The Spring Day of My Life (2014)

Here it is spectacular not to be spectacular - yet touching and powerful in all simplicity

"The Spring Day of My Life" fulfills the Rom+/-Com concept in a very balanced mix. The humor is not exaggerated, but has an effective, calm charm with its sometimes true-to-life, sometimes intelligent wit. The equipment does NOT want to present the latest from the high-end in terms of fashion & beauty, and the styling is also reserved. Since the KDrama comes along more on the authentic side, the 'Melo' in 'Drama' is also moderate - it doesn't come across as intentionally pathetic, but it goes straight to the heart with all its consequences. This KDrama offers a love story that has a light-hearted side and is giving pleasure while it doesn't strain any fairytale happiness. Yet it rather chooses authentic dramaturgical paths for the development of the story. Optional use for the handkerchief included.

"The Spring Day of My Life" presents itself as a grounded love story about a single widower with two children and a young woman who, after a heart transplant, carries the heart of his deceased wife. The New Heart with Cell Memory theme is not new to KDrama Orbit. In my opinion, however, there is nothing wrong with picking up on it and telling it anew.

In short: the spectacular is nothing spectacular here, but rather the art of telling a touching love story in all simplicity, yet surprisingly vividly. The two leads marvelous performance makes it work, too. For many, they may not be so well known, but they effortlessly take the audience by the hand. This is Cho Soo-young's first lead role (as far as I know). Kam Woo-sung, on the other hand, has been on screen since the early 1990s - his series partner was still in diapers then... He's an unorthodox, pleasantly idiosyncratic figure on the hero/antihero front. His playing comes without perfected beauty, well-placed chocolate sides and enchanting smiles, but he primarily inspires with his presence, intensity and in places minimalistic efficiency. He always embodies his roles forcefully, authentically and to touch. He doesn't have to collect sympathy points, on the contrary - he likes to show his grumpy, nagging, nasty side.

Obviously the producers were quite generous with flashbacks, but other than that, I don't think there's much to complain. If you're not looking for overly superficial, yet not overly sophisticated entertainment - this KDrama offers comforting heart-ache-smile-and-sigh.

Read More

Normally I am not into dramas like this. I'm so glad I made an exception and watched this drama. TSDOML is a emotionally fulfilling drama that made me somehow hopeful and happy through all the crying. The story isn't anything new or exceptional, but that is what makes it so great. The simplicity of the story is the charm or it all. The writer introduces characters that everyone can relate to if you are a parent, child or lover. It is beautifully portrayed even though some of it is long and there are more flashbacks than are necessary. I didn't give it a perfect score, because I sometimes felt like the director should just let the viewer feel with out the flashbacks. Other than that the drama was really good.

The acting is excellent. Unexpectedly the chemistry between Kam Woo Sung as Dong Ha and Choi Soo Young as Bom Yi is palpable. The age difference between them in the drama is 18 years and in real life is 20 years. I think some people might have a problem with it. However, Bom Yi is the kind of person in whom everyone would fall in love. Bom Yi's personality is well written and portrayed. Choi Soo Young is beautiful and seamlessly kept balance between optimism and depression I have totally fallen for Kam Woo Sung. His portrayal of loving strength is perfect. I would definitely want to be in a relationship with that kind of person. I am now going to find time to watch every thing he has done. The other actors are good too, but I came to not care much about anyone other than the main leads and the children,

The music is beautiful.

I won't rewatch this, but I can see someone might want to rewatch it.

I highly recommend this drama.

