Worst drama of the year!!!
Bear with me before firing up your defense because let me tell you one thing. This drama had the potential of becoming the next goblin but the writer decides to go and shit all over it.You have an amazing cast, but even a talented actor like Taecyon can't save this disaster. The story starts with amazing potential, great characters and it is introduced in a beautiful way. But eventually they make it into a sappy melodrama with love triangles that make no sense and a plot that raises your expectations but then crashes you.
The main leads are the only thing barely watchable but it's still not worth wasting a day of my life (I'm so glad i didn'tbinge watch this).
The story flow is extremely erratic and they somehow destroy the whole plot on the pretext of building the climax. (There is no climax)
Will i watch it again? Hell no.
Will i recommend it to anyone? I'm going to antirecommend (;aggressively advice you not to watch it)
I feel so bad for Ok Taecyon for ruining days of his life shooting this nonsense...
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Baby teeth don't last forever
The first part was good but soon you realise there is no depth. The hints are all there and the writers decide not to take them.How can someone who has lived for centuries be so ignorant especially about how people work and think? How can a vampire so old be poor? How can someone who has a business not account for the future? There were banks and safe deposit boxes in the 20's. Why does he have servants and how did they agree to follow a leader who doesn't lead at all and has nothing to offer in exchange?
He had loved before and failed to recognise it. He needed a 20 something year old to tell him that? How is everyone around him so unwise? How did it take him so long to realise she was HER when it was right there?
How can there be no solution? How can such an old cat not have any answers? How can he offer no paths since he's seen as a sort of spiritual leader or oracle?
The beginning was exciting but by the time the leads got together I was no longer interested.
The ending was pitiful and didn't make any sense. She'll live her whole life waiting for someone when she's not immortal. She'll continue the cycle instead of ending it. You need to be immortal when you're waiting on a reincarnation.
It's also an issue when casting actors with an age gap. It's best to have no kissing scenes than to give us non-kisses. There was one kiss and it was enough. the other ones were non kisses. Instead of going for age gaps, it's best to cast older actresses. There's nothing wrong with women not being in their 20's anymore. We need to be allowed to age. We are not vampires.
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Can You Sink Your Teeth Into This Vampiric Romance?
There seems to be an odd resurgence in fantasy dramas with the vampire trope. I am not one to complain. Vampire shows and narratives can be really interesting for writing if approached well, and Heartbeat certainly had an interesting premise from the offset.Heartbeat was written by Kim Ha-na and Jung Seung-joo, and directed by Lee Hyun-seok and Lee Min-soo. The narrative focuses on Seon Woo-hyul ( Ok Taek-Yeon),
an ancient vampire who is desperate to become human and end his immortality . Having waited centuries to fulfil the wish of his beloved, Yoon Hae-seon ( Yoon So-Hee) to finally become human, Woo-Hyul enlists the help of his vampire friends Lee Sang-hae ( Yoon Byung-hee ) and Park Dong-seop ( Ko Kyu-Pil) to seal him in a coffin in order for him to finally become human.
In the present day, part-time school nurse Joo In-hae ( Won Ji-An) ends up accidentally awakening Woo-Hyul a day short from the ritual being complete. Now a half- human, In-hae and Woo-Hyul awkwardly end up living together, while beginning to slowly develop feelings for one another. However, nothing is ever simple in this relationship, and soon trouble looms on the horizon for them.
Heartbeat is a fairly lighthearted take on the fantasy vampire story. For the most part, the series is fairly easygoing and comical, playing out mostly as a slice-of-life and rom-com series. The fantasy element submerges from the depths in each episode with a small push to direct the storyline. While there are some more angsty moments in the series ( particularly around Woo-Hyul’s backstory), the series is fairly engaging on this part . However, where this issues lie comes through the second half of the series; especially in the very rushed execution and conclusion.
In many ways, this did offer a fairly good balance of genres. The comical setup highly relied on the polar opposite types of In-Hae as the cynical, cold yet surprisingly empathic individual to Woo-Hyul’s egocentric, , yet, surprisingly kindhearted role in the series. This dynamic did work well for the most part, though admittedly, building on the fantasy element and especially lore, was a little undeveloped at times. ( So many unanswered questions left hanging in the air over the vampires and their existence as well as their state of being.)
