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Welcome to the world of chaebols (super ultra mega rich people), which most of us here aren't part of. The main story plot is a typical love story between the heir of the biggest business empire in South Korea (hence, the title) and his housemaid's daughter. Sounds promising? Sorry to tell you that the screenwriter failed to do so.
Besides the back and forth relationship and break ups, I don't see any story development at all. I still don't understand what's the point of running away from each other (or your parents) so many times, but in the end you'll still do what's expected from you anyway. I thought they'd want to relay message about 'you need to sacrifice something, in order to gain something' kind of feeling, but no. It feels like 'you can do anything you want and still get everything anyway because I pity you' kind of vibe, wth?
The story itself reach to a conclusion only because it has to. At the last four episodes, suddenly all the problems are solved (almost magically) and leave us wondering why and how. All the bad guys (if there any) turn into better people, but gives us no clue about their character development or inner conflicts. That's too bad, since this drama has lots of characters, hence so many possible side story plots, but none are satisfying. Well, maybe except Kim Tan's mother and Eun Sang's mother (LOL my favorite). I wish they would give Kim Won or Choi Young Do bigger portions of the cake.
Well, I survive only because of Lee Min Ho. This drama is a waste of the actors / actresses' talents. Besides famous names such as Lee Min Ho, Park Shin Hye, Kim Woo Bin and Choi Dong Hyuk, I wanna give special appreciation to Krystal. Her acting is so fresh. I wanna see her in more future projects. Oh, and also my favorite is Kim Mi Kyung (as Eun Sang's mute mother), her supporting role is always fun to watch.
Overall, if you wanna watch this drama, don't expect too much. I like the witty dialogue, even if I cannot relate to most of it. This drama is like a friendly reminder of how reckless your life / love when you were / are 18. But it fails to give us hints of how our life can be different / better. Still.. I'm glad that everyone has their (happy) endings.
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4 things that were great in this drama:
- I downloaded 3 songs from this drama which is quite surprising. LMH- Painful Love, Changmin- Moment & Park Jang Hyeo ft Park Hyeon Gyu- Love is. The rest of the songs were good too.
- Lee Bo Na and Yoon Chan Young were so cute
- Choi Young Do, at first I dislike him but I grew to like him and his character as the story moves on. His character is the one that makes sense the most and he is good in portraying it.
- Lee Min Ho, I am still a fan. He did well but not his best but still he so damn good looking. What more can I ask for.
Things I dislike:
- The story sucks. C'mon!
- No originality. There were a lot of "rich boy who fell in love with a poor girl" drama out there but AT LEAST, make something fresh, new, exciting out of it not same old story.
- Its all over the place. Running, crying, chasing here and there up to Episode 18, that's pretty much what I can remember. PSH's character is too weak. What's with her crying all the time?! What's with scenes shoot in America? honestly, IRRELEVANT. When you go that far to shoot a story, at least, it has to be special but what happened can happen even shooting it in Korea.
- No chemistry. PSH and LMH, it doesn't work for me. Love-hate relationship of Kim Woo Bin and LMH is much, much better - it has chemistry. Lee Bo NA and Yoon Chang Young- that is chemistry.
- Totally disappointed. The drama is overrated maybe because its an all start cast-understandable because I was able to finish watching it because I am such a big fan of LMH. That's it.
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But there were a lot of not-so-awesome parts in it too. The storyline is the worst part. Have you seen Boys Over Flowers? Good, then you've seen about 2/5 of this show, except this time the cast is way too old to pull of the high school scene. Seriously, I just made it college in my mind to get through it since there was NO WAY those people were 17-18. The bullying, the fights, the petty bickering, even much of Lee Min Ho's relationship with the girl - it all comes right out of BoF. Although, Eun Sang has nothing on Jan Di; I didn't feel like she felt anything for Kim Tan until at least 3/4 of the way through the show.
