Queen of Tears (2024)

QOT MY BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR.

“What soapy tragic trope will we put in?” writers: “ALL PLS” ☺️
I think my harsh criticism comes with how excited i was for this drama, and how much I truly enjoyed it at the beginning. I tuned in week after week, I was sure this was one would be drama of the year but wow was I wrong—

I’ll start with I loved THEM. I really do love Kim Soohyun as an actor and really watched for him. I was really impressed with KIm jiwon despite not liking her previous work.

The leads were amazing they were a real match made in heaven. I think if there’s something the directors did good is cast the people they casted. The leads had such an amazing chemistry, and I hope they win couple of the year because they truly deserve it.

I’ll start with this drama was falsely advertised as a rom-com but its full drama which starts to fall apart by ep 12. I feel like the writers room was a complete mess and i don’t know what happened. Memory loss ✅ car accidents while crossing the street✅, murdering step mother ✅ kidnapping and lying to the amnesiac✅, taking a bullet for the lead✅, almost getting killed MULTIPLE TIMES✅, falsely accused of murder ✅ Our hero saved fl in the past ✅, met as children✅ villains stole all the money✅ I know I am missing so many more but-

NAME A TROPE AND I CAN GUARANTEE THEY PUT IT IN.

I’t was excessive in my opinion to the point it became boring and extremely predictable. i have to be honest and admit that after episode 12 I hated this drama and skipped all the unnecessary banter of the villains, and other characters I did not care for. I can be honest and say that WE DID NOT NEED THAT MUCH TIME FOR THE AUNTIES RELATIONSHIP like who cares?. The mother getting forgiveness so easily was another down-head. I can say at the beginning despite her being a horrible mom i did not dislike her and found her character quite entertaining. But after her being forgiven so easily is when my dislike began.

I think the biggest character disappointment was the grandpa. WHO THE HELL SIGN CONTRACTS BASED ON VIBES LMAO. Prob the most unbelievable story line of them all. I feel the writers couldn’t pick between making him a silly little guy or a serious chaebol grandpa.

The character I enjoyed the most was Soocheol i honestly didn’t expect to like him as much as I did, and if there’s anything to take away is that HE WILL STEAL YOURT HEART WITH HIS PURE LOVE FOR HIS WIFE. I am soooooo in love with him and his character and I am excited to see him acting again hopefully as a lead this time.

I thought I wanted this drama to win drama of the year and now that I’m pretty sure it WILL win i am feeling quite upset.

The writers put every single trope out there, and forgot the most important one which is the leads rekindling their love in the country side and she get magically cured with the power of love. Who really cares about a power fight? I just wanted to see THEM but even them reconciling was surrounded by hurt and bad energy that it’s hard to even feel relieved by the end. Why was she acting so weird by the end? After crying so much for him to wake up? I get wanting to get to know each other but then we should’ve gotten all that an episode before the end.

The ending was beautiful it was nice to see her welcoming him into heaven but i say this with a snear on my face because in the end i ended up hating this drama n and eating up all the praises i gave it at the beginning of the drama.

I have a huge feeling this will become a fan favorite and I’m already dreading it being called a classic in a couple pf years.

Leia Mais

Eyecandy with lazy writing

This drama has everything BUT a good story line. I believe that people are so blinded by the good looking actors that they don't even think critically about the plot. Sure, the acting is perfect, the production, the visuals, the music... But when it comes to the story, it's messy, boring and repetitive.

The first half of the show is more about the push and pull relationship between the leads. He loves her, she loves him but they refuse to communicate like grown up adults and think that the other doesn't like them anymore and the love is over.

The middle part of the drama revolves around the female lead's sickness and how she and her husband come to terms with her being a terminally ill patient. But still, they don't talk about their feelings and think their relationship is doomed.

Then, the second half of the show becomes UNBEARABLE. It's basically a makjang with good looking actors. The bad mother and son steal the family's wealth. The bad guy is obsessed with the female lead and wants her all to himself while planning on killing her now ex husband. The story becomes so boring and repetitive that at some point I just wanted the female lead to finally die so that we can be over with everything. Also, of course the ending couldn't get any more unrealistic.

