For those of you who don't know it, this drama is supposedly based on the Hans Christian Andersen book "The Snow Queen", but I didn't feel it that way. Although the characters are alike, the story is very loosely based, but it did have the feeling of magic, and fairy tale, which I guess was the idea.
The story starts years back, and the whole first episode is like a prologue, or a prelude to the real story, it's used as a tool to make you understand the characters and their background. So, don't make up your mind about this drama in the first episode, although I do have to admit that I did it and made up my mind to love it.
When I started watching this I was expecting a tragic story, but it really isn't that much. I mean, yes, the main characters are screwed up, and yes they aren't happy, but it doesn't feel tragic because you actually think "if I were them I'd be the same". And it does mix very well drama with comedy, there are scenes that had me laughing real hard, specially in the first half. Besides, you are in suspense the whole time, waiting, dreading, to see when will all the secrets come out and how will the characters react.
I think the cast is really good. The leads have a lot of chemistry together. Not explosive, like Hyun Bin and Son Hye Kyo on Worlds Within, but it is the kind of chemistry required for this story. The second leads did exactly what every second lead is supposed to, although they didn't really stand out, just became a little annoying. I fell in love with the actor who plays Kim Bo Ra's father in City Hunter, so I think he really did his part well.
The music although it wasn't extraordinary, it really was according to the drama, and very well used, specially the main theme, which reminded me of a ballet, like The Nutcracker, it was just so magical.
Overall, if you like dramatic love stories, with deeper characters who aren't perfect and like to see them evolving, this is definitely your drama. I, personally, liked it a lot, although I wouldn't say that it is one of my favorites, and I'd like to see it again someday with a friend.
Was this review helpful to you?
Why did I continue watching it? Because of Sung Yu Ri and the great story.
The story starts off as an ordinary story, but at an unexpected point it turns into a deepp story. You get dragged along by Han Tae Wong and Kim Bo Ra's bitter sweet lovestory. You feel their pain and joy.
Hyun Bin and Sung Yu Ri pull of their roles in an overwhelming way. I especially loved Sung Yu Ri's performance.
the overall cast is good and also the side stories are adorable.
The music is very fitting and you are being pulled in the story by the music.
For the fangirls out where: Hyun Bin is an eyecandy not to be overlooked. Sweating Hyun Bin ;)
I gave this drama a 10/10 score even though someone spoiled the ending for me.
Would I rewatch it? Yes, I want to rewatch it, but as I don't have that much time.
Enjoy the drama, but have a box of tissues in your reach.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Watch It!!!!!.
Was this review helpful to you?
Without spoiling anything - I'll just say that within the first few minutes of the drama, I knew that it would be beautiful. This was the general feel of the entire drama, irrevocably lovely. The story itself although not entirely unique, definitely has a touch of something special. The story certainly has a lesson to be taught, and because of that the only way to thoroughly sum up the entire story is magically melancholy, if not perhaps a "beautiful disaster."
I had to give the cast a ten, because I fell in love with the characters instantaneously. Hyun Bin as Han Tae Woong showed me the true meaning of misery, and suffering. His overall expression, and soft disposition make me truly feel for him. Although I'm a big fan of Hyun Bin, I felt more attached to Sung Yu Ri as Kim Bo Ra. Bo Ra is a very strong character and I loved her simply because her character goes through a very noticeable transformation. This sense of change shaped the entire drama for me into something I could easily consider a masterpiece. Wonderful acting.
I wasn't a gigantic fan of the music, but I felt that this was probably the most necessary music the drama could have for the plot line. I also marked down the rewatch value, only because I think this is one drama that stands alone. Even if you tried to watch it again, you'd have the same feeling in the pit of your stomach. This drama - as you could tell by the description - is certainly a tearjerker. Even if I watch it a second time, it will still remain the same.
Overall it was a pleasing piece. I'm not even sure if I could accurately call it a drama, but a work of art. The only bone that I have to pick with it is that it seemed to drag from time-to-time, but I notice the majority of dramas have this exact same feel. If anyone asks me for a recommendation, it would certainly be The Snow Queen. Although this is only my personal opinion, it might take a certain type of empathy, or perhaps even a certain type of person to appreciate this drama. If you can appreciate tragedy intermingled with love and loss - and a rugged Hyun Bin...readily get a box of tissues and start watching.
Was this review helpful to you?
