Yes, it is sentimental. Yes, it is emotionally intense. Yes it is a Love Story - KDrama style.
"Sad Love Story" marks the beginning of the wave of success that over the past two decades has carried KDrama far across the South Korean peninsula. It has mastered the art of telling drama in a way that grips the heart and doesn't let go until the end - even if some aspects are predictable and there are clichés: the journey is the goal. One is always close to the emotions of the protagonists and they move unrestrainedly up and down. More drama is always possible. Yes, it is sentimental. Yes, it intends to be emotionally intense. Yes it is a Love Story - KDrama style.Actually, "Sad Love Story" is a love story through and through. Touching in all possible directions. Obviously 'sad' too. The story navigates between 'blissful' and 'desperate' within a fascinating field of tension and relentlessly takes the audience along. At the same time, "Sad Love Story" is a study of how often supposedly small interventions (actually more like assaults) - sometimes nasty and selfishly motivated, sometimes noble and well-meaning - can mercilessly plunge one (or more) lives into misfortune. The level of pain and suffering people can endure is amazing (and encouraging). This story is fictional, but reality is full of it in all sorts of variations.
Among other things, in this KDrama one is confronted with the USA - from a South Korean perspective. That's quite interesting, too. "Sad Love Story" thus points towards a reality that people in the 21st century might be happy to forget. South Koreans and Germans probably have this in common: the presence of foreign military forces. Since the Korean War of 1950-1953, the USA, as an ally, has operated various military bases in South Korea to help defend the country in the event of a military threat from North Korea. After Japan and Germany, the United States is showing its strongest military presence with its troops stationed in South Korea. Camp Humphreys south of Seoul is the largest unit with US military personnel stationed overseas. There are several more, i.e. including Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, Camp Walker in Daegu, United States Navy Fleet Activities Chinhae near Busan, and two Air Force stations in Osan and Gunsan south of Seoul.
------------------ SIDE NOTE: --- "American Towns" ---
"Sad Love Story" puts the "America Town" (or "A-Town") of Gunsan in the focus of the story. The Air Force Station on the west coast is rather small, but the stationing of the US soldiers ensured that an entertainment culture geared to their specific needs was established. "American Town" in Gunsan is not the only one of its kind. They have thrived around all of these US bases since the 1950s. For example, today's hip Itaewon with its famous red-light district "Hooker Hill" in Seoul dates back to this "A-Town" culture, which specialized in entertaining the American GIs. Bars, restaurants, shops, services. Particularly lucrative: brothels... The KDrama also makes reference to the GI entertainment culture in the larger cities as it progresses. And finally also to the somewhat 'other' reality behind the dazzling GI heroes in uniform, which sometimes appears quite sobering when back 'at home' in the USA...
The "A-Town" was designated as an independent area with special "tourist facilities". It is a contractually regulated fringe zone, coordinated between the USA and South Korea - an intermediate world with its own laws. In spatial terms, too, it is located between the actual residential area (e.g. the city of Gunsan) and the air base. It consists of a cluster of bars, shops, restaurants and a few hundred small apartment buildings, each consisting of one room, kitchenette and toilet. Here lived the prostitutes, barmaids, singers...
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In "Sad Love Story", the protagonist's mother runs a bar in "American Town", that optionally offers additional comforting services, while the protagonist's aunt is a singer in this bar. Together with other employees, they live in the immediate vicinity of each other and form a kind of community, so to speak. The "A-Town" forms the setting in which most of the characters in this KDrama grow up or live. It's a world of its own. It is at the same time an existential basis, a shackle, a flaw and the driving force to wanting to break out. It is also the place of greatest happiness and source of inspiration for the two protagonists.
Anyone watching this series should have a handkerchief or two handy. The Wheel of Fortune challengingly turns for two souls who are deeply connected in love and who mutually encourage each other to actually be true to who they are. Mercilessly the wheel turns and turns and turns... To a certain extent, actor Kwon Sang-woo ties directly into his role in "Stairway to Heaven", while actress Kim Hee-sun shines as a stoically frugal blind person who due to her disability is often helplessly at the mercy of her environment.
I admint, I forgot quite a few KDramas relatively quickly after watching. However, there are some, that due to their emotional intensity, today are still as present as if I had just seen them. These KDramas create a state of being that one doesn't really want to leave - also (or precisely because) it consistently remains in this characteristic conflict between weal and woe. And I am sure, "Sad Love Story" will also be one of those memorable ones. The soundtrack skillfully catches this situation and never tires of throwing in its leitmotifs as a pacemaker. "Sad Love Story" may be 'old', also outdated in format and style, but at the same time the series is timeless. In its mercilessly stirring mixture of love story and makjang it´s one of several masterpieces of the early 2000s that offer Love-Story-telling in its unique KDrama way. It is not about ´watching´ a story from the outside, but letting it in and empathizing. However, you have to like this style. Also the repeated holding on to the emotional key scenes. E.g. the topic itself has long since been told, but so that it also emotionally reaches the audience, the shot stays a little longer...
It should also be noted that the mixing with the US military and the scenes in the USA required a comparatively active participation of ´American´ actors. Those who also speak Korean (for an uncomplicated, smooth organization on the set) are probably rather rare. The talented ones among those obviously even more so. In this respect, the production inevitably breaks down a bit in terms of its acting quality.
