Snowdrop

Snowdrop

Snowdrop is a black comedy.
In this Korean TV series, the 1987 student struggles are the backdrop for the drama. It shows the dangers of slavishly following political dogma and the evil nature of some humans. It is not an easy watch. There is violence throughout.
The love story doesn't take over.
There is no clear division between traditionally good and bad sides. Spies are uncovered throughout the series and some characters swap sides readily. Others kill by informing, by making trouble or by bullying. Even the female captives turn on each other with the most trivial of reasons.
The cast is very good from top to bottom. They are mostly young and to be applauded. With great respect, it is nice to see so much of Kim Mi-soo on the screen.
I think the script is very good but I know that there has been criticism.
Be kind.

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Totally thrilling ride ..worth watching

First things first, I didn’t understood the backlash the show received. I even read articles to understand the backlash but still came to the conclusion that the hatred this show received is bit too much. Although I am angry at the writer for other things like dragging the hostage situation and making the show just about it.

It’s the first episode that captures my interest in a show and snowdrop grabbed my interest fully with the beginning episodes. I loved the first 3 episodes, the 80s vibe, the first encounter of the main leads, the way jisoo’s character hid soo-ho in the dorm (ah women in love are something else), the open house event, and the bicycle scene ❤️It was all magical.

But it went down for me with the hostage situation. Especially when I realised in the 6th episode that this situation will probably last till the end of the show. I found it similar to money hiest with the hostage situation so thought to skip the show. But then I continued watching it for soo ho and was surprised to discover how every episode peels a new layer of the story and characters. It was thrilling to watch because there are soo many twists and turns within that dorm hostage situation that kept me hooked. I am not the one to watch a show if i have to forcefully drag myself to finish it but this show really kept me hooked until the last episode.

As it was jisoo’s first role as main lead, she did an okay job not very good but okay job . She overall not bad.

Lim Sooho has my heart, portrayal of his emotions in the hostage situation, his action scenes ,those cold expressions literally everything about him was superb. Loved his character.

I wish the writer had not prolonged the hostage situation that much and added few episodes before the hostage situation about love story between main leads.it could’ve been better. I feel bad as the main lead couple hardly had any memories outside the dorm.

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Stunning

You know I’d read some really good comments about Snowdrop and watched a preview on another forum but I have to say the reality was so good that it took my breath away. The leads did a brilliant job of bringing their characters to life and every member of the cast and crew were integral in creating such an epic drama. I don’t know how I missed this when it first came out but I’m so glad that I got the opportunity to finally see such a wonderful series. A true joy to watch and I take my hat off to Kim Ji Soo in her first role. Her performance was remarkable and so well acted that she seemed like a seasoned professional. A definite 10/10 from me ♥️💖

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I'm traumatized but in a good way?

I am writing this review as I'm finishing the last episode. I have so many thing to say about this show. I will not lie, when I first saw the cover on disney+ I thought it would be a small romance about a young couple in the 90/ early 2000. I did not expect to finish it completely traumatized xD I have mostly watched happy ending kdrama but I really like to watch some with somehow sad ending cause it brings me back to reality. Not everything as an happy ending.

STORY:
I give the storyline a serious 10/10 The story wasn't the most predictable thing which I really like. Something that is overly predictable becomes boring at some point along the way and just makes me want to drop the show but the storyline in Snowdrop was amazing. The plot twist every now and then and the new events happening. At first, I thought it was a little overwhelming knowing my history of watching shows with an overly predictable story, but I got used to it and it became pleasant. I was getting more and more into the story and there was moment where I had to stop and rethink or just gasped because i simply couldn't believe what was happening (Like when the northern spy wasn't Ms. Ho but the janitor) The story on it's own was magnificent and probably one of the best one I have seen so far. I did not expect that when I started it but it was a literal masterpiece.

