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Fated to Love You korean drama review
Completed
Fated to Love You
38 people found this review helpful
by manicmuse
Oct 9, 2014
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
First I'll admit that, based on the synopsis, I thought this drama would be extremely dumb (another shotgun wedding story???). I still decided to give it a chance, and adhere to my four/five episode rule (watching at least 4 episodes before dropping a drama). Since it's a remake or a popular Taiwanese drama, I figured why would they bother to remake something dumb. After the first episode I was convinced I had made a mistake, and was completely turned off. She was such a doormat, the look of it was so cheesy, and his laugh was out of control... I had no idea how hooked I would be. As far as K-Drama Rom-Coms go, this one is now among my favorites. The story is indeed over the top, with moments of deliberate cheese, random fantasy cgi, and completely unrealistic scenarios, yet the story had enough heart to make it all seem completely plausible. This drama made me cry multiple times, surprisingly & literally LOL more than I think I ever have at any drama, and these cartoonish characters suddenly became completely realistic to me. It got me totally invested in their relationship and totally addicted to the show. Yes, it's still mainly just a love story, with most of the usual K-Drama love story elements (like a conniving ex girlfriend and damn near perfect yet hopelessly friend-zoned 2nd lead), but It deserves a lot of credit for doing exactly what's expected extremely well. The cast is exceptional. It's pretty big task balancing slapstick comedy, heartbreaking drama, and romantic chemistry, but Jang Na Ra and Jang Hyuk make it look easy. I've never seen either in a drama before, and I was impressed. Jang Na Ra portrayal of Kim Mi Young may annoy viewers who prefer a stronger leading lady, but I liked watching her character grow while still staying true to herself. Jang Hyuk's Lee Gun was my favorite. He was hilarious, he was charming, he was touching, and even his laugh grew on me. I loved the entire supporting cast ("hamo hamo"), particularly Mi Young's mom. The weakest characters to me were actually the unrequited loves of the leads, but I thought they were still very good. Daniel Pitt and Se Ra were less colorful than the other characters, but I was invested in their story lines as well. The music was great. If I can keep hearing the same songs over and over again, and want to sing along instead of punch myself in the head, then that soundtrack is a success! I could see myself watching this again, mostly because Lee Gun is so entertaining, but also because the story is so well done. I also don't see it losing any of it's charm with repeat viewing. There were really no dull moments, no repetitive episodes just filling up the time, and the last episodes didn't drag, wasn't rushed, and left no loose ends. I also really loved the ending. It did have the potential to be extra corny, but I thought is was perfect. Overall, I say this is a must see for rom-com fans. I can't compare it to the original, since I didn't see it, but I think I now understand it's popularity. If you're not that big on rom-coms, but you're ok with entertaining stories that don't try to reinvent the wheel, then you may be pleasantly surprised by Fated to Love You just like I was. My recommendation is to give it a chance, and you probably won't regret it :) Also, I really want one of those Ellie Kim bags... seriously. And yes, I did just stalk Yook Sim Won on the internet for one. Lol!
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