1
manicmuse
NYC!
This drama stars Jung Hae In as Moon Ha Won, an emo super genius who is socially awkward but endearing. I thought his performance was great, but there is nothing in the writing to give this character much depth. We see flashes of his past, and the AI company where he is making this mysterious device, but even when this drama ended I felt like I didn't really know his character well at all. Since most of this drama centers around him, this made me easily less interested. He is matched with Chae Soo Bin as Han Seo Woo, a much more warm character but an empath who's emo in her own way. My trouble with Seo Woo is that I really like the actress, and at times wanted to like her character, but she was so ridiculously nosey she was often frustrating to watch. It's a typical "let's heal each other from past loss" love story. These two actors are the only redeeming part of this drama in my opinion, and honestly, it felt like a lot of good but wasted chemistry, unless you really enjoy watching good hugs... a lot of hugs... so many hugs. They really deserved a better-written script.
Why was the script so bad? First of all the story is completely confusing and all over the place. The connections between people, the technology and why it exists, and the random flashbacks make it extremely hard to follow the story initially. It is beautifully shot, which sets the mood, but with no comprehensive story to follow so, I was ready to drop this drama early on. I was encouraged to keep watching for the couple development (which I was told would get better), and I did become swept up in that story, but even that story didn't end up having much substance as the drama went on. This drama basically revolves around two major traumas. One trauma is in the past and slowly revealed through flashbacks. The other trauma is inspired by the first trauma and was so nonsensical to me I couldn't even react to it emotionally. Again, the scenery is beautiful, lots of running/walking/running again through the snowy forest. I could probably sum up most of this story as snowy flashbacks, hugs, talking into a blinking device, random plants, and piano... and that brings me to the supporting characters.
The supporting cast is also great, but with badly written episodes they all become pretty forgettable. My favorite character was Lee Jung Eun as Kim Min Jung (the maid from Parasite) who was such a fun character but her going from patient to random friend felt so disjointed that her story, although interesting, felt totally unrelated to the main plot. Lee Sang Hee as Jun Eun Joo who runs the Boarding House, was great support for Seo Woo, in spite of her own issues, but after an interesting start, she just faded into the background.
The most annoying characters in this were the other "leads" Lee Ha Na as Moon Soon Ho, Ha Won's older niece, who played obnoxious well, but I honestly couldn't stand her character. There's also Kim Sung Gyu who did a good job as Gang In Wook, the brooding pianist, who by the time more about his character was revealed he was still completely unlikeable to me. There is also a suggested connection between them that didn't work for me at all. Then there was Park Joo Hyun as Kim Ji Soo who is also oddly solemn and mysterious and most of her role in the drama was spent speaking in a soft way that kept putting me to sleep. Without spoiling too much, she is the person that this whole drama revolves around, and it doesn't help that she was really boring to me. She also made the male lead feel more like a creepy stalker than someone she had an amazing history with. Once she had less screen time the story finally picked up for me. In that case the writing and acting, I think, were to blame.
Would I watch this again? Although I'm curious to see if the story makes more sense a second time, and I thought the cinematography was beautiful, it was so torturously slow to get through that I can't see myself doing this to myself again. I fell asleep three times during the last episode, which relied on too many tired tropes. Once it was over I was still unsatisfied. I was left with so many questions, especially about this AI tech that was barely explained and Ha Won as a character beyond his traumas. They try their best to give most of the characters some kind of closure/resolution, but I cared so little about them at the time it didn't matter. It almost feels like it should have been a movie instead. They could probably edit this drama down to 2 hours of relevant scenes easily and I would like it a lot more.
Overall, this drama dragged with the intention of being deep when it actually lacked much substance and was often unnecessarily vague. This drama was more mood than real feelings for me, with a lot of the characters overreacting or just sulking and crying. The themes include unrequited love, women who can't mind their own business, trauma caused by guilt and lack of closure, literally running from confrontation, depression, being stuck in the past, curing insomnia and healing through hugs... with the insomnia thing being ironic because it often put me to sleep. If I knew how it would all end I would have dropped this drama when I wanted to initially. If you like the first episodes then I would encourage you to continue, since it does get better, but I would still be reluctant to recommend this drama as one to watch. I did like watching the romance develop, but I would rather see them matched up again in a completely different drama. There are sparks of redeeming qualities in "A Piece of Your Mind", but those pieces didn't make up an enjoyable KDrama whole.
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Im Soo Jung is really great as Su mi, and I loved the tension between her and Yeom Jeong-ah, and her sweet relationship with Moon Geun Young.
The cinematography is absolutely beautiful.
The music by Lee Byung Woo has become of one of my all time favorite musical pieces from a film. I just had to have the soundtrack, and it didn't matter that it was mostly different variations of the same awesome song.
Acting-Story-Music-Visually... This movie impressed me all around.
There was a remake made of this film called "The Uninvited", but the story was completely revamped. Though the remake was entertaining, it doesn't come close to this version.
I absolutely recommend this movie! I bought it, and have rewatched it many times.