ACTING:
I won't really talk about the cast because I don't really know who could have replaced who but I will gladly talk about the acting. I give the acting a big 9.5/10 not 10 cause I know there was some moment that the acting for me just wasn't ''enough''. But that doesn't mean it was a good one. I unfortunately can't cry, but if I could, I would have balled my eyes out. I mean it, this show is cute, as a lot of acting but is really sad. The action the actors takes and how much effort they put in it just make the show 20 times better. The acting the actors gave was impressive to say the least. To the joy to the tears passing by the anger it was pretty impressive. You could clearly tell what feeling was happening and they transmitted it pretty well to the watcher. You could clearly feel the emotions and I won't lie I could barely get out of my seat during the show (I went been going to sleep at 2 am for this show (my dumbass also decided to start it at 10pm)) From the start to the end there was no moment where we didn't feel something. At least, there was no moment for me.

MUSIC:
I won't lie, I give it a 8/10 only. I could have giving it a 9 but there was one song that kept repeating itself and at the end but the sound effect all along the show was actually a real pleasure for the ears. Always the right sound effect depending on the scene. I don't have a lot to say about the musc I don't have any complaint aboutit.

REWATCH VALUE:
This show might have traumatized me a lot, I would rewatch it every day. Literally. I was obsessed with My name, Sisyphus and Not me recently and Snowdrop is joining them for sure. I'll probably rewatch it about 3 times just to make sure I got every single detail of the show that I might have missed.

That is all for me, but sincerely if you haven't watch it, please do. And if you dropped it, please restart it. it might seem long at the start but i swear it gets a lot better!!

With love
-Mapexia

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PERFECT Casts - I need them in another drama!

I personally watched this drama because it was Jisoo's acting debut plus, Jung Hae In is her leading man. I was curious on how she will give life to her character Eun Young-Ro and believe me, she did justice to her role. Jung Hae In on the other hand, who I first saw in 'While You Were Sleeping', has proven again his passion for acting in this drama. Although I haven't watched his top titled dramas like 'DP', 'Prison Playbook', and 'Something In the Rain', I know for sure he also gave his 100% in delivering his role. Both Jisoo and Jung Hae In can communicate with JUST their eyes.

I want to give my attention to the second main leads Lee Kang-Moo and Jang Han-Na. Although their scenes were not that focused, there were times that they stole the show. I love their chemistry and they did a good job in casting both Jang Seung Jo and Jung Eugene for these characters. I could not imagine anyone else giving life to both characters.

Gye Bun-Ok who was played by Kim Hye Yoon, Ms. Pi by Yoon Se Ah were also topnotch characters. I hated Bun-Ok to the highest level which proves KHY's flawless and effective portrayal. GBO and Ms. Pi displayed mother-daughter or sisters kind of vibe in this show.

All in all, these casts combined together is just chef's kiss! The chemistry and acting is beyond borders. If only the story wasn't cut short to show several background stories to build up each character, I would not hesitate to give my 10 stars. Although the story got me REALLY hooked, this drama will not YET pass in my list for rewatch (if you know, you know). "Yet" because if they make a sequel wherein all of the characters are reincarnated in the modern times or wherein they continue the story (if it is possible), I would reconsider to rewatch this drama. :)

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Honestly this is a really good kdrama. I've seen the conflicting opinions of everyone while judging this drama, especially around Jisoo's acting. Being a member of BLACKPINK, I feel like a lot of the hate about it is uncalled for, like to me, nothing is wrong. She portrays Eun Yeong-ro perfectly, she captures that innoncence and sadness and realization that Yeong-ro experiences. I feel like a lot of the hate was carried over from her musical artist side and has nothing to do withher real level of acting, just another place for netizens to vent their hate about Jisoo. Jisoo and Jung Hae-in fit together well, the chemistry did what needed to be done. everything clicked well in this drama. I'll admit some of the plot is laggy, but all in all, I could see the story evolving. Im Su-ho having to abandon Yeong-ro to go back to the North, his attempts at protecting her from everything dangerous, and the fact that he actually went back for her being so close to escape shows how much he actually loves her. Unfortunately this decision led to his death but Yeong-ro's survival. After, I realize just how much Yeong-ro has been through in the amount of time she's been iwith Su-ho. I read a review saying: "Jisoo was amazing at portraying this hurt and anger beautifully because you can see the innocence in Yeong-ro leave her, that she’s forced to face the consequences of being young and being in love and realising that all really isn’t fair in love and war." This is probably better than I will ever explain it, that it isn't fair, not even a little bit, not even at all. The actors do an amazing job and the story is deeply emotional. As a person who doesn't cry a lot in daily life, I wept at that tragic end of Su-ho dying to protect Yeong-ro. Seeing her revisit the record shop and having her first love end in such a way was heartbreaking. This drama was a real tragedy, but a MUST WATCH. (Ignore my rating for music, unless it's really good I just put a two for everything)

