it was nice
has been a very nice series and they are very cute as a couple. i would have more explored the story showing more things that happened in the past, so istead of 8 there would have been 10 episodes. other than that it was very light and fun to watch.the chemistry between the two is crazy, i love them as a couple. amazing cast and i really liked the music!!
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This review may contain spoilers
A Very Generic Romance Story
I was really excited about this show for a while since it was advertised like crazy and I love Chae Jong Hyeop and Kim So Hyun as actors. After watching this show in one night, I have to say I’m slightly disappointed with how the show went. I expected over the top cuteness, since it was advertised as a pure romance yet I finished a little unsatisfied. Keep reading this post to find out more about the show!I give this show a 6.5/10. It is sweet and I love the actors, however, the storyline is overdone. The overbearing mother who is trying to force the ML to go back to America because she wants to be controlling? The FL who fears being abandoned? The Ex that left her without giving her a reason and comes back and wants her back? The romance that is all based on fate/ coincidence? It’s all over-done and has been seen before many times. Therefore, the ideas and concepts didn’t feel fresh at all. It was just a sweet watch, however, nothing felt unique.
BEWARE OF SPOILERS!!!
What Episode did the Main Couple Start Dating?
Hong Ju and Hu Yeong start to date in Episode 5. Hu Yeong confesses and kisses Hong Ju in Episode 4, however, she’s extremely flustered and keeps trying to avoid him. Hye Ji and Hong Ju talk in episode 5 about how making relationships complicated isn’t necessary since you never know what will happen and what will hurt them, so they should go for it. Hong Joo also has a dream that night where she sees Jun Oh is leaving and she tells him to stop showing up in her dream, and then Hu Yeong enters the dream and he says he’s going back to America and that she won’t stop him, and then he asks one last time if he really wants her to go. After this dream is over, Hong Joo decides she should just go for it, and tells Hu Yeong that she doesn’t want him to go back to America and kisses him.
Hong Joo’s Past
I thought they would elaborate more on this. However, the plot point is just there to show her fear of being abandoned. They don’t add any more to this topic. I was hoping to see why her mom abandoned her, and what her aunt and uncle did after one of the scenes where they show them talking about what to do with her because the aunt is pregnant. Yet, they never go back to it. It felt disappointing to be honest that it was never explored more.
Misunderstandings?
There are some misunderstandings between Hong Ju and Hu Yeong in episode 7. This is when Hu Yeong’s mom stirs up shit saying that he changes girlfriends too much and she’ll end up getting hurt if she stays with him. Hu Yeong also finds out that she might be working on Jun Oh’s animation project for his book and was butt hurt that she never told him. Yet, Hong Ju gets mad that he was mad about that because she doesn’t believe that he should care or that he saw how much she liked Jun Oh.
This gets solved literally a few scenes later when Hong Joo watches two students escape from the bushes, that Hu Yeong was there during the time she escaped school to go to confess to Jun Oh and saw her cry and dread over him before. Hu Yeong also learns that she has a fear of people who leave her behind without telling her why or saying goodbye, which is why she kept putting her distance from him and always saying goodbye, since he left the last time without saying bye.
Love Triangles?
LOL. This show is a fat love triangle/ square/ pentagon? Hong Ju likes Jun Oh, but Hu Yeong likes Hong Ju, and Hye Ji likes Hu Yeong and then I’m pretty sure Kwon Sang Pil likes Hye Ji. However, it's done very decently and doesn’t make it a big deal, if anything it just makes it more amusing.
A little love for the 2nd Couple
The 2nd couple in the beginning I didn’t care for. However, by the end they stole my heart. I actually enjoyed their story more than the main couple because I was giggling, kicking my feet and flailing my arms in the air when Gyeong Taek finally confessed to Hye Ji. It was such a funny, yet cute moment for someone who struggled with showing his feelings outwardly. His stuttering and hiccuping and then screaming I love you three times, was just so cute.
Then, when he finally agrees to let their relationship be known and he puts her heel on her feet, and grabs her hand and looks straight into her dad’s eyes to say “Abbu-nim, I'll take her”, and her dad at first says in a half angry voice “my daughter?” And then says super happily, “take her” and he picks her up princess style and runs away giggling that the dad accepted them, was just so funny and cute.
Serendipity’s Embrace Ending
The show ends with a sweet scene of Hong Ju meeting Hu Yeong at the airport to accompany him on his trip to America. She uses up all her vacation days she has saved up to go with him and be with him for a while as he settles his score with his mother regarding the lawsuit.
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Satisfying
This drama is only 8 eps long which is half the length of a typical k-drama. As such it is tightly focused on the A-plot and not weighted down by filler subplots. It almost has a j-drama feel.The plot is straightforward yet nuanced. A chance meeting of two school friends after 10 years apart reignites a half forgotten school yard romance.