The acting of the series is decent. Ok Taek-Yeon really shines through as the main male lead. It could have been easy for Woo-Hyul to have become a somewhat irritating character with his misunderstandings and egocentricity at times, but, Taek-Yeon really adds a charismatic edge to the character through both lighthearted and more serious moments.
As a character, Woo-Hyul definitely grows on viewers. It could have been easy for the show to have fallen into old tropes with the immortal vampire being sullen or brooding for most of the series. While Woo-Hyul definitely has his more morose moments through flashbacks and backstory with Hae-Seon, his charisma definitely comes through with being able to remain fairly allured by the modern world. Woo Hyul is self-absorbed with his appearance and qualities, yet almost maintains a sense of comical naivety, to the point of annoying In-Hae beyond belief ( and leading to his shopping spree incident early on). However, despite often being egocentric, Hyul does show his kindness towards others in small acts even in the first episode .
Perhaps one annoying element of Woo-Hyul’s backstory is that while Hae-Seon is a major part of Woo-Hyul’s life, we do not see a lot else about his backstory and character prior to these events, or even in the short aftermath. Sans the necessary plot points, which could have been used instead to have shown the true impact of Hae-Seon’s influence upon his life and decisions .
Won Ji-An stood out as Joo In-Hae also, offering a fairly strong performance as the downtrodden female lead. Refreshingly, In-Hae is a character, who, similar to Woo-Hyul, is a lot more than meets the eye. She has her own personal demons ( which are touched upon slightly in the series though not to their full potential), and maintains a fairly upfront and straight- laced persona in front of Woo-Hyul. Despite appearances, In-Hae does have a softer side. Viewers see glimpses of this early on ( such as helping one student in the school after being bullied) and throughout the series during key moments. ( For example thanking Woo Hyul for taking care of her after she is bed-ridden from a fever.)
In-Hae does have her own potentially interesting backstory, but like some minor elements of the series, this was often pushed aside slightly in later episodes. This was not bad per say but it did put her backstory on the back burner a fair bit. The majority of In Hae’s development revolves around her potential romances, as well as glimpses into her softer nature.
Both main leads are interesting in their own right, and by far, enact as a major highlight of the drama’s storyline . Ji-An and Taek-Yeon have fairly good chemistry. Their characters have a good balance between being a polar comedic duo, while also learning to rely on one another and help each other out during times of the crisis. It was surprisingly sweet to see their relationship unfold in the drama and gradually develop during the series.
However touching upon the romantic element of the series, it is hard not to bring up the issue of the love triangle trope ( you could even argue love square or even pentagon depending on viewpoint). Having a complex romantic pairing and unrequited is not unusual in Korean dramas, and is a trope which is executed a lot within narratives. They are not inherently bad and can be diverse and well-written, but one problem they can often run into is whether they are truly necessary or well-resolved in the long-run.
In this case ( and for the sake of argument), love triangle/ square comes through Shin Do-sik ( Park Kang Hyun), an old classmate of In Hae and a successful real estate development specialist.
Do-Sik’s role in the series was pretty evident early on; he was to be the potential love interest as the second male lead, and the exact foil of Woo Hyul. Do-Sik is the epitome of the “ nice guy” trope at drift ; he is well-mannered, reserved and constantly looking out for In-Hae while his feelings remain apparent to everyone (except the female lead).
However , Do-Sik spends his time fawning over In Hae or practically stalking her from the shadows to the point of being more than a little obsessive. While in some cases, it is evident Do Sik is concerned about In Hae’s circumstances ( such as walking home drunk late at night) and mental well-being , he spends a lot of time watching her from the background or following her around similar to a lost puppy . Do Sik’s character arc only exists around In Hae, to the point of most of his flashbacks being centred around this too. It is a shame as while is not inherently bad, Do-Sik’s more interesting elements are often put aside and he becomes somewhat flat. The series did seem to possess some self-awareness of Do Sik’s character arc by attempting to involve him more in later episodes, but, a mixture of still being centred around In Hae at the end of the day did draw some further questions on this development as well as his antagonistic role in the series .
