MattPeddlesden
Kent, UK
Didn't get quite what I was expecting from early descriptions though - so, it's roughly: FL gets sent to the country hospital as punishment, ML turns up with a view to buying the place up for a resort, joins the rescue team to get more knowledge, conspiracies happen, fires happen, bad people do bad things etc. :) I should write them for a living don't ya think? :-P
I enjoyed the main storylines and the romance between the ML and FL but there did seem a couple of times that the FL just decided to move on from a previous issue and forgive rather than it feeling like things had been properly worked out...
The bad guy was really quite deranged and I enjoyed (in a 'throw popcorn at the tv' kinda way) when he was on-screen.
There's lots of touching moments, since it's based around a village suffering from problems and a 119 rescue team.
Park Hae Jin had a commanding presence as always and worked will with the scenes and script, whether he was in mega business-man mode, loving boyfriend mode, or action-man rescue team mode.
Jo Bo Ah - this is the first drama i've seen her in so I need to see more (i'll do that, just for you all, i can take it :) ) to get a broader view but i'm tentatively impressed with what I saw. There were some aspects where she seems to be smiling as she delivers her lines that I didn't think smiling was quite the right thing - so it felt out of sync - but - I enjoyed her performance more overall.
I really enjoyed the side couple with the police officer Oh Bo Mi - while the male in that couple was ok, I thought her character and how she played it was brilliant and then the play-off between her and the FL was great too.
Overall it's a great watch, even if you don't gel with the story for some reason, there's some gorgeous scenery and just a generally quite different feel to it than other dramas due it taking place in the depths of the forests in Gangwon-do.
Was this review helpful to you?
Tough viewing. But view it you must.
Short: A romance story draped over the utterly horrific real life events around May 11th 1980 in Gwangju. This is not the Korea you know and love today, they are the people you know and love, in one of Korea's many terrible times. This is not a happy story. Watch this when you want food for the soul, not when you want a lift. Google "Gwangju Uprising" to start learning more about the real events going on in this story.Detail:
May 11th 1980 was a terrible day in Gwangju, though it was just the pinnacle of the terrible days leading up to it. In this story you have two people in very different walks of life. The Male Lead is in a rich privileged family, he's well educated and successful and enjoying starting university in Seoul. The Female Lead is the opposite, a poor family whose name is disgraced by a father accused of being a traitor. Their paths cross when the female lead's friend, the daughter of a rich businessman, pleads with her to go in her place to a blind date while she goes to organise and participate in demonstrations and protests against the government. Of course the blind date is the male lead.
The story has some lovely warm moments in it, the romance the blossoms between the couple of lovely, and there's clear chemistry between them. It also has some really tough moments in it as well, so I'm going to flag this one up with a caution that you shouldn't watch this if it's a nice romance to boost your mood that you seek - while this has a lovely romance, it is not a happy story and I do not want to sugar coat that in the slightest.
I like that most of the cast are relatively unknown, they've been in other dramas but they're not "A-listers" - this drama gives a superb opportunity for these brilliantly talented actors to show their skill and they deliver in abundance.
I marked the music on this one down a bit - honestly, for no other reason than it was utterly drowned out by the intense emotions flying around throughout. I can't remember any of it, but I think that speaks more to being immersed in the story than anything wrong with the music necessarily. Let's say it was "just right", because I think anything more may well have interfered.
I strongly recommend to spend some time reading up on the real events depicted in this drama, it's horrifying to think that this is not some 1500's historical drama, it's in the 1980's, which is only 40 years ago.
I absolutely recommend this drama, but only when you're in the right frame of mind for it.
Was this review helpful to you?
I'll put a spoiler-masked-comment below to discuss my thoughts on the ending.
Since this one started I have been eagerly anticipating the next episode and they've been getting better (or worse, depending on your perspective...) at the cliffhangers throughout the show, the last few episodes have some serious "ARGH! NEXT! NEXT! NEXT!" endings, fortunately the show is complete and you can now hit next without the angst of waiting a week :)
I really enjoyed the portrayal of North Korea, and the interactions North and South. I appreciate some of these are going to be simplified, dramatised and possibly even flat wrong - but it did provide an effective contrast between the two nations I think and certainly sets you thinking. There was an interesting article posted on MDL which told more of a story about the real situation in North Korea and there was a lot to reflect on in the show, so it's worth reading that article if you haven't already. Education is the best cure for misunderstanding, after all.
