This review may contain spoilers
A story about dreams and first love (how long did it last? 4 episodes?, unfortunately)
Dream To You tells the story of Ju Yi-jae, a fearless teenager, dreamed of becoming a filmmaker and loved shooting short films. Her classmate, Woo Soo-bin, was a diligent, obedient student with no personal ambitions. Soo-bin was inspired by Yi-jae's tenacity, and a friendship blossomed between them, eventually leading to romance. However, after the university entrance exams, Soo-bin disappeared when his family, who had always planned his life, sent him to study abroad. Now in their thirties, they lead very different lives and unexpectedly reunite. Yi-jae is a struggling journalist, disillusioned with life and feeling she has fallen into mediocrity, while Soo-bin is an award-winning film director. He decides to help her rediscover her spark, but she remains resentful of what happened in the past.
This drama tells the typical story of reuniting with first love, but it does so in a way that captivated me. Although the plot has been seen countless times, the first few episodes were the best. I don't remember ever enjoying the first few episodes so much. The plot, the characters, the flashbacks—everything was wonderful. But, unfortunately, the story takes an unexpected turn. It seems that ENA makes all its dramas captivating in the first few episodes and then ruins the rest, so I should consider not watching any more dramas from this channel. All that drew me in, and the reason I was looking forward to it after seeing the trailers, was a first-love story, the kind we all want to experience. But I don't understand how the series gradually forgot that purpose. The feeling of freshness disappeared to the point that sometimes I didn't even remember they were each other's first love. They seemed like two people who met and simply fell in love without that idea of first love. Scenes I was really looking forward to... In the end, they felt bland, not like in the trailers that excited me so much I wanted to see them. The kissing scenes felt a bit empty without that emotional impact. The point I was definitely hoping for was that they would become a couple, but in the end, I felt nothing. Ha-na's mother is simply a monster. I don't see any chemistry between the secondary couple, to be honest. From the beginning, I was rooting for the leads. Another problem is the changes the characters underwent. Woo Soo-bin went from being simply charming to losing all his charm. Ju Yi-jae went from being such an energetic fighter, which is what captivated me about her, to losing all of that. Their wonderful chemistry was affected by that unstable plot, which is sad. I was hoping to see Baek Seong-cheol again because his characters captivated me, but this one didn't, and that hairstyle doesn't suit him at all. It seems the producers of ENA... love having the irritating ex appear in every show on this channel, and there's absolutely no need for him to be there. It was supposed to be exciting to see them make their movie, but in the end, I liked the one they made about their past better; it felt better because now they don't seem to be making any progress at all. The third couple is one of the worst you'll ever see; she just used him for fun, and that's it, and the poor guy was supposedly in love. The series introduces so many subplots that there's no screen time left for the main characters, and these subplots are pure filler and barely developed. As for clichés, this series uses several, and I'm not just talking about the first romantic reunion, but also: abusive parents, the protagonist who goes abroad and leaves his partner (who surely returns and they live happily ever after), the ex who comes back and is just a nuisance, and above all, that stupid breakup: who comes up with that in a serious drama?
3.709
The drama uses somewhat repetitive characters, seen in other dramas. Speaking of the secondary characters, the lead couple had good chemistry that could have been perfect were it not for a weak script. A sincere question: in the towns depicted in ENA dramas, are there only elderly people? Were our protagonists the only young ones?
Here is my analysis of the main characters:
Woo Soo-bin (Hwang In-yeop): A brilliant film director. After spending his adolescence immersed in the world created by his parents and his twenties breaking free from his shell and running fiercely, he finally achieved his dream of becoming a film director. After a spectacular debut with his first feature film, which swept international festivals, he returns to Korea to reunite with his first love, the person who instilled the dream in him and with whom he promised to make films.
I must say that Hwang In-yeop's acting surprised me. I didn't think he could create such a charismatic character, so different from his role in True Beauty. Unfortunately, his character gradually loses its charm and ends up being quite meh. In the romantic scenes, there was hardly any emotion. Even so, he did a good job, as I feel it was all about the character and not his actual acting skills.
Ju Yi-jae (Lee Hye-ri): A journalist struggling to make a living, gifted with passion and talent. She was a fearless teenager driven by a dream, and later a twenty-something frustrated by harsh reality; now she lives in an existential void, like so many other anonymous people.
This is my first time seeing Hye-ri, and I loved her, but just like with Hwang In-yeop, her character gradually loses all her energy and charisma, and that drive she had in the first two episodes. But I think she's a good actress.
Shim Yu-geon (Baek Seong-cheol): an aspiring actor who still gets nervous in front of the camera.
I was looking forward to seeing Baek Seong-cheol again, but his character disappointed me. I didn't like him as much as in his other projects; he was too selfish, and that haircut just didn't suit him. The chemistry with Ha-na was simply nonexistent.
Oh Ha-na (Lee Yeol-eum): A rising star.
I didn't dislike her character, but she was pretty meh, to be honest. But all in all, good work.
This drama missed many opportunities with its characters. They were introduced and then left flat. The third couple was simply filler. What happened to Yu-geon's father? What about Soo-bin's father and his divorce? They never showed Gu-yeon in high school. What about Ha-na's mother and her relationship with her children? Everything was left incomplete.
The OST isn't extraordinary, but there are some songs I liked, including "Beyond The Dream" (a gem), "Sailing Back To You," and "My Everything." The rest just weren't to my taste.
Would I watch it again? I think if I do, it'll be for the first two episodes, but if I had to choose, I wouldn't watch it again, honestly.