Nonetheless, this is a very good drama. And while according to me it could have been shortened from 16 episodes to 10-11 episodes, it is fine as I got to see the main leads and the supporting characters' hidden personalities. I liked it how the female lead- Kim Bo Ra, initially arrogant and cold hearted, slowly begins to transform into a better person and understands the true meaning of love and friendship. Sung Yu Ri plays her role as Kim Bo Ra really well. Not to forget, I liked her closet. Her hairstyle and dresses suited her character.
Hyun Bin has done justice to his role as the male lead- Han Tae Woong/ Han Deuk Gu who has gone through a lot and has been suffering from guilt. I liked his shabby, ruffled hair! And every time tears rolled down his eyes, I sympathized him and asked myself, "Why him? Why does he have to suffer so much?" Yeah, this is a drama in which the male lead sheds more tears than any other character. On a side note, I'd say that the concept of mathematics is well used here. For the first time in my life I felt like 'Yeah, maths can be interesting at times' but at the same time I felt like I am dumb because of all the complicated stuffs the male lead spoke and wrote. The drama portrays the love story of the two leads beautifully and in a very realistic manner though I have to admit that it does have a few clichés but that's alright because nothing is completely 'original'. There are some cliff hanging moments which makes it interesting to watch.
The OST is pretty good. I love the instrumentals more than the vocals; especially the main theme. It is simply beautiful and gives a 'fairy tale' touch to the drama.
To sum everything up, I would say that overall it is a beautiful Korean drama and if you love dramas with a mixture of 'rom-trag' (romantic tragedy), you should watch it. The story has potential and a good cast that won't disappoint you.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
The music was sweet and loving. I agree with one of the reveals that it should of ended when they met... I wouldn't rewatch it, because its a sad one. Its one of those dramas, that once you watch it-- it never leaves your memory.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Story : i remember when drama in my country copying all of popular drama, and this drama is one of it. but strangely i really like that drama. so i try to find the original of that story. And after i watch the original, i satisfied because it is more amazing than what i watch before. maybe its just a general technique, i call it the "coincidence secret". but this drama really use that technique properly. it has so many secret that coincidentally connected each other, but it tells the secret slowly, cool, and the right time or place.Acting or Cast : the character is solid. we understand why they are like that. they have the reason behind their character so even if they do a bad thing, i dont really hate them. and the cast really played it well.
Music : I love music in general including this drama. so i give 10 points because good music combine with good story will make the drama impactful.
rewatch value : i dont really remember how much i rewatch this drama. i watched it when i was young, and i still like this drama.
overall : i liked this drama when i was young, and i still like this drama after years have passed. it prove how good this drama is.
Was this review helpful to you?
I knew it was supposed to be a sad drama but I didn't have a clue what it was about it so everything was a surprise and the pace of each episode is very soft so it prepares you for the outcome... no rushing forced scenes, at any time, as happens in some dramas of the same nature.
It's a mature but nice written storyline that explores the heaviness of subjects like suicide, sickness, grieving, endurance... what is welcome to talk/read/discuss and understand about it at any time.
Though very sad, is brilliantly and captivating.
The actors show amazing work, all characters have great chemistry together and no overacting at all (apart from the comedy bit)... Every actor plays their part tremendously and I didn't know any of the actors but I am looking forward to know the work of the main actors better.
Do not hesitate in watching this drama... you will not end up crying your yes out just emotions will freely flow...
Was this review helpful to you?
Hyun bin is amazing in this drama... His pain melts your heart and his love blew your head... His expressions are remarkable... He is playing a character teen age to a mature man... In first episodes you will feel he is not doing something extra ordinary due to some lose ends of the story... In the beginning writer tried to tell us about the background of characters and clear the concept of title the snow queen... Hyun bin did his best in later episodes...
Main lead girl is lil off beat but in last two episodes she finally catched her her flight and led us to a nice melodramatic journey... Still I felt she could have done far better as hyun bin gave his all... Second lead is good looking guy with innocent face so him being an ass like other second leads was out of question... You will definitely sympathies him as he was victim...
Scenes are well connected even though some characters were missing like main leads moms were suddenly out of scene and never appeared again... Then hyun bin class fellow who approached him first was missing after everything was opened...so it looked lil untidy...over all cinematography is amazing... Snow, flowers, mountains, and beautiful landscape are worth mentioned...everything feels so warming and thought provoking...
Storyline is quite interesting and heart touching... Sometimes we punish ourselves for something that has nothing to do with us... If any of our closed one gets hurt and we won't able to help them we start regretting it and make our life miserable... And that is the point where we need just one person to hold us and tell us that's not our fault... Even if it is miserable...even if you are living in hell...even if you feel death is better than living still live...force yourself to live even if you lost all your hopes and love... Living is better than dying... Live like a human not like an insect... Everyone is responsible for their act nobody's act is your fault... Don't put yourself in misery as people who love you who are your family your friends will feel more miserable than you... Hats off to the massage and storyline portrayed by actors...
