Worth a Watch. So many feels!
The most exceptional romance I've ever watched. The acting and the production (especially the cinematography) made this show such an amazing experience. I loved (almost) every second of it. The two leads (and literally everyone else) are absolutely mind-blowingly good at their roles and made this drama shine. The ending is a little lackluster though and the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more... But it's definitely worth a watch if not just for the acting and the *chef's kiss* production.Was this review helpful to you?
A Romance Story with very little Romance
I came here misled by the cover, believing this was going to be a romance with some touches of drama, but it turned out to be almost a completely action series. What started as a nice romance at first glance then became something almost nonexistent within the series; if they dedicated 3 minutes to a romantic scene in the episode, that was a lot, and those were the only minutes in the episode where the female lead appeared. I was really enjoying the first few episodes, but then it became increasingly tedious, with more and more unnecessary scenes that, if removed, would have made it much more interesting. The series could have been really good if it had fewer episodes and better romantic development. If you're looking to watch a romance story, this is not for you, as after the first episodes they completely forget about it.Note: kisskh should include Action among the genres so that people come prepared, at least.
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You don't choose your country when you are born
We all know how this drama was anticipated for a year and almost put into stop when it was broadcasted but this drama is more of the romance between Yeong-ro and Soo-ho but a real deal in governance.When I watched the first few episodes, it made me feel I'm watching a movie that made me appreciate its production.
I won't dive too much on its historical and sensitive plot since I'm not knowledgeable about it but how the writer and the director able to show the struggle of hierarchy and power-tripping throughout the hostage-taking situation definitely provided a more deep understanding on the clash of ideologies—dictatorship and soft authoritarianism. So yes, the hostage-taking will last long.
In terms of the romance between Yeong-ro and Soo-ho, there are times that I don't feel that there were 'sparks' in their scenes together because of the chaotic and horrible situation they were in so I think that flashing skinships does not help to make the tension light enough. Also, some hidden backgrounds and flashbacks made a difference in the drama but others just becomes a supplement rather than a twists because it's predictable.
Overall the an hour and a half episodes was enjoyable so might give this drama still a try.
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This review may contain spoilers
It could’ve ended better!!
I just finished snowdrop and i am disappointed by the ending. The male lead dug his own grave!Don’t get the wrong idea I liked the drama but the ending was too much to process . I get why they call this drama a k-trauma!
Biggest disappointment was that Soo-ho and his comrades went through ALL THAT just to end up dead !!!! Why drag the hostage situation till the end, make multiple deals with ANSP and give the spies hope that they can survive if they were gonna end up like this! I was relived when they got out of the dorm but then soo-ho decides to go back in the dorm. Like Wtf just save your life and run. The main couple was not gonna end up together anyway. Was it necessary to kill him and his comrades!
I was also let down because the romance between soo-ho and yeong ro was shown in first and last few episodes. They barely had any moments together. In the end it was all about survival and their romance didn’t even matter at that point bcz you just want them to survive somehow even if they are apart. That spark , that chemistry, and the passion they had in the beginning episodes was just gone by the end. It was suppose to be a romantic story but it turned into an action thriller and romance existed only in the background. I wanted to see more of soo-ho and yeong ro but alas.
I would Specially mention Dr.kang, she was the boss lady. She came as a surprise,loved her character, she was my fav till the end and I am happy atleast she survived.
Han na seemed really annoying in the beginning but she played a big role trying to rescue students. So I loved these two boss ladies.
One thing they should’ve cleared in the end but didn’t was that what happened to soo ho’s sister? Did she survived ?
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I'm not asking for much in this world, I just want more Love.
The first Kdrama I cried too. So Amazing and moving. As humans, we naturally want to be loved, but unfortunately it's also our nature to be selfish. Because of that we create an idealistic world to accommodate our greed and need to control without fear of harming anyone else to gain power and success. It took me 3 months to finish watching this drama once the entire series aired on American-Disney. Great casting, storyboarding, character building, cinematography, and sound track. I truly enjoyed each episode and was yet sadden by how ruthless humans are. The silver lining of the love story gives hope, that love still exist although hate's ultimatum is to completely destroy it.The lesson: It's our nature to be loved and give love. We are of the same species and love drive us to stay connected, to survive. Hate only adds the countless, senseless emotions that deviates the mind to the illusion of self existence.
So let's just love one another. Each one of us are worth it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Waste of potential !!
Interesting story/plot and amazing casting made me really want to watch this drama.And… so disapointing at the end !!
