Heart Wrenching
I’ve only watched a few episodes, but I cried off and on through all of them. If you’ve ever had someone you love die, and had them in Hospice, you can’t not cry. Dying means looking back on your life, the mistakes you’ve made, the happiness you’ve felt, the relationships you formed, the things you regret, and the things you had yet to do, but won’t have the chance. The loved ones and friends you leave behind is the hardest thing. I often look at my adult children, and know what it is like to lose a parent. Having to go through their things after their deaths, as you grieve and remember everything looking through their memories. This drama reminds you to live life to the fullest while you can, try not to have regrets, and realize life is short. I’m in my later years, and constantly look back on my past, knowing I don’t have many years left. This drama really hits home for me. It is VERY sad, with a few light moments, great plot and great acting. I will continue to the end crying the whole way, unless the story changes suddenly. Definitely worth the watch.EDIT: So, the drama has changed direction a bit as I watched more episodes. Less about Hospice, and a bit more about character development. I’m not saying it’s a bad direction, just different than earlier episodes. I’ll continue watching and see what develops… my score may drop a bit. Still a good watch though.
COMPLETED/LAST EDIT: My score went from a 10 to an 8.5 by the end. Don’t get me wrong, it was still good, It just changed direction mid way, not in a bad way, just not the way I would have liked. I would still recommend it though. I don’t want to give the story away, but it looks like they could definitely do a season 2 with how it ended.
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I'm happy enough with the ending. I was looking forward to developments in Joon Kyung's story and I got the good one. I wasn't expecting this story from her childhood, and I'm glad it was resolved that way.
The beach scene broke me. It was a return to the moment when a new and better life began for Gyeo Re.
I've thought about it and it would be nice if there was a second season showing some new social workers in the hospice, more fulfilling patients' last wishes, and more relationship between Joon Kyung and Seok Joon.
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AFTER WATCHING 11 EPISODES
Even before I started watching this drama, I knew that I would like the plot. After watching the trailers and reading the description, I had high expectations for it and so far I have not been disappointed. I also really love the cast. All the actors in this drama are amazing.
At first, the drama focused on fulfilling the wishes of the hospice patients, then it began to focus more on the background of the characters. I think that's a good thing. If the drama had focused on patients all the time, the development of the main characters and their stories might have been a bit left out.
This drama touches upon some tough topics and it has been done very well. The characters are warm-hearted and really lovable.
I look forward to a little bit more development in Joon Kyung's story. I'm really curious what will happen to her.
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Too melodramatic, lacking actual depth
Hospice melodrama If You Wish Upon Me has spent a lot of time showing us the end of life’s journey – admittedly through rose-tinted glasses. Beginning and ending by the ocean, If You Wish Upon Me reminds us that it is not merely an end-of-life drama, it is a cycle-of-life one, too.The show had more surprises in store – we realised that not only had we witnessed the start of Gyeo-rye’s redemption story, we had joined Tae-sik midway through his own. Tae-sik is the beating heart of Team Genie, always eager to lend a hand or an ear. But behind his crinkly smile was a long story of woe, filled with tragedy and bad decisions.
All of this may be fitting, but the drama is not perfect and had problems. There was no character depth except Geo-Rye and Tae-Sik. The other side characters were merely a helping hand to the show, without exposing their backstory to the audience. The character of Yeon-Jeo felt like that she only mattered in so far as how she affected the male lead. The pacing was very slow and at times the story felt dragged at some moments. The contrived plot and sentimental send-offs made for a series that occasionally lacked the sincerity to convey the story it set out to tell.
My Rating : 6/10
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This review may contain spoilers
Great first half but lost its touch second half but has a great ending
Personally, I liked the first 8 episodes of this drama. It focused on what this drama was about, fulfilling the wishes of the patients who don't have that much time to live. I like the stories of the patients. It just touches your heart so much when you see their story. It's also refreshing to see how the FL's character is the strong one in a way where she wants to protect the ML's character aka her love. It makes sense since he came from a broken life.I almost wanted to say this is a healing drama but it's not really in a way since there's not much focus on it for the hurting characters, other than the ML's character, where you do see the healing process. The characters (Seok Jun & Joon Kyung) who had a trouble life do overcome their pain and hurt, however I wished there were more scenes and storytelling for them. It seemed rushed at least for their story.
