What I liked about the story was how it incorporated all K-drama cliches from years before and presented a nice, smooth story. The FEELS the drama gave me was immense. The main guy Ji Eun Ho has one of the purest loves ever in a kdrama. I loved how dedicated he was towards her and literally never thought of anyone apart from her, neither did he give up on their love.
This is one of those dramas where you won't be sure whether it will be a happy end or a sad end. The story is kind of sad throughout and when I imagined a sad ending, I really thought it would be hell depressing. But the fun part here is you won't be sure how the leads will EVER manage to have a romance or a proper relationship with each other. Plus, there are a few mysteries which keep the story interesting.
The drama is very much an old school kdrama with star-crossed lovers and a whole lot of scheming and manipulations. It was seriously so entertaining. The splendid chemistry between the leads only increased my awe for it and not lessen it in any way. The soundtrack is pretty good too.
Like all kdramas ever, the last four episodes are sort of a drag and you might find yourself skipping some scenes. I liked the ending a lot. It fit in nicely with the story. I think I made a good decision watching it but I am not sure if I'll rewatch since I hardly ever do. Highly recommended if you like melodramas and pure love stories.
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This was my first drama with Joo Jin Mo but I love his movies so I had very high expectations and he did not disappoint. I think that the first couple episodes when we get the backstory were very well done and left me longing for more episodes of their childhood.
This is truly a melodrama so expect lots of feelings and heartache and frustration.
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Viewers will need to get used to connecting the three different versions of Hyun Soo/Eun Ho and Eun Dong/Jung Eun played by six different actors/actresses. I may be in the minority but I feel the Eun Dong played by Yoon So Hee is a tad different compared to the young Eun Dong played by Lee Ja In and the mature Eun Dong Kim Sa Rang, which threw me off slightly but not enough to detract from the main story.
I have no problem with Hyun Soo’s character. I could easily believe the transition from the teen Hyun Soo (Park Jin Young) to the adult Hyun Soo (Baek Soon Hyun) to the ultimate megastar Hyun Soo/Eun Ho (Joo Jin Mo).
Nonetheless, once you get past the fact that these are played by different actors/actresses, the love story is one that rivals Romeo and Juliet. This is a story of star crossed love and the journey of one man’s steadfast search for his one and only true love. He never gives up hope that he will find his Eun Dong one day despite the lost years and the absence of knowledge of her whereabouts and status; is she alive or dead? Is she married or single? It may seem impossible and coincidental but the Show succeeded in making me care and believe in Eun Ho's journey.
It wouldn’t be a makjang without your usual parade of unforgivable antagonists, betrayals, birth secret, amnesia and hateful in-laws. This show will make you cry, it will make you cringe, it will make you angry and it will even make you question the writer. But ultimately it is a great love story.
Kudos to all the casts for a great performance. All of them acted beautifully. Can’t say enough about the two leads. Kim Sa Rang and Joo Jin Mo ooze instant chemistry and make us root for them from the get go.
Unlike many kdramas, there isn’t any over the top acting throughout the entire show. It is tasteful and utterly believable. Kim Tae Hoon is fast becoming the man to hate in kdramas. His portrayal of crippled Choi Jae Ho is well done and despite being a hateful character, he shows us the many layers of a man struggling between right and wrong.
If you want to watch a romantic love story with a hopper full of twists and turns, this one is it. It is about enduring love, about two people finding each other despite decades separating them,
The OST blends in very nicely and this one is a definite rewatch if your heart can take it.
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LOVED the first few episodes of their past. Such a true, pure love and it was heart warming. Makes me envious because i know i'll be forever alone. In general, the story was quite quick paced and I never felt that it was dragging on. Of course, people thought the ending was terrible but in my opinion, it was realistic. However, I do wish they could have done another time jump to see a happier ending because it was bound to happen. Typical melodrama but it was written very nicely.