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A total gem: refreshing and amazing chemistry

Personally, this is hands down by far now my #1 favorite drama out of all the dramas I've watched these past 10 years. I'm not overexaggerating because I've never seen a drama that heavily impacted me emotionally to the point that it made me cry multiple times even till this day despite the drama being over. Also, this drama kept me on my feet of wanting more with every cliffhanger they left off on each episodes along with the sudden plot twists. Lastly, the main leads had such amazing chemistry that I die-hard ship them. It's the best and at the same time the MOST HEARTBREAKING kdrama I've ever watched.

Storyline:
First of all, I felt this drama was refreshing, new, and different from what you see in most typical kdramas. Starcrossed lovers where Soo-Ho, a North Korean spy, is a bad guy (but a good heart) and he holds the girl he loves (Yeong Ro) and her dormmates hostage is something you don't see a lot in kdramas. It's eyecatching with a lot of unpredictable plot twists of characters you never expect would turn out to be bad or good. Each episode anxiously keeps you looking for more each week because something is always happening that you never expect. The drama is mainly set in the dormitory, which I have no problem with nor I don't feel it's dragged because something intense or unexpected is always happening in there while it also shows some scenes of what is happening outside with the antagonist who plot on killing everyone in the dorm due to the presidential elections. This drama revolved heavily around politics, with about 40% of romance. The political stuff wasn't too hard to understand and it made the drama quite interesting as it anxt up the storyline even more so I was okay with it. Although I wished they added a bit more romance scenes into the drama.

Acting:
The acting of every character was amazing. They really portrayed their characters well that each of their personalities could either make you love them or hate them even more because they portray. I cannot name all but I'll only talk about the top 3 characters I was mainly impressed with. First, I was impressed with Jisoo's (Yeong-Ro) acting. I am a Blink, but I hate to admit it prior, I didn't expect much from her acting as a rookie actress and being an idol. However, she exceeded my expectations and I genuinely loved her acting. She portrayed Yeong Ro very well and give kudos to her for being able to cry in almost every scene she has. I don't know how she's able to force herself to cry LOL. Hae In (Soo Ho) also impressed me. I didn't really watch a lot of his past works other than DP, but I know he's mainly been in romance dramas. Although I didn't watch those, I think this type of role in Snowdrop fits him so well. The different emotions of love, fear, sadness, anger, betrayal, and etc. in his acting all in one drama were just very impressive. This drama really took his acting to another level and I believe he impressed many of us. Seung Jo (Gang Mu) was another character I loved. I didn't know of him prior to Snowdrop but he really put out a lot of emotions into his acting, especially in intense scenes where he's really into it. When he tried to get Soo Ho to leave with Yeong Ro at the end, the sadness in his eyes when Soo Ho refuses shows how he's grown to care for Soo Ho despite they were enemies prior. I actually teared up in that scene.

