divers' slice of life
what I loved about this drama was how they depicted the life of these men and mostly women who dive into the sea all day long to catch fresh fish and shells. this is definitely a thing in korea. I like the story about this little girl who quit her little town to become a famous photographer, but actually, all these was (for me) not necessary for the story to be charming. she could have a been an anonymous worker in a big corporate facing hard time in her job.I think that the main focus of this drama is about how you handle the social pressure. how you handle anonymous pressure on the internet, how you handle it at work when someone is badmouthing you, how you handle the expectations of your family and friends, and from your lover. they looked very deeply in this matter and did a really good job. I appreciated the light they put on real friendship and family bound that can help you go through the hardship in life. the conversations and little advice they give every now and then are very accurate and heartwarming.
the love story between the two ML was touching, but I felt it a little too much idealized. it's very nice to love forever, but for me, long lasting love has a reason: it is in the way the two lovers handle themselves and their partner. and this part is a little bit lacking here. but, we can agree to just accept that they love each other for no reason.
when to watch: it's a very light and uplifting story, watch it after work.
audience: family friendly
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Quite disappointed with the storyline.
It's a nice drama to watch, with great acting from Chang Wook and Hye Sun, but the storyline was quite weak. I liked the concept of healing in one's hometown, with the support of loved ones. I especially loved how Yong Pil was trying to win her over; that was cute. On the other hand, I hated his father, as his character was purely defined by hate and stubbornness, which destroyed his son's relationship. I find it ridiculous how suddenly he changed.I had a hard time staying focused, especially in the middle of the drama, as some parts were boring. I thought the screenwriting could have been better, and perhaps fewer episodes would have helped.
I had such high hopes, as people were comparing it to *Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha*, which I love, but it is not on the same level.
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This review may contain spoilers
Good, not great. For fans of light comedy/romance without too critical an eye.
First, I liked this drama very much, but there is no way it deserves a 10/10. Read the reviews that gave more realistic grades and the reasons they were given, and let them guide you. Is this a feel good drama? Absolutely. But realistically speaking that's about it. And despite the fact that I think Shin Hye Sun is one of the best actresses working, this drama isn't in the same league as Hometown Cha-Cha or Hospital Playlist. It isn't even Shin Hye Sun's best work. (Check out "Thirty But Seventeen" or "Mr. Queen".) This drama is simply good, not great.I thought Welcome to Samdal-ri was going great until the final quarter, where things kind of petered out to the expected conclusion. There is a lot of filler in the final two episodes in particular. There just wasn't enough story to fill up all 16 episodes, and dragging things out exposed some issues with the story. Sang Do's 30-year one-sided love was more than a bit farfetched, and the amount of screen time it was given made even less sense. The extent of Cho Yong Pil's father's animosity toward Go Mi Ja felt way too harsh, and it also deserved less screen time. (There had to be a better way to create tension in the plot.) Other storylines really deserved a lot more screen time, like Hae Dal's relationship with the dolphin scientist. (And her daughter was a complete delight, stealing nearly every scene she was in.) More could have been made of big sister's wacky relationship with her chaebol ex-husband, and finally more could've been made of Sam Dal & Yong Pil's reunion, giving them more time to explore their new dynamic. Not exploring these storylines made the presence of so much filler all the more frustrating.
As much as I liked this drama, its flaws were obvious even to me. It is not a 10/10, but if you like feel-good dramas you will like this one. And if you have a more critical eye, there are better shows to watch.
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Not that great
First of all, she was innocent and could have defened herself which she didn't do. They were in their 30s but acted like teenagers, Be more mature and try to solve the problem first rather than running away from it.It could have been alot better and fl's acting was on point but the character was not that great. If they haven't mentioned their age then it could have been better cause they are in their 30s and rather than solving her problems she runs away. It took them 16 eps to prove her innconce which could have been alot sooner. That's the thing that bother me alot in this drama other than this had a great potential but it just lost its charm because of small detials and some bad character development.
