I have noticed how this drama is not received well with a lot of people. I can understand why. It's got to be one of the most depressing dramas ever. 'Missing You' falls in more of a makjang-tastic melodrama genre which could have gone wrong. For me, of course, this drama worked very well. I loved the whole plot and enjoyed every character in it.
I am usually critical of tragedy being used as a cheap means to get the plot moving. Often, including tragedy is seen as convenient for Kdrama writers when they want to create the 'shock effect' in the viewer. What sets this drama apart from so many others is how tragedy is used as a base here instead of some random, bang-up scenario. It makes room for rest of the plot to build up, leaving scope for a lot of plot development and some amazing character development- which is commendable.
The sad parts of the drama are so wonderfully done (especially the childhood parts) that they will remain in my memory for a long time. They are touching and were successful in moving me. Even the sub-plots are very interesting, including the romance.
I loved how even though a lot of bad stuff happened to its characters, they were able to bear with it. That shows us how there's hope even in the darkest of the times. Okay, I know I am making it sound like some sadistic, boring drama but it is not. It is both beautiful and poignant in many ways. It had a nice pacing and many interesting sides to it.
The cast gave stellar performances. I believe this was Yoon Eun Hye and Park Youchun's best role till date. Although I am not the biggest fan of Youchun's acting, he impressed me here. His chemistry with Yoon Eun Hye was very good and believable to me. Apart from that the child actors were TERRIFIC- especially Kim So Hyun. When she suffered, I got the goosebumps. It was that great! Kudos to the director for making it seem so real.
The OST of this drama is terrific. I recommend every one to listen to it.
Overall, this drama is a whole package with a memorable cast, a touching story, lots of tears, lots of love and a solid soundtrack. Though it doesn't have a very high rewatch value, I won't mind rewatching my favourite scenes between the main leads.
Recommended to fans of melodramas and sad stories with good endings. :)
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That perfection lays heavily on all of the actors in it. There wasn't a single actor who wasn't phenomenal, the kid actors especially. And while I seriously worry about the hydration needs of the actors, their ability to have me crying right along with them every single time was just amazing. Even the supporting cast was superb, especially Jung Woo's partner/wife and Soo Yeon's mother. Her scenes were some of the most emotional and the actress deserves extreme props for pulling it off the way she did.
This story is definitely not all puppies and rainbows, it gets amazingly sad and intense and you will want to shake the characters back into their senses on more than one occasion. I wanted so much to hate Harry, especially after the incident with the can, but my heart just broke for him over and over again. As it did for so many of the other characters.
Your heart will feel like it's been put throug a wringer by the time you finish it, but it's an emotional roller coaster you seriously don't want to miss. And for all of the sadness and heartbreak, there is a lot of happy and cute moments. It's a group of people that you just want everything in the world to go right for them, but people and situations just keep getting in the way.
If you want something that will keep you on the edge of your seat and truly make you fall in love with fictional characters, then I definitely recommend you pick this one up ASAP. You won't regret it!
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This drama started magically, I mean it, when I watching the first 2 episodes I was weeping from the cuteness ad genius acting of the child actors. It will be very rude of me not to mention that I fell for Yeo JinGoo... totally and forever. That boy is not acting, he is actually living every damn second of his role. There are so many moments I would like to highlight in his acting, but this particular part I must write here: the part when we are shown the children holding each other's bloody hands and their faces were shown so scared and alarmed, and then suddenly the separation of hands... and JongWoo's face at the scene in front of his eyes... I was honestly hyperventilating from tears, as I couldn't take the beauty and genius acting, but at the same time the heaviness of the scene... one of the most memorable scenes in my dramalife.
As I discovered throughout this drama, I am not a fan of melodramas and get bored or long revenge stories, I, of course, kept coming back, as the acting, the set-up, the aura of the drama were dragging me in (tell me, if you were me, would you be so cold hearted and leave Yoochun and Yoo SeungHo hanging? you wouldn't, especially when they were doing a great job).
I must say Yoochun's JongWoo is a really great character, whom I came to love with all my heart. And the interesting fact I noted, that Yoochun had paid a lot of attention how Yoo JinGoo had played JongWoo, and was actually not creating an adult version, but continuing from where JinGoo had left JongWoo. And I really admire that fact, that made me love Yoochun more as a n actor. I must say this is his best role yet.
Can't say anything more than neutral about adult SooYeon, though I love-love-love Yoon EunHee, her SooYeon was boring to me, I saw strength in her only in the last episode for a couple of minutes, the other times, she was either supported either by Harry, or JongWoo... nothing like her child version who went after the boy she loved and got kidnapped with him.
