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Secret Garden korean drama review
Completed
Secret Garden
1 people found this review helpful
by Charliebyrd
Sep 1, 2021
20 of 20 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.5
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10.0
This review may contain spoilers

Golden Oldie!

That is in relation to the rapid change in Kdramas in the last decade! I really love this drama. It never gets boring or draggy (not even to the very end which most kdramas do). I had watched it once before and had completely forgotten about the body swap, but that's the power of good storytelling, it is not the main focus of the story. The love & characters keep it going without having to rely on special effects as most shows these days. It really is jam packed with interest.
Ha Ji-won owns every scene, she is a total boss and carries it. I would have loved to have seen her in more kdramas as she is a really strong female role model and brilliant actress to boot. This is early Hyun Bin and not the same hunk as seen most recently in CLOY, which is a shame. You can see the age difference of 5 years and physically I don't feel he suits FL. But I guess he was cast to play her believably as a female. Those scenes crack me up, because I think even the actors got confused!

There are so many familiar faces in this drama that I was surprised they all started off here!
Lee Jong-Suk playing a supporting role but it totally fits him so much, more so than any other drama I've seen him in! Yoo In-Na of supporting actress Goblin fame, she is such a sweet actress, with great comic timing. And the ever versatile Kim Sung-Oh from Korean Odyssey. There is also a surprise cameo from SonYe-Jin, who would have thought that her and Hyun Bin would get together a decade later...amaaazzing!

There is not 1, not 2, but 3 couples and potentially 4 & 5 going on which I love as the attention is distributed in a fair and interesting manner. The OST is great & very catchy. 'The Little Mermaid' features quite a lot in this storyline. It really is a Kdrama favourite as I've seen it pop up in soooo many kdramas with the ending metaphor of turning into foam as a perpetual worry.

I love the ending where they don't have a fancy wedding, this was just more romantic and it reminded me a lot of 'Arthur' (1981) US film where Dudley Moore gives up his fortune for Liza Minnelli, maybe it inspired this drama! Also, their child rearing tactics were great! I love how their relationship was still their number one priority and the kids came second, I know it's not realistic, but hey if it happened in reality there would be a lot less divorce and I think the kids would turn out healthier too. Well, that's my 2 cents...give it a chance, it won't disappoint.
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