I see that many people decide to watch Green Rose after they have watched Dog And Wolf's Time. I had watched Green Rose AT FIRST and for me, because both items are comparable, Green Rose is on the first place.
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THE GOOD
1. Gosh the ACTING, people.
Go Soo is definitely one of the most talented Korean actors ever. You know, his character in this drama demanded a lot from him as an actor considering the journey he had to go through in order to redeem himself. I rarely say this about a male Korean actor but I just have to commend his performance because darn it, he was absolutely BRILLIANT. His delivery was emotional, raw and powerful from the moment we see him crying and banging his head out of grief in prison after receiving news of his mother's death, to his wandering on the streets of Shanghai and eating leftovers in garbage cans, to his total transformation into a powerful and shrewd businessman determined to avenge his mother and clear his name. I liked Lee Da Hae's performance too. Contrary to her bubbly, colorful personality in My Girl, her acting here was restrained and somber. The lingering sadness, subdued by this quiet and carefully-held dignity, was conveyed well without making her totally boring or mediocre. Also, if you saw A Gentleman's Dignity, Lee Jong-Hyuk would be a familiar face to you. In Green Rose, he was a debonair, suave and charming villain who brought hell to Jung-Hyun and surreptitiously robbed him his future. So imagine my surprise when he became this immature, womanizing middle-aged man in a frothy rom-com. It was a full 360 degree turn from Green Rose for sure but still refreshing to watch (see, this is what I like about Korean actors, they're so versatile).
2. The Journey.
So much injustice had been done to the main character that you can't help but share the feelings of despair, anger, hopelessness and sadness with him. You can't help but feel vindicated yourself too after seeing him regain what was rightfully his in the first place. This was a man who wanted nothing more than to make his mother proud and live a simple life with the woman he loved. For him to be framed for murder and arson and lose everything he held dear due to another man's quest for revenge was heartbreaking. And yet his poignant transformation due to the heavy trials he experienced and his ultimate victory was so worth watching. And the best part was, his heart remained good. The methods he used against some of his enemies weren't malicious but instead forced them to reflect on their lives and gave them the opportunity to change. His perseverance, in spite of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles, made the victory all the more sweet.
3. The Romance.
I think the love story and romantic angst were the best things about this drama. The scenes of Jung-Hyun (Go Soo) and Soo-Ah's (Lee Da Hae) encounters in the latter half when he assumed a different identity were quite painful to watch because the longing they had for each other was apparent. I loved seeing how conflicted they both felt in their situation: Jung-Hyun wanting to disclose his secret to Soo-Ah but he can't, at least not until he is able to clear his name. Soo-Ah being drawn to Jung-Hyun but fighting it because one, it's impossible for a person to resurrect from the dead; and two, she's dating the bad guy already.
THE BAD
I only have one gripe about this drama and it's the unfolding of the "mystery" surrounding that fateful night which resulted in Lee Jung-Hyun's trial and conviction. I was hoping for a more complex backdrop of the events, a more exciting revelation because this mystery is practically the reason why viewers continue to watch Green Rose in the first place: to know what truly happened, who were the real culprits, how it happened and the motivation behind the crimes. Sorry, I was not sold on the answers the writers gave in the end. I would've appreciated it if it was more intelligently written. But I still love the drama.
The plot was kind of impossible to believe at times but I think what mattered most was the character growth Jung-Hyun had to undergo, from being a gullible, humble and simple office worker to a wealthy and powerful man without losing his sense of morality in the process. Most characters go berserk in their pursuit for vengeance(e.g. Mawang, Resurrection, just to name a few). Here, it was his love for his mother that sustained him when he hit rock bottom, especially during those times when finding persons necessary in the resolution of his case proved to be very difficult. It was this love that kept him sane.
I recommend Green Rose to anyone looking for a good romance revenge melodrama that does NOT end in tragedy. Okay, sure, it's a 2005 drama so the quality isn't as polished as revenge dramas of recent years. That's a given so you need to be more patient while watching. Furthermore, the series is quite slow in the beginning. But once the transformation of Jung-Hyun kicks off, everything becomes more engaging and exciting.
