Completed
Sara
11 people found this review helpful
Nov 16, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This drama is AWESOME ! :D of all dramas i have watched this drama is the one that i would call my absolute favorite ! It has great acting, awesome plot and the OSTs perfectly fits the drama, overall just perfekt !

This is one of the dramas that you will feel like your just beside the charakters. The actors and actresses are brilliant and you will feel every emotions and hardships they will go through. The main couple have sooo much chemistry, they fit so well together. *__*

i felt this drama was a great journey and you will never regert watching it. 16 hours well spend ! :)

So go on and watch it and agree with me hihi :D

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
ruzgrig
15 people found this review helpful
Nov 28, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
Just finished watching this masterpiece, and feel sorry that it ended...
The plot was great, somehow predictable... (but it didn't prevent to be hooked by the screen), the actors did a great job, the music was so fitting.

Love starting from revenge- i think it's the most passionate one.

While watching this drama all my emotions were mixed.
It's an absolutely MUST WATCH drama...
Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Iloveasianndrama
9 people found this review helpful
Nov 16, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Before I write the review, I just want to say that all this is my opinion and it up to you if you agree or not. I Just finished this drama and I wanted to say that. My 16 hours was well spend. I could see how the writer won the contest with this script because it was well written.

Story: I really enjoyed the story. Everyone have secret. Each and every one of them is different. But the story, was fresh. From episode one to the last episode. All the things that was happening was just beyond what I have expected. It kept me on edge most of the time. In Korean dramas you see a girl do anything for man she love, but this one was different. It doesn't focus on the main character, but the people as well. If you are in a mood for something different then this drama is a must. Some might like it, and some might not. I felt the ending was a bit rushed and it could have been better.

Acting: The main characters and supporting character did a good job. I really hate the mom and Do Hoon. Bae Soo Bin, I really hated his character. So props to him for doing so well.

Music: My favorite was Incurable Disease by Navi.

Rewatch: Definitely, but not for a while.

Overall: I really enjoyed this drama. There were some parts that was draggy, but overall it was good.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
94loveKdrama
9 people found this review helpful
Nov 16, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
story is great with each episode it's growing that will make you curious until you want to keep on watching it. the romance? hmmmm 35%..

acting: Jung Eum!! her acting skill is not a joke! I became her certified fan after this drama!! ~she's one of the best actress I've seen in crying and all^^

bae su bin?this is definitely his best act I've seen out of his dramas.

overall the cast are all good!!^_______________^ you'll definitely like them all;)

Music: I love the ost, my favorite is: ~I believe that I love you

rewatch value: It's a great drama but I won't rewatch it again it's not because I didn't like it, it's just that i don't know what to say..xD

overall: I rated it 9 watching this drama felt like I'm in a long journey :)

I recommend it to those are into melodramas and to those who have a dirty little SECRET!

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
xXabsintheXx
7 people found this review helpful
Apr 7, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 6
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
Well, I think sometimes it's important at what time you watch a drama. I'm not talking about morning, afternoon or night. I'm talking about the mood you're in. When this drama aired I was interested but I didn't start it right away. It went on my list but at some point I almost forgot about it. So, now, after watching so many crime dramas and other genres, I kinda misssed the good old revenge melodrama. And there it was, Secret. Right in front of me and it didn't fail any expectations.



Since the synopsis is what made everyone curious about the drama first, it's not like you were thrown into cold water. So, of course I knew what was coming. After showing the key incident, the drama starts quietly to show how everything began. After that, most times it just evolves in a way you maybe already foresee - but in a good way, it's not getting boring or someting. It's more like you're anticipating every new development as you want to know whether your judgement was right or not. It's also not without surprises. There are plenty of surprises as well.



What makes the story and the drama so valuable is the cast. Seriously, this awesome cast! Except for Ji Sung and Bae Su Bin I didn't know anyone of the actors here (ok, some of the supporting roles I've seen already somewhere else, but that's not the point here). I only knew Ji Sung from Protect The Boss where he was really good but didn't make me follow his work further. And as for Bae Su Bin... only saw him in 49 Days but can't recall his acting there since it's been too long. So, at the end I was very surprised by all those astonishing actors esp. him. He totally nailed his role here and kinda changed my view of him. So, overall all of them never failed to impress me. Whether it was the bad guys or the good guys or the good ones who turned bad or vice versa. At no point I was ever annoyed by their actions or behaviour whether they acted just like jerks or hypocrites or threw stones in the good guys' ways. I could always comprehend their actions and even loved those moments.



In the end that's the most charming point of this drama, the acting, plus a good script. There are some scenes where you think: 'If that didn't happen, things would have turned out different. She would have ended up with someone else.' It's rare, that I have those thoughts about a drama.



Furthermore, you can actually see the character development here. Not from one person or two but everyone. That's quite enjoyable because you don't have to worry that one of them might fail your expectations. I have to admit, some side characters remained a bit shallow and at some point it bothered me. But in the end I think I can forgive that. (I'm even a little surprised at how the company thing turned out in the end.)



