Destinado a Te Amar (2014)

Had fun riding the Gunnie & Mi roller coaster to love. This version of the Taiwanese drama was hands down grossly improved by the actors & onscreen chemistry. The humor, chemistry and story made this an easy to get hooked on and felt right for end of summer drama. Did the storyline change from the Tw version - not much... the comedy portions were endearing to the plot and not overplayed. For me the soundtrack was mesmerizing and well placed throughout the drama. The most poignant track, were the touching instrumentals played at heartfelt moments serving to heighten the moments at hand. The ending was nicely summed up and overall was the right length - no more -no less. Interesting that the two end of summer dramas are dealing with mental & family issues - life goes on. As a final note, the two leads looked like they had fun doing this drama, resulting in magnetic chemistry heartfelt through the screen, coupled with the remaining cast who just made you smile every episode. Well done and lots of HAMO HAMO!

Leia Mais

This is a makjang drama featuring all the possible common kdrama cliches you can think off, the main offenders being: amnesia, a bitchy ex gf, a second male lead trying to get the female lead, a time skip, and the worst case of noble idiocy I've ever seen in my kdrama watching journey of some years.

The drama starts well, the humor although over the top, is hilarious at times and the story and characters seem to be a good enough reason to continue watching, that is until the male lead's hereditary disease manifests and he loses his memories of the last 3 months as a symptom, those months are conveniently the ones he spent with the female lead of course.

As if that event wasn't dramatic enough, right after the male lead gets his memories back, he decides to go on the noble idiocy route and break up with the female lead apparently to protect her from the sadness of knowing about his disease instead of discussing it with her. But no, that's still not all, right after they break up, she turns around to go back to him but gets hit by a car on the way and loses their baby. That was when I simply couldn't handle anymore ridiculousness.

What comes after is a time skip and after that a bunch of frustrating episodes filled with misunderstandings caused by the male lead's noble idiocy that is still going strong after 3 years. Oh my God.

The only good things about this drama are the acting, some funny scenes and the ost.

This could have been a 16 or 18 episodes drama had they not dragged the noble idiocy plot device for so many episodes, and that could have perhaps, saved the drama from being so hopelessly frustrating in the second half.

Still I powered through those difficult episodes because of the male lead's heartwarming relationship with the female lead's mother and because, despite everything, I grew fond of the characters.

Side note: also the ending was so cheesy, and childish lol

Leia Mais

Story/Plot: As I had originally watched the TW version, I already knew what was going to be the main plot and for those of you who haven't I'm pretty sure this rich chaebol - kind girl kind of plot is not unfamiliar. However, even with the main gist of the plot being reused over and over again, the story FTLY managed to win our hearts. Why? The script, it was very strong. Throughout the show, not only did we get the funny, we also learnt morals and values. Sure as many of you know one particular plot tool received much attention in the story, but I would have to say that it was used pretty effectively in this show as a source of conflict. How our fated couple struggled to solve their conflicts that arised internally was what made this series an utterly beautiful one.

Acting/Cast (I'm also going to talk about character development here...so if you are sensitive to a little bit of the plot since it can be hard to draw the line, do skip ahead)

Jang Hyuk: Damn this guy can surely act, there's no doubt about that. He acts not only through his voice and his eyes but through his hands too (there was an article on this hehe) He really managed to show the emotions of Geon during all his moments, be it conflict, sadness, happiness, perviness, you name it. He managed to show Geon's crazy and yet precious side in a way not many other actors would have been able to. In fact I would think that among all the acting in this show, Jang Hyuk's was one of the strongest.

Jang Nara: And who can forget our Jang Nara portraying the ever-so-adorable Dal-peng-ie. During the course of the entire drama, Mi-young made some smooth transitions from a post-kid girl to a mature and confident woman who knows how to stand up for herself. Props to Jang Nara for making Mi-young so lovable to all us viewers. Mi-young was really a representation for all those seemingly normal girls out there who wasn't all that normal after all :)

Choi Jinhyuk/Wang Jiwon: Sad to say, I've never had much to say about second-leads, this could be my own bias. But as second-leads I guess they did what they had to do and they did it good. Choi Jinhyuk played that typical too-nice second lead well as he really got all of us viewers aching for him and I'm glad Wang Jiwon was also allowed to portray Sera in a more human way.

