The plot of this drama was a bit...well let's just say it definitely wasn't the best. It didn't really have much depth, and a lot of things that were introduced the writers just never bothered delving into later on. Still, it was a single story kind of plot anyway. There were multiple obstacles that had to be overcome to reach the climax of the drama, but it was just that one event. Truthfully I think they could've done better with the fake musical. Even if it wasn't real, it should've at least made sense. They only showed like 3 minutes of it but I'm still thoroughly confused about 95% of it. It was still nice though, just a bit anti-climactic. I think the main thing that kept me watching is how utterly cheesy, cringeworthy (in a good way), and agitating this drama was. There were so so so SO many times when I found myself yelling at my phone or banging my head against the wall or punching my pillow because of how stupid or idiotic or frustrating the characters could sometimes be. Like just. WHY. Why would you do that. Do you need to go back to grade school. At any rate, you'll see what I mean. There were also warm fuzzy moments too, those extra cheesy lines or actions that make you what to scream and bite your lip and laugh maniacally? Yep, full of those. The love lines were pretty cute too, especially Joon Hee and Hee Joo, the most unlikely pair of 2011.
Oh dear the characters. Don't get me wrong, there was great acting in this drama. Yonghwa didn't disappoint, and Park Shin Hye was Park Shin Hye. It's just wow whichever writer wrote this drama needs to get strangled. Shin, the narcisstic prince, spends half the show pining after someone who obviously would never end up with him? Gyoo Won had pretty much no spine at all, and spent the entire time getting mad at Shin for no reason while he had to apologize every single time for something that wasn't even his fault. I don't think he's ever gotten genuinely mad at her once during their actual relationship. It's always been Gyoo Won making a ruckus over nothing. Not to mention, the both of them are so stupid and bipolar. I'd be spoiling if I gave reasons as to why they're stupid, but you'll see pretty soon once you start the drama. As for bipolar, well it's pretty much what it means. One moment Shin thinks this, the next he thinks this. One moment Gyoo Won says she hates Shin, 5 minutes later she smiles at him......OKAY. Are you planning to kill him with love? Cause it ain't gonna work. Lastly what you've all been waiting for, drumroll please......Park Shin Hye's kissing. Since I watched this drama after watching Pinocchio, I'll cut her some slack. She could actually kiss in that drama. Maybe she was tense and shy in her other dramas, but DANG that girl could not kiss. With a grand total of two (not) kisses in the drama, it was more like they were just brushing lips. I could stick a feather in between there seriously. And that deer in the headlights look for their first kiss? With both of their eyes open? Oh my god I had to look away. Seriously why would you open your eyes I do not understand. I mean her eyes were already big but when they were kissing (brushing lips) I could've sworn they were going to pop out. Just. Jesus. I mean I understand that Kdramas like to portray that innocent thing, but please director both of them are fully capable of a decent kiss, why are you torturing us like this seriously wtf.
The songs I really really really reaaaally loved. From You've Fallen For Me, to Because I Miss You, to Star, they're all perfect. I just love the OST for this. A definite A+ from me. Yonghwa's vocals are most definitely out of this world, so be prepared.
I will definitely re watch this many times before it gets too old for our time and turns into a grainy mess of pixels. It's a nice drama that really aggravates you and gets you involved, which I like. It's better than sitting there staring at a screen for 16+ hours with a blank look on your face hiding in your dark cramped closet right?
Overall, this drama was really refreshing. Although it wasn't the best ever, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Be prepared to yell and scream at the stupidity of all the characters, and cringe from cheesiness. If you'd like something that you can just watch lightly, without too much angsty stuff, give it a try. There will be crying though, but don't worry it'll pass. You'll most definitely LOVE the OST, so be prepared to sing along. ^.^ (And yes, I am watching it in 2015. You've gotta watch all the old ones so you can enjoy the new ones right?) Wow this was loooong, for the people who actually read through this, thank you and I hope you watch and enjoy the drama :)) Yonghwa, Shinhye fighting!
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I love the actors., their characters were not incredible original, but well done, the acting was good, and the story wasn't something I'd personally really watched before (I guess the closest would be Shut Up! Flower Boy Band?). I liked all these things and watched this obsessively for a bit this summer. However, I dropped it.
The reason for this was simply that I couldn't stand the villains. Usually the villainous characters are annoying or unpleasant, but I'm fine. These villains were just so endlessly conniving and I got so incredibly angry at the constant obstacles they posed to the main characters that I honestly couldn't stand another second and stopped watching in the middle of an episode.
