Dream High (2011)

This was the second kdrama I ever watched, and still one of my favorites! Dream High holds such a special place in my heart. First of all I love the story and concept of an arts school that produces the next top performers, and the casting was amazing. I mean talk about an all-star cast (especially before a lot of them really began to shine), we have Suzy, Kim Soohyun, IU, Taecyeon, Wooyoung, and more. Literally all are such legends, and casting IU in this was a literal godsend I loved her character so much and her voice was beautfiul! I loved Suzy so much in this her character was so fun to watch on her growth, and her chemistry with the other actors was very cute! Soohyun was the most adorable ever I LOVE his character so much and his chemistry with Suzy was the best! Taecyeon's character from the start had my heart, and Wooyoung killed it with his character too! This show had such great early 2010's vibes that I loved, and the incorporation of music made it 10 times better! If you're a fan of kpop I definitely would suggest this kdrama to you since it should be more catered to your tastes. I have rewatched this kdrama sooo many times and it never gets old, it just has this charm to it that I'm in love with!

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Boring.

This Drama seemed quite promising in the beginning, but it fell flat... Honestly, it felt like an awful Boys Over Flowers remake with bad acting and just an awful plot. I think there was potential but after episode 9 everything just went downhill. All the characters in the beginning annoyed me so badly, and in the end, none of the characters annoyed me anymore so I guess character development happened, but I did not see it happen, Baekhees development felt a bit forced... And this Drama didn't have that great of an ending. I wouldn't watch, It's too cheesy but not in an enjoyable way like how I found Boys Over Flowers to be. The Drama did have its moments where it was good but I don't think those few small moments are worth it enough to spend 16 hours on. I did expect too much considering 8.0 is quite high and everyone I've seen who has watched this enjoyed it, but it just wasn't for me.

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I watched this as it was aired and I thought it was ok. I probably won't watch it again b/c it did not leave that much of an impression on me except for how hot those guys r. I will watch for more dramas with Suzy, Taecyeon, Kim Soo Hyun, Wooyoung, & IU. I liked them as individuals, but I really didn't care for all the cheese (by cheese I mean blatantly inauthentic human connections) that was connected to the story. I'm not going to say that others shouldn't watch this b/c I did like it but it is not one that will pop up in my mind when I talk to others. I really did like the music though.

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Gosh! I've already watched this drama for like 4 times in the past year and can't seem to get over it. It wasn't an instant favorite cause I didn't like the female lead at first, but like what the quote at the beginning says " The moment the break shot is made and the balls scatter, the game begins." - as the story progress, things become more interesting and unexpected twists are bound to happen, making you anticipate for the next events.

That's a 10 for the story; 9 for the characters. I love all the main actors though most of them are first timers in acting, but they played their roles very well; another 9 for the music. I got at least a month of LSS from their songs. 10 for rewatch value. and a 9 for the overall.

It's not perfect but I'll recommend it to everyone. It has comedy, slight drama, romance, music, and a great story for everyone to enjoy and learn from.

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Simply amamzing. The cast is a fantastic pick. My favorite character is Hyun Si Hyuk or better known as Taecyeon. I'm sure a lot will disagree with me and say they like Kim Soo Hyun better. Although I got to say, he has a really sweet role in this series, I like Taecyeon much better. Anyways, Suzy is really cute and a pretty good signer at that and I look forward to her acting as she grows up. IU is too irresistible as a character and she sings extremely well. Jason is Jason and the other actors really help bring out the other kid's acting. Must watch if you like dramas even the slightest bit.

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While it started off a bit messy, Dream High sucked me in with it's charm. So fun! Plus the music and cast is a K-pop lovers dream. While it does take place in a school setting, Dream High was nothing I had ever seen before from my dramas. It transported me! Giving me everything I hadn't known I was looking for in my dramas. Even a little too much of everything.

The story is pretty awesome. There is a lot of EVERYTHING crammed into Dream High. The writers did a good job of balancing out all of the tropes. Characters that initially come off bad and just seem like another stereotype develop into actual people. Ones that you can go from hating to caring for. Sadly some of the time jumps and developments don't happen realistically together. Though I'm thankful for the development. At times jumps happen . . . but it's soooo sloppy. I will commend Dream High for bringing up the issue of sexism in the music industry, especially in South Korea. It shows some hard truths for women in the industry.

