Can I just say, the chemistry between Ra Im and Joo Won was absolutely insane. Joo Won was a total jerk (and if you were hoping for a reformed bad boy by the end, you might not want to hold your breath!). Some of the things he said to her, if I were in her place, he'd have been missing a few teeth by the end of the show. All of that being said, Gil Ra Im completely holds her own against him, and it ends up being a lot of fun to watch them bicker.
I think this show made me cry the most times out of all of the dramas I have seen, and definitely laugh the most times. It knows how to burrow itself deep down and tug those heartstrings at the drop of a hat, so definitely be prepared with a box of tissues! If you are looking for a really, really good romance with a heavy dose of comedy thrown in, and some dramatic roadblocks thrown in the way of the couple along the way, then this is what you want to watch. Seriously. Go watch it right now!
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The first 10 episodes were amazing and I couldn't stop watching. They were funny, entertaining, dramatic and sad at the exact right time. The writing was incredible and I loved all of it.
The second half of the drama disappointed me a lot, though. The story started dragging and it felt like they could have easily put what was left of the plot into 5 episodes instead of 10. Things started to get repeated and the characters' actions frustrated me, episodes went by without much happening and I had to fight my way through them at times.
Still, I overall really liked the story. I think it was more a pace-problem than a story-problem.
The acting was phenomenal. The main actors did an amazing job acting two roles at once, everything seemed natural and I really felt like they were in character the whole time.
The characters themselves were interesting, entertaining and nice to watch. I liked the side characters, too. (Except for the second half of the drama where they got really, really clicheed.)
The music was nice and fitting, the scenes were beautiful and I'll definitely rewatch parts of this drama, too.
After watching the second half, I actually didn't want to rate this better than 8, but thinking back to the first half of the Drama I would've rated it a perfect 10, so combining them I'll just take the middle-way.
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Lopsided Love
Perhaps this was THE drama to watch back in 2010 but watching it now more than a decade later, I was much less entertained with this drama compared to Crash Landing On You.With CLOY, I could see and understand the budding romance between the leads although there were more reasons for the FL to fall in love with the ML.
With SG, it was clear to see that why the ML fell in love with the FL but I am struggling to understand how she fell in love with him when he constantly talked down to her and humiliated her.
The story was interesting in itself and the body swaps were well done. So I just had to keep ignoring the nagging feelings I had about “why does she love him?” in order to enjoy the drama. I’ve come to expect a little twist at the end of Korean dramas and this drama didn’t disappoint with its touching version.
Both leads acted well which kept me watching particularly the ML with his internal struggles of trying to figure out why he is attracted to the FL. The FL was a cool stuntwoman character and seeing her in action was very believable. Another plus point was seeing the ML looking so young after seeing his more mature self in CLOY. Definitely prefer him older with a squarer jawline. His younger self was the typical skinny pretty boy look which I am not keen on especially when he was wearing his designer track suits.
At times, I wished the FL would end up with Oska as he clearly treated her so much better all the time. But I knew it was wishful thinking since he is not the ML. Thankfully, it wasn’t written as a love triangle and Oska had his own love interest.
If you’re after a more balanced relationship in your romance drama, it’s best to look elsewhere.
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Must watch for body swap fans, the rest not so much
Aside from the few episodes dealing with the body swap, which are amazing and hilarious by the way, this show is really nothing special once it goes back to painfully average melodramatic romantic comedy stuff you've seen countless times before.But you've got a few episodes in there of Ha Ji-won playing an incredibly arrogant man in a woman's body and well, I don't regret checking it out. Also male lead Hyun Bin was excellent even though his character was a bit toxic.
Overall, it was kinda mediocre. You even had scenes changing colors midway through. That production quality!
Also a contender for worst action directing of all-time, the chase sequence in the first episode was truly nauseating (luckily it's about the only action sequence in the whole season so… not a big problem ultimately).
I think the most hilarious part was Ha Ji-Won being handed the script to Sector 7, a dreadful movie (in my opinion) she played in right after. But she looks cool in it wearing a tank-top, so I guess there's that.
Now I need to find more of this kind of stuff because I'd watch a whole show of just these body swap shenanigans. Any recommendations?
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Silly romantic body swap
I really don't know what to feel about Secret Garden. It is one of those iconic old dramas that you feel an obligation to watch if you want to understand the references and enjoy the wonderful soundtrack. For me, 16 episodes would have done nicely and overall made the story seem less dragging.From a comedic standpoint I did find this drama funny, but most times it was awkwardly silly if anything. I also did find that both leads had good chemistry together and they certainly carried this drama. Hyun Bin plays your stereotypical rude, rick guy that has kind of an idiotic flair, that makes him obnoxious yet funny at the same time. Ha Ji Won also plays the stereotypical stoic “strong female lead” that is actually physically strong, because that was the only way they knew how to portray strong women back then.
Plot-wise, there isn't much going on that makes this drama stand out from other romantic comedies aside from the body swap trope, which only served to prolong the push and pull between the leads without actually making for a compelling love story. Other than the fantasy aspect, it has exactly the same clichés and the same over-the-top situations as in other Korean romantic comedies.
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The acting is great of course by Hyun Bin and Ha Ji won. Excellent acting but it is not a cup of my tea.
Secret Garden, is on two side. The one who love it to death and those who feel it is such a meh.
But each to their own.
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Not to mention the house of Kim Joo Won (Hyun Bin)..OMG! I've been dreaming to have one. :D
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Secret Garden had almost all of those things. The actors were really, really good. And not only did they have chemistry, and some sexual tension (unlike many dramas I've watched), their characters actually develop fully. I was astonished. So far, all of the K-Dramas I've watched had next to no character development. This was different, and I was impressed by how much growth took place. I wanted to quit watching halfway through - that stubbornness that is inherent in what seems to be all Korean characters was getting very annoying. But I pulled through and am very glad I did.
As for the plot, it definitely wandered and had little focus. I was left wondering what the writers were aiming for. However, the love story is sweet and the end is worth the wait, I thought. There are even some very funny, sad and cute scenes that are unique to Secret Garden, which is something that can't be said for every drama.
Conclusion? I recommend you watch it! :)
One more note about this... The characters are in their 30's, which helped to keep the entire drama more mature and sensible than dramas I've watched about 20-somethings. Just a note! :)
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So I started watching it and I was very unsure with the first 2 episodes but I continued on and found myself getting pulled in.
You get attached to the characters and it really just becomes a fun show. Lots of funny moments and sad moments but I especially loved Oska for her personality, he always made things better throughout the whole show and he was always there to cheer Ra Im up with his silly smile and laugh.
Overall I reccomend this show to anyone, it wasn't the best Kdrama I've watched but it is definitely one of the top ones for me, great ending.
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Many scenes were set up and shot beautifully, very artfully done. Beautiful from a filmmaking perspective.
MDL should also have a category for wardrobe/costumes. As an American, I've watched some dramas and thought - what dorky clothes, is that what Koreans really wear? SeGa's characters all had cool/tasteful/lovely outfits befitting their personalities.
The story moved along well, not too slow for the most part. A few hackneyed plot twists, but a good story nonetheless. Just a few of the inconsistencies and plot holes I've come to expect in kdrama.
Overall a great story with a top notch cast. Well worth watching.
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