Heartstrings (2011)

Genius' milestone

I enjoyed a lot this drama. I think it is a well built story with some reminiscences that become a reality again. A cycle that is repeating among the professors (who used to be pupils some time before) and current pupils (who will become successful or not in the future as their professors) and as usual, a power figure that benefit only herself and her daughter with her dirty actions. But I found something genial when I arrived at the scenes when using the Bizet's Habanera played with traditional Korean instruments by Windflower to assemble the medley with the pop group The Stupid. It simply blowed my mind out. After that, the story could go to the bin if they wanted, I had already decided I was going to give them the best available qualification. This genius' milestone will be engraved in my brain the rest of my life. Screenwriter and director decided to include this and they have opened for themselves the Paradise to be Boddhisatvas or whatever they want to be. Give yourselves an opportunity and look for this arrangement in the tube or in some place you use to see fragments. If you see the whole series, better, but at least, do no lose the chance to see Bizet's Habanera in this very special versin with Korean traditional instruments.

Read More

I like and dislike at the same time
If I watched this drama at the beginning of my journey in KD's
I think I would like a lot and rate it high
But not now with sorrow after getting all this experience in KD's it made me criticize well

I can't put my hand on where is the weak point in this drama

May be the characters wasn't good enough
But I can say it's the weak version of step up 2 the American movie

It wasn't bad but not wow either
It has many annoying characters like
The selfish, controlling grandfather
The Bi*** hee joo and of course her mother
And ro gun

Lots of annoying people they didn't have any punishment till the end

On the contrary they showed us they still as they were without any problems

I wished hee joo specially will be punished because I didn't feel with any sympathy towards her
Bi*** till the end without feeling a tiny bit with regret

The last ep. Wasn't necessary at all really
What was the significance behind that the ML was injured by the FL
and then he sacrificed by leaving her for her future
I think they should cut this part and end it at ep 13

The characters I loved the most were
The drummer (and he was too good for hee joo )
And ki young ❤️❤️

At least i enjoyed it really
For me it's a drama to watch once

Read More

The plot of this drama wasn't the best. Truthfully I think they could of done better, I think the main thing that kept me watching was the entertaining of the musical world. There’s quiet a few of the reasons that keeps frustrating me was how idiotic the characters could be sometimes. Also feel like they rush the drama, it’s like how can someone change heart so fast especially when Lee shin was a bit crazy about the professor, I know he moved on from liking her, but it’s still to fast just to catch feelings for Kyun Won. The fact that Lee shin was acting like a stalker, and being obsessed while Kyun Won is getting quiet annoying, I just hate when Kyun Won chase after Lee shin when he push her away she’s still going back. And also I just hate when they play music or OST song when they are singing, I was hoping we can actually hear them singing. Otherwise the drama is okay the only entertaining I find watching this drama was Joon Hee his enthusiasm silly character make you keep going with the drama. Some ppl seem to think this drama is lip singing, but I believe it isn’t lip singing but more of like they just muted there singing and put a song on because the way the song goes and there mouth goes doesn’t seem like they are singing the same song when the music is on but I can be wrong.

Read More

I enjoyed the premise, but I wish that the side characters from both bands played a larger role. I was also hoping for more depth from the traditional music elements of the story. I almost dropped this one because of the age inappropriate crush at the beginning, so thankfully that angst got out of the way fairly quickly. I was also less than thrilled with the cartoonish mean-girls clique. The actors were fine, but some story and character issues kept me from really attaching to any of them.

The biggest surprise of Heartstrings is that for a show about music, most of the music is unmemorable. Apart from that one great modern/traditional mix, none of the songs stood out.

Read More

I've rewatched this drama for 3 or 4 times!

If you're looking for a refreshing and simple romantic-comedy drama, Heartstring is a must for you. I don't know why there aren't many people talk about this wonderful drama because it was so perfect for me and I already re-watched it about 3 or 4 times since the first time it was aired. I really love the chemistry between the two main leads (Yonghwa and Shinhye), especially the character and relationship development between them. It's a relaxing drama that will make your heart flutter whenever seeing how tsundere the male lead towards the female lead. The only thing I didn't like about this drama is the ending, I need more about their relationship:(

Read More

Stayed for the Music

Though I don't really like musical dramas, I found myself drawn to the cast and decided to give this drama a try. Surprisingly I started loving the music more than the actual story-line, and that was perhaps why I was able to watch everything until the end.

For a drama named Heartstrings, I thought it would pull more at mine, but that was not the case. From the start, it became very confusing to me, who was actually the main couple or what was the drama's driving force. The older couple seemed to be the main theme at the start, but then it moved to the younger couple and we barely see any more of the older couple and that kinda frustrated me, because the plot was going all over the place. Jung Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye did have decent chemistry but their relationship did seem contrived at times and even a bit too childish to me.

One thing I also liked was the competitions within the university campus. I found the Modern vs Traditional music concept very appealing and it even made me interested in researching more about gayageum instruments and music. I found that Park Shin Hye did a good job at portraying such an artist, even though she seems to be typecast quite a bit, she does her homework (if only she would improve her romantic scenes).

In the end, this was sort of a musical feel-good drama without that much depth to it, but I would recommend it for the music only.

Read More

The music was the high point

I must say, watching this show, I actually felt like a spectator, rather than really being invested in/caring about the people.
There was a lot of "going through the motions" with the cast, sometimes due to the writing, sometimes due to lack of expression of the actors. Instead of a typical love triangle, this one had something like a love pentagon. Everyone was in love with someone else!

Since this show is 10 years old, the video quality and the sound quality were not up to par. During the music scenes, the sound would vacillate between being clear and then going into what sounded like a tunnel. The songs, however, were good. I liked how they were able to combine traditional music with contemporary music. Then there were the clothes and the hairstyles - I kept wanting to give Park Shin Hye a brush!