Read More

“If there’s a chance that I’ll be reborn, I’ll make sure I”ll be healthy in my next life and I will love you much more and much longer than I did in this life. Then I’ll be the one who’ll protect you.”
Finally got around to watching dramas again. Real life is so demanding sometimes, however I’m so pleased that I chose to continue and finish this drama. I had watched a few episodes while it was airing but like I said real life had gotten in my way and I wasn’t able to finish it till now. If you have read my reviews before, you know that I’m a huge melodrama fan, and though this isn’t strictly a melodrama..it had all the aspects I love about melodramatic dramas. I found myself crying in almost every episodes, and I love that. I love the fact that the writing in this drama actually made me care about the characters, all of them, and worry about what would happen in the end. I must say though, that I was a little worried about watching this drama in the first place. It seems I’m always a little cautious about drama with idols in them. I had never watched any other dramas where SNSD’s Sooyoung was the main female, so I was a little hesitant to say the least, since many of the SNSD girls have kind of disappointed me in their dramas.

Cellular Memory, the thought that maybe the organs donated by people may retain the memories and feelings of those who have passed, will be passed on to those who receive the transplant is a really interesting concept. I am no stranger to this, and have seen many movies, and read up on the subject. It is an interesting theory, and it depends on who you ask when they come to believe this. A drama set somewhat around this premise was something that really drew me to it. However, the drama is more about love, life, and death, and how donating can change a person’s life since it was stated in this drama that Korea has one of the lowest percentages of donors in the world. Though the drama starts with the nation of Cellular Memory and some hints of medical, we do stray away from those theories and medical related content for most of the drama, in my opinion. This drama leans way towards the romance aspect of its genre and there isn’t anything wrong with that. Romance between large age gaps, can sometimes be a complicated thing to film, and show especially since Sooyoung is a idol, but I thought they did it justice. They didn’t nee to me physical to show the love and emotions they had for each other, and it showed how they were connected on a much deeper level than just that, and I think it worked out so well for this drama.

I thought the acting in this drama was so good. I really appreciated the cast in this drama. They gave it their all, for the level they were up to acting wise, and I never thought to myself that they seemed awkward or out of place in the drama, which can happen from time to time in many dramas (even those that are good). Kam Woo Sung did a great job as the leading male, he was charming and he played the character well. I could see why someone would fall in love with him, his rustic charms came through perfectly in his portrayal of the character and he seemed realistic, and not fake and that could come from both his acting skills and the writing. Sooyoung surprised me a lot in this drama. I didn’t know how I would feel about her, but I think she fit the role perfectly. Is her acting mind-blowing, no, but she did the role justice and that’s all I can really ask of her for right now. She hasn’t been the MAIN in a drama that many times, and I think she did a great job for the character she was portraying. It was great to see Lee Jun Hyuk again, though he is second leading male and that makes me sad. I want him to be leading male so bad, because I think he is such a great actor and deserves it. I haven’t seen him in a drama where he was, so that kind of bothers me..not saying I have seen all his work..but from what I have seen he does a really good job and this drama is no exception. Though many people may not be on board with his actions, as a character, I think he had good intentions and he does actually care for Bom Yi..maybe not in a romantic way per-say but he does care for her. I thought he put on rather great emotional scene and he made me feel for him. I thought he fit perfectly in this role and I love seeing him in dramas. I may be a little bit of a fangirl..forgive me. I would love to talk more about the cast, however this review is getting a little long, but I thought the cast was amazing. They had some really talented actors and actresses in this drama that spans many ages and I enjoyed them all!

Overall I thought this drama was great. It really hit my heartstrings hard and tried to pull me apart. The OST and cinematography in this drama was beautiful and helped elevate the great writing and acting in this drama as well. The ending however, is up for debate on what actually happens. It is an open-ending and I know many people do not like that, however I do enjoy them. It is up to you to maybe put the pieces together and figure out what really happens in the end. However the answer is not set in stone, and many people like to point in a certain direction and say yes THIS IS what happened however, unless the write comes out and says “well this is actually what happened” I think its fair to say that you may interpret it however you want, just be aware that the ending may not satisfy everyone, though I was very much okay with it. I think this drama was beautiful and it had me in tears through most of it. If you enjoy romances, which this is such a sweet one, and melodrama (which are my life) I think you would most likely enjoy this drama. It may not be an outstanding melodramatic drama, no, but it gets the job done and I cant fault it for that because it did take me on a emotional journey and I will definitely remember it for that.

