Completed
Aicha
15 people found this review helpful
Mar 29, 2013
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 4.0
Eric has a different feeling that make you wanna watch him. His acting is not amazing but he is good. Han Ye Seul is pretty and she is good at acting. But I think she needs work on her facial expressions more. She use only one for shocked, frustared, sad and angry!

Drama keeps repeating itself all over. it seems like happy ending but a problem come up; they solve the problem, again seems like happy ending *DININININ* -evil background music- another similar problem come up! Only one villian cause so many problems. They can create different problems or they can choose someone else to cause problems for lead actor & actress.

Thay can make this show 14-16 episodes and just finish it smoothly. Ending was good but it could be better!

So many stellar. Yes they need advirsement. Eric use his own drama for his own group = fair enough. But using them so much ANNOYING! I'm trying to watch a drama here!

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Completed
Sammyx3
27 people found this review helpful
Sep 6, 2011
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Hello there, past addiction for the past few months! This drama is ridiculously good, and ridiculously bad at the same time. How can that be? As much as I love our main character, I can't even tell you how many times I was hell bent on throwing objects at her via computer screen. At the same time, she's lovable, quirky and extremely clueless, which is how most heroine's are. Did I mention she kicks ass, like literally? There's a love triangle and I honestly can't tell you who I was really rooting for, but all in all, I was content with the ending. There's annoying secondary characters (like all dramas) but they sort of turn out to be lovable. LOVED IT. Must watch, for serious.

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Completed
Crazy4You
17 people found this review helpful
Sep 12, 2011
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
While watching this show I started off not really expecting to like it. The first few episodes were really slow to me, and I found them a little boring. Then somewhere towards the middle it started to pick up and I found myself enjoying watching it for a little while. But then the last few episodes ruined it for me. I think they were unnecessary and the way it ended didn't answer anything [if you read the comments for it on DramaBeans it's exactly how I feel about it]. The way I feel is they could've ended it at episode 16, the ending they gave left me more confused than anything.



The story itself is a little on the ridiculous side, but I wanted to watch it to see how they would make something like it turn out. A spy coming down from the north and forcing a Kpop star to marry her and to drag him back north. It sounded interesting though. I did find myself liking both of the male leads, also, as I was watching the drama.



The acting was really good for the most part. Especially from Eric - his acting was definitely the best and he kept good even at the end. After Han Ye Seul's incident that she pulled it makes me wonder what exactly her reason was for leaving the set like that, and then coming back. Was it to draw attention to the show? Her acting was pretty good, although after that incident I had half a notion to drop the show. The rest of the cast was well acted, as well.



The music is one thing that was really good about the drama. It was well-done and the songs were emotional. They also went well with the story. Some of the instrumentals had this Mission Impossible sound going on, too, but it gave it that "spy" sounding theme.



Overall - I wouldn't say this is a horrible drama. I've seen better, but I've also seen worse. I'd say it's something to watch if you don't have much else to watch. If only to watch it for Eric Moon and the music at least. There are parts that are funny and sweet, but it just wasn't a drama that I really got into [that's just my opinion though]. The only episode that really had me wanting the next episode was episode 1O. Most of the episodes were just okay for me. I know there are people who have enjoyed this drama, so you might be someone who does enjoy it.

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Completed
manicmuse
5 people found this review helpful
Sep 28, 2019
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
I can't believe that I've never heard of this drama before! This is exactly the kind of old school drama that I love! The premise of this drama is completely ridiculous and so addictive. It's full of KDrama clichés, in the best way, and a cast that makes it all so much fun to watch. If you want a drama that is realistic with a complicated plot and characters with a lot of depth, you are definitely in the wrong place. If you want a cinderella trope with great romantic chemistry and a North Korean spy twist, you are in for a treat. This drama is part rom-com part cheesy thriller and is unapologetically over the top, which I loved. This drama is totally self-aware about how cheesy it is, and I think that is what makes it work, and had me hooked from episode one.

I'll start with my favorite part of this drama, and that is Eric Mun as Kang Woo. I don't know much about his boyband days, but he stars in one of my favorite dramas ever, "Another Oh Hae Young", so he is the main reason I wanted to give this drama a shot. He plays the quintessential arrogant male lead, a Hallyu idol, and he's perfect in the role. He manages to make some of his character's worst flaws "cute" instead of annoying, and his charm is undeniable. He is matched Han Ye Seul as the title spy Myung Wol, and although she is not as strong of an actor as Eric, I really liked her portrayal of the sweet and innocent but impetuous and bad@ss female spy. From the very beginning, I loved their banter and I knew they would be a fun couple to watch. No matter how cheesy the dialogue or how predictable the plot became they made me want to keep watching and rooting for them. Is a lot of that because of Eric, maybe, but I thought they worked very well together.

