells
Manhwa Writer: Lee Hee myung
Network: SBS
Episodes: 16
Release Date: April - May, 2015

Cast

Park Yoo chun as Choi Moo gak, Shin Se kyung as Oh Cho rim / Choi Eun seol, Namgung Min as Kwon Jae hee, and Yoon Jin seo as Yeom Mi gyeong

Plot

(per Asiawiki) Three years ago, a man lost his younger sister in the Bar Code murder case. Since then, he has lost his senses. A girl miraculously survived the Bar code murder case. Since then, she has lost her memory, but has also gained the ability to see smells.

Review

It is true that this is about two people thrown together on account of the same serial killer case.

Boy meets girl as a result of horrific tragedy on both counts.

She was in high school at the time her parents are the latest victims in the serial killer's Bar Code mystery, and she comes home and happens upon this psycho in the act of disposing of the bodies.

She manages to escape when she runs into the street and that damn Korean driver hits her.

He was an aquarium employee responsible for a younger sister, also named Choi Eun seol.

The serial killer follows Eun seol #1 to the hospital and mistakes her for Moo gak's dongsang, Eun seol #2.

Now, three years pass after this tragedy, and Eun seol #1 is now Oh Cho rim, the adopted daughter of a detective who'd been working the Bar Code case and retired to take Eun seol/Cho rim home after she'd finally emerged from a coma.

Her left eye makes her look like a 'monster' to Koreans on the street since it is kind of a purplish-blue.

That eye is what affords the new Cho rim to 'see' scents.

Meanwhile, Moo gak has worked diligently in those three years to become a detective so that he can solve the Bar Code murders, capture the bad guy single-handed, and make him pay for slashing his dongsang's throat for the wrong reason.

Namgung Min as Kwon Jae hee, is your average Korean hot guy with a typical Korean hot guy career as a celebrity chef with his own restaurant and book deals.

Nice face, bod, hair, and even voice -- smooth, mellow, like a terrific Bordeaux during a seductive meal.

But, he's also got this askew sense of vision that makes it impossible for him to remember what anyone looks like.

He never sees the same face twice.

And believe it or not, there are zero spoilers so far! :D

That was merely the premise of the entire series.

It is in the next 15 episodes dedicated to tracking down and then busting the serial killer that make this drama.

It is about Moo gak and Cho rim ending up working in tandem with the police to help solve the crimes, then slowly unraveling the truths of their shared pasts, and then just as slowly working toward romantic involvement.

Issues

Inconsistencies occurred, but not on a frequent-enough basis to make me deduct a star in my rating system.

My biggest pet peeve was Moo gak's inability to feel, taste, smell, etc.

Not that I don't believe it is possible, because I know a few people who have lost one or more of their senses. No, what I'm upset about is that they made him appear invincible when it isn't possible.

So what if he can't feel the pain of being hit over the head with a sledgehammer or struck down by a speeding car.

Either blow is still enough to knock a human unconscious.

And, yes, he did go down a few times, but never once received medical attention or suffered the after-effects of a concussion or became immobile due to fractures or broken bones.

Sipping scalding hot coffee and downing boiling food.

Okay, so you can't taste or feel anything, but that doesn't mean your tongue, lips, and throat aren't permanently damaged now by second and third-degree burns!

The love story gets a big hurray, though!

Kissing, touching, teasing, holding hands, smooth-talk, innuendo on his part, making goo-goo eyes, playing footsies, it all went on during the course of this 16-episode (feels weird saying it, but) Korean psychological thriller of a drama.

She wasn't this macho-butch able to take on the bad guys without the help of anyone else. Well, maybe I'm confusing Korean drama with American romance novels.

And, I'm sorry, folks, but you can't convince me that Park Yoo chun is 'hot' or 'sexy' because he's not. He's very average, boy-next-door, what a lot of Asian men look like, and you know it.

He's 'cute', of course, and it is his personality more than his looks that sets him apart from the crowd. He is the guy who manages to grow on you and get under your skin without much effort, and THAT is what makes him seem hot.

I like him, too.

I've always liked him, and he still gives off a Jordan Chan feel whenever I see him, which adds to his down-home appeal. He's funny, talented, and he takes himself and his work rather seriously without being stiff or over-the-top macho about it.

Se kyung is pretty and has talent, too, but it always came as a huge relief to see her with that mop of hair tied behind her head instead of hanging in her face all the time.

There is no balance between hair/face in her case, and if she can't keep it behind her ears, then she needs A. bangs, B. hair bands, or C. a forever ponytail.

Choi Tae joon played a rookie detective, Ye, and yeah, the guy was what you'd describe rather honestly as a scene stealer.

He's got the look, the height, the hair, and . . . them eyes. Poor guy's been working steady since 2012 but received Best New Actor award for Mother's Garden, which aired at the end of 2014.

One last thing: the next time a deranged psychopath opens a door, and even if it does startle the crap out of you, just do yourself and everyone involved a HUGE favor and scream your fool head off, okay?

That way you don't end up being duct taped, tied up, and made to sweat it out in some abandoned warehouse waiting for your own death to occur.

So, to wrap up, Sensory Couple/The Girl Who Could See Smells was worth the episode-upload wait each week.

Every episode was filled with a fair amount of drama, respite, humor, and romance to make it a well-balanced yet still (lol) psychological thriller of a show.

I recommend it highly.