I'll be honest. One of the main reasons I was so hesitant to watch "City Hunter" was because of all the hype. I've tried watching other "hit dramas" before (Secret Garden, Boys Over Flowers), and I've learned pretty quickly that I don't really agree with the general public when it comes to dramas. But I finished "Heartless City" and fell into a drama slump, so I reached for "City Hunter" because the premise seemed very similar. Story: I didn't really like "City Hunter" until about episode 8, because before that point it was as if the writer had no idea what genre she was trying to write. She would have a rom-com scene, exchange it with some badass fighting and then have another rom-com scene. Needless to say, I think I suffered some whiplash. The thing is, I doubt she could have made the transition smoother, because there wasn't really a way for her to do so in the expository episodes. Once she did get the genres to blend together, I fell hard for "City Hunter". It's not perfect. In fact, it's pretty far from perfect. But the writer knew what she was doing. She knew what story she wanted to tell from the start and didn't try to change rails suddenly. Another thing was that the writer put in so much heart into her story that it just resonated so well in most of the viewers. You couldn't help but root for Yoon Sung and his journey. Plus the... resourcefulness of Yoon Sung. Like the water-bottle fight scene. Or the spoon fight scene. Or pretty much every fight scene he had. Acting: I think I'm one of those people who can *see* why Lee Min-ho is popular, but just doesn't *understand*. Yes, he's pretty. Yes, he's a good actor. But beyond that, he doesn't really come off as all that obsession-worthy. I think I saw more of why he's popular, but I'm still not his biggest fan. "City Hunter" definitely played to his strengths, showcasing his wide emotional range and amazing chemistry with co-star Park Min Young. Park Min Young was also pretty good here. She was sweet and likable and knew how to hold her own against our sometimes-douchebaggy lead. Lee Joon Hyuk was a bit emotionally walled off, but still good and I just couldn't connect with Hwang Sun Hee. But the one who stole the show was definitely Kim Sang Joong. He switched between the hardass father and a man broken over his comrades' deaths with equal intensity. Music: I'm not a big fan of ballads, which sucks because guess what most drama OSTs are mostly composed of? That being said, ballads are great when you want people to be sad. But what about happier songs? What about those songs for when something fist-pumpingly awesome happens? I might be mistaken, but I don't remember if "City Hunter" had an actual somewhat-happy song in there. Rewatch Value: Definitely. I loved this drama, faults and all. It just hit all the right notes in me, mostly due to the assured writing and the awesome directing. Overall: I guess the main reason I loved "City Hunter" so much is the fact that it brings back old childhood stories. Stories where the hero might be a little worse for the wear, but gets his happy ending and goes off to save the world again.