CJB56
Everywhere and no where
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Sungkyunkwan Scandal vs In a Class of Her Own
WARNING: This is going to be very long! I have posted the same review on both dramas.This review is mostly a comparison of the two. So, for people that have watched one or the other and wish to decide whether to watch the remake or the original, this may be helpful.
To begin with I would like to point out the differences in how I watched the dramas. I am Chinese and can understand the language a lot more than I can Korean (but I am not fluent, so I still need subs). I am also more familiar with the Chinese entertainment industry, therefore discovering In a Class of Her Own first. I watched that drama within about a week. However, with Sungkyunkwan Scandal it took months to complete, and I watched it at a much more staggered approach. The only reason I had retained the plot in my head was because I had watched In a Class of Her Own. This does not mean that I preferred the remake – it is just that I took different approaches to watching the versions.
The Quartet and the Korean or Chinese equivalent
Kim Yoon-Shik/Hee (Park Min Young) and Xue Wenbin/xi (Ju Jingyi)
Lee Sun-Joon (Park Yoo Chun) and Feng Chengjun (Song Weilong)
Moon Jae-Shin (Yoo Ah In) and Lei Zixin (Wang Ruichang)
Gu Yong-Ha (Song Joong Ki) and Yu Lexuan (Bi Wenjun)
For those who are interested in the drama…
Is the plot compelling or interesting? Which to choose?
The plot is not particularly out of the ordinary. Sungkyunkwan Scandal came out in 2010 and there have been plenty other stories before and after this, based on the tale of The Butterfly Lovers, that involve a female crossdressing as a man to join an all-male school. If you are looking for a political and romance drama, then I would recommend Sungkyunkwan Scandal. If you are looking for a more light-hearted, comedic drama that highlights friendship over romance, then In a Class of Her Own would be better. In both, it shows the bonds that people can make no matter the class. A huge positive of the dramas is the friendship between the main 4.
If you can’t decide whether you want to watch the remake after watching the original, then I’ll say that plotlines that were less developed in the 20 episodes of the original are almost all further explored in the remake. The Chinese version is almost like a fan service remake for Sungkyunkwan Scandal, simplifying the original plot and satisfying the fans by focusing on points that were less explored.
Characters:
Kim Yoon Hee and Xue Wenxi
I don’t have a big opinion on our female lead. She is a rather typical female lead who is independent and will do anything for those she loves. Kim Yoon Hee is more straightforward in her ambitons and goals as well as with her romantic feelings towards Lee Sun Joon, and I believe she is smarter, which made her have a bigger impression on me.
Does she look like a guy?
You may find this a weird query to have but you would be surprised as to how many people commented on this matter. I personally didn’t care whether she actually looked like a guy – sure I occasionally thought ‘It’s so obvious that she is a girl!’ but it didn’t bother my viewing of the dramas. I watched both dramas on Viki with the timed comments on and lots of people repeatedly pointed out the obliviousness of the guys on the fact that the female lead was clearly a girl. So, I will simply say: Park Min Young looked more convincing as a man than Ju Jingyi. This may be due to the difference in quality since one aired in 2010 and the other in 2020, or the costuming and the makeup. Ju Jingyi has very ‘feminine’ and ‘delicate’ features, she’s tiny and it doesn’t help that the three other leads are practically giants (she’s 1.59m and the actor playing Yu Lexuan is 1.87m). Another point would be that Ju Jingyi’s makeup was very obvious, her skin is naturally really pale, and they made her lips red with pink eyeshadow on her lids, which stood out a lot.
Lee Sun-Joon and Feng Chengjun
Sorry to lovers of our male lead but I found him to be quite a bland male lead in comparison to the supporting roles in both adaptations. In my opinion Lee Sun-Joon was more tolerable and appealing compared to Feng Chengjun. But the character overall is just not that interesting, purely for the fact that he is too perfect. Some may find that extremely appealing for a character, however I needed him to have a flaw which he didn’t. He’s good academically, he’s good at sports (archery), he’s nice, rich and can fight. In most dramas he would be the perfect second lead but, in this case, they tried to make the male lead have all the characteristics that people love of the second lead and not execute it well. Lee Sun-Joon had a few flaws which were slightly fleshed out, but Feng Chengjun had practically none. Both actors played the character the best they could. I personally preferred Park Yoo-Chun’s version over Song Weilong’s.