The side role couples had good chemistry and her younger sister and the dolphin guy would have a great series ig
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Wholesome
honestly started it just for Shin Hye Sun, she was amazing ofc, but the dolphin family stole my heart (wish we saw more of them).it was a very cosy, wholesome, warm hug drama.
the hometown people, siblings, friends Moms!! it was all very cute.
and gosh the actress(kim do eun) playing cha ha yul! she is the cutest most talented lil bean.
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Not an addictive watch, but a pleasant one.
Though the main narrative of the story is between the two leads, there is a huge amount of supporting cast members who have their own stories.I enjoyed seeing a group of actresses on the older end that showed camaraderie between women, and a dedication to a skill that is truly dying out.
I also enjoyed the family dynamic of the three tempestuous sisters who were unconventional yet generally a motivating force for good.
Ji Chang-Wook is one of my favorite actors so I'm biased, he is a beautiful man and sometimes I think that doesn't work to his advantage when he wants to play grittier roles, his features are just too delicate. But they managed to make him look approachable, and his character had nuances of expression, a warm playful bravado that fit into the role well and helped it be more believable. And nary an ab muscle was shown.
Shin Hye Sun.... I have a lot of respect for her work, but I find her to be abrasive at times. And that was the case here as well. Though I was invested in her tale of redemption and when she finally was able to clear her name it was quite satisfying. especially with all the loyalty displayed by the supporting characters and how they all banded together. I think that might have been the main theme coming through was that your family and your history will support you because they know who you really are.
At times the pacing seemed slow, but I felt like I was learning a part of Korean history and a different lifestyle versus some of the flashier dramas set in the city. A lot of parts of it were quite wholesome, and I enjoyed that insight. I don't think it would be a drama that I read rewatch because it did not have me at the edge of my seat waiting for each new episode to drop, it was not an addictive watch for me. But it was a pleasant one.
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Most hated characters.
I honestly loved the show but once Boo Sang-do and Cho Sang-tae came on screen, I wanted to rip my hair out.Boo Sang-do: My issue with him is that he had a crush since he was little on Cho Sam-dal but why are you going out of your way to make her like you when you know that she doesn't and why are you getting mad that the whole village is rooting for Cho Sam-dal and Jo Yong-pil. Ugh, I am still frustrated with his character and how desperate he seems.
Cho Sang-tae: He honestly kept projecting his pain and suffering on to everyone around him, especially his son who considered his mother's best friend as his own mother. Like how would your wife feel if she were alive and witnessed you were treating her best friend so horribly.
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This review may contain spoilers
The story and characters are terrible. The actors are great though and some scenes are good.
So basically the story centers around a narcistic female lead with a terrible personality and a pathetic ML who can't move on past his first love even though she did. There is not 1 redeeming quality that the FL has but all these guys are obsessed with her? I'm sorry but there is nothing romantic about a guy who can't get over his ex for 8 years even though she moved on. They make the ML this nice guy who helps everyone and is a genius weather forecaster, but ultimately he is just a pathetic guy that was hung up on his ex for 8 years which the entire town knows about. The story is very focused/centered on the FL and the ML is basically a side character.Do not get me started on the ridiculous love triangle that makes the ML even more pathetic. I wish they made these love triangles more organic than forced. Like they always show these sad scenes of the 3rd wheel being sad that the leads are together. Cmon now. Do the writers think it's romantic that 2 guys stay single and hold onto love for their childhood friend for decades into their mid 30's? At least the ML and FL have history, but the 3rd wheel has always just had a platonic relationship with the FL. One pathetic character pining over the FL was not enough they had to add another side character that was even worse. The amount of screen time the SML got one-sideingly chasing after the FL was ridiculous. Like he sees them kiss and hug and everybody in the village knows they like each other and in his crazy head still thinks he has a chance? No matter how much sad background music you play, it will not be sad...it is just pathetic and weird. By episode 5, I could tell where this story was going and had to skim through the rest and the story goes exactly how you would expect.
I really enjoyed the first few episodes but man does the show go downhill. The actors are great though, their characters and the plot are just poorly done.