As much as I wanted to see more of the other 2 orphan characters, this is also where the drama went downhill for me. Because of their lack of explanation of the healing process for these two and the introduction of the abusive father for about 6 episodes were kind of drag for me. This drama lost its touch that it had for the first half. Although they did try to bring it back in the second to last week of episodes featuring the grandma and her 2 grandkids, the multiple bad father scenes just made me angry and frustrated, and I had to skip those scenes. It was to the point where I didn't enjoy the drama as much as I did for the first half.
The final week of episodes made it up though, mostly the final episode. I felt like the last episode flowed well. It didn't feel rushed, and it was presented in a way where I was satisfied with finishing it. I'm also glad that they brought back the guest characters from the past episodes as well. Normally, writers will just forget about them after their story is done but I'm glad the writers for this drama didn't do that and brought them back. It just shows the great impact team genie had on these characters and I for one appreciate it.
Overall, great OSTs. I mean I just love all the songs in this drama. A great first half but stumbling in the second half. In the end, it had a great conclusion & nice wrap up to the drama.
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1Blame the makers and move on.
I think at this point we’ve watched more than enough slice-of-life dramas to be passing just anything as a good watch. With humanism and hospice affairs, this drama attempted to attract viewers with melting vibes, but unfortunately the shoddy story and deficient characters made it fail very sub-standardly. In overall, this wasn’t even average, rather a bad drama. I was more excited for Sung Dong Il than Ji Chang Wook, but it worked for neither.Produced by ‘A&E Networks Korea’ & ‘Climax Studios’, “If You Wish Upon Me (당신이 소원을 말하면)” is a feel-good drama, enmarking Ji Chang Wook’s come back to cable drama following his military service. Written by Jo Ryung Soo and directed by Kim Yong Wan, the drama was originally broadcasted on KBS while Viu was assigned for international distribution. The production claims that the story has been inspired by the true accounts of “Make-a-Wish Foundation” in Netherlands, which is somewhat correct.
The story follows a young ex-convict with dark past, Yoon Gyu Re (Ji Chang Wook) who is ordered to join a hospice for community service upon a minor offence. Even with hesitations and doubts, he soon joins ‘Team Genie’- a group that fulfills the last wishes of terminally ill patients at the hospice, created by Kang Tae Shik (Sung Dong Il). Seo Yoon Joo (Choi Soo Young) is a nurse and the only medical personnel in the team while it also consists of Yeom Soon Ja (Yang Hee Kyung), a cook, Yoo Seo Jin (Jeon Chae Eun), a high-schooler, Mr. Koo (Park Jung Pyo) a social worker and Choi Deok Ja (Gil Hye Yeon) & Hwang Cha Young (Yoo Soon Woong) an old couple who work as cleaners at the hospice.
Other familiar faces in the drama are: Shin Joo Hwan, Won Ji An, Nam Tae Hoon, Park Se Jun, Park Jin Joo and Nam Kyung Joo.
Plot development is an absolute disappointment. What started with a little bloom, became weary by the interval and dreadful and illogical in final sequence. The seemingly peak scenes did exhibit no emotion, nor raised hopes for further development.
Given the storyline, the script could have been a very good one even without any peculiar feature, but the debutant writer failed through rough despite their firm motivational muse. I think its natural provided they made a debut with the drama and hopefully this helps them as a writer, but there several things that could have been avoided easily, which seemed like a lack of motive. The introduction was okay but it soon became ineffectual even before it could finish a quarter. The characters were poorly written and had no development throughout, the plot development was inconsistent and tawdry and the elements were underwhelmingly typical.
Directorial input is visibly way under the par; not just they could better the script, also the things that had to have only their contribution was very tacky. The editing and screenplay did irk me as soon as the show started rolling, however, I was expecting it would improve. I honestly lost interest before two episodes because of this choppy execution but decided to continue wishing for warm moments. Albeit, the limitations of the drama are that even the events that are supposed to make you cry, rather invite boredom. There is little significance of cinematography and the screenplay organization is a huge mess.
Composed by Kim Dong Wook, there are 9 OSTs in the drama. Most of them are indeed beautiful, touching and are perfect for the genre of the drama, though underutilized in the editing.
