Brilliant cast and story.
Jung Il Woo is great in this drama. He’s very convincing playing the most important scenes. The rest of the cast are also very good. The actress playing Lee Su Bin and the actor playing Ji Wan are both funny and naturally suited to their roles.The storyline is interesting and quite fast paced. I hope to see more of Wu Jin in the coming episodes.
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This review may contain spoilers
Our Golden DaysOur Golden Days is exactly the kind of drama where Seong-jae should beat his father with a stick to teach him a lesson.
The old, shitty chairman married a street-beggar woman who already had a child.
But now he wants his fully grown adult son to marry into a “proper” household?
What about the chairman’s street-beggar wife’s background then?
On top of that, he even adopted a child for that woman.
This level of hypocrisy is treated as normal and respectable, while the son is expected to silently obey and suffer.
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A great start, hiccup, then it got back on track
Written after ep 2:I like this drama bc it is more of a real thing - the real deal kdrama, like kdramas that made kdramas so popular globally - rather then some netflixed trash that resembles holywood and/or tries to kiss as$ of western $$$$. I understand wanting to make money however, if kdramas are too westernized, they will lose their appeal. Kdramas are the most sophisticated, most refined, most WARM storytelling out there, with character growth and positive messages. THat is what makes kdramas so awesome.
Let's make some amazing kdramas.
This drama is about normal people living normal lives
The story is interesting and it moves relatively fast
and there is character growth already in the first 2 episodes. That scared FL had to train so hard to get up and speak up. And she did it!!!!!! Bravo!
Yeah yeah yeah ppl say the cold dude ... but is he really.... ? There are plenty super warm and cuddly friendly scenes already - dont miss that.
I say, keep going, this looks like a new classic in the making.
Written after ep.5:
FRUSTRATION - the script took a U turn and made the ML a totally one-dimensional closed off mean person. All his good qualities GONE. So that is boring to watch. The actor is bad in acting mean scenes, and his grumpy face is unpleasant to watch non stop. Get him off :)
Written after ep 7:
I think something is wrong with the script, it is not moving fast enough, th explanations and the growth just do not happen
When that dude was missing for a month, he had plenty of time to self reflect.. but did he?? and we still don't know what he was thinking about and what bothers him
Written after ep 8:
OH IT IS BACK ON TRACK!!!! ML had to be hit hard and fast with karma to even start getting his life back on track...
So ML now again behaves as a normal human being, which is really interensting to watch because ML actor is EXCELLENT in acting complexities.
ANd the script took some severe twists where all kinds of revelations happened... so we are getting more insights on the characters.
FL is an amazing communicator, she honestly speaks her mind and that forces ML to speak his mind. Both of them are smart and have common sense, so the conversations are AMAZING.
The scenes in ep 9 them talking about using the office space, etc are JUST AMAZING
ML is an excellent actor and gets a lot of screen time full face on, because he CAN act long complicated complex scenes... he is really AMAZING actor, he makes it look real
and FL is a newbie but bc of him, her acting improved.
I respect FL. She is from a disfunctional family and poor, but she has common sense, she self reflects, and she keeps trying to make her life better. She is an honest person who communicates honestly.
Yeah she is a young woman and can be petty and annoying but she is entitled to be less than perfect. I personaly just wish that the FL actress stop puckering her lips to make herself look cute. It is NOT cute.
FL character is very strong and does not need those kinds of sillies.
Overall, I root for the FL as someone who is growing into a strong, honest, caring and successful woman.
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The most scandalous thing to me are the comments from the audience!!! so many people belittle the FL as clingy, annoying etc and do not even comment on the ML who was a real douchebag, refused FL with some major doodoo lies, and prostituted himself in a contract marriage for $$$$. But people keep attacking the FL bc she insisted that ML give her an honest explanation for refusing her.
ML is a cold and calculated dude who opened his own company and since he needed employees fast, he hired FL without ever thinking if she is gonna like seeing him or not.
Nobody commented on THAT. But they commented on how annoying and clingy FL was bc she complained about his intrusion in her space after everything nasty he said to her to refuse her.
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My honest opinion is that ML loves FL a lot but does not know it.
His actions around her and he taking her for granted, that she will always be there and be nice, his relying on her, and his almost crying when she was crying, his jumping to help her...
are all signs he DEEPLY BELIEVES SHE IS HIS WOMAN
and so WHY he isnt admitting that to himself? WHAT IS THERE?
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Another great young actor coming up is ML's younger brother. That actor is very handsome and also acts his role with a great conviction and as-if-real, so I predict him a great acting career.
The villain cheabol mom is also great as a villain :)
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This review may contain spoilers
Going Great so Far
This review contains content after watching episodes 1-7. For me, personally, i really enjoyed the first few episodes the most so far. Episode 2, I think was heartbreaking for me. FL's confession was hard to watch and I thought ML's answer was honest, but harsh. Unfortunately, it has colored the way I feel about him, but thats the way I am. Its hard for me to root for a character I'm mad at, and I'm starting episode 8 and I've just gotten more mad at him as each episode enfolds. Most of you know what happens a few episodes later (just days after the confession!) and that did it for me, what a selfish SOB he is. I would write his character analysis as selfish, self-pitying and a big crybaby. Boo Hoo, so his family isnt rich and he resents it so much. A lot of us would have loved to have had his childhood and hearing him whine about it just galls me. He had a live-in father, a real house, adequate food and clothing - sounds like bliss to me. Anyway, he does some people some good so he isn't 100% bad, just 90%, haha. I hope he improves as time goes on. I didn't realize this is 50 episodes, wow.Was this review helpful to you?