Worst, the ending completely and totally sucks. Seriously, Korean dramas are infamous for leaving webs unwoven, but what was up with this drama? There were so many unfinished plot threads, it drove me nuts! What happened to the mistress and dad? Is Young-Do's father going to be okay-and does this mean their relationship is going to survive or at least improve? Is Hyo-Shin really, really okay? What about Myung-Soo? They introduced the idea that he's suffering there at the end but never explained why or how it might be resolved. What about Young-Do? Is he not alone anymore, because Gosh-Darn-it, I want him to have someone to hug! What about Kim Tan's mom? How is she going to survive? And will the dad finally realize what he's about to lose? What about the company? Was Won's loss all for nothing, or will his enemies now back off? Perhaps the worst of it all, I still wish Kim Tan had a better girlfriend than Cha Eun Song.
Kim Tan is one of the very few characters who truly deserves the best that life can provide him. He's good-hearted, determined, caring, and generous to those around him. Other than his lack of drive or ambition/inability to do a decent day's work, he's pretty awesome. And I don't feel like it's resolved at the end. After all the times she's run off and ditched him without warning, I don't feel like you can trust Eun Song (or anyone else in his life) not to do it again. I suppose I feel like Won is going to be there for him now, but that brings me back to Won and the way the show completely ruined him. I hated where they left him and I'll never forgive this show for that. Or the way it left the other characters. Yeah, the ending just sucked.
Anyway, the message expressed was actually pretty good and kind of interesting. It seemed to be based on the theme "be careful what you wish for." If you put Fame and Fortune at the top of your list, you may not be happy when you get it. Conversely, sometimes love and passion just isn't enough. You have got to think about the people around you, not just your love for one individual. It's a story about bad parents and children left to raise themselves. A story about becoming a man, but not rushing to grow up too soon. About loving family, because they may be all you have left.
The actual acting and technical elements were AWFUL in the beginning, while it was set in America. It makes the Americans look like either drug-addicted, violent, wife-abusing criminals or fat, stupid, drug-addicted criminals. To be honest, I wasn't real impressed with the first few episodes. Between the bad acting, the plot holes, the completely unbelievable coincidences, and other random annoyances, I didn't really get into it until after he was back in Korea (which took a few episodes). Then it smoothed out and got a more well made (until the awful ending).
Would I recommend it? Maybe. . . If you liked Boys over Flowers, it reminds me a lot of that show. But I would almost recommend you stop it about two episodes early. It picked up a ton of unnecessary angst just to drag the show out and it completely ruined the story. If you do pick this up, don't stop until after he's back in Korea. You don't get a feel for the drama until after that; everything before is just cheap intro.
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I really liked the cast as such and the story, as well as how it developed. The chemistry between the actors was really great and I did believe them everything. Also the funny moments made me laugh really hard.
Sometimes it became a little tiring because of the back and forth between Kim Tan and Ch Eun Sang. I also would have loved to see some more kisses ;) But apart from that it was great!
I hope that there will be a second season sometime as there are so many story strings that can still be developed! Until then I will just rewatch it over and over again!
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What I liked a lot were the clothes, the pastel colors which gave the drama a dreamy feel and the settings like houses, shops and that kind of things. Everything looked and felt good. For the first time I actually felt like this about a Korean drama. . Okay, I must say Lee Min Ho did not look good with the pink lop gloss, seriously! The OST was great too, very young and hip, different in a sense it was pretty rock.
The plot was rather simple and now when I look back nothing really happened, but while watching it didn't feel boring. At first I thought the few first episodes when the main characters met in America were pretty useless but then I realized that it was brilliant to put the main characters into an environment where class differences didn't matter before putting them back into the poor and rich categories. They realized that it was possible to be free. I also liked how big brother's love story was mature and calm compared to Tan's fierce teenage feelings that were all over the place.
