The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (2018)

I'll write this review for those who have watched the Japanese version of One Million Stars Falling From the Sky. I was originally hesitant to pick this one up because even though the original story was pretty wonky, I'm a huge fan of Kimura Takuya and Sanma because they have such great comedic chemistry together (especially the Christmas and New Year's variety specials they do~) and 100MM Stars was really the starting point of their on-screen collaboration.
For those who aren't familiar with 100MM Stars, it was to Jdrama was Fashion King was to Kdrama. I'm the type of M fan that still loves them both, so don't trust my taste too much.

I usually can't stand watching Korean remakes because they tend to copy every~single~detail~ and invite endless comparisons, usually, for the worse. In this case, while the details more or less matched up the broader plot changed dramatically. The story is much tighter, fills in tons of plot holes, and is much kinder. For example, you get an explanation of why and how the two leads got together that actually made sense (gasp!).
That said, I couldn't help but remember the absolute wretchedness of the original at certain key points—I think a lot of scenes that should have totally fallen flat for the Korean-only viewers had me practically in tears, and vice-versa. So don't take this review as reliable if you don't have the BG of 100MM Stars.

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes was a very pleasant surprise. I accidentally started watching because of Seo In Guk (The titles are different! The story starts out differently! How could I have known what I was getting into??). He brought a whole new image to the MC. Rather than Kimura's short-tempered abrasiveness, Seo channeled more of a cool-headed psychopath type of character. It was only until quite late in the series that he really started to overlap with Kimura's style/mannerisms and I really began to miss Kimura deeply (at a certain angle, in those same clothes, with that hair color...). I actually really like the MC's new job working in a brewery (less comparisons to SxS's champion cook!) and being able to see his interactions with his coworkers opened up a new dimension to the character. Seo eventually evolves into a softer, more self-assured version of the MC that is pleasing to the eye.

Seo's scenes with Park Sung Woong really couldn't match up to Kimura-Sanma's—the vicious but clever back-and-forth banter, the overwhelming tension in their relationship—all of that is gone. There was much less interaction between these two characters, and it boiled down to one simple flow (distrust -> trust layered with guilt as Park learned more about Seo's background — compared to Sanma never trusting Kimura, but gradually coming to pity him as their relationship constantly flips back and forth). That said, if you're not used to watching makjang Kdramas some of Park's interactions with Seo come off as absolutely ridiculous; maybe it was an effort at "localization". I was deeply unimpressed with the older brother character, despite adoring Park as an actor.

To fill in the duo's missing scenes, we get Jang Young Nam as a brand-new character starring as Park's buddy-cop and she really does a great job of driving Park's role to its depths. She's a strong, confident and lively breath of fresh air among all the testosterone and provides a healthy balance against the head-smashing vapidness of the young ladies chasing Seo. Her presence was deeply appreciated, not least because 100MM Stars felt like an anti-women anthem.

Speaking of, Jung So Min as the female lead had great presence, strong acting (better than Seo), and was all-around an improvement on Fukatsu Eri's character. She single-handedly delivered so many scenes; without her, this remake would have collapsed. The script dragged her back at times, but she delivered with sensitivity and talent.

Smile cut out a lot of empty filler from 100MM Stars and packed it with background plot (minus some emptier staring-down-the-street scenes that seem to be in fashion with Kdramas recently). Much, much better than hours of repeatedly being subjected to "boiling kettle flashbacks" and "handball tournament training". There was actually one scene where Seo played with that damned handball—I cried from the bottled-up repressed trauma, but I'm not sure what first-time viewers saw in it as the detail popped up out of nowhere.

Maybe it's because 100MM Stars really tore out my heart, but I appreciated Smile's shift to a happy ending (well... a happier ending). If you're still harboring damage in your heart because of 100MM Stars, I recommend this as your therapy. I'm not sure it stands up among the Kdramas greats.

Read More

I have never been so conflicted about scoring a drama on this site. I landed at the solidly middle of the road 5.5 after much thought and consideration. My main reason for this drama's lackluster score is its pacing. I found myself frequently either bored or overwhelmed with information; sometimes in a single episode. The pacing of this drama ruined the impact of the melodramatic plot points and left me feeling frustrated with the story as a whole.

Though I was tempted to include spoilers in this review because of how much i disliked certain plot points towards the end of the drama, I have decided to keep it spoiler free. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes is at its core a murder mystery. The drama opens with this murder and it is the lens through which all of the characters are introduced to the audience. From this murder the rest of the plot builds. For the first 5 episodes or so this plot device works wonderfully. The audience is left guessing as to who did it and everyone is looked at with an air of suspicion. However, by around episode 8 I felt this plotline had already been dragging for at least three episodes. New plotlines and elements which the show clearly wanted the audience to focus on more than the original murder were being introduced and yet were not being developed because the original murder was still hanging over the characters. This is the first instance of bad pacing in the show and I felt from here it only got worse. The most glaring issue with the second half of the drama is the fact that many of the plot twists or reveals have been figured out by the audience well before the show confirms them. I was left saying to myself 'Come on already. We KNOW! Just get to the point' frequently. I feel that a well paced show should not leave a viewer feeling this way. But the thing that I disliked most about The Smile Has Left Your Eyes is the general plotline/reveal of episode 14. It greatly impacts the show's finale, predictably as it is only two episodes later, and was so frustrating and disturbing. It truly tainted the drama for me and I wish the writers had just excluded it altogether.

