I'm sorry, but I need to like SOMEONE in the show
Maybe I was watching a different show than everyone else, maybe I was in a bad frame of mind, or maybe I just didn't get it, but this show irritated me no end. It was full of unlikeable characters, especially the FL. She was self-centered, self-absorbed, and every other "self" word that you could come up with. This is someone that wouldn't have any friends, because she can't think of anyone other than herself. There was a lot of name-calling, and overall, the relationship between the FL and ML was just toxic. Break up, make up, repeat ad nauseum. Then, at the end, when he is baring his soul to her, she continues to nag him. I just wanted to tell him to run away while he could.I did like the music though.
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I realize I'm in the minority with this rating
After having good luck with my last couple of C-drama choices, I was hoping to keep that luck going with this drama that was recommended to me. Unfortunately, this show did not work for me, in so many ways. There was good, and then there was the not-so-good.THE GOOD:
1) An Ge as Fei Da Chuan. To me, he was the highlight of the show. The tough guy was willing to put his heart out there. He really commanded every scene he was in. As an actor that is not the typical "pretty boy", he was just wonderful, and I felt that his character would be a terrific and trusted friend to have.
2) The second lead couple - Ma Li is just downright beautiful and Eden Zhao's character was immature and had some flaws, but you could understand once you knew the background of the family. Their love story was full of humor and longing. I loved that they were friends long before they were a couple.
3) The step-father. What a wonderful character! Typically in Asian dramas you have the standard evil parent that spends the entire show trying to keep the main couple apart. Seeing how he came into this family, and the role he happily took on as the kids' father was so special to watch. He was supportive and wanted what was best for them, always.
4) The friendships. The friendships and the family relationships in this show were stellar. The bond between the twins was never more evident than when he picked his sister over a girl he was interested in. His family would always come first. The friendship between the female leads was strong, and touching at times. There were a lot of different families and family dynamics portrayed in this show, and I felt that they were all realistic. Mistakes were made, people had to atone, scars developed from some things.
5) The music. I was so bored that I was spending an inordinate amount of time reading the subtitles to the songs, and when one of the songs said she was "marginally beautiful", I just had to crack up!
THE NOT-SO-GOOD:
1) There was a LOT of dead time in this show. There were full episodes that, I felt, could have been cut out. Slow! If the editing was tightened up and this series was shorter, it would have been a lot better.
2) QiaoYi - as an actress, Janice Wu must have done a good job, or they would have hired someone else. That leads me to think that the character was written the way she was for a reason. Unfortunately, I didn't care for her. I didn't connect with her being lazy/stupid in high school. She was weak in relation to YanMo - every time she talked to him her voice got all quiet and her chin sunk down to her chest and she couldn't look at him. This also happened when she became an adult. When she wasn't doing that, in the current time she was either trying to be "cute" or pouting. I found the adult QiaoYi to be very immature. I didn't find her character appealing.
3) YanMo - some of the problem with this character, in addition to the writers, must be attributed to Zhang Yu Jian. The character's mother said at one point in time that she had worried that he was autistic. He would probably be considered to be someplace on the spectrum - no social skills, doesn't make eye contact, no filter for what he says, can't read cues from people, extremely intelligent, etc. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that sort of character, except Zhang Yu Jian was not able to ever imbue any warmth into the character. His eyes always remained cold and distant.
4) Lack of chemistry between lead couple. They seemed more like brother and sister to me at times. There were a couple of times, when he was thinking about the past, or when he was speaking in voice-over, that were touching. For the most part, however, I wasn't buying them as a couple.
5) Cinematography - they used a filter whenever the female lead was on screen. The filtering process was very abrupt. The first couple of times when the screen got really hazy, I thought I might be having a stroke or something, but then I realized that the technique was being used to soften the female lead. I don't think the effect was necessary at all, there was no doubt that Janice Wu was beautiful anyway.
6) Overuse of flashbacks - they kept switching between three time periods and it got really irritating, not to mention, somewhat confusing.
7) Track suits - the high school kids wore track suits. The high school theme went on for many more episodes than I thought it would and let's be honest, no one looks good in a track suit.
8) Overuse of drunk scenes.
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Don't pass this show up!!
Oh my goodness gracious, I can't stop smiling! This was an absolutely wonderful show, with so much going for it, I almost can't figure out how to express why I loved it. But here goes...Male lead - Lin Yu Shen (playing Lu Jin). Straight-laced, up-tight businessman. His entire life seems to be all about work. He tells someone that there is no room for emotions in work, but there wasn't room for emotions anywhere, until he met Gu Shengnan. He was able to convey so much emotion with just his facial expressions. One scene in the second to last episode almost broke my heart.
