The chemistry between Hyun Bin and Son Ye Jin was EVERYTHING and it literally just made the show how it is; SO SHOVE IT YOU NEGATIVE NETIZENS THAT WE'RE GIVING THIS SHOW HATE!!! It's just a show and if you take it out of context, you ruin it for everyone else. -_- But I'm glad this show has such a high rating because it's definitely worth it all.
This show is about a rich heiress that has a freak accident and ends up in North Korea which is a huge fight all on it's own. So you're taking this woman trying to escape but she's caught by the Army and now what do you do? She's from the South. OMG. But who would've know that when she was trying to figure out her life and how to survive; she was going to find love and love she definitely found. Along with great relationships; even though her family isn't the best, she made her own family with the rest of the guys and they made this show amazing as well.
The acting was amazing, from every single person. From the army, to the family, to our MAINS of course. The chemistry between every person was just settling, god even the friend and the brother. My heart.
The OST Amazing. Definitely worth the download and keeping on repeat.
I laughed, cried, smiled and spent my life attached to this show and it was absolutely everything to me; I would watch this show 10,000 more times if I could and I can so I will.
WATCH THIS.
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Not bad, not at all, but it's super cheesy.
This one must be for the romantics of this world.I will not talk about all the things that made absolutely no sense in here, plot holes and so on. I'll excuse it all because it's a kdrama.
So on the kdrama world alone, it's still super corny and cheesy. I can't even say that "it's too romantic" because that's not the expression I am looking for. The whole "we were always meant for each other" narrative gives me the creeps - especially because they used it so often, with so many unnecessary and very poorly filmed throwbacks - honestly it's not for me.
I thought this would be more political and historical. Since to this day, the "two" Koreas are still divided. They did explain a lot about North Korea, but it had such a lighthearted mood, most of the time, that somehow ended up not working for me.
Everyone's a great actor, so I have nothing to say about that. My high score is based entirely on the supporting characters. The only moments I felt more emotional was because of the friendship between all the officers and the lady's from North Korea, that were so pure and lovable.
If this kdrama was anything for me, was because of those amazing supporting characters plus the secondary couple. Their chemistry was much better than that of the main couple. I understand that they both played their part(s) well, so I am not pointing fingers, it's just that for me the other one was much more adorable and funny. If anything, the main characters made the necessary fillers, so that the secondary characters could shine on the screen afterwards.
About the last minutes of the kdrama... truly a work of art for the romantics of this world. So it's gonna be like that forever, this two-week system? Is that real life?! Absolutely not... but were the romantics happy with the "happy ending"? (it's a happy ending right?!). I guess they were.
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North Korea sticks the landing but South Korea crashes this drama
Story: pretty SK heiress with mommy issues literally crash-lands in the arms of a very dashing NK Army captain. While the premise itself - a SK citizen finds herself illegally in the NK and in the hands of NK army no less - is dramatic enough, in an infamous drama tradition, this is complicated with several convoluted subplots to pad the mandatory 16 episode format, most of it with zero consequence to the main conflict. Still, ML and FL are as likable as it gets and have a nice rapport between each other and the winsome supporting cast of NK soldiers and ahjummas who are the main reason why NK proceedings outshine the SK ones.Acting: Very good. Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin carry this drama like pros but Captain Ri's Fab 5 (4 soldiers and a spy) and NK ahjummas steal the scenes. Didn't care for Se Ri's family and Captain Ri's unnecessary, stony fiance aka SFL but the unnecessary SML won me over as his character got more charming and likable as his (side) story progressed. No wonder Kim Jung-hyun scored a ML role in Mr Queen.
Music: Nice and hummable. I also liked that they incorporated it in the plot for captain Ri is a pianist who also composed the main theme.
Rewatch Value: Yes but with lots of skips. There are moments of immense beauty that deserve to be revisited SPOILERS the scented candle scene at the market, first snow, farewell at the no man's land, any piano play in Switzerland scene, just to name a few SPOILERS END but episodes got longer and longer and filler content bigger and bigger and the less said about product placement terror of Subway and that friend chicken restaurant the better.
Overall: See what the hype is about cause there's a lot to love. However, NK portion is much stronger, for bringing the conflict from that side of the story to SK didn't work and there are just too many side plots SPOILERS Ri brother's murder, Ri's fiance, Se Ri's scheming siblings, SML's involvement with mafia, Se Ri's mommy issues SPOILERS END that could have been scrapped altogether. Being stuck as an illegal in NK is dramatic enough and didn't need banality to make it more dramatic. However, those grievances aside, the ending sticks the landing and gives many earned closures which has become increasingly rare in dramaland.
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Best part was the meeting with Choi Jiwoo
It's a good story, but it was also pretty cliche. I would recommend this if you're looking for a very mushy fluffy drama. There were many cute scenes between the main actors, and the writers seemed to place in enough conflict that the characters could overcome. There's the typical love triangle, and the many coincidences that make the main actor's love seem like fate. In my opinion, the comedy cut too much into the drama, so that when it was supposed to be serious, it felt out of place.This feels like a typical asian drama that starts off strong and then fizzles out in the end, which becomes very predictable. The plot itself was straightforward without too many twists and bends - the villains were villains, and the good guys were good guys. I wish the writers brought in more emotional conflict between the two main characters to add some depth rather than just showing closeups of the main couple staring at each other. The family relationship is the most emotionally aggravating, and Bang Eunjin did an especially good job showing the pain and conflict she was facing after Seri's supposed hate for her.
In the end, if you're looking for a fluffy cute drama with a simple story and fate-like coincidences that make the main couple made for each other, then this is a great choice.