This drama of course had many good elements. The acting for one was excellent and I felt that Park Sung Woong in particular was amazing. The general overarching plot was interesting and the cast of characters were very well developed. However, for me, these good aspects of the drama could not overcome the pacing issues that ran throughout the plot.

Overall The Smile Has Left Your Eyes was decent. A drama that could have been so much better but that fell prey to an all too common pacing issue many other dramas have faced before. I'm glad I watched it but would not do so again.

Read More

I have never been this obsessed over a Kdrama, and I rarely give a perfect 10 to any drama, I always find flaws. All the right ingredients are already in: thriller, tragedy, suspense, romance. Each episode glued me to the seat and I couldn't stop watching. YouTube platform is here for the blame as it was the one who filled my feed with videos of the series, at first I wasn't sure I want to watch it, but it captivated me more and more and it took me less then 2 days to finish it. It's the first Kdrama I see with Seo In Guk but he gave such an amazing performance and had an excellent chemistry with Jung So Min, its really rare to see it in Kdrama series. To summarize it I will say it that it was EPIC.

Read More

shattered heart

Can't even begin to explain how this drama made me feel. It's been a while since I last cried so much.

I don't want to drag on and write a long ass review cause I can't put my thoughts in order.

What I liked the most about this drama was the chemistry between the two main characters, they made my heart pound so much. Their scenes are simply beautiful.

The last two episodes broke my heart, and I can't even explain all the things I felt when finishing it. I literally cried for half an hour, that's how broken and shattered my heart was.

The other thing that I liked the most was the ost, the musicalization in general. Good choices, good tracks that go along with the scenes. Beautiful.

Don't know what else to say, it's a good drama to just cry and cry. Though the story is good and it made me suffer a lot, the best of the drama are the characters themselves.

Read More

did they just end it like that ?!!

one of the dumbest endings i've ever watched
like after the bitch told him they were siblings
i know he was shocked and frustrated but still his character is supposed to be
smart , not at that moment , a day or even two days after , he should have checked
and not just take the bitch'word , and there were a lot of obvious ways
there is something called DNA test these days you know
and why didn't he think that if they were really related , her brother would've known and told him , DUUUH
and the ending , how the F did their killer know the place , if he had a phone they could trace
the police would've already cought him , if he followed the MC it may make sense but still
i feel like they wanted to avoid a cliche happy ending but messed up everything else instead

Read More

Apology in advance: Difficult to fully summarise my issues with this without spoiling it so you'll have to forgive me if any of this sounds like it's without substance.

This story was amazing, until it wasn't. It was gripping, and I really enjoyed the twisty paths the author takes us on trying to figure out who did what, who is who, who is who in the past, who knows who already and who knows what other strange questions are unravelled throughout. Really clever, a complex unravelling that I really enjoyed.

The acting was superb, Seo In Guk - who i'd seen previously in a radically different role (goofy, light hearted etc) in Shopaholic Louie was amazing in this role as a much darker character with clear "damage". He keeps you on your toes throughout trying to work out if he's just got baggage from the past, or if he's actually missing some key parts of his humanity. Jung So Min I saw previously in Because this is my first life, and in many ways it's a similar type of character so was instantly familiar. The third main character was Park Sung Woong who I saw last in "Remember" - plays Jung So Min's older brother and police officer, always delivers a strong performance and is key in all the unravelling that goes on, his character has to resolve and handle a number of complex things in his past and how he copes with them and I really believed in his character.

I was totally hooked on this all the way through, it made a nice change from some of the lighter fluffy ones (which this most definitely is not) and has quite a lot of depth - it's not just solve one mystery and all done, there's layers upon layers.

However after the 16 episodes are done, i'm left with a feeling verging on anger and frustration at the ending. For me that's why the rewatch score is so low, otherwise this would have been a definite rewatch. The ending just seemed unnecessary, there were options going forward hinted at earlier in the story that could have been used to make a better (IMHO) ending. As I warned at the start, the area I have the most critical feedback on I can't because otherwise it's a spoiler.

All I'll say is - watch it, it's definitely worth the watch, but brace for the conclusion.

Props for some supporting characters / actors - Tak (Jang Yun Nam) provides a great sounding board for Park Sun Woong's character, and I liked that she was a strong character in her own right (though I can't imagine anyone not being strong who gets to any kind of position in the police force). Im Yoo Ri (Go Min Shi) was another interesting character to watch and I really liked the journey of improvement she went on ultimately - which is kinda why I was more let down by the ending as I was really expecting that this was the blueprint for the way forward for the final ending as well... not to mention a flash forward x years to see her "reborn" and doing well with good support around her. Ah well.

Read More

Why?!

The only think I can think of, after completing this series is: Why?! Why waste a good line up of actors (and crew, I assume) to mess it all up with an inconsistent and perverse storyline.

