Reviews

This was my very first Kdrama and it will always be a 10 out of 10 for me. The story of Kim In Ha and Min So Yeon that spans years and continents transcends language and cultural barriers and I'm sure this drama sparked many more addictions than just me.

The acting is amazing. Lee Byeong Hun is a spectacular actor and I love him in pretty much every project he does. If you only watch for one reason, watch it because of him. Song Hye Kyo is beautiful. Ji Sung was kind of in the background a lot of the time, but he is very solid, as usual. Park Sol Mi was the second female lead, but pretty forgettable when the main couple were so powerful already. I'm glad to see the younger actors, Jin Goo and Han Ji Min in dramas as adults.

I love the music, along with everything else about this drama.

I've watched it maybe 3 or 4 times and I'd watch it again.

Leia Mais

This is a classic Kdrama that is not to be missed.

I discovered this drama back when I spent loads of money on boxed Kdrama DVD sets and sometimes the special features included preview episodes of other dramas. I watched the first episode and it was the first time I was straight up bawling during the first episode and I immediately ordered the whole thing. Stairway to Heaven has all the well-known Kdrama tropes: first love, separation, amnesia, jealous second leads and more, all tied up in a pretty package.

Cast:
Back then, it seemed like Choi Ji Woo was in everything and pretty much everything she did back then was golden. Her younger version was played by Park Shin Hye and I really enjoyed watching her and I somehow knew that she would be going places. Kwon Sang Woo was so lovely to look at. It took me a long while to warm up to anything with Kim Tae Hee because of her character's bulging angry eyes in this, but I guess that's what makes for a good villian. Shin Hyun Joon's character was just heartbreaking, and when I see him I always think of Chul-su oppa who would never get the girl although he tried his damndest.

Music:
I love this OST so much. Kim Bum Soo's I Miss You ???? is probably one of my all time favorite songs and whenever I hear the instrumentals, it totally brings me back to the feels.

Rewatch Value: This is definitely one to keep in the reserves in case you want to have a good cry.

Leia Mais

I am so grateful to the people who recommended this drama to me. At first, it caused my head to spin, however, with each episode, I began to fall in love with the storyline, the character's the music and the messages this drama was sending. "That if you are meant to be with a person, eventually, you will find your way back to them." and " No matter what is going on in your life, what sickness or disaster you are fighting, you can't hide the truth. Those who truly love and care for you will find out" and lately " Never stop living because the world might end. Live life to its fullest until your very last breath." The relationship between Gun and Mi Young was like riding on a roller coaster and I kind of figured out Se Ra and Daniel before more was revealed. From start to finish, this drama was filled with laughter, sorrow, pain, love and so many emotions that half of the time, I didn't know if I was crying or the tears were coming from laughing so hard. I congratulate the cast for an outstanding performance, one that is also memorable. I kind of want to watch this Drama all over again just to listen to Gun laugh.

Leia Mais

Loved watching Choi Kang Hee as always, loved watching Chun Jung Myung ever since I saw him in What's up Fox and also Loved Lee Jae Yoon, he looks so strong and plus loved him since I saw him as a cop in Cruel City. Why does his characters always look like they have bed hair. Just rolled out of bed with his wild hair, lol. I think the leads are all very talented and worked well with each other. I enjoyed the story and characters however I felt a disconnect from the show which I can't 100% put my finger on. What is revealed at the ending kinda throws me for a loop, why would these characters do that? won't spoil the secret but to me the characters were irresponsible and selfish. The show still ended well and some loose ends were tied up. Maybe I just kept finding a fault that if she could do her makeup and disguise as a grandma and enter out in the world why couldn't she do that for herself. She went out and spoke to people and did this as a grandma in disguise but couldn't do it for herself as a young woman. Although you are still hiding behind a mask by doing that anyway. But it was like she built a prison for herself and missed out on so much for herself. Education, finding good friends. Maybe she could have went to school and found decent friends that would have loved her for herself once she built the courage to reveal her illness to them. But as usual, easier said than done when you have a phobia and it's drama land. I still enjoyed it even though I found something missing. Also thought the music was very nice as well.

Leia Mais

This drama is a gem. I really love that it confronts kdrama tropes. I took a long time to finish it because I wanted to keep it for when I have nothing to watch.
Most first episodes you can miss. But you don't want to miss this one. Also, the drama gets better and better as it goes along.
Eun Sol is the one who carries the drama the first half, but the second half, Ji Heon really is awesome.
You never know where the show is going to take you.
I liked that there were nonromantic non slow mo hugs involved.

