This review may contain spoilers
I watched this show because I'd heard such wonderful things about it, I'm going to talk about what I liked and what I didn't like in each category.The story for me started out very well, episodes 1 to 6 were excellent, well executed and snappy. The premise is your standard rich man poor woman push and pull courtship. The male lead was suitably arrogant, pushy, selfish and self important (a very special mention to Hyun Bin for his excellent acting and portrayal of this character ) and the female lead was super indifferent, as you do. After episode 6 the drama dragged a bit and went around in circles, the story was established but there was no forward movement in terms of plot, and I must admit I lost interest and watched a few episodes of another drama.
Show picked up again at episode 13 where the female lead Gil Ra Im had a breakthrough and I finally got a dose of good acting from her, It felt as though she had slowly been warming up to her role and was finally comfortable with it. Her confession in episode 14 was amazingly done but to me it felt as though it came from nowhere, in the sense that her acting up to this point was not nuanced enough to convey a reluctant attraction for Joo Won, because I just got reluctance period.
The soul swapping premise was comedic for the most part, but I found the character consistency went out the window, especially the first time they swapped.
Thereafter the story suddenly took a sharp turn into melodramaland with a lot of crying, tragic overtones and fantasy magic tropes. This actually ruined the show for me as I think it would have been better if they'd actually kept it a fantasy romance, one scene was particularly depressing for me and that's the scene where Kim Joo Won with Gil Ra Im in his lap, drives off into a dark and stormy horizon framed by a barren landscape; this took the show into makjang territory.
I don't normally like my romances and love stories to go so dark unless that is the clear premise at the beginning of the story, and in Secret Garden I got the definite sense that Kim Joo Won entered this dark and gloomy place when he fell in love with Gil Ra Im, isn't love supposed to be joyful and light? there was something heavy about this one.
In contrast I found the relationship between Oska and Seul more compelling than the main couple's, in the sense that It felt more real.
The casting was good for the most part. Hyun Bin is a good actor but I didn't enjoy him in this role. Ha Ji Won in my opinion was all wrong for this role, she was wooden and lacked nuance. the chemistry between the two leads was sadly lacking as well.
I loved the rest of the cast especially Yoon Sang Hyun as Oska and Kim Sa Rang as Yoon Seul, these two were great especially Oska, I loved everything about him.
The music was emotive, I liked it.
Rewatch value for me is very low, I've put it at 4; the show lacked special moments that I would go back and rewatch.
I've given it a 6.5 overall, In my opinion this show is over hyped and overrated, but still watchable for the posterity factor.
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I'm giving this 10/10, because probably this is the best drama that Hallyu produced up until like June 2013. There are of course a lot of cliches & the first 5-6 episodes are a bit boring, but from the first gender bender moment onward this was quite awesome. Typically I REALLY do not like gender bender, I think this is the second time after the anime movie "Your Name" where I had good time watching this genre. All the couples had great chemistry & the comedy was spot on too. The typical plot devices used in dramas to ruin everything for the characters were only very lightly used, which is very unusual for an older drama. I can get on board with the "main complication" that the plot had. The ending was quite long and satisfying, even the amnesia part was quite amusing. Also it was very nice that there were no annoying love triangles, or pentagons here, not really anyway. Luckily the token love interest director-nim did not have much screen time, or success. The cast was pretty good, even the evil ajumma mother was tolerable.
No kdrama fan should miss this, it's probably a huge contributor to the korean wave & it's worlds better than shows like "My Girl 2005" and "Boys Over Flowers".
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This review may contain spoilers
Honestly, i dont know where to start.Although this drama doesn't score an overall 10 from everyones ratings heres exactly why i scored it 10.
This drama is like a pioneer to many other dramas your typical love story kdrama and is considered a "classic" amongst bof and dramas that came out in that generation. Of course in our generation now we have DOTS and Goblin etc.
Why i gave this drama a perfect score?
Of course the drama wasn't perfect and there are many dramas out there where the story and everything was on point but emotions are heavily portrayed by the audience in this drama. There are many people who watched this drama when it first came out and it could've been considered the best then, the feeling of nostalgia when watching this could also correlate to everything that you experienced at that time. I am actually writing this review after rewatching it after 3 years . All the memories i had of what went on in 2013-2014 (i watched it then ) in my life and all those aspects are brought back while watching this drama, "omg life was so carefree back then, i got to do this and that without having to stress about school" feelings like that are brought back to you. I would understand if the people who just watched this gave it a decent score cos being honest if i only watched this drama now i might not have been able to give it a high rating comparing to the work they're putting it now. However this drama is considered timeless in my opinion (even getting to see Jong Suk's cute role before the fame hahahahaha)and thats what makes the rewatch value so high.