I honestly believe this is a highly overrated kdrama that is only popular because it had a lot of promotion on social media and one of the main actors is Kim Soo Hyun. All of the cast are talented actors but their good performance is not enough to save the lazy writing. Also, the screenwriter Park Ji Eun really needs to stop with the unrealistic happy endings. Why is she so afraid of sad but realistic endings? She's like: "I want a sad ending but not really. Also, the public wouldn't want a sad ending" (see "My Love from the Star", "Crash Landing on You", and now let's add "Queen of Tears" to the list).

Leia Mais

Un drama con muchos Clichés!

Este drama te llama la atención desde un principio por el elenco! Pero vaya sorpresa que me lleve , aunque aveces me gustaba otras veces no, empezando por la historia me gustó el tema del divorcio, las diferencias sociales etc pero como avanzada la historia lo sentí superficial, y nada reflexiva, aparte de varios Clichés como ser la perdida de memoria y otras circunstancias, no me gustó el tema nada realista con lo que se llevó su enfermedad de la protagonista, otro punto en contra fueron varios personajes detestables y la actitud de nuestra protagonista, su banda sonora me gustó bastante y las escenografías también, pero debo decir que para mí es un drama muy sobrevalorado.....

Leia Mais

The execution was all over the place!

The only saving grace for this drama is the phenomenal delivery by our leads and the OSTs.
These 2 reasons are why I picked this drama up after I dropped it after ep 13. I just had to see the end of it.

The love story between Haein and Hyunwoo is beautiful. I find it lacking in the overall execution just like the rest of the drama. Even though the feelings that we needed to see were beautifully conveyed by the acting of Ji Won and Soo Hyun, there were a lot of misses in the direction and writing.

The side plots weren't interesting enough for me tbh, I could have done without some of them. They needed to be properly developed and woven into the main story seamlessly!

The villains, Eun Sang and his mother didn't get the ending they deserved! It was rushed
I think giving Dahye and Grace redemption arcs was a poor decision. Not everybody needed to sing "Kumbayah"

I understand this is fiction, but some choices and decisions that Soo Cheol made were unrealistic and made zero sense. They were just written as part of "a great love story" that failed to hit the mark. It was plain idiocy!

The dramatic effects in this drama were more prioritised than making a great drama that made sense and followed a natural progression. It was just one bad decision after the other.

I could list everything wrong with this drama but frankly, I'm too disappointed and over everything that could have been better done in this drama.
The anticipation I felt for this drama from the moment the leads and main plot were announced was completely let down. If I were to rate it based on my disappointment, I would rate it a 5/10.

It's getting an overall 7.5/10 score because the acting from our leads needs to be praised and the OSTs were so beautiful!

And lastly, the hype this drama received is due to the acting of the main leads, and their unbelievable chemistry and because of that I can't in good conscience say the drama was totally overhyped.

Leia Mais

Doom at Your Tears

I must admit that beyond the commendable acting and the occasional heart-touching moments, the show failed to redeem itself from its mediocre scriptwriting. My lack of strong emotional investment in the unfolding events, compared to other viewers, was a clear sign that the show was on a downward trajectory from the start of its second half.

It's an interesting premise but needs way, way better execution. The acting was superb by both leads, but I can't say they saved the show; it wasn't that terrible either, yet the premise promised something above-average yet was subdued to cliches, underdeveloped characters, and unnecessary plot twists to hook the viewer still when, in fact, did the opposite. Due to its genre, we shouldn't expect an entirely logical story, but that isn't the problem that is pointed out. The problem is that I need help seeing where the writers wanted to make me feel for the characters. Still, I couldn't, as much as I wanted to, not being able to oversee where potential arcs and events could have impacted characterization properly and give depth and understanding to other characters and subplots when needed. However, that's just something I value. I was bored and uninterested in the secondary characters and their subplots. I wish the writer could have focused on the leads and navigating their marriage crisis, and I wonder what exciting commentary and unique character arcs could have at least developed.