Actors were on point from childhood to adulthood. JR was cute and the little girl ;) was a great actress too. Loved the young adult couple, very adorable (#relationship goals). This was my first Joo Jin Mo drama and he was absolutely amazing. Definitely will me looking into his other work. Kim Sa Rang has such an innocent face and it really matched her character. Very lovely~ However, she was a weak character-personality wise but that was most likely because of her memory loss, she probably felt confused about life (which is sad). Ra il was just soooo cute but I did feel like his character was written to love his dad too much and that pissed me off. I mean the mother-son relationship was much weaker. Jae Ho...oh, I really hated you but I'll let you off. Watched this actor in the few episodes of Angry Mom that I finished and he creeped the heck out of me. Overall, nice cast. I wish they had matched the looks of young adult Eun Dong with the older version because they look quite different. Suzy may have been a good match but i'm not so sure that she could act the part.
Music was nice. Didn't pay much attention to it but I especially liked the little instrumental intro by MLED. It's such a sweet tune.
I won't be re-watching the entire drama anytime soon but I might just re-watch the first few episodes and dream of such a beautiful love happening to me.
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This review may contain spoilers
Let me start by saying that I am fairly new to Asian Drama, but when I saw the series description on Netflix, I decided to view it. I loved it! I would have given it a complete 10 star rating, had it not been for the poorly written ending. I have noticed that many other reviewers feel the same way -- for many of the same reasons. I won't go into detail, since I don't want to include any spoilers in my review. So, I will just say that the intensity of the characters, especially the male lead character, Jin Eun Ho (Joo Jin Mo) was lacking in that final episode. And it was simply an unsatisfactory ending, given the story line and all that had taken place beforehand. The lead characters , as well as the son, deserved a better ending. And so did the audience.
Nevertheless, it is an excellent drama, with a great cast and great music! And I would still highly recommend it to anyone seeking romantic drama -- with bits of comedy thrown in. I have not heard any news about a Season 2. Does anyone know if one is planned? It certainly has the potential for another season --- so that we can see how the relationships go and grow. I'm rooting for another season.
And, I am hoping to see more of Joo Jin Mo's movies. And more Asian Drama! I would welcome recommendations.
SPOILER ALERT!
Revised: I just re-watched the series. And as a result changed my rating from 10 to 8.5. It was a great story until around Ep. 14-16. I don't like how the writers turned Eun Dong's husband into the victim. I recently read an article that applauded KDramas for dealing with real life issues, like abortion, single parenting and in the case of this series, adultery and divorce. However, this series failed to grapple with the issue of domestic violence, kidnapping and anger and rage management.. I can appreciate forgiveness, but it is a process. And forgiveness does not negate punishment or dealing with the issues at hand. Choi's issues are not dealt with. In fact, the writers went overboard in making him this perfect father, as if that would lessen what he did to even be a father or husband. But the main characters are the ones to suffer, and amazingly endure another separation -- this time the separation includes the son. It simply makes no sense to me. I hope there is a season 2 and the writers get a chance to write in such a way that it brings integrity to the story.
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This was a sorrowful, melancholy affair throughout. No real harsh moments, just some very hurtful and shameful moments, however, it never made me so uncomfortable I wanted to get through a portion. For me, Kim Sa Rang stole the show. She is obviously one of the most beautiful people ever born. Miss Korea 2000 and played maybe parts that accentuated her gorgeousness, but here she was completely wholesome and demure. Her sweetness and gentleness and calm with her big, beautiful, expressive eyes were just awe striking. There was a point when you felt she was doing something wrong or perhaps not going about things correctly, but as the story unfolded she was completely in the right at every step.
Adults mess everything up in life...children don't have the ulterior or misguided motives so it was frustrating and yet understandable that the outcome protected the child in the end.
A highly recommended melodrama, so far for me second only to 'Angel Eyes'. This story is more even keel and smooth, however, it never evoked the powerful emotions in me that 'Angel Eyes' did, in spite many parallels.
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Even now when I listen to the soundtrack it makes me cramp up in my heart :(
The story was so touching and somewhat different to the normal standard love story dramas.
I just want to point out that this drama is soo great and I recommend everyone to watch this drama, even if you think this drama is boring! :D
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Story:
The story touched my heart to the core. What I love about this is it flows very smoothly.. When I watch love story I focused in the 2 main lead and desperately waiting to them to be together that sometimes I didn't enjoy the flow of the story. But this drama made me feel every episode and think how it will work out. The pacing of the story was so good that it didnt bother me that they didn't got back together that easily especially in their situation.
