MattPeddlesden
Kent, UK
Tough viewing. But view it you must.
Short: A romance story draped over the utterly horrific real life events around May 11th 1980 in Gwangju. This is not the Korea you know and love today, they are the people you know and love, in one of Korea's many terrible times. This is not a happy story. Watch this when you want food for the soul, not when you want a lift. Google "Gwangju Uprising" to start learning more about the real events going on in this story.
Detail:
May 11th 1980 was a terrible day in Gwangju, though it was just the pinnacle of the terrible days leading up to it. In this story you have two people in very different walks of life. The Male Lead is in a rich privileged family, he's well educated and successful and enjoying starting university in Seoul. The Female Lead is the opposite, a poor family whose name is disgraced by a father accused of being a traitor. Their paths cross when the female lead's friend, the daughter of a rich businessman, pleads with her to go in her place to a blind date while she goes to organise and participate in demonstrations and protests against the government. Of course the blind date is the male lead.
The story has some lovely warm moments in it, the romance the blossoms between the couple of lovely, and there's clear chemistry between them. It also has some really tough moments in it as well, so I'm going to flag this one up with a caution that you shouldn't watch this if it's a nice romance to boost your mood that you seek - while this has a lovely romance, it is not a happy story and I do not want to sugar coat that in the slightest.
I like that most of the cast are relatively unknown, they've been in other dramas but they're not "A-listers" - this drama gives a superb opportunity for these brilliantly talented actors to show their skill and they deliver in abundance.
I marked the music on this one down a bit - honestly, for no other reason than it was utterly drowned out by the intense emotions flying around throughout. I can't remember any of it, but I think that speaks more to being immersed in the story than anything wrong with the music necessarily. Let's say it was "just right", because I think anything more may well have interfered.
I strongly recommend to spend some time reading up on the real events depicted in this drama, it's horrifying to think that this is not some 1500's historical drama, it's in the 1980's, which is only 40 years ago.
I absolutely recommend this drama, but only when you're in the right frame of mind for it.
Detail:
May 11th 1980 was a terrible day in Gwangju, though it was just the pinnacle of the terrible days leading up to it. In this story you have two people in very different walks of life. The Male Lead is in a rich privileged family, he's well educated and successful and enjoying starting university in Seoul. The Female Lead is the opposite, a poor family whose name is disgraced by a father accused of being a traitor. Their paths cross when the female lead's friend, the daughter of a rich businessman, pleads with her to go in her place to a blind date while she goes to organise and participate in demonstrations and protests against the government. Of course the blind date is the male lead.
The story has some lovely warm moments in it, the romance the blossoms between the couple of lovely, and there's clear chemistry between them. It also has some really tough moments in it as well, so I'm going to flag this one up with a caution that you shouldn't watch this if it's a nice romance to boost your mood that you seek - while this has a lovely romance, it is not a happy story and I do not want to sugar coat that in the slightest.
I like that most of the cast are relatively unknown, they've been in other dramas but they're not "A-listers" - this drama gives a superb opportunity for these brilliantly talented actors to show their skill and they deliver in abundance.
I marked the music on this one down a bit - honestly, for no other reason than it was utterly drowned out by the intense emotions flying around throughout. I can't remember any of it, but I think that speaks more to being immersed in the story than anything wrong with the music necessarily. Let's say it was "just right", because I think anything more may well have interfered.
I strongly recommend to spend some time reading up on the real events depicted in this drama, it's horrifying to think that this is not some 1500's historical drama, it's in the 1980's, which is only 40 years ago.
I absolutely recommend this drama, but only when you're in the right frame of mind for it.
Was this review helpful to you?