Park Wonsook: As Geon's grandmother, I was hoping she could have had more scenes and played a greater part in this story. But since this was due to the limitations of the script, it has absolutely nothing to do with the actor's ability. Park Wonsook definitely delivered the funny as Geon's grandmother :)

Choi Wooshik/Park Heebon: I'm very happy with the character development for these two characters. As you know korean dramas tend to have a side-lined couple and this two were an adorable pair. Even though Yong wasn't that good-natured initially it was understandable. He eventually made the cut and his innocence and adorableness and his eventual pushing for OTP made up for it :) I'm glad Ji-yeon continued being part of the plot even when she and Mi-young went their separate ways. The two actors definitely made these 2 characters very likeable.

Choi Dae Cheol: I remember not having very high hopes of Choi Dae Cheol initially as Geon's secretary as Anson from the TW version was simply wonderful, but of course this actor proved me wrong. Secretary Tak had his own set of funny as he always competed with Yong to get into Geon's good books. As Secretary Tak, he was really wonderful and helped to bring in a lot of funny into this show.

Song Ok Sook: I really liked Song Ok Sook's portrayal as Mi-young's mum as their relationship was really heartfelt and the way this actress conveyed the heart of a mother was also really heartbreaking so much kudos to this actress!

Oh Sulmi/Lee Mido/Im Hyung Joon/Jung Eun Pyo: I'm quite upset that the two sisters didn't really have any interaction with Mi-young to show their relationships as sisters. This is especially so for the oldest sister who barely had like what 5 lines? in this show. So again, this is largely due to the limitedness of the script. For the soap suds duo, I was generally okay with the acting and especially loved the new term they coined ;D

Music:
There was a range of music from VIXX's Ken's light hearted tune to Ailee's and Jung Dongha's emotional tear-jerkers. Megan Lee's Ready for Love was also great for OTP moments. Jeff Bernat's song was pretty cute too, do give a listen :)

Rewatch value:
Since this was a rom-com, and a pretty great one while I'm at it, it definitely has high re-watch value. The chemistry between the 2 Jangs is a huge PLUS (their chemistry is definitely not one to belittle) There can be slow parts especially from episodes 11-17 but they're important for the plot I guess, and there is a lot a whole lot of meta and funny to make up for it. Definitely worth the watch and rewatch and rerewatch and...*snail signs*

Overall: DAEBAK for all those rom-com lovers and all those SSBG watchers who enjoyed it but lamented the lack of some you know rice-cake making or some K I double S. Okay that's it HAMOHAMO I'll miss this show :)

Leia Mais

I actually can't believe this drama is over. It's been a long time since a drama made me feel the things that 'Fated to Love You' made me feel.
It is a drama that is funny and sad at the same time. It makes you happy and anxious but it always makes you look forward to what is yet to come. You can never get enough of it. At least that's how I felt about this drama.
Since I haven't seen the original taiwanese version, I didn't really know what was going to happen (although I was spoiled a few times because people couldn't stop sharing their knowledge) so I was often surprised with the happenings in the drama.

"Fated to Love You" started with being a really funny drama. There was a lot of comedy and love, which is exactly what you expect from a romantic comedy. At that time I watched one or two episodes without subtitles (although I didn't understand a word of course) because I just couldn't wait for the next episode and for the deep love you could watch on-screen.
But the cuteness didn't last long. In the middle of the drama (11/12 episode) "Fated to Love You" somehow took a melodramatic turn which I actually didn't hate. Because it didn't feel out of place and it somehow fit perfectly into the the story.
The thing that I may have "disliked" (oops, sorry drama, I really love you to bits) is that I sometimes had the feeling that the drama dragged on (after episode 14 a bit). The angst continued on too long. Not that I actually minded it because I could watch the snail-couple until the end of the world.
But to be honest, this few episodes made me actually think of deducting 1 point from the overall score, but that wouldn't have been fair because this drama was just awesome to the core and I just loved it so much. Really, there are no words that can describe how much love I have for this drama and all the characters. I simply loved everyone of them. If you are patient and don't judge anyone of them and actually give them a chance, they will prove you at the end that they are worth your love.
Just don't be judgmental and try to put yourselves in their places. I promise you, you won't regret it.
Learn to love them and you will enjoy every moment of interaction between each of those characters.

