Rari
Cloud Drama
This review may contain spoilers
"through your love, my heart will recover"
This drama is amazing, it delivers fantastically on all fronts!!
At first glance it's just a rom com, but upon further scrutiny it is a commentary on South Korea's entertainment industry, while at the same time documenting the first love of man child Dok Ko Jin.
The love story between Dok Ko Jin and Gu Ae Jong is very well paced and delivered with comedic flair ( there are plenty of laugh out loud moments) and a lot of HEART; one minute I was laughing out loud and the next I was going Aaaaw! with a decided sheen in my eyes. The two leads are absolute perfection with a very outstanding performance by Cha Seung Won whose portrayal of Dok Ko Jin is unique and engaging; even when he veers into crazy territory in the earlier episodes he still manages to make it believable and never ridiculous. This is really a story about his coming of age (at his big age) because he's a top celebrity at the absolute peak of his industry, with all the conceit, arrogance and over confidence that accompanies such fame; Even with all that, he has the indefinable naiveté of someone who's led a lonely life with no real friends, only colleagues and doctors because he spent so much time in hospitals growing up; he's never unpleasant though and remains lovable and relatable throughout.
The story has some beautiful metaphors for the love between the main leads, case in point the potato flower that Jin nurtures so lovingly and coaxingly.
The cultural commentary drama centres on celebrity and the entertainment industry, which can actually be said to be an additional character in the drama along with the fans. The two leads navigate their love amidst the restrictions placed upon them by this industry and all its accompanying rules. The drama also explores the idea of a celebrity's image being worth something eg. money, power and influence, the idea that a good image has the power to erase negative perceptions, and the idea that a good image can be traded between parties to achieve a tangible goal.
This drama has the best finale I've seen in a drama so far, we get to watch a solid hour of our OTP's married bliss, something that is quite rare in Kdrama rom coms; usually we're left to imagine the wedding and the happily ever after or sometimes we'll get about 5 minutes.
The cast is excellent all round. I like the portrayal of the second male lead Pil Joo, he could easily have been one dimensional but managed to come across as genuine and empathic; his character is well fleshed out and he serves as a plot driver rather than just a deterrent to the OTP.
The OST is great, the songs are just good enough to let the story shine without stealing the limelight; having said that I must add the songs get even better on subsequent viewings of the drama. I am guilty of rewatching this drama more than once, it's definitely one of my sure fire pick me ups.
Rewatch value for me is definitely a 10.
Overall rating is a 10, it's a keeper!
At first glance it's just a rom com, but upon further scrutiny it is a commentary on South Korea's entertainment industry, while at the same time documenting the first love of man child Dok Ko Jin.
The love story between Dok Ko Jin and Gu Ae Jong is very well paced and delivered with comedic flair ( there are plenty of laugh out loud moments) and a lot of HEART; one minute I was laughing out loud and the next I was going Aaaaw! with a decided sheen in my eyes. The two leads are absolute perfection with a very outstanding performance by Cha Seung Won whose portrayal of Dok Ko Jin is unique and engaging; even when he veers into crazy territory in the earlier episodes he still manages to make it believable and never ridiculous. This is really a story about his coming of age (at his big age) because he's a top celebrity at the absolute peak of his industry, with all the conceit, arrogance and over confidence that accompanies such fame; Even with all that, he has the indefinable naiveté of someone who's led a lonely life with no real friends, only colleagues and doctors because he spent so much time in hospitals growing up; he's never unpleasant though and remains lovable and relatable throughout.
The story has some beautiful metaphors for the love between the main leads, case in point the potato flower that Jin nurtures so lovingly and coaxingly.
The cultural commentary drama centres on celebrity and the entertainment industry, which can actually be said to be an additional character in the drama along with the fans. The two leads navigate their love amidst the restrictions placed upon them by this industry and all its accompanying rules. The drama also explores the idea of a celebrity's image being worth something eg. money, power and influence, the idea that a good image has the power to erase negative perceptions, and the idea that a good image can be traded between parties to achieve a tangible goal.
This drama has the best finale I've seen in a drama so far, we get to watch a solid hour of our OTP's married bliss, something that is quite rare in Kdrama rom coms; usually we're left to imagine the wedding and the happily ever after or sometimes we'll get about 5 minutes.
The cast is excellent all round. I like the portrayal of the second male lead Pil Joo, he could easily have been one dimensional but managed to come across as genuine and empathic; his character is well fleshed out and he serves as a plot driver rather than just a deterrent to the OTP.
The OST is great, the songs are just good enough to let the story shine without stealing the limelight; having said that I must add the songs get even better on subsequent viewings of the drama. I am guilty of rewatching this drama more than once, it's definitely one of my sure fire pick me ups.
Rewatch value for me is definitely a 10.
Overall rating is a 10, it's a keeper!
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