And last but not least: In general, the early KWave productions are still more soap-like-style and not comparable to those Netflix (co-)productions over the past 6 years. Being spoiled by recent production quality, one can certainly linger on one or the other detail, as well as on the abundance of episodes (i.e. more and more and even more maybe unnecessary emotional loopings for the actual story to be told). If you have a problem with that, I would not recommend this KDrama.
"Sad Love Story" is for lovers of mercilessly intense emotional, slow-paced Makjang Love-Stories with plenty of heartache and a clenched fist in the pocket (and sometimes in the face).
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The main problem is the storyline which is ridiculously contrived. The first 12 boring episodes were spent just setting up the main crux of the drama, the love triangle. A lot of these episodes took place in America. What a mistake! The American actors were the worst I've seen! From Willie to the sleezy school girls, the acting was wooden and talentless.
The drama felt outdated in the beginning with the fake looking nightclub screen set. And although, I loved the theme songs, at times it was obvious the songs Hye In was singing were added later as the volume was too low. In one ridiculously impossible scene she was singing outdoors at a ski slope to a huge audience without a microphone! Who could hear?
Yet, I loved the last 8 episodes: two handsome men fighting over a beautiful woman. And Kim Hee Sun sure is gorgeous. The last 8 episodes were the typical: music playing as the heartbroken individual is crying and fantasizing over past experiences, Yes, the acting from these three made the last 8 episodes worth watching. So zoom through to the end of episode 12 and start from there. Or even better, watch Stairway to Heaven.
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Just in case someday i got Alzheimer i want people to make me watch this drama for it has covered a big part of my life.
well to begin with reading the reviews here i respect all opinions but why people are bored with a slow flow !! they gave u details on how they TRULY fell in love how he met the friend ... hwo he lost her .. how he found her again .. how heart braking it was ... u gotta be patient for such great flow of details, u gotta love the idea that u actually feel that u grew older with them... i believe this has been one of the best slow dramas i've seen ever.
My N°1 drama more than 10 years and i'm still hooked way too hard.
everything every lil tiny detail about this drama is perfect , the story , the acting , the songs ...... absolutely everything is perfect.
the story sure is amazing ... one of the best stories in k-land ... it is a full package .. LOVE , LOYALTY , FRIENDSHIP, BROMANCE... even if u r new to the drama land .. u must check this mater piece *-* u shall not be disappointed , u will love it and cry rivers because of it.
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plot: while the story line and plot were really good and unique, I found it to drag on for a long time in the beginning. The first 12 episodes was really just about the two main leads whining about not being together and then even when they were together they were still whining about other things. The length of this drama definitely should have been shorter say around 14 or 16 episodes.
characters/actors: the acting was really good but I found them lacking in character depth. The main female lead for example didn't really seem to have much of a personality which I was disappointed in. all the characters showed great chemistry however and the two main leads were excellent in depicting two star struck lovers.
music: The music was okay, nothing outstanding but it wasn't too terrible though
overall it was an okay drama, not something I'd rewatch but there were some things in it that were worth watching.
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MY CHILDHOOD
THIS WAS MY FIRST KOREAN DRAMA TO WATCH, I was a kid back then it was 2006 and I was 9 years old 😭 I was always told that I look like the girl in this series "Hayin" and my aunt just had a new born baby boy whom everyone would call him "Zhwanyon", I know the names are wrong but we've used these ever since, this was even the first korean production that was ever subtitled to my native language back in the day, we'd sit and watch this everyday the whole family, days we have our aunts and their kids coming to our house, sit in front of the tv in the guests room and watch this all together 😭 while also having fruits and cookies to eat...It was incredible both the moments and this drama 💕.
Huge respect ✊🏻
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Really Sad Man's Story
It wouldn't have been a 2005 melo without some heavy spoilers as the introduction scene. It was meant to be a sad love story but it was more like a really sad man's story. It's expected to see such themes in melodrama but a better balance was needed. It went overboard with how much misery it inflected on the male lead, there were some false hope moments just to double and triple down on his misery afterwards. I liked how they incorporated the friendship into the mix, it helped recovering from the inevitable bad blood. Having 20 episodes runtime turned out to be too long, not enough attention on side characters/plots to keep it rolling. I didn't like what they've done with the character Park Hye In, ended up disliking her the most. Cha Hwa Jung was the one to kick start the snowball effect but the drama didn't do much with her or give her what she deserved. Regarding the ending, I've seen the exact same ending where the male lead took the same decision from another drama but I can't remember the name. Most people would disagree with the ending but it was done like that on purpose just like every heavy melodrama back then.Was this review helpful to you?
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El Kdrama mas Romantico que vi!
Desde el primer instante, sabia que me enamoraria de esta kdrama, y hasta hoy sigue siendo mi dorama favorito,con unas actuaciones increibles, una historia desgarradora, el Soundstrack hermosisimo! Debo decir que este kdrama tiene que ser clasico, de visionario obligatorio para los amantes de los melodramas! Simplemente Sad love Story es arte! Te atrapa y te hace vivirlo! Donde amaras, y lloraras mucho, y te llevara en un viaje lleno de emociones! Yo lo Ame! Y lo recomiendo con los ojos cerrados! <3Was this review helpful to you?