I cannot also leave SeungHo's Harry. Though, of course, not my favourite character in the drama (duh), he did a splendid job! There was not a second I didn't believe his Harry, not a single tear, which went unnoticed, bravo~
The music was ok, nothing to scream about, I have downloaded only one song from the OST, which is rare for me, well, MBC can't create awesome OSTs every time...
About rewatch value... I'll come back, I think, BUT only for the first 3 episodes and the last part of the last episode... I am done with it.
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Please forgive my language when I say Park Yoochun is EFFING AWESOME.
He has now become one of my A list characters after watching this drama.
Now, back to the Review:
I was a bit... reluctant to watch Missing You, because of what people wrote about it: All that crying, crying for no reason, crying in every episode, crying just because the actors are crying- AND, me, I'm a girl who's easily moved to tears. When I listen to Hyun Bin singing "That Man" my eyes already get a bit watery..
But in spite of all the CRYING reviews and comments, my sister and I decided to bite the proverbial bullet and watch it, because 1. we enjoyed Park Yoochun's acting in Sungkyunkwan Scandal and 2. Yoon Eun Hye is one of my favourite actresses.
AND BOY was I pretty much impressed with the plot and storyline as well as the acting.
Missing You had all the qualities I look for in a drama- chemistry between the actors (the friendship between Han Jung Woo and Joo Jyung Mung was incredibly believable and kept me hooked), dialogue, intrigue, pace, and most of all cute moments.
I've yet to watch a drama that dealt with such a horrible horrible tragedy... and to have the young Han Jung Woo and Lee Soo Yeon make the relationship so believable, sweet and heartbreaking-a total total standing ovation to them.
I did cry a WHOLE lot in this drama (my sister didn't- but she's like a stone) but even my sister could see a reason for the tears.
I felt like I was living right along side these characters, and understood why one was strong, why the other was so weak, why another was so crazy... each episode was a step developing the characters and building up the relationship that I had with them.
What I really liked was the discovery of things. When I noticed something and said, "Joon Woo, please notice this now." it seemed like he did notice it now.
The drama didn't drag and wasn't too gloomy despite the seriousness of it. Yes, there were a few unnecessary scenes here and there, closer to the end, but those were incredibly rare.
I'm very glad I watched Missing You and would recommend it to anyone out there who wants good acting, good chemistry, a good storyline, good dialogue and a good cry. Add the sweet funny moments, which were like rays of sunshine in the drama and happened quite often (not just between the lead characters, but between the families and friends) and you have an almost perfect drama.
The reason why my rewatch value isn't that high is because I look ugly when I cry :p
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This drama had a really brilliant start. The conflicts were well-defined, the storyline seemed to have a clear direction, and the kids were so amazing. But somewhere along the way, the greatly established conflicts didn’t feel so great anymore, and the storyline seemed confused about which way it should go. Also, there were characters that could have been explored more. For example, what happened to Eun-joo exactly? Wasn’t she supposed to be the second female lead? The drama was so focused on the love triangle and the revenge when in fact; there were other interesting conflicts to deal with. On top of it all, the adults weren’t as amazing as the kids. I did enjoy watching the adults for a while, but as time went by, I suddenly lost the desire to watch this drama. I would have stopped watching if not for Yoo Seung Ho’s stellar acting. He is indeed one hell of an actor. Yoochun and Yoon Eun Hye are “good” actors, but they fail to deliver the heartfelt emotions I’m looking for when watching a drama. Only Yoo Seung Ho, and the kids were able to deliver these emotions and moved me with their performance.
I did enjoy the music which is a mix of overdramatic and lighthearted songs. There would only be two reasons for me to make myself suffer again by rewatching this drama, and I guess they’re pretty obvious: the kids, and Yoo Seung Ho.
As a fan of melodramas, I’m kind of disappointed by this one. They made a point right from the start that this is a melodrama, and a drama is not a melodrama without tears. But seriously, there has been too much tears in this drama that it felt like it’s just one big slog of tears. It’s trying so hard to make its viewers cry, which is annoying. In my opinion, a true melodrama can make its viewers cry even without showing off the tears, right? And so I’m giving this drama a score of 7: 5 for Yoo Seung Ho and 2 for the kids, because they were totally the gems of this show.
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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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Story: I actually think the writer had a solid plot. It’s a bit darker than what I expected but twisty stories are up my alley. The writer’s downfall is a slow moving plot. An episode count of 16 would have made for a fast paced plot. I loved the surprise ending!
