I have mixed feelings about this drama. As much as I want to give really high rating, I feel reluctant. Probably it's because i felt a bit boring and distract near the mid of the story. But, overall, it was a great story with AMAZING cast and music.

For the story, I am a great fan of noir-genre drama/movies. In this case, it has a great story line; it has revenge, undercover, friendship and love. One thing I disliked was that there were too many boring political dialogue almost in every episodes. But, action scenes were EPIC; I LOVED them.

Acting/Cast: JKH is an amazing actor; he portrayed Doctor's Son/Jung Shi hyun character very well - so dark and mysterious. Nam Gyu Ri was gorgeous and I like her but her acting - I didn't find it impressive. Supporting actors were also good, I would say.

Music: I LOVVVVED the music - "Hurt" and also the last one, "Everyday". And also the instrumentals also helped the drama in perfecting its dark theme.

Rewatch value: Not sure I will rewatch it again.


Overall, a great drama, you should watch it if you wanna take a break from typical melodramas.

Leia Mais

I started following this drama long before it was aired. Maybe because of all the expectations, I didn't feel it was worth the hype.
The story was great and unique, that's true. But, I felt like the romance between the two leads was underdeveloped somehow. They barely managed to spend time together, both busy with their own work. Incorporating and comparing the parallel lives of doctors and soldiers is great and ambitious, I have to say though and that was what made me watch it from the beginning.
I have no problem with the acting compartment. The two leads did their jobs. But, the second lead couple was the one who stole the scenes for me. They have even better chemistry than the main leads, no offense. Although their story was cliche, they did a great job in portraying kind of star-crossed lovers.
Music was great. I don't think I will rewatch it again because there is no scene that left a huge impression in me.
I know there are a lot of people in love with this drama. I did like the drama overall. It's just it doesn't seem to deserve the hype around it.

Leia Mais

I was pretty much expecting a typical love story when I first watched it. There is a big plot twist, (can't really consider it as a twist because somehow, I felt like it would turn out that way) and the story was quite unique on its own. The overall feel of the movie and how it was presented suited the story very well.
It is hard to explain how I felt during the movie and at the end of the movie - somehow soothing and sweet, and yet expecting a dramatic change while I was watching and at the end of the movie, i was more like waiting for a miracle to happen.
The acting was great as expected from Matsujun and Ueno. I have liked Matsujun since Gokusen and I would always like him although his acting career is not very active compared with other same-age actors. I have to say it was a great choice for him and Ueno and they have a good chemistry there.
And the music, the ending song ("Wouldn't it be nice?") hit me so hard. It was exactly how I was feeling at that moment.
I would love to rewatch it a few years later as one of the great love stories I have watched.

Leia Mais

Honestly, this drama was a slight disappointment for me. My expectations were that it would only be a light-hearted, fun drama that focused on the development of friendship and the growth of Hwarang. But, the plot was poorly written. The story did not focus on Hwarang at all. But it was not solely a bad experience since it has some of its good moments.
I finished this drama til the end just because I was curious how the plot would turn out. I continued watching it because of Park Seo Joon and he was also the reason why I started watching it. Through the drama, the audience seemed to fall in love with Ji Dwi more than Sun Woo. But, it was not the case for me. I loved Sun Woo's character - a carefree, yet considerate, heroic character. Regardless of the plot or the character, Park Seo Joon did not disappoint me. Like most would agree, Park Hyung Sik also shined in this drama.
And I enjoyed some bromance between Ji Dwi and Sun Woo, Sun Woo and Han sung and among the six Hwarang. I wished it had more of that.
I hate to say this but this drama is only worth watching if you love either Park Seo Joon or Park Hyung Sik. Only then, you will be able to tolerate all the flaws and cliches in the drama.

Leia Mais

Watch for CP and romance!!

It’s a typical historical romance drama with court politics. In terms of the plot, there is nothing special. I think the later half dragged unnecessarily and especially the last 8 episodes were angsty and draggy at the same time. The ending is indeed confusing - they should have given us a more straightforward happy ending..
Characters:
I loved both male lead and female lead. They are both smart although there are moments where FL did stupid things that are so out of her character. Their CP worked really well.
At first, I had some prejudice against Ju Jingyi because the vibe she gives out and her voice are usually not my cup of tea. But, surprisingly it worked well for this character. Her acting is also good enough.
LFY really loves HYX and protected her since the beginning even when he knew she could be a spy. But, also too protective sometimes. I really want more of the CP working together against their enemies, instead of LFY hiding everything from HYX. Zhang Zhehan really has that domineering charisma as a general or a king.
Gu Qishao is a bit of a grey character. He did use her in the beginning to get the information although he never really hurt her. He redeemed himself in the later episodes when he got freedom to do what he wants to do.

