Boring!
This drama started so well and then just disappeared into a romance and gentle humour which was not new, interesting, funny or cute!The most interesting characters were the twin brothers and yet thus fell onto the sidelines and was not explained as well as it could have been. Just why did Ian Chase treathis brother like that? What happened withe the hospital daugter - this was nevervresolved.
The last episode was a nauseating and shallow cliched take on love and helping others in despair.The writer wallowing in triteness.
This could have been such an excellent thriller with a bit of romance - instead it was a mawkish cliched love story between 2 very juvenile people. The sight ofcthe male lead running like a little boy was just a huge turn iffand the iverused lollipop as an answer to all hurts just pathetic.
Unless you like self help speak and underdeveloped characters give this a miss!
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Skip it
I started and stopped so many times to complete this drama. It could be best described as hodgepodge of various genres which was not appetizing at all. It included mystery, crime, romance, friendship, abuse, melodrama, comedy etc but nothing stuck.I had begin to think that there were only top notch K actors who did excellent job regardless of age, sex, role, screen time etc. however this drama dispelled that illusion. I apologize I could not become a fan of the FL’s visuals. The ML was better tolerated and acted better as well. There was no chemistry between the leads even though there was some excellent script in regards to their banter and a gorgeous scenic view for their first kiss. However my heart did not skip a single beat but instead went into bradycardia. The romantic scenes had them significantly apart with constant smiling at each other with those emotionless, dead eyes. Even when they cried or hugged, I did not feel any emotional tug. The mystery just couldn't keep its tempo or grip because of so many interrupted elements. The background childhood didn’t show much effect on the grown adults due to poor acting skills.
I barely tolerated the side characters which were really really annoying most of the time. The only one I liked and who acted best was the supposed villian.
Not even worth a quick watch. Do your self a favor and just skip it.
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Wants to be everything but ends up lackluster and half-baked
This drama probably sounded amazing on paper but didn't really work out in my opinion.The good parts were some of the philosophical dialogue, cinematography and intriguing opening episode. This is the drama that wanted to be "everything" but ended up doing "everything" half-baked. The main couple was okay and had some cute scenes but nothing that stands out compared to other dramas, the side characters were not that interesting overall and you wonder why some characters (that got pretty much screen time) even were in the drama in the first place... The biggest letdown though is the mystery which was a big part of the marketing campaign and main trailer. I would even call what they did with it pathetic, just ughh. Except the premise I swear the plot was written while it was being filmed and the writer got lost/didn't know what to do with it halfway through, a pattern that's sadly common in kdramaland.
On top of this the pacing was overall pretty slow and even boring at times. It also has a lot of filler scenes so you will need patience and energy to get through most of the episodes (unless you are a huge fan of the actors). At last its impressive how the writer somehow managed to implement almost EVERY SINGLE cheesy kdramaland-trope in this drama.
Both the ML and FL have better dramas so don't get me wrong I like the actors but this one really missed the mark for me. If you are in the middle of watching and feel bored you can easily drop it imo.
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SLOW-paced healing drama, beautiful cinematography and great acting
8/28/2021I wanted to like this drama more but the slow pace and pauses between dialogs kept me from giving it a higher rating. I've watched melodramas before but this one is quite slow compared to the likes of "When The Weather is Fine", "Piece of a Mind" or "Chocolate".
Things I like:
1. Acting/Characters - Acting is great and the leads are veterans in the industry now. I've watched quite a few rom-coms that FL is in and it's nice to see her in a different role. I believe in her pain and am glad that her character doesn't cry all the time. She stays strong despite her traumas. I cried with her when she finally opened up to ML about her childhood trauma. I've seen ML in "Tomorrow with You" and liked him there. But I like him even more here. You see his serious and calming therapy side (love his soothing voice), then the silly lovey-dovey side, his traumatic/sad look and his adorably dorky side. I can see all those emotions in his eyes. The supporting cast also did a great job, whether they are the younger generation or the child actors.
2. Cinematography and OST: The feels are there. The drama is beautifully shot with great angles. I am not an expert in cinematography but in layman's term, it's just a very pretty drama. The music complements the mood and the feel. There's no annoying loud music or the constant playing of the same song over and over again.
3. Main Healing Romance - I love a slow-burn romance. This one is developed beautifully from strangers to neighbors to lovers. I feel that the best part of the show is when the leads are on the screen. I enjoy their dialogs, their bantering and being silly together. Some commented that they don't feel the chemistry, but I do. It's not a hot-burning fire, but a gentle, comfortable warmth between them. They care for each other, supported each other and healed each other. A love that is mature and open without misunderstandings.
4. Friendships - We got sismance and bromance. They are the comedic parts of this drama and really help lighten up the mood. Otherwise, this drama will be sad and depressing. You can also see how different the leads are when they are with their friends.
