Spring Day (2005)

There are times, I think, when nothing beats a KDrama from the early 2000s

"Spring Day" is a love story told in a triangle. So drama in drama feels right at home here. And "Spring Day" has a lot more to offer in the proven makjang-mix to really heat up the story. If the merry-go-round isn't going straight forward, than simply because it's going backwards.

Three is one too many. Being well aware of the consequences and where the story must lead towards, it is nevertheless the path that paves the series pleasure of cathartic ups and downs. You can get really upset about this and that. The rhythms of the soundtrack whip your emotions through the most varied of situations. The assorted mix of (by now long) proven actors give the protagonists their three dimensional profile. None of those characters is really grippy, smooth or edgeless, though. Whether brotherly relationship, romance or parental relationship, it´s all full of sometimes touching, sometimes pathetic ambivalences – sometimes hurting, sometimes soothing and hurting at the same time. In short, the KDrama presents quite some space for compassion and catharsis.

There are times, I think, when nothing beats a KDrama from the early 2000s. I couldn't have timed my ´Spring Day´ better (in Spring 2023). After a flood of stories about contemporary scheming, autocratic backroom politics, bullying among students and misogyny, "Spring Day" feels like an island in many ways. The world is not safe there, on the contrary. Makjang rocks the turbulence upwards. Nevertheless, there are 'only' personal destinies and family tragedies here that do not have the social impact of some current series topics. We get thrown around in an ambivalent emotional swell between 'soothing' and 'hurting'. In the end the story is told to the end. The ending may or may not please, but it has its ending. (A lot of recent KDrama with current underlying social issues tend to deep down leave a thorn after the end of the story, as the social swamp that fueled the story remains a given reality and lingers on…)



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By the way:
With "Spring Day" in 2005, Go Hyun-jung marks her comeback after a War-of-Roses divorce with a Jaebeol of the Samsung Dynasty. So in 2003 she actually had just finished her own Makjang drama personally. Eventually, she was able to free herself from the obviously tormenting clutches of her husband and his dominant, oppressive family, who (so it is said) permanently devalued her because of her humble origins, simply making use of her beauty for bearing pretty children. Yet the price for liberation was high. Above all, she had to leave her children behind and give up visitation and custody rights. Although she was able to re-establish her life somehow against all (by her husband´s family deliberately implemented) odds , she (so it is said) still is not allowed to see her children to this day.

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I've always wanted to see a real, full-blown love triangle in Korean dramas. The regular kdramas never quite satisfy my triangle-loving side. So I can say happily that Spring Days quenched my thirst for such a drama. I marathoned it like crazy finishing it in less than 3 days. In fact I am so satisfied that I'm not sure if I ever want to watch such an angst fest again in near future.

I enjoyed hating parts of this drama more than I enjoyed loving them. How ironic, I know! It had me pulling out my hair, screaming and cursing with frustration. I almost wanted to give up watching, and for some reason I couldn't. I was addicted badly to it. The characters were all crazy and nobody is normal in this drama. All their lives suck and every character suffers from deep guilt, abandonment issues, mommy issues, daddy issues and what-not. Plus, it being a melodrama had the tragic makjang also. All this craziness is what makes this drama complete. Perhaps all this seems a bit too much for me since I am not a melodrama loving person. For those who do watch melodramas, I can guess it won't be a big deal at all.

The acting done in this drama is way above than normal ones. The main leads are perfect at playing their roles. This drama does have a lot of crying in it, but some scenes have been done beautifully. Especially Ko Hyun Jung- who I've seen for the first time here was outstanding. She really knows how to pull off emotional scenes with perfection. In fact, I've not been so impressed with an actress in a Korean drama before. Jo In Sung went way overboard at times when he was crying or yelling, but at least his emotions came through to me as a viewer. Plus he's so good to look at. :D I liked the other actors too especially Han Go Eun who always plays her characters well.

As for the overall story- I thought it was good. It does have flaws and boring parts in it but it manages to be decent enough. I suppose I loved the characters most. This one is an entirely character-driven drama. I loved the fact that the characters were messed up and there was no good guy here. All characters were flawed- especially Jung Eun and Eun Sub.

Jung Eun is at first a female who has been closed off and living in a shell for years due to her sad past. Then she meets Eun Ho who helps her open up and they fall in love. She also meets his younger brother- the hot, self-centered and childish Eun Sub who also falls for her. Then you have a complicated story with brothers in love with the same woman. The only question here is who she will go to in the end.