At first I wanted to list each situation and detail I thought stupid, unrealistic and/or inconsistent but tbh it’d be too long (if you want more details or if you want to discuss, please send me a message).
So I’m writing only global comments.
Most of main characters are not enough or not properly developed. FL character is weak, phone operator is so turncoat, north spies are not credible. And I don’t even speak about south politicians and their wives, or about dorm faciliy manager and his son or about the 2 boyfriends of FL’s friends, those characters are not credible or too absurd and inconsistent for me.
Only the 2 main ANSP characters are quite well written (excepted for rabbit thing).
This is a shame because there is a lot of amazing actors in this drama.
Storyline and/or directing (only from my point view) didn’t make them shine nor well portray their characters. Again, a shame because these actors were sooo great in others dramas… (like in Something in the Rain, Be Melodramatic, Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Misaeng, etc…)
I’ve found political manipulations and schemes unbearable or even unrealistic. Even I imagine similar things can exist in real life (altought…), I actually really don’t like to see this kind of things in dramas (I admit this point is a matter of taste).
I’m still wondering what genre of drama it is… I feel like they’ve wanted to mix several kind (thriller/political, action, romance, comedy). Balance is not good and they lost the potential of this drama from an episode to another…
Even special/visual effects were poor / bad…
And finally the ending is so damn frustrating !!
The only positive things for me were :
- Discovering actress Jisoo : Good surprise !! Her acting skills are pretty good. Even if her character could have been better (I’ve found it weak. I’d have prefer she portrays a stronger one), I enjoyed watching her and she made me want to follow her upcoming works.
- Kim Hye Yoon acting skills : even portraying a kind of « vilain » character, she is still sooo good !! I’ve already seen (and liked) her in Romance genre but I admit I’ve really liked to hate her in this one.
- Jung Eugene and Jang Seung Ji : luckily their characters were pretty consistent, making their acting better than most of the others actors.
From my point of view, these 4 actors saved this drama !!
- (I’ve also liked abs/body of Lim Soo Ho / Jung Hae In in ep 3 ^^ eheh)
To summarize : I don’t recommend Snowdrop. Most of main actors can show you how brillant they are in other dramas better than this one.
No rewatch value
OST didn’t make me want to add songs on my playlist
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Love Can Be Traumatizing
Snowdrop or 설강화 (sul-kang-hwa) which is a flower that symbolises hope and comfort, is ironically fitting for a title of a drama that is a gripping politics-oriented love story that took me on a neverending emotional rollercoaster ride. Set in 1987, the drama follows the tragic romance of a North Korean spy, Im Sooho and an innocent and pure university student Eun Youngro whose father unbeknownstly a high-ranking South Korean politician. Their fates conjoined when Youngro sheltered Sooho in her university's dormitory attic after finding him lost and wounded inside Dormitory 207 where she and other 3 roommates live. Because of this, a dramatic chain of events that lead to heartbreak and devastation of all parties involved including me and other viewers are set off.From the start, Youngro fell in love deeply with him while Sooho remains emotionally guarded yet we can see that he is tempted. It’s only later that he finally came to terms with his feelings, eventually confessing his feelings through a recording tape.
One of the drama’s strongest aspects is its stellar production and the quality of directing. The cinematography, set design, and overall atmosphere create an immersive story of how university life feels like in the backdrop of 1980s. The acting is top-notch with Jisoo delivering a standout performance despite being a rookie actress and all the veteran actors in the line-up. Jisoo's ability to show raw emotion, especially in intense and sad scenes is amazing. All the dramatic scenes are executed brilliantly, pulling viewers into the story’s tension and sadness of it.
While Snowdrop left a striking impression with all the production and acting, it's not difficult to say it is deeply traumatizing to me. I think I cried with and for Youngjoo in every episode... Also the finale definitely left a lasting impact, making it a difficult to rewatch the drama. I tried to rewatch once and I only could pass the first 20 minutes of the 1st episode. Youngro’s pain and loss are so overwhelming that the drama lingers in my heart a long time after watching the final episode. It’s a bittersweet experience, beautifully made yet emotionally draining.
Overall, Snowdrop is a must-watch for those who appreciate high-quality production and compelling plot, but please be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride that will forever stay in your mind.