Things I don't like:
1. Pacing - As I mentioned, this is a very slow-paced drama. I understand we should be "feeling" more and not be rushed, but the pauses in between dialogs are too much for my taste. Maybe because I've been watching too many C-dramas that my tolerance for K-dramas slowness has decreased.
2. Murder mystery - I feel like the murder mystery plot seems to be its own drama on the side. It's not working very well when it's merged into a melo-romance. But without this plot, the drama would need to be shorten significantly, as there won't be enough stories to fill a d16-episode drama. There's not enough interaction between the 2nd ML and the main leads in the mid/2nd part of the drama. It's like the murder plot is totally forgotten.
I would recommend this drama to someone who loves a slow-paced healing melodrama with a slow-burn romance. Also someone who likes to pause and think and feel the emotions along with the characters. But if you like a fast-paced rom-com, this is not for you. If you are looking for a crime/murder drama, this is not it either.
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Awesome Healing Drama!!!
You Are My Spring is one of my favorite dramas I’ve watched this year! Watching the healing process of the characters was beautiful and overall I really loved it, especially episodes 1-11 : )Plot:
- The healing plot line is amazinggggg, especially Da Jeong’s healing process. We see many different personalities and the backgrounds of many characters. It was also so nice seeing everyone freeing themselves/starting to free themselves from their burdens.
*I also loved the cop's healing*
-The cinematography makes everything better, it’s truly beautifully shot <3
-The one downfall of this drama (not the worst for me but worth mentioning) is the thriller/mystery plotline. After watching the last episode I understand that it was meant to show how someone who didn't have someone to lean on could turn out but I still think it was a bit disconnected, especially on the murderer's part like why did he do it? I’m not sure how big the thriller/mystery was advertised to be, but it certainly isn’t a main focus which affects the role of the Chae Jun/Choi Jung Min (the second leads).
-Episode 12-14 to me also felt like filler somewhat. I think they could have used some of the time to focus on the twins because I'm still a little confused on what happened regarding them. They would have also became more present in the storyline, considering they’re meant to be main roles. Their place just seems somewhat disconnected with the rest of the story and should have moved more evenly through the show. 12-14 also made me lose interest a bit, but I still love the show!
Acting/Cast- The actors were amazing!!! This is my first time watching any of them and this drama did not disappoint!! I really loved Seo Hyun Jin, she embodied her role perfectly :) I’m excited to watch all the actors in the future, especially Seo Hyun Jin, Kim Dong Wook, and Nam Gyu Ri (she was so funny in her role haha). Only slight complaint is the twins (aka Yoon Park) didn’t shine as much as he should have as a main character.
Music- The music is good and fits the series/scenes well! My favorite is “Flying Butterfly” by Kim Min Seok <3
Rewatch Value- I don’t typically rewatch shows but I wouldn’t mind watching the healing parts over again : )
Overall, I did get a little bored in the later half but this drama is truly beautiful. It is definitely a 10/10 healing romance. I rated it a 9 because the twins story is a little confusing to me and they didn't get as much screen time as they should have. I also got bored towards the end. Give this drama a try if you’re looking for a healing romance!! If you’re a fan of any of the actors, I would also recommend You Are My Spring because they were excellent in this! If you’re looking for a super present thriller/mystery plot this drama is not for you though.
Happy Watching! : )
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This review may contain spoilers
A Spectacular Healing Drama
I absolutely loved this drama so much!When i first had started watching this drama, i thought it would be a melo rom-com but boy was i wrong? There was a mystery/thriller aspect of the drama that blew me away during the first 2 episodes, that is what blew me away, that only is this a psychological healing romance, it was a thriller/mystery as well. I was hooked!
This drama did so well in balancing both melo romance and the mystery/thriller aspect which i loved! The thriller/mystery aspect kind of fades a little towards the end where it doesnt really become clear for the viewers, so we have to connect the dots on our own which a lot people felt that was why it fell flat for the mystery/thriller aspect.
Now all the actors/actresses did amazing! Everyone's character had a different complex personality which is what i loved!
Yoon Park blew me away escpecially playing 2 characters who were identical twins.
The bromance and the sismance are wonderful in this drama! So many cute bromantic and sismantic moments! Bromance consists of Young Do, Seung Won and Ha Neul.
Sismance consists of Da Jeong, Ga Young and Eun Ha.
Young Do and Da Jeong were the cutest most mature couple ever and many people did not like the "break up trope" but that break up in my opinion was realistic that i am not mad that they used it. They are going in my fave couples list for sure!
The Identical twins story:
They were both abandoned by their mother and was left at a orphanage at a church, Choi Jeong Min was able to stay in Korea while as Ian Chase was adopted and went to America. The twin seprations and the resentment that Ian had been thinking that Choi Jeong Min didnt have to go through the abuse that he had to go through but once he returned to Korea when he was 18 years old, he was wrong, CJM didnt have it any better, he was abused by his step father and their mother was dead.