Another key side character includes Na Hae-won. Without major spoilers, Hae-Won is connected to the characters in more ways than one. She is a wealthy heiress who has returned from a long time of being overseas. She is an old friend of Do Sik and has an active interest in the old house. Naturally when she hears that Woo-Hyul and In-Hae want to turn it into a guest house, she helps to invest. Hae-won acts as a major driving force ( both negative and positive) within the relationship between the two main leads. It was sad to see the initial hints of Hae Won’s calm persona being driven out the window in the second half of the series, as well as her growing obsession over Woo Hyul. While I understand the series wanted development, it was cliche and sadly undermined her character in the long run.
Additional key side characters include Lee Sang-hae and Park Dong-seop, the goofy vampires and friends of Woo Hyul. Both characters enact as comedic relief in the series and while they are fairly entertaining, it would have been equally interesting to have touched upon how long they have truly known Woo Hyul, and why their friendship does run so deep. Despite this, both characters do show genuine care for Woo Hyul and do come to his aid in key moments.
Ko Yang-Nam ( Kim In Kwon), a catman being, is another key character and ally of Woo Hyul. Yang-Nam very much plays the role of the wise sage in the series. He is concerned over Woo Hyul’s predicament and begins to realise ( for conclusions he has come to even unknown even in the series), that Woo Hyul is in serious danger.
Rose ( Seung Yoo), a vampire and close friend of Woo Hyul and his friends, helps them out a fair bit on minor plot events, and Ri Man- Hwi ( Baek Seo Hoo), an antagonistic side character, who proves to be a thorn in Woo-Hyul’s side. Other side characters include the tailor Kim-Ok ( as well Young-ki) and his son ( Kim Do Geon), and the butcher Ko Ki-Sook ( Baek Hyun-Joo). There is a running comical subplot about Ki-Sook being determined to run out Woo Hyul and In Hae from the house. In all honesty while I understand this was meant to generate some laughs, it was a little irksome to see Ki-Sook constantly trying to annoy them. The fact that In Hae and Woo Hyul’s guest house could generate serious business and revenue into the area ( including for her business) seemed pretty reasonable to anyone, making it even odder than she was often condescending or rude to the duo with little reason aside from being petty . ( Despite Woo Hyul becoming one of her regular customers.)
The execution of the series was okay with a brisk sense of pacing and action and conflict development in early episodes . Perhaps my one complaint came through the romantic development. Don’t get me wrong. I like a drama to be well-paced, but it seemed the series often tried a little too hard on the trope of “ will they? Won’t they?” without giving us the time or opportunity to see these breadcrumbs in place. The ending seemed to push this romance full force before attempting to throw in a major “ plot twist” in the ending, with major questions arising over this arc development. This resulted in this second half feeling just rushed and anticlimactic and this in the long run, half-baked.
The cinematography was fairly good. It was fairly sleek for the most part and the CGI was okay too. My one complaint is that the palette schemes were a little uninspiring in some scenes and could have easily been used more carefully or frequently to match the emotional effects of scenes or key moments. The OST was fairly decent with some songs such as Hang Seung Yoon’s “ I Revive” being particularly catchy .
Overall, “ Heartbeat” is a decent romantic fantasy drama. The series has a decent plot premise and good cast, but struggled to develop and characterise beyond the limits of cliches and rushed execution. Overall, a decent watch for a binge session.
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Doesn't live up to it's potential
A big FAT dissapointment!Let's be honest, just as many other's , I've started watching this drama cauz of Teac. The initial plot of a vampire that has been sleeping for 100 years opened up many hilarious ideas in my mind, and I was excited!
Oh boy, so much lost potential... Here we go:
1) One-dimensional characters: You have the good, bad, funny, dependent, sad, etc. Nobody is interesting in this series. When there is a change in a character's habit, it goes 180 and doesn't make any sense.