If I had watched this drama when it aired, I don't think I would have had the same feelings towards it. Don't get me wrong, it would still not have effected the rating. Just the feeling would have been somewhat different although I don't know how to explain it.



At some point I thought I wouldn't want to rewatch the drama because the same anxiousness wouldn't be there or at least be the same as the first time. But now I think different. The first half of the drama was very intriguing, watching that vengeful person slowly turning and not being able to resist any longer in the end.



So, to cut it short: I enjoyed this drama very much!

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
kdramasinpajamas
7 people found this review helpful
Nov 11, 2014
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
This drama is my no.1 favorite drama, but the first time through it was about no. 7 or something.Sometime after the first watch, I was in the mood for something with a little depth. Secret/Secret Love is a little more serious than I like but it has a really satisfying ending... so I re-watched it. And then I re-watched it again. Each time I moved it up on my favs list. I finally had to admit that this is the best drama I've ever seen.
I am not usually a fan of the more serious dramas. It was so dark in the first few episodes I almost quit watching it around the 6th episode... but I am so glad I hung with it, because it got so good after that. The story is really compelling, and I love how they reveal bits of the story as the lead characters are finding them out. I know I am not alone in hating misunderstandings in Dramas. I get so frustrated when you know character A never did what character B thinks they did, but it takes 3 episodes for character B to find out. In this one, everything everyone is doing makes sense based on what you know at the time.
The acting is amazingly good. I hated Bae Su Bin so much after this drama, I had a hard time seeing him as a sweet character after this drama. I am sure that is a compliment to his acting, although, I found him a bit over the top in a couple of scenes. I became a fan of both Ji Seong and Hwang Jung Eum after watching it the second and third time through. Seriously they deserve Oscars(or whatever the equivalent award in Korea is) for their performances. The scene where she crosses the street to get away from him is so good. I recommend this drama to everyone. Watch this when you want to be completely absorbed in the story and characters. It is not light viewing.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
SSKF
8 people found this review helpful
Apr 14, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 6.0
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This drama gets a 10 for style, technique, acting and execution among all the other things that went excellently in it.

However, I rated it low because it was just not my thing. I watched it, but I thought it dragged in some sections, especially after ep10. The co-orporate espionage thing was underexplained at times, and over done at others. I didn't care for it. Then the leads... all of them were pretty harsh towards each other - except our poor spineless, apologising victim of a female lead. First she was betrayed (after making a stupid decision to take the fall), then she was tormented by the lead. I understand how she developed that woe-is-me, I'm-to-blame-for-all-the-problems-in-the-world mindset, but it became annoying. It still wasn't brain friendly to watch. I wanted her to bitchslap and/or publicly shame some of the people who wronged her at least.

The torture and the stalking... no words. I was looking for a possessive male lead to watch though, and this fit the bill in an unfortunate fashion. I didn't like MH's decisions, especially regarding the 2nd female lead. The four leads behaved bizarrely towards each other. I found myself thinking over and over "So you all hate each other? Why the hell are you trying to hold on to each other." I'm not even going to get into character analysis. When I reached ep 13 or 14, I found myself thinking... "Why am I wasting my life watching this?" That's a bad thought for a drama. However, Ji Sung is a draw so I completed it. Upon review of the show however, I found I didn't like the story or characters at all.

The poor rating is personal preference. I like romantic romantic dramas with leads who show they care and who can't be torn apart by any 2nd leads. Secret was a bit too dark for me. Ji Sung was wonderful to watch though. His possessive, protective, chaebol character was just right... if it was toned down and in another setting lol. I want to see MH's character totally devote himself to another lead in another show (without the torture). But the story is what it is so I must say objectively that Secret was well executed, excellently acted by all the actors, and the story was a genius of a thing for people who like that kind of story. Objectively, I'd give it a 10. Personally, I'd not rate it so high. Confusing.

Music: On spot. One of the best OSTs and the music fit the scenes they were played in.

Rewatch: No, because it's not my kind of story.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Elfinspirite
9 people found this review helpful
Nov 15, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
Ok so where do I start I honestly hate watching Melodramas I can't stand them they're to unrealistic and take forever to get to the point.
However secret was different. Yes it was unrealistic but it has a sense of realism, EVERYTHING will be explained every little detail sometimes you just have to wait but the thing i t gets straight to thepoint I mean you learn the whole plot in the 1st ep
There is so much symbolism in here that I feel goes so unnoticed.
The acting is phenomenal you actually feel the pain I don't know if it was a great story line or great acting that made this show so great.
The music was so amazing Incurable disease is by my favorite song its such a beautiful touching song and Ailees voice pops up quite a bit throught the show for tears that stole the heart ( Alieenslovealiee)
There was never a dull moment and let me tell you there were some unexpected twists the writer didn't go with the typical scenes and even though it seemed like it needed more episodes they lived up to their 16 and did it in such a great way that it was not rushed

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
kdramajudge
5 people found this review helpful
Sep 20, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Worth watching for the beyond magnetic chemistry.

An intense melodrama of a rich man falling in love with an innocent woman, imprisoned for her boyfriend's hit-and-run murder. This is the plot of the drama. Seems like a straightforward plot?