Female lead - Zhao Lu Si (playing Gu Shengnan). Perky, positive, self-taught chef. Her personality was effervescent. Her smile was so bright, she did this squeal/scream thing every so often that just made me laugh, and was anyone else obsessed with her hair? This character was someone you would want to be best friends with, knowing she would always cheer you up and cheer you on.
Lu Jin and Gu Shengnan as a couple - their chemistry was off-the-charts! For me, this was the crux and highlight of the show. There was an obvious age difference which, to me, made this even more cute. I felt like Lu Jin didn't know what life was about until he met Gu Shengnan. I have to give the writers kudos for such a marvelous script for these actors to work with. The dynamic between these two was special - they were both really good at the physical comedy, and the expressions on their faces? She was almost always full of joy, and there were so many times he had a look like he had no idea what to do with her, but was going along for the ride, and actually looking forward to it! Once they opened up to each other and expressed their feelings, each scene was heart-felt and romantic in so many ways.
The script wasn't overly drawn out, and I'm so thankful that the main couple got most of the screen time. It took me twice as long to watch this show, because I kept going back and replaying episodes. The scenarios for the most part seemed believable and I felt that the entire cast was good.
And can we talk about the food orgy?! Oh so many scenes of food preparation and presentation - the colors, the textures, oh my. Her food preparation played a big part in them getting together, and when she cooked for him in her apartment, each scene was funnier than the last.
I only rate a show 10 if it's rewatchable. I'd rate this one higher than 10 if I could. It's a slow (but not dragging), sweet show of discovery and love. If you are in the mood for lovely romance without too terribly much angst, I can't recommend this show highly enough.
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I wanted to like this one, I really did
However, after reading all the good reviews, maybe it's just me, but this show really fell short. The script was all over the place and nothing was delved in too deeply. Even considering that, I still fast-forwarded through a lot. Multiple cases in a law drama can work very well, but here they didn't. I didn't find the cases interesting enough to begin with and the stories felt like they were just to get us to the next episode.I didn't care for the main characters. Lee Seung Gi - I don't believe I've seen him in anything else and I'm going to find something else to watch him in, but here I didn't find him attractive at all, especially in all of the unfortunate "squid games" track suits. His character wasn't especially likeable throughout the first part of the show. I love the idea of having liked someone for years, but you couldn't really tell, he was terrible to her.
Lee Se Young's character yelled and screamed a lot. I found that very off-putting. I did like how they tried to show her growing through the cases she took on, but she continued to be the "damsel in distress". Then there was the "sex contract". Give me a break!
Jo Han Chul, who I LOVE as an actor, WAY overplayed his part. Was he supposed to be crazy, funny, farcical, sociopathic? I don't know, but I couldn't stand to watch him.
Top all that off with the fact that I didn't feel chemistry between the leads. Now I feel like I need to re-watch something I've already loved to cleanse my K-drama palate!
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Tedious
After not enjoying SITR (unlike everyone else in the world, apparently), I should have known better than to waste my time on this drama, considering it's the same writer, director, and main actor.I'll start with the good - there was nothing wrong with the acting, everyone played their part well, I enjoyed the interactions between the sisters, but I think that's as far as I can take the compliments.
STORY: Oh my gosh, there were so many unlikable characters! The ex-boyfriend, both sets of parents and yes, the female lead. Female lead - I think she was supposed to be this outspoken woman, but apparently that only came out with the male lead. With him she was bossy, demanding, cranky and immature ("It must be nice to be able to eat, you must not be bothered by this at all.") She spent almost EVERY episode meeting up with the nightmare of an ex-boyfriend. She was a weakling where he was concerned, even though she knew she didn't love him. Was she trying to be nice? I couldn't quite get it. The ex-boyfriend trying to get her to marry him went on until the next to the last episode. He was just creepy. Give it a rest! Seriously, she should have gotten a restraining order or something. And then there were the parents - I know that it's important to respect your elders, but when your elders don't have any respect for you and won't listen when you say you don't want to marry someone, there's something wrong. Each episode seemed to be just a rehash of the previous one. Should she pursue this new relationship? Should she give the ex another try? The male lead was smitten with the female lead because she came in for hangover medicine? Why these two liked each other was never made clear. Almost all of the conversations revolved around how they were going to manage, because everyone was against them. I realize that Korean mores are different than American, but they made the male lead out to be a terrible person because he had a son. Then when the female lead APOLOGIZED to her mother because she was involved with a man with a child, that really irritated me.