That aside the plot kept me engaged. A roll coaster of emotions! Happiness, joy, sadness, and confusion. My head was spinning.

The cast here is great! For me I started Dream High for Ok Taec Yeon. It was an accident that I watched him in Cinderella's Sister, but a happy one as he was the only thing I truly liked about the drama. Here he showed me again why I love him as an actor. In fact all the actors do a pretty darn good job. When they were allowed to. But it wasn't often. Because my main issue with Dream High is upon this review:

Water works fest!

Holy cow there were so many tears. It actually became painful for me to watch this drama. I had to take a break, despite how badly I wanted to finish it! Many state that Go Hye Mi (Suzy' character) cried a lot. However, EVERYONE cried soooooooooooo much. Heck. I was almost reduced to tears of frustration. As every sad bit, emotional break through, joy, fear--JUST EVERYTHING was represented by a cry fest! I've seen most of these actors outside of Dream High, I know they can act! It's just horrible that Dream High had the most crying I have every seen in a show.

Moving on.

The music is pretty awesome! I loved all of it featured here. Most K-pop fans are going to be super happy recognizing the songs and enjoying how the accompany the drama. At times I found it a bit repetitive with the choices. Which is funny considering this is a music show. IU is especially showcased well. Before I was kind of fan, but now I'm obsessed. (And even the crying couldn't stop me from enjoying her. You bet I'll be checking out her other works.) I enjoyed Suzy's vocals. It was also fun to see Taec Yeon not only wrap and dance, but do a ballad. It was lovely.

Overall Dream High is tons of fun. If you don't like Glee or musicals don't worry, this isn't a musical. It stands on it's own. Sure the story is messy and uses every trope they could think of to toss in. It does have a decent love triangle and I love that it stepped outside of the love triangle "comfort zone". All of the characters become loveable in there own way. It's nice not to see someone slanted as the villain, but that they're all human with their actions. It saddens me that the dramatic single drip crying was so overly used that it actually annoyed me. And to be honest the ending was almost as sloppy as the beginning. Still, Dream High is definitely something any drama fan should check out.

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STORY - This was my first drama so obviously the story was very original for me. I love all the characters and the idea of a performing arts school. Each person has their struggles and their goals, you can always identify with someone, cheer someone on or complain about someone that just won't get the hint yet. The writers did a wonderful job with keeping the story going, nothing gets stale or lags. I was not completely satisfied with the ending but it was not the worst ending I have experienced. I was wonderfully surprised with this drama.
ACTING - I honestly had no idea just how many idols were in this show when I first began watching (dumb I know, but I wasn't really into kpop yet.). The acting was very nice, well suited for each person and the relationships portrayed were very realistic. Each character has moments that are good and bad and the audience gets pulled right along for the ride. The acting isn't the best, of course, but it is a lot better than some things I have seen. I was happy with it, and I fell in love with Kim Soo Hyun of course. But who wouldn't??? Jason and Pil Suk. favorite characters forever; no matter what happens.
MUSIC - The music. This was my first drama, so it was my first show to download songs from and it was the catalyst for my liking kpop and my drama addiction. Music drama have become one of my favorite types and I think this show is the reason. I didn't like all of the music, and the opening theme can get tiring after a bit, but a liked a majority of it. The sound effects and placement of music within the episodes were fairly well done as well, without too many distractions.
REWATCH - This is a show that has a lot of rewatch value, but for me it is not enough to watch it all the way through a second time. I like flipping through and watching key scenes - especially the music scenes. I know a lot of my friends have watched it multiple times all the way through though.
OVERALL - 8.5! The show was pretty good, the cinematography and effects weren't mind shattering but well placed considering the type of drama. The music was really great. the ending wasn't as great as expected but pretty okay. The acting was well suited as well. I think it was a great first drama experience and I really like it. Lol I have a soft spot for it.

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