# “Loner” by Kim Sung Kyu (Infinite)
# “Starlight” by Jung So Yeon (Laboum)
# “I Can’t Forget You” by Kim Feel
# “Young Day” by Lee Ye Jun
# “Halo” by Park Jin Joo
# “I’ll Protect You” by Choi Yu Ree
# “Let U Go” by Suran
# ‘’To My Star” by Choi Soo Young
# “You and Me” by Taeyeon
No, this is not the first time, a flawed male lead with dark past and in requirement of therapy has been projected in a Kdrama. In fact, such characters have been brought forward more recently by beautiful female writers of the industry, who have been able to create impressions. Any of you citing Gyeo Re as ‘too weak to be a man’ probably either has toxic masculinity or are into ‘all heroic alpha males’ too much. But what was the problrm? Poor context and subpar presentation and not to forget, zero transition in between. I would have liked to see a slow and steady development in him, from rags to flower, but he changes from an evil to sage in a blink of moment and remains the same throughout. Such a waste of his acting skills plus the potential development.
I think romance was a factor that stood out the most amongst all. Not only the chemistry between Gyeo Rye and Yeon Joo was wonderful, also the development of love and their follow-up till the end was beautifully drawn. It was not typical at the least and the healthy relationship goals reflected through their beautiful presence was cute and heart-touching. Well, most of the credited to Soo Young’s expertise in that area but Chang Wook playing an untypical arc did help it too.
There are a lot of unnecessary sequential flashbacks for several characters which might have been a good idea for a drama where a lot of people are breathing for the last time, but ngl it could have been better executed. So, their random incorporation and editing with OSTs rather felt underwhelming.
Side characters were a part of the journey and definitely contributed some of the warm factors but they hardly had much to offer as individuals and whatever they had, lacked plausibility and any interest. I was particularly anticipating for the team members bcs they have been favourite actors and the initial episodes made me expect a little. However, realizing that the writer doesn’t intend to improve themselves, I gave up very soon.
Another thing that I loved was Won Ji An's character as Joon Kyung, portraying mental health issues and how they take cumulative toll on body along with their way of affecting the surrounding people, be it family, friends and acquaintances. The actress did deliver amazingly, 0.5 for her only.
The thriller subplot to the script was such a havoc, I could not help but hate it too much. Not like the drama had any overall potential to begin with but the way kept ruining it and destroyed the remining essence towards the end using bad guy fight and conspiracies within the hospice. The 14th and 15th were total letdowns because the repetitive and fast-paced fists and knifes were only funny and laughable. The past connection part between the leads did not make sense either. Ending of it was not really terrible but I was in no mood to think about it by that.
Final Remarks… The drama was an act of trumpery (flashy but unproductive). Keeping JCW, SDI and CSY at the centre, it did aim for big but in overall, the makers did have a lack of creativity and motive to do better which led to a wasted and forgettable watch. They did attempt to incorporate touchy stories and blooming moments to make it seem appealing and heart-wrenching but they rather felt forced and out of place. The drama failed through for a lot of reasons and is a technical flop. Not recommending to anyone.
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One of the most beautiful Kdramas I have watched in a long time.
What a beautiful drama. The characters are real with depth. They touch on a lot of heavy topics in this drama so please keep that in mind; this isn’t a light heartened drama to binge watch. Let’s start with the leads. The female lead is Nurse Set; she’s sweet, funny, charming and cares a lot for her patients. Maybe I’m biased because I’m a nursing student right now, but she was definitely one of my characters of this show. She doesn’t give up easily and especially not for the people she loves. Some people said she was “boring”, but I just wanted to say a general comment about this drama: this drama is among the more realistic Kdramas. The chatterers aren’t dramatized to a level where they feel foreign or feel like they couldn’t exist irl. Every character in this drama feels like they could be a real person that you know or could know. The male lead is one of my favourite male leads in a drama in a LONG time. You can definitely see the way his past impacts him, but he is not a bad guy. He is actually an incredibly sweet guy with a soft spot. The romance between the two leads was definitely my favourite part. I like how it wasn’t the main focus and it felt completely real and honest. There was no “love at first sight” or any unnecessary tropes. It really felt like a naturally developed romance and every scene where the leads were together felt so intimate, as if I shouldn’t be watching.Now let’s talk about the plot. I loved the plot! I had some critiques, but for the most part, I loved it. This drama has a main plot, but also has small sub-plots that aren’t boring and aren’t just randomly thrown in. I like how they talk about mental health such as dementia/Alzheimer’s or issues like revenge and dealign with grief. I think seeing things like these and the way the scenes are framed and portrayed really made the show that much more heart warming and heartfelt. Every character in team Genie was wonderful and I love every member of it!
