Posted July 3, 2018 by lynlynsays Drama Reviews

Laughter and Pure-Hearted Fun: Thoughts on Go Go Waikiki

Go Go Waikiki (Laughter in Waikiki, Welcome to Waikiki, 으라차차 와이키키)

(Drama 2018)

This drama makes me want to go on vacation to Hawaii again.

Go Go Waikiki is a slice of life sitcom centering on a group of guy friends who run a guesthouse and have dreams of producing their own movie.

At first, I was only interested in this series because of Kim Jung-hyun. He starred in the kdrama series, School 2017 where I found his character to be funny. Thus, it seems that his humor shined in Go Go Waikiki as well. In Go Go Waikiki, he continues his childish antics as Kang Dong-gu, a kind-hearted but immature young man who dreams of becoming a movie director. In some ways, his character in Go Go Waikiki reminds me of his character in School 2017 because they both have this “kid at heart” persona, which he plays very well. Yet even though his character, Kang Dong-gu is a bit immature, he still shows his manliness by displaying how much he cares for his younger sister, Kang Seo-jin, his girlfriend, Han Yoon-ah, and Yoon-ah’s daughter, Sol.

Go Go Waikiki is a mixture of a sitcom and kdrama. The show parodies the typical elements found in a kdrama but adds their own humorous twist on them. In addition, each character has their own running gag. For example, Kang Seo-jin grows a thick beard and mustache and must shave her face twice a day, and Kang Dong-gu threatens his best friend, Lee Joon-ki, that if he dates his younger sister, he will kill him. Go Go Waikiki is light-hearted and hilarious. I’m sure you will be laughing until your stomach hurts.

Every character in Go Go Waikiki is relatable to the viewers of the millennial generation. The residents of the Waikiki guesthouse are struggling to achieve their dreams and goals in life, but they find strength and support from each other. The one storyline that I think millennials are able to relate to is Kang Seo-jin’s situation. Right from the beginning of the series, Seo-jin is constantly searching for a full-time job as a journalist. She goes to several interviews but has constantly been rejected. These rejections hurt her self-esteem and journalist aspirations but it still does not stop her from pursuing her dreams. In fact, Go Go Waikiki focuses on the struggles of the millennial generation. I really enjoyed how the show highlights the difficulties of adulting but illustrates that even through hard times, it’s the people that surround you that gets you through them with laughter and happy memories.

Moreover, I really enjoyed the bromance among the three friends: Kang Dong-gu, Bong Doo-sik, and Lee Joon-ki. Although they are adults, they act like children and cause some fun ruckus in their guesthouse such as rolling on a board and knocking down pins. Also, Lee Joon-ki is the true troublemaker of the group who forces his friends to lie in order to get out of trouble, but in the end, his plans are ruined and they get into bigger trouble than they were before. For example, when their landlord visits the guesthouse, Lee Joon-ki forces Kang Dong-gu and Han Yoon-ah to lie and say that they are dating which leads the landlord into holding a wedding for them. This leads Kang Dong-gu into huge debt once the landlord finds out that they were a fake couple all along and he is forced to pay for the wedding expenses. Yet this wouldn’t have happened if they didn’t listen to Joon-ki and lie in the first place. Even though they get into troublesome situations and fight with each other, they eventually forgive one another.

Go Go Waikiki is a great kickback comedy series to watch and chill with your friends especially with your guy friends—you can hook them into the kdrama world with this sitcom. There’s a good balance of romance and pure comedy that every viewer can enjoy.

You can check out Go Go Waikiki on Dramafever.

5/5