Acting/Cast: Wow did Yoochun really impress! His character was my favorite in this drama and has made it in my top 5 favorite drama characters of all time. Yoon Eun Hye did not disappoint but the way her character was written didn’t sit well with me. Her character was too depressing and in the beginning really unlikable. Yoo Seung Ho was brilliant for being the youngest main actor, being able to keep up with the vets. As for the supporting they all did a great job.
Music: It was what you would expect from a melo but nothing memorable.
Rewatch: I would consider watching this again because of the ending and my love for Jung Woo, but not for a while because this drama was too depressing to watch.
Overall if you like melodramas with amazing acting and a good ending Id recommend this.
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You may think this story is you're everyday love story, but be warned, it isn't. You think you know what will happen in the end, but you will be slapped right in the face.
The acting was so skillfully and professionally done, i forgot i was watching a drama. I found myself so deeply attached to all the characters that if something bad happened to them, my chest would burn.
If you just watch the first 4 episodes, it's like a whole drama itself. It will tear every single cell in your body apart, from going crazy at the cuteness to dying at the horrific events.
If you start watching, make sure you have not one, but TWO boxes of tissues beside you!
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Not only is the story completely depressing, but it was also stretched out way longer than it should have been. What kept me watching till the end were the performances. The characters in this were great in their younger, and older versions. Yeo Jin Goo was particularly impressive, and was a strong act for Micky Yoochun to follow. Yoon Eun Hye is one of my favorites, so I knew she would give a great performance, although her character was a little dull. I liked Yoo Seung Ho playing such a sinister, yet sympathetic, role as well. I think the only appeal of this drama is in the complicated characters. The overall writing, however, left much to be desired.
From the very beginning, this drama sets itself up as a tearjerking melodrama, with very few lighthearted moments. Of course the story is a romantic one, but the romance is bittersweet.
Once the characters are adults, the story switches to more of a revenge thriller. All the focus is suddenly put on finding who committed what crime/murder, and making them pay. Again, the romance is still part of a story, but it remains bittersweet, and now incorporates a standard love triangle. As much as I liked the 3 main characters, I was bored with their triangle, and thought it was way too predictable. Of course it's obvious who will end up with who, and watching the third wheel whine about it episode after episode was annoying. Both male leads sure knew how to obsess over a woman... geez!
Even the thriller elements became boring. All the evil actions of the characters are revealed early on, so many of the episodes are spent watching characters find out what is already known to the audience. This got very old, very quickly. Instead of having that eagerness to watch the next episode, I felt like I had to force myself to finish many of the later episodes, hoping that something new & exciting would happen. It never did.
I did like how the last episode wrapped everything up, if only it ended at least 5 episodes earlier, then perhaps my review would be a little better. Many dramas become repetitive towards the end, but this one was unbearably so.
I won't be rewatching this, and I can't recommend it, yet I can't bring myself to call it bad either. If you are a fan of the cast, and don't mind a slow/predictable plot, then maybe you'll be entertained enough, and these 21 episodes will be worth sitting through.
As for me, If I knew then what I knew now, I would have chosen to miss missing you.
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When I think about the story itself, it is actually not that bad, it has potential, but somehow the execution of it misses that uphm! that is needed. It is definitely a tearjerker, but if there is something like 'too much of the good thing' then that might be it in this case. There is a LOT of crying in this drama, even for a melodrama.
All though the drama for me started off really good, it just went downhill, the more episodes that aired. The first episodes are really well played out by the child actors, and to be honest for me in some ways, they out shined their seniors. Especially, Yeo Jin Goo impressed me with his version of younger Jung Woo. I really am going to look forward to his progress in the acting industry.
Regarding the first part of my assumed dream-paring.
I must say that Yoochun does definitely not disappoint in this drama with his acting. I really like his portrayal of Jung Woo, but unfortunally I miss some chemistry between him and Eun Hye.
When it comes to Eun Hye, who happens to be one of my favorite actresses, I can not help but feel a bit disappointed... I did not feel excited about her acting at all in this drama. Not happy to admit that, being her fan, but hopefully she can come back strong in her next drama.
The music in this drama, some of it was good, some bad, nothing outstanding. My favorite song was probably 'Reminds Me of You' with Byul and Shorry.
Obviously, this drama really has no rewatch value to me, except for maybe the first 3-4 episodes. But, overall I think it is still an okay drama. However it is also still a drama that does not make me the least bit excited.
