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Sungkyunkwan Scandal korean drama review
Completed
Sungkyunkwan Scandal
10 people found this review helpful
by manicmuse
Mar 24, 2012
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10.0
I can't believe I've fallen in love with yet another drama about a girl disguised as a boy. I saw all the good reviews, but still expected it to be another wannabe coffee prince, or the korean version of Yentl. I also expected to be bored by a historical drama with a predictable/cliché storyline, but instead I was hooked from the very first episode. What makes this drama so great, from the very beginning, is the four lead characters. As much as i loved the romance in Sungkyunkwan Scandal (including what's now one of my favorite k-drama kiss scenes), I still loved the bromance between all four main characters more. Yoo Ah In as the impetuous rebel Moon Jae Shin, Micky Yoochun as the logic driven bookworm Lee Sun Joon, Park Min Young as the inspiringly ambitious "Kim Yoon Shik", and (my favorite) Song Jung Ki as the playfully manipulative Goo Yong Ha, are each outstanding in their role, and have amazing chemistry with each other. There were even times when the chemistry between Moon Jae Shin & Goo Yong Ha rivaled the main couple. I also have to give a special mention to Kim Min Seo as Cho Sun, who was my favorite supporting character, and played her part expertly. It was really refreshing to see two strong female characters, especially since the story revolves around an all boys school. This is now among my favorite all time dramas, mainly because of the cast. I loved them so much, I was tempted to rewatch the entire drama right after I finished it. One small criticism I have is that the political part of the plot was sometimes hard for me to follow, since korean history is completely (and literally) foreign to me. This is not really a fault of the drama, but it did stop me from personally seeing this as a perfect 10. It became much easier for me to follow the noron/soron conflicts after a while, but I could still enjoy the drama without being 100% clear. There's a good amount of action, and mystery, which keeps the political plot entertaining. Another criticism is, as much as I liked the endings for the 4 main characters, there were still unanswered questions, and some supporting characters that deserved better endings. Overall, there was much more to praise than criticize. I can definitely see myself rewatching this multiple times, even if it's just to see Goo Yong Ha spin. I know there are many dramas with similar plots, but a drama that's entertaining from the 1st to the last episode is rare. I recommend Sungkyunkwan Scandal as one of those rare dramas.
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