Ji Heon's Dad
I grew to like this character really quickly. The fact that he's so down to earth with Eun Sol is great. It's nice that she has allies. He's a dad that really wants his son to succeed.
The things he does for community service is so funny.
I really liked him.
“Even though I meet a lot of women, I stick to my own age bracket.” Gahahaaha.
I also really like his relationship Eun Sol and how he wants to so desperately accept her but knows all the troubles that will come with it.
The actor really conveys the blustery, tempestuous personality with the soft-hearted side.
He's probably also one of the first Kdrama parents to apologise to the children for yelling at them. I love that he wants to start again with Ji Heon and be a better father to him.

Mu Won
I love his facial expressions. He's very cute and polite and he has a husky voice that does tingly things to my insides.

Mu Won - “Have you eaten?”
Eun Sol - “What?”
“If you haven't eaten, let's eat together. Even if you have eaten, eat again with me.”

His little fights with his cousin amused me because Mu Won is so mature but sometimes Ji Heon just gets on his nerves. I like the clashes they have and all the power plays and the way Mu Won is so cool about it.

Mu Won - “Do you want to eat together?”
Ji Heon - “No...why would I eat with...”
“Great. I don't want to, either. So, goodbye.”

Mu Won's a well-behaved gentleman so I like that Eun Sol advises him to, “stage a strategic revolt”.
He's kind of like a preppy high school girl who wants to experiment but just can't.
He is a beautiful creature and has the loveliest love confession but he's too scared to hear the answer. I loved that montage as he tries to avoid hearing her response.
In Episode 7....gah! I loved seeing his playful side. He definitely enjoys annoying Ji Heon more than he actually likes No Eun Sol.

“Are Ji Heon and I that annoying?..then you can just play around with us.” tehehe.

It was fun to see him relive his childhood or basically be immature for once in his life.
Finally, his shocked face whenever Eun Sol does something rowdy is just the best. The best.

Eun Sol's Dad
I really appreciate the continuing theme Myeong Ran and Eun Sol are confident women because their parents treasured them. As Eun Sol's father says, “Is your child the only precious one? My daughter is also very precious.” I like that they were brought up knowing that it's not the money that's valuable.
It's also great that with Ji Heon being such a sissy boy, that he has to gain the approval of Eun Sol's dad's more manly perspectives.

Romance
I really could not envision the chemistry working out. In most noona romances, the woman is still really childish and needs taking caring of by the younger hero. But Eun Sol really is like a mother to him to the point that it's sweet how she babies him.
I like that Ji Heon falls in love first. I think it's only appropriate considering the nature of the relationship.
When she confronts him about him liking her, he goes into the usual spiel of all the reasons he wouldn't like her. It doesn't phase her, she's still like, “So? What does that have to do with anything? Do you like me or not?”
“Why, why can't you accept my feelings?”
“First of all...”
*gasps “What, there's a number two?”
As the drama progresses, I began to understand Ji Heon's feelings for Eun Sol and how she became everything to him and it wasn't icky and weird but based on friendship and selflessness.
I really like how they outlined the relationship in Episode 8. How Eun Sol's rant at him really woke him up to how he was relating to her. And it wasn't all sunshine and roses.
When they do get together it's not very clear.

Eun Sol
I like that Eun Sol's personality remains consistent and her quirks continue throughout the drama. She doesn't change just because she falls in love.
Of course, Ji Heon tests her limits as a secretary. I like that she prevails.
Ji Heon - “Ah, what kind of woman is she? She's so ruthless!”
The heroine's voice is very low. It's a nice different from the tendency of Korean heroines to have a whiny voice. I like that she's not the type to apologise a hundred times. I like that she's a realist and not a fairytale optimist from the get-go.
I found myself looking forward to getting to know and love her.
I like that she owns her outbursts. She doesn't back down from her decisions. She sees them through.
She might say the wrong things, but she's not clueless. In fact, a lot of the times she's right on the ball. Her common sense is so uncommon in Kdrama heroines.
I like that she doesn't get tongue tied and she can say what needs to be said without dragging out long misunderstandings. She doesn't take crap lying down from anyone. She is an unusually quick thinker and when someone threatens her she threatens them right back.
In Episode 4 when she head butts him, she completely stole my heart.
Although I don't condone manhandling or intimidating, I do like that she does it to him as much as he does it to her.
Eun Sol really gives it to Ji Heon when he tries to put the moves on her. She is so brilliant.
She also isn't afraid to tease him about her relationship with his cousin.
I also like that she really gives it to him straight about the kind of relationship they have. I think she's the first heroine to really lay it down that working tirelessly is not as easy or as stress-free as other Kdramas portray.
She seems more like a noona to the cousins and she makes fun of Mu Won's lack of fighting skills.
Her practical side sometimes makes her seem cold and I like that she hardly ever cries.

