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Song Hye Ko does an admirable job feigning blindness. Jo In Sung looks amazing in fashions that seemed to be lifted right out of American gangster movies based in the 20's and 30's. Besides the fact that he definitely looks the part of an attractive womanize, the man can also act. I spent pretty much all of the drama heavily sympathizing with and rooting for him, even while realizing what he was doing was highly questionable/just plain wrong.
Kim Tae Woo was awesome as Moo Cheol. I definitely felt all sorts of emotions towards him as his story progressed.
I just thought the story was beautifully acted and filmed. I was on my toes for the whole thing, and could not stop watching it until it was all over. It really got me out of my drama slump!
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I loved all the cast, and characters. I loved that all of them were flawed in some way, and that even minor characters had depth, and were complicated. I especially loved the chemistry between Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo! From their very first scene together, I saw the spark of what would become my three day obsession. Jo In Sung's charm is undeniable, which makes him perfect as a womanizing conman, but he also has this incredible sweetness that makes viewers *swoon* (I know I did with every smirk). Song Hye Kyo seems to be typecast as irrationally stubborn and kinda conceited (qualities that make me want to punch her character in "Descendants of the Sun"), but in this role it makes complete sense, and makes her character seem strong, and not just a pitiful victim with a disability - and YAY lady Chaebol! Yeoung is smart, and often a step ahead, which I liked most about her. She also did a pretty good job convincing me she was blind. The normal melodramatic KDrama romance back and forth was much less frustrating than it usually is for me, because their romantic tension was seriously epic! I won't say why, because it's a large part of the story, but when two people with abandonment issues, who can't admit how they feel, start falling for each other, it's gonna cause epic tension. Sure, if you replaced the music with a horror soundtrack, the show could suddenly seem like a frightening tale about a guy seriously stalking a blind girl, but we all know stalking means saranghae in KDramaland. It also helps that they are quite easy on the eyes, and that she's tiny enough to carry (ok, maybe that could be creepy too).
There are too many great performances by minor characters to name them all, but I will name a few. Kim Bum is always great, and adorbs, so the fact that he's so good is no surprise. Jung Eun Ji grew on me, and I liked her spunk. Bae Jong Ok, as the secretary, was super chilling, and surprisingly empathetic. I don't necessarily like how her actions are dealt with in this drama, but that has nothing to do with her performance, which was great. Seo Hyo Rim's annoying face is perfectly cast as super cray cray. Her character is so unhinged, that it was borderline comedic, but she truly pulled the character off. And then there is Kim Tae Woo as Moo Cheol, who was my favorite kind of villain. He's the kind of villain who is not only empathetic, but I couldn't help but root for him a little, because he was so good at being bad. He also pulled off being bad@ss very well, considering the fact that he looks like asian Spock. I only lowered the score slightly for those extra over the top moments, but in this genre, that's acceptable.
I truly think the writer and director did an amazing job putting all the pieces together. Sometimes it was confusing keeping track of certain rivalries, so I lowered my story rating a little, but it eventually all became pretty clear. The writer & director are the same team that made "Padam Padam", another tragic love story with Kim Bum as an epic sidekick, and disappointing kiss scenes (Though TWTWB isn't nearly as bad with the kiss scenes). Both stories are sweet, intriguing, frustrating, heartbreaking, and inspiring. With this drama in particular, I loved the imaginative way they chose to show memories, and her blindness, which kept me guessing as a viewer without it feeling gimmicky. I was also very confused by the ending, at first, which could be interpreted as open-ended, but I think it was very beautifully done, and not as unresolved as others may think. I took a deep satisfying sigh after it was all done.
The music was great, and fit the story well, but the lyrics were so literal I think I actually laughed at a few of them. I still liked it, I just wouldn't add it to my KDrama OST playlist.
Would I watch it again? Definitely. The suspense made the episodes seem to fly by, and kept me watching waaaaaaay past my bedtime. It may lose some of that thrill on a second viewing, but the performances are worth watching again, and I may catch something in the plot I missed the first time.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this as a must see for fans of romance and melodrama. There is also some action, and suspense, with enough humor thrown in to stop it from being too depressing. You may want to have plenty of tissues handy, just in case. You also have to sometimes give in to "KDrama logic", but who watches melodramas for their realism?
TWTWB made me glad to be an only child - siblings have so many rules lol! It also made me think about forgiveness, holding grudges, and what really matters. In my search to find a show that could remind me I have feelings... mission accomplished! My favorite drama list just got a little longer too.
I know I will probably never be able to hear a tiny bell again without thinking about this show.
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Overall, I liked it, damn near loved it. True, the ending was what I wanted but not expecting. I have to say the acting by all of the characters was stellar! From Jo In Sung to Song Hye Ko as well as Kim Bum and Kim Tae Woo as Moo Chul.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely! Welcome to one of favorites for 2013! And Jo In Sung, I am happy to finally see you in a drama that I finished, loved and will cherish!