Moon Jae-Shin and Lei Zixin
Our second leads, who everyone roots for but unfortunately doesn’t get the girl. Both characters are similar in the versions. Lei Zixin is more aggressive than Moon Jae-shin and is far more hostile and protective over Wenxi than Jae-Shin was over Yoon-Hee. This is largely due to the more prominent role of second male lead that Zixin had. The bl aspects between him and Lexuan/Yong-Ha that were in the original were less obvious. In the Korean original, Moon Jae-Shin is secretly actually very smart whereas Lei Zixin is less intelligent in the Chinese remake. It’s as though most of his intelligence went to Yu Lexuan’s character in order to make Yu Lexuan a bigger character role. I would choose Yoo Ah-In’s Moon Jae-Shin over Wang Ruichang’s Lei Zixin.
Gu Yong-Ha and Yu Lexuan
They are the third male leads (???) if you can count them as that. I am biased over this character as Yu Lexuan was what introduced me to the Chinese adaptation, as he is played by NEXT’s Bi Wenjun. This character is probably my favourite out of the four leads. The two versions of the character are quite different. Gu Yong-Ha is more flirtatious and carefree- almost ditzy at times, whereas Yu Lexuan is mysterious, sly and intelligent. Yu Lexuan is a more developed character compared to Gu Yong Ha and has a larger role in the drama than the original. However, I can’t choose between the two on who I prefer. The character as whole was my favourite so if I had to choose between the amount of screen time, then Bi Wenjun’s Yu Lexuan had more than Song Joong-Ki’s Go Yong-Ha.
Differences in Plot – Things I liked and didn’t like:
How each of them found out she was a girl?
Before watching SS, I hadn’t considered that they would change the order of how they discover that she’s a girl in the remake. Different people discover who she is in different ways. A large factor for the change was because of the more significance Yu Lexuan had in the story in comparison to Go Yong Ha.
The first discovery was when Moon Jae-Shin sees Kim Yoon-Hee bathing in the shed. Go Yong Ha had directed her to bathe in the shed claiming that ‘no one went there’. This was a comedic scene since upon discovery Moon Jae-Shin did his best to try and prevent the other two from entering the shed whilst Kim Yoon-Hee was oblivious to the lengths he was going to prevent them from going in. This comedic scene was different in In a Class of Her Own, where Yu Lexuan is the one that catches her bathing. Lexuan too goes to lengths to prevent people from the academy from entering the shed during their ghost hunt. However, he also considers revealing that she is a girl to the student council president in order to save his reputation. Both end up helping the female lead from discovery behind the scenes.
The next discovery is when Lee Sun-Joon saves Kim Yoon Hee from drowning and as he is about to do CPR, he notices… the boobs. We have the two classic ways of discovering that your friend is actually a female, both involve seeing the other’s body rather than a direct and honest reveal. In the remake, it is Lei Zixin who does CPR on Xue Wenxi. I am not sure who’s I prefer in this incidence, since both suit the context of their own drama. Lee Sun-Joon was full on questioning his sexuality at that point and the relief he feels when he finds out she is a girl is like a weight lifted off his chest (bc homophobia). With Zixin he is coyer and doesn’t actually reveal to Wenxi that he knows that she is cross dressing which makes it comedic in the aspect that he has to keep her secret whilst trying to act normal and hiding it from everyone - even Lexuan who already knows.
The final discovery is not included in Sungkyunkwan Scandal. Go Yong-Ha is probably the first one to actually figure out that she is a girl but never explicitly says so, or is it shown when he finds out. He just provides a lot of hints and jokes whilst saying ‘I’m Gong Yong-Ha’. Feng Chengjun is the last one to find out the real identity of his ‘Bin-di’ in ‘In a Class of Her Own’. His was a rather cheap way to find out, it was like the writers had forgotten that the male lead hadn’t yet found out the true gender of the female lead and they just threw it in there. He finds out after overhearing the conversation between Wenxi and her kidnappers.