It is quite cute and swoon worthy as they rediscover the spark that drew them together in the first place. Of course, typical to this type of romance drama, it is the ML who carried the torch in silence. The reappearance of the SML who is the ex-BF of FL does complicate things. He disappeared 3 years ago without warning. Similarly, the ML immigrated to the US 10 years previous also without a parting word. As you can tell, abandonment is a theme of this drama.
Luckily, with so few hours to fill, any confused feelings and misunderstandings are steadily resolved and the leads lived happily ever after. Alas, it might have ended that way if we were in Tokyo but we are in Seoul hence things got complicated with the return of the meddling/controlling mum.
This is no loud and whiney ajumma but a classic queen bee with power and money to back up her words. It is as tropey as it gets. To be honest, this is probably the worst case scenario. The writer-nim double downed on it as well. It is challenging to watch as our leads are always respectful to her but she is willing to play dirty behind their backs. It got to the point where she is willing to entrap him in legal quagmire just to bring him to heel. It is hard to understand what she hope to gain from that approach as the ML is a well educated and a highly intelligent man. Being respectful is one thing, being cowed is totally different. It will not end well. In that regard, I’m glad that our leads are strong and mature enough to stand up to her and did not bend to her will. It will get messy, but a strong relationship needs to be tested (according to drama lore).
In terms of acting, our leads are in their elements. They have done similar roles before, and it shows. The support cast is fine. Several of them are there to provide comic relief. This is largely true for the 2CP. It is still a bit of mystery to me why the 2FL is so keen on the 2ML. He has the social skill of a block of wood and does not have a romantic bone in him. Never mind, it provides an interesting contrast to the swoon-y romance of our OTP. The writer-nim even find room for a 3CP but their relationship is tenuous to say the least.
In a sea of draggy dramas, this is a breath of fresh air. The storytelling is direct but still has depth. It is not burdened by extraneous side plots like crazed stalker or murders. The drama is not angst free but it is rewarding to watch our leads fall in love and grow stronger day by day. I enjoyed this drama and can recommend it if you want a weekend binge.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Beautiful Romance That Traverses Time and Tide
When I watched the pilot episodes, we were led to believe something else, but the reality is all together different!So, I remember commenting that the synopsis and plotline were misleading; sadly they weren’t. Not exactly on point and yet, unhinged. Starring Kim So Hyun, Chae Jong Hyeop, Kim Da Som, Yun Ji On, “Serendipity’s Embrace” has messy love triangles, adorable friendships and a vengeful mother hellbent on destruction. The highlight of this show is obviously the somber romance which has inevitably been dragged on for a decade. While the initial episodes dwell into Kang Hu Yeong’s supposedly unrequited feelings and longing; the second half is a mature interpretation of Lee Hong Ju’s redressal. The script is carefully curated to portray their love, struggles and inner fears, as it depicts their soulful love story. The childhood romance is blissful and angsty, yet endearing. Let’s get to know them better!
Read the complete article here-
https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/08/14/serendipitys-embrace-series-review/
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My delicious margherita pizza.
This drama is like a delicious margherita pizza.There is so many pizza recipes out there, but the margherita pizza is the basis of them all.
When the ingredients are top quality and the recipe is well executed. You got a delicious margherita pizza that you cannot help but devour.
I have the same feeling about this drama. The story is simple: two former high schoolers reconnect after 10 years. The Male Lead had a big hidden crush on Female Lead. What will happen?
I was more and more drawn to this simple story full of clichés and tropes but the drama is so well executed that none of the tropes nor the clichés seemed annoying or out of places.
I found myself rooting for the Lead's romance at every single moment until the 8th final episode.
So, if you like a well executed classic k-drama rom-com featuring strong-witted leads and good side stories, this drama is for you.
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Why make 28-30 year olds behave like teenagers?
Mini series about the reunion 10 years later, of 2 high school friends, the ML and the FL. The ML has always loved the FL, but she has an ex and her bestie had a crush for the ML since 11 years.The pace is a bit slow (annoying) and the FL is blah (without real expression & I'm not talking about the fake kisses), but there's Chae Jong Hyeop!
I wish the FL was different ? but it was somewhere a good watch. There were some parts for me, that were boring (too many flashbacks). I'm really happy for the ML though, I hope he keeps leading great dramas, definitely a great actor.
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very basic but cute
I watched this drama because Kim Sohyun was in it. Overall it's really basic as the characters and story follow predictable and generic script. The story was basic and so were the character personalities and their status. As generic as it was, I really liked it, the main couple was really nice but the second couple really caught my eye as they were fun to watch and seemed to have good chemistry. The music in the drama is really nice and adds so much to the scenes. I also liked how this drama focused a lot on 'first love' and how sometimes these kinds of things can be unsuccessful. The ending was quite wholesome and left me smiling. I got bored at some point after it kept dragging on but I am so glad they left it at 8 episodes, one more episode and it would have been way too long for the short and basic storyline.Was this review helpful to you?
a light, cute snack!