Ian then made a plan to get revenge on the ones who hurt them, so he manupilates his brother and the killer who wrote the "Pure Murder" book, he instigated the killings. Ian was the one who had ASPD not CJM, CJM was the good twin afterall.
This shows the toxic brother relationship these 2 had.
Ian Chase turned out to be the psycho in the end, he manipulated his own brother, instigated the murders, used his brother
He still didnt really feel guilt till later on after realizing that his brother died to protect his love and his brother. Ian manupilated his brother and instigated the killings to get revenge for what he and his twin brother have been through. This was a toxic siblings realtionship where one used the other while having ASPD. It was confirmed that Ian has ASPD in the beginning but they made it look like that CJM had ASPD when it was Ian who had ASPD all along. You can see it on episode 2 when Ian switched with CJM and confronted Young Do and was threatening him that he cant tell any of this info since he can lose his license. The file says one of the twins had ASPD and that one twin was Korean American. The trauma he went through created those guilty hallucinations.
The drama may not have been clear but if you connect the dots then it gets clearer in my opinion.
Ian ended up developing ASPD because of all the abuse he went through in his life and he ended up using brother for his own needs as well in a wrong. This shows how toxic there brotherly relationship was. If only Ian or even Choi were able to receive help, it could have been avoided.
Here is my explanation for the twins story.
This drama really teaches one of how if the help was given, people can heal. DJ and YD were able to heal by being together for each other. Ian is working on it as he decided to get to therapy sessions which is a start. CJM's death could have been avoided if only someone had reached out to him and Ian. As Ian takes the major step of getting help and willing to heal from the trauma he went through, it will make him feel less guilty of what he did to his brother.
Overall, this drama was great and is going in the my faves list now! As it was my first time watching Kim Dong Wook and Seo Hyun Jin, this drama has made me a fan of them so now imma go look for more work of theirs to watch. <3 I'd defiently recommend this drama to anyone! <3
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Healing. Warm. Fun.
I literally expected NOTHING when I started watching the show and I knew NOTHING about it. I watched it because I like the leads and wanted something that looks warm.BUT oh my god. What was that? It felt like a syringe full of medicine that heals your worries and gives you warmness.
It was a weird mixture of "Run On" and "Fix You". A beautiful drama filled with communication, talking, conversations and MORE communication. It's one that makes your eyes teary with simple sentences, makes you cry in one short scene and makes you laugh most of the time.
I loved the characters and everything.
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love the message of 'you are my spring'
this is the healing you can rarely find in dramas. you just have to endure the thriller from the first few episodes... just a little sacrifice is needed to get into the healing.things I love the most about you are my spring,
—the message delivered! having hope, comfort, healing, everything.
—how well-written the script is, the dialogues, the symbolism of very details, it was so perfect, deep, and hard-hitting. I wish I could have digested all the references use from the films and books mentioned because all the connections are making sense. you could def say the writer did a rly great job for that.
— the OSTs are so good. kudos to the sound/ music director for how fitting the ost in every scene. to mention the "Still Wonder" by Ha Hyunsang... is so good, soothing, and healing! a must be added to your ost playlist.
—acting of dongwook and seo hyunjin is immaculate, climbing up to my most favorite pairing! because the chemistry is flowing. simply one smile from them is so heart-fluttering.
—and most importantly how they discuss, tackle the topic of having a trauma. they took the subject carefully and, that's one step to the healing to the process of getting over it. it was written earnestly, not rushed, through the episodes from every process, it was seized most acceptably. super love that!
what a letdown... is that 'you are my spring' should not drag that long to 16 episodes. I would prefer if this is in a shorter length of episode kdrama because it appears like some are fillers to make up the 16 episodes.
anyways and anyhow it was a very good watch!!!!
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Oh dear, I am missing this show already...
Healing dramas are slow-moving and can sometimes seem boring. After watching a number of this type of drama, I have really come to appreciate the leisurely pace and find them relaxing, and well…healing. It is a nice change after watching intense dramas with numerous plot twists or stressful situations that keep me on edge. Having said that, this one has a bit of both. This may be the first time I have seen a romantic healing/slice of life drama that tries to be a thriller too. I really enjoyed both aspects, though there were some definite flaws caused by this ambition in the latter half of the drama.
"You Are My Spring" brings its A-game in the first few episodes. They really grabbed my attention, left me intrigued, and I was on tenterhooks waiting for the next episodes. Healing dramas can be hard to get into if I am not in the right mood, so I appreciated the exciting beginning that had me immersed in the drama immediately. For the first half of the drama, the thriller aspect was pretty well balanced with the melodrama, slice of life, and budding romance. Somehow in the last half, it became more and more unbalanced, less thrilling, and a bit messy. The transitions between genres were awkward, and eventually, it fizzled out and died. It’s a shame because one of the most interesting characters was also the focus of this thriller plot.