The reveal of Yu Lexuan and Go Yong-Ha’s background
This was a change in the remake that I preferred. Their background is generally the same they are both from non-wealthy families in comparison to the ideal for the scholars. The difference lies in how it was originally hidden. Go Yong-Ha’s family had been added to a minister’s family genealogy after they had gained land owned by his family. That way it was hidden from everyone. Yu Lexuan is from a poorer family which is excused when first discovered since Wenxi was also like that. However, he was also a child born out of wedlock which was not allowed in the school. How his background was hidden was actually through the School Council President Han Shengzi (Korean: Ha In Soo), who had known his background but helped him into the school and from there Lexuan would have to be in his debt. This I preferred because it not only explained Lexuan’s actions but also added depth to Han Shengzi.
The Han/ Ha family
This is my favourite change that In a class of her own made. Both the school council president, Han Shengzi and his sister, Han Shumin have their redemption. Han Shumin is much more independent and strong-willed after the rejection from Feng Chengjun, then Ha Hyo Eun. Although Shumin is still annoying at times, she still decided to study and tried to make herself a better person.
Han Shengzi was way more pitiful and less evil then, he was in Sungkyunkwan Scandal. As a school council president, he had more depth in terms of his friendship with the council members and Yu Lexuan. Also, there was an actual explanation on the relationship between him and the courtesan, Mu Xiaoman, which made his hatred for Wenxi more understandable.
Overall, I would say that both dramas have the flaws and their differences. The original is of course the original - it’s more serious whereas the remake is light-hearted and modernised. It depends on preference for which is better.
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Sungkyunkwan Scandal vs In a Class of Her Own
WARNING: This is going to be very long! I have posted the same review on both dramas.This review is mostly a comparison of the two. So, for people that have watched one or the other and wish to decide whether to watch the remake or the original, this may be helpful.
To begin with I would like to point out the differences in how I watched the dramas. I am Chinese and can understand the language a lot more than I can Korean (but I am not fluent, so I still need subs). I am also more familiar with the Chinese entertainment industry, therefore discovering In a Class of Her Own first. I watched that drama within about a week. However, with Sungkyunkwan Scandal it took months to complete, and I watched it at a much more staggered approach. The only reason I had retained the plot in my head was because I had watched In a Class of Her Own. This does not mean that I preferred the remake – it is just that I took different approaches to watching the versions.
The Quartet and the Korean or Chinese equivalent
Kim Yoon-Shik/Hee (Park Min Young) and Xue Wenbin/xi (Ju Jingyi)
Lee Sun-Joon (Park Yoo Chun) and Feng Chengjun (Song Weilong)
Moon Jae-Shin (Yoo Ah In) and Lei Zixin (Wang Ruichang)
Gu Yong-Ha (Song Joong Ki) and Yu Lexuan (Bi Wenjun)
For those who are interested in the drama…
Is the plot compelling or interesting? Which to choose?
The plot is not particularly out of the ordinary. Sungkyunkwan Scandal came out in 2010 and there have been plenty other stories before and after this, based on the tale of The Butterfly Lovers, that involve a female crossdressing as a man to join an all-male school. If you are looking for a political and romance drama, then I would recommend Sungkyunkwan Scandal. If you are looking for a more light-hearted, comedic drama that highlights friendship over romance, then In a Class of Her Own would be better. In both, it shows the bonds that people can make no matter the class. A huge positive of the dramas is the friendship between the main 4.
If you can’t decide whether you want to watch the remake after watching the original, then I’ll say that plotlines that were less developed in the 20 episodes of the original are almost all further explored in the remake. The Chinese version is almost like a fan service remake for Sungkyunkwan Scandal, simplifying the original plot and satisfying the fans by focusing on points that were less explored.
Characters:
Kim Yoon Hee and Xue Wenxi
I don’t have a big opinion on our female lead. She is a rather typical female lead who is independent and will do anything for those she loves. Kim Yoon Hee is more straightforward in her ambitons and goals as well as with her romantic feelings towards Lee Sun Joon, and I believe she is smarter, which made her have a bigger impression on me.
Does she look like a guy?