Read More

After I've finished this drama I found questioning myself what this drama has that I loved it so much?

There's nothing special in it, even opposite, it's a drama where the story is ordinary with a cardiovascular person and another person who lost his wife and since then he lived a life like it's not worth it. And that was untill he met Bom Yi, a sick person with his dead wife's heart. From the moment when they met the stong bond was formed and since then they couldn't live without each other.
Her's unselfishness, goodness, kindness made not only him, but also me love her. She's conscious about her sickness, she knows that she can die every second, but she's not trying to run from it yet she's opposing it by living her life to the fullest. She met Dong Ha and they fell in love.
All I can say is that I'm really surprised by Soo Young's acting. While I was watching it I never felt like watching an idol yet a talanted actress who deserves all the praise.
Kam Woo Sung potrayed a man with a two kids who has lost a wife, but when he met Bom Yi his life changed. His relationship with a family became better and he once again started feeling love.

A beautiful cinematography, Udo island, nice OSTs, a heartwarming feeling have followed me through the whole drama and that's why I can't easily forgot it. At most of the moments this drama reminded me of one of my favorite movies "A walk to remember" and that beautiful quote "Love is like the wind. You can't see it, but you can feel it."
How much this drama has clichés that much has a maturity in it. Their interactions with each other, conversations, words are full of meanings and it gives you a lesson about a love, life and hope. And that's why this drama will always be in my heart like a spring that came into my soul and stay there till eternity.
~"To keep you in my eyes and in my heart, so I can engrave you there."

Read More

The synopsis isn't really what made me watch this drama. But I saw the posters and the trailer and it made me curious.

-People say that you can do anything if you try hard enough, but the truth is that there are some things you can't do no matter how hard you try. But they do happen. The only thing we can do in those cases is pray. We can only pray, for miracles.

For now, let me tell you about the beautiful miracle that happened to us-

The quote was from the first episode and I pretty much fell in love with the drama after reading this. From start to end, everything was just done beautifully. The acting is just so good, I was able to relate to all characters. I was surprised about how things seemed natural. Everything just felt real. Didn't hate anyone, but loved everyone so much.

I have never watched Kam Woo Sung or Choi Soo Young in any dramas before and they were a revelation here. KWS' understated acting just blew me away. He can channel his feelings thru his eyes. I felt his every emotion. When he cried, I cried, too. I became happy when he was happy.

All praises for his co-star as well. Choi Soo Young held her own against the veteran actors and actresses in the drama. I can't believe this is her first lead role. She was amazing here!

Aside from the OTP, I fell in love with the whole family. I also absolutely adored the father-daughter relationship here. It's just so real, and so good. It made me feel warm all over. The young actress who played the daughter has been wonderful.

The script is pretty solid, and cinematography is gorgeous.

No birth secrets, no jerk chaebol, or no Cinderella in need of rescuing. This is one of the most refreshing dramas I have watched, definitely different from the usual melodramas we've seen so far. What I also really like about the drama was that everyone just dressed simply. We don't see the heroine wearing fancy dresses or lots of make up. We don't see the CEO with a flashy sports car.

I got warm and fuzzy feelings all over while watching the drama. But I cried buckets, too. Overall, I feel that this is one of the most beautiful dramas I have ever watched.

I recommend it to everyone who wants to love and be loved.

Another favorite quote from the drama:

- To keep you in my eyes and in my heart...
So I can engrave you there... (Dong Ha)

Read More

This wasn't a bad drama, but to be honest, it didn't touch me as much as other people from the reviews i read. It wasn't bad but i found it generally slow, not boring but slow. More Specifically:

STORY
The description of the story is somewhat misleading. The show doesn't explore the cellular memory subject that much. Don't expect here any medical exploration of the term or anything like that. This is totally a true love drama, the cellural memory is just the base of the love story. Basically we have a girl who got a heart transplant and she meets, a few years after her surgery, the husband of her heart donor. And we watch their love story unfold. The show focuses a lot on the difficulties an inter-generational couple faces nowadays (the age difference between the 2 leads is 18 years in the show and 20 in reality).

