BesuYeoja
This was the first Korean drama I'd ever watched, and for the first handful of episodes (perhaps seven or so) it was interesting, and emotional, and worthwhile, and I was convinced Kdramas were the bees knees. But my goodness, did it drag on! After a while, for each step forward the main couple made, they were taking two or three steps back. I got so fed up that I stopped watching before the 14th episode, and didn't start anymore Kdramas until my manager (and friend) recommended some great ones. (You're Beautiful, Protect the Boss, Boys Over Flowers; those are great starter ones.) I finally sat down to watch the last three episodes this afternoon, and I admit, I skipped through them. I just couldn't handle the endless melancholy.
The most aggravating part was Hye Won's ridiculous excuse-making, and her perpetual need to play the victim. At first, it was understandable, but after a while it just got obnoxious. I don't believe she was being fair to her fiance. I don't care how the writers tried to make him seem like a bad guy; he had every right to be upset with her, and the bit where he flies off the handle and attacks her seemed thrown in to try to give us a better reason for her to behave the way she was. I'm not buying it. All she ever does is apologise, and as Jung Jae (her oppa/fiance) said at one point, "Stop apologising. Just don't do things to make me upset." So simple! This girl just couldn't ever make a decision, always playing the fence with her oppa, her love, and even her life, and once she did make a choice, it was always the WRONG one.
Jung Ah (Jung Jae's sister who's in love with the lead Min Woo) is a manipulative brat through most of the show, and I wanted to slap her. Yet, by the end, I was more infuriated with Hye Won, and how stupid she was. She kept insisting that Min Woo only loved her because he saw her as his first lost love, and she wasn't the warm, cheerful person he loved, so he must not love her, but just a memory of another girl. Whaaaat?! When you have a new heart that gives you a fresh start on life, of COURSE you're going to be different! Your quality of life improves. You're able to do things you've never done before. That would turn anyone from glum to cheerful! Your personality didn't change, stupid! You're ability to BE the happy, cheerful person you were meant to be was finally realised! Why do you WANT to insist that you're a miserable human being? She kept saying she did things to prevent Min Woo from suffering, but just like the most horrible of Kdrama leading ladies, she kept making it worse and worse for all parties involved. Get over yourself, girl. Maybe you're right, and you don't deserve to be happy. But stop making everyone around you miserable in the meantime!
So many slow scenes with close-ups of Min Woo's longing, tearful sighs--usually, I wouldn't complain about any close-ups of Song Seung Heon, but when it's totally unnecessary because of an idiot girl, I have a hard time sympathizing.
This had the least satisfying ending of any drama I've seen so far. Nothing to justify putting the audience through so much slowness and depression.
The music was good, until it became repetitive and I got tired of hearing the same depressing version of Schubert's Serenade over and over. I feel like I could have felt for the characters more if the music had been of a better arrangement.
Please, SSH. Find good dramas. You didn't learn your lesson with Summer Scent, and were the only likeable thing about When A Man Loves. Go back to great ones like My Princess. I want to see you in satisfying endings! Kthnx!
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The story felt totally fresh and unique--possibly because it's the first time travel drama I've watched, but it's already set the bar pretty high and I'm afraid I won't love any others as much. The episodes are shorter than I'm used to (around 45 minutes rather than 1 hr.+) and I think that was a great filming decision. Each episode is just the right length to give you enough story without weighing you down.
It has the perfect balance of adorable/happy and heart-wrenchingly sad. One moment, I was squealing with delight over the couple cuteness, and the next I was sobbing so hard I couldn't see the subtitles! The conflict doesn't get dragged on so much that you start to grow tired, but the tragedy is just... omo! It's all so perfect!
The cast was perfection. The chemistry was by far the best in any drama I've ever seen. It probably helped that the lead actors fell in love and started dating before the production was complete, but yes, amazing job! Speaking of chemistry, the kisses surpassed even "Lie to Me!!!"
The music... oh my. It makes me unable to stop thinking about the drama. I keep returning to the OST to listen over and over to the music. The song "Same Sky, Different Time" is heartbreaking, and gorgeous. "I'm Coming To You" and "Queen In Hyeon's Man (Instrumental piece)" are also great mood-setters, work perfect for the scenes they're placed in, and make me cry.
The ending makes sense, and is wrapped up in a satisfying way. We don't get a lot of extra screen time of them being together like some dramas will do, (like half an episode dedicated just to their dating) but considering how many cute scenes they gave us throughout, I didn't feel cheated in the least.
I've already talked about the rewatch value. I'm buying this just as soon as I can. End of story.
Overall, this is the best drama I have ever seen. I'm almost afraid to start a new one now, since I doubt anything can top this.
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Hye Jin is a typical over-the-top, blundering female lead: jobless, frazzled, and quirky. Usually, I can sympathise with those types and find their clumsy approach comedic, but something about Hye Jin just drove me nuts. Before I'd even finished Episode Two, her dramatics had almost made me quit the whole thing. I'm glad she improves throughout the course of the drama, and I suppose that's more realistic than having her suddenly change into a fashion-savvy bombshell overnight. But it was really frustrating for me until her amazing best friend, Ha Ri talked some sense into her about making an effort.
Let's talk best friendship, now. One of the best parts of this drama was the closer-than-a-sister relationship Hye Jin and Ha Ri had, despite the huge secret Ha Ri ends up keeping that threatens to ruin their friendship at one point. It was played off so realistically it hurt my heart., and I loved so much seeing a solid girl-best-friendship in a drama, rather than the stab-you-in-the-back evil wench syndrome like most have.
Now, the side guy. I'm sorry, but Kim Shin Hyeok annoyed me through the whole drama even more than Hye Jin at the beginning. Maybe I can see how some people find jokesters like that endearing, but I just find them obnoxious and cowardly. When no one can take a word you say seriously, and you get your kicks by making people buy you things and mocking everyone around you, I don't think that's cute, that's just being a stupid jerk. I usually fall for the side guy, and hardly ever do I fail to sympathise with them. Not this time. This time, I couldn't wait for him to get out of the scene and go away. I've known too many people in real life situations who behave like that, and you can call it cute and fun in a drama, but when you're dealing with it firsthand, trust me, it gets really old, really fast.
Thankfully, he wasn't enough of a presence to ruin the drama, though! And Ji Seong Jun was so utterly adorable as a fat kid, and as a man in love, that I think he made the whole drama.
The ending, as I said, was amazing. I'm a big fan of prolonged happy endings, and the final episode gave plenty of closure, happy wrap-ups, and scenes to make you cringe from the cuteness. My favourite! So although I was ready to quit this drama early on, I'm glad I stuck it out, because it's one of my favourite last few episodes of any drama in the rom-com genre.
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