This drama is only about hyun bin and just cherish your heart seeing him... Yes there is no happy ending but there is hope to live and that's enough for us... One doesn't need happy need
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A marvelous story of indissoluble love
A poignant drama, permeated with a deeply felt melancholy that accompanies us from beginning to end, The Snow Queen continues to be, in my opinion, a marvelous story of indissoluble love, capable of transcending any barrier, pushing (in all senses) towards extreme borders (not only figuratively speaking) thanks to the sincere romanticism of a practically perfect script and an excellent direction (the author is the same director of 'Winter Sonata', to be clear)As always, love, chance and destiny are preponderant elements that drive the story forward, but compared to similar cases, one does not turn one's nose up at any inconsistency, illogic or magnanimous demands for complete suspension of disbelief, since everything manages to be coordinated in a balanced and 'realistic' structure that also guarantees a sentimental identification with the beautiful characters of the drama...
The composite screenplay manages to overcome a linear storyline with a concentric structure, full of randomness and coincidences, alternating points of view, even narrative variations on the same theme, as well as subplots and geometrical plotlines that enrich the construction of the story, where even a few symbols or simple objects such as a pager, a music tape and a couple of photographs have the strength to release sincere emotion without trespassing on the pathetic.
It is achieved without falling into the baroque or exaggerated mannerism (typical of many contemporary dramas) that sometimes makes us raise an eyebrow or roll our eyes, thanks to skillful and never ordinary dialogue of obvious literary derivation, capable of arousing equal passion for two apparently antithetical subjects such as mathematics and boxing, and this is also possible thanks to a perfect cast in an absolute state of grace.
Hyun Bin renders his character's torment and remorse very well, with a truly calibrated, touching and involving performance, a prisoner of his own secret and bearer of an inner suffering bordering on self-destruction, almost Catholic in nature, even though the religious references (much more marked in other dramas of the same period) remain confined to a desperate prayer/invocation towards the end of the drama. Yu-ri -very gorgeous! -is absolutely perfect, capable of operating a sort of progressive transformation and dramatic growth that is functional to the narrative development of the story; the bumptious and spoilt little girl of the beginning of the story, ends up evolving and becoming a mature (young) woman, consciously resigned, in spite of herself, to her own fate.
The remaining cast is perfectly integrated in their roles without any pedantic backstory that in this case would frankly be considered pleonastic, with the exception of the excellent portrayal of Tae Woong's mother, who is absolutely decisive in further accentuating the protagonist's torments, and Bo Ra's father, capable of confirming once again that founding principle of dramas whereby the faults of parents end up falling on their children (in fact, he is responsible for the tragic fate of his eldest son)
Much has been written, and rightly so, about the extraordinary venues of the story, and the skillful use of the locations really deserves a separate mention, starting with the extraordinary landscapes in the opening, later reproposed in the last episode, to continue with the gymnasium, a sort of perfect microcosm populated by a group of marginalized people with a warm heart, which restores to us all the sense of sadness that lingers in the (icy!?) heart of the protagonist; Bo Ra's house, almost a gilded prison, up to the basketball court that returns also in the heartbreaking finale...
As is common in other productions, the role of nature is central, both in the snowy sequences and in those where it is the sea that increasingly, almost overwhelmingly, emphasizes the lyricism of the drama; for example, the sequences at the grave of the friend/brother, which personally have always made me think of my favorite Murakami Haruki book, 'Norwegian Wood' ...
Touching and melancholic without ever being intrusive, the soundtrack is the further strength of this extraordinary drama, a kind of contemporary fairy tale that is a truly perfect transposition of Andersen's sadly melancholic universe...
I decided to re-watch this gem a distance of a few years, after, what an irony for a drama-fan such myself! Fate has stripped me, in a short space of time, of some of the most beloved people who have accompanied my life... When one loses, affections, loves, friendships, beyond the pain and inner wounding, one questions oneself and seeks answers as to why things happen...
Just like the characters in the drama, we are constantly asking ourselves many questions, and the reflection on the differences between mathematics, which is always able to provide answers, and life, which acts by chance and very often does not provide answers, is perhaps the best possible metaphor or the perfect theorem to sum up not only this drama, but the lives of many people...
10/10
Was this review helpful to you?