CHEMISTRY: Kisses. I didn't feel chemistry between the leads at all. There were a couple of technically good kisses, but again, I didn't sense chemistry.
COSTUMES: She was a librarian. Was it absolutely necessary to make her dress in such a dowdy way? The clothes and shoes she wore made her look so much older than she was.
OST: Three-four songs on repeat throughout the whole drama. The songs were in English for no discernible reason and they were very distracting.
REWATCH VALUE: Not on a dare!
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WORST ENDING EVER!!
Let me start with the reasons I loved this show, I'll save the spoilers until the end.Go Ah Ra as Ra Ra. I saw her Miss Hammurabi and loved her. She has a fresh appeal about her. Though Ra Ra's life went south pretty suddenly, she was always optimistic. Though I often felt she was taking advantage of Joon, I couldn't be mad at her - she was always open and up-front about what she was doing. Ra Ra changed everyone that she came into contact with for the better. Her effervescent personality in the face of adversity was a joy to watch.
Lee Jae Wook as Sun Woo Joon - this is really his first leading-man role, and I must say he was made for it. His personality was the opposite of Ra Ra's, but there was a magnetic pull between them. His acting is understated and believable, and when he cried, oh my!
Ye Ji Won as Jin Sook Kyung - as the owner of the beauty salon, she was quirky and a little strange, but so fun to watch.
I felt that the entire cast was excellent.
OST - Oh wow!! How they wove "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" through the entire series was brilliant. Playful one minute, soulful the next, heartbreaking in the next minute.
STORY - here's where things get difficult. Up through about episode 11, I would have rated this as a strong 10. The writing was excellent for each of the characters. Their actions and their conversations were so fun and heart-felt. The salon ladies were a hoot. Though Dr. Cha was a little creepy to me, his character made sense the more you got to see him. The friendships/crushes of the teenagers were fun and not too terribly irritating. I loved watching everyone change through Ra Ra's influence, and the fact that she was acting in a completely natural manner without any artifice was lovely. The budding relationship between Joon and Ra Ra was so special - she'd ask him to do something for her, he'd say "no" but then do it. All the things he did for her - I really felt that he loved her. The beginning scenes of each episode and the epilogues provide some additional clues as to what was going on. I love a storyline where the main characters have met in different scenarios over the years.
After about episode 11, I was wondering if a different writer took over. This went from being a light, fluffy love story (with quite a few laugh out loud moments) to melodrama pretty quickly. Here is one of my issues, if I know it's going to be a melodrama going in, I can prepare myself for angst and stress. I was going along, really enjoying this show when BAM! His nightmare mom, his even more nightmarish dad, breakups for no reason, lots of time spent apart, everyone is miserable, clingy ex-girlfriend shows up, and toss in an illness that he doesn't tell anyone about and it's a big old mess. I do have to give the writer credit for the scenes making fun of the "water in the face, paying off the girlfriend to leave her son alone" trope. This couple was apart more than they were together.
SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS - SPOILERS!!!!
This is what is unforgivable for me - Joon goes to the US to "study", though he's really being treated for leukemia. Joon and Ra Ra still talk to one another on the phone. A few months go by and his mother shows up at Ra Ra's piano studio and tells her that Joon has died, and he left her a letter. So, we hear Joon's words to Ra Ra and go through her grief with her. FIVE YEAR TIME JUMP (I hate the time jumps in the best of times, but this was the worst!) Ra Ra is playing the song that she used to play to welcome him home and looks up, and there stands JOON. He says he didn't want to come back until he was well. She's a little bit mad but then forgives him pretty quickly. I had problems with this on many levels. First, what kind of mother would lie about her son being dead?!? And the fact that he left Ra Ra completely out of the loop, that's not love. All I could think of was, if I was Ra Ra, I'd be wishing that I'd been able to spend whatever time she had with him. When I got to the end of this show, I really felt like I'd been cheated, and I am NOT amused! So, strictly for this reason I had to lower my rating to a 7. I really wanted to go lower, I'm so mad, but the show was so good up to when it wasn't anymore.
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A lot loved it, me, not so much
After all the hype, I thought I'd give this one a try. I'll be honest, I have difficulty watching shows about mental illness, but I especially have a hard time watching shows in which mental illness is not addressed. I felt that either the writers really dropped the ball on this, or just grabbed onto something that would further the storyline.The cinematography was beautiful. I loved the different camera angles, looking up, looking down, etc. Costuming was lovely, especially for Seo Ye Ji (think IU in Hotel Del Luna).
