To be clear, I think the actors/actresses cast do a very awesome job! I'm not sure if the bland personalities is a case of poor directing or poor writing. All characters do an excellent job creating their parents' young identities and also creating separate ones for their children.
The problem comes just after midway through the series. This is when I feel like this drama should just be called "Things I Should Have Said". With the miscommunication between all characters, and their turmoil-filled emotions, it becomes increasingly frustrating to watch, especially after 4-5 episodes in a row. In addition, some sub-plots were not developed enough, and some characters seemed like they are thrown in randomly. The only character with a lot of depth is Joon.
There was also this weird filming issue for a few episodes: a lot of random zooming in on things quickly that was both unnecessary and inconsistent with the filming of the rest of the series.
By the end I was exhausted watching the anti-climactic go-round. It seemed like the actors (or characters) were too. The passion and emotions shared between the characters became really anti-climactic as well, with a ton of just standing and hugging. If I had a drink every time characters hugged instead of kissed, I'd need to go to the hospital by the end of the series. Seriously. It seemed like this series could not decide if they wanted this aimed at a younger or mature audience.
While I would have loved a much grander ending (something that would have made up for the latter half of the show), the actual ending is more realistic, a better fit for the drama, and completely expresses what the characters ultimately want, namely for Joon.
It's got a wonderful soundtrack, awesome acting for the support they received and if you love a good drama filled love story, this is it. It's not that funny, so pack some tissues. It has a lot of beautiful scenes that make you actually want to travel to the scene locations.
P.S. If you are considering this drama because of Jang Keun-Suk, he does not disappoint.
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Uhm.. Anyway, I'll divide this review into 2 parts. Things I loved, & things I hated. So here goes..
Things I loved: I loved loved LOVED the scenery! It's one of the things I loved the most about this drama. The scenery were so pretty!
Another thing I loved was the 1970s story. I loved the cast and the fashion and the scenes and the story! I like the past story better than the 2012 one. The love was cute and innocent. The acting was really good. I liked seeing JGS play a different role. Yoona was almost unrecognizable and she did a pretty good job. The side characters were fun to watch too.
All the actors that were both in 1970s and in 2012 (Yoona, JGS, Kim Si Hoo etc) did a really good job in playing the different roles. The looked and acted really different in 2012 than from their 1970s self so it was really good to see that.
I loved how the 2012 cast looked like their 1970s self. It was like it was an older version of them, though they were played by different actors; especially Hye Jung, Yoon Hee and Chang Mo.
Things I hated: I hated the fact that the 2012 JGS was exactly like all the other roles he has played (for example You're Beautiful & Mary stayed out all night), and why does he love to look so... gay?
I hated the love triangle. It was sweet in the 1970s story but there was no point in adding it to the 2012 story. It annoyed me a lot! And why does every guy in the show love Ha Na so much? It was a bit (a lot!) over done. I mean, 4 guys were in love with her... Seriously?
The 2012 Ha Na-Joon love story was bleck.. I just couldn't believe that they were actually in love. It was like they were forced to be together and they had to pretend that they were in love but in reality they didn't feel anything for each other. Yes, the kissing scenes were better than some other dramas but other than that I didn't see any chemistry. Plus, sometimes it got too cheesy to bear.
The story was good at first, but after half of the episodes it got stupid. First of all, I felt that it dragged a lot. Secondly, everyone was making such a big fuss about little things. I really didn't get why Ha Na and Joon couldn't be together. What was the big deal about Yoon Hee, it wasn't like she was dying (though everyone was acting like she was). And almost all the problems were caused because the characters didn't talk to each other and assumed everything. It was all just stupid and frustrating and during the last few episodes I couldn't wait for the drama to end. I even found myself wandering off in thoughts while watching it.
Honestly, this drama had potential. But the story got so.. stupid and weird by the end that it fell flat. I would not recommend watching this drama if you're looking for something entertaining. It just gets boring by the end. Or maybe you could only watch the 1970s episodes. :P
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Overall, I'd say this drama wasn't the best, but it is worth watching if you like melodramatic stories and amazing songs.
