Sang Shil is just too damn cute but that wasn't enough to save the drama. The story kicks off after 2 episodes then it staggers for 12 episodes before resuming. The drama is mostly about their daily life with barely anything happening. Modern Kdrama casuals wouldn't have enough attention span to sit through it. Compared to modern dramas this would be destroyed. All that being said, it's rewarding watching the ruthless, cold and mean Sang Shil getting warmer.
It's actually much better than I thought it would be by just looking at the rating. Light rom-com with good chemistry between leads. But this shouldn't have been 20 episodes, it was running dry at times.
So this is my first drama ever. I got my hands on the bluray without knowing anything. I decided to watch it since drama was an untouched medium I haven't explored before. Also, I've seen the anime a week before so the story is still fresh in my mind. I have seen thousands of foreign movies that includes Jap & Kor movies. So why not check what's with all the hype about KDrama.
Now looking back at Winter Sonata, it might not have been the best choice to get myself into drama world. Luckily my second drama was 'something in the rain' which blow me away, that's when I realized this medium has a lot to offer and it's worth exploring.
Winter Sonata was fine, it's draggy and really slow but had nice moments. Yu Jin was amazing while the male lead was average. Wasn't a fan of the ending, they had no reason not to make better.
I got to watch this because of the cross dressing and ML questioning their sexuality, I just wanted some Coffee Prince vibes. But what I got is a clusterfuck mess of idiocy. It treats you, the viewer, as a single brain cell being. Everything has to be explained, repeated and fed to you forcefully like a toddler. Every information has to be given a reaction from all the cast before proceeding with the plot. Dialogues and expressions get really dull and robotic. Ending could have been better, it's senseless and lacks much impactful emotions. It's strange how the quality dips really hard here despite both writer and director had decent other works.
With all that being said, Yoon Chan not getting a single kiss is true injustice!
Too many old character. While the young ones barely get much attention aside from the ML. I really hated how they completely neglected Mi Jin without any regards after building her as a proper love interest that actually flourished well. That was the shortest, most emotionless break up I've seen.
Another aspect I didn't like is how the story is mostly focused on the company and past history. The overall resolution was lackluster to me. They gave a resolution to the conflict but not to the relationships. Pretty much our 4 mains got a hopeful semi open ending that was rushed out of their asses in the last episode.
The only thing worth watching in this drama is Hyun Do interactions for the first 40 episodes.
Seems like too much of the story is just focusing on Wang Soo Bak life/drama bullshit. I didn't like how everything is related to money. Basically, money is the driving element of all the plots in the drama. Wang Gwang Bak main conflict felt extremely draggy in the last 10 episodes with her in-laws. Completely pointless. The family tree is way too big and even though you got 50 episodes, some characters get neglected with half-assed resolution. All that being said, it doesn't come close to the intense never ending repulsive hate and aggression towards Wang Ho Bak. You wouldn't do that even if your kid was adopted.
But at the end of the day, the Korean war was nothing compared to this ~
This is a prime example of how NOT to do a makjang. You can't lit on a fire without enough fire extinguishers. It lacks the balance and contrast between the characters. Whenever the writers get stuck in a corner they through in a time skip. Got really weak towards the end, things started to move fast because they had to wrap it up which meant people and feelings were changing artificially. Surprisingly enough, the FL doesn't get as much screen time as the ML and the parents. In short, tedious makjang and pacing.
It's really sad what happened to her. Her piece of shit husband ruined her image and forced her to move away. I really hope she comes back soon, it has already been 4 years.
I refuse to believe this came out from the same director and writer of Coffee Prince. Long story short, my expectations were higher especially with this cast to back it up. I absolutely despise Shin Hwal, never seen a character this indecisive. Him along side Haru and Pong Ho, all had a forced and artificial ending because the writer were stuck in a corner.
On the other hand, Hae Yoon and Sang Hee were the stars who made the bigger impression on me. Sang Hee chaotic energy is something to live for. It's really sad that the actress (Kim Hee) had only one drama and that is this one. It has been 13 years and I highly doubt she would work in this field again but a man can hope.
Not a fan of the ending and the events leading up to it. Feels like they were undecided what story to write for the drama, the fashionable FL turning into a great prosecutor or a story about revenge and injustice. Made the story a bit messy combining both. Anyway, Hye Ri was great!
Had some cool vibrant vibes that made the drama feel alive with its characters. They don't make dramas like that nowadays. This was my first drama for Han Ji Hye and I'm intrigued.
6 
Now looking back at Winter Sonata, it might not have been the best choice to get myself into drama world. Luckily my second drama was 'something in the rain' which blow me away, that's when I realized this medium has a lot to offer and it's worth exploring.
Winter Sonata was fine, it's draggy and really slow but had nice moments. Yu Jin was amazing while the male lead was average. Wasn't a fan of the ending, they had no reason not to make better.
It's strange how the quality dips really hard here despite both writer and director had decent other works.
With all that being said, Yoon Chan not getting a single kiss is true injustice!
Another aspect I didn't like is how the story is mostly focused on the company and past history. The overall resolution was lackluster to me. They gave a resolution to the conflict but not to the relationships. Pretty much our 4 mains got a hopeful semi open ending that was rushed out of their asses in the last episode.
The only thing worth watching in this drama is Hyun Do interactions for the first 40 episodes.
I didn't like how everything is related to money. Basically, money is the driving element of all the plots in the drama. Wang Gwang Bak main conflict felt extremely draggy in the last 10 episodes with her in-laws. Completely pointless. The family tree is way too big and even though you got 50 episodes, some characters get neglected with half-assed resolution.
All that being said, it doesn't come close to the intense never ending repulsive hate and aggression towards Wang Ho Bak. You wouldn't do that even if your kid was adopted.
But at the end of the day, the Korean war was nothing compared to this ~
Whenever the writers get stuck in a corner they through in a time skip.
Got really weak towards the end, things started to move fast because they had to wrap it up which meant people and feelings were changing artificially.
Surprisingly enough, the FL doesn't get as much screen time as the ML and the parents.
In short, tedious makjang and pacing.
Didn't realize Lee Eon passed away until I watched this. RIP
I absolutely despise Shin Hwal, never seen a character this indecisive. Him along side Haru and Pong Ho, all had a forced and artificial ending because the writer were stuck in a corner.
On the other hand, Hae Yoon and Sang Hee were the stars who made the bigger impression on me. Sang Hee chaotic energy is something to live for. It's really sad that the actress (Kim Hee) had only one drama and that is this one. It has been 13 years and I highly doubt she would work in this field again but a man can hope.