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This review may contain spoilers
This is the first Sooyoung's drama that I have finisheddespite some of the plot not makes senses, the notable one was timeline of the flashback, it's still good for me
I really love Ji Changwook's range as Yoon Gyeore, he was apathetic character in the beginning and gradually become more human as he spent his time with Team Genie
Kang Taesik, well he kinda reminded me of Dumbledore lol, but with better character
a good man in heart but was going through bad circumstances
Seo Yeonjoo, my green flag girl, I really love Seo Yeonjoo so much, she's so understanding towards almost if not all characters in this drama
well she's not a perfect nurse but she always tries her best
Ha Junkyung, well I originally can't really empathize with her character, but in the last three episodes I can understand her better
and I love her in last two episode
Ms Yeom, my favorite mother figure
Ms Choi, I'm glad even though she can't go to Netherland, Woori Hospice and Team Genie accommodate her needs as dementia patient
Mr Hwang, his love for Choi Deokja ?
for Seojin and Mr Gu, it's just too bad their character weren't as developed as the other support characters especially the mafias, but at least they both have lovers
and kinda sad that Ms Yeom is the only one without a proper ending that she deserves, what happened to her son who lives in England
Team Genie as a whole have special place in my heart, I would really miss them especially during the time Gyeore warm up to them
and even though I expected the two nuns to be important people in Woori Hospice, but I didn't expect them to be the directors of the hospice
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Great acting but not touching enough - missing something
Rating - 8.25I thought I would be crying my eyes out watching “If You Wish Upon Me” and surprisingly, I did not. There are some touching moments, but I feel that the drama is missing the ‘oomph’ or ‘it’ that makes me fall in love with it. The whole premise of Team Genie is great, just like the hospice's own Make-a-Wish Foundation.
I have to applaud Ji Chang Wook for branching out to different roles. He was great in this drama and his character is not the usual good-looking, cold Chaebol, a hero or a heart throb. He actually looks and acts the part of Yoon Kyeo Re. Someone who has had a rough childhood and life, and is not a hero to save the world. He is a little dorky and timid, but lovable and gentle. Seo Yeon Joo also plays such an interesting female lead in Seo Yeon Joo. Nurse Seo is a badass but in a sweet way. She is a workout maniac and a gentle angel. She’s also the one who saves our male lead from drowning in his past. It’s lovely to see Choi Soo Young again after her other very memorable role in “Run On”. Oh and she’s so pretty! What more can I say about veteran Sung Dong Il. I don’t think I need to shower praises on him as he’s universally recognized as one of the most amazing actors out there (ok, maybe to me he is). Acting has to be the strength of this drama, including the supporting cast and especially everyone in Team Genie.
However, I feel that plot wise it’s missing that special sauce. The hospice patient stories are somewhat underwhelming. One or two of them are well-written and heart-tugging, but overall not memorable enough. One can say the patient stories are secondary to the main characters' stories. I do enjoy Yoon Kyeo Re’s story and character development - from being an orphan/convict to the trusted Junior Supervisor of Team Genie. The bond that he has with his Son (doggie) is very sweet. I also love the friendship and father/son relationship between Yoon Keyo Re and Kang Tae Shik as well. I think the complicated brother/sister dynamics lasted a little too long and slowed down the pace of the drama in the middle. The plot about the gangster/loan shark is a little over dramatic and doesn’t jive well with the overall tone of the drama.
I would love to know more about other members of Team Genie. I am a little disappointed not to see more of Cook Yeom Soon Ja’s backstory. I love how she can see through Yoon Kyeo Re and Ha Joon Kyung's sad childhoods of never having enough good food to know what their favorite foods are. I really like her love for everyone by providing delicious meals. But I want to see more! I also want more of the lovely older couple. Don’t we all wish to grow old with someone who loves and cares for you just like the older gentleman? The way he looks at his wife is so full of love.
Overall, I do think this is a good drama. But to me, it’s just missing something to really move me and hold my attention throughout the whole 16 episodes. I do have to say it ends on a strong note. The last episode is touching (not heart wrenching) and very sweet.