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Nice warm drama just wanted more
Countryside dramas are hit or miss with me, the only one I've seemed to enjoy thoroughly is Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha. I did go into this drama with the expectation it would be like HCCC, which was my mistake because this drama is its own story just like HCCC. I enjoyed the mother, the younger sister, and her daughter a lot in the drama. I think the storyline is consistent however I wish the FL wouldn't give up so easily and run away when defeated. This is something that her character grew out of by the end thanks to the ML. The reason I'm only rating this drama a 7.5 is because the romance was very quiet. Yes, the leads loved each other. Yes, the male lead was consistent and sweet but the romance was lackluster I wanted more heart-fluttering moments. I wish we could've got more of a story for the younger sister and her daughter I loved them. Overall this is an ok drama with little to no rewatch value for me due to the romance not catching my attention that much.Was this review helpful to you?
A surprisingly realistic and family friendly drama, with great acting and cast.
My review for Welcome to Samdal-ri, starting off with the cast:The cast for Welcome to Samdal-ri was great. Shin Hae-sun did an incredible job as always, and the chemistry between her and Ji Chang-wook was pretty good, though not overly special. A supporting actor I really enjoyed in this drama was Lee Jae-won, playing the support role of Gyeong-tae. He has been amazing in every drama I've seen him in, and the character he played in Welcome to Samdal-ri was hilarious!
Another one of my favourite characters in this drama was Yong-pil's father, Sang-tae. I really liked his character throughout the whole drama, and his character development near the end was incredible. He reminds me a lot of my own father, and looks kind of similar too!
The storyline is surprisingly realistic compared to other dramas. No fantasy or supernatural stuff, and no incredible coincidences that would be completely unfeasible in real life. Everything in this drama are things that could actually happen in the real world. It makes the snap back to reality much less jarring once you finish watching. The drama also features a lot of side stories, which take up a lot of the storyline. I typically prefer having less characters and more focus on a main storyline, but Welcome to Samdal-ri does a good job of combining them all together.
There were still a few disappointing things with this drama, however. Firstly, there wasn't much intimacy between Samdal and Yong-pil throughout the drama. I was waiting for something to happen the entire time, but there wasn't really anything of note. This does have the upside of keeping the drama quite family friendly, despite many drinking scenes.
Another thing that disappointed me was the ending. Not going to spoil too much, but I think it would have been so much better if Samdal and Yong-pil had stayed together in Jeju instead of leaving for different places. And, the antagonist never gets punished in the end!
Overall, I enjoyed this drama, though I think it would be best if watched with family or friends. I watched it on my own, where I was left wanting a bit more. The ending could be better, but it's not a bad ending by any means, and I would still highly recommend Welcome to Samdal-ri to anyone considering it.
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"Welcome to Samdal-ri" is too overrated drama
The story is very lame. I was quite fed up with Samdal always saying she's embarrassed and her being prideful and egotistic. Also, I can't understand the love situationship that is happening between FL/ML, it's just too all over the place and full of flashbacks. The bond of 5 childhood friends seems forced too, and they don't have that "vibe" as Reply 1988 Sangmundong kids the author wanted to imitate. SHS is one of my top fave Korean actress and I like all of her previous works, but this drama is just LAME. Sorry for the term but the story is very very LAME.Was this review helpful to you?
Go for it
If you are skeptical or doubting yourself on whether or not to watch this series, just go for it. It has a very beautiful village atmosphere and the vibe gives out a perfect village feels with all the people and gossiping. The actors have done a great job. The characters that are supposed to be irritating are truly irritating. The friends gang is great. Even though there are a lot of things that they need to bring solution to, or conclusion to, I am confident that they will do a good job.Male Lead: great job as usual. Those who have watched his other works like Healer, K2,Suspicious partner know what I'm talking about
Female Lead: Since I haven't watched her other works, I can not compare it. But, she did complete justice to the character
Ajumma(female lead's mother): My favorite supporting actor who has acted in a lot of kdrama. she is just apt for this role
ML's father: he is the villain I would say, but he has his reasons.
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