Spoiler alerts now, do not read any further if you don't want to:

How can a brother talk about the love for his sister, when he does anything to keep her away from the man she loves, including stabbing him? The only reason I have come to conclude is that he purely out of selfish reasons didn't want the truth to be found out by the boy and the role he played in his miserable life. All in the end we find out he knew all along that he was the 'lost boy' and that his sister and that boy were very close friends before. As someone who has lived with guilt all his life he should have been extremely happy to have finally found that boy and see him reunited with his sister. Can't get around the twisted minds of those plot writers and actually feel cheated by them. What a waste of a basically interesting story 'bad boy can become good if he's given the chance'.
Still, the actors tried their best and drew you into their drama. It's only a pity that there were so many inconsistencies and unexplainable behaviour (sister is all la-di-da with her brother after hearing he stabbed her boyfriend!?).
So, all in all, a lot of missed opportunities to create a strong dramatic love story.

Read More

This drama is not like other romantic dramas, this one is suspense, thriller and romantic at the same time. The story will grow on you and will stick with you, the story of this drama would make you question morality and whats right and wrong. It tells how life is unpredictable and goes according to its own plan. That a man has many shades to him, if there is a darker side of him then there must be an entirely opposite and sweet side to him. That every action of ours no matter how small it is have consequences, even if you think that you are doing a good deed it may not necessarily yield the result that we want. This drama is a remake of famous Japanese drama and for me its a masterpiece. Its story is not cliched but is different and full of twists. All the actors deserve standing ovation. Seo Inguk has proved that he is a man of many colours.

Read More

1-12 EPisode. This drama is a prime example what could have been if the role given to a more capable actor. Seo In Guk can't carry it, it's a pity given it seems his character is the centre of the plot. I imagining it will be alot engrossing and gripping. When the scene require more intensity and subtle from said actor, it fail to deliver, and it's become flat. I understand why the writers happen alot of holding back to move the story become darker. It lack the purpose to convey something more. As the times goes, I feel like It' s also a shame Park Sung Wong is not the lead character. He will carried the emotional weight of this drama much better for me. The chemistry is good, but lack emotional sincerity to engross the viewers. It's a decent watch. But pass it if you expect more and have high expectation about acting in this kind of genre.

EPisode 13-16
Man, What a lackluster drama.I sit through this whole drama because I love the idea. But it's hard to sit through a drama who have no idea what they want to convey. It has the idea and element from what I love about melodrama from hallyu era, For Example Misa. . A damage male lead, the idea of the leads has been trapped in the past for years, an anti heroes, guilt driven plot. Etc.. But it's somehow doesn't come together cohesively, and lack purpose to convey something meaningful. Add to that of not so subtle acting. Make this drama a lackluster melodrama.

Read More

This one is also a must-watch. The drama has so many twist and turns. And Seo In Guk did a great job in portraying his character. My sister and I got irritated to him sometimes because of his character. I also loved his chemistry with Jung So Min, it was on top of the roof that I almost question if they were a couple in real life. It's very rare for the main characters to show the sincerity of their love for one another. Some dramas are heart-fluttering and the characters had chemistry as well but for this drama, their love for each other warms my heart. I loved the development of their love story and how realistic it is. Aaaah. My heart is still aching for MooKang couple. I love them so much. I just hope they will have a lighter drama in the future like romcom.

Read More

This is one of the best melodramas i have had the privilege of watching. The performances given by the main leads Seo In Guk and Jung So Min was heart felt and recalling. The story line is without effort but yet so detailed and the screenplay is connecting, the strive to connect to their viewers and that is key in any given drama or film. The chemistry of the two characters was undeniably perfect and natural. I understand why some reviews may state that it was portrayed as love being twisted into something selfish and bad for people around you but this drama shows how change cannot be impacted by any other person than ones self. It is by the will and responsibility of a person to make up his heart and be better not for one to strive to change another person. Park Sung Woong poured his heart out to his character showing the lengths people go for love and guilt. Each character fell in place perfectly when needed and some took their exit perfectly too, watch this drama if you're having second thoughts. These performances deserved to be seen. I do not know why this drama is ranked in the 300s when it should be at top 10. The sound track is beautiful and filled with so much talent and vigor, each piece of music amplified the emotion of each scene bringing it to life even more. The directing was phenomenal and showed professionalism. I encourage you to watch this work of art if you are into this genre of film. thanks for reading this, wrote this immediately after i ended the drama with tears blocking my view.

Read More

I haven't cried like this since Scarlet Heart Ryeo. It hurt me, made me cry and believe in love again. The story is great, I can't think of any better ending for them because it was also for the best. Even it is sad and tragic, it is still somehow beautiful. This drama is meant to be tragic and I believe that the greatest love stories are tragedies above all. This kdrama will drive you crazy at the end and you won't be able to forget it. I felt the intensity of moo young and jin kang's love and how great it is. The cast is good and Seo In Guk and Jung So Min deserve Best Couple Award. This kdrama also deserve Best Kdrama of the Year or what award does it suit its genre. Many people may not know this kdrama, but this deserve to be watched. It is worth of your time and it will teach you something in life.

Read More