This review may contain spoilers
This drama makes me so angry!
It's so freaking good!Ok, there is one slight issue I had, but I'll get to it at the end, since it's a spoiler. There isn't much I can say that isn't said already, but this drama surpasses the hype as is damn near perfect in every way.
The cast are incredible and were the best for the dramatic as well as the comedic parts. My favorite moments were when the NK group are in Seoul trying to navigate, and the bond they have with Se-ri is so sweet. I can't really think of a better descriptor than this, but Jeong Seok is so manly, I was in love! The way he didn't say much, but spoke essays with his actions. And every time he did speak, his words had so much impact, I would forget to breathe.
I loved all the twists and turns in the story, and just how everything went for the most part. I think this is far enough down, I can say my one small issue, and that's what happened to Seung-jun. That was way too tragic! He was finally doing better and I wanted him and Dan to have a happy ending, but they kill him! I was waiting and watching until the very last second on the final episode for him to appear, but nothing. Dan tells Jeong Seok that he went far away, but why didn't she tell him he was actually dead? Why leave it vague and giving hope if there is none? It's unnecessary.
Still, overall, this was brilliant. I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it, and if you read this far, and haven't, I'm sorry if I spoiled that for you.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Sorry im suddenly mad
I watched this drama three years ago. At the time I wasn’t really into reviewing nothing, but I happened to see a review that made me question a lot of things.So, some people find it ridiculous that many of us rate this drama with 10, so gonna try to be objective as they want. Let’s start with the premise of the drama, which is very different from what we had seen until that date: A North Korean man meets a South Korean woman, two nations at war, very interesting, but that doesn’t stop there 'cause apart from the excellent plot we have an excellent cast as well.
In the cast we have a well known Korean stars, Hyunbin and Son Yejin and we have cameos from other equally recognized celebrities, in addition we have the rest of the cast who truly played their role very well, giving us excellent performances. And now, one of the most importants things of dramas (for me, in my opinion) the music, for me if a drama has a bad OST. It stops being attractive to me and well, I don't really know how to start talking about one of the most excellents OST I've heard on my time watching kdramas (since 2014), I do not lie when I say that each of the songs of this drama are EXCELLENT, I spent all of February 2020 and March 2020 listening to the ost in a loop on spotify and even to nowadays, when I listen to some of its songs I get drenched in my skin, they certainly made the best song choices.
I guess, I finished talking about the most superficial things, now let’s talk about the plot. We start from the premise of the romeo and juliet the korean peninsula version. Of course, there were things in the script that I found quite comical and unrealistic, like the fact that she traveled to the other country in parachutes, the cgis at the moment failed to me and I was laughing to see the cow flying next to her.
On the other hand, talking about the plot, the story of seri's stepmother also seemed to me so random and left me thinking about where seri's father was while her daughter was having hard times.. and guess I'll debate a little bit about what I read in the other reviews, the villain’s story.
I hated that man, I hated him because he’s bad and many people thought he had no reason to be bad, and I don’t understand why y'all focus on that? there are people who are bad just because they want to, it’s nothing out of the world, people do not always need to have motivations to do bad things, most of the time, giving motivation to villains, telling their stories to the viewer is done to humanize them, that way, people could feel sorry for them. In this case the authors didn't want to humanize the man, it was just a mad man.
Another thing got people asking why and gotta say Im a bit agree with them, It's the ending... I don’t know about you, but I see dramas to get away from reality, yes I can be very critical sometimes and I end up watching series that beforehand we know will end up badly, but the silly romantic endings (with some logic) always beat me. So a fun fact: the ending of CLOY, it was not the original ending. Originally they had planned that both were separated in the line of the parallel 38 and never see each other again, if that ending has happened I would've been beyond sad, so I am grateful that they left the ending that seemed ridiculous to some people and even so, it was a bittersweet one. 'Cause come on, they see each other only TWO WEEKS at year, TWO WEEKS. I don’t know about you, but that seems very bittersweet to me, but it would've been worse if they never have seen each other again. I understand that they probably find everything laughable, but all of this, are things that could happen in real life.