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Love Rain is basically two typical romance dramas rolled into one. The first 4 episodes are dedicated to the first romance, which begins in the 70's. This couple frustratingly hides their feelings, and has to deal with rivals, which is nothing new in kdrama-land. The pace was slow, and the romance takes an innocent approach, but I was not bored. I was never tempted to skip ahead, and I think the 70's episodes set up the characters, and their conflicts, nicely. The general tone of these episodes was moody, so don't expect a lot of cute flirty scenes in the beginning. Episode 5 is the start of the 2nd romance (my favorite episode), and there is a dramatic change in tone. This romance is your typical bickering-opposites attract story, which includes the quintessential mean meddling mother. It supplies plenty of cute/flirty scenes to give viewers butterflies (epic kiss scene included). The way these two love stories were weaved together is what made this drama feel original. I was interested in watching how both romances would unfold.
the cast is great in the 70's, and in the present day. Im Yoon Ah, Jang Geun Seok, Kim Shi Hoo, and Seo In Guk really pulled off creating two distinct generations of characters. I was impressed with adorable Im Yoon Ah, and doubly impressed by Jang Geun Seok. I expected him to be good, but he really shined in every scene he was in. They also had really great chemistry together. I had no problem believing that Ha Na & Jun were completely different from their identical parents, and I didn't find the fact that they looked so much like them farfetched either, since I have often been called my mother's twin/clone. I thought that the older actors (Lee Mi Sook & Jeong Jin Yeong) were well matched as the older versions of Yoon Hee & In Ha, though their chemistry was much more subdued. I thought the entire cast was good, or at least entertaining (loved the assistant & the flaming gay dude), though I would give Jang Geun Seok his own "10" score if I could.
The direction was great, the cinematography was gorgeous, the music was catchy, and the story was mostly good. Around episode 16 things start to fall apart. It was obvious that the story was being stretched to fill another 4 episodes, so scenes moved incredibly slowly (including the dialogue), and the plot started to become repetitive. Many of these episodes are filled with people barely getting a sentence out, or saying "I'm sorry" over & over again. I kept watching because I still liked the characters, but I would understand if someone dropped this drama at that point. Combined, the last episodes have a few good moments that could have probably fit into one episode (maybe two, maybe...). The final episode tries to bring back some of the spark from earlier on, but by then it was too late for me. I thought the ending was a little too corny. Everything gets resolved, but I wasn't quite satisfied. I also think the older characters deserved an on screen resolution, especially after an epic 30+ year love story. The last moments felt ironically rushed, compared to the other episodes.
The homage Love Rain pays to the movie "Love Story" gives you some idea of what to expect. It's not exactly light hearted, but it's not just a tearjerker either. I never cried while watching, but there were moments that I thought were really touching. I did laugh, so there is enough comedy to balance out all the heartbreak. I don't see myself watching this again in it's entirety, but I already want to rewatch certain scenes. I think I could only recommend this drama to Jang Geun Seok fans, or die hard romance fans. I consider myself sorta both so I was not exactly disappointed. My only real disappointment is that a potentially great drama ended up being just ok.
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Well I started this drama just because of the writer and director of endless Love, Yoona and Jang Geun Seok. Typical for the writer it starts with the past, and for me personally a little bit slow (development of the story). But then the story took an 180° turn.
I would call this a typical Yoon Suk Ho & Oh Soo Yun drama. It was this melodramatic, elongated at times but still overall a good drama, with good actors. (but expected more :P )
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This drama is really dramatic and sad, but still really really beautful!
The parents love-story didn't move me that much. And even though the relationship between Ha Na and Seo Jun is the same as the relationship between lovers in other dramas, their chemistry is just splendid. I cought myself many times believing that they were actually a real couple.
I gave the acting 8 "points" because some of the cast were really good, and some were not as good. For example, the actors playing young and old In Ha did an absolutely outstanding job. I could really feel that they were "the same person". The guys playing Dong Wook didn't just cooperate enough to make me believe it. I felt that it was a completely different character in the older days, but I guess I can buy it since they later talked about how they had changed over the years.
