AnicsiRoscoe

This drama had so much more potential. I loved the first couple of episodes, and I was thrilled to have found a High School drama that could hold my attention. My school days have been over for nearly a decade by now, so naturally there are themes I cannot relate to as much anymore. Even so, the beginning was so exciting, sassy and full of sparks, that I was completely captured. However, after the initial episodes, the drama takes a different turn. The sports aspect, which I found very thrilling, disappeared almost completely, and the evil plots and corruption at school took the upper hand. If it had just been a little bit, it would have been okay, but it became repetitive and very predictable. There wasn't a single plot twist and barely surprise in this drama. The romance started out with a lot of chemistry, but even though I loved the main couple, I think it could have been developed better. The friendship between Ha Joon and Yeol is something I really appreciate, and generally the characters were well developed. Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses, and there were certain scenes that were painfully sad. (Well, if we take out the villains in this, because they were two-dimensional and cliché)

All in all, if you are looking for a sports drama, the thrill of competition and pushing yourself to the limits, this might not be a drama for you.
But if you enjoy High School dramas that deal with the struggles of growing up, becoming true to yourself and finding your way, you might enjoy this. It's not a fantastic drama, but it's heartfelt and could help you overcome difficult times. 7.0

Your review paints such a perfect picture of this drama. I am sure it must have been hard for you to share your personal experiences, but for what it's worth, I think that's what makes people feel the authenticity in your words and your view regarding this drama, and hopefully more people will watch it with an open mind. To this date, after watching nearly a hundred dramas, this is still, and probably will always be, my favorite. As you stated, it is truly a masterpiece. There should be more dramas with characters that feel real and alive, and stories that are so heartfelt and pure, and emotions that will stay with us for a long, long time.
I hope you will be able to overcome your pain with the help of your loved ones...

Jep, agreed. I wished there were more K-dramas with 'normal' people. Usually only the main characters (and two supporting characters or so) are somewhat nice, everyone else is mean or cruel, backstabbing and hateful... It's not how the world works. This is why I really appreciate dramas without evil in-laws or cunning second leads, or CEOs and politicians without conscience. If the world was like in dramaland, it'd be so damn sad. I understand that you sometimes need ruthless characters to build up tension or justify things, but writers use that too much, and the plot becomes unoriginal and boring. You should see 'It's okay, that's love'. There's not even one single character like that if I remember well, which is why the story truly shines! My favorite drama.

I only watched the first couple of episodes, where she still hadn't developed an agenda of her own. But I read some spoilers, so I knew it was going to happen. This is also a reason why I dropped the drama. I hate it when so called 'bff's suddenly turn against you or are like: 'I've hated you from the start, I just wanted to use you and destroy you' because they have a inferiority complex or whatever. I've never experienced anything of that kind. Sure, I've lost friends, and I've had fights with friends, but it was just because we grew apart, not because we betrayed each other. I wished writers wouldn't use that card every single time -.-

Similar to DOTS or similar to Healer? I must say DOTS is a very unique drama, which is why I enjoyed it a lot. I cannot think of any drama that has a lot of similarities. For dramas similar to Healer, I would recommend you 'City Hunter', 'I Remember You', 'Kill Me, Heal me', though I suppose you might have seen these already. I recently watched Yong Pal, which is a medical and revenge drama. Highly recommended, don't read any comments or spoilers about it and just see if you like it. Another amazing drama is 'Time Between Dog And Wolf'. I've heard good things about 'That Winter the wind blows', though I have not seen it myself. If you like military/star-crossed-lovers dramas, I can recommend King2Hearts. Albeit not my favorite, I did enjoy it a lot. Very different, but yet packed with action AND romance, is 'Queen In Hyun's man'. I adore this drama. I hope there are some that you'll like :)

I really loved the second lead at first. His free and playful spirit, the way he traveled around the world and pursued his dreams without a care for the business world really appealed to me. In my opinion it was the writers' fault that they didn't stick with his character. He changed by 180 degrees, it just didn't make sense. If a guy tells me he'll never give me up and continues to come on to me, even though i've repeatedly rejected him and told him it is burdensome, there is something wrong with his head.
But btw, he wasn't trying to ruin Ae Ra's life or career. On the contrary, he always helped her with everything. But he wanted her to see him as a man, that's why he got the director's position, so he would show her his power and be able to fight Jung Woo. Meh, well, I think it was still sorta pointless, but at least towards Ae Ra he didn't have bad intentions. (Just selfish ones. If she doesn't love you, just let her go. In the end he acted just like his father did, trying to tie down a woman who didn't love him. He had such a deep understanding of his family's feelings, that I think it didn't make sense he would act the exact same way...)