There are some fantastic characters in this, from the village ladies in North Korea to the staff of Se-ri's Choice that hunt relentlessly to find Se-ri after she goes missing. I thought the substory with her step-mother was nice and while providing an insight into why Se-ri is the way she is at the start, provided a warmth later on that was also reflected in her character.
Hyun Bin was ... just.... outstanding, as always, as was Son Ye Jin. There are many really emotional scenes, happy, sad, crying you name it, and they pull them off beautifully.
Son Ji Hye plays the ML's North Korean fiancé, the last time I saw her in a drama was Black Knight - she played Sharon and it was a great performance there too.
Definitely recommended. Stop reading, and start watching, right this minute!
Was this review helpful to you?
Originally chose this one because of Shin Se Kyung having enjoyed her work in another drama and this only helped enhance my appreciation for her work.
I did Initially think about dropping it simply because one of the reasons I am so interested in K-Drama's is to learn more about Korea and Korean history and this one kicks off in Slovenia. I don't have anything against Slovenia of course, and it actually does end up spend most of its time in Korea. Ultimately I really appreciated the visuals and the contrasting scenes from Slovenia as well.
Kim Rae Won, as the male lead, also pulled off the highly charismatic role brilliantly as well.
I found little to criticise in this one, it's a deeply emotional story that will have you reaching for tissues on a number of occasions and fill your heart with warmth on just as many. You're going to really get involved in all the characters and their stories, their feelings and emotions and the long journey some of them have taken to be where they are, which makes even the "bad" character(s) such that you can empathise.
I struggled with the ending to this one, it's nicely concluded but it left me a bit of an emotional wreck for a few days if i'm going to be honest. I get it, I love it - but line yourself up something warm and fluffy like What's Wrong with Secretary Kim as the dessert for this one.
He was her black knight, on so many levels. Totally recommend this without reservation.
My final words - Red Bean Bread right back to the cast and crew, that final slide was perfect.
Was this review helpful to you?
Where Something in the Rain tried and failed, One Spring Night tries and scores a home run.
He is "flawed", he is a single dad of a son. She's got a boyfriend at the start and are starting to talk about Marriage, but she's not on the same page and frustrated with the relationship. This sets up the tone for a story with lots of factors working against the couple, whether it's the notion that she might be considered to have "cheated" on her boyfriend, or whether others will accept that she wants to get involved with a single dad and all the "baggage" that brings. Parents on both sides bring challenges but they're different, the ML's parents are over protective about things that might bring him the kind of sadness that left him a single dad and the FL's parents are traditional and "difficult".
I was absolutely delighted with the FL's mother in this, you can see her growing and evolving around the changing situation around her and reacting in a really great and supportive way - even if it takes her a bit to get there. The same actress played the absolutely nasty mother in Something in the Rain so this was a redemption from my perspective, as odd as that might sound :)
Initially I was confused about why the FL wasn't being more direct about breaking up with her boyfriend, and I must confess that I'm married to my first love (24 years now) so... i'm totally inexperienced in this kind of thing... but as the story progressed I grew to appreciate that it hadn't been a binary switch-off, it made the time that things properly change that much more valuable when it happened, and also meant that her previous relationship wasn't trivialised and thereby her attitude to relationships in general wasn't.
It did also somewhat talk to one of my other general meanderings - if someone cheats, betrays a partner, and goes to someone else... surely the new partner must always have in the back of their mind - that person has already demonstrated that they have the capacity to change, to betray and to move on, what worked in their favour today could happen again but against them. The ML's insecurities about this surface at an important point and it creates some tension but I thought it was dealt with well.
There are other arcs in this as well, I think that the general arc that follows her and her sisters around and the things happening to them is probably just as important as the main love story.