In one way I absolitely hated the old Hye Jung but in another way I absolutely adored her. She really did a good job, too bad I didn't see that until the last episode. I think that even though I really hated her, she did the best job in this drama! And that's really refreshing to see, since they usually only focus to cast good actors as the main roles and not as a supportive role.
And the music! Sure, some songs wasn't really in my taste (it's not something I would listen to) but they managed to make the songs fit with the story.
The thing I was most impressed about (when talking about the music) was the swedish song. YES, A SWEDISH SONG! The song I'm talking about is Vem vet (who knows) by Lisa Ekdahl. It's not just that a swedish song startled me in the middle of a korean drama, it's the fact that even the lyrics to the song actually went well with what was happening at that time. I don't know if anyone in the production knew swedish and suggested the song, but I was really impressed. Really refreshing to hear a swedish song, and even a french (I think) one!. It was a nice break from the other dramas that completely lacked other songs than korean or american songs. It was really nice that they decided to break that pattern. More of that please!! :D
To summerize everything I just want to say that the drama was really good and I think they did a splendid work. I have to admit, it takes a real "k-drama-pro" to watch this. (or do you have to be a k-drama-newbie? Who knows? Not you, not me. We know nothing now, we know nothing today). What I meant was, yes it's really slow in the beggining, but once you give it a second chance you won't be betrayed. It's really worth watching!
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Im here to put all your confusion at rest! Yes I know you have heard that this drama is SOOOOO SLOW so you most probably are avoiding it... well DON'T!
1) Jang Keun Suk is in it.
2) Yoona is in it.
3) The story is romantic and a LITTLE more realistic then most. Hense the reason that it is a little slow.
4) The slowness of the drama adds to the romance. (in my opinion)
5) Yoona and Jang Keun Suk have got to be the CUTEST FLIPPING COUPLE DRAMA COUPLE EVER!!!!!!!!!
So yes I admit the drama was slow but I didn't mid that much because it seems to make the drama deeper. The supporting cast is amazing!! From the adorbale hottness of the assistant to the hilarious gay helper or the excited as so incisve K.Will. The characters are enjoyable except for the evil drama villans of course. The 3rd guy that is in love with the main girl has got to be the best second lead guy ever! He is probably the only 2nd lead in the history of drama that does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to sabatoge the main couples love.
This drama couple is amazing and my favorite parts weren't when they were kissing (ok thats a lie) but when they were hugging, it just felt so real. All the moments that they had together made me smile like the biggest idiot in the world
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The back and forth etc of relationships. I did enjoy the cast ans working with what they had. I did love the cinematography and the beauty in those scenes.
Some scenes were beautiful and some of the writing was so touching it had me in tears.
In the end just to disappointed to watch it faithfully!
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The music made it also fun to watch because it is not like other dramas where they just repeat the same song over and over again. The fact that it was just a background music, fun beat helped in "making" the scenes...
Also, I re-watch this because it is a light, fun and a romantic drama, once you know which part you want to fast forward. ;)
It is not a regret to watch unlike other dramas where you just hated yourself after finishing the whole thing.
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I like Yoon Ah in this drama, but I will admit to not liking HaNa that much. She was cute in the beginning, but her attitude started to get on my nerves at times. Geun Seok can do no wrong in my eyes. I just adore him and I think he did a great job playing the young In Ha as well as Joon. The adult Yoon Hee/Lee Mi Sook and In Ha/Jeong Jin Yeong were AWESOME!!! I really think that the casting person did a great job at finding people that look similar enough to be the older versions of Yoon Hee and In Ha. The side stories were ok also, but they really don’t add to the story overall. There is some excellent eye candy in this drama though. ;-)
I LOVE THE MUSIC. I sing it in my head all the time.
I would probably rewatch this again when I want to watch something feel good. This is a great drama…You should watch it!!!
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