Similar to a top review, Hae-in was a character that had potential with a given backstory and from the perspective of Hyun-woo, it made me even more interested, yet she was also wasted. Kim Jiwon did a great job playing her character, yet I still needed to be impressed with the scriptwriting...which was even more frustrating, especially for the cast. Hyun-woo, however, was a character who deserved better. Whether you think of what he had to experience in the latter half of the drama or the writing of his character, which is still annoying, I see myself leaning toward the latter. At first, I did not mind him being the guy who was up to save everyone else, which the writer wrote him to be, but unfortunately, she could not get the memo on what is best for character writing and development and how it dries out very fast. I do not need to say much about Soo-hyuns acting, either. When they delved more into how Hae-in (with her illness) made Hyun-woo want to care for her more, I found it something worth touching on to at least develop his character, but his motives were unclear. It was more complicated for me to be attached to his character when he fought so many demons in the last few episodes, and I was just sick of it.

Although his interactions were based on the writing of his character and his helping the families, many explanations regarding the secondary characters' actions (Hae-ins mom that still relates to the underdeveloped character of Hong Hae-in, Moh Seul-hee) were never explained to fuel Eunseongs power over the plot, for no reason whatsoever. It could have just stuck to being more slice-of-life and ending these sorts of conflicts in a better way, developing these characters properly through mature conversations rather than rushing it through and focusing on Eunseong (a rather dull villain) to make me feel sad enough so that I would automatically miss them enough again after a happy ending; very formulaic. I admit that the ending was beautiful enough. Still, its message did not reflect what the drama seemed to me by trying to be so much all at once, ending up as a makjang (commendable from the writer's efforts to kill the character's arcs that the potential was understandable enough, spelled in big, bold words in front of you, mind you... I wasn't even as invested, yet I was still disappointed because of what could have been when paired with such a golden cast).

By not being able to connect to the characters with barely passable arcs and romance (regardless of it being a romcom or a melodrama) that barely had crumbs with the already beautifully written epilogues and the more minor details in their relationship that weren't as impactful but worthy enough to see how they would end up, with most being unsatisfying or unresolved. It was a struggle.

The music was fine enough for me. I especially liked the intro track, but I don't know if I could find it anywhere. 10CM and Crush tracks were already in my head each week, saving me from the brain rot I have experienced from questioning actions and motives. The cinematography, although attractive, wasn't as unique to me.

I would not see any point in calling it overrated because it wouldn't be a word that would describe the amount of wasted potential Queen of Tears had, yet I appreciated it for the somewhat enjoyable moments and well-thought-out epilogues with great performances that can appeal to any viewer. I honestly have more things to comment on, but there are almost 200 reviews here and possibly a text limit I would not rather see myself end up at, as you can see from the length of the entire review. However, the narration and storytelling quality trajectory became just as predictable as the other dramas I have watched, which I am not always mad at. I still think it's worth a watch. It could have been a better watch, but it's not badly written. It tried to be something and could have improved exponentially. Still, alas, it falls hard to do messy scriptwriting with decent enough writing in the first half that built up enough potential with the actors' work but failed to become anything above an average watch overall.

Of course, this is just how I felt about it; nothing too biased from other people's responses but from what I saw on my screen; maybe some things didn't make enough sense to me to comprehend. And as much as it looked like I barely tolerated it, there were still redeeming elements to make it an okay one-time watch. Nothing too extraordinary, which is still fine for me.

One last comment: the ending for the main couple was great, and the acting and cinematography elevated it more for me, but it was not so much a great saving grace.

Leia Mais

Was It Worth It?

I was beyond excited to start this drama. It had an amazing cast lined up, the trailer looked interesting, and the synopsis sounded unique. But the only thing that held up well was the casting. Friends, our lead actor and actress are probably the only reason I finished this soapy and overly drawn out love story. KSH and KJW nailed every emotional and comedic scene. They had amazing chemstry and I would 100% LOVE to see them in a future drama together. The rest of the cast did the best they could with the material available to them, particularly Kwak Dong Yeon and Kim Jung Nan. The cinematography was also just wonderful with some amazing dreamy shots and beautiful locations.

