Castaway Diva

I've been struggling this entire year to get hooked on a kdrama, most of the ones I've started seemed promising but when I gave them a chance dissapointed me. I began watching Castaway Diva without really having a lot of expectations, but it quickly grabbed my attention and I devoured it in 3 days.

The acting of the child actors on the first episode was amazing, and really sold me on this show. I liked their future selves, and thought that the reasons they were kept apart were reasonable, instead of just an excuse. I found all of the characters interesting and complex, they felt like actual people. They were not steryotipes or just tropes. There have been some dramas (coughKing the Landcough) in which the characters feel like caricatures and you get tired of seeing them, but I felt the opposite with the characters of Castaway Diva.

The only complaints I have are:

I wish we knew more about what happens with Ran Joo. Like, it seems like she's become the producer of the entertainment firm, but she chose to stay with somebody that she had a romantic relationship with and screwed her over multiple times? I did ship them at the beginning, because I loved the angst of it and there were scenes in which he was considerate towards her, but he went way too far, so I'm a little yikes that she chose to stay on the company that treated her like shit instead of building her own. Or at least have her get part of the ownership of the place so they could co-direct it, something that gave her more power of choice.

I wish we had more of the romance. We only had ONE kiss between the main couple, and not really a lot of scenes in which they're happy or like go on a date together. We've seen A LOT of them supporting each other, which is good to make the relationship believable, but I wish we'd had a few more scenes of them happily together after all the suffering and time apart they went through.

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I just couldn't get to sit another four hours for this drama.

It started off really good and interesting. It's quite refreshing. The plot was kinda unique as we were introduced to a girl who survived 15 years in a deserted island and how she continued to pursue her dream. OSTs too were really great, and I'm surprised Park Eunbin herself sang to some (or all?) of the songs performed in the drama. I also do love the whole moral of the drama — if you want something, it will come to you in one way or another.

However, I lost interest midway, torturing myself to finish the 7th and 8th episode until I decided to drop this. To be honest, I find it cringe; mainly because of the FL and the whole ass love triangle. She was rather more mature when she was 16 than when she turned 31. Also, how quick she had a change of heart. One time she's all willing to be a singer, and the next thing we knew, she's all out supporting her idol like someone who doesn't have a dream for herself. It's like she didn't have that solid character. Another thing is the love line *sigh* I'm sorry for those who loved the romance but it's a no for me. There's no chemistry whatsoever with the ML and FL, their younger selves played it better. And the fact that the other brother literally did more things for the FL than ML himself? But in the end we're forcing that sweet highschool buddies to be together? I'd rather love to see them highlight FL's journey to getting the spotlight rather than unnecessary romance in between.

Thanks for the good songs from this drama though. I'll still listen to them, they're really good.

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Jack of all trades, master of none

If you watched the show because of the official Netflix trailer, then you’d be in shock when you watched the first episode. It has some lighter moments but the bulk of that episode is dark, very dark. It is not until the FL leaves the island when the mood starts to lift but even then, there is a dark undertone that rears its ugly head from time to time and really hits some serious lows towards the end of the run. I’m not talking about drunkenness or bullying but multiple suicides, domestic violence and attempted murders. It is no joke.

Here lies the main problem of this show. The premise of a teenage girl surviving by herself on a deserted island for 15 years is fantastic and if they play it purely as an escapist fair it could work. You will have to suspend your disbelief but with the right cast and a good script, it has a lot of potential. However, like so many k-dramas of late, the writer-nim have to inject darkness into what could have been a light and breezy show.

On top of that, this show put the FL front and centre at the start of the show but then shift the focus onto to the older FL and that changes the tone and pacing of the show. I appreciate the importance of the old FL’s role in shaping the FL but her story as a faded star is much less engaging than the FL's. It is functional but it dips very close to a melodrama when it should have been uplifting and fun. It can hardly be called inspirational.

I understand some dramas are makjang by design while others are psycho thrillers but why do shows need to incorporate elements from several genres. Simplicity and a clear focus might deliver a better outcome. There is a throughline here but sometimes it fades or branches until you are not sure what is the A-plot anymore.

So if we pared back the plot to just the main theme regarding the rescue of the FL and her eventual rise to stardom, it is actually good and wholesome fun. Park Eun-bin played the role with heart. She can be naive one moment and glamorous the next but you can relate to her. Even the simple love story of Mok Ha and Bo Geol is sweet and heartfelt. That makes the padding out of the story feels all the more unnecessary. There is more than enough fuel for a decent 12 episodes run. Rather than watching the growth of the FL into a diva, we ended up with multiple threads pulling in different directions and by the time the spotlight is back on the FL, it is a done deal. We see very little of her “struggles”.

Is it an enjoyable watch? Yes, mostly but it could have been better. As a social commentary, it is stilted and heavy handed. As a fantasy, it feels hemmed in. The constant juxtaposition between the horror of domestic violence and light, uplifting moments can be jarring. Neither theme is helped by the other. It is like watch an unicorn frolicking in the meadows except it also breaths fire and has glowing red eyes!