I struggle to find flaw with this, I was just so happy watching it all the way through, other than towards then end when I realised I was going to run out of show and this amazing couple were no longer going to be in my life, but, i'll probably get over that when I start my next drama :-P
Highly recommended, and as the flow is not really ruined by knowing what happens, it makes it all the more easy to re-watch again if you want 16 episodes of lovely warmth to keep you company on a cold weekend.
Was this review helpful to you?
Decided that it's been long enough and I wanted to watch another CSB drama so I fired it up. I wish i'd watched this one sooner, it was SO good. Watched the whole thing in a fairly short space of time (2 days i think) and was driven to keep going to continue to find out more about how the situations evolved and the characters developed.
There are lots of little stories going on in here, there's more than two couples - with two of them being at the forefront and another one or two sneaking in the sidelines. There's actual real development in the maturity and growth of at least two of the characters as they evolve from the way they are at the beginning to being better human beings. There's one moment that starts to smack of "oh god here comes the stupid breakup", but it's on something like Episode 15 so... you can kinda guess it's not going anywhere, but it does go further to re-enforce the strength of the characters involved and their resolve to help each other.
Chae Soo Bin is marvelous as always, a strong and independent character who takes charge of her own life and safety of it numerous times. It's always good to see when a story has both the male and female leads being strong, it's too easy to have one strong character (whichever gender) and one weak leaning on them. It's much harder to have two strong characters who lean or support as each situation requires - but it's so much better when it works that way I think, the best relationships have strong independent people in them.
Music - one track stood out, Must Have by Jang Jae-in, I need to listen to the rest of the OST but I love that track, it kept notably popping up and now i've listened to the whole thing on YouTube it's just a great song overall with a beautiful voice in some quieter moments without much backing track, and others with a much more full sound. Brilliant.
Hmm, another bit of the OST comes on in the background while writing this, The End of the Day by Na Yoon Kwon - that ones a cracker too.
The story overall is a bit of a david vs goliath. It's really interesting as they start out with the food alley in the situation it's in and then the evolution of idea after idea to improve and change things combined with the challenge and response coming from the "goliath" in the story. I really appreciated the business elements of this one and the creative (but quite reasonable) solutions they were putting forward, along with a reasonable reaction from the consumers to the idea.
There is a bit towards the start where she thinks that he's a transvestite which makes some some hilarious bits.
Definitely recommend a watch if you like romance, nothing really bad-heavy happens, characters emotionally developing - and if you're a fellow Chae Soo Bin fan, then it's really a no-brainer, stop reading this and get watching.
Was this review helpful to you?
There are some really deep questions posed in this story. If you knew how long you had to live, would you spend that time differently? Would you want to know or not? I think it does a great job of just reminding us all to seize the day now, mend those fences, meet back up with old friends now and don't wait until your funeral for all your old school friends to get back together, do it today. If even one person comes out of watching this story and acts on that message I think it's done its job.
The story has three main "chapters" really, the first is a very happy and fluffy romance story and I think that the transition to the second "chapter" is what throws people because suddenly it's not happy anymore, it's downright depressing, it's hard to watch and there's lots of crying (on the show too, ahem) - but it has purpose. The third "chapter" is then the resolution, which I thought was really great. The conclusion needs you to take a few things at face value and not ask too many questions - but then you're watching a show where someone can see clocks on peoples bodies so let's not get too caught up in the "science".
Choi Mika, the lead character played by Lee Sung Kyun, has the weight of the world on her shoulders, I absolutely cannot understand how her character is tagged "Weak Female Lead" in the tag list for the show because she's one of the strongest characters i've seen to date. She knows when people are going to die, more than that she knows when she herself is going to die and even worse - it's not that far away, 3 months or so. Knowing any of that, let alone all of it, I think most of us would utterly fall to pieces. She's learned to accept it and start saving to help her family after she's gone and she's working to make sure she achieves her dreams before she goes. Yes, she cries a lot once things turn south, but if you can't understand why, that's a shame, it's not because of any kind of lightweight reason.