I was really disappointed that the writers turned both second leads into inconsiderate, selfish jerks, because I loved them both during the first half of the drama. It was the biggest flaw in my eyes.

Happy to see you enjoyed it :)

Yeah, indeed! I really loved the show. It's a great one.

Glad you think so :)

I completely agree with you! I can see that he had no loyalty or conscience at all, but he got so cocky all of a sudden. Maybe it's because almost everyone who could have had the chairman position was already dead, but it was still so weird to see him like that, like he finally took the mask off and showed his true rotten self. I think maybe he even was that kind of person, but it would have been nice to see a longer premise to that, it happened too fast. I am actually annoyed at what they did with Chae Yeong just as much. She changed too much all through the drama. From smart but pretending to be dumb to tough, to vulnerable, to cheerful and happy, all the while hiding her spiteful and remorseless attitude. She was a smart woman. I would have wanted to see her in a better light. I cannot see her fall into the cycle of revenge for her ex-husbands sake. She had too much wit for that. Well, all in all I think it was still a great drama! :)

@Iainiwaku: Yes, she survived, she wakes up in the hospital and calls him by his name in her mind.
Which character do you mean with 'sister' by the way? The wife of the dead chairman? While I agree that it would have been nice to have a longer ending and see what everyone is up to, I really hated her guts in the end. I liked her at first and I felt sorry for her, but when she plotted the revenge for her husband, I thought it showed her true spiteful character. After so much suffering, she should have just let it go. Just the thought that she planned all that and made Yeo Jin get freaking CANCER, makes me sick. If a human being is capable of doing that, they don't deserve a second chance.

Finally another drama that held my attention all the way through to the end. I've been dropping dramas left and right, so this was just what I needed to get back in the game.

As some other people have already mentioned, the drama truly shines in the first couple of episodes. The comedy, the action, the melodrama, the music and the cinematography – everything is spot on, and you feel like you are witnessing the birth of a new masterpiece. However, you flip the page, and the direction of the drama suddenly takes an entirely new turn.
Contrary to other people here, I do not think the story turned boring or bland. While the latter episodes can by no means compare to the stunning start into the drama, they are still above average of what we get presented in K-drama land.
Even though it turns into a revenge drama and you might argue the focus of the main character also changes, it's still a fresh breeze in a chaebol world ruled by men, revenge plots driven by men, where hatred and cold-bloodedness are traits mainly expressed by men. Han Yeo-Jin is a character that breaks with the stereotypes of an idealistic, warm-hearted female lead, who fights for the weak and poor and would never use underhanded means that go against her ideology. Yeo-Jin is tough, powerful, adamant and, at times, even cruel. I loved her in that role, even though my heart broke for her at the same time. The relationship between her and Tae Hyun is one of such deep understanding, that it is even more painful to see them suffer.

The drama definitely has its flaws: repeated flashbacks, too many characters without a conscience (like, seriously, the amount of hateful and spiteful people in this drama is ridiculous), obvious plot-twists, an ending that left lose ends and could have been so much better... But despite all that, I really enjoyed it a lot, and I suffered and laughed with the characters, and Doo Cheol might just be one of the coolest characters in drama history!

Enjoyment is still the biggest factor in a show for me, so I really do recommend the drama. 8.5

I was wondering... is this really a love triangle? The summary makes it look that way, but the poster seems pretty decided...

There are some K-movies with sex scenes, though xD My PS Partner f.e. Very good movie btw

Can you spoil it for me? Does one of the two main characters die? Kim Hyun Jun or Choi Seung Hee?

I don't doubt it's a great drama, but my great-grandfather had alzheimers and I still remember my family struggling with his illness. In the end he couldn't recognize any of us, not even his own wife. It's such a tragic illness. I am not sure I can take watching this drama...

I really want to watch it, but I am afraid it'll be too sad and break my heart ;'(

I realized Yoo Shi Jin must be the first character in drama history that apologized for kissing the girl without her consent. I applaud the writers for tackling the romantic relationships so realistically. I can't even count the dramas where the girls had a kiss forced on them (kisses much more intense than what happened here), the guy gets slapped or worse, and they don't even apologize or mention it afterwards. Due to these kind of dramas, we tend to forget that a kiss is to be taken more seriously. Anyway, Yoo Shi Jin, you've earned my respect!

This is a cute little drama, but it's all very predictable, and for a sports drama it dealt with the struggles and difficulties only on the surface. Nothing about technique or strategies or even proper training schedules. It's a nice watch for romance, if you've got nothing better to watch (also, it's got Song Jae Rim, duh). 6.5 from me.

She (sort of) ends up with Lee Hyun Myung. It's a really refreshing and funny drama. Watch it, just be prepared for a rushed ending :)