Character:
From younger version to the adult version I will give a 2 thumbs up for the producer of this drama. They suit it perfectly, They act their character perfectly..
Park Hyun Soo
The 17 and 27 years old version of Hyun Soo did a really good job... Love love 17 year old version of Hyun Soo. His attitude and coolness was awesome.
But Joo Jin Mo stole the show.. Why i only knew him last July 2016. His goofiness made me love him more..haha.. in his age, I didn't thought that he can be funny like that. I keep replying his funny scene and it always cracks me up. And I know girls, He's one of the rarest guys that can carry a suit like that.. Very manly that has a 17 year old quirkiness.. I rarely appreciated a guy in a suit and he became one together with Federer, So Ji Sub and Barney(HIMYM).
Eun Dong
Eun Dong was a lovely character. For me the adult Eun Dong, Kim Sa Rang did a good job. I love how she act simple like that.. Maybe some of the viewers seem to think that she act plainly, but that's the perfect acting for that particular situation coz she need to balance her heart and her family.
Music:
The OST was really really good. Especially the " I guess I love You" and Eun Ho and Eun Dong theme song... This song was in my playlist..
Overall it's a 10/10 for me. It has some flaws but it's the second time that I didn't binge watching a kdrama. I feel every episode and watch it slowly... What I love about this is, it's not a whole time crying scene. There's so many funny moments that balance your emotion.. Love the poster for this drama..
So guys try it.... It was worth to watch.
Oh although it was accidentally my favorite actor Jung Kyung Ho and Joo Jin Mo share the same name as Hyun Soo. Park Hyun Soo(JJM in My love Eun Dong) and Kang hyun Soo(~JKH in Smile You). I had the same shoe like Eun Dong(haha.maybe all of us that converse shoe). And I had the same reaction as Eun Ho when he lay down on that couch, coz I'm like that whenever I got home from work or just chilling out.. haha..
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Some of the scenes, especially in the latter part, became kinda slow... the crying, well they cried and cried and cried...
In the latter part of the drama, where they were enjoying each others company, they acted a little childish, I mean they were adults already for goodness sake -- will adults really chase each other in circles and pretend to throw a stone?
The ending, was not so fulfilling. It was just lacking the intensity that the writers have built up. I wish they expounded more on the other relationships and how it has was resolved. So it is not a total love, just semi-love of the drama.
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My ALL TIME favorite!
This one should be one of the (or the most) favorite Korean dramas! I watched it at least 3 times already...I cried quite a bit watching it for the first time... The ending was unexpected, touching, and eye-opening... The journey of finding her girlfriend was fun to watch... The BEST scene of the whole entire story, for me, was when the male lead's dad (grandpa) gave him a message of what a father's love was truly about... I rewatched that scene a couple of times and tears come every time... LOVE the male lead!!! Watch it! You won't regret it!Was this review helpful to you?
If you want to be reminded of classic cliches
This drama is definitely a good K drama classic cliche reminder. Once in a while I remines the dramas I grew up watching.The ones that you have to ignore all logic like:
Kid hits girl in rain. next scene:
Boy in court room over the incident. Girl runs into the courtroom soaking wet "from that rain"
Like did you NOT go to the hospital first? Did you just got dragged straight to the court room w/o any due process?
So just enjoy the classic cliches:
Poor orphan girl <-- check
Piggie back rides <-- a must
Accident losing memory <-- always
Everyone lies to you when you have no memory as if that's good for you <-- yup
Obsessive girl on the side wishing nothing but the worst <--- essential
Stalker Obsessive behaviors - Ok if you are a cute ML
First love = Fated eternal love <-- check. I mean who wants to watch the 98% failed first relationships anyhow like in real life.
Now whether you enjoy those or not, there are lovely things about this drama:
1. Young versions (which I thought should've lasted longer) are the most adorable parts of the drama
ML in the teens <-- I watched his later works first and wanted to watch his earlier works. He's definitely my favorite part of the drama
2. 20s ML - I watched his supporting roles and he's one of my favorite supporting actors.
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