2) Scenes are dragged out and boring: Yes dude we know you're bad, you don't have to tell us every scene and every episode.
3) Too many flash backs (too many!): even though we saw a specific scene 5 minutes ago, the editors decide that we as watchers forgot this, and repeat the scene again. Without the flashbacks, this series is about 9 episodes.
4) The story has many characters but no depth: There is a vampire and a mean girl, we are told that they're in love (chemistry level is 0%), one or the other has to die to let the other live. THAT'S IT!
5) No chemistry beween the actors: Not only the supposed romantic characters, but also their friends, family and neighbors. I got the feeling that this series was a side job for everyone involved. Many supporting actors are very good actors, it is very specific to this show that they don't shine.
6) Not a funny vampire: Other than the first two episodes and the old-timy language the lead speaks, nothing funny happened concerning a 100 year old vampire that wakes up in this day and era. I was expecting him to be adjusting to phones, cars, music in a box which you can hold in your hand, or the overal culture changes! Non of this stuf happened!! How funny would it have been that they'd put him in a 3D cinema for example.
7) No romance: IMPORTANT NOTE: I have seen Ji An Won (Joo In-hae) in other series, and she was/is lovely! But everything that she did and said in this series annoyed me so much, she was so bad written and coached.
In my honest opinion, I believe everyone in this show did their best to make something of what they'd recieved, but were badly written and directed. It's a shame for all the hard work that the team has put in for this show.
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WATCH IT or NOT?
NOTE: This review is purely subjective.I am disappointed with how this drama turned out. Here's why:
IN SHORT: I DONT RECOMMEND THIS DRAMA
What the heck did I just watch??! Whyd they do me sooo dirty??! Duuuude! I dont even know where to start my rant from or comment on :(
Okay here we go with my opinion soup-
I drool all over when it comes to a good ROM-COM. That's my genre and I simp for it. BUT honestly, this ain't that and it did not meet ANY expectation. I was expecting butterfly moments and those knots of rom-com scenes but nahhh. The drama caught a more fantasy-comedy-casual meh scent. This made it difficult to emotionally attach or invest myself into the drama.
Throughout, I felt like there was something missing and I found the answer in the last episode. The GENRE itself!!! They did not emphasise on ROMANCE even a tad bit. There were many characters with their own background stories lessening the focus on our rom-com leads. WHICH SHOULDNT BE THE CASE! Lastly, I was irritated on a bunch-a-things: how the storyline was introduced for certain characters (almost felt unnecessary for both, characters and their storylines), the constant flashbacks to the past and how there felt no clear emotional divide between the male lead and his ex. And another reason I think this drama is so meh is maybe because I am watching this right after KING THE LAND (#majorshoutout : If you havent watched that yet, maybe you should NOW so it will cleanse you and reset you with its cliches and butterflies).
A major disappointment was how the relation between the leads had no escalation after they got together because the storyline soon shifted its focus on mending the main fantasy logic and trying to make sense of other characters (and connect their unnecessary storylines). Moreover, all of this setting takes place almost at the end of the drama episodes until the last one. This displacement caused sudden twists and unsettling scenes in the storyline. It was very unsatisfying. Speaking of which, lets talk about the last episode, shall we??? Like, what the actual heck??? We usually leave an episode at the end not to fix the logic but to give a proper closure with a happy ending (given the genre). What am I supposed to cook with such a vague ending of this drama??? Made no sense to me and I cannot form my own conclusions. And I am specifically writing about the leads. The only closure that was IMPORTANT throughout.
I basically watched this drama in 1.75x while also skipping scenes every 10s. This is vey sad and disappointing because I was looking forward to watch Taecyeon play a romantic. AND he didn't come across as one, in this.
Lastly, if you do wish to watch the drama for your reasons of interest and curiosity, but also wish to save time, you can literally watch ep.1-9 and directly 16. Meaning, you will not miss much between 10-15. Thank me later.
If you have read this far, thankyou for reading and I hope this review was helpful. Otherwise, Happy Watching!