In the first "chapter" of the story, she meets Lee Do Han who she discovers can stop her clock from counting down and even better, she finds her clock starting to go up and suddenly she has a new lease on life.
I won't go any further into the story because from here on it's spoilers, but suffice to say that if you have even remotely appreciated the weight on her shoulders as the story begins, it becomes unimaginable as the story continues to unfold, and it's here that the crying starts. There's a fair bit, but I don't think any of it unjustified, everyone involved is having an insanely hard time, so it's natural to be sad about it.
In other characters - Lee Do Han (played by Lee Sang Yoon) was good but not the star of the show, which was absolutely and entirely Lee Sung Kyun. Her sparkling performance both in the drama and on the stage within the drama were a joy to watch. Songs from the musical were performed brilliantly by everyone and i'm hoping to find some of them on the OST.
In an unusual twist for me - the other point of the "love triangle" was also an absolute highlight for me. I don't normally like this kind of character at all regardless how well it's played (or love triangles themselves, for that matter) but I thought Im Se Mi completely captured the character as she descends gradually in her composure and sanity throughout the entire story until her dramatic pinnacle when her story comes to a head. I always enjoyed her scenes, even if I was verbally shouting "booo! get off!!" to the TV every time (we'll talk about my own sanity another time).
As demonstrated by the reviews, this is NOT going to be a story everyone gels with, the gear shift from the happy fluffy romance almost within 60 seconds to something entirely different will throw people off, especially how joyful that first bit is, you'll miss it and you'll feel the pain, the author does a good job of making a sky high go to a hellish low.
This is an absolute re-watch for me at some point when I start repeating shows, although it won't have as much magic and mystery the second time around I will enjoy the journey and the amazing music just as much.
Was this review helpful to you?
I'm a fan of Park Min Young and that was the main reason for picking this one to watch, she always delivers an amazing performance and does a great job creating a realistic and believable character on the screen.
First drama i've seen with Kim Jae Wook and I enjoyed his performance as well, initially he came across as a bit of an arrogant twit (which is fully intended I suspect) but as his character develops it quickly becomes one you can really understand and believe.
The title of this one is "Her Private Life" and it implies focus on the dual life of the main character - as a museum curator professionally, and a fangirl for a pop idol privately. She has a separate name when fangirling and it's a completely separate part of her life. In reality, this same concept applies to other characters when you consider the hidden pasts and different lives.
I thought the overall pacing was really good, if perhaps let down in the tiniest of ways by a slightly *too* drawn out conclusion. Seeing the directors husband get out of jail was pointless, I had no real care for him (first time you'd seen him) and honestly the directors character herself was one I was happy when she wasn't on-screen anyway (though I do like the Actress in other things).
I really liked the development of the early antagonist Cindy / Kim Hyo Jin played by Kim Bo Ra (she was also in SKY Castle and I enjoyed per work there too). Starting out as a typical Ssaesang fan and see her character develop when around the right people and influences was really good to see. It was good to see her product design make it to being sold but some kind of "we sold out already!" would have been a really good reinforcement that not only did she deliver the product but it did actually sell well too, just to back up the reward for the hard work that was put in by her character.
The main leads chemistry was spot on, their relationship was believable and natural, there were never bad moments or stupid breakups. The story does get to the inevitable "throwing popcorn at the TV" moment for a while where you just want to slap them both upside the head because they're drawing stupid conclusions - but otherwise they both resolve problems easily through good communication, it's a blueprint for how all couples should be with each other in my view.
Aside from the romance storyline there was an undercurrent of sadness through a tragic past which bubbles up eventually and creates some tearful moments late in the story, as with the rest - it was all handled superbly by everyone. It's a bit convoluted and unlikely - but hey - this is kdrama, put those thoughts outside and just sit back and enjoy the story.
There was only ONE thing that didn't happen that I wished had, I won't say what it was because technically I guess that would count as a spoiler, and in the grand scheme of things it's minor.
The final episode did feel a bit like the air was now all out and we were coasting a bit. It didn't have the remarkable intensity the rest of the series had but honestly i'm exhausted from the emotional energy that this series demanded anyway :) It's not an ending to be disappointed with at all, just compared to every other episode it felt a bit loose.
