Worst drama of the year!!!
Bear with me before firing up your defense because let me tell you one thing. This drama had the potential of becoming the next goblin but the writer decides to go and shit all over it.You have an amazing cast, but even a talented actor like Taecyon can't save this disaster. The story starts with amazing potential, great characters and it is introduced in a beautiful way. But eventually they make it into a sappy melodrama with love triangles that make no sense and a plot that raises your expectations but then crashes you.
The main leads are the only thing barely watchable but it's still not worth wasting a day of my life (I'm so glad i didn'tbinge watch this).
The story flow is extremely erratic and they somehow destroy the whole plot on the pretext of building the climax. (There is no climax)
Will i watch it again? Hell no.
Will i recommend it to anyone? I'm going to antirecommend (;aggressively advice you not to watch it)
I feel so bad for Ok Taecyon for ruining days of his life shooting this nonsense...
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Baby teeth don't last forever
The first part was good but soon you realise there is no depth. The hints are all there and the writers decide not to take them.How can someone who has lived for centuries be so ignorant especially about how people work and think? How can a vampire so old be poor? How can someone who has a business not account for the future? There were banks and safe deposit boxes in the 20's. Why does he have servants and how did they agree to follow a leader who doesn't lead at all and has nothing to offer in exchange?
He had loved before and failed to recognise it. He needed a 20 something year old to tell him that? How is everyone around him so unwise? How did it take him so long to realise she was HER when it was right there?
How can there be no solution? How can such an old cat not have any answers? How can he offer no paths since he's seen as a sort of spiritual leader or oracle?
The beginning was exciting but by the time the leads got together I was no longer interested.
The ending was pitiful and didn't make any sense. She'll live her whole life waiting for someone when she's not immortal. She'll continue the cycle instead of ending it. You need to be immortal when you're waiting on a reincarnation.
It's also an issue when casting actors with an age gap. It's best to have no kissing scenes than to give us non-kisses. There was one kiss and it was enough. the other ones were non kisses. Instead of going for age gaps, it's best to cast older actresses. There's nothing wrong with women not being in their 20's anymore. We need to be allowed to age. We are not vampires.
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Can You Sink Your Teeth Into This Vampiric Romance?
There seems to be an odd resurgence in fantasy dramas with the vampire trope. I am not one to complain. Vampire shows and narratives can be really interesting for writing if approached well, and Heartbeat certainly had an interesting premise from the offset.Heartbeat was written by Kim Ha-na and Jung Seung-joo, and directed by Lee Hyun-seok and Lee Min-soo. The narrative focuses on Seon Woo-hyul ( Ok Taek-Yeon),
an ancient vampire who is desperate to become human and end his immortality . Having waited centuries to fulfil the wish of his beloved, Yoon Hae-seon ( Yoon So-Hee) to finally become human, Woo-Hyul enlists the help of his vampire friends Lee Sang-hae ( Yoon Byung-hee ) and Park Dong-seop ( Ko Kyu-Pil) to seal him in a coffin in order for him to finally become human.
In the present day, part-time school nurse Joo In-hae ( Won Ji-An) ends up accidentally awakening Woo-Hyul a day short from the ritual being complete. Now a half- human, In-hae and Woo-Hyul awkwardly end up living together, while beginning to slowly develop feelings for one another. However, nothing is ever simple in this relationship, and soon trouble looms on the horizon for them.
Heartbeat is a fairly lighthearted take on the fantasy vampire story. For the most part, the series is fairly easygoing and comical, playing out mostly as a slice-of-life and rom-com series. The fantasy element submerges from the depths in each episode with a small push to direct the storyline. While there are some more angsty moments in the series ( particularly around Woo-Hyul’s backstory), the series is fairly engaging on this part . However, where this issues lie comes through the second half of the series; especially in the very rushed execution and conclusion.
In many ways, this did offer a fairly good balance of genres. The comical setup highly relied on the polar opposite types of In-Hae as the cynical, cold yet surprisingly empathic individual to Woo-Hyul’s egocentric, , yet, surprisingly kindhearted role in the series. This dynamic did work well for the most part, though admittedly, building on the fantasy element and especially lore, was a little undeveloped at times. ( So many unanswered questions left hanging in the air over the vampires and their existence as well as their state of being.)