The incident involving the two leads made their love very unlikely, and it set up my curiosity to see if they can pull it off or it will be ridiculous. Well, they did pull it off, believe me! The writers took a somewhat weak idea, and crafted something definitely worth watching. They showed that love can come from hate very naturally. Congrats.?

Pacing-wise, it was boring in the first 8 eps, better when the leads are together, and the last episode was F-L-A-W-L-E-S-S! It rewards my patience with amazing plot twists and shocking reveals. The romance feels normal, it feels right to see hate turns to doubts, doubts if she is actually guilty, and why he started caring and loving her.

Subjectively, this is not a type of genre I enjoy. I’d hate this story if it wasn’t for the couple. I think they overdramatized the female lead, they put her into too much messy situations, and the male lead is your rich-naughty man archetype; He's that toxic male lead in kdrama world that I never approve to exists.

The main reason I kept watching is the acting; Hwang Jung Eum pulls all my heartstrings. I felt every scream, every cry, even when she was smiling, I felt her pain behind that smile. Ji Sung, as you might already know…? He’s my #1 ? Although he's great, his role here is not my favorite compared to others where he’s in the spotlight. But him with Jung Eum shared a shivering chemistry! Special mention to Bae Su Bin, for he delivers! I hated him passionately!

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Aryael
12 people found this review helpful
Nov 15, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
Story: Standard Korean melo. You get a lead that sacrifices everything for love and family; a lead who is a sceptic but romantic at heart; a lead who is the cause of all evil and a second female lead you will love to hate. Throw in the deaths of people who should not die and you get your standard Korean melo. Why did I watch this? I was bored and this drama does nothing to elevate my boredom. Got suckered in by all of those enthusiastic reviews on how good this drama was. I should have known better than to trust the reviews coz I have quite a picky taste in drama now (having watched decades of it!). Still waiting for the next best thing to appear. Truth be told, I fast forwarded a lot (basically watched Parts 1 and Parts 4 of each episode) and still I am able to follow the storyline and guess what is coming up next. Me thinks it's the curse of someone who had had watched far too many Asian dramas that hardly anything impresses me now. If you are fairly new to the Asian drama scene, you might find this drama interesting (compared to your everyday Hollywood fare).

Acting/Cast: Mature cast and experienced actors. No complains here.

Music: Standard Korean melo songs. Nothing outstanding that sticks to your mind after the final curtains are drawn.

Rewatch value: Not in my rewatch list. Can do without.

Overall: Watch in fast forward mode to past time when you are totally bored out of your mind! At least you get to see Ji Sung in action.I am being lenient by giving it a 7/10...call it a favour for Ji Sung.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
nada
8 people found this review helpful
Nov 15, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0
I really liked this drama. I liked how it get better from one episode to another and to mee it got excitinf from ep.4

The story plot isn't that unique it's revenge, love story and a innocent person go to prison you can find it in many Kdramas but this drama was different in how the characters developed and changed from good to bad character or the opposite in a realistic way, so I liked the development and that all the roles was very effective and there were no shadow role but all was effective in the drama and acted very well. I loved the ending it was strong in a simple way you don't need for a bomb and all die to have a strong ending. I like how it ended but I think it needed for more explaining so one or two extra episodes would be nice.

The acting was supeeeer I loved how all act. Ji Sung acted very well he was amazing and his reactions was super especially when he laugh the cry, his acting was brilliant and I think this drama is one of his best performance . Jung Eum acted very well ad I liked her acting and I believed her. Bae Su Bin was so brilliant he reflects all the emotions, development and the details of his character I believed him.

I love the music it was beautiful and I enjoyed it very much especially Ji Sung song.

I can watch this drama again and again especially my fav. episodes.

If you like melodramas and revenge stories you'll enjoy this and definitely will enjoy the acting.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
sunflower63
16 people found this review helpful
Nov 15, 2013
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
When I first started watching this drama I knew it was a melo and I knew there would be a lot of makjang, however I got a lot more than I expected.

Right from the beginning I had problems in accepting the whole basic concept of the story (which I won't spoil) as I found it to be too extreme and unrealistic but I carried on watching the drama nevertheless because of the incredibly good acting but also because I hoped that the story would take a more believable twist as the episodes unfolded.
Instead the masochistic turn of events carried on becoming more and more extreme up to the very last episode.

What, in my opinion, made this melodrama special was the outstanding acting of all the four main leads (my favourite was Ji Sung) who had an amazing chemistry amongst them and were extremely talented in portraying their anxieties and distresses.

Personally I will not rewatch this as I couldn't go through all that anguish again, however I heartly recommend it to all melodrama lovers.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Secret (2013) poster

Details

Statistics

  • Score: 8.4 (scored by 18,023 users)
  • Ranked: #896
  • Popularity: #349
  • Watchers: 36,389

Top Contributors

45 edits
36 edits
26 edits
24 edits

Popular Lists

Related lists from users
Rich Guy/Poor Girl
118 titles 165 loves 2
Favorite Dramas - Happy End
254 titles 138 loves 13

Recently Watched By