You may find this a weird query to have but you would be surprised as to how many people commented on this matter. I personally didn’t care whether she actually looked like a guy – sure I occasionally thought ‘It’s so obvious that she is a girl!’ but it didn’t bother my viewing of the dramas. I watched both dramas on Viki with the timed comments on and lots of people repeatedly pointed out the obliviousness of the guys on the fact that the female lead was clearly a girl. So, I will simply say: Park Min Young looked more convincing as a man than Ju Jingyi. This may be due to the difference in quality since one aired in 2010 and the other in 2020, or the costuming and the makeup. Ju Jingyi has very ‘feminine’ and ‘delicate’ features, she’s tiny and it doesn’t help that the three other leads are practically giants (she’s 1.59m and the actor playing Yu Lexuan is 1.87m). Another point would be that Ju Jingyi’s makeup was very obvious, her skin is naturally really pale, and they made her lips red with pink eyeshadow on her lids, which stood out a lot.
Lee Sun-Joon and Feng Chengjun
Sorry to lovers of our male lead but I found him to be quite a bland male lead in comparison to the supporting roles in both adaptations. In my opinion Lee Sun-Joon was more tolerable and appealing compared to Feng Chengjun. But the character overall is just not that interesting, purely for the fact that he is too perfect. Some may find that extremely appealing for a character, however I needed him to have a flaw which he didn’t. He’s good academically, he’s good at sports (archery), he’s nice, rich and can fight. In most dramas he would be the perfect second lead but, in this case, they tried to make the male lead have all the characteristics that people love of the second lead and not execute it well. Lee Sun-Joon had a few flaws which were slightly fleshed out, but Feng Chengjun had practically none. Both actors played the character the best they could. I personally preferred Park Yoo-Chun’s version over Song Weilong’s.
Moon Jae-Shin and Lei Zixin
Our second leads, who everyone roots for but unfortunately doesn’t get the girl. Both characters are similar in the versions. Lei Zixin is more aggressive than Moon Jae-shin and is far more hostile and protective over Wenxi than Jae-Shin was over Yoon-Hee. This is largely due to the more prominent role of second male lead that Zixin had. The bl aspects between him and Lexuan/Yong-Ha that were in the original were less obvious. In the Korean original, Moon Jae-Shin is secretly actually very smart whereas Lei Zixin is less intelligent in the Chinese remake. It’s as though most of his intelligence went to Yu Lexuan’s character in order to make Yu Lexuan a bigger character role. I would choose Yoo Ah-In’s Moon Jae-Shin over Wang Ruichang’s Lei Zixin.
Gu Yong-Ha and Yu Lexuan
They are the third male leads (???) if you can count them as that. I am biased over this character as Yu Lexuan was what introduced me to the Chinese adaptation, as he is played by NEXT’s Bi Wenjun. This character is probably my favourite out of the four leads. The two versions of the character are quite different. Gu Yong-Ha is more flirtatious and carefree- almost ditzy at times, whereas Yu Lexuan is mysterious, sly and intelligent. Yu Lexuan is a more developed character compared to Gu Yong Ha and has a larger role in the drama than the original. However, I can’t choose between the two on who I prefer. The character as whole was my favourite so if I had to choose between the amount of screen time, then Bi Wenjun’s Yu Lexuan had more than Song Joong-Ki’s Go Yong-Ha.
Differences in Plot – Things I liked and didn’t like:
How each of them found out she was a girl?
Before watching SS, I hadn’t considered that they would change the order of how they discover that she’s a girl in the remake. Different people discover who she is in different ways. A large factor for the change was because of the more significance Yu Lexuan had in the story in comparison to Go Yong Ha.
The first discovery was when Moon Jae-Shin sees Kim Yoon-Hee bathing in the shed. Go Yong Ha had directed her to bathe in the shed claiming that ‘no one went there’. This was a comedic scene since upon discovery Moon Jae-Shin did his best to try and prevent the other two from entering the shed whilst Kim Yoon-Hee was oblivious to the lengths he was going to prevent them from going in. This comedic scene was different in In a Class of Her Own, where Yu Lexuan is the one that catches her bathing. Lexuan too goes to lengths to prevent people from the academy from entering the shed during their ghost hunt. However, he also considers revealing that she is a girl to the student council president in order to save his reputation. Both end up helping the female lead from discovery behind the scenes.