It's the plot, the bloated cast of characters, and the overly long episode length that truly kept it from reaching its potential. It never quite knew what it wanted to be. Was it a romance? A makjang? A comedy? A satirical drama? A fantasy (considering some of the plot points were unrealistically tied into a bow by the end)? Some shows can effortlessly combine these various elements together, but this was not one of them. If this story had focused on one of these elements with half the characters and half the length, I think we would have something truly memorable. Because embedded in the sloppy plot are truly some beautiful and unique moments. I just wish we could have focused on those moments rather smashing them together with cliched plot points over and over again.

Was it worth it? In the end, it was worth it to me. I enjoyed watching this live and I adored the main leads. But if I were being honest with myself, I would have dropped this after the second episode if not for the main cast. I recommend people give this a shot, but be willing to drop it if it doesn't hold your interest after the first initial episodes. If you want to know how the love story goes, there are some amazing YouTube videos showing just their story.

Leia Mais

I wish more dramas were this riveting! Hate waiting for the new episodes... But I will.

When I first heard about the drama, I liked everything about it. The title, the description, the cast, so, I was looking forward to the drama. I knew that it would hold my interest from the first episode. A lot of spoilers down below, so avoid reading it if you don't like spoilers.

Based on the the 1 episode I have seen, I love it! I can't wait to see how this one unfolds. Its so good to see Kim Soo Hyun be so emotional in his role. Before this, all the characters he has portrayed were so stoic. The drunk scene was so adorable! The distance between the ML and FL just makes me curious as to what caused it? Can it even be bridged?

With what little information we have at hand, I currently don't mind if they get divorced. In fact, one of my most prominent thought throughout the first episode was, "I hope he gets a divorce." He was so damn stressed! I have seen and read countless stories where it is the submissive FL that marries into a family that thinks she is not good for their son. And the son won't even stand up to them or speak for her. Here, while she defends him behind his back, she still lets them talk to him that way as if he owes them.

The FL looks kind of unrecognizable in the wedding scene in the beginning. I kept questioning, was that even Kim Ji Won?

At the end of the episode 2, we could all see how relieved he was when she told him that she only had 3 months to live. We could all hear the gears in his head. So, no need to file for divorce anymore, just endure for 3 months. Just started 2nd episode, which only confirms his feelings. I'm honesty not surprised though, throughout the episode we can see how hard he is trying to control his happiness. One would think, that it is not possible to salvage this at all. So far, the FL seems a bit heartless, so I'm wondering what she can do to convince us that there is more to her.

Episode 3 started out pretty boring, but we do have two interesting developments, our SML (Yoon Eun Seong) might be harboring some serial killer fantasies. I think, Mo Seul Hee [Man Dae's girlfriend], is behind the boar attack. I might definitely be suspecting someone is innocent, but she seems pretty suspicious at this point. At least in this episode we get to see that FL does have some feelings for the ML, my favorite dialogue so far, "You'd be the biggest waste." Never thought this could be said in romantic context with such possessiveness. One thing I find a bit hilarious about the FL is that she is delusional about her illness, arguing with the doctors that she will experience a miracle.

Episode 4 did not disappoint. The FL kind of reminded me of the Lee Young-joon from What's wrong with secretary Kim and Min-Min from Strong Woman, with her over-the-top self-praising shenanigans. It was quite fun to watch. What I liked the most was the ending, it was the first time the ML displayed genuine feelings for the FL (Most of the time he just wants to run away, which actually seems like a good idea for him in this setting) With the memory loss angle, I wonder if the FL is going to be cured and then loose the memory of falling in love with him again and mistreat the guy in future.

Okay. After watching episode 5, I'm sure that she is going to die and make us cry. Since we have only seen the FLs horrible side with a dash of niceness here and there, it was hard to like her in the first 2-3 episodes. But since then, we get to see more and more of her struggles and while not completely a decent character, its easy to identify her coping mechanism. She dealt with everything alone when she should have relied on her partner. Loosing a child can be a terrible blow to the parents, so it is not uncommon that they lived separately since then, relying on their own. I am starting to like the FL somewhat and like the ML, its going to be a bitter ending. Also, can't believe we have such a interesting cameo: Sebastian Roche! I thought my eyes were playing trick on me, so I had to google and it was confirmed!