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I also dislike a story when the writers have the characters do something that is totally out of character. I felt like in episode 15 and 16 that the writers did that with Young and Jin Sung. Honestly, after episode 15 I could care less what happened to Young. I hate wishy washy characters...Is she strong? Is she weak? The writers should have just picked something. It is like they thought they needed to add something to make it more interesting. I felt more deeply for Moo Cheol than Young and that is sad considering I saw a heck of a lot less of him in this drama than her. Beyond that, I think most of this drama is well paced and the cinematography is out of this world. I enjoy the basic story line. There are just so many things that I would change. I just felt disappointment as I ended this drama.
As far as the acting is concerned, it is excellent. Jo In Sung as Oh Soo is by far the best acting that I have seen in a long time. His facial expressions, the use of his hands, and the way he speaks just brings the character to life and I feel deeply for Oh Soo. Song Hye Kyo does an excellent job playing a blind person. I have seen her in other dramas and I think her acting improves with each role that she takes. If I didn't know better, then I would have thought she was blind. Of course, it is good to see Kim Bum again and I hope he gets a main lead soon so I can see more of him. I loved Kim Tae Woo as Moo Cheul and his character is by far one of my favorites in the drama.
I think the music was beautiful.
I won't rewatch this.
If you like melodrama, then this is one you should watch. Most people like it, so don't make a decision to watch it or not based on my review.
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I hope for the last, but given what it’s to come, I can’t be too optimistic. This show has one quality in my book: it prompted me to finally watch an Asian drama to completion, after months of going over all my repertoire of already known by heart dramas. And what better way to come out of a slump, than jump happily into Melo at its highest... or lowest?
Relax, I'm not going to bore you with long explanations as to why I find this drama ranges from interesting to mediocre - suffice to say that it has all your average paraphernalia attached to a melodrama: cancer, stabbing, abandoned children, scheming side characters, the mob, the corporation with its shareholders and a complete absence of logic.
This said, if one enters Meloland with a clear head, one is also prepared for all the above and more.
However, I'd lie if I said I enjoyed the descending curve of both plot and acting, which started well and ended horrible. Beautiful Song Hye Kyo suffered a pitiful case of DAS (Degenerative Act Stiffening), to the point in the end I couldn't help but wonder if there was a real person under that perfect skin of hers. Her behavior was at times so random I had to check whether I was watching the same drama or had been catapulted into another while I blinked.
Jo In Sung is like a shot of hormones through the veins, hence making every other consideration a little hard, at least until my female mind has fully cleared from the fantasy of his km long legs and other amenities. But while I think he’s great in portraying his desperation, I do believe there was just a tad too much desperation as a whole. Why not simply make him play poker, fight and interact with yummy Kim Bum? The ending of the drama would have made just as little sense anyway.
Therefore, the acting as a whole was good, at times incredibly intense, but at others over the top or repetitive. Not the best I’ve ever seen. And as superficial as the issue may be, I found the kisses, all of them, highly disappointing, almost a relapse into K-drama wall-kisses after a series of dramas that made us all hope for a change.
I loved the piano pieces, not so the songs.
On the positive side, there’s a plot that keeps you curious as to what will happen, a wonderful cinematography – I do believe this feature should be given a mark of its own, That Winter would get a full 10 – a pair of lovely side characters, well portrayed by Kim Bum and Jung Eun Ji, and Moo Cheol, one of the most complex and appealing villain I remember . It’s definitely worth a try, granted you like makjang and don’t really care for plausibility in a work of fiction.
Oh, and please someone give me the name of Oh Soo’s coats’ designer, because they are all absolutely gorgeous and I want them (yes, before you ask, I know the coats will not come with Jo In Sung inside them…)
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I loved the story. It was rly good. My only prob was a w/ certain character. I watched the movie of this story so I had certain expectations. And, it's not that they weren't filled to a certain degree. I just have issues w/ how the writers made Oh Young revert back into a depressive state that she was clearly out of, and made her seem weak when she had been strong for so long. I mean I totally get where she was coming from. Total trauma that started from childhood, but come on rly! Did they have to go that far w/ her character & then the total reversal again in the last episode. I'm like WHAT??? Serial pick a personality for the character & stick w/ it. At least they did that in the movie.
Now that I got that out of my system...
The rest of the drama was totally daebak. I loved the way they had Jin Sung do something he was totally against in the end. That part was much better than the movie. Oh Soo was the best character of them all w/ his own complex of abandonment. The flow of the drama was good. I didn't feel rushed at all. I was kinda upset about Moo Cheol's character, but I understand y they wrote his part that way. He was like a guardian angel that no1 knew was there. The whole combination of actors was great b/c they had such a great chemistry. The anger, brotherhood, love, romance, etc. was all there & I was never left w/ a feeling of uninterest. I was always anticipating the next episode. I was interested to see how each situation would play out; even though I alrdy knew the story b/c I watched the movie.