The main couple's storyline was cute, though I couldn't actually feel when or why they started to like one another. His change was especially abrupt. Their scenes together were cute. There were a couple of open-eyed/static/fish lips kisses which really irritated me. Consequently, it was difficult to buy into the chemistry between the two.

There was the obligatory time jump, which found her having a meteoric rise to fame, and the rest of the cast pretty much staying the same. The break up before the time jump was lame and they finally got back together in literally the last five minutes of the show. Needless to say, I felt like I had invested so much time that I wanted more.

So, overall, it had some cute moments, but I definitely don't feel that I would need to watch it again.

Read More

This kdrama is totally beautiful and heart touching. The story goes around college students who are studying music, the main protagonist's major is focused in traditional music and the male is in occidental music. All the characters in this drama are special and have their own dreams and flaws. This drama teaches you about friendship, about fighting for the things your love and yours dreams. Whoever, it could have been better since almost all the drama was mainly focused on one side loves and performances. The story lack in making the story more genuine by adding more details and not just all the same all the time. But don't worry, this is nothing to have concern about since in my opinion, this drama is never boring. It's always beautiful and well made, the friendships here are just beautiful and amazing, and it's so funny too! The acting was pretty good, pretty decent. I won't say it was bad, but it's not the best either.  The music is totally amazing, all the ost's are beautiful and touching, you will have them in your head all the time while watching this.  I would really like to rewatch this kdrama one day but not in the future, it depends on the person. I'm not a person that likes to repeat things, I usually wait a few years until I rewatch something again. The overal I'm giving this drama is 8.5 because its a beautiful drama despite the lack of story it had. It had a lot to offer, they could have give more (I mean, the writers) but it's okay. It's beautiful and it's worth watching. :)

Read More

Loved It - Should Watch You're Beautiful First

10/10 is my rating. Before I summarize the plot I want to say how excited I was about this one since I watched "You're Beautiful" with these two. In "You're Beautiful" this was the romance that didn't happen where you like the second guy as much or more than the male lead. Although they play different characters it was still very nice to see these two together. Made up for the small sadness I felt that they did not get together in "You're Beautiful". Park Shin-hye is just fun to watch she has played a nice girl in both movies I have seen her in and her singing voice is just beautiful. In this she plays Lee Gyu-Won who is steered by circumstance into playing Korean traditional instruments and although she loves them she also dreams of something bigger. Chance circumstances lead her and the male lead Lee Shin (played by Jung Yong-hwa) together to compete and to play in a Broadway level 100th anniversary performance for the university. The Director sees something special in Gyu-won and encourages her to challenge herself into more visible roles. Lee Shin is the lead singer of a popular male band, The Stupid, and is very cold, arrogant and aloof. He is also in love with one of the female professors and it seems does not even look Gyu-won's way other than to torment her as his errand slave for losing a bet between them.

Spoiler ? I loved the backdrop of the music school. It was fun to watch all play and perform. The love stories are very sweet and believable. This is one of my new favorites and I would highly recommend it to anyone and it is a much watch if you have seen and enjoyed "You're Beautiful." I would say "Watch "You're Beautiful" first then definitely watch this. The 15 episodes of this 2011 South Korean drama will fly by and you will enjoy being immersed in their world.

Read More

Bring on the cute!
If you like Park Shin Hye, this is a drama where she shines. Cute Rom-coms fit her perfectly.
It will bring you back to your youth, with a nice breath of fresh air.
OK, there’s not much of a plot here, but first loves, broken hearts, noble idiocy.. I found it very entertaining and found myself thinking about parts of this drama long after I finished it. I may even watch some parts again.
Support cast were awesome, the male singer even made me want to listen and discover the song “If I leave” which I am very fond of now (no matter who sings it). The Grandpa is just hilarious.
If you want a good time with no angst and minimal plot, just cute smiles, then this is for you

Read More

Heartstrings Review

It's like a Korean Highschool Musical. Generally lighthearted musical-ish drama.

The music was good, but I wish they played more pieces. The drama was initially about modern vs traditional music, then it became a "love square" as they practiced for the musical. Few standout characters... Aside from the love square, only Min Hyuk and Yoon Hye stood out to me. I feel like Hyun Jin should have been utilised more.

These are my preferences but for the story/plot, I wish they emphasized more on the modern vs traditional music topic, and had more musical moments. Also, it felt like Yong Hwa falling in love with Shin Hye was too sudden, and the ending (developments after the musical) felt rushed.

I'd rewatch only for the singing/musical scenes.

『 Why I liked it: light tone / Park Shin Hye / good music 』

Read More

Heartstrings.....according to its name it was really a heartwarming drama....Recently i watched some heavy dramas and was really in a need for a light drama....and finally chose this which was in my wait list for a long time...

Perhaps we all know that this drama was made because of another drama - You're Beautiful in which some viewers hoped for this pair to get along.....But in you're beautiful i loved the original pairing much....

Coming to heartstrings....in my opinion it was really a nice drama to watch....Even though the story is average and common it has many heartwarming moments which makes you to love it......

Likes:
1. The way the lovers care ,trust and support each other at hard times is beautifully shown in this drama
2. Even though there was many love triangles they were handled properly and didn't take much time in it
3. Casting was awesome and so was their acting
4. This drama gave equal space to all characters and conveyed the story from everyone's point of view

Dislikes:
1. It was a little bit slow at the beginning
2. Same song was repeated more times (it is always the same sky) (but it was nice)
3.The ending felt somewhat empty(I somewhat expected for a more strong ending)


In short if you want to watch a light hearted drama you can go with this.....This feels somewhat slow in the beginning then gets much better in the middle and goes for a simple ending...I enjoyed watching it...

Read More