Chemistry:
One of the main highlights of this drama was the chemistry between Hae In (Soo Ho) and Jisoo (Yeong Ro). I have never seen such amazing chemistry between two main leads in the past 10 years I've watched kdramas. The forbidden love between two very different people and how they longed for each other is just so sad. They may have not had a lot of scenes together after ep 5, however, every scene that had together always hit you hard with emotions that make you wanna cry for them. The way they look at each other, their physical affections, and their actions of willingness to sacrifice their lives for each other shows true love that they really don't need words to show your words to someone. When Soo Ho died by taking the bullets for Yeong Ro, I was crying buckets because of how tragic it was, and when they cried and talked during Soo Ho's last breath just broke my heart even more. I still cry to this day just thinking about it and when I look back at their scenes, whether sad or sweet, together. I've seen sad endings in kdramas but they've never made me cry buckets of tears every time or whenever I think about the couple. Even though this drama and the couple are fictional, I still can't help but feel so many overwhelming emotions because of their powerful chemistry and cry for them because of their undying love for each other. Their acting is what made the chemistry just so great which is why many people are praising and hoping they'd get together in the end and even in real life.

As I hate to admit it, it was expected that it'd be a sad ending. Given the situation, it's very unlikely that they'd both survive and end up together. Soo Ho will still be targeted by both the South and North even if he ran off to a different country. Cause remember Soo Ho is technically still a wanted criminal and enemy on South Korean grounds. How will they live happily together? Will Yeong Ro be able to drop everything in the South to run away with Soo Ho? Also, Yeong Ro would be in danger if she stays with Soo Ho, and I think he knows that which is why he let her go. And they're basically two against the entire world who are pretty much surrounded at gunpoint by the ANSP. I tried to stay positive that they'd have a happy ending but in reality, it's just totally impossible. Despite the sad ending and the millions of tears I've shredded, I still love this drama.

Ending:
Despite the high appraisal I have for this drama, there were some cons to the drama that should've been explored more. The ending showed the end of the couple's love story, however, the ending felt abrupt and it left a lot of unanswered questions which I was quite disappointed with. They legit just cramped up so many unexpected things all in the last 3 episodes that I feel they should've elaborated earlier in the previous eps so it doesn't seem so abrupt. First, it was never shown where and what happened to Soo Ho's body. Like they could've shown at least Yeong Ro going to his grave or something or just in general where the hell is he? lol. Second, what happened to Yeong Ro after she got taken away by Tae Il, since he thought she knew the password? Like how was she let go so easily? Like they legit just time skipped right away without showing what happened to Yeong Ro and the others after Soo Ho died which left me confused. Third, what happened in the North with Soo Ho's mom and the adoptive father? There are more things that are questionable but these are some I could think of at the top of my head for now. From what I heard, not sure if it's true, the drama was originally supposed to be 20 eps but was shortened to 16 due to the controversy which I do not understand what has to do with it.

Overall, despite the cons, I still genuinely loved this drama, and will forever hold a place in my heart. It'll be hard to find another drama that could top this drama that can hit me with this many emotions. I really hope to see Hae In and Jisoo in another drama together in the future and this time hopefully with a happy ending <3

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Romance, Action, and Heartbreak Done Right

I write really long reviews but here's a summary. Keep in mind this is just my opinion and I don't mean to offend anyone ❤️
This one's a bit long- so if you like slightly detailed reviews, you're gonna (hopefully) love this.

❗SPOILERS AHEAD❗

The Good
Plotline Perfection (aka Genre Soup That Actually Worked)
This drama blended so many genres—romance, action, suspense, and even comedy—and somehow pulled it off. The pacing picked up fast, and once it did, it never lost momentum.
And the twists? Unhinged in the best way. That final one with Man Dong? I was gagged. Freedom was right there, and they missed it because of him? Genius-level chaos.

Jisoo’s Acting Debut = Slay
Jisoo really surprised me. For her first drama, she held her own against a cast full of seasoned actors and never broke the immersion.
Sure, there were moments Hae In had to work a little harder to sell their chemistry, and that kiss felt more like a polite nod than passion—but overall, she did well. Respect.

The Romance: Chaotic, But Cute
I really liked Soo Ho and Yeong Ro’s love story. It was sweet and soft without overpowering the main plot.
It felt real—awkward at times, but in a good way. And Soo Ho didn’t turn into a fool for love, which automatically makes him elite.

