Completed
LizzyRayDrama
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 29, 2015
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
I've seen the lead actors in several different movies/dramas, I think they are very talented performers. This drama was so sweet and endearing, you fell for the characters and wanted to see them happy no matter what. There was great chemistry between all the cast and that is key. When the cast of a drama or movie lacks that chemistry, it will come through in their performance and we (the audience) will sense that.

Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won lead this all star cast and they delivered! A must see if you haven't already...
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Completed
Paulo Goncalves
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 29, 2021
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.5
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 4.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

Poor Main male Character - Strong Female Character - Better Side Characters

Missing Review
to be quite honest this is not a perfect show at all. First of all, our main character is crappy person. He mistreats our main protagonist constantly. What are you teaching here? Are you teaching that being rude and arrogant are good traits and one should live by those and the woman of your dreams will fall? Completly crap main character. Now she is a strong female lead but cries. This ishow you make a good non-woke female protagonist. You don't have to put her saying bad stuff about men, or "I'm better than you". It's just this.

And Seul, another great girl. But the main growth and character was Oska. I have no doubt about it. He was a crappy person, but learned. He treated his cousin it seems disdain but always looking out for him. He is a pop idol but in the last episode critizies the pop industry - which should include series... Go to the internet, check any show. Almost 100% of all actors in Korea (or idol) are single or never release information about their love life. Most people under 40 finally start having a romantic life. The actors and kpop artists have some high standards that they stop having lives. My opinion.

Not the best show, at all. Go watch Crash Landing on You. BUT he is the other type of character - typical. Too good.

Korea dramas are like Telenovelas from Portugal, same tropes over and over, and half the story could be cut. :)

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Completed
Lynn
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 15, 2021
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

Secret Garden is my not so secret pleasure

I watched this when it was released back in 2011 and even though ten freaking years have passed, I still go back to rewatch this gem whenever I miss Hyun Bin (and Ha Ji Won).

This drama is a must watch because:
- Hyun Bin - enough said. He’s a dream!
- Ha Ji Won - she’s a great female lead / actress.
- the sizzling chemistry that feels so good and feels so real
- swoony Hyun Bin - in the drama, he is so cute and handsome and funny - love!
- the story is fantastical and yet believable
- the supporting cast is great
- the music is so well composed and lovely to listen to
- rewatchable and one of the best ‘classic’ k dramas out there

The part that I didn’t like:
- male lead’s mother is crazy


This drama is wonderful! I love it. I love the leads! I love Hyun Bin!

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Dropped 4/20
Two Steps From Heaven
2 people found this review helpful
Jun 29, 2023
4 of 20 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 3.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 2.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

It’s overrated

If you’ve watched The Glory or Goblin or Descendants of the Sun then you should know that Kim Eun Sook, the screenwriter, is one of the top in the drama industry as her dramas consistently garner high ratings. However, Secret Garden is a decade old therefore it’s understandable that it followed the same format as other popular dramas of that period. Dramas like Boys Over Flowers, The Heirs, and a handful of other which were premised on toxic masculinity and docile women.

Similarly, the production values were mediocre with terrible color saturation and cinematography. I kept at it due to the many fawning reviews on MDL but it got to a point where I just couldn’t bear seeing the ML consistently berating the FL or a FL who had zero self-respect. I wish someone would remake this because there is something unique about a FL who’s a stuntwoman and I would like to see that aspect explored more thoroughly.

Anyway, it’s watchable if you don’t mind the above-mentioned details.

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Completed
Mariola
0 people found this review helpful
Nov 23, 2014
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.5
No wonder this drama got so much popularity. Well deserved by the way! I loved the humor, acting and plot. The music was phenomenal and all actors played their roles very well. I really enjoyed these series. Love the chemistry between main characters, and enjoyed the ending too. I did like the fact that there was no artificial acting in the drama and all felt more natural and smooth.
I already watched the last two episodes twice so I might watch the whole series again in few weeks/months and I'm sure I will enjoy it once again!
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Completed
twstrfries
0 people found this review helpful
May 25, 2012
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
I waited for the series to end in GMA 7 before making this review. I watched the original Korean series with English subtitle but I didn’t enjoy it. I don’t know if it was the actor’s or actress’s voice or the subtitle but I really didn’t find the series appealing. So when I saw the teaser from GMA 7 a few months back, I decided to give it another try. I watched Hyun Bin from the series My Name is Kim Sam Soon and I love him ever since. That’s why watching it twice was not a bad idea.

I wasn’t disappointed. I liked the way the Filipinos dubbed the series. The “kalye” language they used was very appropriate for our culture and made the series more natural. I definitely love the “saltik” term Jamie used to call Owen. It became an endearment. (How was that possible? You should watch the tagalized series.)