Our Golden Days - Kdrama
In love with this drama. I eagerly wait every Sunday and Monday for the subtitled episodes.A new concept or storyline for sure in the beginning. Hasn't dragged yet. Don't want to spoil it. It is a must-watch. I have always loved these 50 and 100-episode soap dramas. They have this family vibe, which is a balance of emotions, family drama, and romance.
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Una promessa mancata
Our Golden Days parte con un’intensità sorprendente. Fino al dodicesimo episodio ero completamente conquistata:“Sono arrivata all’episodio 12 — ne mancano ancora 38 — ma già posso dire che questa serie mi sta piacendo moltissimo. Non capisco davvero il punteggio così basso che ha ricevuto finora.”
La storia iniziale è forte e commovente. Seguiamo un capofamiglia sessantenne in crisi, che dopo la pensione non riesce a trovare un nuovo lavoro per sostenere la moglie, i tre figli adulti e la madre novantenne. Sullo sfondo di una Corea dove giovani e anziani faticano a tirare avanti, la serie racconta le difficoltà economiche e personali con un realismo che colpisce.
Accanto a lui, le vite di tre amici universitari ormai adulti si intrecciano mentre cercano di conciliare sogni, responsabilità e desideri. Nei primi episodi tutto è scritto con cura: dialoghi intelligenti, ottime interpretazioni, personaggi complessi, profondamente umani, e una famiglia che funziona davvero.
- genitori presenti,
- sacrificio reciproco,
- cura degli anziani,
- figli trattati con rispetto,
- quotidianità credibile e piena di calore.
Tanto che già allora mi sentivo di consigliarla senza esitazioni, rammaricandomi persino per i problemi della traduzione italiana (con frequenti errori maschile/femminile in diversi episodi): “NOTA PER I TRADUTTORI: riguardate gli errori, ce ne sono tantissimi…”
Proprio questa solidità iniziale rende ancora più evidente ciò che accade dopo.
Dopo il dodicesimo episodio, infatti, la serie cambia improvvisamente tono. Il rapporto tra Ji-Hyeok e suo padre — fino a quel momento costruito su rispetto e comprensione reciproca — si spezza in modo artificiale.
Il padre diventa rigido e incapace di ascoltare.
Il figlio, pur volendogli bene, smette di comunicare del tutto.
È una frattura che non nasce dai personaggi, ma dalla sceneggiatura: un conflitto imposto dall’esterno per creare tensione, e si sente.
Procedendo verso il ventesimo episodio, la freschezza iniziale evapora:
- scene ripetute,
- discussioni interminabili,
- reazioni esagerate,
- assenza di progressione narrativa.
La serie scivola lentamente in un melodramma stanco e ripetitivo, svuotando di senso i valori familiari e la delicatezza emozionale che l’avevano resa così speciale all’inizio.
A quel punto, arrivare al ventunesimo episodio è quasi un atto di resistenza.
La caduta qualitativa è troppo evidente, e la sceneggiatura non riesce a sostenere la lunghezza del drama.
Our Golden Days avrebbe potuto essere un weekend drama splendido: famiglia realistica, protagonisti interessanti, dialoghi maturi, vera umanità.
Ma la mancanza di coerenza nei conflitti e il progressivo abbandono della dimensione più autentica rendono la seconda metà sempre più pesante.
Droppare non è stato un capriccio. È stata una scelta inevitabile dopo un inizio davvero “dorato”.
- - -
A Broken Promise
Our Golden Days starts with surprising intensity. Up to episode twelve, I was completely won over:
“I'm at episode 12 — there are still 38 left — but I can already say that I’m really enjoying this series. I honestly don’t understand the low rating it has received so far.”
The opening story is powerful and moving. We follow a sixty-year-old family man in crisis who, after retirement, can’t find a new job to support his wife, his three adult children, and his ninety-year-old mother. Against the backdrop of a Korea where both young and old struggle to get by, the series depicts economic and personal hardships with striking realism.
Alongside him, the lives of three former university friends intertwine as they try to balance dreams, responsibilities, and desires. In the early episodes, everything is carefully crafted: intelligent dialogues, excellent performances, complex and deeply human characters, and a family dynamic that truly works.
- present and supportive parents
- mutual sacrifice
- care for the elderly
- children treated with respect
- a believable, warm everyday life
Back then, I already felt confident recommending it without hesitation, even regretting the issues with the Italian subtitles (with frequent masculine/feminine errors across several episodes):
“NOTE TO THE TRANSLATORS: please review the mistakes — there are so many of them…”
And it’s precisely this initial strength that makes what happens next even more evident.
After episode twelve, the series suddenly changes tone. The relationship between Ji-Hyeok and his father — until then built on respect and mutual understanding — breaks apart in an artificial way.
The father becomes rigid and unable to listen.
The son, though he loves him, stops communicating altogether.
It’s a fracture that doesn’t grow organically from the characters but from the script: a conflict imposed from the outside to create tension — and it shows.
Heading toward episode twenty, the initial freshness evaporates:
- repeated scenes
- endless arguments
- exaggerated reactions
- no real narrative progression
The series slowly slides into a tired, repetitive melodrama, draining the family values and emotional subtlety that had made the beginning so special.
At that point, reaching episode twenty-one becomes almost an act of endurance.
The drop in quality is too obvious, and the script simply can’t sustain the drama’s length.
Our Golden Days could have been a wonderful weekend drama: realistic family dynamics, interesting protagonists, mature dialogues, genuine humanity.
But the lack of coherence in the conflicts and the gradual abandonment of its authentic tone make the second half increasingly heavy.
Dropping it wasn’t a whim. It was an inevitable choice after such a truly “golden” beginning.
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