Don't make this stop you from watching the drama; it's a really pleasant drama overall with a very nice cast and set of characters. Most people could probably deal with this better than I can. I just sympathize way too strongly with fictional characters and their problems make me physically uncomfortable. I'd still like to pick this back up some day, but considering I'm still so fired up such a long while later, I'll probably wait a bit longer.
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The first thing that I want to mention from the list of pros for this show is the fact that the two main leads enter into a relationship fairly early in the episodes. Which was an oddity, at least to me when I watched this show seeing as I’d only seen four dramas before Heartstrings. It was a breath of fresh air for me, I loved that the drama was about maintaining that relationship instead of fighting against having a relationship at all. They had to overcome a whole different slew of obstacles compared to the other dramas that I’d watched. I enjoyed that journey and thought it was very well done.
However, the chemistry between Shin Hye and Yong Hwa felt completely different than it did in You’re Beautiful. I’m not sure what it was, but it sure didn’t feel as passionate as it had in the previous drama. In You’re Beautiful they had some truly amazing interplay. You could see the connection between the characters and it really had me rooting for them, even though I knew already that I would be crushed since Yong Hwa was the second male lead. I just wish that the relationship didn’t feel as wooden in Heartstrings. For me there was definitely something missing.
The music for this drama was amazing. I had the songs stuck in my head for weeks even after I completed watching the drama. I’m sure it helped that the band members were actually playing their instruments. Not to mention Yong Hwa and Kang Min Hyuk are in CN Blue together. For me the music really stood out and I even bought the OST because I wanted to be able to listen to it whenever I wanted.
In my limited experience with drama-land the supporting cast has to really gel and standout on their own for a drama to work. The only two characters outside of the leads that really captured my heart was Min Hyuk’s portrayal of Yeo Joon Hee and Shin Hye’s grandfather. I cannot even properly convey how utterly adorable Joon Hee was throughout the entire show. I loved him, probably more than I liked Yong Hwa’s character. The grandfather cracked me up, he was hilarious. I also really enjoyed how he lived-breathed-ate traditional music and a traditional lifestyle. I found him wonderfully interesting. Beyond Joon Hee and the grandfather, the rest of the cast just didn’t really shine for me and that hurt the drama overall. I wanted to be pulling for the side stories, but more often than not I found myself plodding through all of that to get back to Joon Hee, the grandfather, or the two leads.
Towards the end of the drama I really felt that we finally got to see some character growth. For the majority of the show the characters were static in their maturity and personalities as they dealt with the obstacles which were put in their way. However, the last fifth of the series I enjoyed the way the story moved. Shin Hye’s character showed amazing maturity with how she handled the play and the drama surrounding being the lead actress. Both Yong Hwa and Shin Hye’s characters moved towards a natural progression of fulfilling their dreams. Even the supporting cast seemed to finally bloom and I enjoyed seeing how they evolved towards the end.
However, the ending of the show felt rushed. I’m not sure if it was cut down in the number of episodes, or that was how it was originally planned. But, things just felt a little choppy in the last two episodes. It made the character growth that had been occurring seem as if it weren’t important. I wish that they would have taken more time with the ending, perhaps another episode to have made it feel a little smoother.
Overall, I enjoyed the show. It was a feel good journey with some nice happy messages within it. I am glad that I watched it, but it just never quite captured me in the feels. Still it is a cute watch and a pretty story.
Noona's Rating
Overall: 7.6 (I rated this 4 stars on DramaFever.com)
Story/Writing: 8
Cast/Actors: 8
OST: 9
Sets/Costumes: 6
Feels: 7
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Another plus point was it's music. It's been over a year since I watched this drama and I'm still in love with the entire OST. 'Because I miss You' is like my favorite Korean dram OST of all time. These things kept me going and that's actually the reason I'm giving this drama a 7 instead of a 6 or a 5. Because of it's awesome star value and music. Those who look for nice content and intriguing storyline should skip this one.
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This drama isn't a - OMFG we have to kill the director for making this crap
Neither is it a - Omfg This is AMAZING and I am going to name my child 'heart strings'
At first it was really promising . It was good and I was interested half way through .
But some where at episode 8 - 9 I lost interest because it seemed like it was kind of lacking something .
I think the cast was alright and I don't think Park Shin Hye was a mess or anything it was her character she had to portray .
I LOVE Jung Yong Hwa . But in this drama I didn't really like his acting
Or maybe it's just his character .
But over all It was Alright .
Like I said Not jaw dropping
Nor Horrible .
