My oh my, what to say about this drama?
When it was first released, man it was THE HOTTEST THING on TV. And it was positively addictive. I was a relative newbie to Korean dramas, so this drama meant the world to me and it was an obsession.
The main reason why one may be attracted to watch this at first is the fact that it rides on the goodwill from Meteor Garden and Hana Yori Dango. I'm not here to compare these adaptations though.
The show is full of scenes that seem hilarious and cheesy on hindsight, but on first watch I never seemed to notice them. I was probably blinded by my addiction. The story is also full of holes.
The only redeeming thing about the cast is the induction of Lee Min Ho into popular consciousness. He played his character well. Another consolation is getting to know Kim Bum the actor. Not his first project, but he became more well-known because of this show. Gu Hye Sun - what a disappointment. Kim So Eun did what she could with the material she had.
The soundtrack is positively in-your-face - you will never think of that silly Paradise song in the same way ever again. It appears in every darn scene possible, even those you never thought possible.
Having said all of that, why I put rewatch value at an 8: when I watch it now, it is so cringe-inducing and hilariously BAD. If you have seen it before and have seen top-quality dramas since (eg Gaksital, City Hunter, Best Love etc), I encourage you to watch it again, and enjoy the show, for TOTALLY DIFFERENT reasons from when you first watched it.
Was this review helpful to you?