Ep 6: Damn, she found out. I get that she is hurt, but once I want her to put herself in his shoes and think about all he has been through to take that extreme measure. Also, what the hell is wrong with the Hong family, is everyone crooked, except for the weirdo aunt that I very much enjoy watching. She seems to be the only other person who cares about people in that family!

Ep 7 & 8: Okay, the drams is called queen of tears because it is making us all cry. One thing you have to say about the makers of the show, they gave us such great cameos! First we had Oh Jung Se, then Sebastian Roche, and now Vincenzo. Who are we going to see next? The Vincenzo arc was too short for my liking it just ended abruptly, at least Oh Jung Se got a decent arc. I finally have started liking the FL, more so because she accepted that the reason for divorce was her. Can't believe that we are only halfway through, I just want them to drop all the episodes right now.

Ep 9 & 10: Gotta love Hyun Woo's mom, she treats Hae In so well, which can be readily seen in front of her treatment from her poor excuse of a mother. She even calls him a scumbag, calling him out on his behavior when he found out that Hae In was going to die. The epilogues are so good. I see many people comparing this one to Uncontrollably Fond, but I disagree. Apart from the terminally ill lead there's not a lot in common so far. Hae In is a lot better than Joon Yeong who was abominable to Noh Eul for the majority of their relationship. The bad times between that couple were a lot more with only a handful of good times, that as we can see is not the case with our Royal Couple Of Tears. I like how we get to see little tidbits from their past, the epilogues are always appreciated. Okay, while I'm not a big fan of Eun Seong, it was easy to see his devastation when Hae In sold him out in front of the people. He did deserved it, after all, who told him to threaten the Queen? He found out that the woman he loves is going to die, so the best he could come up with was threatening her? What an idiot.

Ep 11 & 12: Okay so much happens in this episode. Everyone's reaction was as expected when they found out about Hae In's condition. I'm not a fan of her mom's so what she said still doesn't get her off the hook for me. I'm a bit upset about the amnesia trope, it is one trope that I never want to see again. So damn convenient to use but just doesn't make for a good story. Poor Hae In, the tumor is slowly taking away her abilities to recognize people. The last part of ep 11 was so heartbreaking. Glad, there was an epilogue featuring cute Hyun Woo. Ep 12 was a bit slow. I enjoyed the scenes with the leads and skipped most of the other scenes with Eun Seong and his mother. I didn't much like Soo Cheol in the beginning, but he has grown on me. While he may not seem like smartest of the bunch, he is so damn good to Da Hye and their child.

Ep 13: The part about the Baek asking for snow for rehearsal was a bit confusing why was he so excited? The later excitement I get that he found out about being Hae In's first love. That was great scene. With Eun Seong also living for Germany, it is clear that he plans to take advantage of Hae In's memory loss and might claim that he is her husband or boyfriend. We'll find out tomorrow.

Ep 14: Called it! It was such an obvious route to go with the writing. But you do feel for Eun Seong, despite his character traits, in any other drama he might have been the ML who ends up with the FL. Here, his love is just unrequited. Why does the poor bear, Soo Cheol, keeps suffering. I hope he lives happily and stops with all the blunders.

Ep 15 & 16: I didn't enjoy the final two episodes as much as the rest of the series. To me, it was all a bit over the top, but the with the way the story was set, it was bound to end up like that. I never really hated Eun Seong's character, the same couldn't be said for his mother. I was a bit surprised to hear that Hae In did clue in Baek about her family before they married. (I didn't' like how she treated him in the beginning) But I'm glad that they have rediscovered each other.