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Pff, Missing you made me really sad, not because of the melodrama, or the plot, or the acting, or the situations, but because of what this drama COULD have been, and what it was in the end... If you want me to describe this drama in 1 word, that would definately be: DISSAPOINTING!STORY
The description of the show tries to get you in the mood of the plot without spoiling anything, i won't try to make it more accurate in fear of spoiling something. Firstly, the drama's main concept is revenge, and how noone should live his life trying to take revenge. The 2nd lesson i got was that people shouldn't just care for money that much, money destroys you, money is just a means to an end and nothing more, it shouldn't be your life's goal. Apart from these, the show adresses other everyday social issues, like domestic abuse, bullying at school among other things, but (spoiler ahead) most importantly, rape. This issue gets explored several times during the show. These notions are basically one of the best (if not the best) things that this show has to offer.
Talking about the plot, the base idea/plot/story is amazing in every way, the writers had an amazing idea in their heads, but they never made it work, it never worked out, they never thought it through, so we got a very, VERY bad development. I am gonna start by saying the first 4 episodes are flashbacks basically, they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Words aren't enough, one of the best things i have seen, ever, in kdramas, it is very obvious that the show will have a difficult time living up to THESE expectations. After episode 5 we go to the future to see what our characters are doing today, and thats when the story gets bad a little by little. The writers tried to keep up the drama and they succeeded for merely 3-4 episodes, but it wasn't possible after that....
The main problems i had with the show are just 2:
Problem 1: TOO MUCH CRYING. I understand this is a melodrama, and i understand the actors are expected to cry. But, give me some reasons to cry for them. I feel for the characters, i understand what they have gone through, i get their problems, their thoughts, everything. BUT OH GAWD, PUHLEASE, LETS CONTINUE THE STORY! The actors were literally forced to cry in every episode, the lead actress had red eyes constantly, it started being ridiculous at some point. I swear to god, they must had a problem with dehydration!
Problem 2: The show focuses too much on the love story hence there isn't enough time for the backround story to develop. Don't get me wrong, i loved the couple, i shiped them since moment 1, i felt for them, i cried for them; but, at some point, their love became the same repetitive shit over and over again. Enough is enough. They could have resolved everything that needed to be resolved faster, or at least, at the same time as the backround story develops.
Overall, the show spends too much time on the love story, and at first you bare with it, then it gets boring, then it gets dragged, then it gets ridiculous, and at some point you will get angry, and in the end when the show tries to wrap up but leaves like 10 plot holes you will be furious for the 21 hours of your life you spent watching it. I've watched dramas that wrap up everything, even characters that noone cared about in 16 episodes, and they had 21 and they couldn't make it? COME ON! This is just lazy writing. The main mystery/backstory doesn't even get explained, like it didn't matter. The reason that all this happened, never gets explored, not to mention that towards the end they introduce such stupid new things while not adressing the older ones.
All in all, the writers had an idea in their minds, but they lost it on the way, i guess. The show had a direction a reason and an end game that was obvious from the beginning, but towards the end they stray away from their end game, they change everything for no reason, and you just feel betrayed. Dissapointment in the one word that can describe my feeling right at this moment.
ACTING
Best part of the show. Amazing acting from pretty much everyone, including the supporting cast.
Firstly, i seriously need to congratulate the kid actors. They were better than the grown actors to be honest!
Kim So Hyun, i read she won a best young actress award for her role here, yes she deserved it 100%. She was flawless, amazing, charismatic, dramatic, pretty, sentimental, emotional. Flawless in every way, girl you got a bright future! A revealation of an actress!
Yeo Jin Goo. He was extremely good as well, especially when he was playing opposed to KSH, he kept up well with her, amazing acting.
As for the grown actors, Park Yoo Chun was amazing, he was loveable, cute, nice, polite, kind, and tough when he needed to be. I really liked all his emotional scenes, they were touching, he was great in every way, especially when you think he is originally an idol.
Yoo Seung Ho, even if i didn't like his character, his acting was no joke, best actor out of the main cast. He was literally scary. He was twisted, and at the same time, in need of love, he was scary and at the same time kindhearted, h was everything. His acting was amazing and he was like 19 here. Another young actor with a great future.
The only reason i didn't give the acting part a 10 was because of Yoon Eun Hye's acting. I mean yes, she was ok, but for a leading lady, and especially after Kim So Hyun and her flawless acting, YEH couldn't possibly fill in those shoes. The kid was flawless and emotional in ways YEH wasn't.
RECOMMEND/REWATCH
Guys, i never thought i'd say that, but no, avoid this drama, it is a tear-jerker, and not a good one. As i said the show forces you to cry for the same things over and over again. Plus it focuses too much on the love story it loses its way, and all these combined with the plot holes and unexplained plot lines and backstory at the end, make this a huge no.
I won't rewatch it, ever, but i'd definately rewatch the first 4 episodes because they were mind blowing.
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