Secret Garden

Many people have given it a 10 but my personal opinion I that it's a bit overrated. I thought it was ok. The story was excellent but the acting was a little over the top.
I didn't like the female lead. She was a bit irritating.
I have kept it on hold for a while as I could not connect with the characters.
Other than the female lead everyone else was good. maybe I'll continue it some other time or maybe just drop it.
At first it really was good and I was really into it but after a certain point I found it pointless.
Overall I give it a 6/7.No offence but I don't think it deserves more than that.

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my first review (please bare with)
i enjoyed it
some parts had me on the edge of my seat
i like the twists in it
i never could figure out when they would switch bodies
the end threw me for a loop (i didn't know what he was doing)
classic kdrama
poor girl rich boy body switching the plot was refreshing 10
the acting was okay there were scenes that could have been done better (the heroine's body language didn't fit her the scene) but that could've been the writer's fault (if she so fit and a stunt woman she should be able to fight well)
the music i got tired of hearing
rewatch just got a 7 cause i watched king 2 hearts 10 times where as I watched this one 5
overall i'll give it a 8 and a half (since there is no 8 and a half we'll round up)
still this drama has more good than bad give it a try

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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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The Korean Pride and Prejudice

I’ve recently discovered this amazing drama on Netflix in Australia and I was totally hooked. I’ve watched it back to back twice and again twice back to back. The music and OSTs are so amazing, the scenery around the male lead actor’s is breathtaking. The cast is superb, both male and female leads have played their roles to perfection, although I give Hyundai Bin extra points especially for his performance when they had switched bodies. Also the of him in the elevator was so realistic (I’m claustrophobic too). The other scene with the elevator during the fires with her firefighter father is heartbreaking.
This drama has so many punch lines, love her calling him Mr Sparkles and the “one little two little three little Indians” is so funny and the “the chestnut was me but the cheesecake was some other bitch”. The scene at the action school with the sits ups is one I will never forget. I loved watching them walking side by side, first in his mind and then for real. I have laughed a lot but also cried a lot too. I know hate is such a strong word but I do hate his mother. I don’t call that real love, even after finding out that the girl’s father had sacrificed his life to save her son and later when her son had almost died she still remained nasty and twisted. Even after they had three children she was still the same, would her grandkids love her when they grow up and find out how badly she has treated their mother and father? I would not, I simply cannot justify her actions and I feel sorry for people who put their status and worry about the rest of the world’s opinion instead of focusing on their children’s happiness. Now I’m about to disappear like foam and watch it again as sadly it’s leaving Netflix tomorrow. It is by far my favourite Korean drama.

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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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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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