Great to see Park Jin Joo in a lead role and I hope to see more dramas coming out and utilising her skills and instantly recognisable and unique face.
Should you watch it? If you want a fluffy romance, positive, no stupid breakups, tons of emotions throughout and some really great and believable characters, imo it should be on your watch list, yes.
Was this review helpful to you?
What you get out of this story is a relatively light weight romance, I thought the two leads had great chemistry and I always enjoyed seeing them on screen together. There are scenes where they're playfully teasing each other which were delightful such as when he asks her if she's hungry, she replies that she is, thinking he's inviting her to dinner, and then he suggests that she should eat well with her family then as that's what he's going to do. It's a simple back and forth but in the context of where their relationship is (or isn't) at the time I thought it was a great example of the little teasing they're doing on a number of occasions as they try and figure out what they mean to each other.
There's some mild threat throughout but it's paper thin and generally resolved without too much going on, the threat(s) create the backbone for the start of the story and then serve to advance elements of the romance part of the story, rather than really being much in their own right.
One really interesting question that this drama poses that should cause some debate is about the age of a person who is frozen. If you are 20 when you are frozen, frozen for 20 years and thawed - how old are you? - In a country where age is so important it's no surprise such a question is posed. If you were sunbae when you went in, are you hoobae now?
You will still in your mind and body be a 20 year old, but your birth date says you're 40. Your knowledge of the world is in no way current, your mind set matches that of someone closer to 40 than 20. They don't answer the question (which is good, this is the wrong place to answer the question, but a perfectly good place to ask it) but they do explore some interesting situations such as potential romantic interest with her best friends son (because her friend matches her natural age, and the son matches her "frozen" age). There's other bits that come up, and it's interesting to consider the options.
I was really frustrated towards the start because of the over the top reactions from a couple of the characters, one of them could barely stay upright half the time and both looked like they were having some kind of coronary. I thought it was over the top and in the early stages of the show made me start to think this was trying to be a farce comedy - which it really isn't - and since I really don't like farce I was getting ready to drop it (I really don't drop dramas either, that's how much it was annoying me). I'm glad I didn't, it settles down and the total nuts characters balance out a bit letting the rest of the story develop, some times funny, sometimes upsetting, but I found it always interesting.
Ending was good, but it almost looks like it's going to trip and fall - however it doesn't. Though, seriously, the old-man-cardigan in one of the final scenes, that was a bit over the top :)
This was my first drama with Won Jin-Ah and I am absolutely going to be looking up more of her work, she has such a unique voice and presence and i'm really interested to see how she delivers different types of characters as she certainly seems to have the range.
Ji Chang Wook was good as always, nothing too taxing for his first drama outing since returning from the Army but one that lets him show a sensitive side where previously he's perhaps been doing more of the action-type roles.
It's about as deep as a puddle, but it's light, fun, no stupid breakups, cute scenes with a cute couple as they find their way to romance. Mild threat causes some bumps along the way, more so towards the conclusion, leading to a reasonable ending.
Was this review helpful to you?
So - if you start to watch this BEFORE there is a season 2, please be aware that this story is INCOMPLETE, it's not simply a case of "bad ending", it's unfinished. For me, that's entirely unacceptable and the main reason I quit watching western shows entirely.
Putting that to one side, I feel it's only fair to talk about the show that IS there as well.
The easiest analogy for this show in US shows is "24" - top grade action, lots of shoot outs, lots of explosions, lots of car chases, some amazing parkour along the roof tops and some great effects. I thought it was overall quite well executed and disagree with the comments that Suzy was poor - I thought she was spot on for the character she was playing (though perhaps she's portrayed as much more "bad ass" in the publicity, in the show she's much more of a rookie).
Lee Seung Gi plays a great role as the main character, the completely (and probably unreasonably :) ) unstoppable stuntman who can do just about anything - hey, this is meant to be sensational fiction so just kick back and enjoy it, it's great fun. He does a fantastic job.
Moon Jung Hee as the leading evil lady, Jessica, brilliant - her character drips with greed and nastiness perfectly and was fun to see her on-screen plotting counter-moves.