In conclusion, I loved, love and will love this drama forever, its my favorite one, however it does not take away the objectivity of my review because believe me that I know it has flaws, I have seen it many times to find them, I did it. Regardless, drama's flaws are less than the big value the drama has.
Was this review helpful to you?
A journey of two souls driven by fate who find true love.
If you believe in fate and true love that will always find it’s soul mate, then this drama is for you. Start with an unlikely event that brings the two destined souls together. Mix that in with suspense, explosive turmoil and family love, no matter how good or bad, and you have the makings of a fantastic drama.The acting was amazing. Son Ye Jin’s portrayal of CEO Yoon Se Ri was perfect. Her on screen chemistry with Hyun Bin who played Captain Ri Jung Hyuk was beautiful. You get to watch a relationship grow from mutual concern to full blown over the top love. It was fun and heart warming to watch. Ye Jin is so good at showing emotions with her facial expressions. She will pull you into the drama and immerse you with feelings you didn’t realize you were sharing with her.
The story was captivating and I had a hard time turning it off at the end of the day. It was too long to binge watch in one day but I made it in three. The music was great and the scenes from both North and South Korea made me feel like I was there.
If you want to witness love as you have never seen it before, then watch this funny, sweet, emotional, suspenseful journey of two people as they navigate the difficult road to find each other.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Love knows no borders
9/10 is my rating. This is a 2019/2020 South Korean television drama with 16, 70-110 minute episodes.Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin) has lived the life of a Princess as a chaebol heiress to one of the largest conglomerates in South Korea. She is the only daughter and has always been somewhat of a black sheep leading her to form her own successful fashion sporting goods line. She has two older brothers who would be the logical successors to her father, however, he does not feel like his sons have what it takes to run the business. He announces his plan to have his daughter, Se-ri, run the company when he retires and plans to announce it at the next shareholder meeting. Se-ri is excited to have proven herself and vows to wrap up her own business and put it under management with just one final campaign. To test a flight suit she goes paragliding in Seoul and a freak weather event, with tornadic winds, blows her off course into North Korea's portion of the demilitarized zone. Having lived a pampered life she does not, at first, realize how dangerous the situation she has found herself in is. As luck would have it, she is discovered on patrol by Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin) who is from a powerful North Korean family and is serving as a Captain in the Korean People's Army. Unlike Se-ri he knows all too well what might happen if she was turned in to the North Korean military police. After some reluctance he decides to protect her and help her get back to South Korea. Meanwhile, Se-ri's family, particularly her brothers, assume her dead, and began competing for the role of their father's successor. When they find out Se-ri is alive by chance, they conspire to keep her from returning to South Korea. Meanwhile Jeong-hyeok has been trying to solve the mystery surrounding his brother's death and winds up with an enemy in common with Se-ri who is determined to expose them both. Although Jeong-hyeok is engaged to a North Korean heiress, there is no love in the arrangement, and he finds himself drawn to Se-ri and she to him.
spoilers*. I like the glimpse into North Korean life that this show gives. It illustrates how people all over the world are very much the same in that we want good things for our kids, to have loving friends, and see the people around us happy and healthy. In the beginning, when the female lead first landed in North Korea I liked how they did not immediately befriend her but had a debate about what to do with this person who was possibly an enemy. It felt like they went through the same type of discovery and found that they had fewer differences and more similarities. I liked all the young military men and how loyal they were to each other and to their captain. I thought it was interesting how she found a way to fit in with the local women and came to be friends with them. The male leads fiancé and him were in an arranged marriage and it was interesting to see the conflict as he started to fall in love with someone. It also delved into love versus obsession and there was a lot of character growth on all of their parts. The female lead started as a spoiled and “Picky Princess“ but she learned through being around people that had so much less than she did yet still found ways to enjoy life and each other that she did not need all those things she had back in South Korea. I thought the way her family had very little love between them as they were too busy fighting for control of the company showed the way when the focuses is on the material a lot of the joyous things in life are lost. I would’ve scored this even higher but I was, unlike a lot of people, disappointed in the ending as I thought they might find a way to be together either her going to North Korea or him defecting to South Korea. I thought perhaps there was an angle with her being rich and them wanting her money as the father had mentioned. It turned out in the end that they were only able to be together in SwitzerlandJust a couple weeks out of the year. I was also disappointed that the side couple never got to be together because he wound up dying around the time he finally came around and redeemed himself. I still feel like it is Netflix influence that makes it so the females in these act as if they don’t need a man in their life. That is a very modern Western concept. I know some people would say there are families that live that way and that is considered a normal type of ending or at least one possible ending. To me I watch stuff not to see the harsher parts of life play out, I like the happily ever after stories as I think life is hard enough as it is. Still it was very good and very well written with excellent actors. The chemistry between the couples was very believable and the friendships were heartwarming. I highly recommend this to anyone that wants a glimpse into North Korean lifestyle as I understand there were many North Koreans who provided information and insight for the script so while it is still a movie and not entirely based on facts a lot of the major elements such as power outages, house searches, and a lack of technology for most people I understand accurately portrays life for many North Koreans.
