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Scent of a Woman is one of those dramas where I merely started watching because of Kim Sun Ah. I was a little ignorant of the cast but even after the drama ended, I never bothered to care about any of the other cast sans occasionally letting the sight that is Lee Dong Wook warm my eyes.
Nonetheless, amidst the rich man, poor woman story, slapping (lots of slapping) and cliche running in the rain scenes, there is still a story here that does not fail to engage. A story that really I must stress is made possible due to Kim Sun Ah. She brought her A game here and it was hard to hold it together as she really became the character of Lee Yeon Jae.
Yeon Jae is a woman that works in a company but never gets anywhere. Despite being older than some of her co-workers, she's mistreated and is at the bottom of the political food chain in the company. Life leaves her with no choice but to live it to the fullest and she embarks on a journey of heart breaking romance.
She tears you apart as you both root for her yet at the same time remain weary of her circumstances and she is a character that makes some of the flaws in this drama far more forgivable.
On to the flaws.
Unnecessary cliche scenes. Honestly, the slapping and running in the rain is just cringe worthy. It sets the pace for romance but I'm not very fond of the sugary prince charming character.
Unnecessary male and female second leads: For me, the story would have been just as powerful if not even more powerful without these two. One was a bitch for no reason, the other was just wall paper. A good guy but really, he isn't needed much. Both add very little other than unnecessary drama that at times distracts you from the main dish here.
The acting: Other than Kim Sun Ah, the rest for me paled in comparison. Lee Dong Wook's inability to believably break down was so bad, I actually fast forwarded his heart broken scenes. They were just embarrassing and uncomfortable to watch. He looked like he smelled something bad... The rest unfortunately played such stereotypical characters that it's hard to fault them. I mean how many ways can you execute a goody goody side kick?
I genuinely loved the OST for this but they really milked the hell out of that sad song. I didn't mind much because I like the artist but wow, it became a "that song again..."
Nonetheless, I re-re-reiterate that the selling point is Yeon Jae's journey. It's one that is sweet, forgivably romantic yet also so heart wrenching and powerful that it makes me give this a 6+.
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If you have ever feel your heart grew cold by the prevalent hectic modern culture, feeling a little beaten by this life or feeling bored by the seemingly endless cycle of this rat race - then it is time to watch Scent of a Woman.
I literally cried through 10 pcs of tissue. For 12 hours straight. The next morning I was reborn.
Enough said??
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This review may contain spoilers
All those enthusiastic letters! They can't go unchallenged.
The love story was implausible piecemeal. Side plots were pursued for a tiringly long time. Also the annoying: "I want to spare my friend suffering, therefore I torture him terribly, but with good intentions", could not be missing, because the end was near.There was of course a love triangle, so much time must be! The FLs sidekick seemed more important than the ML and had more scenes felt. The FLs in Korea always break the hearts of the greatest men, even when, as here, the FLs are simple-minded, almost dead, moderate-looking, and treat the great men like cab drivers. The glorification of FL was exaggerated to excess, including their professional skills.
FL is not a likable person overall, although she appears that way on the surface. She intentionally ruins ML's life plan, as critical as one may be of his perspective on life. She does not love him very much, as eagerly as she constantly pursues other interests. She is consistently selfish, hiding that behind her countenance of suffering. Rarely is there any reference to the precious time that remains. Wasting her time: she takes a bit of revenge, does nice things too, so what? Why should one also be precious with precious time?
Probably because of the flaws, the series drowns in a stream of tears. And an ending can be so mendacious that it cracks: the people want it, the writers write it.
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I never expected to get tears in the first episode already - the story hooked me from the beginning and I cried like almost in every episode because it really really touched me. The story is about a woman who's trying to fight for her life and her love at once and she carries you along with her - it's impossible to NOT get hooked on this drama...
It is certainly not something light to watch because it's such a serious topic which is still so present in our world and lives. They involved some comedy in the story but you never really lose that serious frame which builds up the whole drama.
The story started off very strong and makes curious how it will continue.
The Acting and the Cast was off the charts! The chemistry between the main couple was so real you could actually feel it yourself while watching this drama.
I love how Lee Dong Wook and Kim Sun Ah play their roles, they really got to me.
ALSO I have to mention the dancing as I'm a dancer myself and danced the Tango or as in this drama: the Tango Argentino. Those scenes especially between the Lee Dong Wook and Kim Sun Ah were truely amazing! I got chills watching them.
The story also never lets you off or calm down. You always had to worry about something that is happening and you could feel the atmosphere this drama is creating.
I also liked the music - although it was quite cringy at some points but oh well - who cares?!
As I'm a total wreck now that finished this drama, I probably would wait a good while until I would actually watch it again.
I love this drama through and through <3
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The premise "I want to live even when I am dying" is a cliché, in this drama, the intensity of that feeling is powerful. I fall in love with this drama because of the emotion portrayed by every character and how they make me feel. I laugh; I cry and even ask myself why this thing happens, because in real life they happen. I specially love the music and the tango scenes, they are superb! Can't wait for the other episodes!!
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It's been a while since I've come across a show that has left me re-evaluating my own life after watching it, and it's one of the rare few dramas that actually has a heroine that was going through things in her life that I could really identity with.
The cast is amazing and the plot moves along at a good pace. Thankfully the angst and conflicts don't drag on for too long, and lastly, the message of the story itself is simply inspiring and moving. And I do encourage everyone to give this a chance.
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The three leads are so awesome that I can even forget about the rest of the characters (who were irritating for most part). Kim Sun -A was amazing as a woman with a terminal illness trying to make the most of her every remaining moment. And Lee Dong Wook was perfect (and so hot). I was already his fan but after watching this he has become my most favorite korean actor. His facial expressions were flawless and conveyed so much emotion. And together Kim Sun -A and Lee Dong Wook had sizzling chemistry. The other lead Uhm Ki-Joon as her doctor and childhood friend was wonderful. His transformation from a cold hearted guy to a truly sensitive doctor was stunning to watch as was his crush on Kim Sun -A's character.