Oh Jung Tae as Moon Sang Tae - his portrayal of autism was wonderful, even down to the smallest movements of his fingers. I don't follow Korean award shows, but he deserves an award for his performance.
Kim Soo Hyun as Moon Gang Tae - his performance was very understated and powerful. There were times that I could almost feel his exhaustion with his life. His love for his brother was lovely to watch. As an actor Kim Soo Hyun tends to always play parts where he doesn't have much facial expression, and this time it really worked for him. He was able to convey so much with just his eyes, and when he cries? My breaking heart!
Here's where my problem with the show came in: Seo Ye Ji as Ko Moon Young. They allude to antisocial personality disorder, but I didn't find anything redeeming about her character, and she wasn't able to bring anything to the table to make her likeable. She was displaying classic sociopathic tendencies ("I want that") that were very scary. I get that we are all broken in some way, but I didn't buy that he could love someone that messed up, especially with the all-consuming job of being responsible for his brother. When she got the haircut, I think that's when we were supposed to see a change in her, but by that point I wasn't able to get back from my dislike. What about counseling? What about medication?
The twist with the mom was interesting, but very implausible.
I did like the ending, and I liked how the autistic brother was able to bring so much to the table to build a family with the other two.
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Just my opinion...
Apparently, I watched a different show than everyone else. I'll put the sadly necessary disclaimer - this is my own personal opinion, so don't come after me.For me, the show had a lot of style, and not much substance. Beautifully filmed and beautifully dressed beautiful people, so much of the time I felt like I was a spectator watching a fashion show runway catwalk. Lots of walking from here to there, "look at what I'm wearing now", models with no expression.
I just didn't like anyone in this show. For me, there has to be something likeable about someone to make me care about what happens to them. Both the ML and the FL had personality issues. FL in particular was unlikeable, she was such a cold person. Kim Ji Won tends to play the same type of character, and her lack of facial expressions just doesn't endear her to me. The ML's reaction when he found out she was sick was just wrong. And the sequence, with the overabundance of flashbacks, was out of synch and made it hard for me to like them. I didn't believe in their story and was never able to feel their love for one another, even at the end.
And can we talk about tropes? In this drama, the tropes were piled high, one after another. When they got to the amnesia part, I laughed out loud - my trope bingo card was complete!
Should you watch it? Don't go by me, because apparently, I'm an outlier. Give it a try and come to your own conclusion.
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My brain hurts...
Don't hate me because I didn't love it. It's a personal taste thing. I liked the acting in this. I also like that this has convinced me not to go back and try to watch Some Day or One Day. I'm apparently a superficial watcher and don't want to have to think too much. It's a shortcoming, I know, but there you have it.I love me a good destiny show, but this is the first time that I felt like the universe was trying to tell them that they should NOT be together. Together, tragedy, together, tragedy. I guess the ending had to be the way it was, but I was disappointed in the lack of payoff. Though it did border on a happy ending, which I appreciated.
And what was with her telling everyone that she was time traveling?! Her telling the murderer guy was random. I didn't get the impression that they were that close, and just why?
I actually made a flow chart to try to keep up with this while I was watching it, and even that confused me. My biggest problem was when the two versions of the ML met. That just didn't make any sense to me. Also, the random gay storyline (though seeing Rowoon and Ahn Hyo Seop together on screen was a treat!) was confusing, because weren't the two versions of the ML the same in each timeline?
I now need to find me a simple love story to watch. Since I'm WAY in the minority here, you might want to read everyone else's reviews and give the show a try.
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Loved the relationships
It was like watching a Korean Marvel movie. Sure, there were some plot holes, but in general there was plenty of action and plenty of heart. For me, I liked the episodes with the adults the best. How their relationships began and progressed. I also liked the relationship between Joo Won and Doo Shik.Off of the top of my head, I can't remember the last time I totally fell in love with a character like I did Bong Seok. Just a big teddy bear of a young man, with that intrinsic sweetness always on display. His relationship with Hee Soo was so cute! They seemed like a couple that, on the surface, would never work. But they both had secrets, were loners and I think they found their kindred spirit in the other.
I have already recommended this show to someone. The only reason it doesn't have a higher score from me:
- way too much blood, violence
- terrible language. Sometimes what they were saying was not a curse word, and when it was, why did they have to print it? This is something I feel very strongly about and am really bothered by.