As with all these kinds of action shows, there are going to be plenty of times where you think "wait, wasn't he just stabbed in the leg and now he's running?" but shrug it off, if you want to look into things that closely you're probably not a fan of the genre anyway :) It's silly, it's fun and it's entertaining.
Production values are sky high, it's got a top top end movie feel to it all the way through.
The story does get a little bit tiring with the constant twists and turns but it all made sense as the story unfolds itself multiple times, it definitely keeps you on your toes.
In short, really enjoyed it right up until they left it without any ending, and there's no real hint that there's actually going to be a season 2 yet even. I *may* be a little grumpy about this.... but i've tried to separate my feelings on that topic from the rest of the show :)
Was this review helpful to you?
Really different production and direction make this one stand out a bit
Short: A small (17 x 30 min episodes) collection of interlinked stories about a group of people living in the city. The main standout difference with this is the production and direction, leaning more towards "fly on the wall" type approach but done in a clever way so it won't put off those that don't like that style I think. Good stories, interesting twist in the last episode, it's fun and light for the most part.Detail:
The style is that this group of people who may or may not know each other at the start are followed around by a cameraman and asked for answers to various questions relating to life and love. It's essentially following people from different walks of life with different outlooks and comparing their answers to various questions, but done on the backdrop of an underlying story that really nicely ties it all together.
I thought the relationship between the two leads was really nice, both in the start and then as it goes through various complexities through the story. There was a clear chemistry between them. As with life, it's not all roses though for everyone. Good to have on the whole strong characters throughout, showing that you don't need a relationship to be strong and you don't need lofty goals or money to be strong.
Wish it was a bit longer perhaps but also worried that if it was longer then it would have felt slow - which this didnt, the 30 minute episodes combined with multiple stories developing made it feel like it was constantly moving.
It's complete, and has an ending, which seeing the shorter overall runtime and the fact it was on netflix made me a bit concerned about starting it in the first place (was tempted to wait until the end and see how many people started posting "cliffhanger cant awit for season 2" etc etc) but happy to report this is complete and while they could do a season 2 perfectly nicely it is absolutely not necessary based on the conclusion of this one.
The cast are all really good, lots of actors and actresses i've seen in many other dramas - some less than others so it was good to see them here with perhaps more important roles than previously such as Han Ji Eun who i've only seen in one or two dramas previously and find her to be really unusual and interesting to watch!
Definitely worth a watch, it won't take up much of your time but it will make it fun :)
Was this review helpful to you?
Detail:
Did I say it was slow? Like a glacier, and some times even slower than that. But it's not slow because it can't get to the point, or wants to just spread the story super thin. It's because the story is about the characters, the way they are handling wounds that might be new or decades old, how situations change and how the characters evolve around that.
I enjoyed it a lot, there's lots of nice slow tempo music which fits the pace and the views in the scenes are often stunning as it's set in Gangwon Province - not in the tree's like "Forest" but in a small village. We'll join in with a school reunion, with various activities the village people get together for, as well as following the various characters on their journey. Honestly i think I enjoyed this as much for the small slice of life it offers, a glimpse into a different pace and something that feels more traditionally Korean than some of the ones set in the busy hustle of the city.
There are some touching moments, and there are some downright comedic ones mostly thanks to Im Hui, who was absolutely the light in the show for me - she's a force to be reckoned with and her approach to life, her little outbursts and how she is with friends and family can be hilarious.
You need to be in the mood for something slow and relaxing for this one. If you find yourself in other dramas thinking "come on get on with it" - you're not going to enjoy this.
The only down for me is that I really didn't fully grasp the ending - I do tend to need *certain* things written in big neon lights for me to grasp them properly so while I was overall happy, I am largely just basing it on some assumptions of how I *think* they're trying to say things ended rather than actually knowing for sure. But that's ok, it's close enough :)
There's no reason this couldn't be watched over and over if you find yourself in the mood for the pace and story, if you have a lot on your mind and you want something that will just play in the background while your mind races away and not worry that you're missing things, it can be a good story to put on and hopefully calm your mind.
