This review may contain spoilers
A beautiful generational story that will touch your heart
LIKES:
1) THE SCRIPT - I don't know how to put into words how good this script is. I grew up very differently than the characters in this drama, but I related to the feelings and emotions of frustration, regret, worry, and love. I saw snippets of my parents in the feelings unsaid and in the sacrifices they made. And I related to the frustrations of the kids with the heavy weight of their parents dreams, hopes, and sacrifices upon them. The guilt, OH the guilt - I could definitely relate to that. I really don't know how writer Im Sang Choon was able to capture so much of the relatable complex emotions of this family, but somehow make it so universal that so many viewers can relate. It was done with such finesse. This could have easily have become a sappy corny drama, but it wasn't. It was poignant, relatable and reflective and we have both the director and writer to thank for that. Loved it and now love this writer esp since I found out she also wrote Fight My Way which is another drama I loved.
2) IU - She blew me away. She just has this way of drawing you in. And she did such a great job playing 2 characters. There was not one instance where I didn't believe that she was her character which is impressive in itself since she is so famous. She just kind of brings life to a scene. I loved watching her and Bogum. All their scenes were so cute and lovable( except obviously the storm scene with their tragic loss).
3) THE CHARACTER OF GWAN SIK - The amount of love, support, and sacrifice he gives to Ae Sun and his family. How can you not love someone like that. The epitome of unselfish. And in another relatable way, so easy to take for granted,
4) JEJU BACKDROP & COMMUNITY LIFE - the scenery is just stunning and the harsh community life makes the story so much richer
5) JANG HYE JIN - There's something about JHJ that makes me tune in. She's a versatile wonderful actress that always amuses me somehow. I liked how she portrayed the middle aged Yeong Ran as a nonchalant dead pan mother. At times, there was something amusing and funny about it. She's a mother that's given up on her marriage, but there's still this underlying spark in her.
MINOR DISLIKES:
1) THE PORTRAYALS OF THE OLDER AE SUN & GWAN SIK - So I really really wanted to believe that Moon So RI was the older version of Ae Sun and that Park Hae Joon was the older version of Gwan Sik, but it was very hard for me to associate that they were the same character. In Moon So Ri's case, I think it was mainly the voice. IU has this husky low whispery kind of voice, but Moon So Ri kept using a high toned baby voice that really created a disconnect for me. I felt like she should have tried to imitate IU's tone and the way she speaks more. Also her portrayal seemed too different to me. I couldn't really find any similarities to the younger version so it just seemed like two different characters. Just having a pin in the hair to connect the two was not enough for me.
For Gwan Sik, while I loved the older version of the character, it just didn't seem like the same character. Visually, they looked too different and i don't know, the portrayal just didn't connect for me. So while I didn't mind the acting in terms of relaying emotions, I just didn't buy into that these were the same characters. This actually made me appreciate how good Lee Do Hyun's acting in the drama 18 AGAIN was as he was able to make me believe that he was a younger version of the older character by capturing the older actor's mannerisms and way of speaking. I feel like more effort and maybe direction should have been made in regards to this, but again it was a minor dislike. The story and strength of characters and writing was more apparent.
Overall, a highly recommended watch especially for those viewers who need a heartfelt cry.
1) THE SCRIPT - I don't know how to put into words how good this script is. I grew up very differently than the characters in this drama, but I related to the feelings and emotions of frustration, regret, worry, and love. I saw snippets of my parents in the feelings unsaid and in the sacrifices they made. And I related to the frustrations of the kids with the heavy weight of their parents dreams, hopes, and sacrifices upon them. The guilt, OH the guilt - I could definitely relate to that. I really don't know how writer Im Sang Choon was able to capture so much of the relatable complex emotions of this family, but somehow make it so universal that so many viewers can relate. It was done with such finesse. This could have easily have become a sappy corny drama, but it wasn't. It was poignant, relatable and reflective and we have both the director and writer to thank for that. Loved it and now love this writer esp since I found out she also wrote Fight My Way which is another drama I loved.
2) IU - She blew me away. She just has this way of drawing you in. And she did such a great job playing 2 characters. There was not one instance where I didn't believe that she was her character which is impressive in itself since she is so famous. She just kind of brings life to a scene. I loved watching her and Bogum. All their scenes were so cute and lovable( except obviously the storm scene with their tragic loss).
3) THE CHARACTER OF GWAN SIK - The amount of love, support, and sacrifice he gives to Ae Sun and his family. How can you not love someone like that. The epitome of unselfish. And in another relatable way, so easy to take for granted,
4) JEJU BACKDROP & COMMUNITY LIFE - the scenery is just stunning and the harsh community life makes the story so much richer
5) JANG HYE JIN - There's something about JHJ that makes me tune in. She's a versatile wonderful actress that always amuses me somehow. I liked how she portrayed the middle aged Yeong Ran as a nonchalant dead pan mother. At times, there was something amusing and funny about it. She's a mother that's given up on her marriage, but there's still this underlying spark in her.
MINOR DISLIKES:
1) THE PORTRAYALS OF THE OLDER AE SUN & GWAN SIK - So I really really wanted to believe that Moon So RI was the older version of Ae Sun and that Park Hae Joon was the older version of Gwan Sik, but it was very hard for me to associate that they were the same character. In Moon So Ri's case, I think it was mainly the voice. IU has this husky low whispery kind of voice, but Moon So Ri kept using a high toned baby voice that really created a disconnect for me. I felt like she should have tried to imitate IU's tone and the way she speaks more. Also her portrayal seemed too different to me. I couldn't really find any similarities to the younger version so it just seemed like two different characters. Just having a pin in the hair to connect the two was not enough for me.
For Gwan Sik, while I loved the older version of the character, it just didn't seem like the same character. Visually, they looked too different and i don't know, the portrayal just didn't connect for me. So while I didn't mind the acting in terms of relaying emotions, I just didn't buy into that these were the same characters. This actually made me appreciate how good Lee Do Hyun's acting in the drama 18 AGAIN was as he was able to make me believe that he was a younger version of the older character by capturing the older actor's mannerisms and way of speaking. I feel like more effort and maybe direction should have been made in regards to this, but again it was a minor dislike. The story and strength of characters and writing was more apparent.
Overall, a highly recommended watch especially for those viewers who need a heartfelt cry.
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