Spring Waltz is the second drama on the Endless Love instalments that I watched; the other one being Winter Sonata. Though not as popular as its predecessor, it is actually surprisingly underrated and is deserving of plenty of accolades. It is beyond good and freshly breathtaking and is equal or better than Winter Sonata in its starry-eyed storytelling magic.
It is a tale of childhood romances and sacrifices made by a young boy to save a girl he loves but having to live a life of lies thereafter. Yes, it has its share of kdrama makjang but it is rightfully sentimental, intensely heart rending and purposefully melancholy for the right reasons.
The first four episodes may drag out for some people since it focuses solely on the childhood lives of the two main characters. The child actors were outstanding especially young Eun-young. This is one of those dramas where I can relate the young actors to their adult equivalent. Young Eun-young was breathtakingly beautiful with her wide-eyed innocence and expressive acting talents. The adult Eun-young was equally beautiful and came across as very warm, caring, self sacrificing earnest type.
The story thereafter took place fifteen years later when their paths cross again amidst new identities and blurred memories of their childhood; he the cold, introvert, renowned pianist and she, a bubbly, aspiring designer. That scene in the train in Austria was one I could rewind and re-watch again and again.
The plots are certainly kdrama cliches where mysteries and secrets tend to drag out towards the end with one too many coincidental missed opportunities to reveal the truth. Having said that, Spring Waltz is truly a romantic’s dream with its fair share of lovely leads, deserving second lead, slightly evil antagonists that eventually redeemed themselves and generally beautiful acting surrounded by scintillating music and beautiful cinematography. The OST and background score were all mesmerizing and soothing to listen to.
It is a definite must watch for any hopeless romantics out there. As for re-watch value, I may speed watch some scenes but yes, I would sit through it again.
Spring Waltz is almost a decade old and is reflective of its age when it comes to kdrama trends. If you are ones that crave glitz, action packed scenes, fast paced storytelling, novelty themes, then maybe this is not for you. But if you feel nostalgic for some makjang done well, Spring Waltz will surprise you.
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