The acting of the series is decent. Ok Taek-Yeon really shines through as the main male lead. It could have been easy for Woo-Hyul to have become a somewhat irritating character with his misunderstandings and egocentricity at times, but, Taek-Yeon really adds a charismatic edge to the character through both lighthearted and more serious moments.
As a character, Woo-Hyul definitely grows on viewers. It could have been easy for the show to have fallen into old tropes with the immortal vampire being sullen or brooding for most of the series. While Woo-Hyul definitely has his more morose moments through flashbacks and backstory with Hae-Seon, his charisma definitely comes through with being able to remain fairly allured by the modern world. Woo Hyul is self-absorbed with his appearance and qualities, yet almost maintains a sense of comical naivety, to the point of annoying In-Hae beyond belief ( and leading to his shopping spree incident early on). However, despite often being egocentric, Hyul does show his kindness towards others in small acts even in the first episode .
Perhaps one annoying element of Woo-Hyul’s backstory is that while Hae-Seon is a major part of Woo-Hyul’s life, we do not see a lot else about his backstory and character prior to these events, or even in the short aftermath. Sans the necessary plot points, which could have been used instead to have shown the true impact of Hae-Seon’s influence upon his life and decisions .
Won Ji-An stood out as Joo In-Hae also, offering a fairly strong performance as the downtrodden female lead. Refreshingly, In-Hae is a character, who, similar to Woo-Hyul, is a lot more than meets the eye. She has her own personal demons ( which are touched upon slightly in the series though not to their full potential), and maintains a fairly upfront and straight- laced persona in front of Woo-Hyul. Despite appearances, In-Hae does have a softer side. Viewers see glimpses of this early on ( such as helping one student in the school after being bullied) and throughout the series during key moments. ( For example thanking Woo Hyul for taking care of her after she is bed-ridden from a fever.)
In-Hae does have her own potentially interesting backstory, but like some minor elements of the series, this was often pushed aside slightly in later episodes. This was not bad per say but it did put her backstory on the back burner a fair bit. The majority of In Hae’s development revolves around her potential romances, as well as glimpses into her softer nature.
Both main leads are interesting in their own right, and by far, enact as a major highlight of the drama’s storyline . Ji-An and Taek-Yeon have fairly good chemistry. Their characters have a good balance between being a polar comedic duo, while also learning to rely on one another and help each other out during times of the crisis. It was surprisingly sweet to see their relationship unfold in the drama and gradually develop during the series.
However touching upon the romantic element of the series, it is hard not to bring up the issue of the love triangle trope ( you could even argue love square or even pentagon depending on viewpoint). Having a complex romantic pairing and unrequited is not unusual in Korean dramas, and is a trope which is executed a lot within narratives. They are not inherently bad and can be diverse and well-written, but one problem they can often run into is whether they are truly necessary or well-resolved in the long-run.
In this case ( and for the sake of argument), love triangle/ square comes through Shin Do-sik ( Park Kang Hyun), an old classmate of In Hae and a successful real estate development specialist.
Do-Sik’s role in the series was pretty evident early on; he was to be the potential love interest as the second male lead, and the exact foil of Woo Hyul. Do-Sik is the epitome of the “ nice guy” trope at drift ; he is well-mannered, reserved and constantly looking out for In-Hae while his feelings remain apparent to everyone (except the female lead).
However , Do-Sik spends his time fawning over In Hae or practically stalking her from the shadows to the point of being more than a little obsessive. While in some cases, it is evident Do Sik is concerned about In Hae’s circumstances ( such as walking home drunk late at night) and mental well-being , he spends a lot of time watching her from the background or following her around similar to a lost puppy . Do Sik’s character arc only exists around In Hae, to the point of most of his flashbacks being centred around this too. It is a shame as while is not inherently bad, Do-Sik’s more interesting elements are often put aside and he becomes somewhat flat. The series did seem to possess some self-awareness of Do Sik’s character arc by attempting to involve him more in later episodes, but, a mixture of still being centred around In Hae at the end of the day did draw some further questions on this development as well as his antagonistic role in the series .
