Terry Tsurugi

It took me like 4 episodes before I got into it. I was this close to dropping it and I had to force myself to keep watching, because the acting, directing, plot, dialog, music, and overall production seemed very cheesy and low-budget. But I’m glad I stuck with it because I eventually found out why so many people rave about it. It turned out to be one of the most emotionally involving dramas I’ve ever seen, and I came about the closest I ever have to losing my shit and bawling during a drama. Despite the sub-par acting, totally ridiculous plot featuring characters wasting lots of time, and continuing cheesiness, I stopped caring about all the flaws because I was so engrossed in the story and in the fate of Ji Hyun and Yi Kyung. The scene between Yi Kyung and Yi Soo was especially poignant, and I’m glad no one else was in the room while my eyes got all dewy. I’m not 100% happy with the ending, but I don’t hate it either.

Man, this was difficult to watch. I was tempted to drop it several times, but I’m glad I pushed through to the end. If you’re like me and you easily cringe when you watch characters doing socially awkward things, then this might hurt to watch. But it was one of the most well-made movies about childhood I’ve ever seen, almost up there with A Brand New Life.

Thuggish, villainous loan sharks appear in like half the Korean dramas and movies I’ve seen. I don’t understand why Korea tolerates these criminals. The country seriously needs to reform its lending and debt laws.

Perfectly captures the feeling of being lost in a foreign country. I would just cut the 2 brief magical realist singing moments.

Like I said, I don’t like cartoonish stuff unless it’s well done. But if you like that stuff, good for you.

If Bong Soon had smashed the psycho killer’s face or wrapped the metal bar around his neck instead of just bending it and letting him go, the show could have ended way earlier and spared us from all the filler.

I prefer more realistic dramas over cartoonish stuff, unless it’s really well done.

It drives me nuts how much characters in kdramas lie and hide important information from the closest people in their lives, often for no good reason whatsoever. As a Korean, I’m very familiar with this aspect of the culture, but I feel these dramas take it to a much further extreme than is normal in real life. If someone I loved lied to me or failed to tell me about important information that affected me as much as these characters did, I would drop that person like a stone.

We need more movies like this. Park Bo Young broke my heart, but that ending was courageous and truthful.

This is the worst kdrama I've ever completed, and the only reason I didn't drop it right away is because Park Bo Young is so adorable. She was the only good thing about the show in my opinion.

So why exactly did In Wook lie to Ha Won’s mom? I don’t get it. Also, the circumstances of the 2 snowy deaths are 2 of the lamest deaths I’ve ever seen in Kdrama. And both In Wook and Soon Ho annoyed the heck out of me. But what saved this drama for me was the relationship between the 2 leads, which was great, the dreamy mood and expert directing and photography, and Lee Sang Hee, who I just love and is amazing in everything she appears in, even though she usually ends playing a sidekick best friend to the female lead. She needs more lead roles.

I’m going to miss seeing her every day, like missing a friend.

Just finished and I can’t believe I won’t see Deok Sun anymore. I’m sad.

It took me 3 weeks to finish, which I know is very slow compared to a lot of people. But after 98 episodes, you feel like you were living with these people too. I'll never forget this show or these people.

I love Kaho

The ending was very moving and truthful. I never cry when watching movies but I came close. But if you’re expecting a typical soap opera romance feel good ending, you might be disappointed. But if you prefer your art and entertainment to reflect reality and to teach you something about real life, you might love it.

A painfully realistic portrayal of a relationship.

This masterpiece is slow and difficult, but worth your patience. Also, after you finish it, I recommend you immediately start from the beginning and rewatch it, like I did. This is because of the jumbled chronology and subtle clues in the early parts of the film, which become significant only after you've seen the later parts of the movie. To me, this movie dramatizes the profound truth that human behavior and motivations are overdetermined and unknowable. Not many movies do that.

Absolutely heartbreaking. Perfectly acted and directed. Makes you cry without manipulating you. Instead, it's restrained and artful, like a Mizoguchi movie. This gets my highest recommendation.