Serendipity’s Embrace is like cotton candy. It is light and sweet. Don’t expect angst or a thriller subplot because it’s all about the romance LOL. Yes! happy ending!Don’t be put off with the fact that it’s only eight episodes. The pacing is really good.
the ML is WHIPPED for the FL from the very very start. this drama did NOT waste time and served in all 8 episodes. and can i just say, you should definitely watch for Chae Jong Hyeop or Kim So Hyun. CJH has PUPPY eyes and i swear i like melted when he smiled. ITS SO WARM.
the ML, he makes excuses to make time with her, is a green forest, smart, handsome, and BOLD. he does not even hesitate when it comes to confessing.
the FL likes her job and is competent. she has an actual personality and a life compared to many other FLs in other dramas. she’s pretty and funny LOL.
it’s sort of like a he fell first, she fell harder trope. first kiss comes about halfway.
the SML. thankfully, there is NOTHING good about him. (don’t bash the actor!!) our SML is like a red fucking flag compared to our green forest ML. he has a high ego, is a narcissist and genuinely manipulative. his backstory does get revealed but genuinely i never felt bad for him. his reasoning for doing what he did, did not make much sense when there were clearly better and more effective ways of dealing with the problems he was facing instead of ghosting FL for years without a reason. and the way he thought FL joined the animation industry for HIM but actually it was revealed she joined for ML instead. i can’t even tell if he actually ever even liked FL or not. it’s going to be hard for me to forget about this actor’s character in here when i’m about to see a green flag (hopefully since hes apart of second lead couple) version of him in love next door.
so this has the “best friend likes ML and FL helps her to get with ML” trope. at first i was wondering how Kim Hye Ji, the best friend, would take it knowing that her first love had always been in love with FL and not her. Thank the writers cause she took it so well and became such a supportive friend. genuinely i loved her so much when she started playing cupid for ML and FL.
for angst, like i said. don’t expect it. the farthest it gets is the “ML’s mother wants FL to leave ML” trope. but it’s not super serious and in the end becomes resolved.
obviously, there’s a hospital scene. would it even be a kdrama without one?
for my favourite character, it would be the uncle/landlord LOL. he’s so funny!
i like how everything is connected, and revealed in the end, and we find out he got injured cause of her. JAAUJAUJAUJ
my only complaint is that we didn’t get to see Kwon Sang Pil end up with anyone. it was clear he always liked Hye Ji but obviously can’t get with her now.
OVERALL:
this is light. cute. and has good kiss scenes. NO ANGST so don’t write reviews saying you expected it when it’s literally only 8 episodes :(. keep in mind this is all just my opinion and still, you are entitled to have your own opinion. overall 9.5/10 for me, i really enjoyed this and will probably end up rewatching it when i don’t have time to watch a 16 ep or 12 ep. the osts are also really good, my favourite was “Destiny”. Anyway, now i’ll be tuning in for jungjung couple on love next door!
if you decide to watch this, i hope you enjoy!
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This review may contain spoilers
The deep and impactful dialogues
I have never written any reviews for a Kdrama before not even for my favorite kdramas but this drama really hit my soul. The connection between ML and FL which seemed a lot broken at first turned out to be stronger and deeper, the deep and impactful dialogues with the reminiscing of the past and amalgamation of present with it. We should have more dramas like this where the story shouldn't be revolving around heroes and villains but it should have a more deeper meaning and this is the reason why I fell in love with K-dramas.Was this review helpful to you?
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Short, and sweet
A breath of fresh air amidst suffocating dramas that are either about vengeance, power struggle, and the likes.The story is of typical plot, but what makes it an "easy" watch is that it only has eight (8) episodes, so the pacing is continuous.
Like a warm cup of cocoa on an autumn day, Serendipity's Embrace hugs you with the feeling of nostalgia that can only come from those sweet, sweet days with your besties, and your special friend.
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Short, warm & romantic
This drama is warm, melo and absolutely cinematic with a fresh take on clichés of Hi-school romance where mainy leads weren't even aware of their feelings.Chae Jeong Hyeop is so dreamy and sassy that you're unable to take your eyes off him. Story is well paced, enough flashbacks to hold it together to make destiny at play.
Side characters are so well portrayed even though it's a short drama but we get more than 1 couple towards the ending.
Uncle Baek was ICONIC. Sang Pil & Hey ji are the friends squad everyone needs & look forwayto the classic cliché of throwing water at your daughter in law refreshed in it.
I absolutely love this drama. No complaints except that it should have been a bit longer, maybe 12 episodes to tell this tale of reunion, butterflies and romance with a side of friendship and ambitions.
Chae Jeong Hyeop ?? ❤️?
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reunion after 10 years!
finished 8/10 ?✨The main couple was excellent, I also liked the secondary couple.
hooyoung as a character was my favorite a big green flag ?
The script and the number of chapters was the big problem here.
Some things ended very quickly and needed better explanation.
The character of the mother and the ex-boyfriend were unnecessary and irrelevant to me.
The ending was bittersweet, I liked it in some ways and not in others.
I hope the main actors can reunite in another project in the future ?
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