Definitely exceeded my nonexistent expectations and easily became one of my favorite kdramas.
Based on reviews I've read on Jirisan, I could say that you will either love it or hate it; no in between. As for me, I absolutely loved this drama and it was my obsession during the 2 days that I binge watched it. From what I've read, a lot of people were disappointed because Jirisan was a much anticipated drama with a top notch cast and the wait for its release has been agonizingly long but it "fell short" of expectations. Personally, I was one of those eagerly anticipating this drama but was discouraged in watching it once I read the negative reviews so I put off watching it for a while. Man, do I regret that decision.First of all, once I finally decided to watch it, I went in with no expectations whatsoever except that I was looking forward to seeing Jun Jihyun and Ju Jihoon acting together, not to mention the award winning Oh Jung Se! I had no idea what the plot was other than it being set in the mountains, with the main characters being national park rangers. From the first episode, I was already so invested. Everything about it was really interesting and the cast (especially the ML and FL) had great chemistry. Unfortunately if you're looking for romance (which I was), you won't be getting it in this drama. Nevertheless, I still loved it! Which is saying a lot about how good it was since romance is a major key point for me in a kdrama.
A lot of negative reviews were also focused on the "poorly done" CGI but I wasn't bothered by it at all. What I focused on more was the great acting and the storyline. Honestly, this entire drama was mostly set on a mountain with various natural disasters happening. You can't really expect some blockbuster Hollywood film level CGI in a kdrama now can you? I was actually really impressed that the post production crew were able to pull it off. CGI aside, the cast and the plot were obviously the stars of the show.
The plot itself had many layers. PSA this drama contains a lot of flashbacks which a lot of viewers apparently didn't like but I did. It was interesting seeing into the past and present and seeing how they all come together. This drama had definitely exceeded my nonexistent expectations. So if you're a fan of suspense, mystery, thriller, and a bit of fantasy, watch this drama right now!!
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This review may contain spoilers
Didn't go the way I expected it to but I loved it!
I can understand why some people found this to be a let down. The plot being promoted before its release was really just a small fraction of what the whole story is about and even I was caught off guard! But I actually ended up really liking where the story was headed, especially at the ep 7-8 mark. This drama started out very romcom-y, very cute, had me giggling and kicking my feet and then the concept of Do Ra Mi being a recurring character kind of had me raising my eyebrows in confusion and apprehension cause where the hell did that storyline even come from?? It actually turned out to be one of the things that made me love this drama even more. I know there are mixed reactions with how they chose to portray mental health but me personally I found it to be very unique and interesting. Obviously the whole premise of Do Ra Mi just suddenly taking over the FL and the ML just accepting it is kind of preposterous but hey thats the beauty of fiction! It was so fun seeing how Go Youn Jung was able to embody two different characters and just seemly shift demeanors and mannerisms and ugh it was just so entertaining to watch.I've also seen people complaining that they took too long to actually get together but come on guys, its literally called Can This Love Be Translated? Of course there's going to be miscommunication and tension and angst! The push and pull between the FL and ML, how they just couldn't help falling for each other despite every speed bump they encountered. Personally I found it endearing how the ML really tried to interpret how the FL was feeling even though it wa probably giving him whiplash, not to mention Do Ra Mi popping up everywhere. But one other thing I really liked about the Do Ra Mi plot was how she was the one who helped the ML really understand the FL because she is basically telling me everything that the FL is thinking but just can't say out loud (confusing I know).
Anyways, from the cinematography to the OST to the storyline to the cast, this was definitely NOT a let down for me. I hyperfixated and binged all the eps cause that's how hooked I was. Don't let the bad reviews stop you. See for yourself and form your own opinion!!
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