- the setup for a season 2. Why? I'm not liking this current trend of dividing the show in half or having a season 2.
-I would have loved to see a bit of Bong Seok and Hee Soo together at the end.
So, I'd say give it a try. You'll probably like it.
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Beautifully filmed
I think the star of this show was the forest. It was beautifully filmed, and time seemed to shift whenever anyone was in the forest. I could feel myself relaxing along with the characters. And if I lived in that house in the middle of that forest, I would never leave.I loved the story between the lead characters. Their relationship spoke to being stronger together, and the power of love in the healing process. The symbolism of the healing power of the forest was apparent. Park Hae Jin and Jo Bo Ah did an excellent job. Both main characters were wound pretty tight, but spending time in the forest and with each other softened them, but ultimately made them stronger. They were so cute together, there were a couple of scenes with loving baby talk that I just had to watch multiple times! Seeing Park Hae Jin being playful was worth the price of admission! Their kisses were very lovely (especially the stethoscope kiss!).
Especially creepy bad guy - the actor did a wonderful job, he was really hard to watch and seriously gave me the heebie-jeebies!
However, I felt that this show suffered from too many episodes - it was so drawn out I fast forwarded through a lot of it toward the end, and the ending, as is unfortunately commonplace in Korean dramas, was too rushed.
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Give it a try
Mostly all reviews praise this show, with a lot of comparisons with Hometown Cha Cha Cha (and rightfully so). There was a lot to like about it, but there were numerous things that really bothered me, hence my lower score.What I liked:
-The acting by all was very good, but I did find Shin Hye Sun's constant pursed lip/pout talking very irritating after a while. I have loved her in other things she's done and never noticed her doing it before. I loved the friends, the families, the townspeople, and Samdal-Ri's little niece was just precious.
-Jeju. The cinematography was just stunning, and if this doesn't increase tourism, I don't know what will.
-I really like the idea of friends that have known each other for years, supportive of one another when apart, and then coming back together like no times has passed.
-2ML. I may have seen this actor in another role at some point in time, but I really liked him here. He had that almost palpable sadness surrounding him. Though it's not really realistic for someone to have one-sided love for that many years, the romantic in me just loved it. I also like how he was at odds with himself as to whether he should tell her or not. On top of that, he was just such a good friend to both the ML and FL.
-The sisters' storylines were well-developed and didn't feel wasted.
-Happy, though lackluster, ending.
-The friendship between the ML and FL. Which brings me to...
What I didn't like:
-For me, there was no chemistry between the leads. I loved them as friends but didn't buy them as a couple at all. Add to that that he thought she broke up with him, she thought he broke up with her, and all I could think was "how hard is it to just talk to each other?"
-So much drinking
-Drunk confessions
-The way the FL was written was problematic for me. She was portrayed as this strong, independent woman, but yet she slinks quietly away when the woman made up lies about her? She doesn't stand up for herself. She attended a long pity party for herself. I realize that the lie was pretty much the whole premise for the show, but it could have been written much better.
-Working with your ex? Nah.
-There needed to be a more satisfactory ending for the evil girl, she just kind of went away. I'm not a big revenge person but come on!
-After the 8-year (I think that was the amount of time it was supposed to be) time skip, we get another two-year time skip at the end. And that one made no sense. Suddenly he's going away to "realize his dream". Throughout the first part of the show, I really got the feeling that he NEVER wanted to leave Jeju.
-The ML's father's story line. It was immature and went on too long. If he was that troubled by Samdal-Ri's family, I'd think he would have moved away or something.
If you are still reading, I'd say give it a try, you might love it. I'm definitely in the minority.
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Full of tropes, but in a good way!!
STORY: Seriously, if you want tropes, this has it in spades! Enemies to lovers, ex-girlfriend that comes back after years, expecting to pick up where she left off, amnesia, cold boss, illness, bullying, revenge - you name it, it's in here! The reason this show works so well is that it doesn't appear to take itself too seriously. It spends a lot of time being over-the-top and let me tell you, it's a blast! Physical comedy, revenge, strangely it all worked. Episodes 14-15 went a little awry, those episodes felt somewhat like they threw a bunch of stuff at the wall to see what would stick. Thankfully, it got back on track. I don't want to say anything else about the story, I think it's better if you don't know what to expect.ACTING/CAST: Kim Jae Wook as Noh Go Jin (I loved him in Her Private Life and was glad to see him again.) - Straight-laced, bitter, mean and any other word you want to use for unlikeable, but you could sense his loneliness and sadness. His transition from the beginning to the end of the show was lovely, a person redeemed. Krystal Jung as Lee Shin A (I loved to hate her in Heirs) - she looks completely different, I originally only recognized her by her voice. Her character was wonderful (not a doormat and not a b**ch). She was strong when she needed to be, but she saw the good in people, which was a good foil for the ML. Hu Joon as Oh Se Gi - I don't believe I've ever seen him in anything before, and his character was very understated, so you never quite knew what his deal was. Im Won Hee as Park Yang Tae - his characters are always cartoon-like, which fit well in this drama. Go Gyu Pil as Joo Jun Pal/"John" - he had a relatively small part, but I love watching him act, he's got a great sweetness about him. I also liked the woman that played the cleaning woman at work, and how she went from hating the ML to being his staunchest supporter.