Was this review helpful to you?
BS propaganda from Moon Jae-in and North Korean sympathizers
Stupid plot, you are going to get shot and die as soon as you cross the DMZ. This is the same North Korea that randomly bombs South Korean islands, the same North Korea that flat out threatens to bomb South Korea if it does not get enough money.How many times did this god awful show rant about reunification? Most young people in South Korea don't even want to reunify nowadays because those distant relatives are generations ago and they never met them, refugees would collapse SK economy and North Korea is not regarded as a friend.
Besides being propaganda, it has some rich woman that suffers princess sickness and gets her own way, a weirdo captain who defend his area from an untrained woman. Nobody in this show is believable. Do you know why? Because it is propaganda, that is now how north Koreans are, that is how people pretend they are to make you think they are nice and win over our hearts.
Sunshine policy is killing South Korea, Moon Jae-in is a weak leader and this propaganda to try trick people is not wanted.
P.S: I don't care if you liked it, feel free to go waste your savings travelling to North Korea and find out it is nothing like this show.
Was this review helpful to you?
This show deserves some recognition from Golden Globes, Oscars, SAG and all that. The acting is phenomenal. The story line well-written and original. The element of destined love intertwined in the story is so believable. I have literally felt every part of this drama. The angst. The power of love and falling without trying. The passion. The need to protect. Dedication to duty and all that. I love this show. I cannot find one thing I don't like about this show.
I held out watching it because I'm not into Military related shows. Then I heard Ha Seok Jin who is my celebrity first love (I've never been one to fawn over celebs - he made me fall though). At any rate I heard he was gonna be making a guest appearance so I started watching at episode 3 in hopes to see him and got hooked right away. The first thing I noticed was Hyun Bin (Captain Ri) was the same guy from a drama I had just finished Hyde Jekyll and Me, I wanted to see more of him so I was pleasantly surprised (Hyun Bin is Elite Level FINE!!!!), the next thing was the strength and power of the female lead (I love her) - there's so much I can go on and on about. My whole life was made when I was able to see that beautiful face and smile of Ha Seok Jin (that man is an angel in my eyes so beautiful, gorgeous and just everything). Did I say I'm in love with Ha Seok Jin but I'm in love with this show too.
This is a must watch. Watch it on slow mo. Re-watch as often as you can just to see what you missed. Watch Captain Ri over and over. Just go on a prepare yourself to be swept away he is that incredible and FINE. Did I mention Hyun Bin is Elite Level Fine!!! My goodness that guy. While Ha Seok Bin is my love Hyun Bin is trying to convince me to rethink my choice (it won't work tho Ha Seok Jin in a uniform is just too much to resist). Okay. I'm done. I love this show.. I'm crying because episode 11 won't be on until February 1st. The wait is too much. Uggh... I'm willing to watch it with not English subs at this point if I can find episodes out there. That's how much I love this show.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Breaking The Boundaries
Well the headline says it all.we know the diplomatic and the clash between South Korea and the North Korea. Hence I won't bicker much about it and will go straight to the points of what the hypes is all about.
Firstly,It is basically the first K-Drama that has brought up North Korea's culture, customs and people in a candid way. It also showed that Koreans actually have the same ethnicity.
There is a cultural difference. Like being to cozy in the public is not expected or wearing short skirts is not warmly welcomed. But things like this doesn't count that people there are very hostile or always prepared for war. The local customs and their day to day life says it all in this drama.