Hyun Bin, honestly theres not words to describe him i absolutely love him and in this drama his acting pulled off very well. Theres nothing to dislike about this man i must have explored all his dramas and movies after watching this drama of his through the body swap and all his acting was perfect. Especially the sad parts in this drama *not spoiling* i couldn't grasp myself and tears fell out, even after rewatching i think i even cried even more heavily after watching the scene at the end of episode 18 after all these years of boasting to my friends that i have become a man now, i crumble right infront of them LMAO. The secretaries and Ha Ji Won and especially Oska to all of them the cast was so cute and funny and loved their acting also <3
Overall;
I don't want to get too carried away but honestly if i had to describe this drama to myself, it'd be heartwarming i decided to rewatch this after going through a heavy period of depression and it honestly cheers me up so much especially Oska's role absolutely perfect for that. Missing the days of being able to play around and my childhood and bare in mind im only 17 now through this review im hoping there are a lot of people going through a hard time and could relate to how i feel when i watch this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Este dorama foi para mim uma agradável surpresa. Normalmente eu demoro de 2 a 3 episódios para me apegar aos personagens e torcer por eles, em Secret Garden como coisas como um pouco mais lentas e até pensei em parar de assistir, o Kim Joo Won estava realmente muito chato humilhando Gil Ra Im, eu pensei que nunca daria certo aquilo, brigando o tempo todo mesmo já tendo passado tantos episódios. Ainda bem que não desisti, como coisas realmente mudam depois. Não vamos falar muito para não dar spoiler Mas o que ele fez por ela no final foi de tocar o coração.Eu semper acho interessante essa coisa de "trocar de corpo" e isso foi o que me atraiu para assistir. A primeira troca deles rendeu momentos bem divertidos, mas depois é ficado mais sério. A personagem mais desagradável do drama foi a mãe do Kim Joo Won, que mulherzinha mais chata hein, o melhor personagem (excluído os dois protagonistas, claro) foi Oska, ele pode até não ser um bom namorado mas com certeza e um ótimo amigo, seus momentos com um Ra Im eram especiais, mesmo quando ela estava em "outro corpo". Por mais que eu tenho achado no começo que o casal protagonista não tinha nada a ver um com outro, já era de esperar que esta relação de amor e ódio iria acabar em amor. Tenho que admitir: eles são muito fofos juntos <3
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Beloved fairy tale
The first KD I ever watched. It had a profound experience on me. I dearly loved the complexity and completeness of the love story.The show is not without its flaws, but they're fairly minor. Highly recommended as a deep love story where two opposites work through what appear to be unsolvable differences to be deeply and truly bonded.
I suspect if anybody started to watch this now, it might seem a bit dated at first, but push through. Once you finish the first episode you'll be hooked. Keep your tissues near by for all the tears.
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Uma Jornada Emocionante: "Secret Garden"
"Secret Garden" é um K-Drama que cativou o meu coração em 2010. Com uma mistura única de comédia, romance, drama e fantasia, essa produção da SBS conquistou o público e a crítica.Pontos positivos:
História Original
A trama inovadora envolve uma troca de corpos entre os protagonistas, Gil Ra-im (Ha Ji-won) e Kim Joo-won (Hyun Bin), criando situações cômicas e emocionantes.
Atuações Notáveis
Ha Ji-won e Hyun Bin brilham com química perfeita, transmitindo intensidade e sensibilidade.
Direção e Roteiro
A direção de Shin Woo-chul e o roteiro de Kim Eun-sook criam uma narrativa envolvente.
OST
A trilha sonora é memorável, com temas que complementam perfeitamente as cenas.
Mensagens
Explora temas profundos como amor, identidade, família e superação.
Críticas e Prêmios
Venceu o prêmio de Melhor Drama no SBS Drama Awards (2010) e no Baeksang Arts Awards (2011).
Pontos negativos:
Desenvolvimento de Personagens Secundários
Alguns personagens secundários mereciam mais profundidade.
Final
O final, embora emocionante, deixou alguns fãs com perguntas sem resposta.
Fez-me rir, chorar e refletir sobre a vida. É UM CLÁSSICO, ASSISTA!
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definitely entertaining
this was an easy watch. the 20 episodes didn't drag out for too long (even though I skipped all the scene when the actors look into the distance feeling tormented 😅).the story is pretty basicv rich and annoying guy fells for a "common girl".
what I likes about the FL is that she is not a damsel in distress. she is a bad as woman working a dangerous job.
the ml lead is so annoying at the very beginning I just wished she kicked his ass and left him but he redeems himself at the and.
the cousin is my favourite character. he is the comic relief what also a well rounded character.
this drama is really interteining and enjoyable.
the ending is the only thing I think they dragged out for too long.
this series could have ended at the hospital scene or after they leave it but other than that.i really enjoyed.
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But I don't feel like my time was completely wasted because I ended up finding a lovely heartwarming story. Although the plot isn't my favorite- it literally has ALL the clichés in dramaland: rich boy poor girl, orphan, mean mother, love hate relationship, "unattractive" female lead that drives the male lead crazy, love triangles, mother who tried to break them apart, male lead being a martyr etc etc-, if I were to compare if to other older dramas I've watched (released before 2013 is old to me) it IS really good. The acting and the soundtrack made a huge difference in my liking for this drama.
Both the main characters and the side characters were amazing and all of them had a purpose. The humour was superb and I genuinely laughed. Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won's chemistry was so amazing I can't even begin to describe it. Lee Jong Suk rocking although he isn't a main character? Yep, we got that too. The soundtrack was great and it actually enhanced the emotions of the scenes.
Yes, it had some things I did not enjoy as much but it was still great. I was soooo late to this train hahaha but I've finally watched it! I was going to give it 8 stars but then I thought about Hyun Bin's eyes and the elevator scenes and I gave in. Can't wait to watch more of these actors!!
P.S.: Yoo In Na did so well :') cutest character ever!
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Not a fan
Maybe I am not such a fan of older dramas. I haven't watched a lot of old dramas but I do like a few and this is not one of them.The start was pretty good. I did enjoy the first few episodes(2-3) but then I felt the story became very boring. I felt there wasn't much plot progression and it felt irritating to watch. I was so bored at one point that I skimmed through episodes just to finish the drama. (But I did finish it because I really don't drop dramas in the middle unless I find it impossible to continue or I m extremely busy)
I also found the characters annoying.
Well this is my opinion and I am pretty sure many people must have loved this drama but maybe it was not according to my taste.
You can give it a try if you like the plot summary.
I definitely did not find the drama fast-paced or engaging.
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