OBTW, there are moments when I see glimpses of Attorney Woo when the FL looks a certain way. Uncanny. OST is FAB. I believe PEB sang some of the songs. That’s impressive.

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Unbalanced, too much of good feelings but still ok...

1/ What I LIKED :
- Childhood version of the leads and the backstory. So good.
- Who is Ki Ho?
- The guy who saved a family by creating a new one. Where this family started from and how they loved and cared for each other...
- FL positiveness and the funny lessons she learnt.
- The mystery regarding the original father, his bad deeds and his demise....
- The two brothers and how they dealt with each other. Especiallly SML and how he took something hard like a brother and like a man.

2/ What I DID NOT LIKE:
- SFL singer... honestly I never liked her character... I liked her mom... but not her.
- FL focusing too much on being with her fav singer to help her in any case...
- Yoo Ran Joo and president Lee.. they dated or not? or they just banged?

3/ OST:
Some very good songs and good moments of music.

4/ REWATCH VALUE:
Honestly? No. No epic moments.

5/OVERALL:
Decent and entertaining but a bit draggy and the ending was too much of unicorns and rainbows. A short and decent drama to binge watch but week in week out I felt it was draggy at times. 8/10.

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The bad outweighed the good

I made it through 9 episodes, but I couldn't stand it any more. There were some good things about the show that kept me watching, but episodes 8 and 9 really went downhill so much that it wasn't worth it for me to invest any more time in it.

The main thing that drove me crazy was Ki-ho and his family, especially his mom, just allowing his psychotic murderer of a dad to commit violent assaults again and again with no consequence. Is Korean law enforcement and legal system so corrupt that a man can beat a child almost to death, giving him brain damage and putting him into a coma, and get off scot free? We're talking about a poor working class guy, not some chaebol heir who can pay off everyone. So I blame Ki-ho and his mom for not going to the cops and putting this psycho killer behind bars. The poor classmate who died in the car crash with the hornets would be alive if it weren't for them, and he wouldn't have left a widow and child behind.

And if they were serious about living in hiding, why would they have the most famous castaway debut pop star living in their house when they know that their dad is on her trail and that social media is tracking her every move?

And this whole lip-syncing thing rubbed me the wrong way. So these characters who are supposed to be sympathetic are lying to the public and faking their singing? Why didn't Ran-joo just act like a reasonable person years ago and just announce to the public that she has vocal nodules and so must take a break from singing for a while? I can't relate to any of these main characters because they're all such dishonest liars.

I have to admit, I wasn't a huge Eun-bin fan until I saw Woo, which completely changed my opinion, since that was one of the best acting performances in a K-drama that I had ever seen. But then this castaway role reminded me of the annoying overacting that I remembered from Age of Youth. I preferred the young actress who played her as a teen. Same with the Ki-ho character. By the way, what happened to Mok-ha's female best friend from school? Does her adult self appear in the last 3 episodes or did she just disappear?

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Park Eun Bin is very special ,her roles will tell us a our whole life story

Park eun bin is my favourite actress and one of the best actresses. This woman never fails to ace whatever role she plays. So excited for this ❤️ lets see what happens to next epsiode .
I was blown away by the performance of Park Eun Bin in Extraordinary Attorney Woo... and now - she's outstanding in yet another sensational role!!! I can see this will rise to the top of the echelons in pure performance skills.

how she always takes on new challenging roles to grow as an actress. Every drama has been successful as well. 🥰❤Every time when Park Eun Bin films a new drama, she enriches herself as well. She learns new things, violin, horse riding, guitar, singing, dialect, etc. In some interviews/videos, we know that the practicing/preparation time is almost the same as the filming time. She practices so hard to meet the standard. She actually can choose the project not so demanding, but she intends to choose the project that is meaningful to her. Really admire her and support her!
Only Korean actress who can act and Looks damn natural exactly knows how much to do without being over the top and cringy.Queen Of Versatility Park Eun bin

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Unrealistic, Becomes Boring

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I did something stupid...I forced myself through multiple boring K-dramas at the same time (and I’m still trying to force myself through another). I’m probably going to sound jaded when typing up these reviews. Anyway, the dramas that I’ve been watching simultaneously are Castaway Diva, My Dearest Nemesis, and School 2021 (which I haven’t finished). Needless to say, it has not been fun for me lately in K-drama world. However, I can say that the strongest drama out of this group is Castaway Diva, although that's not saying much.