Ji Heon
“I know you can solve the problem on your own. But you also have to tell me about it.” ~ Ji Heon

I can't believe the actor was the 34 when he filmed this. He acts so convincingly as a child. He does have a disorder but that's not a good enough excuse for me.
I liked when he started to try and look out for Eun Sol in his own weird way.
When he starts to let her help him, it gets even better.
He's an extremely prickly character who doesn't like this or that and doesn't like to be touched either. In the beginning he acts like he doesn't care what anyone thinks but of course he's a big baby and when he starts putting in the effort and trying he really enjoys the approval.
Responsibility is really hot. Haha. Ji Heon definitely became more attractive to me as he started growing up.
His immaturity also works in his favour too because he's not as prone to hide behind arrogance and image because he knows he doesn't really have one.
His stance on romance is simple, but effective. He's also encouraging.
It's weird how his character developed such depth and presented a side to Ji Heon that I would never have suspected, yet the writers lay the foundation so you realise it was always there.
He also apologises for wrist grabs.
Even as he grows up, he doesn't lose his cluelessness, “What? You're also dating an assistant manager?” ahahahaha.
By the end of it, I really believed in his character and his love for No Eun Sol.

Myeong Ran
I loved her as the best friend. She is a little on the large side which is great and she's just as kickass. And she's my first solid best friend in a Kdrama. She has a low voice too and that made the friendship seem more mature for some reason.
I liked that she has fun together with Eun Sol. It's not just that she's someone to complain to or a shoulder to cry on. They get along so well and can just let loose with each other and have inside jokes and dance and sing together.
Myeong Ran's ferocity really cracked me up. I like how the rich didn't dare cross her. Her strange relationship with Na Yun was hilarious.

The Ex – Na Yun
I kind of liked that she was a bit less controlled than other second female leads. She doesn't have it all together. She also really cares about Ji Heon even when she contemplates revenge, she won't go through with it.
She also wears her heart on her sleeves and she's not cool at all. She actively tries to prove herself to Eun Sol and this made her seem much more real.
I like that she chokes on her food and that she makes friends with Myeong Ran.

Elders
I liked the theme of the main characters outsmarting/rebelling against the parents.
There are scheming elders but I'm glad that the elders scheme amongst themselves and get in the way of each other and so it's not all up to the poor younger folk to dodge their machinations.
Also, Eun Sol has no trouble standing up to the elders. She's not intimidated or deferential at all. She's so direct with them, “Please don't come to this crappy neighbourhood with your crappy attitudes anymore.”
Surprisingly, the children of the annoying elders also learn to get a backbone and confront their mothers. For the win.

Fashion
Bow ties are always fun. Ji Heon wears a backpack which emphasises his kid look.

Leia Mais

First I do not recommend anyone to watch this series in its entirety.
The Good: The main actors playing Yu You Wei (li Qin) and Han Ming (Ron Ng) had some really cute, sweet and heart wrenching moments. I really like strong leading ladies, and this drama definitely had one. Yu You Wei had a strong personality but was a well rounded The acting in this drama from the whole cast was good on a whole and you really believed their performances. The costumes and wardrobes were cool, the water scenes were pretty, and the ending was nice.
The Bad: the story line was awful. I think the writers quit around episode 20 and the staff figured they could keep the same storyline circulating for another 20 episodes. This isn’t the first prince/pauper drama I have watched but this is the first that has drug the concept on for 48 episodes! The antagonists in the story are too plentiful, have senseless reasons for their actions and throughout all of the episodes the main character is tormented. Although the story was awful, the initial concept and planning was good so I thought this would be a really good drama at first.
Bottom Line: This drama was riddled with evil plans, deceit, amnesia, a super long and repetitive story line, non developed characters and all of the drama clichés you have come to love/hate. I was addicted to the first 10 episodes, anticipated episodes 11-15, and then started to have to push through the drama. I fast-forwarded and skipped my way through to the last episode. I was not happy with the way they beat the main character down with “life” events into a completely different person so I do not recommend this drama. I especially do not recommend this drama for people who have to finish a drama, or to people who are not looking for a serious drama. To be honest I really wish I had back those hours of my life!!