There were many characters and I wish their stories would have gotten more screen time. But then again one thing what I really liked about this drama was that the writer concentrated on the main couple instead of bringing in all other side characters too much. The focus was clear. Though, more school time would have been fun, instead of showing all the old people plotting against each other.
The ending was quiet realistic too, sort of open but good enough. We can't be sure if Tan's dream came true or not. But if it did then a lot of things must have happened, it couldn't come true just like that.
The cast was great and I liked everyone, except Park Shin Hye who is always really dull and boring.
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well i preferred to expect that much coz i knew that almost half of the cast is my favorite actors!!!
Honestly i quite disappointed! story is good the writers they all did nice job but unexpectedly the story turns out a little bit inadequate like this kind of drama putting all good actors they knew that everyone highly expecting something that for sure the viewers will say - ahhh.. this is one of my fav. or something that everyone will recommend to watch but i think for my real opinion if any case that they are not the actors of this drama i will not watch it! Sorry! Those who love drama so much like i did i think they comprehend what i drawn.
The Acting is great the only thing i watch this till the end is because of them especially the kim tan and Eun Sang mom's i love there characters they are so funny truly veteran actress to the point that me my self waiting for there terms they really stole the show wahaha.
about the Music "Love is the moment" that it's ok! or maybe they should put more song?:/
Re-watch Value - i don't have comment to this if any one wants to watch it again i don't have any issue about that.
Overall i can't say don't expect to much and expect less just watch and enjoy the cast and the drama anyway i still like it so give it a try.
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What annoyed me was - obviously - the plot. The basic plan is not new, we've got a typical Cinderella story with a rich chaebol who acts cold but is a sweetheart, a poor girl who stands up for herself, mean parents who absolutely don't want them together, and lots of rich friends.
What Heirs tried to add was a bit more drama with Eun-Sang's mother, Ha Neul's peculiar character, the relationship between Kim Tan and Yong-Do etc. However, many subplots were left unanswered for the sake of cliché scenes between the main couple (thanks to whom I will never forget the "Love is the momeeeent" song)... Sadly, no matter how great Lee Min Ho and Park Shin-Hye are, I found them lacking in the 'chemistry' department, and watching them became boring. Without the rest of the characters, I would've given up on this drama.
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I loved it, so I gave it a 8 because the ending gave me a warm feeling even though I might never watch it again until I forget everything about it. It's not that it was perfect that I will remember it, but because there was some parts that was way too annoying and freaking dramatic. But still I liked it because for goodness sake it's a cute drama. Drama! It's not real! Alot of people caught feelings for this drama and wanted to tarnish it. This drama made me laugh a lot, feel a little sad, annoyed, but then happy again. It was really cute and I liked that I watched it for myself.
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Well, If you're here looking for some serious drama with melodramatic twists, of course you'll be disappointed,
But if you were looking for a refreshing High school Rom-Com with cute characters and beautiful faces, then you'll enjoy watching this drama very much, I know I did!
this drama had the same feel as BBF, The music in BBF was better though.
as for the cast, they were really cute and acted very well, you'll face some difficulty trying to accept some of the actors as high school students though, but don't worry, if you're a fan of Lee Min Ho you'll get over it, cuz he was very cute :)
I know I'll want to watch Kim Tan and Choi Young Do again, that's why I know I'll rewatch this :)
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Oh and you'll have this song running thru your head after each ep like so;
'LUUURVE IS DERRR MOMEEEEEENT' Most. Annoying. Song. Ever.
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Why was it good? Many things contributed to both the good and the bad of this drama. The writer and director were not at the top of their game the first 4-6 episodes, but by episode 7/8 things began to get good… and once they started the ball rolling, it ended on a great note.
The actors…. it’s hard to pull a cast together like they did and NOT have some of the best actors in the business, and they did. There were quite a few standouts with acting, but I’d have to say Kim Woo Bin was probably the best of them all. Don’t get me wrong, Lee Min Ho and Park Shin Hye are excellent, but because they were the leads and in the spotlight, it’s much easier to say their acting wasn’t up to par for many episodes. I do not blame the actors, however. I blame alot of this on the writer and director.