Another thing that I really loved about this drama was the music. It was simply awesome. Whether we're talking about the OST or the other soundracks that were played throughout the show, the music was simply genius and it accompanied the scenes perfectly. It sometimes made you laugh and sometimes made you cry.

All in all I am really glad that I have discovered this drama because it's a masterpiece in my eyes. In the last few weeks I was sucked in to deeply in the World of Mi Young and Gun and the rest of the other beautiful persons as that I could forget about them in the near future. This drama will always have a special place in my heart.

PS.: I f you have any tips on how I should move on, don't hesitate to tell me. Thank you!

Leia Mais

FTLY is a rollar coaster of emotion. The story has some totally cute to extremely sad moments. Although it begins in a rather odd way, the rest of the story is typical with one twist that is traumitizing to the main characters. I don't know if I would call this a romantic comedy although there is plenty of both. I think it is more of an intense love story. The writing of the main male lead is frustrating to me, but his enteraction with the female lead is always charismatic even when he is being a total jerk. I have never seen the original, but I like this version.

What makes this drama worth watching is the acting and character development. Jang Na Ra is so adorable as Kim Mi Young. I like how her character blossoms under the guidence of both male leads. Although she becomes more confident, she doesn't lose that air of naivity and kindness. What can I say about Jang Hyuk? He can act any role he is given. Lee Gun is a strangely over the top, down to earth character. He takes life as it comes and deals with his emotions in peculiar way. I like that he is Mi Young's advocate from beginning to end (even when he is mad). That laugh is just too great. Choi Jin Hyuk's character, Daniel must be a glutton for punishment. He loved unconditionaly with almost no hope of it being returned in the way he wanted.

The music is great.

I might rewatch this some day.

If you like love stories, then this is a good drama to watch.

Leia Mais

I've spent so much time crying and laughing with this show that it's really hard to believe it's come to an end, it feels as if a part of me is gone now.. The characters have made a place in my heart and it's going to be really hard to forget them, not that I want to. This has been one of those shows that I absolutely fell in love with from the very first episode and stayed madly in love until the last. It's very rare for that to happen for me because at some point or the other something puts me off. But not with FTLY. I fell hard and deep with this one.

What's so amazing about this show is that it's got such a simple storyline. You basically know the beginning, the middle and the end inside out. You know what's going to happen and how. Despite all of that, for the fact that you still anticipate every episode, still blush and giggle at the romantic moments and still cry your eyes out at the sad ones, the writers deserve commendation. A truly beautifully written show with direction. The pace was so smooth, the transitions were so effortless that you just go with the flow of things and I never thought I was watching a show, rather listening to someone's story. There's a huge difference if you really think about it.

I already know that there was a Taiwanese version of this show (which I haven't watched) plus there was the usual girl-meets-boy plot so I can't really say it's a very original concept. I can't compare the show versions either without watching the Taiwanese version either. But all I can say is, this show occupies a truly special space in my heart. I've cried in many dramas, but this is only the second time that I've cried while feeling the characters' pain deep in my bones (the first being in Love Rain)

The main credit for this attachment that I have for the show goes to the actors. Jang Hyuk simply blew me away. He is such an outstanding actor. I've fallen in love with his acting. Since I began the show I've seen a couple more of his works and he was just wow. You can just look at his work and see that he is a really brilliant and seasoned actor. There's this special magnetic quality about him that you just cannot take your eyes off the screen when he's on. It doesn't matter what he's doing, you'll still watch him. And he played the role of Gun to perfection. He WAS Gun. The parts where there's sadness, Jang Hyuk makes you bawl your eyes out. His eyes are lethal. His mannerisms are so bloody realistic that you just feel so mesmerized and forget that it's just a show and not something that's happening in real. He's beyond words.

While I couldn't connect with Jang Na Ra's acting in the earlier episodes, she totally captivated me later with her ability to live her character. These two phenomenal actors gave such a breathtaking performance that it's hard not to fall for them and their characters. The support cast was equally good. There moments of ridiculous comedy but they were quite endearing too. I couldn't make out any mis-castings.

