Completed
Haya Algeva
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 22, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

What a great and heartwarming drama♥

What a great and heartwarming drama, great casting by the entire cast, I enjoyed watching it.
A drama that has support and comfort, love and friendship, dreams and concessions and aspirations, simple stories of everyday life both in the world of glamor and in life in general.
Great soundtrack and spectacular views of the island.
And ji chang Wook who melts hearts with his looks in his eyes., great chemistry between the entire cast during the filming and in the plot. Recommended and heartwarming drama.
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Completed
PhatPanda27
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 31, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.5

This is it. This is my comfort drama.

This is it. I found my comfort drama. Whenever people would say that "this was their comfort drama", I never understood what that meant. Sure, I had dramas that I loved, dramas that I would rewatch, and dramas that I thought were absolute masterpieces. But this is the only drama where I definitely felt "this is my comfort drama". This was such a feel good, slice of life, realistic drama. I absolutely loved it and I know I'll be coming back to watch this time and time again.
I don't think I have much else to say, sure the drama may have its flaws but this was such a heartwarming ride that I really don't mind. It was still such a beautiful portrayal of life, friendship, and family.

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Completed
MindfulWanderings
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 21, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Worth Getting Past The First Few Episodes

I really felt like the story picked up much more around halfway through, and it has been the most enjoyable ride ever since. Incredible acting and just a great comfort watch in general. all the characters are so cute, I don’t feel the need to skip through anything. It was hard for me to like the female lead in the beginning but once the story starting picking up pace, and we got to see her motivations and empathetic character come forward more it was a lot easier to enjoy the FL story and plight more. All of the characters are adorable in this show, and it was very cathartic with a wholesome & happy ending.

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Completed
Jessy
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 21, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

sheer joy

It was such a nice drama, i loved it.
Refreshing, satisfying and so lovely
made me laugh so much and some time it made me cry
every actors were amazing
Shin hye sun and ji chang wook is my all time favorite actors so i have a special love for this drama.
As a person who watched most of the completed k dramas out there i am really amused by recent dramas.
There was a time i thought i want be able to find nice dramas anymore but dramas i watched recently were all amazing.
I am such a simp for feel good dramas
anyone who want to have a peaceful and refreshing time amidst this tiresome life ,i assure you that this series will be a great choice.
And the ost guyzzzz it was the bestt....
the song brings a nostalgic and happy feel to the whole drama that fills our heart with sheer bliss. This drama introduced me to this great song which is going to be one of my all time favorite korean song.

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Completed
amelkoooo
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 22, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10

The child of Hometown Cha Cha Cha and Our beloved Summer

The most heartwarming story. Made me cry All kinds of tears in almost every episode. Ive missed watching dramas like this so much, just pure relaxation and happiness. This is trully a perfect combination of Hometown Cha Cha Cha and Our beloved Summer.

I also think that the casting was spot not!! Not only were the roles thought out well, but the characters and families in the show looked SO blood related! Madly impressive!!

The relationship between the main character was also extremely realistic, but so incredibly complex as well.
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Completed
jude
2 people found this review helpful
Feb 5, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

SENSATIONAL STORY AND PHENOMENAL ACTING

I could go on and on about this drama, and I will. But for now, all I want to say is that THIS IS MY COMFORT DRAMA. Yong Pil and Sam Dal's chemistry was so outstanding. Shin Hye Sun and Ji Chang work are two of the most impressive and versatile actors I have ever known, and they did justice to Yong-Dal relationship dynamic.

Both Yong Pil and Sam Dal's character individually are just as impressive as the couple. Yong Pil is such a green flag, I love how Sam Dal could always count on Yong Pil and how he never left her alone. This is true love right here.

As for Sam Dal, she's truly iconic. A woman who possessed great talents, worked hard to make her dreams come true and yet she had to find herself in order to heal her heart. She is unstoppable.

I also loved the slight contrast between their characters that, in my opinion, made them understand each other better. Their personalities fit together so perfectly, they truly redefined soulmatism.

The story is comforting and uplifting. It's all about healing and finding yourself. It's about being able to spread your wings and flying high, knowing that there are people who have your back and they will always catch you when you fall. This drama truly taught me so many things.

I could go on and on, but I need everybody to watch it!!

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Completed
Dramazzzzzzz
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 29, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Something special about this drama.

I've seen 70+ kdramas and started countless others, and rarely does a drama stick with me like this. But this one, gosh. I finished this a few days ago and I'm still not over it. I can't start anything new because nothing else compares. I feel like I'm trying to get over an ex lol.
Anyways, Ji Chang Wook just has these eyes that look so full of love I can't stop thinking about that look. And Shin Hye Sun is just such a talented actress. And their love, aghhhh. How can I ever watch a drama that's not about them??@?@??
Also, Ko Mi Ja's story and the sweetness of the town and its people, and the soundtrack, all stand out to me.
The story and reasoning of characters is sometimes a bit off, but overall the writing was good and the plotlines came together well overall.
This one's going down as one of my all time favorites.

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Completed
StarPie
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 22, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

An outstanding and invigorating series.


From start to finish, both characters encapsulated the essence, making me feel like I was truly in my homeland, spending quality time with my family. This show earnestly endeavors to depict the emotions inherent in every relationship—be it with parents, siblings, or friends. It highlights the idea that even when we hit rock bottom in our lives, there is always someone from our neighborhood or circle of friends standing behind us, ready to offer support. Ji Chang Wook and Shin Hye Sun delivered exceptional performances, showcasing incredible chemistry both as lovers and childhood friends. It's been a while since I've seen Ji Chang Wook make such a remarkable comeback, and he looked handsome in every scene. Finally, I love the whole friends' gang Power Rangers they were the best!!!!!