Completed: 10/28/2022
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I commend Ji Chang Wook on his diversity
Ji Chang wook is famous for his action badass dramas, but taking on vulnerable roles is exciting. I know a lot of young ladies would prefer him playing a romantic bad boy, but honestly young men who display their feelings on their sleeves are much more attractive. This drama for example. From episode 2, I could see it in his eyes that he was a damaged soul. He wore out his heart, and displayed his soft mannerism.The story and the plot in this drama aren't perfect, but well worth watching. It's a hospice setting, so it was told to us from the beginning it would be a sob drama, and it delivered well. The main plot line was interesting enough, but the side stories were extra topping we all wanted.
The performance from every individual in this drama should be commended, but Changwook stole the spot light for me. The female lead was excellent. I can't tell you how refreshing she was to watch. After watching so many cutesy dumb repetitive female leads in dramas, she was so good. I loved her.
The OST isn't that great, but the humming stays with you for a while.
This drama is highly recommended from me. Watch and enjoy it.
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Unique and cheesy
Interesting concept for a slice of life drama. Most I've seen aren't revolved around a hospice/crime setting so this was very unique. The genre for this drama should've included mystery/thriller because in someway it was.I'll keep it short:
Gyeore is a conflicted man with an abused past. His life has been torn down by the adults in his life when he was younger, and then forced into criminal activities by gangsters later in life. During an accident, he comes across the genie team and is forced by the supervisor to work in the hospice -under court authorized mandatory community service. This is where our main character learns the meaning of love, and along with his dog 'Son' realize that not all people are out to get them. Our female lead is a breath of fresh air, and eases our male lead into happiness. There are conflicts when the 'sister' joins the group, and the gangsters find him - there are problems with the father, and some residents. We journey through our male leads most difficult times in this situation and through hardship we find him smiling at the end.
The major issue most 'men' people are having is that Gyeore is weak, and can't stand up for himself. Well, try putting yourself in his shoes and then talk standing up for yourself. Ignore the whining of these men and have fun. Grab some tissues though, episode eight was the saddest for me.
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One of the best healing/redemption dramas
Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. This Show is unabashedly sentimental. Time and again, its plots are designed to pull at our heartstrings until there is not a dry eye in the house. It is also a challenging watch as it races through all kinds of personal and societal issues. Everything from child abuse, abandonment, modern slavery, self-harm, suicide, organised crime and more. Not everything is treated equally nor resolved realistically but it is a bubbling witches’ brew. Unfortunately, most of the time, these topics are used as backstory or plot devices to propel the story forward. If you are looking for a hard-hitting, earnest drama on such topics then this is not quite it.On the positive side, the story is well structured. It dropped you into the pit of despair but showed you the handholds to climb back out. It is all about healing and redemption. Crime and punishment is secondary. The key motifs are regrets and missed opportunities. There are flashbacks hinting at a rash decision or a slight deviation may change someone’s destiny forever.
Most characters in this show carried wounds both physical and spiritual. The unwritten charter of Team Genie is to provide someone their last chance to do what is necessary so that they can shuffle off this mortal coil without regrets. This, the show excelled.
Another positive aspect is the love line of the leads. It is definitely not a smooth ride, but it is quite realistic and swoon worthy. Rather than the typical passive damsel, the FL put up a good fight for the ML’s affection and to leave nothing to chances or misunderstandings. Bravo!
Ji Chang Wook has not scored many hits of late but I’m happy to report that he has got his mojo back. His agitated, rambling delivery and hangdog demeanour is perfect for this role. We rejoice in his growth and development as the Show progressed. Choi Soo Young might be a super idol but over the years she has amassed quite a filmography. She certainly did a good job here. The role is hardly glamourous but her acting felt natural and on point. The senior cast members more than pulled their weight and quite often stole the show. To fault the acting would be to nit-pick.
There is a lot of death and sadness on display, but the Show is fundamentally uplifting and counterbalanced the negatives with a steely resolve to do good. Amor fati!
Rewatch the whole show might be a bit challenging even if it is rewarding. The last two episodes is definitely worth a rewatch plus all the swoon-y and heart warming moments.
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It's very dark & misleading somehow
When I started watching the show, it's very touching. While it's sad, it's touching with what Team Genie is doing. And then it went dark real quick. More than half of the show turned out to become a crimeshow thriller with recurring theme around suicide, abuse, etc. It suddenly became a really dark story about the casts.I just felt misled since that's not how the 1st few episodes are. I wouldn't have watched it if I know it's this dark. I am very disappointed. Although the acting is really top notch, I must say!
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