My Holo Love (2020)
Quick Take: My Holo Love (2020), starring Yoon Hyun-min and Ko Sung-hee. 8.9/10. 16 one-hour episodes.
Synopsis: Han So-yeon suffers from face-blindness (which is an actual thing). Her co-workers think she is stuck-up but really she is just shy and afraid of being mocked. She comes into possession of a pair of glasses which allow her to see a prototype holographic companion who calls himself Holo. The developer, Go Nan-do, allows her to keep the glasses while monitoring her interactions with Holo as a beta test.
So-yeon falls in love with Holo, and his developer falls in love with her. Since Go Nan-do used himself as the model for Holo, they look just alike. This allows for trickery and confusion.
A rival company covets Holo, a tragedy in the past becomes relevant, a kind detective tries to sort it all out. Holo is too good to be true, and Nan-do is conflicted throughout, but all ends well.
Review: Props to Yoon Hyun-min for pulling off two very different characters — one that can’t lie, and one that can’t stop lying. Ko Sung-nee did well as the sweet but insecure So-yeon. A theme that could have been further explored is whether people would choose an AI best friend over a human being. Hands down, I’d take Holo!
Rewatchable - 4, Compelling - 3, Plot/ Story/Writing - 8, Acting/Casting - 8, Production - 9, Bonus - 5. Male lead’s acting sometimes forced; amnesia plot point also forced; bonus for CGI.
Notes:
Yoon Hyun-min
played professional baseball for a couple of years but transitioned into acting in 2007. See him also in A Witch’s Love (2014), Beautiful Mind (2015), Tunnel (2017), and Men are Men (2020).
Ko Sung-hee
has been acting in films and tv dramas since 2010. See her also in While You Were Sleeping (2017) Suits (2018), and Kingmaker: Change of Destiny (2020).
Lee Jung-eun
has been active in theater, film, and drama since 2000. She has lent her talents to many projects, including Oh My Ghost (2015), Weightlifting Fair Kim Bok-joo (2016), Mr. Sunshine (2018), Radiant (2018), and Our Blues (2022), as well as the award-winning film Parasite (2019).