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A genreless trash!
What a nuisance tbh, you created a plot then destroyed it yourself. I think storywriters had a stroke midway through.This drama went from fun and sweet to draggy to an absolute nonsensical bs! The ending in itself is a mockery of viewer's intelligence.
To prospective viewers, don't watch this, save your time but more importantly save your mind. Everything you're hearing in reviews and comments is completely true. If you're expecting a rom-com, this is not rom-com, it deceives you as that. If you're expecting a fantasy, there's only 1 or 2 moments that could remotely be called fantasy. This is a genreless drama incapable sticking to any single genre or plot at all. A genre that fits this perfectly is "Trap", but sadly no such genre exists on MDL.
I'm blacklisting these storywriters so that I never again have to waste my time on nonsense they spew. Giving this a 1/10 because a rating of 0/10 doesn't exist.
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Robert Durst voice....what a disaster.
I will never understand how this show fumbled the bag so badly down the stretch. I forgave this show a lot because I liked the leads so much and their romance worked for me. I tolerated the thin, slowly paced (non)plot, the potentially compelling but ultimately uninteresting supporting characters, the half assed fantasy world building, all because I was confident at the very least that the show would deliver a well earned and emotionally satisfying happily ever after, a baseline expectation for the genre. How did anyone think audiences would want to see a cute, silly comedy devolve into boring, mopey dreck and then end with a poorly executed unhappy ending. The writers should be ashamed of themselves.Was this review helpful to you?
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Taecyeon fans, RUN!!
Lawwdd I’m upset. Even Taecyeon couldn’t save this drama, and I watched solely for him.Heartbeat is a drama about a vampire who’d slept in a coffin almost for 100 years, then it got opened by a average (well not so average) girl a day early, and now he is half vampire, half human. The two share the manison and open a guest house along the way. The plot might sound interesting, but trust me it is not worth it.
Firstly, I have to talk about the second leads. I think Haewon (SFL) might be the most annoying yet. Haewon is in love with Woohyeol (ML) because he mistakes her for his past and first lover, Haesun. Haewon acts like a brat that’s in a high school drama, which she would’ve fit in perfectly if i’m being honest. While Dosik, (SML) does not. Although he is more tolerable than Haewon, (in my opinion) he still is delusional. He insists that he is protecting Inhae from Woohyeol, (FL) even though she directly TELLS him that she is safe and needs no protection!! Overall, they’re both overbearing to watch, im even confused how they got so much screentime. They’re so inlove with the main leads so early into the show even though they’ve had few interactions.
Secondly, the rules play a part in this drama. There is this cat-man that tells Woohyeol these rules about the coffin he slept in to become human. Because apparently, no regular human can open the coffin, so he’s implying that Inhae is irregular. Basically what you have to understand is that Cat-man makes these dumb rules along the series that make me even more confused because he never mentions it before.
Thirdly, the guest house is SOO UNNECESSARY. They spend around 2-3 episodes mainly on the guest house for no reason! Just for a couple of guest to show up, and they don’t really even matter.
This isn’t really a problem but, main lead’s aren’t really doing it for me. I mostly think this is because they got no screentime as a couple or just liking eachother, half was spent on the guesthouse and the other was Inhae hating or being scared of Woohyeol. There characters don’t seem much in love, they give me a friend dynamic more than a romantic one. I think they have their cute mom though so, that’s something.
Overall, I made this review to just rant on how annoying the Second Leads were, and to tell Taecyeon fans that this is So Not Worth it, at all.
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don’t watch if you like satisfying/happy endings
don’t waste your time on this drama unless you like sad, unsatisfactory endings… I literally finished it and sat for 5min staring at the screen saying “W. T. F. …” like forreal what was that ending!?! even during the show like it was amazing and hilarious first couple of episodes I was SO excited but then it kept declining more and more and it was the same thing every episode from like 9-16 no progress at all and all for it to end sad and unsatisfying… this could’ve been an amazing drama I don’t understand why they went this route… if you like sad endings then watch it but I on the other hand like watching happy/funny shows with satisfying endings to make me happy and distract me from how stressful real life is… so if you’re like that—skip this one! :(Was this review helpful to you?