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But seriously, what did I just watch. I need the spark notes.
This drama is messy. "You Are My Spring" is a drama that tries to do too much. It's part thriller and part romance and although they try to link the two it never feels like one cohesive drama. The first few episodes got me hooked. I loved the suspense, the chemistry between the leads, and the cliffhanger episode endings. I didn't love the overload of internal monologues and "deep" dialogue, but I expected the story to pick up the pace and become more and more exciting as it progressed. I was wrong. I ended up becoming more bored and confused, and eventually annoyed. Maybe the dialogue feels different when you actually know Korean but instead of being moved and inspired by it, it felt forced and heavy-handed. I forced myself to finish hoping it would all make sense in the end.It didn't.
Yoon Park gave the most interesting performance in this whole drama. I won't say much more than that but I will mention that this part of the story needed way more screentime. His part of the story falls under thriller and it honestly felt like they abandoned that part of the plot almost completely about halfway through in order to focus more on romance. The romance is pretty cute for the most part, at least in the beginning. I'm a fan of Seo Hyun Jin and her quirkiness, and Kang Da Jung is the kind of role I like to see her play. She is matched with Kim Dong Wook as awkward Joo Young Do a psychiatrist who analyzes everything at first glance. Their chemistry is ok, but their cute innocent banter got old quickly. Eventually, their romance becomes the main focus of the drama but don't confuse that with anything actually happening. It's still a lot of inner thoughts and metaphors. It was the equivalent of watching two people read their diaries aloud and hoping they will at least hug, or listening to two awkward teenagers recite repetitive poems, even though they are both grown.
The other characters had a cute friendship thing happening but most of them were not that interesting or fully developed. I loved Young Do's BFFs and thought they were great, and I loved Da Jung's mom, but the other characters were just a step above filler. I wish the other romances were either given more time or cut out completely. I wish Ji Seung Hyun wasn't gypped out of a potentially hilarious relationship just to make him pine away for someone far less interesting. Also, the celebrity scandal trope is so tired I cringed whenever that was the focus, although Nam Gyu Ri as self-centered Ahn Ga Young definitely grew on me. She reminded me a lot of a friend I have. lol.
So... would I watch this again? Maybe. I know that's surprising since I disliked it so much but It's driving me crazy that after 16 episodes I have no idea what this drama was supposed to be about. I keep wondering if I missed some major clues in the beginning. Maybe I dozed off during dialogue that actually had something to do with the plot. Maybe it will be less torturous during a second viewing because I wouldn't be waiting in vain for the story to become exciting again.
Overall, this drama was disappointing. Instead of an interesting psychological thriller or an against all odds love story, I feel like I was left with the start of a potentially good drama-filled in with "deep" conversations, metaphorical snow, too many flashbacks, and product placement overload, and characters talking for way too long to themselves. Any themes about forgiving the past, or finding the will to live and love were overshadowed by the sound of me yawning. Yes, curiosity about these character's stories kept me watching, but I had to get all the way to the end to finally admit to myself that I didn't even care about them anymore. I associate spring with growth but my feelings about "You Are My Spring" withered and died.
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I thought Gong Hyo Jin played her role well too, and loved the chemistry between Na Bori & Tae In, but I didn't exactly love her character. Na Bori was frustrating to watch at times, often silly, and towards the end I found her actions to be almost mean. I also wasn't impressed by the chemistry between her and Ji Hyun Woo. Kim Da Hyun was so passive that he was boring, and they never had any great romantic moments together. There's one scene that I think was supposed to be touching, but I think he came across more as a creepy stalker.
Another thing that I didn't particularly like were all the class subplots. Their stories were sometimes sweet, but usually corny, and often felt like time fillers. I can't say that I honestly cared about any of those characters except for Choi Yeo Jin, who was a more interesting rival than Kim Da Hyun.
In spite of the slightly taboo topic, this is a very basic romance, with family disapproval, and love squares that you've very likely have seen before. There are many Tae in scenes that I could see myself watching again, but not much else. Gong Yoo is the main reason I would ever recommend this drama. His transformation from a troubled and rebellious teen to a maturing young man, and his struggle to deal with his forbidden love, was truly an impressive performance.
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This review may contain spoilers
When I think of Descendants of the Sun, the first thing that comes to mind is cheese! This show is extra cheesy, and honestly I love cheese! Unfortunately, I am also kinda lactose intolerant, so after eating a certain amount of cheese I am left with regrets, and a stomach ache. That's exactly how I felt after watching the last episode. *Cue the rage of a thousand fans* I think the biggest problem I had with this show is that it tried to mix in three genres without a coherent plot to bring it all together. It's part rom-com, part military drama, and part hospital sitcom. The love story is probably what makes most people excited about the show, the military scenes are a cool action bonus, and the hospital sitcom keeps things from getting too heavy and depressing. Unfortunately, because the script is so weak, I was too disconnected to keep caring about the show, and it started to become very boring. I kept watching for one reason only Song Joong Ki.