I thought Eun Ho was perfect in the beginning but later on he sort of became redundant to me. I couldn't root for him as much as I did for Eun Sub. I didn't even love Eun Sub entirely. He was too flawed. But I have to say that Jo In Sung suited the role. Eun Sub makes for an interesting literary character who has an unhealthy, all-consuming love for the woman. Not just that, he needy and desperate for love and he shows it time and again. He was unlike other Kdrama guys that I have seen till now who usually remain closed off. Here you have a guy who shows that it isn't easy to close off once you have opened up. Apart from these characters I LOATHED their mother. She drove me crazy. She was beyond INSANE, I tell you! I didn't get why she kept beating up whichever female got close to her son. Crazy, crazy woman!

I think every person would want to root for the brother that I rooted for. He's the one who suffers like hell and also gets his deserved happy ending. In fact the ending is happy for almost every one. Sort of. That is why this is one of the best melodramas according to me. :)

This drama has an outstanding background score. I also loved the main song which they kept playing in every episode. It was simply perfect.

Since it was so tiring to watch, I will never rewatch it. Ever.

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Spring Days is an older drama but I was in the mood for an angsty romance and I wanted to experience something with Jo In Sung before his new drama appears…

Story: The synopsis says it all, meaning not much else is going on other than the back and forth of who the main female character will end up with. It really does get repetitive with all the angst and it would have been awesome if they ended it at ep 16. Its focus also lies in the repairing of the relationships in the main family (their a dysfunctional bunch). Although the ending was short I was happy with the outcome of the romantic pairings.

Acting/Cast: Im going to start off with Jo In Sung, because hes an actor Im least familiar with. From the first episode, I was impressed with his acting abilities. His character felt real all throughout and he had the most crying scenes and they were just so belivable that he almost made me cry! Our other male lead is the great Ji Jin Hee, someone who I have seen in other dramas and ive come to appreciate. As for the leading lady, Ive seen Whats UP Fox so I know that shes a vet and wasn’t surprised by her amazing acting skills. I did wanted to mention that two leading actresses are in here and although their characters had small parts compared to the other big names, their characters stood out and that’s because of the acting talents by Han Go Eun and Lee So Yeon. Oh yeah and the actress that plays the crazy mom is the same one from Stairway to Heaven so you can expect the same insane performance.

Music: They played the 2 same angsty songs over and over again.

Rewatch: Good pacing and great chemistry makes this something I would consider watching again in the distant future.

Overall Spring Days is a must watch for the best male lead character Ive seen in a Korean drama ever.

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Side note: I love seeing these old dramas with plots and elements that still heavily influence the modern day dramas. The use of amnesia is an integral part of the story of Spring Day. But the plot felt truly earned and it never once felt like a lazy plot device as it had a real impact on how the rest of the show was mapped out and was concluded throughout the show rather than it being done in a few episodes, quickly forgotten about. It’s nice.

The synopsis is vague and misleading, although it’s true in some ways. While Seo Jung Eun has a relationship with the brothers, there is more nuence to the story. Spring Day goes deep into portraying the many different types of love that one could have, and the ways of showing that love. And it's not just the triangle with Jung Eun, Eun Sub, Eun Ho. The way Kim Kyung Ah and Kim Min Jung show it is unique to them. Eun Sub claims many times that he doesn’t love Kyung Ah but the way he worked to get her out of debt (and danger) shows that he did to an extent. She thought so too. Even Eun Sub and dad had their own ways of expressing it. This had many interesting thoughts on the subject. The love triangle was somewhat complex and nuanced with each step carefully taken to set each option up and end it in a way where we come satisfied, which is difficult. Here’s my take on it: Jung Eun appericed what Eun Ho did for her, bringing her out of her shell and giving her reason to live on but she didn’t truly love him. She never once said that she was and whenever the topic came up, she’d brush it off or it’d feel forced. Sme with
Eun Ho to her. He liked what she represented, being similar to his long lost mother but not her. However Jung Eun and Eun Sub were truly in love. Their first interaction was a special one where they bonded together even while one was sleeping. The attraction was instant. They only developed it more and more as they spent time with each other, which Jung Eun & Eun Ho didn’t do. One was a pipe dream, one was more rooted in reality.

Eun Sub is such a fascinating character. He is emotionally driven, he cries a lot, screams in anguish when he’s unhappy or sad. There is a lot of hidden trauma to his character, same with Jung Eun which is why they work better. There were many subtleties to the relationship and its characters that can only be captured with incredible performances which this had in abundance. He, like the rest, was highly flawed but he wasn't a bad person. He is such an interesting character and one of the reasons why I liked Spring Day so much. Eun Ho was less flawed but there wasn't the same depth to him unlike Eun Sub. Once his arc with the amnesia storyline concluded, his character got somewhat dull and lame to me. I wonder if that was done purposely but the 3rd act for him isn't a compelling one. I do think the 3rd act did drag as well. Some of the most captivating parts of the show were the setup and character building which makes sense given how character driven this is. Spring Day is out the people involved and the cting, rather than the story which was effectively done, too.

I’d recommend this to anyone. It had a lot of things to say and interesting ways to present that.

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