The music. Oh lord what do I say about the music of this drama! It is simply magical. I can't think of another word. It's got the power to transport you to another world. To the world of FTLY. Even now when I listen to the tracks Goodbye My Love (By Ailee) and Destiny Sonata (By Jung Dong Ha) I get lost in the flashbacks of this show and my eyes end up tearing. It's embarrassing but that's what the music of this show does to me, especially these two songs. Such powerful melody and lyrics, it just goes straight to your heart and you feel the emotions. Perfectly made for the show.

I will definitely absolutely without fail rewatch this drama. I don't think I'd be able to live without watching Gun and MiYoung for long. The couple was one of the best I have ever seen in any RomCom. I will recommend this drama to everyone who loves to watch a good love story, or wants to see some really good acting by some of the most brilliant actors around. This is so much more than just another RomCom. This show becomes a part of your life. Don't miss it!

Leia Mais

Ding Hao! Ding Hao! A must see drama (and I've seen each episode numerous times already :))

Kudos to the writers, producers, directors, production team, actors, music editor (outstanding OST) and everyone involved in this great drama!

I laughed; I cried; I felt every single emotion expressed by the actors.... that's how awesome they were!!! There were so many nuances incorporated in the writing... enjoyed the parodies, the references to other dramas...the music selection, etc. etc. etc. etc...

Lesson learned.... do not be fear what has not happened...enjoy every minute, every second .... LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH!

Leia Mais

Once, or rather twice, I saw a series just like this one and it was Taiwanese and that made me very wary about this remake. You see I really did like the taiwanese version. It was awesome and I didn't really thought good of the Korean remake. But the thing about this little show is that already at the first episode it made me eat my own words. It turned out to have something really great.
And why?

Firstly, the story.
The story is great. I mean come on its very romantic when a lonely and insecure woman that is looked down upon is kind of saved by the prince on a white horse (Come on, whether or not you like it, it's still very romantic) the thing is, where the show makes a turn from the typical White horse Handsome prince, is when you see that Lee Gun (our main lead) turns out to be this extremely hilarious nutcase. Good looking, Yes. Prince like, Yes. Sane, NO! But that is what makes the story differ from the Taiwanese version and doing its own thing.

Secondly, the cast.
The cast for this show is great. Fun thing is that the only one I knew of before watching was the female lead, Jang Na Ra. But I ended up loving the character that I thought I would hate the most. Lee Gun (Jang Hyuk) made me seriously love him in this show! He captured the crazy and nutcase(y) persona of Lee Gun so well and I felt that this man really don't give a F about how crazy he may look, he just went full on doing his thing and that ended up doing this remake a favor. It made the show so much more likable. It made the show so much more funny and when comparing it with its predecessor you really feel the difference just looking at the two main leads. The female lead, tho okay and really feeling like the post it note girl, sometimes felt like she was just there rather than being the biggest (second biggest) character that she was suppose to be. And even after the magical change that every damn character goes thru (in nearly every drama) she still felt the same for me and that was a tad wrong. However I do like Jang Na Ra as Kim Mi Young and she did do a good job. Maybe I'm just blinded by the great performance by Jang Hyuk, too bad.
The second male lead for me was totally useless. Sorry. I didn't like his character in T version either to be fare. And even tho I've started to like Choi Jin Hyuk quite a bit I really felt that he should've dissed this role. Because it was not memorable for me. I liked that Dylan (T version) never had a lot of drama around him, but in this version he ended up being a bit to much romantic. So the cast was okay, but really the reason for the score where because of Lee Gun. Awesome job!

Now we will talk about the music and here is also the reason for the magic that the show produce because this OST is perfection on it's own. It so wonderful and fits the show like a glove!I had to rewatch some scenes just for the perfection showing on my screen. Ailee is greatness itself singing the songs here and because of the show, I'm now a big fan of hers.I found myself bawling my eyes out and much of it because of the musical score.

The rewatch score is mediocre i know. The thing is that even tho I really liked it and all. I've sadly already seen the T version 2 times and even tho the two versions differ quite a bit, it's still the same show, at least based on the same story and in the end it shows. Maybe I will find myself watching it again in the close future, and to be honest I hope I do.