Acting/Cast: It’s okay. The cast is probably better than the acting. The female lead’s character had Extraordinary Woo Young Woo vibes though. It seemed like Park Eun Bin (박은빈) was still stuck in that role (Extraordinary Woo Young Woo had aired in 2022, immediately before Castaway Diva). The male lead was just boring. The second male lead probably had the strongest acting and maybe the villain. 4.5/10

Writing: The premise of the story is interesting. It wasn’t executed well at all though. There are a few main issues I had with the writing. First, the female lead’s character didn’t feel realistic. She was isolated on a deserted island for 15 years (starting in her teen years), yet once she returns back to society, she’s more intelligent and perceptive than everyone else around her, even the much older adults. I get the idea - her learning to survive on an island alone has taught her lessons about life that others may not learn - but her behavior and intelligence level just doesn’t track. The second issue I had was with the second male lead. He was only put in the story for the identity gimmick (having everyone be confused as to who the real male lead is). Other than for that reason, his character was completely useless. It’s a shame because I thought his character was so much more interesting than the male lead. He felt like an actual character. Another issue I had was one that I often have with dramas that have a mystery element to it – if the mystery is solved too early, the drama isn’t very interesting anymore. That’s how I felt about this drama as well. Also, even though the drama has a good message, I feel like it’s too unrealistically positive. On the other hand, I like the dynamics between the main characters (the whole family); it's very sweet. They are all very protective of each other and model healthy, loving relationships. 2/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The music was okay. The songs were decent, I just didn’t really like Park Eun Bin’s (박은빈) singing. There’s no range and she sings it all using her head voice. I prefer chest voice or a mix of the two. Everything else is okay; nothing too special. There is a CGI seagull... I wish it wasn't CGI. 5/10

Entertainment Value: Entertaining in the first part of the drama because it involves escaping from domestic abuse. However, once that isn’t the focus, it started getting boring for me. Especially when the female lead’s unrealistic character became more apparent. I also don’t like mistreatment of 2nd male leads, so that will cause me to lose interest quickly. I don’t think I necessarily wanted to drop this drama...I think I was just ready for it to be over a few episodes before it was. 3/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 3.5/10. It seemed like this drama was a bit of an idol healing drama where the female lead is like an angel sent to emotionally heal various characters in the industry. However, it’s not done very well and gets pretty boring. I was reminded of The Heavenly Idol, which has a similar theme, and that drama is immensely better; the characters were more interesting and likable and story was a lot more fun.

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A Drama That Inspires You

this drama is not your typical romcom drama.. this is more of a healing slice of life, it's beautiful and the characters shine through the pain ...i think when you go you should be expecting that so go in in the mood for a healing slice of life rather than a romcom

Most reviews I read about it and most comments made me think this was gonna be terrible but it was such a blast I’m so glad I still watched it and didn’t let the bad comments make me biased

in the dramas defense : i don't agree that the name and trailer are misleading, they fit the drama perfectly and stayed true to it pretty well and you understand that there gonna be some trouble ( melodrama and a dark side to the story from the trailer ) , but then again i agree the synopsis is kinda misleading but like from the first and second episode it explains clearly what the drama is going to be and it become clear where it's going... a drama about a castaway survivor who ended up stranded on the island trying to run away from her violent father's abuse and the boy who was going to run away with her who also was a victim of his father's abuse and then searched for her for over 15 years while hiding behind a different name wasn't magically going to somehow be a corny, funny romcom and not have any difficulties/dark side along the way

A drama that inspires you.. the drama truly inspired me and i appreciate what it actually is , i saw the beauty of it and it truly teach you something .. the story here is beautiful. heartwarming and inspiring . it has a message to tell. actually quite a few messages

i cried so much watching this drama it always had a tear falling down my cheek . always in my feels, always rooting for the characters
it makes you realize how you can give without expecting much in return , how you can love and give unconditionally, how some times you finding a meaning in life , doing so , genuine connections here were beautiful and meaningful and they can teach you something

the amount of character development you see in this drama for certain characters is just so good and so worth it , the acting is so excellent and i thibk this drama is better binged thank goodness i waited

and just like that the second half of the drama won me over in ways i can't explain it made the drama go from a 7 to 9 for me , it was very beautiful and well made
after such a perfect satisfying finaleee in such a long timmeeeeeeeeeee and now the 9 nine feels insufficient i so it's def a 9.5

and mok ha is incredible truly precious one of my fave female leads

the acting here is brilliant on behalf of all the cast, the ml did a lot of good acting with his eyes .. so expressive

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First Two Episodes were Amazing, then they ruin it with misunderstandings

I was genuinely taken aback by how well the first two episodes were written. It was such a unique plot that dealt with child abuse well. For me, it all went downhill when Ki-ho didn't reveal who he is, and we get those generic altruistic main character plots. On top of that, we have the cliche of memory loss for the second lead. I wish they had made the second lead just a friend, I didn't like how they made her interested in him and then made him distant with her in the second half. It's like after he realized he wasn't interested, he stopped being Moka's friend too.

I understand what the drama was trying to do, by having Ki-ho conceal his identity, but by doing so he just sets Moka up for failure and a need to find Ki-ho, it would've been so much better had he just told her in the beginning, it felt like unnecessary drama. I'm so disappointed in how the show went after episode 3. I still finished the drama but it just lost its luster and became a very stale and average drama.

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