Dan
I think CLOY caught all of our interests when the trailer first aired. A South Korean Woman, Yoon Se Ri (Son Ye Jin), lands in North Korea after a paragliding accident and develops a relationship with a North Korean soldier, Ri Jung Hyuk (Hyun Bin), who takes care of her. Two extraordinary actors with a record of great chemistry and they delivered. The story follows their two very different backgrounds and the challenges they face as they develop feelings for each other (vague, but I don't want to spoil anything).
The writing and plot were captivating. I'm not going to lie and say the writing was groundbreaking and the story was the best ever created, but it was a unique story that mixed in romance and comedy seamlessly well. Overall, the plot also flowed very well and pacing felt super smooth and unrushed from the first episode to the last episode. There are the expected cliche romcom scenes sprinkled throughout the drama, and the plot twists can be predictable at times, but CLOY executes them all so well, regardless. Some lines were really memorable and stuck with me- There was a specific internal monologue scene where the writing, directing and OST was so perfect, I was struck in awe. This drama really isn't about surprising you with a jaw-dropping plot twist, but more about just enjoying the relationship between the characters and all of the action. Speaking of action, the fight scenes in this drama...fell short. They were exciting, but from the camera angles, you can see clear misses which was pretty funny because people just dropped. On the upside, comedy was always on-point. Specifically, the North Korea Soldiers were super fun to watch and they stole every scene they were in. Really loved all the comedic scenes and they were a great respite from the heavy, emotional scenes.
Acting: For the most part, I enjoyed the acting. Chemistry between the main and side couples were off the charts and I enjoyed both of them equally. However, there were also times when the acting fell short for me. Sometimes I felt that exchanges between the main couple were a little too awkward and Son Ye-Jin (who did a fantastic job) couldn't bring out the emotion on her end so it just felt forced, which prevented me from connecting with her. However, I really liked Seo Ji Hye's acting for her character Seo Dan- a cold and serious, but secretly emotional character played amazingly well- the last episodes really brought out her acting ability. On a side note, I did enjoy all the side characters. Looking into the North Korean world and how the director portrayed the behavior of the North Koreans was incredibly entertaining and unique.
Music/Soundtrack: Stacked and magnificent. Reminds me of how stacked Hotel Del Luna was. 10 CM, Yoon Mi Rae, Davichi, Baek Ye RIn, Sejeong, Crush, IU, etc. all with incredible songs. It's been a while since I've genuinely enjoyed every OST song from a Kdrama. My favorites were: Sejeong - All My Days, probably the most beautiful OST I have ever heard watching Kdrama; IU - I Give You My Heart, after 9 years the queen of korean music has released another official OST and it does not disappoint- another breathtaking song. Even the soft piano music and instrumentals in the background of scenes were perfectly fitting, drawing out the emotions behind the characters. All the songs work so perfectly with the drama, it's almost eerie.
This drama wasn't perfect, but I still enjoyed the heck out of it which really allows me to look past the flaws. I would recommend this drama to anyone looking for something new and refreshing but familiar. Even if you don't typically watch romcoms, give this drama a try- I think you'll enjoy it.
Favorite kdrama opening
The writing and plot were captivating. I'm not going to lie and say the writing was groundbreaking and the story was the best ever created, but it was a unique story that mixed in romance and comedy seamlessly well. Overall, the plot also flowed very well and pacing felt super smooth and unrushed from the first episode to the last episode. There are the expected cliche romcom scenes sprinkled throughout the drama, and the plot twists can be predictable at times, but CLOY executes them all so well, regardless. Some lines were really memorable and stuck with me- There was a specific internal monologue scene where the writing, directing and OST was so perfect, I was struck in awe. This drama really isn't about surprising you with a jaw-dropping plot twist, but more about just enjoying the relationship between the characters and all of the action. Speaking of action, the fight scenes in this drama...fell short. They were exciting, but from the camera angles, you can see clear misses which was pretty funny because people just dropped. On the upside, comedy was always on-point. Specifically, the North Korea Soldiers were super fun to watch and they stole every scene they were in. Really loved all the comedic scenes and they were a great respite from the heavy, emotional scenes.
Acting: For the most part, I enjoyed the acting. Chemistry between the main and side couples were off the charts and I enjoyed both of them equally. However, there were also times when the acting fell short for me. Sometimes I felt that exchanges between the main couple were a little too awkward and Son Ye-Jin (who did a fantastic job) couldn't bring out the emotion on her end so it just felt forced, which prevented me from connecting with her. However, I really liked Seo Ji Hye's acting for her character Seo Dan- a cold and serious, but secretly emotional character played amazingly well- the last episodes really brought out her acting ability. On a side note, I did enjoy all the side characters. Looking into the North Korean world and how the director portrayed the behavior of the North Koreans was incredibly entertaining and unique.
Music/Soundtrack: Stacked and magnificent. Reminds me of how stacked Hotel Del Luna was. 10 CM, Yoon Mi Rae, Davichi, Baek Ye RIn, Sejeong, Crush, IU, etc. all with incredible songs. It's been a while since I've genuinely enjoyed every OST song from a Kdrama. My favorites were: Sejeong - All My Days, probably the most beautiful OST I have ever heard watching Kdrama; IU - I Give You My Heart, after 9 years the queen of korean music has released another official OST and it does not disappoint- another breathtaking song. Even the soft piano music and instrumentals in the background of scenes were perfectly fitting, drawing out the emotions behind the characters. All the songs work so perfectly with the drama, it's almost eerie.
This drama wasn't perfect, but I still enjoyed the heck out of it which really allows me to look past the flaws. I would recommend this drama to anyone looking for something new and refreshing but familiar. Even if you don't typically watch romcoms, give this drama a try- I think you'll enjoy it.
Favorite kdrama opening
Was this review helpful to you?