Overall and lastly, this show is good! Whatever you heard from me this show is a great show. Its a funny show as well as a sad one. It'll make you cry rivers and also make you laugh your lungs out. However If you have watched the T version you will compare the two, it's nearly impossible not to. I do hope that the majority of you reading this is newbies to Fated to love you because then I will whole heatedly recommend the K version to you. My mistake was that I already had seen the T version when this jewel came out and I just know that if I hadn't seen that first and this also was my first introduction then I would have loved it so much more. Truly a great show with an extremely crazy but lovable main lead that will make you love his crazy ass.


Happy Watching!
Mivaaa

Leia Mais

Some dreams should just stay dreams

I've seen this a few years ago, and maybe I can somewhat understand the direction this drama was trying to take, but it doesn't convince me in the very slightest, and shouldn't even be called a romance, maybe a sad, ill-intentioned drama with themes of romance. I dont know what it is with writers and romanticizing bullying and abuse, but to put it plainly, its sick and not normal. ML is consistently a constant trainwreck, treating the FL like sh*t, then realizing he has feelings, apologizes, takes her out, then treats her like shit again. in all honestly, if a fortune teller told me that this drama was my future, i'd tell her right back that i'm just gonna have to die single then.

Leia Mais

I've seen so many people comparing this remake to the original TW version and honestly, I don't understand why people hate this remake. As someone who has seen both versions, I think this version is equally outstanding and the comedy aspect makes it quite refreshing. It lightens the sadness of part of the plot, very clever! The original was more set to pull your heartstrings while this one is more playful. I think it just depends if you want to watch something more serious or something lighter and refreshing!

Unlike many other disappointing TW to Kdrama remakes, this one was amazing! I could see and feel the chemistry between the two leads and the feels were definitely there when needed. Each expression made was on point, especially at the heartfelt scenes. I've never seen either of the leads' works before, but they did a great job with their roles and I fell in love with both of them by the end! The plot is typical and VERY cliche but it has a nice twist to it. The pace was quite nice, maybe a little draggy in the end but not too bad. The first half hits hard for sure.

As for the music, Ailee did amazing. Her voice just makes you want to cry even more when you hit the sad scenes! I personally prefer the sadder songs for any drama OST, so I guess I'm biased already. The other songs didn't click with me as much but they still did what they had to: make you cry in a sad scene or get you hyped up in a cute/happy scene. I didn't really like the English song though...

Bottom line is: this drama is refreshing for a cheesy, cliche rom-com. I don't see a need to compare two dramas that were released in completely different years. Yes, the original was stupendous, but there is no reason to be closed-minded and not give the remake a try!

Leia Mais

I am so glad I finished this drama! Due to my busy schedule I kept it on-hold for quite some time until I picked it up again. Fated to Love You is a pretty cute and likable drama. It fills you up with emotions- both happy and sad. What drives its drama is its magnificent cast which makes this otherwise flimsy story worth the time.

While the plot has clichest of cliches, the Taiwanese version was very successful- enough to have a Korean remake. While I could never get onto the boat for its Taiwanese version, when I got to know about the Korean adaptation I wanted to try it out nonetheless. It doesn't disappoint in any way. While the story has its funny, romantic and some typical eye-rolling moments it never loses its magic. Even the repetitive and slow parts of the drama arrive, they still keep you glued to your seat.

While I had my issues with the story, I can't help but not fall for it. The entire credit goes to its cast. Jang Hyuk and Jang Na Ra are both actors I love immensely. My love for them increased ten folds after this drama. They have an electric chemistry and make you feel what their characters are feeling. When they cry, you'd want to cry and when they smile, you'd want to smile. They are the heart and soul of the whole drama. Both of them acted so well that they had me close to tears several times in a drama and mind you- I never even tear up while watching Kdramas.

The OST is terribly repetitive but for me personally it contains two songs I can never get bored of. Baek A Yeon and Ailee both have wonderful voices and the song 'Goodbye My Love' is one of the best songs all this year.

Apart from that, the drama is flawed in several places and far from perfect. It still manages to give you a light yet angsty watch, while creating a lasting impression on your mind. I recommend this drama to all lovers of romantic dramas because that's one thing this drama sold me on- its romance. It will be on my mind for quite some time.

Leia Mais