This is probably my first true melodrama and I must say it blew my mind! The entire production was excellent from start to finish and makes me want to hunt for me dramas of this calibre. I find a major problem with Korean Dramas is the tendency for the story to drag about midway, with too many filler episodes and zero story progression. Even some of my favourites are guilty of this, but Missing You manages to overcome this problem as every episode there are revelations or twists which advance both the story and the characters.
On that note, the story here is fantastic. Sure, it is fairly heavy, with betrayal, kidnapping, sexual abuse, gangsters and murder all featuring at one point or another but this is accompanied by many lighthearted moments, especially in the earlier episodes set in the past. The first four episodes were outstanding, and when the story moved on to the present it kept up for the entire 21 episodes.
This drama quite possibly has one of the best casts I have ever seen. Yeo Jin Goo and Kim So Hyun as the young Han Jung Woo and Lee Soo Yeon were perfect, maybe the best child actors at the moment? They were both innocent and cute, yet heartbreakingly tragic, and after episode 3 (if you've seen it, you know what I'm referring to) I was stunned at how well they acted some incredibly emotional and confronting scenes. Park Yoochun and Yoon Eue Hye as the adult Han Jung Woo and Lee Soo Yeon were also excellent, proving they can both do comedy as well as serious drama. Yoo Seung Ho, however, is the stand out here as he tackles the incredibly hard role of our anti-hero Kang Hyung Joon, a villain who we also pity and at times understand. I look forward to seeing him in other dramas from here on. The supporting cast should not be forgotten, they were all fantastic in their various roles.
The music played a large part in making this drama so effective. The main track, Tears Are Falling by Wax, is probably one of the best drama tracks I have heard and probably caused this viewer to cry more times than I'd happily admit. The score as well was fantastic.
So why do I give a rewatch value of 5 when I'm raving about this drama? It is heavy, and at times draining to watch, the constant sadness, especially earlier on is tough, and some episodes were spent watching through blurry eyes. This is a drama I probably will watch again eventually, but not anytime to soon, the recovery period is quite long.
Overall, however, this drama is fantastic in every way. The story, about lost love amidst a world of murder and scheming, is told beautifully through the actors, music, direction and cinematography. By the end we have been through a huge emotional rollercoaster, and although some may not like the ending, which is both uplifting and tragic, one can't deny this show has a lot going for it.
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