This review may contain spoilers
A total gem: refreshing and amazing chemistry
Personally, this is hands down by far now my #1 favorite drama out of all the dramas I've watched these past 10 years. I'm not overexaggerating because I've never seen a drama that heavily impacted me emotionally to the point that it made me cry multiple times even till this day despite the drama being over. Also, this drama kept me on my feet of wanting more with every cliffhanger they left off on each episodes along with the sudden plot twists. Lastly, the main leads had such amazing chemistry that I die-hard ship them. It's the best and at the same time the MOST HEARTBREAKING kdrama I've ever watched.
Storyline:
First of all, I felt this drama was refreshing, new, and different from what you see in most typical kdramas. Starcrossed lovers where Soo-Ho, a North Korean spy, is a bad guy (but a good heart) and he holds the girl he loves (Yeong Ro) and her dormmates hostage is something you don't see a lot in kdramas. It's eyecatching with a lot of unpredictable plot twists of characters you never expect would turn out to be bad or good. Each episode anxiously keeps you looking for more each week because something is always happening that you never expect. The drama is mainly set in the dormitory, which I have no problem with nor I don't feel it's dragged because something intense or unexpected is always happening in there while it also shows some scenes of what is happening outside with the antagonist who plot on killing everyone in the dorm due to the presidential elections. This drama revolved heavily around politics, with about 40% of romance. The political stuff wasn't too hard to understand and it made the drama quite interesting as it anxt up the storyline even more so I was okay with it. Although I wished they added a bit more romance scenes into the drama.
Acting:
The acting of every character was amazing. They really portrayed their characters well that each of their personalities could either make you love them or hate them even more because they portray. I cannot name all but I'll only talk about the top 3 characters I was mainly impressed with. First, I was impressed with Jisoo's (Yeong-Ro) acting. I am a Blink, but I hate to admit it prior, I didn't expect much from her acting as a rookie actress and being an idol. However, she exceeded my expectations and I genuinely loved her acting. She portrayed Yeong Ro very well and give kudos to her for being able to cry in almost every scene she has. I don't know how she's able to force herself to cry LOL. Hae In (Soo Ho) also impressed me. I didn't really watch a lot of his past works other than DP, but I know he's mainly been in romance dramas. Although I didn't watch those, I think this type of role in Snowdrop fits him so well. The different emotions of love, fear, sadness, anger, betrayal, and etc. in his acting all in one drama were just very impressive. This drama really took his acting to another level and I believe he impressed many of us. Seung Jo (Gang Mu) was another character I loved. I didn't know of him prior to Snowdrop but he really put out a lot of emotions into his acting, especially in intense scenes where he's really into it. When he tried to get Soo Ho to leave with Yeong Ro at the end, the sadness in his eyes when Soo Ho refuses shows how he's grown to care for Soo Ho despite they were enemies prior. I actually teared up in that scene.
Chemistry:
One of the main highlights of this drama was the chemistry between Hae In (Soo Ho) and Jisoo (Yeong Ro). I have never seen such amazing chemistry between two main leads in the past 10 years I've watched kdramas. The forbidden love between two very different people and how they longed for each other is just so sad. They may have not had a lot of scenes together after ep 5, however, every scene that had together always hit you hard with emotions that make you wanna cry for them. The way they look at each other, their physical affections, and their actions of willingness to sacrifice their lives for each other shows true love that they really don't need words to show your words to someone. When Soo Ho died by taking the bullets for Yeong Ro, I was crying buckets because of how tragic it was, and when they cried and talked during Soo Ho's last breath just broke my heart even more. I still cry to this day just thinking about it and when I look back at their scenes, whether sad or sweet, together. I've seen sad endings in kdramas but they've never made me cry buckets of tears every time or whenever I think about the couple. Even though this drama and the couple are fictional, I still can't help but feel so many overwhelming emotions because of their powerful chemistry and cry for them because of their undying love for each other. Their acting is what made the chemistry just so great which is why many people are praising and hoping they'd get together in the end and even in real life.
As I hate to admit it, it was expected that it'd be a sad ending. Given the situation, it's very unlikely that they'd both survive and end up together. Soo Ho will still be targeted by both the South and North even if he ran off to a different country. Cause remember Soo Ho is technically still a wanted criminal and enemy on South Korean grounds. How will they live happily together? Will Yeong Ro be able to drop everything in the South to run away with Soo Ho? Also, Yeong Ro would be in danger if she stays with Soo Ho, and I think he knows that which is why he let her go. And they're basically two against the entire world who are pretty much surrounded at gunpoint by the ANSP. I tried to stay positive that they'd have a happy ending but in reality, it's just totally impossible. Despite the sad ending and the millions of tears I've shredded, I still love this drama.
Ending:
Despite the high appraisal I have for this drama, there were some cons to the drama that should've been explored more. The ending showed the end of the couple's love story, however, the ending felt abrupt and it left a lot of unanswered questions which I was quite disappointed with. They legit just cramped up so many unexpected things all in the last 3 episodes that I feel they should've elaborated earlier in the previous eps so it doesn't seem so abrupt. First, it was never shown where and what happened to Soo Ho's body. Like they could've shown at least Yeong Ro going to his grave or something or just in general where the hell is he? lol. Second, what happened to Yeong Ro after she got taken away by Tae Il, since he thought she knew the password? Like how was she let go so easily? Like they legit just time skipped right away without showing what happened to Yeong Ro and the others after Soo Ho died which left me confused. Third, what happened in the North with Soo Ho's mom and the adoptive father? There are more things that are questionable but these are some I could think of at the top of my head for now. From what I heard, not sure if it's true, the drama was originally supposed to be 20 eps but was shortened to 16 due to the controversy which I do not understand what has to do with it.