Leia Mais

Exceptional at First, Horrible in the Middle, Kind of Redeeming at the End

The final review-
This drama was a wild ride. I started my review halfway through and focused mainly on its strengths. Now that I've finished, I'll go back to discussing the overall strengths, and also include the weaknesses because there are some big ones.
Strengths-
The cast - The cast carried this drama, especially during parts that were poorly written. The ML and FL were perfect in their roles, seemed to have a good vibe and connection during the story that made their love for each other believable. It wouldn't surprise me to hear that these two actors enjoyed working together. I really loved the actors playing Soo Cheol and Da Hye and were my favorite secondary actors.

The production value - whether it was sets, lighting, film angles, costumes, or the soundtrack, the production value was high. There were many moments during the drama that were just beautifully filmed.

The storylines/writing - The main plot and subplots were good overall. I'll discuss where the writing went off the rails later, but in general the storyline was interesting and made for a good drama. While there were problems with the writing in certain episodes, the final episode brought everything to full circle and wrapped up all the storylines well. The ending showing Hyun Woo as an older man putting flowers on Hae In's grave was especially beautiful and touching. I like the final scene with Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won facing the camera with their heads together and smiling. I just thought that was one of the sweetest endings I've seen. It was so easy to like these two characters, and this was just a perfect way to have an ending with these two.

Weaknesses-
The storylines/writing - Episodes 12-15 were especially hard to watch. I really believe that this story didn't have enough to stretch it to 16 episodes. But in order to do that the writing became repetitive, unbelievable, and stupid. There is already a certain level of unbelievability built into the typical Kdrama love story, but this took it way, way too far. Real human beings would never do what some of the actors did, the actors had to be overly dramatic and over act in certain scenes that bordered on comical because the writing itself was so poor, scenes in slow motion that stretched out exhausting and frustrating the viewer. It was a chore to watch certain parts of this drama. You can read more about my impressions below.

I think a missed opportunity that would have tickled the viewing audience would have been if Hyun Woo woke up from his hospitalization, looked at Hye In and said, "Who are you?" Now that would have been priceless. Overall, the writing in the first episodes was good, then it was just horrible, but came back to better in the final episode to wrap up the story.

After 14 episodes-
I was going to wait until I watched the final episodes next week, but decided to add to the initial impressions. I'm in the middle of episode 14, and I have to say I'm getting frustrated and bored. After Man Dae's death (Hae In's grandfather) the storyline goes downhill. Really good subplots kept this story going, but at some point, some of the subplots wrapped up, others plodded along slowly, and others seemed to fizzle. Attention came back to the main plot, Hae In's brain tumors and her inevitable death unless she receives a surgery that will destroy her long term memory. Here is where Queen of Tears becomes stupid, and I have to say, the writer missed an opportunity to show the realities of a terminally ill patient when faced with hard options. Instead we get to see a really selfish Hae In who refuses to get the surgery even as her husband and family dissolve in grief and sadness in front of her. Nope, she doesn't care in the least. She only changes her mind when faced with other womens' interest in Hyun Woo. Really?? Jealousy is what motivated you?? What a supremely shallow, selfish and controlling take on wanting to fight a terminal illness to live. Hi Darling, I've decided to live, not because I love you and want a future with you, but because even if I can't remember you, I'll be damned if anyone else can have you!!! Hyun Woo run away!!! Run as far from this woman as you can get!!! This borders on controlling and possessive behavior, and I'm disappointed in the writing. Most likely it is due to trying to extend the story to 16 episodes when really it could have been finished by 12 episodes.

The fakeness of her terminal illness really bothers me too. In the beginning it wasn't as fake as she first found out how serious the diagnosis was, but it certainly got to the point of unbelievability. I've known people who have had cancer and tumors. I've known people who have had major surgeries to remove tumors. I've known people who have had brain surgery. It's really an injustice to gloss over that part, keeping her healthy, looking perfect, and she comes out of brain surgery with a full head of hair and wearing only an oxygen mask. Queen of Tears has dissolved into scene after scene of overly-dramatic overacting that doesn't do the true storyline any favor. It's really a huge disappointment right now.