Song Joong Ki is oddly cast in a lot of ways. He has a super baby face, and boyish charm, but still managed to be a believable bad@ss soldier. I would easily rate his character/acting 10. Not only did I develop a 16 episode crush on him, but I really cared about his assignments. The show would have been a million times more enjoyable for me if they just let his story be the center, or rather, the bromance between Shi Jin, and Dae Yeong. Their relationship was my favorite part of the show. Their characters didn't have much depth individually, but their bromance was solid.
There is also great chemistry between Song Joong Ki, and Song Hye Kyo, but not much to their overall story. Every moment with them is exactly the same - they flirt, they separate, she gets mad, he's extra charming, they flirt again. Early on, I really started to dislike Dr. Kang Mo Yeon, which made it hard to sympathize with her anger at him. Eventually I started to like her a little more, but no matter how cute their flirty scenes, or how strangely amusing their brink of death dating was, their story is still repetitive, which gets old quick.
The 2nd leads also had a romance, that had a few more obstacles thrown their way (parents, distance, almost dying), but was just as repetitive - fight, confess, spontaneous affection, fight. It's like each story just filled in the same blanks for each episode. It was actually the older minor characters who had the most interesting love story. I thought Seo Jeong Yeon and Lee Seung Jun were really cute, and deserve an honorable mention.
The supporting cast was pretty good. Some were much better than others, and some were almost completely useless (the head of the hospital... that ditzy doctor... ugh). I had to bring the acting down to an 8 because of that, but the cast is really the only good thing this show has going for it.
What was the point of this drama? At first it seemed like a way to show how hard it can be to date a soldier, but because the show didn't take itself seriously, it was hard for me to take that too seriously, even with that emotionally manipulative 15th episode. The conflicts at the hospital were ridiculous, and mostly filler. The best episodes took place when the medical staff went overseas to Urk, but once that was over, the show seemed to have no clue what to do. Did they run out of travel budget, so they decided to just wing it for the last episodes? Even in Urk, the plot was super predictable, and totally unrealistic, but it was still very entertaining (yummy Cheese!!!). When they returned, my feelings about the show went downhill, and I was no longer excited about watching the next episode. Then suddenly things got very serious out of nowhere, only to end with the silliest (and worst) last episode I've ever seen in any drama (yes THE worst!). I wonder if episode 15 was the original ending, and then it was changed last minute to avoid a backlash. That's the only thing I can think of as an explanation for why it was so bad.
The music? meh. The scenery? epic. The english spoken? decent. The shirtless men running? Daebak.
Would I rewatch? Not unless someone makes an edited version of only scenes with Song Joong Ki.
Overall It's like they rolled a kdrama dice and just threw stuff in at random to get people hooked, then they just focused on all the ways they can successfully incorporate product placement. Maybe that was the real point, to see how many ads they could sneak into a drama.
Even though there were moments I really enjoyed, I can't recommend this drama, especially after sitting through that ending. I wish they cut it down to 10 episodes, removing all the unnecessary fluff, and sneaky ads (subway, hyundai, make up, coffee, snacks, hiking equipments, travel apps... umm... except for the self driving car, because that scene was actually cool ) then maybe it would be a drama worthy of all the hype.
Or maybe you can treat my review like lactaid. Now that you know what to expect, maybe you can better digest all the cheese this show has to offer.
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This review may contain spoilers
I must start this off with my necessary So Ji Sub drama review disclaimer. If he is in a drama, I already have a reason to like the drama... a lot. So ji Sub could do 16 episodes on a toilet, or preferably in a shower, and I will watch every single episode happily. So yes, I really liked this drama, but I am well aware of my bias, since I also had a lot of issues with "Oh My Venus". I'll start with what I loved about it, besides the obvious, and that's not only the main romance, but also the bromance. I think Shin Min Ah is such a great partner for So ji Sub. Their romance is full of clichés, while avoiding some others, but I was glued to my screen anticipating them getting together. They are a sort of "super pairing", and they don't disappoint. They had really great chemistry, a grown up sexy chemistry, even in her fat suit.
Oh yeah, let's talk about the "fat" suit. It's not really a spoiler to say that a transformation is inevitable, but I don't want to give too much away. I will just say that there were moments when I missed seeing her in the fat suit, because I got so used to seeing her character that way. She's very pretty skinny or chubby, and they did a really good job making her chubbier face look very realistic. I also appreciated that the transformation wasn't insultingly instant, and that it was for health, and not just looks. I was worried that the plot would be much more superficial than it was, especially considering S Korea's extreme beauty standards. This romance is less about wooing a guy with a makeover, and more about how opposites can attract.
So ji Sub's bromance with Sung Hoon and Henry Lau was another reason I became addicted to this drama. Kang Joo Eun is in an enviable position, getting to be around the three of them so much. The dynamic between the four of them was extremely fun to watch. I'll add the assistant/manager to the bromance, because he was great too! Of course Henry is extra cute all by himself, and surely a stand out favorite for most fans of the show.