Leia Mais

N no Tame ni happens to be one of the best J-dramas I've ever had the pleasure of watching in a whie. This drama is a classic example of how a drama should start well and end well leading up to the climax. It's execution was perfect- the buildup, the mystery, the plot, the twists and the resolution. I thoroughly enjoyed this drama and it was totally worth the watch.

I think the plot was really creative and woven very nicely together. The entire sequence of events made sense by the end and there was literally nothing that went unresolved. That, is the power of a good writer who would know just what to do with the characters and situations. The mystery never felt like a cheap plot device and it was definitely depicted well even if it was slightly predictable.

The cast put on some memorable performances. Thanks to this drama I am now introduced to a band of new actors who I am definitely interested in now for future watching purposes. You would suspect literally everyone at one time or the other and even the most random things in the drama tie up well together.

Being a Japanese drama, it had to have its dark moments. By dark I mean things like deceit, abuse and murder. Nobody is a good guy here, which I feel is daring thing for the writer to do. The characters are all a blend of classic nice people with anti-hero/heroine traits and the villains are just.... selfish lol. For me the most fun was when we get to know how the villain has done whatever the villain pleased and destroyed everyone in the process. I mean, the revelation was super fun.

I kind of liked and dislike the presence of a love triangle in the story. I think while it could have done away with any romance, since it was there it should have been better. As in the heroine should have been with the one I wanted her to be with. :P That brings me to the ending. Like I said, everything is very neatly resolved but I dislike one thing towards the end episodes which sort of ruined the ending for me. I didn't think it was necessary but wasn't against it either since things end on a satisfactory note for every one.

I have to mention the music once. I really loved the songs and the background music was well done. Each music piece suited the situations and the editing was fabulous.

Go ahead and watch this drama if you want an actual plot, some good performances and mystery.

Leia Mais

There are enough reviews and comments raving about this drama. I am not sure if my review would be of any help but I want to share my thoughts anyway. This drama is what I call a good remake. I am a fan of the original Korean drama and it is special to me as it's the first Korean drama I ever watched. I have to say this version did it justice and in some ways even made it better.

Let's get to the story. The original Full House too much focus on house chores and waiting. The male and female lead wait for each other literally every episode. While this follows pretty much the same fact, it feels less repetitive than the original. Plus there are moments added in the story which not only make it fresh but also much like the Korean version. The story is cliche and the classic will-they-wont-they doesn't become stale in here.

Reasons to like this drama are the hot leads, excellent camera work and the episodes having being shot in both Thailand and South Korea. I think while Rain had his own charm, Mike is definitely good to look at. The cast is lovely and they all fit their roles well.

I think this drama is a must-watch irrespective of the fact whether you've seen the original drama or not. It is light-hearted and good old fun with a decent rewatch value.

Leia Mais

- A lot of flaws...
- The story was exciting. Just like sentimental girls like it. Only for it I give 5 to overall.
- Ueno Juri, from one her film to another, gets even more tensed, embaraced and awkward. She was my best japanese actress sicnce 4 years ago. But as time goes I get disappointed with her works...
In this drama UJ is too much awkward again.
- TOP is often cute. But he still was in idol, behaved like a star mostly. I didn't believe that he is just a guy in this drama.
- TOP and UJ didn't have chemistry, especially when they met.
- A mess. Collaboration of cartoon, serious drama, comedy, comics... And it collaborated in a disturbing way.
- DIfficult to watch the video, because of that mess.
-I don't remember any of music in this drama. So it means that it's at least not distracted. That's why I give it 4.
- Acting was jusk ok. Just because acting itself is not so easy, I give 5 of 10. Far from exellent, and not terrible.

Leia Mais

Wow!!! as I went over the reviews on this one, what a downer. I initially started the first episode which was so awesome and than went back to see the reviews. I was so disappointed at seeing all negativity but that ended up being a blessing in disguise. why? you ask.....simple because I kept waiting to get dissappointed.....
I just said what the heck....let me see how bad this is. There is a quote from this drama, "I am a doctor nothing more nothing less";. So my analysis is this. Guys!!! this a kdrama nothing more nothing less!

If you are debating on watching this just go for it. It isn't horrible. and I am sure everyone has had their share of why did i watch that? I know I have, but you don't know unless you try.

Why I personally would recommend this drama:

Lee Jong Suk- I personally never thought much about his acting, not much in Secret Garden and I just saw I Hear Your Voice, which quite honestly didn't move me as far as his character development maybe because I only thought of him as a high school kid. How much development could you have. Sooo if for no reason at all check him out in this one.