Secret Garden was one of the most popular drama series to hit mainstream Korea. It has high ratings and continued to be on top of the charts till the last episode. I won’t argue with that. It was really funny. I understand why the Koreans loved it because after watching the tagalized version, I fell in love with it too. I thought that the series was like a Korean remake of the movie It’s a Boy Girl Thing (2006). I’m not saying it was the same but I think the concept was derived from this movie. The Koreans just expanded the concept and made the story suitable for Asian audiences.

Hyun Bin’s portrayal of Owen’s character was very smooth. The acting was very natural. On the other hand, Hai Ji Won’s acting may not be impressive but she improved very well since she started in the business.

Hey, wait up! It’s not all negative. There are a couple of things I love from the series.

First, Owen’s trademark track suit. That sequenced blue track suit was probably the most popular item ever copied and mass-produced in Korea. It looks funny in Owen but it looks adorable in Hyun Bin. (The analogy is difficult to explain. Ha-ha)

Second, Owen’s attitude with love. If there’s a guy out there like him, pwede akin ka na lang? (Can you please be mine?) He fought for what he wanted. He didn’t give up on love. Even if Jamie threw him out, physically and emotionally hurt him—he stayed. He showed the cold, afraid and aloof Jamie what it means to love and be loved.

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Completed
noathings
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 18, 2015
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 6.0
This was my first drama and started my addiction for sweet fluffy romances. I remember watching this thinking it was very slow, but soon I grew curious to watch more and more of the episodes as the story progressed that I ended up marathoning it. It's over the top and ridiculous at times but it's still one of the best romance stories ever told in my opinion.
It's a long time since I've watched it so I can't give an accurate rating, but I still look back fondly at the time when I watched it, and that's a good thing!
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Completed
nicole_moon
1 people found this review helpful
Jul 9, 2020
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Secret Garden es un gran dorama.

Secret Garden es un gran dorama.
Si bien es cierto que la producción a nivel visual (a nivel de efectos) tal vez no es la mejor, lo compensa con creces en otros aspectos. La historia no es compleja y tampoco tiene una gran ambición, pero si te gusta el romance es uno de los mejores que he visto en series. Mezcla la comedia con el drama de una forma equilibrada y, lo más importante, es una historia con alma, que te hará sentir con los personajes y las situaciones que viven.
Las actuaciones están perfectas, sobre todo los dos protagonistas, pero los secundarios tampoco lo hacen nada mal. El guión también destaca, es un guión inteligente, sin diálogos prefabricados y que de verdad caracteriza a cada personaje. La música es sensacional, de las mejores que he escuchado en doramas.
Por último, quiero destacar que la protagonista no siga los estereotipos estúpidos de muchos personajes femeninos de series asiáticas.

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Completed
Kdrama con soju
0 people found this review helpful
Sep 20, 2023
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 8.0
Secret Garden es una serie clásica y que ví hace mucho tiempo, en mis inicios de este camino de los K-dramas.
La historia la recuerdo muy graciosa debido a las circunstancias que presenta la serie. Yo, en lo personal, me intriga mucho cómo tiene que ser la vida de otra persona o levantarme un día siendo del sexo opuesto, por vivir la experiencia y esta serie me ofreció esta perspectiva. El cambio de cuerpo me gustó muchísimo y el hecho de que fueran “enemigos”, hizo que la historia fuera muy divertida y se viera de una manera ligera.
Los protagonistas también me gustaron mucho y principalmente la mujer ya que recuerdo que era el tipo de mujer que se sale de la norma de la feminidad y sobre todo de la feminidad que las series coreanas suelen representar.
Si estás buscando una serie con comedia y una historia diferente, te recomiendo mucho que veas Secret Garden o si quieres ver una serie clásica de los K-dramas, también te recomiendo verla.