What I really disliked was the supporting leads. Woo Sik isn't meant to be a likable character, but I guess Jung Gyu Woon played the part so well that I couldn't stand him at all (and he's played characters I despised before). I had zero empathy for Woo Sik, or his poor fashion choices. Then there's the equally unlikable Soo Jin. Even with her backstory, I still could not make myself like her even a little bit. Yoo In Young is also not the greatest actress. Although she played bitter very well, the rest of her performance fell flat. Way too much time was spent on their relationship. Plus, I thought them being together at all made absolutely no sense, which made their scenes hard to sit through patiently. Their story had more drama than the main couple at certain points, but I honestly just wanted to skip through their scenes.
I gave "story" a really low score because the plot just seemed too all over the place. The John Kim story was such a big deal at first, but then soon fizzled. Kim Yeong Ho's family issues were so hard to follow, and I still don't get why they were so dysfunctional. Hyun Woo's divorce was mentioned so many times, and it had no real use in the plot (maybe it's a bigger stigma that I realize? If not, it made no sense to keep bringing it up). Then there were matters of life and death that kept happening seemingly to fill the time.
Even the main love story fell prey to the curse of Kdrama Rom coms. That's when a drama is much longer than it should be, so they just throw in a bunch of random cute scenes with the main couple, and hope their chemistry will keep you watching. I waited eagerly for the last 2 episodes, but was mostly bored watching them. There was even an overload of flashbacks, and some obligatory product placement, to help them reach the 16 episode finish line. The romance does end in a pretty cute way, but the extra scene at the end was super unnecessary in my opinion, and proof to me that the writers were kinda winging it. Still, It wasn't all bad, because I totally loved the scarf!
The music was cute, and fit the show well. A couple of the songs grew on me after hearing them on loop, and I still hear them in my head while I type this. o.O
Overall, this drama owes it's success to it's cast (well, most of the cast). It's weird that although I will miss seeing episodes, I would have liked it much more if it was shorter, and it left on a high note. Personally, I'd only watch certain scenes again, or maybe I'd just skip forward through every scene that isn't about the bromance or the main romance. A re-edited version would have gotten much higher marks from me! Do I recommend this show? Of course. So Ji Sub + Shin Min Ah > Bad Writing (#math), and what the writers get right is that they play up the chemistry to the maximum, which is more than enough for most viewers.
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I am the farthest thing from a Do Kyung Soo fangirl, but I was extremely impressed with him as the young fish out of water Prince. He is matched with Nam Ji Hyun, who I liked in a few dramas already (Suspicious Partner & Shopping King Louie), but these two specifically had really great chemistry together. I loved their banter from the start, and I loved how strong willed and equally frustrating they both were at times. Every scene they had together was entertaining, and I often felt like I was watching a real couple not matter how unbelievable their circumstances. They also both handled comedic and tragic scenes extremely well. And I think that period dress suits them both quite well.
Actually, I pretty much loved the entire cast, even the ones who didn't have the strongest storylines. The town members were all great, and more than just comic relief. I was genuinely interested in their side stories as well. I love a great villain, and Jo Sung Ha was so good that I almost found myself rooting for him at times. Another thing I loved about the characters is that they weren't all good or bad. Moo Yeon is the perfect example of that, and it helps that Kim Jae Young is easy on the eyes (all black definitely suits him). The storyline is pretty simple but the characters were often complicated which kept me interested from beginning to end. I really can't think of any character that I thought was weak. Maybe a few were less memorable than others, but most were well played, and played well off of each other.
As for the story, I appreciated that it didn't become overly complicated, and that the political parts didn't drag or take away from the lighter feel of this drama. There were some sad moments, and some tragic parts of the story, but the majority of the story is a romcom with the kind of comedy that made me giggle more than lol. I also liked the way the story ended, which I obviosuly won't give away, but it made me feel like the story came full cirlce in a way that made sense. I could see myself watching the whole thing again and still enjoying it. It may not be on the top of my rewatch list, but it has more than enough charm to make me consider watching it all again.
Overall I would definitely recommend this to those who avoid sageuks because they are too serious, or those looking for a cute couple to root for against all odds. It may not have made it's way to my list of favorites, but now that it's over I feel very... uncomfortable. Am I the only one feeling uncomfortable? :)
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For me, the MVP of this drama is Kim Woo Bin. He's the reason I wanted to keep watching no matter what. He mastered the charming jerk persona as Joon Yeong, and I was impressed by his range in this drama (from confident smirk to ugly tears). The story is so over the top, so It would've been easy to over act, but his character felt natural and real the entire time, which makes this crazy story work. I definitely became uncontrollably fond of him (sorry, i couldn't resist), and not just because of his shirtlessness. I missed out on Heirs, so this is my first time watching him, but certainly not my last.
