There's a reason why You Who Came from the Stars had fans watching each episode while sitting on the edge of their seats every week and peeking out their windows after the show aired, hoping for their own personal alien invasion. With Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince references woven here and there throughout the story, this drama has everything you could possibly want. It lacks for nothing! Charismatic, believable leads; romantic storyline; and an incredibly evil/creepy villain. ALL the actors brought their A-game to this one. It was one of those rare gems where they must have all just clicked and it translated to the screen. I loved everything about this drama- even the intro scene that shows the passage of time. You can tell that great care went into the making of drama right down to the smallest detail. I loved the flash backs that filled in the backstory. I loved the documentary feel when they interviewed the characters. I loved how the second male lead actually helped move the story forward and wasn't clueless/innocent and certain aspects. That was refreshing. I especially loved the fact that Jun Ji Hyun was secure enough as an actress to really show different aspects of her character and let you see the vulnerability and human-ness while still being egomaniacal and exasperating yet sweet and even goofy! I loved the internal/external monologues she would have with herself. I loved how the male lead's class lectures were tied into that episode's storyline. I loved his wild jealous imaginings. They're the most adorable kdrama couple I've seen to date and the comedic timing on the facial expressions from the two leads was perfection. The clothing/costumes especially the female lead's was perfection. Can you tell I have a lot love for this one yet?
Seriously though, I'm re-watching this show for the 3rd time now and enjoying it immensely! Even though I know what's going to happen I still have nail biting moments and I've noticed very small details that I believe I missed the first two times. It speaks of the universal search for your person or people. The ones who when they're around you, no matter where you are it becomes home. If you watch it you won't regret it.
Secret Garden seems to be one of those dramas that people either love and can't stop raving about, or hate and wonder why all the fuss. I'm in the former camp. I loved it, I felt that their acting as they fought their attraction for each other was convincing. I remember reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Nelle Harper Lee when I was younger and it reminds me of a passage from the book: ...You never really know a man until you understand things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it....; The lead characters' unique circumstances and common bond allowed their feelings for one another to blossom from initial distain to attraction to love, through empathy. It makes for a good gateway drama as I usually introduce it to unsuspecting friends to get them to hooked on kdramas. :-)
As for re-watch value, I've seen Secret Garden many times over and I've enjoyed it each time. It's one of my favorites dramas and as an added bonus the OST is fantastic!
Padam Padam: The Sound Of His And Her Heartbeats. It's the sound of life. The title was inspired by one of my favorite Edith Piaf songs. I love this drama so much, I don't know why it took me so long to watch it! I feel like it's one of those sleeper dramas that catch you unawares. And by sleeper I don't mean it's boring, rather that I don't understand why it doesn't get the attention it deserves. It will be on your plan to watch list for weeks or months and then one day you think eh, I'll watch Padam Padam. WOW! You'll be glad you did. Such a touching story about love, faith and forgiveness. The main male lead is unlike any other that I've seen in a drama. It's as if his innocence and appreciation for life and living was captured in a bottle and time stood still. You really feel for the characters. Of course it doesn't hurt that we have the yummy Kim Bum as a supporting actor, so sweet, so believable. If you've been putting this drama off like I did do yourself a favor and watch it, you will not regret it. It's one of those rare dramas that you end up feeling like you learned something beautiful by the end. I hope what you take from it will stay with you forever. Please watch it and then come back here and tell me what you think!
Nine: Nine Times Time Travel is my 2nd favorite drama of all time and my DH's #1 and that's saying a lot since he finds watching dramas slightly torturous. The premise is interesting and the acting spot on. If you are looking for a suspenseful drama that will have you wondering what's going to happen next, this one is for you. I'm usually pretty good at working out storylines beforehand, but I have to admit this one kept me on my toes. I was watching this as it aired and found myself waiting impatiently for the next episode. When I wasn't watching it, I was thinking about it. I would see if I could figure out the repercussions based on what the main character did, but it very quickly spiraled out into areas I had not even come close to guessing so I decided to just sit back and enjoy the ride.
There were one or two parts that dragged a bit but overall even through several re-watches it holds up very well. I can't for the life of me remember any songs from the OST though so I gave that a 5. Nothing stood out song-wise, but nothing made me cringe.