Was this review helpful to you?
"I have never been more free than the 20 days I was kidnapped"
Just finished watching this one and have enjoyed every moment of it.Twelve episodes, neatly packed up and a story that wraps up perfectly, nothing unnecessary, and no long dwelling.
The cast were amazing, you were annoyed by the bad characters and cheered on the good characters, but most of all you just want to relish and enjoy the amazing chemistry between the Kidnapper and the girl. What an incredible story supported by some incredible acting.
I'm not going to say much more, to be honest you just need to go and watch it. The music is good but you'll be right with the characters most of the way. Binge this one, it's good for your heart.
Even though I rate this drama very highly - it's not the most important thing in the room to talk about here, Yuna. Wow she is probably one of the most talented actors i've seen in a kdrama in a long time and I don't just mean among the younger ages, she's absolutely brilliant. Different approaches to different aspects of her performance throughout from the start when she's trying to come to terms with this "father" she has no memory of to when she realises who she is and is easily, easily the smartest person in any room, to little playful moments with the back scratching stick where a giggle sneaks out and to that absolutely heart breaking moment at the end when she reads what's on the scratching stick and goes from smiley face to inconsolably in tears with a transition that is completely believable. How has someone so young got the ability to recreate these things so well? I have no idea, but without doubt Yuna is someone to watch for, she's going to light up our screens (if we're very very lucky) for years to come.
Special shout out to Yoon Kye Sang who played the kidnapper and was the perfect counterbalance to Yuna's stunning talent, superb chemistry and interplay between them.
100% recommend.
Was this review helpful to you?
Waffley Bit...
This is a really slow burn romance, and they manage to do something that most really don't do very well at all - they manage to find a way to get the two leads actually in an ice cold place (at least from one side) to where he actually can't stand the sight of her and then slowly turn the heat up throughout - it's a good 7 or so episodes in before there's thawing even, let alone when they get to kiss (which is much further in). I liked that nothing was just magically resolved, they went through things and just because they are decent human beings ended up in situations helping each other and that's what starts to grow their affections.
The story is principally based around a Hospice that provides palliative care for the terminally ill and helping ease their way in their final time. You can immediately tell from that that there's going to be a lot of characters passing away and that's the source of a great many sad moments throughout, lots of different stories and backgrounds for the characters, and how they resolve them. I was particularly engaged by the story about Michael, his adopted American mother and his birth Korean mother and how that story develops. It is quite emotionally tiring though as there's quite a lot of it throughout so keep that in mind.
The other major theme in the story is cooking and food. With Ha Ji Won's character being a renowned Chef there are many opportunities for cooking to be shown and they don't shy away from it at all. Imagine the kind of detail you get in medical dramas and now put that in cooking - there's a lot you can learn about Korean food and how it's prepared, what the ingredients are and so forth in this show. I recognised Jajamyeong being prepared in one of the recipes straight away and I don't think any steps were left out at all - which I found really interesting and unusual. I realise that's a pretty straight forward recipe but hey, I'm no expert :)
Some of the story takes place on an island in the south of Korea called Wondo, I always appreciate stories that venture out to the islands a bit more because it feels more like "real" Korea than the westernised way that Seoul is usually presented (not that I have anything against Seoul), some lovely scenery and great shots out there.
The story with the Director at the Hospice and his first wife was another particularly touching one, it's another one that runs throughout most of the story and you discover new things about their history, how they got to be where they are and so forth at various times during the story. I always enjoy watching Kim Won Hae anyway and this was one of his more emotional roles I think.
There is one patient story which kinda sneaks in about a YouTuber that forms the basis for one of the most profound messages in the drama which Cha-Young's brother says to the screen as if recording a YouTube video - but really, I suspect it's intended as a message from the production and writing teams to the viewer, breaking the fourth wall.
The title is an interesting choice, because on the one hand chocolate doesn't figure much in the story at all... but if you think about it more after you've watched it you'll realise it was the foundation of the entire story from just about the moment it starts.