He is paired with Suzy, who I think is a pretty good actress (even in one of my least favorite dramas ever "Big"), but she had her work cut out for her playing Noh Eul. Noh Eul is an interesting character, but also a frustrating one to watch. She also has a lot of weird wide eyed moments in turtlenecks, that kept reminding me of Shelley Duvall in "The Shining". Suzy has great chemistry with Woo Bin, but I think his charm deserves most of the credit for that. Suzy makes Noh Eul likable, and easy to empathize with, but there are moments where her actions are pretty ridiculous. That's a reoccurring theme for most of the characters in this show. They do things that make no sense, but the actors are good so it's ok.
That brings me to the rest of the cast. I think they all did a really great job considering how completely unbelievable most of the characters are. Jin Kyung is stellar as Joon Yeong's mom, but the way the character was written annoyed the hell out of me. Im Joo Hwan played his duality well, but the more melodramatic the story got, the less I liked his character. The junior romance subplot was also pretty cute. All the characters were memorable to me only because of the performances, but the characters themselves were often contrived, and lacked any real depth.
Speaking of lack of depth, I think that is what stopped me from really getting into this drama. In the beginning I was drawn in by the flirting, but then story turned into a revenge plot filled with greed, and betrayal, and everything you've already seen in other melodramas. Soon I found myself just watching the boring revenge plot just so i could see what would happen to Joon Yeong. I think that was the one redeeming thing about the plot. The cast's performances in the last 2 episodes got me in the feels so bad I was emotionally exhausted by the end, and was definitely underprepared in the tissue department. I finished the drama satisfied, though not impressed, which sums up this drama pretty well.
Overall, this was a great display of Kim Woo Bin's talent, but a pretty forgettable drama. The soundtrack is forgettable, the plot is forgettable, and even the title is forgettable. Still, I was entertained enough to want to keep watching, and It also didn't feel too long at 20 episodes. It was certainly cliché, but there are enough unexpected elements to keep things interesting. Interesting enough to watch again? No.
If you like melodrama, and tragic romances, there are a lot of things to like about "Uncontrollably Fond". There is not enough actual romance to satisfy true romance fans, or comedy to even justify having that listed as a genre for this drama. You also have to completely suspend disbelief, be able to empathize with horrible people, and be willing to believe the unbelievable... which is not a crazy request in dramaland. I can only recommend this drama with the disclaimer "Buyer Beware".
They also totally missed an opportunity to promote tissue boxes with Woo Bin's smiling face on them.
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If your'e a fan of dramas with a great ensemble cast, this one is a must watch. There are no real leads, because each character's story feels important. Lee Yun Hee may be the leader of the tour, but she doesn't really feel any more important than the other characters. I guess "The Package" would be classified as more of a slice of life drama, but because France is such a romantic place, and the characters are literally "coupled off", it definitely feels very romantic (including some surprisingly passionate moments that can be rare in kdramaland). However, I don't just mean literal romance, but more exploring different types of love, and stages of love, and even self love. Part of the fun is getting to know about each relationship, so I won't say too much, only that things not always being as they seem is a major reoccurring theme.
The entire cast is excellent, but I did have my favorites, and not so favorites in the cast. First, I loved Jung Yong Hwa as Ma Roo, and the complete randomness of his character. It would have been so easy to make his character super annoying, but he's so charming that I had no choice but to like him. He's come a long way from his boyish charm in "You're Beautiful", and it was nice to see him as a more mature lead. I was less excited by Lee Yun Hee as So So, who's character did annoy me at times, but she definitely felt real and relatable. She also had to do double language duty, which I can't vouch for as far as accuracy, but if her french was really bad she faked it really well. The rest of the cast is endearing, and felt like real people as well, but the MVPs in my opinion were the older couple, who were frustrating, heartbreaking, and the absolute cutest. I've been on a group vacation once, with mostly strangers, and it definitely captured that dynamic well. The non vacation characters were a lot less developed, and except for So So's boss and brother, they weren't as memorable, but they were all well played.
The story telling is well done, and kept me interested the entire time. At the same time the stories are filled with clichés, some predictable and not so predictable twists, silly humor, and a lot of what felt like manipulating the audience's emotions. Like I said, this drama is big on misunderstandings, so they purposely present some moments in a way that will make you likely to misunderstand them. After a while the obvious misunderstandings were becoming fun, just because I loved watching the character's reactions. Another cool thing was how certain locations were incorporated in the story, so France wasn't just an arbitrary location, but a big part of each character's experience.
Would I watch this again? Definitely. When it was over I had the same feeling I usually have with a good vacation... Although I knew it was a good time for it to be over (12 episodes seemed like the perfect length), I also didn't want it to end, so it left me longing to return. Still, the ending was extremely satisfying, even with some major tropes in full effect, I loved it. It's also the perfect length to binge watch!
The soundtrack was great too, although I don't have any favorite songs, the music definitely added to the atmosphere of the show.
Overall, even with thoughtful themes of self discovery, and some moments that had me in serious tears, this was a mostly feel good drama that I needed. Expect to laugh, cry, and sigh deeply, and possibly want to book a trip to France. (I guess that Air France product placement was well spent). I wasn't sure what to expect when I started watching, but much like the characters signing up for this package vacation, I'm so glad that I decided to take the journey.