Another key side character includes Na Hae-won. Without major spoilers, Hae-Won is connected to the characters in more ways than one. She is a wealthy heiress who has returned from a long time of being overseas. She is an old friend of Do Sik and has an active interest in the old house. Naturally when she hears that Woo-Hyul and In-Hae want to turn it into a guest house, she helps to invest. Hae-won acts as a major driving force ( both negative and positive) within the relationship between the two main leads. It was sad to see the initial hints of Hae Won’s calm persona being driven out the window in the second half of the series, as well as her growing obsession over Woo Hyul. While I understand the series wanted development, it was cliche and sadly undermined her character in the long run.
Additional key side characters include Lee Sang-hae and Park Dong-seop, the goofy vampires and friends of Woo Hyul. Both characters enact as comedic relief in the series and while they are fairly entertaining, it would have been equally interesting to have touched upon how long they have truly known Woo Hyul, and why their friendship does run so deep. Despite this, both characters do show genuine care for Woo Hyul and do come to his aid in key moments.
Ko Yang-Nam ( Kim In Kwon), a catman being, is another key character and ally of Woo Hyul. Yang-Nam very much plays the role of the wise sage in the series. He is concerned over Woo Hyul’s predicament and begins to realise ( for conclusions he has come to even unknown even in the series), that Woo Hyul is in serious danger.
Rose ( Seung Yoo), a vampire and close friend of Woo Hyul and his friends, helps them out a fair bit on minor plot events, and Ri Man- Hwi ( Baek Seo Hoo), an antagonistic side character, who proves to be a thorn in Woo-Hyul’s side. Other side characters include the tailor Kim-Ok ( as well Young-ki) and his son ( Kim Do Geon), and the butcher Ko Ki-Sook ( Baek Hyun-Joo). There is a running comical subplot about Ki-Sook being determined to run out Woo Hyul and In Hae from the house. In all honesty while I understand this was meant to generate some laughs, it was a little irksome to see Ki-Sook constantly trying to annoy them. The fact that In Hae and Woo Hyul’s guest house could generate serious business and revenue into the area ( including for her business) seemed pretty reasonable to anyone, making it even odder than she was often condescending or rude to the duo with little reason aside from being petty . ( Despite Woo Hyul becoming one of her regular customers.)
The execution of the series was okay with a brisk sense of pacing and action and conflict development in early episodes . Perhaps my one complaint came through the romantic development. Don’t get me wrong. I like a drama to be well-paced, but it seemed the series often tried a little too hard on the trope of “ will they? Won’t they?” without giving us the time or opportunity to see these breadcrumbs in place. The ending seemed to push this romance full force before attempting to throw in a major “ plot twist” in the ending, with major questions arising over this arc development. This resulted in this second half feeling just rushed and anticlimactic and this in the long run, half-baked.
The cinematography was fairly good. It was fairly sleek for the most part and the CGI was okay too. My one complaint is that the palette schemes were a little uninspiring in some scenes and could have easily been used more carefully or frequently to match the emotional effects of scenes or key moments. The OST was fairly decent with some songs such as Hang Seung Yoon’s “ I Revive” being particularly catchy .
Overall, “ Heartbeat” is a decent romantic fantasy drama. The series has a decent plot premise and good cast, but struggled to develop and characterise beyond the limits of cliches and rushed execution. Overall, a decent watch for a binge session.
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Robert Durst voice....what a disaster.
I will never understand how this show fumbled the bag so badly down the stretch. I forgave this show a lot because I liked the leads so much and their romance worked for me. I tolerated the thin, slowly paced (non)plot, the potentially compelling but ultimately uninteresting supporting characters, the half assed fantasy world building, all because I was confident at the very least that the show would deliver a well earned and emotionally satisfying happily ever after, a baseline expectation for the genre. How did anyone think audiences would want to see a cute, silly comedy devolve into boring, mopey dreck and then end with a poorly executed unhappy ending. The writers should be ashamed of themselves.Was this review helpful to you?
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Taecyeon fans, RUN!!
Lawwdd I’m upset. Even Taecyeon couldn’t save this drama, and I watched solely for him.Heartbeat is a drama about a vampire who’d slept in a coffin almost for 100 years, then it got opened by a average (well not so average) girl a day early, and now he is half vampire, half human. The two share the manison and open a guest house along the way. The plot might sound interesting, but trust me it is not worth it.