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Pretty much everyone was watching it when it aired, but I was quite worried that I might disappoint myself if I have too high expectations. Nope, that didn't happen. I loved it so much that I had to binge watch this in only 3 days.The storyline itself is quite complicated in subject matter, but they handled it very well. The characters were well developed, and every moments, even the small events were precious to me. The chemistry between the main couple was definitely no joke. The only thing I'm subtly sad about is that person who goes far far away that they can't return (spoiler but didn't name it lol). Still, in my heart, they have a happy ending too, that they met and live happily ever after.
P.S 1: Ri Jung Hyuk set my expectation from man unreasonably high
P.S 2: I hope for reunification real soon.
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You will like it if you are new to k-dramas
Intro:Don't hate on me for not falling in love with this drama as most people have. It is my personal opinion and does not have to be the same with all.
What I didn't like:
I think in the story Captain Ri had multiple opportunities to send Seri back to South Korea and at some point, it felt like they didn't only because they wanted to drag the story on longer. Also, I think though Captain Ri was one of the main characters whose role was that of a North Korean soldier, he didn't do justice to the role. For some reason, he seemed the least North Korean in terms of accent and acting there.
What I liked :
I loved the acting of Seri and the other North Korean soldiers, they did a phenomenal job. I also really liked the OSTs of this drama. Through the drama I think many people were educated about life in North Korea, so kudos to that.
Rewatch value :
I think it is one of those cliche drams you could watch over and over. I was not especially moved by it the first time I watched it because I have seen many K-dramas and this did not spark any special interest in me. But I do have to say I rewatched some cute scenes especially those of the second leads.
Overall remarks/ Outro :
If you are new to the k-drama world and are watching something like this for the first time. I recommend you watch it with an open mind and then liking it or not is up to you. But you will mostly fall into this k-drama black hole 😅😉. If you are a drama addict like me, then it is up to your preference I guess. If you love cliche and cute love stories with a lot of melodrama..This is totally something you should be watching.
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How to ruin a whole show
The story started pretty interesting but later it becomed an absurd and nonsense. Every potential plot was destroyed before it would appear.Main characters leaves North Korea without any difficulties, their escape is not even fully show. Where south korean soldiers? Where verifications? Border Interviews?
She literally crosses the border and puff - next day with full makeup she comes to the company headquater.
News about her comeback would be known before even she would be released from borders procedures. Revive someone who is oficially dead is not as easy.
Seri was not the only one who left North Korea in this riddicouls way. Soon almost half of main cast left North Korea. It was almost as easy as going to the supermarket. No one even bothered to make a scenes about it.
One scene - Guy in North Korea gets a phone that she will be killed. Puff - next scene the same guy is standing on the South Korea's street not even surprised by the surrounding technology.
Magic
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The writing and plot were captivating. I'm not going to lie and say the writing was groundbreaking and the story was the best ever created, but it was a unique story that mixed in romance and comedy seamlessly well. Overall, the plot also flowed very well and pacing felt super smooth and unrushed from the first episode to the last episode. There are the expected cliche romcom scenes sprinkled throughout the drama, and the plot twists can be predictable at times, but CLOY executes them all so well, regardless. Some lines were really memorable and stuck with me- There was a specific internal monologue scene where the writing, directing and OST was so perfect, I was struck in awe. This drama really isn't about surprising you with a jaw-dropping plot twist, but more about just enjoying the relationship between the characters and all of the action. Speaking of action, the fight scenes in this drama...fell short. They were exciting, but from the camera angles, you can see clear misses which was pretty funny because people just dropped. On the upside, comedy was always on-point. Specifically, the North Korea Soldiers were super fun to watch and they stole every scene they were in. Really loved all the comedic scenes and they were a great respite from the heavy, emotional scenes.
Acting: For the most part, I enjoyed the acting. Chemistry between the main and side couples were off the charts and I enjoyed both of them equally. However, there were also times when the acting fell short for me. Sometimes I felt that exchanges between the main couple were a little too awkward and Son Ye-Jin (who did a fantastic job) couldn't bring out the emotion on her end so it just felt forced, which prevented me from connecting with her. However, I really liked Seo Ji Hye's acting for her character Seo Dan- a cold and serious, but secretly emotional character played amazingly well- the last episodes really brought out her acting ability. On a side note, I did enjoy all the side characters. Looking into the North Korean world and how the director portrayed the behavior of the North Koreans was incredibly entertaining and unique.
Music/Soundtrack: Stacked and magnificent. Reminds me of how stacked Hotel Del Luna was. 10 CM, Yoon Mi Rae, Davichi, Baek Ye RIn, Sejeong, Crush, IU, etc. all with incredible songs. It's been a while since I've genuinely enjoyed every OST song from a Kdrama. My favorites were: Sejeong - All My Days, probably the most beautiful OST I have ever heard watching Kdrama; IU - I Give You My Heart, after 9 years the queen of korean music has released another official OST and it does not disappoint- another breathtaking song. Even the soft piano music and instrumentals in the background of scenes were perfectly fitting, drawing out the emotions behind the characters. All the songs work so perfectly with the drama, it's almost eerie.
This drama wasn't perfect, but I still enjoyed the heck out of it which really allows me to look past the flaws. I would recommend this drama to anyone looking for something new and refreshing but familiar. Even if you don't typically watch romcoms, give this drama a try- I think you'll enjoy it.
Favorite kdrama opening
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The cast seemed okay to me and they were able to portray the characters in am excellent manner but I think that the female lead seemed fake or maybe it is the character itself who behaves that way.
The music on the other hand was extraordinary for me. Some music was well matched with the scenes and were able to create a special affect together but it was not perfect for all cases. However, the OST alone are awesome for me.
Rewatching this drama to me will be like walking through hell. Watching it once, was a big step for me because the drama was extremely boring and I am pretty sure that I will be dead while watching it again.
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