The next discovery is when Lee Sun-Joon saves Kim Yoon Hee from drowning and as he is about to do CPR, he notices… the boobs. We have the two classic ways of discovering that your friend is actually a female, both involve seeing the other’s body rather than a direct and honest reveal. In the remake, it is Lei Zixin who does CPR on Xue Wenxi. I am not sure who’s I prefer in this incidence, since both suit the context of their own drama. Lee Sun-Joon was full on questioning his sexuality at that point and the relief he feels when he finds out she is a girl is like a weight lifted off his chest (bc homophobia). With Zixin he is coyer and doesn’t actually reveal to Wenxi that he knows that she is cross dressing which makes it comedic in the aspect that he has to keep her secret whilst trying to act normal and hiding it from everyone - even Lexuan who already knows.
The final discovery is not included in Sungkyunkwan Scandal. Go Yong-Ha is probably the first one to actually figure out that she is a girl but never explicitly says so, or is it shown when he finds out. He just provides a lot of hints and jokes whilst saying ‘I’m Gong Yong-Ha’. Feng Chengjun is the last one to find out the real identity of his ‘Bin-di’ in ‘In a Class of Her Own’. His was a rather cheap way to find out, it was like the writers had forgotten that the male lead hadn’t yet found out the true gender of the female lead and they just threw it in there. He finds out after overhearing the conversation between Wenxi and her kidnappers.
The reveal of Yu Lexuan and Go Yong-Ha’s background
This was a change in the remake that I preferred. Their background is generally the same they are both from non-wealthy families in comparison to the ideal for the scholars. The difference lies in how it was originally hidden. Go Yong-Ha’s family had been added to a minister’s family genealogy after they had gained land owned by his family. That way it was hidden from everyone. Yu Lexuan is from a poorer family which is excused when first discovered since Wenxi was also like that. However, he was also a child born out of wedlock which was not allowed in the school. How his background was hidden was actually through the School Council President Han Shengzi (Korean: Ha In Soo), who had known his background but helped him into the school and from there Lexuan would have to be in his debt. This I preferred because it not only explained Lexuan’s actions but also added depth to Han Shengzi.
The Han/ Ha family
This is my favourite change that In a class of her own made. Both the school council president, Han Shengzi and his sister, Han Shumin have their redemption. Han Shumin is much more independent and strong-willed after the rejection from Feng Chengjun, then Ha Hyo Eun. Although Shumin is still annoying at times, she still decided to study and tried to make herself a better person.
Han Shengzi was way more pitiful and less evil then, he was in Sungkyunkwan Scandal. As a school council president, he had more depth in terms of his friendship with the council members and Yu Lexuan. Also, there was an actual explanation on the relationship between him and the courtesan, Mu Xiaoman, which made his hatred for Wenxi more understandable.
Overall, I would say that both dramas have the flaws and their differences. The original is of course the original - it’s more serious whereas the remake is light-hearted and modernised. It depends on preference for which is better.
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To be honest I don't know why I have decided to write a review on this drama. It was by no means my favourite, yet I felt compelled to write it.Non Spoiler stuff...
Reasons I ended up watching this drama:
1. It's a historical K drama. I've recently been watching historical K dramas, (Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Tale of Nokdu, Rookie Historian)
2. Park Seo Joon - I watched him in 'What's wrong with Secretary Kim?' and heard good things about his general acting and wanted to see him in a different role.
3. Seo Ye Ji - I watched her in 'It's okay to not be okay' and she quickly rose to be one of my favourite actresses.
4. It's a good looking cast...
Reason you should watch:
1. Bromance and Friendships
2. Popular cast
3. It has good message of 'actions speak louder than words'
I gave Hwarang an 7.5 (more like a 7.3) , I probably would have given it something different, if I hadn't an idea of what a good historical drama should look like.
Spoilery (ish) stuff
Story
The story was the weakest part of the drama.
The pacing of the story at the end was rushed and wasn't completely satisfactory. The purpose of the Hwarang was to act as guards and to support King Jinheung. But in the end we barely got a glance of how the Hwarang would be put into play with the faceless King now on the throne. Nor did we see how Sam Maek Jong would do as King. Throughout the drama he talks of wanting to make a difference in Silla but that could have merely been words as we never got to see the better Silla.