After 8 episodes -
I'll add to the review once I've finished this drama. Netflix is dropping only 2 per week. Let's start with the strengths:

The cast - The ML and FL are perfectly cast. I especially like Kim Ji Won. Talk about the Queen of Stoic! She is a master at keeping everything inside so as to remain cool, calm, and in control which is just what this part called for. Well done Ji Won!! Kim Soo Hyun balancing heartbroken, corporate, and comedic parts all at once, without missing a beat. The storyline of a couple getting into a marriage and it not being what they thought is not that riveting, but add the element of losing a child, a loveless marriage Hyun Woo's wants to end, and Hae In's medical diagnosis and you have a super-charged, "stick-to-the-screen" viewing plot that sucks you in. I'm loving it!

The Surprises - Vincenzo??! VINCENZO???!!!! OMG!!!

The sub-plots - How to take down a Chaebol family 101. Disintegrate from within. This sub-plot really keeps you coming back for more. Why? They keep revealing that those who want to take down this family are well-intrenched inside the main family. This took years! It's pretty impressive. This sub-cast of characters are amazing, starting with Park Sung Hoon, who plays dastardly so well! Kudos to the casting director for getting Park Sung Hoon, and kudos to the screenwriter Park Ji Eun for this impressive main plot and subplot intrigue. I'm glued....literally glued to the storyline.

The cinematography - There are many, many good shots, but one in particular was in episode 8 when Hyun Woo and Hae In are standing in the rain and he is helping her remember---the blending of tears, rain, camera angles, and the slow down of the rain drops with music was poetic in its dramatic value. Cinematography, editing, the music score, it all came together for so many moments in this drama. I'm looking forward to the remaining episodes.

The soundtrack - The music is really adding to the emotional highs and lows this drama takes you on. I haven't enjoyed a soundtrack this much since Our Beloved Summer.

Leia Mais

What makes a man (or, The moral of the story)

The moral of the story is this: time passes, so be a person of integrity. Whether you die tomorrow or 80 years from now, let honorable (not easy) choices become a habit.
I had initially planned to skip this drama altogether, as light and fluffy rom-coms aren't my cup of tea. Given the concurrent dearth of quality entertainment issuing from S. Korea, however, I decided that, rather than read a book or go outside, I'd try this. And how pleased I am that I did.
I am no expert critic, so pardon the shortcomings of this review. The story is simple, maybe even a tad superficial, but it somehow manages to be compelling, meaningful, and, of course, enjoyable. Today, innocent, feel-good (about your fellow man, mostly) dramas are becoming rarer and rarer. The writing and character development are good without being complicated or even very unique. As it turns out, uniqueness and complexity are often overrated.
What I especially enjoyed about this drama--or, rather, what impacted me most-- was its clear yet subdued depiction of what it means (and doesn't mean) to be a good man (and, by that same token, a good woman, but this drama especially focuses on masculinity). The protagonist and several non-villainous male characters of this drama develop so markedly from whimpering, whining wimps, to becoming men who take responsibility for their behavior and choices, who defend their families and friends, sacrifice themselves, their desires, and even their pride. In an age where people of both sexes are largely self-involved to the point of obsession, and yet confused about who they are, it was refreshing to see a purer representation of (eventually) healthy attitudes (sometimes exemplified by unhealthy ones). As soon as the male protagonist's attitude changes for the better, so does the attitude of the female lead. They both become less selfish and egocentric as they put the needs of the other before their own. It's quite a simple concept, and yet it's depicted so rarely these days.

Leia Mais

Extremely overrated - riddled with bad writing.

The narrative began with promise, but as the episodes progress, the flaws in the writing become increasingly apparent. Thankfully, KSH's performance injects vitality into the drama, salvaging its appeal. While many commend KJW's suitability for her role, I struggle to perceive it; perhaps it's the writers failing to flesh out her character adequately. Her contribution to the protagonist's journey seems minimal compared to how the ML helped her, which becomes irksome. Furthermore, her constant facade of toughness feels unwarranted in various situations, detracting from the authenticity of her character.

The shift from intense hatred to deep love between the main characters feels rushed and hard to believe. It happens too quickly, so it's tough to really get into their romance.

Leia Mais