Overall, despite the cons, I still genuinely loved this drama, and will forever hold a place in my heart. It'll be hard to find another drama that could top this drama that can hit me with this many emotions. I really hope to see Hae In and Jisoo in another drama together in the future and this time hopefully with a happy ending <3
Storyline:
First of all, I felt this drama was refreshing, new, and different from what you see in most typical kdramas. Starcrossed lovers where Soo-Ho, a North Korean spy, is a bad guy (but a good heart) and he holds the girl he loves (Yeong Ro) and her dormmates hostage is something you don't see a lot in kdramas. It's eyecatching with a lot of unpredictable plot twists of characters you never expect would turn out to be bad or good. Each episode anxiously keeps you looking for more each week because something is always happening that you never expect. The drama is mainly set in the dormitory, which I have no problem with nor I don't feel it's dragged because something intense or unexpected is always happening in there while it also shows some scenes of what is happening outside with the antagonist who plot on killing everyone in the dorm due to the presidential elections. This drama revolved heavily around politics, with about 40% of romance. The political stuff wasn't too hard to understand and it made the drama quite interesting as it anxt up the storyline even more so I was okay with it. Although I wished they added a bit more romance scenes into the drama.
Acting:
The acting of every character was amazing. They really portrayed their characters well that each of their personalities could either make you love them or hate them even more because they portray. I cannot name all but I'll only talk about the top 3 characters I was mainly impressed with. First, I was impressed with Jisoo's (Yeong-Ro) acting. I am a Blink, but I hate to admit it prior, I didn't expect much from her acting as a rookie actress and being an idol. However, she exceeded my expectations and I genuinely loved her acting. She portrayed Yeong Ro very well and give kudos to her for being able to cry in almost every scene she has. I don't know how she's able to force herself to cry LOL. Hae In (Soo Ho) also impressed me. I didn't really watch a lot of his past works other than DP, but I know he's mainly been in romance dramas. Although I didn't watch those, I think this type of role in Snowdrop fits him so well. The different emotions of love, fear, sadness, anger, betrayal, and etc. in his acting all in one drama were just very impressive. This drama really took his acting to another level and I believe he impressed many of us. Seung Jo (Gang Mu) was another character I loved. I didn't know of him prior to Snowdrop but he really put out a lot of emotions into his acting, especially in intense scenes where he's really into it. When he tried to get Soo Ho to leave with Yeong Ro at the end, the sadness in his eyes when Soo Ho refuses shows how he's grown to care for Soo Ho despite they were enemies prior. I actually teared up in that scene.
Chemistry:
One of the main highlights of this drama was the chemistry between Hae In (Soo Ho) and Jisoo (Yeong Ro). I have never seen such amazing chemistry between two main leads in the past 10 years I've watched kdramas. The forbidden love between two very different people and how they longed for each other is just so sad. They may have not had a lot of scenes together after ep 5, however, every scene that had together always hit you hard with emotions that make you wanna cry for them. The way they look at each other, their physical affections, and their actions of willingness to sacrifice their lives for each other shows true love that they really don't need words to show your words to someone. When Soo Ho died by taking the bullets for Yeong Ro, I was crying buckets because of how tragic it was, and when they cried and talked during Soo Ho's last breath just broke my heart even more. I still cry to this day just thinking about it and when I look back at their scenes, whether sad or sweet, together. I've seen sad endings in kdramas but they've never made me cry buckets of tears every time or whenever I think about the couple. Even though this drama and the couple are fictional, I still can't help but feel so many overwhelming emotions because of their powerful chemistry and cry for them because of their undying love for each other. Their acting is what made the chemistry just so great which is why many people are praising and hoping they'd get together in the end and even in real life.
As I hate to admit it, it was expected that it'd be a sad ending. Given the situation, it's very unlikely that they'd both survive and end up together. Soo Ho will still be targeted by both the South and North even if he ran off to a different country. Cause remember Soo Ho is technically still a wanted criminal and enemy on South Korean grounds. How will they live happily together? Will Yeong Ro be able to drop everything in the South to run away with Soo Ho? Also, Yeong Ro would be in danger if she stays with Soo Ho, and I think he knows that which is why he let her go. And they're basically two against the entire world who are pretty much surrounded at gunpoint by the ANSP. I tried to stay positive that they'd have a happy ending but in reality, it's just totally impossible. Despite the sad ending and the millions of tears I've shredded, I still love this drama.
Ending:
Despite the high appraisal I have for this drama, there were some cons to the drama that should've been explored more. The ending showed the end of the couple's love story, however, the ending felt abrupt and it left a lot of unanswered questions which I was quite disappointed with. They legit just cramped up so many unexpected things all in the last 3 episodes that I feel they should've elaborated earlier in the previous eps so it doesn't seem so abrupt. First, it was never shown where and what happened to Soo Ho's body. Like they could've shown at least Yeong Ro going to his grave or something or just in general where the hell is he? lol. Second, what happened to Yeong Ro after she got taken away by Tae Il, since he thought she knew the password? Like how was she let go so easily? Like they legit just time skipped right away without showing what happened to Yeong Ro and the others after Soo Ho died which left me confused. Third, what happened in the North with Soo Ho's mom and the adoptive father? There are more things that are questionable but these are some I could think of at the top of my head for now. From what I heard, not sure if it's true, the drama was originally supposed to be 20 eps but was shortened to 16 due to the controversy which I do not understand what has to do with it.
Overall, despite the cons, I still genuinely loved this drama, and will forever hold a place in my heart. It'll be hard to find another drama that could top this drama that can hit me with this many emotions. I really hope to see Hae In and Jisoo in another drama together in the future and this time hopefully with a happy ending <3
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