Firstly, I have to talk about the second leads. I think Haewon (SFL) might be the most annoying yet. Haewon is in love with Woohyeol (ML) because he mistakes her for his past and first lover, Haesun. Haewon acts like a brat that’s in a high school drama, which she would’ve fit in perfectly if i’m being honest. While Dosik, (SML) does not. Although he is more tolerable than Haewon, (in my opinion) he still is delusional. He insists that he is protecting Inhae from Woohyeol, (FL) even though she directly TELLS him that she is safe and needs no protection!! Overall, they’re both overbearing to watch, im even confused how they got so much screentime. They’re so inlove with the main leads so early into the show even though they’ve had few interactions.
Secondly, the rules play a part in this drama. There is this cat-man that tells Woohyeol these rules about the coffin he slept in to become human. Because apparently, no regular human can open the coffin, so he’s implying that Inhae is irregular. Basically what you have to understand is that Cat-man makes these dumb rules along the series that make me even more confused because he never mentions it before.
Thirdly, the guest house is SOO UNNECESSARY. They spend around 2-3 episodes mainly on the guest house for no reason! Just for a couple of guest to show up, and they don’t really even matter.
This isn’t really a problem but, main lead’s aren’t really doing it for me. I mostly think this is because they got no screentime as a couple or just liking eachother, half was spent on the guesthouse and the other was Inhae hating or being scared of Woohyeol. There characters don’t seem much in love, they give me a friend dynamic more than a romantic one. I think they have their cute mom though so, that’s something.
Overall, I made this review to just rant on how annoying the Second Leads were, and to tell Taecyeon fans that this is So Not Worth it, at all.
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What the hell?!
Given 8 for the acting purely for Taecyon, Park Kang Hyun, the rest of the vamps and Mr Cat. As for the FL - good to start with then half way through devoid of any emotion, and for goodness sake wear some decent fitting trousers - backside like two boiled eggs in a handkerchief! A lot of the Kdramas I've seen have leads that look like the tomboy girl next door, but I want female allure and glamour!!I really don't know what to say. A vampire genre flick is 10/10 for me anyway so I was looking forward to an interesting ride. Started off really promising but somewhere along the way it started to falter and the worst episode was the last. What on earth happened?! There was too much to squeeze in to one episode and the conclusion left me feeling absolutely cheated. There were absolutely so many different angles this story could have gone but they chose to conclude it that way? Not even one twist? (Cue Korean swear words.)
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WTF
First 95% of the drama, 10/10. Some weak spots, but generally loved it, mostly for the actors and actresses, but still had a lot of fun watching it.Last 5%, what the actual f**k, I feel scammed.
If you are looking for a happy ending, absolutely do not watch this. I feel like this kind of drama should not have been ended in the way it was. Be prepared to be blindsided if you actually do watch this. I can somewhat see what they were going for, but this was not the drama to do it with. It could have been ended so much better.
And jeez, poor In Hae. They give her that storyline, and that's the ending she gets??? She deserved better. And we're supposed to believe she's content at the end?
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that ending…
The begining of the drama was giving high expectations, but the more it developed, it felt as if they almost rushed to finish quickly… very disappointed…I usually love the music on dramas, but this OST was not even close to memorable… It was definetely not the priority.
I would not recommend to anyone looking for anything too deep. The comical bits were okay, but nothing as close as to Reply 1988.
I guess what saves it is having Taecyeon as the ML and the three friends that give that warm family feeling.
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Beautiful Story / Bad Ending - TOTALLY DISAPPOINTING!
I don't normally watch K-dramas until they're finished because I'm the type who binge watch. This drama though got me hooked and made me wait for weekly uploads. The actors were very good especially Ok Taec Yon, I truly admire him and his charisma is so strong and overpowering. However, when I watched the ending, I kept waiting for a twist that there was a way for Song Woo-hyeol (Ok Taec Yon) to become human despite all odds. He deserves to live and love because he felt the it and he said and showed his true feelings to Joo In-hae. Whoever wrote and decided the ending to be so ugly must be out of his/her mind and a really cruel person. I don't consider it an open-ended ending because Song Woo-hyeol died! It was only in Joo In-hae's imagination and memories that he lives. Of course, as human beings we remember our loved ones who passed away as such, same thing. Overall, the ending is utterly disappointing!Was this review helpful to you?