Lastly, Just watch and let it the ride take you wherever, it's not so predictable, but assuming and having high expectations from this one, than you probably might just get disappointed.

Leia Mais

It made me cry, laugh and I really enjoyed it.
STORY
I gave it a 10/10 because I REALLY, REALLY LOVE high school dramas and this one has hidden identicals too! That would make fall for it even more. I liked how they also had sport included. WOW!! I love his passion for Ice Hockey!!! Made me cry...
ACTING/CAST
OMG Seo In Guk?! YES!!!! That got me to watch it instantly!!! Also Lee Yeol Eum, I liked her, well, pretty annoying, but cute! ^_^ Sorry to say, but I didn't like Lee HaNa in here...Bien...BUT Seo In Guk is in there! XD YASSS!!!
MUSIC
I... it's been a few months since I've watched this ( but still remained in my heart), so I don't remember it. But I listened the osts on Youtube and...uh...hasn't got me... I'll just give it a 8.0
REWATCH VALUE
I gave it a 9.5, not a 10 because... well... the plot is amazing!!! But there was a good episode, but it was a really sad one. So, I couldn't rewatch it. But I am able to watch the first episode over and over again.
OVERALL
Overall, it is 10/10 but I would want to put 10/INFINITY!!! It was a awesome KDRAMA and I REALLY High Recommend this drama to those HIgh Schoolers (like me ^_^) Or just a KDRAMA ADDICT! THIS DRAMA IS #1 on my list currently!!!

Leia Mais

The plot of this drama is really compelling. It's the main driving force.

Bromance
The boys made me smile so hard. They had such great chemistry as mates with Min Gi always putting a smile on Soo Hyun's face. They're the kind of personalities that probably would've never been friends if they hadn't be thrown together when they were young.

Min Gi
Min Gi plays around a lot. His character made me nervous due to his immaturity. But he's not too bad. He really cares for Soo Hyun. And he's not as stupid as he looks. I liked what the drama did to give him levity to his character.

Soo Hyun
This guy is such a sombre character. He can kick some serious ass. He is such a tortured character. In the second half, it is nice to see him smiling all the time but not for the reason that you'd expect.
I do appreciate that he did wrong things. Considering he's working amongst the underworld, it is only realistic.
His character really changes throughout the drama as the ups and downs of his work really drag him around emotionally.

Ji Woo
This girl kind of annoyed me but not for the usual reasons. I mean, she's not a dramatic character, I guess she just lacked personality. She was just a nice person who just there.

Fashion
Even though this is a bit of an older drama. I was relieved to see that I didn't find the hairstyles distracting or offensive. Haha.
On a random note, the heroine wears some pretty low-cut dresses for a Kdrama.

Leia Mais

As a still fairly new K-Drama watcher, I started this series after seeing more than a few good reviews, plus reading how popular the show was during it's airing. The plot is predictable in that a commoner is selected to marry the prince, while a power struggle is going on in the palace. While the plot seems like one you may have heard before, the series is definitely worth watching.

Of course your natural instinct is to root for Chae-kyeong and her budding romance with Prince Shin, the actors and writers did a wonderful job of giving them as well as Prince Yul and Hyo Rin personality and charisma. As a viewer, I understood how crappy the hand dealt to these characters. Hyo Rin and Prince Yul had me question their sincerity on quite a few scenes. In the end, I had a big case of the second lead sympathies.

Chae Kyeong at times angered me, but it was mostly due to my own personality. She, like many other main female leads, made me just a bit angry with how easily she forgave Prince Shin in different situations. The pair as a couple however, work well with one another.

The supporting cast adds to the series in a very positive light. The monarch flutters about worried about different scandals common people find frivolous, while the commoners are wrapped up in finances and graduation problems. Through it all Shin and Chae-kyong's family and friends bring a bit of lightheartedness to the show.

Every K-Drama fan is familiar with the power hunger mother who would walk through hell twice to ensure their child is on top. Prince Yul's mother, Lady Hwa-Young, is exactly that. Her past is a tortured one, which pushes her to the extremes for her son's future. The question for the viewer is, does Prince Yul agree with her methods?

This series lived up to the praise it received. While you may feel the story is one of Cinderella, and you may know the outcome, let's all face it, most romantic dramas are a bit predictable, but the interpretation and road to the finale are what make the trip worth it.

Leia Mais