1
manicmuse
NYC!
Heart to Heart is a refreshingly unique RomCom that I didn't expect to like as much as I did. It was after completing it that I found out it is from the same director and writer who made "Coffee Prince", one of my favorite dramas EVER, which makes total sense. Like "Coffee Prince", this drama deals with mature relationships, and I love how they both show how complicated, messy, unpredictable, and unclear relationships can be. I think most of us can relate to that! So don't expect 16 episodes of attraction and awkwardness building up to a backhug, it's not that type of romance. However, there are plenty of cute moments thanks to Chun Jung Myung and Choi Kang Hee.
Cha Hong Do and Ko Yi Seok’s chemistry was so unexpected that my jaw literally dropped. I started watching assuming I knew how the story would go… Awkward “unattractive” girl with issues and obnoxious rich guy with family drama… so many KDramas follow this storyline, but this one deviates from what’s expected. I hated their dynamic in the beginning, but by episode 4 everything completely changed! Chun Jung Myung and Choi Kang Hee were so good together that their relationship felt real, and I couldn’t stop myself from watching them. I remember liking Choi Kang Hee in “Protect the Boss”, and some of that no nonsense attitude showed up sometimes in this drama too. I remember Chun Jung Myung from “What’s up Fox”, and even though that was made almost 10 years ago, he had the same unexpected sexiness mixed with cuteness which makes him a perfect KDrama romantic lead. They may not look the part of an epic kdramaland couple, but his babyface adorableness, and her uniqueness, completely won me over, and was seriously steamy. If you’re still looking for eye candy, Lee Jae Yoon fills that role very well, even with the dumb hair. I’m still missing his character from “I Have a Lover”, so I was happy to see him in something else, with a much more significant role (I will be stalking… I mean watching his other dramas for sure). He’s equally charming too, which makes for an awesomely complicated love triangle… which turns into an odd love pentagon at one point, but that speaks to the uniqueness of this drama.
I give a definite 10 rating for the main actors, and for all of the supporting actors, except one. Yi Seok’s father is bad, like really bad. So bad I have to write it in the review, even though he is barely in any scenes. So bad I had to take half a point away. I really liked Detective Yang, and thought Chairman Grandpa was great. The person who I literally thought was useless until the later episodes was So Hee. I know she’s an idol, and I think she did a good job, but she was still annoying. She kept behaving in a way that I guess was supposed to be cute, and I didn’t find her, or it, cute at all. She also seemed extremely childish, so it was hard for me to take her in a relationship seriously, especially not a real relationship with Detective Eye Candy. The show is written so well that even she started to grow on me, and I eventually stopped thinking of her character as useless. That’s another thing I loved about this drama. There were really no throwaway/filler moments or characters.
I really do have to applaud the writer and director. I loved that each episode starts with what will happen later in the episode, which instantly won my automatic interest from the very beginning. I loved sometimes seeing things from the character’s point of view. They were able to incorporate a lot of cool storytelling styles without being too gimmicky. I also loved how they approached the theme of Love, what it is, what it can endure, and with characters really being honest about how they feel (which isn’t always good). I can’t really say anything bad about the story, only that it switches genres, almost completely, about halfway through. Suddenly it goes from RomCom to Family Melodrama, and although it makes sense to the story, it is still a different tone than the beginning, which some viewers may not like. The family drama was not my favorite part, but it did bring depth to the characters that I liked a lot.
About the music, the soundtrack is as quirky as the show. I liked some songs, and hated others, but every song matched the story well, even the ringtones!
Is “Heart to Heart” rewatchable? Definitely! I finished the last episode and immediately started to rewatch episodes 4 & 5. I know I will watch this all again at some point, and I can even endure the less interesting parts, because they still add to the overall story.
This drama definitely won my heart over completely. Whenever I thought I could predict which drama cliché would be used next, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s also refreshing to see unconditional love stories, where flaws aren’t deal breakers (I’ll give just one spoiler - There is no amazing make over, which also made me happy). I definitely recommend this drama, and I recommend watching it with an open mind. You have to ignore things like therapist ethics violations, police brutality, identity fraud, and of course stalking, and just embrace the knowledge that some things are ok in Kdramaland. I also recommend waiting until episode 4 before deciding to drop it, because the first few episodes are not a good gauge for how the rest of the show will be. It’s also binge-watch friendly (It took me 3 days to complete). By the end of the last episode I was completely satisfied, and inspired by love and all it’s possibilities.