I liked the rest of the cast as well. You really need a great cast to make a drama so "tropey" work, and make the silliest dialogue and most logic-defying scenes work, which they do. The supporting cast is pretty one-note but effective. The main villain is great at being very villainy, and the fellow spy characters who are comic relief are actually funny. Jang Hee Jin as spoiled and obnoxious Joo In Ah was really good at being equal parts hateable and likable, and Lee Jin Wook as spy Choi Ryu comes through as the kind of 2nd lead to give you that second lead syndrome so many viewers crave (his quirky ear movements were a bonus). In fact, I liked them both so much I wasn't even bothered by the love triangle/square. Yes, the acting is often overdone in moments, and too cheesy even for me during some scenes, but that worked for this drama's style which is kinda campy, even seeming to make fun of itself in moments. This may not fit everyone's taste but I think that just added to the fun of this crazy plot.

As for the plot, this drama isn't afraid to be as absurd as possible, which is clear from the very first episode. Don't bother asking questions like 'How can Myung Wol possibly beat up all those men and not break a sweat?', or 'Is it really that easy for a stranger to move in with a celebrity?'. Just embrace the farfetched fight scenes and all the other outlandish parts of the story. This drama isn't meant to be taken seriously, it's meant to be entertaining, and I was certainly entertained. My main complaint with the story is that some things got to be too repetitive after a while. It was almost like they decided to literally repeat some scenes almost verbatim. I mean, how many times do we need to see Choi Ryu ask Myung Wol the same exact question with the same exact expression? Still, I was actually entertained by how "bad" the writing was at some points, especially the last episode, which made me laugh inappropriately, and made me oddly happy to see clichés that usually annoy me. I think in the name of telling a fun story all was forgiven, but I still can't give this a higher story score based on that. Even the soundtrack, with it's take on the mission impossible theme, lets you know that the more serious parts are still comical.

Would I watch this again? Yup. It wouldn't be high on my rewatch list, but I can definitely see myself being in the mood too see all of the antics and chemistry again. Maybe some of the fun would be lost since I know what happens, but I can still enjoy just watching it all happen again, especially for Eric's acting, although I'd be tempted to skip quite a few scenes.

Overall, I am really glad I randomly came across this drama. I felt nostalgic watching it. It reminded me of the kind of dramas I loved when I first got into watching KDramas. It's not quite "favorites list" worthy, probably because the lighthearted silliness made it hard for me to emotionally connect at all to this drama, but that's not the kind of drama this is. If you don't like melodrama, you probably should pass on this one, even though it's definitely melodrama-lite. If you like answers to questions and logical conclusions to situations then you should definitely pass on this. If you like Eric Mun, then grab an extra-large popcorn and enjoy (yes there's a shower scene). If you like to pine over second leads, then Jin Wook is your man! This definitely isn't my first North & South Korea centered romance drama, or my favorite (this is no "The King 2 Hearts"), but I'm a fan of "Myung Wol the Spy". If their goal was to keep me excited about watching each episode, and happy I did watch by the end, well... mission accomplished.

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Completed
Kalahara
8 people found this review helpful
Nov 19, 2012
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 3.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
What started out as a Romantic comedy slowly morphed into a melodramatic mess once you pass episode 10. From there on out it's a repetitive torture of north -vs- south and a lot of unnecessary backtracking.
To be honest I wanted to love this drama given I know a lot of the key players in this and wanted to support their work but I just couldn't help but to find myself bored as it continued like the writing team ran out of stream halfway through and then carelessly wrote itself to a ending.
Kinda disappointing given how much greatness and comedy and situations went into the beginning of this drama it could have been so much more if the writing team stuck to their guns I feel. I was mostly relieved I got to the ending on this given how bored I was with the storyline.
Overall I would probably never revisit this drama again and to be honest the soundtrack didn't have much going for it either. Ah well love it or hate it it had a good cast and a ending that wasn't a total waste of time but if your looking for a drama to fall in love with you might wanna pass on this one given it kinda fizzles after the first half of episodes.