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Anyway on to the actual drama. A lot of my MDL friends loved this drama while I found it pretty mediocre. Not that it's HORRIBLE, far from it. It's just that it's not something new. It's just a typical girl meets boy, boy is mean to girl, girl falls for bad boy, bad boy eventually falls for girl. The only thing unique about this drama is the OST. Which I adore! I'm a huge fan of CN Blue and I really enjoyed the indie/classical mix of this OST. I would rewatch this drama just for the OST alone and for Kang Min Hyuk who was absolutely ADORABLE!
All in all it was an entertaining watch I recommend this to anyone.
Happy Watching :)
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It had nothing great, but its simplicity is the best thing about this show.
Also, it was great to see the sweet moments between the leads and their growing attraction.
The music is very good.
Overall, a sweet and simple campus drama with adorable cast.
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The cast was one of the main reasons I continued to watch this show. I think Park Shin Hye is a great actor and it was nice to see her and Yong Hwa working together again. And the drummer from CNBlue, Kang Min Hyuk, as Joon Hee was cute (: The rest of the acting was well done, too.
The music was the other main reason for my continuing of the show. I loved all the songs and there wasn't a single one I disliked.
My rewatch value for this show is low because it didn't interest me as much as other shows have.
Overall: If I hadn't been watching it as it was airing I dunno how much difference it would've made. Maybe I'd have liked it a little more or maybe I'd be feeling glad it's over, the way I feel now that it's done. I gave this drama a 7 overall because of the cast and the music. I would say if you don't have anything else to watch I'd recommend watching this show, but it wasn't anything special to me
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Despite the slightly pallid storyline, the cast played their characters in the best way they could. Lee Gyu Won (Park Shin Hye) was an endearing but not over-the-top female lead that I feel most girls could relate to. Lee Shin (Jung Yong Hwa) was the same way. Their chemistry is unmistakable. The supporting cast was also very good. I just feel that if the storyline had been a bit better, more of the supporting characters could be explored and they would seem less one-dimensional.
As for the music-- I can't get it out of my head. The song choices are great and the cast is very musically talented.
I would rewatch this drama simply for the cute moments. Sadly, though, I can't say that it pulled very hard on my heartstrings (excuse the pun; I couldn't help it). Sweet moments are made sweeter when a long and difficult conflict had come before them.
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I’m being harsh. But my point is that there are a lot of good dramas to dedicate your time to. Hell, there are even some bad ones that are so funny that they’re more worth your time than this!
Heartstrings presents itself as a “feel-good,” light-hearted romantic comedy. And within the first few episodes, it absolutely seems fun and cute! The two leads are very cute, the music is upbeat and catchy, and the settings are cool, hip and visually appealing. But the more you actually learn about the two leads and the storyline develops, the less appealing everything and everyone becomes and the drama takes a significant nosedive into mediocrity.
Park Shin Hye makes a series of obnoxious choices, making her character change from the cute yet naive “girl next door,” to a vapid, slightly idiotic doormat. Jung Yong Hwa is the typical popular guy that everyone in town loves and/or desires, but for no apparent reason other than being physically attractive. The man has the personality and charisma of an ice cube. He also spends much of his time walking around with a chip on his shoulder and being unkind to the people around him. Oooh, so attractive...But not really.
I also didn't care for the way the writers handled the issue of an eating disorder with one of the characters. It was casually referenced periodically, but the writers never took any responsibility or stance on the topic. That was pretty unacceptable to me considering the audience for this drama is primarily young women. Since they brought it up, they could have at least made an impactful statement on the issue, but alas.
And don’t get me wrong, not all dramas have to be profound, political, thought-provoking or mind-blowing. Some dramas are meant to be taken in like yummy junk food--fun and enjoyable in the moment, where you don’t need to think too deeply about the plotline. Guilty pleasures, if you will.
But even as a fun, junk-food drama, Heartstrings fails. I can’t think of anything worse than eating unsatisfying junk food. It’s already bad for you, and in the end, it doesn’t taste good either!
If you’re looking for a good “junk-food” genre drama, go with Mary Stayed Out All Night or Switch Girl. Those dramas succeed in their genre and won’t leave you pulling out a calculator to estimate how much time you wasted on them...Like I did watching Heartstrings... 22.5 hours...That’s almost an entire day...
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1it started out promising with a likeable cast and a fairly entertaining plot.i watched the first half with great enthusiasm.
some where around episode 7 or 8 it got very contrived, almost as if the writers just said "oh, screw it!"
on top of that i am OVER k-dramas where they take a perfectly attractive girl and through awful clothes and hair make her much less attractive. the female lead is a hot mess 90% of the time also, how did tha male lead walk? his pants were so tight i was amazed by his ability to breath in them, much less deliver lines with a straigh face.
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