In short, Dream To You is a drama about first loves and dreams, which unfortunately suffers from so many poorly developed subplots that the main storyline gets sidelined and underdeveloped, leaving many things unresolved. Even so, I enjoyed the first few episodes and they inspired me to want to experience my first love (although I already did, but not in the way I wanted, since I couldn't do anything with her, but she still brought some light to my life, even if it was from afar) :( . Overall, I'd give it a 7.5/10. It could have been one of my favorite dramas, but due to a lack of ideas, it fell into the same old patterns.
Despite all this, I didn't hate the drama, but it did get boring in parts. I'm disappointed.
THANKS FOR READING
This drama tells the typical story of reuniting with first love, but it does so in a way that captivated me. Although the plot has been seen countless times, the first few episodes were the best. I don't remember ever enjoying the first few episodes so much. The plot, the characters, the flashbacks—everything was wonderful. But, unfortunately, the story takes an unexpected turn. It seems that ENA makes all its dramas captivating in the first few episodes and then ruins the rest, so I should consider not watching any more dramas from this channel. All that drew me in, and the reason I was looking forward to it after seeing the trailers, was a first-love story, the kind we all want to experience. But I don't understand how the series gradually forgot that purpose. The feeling of freshness disappeared to the point that sometimes I didn't even remember they were each other's first love. They seemed like two people who met and simply fell in love without that idea of first love. Scenes I was really looking forward to... In the end, they felt bland, not like in the trailers that excited me so much I wanted to see them. The kissing scenes felt a bit empty without that emotional impact. The point I was definitely hoping for was that they would become a couple, but in the end, I felt nothing. Ha-na's mother is simply a monster. I don't see any chemistry between the secondary couple, to be honest. From the beginning, I was rooting for the leads. Another problem is the changes the characters underwent. Woo Soo-bin went from being simply charming to losing all his charm. Ju Yi-jae went from being such an energetic fighter, which is what captivated me about her, to losing all of that. Their wonderful chemistry was affected by that unstable plot, which is sad. I was hoping to see Baek Seong-cheol again because his characters captivated me, but this one didn't, and that hairstyle doesn't suit him at all. It seems the producers of ENA... love having the irritating ex appear in every show on this channel, and there's absolutely no need for him to be there. It was supposed to be exciting to see them make their movie, but in the end, I liked the one they made about their past better; it felt better because now they don't seem to be making any progress at all. The third couple is one of the worst you'll ever see; she just used him for fun, and that's it, and the poor guy was supposedly in love. The series introduces so many subplots that there's no screen time left for the main characters, and these subplots are pure filler and barely developed. As for clichés, this series uses several, and I'm not just talking about the first romantic reunion, but also: abusive parents, the protagonist who goes abroad and leaves his partner (who surely returns and they live happily ever after), the ex who comes back and is just a nuisance, and above all, that stupid breakup: who comes up with that in a serious drama?
3.709
The drama uses somewhat repetitive characters, seen in other dramas. Speaking of the secondary characters, the lead couple had good chemistry that could have been perfect were it not for a weak script. A sincere question: in the towns depicted in ENA dramas, are there only elderly people? Were our protagonists the only young ones?
Here is my analysis of the main characters:
Woo Soo-bin (Hwang In-yeop): A brilliant film director. After spending his adolescence immersed in the world created by his parents and his twenties breaking free from his shell and running fiercely, he finally achieved his dream of becoming a film director. After a spectacular debut with his first feature film, which swept international festivals, he returns to Korea to reunite with his first love, the person who instilled the dream in him and with whom he promised to make films.
I must say that Hwang In-yeop's acting surprised me. I didn't think he could create such a charismatic character, so different from his role in True Beauty. Unfortunately, his character gradually loses its charm and ends up being quite meh. In the romantic scenes, there was hardly any emotion. Even so, he did a good job, as I feel it was all about the character and not his actual acting skills.
Ju Yi-jae (Lee Hye-ri): A journalist struggling to make a living, gifted with passion and talent. She was a fearless teenager driven by a dream, and later a twenty-something frustrated by harsh reality; now she lives in an existential void, like so many other anonymous people.
This is my first time seeing Hye-ri, and I loved her, but just like with Hwang In-yeop, her character gradually loses all her energy and charisma, and that drive she had in the first two episodes. But I think she's a good actress.
Shim Yu-geon (Baek Seong-cheol): an aspiring actor who still gets nervous in front of the camera.
I was looking forward to seeing Baek Seong-cheol again, but his character disappointed me. I didn't like him as much as in his other projects; he was too selfish, and that haircut just didn't suit him. The chemistry with Ha-na was simply nonexistent.
Oh Ha-na (Lee Yeol-eum): A rising star.
I didn't dislike her character, but she was pretty meh, to be honest. But all in all, good work.
This drama missed many opportunities with its characters. They were introduced and then left flat. The third couple was simply filler. What happened to Yu-geon's father? What about Soo-bin's father and his divorce? They never showed Gu-yeon in high school. What about Ha-na's mother and her relationship with her children? Everything was left incomplete.
The OST isn't extraordinary, but there are some songs I liked, including "Beyond The Dream" (a gem), "Sailing Back To You," and "My Everything." The rest just weren't to my taste.
Would I watch it again? I think if I do, it'll be for the first two episodes, but if I had to choose, I wouldn't watch it again, honestly.
In short, Dream To You is a drama about first loves and dreams, which unfortunately suffers from so many poorly developed subplots that the main storyline gets sidelined and underdeveloped, leaving many things unresolved. Even so, I enjoyed the first few episodes and they inspired me to want to experience my first love (although I already did, but not in the way I wanted, since I couldn't do anything with her, but she still brought some light to my life, even if it was from afar) :( . Overall, I'd give it a 7.5/10. It could have been one of my favorite dramas, but due to a lack of ideas, it fell into the same old patterns.
Despite all this, I didn't hate the drama, but it did get boring in parts. I'm disappointed.
THANKS FOR READING
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