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Story: The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite movies and the plot of this, really reminds me of it. Although sometimes it was hard to believe that the people around the main character took him for someone else cause there wasn’t that much of a change in the characters appearance. So use your imagination folks! If your looking for romance theres not much to look forward to cause the relationship of the main couple is well established in the first 2 eps. There is some romantic angst throughout though due to the fact that the couple cant be together till the end. The biggest weakness I found is the pacing and the episode count. It just slows a lot of the developments down and the momentum is lost to the point you get bored by the middle. Happy but bittersweet ending.
Acting/Cast: This is the first time Ive seen Go Soo, although I’ve heard of various projects he’s been in. His performance wasn’t bad or anything and hes very attractive but I just thought his expressions could have been taken to another level during certain scenes that called for it. Ive only seen Lee Da Hae in romcoms so it was a nice change to see her do drama. It just proves what a versatile actress she is. Lee Jong Hyuk played the villain perfectly. His character was a baddie but he plays him with such charm that you cant help but sympathize with his actions. By the end, I actually came to like a lot of the supporting cast as well.
Music: I don’t really remember it but it was really dramatic and fit with the revenge theme.
Rewatch: If the pacing was better I think I could have watched it again sometime in the distant future but its not so I’ll pass.
Overall Green Rose is a pretty good older revenge drama worth at least a watch if you’re a fan of any of the leads.
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I love revenge dramas a lot, so I was very excited when I began watching this drama. The Story of a man who is falsely accused of murder and an attempt made me curious. Also I like the older dramas, because I think the storylines were more interesting than nowadays. I don't want to compare this drama with more recent revange dramas, but I think this is better than most of the newer ones.
But more than the story, there were the Actors who were amazing. I watched a frew of them in other projects (moste recent Go Soo). Go Soo plays the Man, who falls in Love with the daughter of the chairman of the company he works for. When he learns the truth he wants to leave her but it turns out otherwise. His acting as a Man from a not wealthy family, who gets framed and later comes back to take revenge is heartbreaking. After I watched other movies with him I think this is his best role so far. When he was arrested I suffered with him. When he comes back and meets his Love again I thought 'Please get her back'. His acting war amazing and I think his role was very difficult to play. I mean he was hurt, he sought after revenge and he had to pretend that he didn't know people he liked/loved. To play such a role isn't easy.
Lee Da Hae plays the girlfriend and love of his life who is the daughter of a wealthy Man. So she is the heiress of a big company but she is 'normal'. I like her character because other she loves a man who has nothing. Sie loves him even though they live in two very different worlds and she holds him and can't let him go. Dae Hae is a good Actress. I didn't liked her character in My Girl but in here she is nice and very hurt inside like outside. When her lover is framed she believes in him, she want to help him and sie can't forget him when he is gone. Her Scenes with Go Soo were so heartbreaking, I thought I am watching the Japanese Drama 'Tatta hitotsu no Koi'.
Lee Jong Hyuk played the role of Da Haes fiancé who is the bad boy. I hated him in most of the episodes even though there was something because of I suffered with him. But when I thought he is pitiful his next step/action changed my mind. He played the role very good, but I can't compere his role to others he played because I watched him in two dramas before and one of them I dropped and in the other I wasn't interested enough in his role.
Jung Sanghoon (played Go Soos best friend), Kim Seo Hyung (played Go Soos female partner), Park Sang Myun (played Go Soos second friend and partner) Sun Woo Jae Duk (played Director Seo) were all good, respectively. Also I liked Tao Ren (Go Soos bodyguard) a lot. All in all the Acting was one of the best I have ever seen in a drama and I watch dramas since years.
I LOVE the the Song "Green Rose" by Just. His voice suits the music and the melody is perfect for a melodrama like this. When you watch the drama and the music begins to play ypu get goose bumps and you will know what comes next.
I would recommend this drama to viewers who doesn't mind to cry when watching. If you like melodramas like me this drama is a very good choice even though it is from 2005. Like i said above, in my opinion the old melodramas are the best. I hope Korea can do such a wonderful and amazing drama again. As a result I would watch the drama again, of yourse, but I will wait a few months.
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