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Unpopular opinion but honest...
Ok, here is my unpopular opinion. After years of people recommending this drama, and so many perfect reviews, and a brand new season, and a pandemic, I decided to finally watch Stranger, and honestly, I was bored. I kept waiting to get sucked into the story and it never happened. I kept wanting to root for the blank-faced Hwang Shi Mok, but I was as indifferent to him as he looked. Bae Doo Na as Han Yeo Jin was the only character I really liked a lot, and I did think the Lieutenant and Prosecutor duo had some great moments together, but as for the story - mostly I was very VERY bored.I admit that I don't have much interest in political crime dramas. I prefer thrillers, and this is definitely more crime drama than thriller. It starts off with a thriller vibe, but the pace was very slow and even tedious to me at times. There are several characters who are duplicitous, which is the main focus of this story, but not as much actual action and suspense. Most of this drama is conversations, arguments, eavesdropping, thinking aloud... LOTS of thinking aloud... I consider myself to be pretty analytical, but the plot didn't grab me enough to justify dwelling on the details. There are twists, but nothing truly surprising. There was nothing that made me excited to tune in to the next episode besides mild curiosity.
This is the kind of drama where you really have to love the characters to like it, and I found most of them to be pretty forgettable. The main character, who should have been the most interesting considering his back story, was too flat. I can't necessarily blame any performance, the acting isn't the issue, it's just that I had a hard time caring about any of them based on the plot. One character, Shin Hye Sun as Young Eun Soo, seemed completely unreasonable to me and I just couldn't sympathize. Other characters started to feel one-note, with lots of corrupt, greedy, and ambitious tropes.
Would I watch this again? Clearly not. I was tempted to watch this mostly in preparation for the 2nd Stranger season, but I will most likely pass on that one too. Well, maybe I'll give episode one a chance... but just out of more mild curiosity.
Overall, if you are not excited by the story early on don't expect it to be more exciting later. Most of the action is in the very beginning and the very end. I did become more interested around episode 14 and that's a long time to watch and wait for some excitement. To be honest, I should have dropped this and left it at that but with so many amazing reviews I was tempted to see if it would all be worth it in the end. The end is well done in some ways, and everything does come together, but for me, it wasn't worth completing. I wanted to add my opinion just in case anyone has a similar feeling while watching and is on the fence. The payoff wasn't big enough for me to justify recommending this. The most disappointing part is how they barely go into the main character's backstory, which would have been far more interesting than just watching him be slightly smarter than everyone with a mostly emotionless face, and maybe would have made him less boring to me. I won't say it's overrated, but it's certainly not for everyone. If corruption dramas are what you love you will probably like this way more than I did. If you find yourself wondering if there's romance... you probably want to skip this one. The political thriller shows I like are more like "House of Cards", but If watching someone solve a jumbo puzzle for 16 hrs sounds like a good time, you're in luck, because that's what watching this felt like to me.
Part of me wonders if high expectations made me dislike it more, but that's also what kept me from dropping it for good.
This isn't my first time not liking a beloved drama, so I'm fine being one of the less impressed few.
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I decided to watch King2Hearts because of the 2 leads. Both Ha Ji Won, and Lee Seung Ki, have starred in dramas that are among my all time favorites. I just knew that they would be impressive together, and I was absolutely right. They both do what they are known to do well in this, without creating characters that seem recycled. Lee Seung Ki is used to playing obnoxious/spoiled characters that learn to change their ways/grow up. Jae Ha is no different, but the range, and maturity, of the role really shows what an impressive actor Lee Seung Ki has become. Ha Ji Won knows how to balance sweet with tough, which I loved about her character in Secret Garden. As North Korean Kim Hang Ah, she goes from cartoonishly girly and naive, to fearless and intimidating. I preferred when she was kicking butt, but also loved her vulnerability, and was amused that her biggest challenge was being feminine. Together, they had amazing chemistry from the start. They basically become a living metaphor of the North-South Korean conflict, and their romance is exciting, frustrating, sad, and inspiring to watch. In spite of the grand scale of their relationship, it's still portrayed realistically. During the first episodes, when I wasn't sure If I would like this drama, I already knew I'd at least love watching their love story.
Big fans of romance should know that even the supporting characters have a beautiful love story. Jo Jung Suk and Lee Yoon Ji were so great together, that I cared about them as much as I cared about the main couple. Their characters, their romance, and their specific story arcs, were strong enough to justify their own separate drama. That's the beauty of King2Hearts. There are absolutely no weak storylines, or weaklinks in the cast (except for some questionable english speaking roles, but that's easily overlooked, and normal for K-Drama).
The villains in this drama are the stuff nightmares are made of. In the beginning, I didn't know what to make of Club M's crazy John Mayer, and I was more confused, and amused, than scared. Now I realize that Yoon Je Moon was just slowly laying the foundation for a truly memorable psychopath. It was thrilling watching him go head to head with Jae Ha, and wondering what crazy thing he'd do next. He's certainly one of the best Drama villains I have ever seen. Creepy BonBon also deserves a mention as being the first non-Korean I've seen in a K-Drama who not only didn't suck, but was actually really good. Samanda Daniel plays the perfect twisted side kick, and definitely more than held her own.