Leia Mais

I didn't expect much when I started watching this drama. I just watched it because of Wang Yibo after watching him in The Untamed.
Story-wise, It is a very good gaming drama. It is quite detailed in the gaming aspect, in explaining strategies and commentaries. It also focuses on friendship and team spirit and these kinds of stuff. For romance, I feel like it is a bit lacking in terms of chemistry, although I love the idea that the two leads going through good and bad together and accompanying each other to the top of the world. And it was a bit too dramatised that the two leads had too many setbacks and 35 episodes is actually a bit too long, it could have been better with around 20+ episodes.
There are supporting characters and their stories like Yiyi and Yixuan, the two good friends of the leads. Their scenes give some humor to the plot. And Pei Xi's bromance/obsession with Ji Xiang Kone was quite funny and interesting as well. And how the five previous champions supported the new team was quite touching. Overall, I really liked the gaming aspect of the drama since it showed the friendship, team spirit and sports/national spirit.
The opening and ending songs quite matched the tone of the drama.
For the casts, nothing much to say. There is no one extraordinary and also no one who did really poorly, as to the extent that it would affect the story. Wang Yibo was quite natural as well. Especially after knowing his interest in motor racing and skateboarding, I think this character suits him quite well because it shows his competitive spirit.

Leia Mais

I just finished re-watching it since I watched it in my high school around 8 years ago.Why am I telling this?

I enjoyed it in my first time because the theme was fresh to me! I understand that there are many dramas with the school/youth theme, trying to deal with common high-school issues like rebellion, family pressure and so on. But at that time, it was the first, I would say, with this kind of theme. So I fell in love with this genre.

Now, my second time, I've watched a lot of dramas with similar themes (recently, School 2013). But, nevertheless, I think Gokusen is the best in School/Youth dramas of all times.
All these said, the story was realistic and focused (only on the development of relationships between Yankumi and her 3-D students)

I may be biased when the acting/cast is amazing because I am Matsujun-biased. I became his fan with this drama and Sawada Shin is still my favorite character of Matsujun.

Music, I neither like it nor dislike it.

Well, like I said before, I watched it twice; I enjoyed it. It might not be as fresh as before, but I enjoyed watching the interactions between the casts again. It will never bore me, I guess.


Overall, I think it is a great drama that's worth to watch if you like School/Youth drama, even the second/third time (I might probably watch it again in the future). You might also want to give it a try if you are Matsujun's fan.

P.S. You can read the manga if you think it wasn't enough after finishing the drama!

Leia Mais

It is definitely one of the best among mystery/sci-fi genre in K-drama world. With the short length of the drama, the story was very tight and well-paced throughout the drama. Only the first episode was a bit confusing because it introduced the characters and set up the plot. The fact that it could manage to show and link the two parallel timelines in each episode, without exposing any major plot for the future, is very impressive, salute to the writer.

Story wise, it is definitely my cup of tea - bromance and sci-fi and thriller - kind of present and future linked together in a way. The bromance is real and epic and you can feel both brothers' emotions when they are fighting hard for the other. The twists and turns are quite unpredictable that makes you keep guessing. Romance-wise, I quite liked Woo-jin and Jung-yeon's chemistry. Although they had little chance to develop it further, their romance is quite fresh and innocent, amidst the mystery and dark happenings around them.

Acting-wise, everyone played their characters very well. Although I have never had much interest in Yeo Jin-goo in his earlier dramas, this character Woo-jin, kind of made it for me. He portrayed Woo-jin as a 20-something boy with a burden to carry but also with a boyish charm. And for Gong Seung yeon, it is my first drama watching her and I think she portrayed the three characters very well and I am looking forward to see her in next dramas. And lastly, Kim Kang-woo, as a more experienced actor than the other main leads, nailed his character perfectly. Although he seemed more mature and calm and calculative, compared to his younger counterpart which makes sense after all since so many years have passed, sometimes he was as wild and crazy as his younger self. As for the villains, I have nothing much to say. They served their roles throughout the story.

As it is a mystery genre that usually becomes a bit boring for a second watch, I don't think I will watch it anytime soon.

Leia Mais