So, what is it about CLOY that make it so successful?

1. Strong female lead that saves the man a few times! And is a successful & rich businesswoman.
2. Each episode it 1 hour and 30 minutes long which is great for story development.
3. Middle-aged leads. We like romance too! Doesn't hurt that both were single in real life and ended up marrying each other after this!
4. The North/South Divide is real. Giving rise to really imaginative stories like this one. Unique geographical /political situation
5.The characters. They are all so endearing and plentiful! You really end up caring about them and CLOY wouldn't be the same without them.

Where does it fail?

1. Second half. It gradually descends into Makjang without the comedy, getting more ridiculous with the fate coincidences!
2. Second couple feel forced at first. But I must admit the end of their love story made me cry!
3. Hyun Bin acting: tough guy one minute... stroppy teenager the next.
4. Second half filler. It suffers from the dreaded 16 episode K drama stretch, leading to symptoms of unnecessary flashbacks, advertising plug-ins & easter eggs!
5. Mobile phone disparity. How does the son of the general director not have a mobile in North Korea (and has to record a year's worth of messages) whereas a recently imprisoned fortune teller has one?

This was my very first Kdrama that kicked off my addiction. It was a revelation as I had never seen anything so romantic in my life! This has been my 3rd watch and as always, a pleasure. I notice things that I have never saw before, as there are so many details!
CLOY has an extremely strong start. The first episode is total perfection! Everything set in the first half in North Korea is genius but as soon as everyone crosses the demarcation line it starts grabbing at straws. The music is iconic and I really like some of it, just not classical, it's not my cup of tea. Son Ye-jin's acting is excellent, she is a really good comedic actress. I'm not really keen on the ending as it's left vague, but given there are photos up it must be a place she bought, I doubt she left her business behind to live in 'Swiss' alone, and the only way he could leave North Korea for good is if his parents died and he found another tunnel. And what if she/ he wanted kids? They would all get pretty frustrated!!!
Huffy Puffy!