Cast/ Acting
There is no denying that this drama has a star cast.
Most people that came to watch this show will have come for BTS V/ Taehyung (Hanseong) seeing as the comments are filled with him despite not being in the scene.
The best actors in the drama I would say were Park Hyung Shik (The King, Sam Maek-Jong, Second lead), Do Ji Han (Ban Ryu) and I guess, Park Seo Joon (Moo Myung , Male lead). Hyung Shik and Ji Han presented raw pain and emotions extremely well and Seo Joon demonstrated a good contrast between the awkwardness and innocence in terms of love compared to his anger and sadness.
Go Ara did alright. She wasn't the best actor in the drama, it may be due to my growing disinterest in her character that I didn't seem to click with her acting.
Romance/ Chemistry
The romance was a bigger aspect of the story than I thought it was going to be. Before going into the drama, I wasn't even aware that there would be a female lead. The romance was fine at the beginning because it built tension and brought the characters together, but after the reveal to Ah Ro that Moo Myung was not her brother I was put off by the romance. It might be that I am salty about the ending couple. But I am probably not the only one who thought that Ah Ro should have ended up with Sam Maek-Jong (Jidwi). In my personal opinion they had better romantic chemistry than the main couple. I felt that Ah Ro and Moo Myung would have been better with a sibling relationship.
The romance that was done perfectly was between Ban Ryu and Soo Yeon (Soo Ho's sister). The romance was sweet and opened doors into Ban Ryu's true character.
The bromance between the Hwarang was what gave the whole drama a boost in rating for me. I could tell that they all cared about each other. When Hanseong died, I started crying despite not having a huge attachment to the character, just because of all of their reactions.
Overall I would say that I'd rewatch this drama, but not all of it. I'd probably skim through the episodes or rewatch a specific episode for a scene that I enjoyed.
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Wow, there are very mixed opinions on this drama! Some would say this drama went absolutely no where and others would say that this was a beautiful and compelling story. I stand somewhere in between (despite my rating).Reasons I watched this drama:
1. It's story about the the entertainment industry
2. Park Bo Gum
3. The mixed reviews
Reason you should watch this drama:
1. A dive into family dynamics and relationships (grandfather-grandson, siblings, mother-son, father-son etc...)
2. To understand the struggles of the entertainment industry - on screen and behind the scenes
3. A message of keeping to morals and principles, despite the pressure from others
Reasons why people may have disliked this drama:
1. The ending
2. Slow pacing/ The lack of action
3. Unnecessary plotlines
Story
This drama isn't supposed to have a dramatic storyline. The key focus is supposed to be on the familial, romantic and platonic relationships that the characters have, and how entering the entertainment industry will effect them.
I wasn't fussed about the slow pacing of the story line.
Episodes 1-10 were enjoyable. They delved into Hye-Joon's and Jung-Ha's relationships, aspirations and principles well. I liked watching the struggles and the determination needed to reach their goal. I fell in love with the Grandpa and his dynamic with everyone.
One thing that I especially enjoyed was the looming enlistment time. Although I, myself, am a female and not from South-Korea, so I will never have to go through it; I learnt how difficult it was to choose when to join - to drop your career, to leave your family. It was an interesting process to watch.
Everything was smooth sailing with the occasional drama with Hye-Joon's ex and Hae-Hyo's growing jealousy.
However, I will admit that from ep 11 I began to skip through episodes. I lost interest in the continuous scandals and rumours. One scandal plotline would have be fine, particularly the Charlie incident, as it explored Korean society's views on people in the LGBTQ+ community. But back to back scandals were too much to take. The former manger was not an interesting antagonist, he was just boring, repetitive and annoying. And I have a hard time believing that a news reporter, who's job is to alter and obscure the complete truth to captivate readers/ viewers, would completely believe what one of their sources told them without considering that they may be lied to.