The Ending (A Beautiful Tragedy)
That ending… whew. Of course I wanted them to end up together, or at the very least have him survive. But honestly? I’m not mad at how it played out. It was beautifully done and, more importantly, believable.
I’m so glad they didn’t go the unrealistic route where he jumps out the window, dodges bullets, and somehow lives. His death actually meant something.
And that epilogue? The "what if we met under normal circumstances" callback? I was done. Beautiful, heartbreaking, unforgettable.

Bun Ok: Annoying, But I Get It
She was frustrating, but her actions made sense. Everything she did came from a place of survival and desperation.
And her quiet thing with Comrade Joo? The unspoken looks? The subtle softness? Honestly, one of the most underrated dynamics in the show.

The Bad

Slow-Motion Start-Up
I get the need for setup, but this one dragged its feet. The first few episodes were painfully slow—like, “am I watching the right show?” slow. Cute moments popped in here and there, but overall? Snoozefest.
And the wives? Please. Their boutique gossip sessions were filler at best and dead weight at worst. The “13 virgins” subplot? Completely irrelevant. Their scenes killed the pace and made the early episodes hard to sit through.

Plot Convenience (AKA The Spy Personality Swap)
Soo Ho’s sudden moral awakening made zero sense. These people were raised and trained to follow orders no matter what—especially spies. But the moment things got dicey, they all just… switched sides?
Comrade Joo was the only one who stayed true to his conditioning. Everyone else? Way too soft, way too fast. I get drama magic, but Soo Ho risking his sister’s safety for a girl he barely knew? That’s not love, that’s lazy writing.

Can Someone Please Die Already?
No, I’m not heartless—just honest. For a “high-stakes hostage crisis,” the show weirdly avoided actual stakes. Nobody died for most of it, which killed the tension.
Soo Ho and the spies hesitated way too much. Even Gang Mu surviving made no sense. You can’t sell us intensity with constant threats and zero follow-through. At some point, the hostages should’ve realized there were no real consequences.

Final Thoughts

As you can probably tell, I loved this drama. “The Bad” section was honestly me nitpicking—none of it ruined the experience.
Yes, the beginning dragged, but once the plot kicked in, it stayed in. Every episode had me glued to the screen, the twists kept landing, and the romance felt just right—soft but never sappy.

And that ending? Devastatingly beautiful. The epilogue lives rent-free in my mind. I know there was a lot of controversy around this show, which is why I focused on the hostage plot, not the politics. But from a storytelling perspective, it was stunning.
The romance was grounded, the stakes were real, and Soo Ho had me emotionally unwell for days. I fully plan to rewatch—just be warned: come for the thriller, stay for the emotional destruction.

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OMG!!

I just completed watching Snowdrop and still have tears rolling down my cheeks. What can I say, I am a romanticist and prefer happy endings. The acting by both Jung Hae In and Kim Ji Soo were superb. That is not to say that the other actors didn't but I just really feel the love of these two actors thru their performance. Thank you both for a great entertainment. I watched this drama in three days. I could not stop watching, I needed to get to the end. There were so many twists to this drama that as a viewer it was difficult to determine who was going to be the next spy.
I am doing some binge watching on dramas that Jung Hae In has performed in.

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Can't get over of rookie actress, Jisoo's acting!

I never thought I would ever be able to see Jisoo crying but this drama gives a load of crying Jisoo scenes. At the beginning of this drama, we really could Jisoo in Yeong-Ro's character because she was fresh, smiling, happy, chaotic character. but the ending broke me so hard. I couldn't bare to see Yeong-Ro left alone. I wasn't over this drama for 2 years. when watching the edits of the drama, I always cried so much. The ending made cry even when I was sleeping. The story was so good but I hope ending should have been less brutal. I always wonder what if Lim Soo ho asked out Yeong-Ro for a date that day without seeing his colleague in that car. Anyway, it's worth watching it. I guarantee you Jisoo's acting will blow your mind. She's multi talented. The chemistry between Jung Hae-In and Jisoo was 10/10. Go watch it, don't forget to keep some tissues with you!!!

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