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Doesn't live up to it's potential
A big FAT dissapointment!Let's be honest, just as many other's , I've started watching this drama cauz of Teac. The initial plot of a vampire that has been sleeping for 100 years opened up many hilarious ideas in my mind, and I was excited!
Oh boy, so much lost potential... Here we go:
1) One-dimensional characters: You have the good, bad, funny, dependent, sad, etc. Nobody is interesting in this series. When there is a change in a character's habit, it goes 180 and doesn't make any sense.
2) Scenes are dragged out and boring: Yes dude we know you're bad, you don't have to tell us every scene and every episode.
3) Too many flash backs (too many!): even though we saw a specific scene 5 minutes ago, the editors decide that we as watchers forgot this, and repeat the scene again. Without the flashbacks, this series is about 9 episodes.
4) The story has many characters but no depth: There is a vampire and a mean girl, we are told that they're in love (chemistry level is 0%), one or the other has to die to let the other live. THAT'S IT!
5) No chemistry beween the actors: Not only the supposed romantic characters, but also their friends, family and neighbors. I got the feeling that this series was a side job for everyone involved. Many supporting actors are very good actors, it is very specific to this show that they don't shine.
6) Not a funny vampire: Other than the first two episodes and the old-timy language the lead speaks, nothing funny happened concerning a 100 year old vampire that wakes up in this day and era. I was expecting him to be adjusting to phones, cars, music in a box which you can hold in your hand, or the overal culture changes! Non of this stuf happened!! How funny would it have been that they'd put him in a 3D cinema for example.
7) No romance: IMPORTANT NOTE: I have seen Ji An Won (Joo In-hae) in other series, and she was/is lovely! But everything that she did and said in this series annoyed me so much, she was so bad written and coached.
In my honest opinion, I believe everyone in this show did their best to make something of what they'd recieved, but were badly written and directed. It's a shame for all the hard work that the team has put in for this show.
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A genreless trash!
What a nuisance tbh, you created a plot then destroyed it yourself. I think storywriters had a stroke midway through.This drama went from fun and sweet to draggy to an absolute nonsensical bs! The ending in itself is a mockery of viewer's intelligence.
To prospective viewers, don't watch this, save your time but more importantly save your mind. Everything you're hearing in reviews and comments is completely true. If you're expecting a rom-com, this is not rom-com, it deceives you as that. If you're expecting a fantasy, there's only 1 or 2 moments that could remotely be called fantasy. This is a genreless drama incapable sticking to any single genre or plot at all. A genre that fits this perfectly is "Trap", but sadly no such genre exists on MDL.
I'm blacklisting these storywriters so that I never again have to waste my time on nonsense they spew. Giving this a 1/10 because a rating of 0/10 doesn't exist.
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What it takes to be HUMAN
Did I spoil ending way up in the title? But is IT worth watching? Resounding YES! You think Taecyeon is all light and goofy stuff, but this towering handsomeness has DEPTH, tyvm, Mam! Heartbeat title even alludes to a hit 2PM song...Ok, seriously... production is top notch especially costume and set design... Acting...I credit actors to flesh out a little "thin" script. Actors (and hopefully even the Director) tried to flesh out a script that gets thinner and thinner by the episode.
IF they wanted a HAPPY and MAGICAL ending the "solution" could have been hinted on the earlier episodes. Towards the 11th episode onwards, its just watching a looooong painful goodbye, much like the ML dying of cancer or what not. I wanted to have a GOOD CRY by Episode 14-16, but... I cannot... Why?
Like the leads and friends surrounding ML, the audience become another friend who just want to PROLONG the GOOD MOMENTS and tell Taecyeon, "Please don't leave us!" Sniff... Rarely do we get such a realistic and wise ending, folks! So...if you always want a fairy tale ending, HEARTBEAT is not for you! Love becomes precious the MORE REAL it is. And for me, the LOVE STORY and the impact of Taecyeon in their lives are as REAL as it gets. Bravo, Heartbeat!!!
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