The writers, and director, really did an amazing job of creating a realistic modern Korean monarchy, and making an accessible North Korea believable. The overall plot focusses on telling a great story more than doing what fans would want, or expect. I appreciated that, though some viewers may be more upset by certain choices by the writers. The direction is top notch. Not only is it beautifully shot, but the director's choices really added to the emotional impact of many scenes. There's one scene in particular, between Jo Jung Suk and Lee Yoon Ji, that was especially touching because of the direction. The pacing is also just right, knowing when to keep you on the edge of your seat, and when to slow down and take in a moment. The music greatly supports each episode as well.
Rarely do I give dramas a 10, but I couldn't justify anything lower. I look forward to rewatching it now that I know what to expect, and to revisit some of my favorite scenes (I've already rewatched some scenes several times). I think it would still be exciting the 2nd time around, even though I know what's going to happen, because it's all executed so well. I would highly recommend King2Hearts, unless you're specifically looking for something lighthearted, or simple. I'd also recommend being open to an ending that falls a little outside of the traditional 'happily ever after' mold. Even if you're not convinced in the first few episodes, I'd give it a chance, and keep watching. That's exactly what I did, and now I'm adding this drama to my top 5!
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The story centers around three main characters, brothers Baek Yi Kang and Baek Yi Hyun, and merchant Lady Song, and how their lives are all changed by the Donghak Peasant Revolution. Their relationship with each other isn't a traditional love triangle, but instead, it's more about how their roles directly or indirectly affect each other, rather than a traditional rivalry, which was a much more interesting dynamic to watch. I don't want to give anything away by saying too much, but they are each so good in their roles and how they relate to and interact with each other, that they didn't need a cliché romance plot to keep me engaged. Han Ye Ri as composed and calculating Song Ja In is formidable in her role, and I loved watching her hold her own in a mainly male dominant cast. I already mentioned that Jo Jung Suk is a favorite K-actor of mine, and he does display some of his usual charms as Baek Yi Kang, but it's nice to know that even with romance playing such a minor part in the story, he is still so good! However, surprisingly my favorite of the three characters is Yoon Shi Yoon as Baek Yi Hyun. His range in this drama is amazing and award-worthy (he's really come a long way from the king of baking lol), and his relationship with his brother is the true heart of this story. I can't imagine a better possible pairing, Junk Suk and Ye Ri had great chemistry, but it's Junk Suk and Shi Yoon that got me right in the feels.
I mentioned the three leads as the main branches of this plot but the reality is that every single character in this drama is important and well played. Choi Moo Sung may have the biggest shoes to fill as Jeon Bong Jun, but even the most minor characters end up being major parts of the story, and I loved watching how all the characters and their allegiances and relationships changed with each episode. The real history makes a lot of this story predetermined but it's the individual characters that keep the story unpredictable and exciting. I wish I could name every character I loved but there are just way too many. This really is a perfect cast all around, and I love that there's not always clear villains or heroes, which keeps things from getting too predictable.
That leads me to the writing, which is truly amazing. Yes, the beginning episodes take their time setting up who everyone is, the unfairness of ancient Joseon, and what's about to happen, but before I knew it I was totally addicted and wrapped up in the revolution. I also liked how historical moments were noted to make them clear but without distracting from the story. I appreciated the details in even the side plots that made me care more and made this turn of the century Joseon world feel more real. This is the kind of story that you can definitely watch again, and maybe catch things that you missed the first time. I can see myself watching this again, now knowing more about what really happened, although knowing how it ends may make some scenes a little less exciting.
It's hard to hate a soundtrack that takes a traditional song and plays off of it beautifully. I liked the rest of the soundtrack as well and thought the music was always well placed, but some of the songs were too forgettable for me to warrant a perfect score for music. The music definitely enhanced the mood, especially during battle scenes.
Overall, this drama is a practically perfect sageuk. It's much deeper than the usual fighting over status, family betrayals, corrupt politics, and ill-fated love story tropes that make up most dramas in this genre (although sometimes I love those too). In Nokdu Flower I loved the themes of fighting for equality, tradition vs change, struggling with identity/self-determination, figuring out what is really important in life and what it truly means to win or lose, loyalty and betrayal, and all the conflicting faces of "patriotism"... I have no idea how accurate it was overall but I did actually learn a lot while watching without it feeling too preachy or feeling like the history channel. It's also not so heavy that the story becomes too depressing, even if you already know the history. There's a little bit of romance, great action/war scenes, even many funny moments... and the characters may be mostly fictional, but the way they brought life to the story felt hauntingly real. I loved how many of my favorite characters got the spotlight they deserved in the story too, and that the ending didn't feel rushed and really honored the history it was celebrating. Sure, the bluebird song will probably get stuck in your head for a while from watching, but it's definitely worth it.