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Completed
EnaLovely
7 people found this review helpful
Aug 13, 2011
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
There's action, to keep your adrenaline high, there's romance that will raise your heartbeat, there's humor that makes you burst out of laughter (for me episode 7 was the funniest, I sincerely laughed out loud) and there is Eric, the leading actor, the hottest actor I've seen, you'll fall in love immediately! If you like those dramas where the male is falling in love but denying his feelings at first, then this is a drama for you. I like the plot of course, but what keeps me coming back for more is this romance between the main characters. The OST is also good and suits the drama well. Don't think I exaggerated when I rated almost everything 10... I'm really amazed with this drama and recommend it to everyone.

Extra advice: wait until the whole drama is out, because you may feel frustrated if you have to wait for episodes to be uploaded, like me lol :D

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Completed
kpopx3lover
5 people found this review helpful
Dec 2, 2011
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
I was really expecting a lot form this drama. Since this year, so far I watched a lot of action dramas involving spies and stuff but this drama had more romance and comedy in it which made it enjoyable at some parts. The drama started off pretty good. It was good enough for me to continue watching it, but after awhile it just dragged on and the story became too long. Don't even get me started with the ending. The ending was very shocking and very rushed. I was very surprised at the way in ended. It was a happy ending but it wasn't the perfect ending I was hoping for. Things weren't even explain and so I finished this drama with many questions unanswered. Overall the drama was okay. It was watchable!

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Completed
confused_student
9 people found this review helpful
Jul 16, 2013
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 4.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
I feel that this show had a lot of potential, and good points but the main character drove me not want to watch it anymore. She went from a strong spy to a lovesick woman in which her feelings clouded her judgement and had put other people's live at risk.

I will say though even though In-ah is annoying in the beginning she becomes more likeable since falling in love drives her to become a more caring person.

The main character is what drove me nuts but everything else was pretty okay.
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Completed
carolinelarousse
5 people found this review helpful
Sep 14, 2011
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers
Spy Myung Wol was disappointing, overall. There were several things I enjoyed about this drama, however. The acting was quite believable, there is an enjoyable sense of humor to balance out its otherwise sober theme, and the character development wasn't half-bad.







On the other hand, this drama had a terrible plot. Absolutely awful. This is NOT a spoiler, simply a synopsis: A North Korean spy invents a story for why she was in South Korea, ensnaring herself in a plot to bring a K-Pop star to the North. First of all, this drama tactlessly, carelessly and inappropriately portrays North Korea as a slightly more strict version of South Korea. North Korea is a starving, suffering dictatorship, and yet this drama was handling the situation with complete disregard.







If you can get past that (I started to ignore it after a while), the plot is still full of holes and unanswered questions and misunderstanding that are never resolved. The ending was awful, though at least it was a "happy" ending.







I don't recommend wasting your time on this! But it didn't leave me feeling angry or annoyed, just unsatisfied. Secret Garden and Kimi wa Petto are much more interesting dramas, as well as City Hunter.

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Completed
pangeramorrow
4 people found this review helpful
Feb 20, 2012
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
I started this drama with low expectations, was catapulted into LOVE LOVE LOVE for it, then plunged into a bitter hatred for what seemed like the laziest possible conclusion, though I stuck with it to the end, hoping to get back what I thought was so magnetic. I think the real-life drama affected the show, and in the end, affected the fandom. The last handful of episodes was such a letdown, but the first episodes (excluding the slow start in ep 1) were so quirky and fun, that I still have a soft spot for What Could Have Been.
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Completed
marlenefoung
8 people found this review helpful
Apr 11, 2012
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0
This drama is seriously very addicting. I finished watching it in only two days.

The story is full of action, suspense, romance... Even though some parts of the story were impossible in real life and ambigue sometimes, it is a good drama to watch if you want a somewhat dark drama with some laughs in it. I really liked how Eric was talking in this drama, like a little bit snobbish and the spy part of the drama. Definitely recommend it as it is one of my favorite dramas :)
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Completed
Rumi
6 people found this review helpful
Sep 14, 2012
18 of 18 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
The plot is original so it's easy to start watching this drama. At the begining i loved this drama so much. There were many funny scenes and the characters were great. During first 10 episodes the drama is mainly a comedy. After these episodes it starts to be a melodrama. It's really annoying. If you are a person who is able to stand boring and over repeating scenes, the drama is for you.

Personally i'm not a fan of this drama. Truly speaking the time I spent watching it was just a waste.
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Myung Wol the Spy (2011) poster

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