I suggest that MDL-er's give this drama a try. It is exciting to watch. ENJOY!
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I must say that since 2013 seems to be a melodrama year, I felt like this drama would just be one of those "melodramas" of the year. But boy was I wrong. From the very first episode you get pulled in and the drama becomes a straight 10/10 ride all the way to the end. There were times when you thought like "omg will he really succeed in doing this?" or "omg will they find out his real identity?" etc. It was like watching a suspense movie that constantly held you sitting on the edge of your seat, and at the same time it had those cute and romantic moments where you feel as if the time had stopped for our main characters and you get drowned in all the emotions. But the plot is not the only amazing thing about this story, what both amazed me and surprised me where the characters, or to be more precise, the actors and actresses. Jo In Sung was simply pure epicness in this drama. He did an amazing job portraying Oh Soo, a man with many sides, a man who both hated and loved life. Song Hye Kyo was just....wow O_O. No comments, seriously. She shun in this drama so much that it made me speechless. She played the role of a blind girl so well, that I had to check as I watched the drama if she wasn't actually blind in real life O_O. How did she manage to play it so well? It looked so real....just wow. She seriously deserves an award for her acting. Last but not least, how can we talk about TWTWB without mentioning the other two "main characters" played by Jung Eun Ji and Kim Bum. If Jo In Sung's and Song Hye Kyo's acting and chemistry didn't blow my mind completely, then this couple certainly did! I shipped this couple like crazy! I'm not even joking. I loved their craziness, their jokes, their chemistry, the way they looked at each other....gah just everything about them made me fangirl. Not to mention that Kim Bum rocked the red hair and looked super-sexy as a rebellious guy in his late teens/early 20's.
ENDING: Some people were a bit disappointed with the ending since it felt a bit rushed and unexpected, but I personally loved it. I think the ending was perfect and if you look into more detail around it, it didn't just come out out of the blue. Withing spoiling anything for the viewers who haven't seen this drama, all I can say is that I felt that the ending fit this kind of genre of drama. Oh Soo played a dangerous game, which could mean death to both him and the people close to him and in that kind of gambling-gangster-business having to deal with decisions such as "is it worth risking the lives of the people I love just to gain this?" is a everyday life-style. So, to be completely honest the decision Kim Bum's character decided to take didn't surprise me to 100% but at the same time it was "expected either" it was somewhere in between, like you could see it happening but at the same time you wished that it wouldn't. I know that some people had hoped for a happy lovey-dovey ending, but this was a sad story about the value of life, guilt and promises and I think the ending was the perfect cherry to top the cake known as That Winter, the Wind Blows.
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Story: The story was original enough although the chaebol-centric plot has been used a lot!! The story was captivating, there were interesting twists an sometimes awkward sibling love although they're not. I like the story because pf the messages and how the two broken characters began to heal. I was so pleased with the two main leds as they progessed and matured as characters.
Casting: Superb acting, believable villains and the scenes with the vulnerabilty of Young were very believable. The seconds lead romance story was cute and lovable and I loved it.
So things I didn't like was the ending an the lacking of the heroine's character. Her excuses seemed weak in the end and that made me lose my respect of the blind-cold-hearted girl. There was alot of FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE! The ending is a two way shot but I would really reccomend you to wtch this to see how you feel about it all.
Music and OST were great.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama is almost perfect in every aspect.Story: the story is done in several films and japanese dramas before however this one topped them all for me. New elements where added that made me more emotionally attached to this drama.
I will not explain the story.... to avoid any spoilers (u can read summary above) however; i should say i didnt give story 10/10 due to the ending even so the ending was ok but it wasnt the perfect one for me; i wanted or wished that they executed a better ending.
Acting: Jo In Sung and Song Hye Kyo (main roles) are almost the perfect match ; never i was rooting or emotionally attached to drama couple like this before. They were flawless in every seen together; the chemistry was over the top.
The sad scenes where acted perfectly which made me shed couple tears.
the idea of forbidden love was also been acted so well.
music: if u ask me what i like most about this drama i will tell u scenes when main roles together with music at the background.
Yes YES the music was for me the single best thing in this show and it all summarized in one word THE ONE .
thank u THE ONE for doing the 2nd best ost in korean drama for me
Rewatch value; iam not big fan of rewatching but i rewatched some episodes again which mean that this drama has impacted me also i watched some youtube videos about this drama
Overall it 9 from 10 and it almost got 10 but the ending was mainly the cause if u ask me its
A MUST TO WATCH DRAMA
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