Soundtrack is superb, I need to listen to it properly on its own but you can tell a good soundtrack when you are humming along to the songs as they come up during the drama.
Annoyances...
The only real annoying for me was the male lead's family, a typical shouty moany whiney fighty schemey Chaebol type family - I get that they are probably meant to provide the counterpoint to the deep messages being put out by the time in the Hospice but it just got a bit much at times. I didn't fast forward anything while watching - but the scenes with that family would be the ones i'd fast forward through on a re-watch, without a doubt.
I didn't really appreciate the ending. I like that it ended on a positive, but I just thought the way it was done made absolutely no sense to me what so ever. I was honestly expecting them to end up running Bada Restaurant in Wondo, both being chefs and making people happy, taking forward their life lessons from the Hospice. I expect i'm missing something deep and and meaningful but... I still missed it.
Overall I really enjoyed it, I was hyped that Ha Ji Won was in another drama, one of my favourite actresses. Really glad I watched it but a re-watch is less likely as I didn't really appreciate the ending as much as I hoped I would.
Was this review helpful to you?
Warming, Fun and Very Enjoyable
Short: Warm romantic drama with two characters that have clear chemistry. Cast are fantastic and there are some great sparks between several of them, a really good job picking the cast for this I think. Music was great and fitting, without being overbearing. The story goes through a few turns but nothing really unexpected, all issues are tied off with a nice bow and the ending is nice too. Really enjoyed this one, seems a little while since I was having *so* much trouble stopping watching at 5am, but this one was definitely hard to put down.Detail:
He can't forget anything and she has lost a chunk of her memory. She's an actress in dramas and movies, he's a celebrated news anchor. They meet by chance, and wind up having to pretend that they're dating to avoid an inconvenient scandal breaking out. As the story unfolds, you find out more about the past, more about the memories that she has lost and the pains that he has to endure - an unrelenting perfect memory as far more of a curse than it is a blessing.
They're both great characters, played by excellent actors. I picked this one up specifically because I was enjoying Moon Ga Young in True Beauty and saw this one popped up on Netflix - but there are many more great cast members to pull you into this one too. Delighted to see Jang Young Nam whom I enjoyed a lot in It's Okay to Not Be Okay, and Kim Seul Gi who had a fun role in Oh My Ghostess has another key role here (i'm really not sure why it's classed as a support role when there aren't many scenes she isn't in).
There are some fantastic sparks of chemistry between various cast members - whether it's Kim Seul Gi and... well... everyone (she's just that fun), Jang Young Nam and Kim Dong Wook at the office - and I particularly enjoyed the way they handled the relationship between the Young Nam and the team leader (Kim Chul Woong) at work as well that was nicely done and fun throughout. Not to forget ofcourse the blend between the two leads was fun to watch as well.
My favourite character was probably Kim Seul Gi's - to the casual observer she comes off as the "little sister", small, fun etc - but she's absolutely the one in charge and you had better not mess with her. She's her own boss, she's her sisters manager and she will fiercely protect those she loves. A really great character overall and superbly represented by Seul Gi I thought.
There's no triangle in this (yay! I hear you cry), there are a couple of other standard tropes however they are written much better than I've seen in some other stories I've watched lately so no complaints from me on the "abuse of trope" front :)
Emotionally this one actually does an interesting job in riding a gentle path between laugh-out-loud moments and some sad ones that will have you feeling a little wet on the face.
There is some misdirection that's quite nicely done and even just the mention of the "suicide" tag effects some degree of that (though it is completely appropriate) - don't prejudge, let the story tell itself to you and enjoy the ride.
Overall, the main benchmark for me on this one is:
a) i'm actually writing a review for this, and i've been extremely lax on that front - but after just completing it, I wanted it to linger in my thoughts a while longer, and share my thoughts.
b) lately while i've been enjoying the dramas I've watched very much, not many have had that extra "10/10" that means when it says "Next Episode?" i'm smacking the button hard going "GET ON WITH IT!!" and at 5am struggling to pull myself away.
Can't think of anything I didn't particularly enjoy to be honest, which, combined with the above, is why I gave it a high score.
Was this review helpful to you?
