KenTaro

Story: Almost always, I'll be a big fan of dramas where the ML is the one going from rags to riches or just goes through a very rough life which is what Kim In Ha went through here. The thing that makes him stand out is that he has many skills in the casino games because of his life following around his Uncle gambling. It plays apart in where his life ends up and how he uses those skills to become successful. The story of the romance between the two leads is enjoyable. They have ups and downs but the best thing is that they don't see other people during their times away. I think that is rare considering the time period of this drama aired which I think you would expect many cliches to occur. Some issues I had were how they wrapped up some story lines too quick or not enough details in the end. The biggest issue I had was this forced love triangle if you could say that between In Ha, Soo Yeon, and Jung Won. I wasn't convinced at the idea that Jung Won has fallen in love with Soo Yeon all of a sudden. They were friends leading up to that point but he fell for her after In Ha had to leave the country in hiding. He was an awful friend and the writers just did this to probably spark a best friend feud which was not needed. Also while this was happening, they completely tossed aside any character building for for Jin Hee. At the beginning of the drama, they established In Ha, Soo Yeon, Jung Won, and Jin Hee as the 4 lead characters. They even put them as couples early on. But then Jung Won breaks up with her basically when he betrays their company he works for to side with his evil father. At the end, In Ha tells Jung Won to work with Jin Hee's company to get his back on track but we get no resolution scene of them. In the end, this drama should have not gone the annoying love triangle route + shoving aside the SFL.

Acting: It's kind of amazing to see now that Lee Byung Hun, Song Hye Kyo, and even Ji Sung were the main actors and how they've become big and successful since. I think the acting is the biggest reason why this drama so successful and probably remembered well by Koreans who watched it back then.

Music: This is probably my weakest part of the drama. They were alright but nothing I truly enjoyed. I like the sad ballad songs more than the popular ost that was used/remembered.

Rewatch: I would be glad to re watch this again one day because of the chemistry of the two main actors. I was impressed at Song Hye Kyo's acting in this drama. I definitely like her work here than her work in Full House another old Kdrama. Lately I've had bad luck with watching older Kdramas because of the annoying tropes or such but All In doesn't fall into many of those traps. I recommend this drama if you want to experience classic Kdramas or you are a big fan of either of the 2 actors playing the leads.