And that's why a case was filed in South Korea against the drama for bringing an outlook that North Koreans are very friendly alike.
So yes , back there this drama is breaking the stereotype outlooks against North Korea.
Secondly this drama brings up a love story of a North Korean soldier and A South Korean Rich girl. This is the first here too. So the story line is unique and refreshing. It will keep you on the sit even if it ends as their love and the people around them struggles for bringing them together
Lastly, the cast and ost brings the storytelling in an impeccable live action which eventually you will fall in love with and miss it as it ends.
Buckle up and go for it!
Was this review helpful to you?
A MUST WATCH FOR ANYONE !!(k-drama & non-k-drama fans)
This show has a special place in my heart. I am sure a lot of critical analysis will find some flaws with this show, but as a general viewer, this is an amazing watch! To call this show only a rom-com is almost a criminal offense. The military life, politics, family drama are one of the many reasons to watch the show. The cinematography and story is on another level. The casting was amazing and the chemistry between the 2 main leads is probably one of the best I have ever seen. This show is full of emotional moments, as well as cheesy moments, but it is cheesy done right! I watched this show a few months ago, and I have revisited particular moments from time to time. Overall it is one of my favorite shows of all time, and if you haven't watched it, then WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??!Was this review helpful to you?
Not perfect but so good it doesn't matter
I think, like any other kdrama, there are times this show drags a little or is a bit weak in the story. The ending is quite controversial (but rest assured, Seri and Jeonghyeok both live). On the whole, it includes a lot of tropes (which I think is fun, but may not be everyone's cup of tea). Also, admittedly I didn't care about the secondary ship for a long time.Despite these things, the experience of watching and the emotions the show gave me are so good that I'm still rating this a 10.
My favorite things:
- the commitment to portraying North Koreans as people -- it's hard from across the world to get a sense of what life is like there and this show really took care to show that to the audience
- the character development!!!!! for literally everyone (except her brothers and SILs & CCG I guess lmao)
- the found family of it all, the boys never failed to make me happy or cry or both. the love they have for each other and RJH and Yoon Seri make me tear up just thinking about it god
- the romance, the fate, the love that stays strong despite the many interfering circumstances
- the humor tbh this show is very funny when it's not making you bawl
- I actually like that everything doesn't wrap up into a neat little bow. the fact that they persevere anyway is touching and to me it feels like peace after the storm
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A Hopeless Romantic's Dream
When recommending Kdramas to non-drama-watching friends, CLOY is always on the top of my list. The best way I can think to describe it is this: it knows exactly what it is, and it embraces it fully.If you're looking for an everyday romance to project your own reality onto, this is not exactly the drama for you. The plot is spectacular and unbelievable, occasionally laughably so. Despite the high high stakes of the situation, everything always works out for our protagonists. The 'red string of fate'-ness of the plot could make you want to scream at your screen, 'this is not what real life is like!'
We know this, and we love CLOY anyway. Because CLOY also knows this, and leans right into the ridiculousness of the situations without ever making it cringey or annoying. The romance is grand, helmed by amazing performances by both HB and SYJ, whose chemistry is obviously off-the-charts. Every plot point is hit perfectly, never spending too much time on one problem or agonising the viewers with the will-they-wont-they. We know that they will, because we're all hopeless romantics here, and CLOY is a hopeless romantic's dream.
If you're in any way inclined to a good romance plot, CLOY is, in my opinion, the be-all-and-end-all. This is my Romeo and Juliet, guys. Park Ji Eun 작가님 is better than Shakespeare. Deadly serious. Watch it, laugh, cry, then watch it all over again.
Was this review helpful to you?
I loved, laughed and cried a lot.
I didn't expect much when I started watching it, but it impressed me in a way I can't explain. The chemistry between the two characters is just amazing! (I later found out that they are getting married in real life Aaaaa)In addition to the wonderful romance, the story of the journey home is veIn addition to the wonderful romance, the story of the journey back home is very exciting, the construction of affection between the characters and the displays of affection are speaffection . The final episodes are breathtaking and I was even a little stagnant after it was over. One of the best I've seen so far.Was this review helpful to you?