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Completed
peef
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 23, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.5

I'M GLAD I STAYED TIL THE END

This drama started a little slow. I couldn't watch the first few episodes continuously.

BUT it gets better midway. While most of the most hyped dramas' plots drop midway, this drama gets more interesting in the second half which is very rare.

I love how they reveal everything in every episode.

We also get to know the story of the other characters in the drama apart from the main leads' drama.

There was a doubt on the chemistry between the leads at first, but in the end, they became one of the chemistry in kdrama. They don't need those unnecessary make out scenes, their gazes and cuddles were enough already.

I love the ending. The people from the hometown that she refused to go back, the people who she thought would badmouth her for becoming a failure in Seoul were actually the same people who truly cared and loved her.

I also love how they did not stretch out the whole revenge plot on Bang Eun Ju because it was not worth it.

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Completed
drami
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 29, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers

Underwhelming

I think this is really down to preference. I guess there was no promise of revenge from the start and the drama is meant to focus on Samdal’s self discovery, heading back to her roots. But I was expecting a little bit more drama to be honest.

They created this pretty nonchalant character at the beginning when Samdal was so cool about her ex-boyfriend cheating on her. Then they also built up a story about how bitter and just jealous this Bang Eun Joo was. And it stops there. The rest of drama, we witness all the back and forths between Samdal and Yong Pil in which till this day the break up was still a little stupid to me.

We spent a good amount of time digging way back to why the couple broke up and then got back together; seeing the sub-plots between the other two sisters and their partners; making sense out of why Yong Pil’s dad hated the family. With a lot of draggy built ups and fillers, we’ve finally reached the part where the drama comes to a close. At this point, I had given up hope of seeing any drama comeback from Samdal, the big revenge or karma on Eun Ju and this big mystery of why Samdal couldn’t go back to her hometown and breaking up with Yong Pil. Spoiler alert, none of them was interesting.

This drama is probably nice to watch if you are looking for something to play in the background - uneventful, peaceful and non-dramatic.

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Completed
catherine
2 people found this review helpful
Jan 22, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 5.0

Has everything except for the plot

I really loved the first few episodes — there wasn’t much of a plot but the “city girl escapes to the countryside” premise promises comfort and I definitely felt that. There was the overarching plot of Samdal’s career, the yearning of an exes-to-lovers romance, and the three sisters providing the family aspect — all of which I loved.

And then as the show went on it started to drag, and I found that there weren’t that much of the countryside vibes, and they introduced plots that were detrimental instead.

First there’s the love triangle, which is the most unnecessary part of the show, and I’m saying this as a love triangle trope defender. The love triangle where the second lead has zero shot, who the FL never once considers a potential love interest, and who has no plot other than the romance and standing in the shadows looking at the main couple steadily progress…we have to leave that behind because all it does is waste screentime.

And then there was the reason behind the main couple’s initial breakup: parental disapproval. It’s a common trope in kdramaland too, and one that I also think is really outdated and frustrating, especially for a drama like this where there’s really nothing else going on.

A third thing that got too much screentime was the gossipy old ladies, who were frustrating even if they weren’t completely horrible by the end.

In terms of the subplots, I think they started out strong but also fizzled out a little. The eldest sister’s romance with her ex-husband was really funny but I wish it was more serious at times rather than making it all so slapstick. The youngest sister’s romance and relationship with her daughter was the best part of the show, especially in connecting the theme of motherhood throughout the show. It’s a fantastic theme that I wish had a better throughline rather than coming in and out, because the mother-daughter scenes always hit really hard.

I also actually really like the focus on Samdal’s career and her adversary, and I wish it didn’t come so late in the show. I also wish they didn’t lean so much into one character being downright evil, and it doesn’t quite give you the satisfaction of karma getting her in the end due to lack of screentime. The plot line of Samdal rediscovering her love for her hometown and photography was really heartwarming still.

Another thing I wish got more screentime was the friend group. We had some at the start of the show when Samdal returned and some at the end when they were helping her, but overall the show leaned into the love triangle and other scenes instead and I felt like we never really got to feel how close they were the way we grow to love the friend groups in dramas like the Reply series.

Overall, it ends on a satisfying note and wraps things up in a neat little bow, but I feel like I didn’t quite get as many comforting vibes I wanted.

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Ongoing 16/16
chuckiex3
3 people found this review helpful
Jan 14, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0

loved it, ost and all

Not too sure why the drama doesn't seem like it has many viewers with such stellar cast... I've been excited to watch it ever since I saw the trailer. I rush to watch this drama every week, and every time I catch up I just want more!

Plot
People might compare this with Hometown Chachacha with the seaside theme and the main lead going to there to escape from a scandal. Since people like to compare anyway, I think this drama has a better mix of happiness, sweetness and sorrow. While Hometown Chachacha was more heart-fluttering, Welcome to Samdalri is better at invoking emotions in my opinion. The sob story here is also better explained in my opinion. It's not just the main characters' lives you're interested in, you will want to know about everyone! Happy ending as per normal, but it's a nice closure. :)

Cast
You know it's a good drama when you see Shin Hyesun. Kim Mikyung has got to be everyone's favourite ahjumma. I do like Ji Changwook and his acting but I feel like his choice of dramas hasn't been the best ... UNTIL THIS. Good ol' Ji Changwook is back. :)

Music
Beautiful music. Will definitely listen to the OSTs and put them in a playlist. The tears,,, I convinced my friend to listen to the osts and she LOVES them (enough to want to watch the drama).

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Welcome to Samdal-ri (2023) poster

Details

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  • Score: 8.6 (scored by 25,244 users)
  • Ranked: #398
  • Popularity: #227
  • Watchers: 48,931

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