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This review may contain spoilers
Well damn, that didn't last as long as I thought it will. Twenty episodes, right? Sure felt hella lot shorter than that.The reason why I picked this drama was because I've seen Big Bang's parody of it, which of course, provided many spoilers, but I liked the tale and decided to give it a shot. And oh boy, how happy I am for that.
Acting is the best I've seen so far, and not only the main roles, which made it a pleasure to watch and go to through the story flow with these well-made characters.
There's a few songs and they weren't awkwardly plastered in the scenes, thankfully, so the music is quite alright, if forgetable.
Overall, I rate it a high 8, mainly because it was interesting to watch, and oh, there was lots of skinship. However, I didn't like the slowing of the plot in last part of the story, and the cliché that they always use at that point in the tale. If it wasn't for it, the rating would be higher.
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Ha Ji Won in the beginning is a very endearing and strong character but in typical Ha Ji Won fashion, she is soon reduced to giving you doe eyed looks and being saved by Hyun Bin from the evil mother. She also gets dragged around by Hyun Bin a lot if the formula tells you anything. She has absolutely no reason to be charmed by him but really she does get charmed by him.
I did not focus on the body swap because other than to add some comedic effect, it didn't do much for the drama. Anyway, I've bashed a bit so let's focus on the positives. The supporting characters are great in carrying this drama. They add humor where needed and make this quite the enjoyable experience. Oska despite being loud mouthed is actually quite charming and overall, the supporting cast make this formulaic drama quite enjoyable. The drama drags a little in some areas but not enough for me to lose interest and while the end for me was a little tedious, I still think this is a decent romance recommendation for anyone who is partial to the genre.
PS. The OST is a plus in my book and one of the best OSTs in my opinion.
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Story: I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this drama. When it's good, I wanted to clap and jump around with joy, when it's bad, well... I kind of wanted to throw my tablet out of the nearest window. The story goes from interesting and funny to frustrating and sloooowwww. And when I say slow, I mean *slow*. The story gets repetitive in the last quarter and we're stuck with the same mama-drama that any other makjang drama can offer. If I wanted to watch nearly four hours of the rich upper class mom looking down up the dirt-poor main lead girl with a heart of gold, I would have watched "Boys Over Flowers". Yes, we realize your son deserves the best or whatever, but don't you have any other reasons? Actually, there was a reason that actually made sense, but that was said in episode 20, and by that time I just wanted this drama to be over.
Another issue I had with the story were the characters. I understand that dramas have to be funny and they will all inevitably have scenes where the characters act like kids, but here is was a bit excessive. They started out normal enough, but the characters slowly became more and more childish. In the beginning, I loved them all. Joo Won a pretty awesome character, because just when you start to think he's your typical drama chaebol, the writer completely turns that around and makes him awesome. Not to mention how diverse the main characters were. You have a stuntwoman, a chaebol, a singer and a sort-of director all together. Their interactions were interesting, because they sometimes had to work together with their jobs.
On a side note, I liked how well the body-swap was used. In the beginning, Ra-im and Joo-won had a push and pull relationship. They would argue, get back together, argue and go forth in that continuous cycle. The body-swap sort of helped them understand each other and was essential for their relationship to work.
Acting: Hyun Bin was awesome. He pulled everything off perfectly, and I can't imagine any other actor in his place. Ha Ji-won has been in one of my favorite dramas (King2Hearts), so I already knew what her acting was like. To be honest, I never had much love for her, and I still don't, but you can't deny she's good at what she does.
Music: Meh. Nothing special in my opinion.
Rewatch Value: Maybe for the funnier scenes. I'm not particularly interested.
Overall: Equal parts frustrating and entertaining, "Secret Garden" is one of those must-watch dramas that you grow to be annoyed with after it keeps popping up, but it was fun when it was new.
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However, I do think that majority of the people enjoyed it. I would recommend to all Hyun Bin's fans. The lead actress was pretty but this show's gender bender arc was not at all engrossing. I think investing my time in a drama that I would enjoy would be wise rather than criticizing something that I did not enjoy.
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This is the best drama that I have ever seen in my life. The plot, the music, the story, the setting, the dialouge, the casts... All have been count perfectly.
Even the OSTs of this drama ranked in the chart. Although I just finished watch it a week ago, I feel like I still need to watch it again. Because believe me, when the first time you see this drama, you can't take your eyes off it.
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The story is great! It's original, funny, sweet, sad. There were parts that made me laugh so much, parts that made me cry. I loved almost all of the characters - and it's always nice to see a main girl who knows how to defend herself. I think this is one of the few dramas I've watched where I've even found myself liking the second main lead girl. I knew I would love this drama by the end of episode 1 and I wasn't wrong. It's hard to choose a favorite among the characters, because they were all great! Including Secretary Kim and Ah Young.
The acting is amazing! Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won did a terrific job - especially during the parts when they switched. They really acted each other out well! And the other actors did great, too (You really get a feel for the characters).
The music is great! I love the soundtrack! My favorite song was "Scar," but I loved "That Man" and "Appear" as well as the other songs.
I will definitely watch this drama again, I've just seen it and I've thought about rewatching it again sometime soon.
Overall - it really is a great drama to watch (as I keep mentioning, haha). If you're the type who enjoys romantic comedies with a twist, this one is great (: I agree with all of the other reviewers who have rated this drama well, it really is a wonderful story - so... watch it! (:
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The characters are wonderfully different in a perfect I can't stand you/can't stop thinking about you mix that leaves me giggling like an idiot from the moment they meet. Watching them play each other is hilarious, especially seeing how terrible they are at it.
The two main actors, Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won have instantaneous chemistry that lasts throughout the series, and they play off each other so well.
I love Gil Ra Im's balance of strength and meekness that makes her one of my favorite complex characters in any drama. And don't get me started on the hilariousness of Kim Joo Won's "Kim Soo Han Moo" chant that he has to take his mind off of Ra Im. By the end of the drama, you'll find yourself trying to learn the whole thing!
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Secret garden is very rewatchable and you will notice new funny moments every time you watch it again. Nice love scenes as well! Great drama!
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