I wish I had a girlfriend like Joo In Hae who can bite a vampire.
Such a shame not to make a sunscreen product placement. Everybody knows vampires and Koreans are suckers for sunscreen. And me too. They literally ducked a golden mine.🔸They ducked so many more things in this drama, including believable character development. Shin Do Shik starts as a softie, then he is suddenly obsessed by murder, and then he ends up helping poor sick kids. His character was unsuccessfully begging for a moral choice. Director Na is even more messed up.
Yet the actor Park Kang Hyun performs very well despite this unfortunate TV debut. He has both gentle and evil vibes. As far as I know, he acted in musicals before, and he sings one of the soundtracks here. I'd like to see him in a better project next time.
🔸The screenwriters successfully traded all the charm and quirkiness of the first episodes for cheesy tropes and cliches and an intense "dramatic" La Crimosa remix. How come a guesthouse doesn't have a washing machine? It's just because the two leads need to splash in a basin together and make cute expressions for the camera. With such weak writing In Hae would never love so deeply to be ready to sacrifice her life for the boyfriend. No wonder she never offered.
And what's with that craven ending? Why are we supposed to decide the very last minute what the hell is going on if you can't sum up the story well?
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comedy aside, it's laughable
you might find this title confusing, but I mean exactly what I said.I went into this drama knowing I'm not very fond of the supernatural genre, willing to give it a chance as there haven't been a lot of romcoms out this year (at least, in comparison to previous ones) and because the FL, Woo Jian, did a phenomenal job in If You Wish Upon Me (2022), which easily became one of my favourite kdramas of all time, I was curious to see her in a different role, as well as co-staring with Taecyeon, which I believe to be one of, if not the only reason so many people concluded this drama.
this drama is not a "vampire drama", it is simply a drama... with vampires in it. things happen because they are vampires, but in
any way, shape or form, there is any lore created other than "good vampire bad vampire".
the story is weak. the whole drama surrounds around him wanting a love that makes his heart beat, yet there is no heart at all... ever.
there was an insane amount of filler episodes, that added nothing to the story, probably because there wasn't much story to tell, to begin with. many weird things happen with no explanation from start to finish, other than acknowledging it is abnormal (well... no shit!).
the romance is meh, the actors did their best with what they were given, but it was all a bit too formal for my liking.
the most positive thing about this drama is that the side characters are genuinely funny, but they were given no story (which I'm still trying to figure out if for the best or the worst). this does not include SML and SFL, who are possibly the most annoying duo I have had the unfortunate fate to watch in a very long time, with whom I would love to sit down with and simply ask... is it that serious? you barely know these people!
overall... I just knew not to take this seriously midway through, I laughed at how bad it was multiple times and I enjoyed myself doing that, so in a way... it was fun? for me. would I do it again though? absolutely not. I genuinely believe I just kept watching because I had a lot of free time in my hands while it was airing.
initially, I was going to give it a 6.5/10 as giving lower ratings usually come with deep hatred and dropping the show for me, but as the suggested rating is 4.5, which is solely riding on the acting, I'm taking it down to a 5.
oh! and ML dies at the very end? in the weirdest, least impactful way possible? aaand FL shows up with no explanation to how she found out his location whatsoever, obviously...
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Bad ending
I’m a big fan of taecyeon but I have to say that this drama is very poorly executed. I tried to watch the first few episodes and it was a great drama until the next few episodes. The cast is a bit off especially the first female lead? The first male lead suited very well the second female lead and literally has no chemistry with the first female leadThe plot is so bad and the ending is even worse. I don’t know whether it’s a trend to not do a happy ending in drama these days but I’m sure this is not a good ending at all. The ideas of hunting vampire heart is so weird, knowing “the hunter” is first female lead friend?? it’s so weird ….
The only good thing in this drama is the ost and the fact it’s a little bit funny ln the few scenes.
The ideas of the story is great and you got taecyeon as your male lead, could’ve done better.
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