I have to say the story is set up very beautifully, nicely, and complicated enough to keep things interesting, but not confusing. (mini spoiler ahead) Her new love interest (who is the husband of her heart donor) is related to her current boyfriend.

My main problem with the story was that, it took them forever to understand their feelings and embrace them. And when they did, the reasons they had for not being together weren't important enough for me. Sure the affinity subject made things more complicated, but in my opinion that gets resolved fast. The show was a constant back and forth. What i mean is that, while the show has a brilliant base story here, the plot wasn't just underdeveloped but barely developed at all to be honest.

In my opinion, here we have a very obvious case of the writers being afraid of making rapid and interesting story developments so the show doesn't get controversial. They have so many nice characters that are connected in unique ways, explore these connections, make the love triangle more complicated, so there can be serious reasons for the main couple to not be together. There was so much potential wasted. What i want to say is that i wasn't "wowed" enough. Everything was mild. I've seen other kdramas based on true love ect, that had some seriously wowing scenes, here everything was just... mild.

Overall, the story wasn't bad, i've just seen better kdramas about true love, with faster plot developments. What i got here was some mild dramatic feels, and some mild comedy feels. I've seen dramas that were better in both aspects. The show was very enjoyable but because it was slow, it failed to make me cry that much (and i cry easily) and failed to make me laugh that much too.

ACTING
The awkward moment when you like Sooyoung's acting better than her singing, lol. I know Sooyoung very well, because i'm a fan of Girls' Generation (she is a member of the group), and of course her being an idol made me think twice about watching this drama. If you have the same problem, don't make this stop you from watching. Sooyoung was great. She wasn't mind blowing, but noone was. She held her own in front of veteran actors. If i didn't know she was an idol, i wouldn't have guested she wasn't an actress originally.

The male lead was wonderful too. I loved the way he portrayed a 40something man with kids. His acting was very good indeed. Everyone did a wonderful job at their part, i have nothing bad to say about the acting. Best part of the show in my opinion.

RECOMMENDATION/REWATCH
Would i recommend this? Hmm, well, i've seen better dramas, as i've said already, both in the comedy and in the dramatic department. This was good, but nothing mindblowing. If you are a fan of true love dramas you'll like it, but would i rewatch it? no, not really.

OVERALL
This was a solid drama, i can't say i didn't like it, the good acting helped a lot too. I loved the way they portrayed the intergenerational relationship. The base story is wonderful too, the show could have been a lot better if the plot took some more complicated turns along the way to keep things interesting. I like my dramas with some ups and downs, and this felt like a straight line. The ending was sad, people want to see it in a positive way, but i can't. Its not that i didn't like it, but it was just sad, while it didn't need to be...

Read More

Seriously, after watching the end I was really in hard battle , I am a person who profoundly believes that every drama , got its own vibe that could tell you right from the start how it will goes .. whether it would be a total time waste or a Master piece ..

Since first episode , I knew this drama will be a Master piece, a total 10 ., the Leads, the acing , the music , the cinematography , the pure , heart felt dialogue, even the faint touch of humor were all sending this sign..

Yet , the main reason I fell in love with this drama – Yes I kept all the episodes on my mobile to watch daily – was it how beautifully reflected the meaning of hope, struggle and success ..

Now moment of truth…I know that the last message of organ donation was main message from the writers , yet should it have been reflected with such depressing ending?

I believe every writer – before giving a tragic ending to any drama – should ask himself , what would be the strongest message to viewer regarding my cause in this drama..

A happy ending reflecting triumph of hope and life for who we knew deserved it?..

Or a Tragic ending with glimpse of light (Hope for Others) ?