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Main leads acting skills ??
im glad i continued to watch the drama even after the backlash it got because i didnt see any historical distortion of any sot and after months of investigation and false information from accusers KCSC officially said that snowdrop did not "distort history" or denigrate "democratization movement" https://dailynaver.blogspot.com/2022/03/kcsc-releases-investigation-results.htmlthe plot is very interesting and had me on the edge of my seat every time i watch it. jung haein really know how to convey emotions through his eyes and im glad he takes these kinds of roles like DP because he grows more as an actor rather than just doing romcoms jisoo was a revelation i know she can act but i didnt know she was that good girl cried through out the drama and you can really see the pain i hope she does more dramas like this (well not the tragic love story) the melodrama kind of series i think it suits her and i prefer her to do that instead of the typical romcoms
the only downside i get from this drama is the ending its too painful to rewatch it was already hard watching it the first time icried through out ep 16 i could no longer focus because i could only sob i havent rewatched the last 2 episodes i already knew form the start that it would be a sad ending but nothing can ever really preapre you to witness this tragic love story its like scarlet heart ryeo all over again at first i thought maybe they change the ending or rushed it because of the backlash but then again it seems just right that one of them passed away if youre brave enough and emotionally detached then go ahead and rewatch it and relive the pain
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When a once in a lifetime script meets an impeccable cast ( Except the FML Ji Soo) A gem is created!
Snowdrop has to be one of the best-casted dramas ever. Each and every actor was outstanding!The story is based on the real-life diary of a north Korean defector as the synopsis says.
When you start this drama, it continues to grow on you.
Right from the first scene.
It's not easy to control, direct and provide with such an amazing screenplay with such a huge casting.
All of them had a role to play.
I hadn't read the synopsis and rather started this on a whim which made it much more wonderous to watch.
There are many reasons why some Koreans protested since this deals with the technical phase of their modern revolution in the government system.
They call it the '5th republic' which came in 1987 on which the current Korean society is based on.
~ The scripting is your normal government-spy linkage and espionage-involved thriller which some subtle romance.
Every character shines in this drama, they literally outgrow their characters through brilliant writing.
Overall, SnowDrop is a must-watch.
Truly a gem!
PS: Albeit, I do feel they stretched the plot at various junctions for absolutely no reason, it would've well off-settled with 12 episodes.
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Jung Hae-in's drama through and through
A drama with so much promise, and yet it fell flat on its face. The first few episodes had a lot of potential, setting the groundwork for a romance spy thriller fraught with high stakes, heartrending betrayals between ill-fated lovers, and a complex exploration into power and human greed. Unfortunately, the writer made the bizarre choice to set a good two-thirds of the drama in a hostage situation in the same setting, with recycled plotlines and long-winded conversations that went nowhere and did nothing for the plot. Things happened, and yet nothing productive REALLY happened. This could've been a 2 hour movie rather than a 16 episode drama, with how little that actually happened in the story.I enjoyed Jung Hae-in and Jisoo's star-crossed romance very much though, and really just wanted the drama to have done more with them. They had a natural easy chemistry, and it would've been nice to see them build up their connection a bit more at first, before they descended into the hostage situation. I especially wish they'd done more with Jisoo's character - she was very passive and never really had much to do, other than act as a vehicle for the male lead's story. To be completely honest, I think Jisoo probably had more crying scenes than actual lines in this.
Speaking of the male lead though: JUNG!! HAE!! IN!! There is one reason and one reason alone I stayed until the end, and that was Jung Hae-in and his incredibly charismatic performance as Lim Su-ho. I've always liked Jung Hae-in before this, but his role in Snowdrop has now cemented his place at the top of my list of favourite kdrama actors. To make me feel so deeply for a character in a poorly-written story is a testament to how engaging his performance and acting was. He played every facet of his character with fervour and complexity: as the brooding spy, as the intimidating soldier, and as the tender, conflicted lover. The way he looked at Jisoo melted me every single time. If you do decide to watch this drama, do it at the very least for Jung Hae-in. He deserves every kind of accolade for the way he played this character in Snowdrop, and I'm so happy that he's getting these kinds of roles now and showing that he can do more than just romance melo (although I do love that side of him too!).
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Ride that you don't wanna get down of
Okay.. You must be thinking that only 6 episodes down, it's too soon for someone to "Review" anything.So lemme clear out that, this review is subject to change along with my PoV of the coming episodes.
It's only 5 episodes and I can say for sure that this looks like a upstream ride with no downfalls. If you are a fan of rollercoasters, you must ride this.
Jung hae in has always been good. We all know that even if we have watched only one of his works. But Jisoo... Damn.. She looks totally pro, Her performance is so enjoyable and infectious.
Anyone who is a sucker for amazing stories must not pass out on this experience.
I may not properly know what caused the uproar in korea but if we just view it from a fictitious point of veiw, this story rocks
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