MUSIC: I'll be honest, nothing stuck out to me, but maybe that's a good thing. There was nothing to distract from the story.
CHEMISTRY: I loved this couple!! Their hatred was palpable, but the progression to liking one another made sense. Once they finally did get together, they had a healthy respect for one another, and their relationship was mature, without stupid misunderstandings or time jumps (hallelujah!). They were so cute together, I probably had a stupid grin on my face as I watched them. I think the supposed second couple (her brother and her roommate) were somewhat wasted, but I was glad that they didn't take time away from the main couple.
HAPPY ENDING and a peek into their future.
I am so glad I watched this (it was recommended by someone here on MDL, thank you very much!), it really worked my emotions, as well as giving me all the feels. Which was an absolute relief, as my recent luck with romance shows has been like a vast, desert wasteland.
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There ought to be a law...
If either the word "romance" or "love" are in the title, call me crazy, but I think that should be the focus. This is the first show in a long time that every day I remember that I'm not finished with it yet. It wasn't grabbing me, that's for sure.Story: Here is where I think the problem was. Instead of romance we get hours' worth of a cautionary tale regarding the Korean education system. It would have been very interesting if it had been interspersed throughout the drama, but it was the focus and it went on too long. The romance was underbaked and felt like more of an afterthought to me. I didn't care for the FL character - she was so condescending to her boyfriend! When she said, "Look at me and listen to what I have to say. Focus." I wanted to smack her. He was so caring toward her, but he was an afterthought to her. There were quite a few scenes in her house or in one of the lecture rooms where it was so dark you couldn't see what was going on. Boring ending (though I did like the proposal, and those are the prettiest rings I've seen in a long time.)
Acting/Cast: The strength was here, that's for sure. The leads were great, I thought the second couple were very cute, and I loved the bar owner and his wife. Standouts for me: Kim Jung Young as the VP and Seo Jung Yeon as the director. I've seen both of these ladies in numerous works, and they played completely different parts here and were so wonderfully unlikeable. And the director's gray hair was fabulous. My favorite was Kim Song Il as Pyo Sang Sub - a world-weary teacher with an unyielding character. Truly, everyone did a great job.
Music: Oh, my heavens I hated the song at the beginning and end of every episode (Open to page 64) - it gets into your head like an earwig and takes up residence, and not in a good way. A couple of episodes had overly dramatic music that didn't go at all.
Rewatch value: I barely got through it once!
I will say, as I'm in the minority in my thoughts, give it a try and decide for yourself.
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Watch this show!
My first k-drama, and one I revisit periodically. The storyline is original - a man destined to continue living to atone for crimes in his past. I'd like to address the age difference - I can see why some people really had a problem with it, especially since she spent so much time in a high school uniform. However, the chemistry between Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun was amazing. When watching Gong Yoo - his loneliness was almost palpable and was heartbreaking to see. Kim Go Eun was able to vacillate back and forth between her pitiful life and her vivacity as she gets to know Kim Shin (Yoo) better. The secondary love story between Lee Dong Wook and Eu In Na was lovely as well. There was a lot of humor (like when he told her his name was Kim Woo Bin!), but such sadness as well. The scenery is just beautiful when they are in Canada. The music is absolutely perfect. Each song fit perfectly where it was used and there was a haunting quality about a number of the songs. These songs are easily recognizable when you hear them outside of the show. But I think the thing that I love best about this show is the friendships between the characters, especially between Goblin and Reaper. If you look up the word Bromance in the dictionary, you should find their pictures there - what started out as hate, moved to grudging respect, and then finally brotherly love. Their scenes never failed to make me laugh. This is one of the few shows that I have watched multiple times, and have enjoyed it just as much each time.Was this review helpful to you?