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Completed
A_sol
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 8, 2021
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
Questo drama vi stupirà. Almeno, a me, ha piacevolmente sorpreso.
Nonostante sia un po' datato, la sua magia cresce di episodio in episodio e alla fine ne sarete totalmente avvinti.
Ho iniziato a guardarlo un po' scettica. I personaggi mi intrigavano ma vedevo il riproporsi del solito pacchetto cliché completo di scambio di anime. Inizialmente, non vedevo l'ora che quella parte finisse anche se i siparietti comici che ne derivavano facevano molto ridere. Non ne capivo proprio lo scopo e sono rimasta dubbiosa per una decina di episodi. Lo continuavo a seguire soprattutto per Hyun Bin che ha un magnetismo incredibile e per la chimica che aveva con la protagonista Ha Ji Won (un'altra eccellente attrice).
Poi, però, la storia è decollata, mi si è palesato per bene il senso della trama e mi sono vista le restanti puntate a rotta di collo.
Che dire? La sceneggiatrice è riuscita a toccare delle corde interne profonde (non per nulla è la stessa di Goblin). Ha rappresentato, con sincerità, il difficile cammino di una coppia su cui non avreste scommesso 10 lire talmente i caratteri erano diversi. Eppure Kim Joo Won e Gil Ra Im trovano la loro strada superando ostacoli e ferite profonde. Anche i personaggi secondari sono bellissimi. Impossibile non amare Oska con tutti i suoi capricci e la sua sensibilità, Yoon Seul, prima la detesti e poi impari a capirla e ad apprezzarla (la sua evoluzione è tra quelle meglio scritte), la madre di lui rimane odiosa fino alla fine e, anche questo, ha un suo senso. In questo drama compare anche un giovanissimo Lee Jong Suk, un promettente cantante in bilico tra sentimenti contrastati per Oska. Una parte piccola ma, anche in questo ruolo, Lee Jong Suk ha dato prova della sua bravura anche se ancora acerba. L'unico interprete che non ho digerito è stato il direttore della scuola di stuntmen, Lee Philips e le sue due uniche espressioni che alternava di volta in volta. Peccato, avrebbe potuto essere un fantastico contraltare a Joo Won. Insomma, a volte, l'originalità un po' manca, però, il cast ha lavorato con una grande armonia e ha reso tutto coeso. Il finale è lungo e completo, non tralascia niente e nessuno. Uno dei più soddisfacenti in cui mi è capitato d'imbattermi. Lo rivedrei? Sicuramente si.

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Completed
LilyAvram
0 people found this review helpful
Aug 21, 2022
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

Drama un po' fantasy molto romantico.

Questo drama anche visto dopo più di 10 anni dal uscita é una bella visione.
Leggendo la trama si può pensare fosse un fantasy ma è soprattutto una commedia romantica.La parte fantasy veramente si poteva anche evitare sinceramente,rende solo la storia un po' più comica,però mette in mostra la bravura dei attori che si dimostrano fantastici.La storia di per se niente di speciale la solita lui ricco snob e con qualche fissazione oltre che una mamma insopportabile lei invece bruttina povera ma speciale.Si incontrano per un equivoco e lui non si sa bene per quale motivo inizia a sentirsi attratto da questa ragazza così fuori dai suoi standard.
Mille avventure più o meno divertenti e nasce un amore fantastico,nonostante tutta la difficoltà.
Molti attori degni di nota.
Bella storia e anche piuttosto emozionate.
Un bel drama da veder!

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Completed
Isabela
1 people found this review helpful
Nov 21, 2020
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0
Bom, o que eu posso falar desse dorama tão famoso?
Eu realmente não imaginava que ia amar tanto ele. No início eu não tava gostando, tanto por ser um dorama antigo (os relacionamentos e certas situações mudaram muito de 2011 pra cá) quanto por parecer ser só mais uma história clichê, de romance entre rico e pobre. Mas a medida que o dorama foi se desenvolvendo eu percebi que ele era muito mais do que isso e entendi porque ele é um clássico e é tão amado.
Eu gostei de muitas coisas nesse dorama. A primeira é o casal, eles tem muita química, a relação deles é muito divertida e tão bonita, eles foram feitos um para o outro e provam que o amor vence tudo, porque olha, tantas coisas aconteceram com eles e ao invés de se separarem eles se uniram ainda mais.
A história em si é bem interessante e nem um pouco previsível. Também é muito engraçada, eu ri muito na maioria das cenas, também tem muitos momentos constrangedores, onde eu queria cavar um buraco e entrar dentro.
Eu também gostei bastante da relação da Ra Im com o Oska, eles são uma graça juntos, e eu como kpopper adorei eles terem mostrado uma relação tão legal assim de um idol com uma fã.
Os casais secundários também são ótimos, tem um casal com uma história bem conturbada mas que ainda merece uma segunda chance, e outro é super fofo.
E assim, o elenco é excelente. A atuação dos protas é impecável, eles conseguiram fazer muito bem dois papeis ao mesmo tempo, e a gente sabe sempre quem é quem, mesmo sem eles falarem. E especialmente o Hyun Bin tá maravilhoso nesse dorama, ele exala charme e é tão magnético, não tem como não se apaixonar por ele. Eu também adorei ver a Yoon In Na e o Lee Jong Suk mais novinhos, e já mostrando que são ótimos atores.
E por último, não tem como eu deixar de falar da OST. Que OST! Eu tinha esquecido como a OSTs dos doramas mais antigos eram tão boas, e a de Secret Garden é perfeita.
Eu super recomendo Secret Garden, vale muito a pena assistir e se apaixonar!

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Secret Garden (2010) poster

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  • Score: 8.2 (scored by 53,174 users)
  • Ranked: #1441
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