The plotline between Hae-Hyo and his mother was not the most interesting of plotlines, although it was necessary for a drama about the entertainment industry. I felt it would have been better if the audience was also kept in the dark about the fact that his mother was buying followers. Hae-Hyo was proud of his follower count, and if it were revealed later in the story to the audience that his follower count was fake or even when he found out himself, it would have been more gut wrenching. Because we found out so early on, I pitied him every time he talked about his success, or that one time when Hae-Hyo was chosen over Hye-Joon for a role because he had a higher number of fans - I just felt bad for him.
A plotline that was kind of glossed over, is the fact that Hae-Hyo's parents clearly were having some marriage issues. They don't communicate well with each other, they don't agree on the path for their children, they don't even sleep in the same bed. She even tries to suffocate him with a pillow while he's sleeping and it turns into a comedic scene. I felt that their plotline was there, just to prove that being rich wasn't perfect and to make you sympathise even more for Hae-Hyo.
Cast/ Acting
This was an anticipated drama for many, being the last drama of Park Bo Gum before he enlisted for his mandatory service. He most definitely didn't disappoint. His crying scenes felt so real and raw that I was half convinced that this was merely an opportunity to let out his emotions in a façade of acting. This is my second drama with Park Bo Gum; my first being 'Love in the Moonlight' (which I have yet to finish), and in both he played his character well. His ability to play a sweet, innocent guy, to an antagonist in the production that Hye-Joon was in, was mesmerising.
Although I have yet to see Parasite and Cinderella and the Four Knights, I know that Park So Dam was also highly anticipated in this drama. She has a very natural way of acting, like she isn't playing a character, but is actually Jung-Ha. She portrayed both an independent, strong willed character and a fan girl extremely well.
Romance/ Chemistry
At first I was sceptical when he confessed his feelings only 5 episodes into the show, because, as we all know, if the lead gets into a relationship particularly early into the drama the characters are either, not the ultimate couple (second lead), or they will break up with a whole lot of drama, then get back together before the end. Luckily, there were no issues. The romance wasn't explored too greatly and was by no means the main focus of the story, so it was sweet when they had scenes together.
The chemistry that they had was very natural, and they can banter and play off each other without having to force it.
There was an intention of a love triangle. But, I don't believe that Hae-Hyo ever stood a chance as Jung-Ha seemed completely loyal to Hye-Joon and even admitted to regretting calling him for help, when Hye-Joon was unavailable. The ex girlfriend wasn't pushy enough to be a part of a love triangle. She knew that she should back off quite early on and she was mostly introduced to cover up the rumours.
The chemistry that the Sa family had was perfect. Although I am not from a large family, I felt that the dynamic between them felt very familial and real. The relationships between mother and son, and grandfather and grandson, made me want to be a part of their family.
The Ending
Many did not like the ending. I however enjoyed it, only a few things irked me. We end with Hye-Joon and Jung-Ha breaking up and Hye-Joon and Hae-Hyo enlisting in the army. Which I am completely fine with. I felt that this shows that not everything will go as planned and life isn't as smooth sailing as in the dramas. I especially liked the line she says when they break up 'Promise me that you'll remember the time that we spent together', (that's roughly what it was since I don't have the drama in front of me). I felt that would have been a good closure to their relationship and the drama. Saying not only to Hye-Joon but also to the viewers, that although we watched a drama about their relationship, it doesn't mean that it was insignificant to their lives.
Then we have a two year time skip...
A time skip that I probably wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't literally filled the screen with the words TWO YEARS LATER. They continue as if they never left. We start with Jung-Ha who's driving to her next job. Then we see Hye-Joon being all successful; despite, not having a stable career before he left and we see him unpack his things. Had I looked away from the screen for a couple of minutes I would have thought that it was the same scene as when he was packing to leave.
I liked that the Grandpa's modelling career was going well and that he thanked his son, which made my eyes water. It was a given that Hye-Joon and Jung-Ha would meet up again or else viewers would be dissatisfied, but I felt that they should have just left of with them looking at each other and smiling (something like that) rather than a conversation that they had.
Overall I gave this drama an 8, which may seem high compared to the many negative points I made. However I did enjoy it for the most part, I was intrigued enough to not drop the drama and I did find myself pondering about it during school work. Was it the best of the best? No. Do I regrets spending my past couple of days watching it? No.
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