That leads me to the best thing about this drama- its characters. This drama has some of the best-supporting characters. Ian, the vet friend, the ex-wife, Da Jung’s lovably quirky colleague (this girl is sooo funny), and one of the best drama moms I have seen. It was touching to see how all the friends take care of each other. They are so loyal. Some people have said they didn’t feel the chemistry between the main couple, but I disagree. While it’s not a passionate romance, it is more of a deep connection and understanding. I was truly moved by Da Jung and Young Do’s beautiful (and healthy) relationship, and how much respect they had for one another. The characters were well-written, and their motivations were clear. The actors did a great job portraying their characters.
There were a few cliches, but I thought they made sense within this story and because of who the characters are as people. There was one trope that did make me roll my eyes, as I am just so sick of it, but it didn’t affect the story that much. The dialogue was deep and meaningful, and sometimes hilarious. There were so many precious moments that made me feel for the characters, and amidst all the drama and heartache there was a lot of joy and unexpected humor. I think that is what makes this drama extra special to me.
Throughout the course of the show, I grew very attached to these wonderful characters and their lovely story. I am happy to have spent these moments on their journey with them and I am a bit sad to bid them goodbye. I will keep them in my memory and wish them well, and maybe take a long vacation with them again someday.
“If people did not love one another, I really don't see what use there would be in having any spring.”
― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
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Great Romance Sloppy Thriller
Mixing romance and thriller/crime is very hard to execute in my opinion. To make a great drama you need a balance of elements from both sides or establish the main objective from the beginning and this drama unfortunately failed to accomplish that. The show is meant to be a healing drama and from that aspect it's amazing, I love the side characters especially Ahn Ga Young. The romance between the main leads is so pure and the interactions they have are really relaxing and easy to watch. I also love the ML's interactions with the FL's mother, and I cried during a few of those scenes. However, I did not enjoy the weird tangents this drama tried to go off on. The love "triangle" between (The Vet, The Cafe Owner, and The Boxer) was just really weird and unnecessary. I personally do not have an issue with the Cafe Owner dating the FL brother, but including the Vet & The Boxer just felt forced. Now the bad part, the whole crime segment was so half-assed and there are so many unanswered questions, but it was so boring that I didn't even care that it was left unresolved. I've seen a ton of classic thriller dramas, and I knew to not set my expectations too high, but this was so poorly executed, that I felt like the show would've been an 8/8.5 if that part was cut out. Furthermore, the romance/healing segments were abruptly cut off by scenes from the police station, and the ordering was just terribly off.Was this review helpful to you?
I think mature-slow-healing drama with characters brought to life by the actors are my thing
I usually don't write reviews for the drama. This is actually my 2nd review after 'guest the hand'. But I have decided to write reviews more often from now on. I usually don't end the dramas for various reasons. Due to which I end up leaving many dramas in the middle. But I think I love the mature-slow paced-healing dramas. I think they are my thing.So now getting down to the drama it may feel slow-paced but it isn't boring at all. You would not feel the urge to fast forward the scenes. The chemistry between the main couple is outstanding. They truly are the finest actors in the industry. The supporting characters also didn't disappoint and were fun to watch. The friendship between the characters is truly captivating and beautiful. I enjoyed Kang Da Jung's and Ahn Ga Young's characters. They were adorable. Watching them lit up my face with joy.
I think everything in this drama was great except for the thriller- murder part. I think that was unnecessary and was just there. Yoon park justified his role but his character was not written well. Well, apart from the thriller part everything in this drama was great. I personally enjoyed the drama. And since it made me smile and anticipate the upcoming episodes. I will rate it a 10/10. The actors really nailed their parts in this drama.
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A heartwarming journey paired with a little suspense
This drama follows the journey of people who have broken pasts, but want to change for the better. Even though unpredicted, unfortunate events can happen, the process in which one heals from it is well captured in this drama.Story: The story is really well-paced and the plot is a nice slow-burn. The balance between romance, healing, and suspense is well written, and it keeps the story moving. The dialogue is also wonderful. I could listen to Da-jeong and Young-do talk for hours! The relationships in this drama are more mature, as the characters take time to truly understand each other, and learn to take chances since life is short.
Acting: It goes without a doubt that the acting is amazing. Since the cast has so many seasoned actors/actresses, the acting is on point. The actors/actresses convey the characters so well, from the comedic moments to the more sorrowful ones. Seo Hyun-jin's crying scenes are just so heart-wrenching, I found my self tearing up along with her.
Music: The music is this drama is really good! My personal favorite is Still Wonder by Ha Hyunsang, it was stuck in my head for days! The music for the more emotional scenes are wonderful as well!
I would definitely recommend watching this if you are looking for a good slow-burn, healing drama!
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