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I think the entire cast was excellent. Park Bo Gum is perfect. He is completely charming as the young Crown Prince. I totally fell for his smirk, and truly empathized with his struggle to become a true leader within a corrupt system. He is matched with Kim Yoo Jung, who I was very impressed with. Usually underage romantic lead actresses seem so obviously out of place to me, but she was a formidable leading lady, and the age gap wasn't so big. Beyond pulling off the gender-bender trope pretty well, she was also very believable expressing the range of emotions Ra On had to go through. They had an extremely cute chemistry, and seemed to be generally falling for each other. They are definitely the MVPs of this drama.
Aside from the main couple, there are two young actors who also deserve praise, Kwak Dong Yeon and Jung Jin Young. Byung Yeon was so bad@ss, and although a man of few words, his was the only character that made me actually cry. Jung Jin Young as Yoon Sung is the perfect second lead. I didn't exactly have second lead syndrome, but I came close a few times. The friendship dynamic between all four is complicated, which makes it even more interesting. Nothing is what it appears to be at face value, and that's the kind of storytelling I think this drama did well.
There are too many great minor characters to mention them all. I honestly can't think of a single weak link. The villains are extra villainous, and some of the more comedic characters are completely silly, but they all felt real, and not just included to fill up space and time.
This story is more complicated than it initially appears to be, so it's not as if I was ever really bored, but I still wish that the second half of the drama didn't lose all of the fun the initial episodes had. At the same time, it makes total sense to the story that it was told exactly the way it was, so maybe I was just in the mood to watch something lighter. I'm really trying hard to find something solid to complain about, but the music... the direction... the amount of episodes... it all worked well. Some aspects may have been a bit repetitive, which was frustrating at times, but that frustration served to motivate the Crown Prince, so I think it was necessary. It isn't exactly filled with epic twists either, which makes it not extremely exciting at times, but also not unnecessarily complicated.
Would I watch this again? Sure. I also wonder if being in the right mood to watch this kind of story would make me like it more. I also liked that it all ended with no loose ends, which made watching the whole thing more satisfying. Even the title is explained, which was a nice touch.
Overall, this is a great addition to the pantheon of guy-falls-for-girl-pretending-to-be-a-guy dramas. Lovers of historical romantic dramas should definitely watch. Romance fans should make sure they are ready to watch something that isn't lighthearted. I also think it's a great vehicle for some impressive young talent. I look forward to seeing what's next for them.
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I do think everyone in the cast was excellent, with no weak links, but Yeo Jin Goo is exceptional playing a completely convincing dual role as a King in the middle of a mental breakdown, and a clever clown forced to serve as his double. The fact that he is only 21 is amazing to me, and clearly means he has an awesome acting future ahead of him. The fish out of water/imposter storyline is pretty overdone, but this story is told with so much depth that it feels original and even plausible. His performance alone is enough to make me recommend this drama.
Although Lee Se Young is great as his love interest, and they have some sweet romantic moments, the relationships that interested me more were between Ha Seon and the Royal Secretary, Guard, and Eunich, and the host of villainous rivals within the royal court. Maybe it's because the character of Queen Yoo So Woon was so stoic that their romance felt more understated than exciting. Watching how Ha Seon faced the challenges of his dual life is what held my interest when the pace started to feel slow. A few characters are incredibly frustrating to watch like Ha Seon's sister, The Queen Dowager, and The Left State Councilor, and this also helped to keep the story exciting, and even had me wanting to yell at the screen more than once. The cast helped to make every aspect of the story feel authentic no matter what.
When it comes to the plot I am torn. I think it really was well written from beginning to end, but it still felt like it dragged in some moments. Even though the plot itself stayed interesting, with a few unexpected twists, this drama seemed to linger on certain moments for too long making me almost want to fast forward through some of it. This is the part where I admit that I may have just not been in the mood to watch this style of drama. Instead of enjoying watching the story slowly unfold I felt myself getting impatient while watching several times. That's also why my rewatch score is pretty low. Now that I know what happens it would be hard to watch this again without wanting to skip a lot of it. I'm a fan of this director's other dramas ("Money Flower", "Fated to Love You"), and I loved the way this drama looked, so I suspect that maybe the writers are more to blame when it comes to the overall pacing, including some longwinded dialogue at times too. Still, once I started rooting for Ha Seon, I knew I had to keep watching till the very end.
Overall fans of historical dramas should definitely watch "The Crowned Clown". Even though I shockingly didn't cry once, this is definitely a drama that may evoke emotions. Those looking for fast-paced action, romance with a lot of chemistry, or hilarious comedy should probably save this on their MDL queque for another time, but there's still enough action, romance, and comedy to make the story feel balanced, and not just non stop political betrayals and revenge. I'm personally glad I watched it, even if it didn't quite fit my current mood, and I definitely felt satisfied by the ending. What was good about this drama outweighed what could have been better. I'm certainly now a fan of grown-up Yeo Jin Goo for sure! I guess it takes a good actor to play a good actor.
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