Once everyone was one the same page, their love story became more believable, Kim Tan and Eun Sang’s pain was evident for all to see, and the emotions hit you in the gut. Kim Woo Bin was on the ball from minute one, though. I don’t know if it’s because he’s played nearly nothing but these types of roles, or if it is because he saw the best way to play it without direction, but he was on fire in this drama. I could list all of the other actors that were amazing, and there were plenty (not just the pretty ones either!), but I don’t need to. There honestly wasn’t a bad actor in the bunch, not even a mediocre one. The parents, the kids, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th love story partners… they were all great.
On a special note, why the writer couldn’t have put more of the BN and CY relationship feel into KT and ES’s relationship, I’ll never know. These two were the highlight of the show for many episodes for me.
Did it portray a message or was it just another kdramaland story? It had a message, a very clear message, and the final episode brought it home in technicolor. In many dramas you always see the rich guy/girl who can’t love the poor guy/girl because of class differences. You see the wealthy marry off their children as if it’s a high stakes poker game and the winner laughs the loudest. You find nearly nothing but dysfunctional families because of these same reasons… no one is allowed to love who they want without some miracle taking place. Heirs took on the challenge of showing you a much clearer and realistic picture of this practice. Being a second son, Kim Tan should have had the freedom to love whom he wanted, but daddy dearest didn’t agree. In the end, what they give you for the finale is not an unrealistic ending. They showed the reality of this practice with Won. They showed the effects on Rachel and her mother Esther. It was a very good look at an often “overcome” issue in dramas. It was nice to see a story that ended with a bit of realism.
The OST was amazing, even if you did get sick of hearing “Love is the moment” every other scene. They had many songs they could have used in the OST for some of these times, but chose to pretty much go with that song alone. The other song I loved dearly was “Love Is”. Lee Min Ho also sang a song for the OST which only got used in episode 17, which kind of sucked. I really liked it and think it could have been used more too.
Cinematography… the drama was beautiful. The filming locations were chosen with major care and were gorgeous. The way shots were filmed, the direction in action during filming, all of it was remarkable. Though it’s fair to say the writer and director had their collective heads in the sand for the plot and acting, they were on full charge when it came to visual effectiveness of each scene and location. Even the fashion (though I heard LMH bought and used his own things) was amazing for the most part… some of the fuzzy sweaters could have been left at home, but good lord I want some of those trench coats BAD! Oh, and the white suit LMH wore.
The feels… yes, there were feels. It didn’t happen, except for Young Do’s character, until at least episode 7 or 8, but they were finally there. KWB was able to cause feels with his character from the beginning. And though it took a while for things to develop and get the emotion to you, once it did, you felt it alot. Kim Won, Young Do, Kim Tan, Eun Sang, Tan’s mom, and ES’s mom… these are the ones that made me feel the most, not necessarily in that order. Again, Kim Woo Bin as Young Do stole most of the feels in my opinion.
In summary, I think overall this was a 7.5 or 8 out of 10. I was hoping that it would be a 9 or 10, for many reasons, but it didn’t happen that way. I sincerely hope this drama doesn’t hurt or hinder LMH because he’s so much more than this. Faith and City Hunter showed the skills he really has and I hope he can find a movie or drama that give him the freedom to be as good as he can be next time. Park Shin Hye is always a great actress, but I’d really like her to take some lessons in being affectionate! Kim Woo Bin… dude, just go do what you do, you need no instruction Choi Jin Hyuk, I love him and am so glad you he is in another drama right away so I don’t have to go months without him! I thought he was amazing in Gu Family Book, but he ruled in Heirs.
Now, it's on to another drama. I won't miss this one like I did Master's Sun, but I will miss seeing LMH, KWB, and CJH every week.
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