Who am I kidding!!.. of course this drama is a 9 only because of the ending , it really annoys me that I am not giving it a 10, Yet still , fair to say one of the best drams of 2014 , it was really a good drama year ..

It will be a real challenge to re watch the drama still , but I know someday I will definitely check my PC to re watch the lovely story ..

Read More

Good but if sad is not for you avoid this one. If you don't mind or like sad this is good

6/10 is my rating. This is a 2014 South Korean television drama series with 16; 60 minute, episodes. It is known by the alternate titles “The Spring Days of My Life”, “The Spring of My Life” and “Springtime of My Life”.

Lee Bom-yi (Choi Soo-young) was sickly most of her life until a miracle happens for her and she receives a heart transplant. Well aware that the gift she received was likely from someone else’s tragedy she vows to do whatever she can to honor her donor’s gift of life. Dr. Kand Dong-wook (Lee Joon-Hyuk) falls in love with the kind and brave Bom-yi and they are set to get married. He had a one sided love for his brother’s wife and was heartbroken when they announced their engagement. He never told his brother but it drove a wedge in their relationship. Dong-wook knows Bom-yi has his late sister-in-law’s heart but decides not to tell her for fear she would seek out his brother and become his brother’s wife out of a sense of duty. Fate and cellular memory (a phenomenon where a recipient takes on some mannerisms and feelings of their donor) seem to have other things in store for the trio. Bom-yi winds up meeting the widower Kang Dong-ha (Kam Woo-sung) and his two children when she travels to the island where her donor passed. Her mission was to honor her donor but, while there, she finds herself drawn to the widower and his children and he, for the first time in years, sees in her someone he may be able to love again. Neither know, at that time, their connection through Dong-wook nor do they know the connection through Bom-yi’s heart. Is it a strange twist of fate that Bom-yi and Dong-ha keep running into each other even when, after finding out they are soon to be family, they vow to stay apart. Or is something, on a cellular level, drawing Bom-yi to the man her heart once loved? Is Bom-yi and Dong-work’s love strong enough to withstand love that exists at a cellular level?

Spoiler ? Let me start by saying this is sad. The premise is good and interesting. I really like Dr. Kang and the first part of this sad mess is when he loses her. I never stopped liking him nor feeling sorry for him. I really liked all the characters. I thought there was great character development and it was all very believable and real. The acting was outstanding by the actors of all ages. But it ended very sad. I kept hoping it would not end sad, there were so many other possibilities but it did. And it took every good feeling I had about the movie and crushed it. If you do not mind sad stories or even prefer them then you might disagree with me and rate this one higher. If you do not like dramas that end sad and are laced with sad moments then avoid this. There are too many feel good dramas out there to waste hours of your life in a story that ends tragically. I would not recommend this one.

Read More

Wow. She actually died. That was a shock for me. There are quite a few dramas involving deaths, especially when kids are involved, that would benefit from the character dies but they don't do it, for understable reasons (a happy ending is a happy ending) but they concluded the story in a sad, yet still, satisfying way. Everyone got closure, said their goodbyes, tried everything and left with no real regrets. It's unfortunate that the kids don't have a mother once again but I guess they will have loving grandparents instead. The story isn't straightforward either. There is an age difference, unfortunate past (which is clearly a no-no) on both sides, illness, plus she is initially engaged to our male protagonist's brother. There are a lot of things against our hero's which makes their time together that much more valuable and loving.

Read More

The most important part of a drama for me is the first episode and the last episode. The first episode should be interesting enough to make you wanna watch the second episode. It determines the viewer's mood in watching the whole drama. On the other and, the ending has to be memorable enough for the viewers to remember the story story and the tittle which will make them recommend it to their friends. Luckily, This drama was able to deliver both! I was crying my heart out at 4 in the morning because of the last 4 episodes!

The cast are great. I think I can fill a bucket if I gathered all the tears that the lead female dropped LOL.

Read More