Cha Hong Do and Ko Yi Seok’s chemistry was so unexpected that my jaw literally dropped. I started watching assuming I knew how the story would go… Awkward “unattractive” girl with issues and obnoxious rich guy with family drama… so many KDramas follow this storyline, but this one deviates from what’s expected. I hated their dynamic in the beginning, but by episode 4 everything completely changed! Chun Jung Myung and Choi Kang Hee were so good together that their relationship felt real, and I couldn’t stop myself from watching them. I remember liking Choi Kang Hee in “Protect the Boss”, and some of that no nonsense attitude showed up sometimes in this drama too. I remember Chun Jung Myung from “What’s up Fox”, and even though that was made almost 10 years ago, he had the same unexpected sexiness mixed with cuteness which makes him a perfect KDrama romantic lead. They may not look the part of an epic kdramaland couple, but his babyface adorableness, and her uniqueness, completely won me over, and was seriously steamy. If you’re still looking for eye candy, Lee Jae Yoon fills that role very well, even with the dumb hair. I’m still missing his character from “I Have a Lover”, so I was happy to see him in something else, with a much more significant role (I will be stalking… I mean watching his other dramas for sure). He’s equally charming too, which makes for an awesomely complicated love triangle… which turns into an odd love pentagon at one point, but that speaks to the uniqueness of this drama.
I give a definite 10 rating for the main actors, and for all of the supporting actors, except one. Yi Seok’s father is bad, like really bad. So bad I have to write it in the review, even though he is barely in any scenes. So bad I had to take half a point away. I really liked Detective Yang, and thought Chairman Grandpa was great. The person who I literally thought was useless until the later episodes was So Hee. I know she’s an idol, and I think she did a good job, but she was still annoying. She kept behaving in a way that I guess was supposed to be cute, and I didn’t find her, or it, cute at all. She also seemed extremely childish, so it was hard for me to take her in a relationship seriously, especially not a real relationship with Detective Eye Candy. The show is written so well that even she started to grow on me, and I eventually stopped thinking of her character as useless. That’s another thing I loved about this drama. There were really no throwaway/filler moments or characters.
I really do have to applaud the writer and director. I loved that each episode starts with what will happen later in the episode, which instantly won my automatic interest from the very beginning. I loved sometimes seeing things from the character’s point of view. They were able to incorporate a lot of cool storytelling styles without being too gimmicky. I also loved how they approached the theme of Love, what it is, what it can endure, and with characters really being honest about how they feel (which isn’t always good). I can’t really say anything bad about the story, only that it switches genres, almost completely, about halfway through. Suddenly it goes from RomCom to Family Melodrama, and although it makes sense to the story, it is still a different tone than the beginning, which some viewers may not like. The family drama was not my favorite part, but it did bring depth to the characters that I liked a lot.
About the music, the soundtrack is as quirky as the show. I liked some songs, and hated others, but every song matched the story well, even the ringtones!
Is “Heart to Heart” rewatchable? Definitely! I finished the last episode and immediately started to rewatch episodes 4 & 5. I know I will watch this all again at some point, and I can even endure the less interesting parts, because they still add to the overall story.
This drama definitely won my heart over completely. Whenever I thought I could predict which drama cliché would be used next, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s also refreshing to see unconditional love stories, where flaws aren’t deal breakers (I’ll give just one spoiler - There is no amazing make over, which also made me happy). I definitely recommend this drama, and I recommend watching it with an open mind. You have to ignore things like therapist ethics violations, police brutality, identity fraud, and of course stalking, and just embrace the knowledge that some things are ok in Kdramaland. I also recommend waiting until episode 4 before deciding to drop it, because the first few episodes are not a good gauge for how the rest of the show will be. It’s also binge-watch friendly (It took me 3 days to complete). By the end of the last episode I was completely satisfied, and inspired by love and all it’s possibilities.
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