Thankfully this drama never veered of into the melodrama category and managed to give an uplifting story without being too unrealistic or trying to force unnecessary tears from the viewers. The story was sweet, funny and touching. The ending was perfect and is one of my favorite drama endings ever.
As to the rewatch value, well i have already seen it Three times so......
All in all one of my favorite dramas of all time.
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This review may contain spoilers
2011/SBSI initially choose to watch other drama's before I started on this one, as the plot descriptions I read didn't really warm me up too much. For anyone with similar doubts though, I can safely recommend this drama to you. Scent of a Woman is a good example of how older dramas used to be made and therefor many viewers will discover recognizable (if not predictable) plot devices, story lines and actors/actresses. The successful recipe that these types of dramas are made from is executed well enough to make this worth your time.
I have some good things to say about cast, but I don't believe its perfect or near perfect. This drama could have been better if the casting was done more carefully (or different anyway). First of all, Kim Sun Ah (as Lee Yeon-Jae). How she manages to look so much younger than she did in 2005's My Lovely Sam Soon, I am not sure, but does she look stunning! As one could expect in advance, she doesn't even need to rely on her appearance, because those familiar with her works know she will deliver an excellent performance. Roles like these are made for her, and she plays them like no other. Secondly, there is male lead Lee Dong-Wook. Seeing as I have yet to see the drama My Girl, Scent of a Woman is the first time I see him perform. A new face almost always takes getting used to and this is no exception. There's very little I really have to say about his performance, seeing as I was not very impressed nor disappointed. It was passable overall, but not convincing enough in my opinion. His character's action stretch the limits a little at times and too little is done to support his character's sudden interest in Lee Yeon-Jae. He's no Hyun Bin just yet.
Spoilers Removed!
http://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/mk34n/scent_of_a_woman???_??_2011sbs_classic_korean/
Spoilers Removed!
Secondary female lead Seo Hyo-Rim was miscast in my opinion. She is, or comes across as, too young to be taken seriously compared to the rest of the lead cast. One who could also come across as a 16 year old school girl simply does not perform convincingly as a director of a large company.
The supporting cast is almost entirely flawless. Kim Hye-Ok as the essential KDrama mother does precisely what is expected of her and comes to life especially in the later episodes. Sa Hyeon-Jin as Lee Yeon-Jae's girlfriend is unfortunately not given too much screen time. My guess is her character had to give away a lot of room to doctor Eun-Suk. She did the best she could with the limited resources she's been given, but overall fails to stand out. Of the company's staff, two particularly stand out. Eternal comic relief Kim Kwang-Kyu has a very nice two-faced personality in Scent of a Woman, which is an improvement over his earlier one dimensional characters as in Oh! My Lady and The Accidental Couple. His tango scenes with Chae Ji-Yeon (Veronica) are energizing and enjoyable. Secondly, there's Son Seong-Yun (as employee Nam Na-Ri). After seeing her in My Princess in a supporting role as well, it's time she gets cast in a bigger role for a change. She'll need more than her pretty and cute appearance, but she deserves a chance. I wasn't too impressed with Lee Jeong-Kil's performance as the Chairman/Dong-Wook's father though, he should pay some more attention to Park Yeong-Gyu, who does a better 'company chairman' in Protect The Boss. The other supporting characters do well although it is a little unfortunate that Jeong Dong-Hwan (as Yeon-Jae's mother's love interest, Teacher K) arrives late into the drama. His entry would have been welcomed at the start.
From the cast, to the script. Scent of a Woman is mostly a classic in this sense, and little of surprise is introduced as we see another drama unfold where a rich chaebol's son falls for the 'poor' hard working 30+ woman.
Spoilers Removed!
http://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/mk34n/scent_of_a_woman???_??_2011sbs_classic_korean/
Spoilers Removed!
On a completely different and lighter note, the tango scenes. I read raving reviews about this and while I personally didn't think the popular scene in question (Episode 8) was the best thing ever to happen on Korean television, but it was well done. This goes for the performance with Doctor Eun-Suk later on as well, but even more for the early scene on the beach with the older foreigner and the dance with Veronica and Bong-Kil as the tango teachers. A great way to liven up this drama, which despite focusing on Yeon-Jae's attempts to make her last months the best of her life, still is overall quite a sad story.
This is a drama that is very much story and character driven, so I'll not give as much attention to the production value of Scent of a Woman. I have no particular complaints, although I do get annoyed a little when another drama production team is unable to make a car go fast without speeding up footage or stage an accident in a convincing fashion. It doesn't matter though, the production is adequate and doesn't distract the viewer in any way. Compliments on the scenes shot in Australia, they are great!
The soundtrack is a disappointment. The only music that stayed with me longer than a few moments is the ring tone that Yeon-Jae's phone plays (mostly in the first half). Other than that, nothing really stands out (including the karaoke sessions and the fan meeting) and that's a shame when I recall the soundtracks from dramas that I've seen recently (IRIS, Protect The Boss, Secret Garden). This didn't distract me either, don't get me wrong, but it is a missed opportunity nonetheless.
Overall, this is definitely a drama I would recommend to anyone who likes the average Korean drama. The classic set up works well with superstar female lead Kim Sun Ah and the rest of the actors and the script support her into making this drama a success. The few issues I have with the plot and some of the performers are minor, so go watch this if you haven't already!
7/10
http://www.reddit.com/r/KDRAMA/comments/mk34n/scent_of_a_woman???_??_2011sbs_classic_korean/
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